FSU Football: Ranking top 5 defenses Noles will face in 2019
By Kelvin Hunt
Virginia
The Cavaliers enter the list in the fourth spot. Bronco Mendenhall is a defensive coach that’s shown steady improvement each year with lesser players.
They finished the 2018 season with a shutout win over South Carolina and a No. 31 ranking according to S&P stats.
They were solid in standard downs and did most of their damage in predictable situations. Their secondary in particular were ballhawks with 17 interceptions last season.
They did lose a couple of players but they do return some a few experienced players in the secondary.
Like FSU, their offense wasn’t great which likely cost them in some games as they lost three games for four or fewer points.
They allowed 20 points per game but would give up big plays on the ground at times as they allowed 4.34 ypc. Third down defense wasn’t great because they were not as successful in stopping short yardage situations.
They allowed teams to convert third downs at a 40.33 percent clip. The key to having success against UVA is not turning the ball over and winning on first and second down to create manageable third down conversions.