Three keys to victory for Virginia against the Mountaineers

The Cavaliers are back in action Saturday against West Virginia, playing in the Duke's Mayo Classic in Charlotte, N.C.

Virginia is aiming to dispose of the Mountaineers and advance to 3-0, well in the running for the ACC title and possibly more. Here is what the Cavaliers need to do to secure a victory Saturday night.

Take command of the game

Coach Tony Elliott has said it repeatedly — the path to victory is directly forged by winning the turnover battle and third downs. Virginia has built its team on those principles.

Converting third downs leads to extended offense, and third down stops on defense lead to limited offense for opponents. The Cavaliers must execute on those crucial plays to keep control of this game.

Turnovers are also essential, particularly because of how strong Virginia’s offense is. If West Virginia coughs up a turnover, the damage is threefold. The Mountaineers lose an opportunity to score, the Cavaliers are likely to eat up several minutes of game clock and on top of that, Virginia will probably end the drive with a score of its own.

Even one West Virginia turnover could be catastrophic for the Mountaineers.

Prioritize run defense

While the Cavaliers’ first two opponents had some serious receiving talent, West Virginia has yet to establish much of a presence through the air. That is partially because the Mountaineers have a prolific rushing attack. Running back Cam Cook and quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. headline of the nation’s most potent running games.

Virginia must do everything it can to stop the run.

Containing West Virginia’s runs will be especially difficult with defensive tackle Jason Hammond out with an injury. That means the pressure is on nose tackle Anthony Britton, plus backups Darrion Henry-Young and Kervins Choute to play their best football.

Get creative

The Mountaineers seldom face teams which are in serious contention for the College Football Playoff. The most recent example was a 49-0 defeat at the hands of then-No. 7 Texas Tech. Virginia can borrow from the Red Raiders by utilizing exotic blitzes, trick plays and pure superior muscle.

Experience is also greatly on the Cavaliers' side. Perhaps they turn to flea flickers, end-arounds or unorthodox wheel routes to surprise the West Virginia defense. These Mountaineers are a much younger and evergreen grouo compared to Virginia. Defensive coordinator John Rudzinski could also throw some unfamiliar concepts out to disrupt Hawkins and company.

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