One advantage UVA should have over USC

By Chris Preston  |   Tuesday, August 26, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Virginia Cavaliers
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The minute USC sets foot on the Scott Stadium turf this Saturday, it will already be one of the greatest college football teams to ever grace the Charlottesville, Va., campus. As always in the Pete Carroll era, the loaded Trojans are on the short list of national title favorites. The Trojans are 19.5-point favorites over heavily undermanned Virginia, and are fully expected to dominate the hometown Hoos.

But there is one key area where UVA might have a major advantage. USC retained only one starter from last year’s offensive line, and will have a hobbled, inexperienced quarterback playing behind it. Projected starter Mark Sanchez dislocated his left kneecap during an Aug. 8 practice and had to be carted off the field. He has apparently recovered enough to start at UVA on Saturday. Even so, Sanchez is something of an unproven commodity who has shown in his first two years in Los Angeles that he can be erratic. He has already thrown six career interceptions despite starting only three games – all of them while filling in for the injured John David Booty last season – and has been sacked six times. Sanchez is not a scrambling quarterback, and it’s reasonable to think that his mobility will be even more limited against the Hoos given that he will be just three weeks removed from dislocating a knee.

Given Sanchez’s vulnerability and relative inexperience in hostile environments (this will be just his third road appearance) – plus the number of holes the Trojans are trying to fill in their offensive line – Virginia’s formidable linebacking crew could give the USC offense fits on Saturday. Senior LBs Antonio Appleby, Jon Copper and Clint Sintim combined for 14.5 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in ’07. While they will no longer be aided by the presence of All-America defensive end Chris Long – who took his team-leading 14 sacks to the NFL – that trio still has the talent and game experience to wreak havoc on the Trojans’ comparatively inexperienced O-line. Furthermore, they will be energized by what will be a raucous home crowd, and could rattle Sanchez if they can get to him early.
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