Last week, the Hoos got a break from rivalry games for their first ever game against Abilene Christian. UVA rolled on the scoreboard but it was a costly victory in the personnel department.

Charles Snowden was lost for the season with a broken ankle that may see his UVA career come to an end. And safety D’Angelo Amos did not return to the game after leaving with a knee injury.

Now, UVA (4-4, 3-4) hits the road for to resume their rivalry game run. A second trip to Florida is on the docket as the Hoos have a primetime matchup with scuffling Florida State (2-6, 1-6).

Kickoff is set for 8:00 PM. To the winner goes the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy.

Photo Courtesy of @virginiasports Instagram account

Game Uniforms

It’s going to be blue-white-blue under the lights in Tallahassee.

??? ????⚙️ … ??! ?

?⚪️?#GoHoos | #THEStandard ?? pic.twitter.com/3Rq684V8XQ

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) November 26, 2020

It’s a classic UVA look that will contrast well with whatever uniform combination is worn by the Seminoles.

Series History

As previously mentioned, the winner of this game receives the Jefferson-Eppes Trophy. The schools first played for the trophy in 1996, a year after UVA’s famous upset of Florida State at Scott Stadium.

Virginia and Florida State have traded wins the past four matchups.

The Seminoles last won at home in Tallahassee in 2014. UVA last won on the road in 2011.#GoHoos #DoSomething #UVAvsFSUhttps://t.co/ZHdgruyS7o pic.twitter.com/ZLOhskGc88

— Winsipedia (@Winsipedia) November 24, 2020

Note that the 2006 FSU win was since vacated and is reflected in the numbers above. UVA still counts that as a Florida State win per their game notes for this contest.

Was their any doubt which game the UVA Sports Twitter account would feature this week for their Throwback Thursday segment? If you get the chance, go back and watch this game to marvel at the number of pros that played in the game. The UVA roster was absolutely loaded.

.@UVAFootball vs. Florida State #TBT
The classic 1⃣9⃣9⃣5⃣ goal line stand ?#GoHoos | #THEStandard ?? pic.twitter.com/Nm9D1nEQlg

— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) November 26, 2020

Media Coverage

UVA’s one week reprieve is over. It’s back to the ACC Network for this one.

I wonder if Wahoo fans will be more appreciative of the network after having to search high and low to find the Abilene Christian game on television. That gratitude will probably last until the first Spurtle commercial appears, assuming that their provider even carries the network.

Per UVA’s game notes, Dave O’Brien has play by play duties for the 8:00 PM game. Former Boston College QB Tim Hasselbeck will be the color analyst. And Katie George will handle sideline reporting.

As usual, Dave Koehn and Tony Covington have the radio call for the Virginia Sports Radio Network. You can find their affiliates list at the link.

Finally, satellite radio coverage can be found at these channels: Sirius – 135, XM – 382, SiriusXM Internet Streaming – 972.

What Worries Me About Florida State

Jordan Travis

Another ACC game and another dangerous quarterback leading the opposition’s offense.

Running the offense for the Seminoles will be redshirt sophomore Jordan Travis from West Palm Beach, Florida.

Travis is a transfer from Louisville. He played in three games for the Cards during the 2018 season. Ironically, Bronco Mendenhall commented this week that Travis compares favorably to current Louisville QB Malik Cunningham.

I imagine there’s not a UVA fan that forgets how Cunningham eviscerated the Hoos on the ground in Virginia win.

Travis has enough arm talent to make life miserable for the UVA defense. But it’s his ability running the ball that should make one pause.

Travis currently has 469 rushing yards on 85 carries (5.5 yards per rush). He’s run for 6 touchdowns as well. He had his long rush of the reason for 88 yards against Pitt three weeks ago. Against UNC, Travis topped 100 yards rushing (16 carries for 107 yards) and scored 2 rushing touchdowns. Travis also had an impressive game on the ground against Notre Dame (19 carries for 96 yards). He also added another rushing touchdown against the Irish.

Travis owns the two longest rushing touchdowns from the QB position in FSU history (88 yards vs Pitt in 2020, 66 yards vs Boston College in 2019).

Travis has not had as much success through the air. He’s completing just 52.2 percent of his passes (59 of 113). Travis has thrown for 864 yards and 4 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. His QBR of 67.1 ranks 53rd of 125 qualifying quarterbacks in FBS.

Asante Samuel Jr.

UVA’s penchant for turning the ball over this season is well documented. The Hoos have 16 turnovers on the season. That ranks 116th out of 127 FBS teams.

Samuel leads the ACC in takeaways with 5. He’s picked off 3 passes and recovered 2 fumbles to date. Those five takeaways account for half of FSU’s on the season.

Samuel is also ranked 9th nationally with 9 passes defended on the season.

UVA will have to account for Samuel on every play in the passing game.

What Worries Me For UVA

Defensive Personnel

As UVA enters the stretch run of its season, the defense is shedding personnel at an alarming rate.

Once expected to be the strength of this team, the Hoos are struggling to get stops on defense. A large part of that has to do with the number of injuries sustained on defense this season. Then the decision to transfer midseason by Jowon Briggs has only exacerbated the problem.

Expected starter Aaron Faumui opted out prior to the season. Defensive starters Richard Burney and Charles Snowden are now lost for the season due to injury or other health related issues. Jowon Briggs has left the team for the transfer portal where he just announced that he will return home to play for Cincinnati in the future. Defensive line reserve Ben Smiley was injured shortly after hitting the field for the first time this season and has not returned. But Smiley does seem to be close to a return.

Safety starters Joey Blount and Brenton Nelson have each missed multiple games this season due to injury. It feels like Blount’s return is imminent but Nelson’s status remains murky. Reserve defensive back Fentrell Cypress appears to be lost to injury. And fellow reserve DB Tenyeh Dixon opted out prior to the season.

Darrius Bratton, who entered the season recovering from a knee injury that cost him his 2019 season, has battled nagging injuries that’s only recently seen him return to spot action.

Against Abilene Christian, the Hoos also saw reserve/starting safety D’Angelo Amos and pass rush specialist Nusi Malani suffer injuries that ended their game. Amos (knee/leg) seemed to be in better shape than Malani (arm/shoulder), but their status going forward is unknown.

Add in the specter of COVID and practice injuries, and you really never know who may be available until they hit the field each week.

As the season grinds on and injuries and other personnel losses mount, the coaching staff will need to embrace their inner mad scientist to scheme stops for this defense.

Why I Should Worry Less

Despite the personnel losses cited above, the Hoos still have the bodies to run their NASCAR packages on defense.

In this alignment, the Hoos look to get more speed on the field by subbing out a defensive lineman for a defensive back. The base 3-4 then becomes a 2-4-5 defense.

Despite the loss of Charles Snowden at linebacker, this is probably the ideal alignment for UVA against Florida State’s spread offense. It greatly relaxes the strain on a depleted defensive line.

And assuming a defensive backfield can be stitched together, the extra speed on the field should help contain Jordan Travis. At least, in theory that’s how it should work. And Travis is Florida State’s leading rusher, so you worry less about the Noles gashing you in the run game with a traditional rushing attack.

Getting Joey Blount back on the field would be a huge development for this package. And in limited snaps, freshmen Elijah Gaines and Donovan Johnson have flashed potential. It may be time to dip their toes in the water even more in Tallahassee, especially if they prove to be reliable tacklers.

Prediction

To be honest, I’m surprised this game is getting played.

Rumors have swirled that Florida State has a very limited roster between ongoing COVID issues, injury issues, and player opt outs. The Hoos own personnel issues are well documented here and elsewhere.

But the show must go on, apparently.

ESPN’s Football Power Index gives UVA a 64.3% chance of winning. And per Sportsline.com, the Hoos are currently 9.5 point favorites.

I’m less sure about what’s going to happen in this game than any other played to date this season. There are simply too many variables at play. But passing on a pick would be a complete cop out.

In a game that feels like a shootout waiting to happen, the Hoos have to avoid a trademark slow start. And they simply can’t turn the ball over multiple times.

FSU’s season is on the verge of imploding. Avoid large mistakes and there’s a good chance the Noles will keep digging their own hole. That’s what I’m banking on here.

UVA wins 41 to 38.