Cavs focus on special teams

There were some moans and groans.

It was not the start that Virginia coach Mike London had envisioned.

After countless hours were spent during training camp on special teams, Raynard Horne bobbled the opening kickoff, stumbled to the 23-yard line and left the Cavaliers with a lengthy field to work with.

Virginia (1-0) still scored on the drive and pulled away for a 34-13 victory over Richmond, but special teams was one of the weakest elements.

Two lengthy field goals missed their intended mark. A fair catch was not called on a costly punt booted by Richmond. An extra-point attempt was botched.

“Special teams is such a huge portion of the game in terms of field position,” London said. “And as much as we practiced the first opportunity, unfortunately, Raynard dropped the ball a little bit, and where you start is critically important — even on the other side, about where you limit your opponents.”

Richmond, which had better starting position in the first three quarters, averaged 26.2 yards on kickoff returns and recorded a field-flipping 39-yard return on its lone fielded punt.

“I just thought that we could have done a better job,” London said. “We were always a block away from getting the right guy or making the block that we needed.

“We’ve gotta make decisions on when to catch the ball. The part about the field position is critical, for that game. It’s going to be critical for this game. So we’ve got to do a better job there.”

It will be important on Saturday as Virginia travels to Southern Cal (1-0), a program known for the speed of its playmakers.

The Cavaliers will also need to improve in the kicking game or might be forced to change the style that they approach fourth-down situations outside the opponent’s 30-yard line.

Chris Hinkebein pushed a 51-yard attempt in the second quarter well to the left, but had ample distance. Four minutes later, Robert Randolph was well shy on a 50-yard attempt, but his attempt was on target.

“We got one guy that kicked it long enough to the left, not accurate,” London said. “The other guy was dead on but it was short.

“So we’ve got to get a little closer in order for these guys to have an opportunity, but both of them had kicked at least 50-yarders in practice.”

A formidable foe

From 1998 to 2008, Southern California had 56 players drafted into the National Football League.

In the 2009 draft, months after USC pounded Virginia 52-7 at Scott Stadium, 11 more former Trojans were drafted. Six more were selected in the 2010 draft.

It is a cycle that seems to continue annually.

Having watched the film from the Trojans’ season opener, London knows why.

“High school All-Americans, first, second, third-team … I know there’s a lot of talk about who is playing and whom they have lost, but the quality of the talent that they have is indicative of the fact they are one of the top programs that have players in the NFL,” he said. “It’s a program that has won 11 national championships. When you look at the game, you see athleticism — from everybody.

“Even the water boy is athletic and fast.”

Virginia is an 18-point underdog, but the line could climb in the coming days.

“We have to play our best game and every one of us, coaches, players, [we] have to make sure that we contribute to an opportunity to be in position to help ourselves,” London said. “So that will be the challenge. There are a lot of things going on we cannot get caught up — playing in the Coliseum and what’s going on in the news right now [with Reggie Bush].

“It’s a football game that has to be played between the lines there. So that’s the focus for this week’s preparation and that’s the focus we have going into the game.”

Keep on ticking

Virginia did not win the time-of-possession battle against Richmond.

While slightly misleading based on the numbers from the second half, the stat will be critically important on Saturday.

Look for Virginia to lean on high-percentage passes and its ground attack to attempt such a feat.

“I do know this — you’ll have to take some time off the clock against Southern Cal,” London said. “USC is a team that plays fast and that tries to capitalize on the things that you don’t do.

“So we need to make sure that we can keep the clock running, with the running game, short passes that are caught, keep the clock moving, keep the chains moving.”

The Cavaliers finished with 205 yards rushing against the Spiders, averaging 5.9 yards per attempt.

Injury update 

When Virginia departs for Los Angeles on Saturday, two players that did not play in the season opener will be in the traveling party.

Cornerback Ras-I Dowling (hamstring) and safety Rodney McLeod (knee) will be at the game and decisions on their respective availability is likely to be known close to kickoff.

Dowling, a senior, wanted to play against Richmond, but London and the medical support elected not to risk further damage.

“A hamstring injury for a skilled athlete is something that can tie you up for a while,” London pointed out. “We just want to be smart with him and about it. He knows his body better than anybody else, and we’ll look to see how he feels after today’s practice and then tomorrow.

“He’s going to make the trip with us for sure. So we’ll see how he progresses.”

McLeod, who may need further time to heal, was removed from the depth chart.

“It’s likely he’ll be available,” London said, “but we’ll see how he feels on game day.”