RALEIGH, N.C. — Through nearly two games, Virginia’s offense had been flawless in two-minute drills. The Cavaliers had snapped the ball 153 times without committing a turnover.
With 1:02 remaining in Saturday’s game at NC State, that precision came to a screeching halt at the worst possible time.
Rolling to his right on a first down from the Wolfpack’s 12-yard line, his team trailing by four points, UVA quarterback Chandler Morris underthrew tailback J’Mari Taylor on a wheel route. Defensive end Cian Slone, athletic enough to drop into coverage, intercepted the pass in the end zone.
NC State 35, Virginia 31.
Prone on the Carter-Finley Stadium field, Morris pounded his fist into the grass.
“Just trying to make a play and saw (Slone’s) back to me,” Morris said. “He just turned around and made (the interception).”
Morris’ frustration, audible and visible, was understandable. Ditto UVA head coach Tony Elliott’s.
In matching their most points against a power-conference opponent under Elliott, the Cavaliers had been unstoppable for much of the contest, including at the end of the first half, when, for the second time in as many outings, they authored a textbook touchdown march on their final possession.
Morris had passed for 257 yards and two scores while rushing for another 56 yards. Taylor had run for 150 yards and touchdowns of 39, 9 and 66 yards.
North Carolina State’s Justin Joly fails to make a catch as Virginia’s Devin Neal defends during Saturday’s game in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Karl DeBlaker/AP)
Plus, an injury-plagued offensive line forced to play reserve tackles Jack Witmer and Ethan Sipe had kept Morris sack-free and produced gaping holes for Taylor. Indeed, Virginia converted 10 of 13 third downs in the opening half and 13 of 19 for the game.
Those are winning numbers.
Check that. Those should be winning numbers.
And given how poorly the Cavaliers were defending — more on that shortly — the offense needed to be dominant.
“The stats say we did well,” said center Brady Wilson, the offensive line’s anchor. “But there’s always stuff you can clean up.”
The line’s most glaring misstep came on fourth-and-1 from State’s 8 midway through the final quarter. The Cavaliers aligned in a jumbo package tilted to the right, and Morris tossed the ball to Taylor, who was stuffed for no gain by end Sabastian Harsh and linebacker Kenny Soares.
Taylor scored on a similar play in last week’s season-opening rout of Coastal Carolina, but the Chanticleers are not in the Wolfpack’s league.
No matter how predictable the play, Elliott stood by the call.
“We’ve got to do a better job of just giving (Taylor) a little more room,” he said.
Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris stretches for extra yards in the grasp of North Carolina State’s Jackson Vick as the Wolfpack’s JJ Johnson closes in Saturday. (Karl DeBlaker/AP)
On its previous possession, UVA faced fourth-and-5 from State’s 30. Trailing by four, Elliott elected to have Will Bettridge attempt a 47-yard field goal, which would have matched his career-best.
Given that NC State (2-0) had scored touchdowns on each of its three third-quarter series, aggression felt like a better option. Bettridge’s kick doinked off the left upright.
“I know the analytics said it was close,” Elliott said, “but I wanted to get the points and get us within an opportunity to win it on a field goal. I think if we make that, it’s a different ballgame, and then in that two-minute, clutch situation we’re playing for a field goal and not a touchdown.”
Fair enough, and to the defense’s credit, it forced two subsequent Wolfpack punts to give the offense an opportunity to score a decisive touchdown. But overall, the defense, yet again versus quality competition, faltered, unable to sack CJ Bailey, force a turnover or contain tailback Hollywood Smothers.
In its opening victory over East Carolina, NC State averaged a scant 2.9 yards per rush. Saturday, the Wolfpack averaged 6.2, with Smothers running for 140 yards and two touchdowns. His 57-yard third-quarter jaunt ignited a drive that Bailey culminated with a 12-yard touchdown run that gave State its first lead at 28-24.
“Prior to that big run, we were kind of boxing him in a little bit,” Elliott said, “but if you give him space, he’s going to make you pay. The biggest thing with him is he’s got tremendous speed. He’s got great contact balance.”
Smothers and Taylor hail from Charlotte, and for much of the afternoon, the game appeared fated to be determined by one of them. And if Morris had led Taylor more on that final throw, perhaps that would have been the case.
“Just wasn’t good enough,” Morris said. “It’s simple.”
North Carolina State’s Hollywood Smothers stiff-arms Virginia’s Corey Costner on his way to a long gain Saturday. (Karl DeBlaker/AP)
Virginia opens a three-game homestand next Saturday against William & Mary, and since an embarrassing 17-point loss to Richmond in Bronco Mendenhall’s 2016 debut, the Cavaliers are 8-0 against Championship Subdivision opponents, with victory margins ranging from 14 to 43 points.
Translation: UVA should be 2-1 awaiting visits from Stanford and Florida State to close September.
“Thought we grew up a little bit as a football team,” Elliott said. “… My challenge to the team is we either get bitter or we get better, or we can get defined by this game or we get developed, and I’m choosing to get better and I’m choosing to get developed, and I believe those guys in the locker room will do the same thing.”
David Teel: david.teel@virginiamedia.com
