Cavaliers have a lack in their attack

CHARLOTTESVILLE It's an exaggeration to say that Virginia is the worst team in a BCS conference when it comes to scoring points.

But it's not too far off.

Only three schools -UCLA, Illinois and Washington State - are scoring less often than the Wahoos, who are averaging about 21 points per game this season.

At the heart of the issue is an offense that hasn't yet decided what it wants to be. U.Va. started the season in the spread offense but two games later reversed back to the more traditional system that was used in 2008.

Jameel Sewell won out the battle for the quarterback job, but he's alternated between scrambling and being a pocket passer, and injuries have kept him on the sideline occasionally.

Ditto on the running game, where Dominique Wallace was injured, followed by Mikell Simpson, who is now back and splits carries with Rashawn Jackson.

Coach Al Groh said on Monday that an offensive identity would be a valuable thing, but it also couldn't be forced on a team.

"If you can have one, that's a very beneficial thing. Most teams work to have that," he said. "To try to force an identity on an offense or defense without the skills to match it would be foolhardy."

With four games remaining in the season, it's unlikely that the Cavs develop one before the year is over. But they will have to find a way to kick-start the worst offense in the ACC statistically.

Among the 120 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision, Virginia ranks 105th in rushing, and 100th in passing.

There are some familiar schools at the bottom of each list, but those are teams that specialize in either the run or the pass, such as Georgia Tech or Duke. Virginia has struggled to do either.

Part of that stems from the team's abandoning of the spread offense in the third week of the season. The Cavaliers returned to it for a series last Saturday, but that was the only appearance it has made recently.

By doing so, more opportunities were created for running backs and tight ends.

"We're doing a lot more kind of play-action stuff, some double-tight end with two receivers, and some quick routes," tight end Colter Phillips said. "It's definitely more of a hybrid offense now that's able to do a lot of things."

It's also had a lot of personnel shift through. Sewell and Marc Verica have alternated at quarterback, and Sewell has alternated between a run-first scrambler and, more recently, a pocket passer.

Groh said after Saturday's game that the lack of running wasn't related to an ankle injury Sewell has been battling.

At running back, Jackson has stepped out with some big games, as has Simpson. While they're officially listed at different positions - Jackson a fullback, Simpson a tailback - their role in the ground game is similar.

"It provides competition, and it provides the opportunity to play the hotter hand if that's necessary, and that was somewhat the case the other day," Groh said. "Obviously, Rashawn had a very effective first half, and it just didn't seem to add up to make much sense to do anything significantly different."

While there aren't many bright spots to the lack of offensive identity, one is that Miami's defense will have a hard time knowing what to prepare for on Saturday.

"They've changed their offense from the beginning of the season," Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon said. "Right now, they are back to smash-mouth football and some play action - a lot of short passes."

For U.Va., it may be too late to form an identity, but the Cavs can still look to turn the offense around and start putting points on the board.

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