2011 Virginia Cavaliers Football: Virginia vs William & Mary

The Miami Hurricanes and North Carolina Tar Heels won’t field strong football programs the next few years. If the Virginia Cavaliers are going to win their first ACC Coastal Division title, they need to begin to make their push now. No, the Cavaliers won’t compete for the crown in 2011, but they need to begin the effort to become a far more respectable program, thereby making themselves a factor in 2013 and 2014.

Virginia’s opening day opponent, in-state foe William and Mary, won the Colonial Athletic Association co-championship (Delaware) last year with 6-2 conference record and an 8-4 overall mark that included a win over then-No. 1 Villanova. Head coach Jimmye Laycock started as a head coach in 1980 and was a player under Marv Levy and Lou Holtz at William and Mary.

Last year’s starting quarterback for the Tribe, Mike Callahan, has graduated, but Michael Paulus is returning for his senior year, having started a few games in the middle of last season. Paulus should get most of the reps this year after splitting time with Callahan last year. Paulus is a North Carolina transfer – and yes, he is Greg Paulus’s brother. Paulus has a small but productive receiver returning, in 5-11 playmaker Ryan Moody, who led the team in receptions and yards by a good margin, posting a 15.6 yards-per-catch average.

> Check out our great selection of Virginia Apparel & Merchandise & the ACC Football Scores!

The Bill and Mary defense is led by stud linebacker Dante Cook, who had 111 tackles last year to lead the team. He also posted nine tackles for loss and four sacks. He even added two interceptions to the mix. Defensive end Marcus Hyde also returns to lead the front four. He had 5.5 sacks last year to lead the team and added 63 tackles all the while. Safety Brian Thompson leads the secondary and had 80 tackles plus two picks last year. In 2010, the Bill and Mary defense held opponents to just 16.7 points per game.

Virginia won’t have the services of graduated quarterback Marc Verica this season. The four-QB battle to replace him is primarily between Michael Rocco and Ross Metheny, but neither man attempted more than 25 passes last season, so the position might be UVA’s biggest question mark going into 2011. Head coach Mike London has indicated that freshman David Watford may have moved ahead of Metheny and redshirt freshman Michael Strauss also has his hat in the ring. Rocco appears to be the leader, but the coaching staff isn’t comfortable with a clear-cut top guy; that’s not a good sign, assuming London isn’t bluffing. Wide receiver Kris Burd returns for his senior season, and he’ll need to be a reliable target for the uncertain quarterback who will face a lot of pressure under center. Burd led the team in receptions last year (58) and was second in yards last year with 799.

London ’s defense should be in better shape, returning nine starters including all-world corner Chase Minnifield. With six picks last year (as opposed to a bunch of pick-sixes; don’t want to confuse those…), Minnifield had over half the INTs the Cavs corralled in 2010. While his stats are nothing extraordinary, he is a lock-down corner who has the ability to take the opponents’ best flanker out of the picture. On the defensive line, Cam Johnson, a converted linebacker, gets into the backfield often enough to disrupt both the passing and running games. Johnson had a non-spectacular 53 tackles last season, but 14.5 of them were behind the line of scrimmage and 6.5 were sacks. Linebacker LaRoy Reynolds was moved by London from the safety spot, and led the team in tackles last year with 66. The defense is experienced and should be the stronger of the two units in London’s second season.

Virginia Cavaliers vs William & Mary Tribe Football Preview