Three Bold Predictions For Virginia's Game Vs California On Saturday

With the defensive struggles this season for California, the Cavaliers should be able to take advantage of a porous defense on Saturday. The Cavaliers have crossed 40 points in four games this season, and did it in three consecutive games in wins over William & Mary, Stanford, and Florida State. The Cavaliers are one of the best offensive unit in the country in total yards.

They are ranked No. 31 in the country, averaging 437 yards per game. The points have been tougher to come by in recent weeks, but I think Saturday will be a chance for them to open up the floodgates and put up a lot of points. With Chandler Morris continuing to play at a high level and Jahmal Edrine emerging as a top wide receiver, it is the perfect formula for the Cavaliers to have a day on the offensive side of the ball. 

2. Virginia Defense Will Hold California Under 20 Points

It is rare to slow down the California offense with the litany of weapons they have. However, Virginia has been playing some really good defense here lately and continuing to make plays. Kam Robinson has been leading the charge and came up with a season-high 13 tackles in the win over North Carolina. Ja’Son Prevard has also put together a stellar season for the Cavaliers. In a game where their offense struggled against UNC, Virginia never let the lead get too big or allowed North Carolina to pull away. Yes, they will face a more prolific offense this week in California, but with the improved defensive back and linebacker play, the Cavaliers will be up for the challenge and slow down the Golden Bears.

3. Despite the injury to Xavier Brown, Virginia Runs Wild Over California For More Than 200 Yards 

I believe this is the game where you see the Cavaliers get the running game going in a major way. J’Mari Taylor will likely see more carries this week after the injury to Brown and he is poised for the task. The last few weeks have been tough sledding for Taylor with the holes not being as big as early in the season, but I think he will be ready to go and make a big impact in the running game. It starts with the offensive line upfront, creating a push and opening lanes for Taylor to run through. It has been a point of emphasis for head coach Tony Elliot this week. 

"Yeah, well, we're not going to focus on what happened last week from a statistical standpoint, because it's a good football team we're getting ready to go up against. And so for us, it's back to us doing what we need to do. and controlling what we can control. So I want to see our pad level down,” said Elliot. 

“I want to see our hand placement to be better. I thought that was one of the biggest differences in the game. I felt like for the first time, we didn't win with our hands, the matchup at the line of scrimmage, right? I thought North Carolina did a really good job of hand placement and using length and not allowing us to get to them. They got to us first in some instances. So I want to see us reestablish the hand placement and win the hand fight.” 

“I want the backs to be decisive and a little bit more. when they're decisive, squaring up their pads and hitting it downhill, and turning a three-yard run into six. And I think that was the difference, right? And sometimes when it's perceived that you may be struggling, now you're trying to hit the home run instead of taking the base hit. And I want us to just take those base hits, and A, if it's blocked for four, get four, and let's try to push it to six, right? As opposed to if it's blocked for four, well, we don't see the base hit. And now we're at zero, right? Because we're trying to do too much.”