KYLE GREEN The Roanoke Times

UVa wide receiver Kris Burd had 31 receptions last season.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In the first game of Virginia's 2009 football season, wide receiver Kris Burd had the distinction of catching passes from three different quarterbacks.

That, in itself, should have suggested that the Cavaliers had problems.

Even if Virginia had been blowing out the opposition, the Cavaliers would not have been inclined to pass the ball with their second or third quarterback.

However, the fact that UVa tried three quarterbacks and still lost to Division I-AA William and Mary was not a positive sign.

"Looking at it now, it was kind of crazy," said Burd, a junior from Matoaca High School. "It was a tough thing to deal with. You try and tell yourself that it doesn't matter, but when you're getting the ball from three different people, it's hard to get comfortable.

"When there's no certainty at quarterback, there's no certainty with the offense."

UVa's offense remains something of a puzzle with less than two weeks remaining before the opener, but everybody knows who the quarterback will be.

Fifth-year senior Marc Verica is the only quarterback in the program who has taken a snap in a college game.

"This summer, Marc and I became really close friends," said Burd, who, like most of his teammates, stayed in Charlottesville. "He's really become a student of the game. Every time we talk, it's about football.

"We have 7-on-7 [workouts] and he treats it like a game. We're not just going out there running plays. He wants to make sure everybody out there 'gets it.' He doesn't just throw to the same group of guys. He tries to make everybody better."

New receivers coach Shawn Moore sees some of the same attributes in Burd.

"You bring up something in a meeting and you sense that he knows it before you open your mouth," Moore said. "He told me that he wants to be a coach one day. I can believe it."

It isn't Burd's size (5 foot 11, 190 pounds) or his speed that sets him apart.

"He's by far one of the toughest players on the team," Moore said. "If I had to compare him to somebody, it would be [the Pittsburgh Steelers'] Hines Ward. It's not only his toughness, though. It's his crisp route running and his savvy for the game.

"I would see him being one of the more productive players on our team."

Burd had a team-high 31 receptions for 413 yards last season on a team that favored a spread offense. Some spread offenses are designed for a running quarterback and others for a passing quarterback, but UVa couldn't make up its mind last year, mostly because it frequently was playing from behind.

New head coach Mike London and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor have emphasized the need for a strong running game and Burd can live with that.

"I feel the best offense is one where the run game complements the passing game and the passing game complements the run game," Burd said. "If you have a balanced offense, it makes you a lot more unpredictable."

Burd turned heads at the first practice of the preseason, when he caught a touchdown pass on a deep ball from Verica. Burd had one touchdown reception all of last season.

"That was really the first time I got on the field as far as being a real guy on offense," said Burd, who was redshirted in 2007 and had seven receptions in 2008, when he got most of his playing time on special teams. "It was definitely a learning experience.

"I just want to be a dependable guy out there -- not just catching passes, but making the big block, making the right reads, being a smart player."

That's certainly the image he's created.