Saturday, September 29th
For years, Louisiana Tech was just as bad as the other non-LSU Louisiana schools. Truly, no one knew the difference between LaTech, UL-Monroe, or East Louisiana State Academy for the Arts. Much like the directional Michigan schools, the team was relegated to collecting paychecks from BCS schools for early season tune ups and selection for your "small terrible school" dynasty on Xbox. However, the Bulldogs have climbed out of the D-1 cellar, in no small part due to UVA-alum Derek Dooley, and are coming off an 8-5 season and their first conference championship in a decade. The team will be looking to continue its improvement, as it gets ready to join Conference USA in 2013, and should provide a bigger challenge for the Hoos than some folks might realize.Quarterback Colby Cameron returns after taking over the starting job half way through the 2011 season to lead an offense that relies heavily on the passing attack. The Bulldogs have some decent receivers, including speedster Quinton Patton, but not a lot of talent among the running backs. Optimally for Virginia, this offense will still be one-dimensional by the time they come to Charlottesville and the young secondary will have plenty of support against the pass-happy offense. Establishing a more diverse gameplan will certainly be a top priority for coach Sonny Dykes, but there's not a lot on paper that makes it likely to happen soon. However, this team put up plenty of points and yards against some fine defenses last year, so don't think the Hoos have an easy job ahead of them.
On defense, the bulldogs are replacing a lot in their front seven, but return a pretty stellar defensive back unit. Safeties Jamel Johnson and Chad Boyd will be heavily relied upon in both the run and pass defense, as the linebackers will be replacing the teams two top tacklers from last year. On the line, the tackles will be in good shape, while the ends will both be new starters with plenty of game experience. In general, the Bulldogs D should be fine, but the talent and speed UVa brings should give the Hoos the upper hand. I don't see LaTech slowing down Jones, Parks, and Richardson (Attorneys at Law).
This is a game UVa should win - but it will be a big accomplishment to do so. Similar to the Southern Miss game last year (which we lost), this out of conference matchup is a difficult one. I think the schedule actually benefits the Hoos a lot here, as the team will be pumped to play at home after a couple of weeks on the road. Plus, the game will be the second in a row against a BCS team on the road for the Bulldogs, as they play Illinois the week before. Could UVa lose? Absolutely. Usually we lose a game like this every season. However, I think the offense wins it for us in a shootout.
Early Prediction: Hoos 34 Dogs 28
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