Richmond 37, Virginia 20
The day is always darkest before the dawn. The beginning of the Bronco Mendenhall era did not get off to a great start for UVa football Saturday against the Spiders. Nearly 50,000 people turned out in excitement to see something new and fresh but left disappointed -- and probably way before the end of the game. It was Virginia's first FCS loss since 2009 against William & Mary and its first loss to Richmond since 1946, a period which spanned 10 games.
Richmond went down and scored a field goal on its first drive. On the ensuing kickoff, UVa's Connor Wingo-Reeves fumbled, and UR got another field goal. The Cavaliers' new look, up-tempo offense finally got out on the field on the next drive and was looking good and looking to score inside the 5-yard line when Taquan Mizzell fumbled the ball. Richmond drove 95 yards for a TD and a 13-0 lead and both UVA fans and players seemed to be thinking bad luck just follows the program around. UVa never recovered. Mizzell fumbled again later and QB Kurt Benkert threw one pick as the Spiders won the turnover battle, 4-0, and the game.
Certainly that contributed to the upset, but Richmond just plain beat Virginia, too. UR piled up 187 yards rushing and 524 total yards. Meanwhile, UVa managed just 38 rushing yards and 302 total yards. An ACC team was, for the most part, manhandled by a Colonial Athletic Association team.
The offense had a passable grade. The running game stunk, but some of that can be attributed to being behind the whole game. Still, the holes weren't there. The passing game showed potential, though. Benkert finished the game 26 of 34 for 264 yards and three touchdowns in addition to his one underthrown pick. He also showed the ability to scramble, which he should've done more of; he was indecisive at times. But
overall, he showed promise and nine different Cavaliers had at least one reception.
The defense is more concerning but not exactly unexpected. The switch to a 3-4 can be daunting and UVa was playing lots of newcomers at cornerback, outside linebacker and part of the line. UVa looked tentative and as a result, got blown off the ball and left gaping holes for running backs. QB Kyle Lauletta was great, passing for 337 yards and three scores. Mendenhall said this week he overestimated how much the players could take in, and that he would simplify the defense for now. I'm not sure how much that help this week against high-powered Oregon.
Is it time to panic? Of course not. I said before the game that a loss would be disappointing, but not shocking and that Richmond is a terrific FCS team that was playing UVa at the perfect time. Who knows? Switch the UR game and the Oregon game and maybe the result vs. the Spiders would be different after getting a taste of the Ducks. It wasn't a pretty start, however, and it is clear Mendenhall has a long way to go to get UVa to a bowl, which now seems like a remote possibility this season. He took responsibility for the loss after the game and now said he has a clearer understanding of what needs to be done. Now, we are just looking for competitiveness and improvement. Certainly, the expectations have been stripped down, which should give Mendenhall more leeway, actually, with fans. I was one of the more pessimistic fans guessing 4-5 wins, but that might even seem like a kind prediction now.
The day is always darkest before the dawn. The beginning of the Bronco Mendenhall era did not get off to a great start for UVa football Saturday against the Spiders. Nearly 50,000 people turned out in excitement to see something new and fresh but left disappointed -- and probably way before the end of the game. It was Virginia's first FCS loss since 2009 against William & Mary and its first loss to Richmond since 1946, a period which spanned 10 games.
Richmond went down and scored a field goal on its first drive. On the ensuing kickoff, UVa's Connor Wingo-Reeves fumbled, and UR got another field goal. The Cavaliers' new look, up-tempo offense finally got out on the field on the next drive and was looking good and looking to score inside the 5-yard line when Taquan Mizzell fumbled the ball. Richmond drove 95 yards for a TD and a 13-0 lead and both UVA fans and players seemed to be thinking bad luck just follows the program around. UVa never recovered. Mizzell fumbled again later and QB Kurt Benkert threw one pick as the Spiders won the turnover battle, 4-0, and the game.
Certainly that contributed to the upset, but Richmond just plain beat Virginia, too. UR piled up 187 yards rushing and 524 total yards. Meanwhile, UVa managed just 38 rushing yards and 302 total yards. An ACC team was, for the most part, manhandled by a Colonial Athletic Association team.
The offense had a passable grade. The running game stunk, but some of that can be attributed to being behind the whole game. Still, the holes weren't there. The passing game showed potential, though. Benkert finished the game 26 of 34 for 264 yards and three touchdowns in addition to his one underthrown pick. He also showed the ability to scramble, which he should've done more of; he was indecisive at times. But
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| The Spiders celebrated a huge win at Scott Stadium. |
The defense is more concerning but not exactly unexpected. The switch to a 3-4 can be daunting and UVa was playing lots of newcomers at cornerback, outside linebacker and part of the line. UVa looked tentative and as a result, got blown off the ball and left gaping holes for running backs. QB Kyle Lauletta was great, passing for 337 yards and three scores. Mendenhall said this week he overestimated how much the players could take in, and that he would simplify the defense for now. I'm not sure how much that help this week against high-powered Oregon.
Is it time to panic? Of course not. I said before the game that a loss would be disappointing, but not shocking and that Richmond is a terrific FCS team that was playing UVa at the perfect time. Who knows? Switch the UR game and the Oregon game and maybe the result vs. the Spiders would be different after getting a taste of the Ducks. It wasn't a pretty start, however, and it is clear Mendenhall has a long way to go to get UVa to a bowl, which now seems like a remote possibility this season. He took responsibility for the loss after the game and now said he has a clearer understanding of what needs to be done. Now, we are just looking for competitiveness and improvement. Certainly, the expectations have been stripped down, which should give Mendenhall more leeway, actually, with fans. I was one of the more pessimistic fans guessing 4-5 wins, but that might even seem like a kind prediction now.
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