Dominating Like #3 Used To

On the day Virginia honored Anthony Poindexter, one of my favorite UVA players of all-time and a guy who literally gave his left knee to the program, Virginia looked a lot like it did when #3 played for them.  Good thing they decided to honor Dex this month instead of last since the October Cavaliers look like a completely different animal than the September version. 

What's different? 

• They Settled on a Quarterback, Not Three: A month after heading into the season opener planning to play all three quarterbacks, someone had the sense to move Vic Hall off the QB spot (it was Hall himself), and Marc Verica did play Saturday, but it was (more appropriately) in mop-up duty.  As we've said before, Sewell has his flaws, but he gives this team its best chance to win games.  Now at least he has a chance to win them, not 1/3 of a chance.  
• They Gave Him the Damn Ball, and Now They're Winning: Before leaving the game with an injury, Mikell Simpson had touched the ball 19 times.  Four of those touches ended with touchdowns.  For two straight weeks, Virginia has rode its best player (#5 touched the ball 24 times at UNC) instead of treating him like a support player (13 carries in the first two games).  Get well soon Mikell. 
• Could It Be As Simple As Line Splits?  Virginia hasn't scrapped the spread.  They're still running out of the shotgun with 4 wides almost every down.  But starting with a close loss at S. Miss., Al Groh closed down the wide splits usually associated with the spread.  Whether it has helped protection, or simply made his o-linemen more comfortable, Virginia has been a different offense ever since.
• Better Defense, More Specifically Better Pass Rush: Indiana QB Ben Chappell looked miserable all day.  Virginia, most notably LB Cam Johnson, lived in the Hoosier backfield.  And it looked like a replay of what the Hoos did to TJ Yates a week before.  Its nice that Virginia has been able to give opponents a taste of the medicine they were getting last month, when Sewell, et al. were often running for their lives.
• Ras-I Dowling: The Hoos' sole preseason all-ACC selection seemed a step slow early, and was toasted for long touchdowns against William & Mary and TCU.  He was the best player on the field Saturday, forcing a fumble on Indiana's opening drive and picking off a pass in the second quarter.  Both TOs led to Cavalier touchdowns.  If Ras-I continues to play as he has the last two weeks, paired with Chris Cook and a better than expected safety corps, the Virginia secondary should be a real strength the rest of the way.
• The Schedule Eased Up, But Not for Long: When you looked the schedule coming into the season, September didn't look that bad.  Well, William & Mary is still a a 1-AA school, but they are 5-1.  No one's beaten TCU yet, including Clemson.  And Southern Miss has lost three straight since their comeback win against the Hoos, but all of those losses were on the road (makes scheduling a game at Hattiesburg seem even less sensible, if that were possible).  Since then, the Hoos have gotten well against an offensively-challenged North Carolina team that they always beat, and an Indiana team that hasn't won since completing the soft portion of their non-conference schedule (E. Kentucky, W. Michigan, and Akron) and looked like they had no interest in being in C'ville Saturday.  Unfortunately, the schedule tilts up from here.  Next week, the Hoos visit College Park (bring your flame retardant clothing) where its always been tough for them to win, and they may have to do it without Terp-killer Mikell Simpson.  And then a ranked Georgia Tech team comes calling looking for revenge for last season's upset loss in Atlanta.  

But hey, things are looking up at least for now, even if the Virginia fan base has tuned out (a new post-renovation record low of 45,371 attended the IU game, on homecoming weekend no less).  The Hoos have a chance Saturday at College Park to really get their attention back.