Virginia's defense can't afford to rest in 2026

Cavaliers' rare setbacks in 2025 came when they struggled to record sacks, takeaways.

Sep 20, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers defensive tackle Jason Hammond (91) and Stanford Cardinal offensive lineman Fisher Anderson (74) attempt to recover a fumble by Cardinal quarterback Ben Gulbranson (15) during the fourth quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Any number of factors can influence the outcome of a football game.

Turnovers and penalties are always critical to success. Often, one team's dominance in the ground game or through the air leaves the opposition grasping for answers. A ferocious defense also can carry the day.

There's a reason coaches love to study film, especially after losses, to find trends and show their players where they can improve. And if there's any common thread to Virginia's three defeats in 2025 -- and a lesson for how to improve in 2026 -- it's a lack of sacks and takeaways in those games.

Virginia's rare struggles on defense

Let's be clear: the Cavaliers' 2025 defense was often stellar and carried the team at times. Even without a first- or second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference defender, they allowed the second-fewest points (19.6 per game) and third-fewest yards (310.1) in the ACC.

The defense held two of its last three opponents (Virginia Tech and Missouri) to seven points. Kam Robinson produced the game-winning safety against Washington State and returned two interceptions for touchdowns during the season.

But on the rare occasions when the Cavaliers didn't get to the quarterback or force turnovers, victory was elusive. Not exactly groundbreaking news, of course, but it proves a point.

In Week 2 against N.C. State: zero sacks, zero takeaways. Same for an early November loss to Wake Forest. In the ACC championship game against Duke, the Cavaliers got exactly one of each.

Again, each of those games had a unique story line. The Cavaliers struggled to contain mobile Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey, who rushed for two touchdowns and threw for two more.

Chandler Morris' concussion forced him to the sideline and hamstrung the offense against the Demon Deacons, and Duke used two long touchdown drives to dominate time of possession in the ACC final. Late interceptions thrown by Morris against the Wolfpack and Blue Devils didn't help, either.

Still, those low sack and takeaway numbers stand out -- and certainly will be a topic of discussion during preseason workouts. The only other game in which Virginia didn't record a sack was the nail-biting Gator Bowl victory over Missouri.

Here's another oddity: coaches love to preach offensive balance. Remarkably, in the loss to the Wolfpack, Virginia produced exactly as many yards rushing (257) as passing; against Wake, it was 163 on the ground, 164 through the air. (Virginia had 216 passsing yards and 128 rushing in the ACC final.) Make of that what you'd like.

Morris and running back J'Mari Taylor got much of the headlines last season, and deservedly so. And much of this year's preseason attention will go to Beau Pribula and his new offensive teammates, along with the veteran linemen in front of them.

But a closer look reveals that John Rudzinski's defense played a bigger role in the Cavaliers' 2025 breakout success -- and the team faltered when it struggled to make dynamic plays. Chances are, that could be the case in Virginia's bid for an encore this fall.