Scouting the opponent: Virginia

Now that voluntary workouts have begun, we thought we'd start our annual series taking a look at Georgia's upcoming opponents.

We'll start at the top with Virginia, whom the Bulldogs will face Sept. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic.

Versus Georgia: Sept. 7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Head coach: Bronco Mendenhall

2019 Record: 9-5

Under fourth-year coach Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia went from 2-10 his first season in Charlottesville before finishing off what was one of the program's best seasons in years last fall.

Not only did the Cavaliers defeat arch-rival Virginia Tech for the first time in 15 years, but they made their first trip to the Orange Bowl in school history before losing to Florida, 36-28.

Defensively, Virginia was one of the best teams in the ACC, ranking 48th nationally in total defense, despite losing three key players from its secondary.

The good news for the Cavs: practically the entire defense returns, including All-ACC safety Joey Blount.

Offensively, however, there are some questions. The Cavaliers will be breaking in a new quarterback when they face Georgia following the graduation of Bryce Perkins, who accounted for 78 percent of the team's offense. Perkins totaled 4,307 total yards, 769 of which came on the ground.

The Cavs will also be looking for more production from their running game, as Wayne Taulapapa led all backs in rushing, albeit with just 473 yards.

1. Redshirt freshman Brennan Armstrong will take over for Perkins as the starting quarterback. Armstrong did not play a ton last fall, completing 15 passes, but he is described as a dual-threat performer.

2. The Cavaliers boast two of the most productive outside linebackers the Bulldogs will face this year in Noah Taylor and Charles Snowden. The two combined for 12 sacks and 24.5 tackles for loss.

3. Virginia loses two of its top three receivers from a season ago. The Cavs do return senior Terrell Jana, who caught 74 passes for 886 yards and two touchdowns, and Billy Kemp IV, who caught 34 balls for 287 yards. Otherwise, Virginia will be forced to go with young and unproven players still looking to make their first impact.

4. We mentioned Talapappa earlier, but the Cavs do have another running back to watch. Sophomore Mike Hollins averaged 5.3 yards as a true freshmen. If he can build off his freshman year, he could give Virginia the backfield boost it appears to need.

5. Virginia returns its entire starting offensive line from last year. By that distinction alone, the front line figures to be the strength of the offense after the loss of Perkins at quarterback.