Virginia's offense, defense are making each other better in Fall Camp

Football is the ultimate team sport, but it requires a lot of specialization.

Beyond the high school level, very few athletes contribute on both offense and defense. Unless you're Travis Hunter or Deion Sanders, you generally pick one position and try to master it. There are even specialties within specialties, like third down running backs and blocking tight ends.

One of the things that can make a good team even better, though, is when one side of the ball helps the other. Coaches call this "complementary football," and it shows up in games when the defense gives the offense great field position with a turnover or the offense grinds out a long drive to give the defenders some rest.

This concept also holds true in practice. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, both of Virginia's coordinators complimented the other side's talent and depth in helping to make their players better during fall training camp.

John Rudzkinski is laser-focused on making his defensive players better, but in the past two weeks he's occasionally taken note of the Cavaliers' offensive potential as his players battle Des Kitchings'.

"You don't know when you're competing against your brother every day in the back yard," Rudzinski said. "You don't know how good your brother is. But when your brother ends up being, you know, a college basketball player and a good hooper, you're competing against somebody good each day."

The Cavaliers' starting offensive line is comprised of five graduate students, but Kitchings is already looking to identify next year's starters -- or to find capable fill-ins if one of his experienced blockers suffers an injury.

Kitchings specifically mentioned Grayson Reid, a 300-pound sophomore who's trying to earn playing time. In recent practices and scrimmages, he's had to face Virginia's starting defensive line -- and has benefitted from that experience.

"There's some unproven talent there," Kitchings said, "but the competition in practice, they're having to block Anthony Britton and Jason Hammond and {Derrion] Henry-Young. ... Over the next few weeks, we can still see the growth of those guys. And I like the way Grayson Reid ... is handling the circumstances of playing the center position, making the calls, straining, competing."

It works both ways. Rudzinski is evaluating a host of transfer linemen who are competing for snaps. And what better way to test them than to line them up in practice against Virginia's veteran starting offensive tackles, McKale Boley and Monroe Mills?

That's given Rudzinski a better evaluation of Justin Townsend, a graduate transfer who had 8.5 sacks at Columbia last season and can play either tackle or rush end.

"He shows the ability to pass rush on the inside, and he's been able to win some one-on-ones with the tackles -- two really good tackles that he's getting to face every day," Rudzinski said. "And so, excited to see how his role continues to expand as well."

The competition isn't limited to the line. Kitchings' receiving corps is full of newcomers -- none of whom have yet to distinguish themselves, he said on Wednesday. But they should only get better by practicing against a veteran secondary anchored by transfers Omillio Agard and Brandyn Hillman, who have Big Ten experience.

The Cavaliers have their second and final intrasquad scrimmage scheduled for this Saturday, and that should help coaches determine the depth chart for the Aug. 29 season opener against N.C. State.

"I put a lot of stock in that," Kitchings said. "because that's an opportunity in Scott Stadium."

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