SB Nation - Landon Bradley

VIRGINIA WEEK: Second-look preview

Purple Wimple — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 08:00:05 -0000

In Frogs o' War's final installment of VIRGINIA WEEK, we look a little deeper at TCU's third opponent's depth chart. This third game isn't going to be a cakewalk like the '09 tilt with the Cavs. This team is very well coached, and the upper-classmen heavy offense is being pushed by Mike London's more talented recruits. The coach really shows his chops in how he has not lost the effort of his inherited players, but has let his recruits push the older guys to better performance. Virginia is built for long-term success.

First, the situation at receiver reminds one a little of TCU last year-- lots of unproven players vying to replace last year's go-to wideout. The bar was set pretty high by graduated Kris Burd, who nearly tallied 1,000 yards last season on 66 catches. Tim Smith and Perry Jones (a tailback) were the other half of the team's aerial production, hauling in 81 passes for over 1,000 yards. They return.

But the news is going to be how much hyped recruit Darius Jennings can flourish. Jennings had a mediocre year, and a lot of upside.

Perry Jones, the senior tailback, is the star of the team. Jones carried the ball 184 times last season for a very solid 5.0 ypc, and (as mentioned) was Mike Rocco's escape valve in the passing game, as well. Jones plays in tandem with Kevin Parks, a sophomore this season who tallied pretty good numbers himself last season (152 carries, 4.7 ypc).

So the skill positions are not in bad shape. Of course, it remains to be seen who'll be throwing to these players.

Junior Mike Rocco ain't a bad quarterback, but he's not a headliner, either. Phillip Sims is, but the NCAA hasn't decided whether or not his "family emergency" warrants an exception to the transfers-sit-out rule. (I'm not trying to cast aspersions on Mr. Sims's situation, but I'm not buying the emergency would have warranted his return to Virginia had he become Nick Saban's starter.) Rocco reminds me of Andy Dalton in 2008-- but it's very much unclear whether he has the upside Dalton had. Sims clearly does.

Three of the big guys return up front; finding new players to step into the roles left by all-American guard Austin Pasztor and all-ACC center Anthony Mihota and backup Landon Bradley is a big deal. Last year's line paved the way for 4.2 ypc, Virginia's best mark on the ground in many years. London projects all of his starters up front to be upperclassmen, which is a hopeful sign in Hoo-ville.

The defense will be weaker than last year's squad, early (which wasn't a barn-burner, but was competent).

The defensive line must be rebuilt almost completely. The Cavs lose 38 of last seasons' starts off the line (over 70%) including drafted end Cam Johnson. Coach London is a d-line coach, and has his toughest job yet at that level of the defense. The sole returner is end Jake Snyder; senior Bill Schautz starts at the other end, and inside are sophore Chris Brathwaite and senior Will Hill. The tackles are not as big as one might expect-- Hill is the biggest at 6-4, 280. If this new-minted line can match last year's sub-4.0 ypc mark against the run, Mike London will deserve a raise.

UVa deploys a 4-3 defense, of which the linebackers are the leading unit. Senior WLB LaRoy Reynolds and senior MLB Steve Greer led the team in tackles last season, and both return. The new man at SLB likely will be sophomore Daquan Romero.

Much like on the d-line, the secondary is going to about three-fourths new. Expect TCU to be able to move the ball through the air; this is where TCU's strength most outmatches Virginia's weakness. The returner is cornerback Demetrious Nicholson. Daquan Hoskey will play opposite him, with new safties Rijo Walker and Anthony Harris inbetween.

Like TCU, Virginia replaces both its punter and kicker.

So what to make of this team? It reminds me of TCU in 2006 and '07; the talent isn't yet in the starting positions, or if it is, it ain't as experienced as you want. But Virginia is going to have a say about the ACC, if it can hold on to Mike London. Will the Cavs beat TCU? They made a career of over-performing last season; sustaining that kind of streak is difficult, even for the best of coaches and teams. TCU is glad to catch them early.

2012 NFL Draft - Scouting for Future Chargers: Bowl Games Part 9

Wonko — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:00:04 -0000

Team Needs
Starter	Starter Competition	Depth	Projects
Current starter is FA next year and has no surefire understudy	Current starter is FA next year and has understudy or current starter is inexperienced	One or more backups are FAs next year	May need a new starter or backup after 2012 season
S, FB, C, DT	S, ILB, WR, C, DT, OLB, OG	S, ILB, WR, RB, TE, CB, OT	QB, K, OLB, DT, DE, TE

In case you missed it, I justified the most recent updates to the team needs list a few weeks ago when I scouted the last week of the college football regular season. There's a lot of unknowns until we know the extent of some injuries and any changes in management are made, so I'm not going to say much more about that. Instead let's go to the games.

Texas A&M

(6-6)

Northwestern

(6-6)

Saturday 12/31 9:00 AM PT

(ESPN)

Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston, TX): When I covered Texas A&M earlier in the year, the premier Aggies prospect was WR Jeff Fuller and QB Ryan Tannehill was a mere curiosity. Since then Fuller's stock has slipped, but he's still an interesting prospect (as many tall WRs are) and Tannehill is bordering on being a 1st round consideration. Junior WR Ryan Swope has picked up Fuller's slack and helped Tannehill reach that status. Look for him to steal Fuller's thunder again. Nortwestern's offense is a creative one running up tempo at times and throwing in triple options and other college-y formations. They'll need all that creative mojo working and sleeper QB prospect Dan Persa to be at his best because the Aggies have a very solid D. They are young, so there's no Von Miller coming out of College Station this year, but Sophomore Damontre Moore is an excellent pass rusher and one to watch for the future.

Georgia Tech

(8-4)

Utah

(7-5)

Saturday 12/31 11:00 PM PT

(CBS)

Hyundai Sun Bowl (El Paso, TX): Utah made the jump to the Pac 12 this year and surprised a few people by reaching bowl eligibility. There were big dogs in the Mountain West for the last few years, but some thought that the Pac 12 would be a much bigger challenge. The ramblin' wreck of Georgia Tech has seem better years with better talent, but still makes it a bowl game this year. The Yellow Jackets bring their traditional triple option attack against Utah's tough defensive front seven. The Utes will send out their Norm Chow coordinated offense led by San Diego native QB Jordan Wynn (Oceanside HS).

Illinois

(6-6)

UCLA

(6-7)

Saturday 12/31 12:30 PM PT

(ESPN)

Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl (San Francisco, CA): Both these teams come sputtering into this football game crammed into a baseball stadium. Illinois Sophomore QB Nathan Scheelhaase was supposed to bring a lot of electricity to the offense, but that spark died midway through the season. He does have an NFL prospect to throw to in WR A.J. Jenkins, but that only works if he's make good reads. RB Jason Ford is also an interesting sleeper prospect. The UCLA offense is a mess. Outgoing HC Rick Neuheisel brought a pistol formation to the team, but it's more like a pop gun. It should get terrorized by current 2nd round prospect, but potentially a 1st round consideration, Junior DE Whitney Mercilus (great last name!) who could possibly follow his ex-teammate Corey Liuget to the Chargers defense.

Cincinnati

(9-3)

Vanderbilt

6-6)

Saturday 12/31 12:30 PM PT

(ABC)

AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis, TN): This game should mark the return of the Bearcats' sleeper QB prospect Zach Calleros. That might be good news for sleeper WR prospect D.J. Woods who once looked like a more promising player, especially as a deep threat. In his absence, RB Isaiah Pead was relied upon more and he still should feature heavily in this game and in the scouts' notebooks. Vanderbilt CB prospect Casey Hayward will also be watched to see how he handles this Cincy offense.

Virginia

(8-4)

Auburn

7-5)

Saturday 12/31 4:30 PM PT

(ESPN)

Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta, GA): The defending BCS Champions picked up a lot of losses this year following their undefeated 2010 season. Can Newton is a ~~expensive~~hard man to replace. Of course, they lost a few others to the NFL as well, leaving them with barely any experienced NFL prospects this season. The most promising is OT Brandon Mosley, but even he has questions about his ability to stay at tackle. Virginia has an up-and-coming CB prospect in Chase Minnifield who will look to try and turn his current 2nd round grade to a 1st round grade in this primetime tilt. Virginia DE Cam Johnson looks too big for the 3-4, but has experience at the 3-4 OLB position. Cavaliers Junior RB Perry Jones is one to keep an eye on for the future.

I'll go over the individual players after the jump.

BFTB Scouting Targets:
Player	School	Pos.	Class	Height	Weight
Chase Minnifield	Virginia	CB	Sr.	6'0	187 lbs
Great work ethic, very mature, NFL bloodlines. Plays smart, knows his assignments, makes good reads, sets a great example. Can play the ball well and can avoid contact when doing so. Might struggle against the faster WRs of the NFL since his backpedal isn't the smoothest and his recovery speed is only decent. Not bad at run support. (2nd round)
Whitney Mercilus	Illinois	DE	Jr.	6'3	263 lbs
Leads the nation in sacks with 14.5, but also has 8 forced fumbles. Much like Ryan Kerrigan last year he's described as not being the greatest athlete, but uses elite effort to produce. Needs to learn some gap control since he sometimes loses that in an effort to get to the QB. Questions about ability to play 3-4 OLB because of lack of athleticism. He's a junior, but he's expected to declare. (2nd round)
Brandon Mosley	Auburn	OT	Sr.	6'5	300 lbs
Big body OT that might be able to a project at that position in the NFL or transition to OG. He's got that mean streak you look for and he's a heck of an athlete. If he were to play OG he'd need a loot of work on pulling since he's not that great in space. (3rd round)
Coryell Judie	Texas A&M	WR	Sr.	5'11	187 lbs
An okay cover corner with great ball skills and excels with the football in his hands. He'll return kicks for someone in the NFL and perhaps develop into a decent CB as well. (3rd round)
Casey Hayward	Vanderbilt	CB	Sr.	5'11	185 lbs
Perhaps a poor man's Asante Samuel. He's not going to wow people with Darrelle Revis type man-to-man skills, but can play zone and plays the ball well. Good at tracking the ball and jumping routes. Can hold on to interceptions. (3rd Round)
Cam Johnson	Virginia	DE	Sr.	6'3	273 lbs
Prototypical build for a 4-3 DE, but has experience playing OLB in Virgina's old 3-4 defense. His first few steps in the pass rush are impressive. He's quick and hits with power, gets good leverage quickly and can knock blockers back. Needs to get to the QB quick though, because he struggles to adjust to a moving target. (3rd round)
Tony Bergstrom	Utah	OT	Sr.	6'5	304 lbs
Developmental prospect. He plays OT, but better suited for guard. Too easily overpowered at this point and needs to learn to anchor. (3rd round)
Jeff Fuller	Texas A&M	WR	Sr.	6'3	217 lbs
Fuller has more of the height you are looking for in the position, but his football IQ isn't that high and his route running is sub par. Although he can run those go and fade routes like few others can. He's strong catching the bad and has good body control. He's not a burner, but his long strides can take him places. He has an arrest from 2010 on his record for consumption of alcohol by a minor. (4th round)
Jeff Allen	Illinois	OG	Sr.	6'4	306 lbs
A little chunky even for an offensive lineman. Will need to get in the weight room and tighten up. Has been playing tackle, but that's not going to flying the pros. His ability to seal off will work better as a guard. (4th round)
Tavon Wilson	Illinois	S	Sr.	6'0	203 lbs
Versatile safety prospect with experience at CB and free safety. Plays will good physicality and is comfortable close to the line of scrimmage. Not all that ranging and would struggle playing bump and run at times. Long arms come in handy. (Mid rounds)
A.J. Jenkins	Illinois	WR	Sr.	6'0'	182 lbs
Not tall, but not short, but certainly a little small even for his size. Slender, if you will. Can work the underneath zones, but doesn't show much as a deep threat. Needs some work on route running. Good hands, including when he gets extension. (Mid rounds)
Tony Dye	UCLA	S	Sr.	5'10	208 lbs
Good athlete with ability to move well as a safety. Transitions look good and he's got closing burst. Hasn't been much of a play maker in his time at UCLA. A little small, but nothing to be too worried about. Okay speed. Above average in man coverage for a safety. (Mid to late rounds)
Alex Hoffman	Cincinnati	OT	Sr.	6'5	295 lbs
Already labeled a finesse blocker, which probably takes him off more than a few teams' boards. He shows some good technique and great effort, but the power and ability to sustain blocks isn't there. Somewhat inconsistent. (Mid to late rounds)
Conroy Black	Utah	CB	Sr.	5'11	185 lbs
Looks okay in man coverage where he can use his track speed. Long arms are helpful, but he could learn to use them better. This is a little like his ex-teammate Brandon Burton who was a decent prospect, but hasn't made an impact in the NFL. He's a project, but one with good tools. (Mid to late rounds)
NFL Prospects:
Player	School	Pos.	Class	Height	Weight
Ryan Tannehill	Texas A&M	QB	Jr.	6'4	222 lbs
Athletic QB that stepped in and won games last year after their starter struggled, which showed good leadership. Skills are raw. (2nd round)
Isaiah Pead	Cincinnati	RB	Sr.	5'10	202 lbs
A back that can break some tackles, but doesn't have that home run speed. Has had to work hard this year since offensive line is decidedly below average. Physical style that could expose him to big hits. Doesn't necessarily keep a wide base when taking on tacklers, so there's questions about whether his style would transition well. Not shifty at all. Decent on third downs in the passing game, but a little bit of a liability in pass pro. (5th round)
Cyrus Gray	RB	CB	Sr.	5'10	202 lbs
Missed final regular season game with stress fracture in his shoulder, so may miss this one. High character, durable RB who could be a decent scat back in the NFL. Has kick return experience. Lots of catches out of the backfield. Not going to be hurting people by running up the middle. (4th round)
Sleepers:
Player	School	Pos.	Class	Height	Weight
Randy Bullocks	Texas A&M	K	Sr.	5'9	210 lbs
(UDFA)
Tony Jerod-Eddie	Texas A&M	DT	Sr.	6'5	300 lbs
(UDFA)
Garick Williams	Texas A&M	OLB	Sr.	6'2	237 lbs
(UDFA)
Terrence Frederick	Texas A&M	CB	Sr.	5'10	182 lbs
(UDFA)
Jonathan Mathis	Texas A&M	DT	Sr.	6'2	285 lbs
(UDFA)
Eddie Brown	Texas A&M	DT	Sr.	6'0	285 lbs
(UDFA)
Drake Dunsmore	Northwestern	FB	Sr.	6'2	238 lbs
(UDFA)
Dan Persa	Northwestern	QB	Sr.	5'11	209 lbs
(UDFA)
Vince Browne	Northwestern	DE	Sr.	6'5	265 lbs
(UDFA)
All Netter	Northwestern	OG	Sr.	6'3	302 lbs
(UDFA)
Jordan Mabin	Northwestern	CB	Sr.	5'9	181 lbs
(UDFA)
Brian Peters	Northwestern	S	Sr.	6'3	219 lbs
(UDFA)
Jeremy Ebert	Northwestern	WR	Sr.	5'10	194 lbs
(UDFA)
Roddy Jones	Georgia Tech	RB	Sr.	5'8	201 lbs
(UDFA)
Jason Peters	Georgia Tech	DE	Sr.	6'2	270 lbs
(UDFA)
Steven Sylvester	Georgia Tech	OLB	Sr.	6'0	241 lbs
(UDFA)
John Cullen	Utah	OT	Sr.	6'4	284 lbs
(UDFA)
Derrick Shelby	Utah	DE	Sr.	6'2	264 lbs
(UDFA)
Matthew Martinez	Utah	OLB	Sr.	5'11	224 lbs
(UDFA)
Derek Dimke	Illinois	K	Sr.	5'11	177 lbs
(UDFA)
Jason Ford	Illinois	RB	Sr.	5'10	238 lbs
(UDFA)
Ian Thomas	Illinois	ILB	Sr.	6'0	230 lbs
(UDFA)
Tru Henry	Illinois	S	Sr.	5'11	214 lbs
(UDFA)
Jack Cornell	Illinois	OG	Sr.	6'5	295 lbs
(UDFA)
Craig Wilson	Illinois	DT	Sr.	6'5	319 lbs
(UDFA)
Nate Chandler	UCLA	DT	Sr.	6'4	292 lbs
(UDFA)
Mike Harris	UCLA	OT	Sr.	6'4	327 lbs
(UDFA)
Cory Harkey	UCLA	TE	Sr.	6'4	272 lbs
(UDFA)
Taylor Embree	UCLA	WR	Sr.	6'4	201 lbs
(UDFA)
Sean Sheller	UCLA	OT	Sr.	6'4	309 lbs
(UDFA)
Nelson Rosario	UCLA	WR	Sr.	6'4	220 lbs
(UDFA)
Tom Detemple	Cincinnati	LS	Sr.	6'1	238 lbs
(UDFA)
J.K. Schaffer	Cincinnati	ILB	Sr.	6'0	227 lbs
(UDFA)
Derek Wolfe	Cincinnati	DT	Sr.	6'5	295 lbs
(UDFA)
Zach Collaros	Cincinnati	QB	Sr.	5'11	218 lbs
(UDFA)
John Hughes	Cincinnati	DT	Sr.	6'2	304 lbs
(UDFA)
Adrien Robinson	Cincinnati	TE	Sr.	6'4	267 lbs
(UDFA)
D.J. Woods	Cincinnati	WR	Sr.	5'11	173 lbs
(UDFA)
Wesley Richardson	Cincinnati	S	Sr.	5'11	189 lbs
(UDFA)
Brandon Barden	Vanderbilt	TE	Sr.	6'4	240 lbs
(UDFA)
Chris Marve	Vanderbilt	ILB	Sr.	5'11	239 lbs
(UDFA)
Sean Richardson	Vanderbilt	S	Sr.	6'2	213 lbs
(UDFA)
Jamie Graham	Vanderbilt	CB	Sr.	5'11	192 lbs
(UDFA)
Anthony Mihota	Virginia	OC	Sr.	6'4	286 lbs
(UDFA)
Aaron Taliaferro	Virginia	ILB	Sr.	6'0	234 lbs
(UDFA)
Matt Conrath	Virginia	DE	Sr.	6'7	277 lbs
(UDFA)
Austin Pasztor	Virginia	OG	Sr.	6'6	306 lbs
(UDFA)
Kris Burd	Virginia	WR	Sr.	6'0	189 lbs
(UDFA)
Landon Bradley	Virginia	OT	Sr.	6'7	280 lbs
(UDFA)
Rodney McLeod	Virginia	CB	Sr.	5'10	180 lbs
(UDFA)
Josh Harris	Auburn	LS	Sr.	6'0	232 lbs
(UDFA)
A.J. Greene	Auburn	OT	Sr.	6'5	296 lbs
(UDFA)
Neiko Thorpe	Auburn	CB	Sr.	6'1	187 lbs
(UDFA)
Quindarius Carr	Auburn	WR	Sr.	6'0	182 lbs
(UDFA)
Mike McNeil	Auburn	S	Sr.	6'0	205 lbs
(UDFA)

Florida State Preview: Seminoles' Defense at Virginia Cavaliers' Offense

Bud Elliott — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:30:21 -0000

Welcome to the most in-depth preview of Florida State Football you'll find anywhere aside from the coaching offices in the Doak. This week FSU takes on the Virginia Cavaliers. Today we'll cover UVA's offense and Florida State's defense. Both schools feature new head coaches in Virginia's Mike London and FSU's Jimbo Fisher, and both teams are significantly better than they were a year ago.

From a motivational angle, this game means much more to Virginia than it does to Florida State. UVA has had a bye week and a week against a D1-AA team (Virginia Military) to prep for Florida State. FSU is undoubtedly looking ahead to the Miami game. Games like this are won and lost during the week when the preparation is done. This is the biggest game UVA has played in years. The Cavs are even planning a "white out."

UVA runs a decidedly pro-style offense.

There's very little difference between the London offense and the offense Groh ran for most of his tenure. It's very pro-style; London brought in Bill Lazor from the NFL ranks to run it. Plenty of tight end and fullback involvement, which is what we're used to seeing the last decade. The big difference is from the disastrous spread experiment last year; Groh's extremely short leash meant that the necessary 100% commitment to the spread wasn't there, and by midseason nobody could tell exactly what the hell kind of scheme this was supposed to be. The O-line was just lost last year. Now that we're back to something familiar (an actual scheme as opposed to some spliced-together Frankenstein of an offense) and not lined up in line splits you could drive a bus through, the linemen have their head screwed on straight and are blocking competently again.

Virginia really wants to run the football and shorten the game. UVA runs a ton of motion with its tight ends and fullbacks. If the defense doesn't adjust its alignment, then the Cavs have successfully created an extra gap. It's a numbers thing. UVA typically operates with only two receivers. This is basically the offense you see most NFL teams run, with more motion. UVA doesn't motion its receivers much.

Virginia features a decent offensive line of

LT 67 Landon Bradley 6-7 280 Jr.
LG 63 Austin Pasztor 6-7 320 Jr.
C 68 Anthony Mihota 6-4 280 Jr.
RG 65 B.J. Cabbell 6-6 310 Sr.
RT 72 Oday Aboushi 6-6 295 So.

Of that group Pastzor is the best. There will be an intense battle between Pasztor and FSU RsSo DT Everett Dawkins. This is probably the tallest group of linemen FSU will see all year. That's both good and bad for UVA. The length could give Jacobbi McDaniel problems since he has the bad elbow and already has short arms. FSU will need to be active with their hands to swat away UVA's blocks and will need to stay quite low.

As I mentioned UVA heavily uses its tight ends and fullbacks. The tight ends are 83 Joe Torchia 6-6 260 Sr. & 89 Colter Phillips 6-6 250 So. These are pretty decent tight ends. Torchia is a big target in the pass game and also does a nice job down blocking. I really haven't seen much of Phillips. UVA also uses its fullback a decent bit, FB 36 Max Milien 6-0 215 Jr. He can catch the ball and block a bit.

All that blocking benefits two talented backs in 33 Perry Jones 5-8 185 So. & 22 Keith Payne 6-3 255 Sr. [Insert your nickname here signifying the size difference between the two backs]. Payne reminds me a bit of the NY Giants' Brandon Jacobs, though softer. Jones has good quicks and patience but isn't a burner.

As I said before with UVA it is all about creating the extra gap. Proper alignment post motion will be key here. FSU cannot stop UVA's run game unless it gets lined up properly. That means the linebackers and safeties must adjust their leverage on the ball before the snap. Even awful teams can block FSU if the Noles aren't lined up right and the team has angles. Plus, UVA's offensive line isn't awful. UVA loves to run the power, often to the short side of the field. UVA also runs some counter too.

Inside, I have two videos on this and a breakdown of the UVA passing offense.

The Power Play (via joeburton757)

Here's a video on defending it

Defending The Power Running Game (via EAPlayMaker)

This reminds me a lot of UNC's offense from last season, only with a better offensive line and worse skill guys. UVA knows it's not going to torch anyone, so it tries to open gaps via motion and break big plays off of that.

It goes without saying that the defensive line must win the battle at the point of attack. But the linebackers and the secondary will play a key role in stopping the run game as well. As I explained in the FSU Defensive Scheme piece, safeties have to fill the alley, plug gaps, spill, etc. Terrance Parks has done a good job of this of late, but Nick Moody has been very sloppy and out of control. Sure, he has hit people very hard if he lined them up, but he's begging to be exposed. FSU will need him to stay disciplined on Saturday. It's much more important to be in the right spot and make the tackle than it is to make a huge hit.

The reason UVA really wants to run the ball is because its passing game is not good. QB 6 Marc Verica 6-3 215 Sr. leads the attack and while improved over last season, he still isn't much. Verica possesses an average arm and while he is more mature than in previous years, he still makes poor decisions. It's as if he thinks his arm is much better than it really is. His accuracy is a bit better this year, it seems. Verica can scramble a bit but he isn't a dangerous runner.

It's not as if Verica has a lot of help from the skill guys. WR 18 Kris Burd 5-11 195 Jr. & 81 Dontrelle Inman 6-3 200 Sr. are decent college receivers but aren't anything special.

Virginia's offensive line does a decent job of pass blocking. It is definitely better than Wake Forest's offensive line. They will have quite the task against a good FSU pass-rush:

"We didn't get a lot of blitzes out of them ... those were just four-man pressures," Grobe said of the FSU pass rush. "Physically, they had us overmatched."

Virginia tries to base its passing game off the run game. They run play-action whenever possible, and a decent amount of boot-leg action. I expect UVA will try to move the pocket and do some designed rollouts, much like FSU did in 2008 when it had the youngest offensive line in the country.

One key matchup will be the Seminoles' rising star at defensive end, Brandon Jenkins, against Virginia's Landon Bradley. I wasn't blown away by Bradley against USC. Fisher described Jenkins like this:

"Everybody thinks of ends as speed guys, but you've got to have power too," Fisher said. "He's both-he has power and speed. He's a fast-twitch, he's a good athlete. He can bend, he can play low to high and he's learning to use his hands and counter-move."

Verica seems particularly awful rolling to his left, so rolling him away from Jenkins is a great move.

Here's UVA's game chart from its trip to USC:

The bottom line here is that UVA's offense isn't going to physically beat FSU over and over again. It might get a few decent drives, but if UVA wants to score more than three touchdowns, it will need multiple busts from FSU's secondary, short field due to turnovers, or both.

I expect FSU to play a lot of cover-3 against UVA. It just makes sense to give Verica the short and intermediate stuff while taking away the deep ball and the run. He's not a consistent quarterback and making him play with consistency should be the plan. I have no doubt that UVA will have some trick plays for FSU.

I see Virginia trying to slow the game down, which means fewer plays than normal. I believe Virginia will have 37 running plays for 145 yards and 28 passing plays for 170 yards. That seems right for about 17 points. This isn't a good UVA offense, but it will beat FSU's defense a few times due to all the game-planning and being extremely focused on a game that FSU is not particularly motivated for given the Miami game on deck.

Given that prediction, will FSU's offense do enough to get the win? Check back tomorrow to find out!