For weeks, the Virginia football team has lived on the edge. One-possession games. Overtime victories. Goal line stands. Game-clinching safeties. It has been a roller coaster ride for the Hoos that has put a premium on late-game execution mixed with a fair share of luck.
That luck ran out on Saturday night at Scott Stadium as the Cavaliers lost their first ACC game of the season 16-9 to Wake Forest.
“We played with fire ... and we got burned,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said after the game.
It was, for lack of a better term, a rock fight of a game. Neither team produced an offensive touchdown and combined to go 8 of 31 on third down with 10 punts. Wake Forest was able to reach the end zone on a second quarter 88-yard punt return touchdown from Carlos Hernandez that ended up being the winning margin. Both teams were able to connect on three field goal attempts with Virginia’s Will Bettridge connecting from 34, 21, and 40 yards and Wake’s Connor Calvert hitting from 39, 50, and 49 yards.
The offensive struggles for UVA were compounded when quarterback Chandler Morris was knocked out of the game early in the second quarter. On Virginia’s fourth drive of the game, Morris ran for a first down deep in his own territory and slid to the turf. He was hit late by two Wake Forest defenders with Travon West assessed a 15-yard penalty. After receiving medical attention on the field for several minutes, Morris walked off under his own power and directly to the locker room. Morris did not return to the game, though he did come back to the field in the second half to support his teammates.
“Any time you get hit above the neck, you got to make sure that you take that with a lot of caution,” Elliott said.
Though Elliott suggested Morris was doing alright after the game, it’s unknown whether the starting quarterback will be available for UVA’s next game at Duke.
Morris’ replacement at quarterback, Daniel Kaelin, played the remainder of the game. He showed some flashes, none bigger than a 54-yard scamper on a quarterback keeper that set up Virginia’s second scoring drive. The run marked only the 12th time in school history that a Cavalier quarterback completed a run of 50 or more yards. However, Kaelin also had 2 costly fumbles that resulted in scoring drives for the Demon Deacons.
He also led UVA into the red zone in the final seconds of the game, giving the Cavaliers an opportunity to tie the game. However, Kaelin’s desperation pass on fourth down fell incomplete in the end zone, resulting in a turnover on downs with 12 seconds to play.
“I’m super proud of Danny to come in and give us a shot,” Elliott said of his backup quarterback.
With the loss, Virginia now sits at 8-2 on the season and 5-1 in the ACC. Though the Hoos remain tied at the top of the conference, there is no longer room for error in trying to make the ACC Championship Game. UVA must now travel to Duke next Saturday, a game that will likely serve as a knockout game for an ACC title game spot.
Before that, here are the key takeaways from UVA’s game against Wake Forest.
No Offensive Rhythm
Even before Morris exited the game, there were signs that this game was destined to be a defensive battle.
Wake Forest was forced to punt on its first offensive possession. The punt was blocked by linebacker Kam Robinson, giving Virginia great field position. However, the Cavaliers were only able to gain 7 yards on the drive, 5 of which came from an offsides penalty. Though Will Bettridge was able make a field goal to put the first points of the game on the board, it was a missed opportunity to put pressure on Wake Forest early.
Virginia faced a similar situation after Kaelin’s big run. The offense had a 1st-and-Goal opportunity at the 8-yard line. This drive stalled as well, leading to Bettridge’s second field goal.
Of Virginia’s 13 possessions in the game, four resulted in punts, three led to turnovers, and two were stopped by failed fourth down attempts. Four trips to the red zone resulted in only 9 points.
“We never could establish a rhythm,” Elliott said.
The Cavaliers finished with 327 total yards split evenly between passing and rushing. Morris completed 3 of 6 pass attempts 19 yards, while Kaelin finished the game completing 18 of 28 throws for 145 yards. Kaelin added 49 yards on the ground as he lost 12 yards due to 2 sacks.
Among Virginia receivers, Trell Harris led the pack with 60 yards on 6 catches. J’Mari Taylor caught 7 passes for 30 yards out of the backfield. No other receiver caught more than 2 passes. Taylor again assumed the role of bell cow running back, gaining 98 yards on 18 carries. However, a significant percentage of that total came on one 43-yard burst in the fourth quarter. Taylor was given the ball again on the next play and fumbled.
After the game, Elliott lamented that the ground game could not produce more.
“It hasn’t been as efficient as I like, especially on first or second down,” Elliott said.
The lack of efficiency impacted UVA’s ability to move the chains. Coming into this contest, Des Kitchings’ offense had converted 50% of all third down attempts. Against Wake Forest, Virginia was 3 of 14 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down. The Cavaliers managed only 14 first downs in the entire game.
Uncharacteristic Mistakes
Coming into this game, Virginia was one of three FBS teams without a fumble. The Cavaliers coughed up the ball three times in this game, though, two from Kaelin while hit in the pocket and one from Taylor on the penultimate drive of the game when Wake’s Dylan Hazen pulled it from his hands.
“Definitely on the first one, I didn’t really feel the pocket the right way and put the ball in jeopardy,” Kaelin said. “I got to watch that and learn from it to not make that mistake again.”
Losing the turnover battle by three was a major reason for the game’s result. Virginia previously ranked in the top 10 nationally in turnover margin through its first nine games.
“Uncharacteristic for us to put the ball on the ground and not get any turnovers,” Elliott said.
For the second week in a row, a special teams mistake also proved costly. At California, the field goal team missed opportunities to put points on the board, including a failed fake attempt that failed. Also, punter Daniel Sparks didn’t get a clean kick on a 14-yard punt that set up a Cal touchdown and made it a one-score game in the fourth quarter.
Against Wake Forest, it was a blown punt coverage that led to the only touchdown of the game. Carlos Hernandez fielded a bouncing punt which seemed to catch the coverage team off guard. He returned it 88 yards along the Demon Deacons’ sideline to make the game 7-6 in the second quarter. It was Hernandez’s first touchdown since moving to Winston-Salem from Washington State.
“I’m glad he did that. I thought he was just going to go down. He did not do that,” Wake Forest coach Jake Dickert said. “What a big play in the football game. It changed the whole trajectory of everything we were doing. We knew we were going to have to go find a way to get one of those type of plays. Virginia has made those plays to win games all season and it was the first time we made one of those. That’s a good football team and had to do it with their backup quarterback. They’re a really good team.”
UVA Defense Keeps It Close
Even though the Virginia defense did not produce a takeaway for the first time in six games, it kept the Hoos within striking distance. In addition to keeping the Demon Deacons out of the end zone, the defensive unit allowed only 203 total yards in the game. Wake Forest’s two quarterbacks, Robby Ashford and Deshawn Purdie, accounted for only 64 yards passing on 9 of 23 attempts. That’s the fewest by a UVA opponent since 2018 when Georgia Tech had 37 yards through the air during Paul Johnson’s run-heavy option days.
The Demon Deacons attempted several deep passes against single coverage but could not find daylight against the UVA secondary. Ja’Son Prevard and Jordan Robinson each had 2 pass break-ups, while Christian Charles, Emmanuel Karnley, and James Jackson each had 1.
“They did their part to kind of keep us within tracking range,” Elliott said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play complementary football to be able to put enough points up to win.”
Early in the second quarter, Wake Forest had a chance to take the lead with a sustained drive that was advanced to the UVA 2-yard line. But the Cavalier defense stiffened, stopping the Demon Deacons on four consecutive running plays. The fourth down stop elicited one of the loudest roars from the 55,000+ fans in attendance, but the Cavaliers were unable to maintain that momentum throughout.
Wake Forest found more success on the ground, gaining 139 yards on 41 carries. Most of that damage came from Demond Claiborne, one of the most talented running backs in the ACC. Still, it took Claiborne 25 carries to produce 75 yards, and he never broke off a run longer than 12 yards.
“I think for us, we have to be really gaps sound,” Virginia defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter said. “He’s a really talented back; we knew that going into the game.”
While the Cavaliers’ defense performed well, Wake Forest put together its best drive of the game in the fourth quarter. The Demon Deacons used a 16-play, 48-yard drive to drain 9:16 minutes off the clock. Entering that drive, Wake Forest had gained only 8 first downs. However, they were able to reset the chains four times, leaving UVA with limited time to mount a comeback.
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