10 Predictions for 2011 Virginia Cavaliers Season

Head Coach Mike London has UVA fans excited for his second season running the Cavaliers.

Last season was a 4-8 struggle but this year people feel like the continuity in the coaching staff, the 18 returning starters, the top 25 recruiting class, and the positive emotions surrounding the program will lead to a long-awaited turnaround for Virginia football.

Here are ten predictions about which players will carry the team, what games will be the most important, and how much the Cavaliers will improve this year.

1. Perry Jones Will Once Again Be Eclipsed by Another Running Back

Ask twenty people who aren't devout Virginia fans who the Cavaliers' starting running back was last year.

I bet out of the ones who can supply a name, at least a few will say that it was Keith Payne.

Jones was the starting tailback last year but only scored one touchdown.

He was overshadowed by the bruising Payne and again this year will lose the limelight to another member of the backfield.

Part of this is that as a quick but not altogether fast scatback, he doesn't have either the "home run" rushes or the multitude of touchdowns a running back usually needs to have to capture the imagination of fans.

However, it also speaks highly of UVA's depth at running back.

Kevin Parks ran for over 10,000 yards in high school and not only is he very fast; at just 195 pounds he can still bowl over people. He sort of looks like a young Maurice Jones-Drew.

Freshman Clifton Richardson has size, speed, agility...everything but experience.

Even unknown redshirt freshman Khalek Shepherd has impressed in training camp.

The stable that Virginia has in its backfield should be a strength this year.

2. Virginia Will Once Again Struggle to Stop the Run

Coach Jim Reid thinks his defense just had to work out a few kinks in their system and do a better job knowing their assignments to become a great defense.

Newsflash: that's what every football coach in America says.

The cold reality is that defensive tackle Nick Jenkins is still undersized, end-turned-defensive-tackle Matt Conrath is still out of position, and Cam Johnson is still the only legitimate pass rusher on this squad.

The lack of a pass rush, hurts the run defense by not forcing more down-and-long situations where the opposing team is forced to pass. It also forces the Cavaliers to blitz more if they want a pass rush, setting themselves up for draw plays and runs directed away from the oncoming blitz.

Most importantly, though, the Cavaliers still have not improved their athleticism up front.

The stellar defensive recruiting class won't change everything this year.

The only new starter is cornerback Tra Nicholson, who won't be able to single-handedly turn around the Cavaliers' woes.

Don't get me wrong. Virginia should be BETTER at stopping the run.

After last year, however, there's plenty of room both for improvement and for still struggling.

Chase Minnifield and Cam Johnson Will See Their Stats Fall...

...and it will be a good thing for the Cavaliers.

Great cornerbacks make lots of interceptions.

Elite ones don't because everyone is scared of throwing the ball their way.

Chase Minnifield has established himself as a premier threat and teams will be reluctant to throw his way. He won't match the six interceptions from last year but he will lock down his side of the field and help the Cavaliers once again have a highly rated pass defense.

Not to mention freshman Tra Nicholson will get a few picks of his own.

Similarly, Cam Johnson will attract a lot of attention from opposing offenses. This will give guys like Matt Conrath, Will Hill, Nick Jenkins, and Jake Snyder a chance to create some havoc on their own.

Overall, the Cavaliers pass rush might become more productive as a result.

4. LaRoy Reynolds Will Dominate Opponents

LaRoy Reynolds was a sophomore last year who had been moved from his old safety position to play 4-3 outside linebacker.

He managed to lead the team with 66 tackles.

He had a sack against Boston College, forced a fumble against Florida State, and otherwise showed intermittent flashes of his stellar athleticism in an inconsistent but solid season.

This year LaRoy Reynolds, having learned to play linebacker in Jim Reid's system, is poised to have a breakout year.

Eighty tackles is a distinct possibility for the rising junior and he should increase his sack and turnover numbers as Virginia continues to be very aggressive on defense.

Although he isn't getting any preseason hype, don't be surprised if Reynolds is getting mentioned in the All-Conference discussion at the end of the year.

5. Virginia Will Have Multiple Kick Returns for Touchdowns

Last year, Virginia broke a long streak of not having a kick or punt return touchdown when they took kickoffs to the house against VMI and Eastern Michigan.

They did it with big third-string running back Raynard Horne and fullback Terence Fells-Danzer.

This year super-recruits Dominique Terrell and Darius Jennings could light up the scoreboard on special teams.

The fact that Virginia recently named an assistant special teams coordinator shows that they are invested in the third phase of the game and are ready to have one of the most explosive return units in the ACC.

6. Virginia's Receiving Corps Will Be Even Stronger This Year

Many worry that the loss of Dontrelle Inman has left Virginia with a shallow receiving corps.

However, Kris Burd and Matt Snyder return a combined 88 catches for 1,192 yards and five touchdowns at wideout.

Colter Phillips is primed for a dominant year at tight end...as long as Paul Freedman and Jeremiah Mathis don't upstage him.

Perry Jones is a phenomenal pass catcher out of the backfield and it's quite possible that Kevin Parks could be as well.

Tim Smith is back as well. He is possibly the most talented receiver on this staff and getting him in place of Dontrelle Inman could completely offset last year's losses.

Everyone else is back a year older and more experienced in this system.

Finally, it's possible that the incoming freshmen, especially Dominique Terrell and Darius Jennings, could have a big impact as well.

Bottom line: Virginia has a really deep receiving corps and is keeping it one of the ACC's best kept secrets.

7. Virginia Is Going to Feature More Than One Quarterback This Season

The search for Marc Verica's replacement has been tough.

Mike London wanted to find a starter in the spring and it wasn't until the third week of summer camp that Michael Rocco finally emerged.

Whether Rocco is benched for poor play, switches off with Ross Metheny during games, or even whether the athletic true freshman David Watford comes in for wildcat packages, Virginia is going to end up using more than one of their quarterbacks this year.

This could continue indefinitely until a true leader emerges.

8. Robert Randolph Will Be One of the Best Kickers in the Country

Last year, Robert Randolph did not attract much attention.

He hit 10 out of 14 field goal attempts (71.4 percent) and was not mentioned with guys like Duke's Will Snyderwine, Virginia Tech's Chris Hazley, and Florida State's Dustin Hopkins in the conversation about the ACC's kicking greats.

However, he started off last year not feeling very comfortable and missed his first three field goal attempts. Once he hit his groove he converted ten straight times at one point and hit over 90 percent for the rest of the year.

As a sophomore in 2009, he was even better.

That year, he hit 17 out of 19 field goal attempts (89.5 percent).

One of those was missed because of a botched hold on a snap that never gave Randolph a chance.

He also connected against Georgia Tech from just inside 50 yards during the middle of a driving rainstorm.

This year he should be kicking the ball as well as he ever has and could definitely convert over 90 percent of his field goal attempts.

From inside 45 yards, Robert Randolph is money in the bank for the Cavaliers.

9. Virginia Will Beat a Team No One Thinks They Can Handle

In 2010, it was Miami.

In 2009, it was UNC.

In 2007, it was, well, Miami.

It seems like every year Virginia shocks somebody.

I'm not talking a close win against a slight Vegas favorite. I'm talking about a stunner, whether it's a blow out victory over a more talented team or a win by any margin against someone like the 2005 Florida State Seminoles. 

This year, road games against North Carolina, Miami, and Florida State would apply here.

So would the annual rivalry against Virginia Tech.

Virginia will topple its oldest rival early in the year to send a message, win a game in Florida on Thursday night, beat a team contending for the National Championship, or finally vanquish its nemesis from Blacksburg, and the world will be stunned.

10. Virginia Will Go 5-7 and Narrowly Miss a Bowl Game

Mike London is going to turn this Virginia football program around big time.

Virtually every other athletic program at this wealthy, prestigious, public flagship university has been a slam dunk success in recent years so there is no reason London should fail. 

However, it won't quite happen this year.

Progress will be seen in that Virginia will have a lot more close contests against solid schools but they aren't quite going to make it over the hump.

A tough in-conference road schedule that sends the Cavaliers to Maryland, North Carolina, Miami, and Florida State is a big reason why.

They should go 3-1 out of conference by beating William and Mary, Indiana, and Idaho.

They should also beat Duke and either N.C. State or Georgia Tech at home.

That's five wins. They will fail to get one of these games they should win but will also get the upset that no one expects.

That makes for a 5-7 season that could be heartbreaking to the Cavalier seniors who will fail to play in a bowl game during their careers.

Although, all it will take is one or two lucky bounces to send the Cavaliers into the postseason. If a playmaker emerges at quarterback, then Virginia will be playing in December.