VIrginia Cavaliers Football: 2015 Season Preview and Prediction

Sep 6, 2014; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Matt Johns (15) scrambles with the ball past Richmond Spiders defensive lineman Justin Williamson (55) in the second quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Will Mike London be able to lead his Virginia Cavaliers to a bowl game or will he remain on the hot seat after another disappointing year?

In 2013, the Virginia Cavaliers suffered through their worst college football season in more than 30 years. Last season, they rebounded slightly with a 5-7 record, finishing 3-5 in conference play and tying for last place in the Coastal division.

While last season could not be considered a success, some aspects were definitely bright spots worth mentioning. Virginia’s defense unquestionably carried the team last year, forcing potential blowouts to end as close games. They ranked 20th in the nation in team sacks, held No. 7 UCLA to 28 points, and No. 21 Louisville to 21 points. Those very games against UCLA and Louisville were also high points during the season; Virginia was almost able to upset UCLA in their season opener, and did upset Louisville 23-21.

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Unfortunately, both of those games occurred towards the beginning of the season, and the second half of the season looked nowhere near as good. Virginia went on a four-game losing streak against Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Florida State, and then lost their rivalry game against Virginia Tech by four points.

The primary culprit for Virginia’s struggles? The quarterback. Greyson Lambert started for a majority of the season, and did not do as well as head coach Mike London had hoped. On the season, Lambert had 10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 11 sacks.

Out of the nine games he played in, he had at least one interception in eight of them and two interceptions in three of them. In seven of those games, he had an equal amount or more interceptions than touchdowns. Six of those nine games were Virginia losses. Overall, Virginia’s offense had a 57% passing completion rate, ranked 54th in the country. Virginia’s rushing offense was ranked 97th.

Clearly, Virginia’s offense needs major work and head coach London, going into his sixth year, may not have a job come January if he isn’t able to fix it. Let’s take a look at where Virginia currently stands going into the 2015 season.

Next: Offensive Outlook