Can Virginia football repeat as ACC Coastal champ without Bryce Perkins?
Offense rests on the shoulders of the new quarterback
It’s fair to expect the Virginia offense to take a bit of a step back due to quarterback Bryce Perkins graduating and moving on the NFL. He had a phenomenal season a year ago, throwing for over 3,500 yards and rushing for nearly 800. And what might be most important of all, Perkins was a great leader for the program and was a hard worker on and off the field.
The candidates to replace Perkins are sophomore Brennan Armstrong and Mississippi State transfer Keytaon Thompson. Armstrong was 15-20 for 196 yards last season with a touchdown and two interceptions and has the belief of the coaching staff. Thompson is more of a gifted runner and could bring a similar element to the offense that Perkins did with his dual-threat abilities.
Perkins was the leading rusher for the Cavaliers, but that burden could fall on the running backs this season and there is some experience there. Wayne Taulapapa is back for his junior season and while he only rushed for nearly 500 yards last season, he will be relied upon to be even better this year.
Virginia finished 117th in rushing offense and that was with a threat in Perkins. If Armstrong or Thompson can’t have similar production as runners, it will be interesting to see how this offense fares.
The leader of the receiving group will be senior Terrell Jana, who enjoyed a breakout 2019 season in which he had 74 catches for 886 yards and three touchdowns. Tavares Kelly Jr. and Dontayvion Wicks are expected to step forward and be major contributors this season, but they have not done much from a production standpoint so far in their careers.
The offensive line is the most proven unit on this offense and should be one of the best in the conference as they return four starters. The one area in which they need to improve up front is in allowing pressure, as the sack rate was much too high last season.
One thing the entire offense suffered from last season was a lack of explosiveness, whether it was rushing or passing and that is something that must change in 2020.