Virginia 42, Richmond 13
One of the most uncertain years of Cavaliers football began to come into focus against the Spiders on Saturday. Virginia's win was more dominating than its 28-10 victory over William & Mary last year, and this Richmond team is likely to be better than that version of the Tribe, which went 2-9, so that's a promising sign.
The biggest overall takeaway for me is you could see exactly how far the team had come since getting blown out by Richmond in its home stadium two seasons ago. After a solid start to the opening offensive drive, new quarterback Bryce Perkins made the ultimate mistake by throwing back across his body into the middle of the field. Pick-6, 7-0 Richmond. You aren't a true Virginia fan if you didn't think, "Here we go again," at least a little bit. But there was no panic in the team like there would've been back then. I imagine the forlorn looks the players wore on the sideline two years ago Bronco Mendenhall has referenced before weren't present. Instead, for the rest of the game, the Cavaliers left no doubt who the better team was, outscoring the Spiders, 42-6, and physically dominating the proceedings.
Here are some more thoughts:
Perkins is fast. I feel like going into a season, Virginia football players you hear about rarely end up being as "fill in the blank" as advertised. But the reports must be true. Perkins has got to be the fastest player on the team. He actually looked very impressive, dare I say, Lamar Jackson-like flying down the field. Now, it was an FCS team, but it wasn't VMI-level FCS, and speed is speed. He's going to be
able to spring runs like that multiple times against multiple teams. On top of that, he was poised beyond what I expected for his first Division I game. He looked calm and collected. He looked like a leader. The line didn't exactly do a great job of protecting him, but he didn't look rattled. And he escaped pressure a few times and made some good throws. His passing wasn't awesome, but it was good enough to build on. Perkins completed 13 of 24 passes, and there were definitely a few drops that could've made his stats look better. He passed for 185 yards, but it should've been more than 200.
I'm worried about Perkins' durability. He's a big kid, but the line let him get hit way too many times. On top of that, part of the game plan is going to include designed runs. So I hope he figures out how to avoid getting hit hard. Get down Perk!
Olamide Zaccheaus is a game-breaker. Yep, still fast. He can score on any team in the open field, but we already knew that. But it was good to get a reminder.
Jordan Ellis will benefit from Perkins. Ellis had to enjoy the new-look offense, because in addition to Perkins going over 100 yards rushing, so did Ellis. In fact, he topped his previous best of 136 he tallied last year against UNC, finishing with 146 yards and two touchdowns. The threat of Perkins running on options is really going to create more space for Ellis, who looked faster as well. But it could've just been the holes were bigger. But he once again displayed his hard-nosed running style, bulling over defenders multiple times.
PK Kier already looks like he deserves more carries. Kier, a sophomore, came in late in relief of Ellis and did his best impression of the senior, bulling over Spiders left and right on a couple carries, finishing with 27 yards. At 6-foot, 230 pounds, bigger than Ellis, he's going to be a load for teams to bring down coming off the bench when opposing players are getting tired.
Backup QB Brennan Armstrong looks poised, too. Granted, the game had been decided when he entered, but Armstrong did not come off looking like a true freshman to me. He made some nice throws, one of which was dropped, didn't look overwhelmed, and showed some speed around the edge as well. Armstrong is also a pretty big guy at 6-2, 210 pounds.
I think the defense is going to be all right. No Micah Kiser, no Quin Blanding, no Andrew Brown. But for one night, the defense looked solid, not allowing an offensive touchdown. Cornerback Bryce Hall wreaked the most havoc, getting six tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble he almost recovered himself. Brenton Nelson and Joey Blount, the two safeties competing for a spot, both picked off passes. They also were both on the field a lot, so it might not matter who starts game to game. It's clear they both are talented. The defense in general has a great "look" about it. It seems organized, and the players are physical and confident. Let's wait and see what happens against an FBS team, but the defense seems to be fairly strong again in 2018.
One of the most uncertain years of Cavaliers football began to come into focus against the Spiders on Saturday. Virginia's win was more dominating than its 28-10 victory over William & Mary last year, and this Richmond team is likely to be better than that version of the Tribe, which went 2-9, so that's a promising sign.
The biggest overall takeaway for me is you could see exactly how far the team had come since getting blown out by Richmond in its home stadium two seasons ago. After a solid start to the opening offensive drive, new quarterback Bryce Perkins made the ultimate mistake by throwing back across his body into the middle of the field. Pick-6, 7-0 Richmond. You aren't a true Virginia fan if you didn't think, "Here we go again," at least a little bit. But there was no panic in the team like there would've been back then. I imagine the forlorn looks the players wore on the sideline two years ago Bronco Mendenhall has referenced before weren't present. Instead, for the rest of the game, the Cavaliers left no doubt who the better team was, outscoring the Spiders, 42-6, and physically dominating the proceedings.
Here are some more thoughts:
Perkins is fast. I feel like going into a season, Virginia football players you hear about rarely end up being as "fill in the blank" as advertised. But the reports must be true. Perkins has got to be the fastest player on the team. He actually looked very impressive, dare I say, Lamar Jackson-like flying down the field. Now, it was an FCS team, but it wasn't VMI-level FCS, and speed is speed. He's going to be
 |
| Bryce Perkins rushed for 108 yards and two TDs and completed 13 of 24 passes for 185 yards and two more scores. |
I'm worried about Perkins' durability. He's a big kid, but the line let him get hit way too many times. On top of that, part of the game plan is going to include designed runs. So I hope he figures out how to avoid getting hit hard. Get down Perk!
Olamide Zaccheaus is a game-breaker. Yep, still fast. He can score on any team in the open field, but we already knew that. But it was good to get a reminder.
Jordan Ellis will benefit from Perkins. Ellis had to enjoy the new-look offense, because in addition to Perkins going over 100 yards rushing, so did Ellis. In fact, he topped his previous best of 136 he tallied last year against UNC, finishing with 146 yards and two touchdowns. The threat of Perkins running on options is really going to create more space for Ellis, who looked faster as well. But it could've just been the holes were bigger. But he once again displayed his hard-nosed running style, bulling over defenders multiple times.
PK Kier already looks like he deserves more carries. Kier, a sophomore, came in late in relief of Ellis and did his best impression of the senior, bulling over Spiders left and right on a couple carries, finishing with 27 yards. At 6-foot, 230 pounds, bigger than Ellis, he's going to be a load for teams to bring down coming off the bench when opposing players are getting tired.
Backup QB Brennan Armstrong looks poised, too. Granted, the game had been decided when he entered, but Armstrong did not come off looking like a true freshman to me. He made some nice throws, one of which was dropped, didn't look overwhelmed, and showed some speed around the edge as well. Armstrong is also a pretty big guy at 6-2, 210 pounds.
I think the defense is going to be all right. No Micah Kiser, no Quin Blanding, no Andrew Brown. But for one night, the defense looked solid, not allowing an offensive touchdown. Cornerback Bryce Hall wreaked the most havoc, getting six tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble he almost recovered himself. Brenton Nelson and Joey Blount, the two safeties competing for a spot, both picked off passes. They also were both on the field a lot, so it might not matter who starts game to game. It's clear they both are talented. The defense in general has a great "look" about it. It seems organized, and the players are physical and confident. Let's wait and see what happens against an FBS team, but the defense seems to be fairly strong again in 2018.
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