Virginia 45, Ohio 31
The Cavaliers created their own energy and came out firing on all cylinders in their victory over the Bobcats on Saturday in Nashville. Only about 5,000 people attended the relocated game, and so the atmosphere was very different than normal. But Virginia jumped out to a 35-7 lead and then staved off Ohio's bid to come back in the second half to get to 2-1 on the year.
Here are a few observations:
Charles Snowden and Chris Peace combined for a big sack early. Virginia got off on the right foot largely thanks to the two linebackers pushing the linemen they were up against into Ohio QB Nathan Rourke. Snowden's tally for the game shows zero sacks, but from what I saw, his initial surge is what knocked Rourke into Peace and his lineman. Snowden definitely should get some credit. Rourke fumbled as he went down, and Eli Hanback landed on the loose ball. The Cavaliers were off and running on their first offensive play when Jordan Ellis scored from 18 yards out.
Olamide Zaccheaus' speed struck again. On Virginia's second possession, the senior took a simple out route to the house from 86 yards away when he broke one tackle and sped down the sideline, escorted by a nice block from Hasise Dubois. Zaccheaus is so fast, though, I'm not sure it would've mattered. The play was reminiscent of his 81-yard TD off a simple catch against North Carolina last season. Zaccheaus set the single-game school record with 247 receiving yards against the Bobcats. According to Wikipedia, the previous record was held by Ken Shelton (241 yards vs. William & Mary in 1974).
On Virginia's next scoring possession, Ellis showcased his improved-looking speed. I said earlier
in the year Ellis looked faster. He might have proven it on his 75-yard burst to the end zone. I feel like last year, he definitely would've been caught. But that didn't happen this time.
Hanback picked up his second fumble and rumbled toward the end zone, switching the ball from one arm to the other before fumbling just shy of the goal line. It ended up being funny since UVa won the game. That TD would've made it 35-7, and later, the 'Hoos made it 35-7 anyway. Lost in the amusing sequence was the fact that Richard Burney, the converted tight end, is the lineman that blew up the QB-RB exchange that caused the fumble. Nice play by him.
Zane Zandier really stepped up at linebacker. Zandier, a sophomore, started for Malcolm Cook, who was out with an injury. The sophomore really showed his potential, leading the team with 10 tackles and finishing with 1.5 sacks. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds with some speed, he looks like a very promising young player.
Following the Hanback fumble, Ohio went for it on fourth down. It was fourth-and-2 at the Ohio 45, and the Bobcats ran an option. Joey Blount and Brenton Nelson, who have competed for one of the starting spots at safety, did a fantastic job of tackling the running back in the backfield and getting the ball back for the Cavaliers.
Bryce Perkins showed some accuracy on the run. Perkins had an awesome passing game, completing 25 of his 30 attempts for a career-high 379 yards. He again had some nice throws on the run, including one as he moved to his left to Dubois on the drive following the fourth-down stop.
Dubois showed off his jumping ability on the next scoring play. Perkins lobbed one toward the end zone from the 10-yard line, and Dubois, who is 6-3, outjumped a smaller Ohio cornerback for the score. He maybe could've caught the ball anyway, but it was good to see him use his athleticism and be willing to battle for the catch like that. Dubois is much more involved in the passing game this year than last. He had a career-high six receptions against Ohio.
It wouldn't be a Virginia game without a dropped pick-6 by Bryce Hall. The cornerback has been solid in the season's first three games, but as he did against Indiana this year and Miami last year, he seemed to have his eyes set on a pass only to have it go through his arms. One of these days, he is picking a pass off and taking it the distance. Hopefully it comes in a big moment for the 'Hoos.
Virginia got the ball back up 35-7 with 1:58 left in the first half and then helped Ohio. On second down, Perkins dropped back and was hit and fumbled. Ohio scored on that drive and then successfully executed an onside kick to the get the ball back. The Bobcats scored again to make it 35-21. All of a sudden, they were back in the game. I didn't mind Virginia's mindset, though. Two minutes to go was plenty of time, and another score would've basically put the game out of reach at 42-7. It didn't work, and the turnover sort of set off a chain of events that helped Ohio get back in the contest, but I thought the risk was worth it. Ohio still never got within single digits of the Cavaliers. UVa ended up doing a nice job of getting a field goal at the end of the half, making it 38-21 at the break. That meant that when Ohio scored its next TD, instead of a 35-28 one-score game, it was 38-28. I think that field goal helped Virginia's psychological edge as the teams went into the locker rooms.
Hall made a great play at the end of the third quarter that stymied the Bobcats' biggest threat. Down 38-28, Ohio had the ball, fourth-and-3 at Virginia's 40. Hall broke up a pass play across the middle, getting the ball back to Virginia. That was a big play that stopped Ohio's momentum. Virginia ended up missing a field goal on the ensuing possession, but basically put the game away with another Perkins-to-Zaccheaus catch-and-run TD after the defense again stopped Ohio. But that drive that got to the UVa 40 was the closest Ohio got to threatening to cut the lead to single digits.
The weather in Charlottesville wasn't that bad. The game could've been played at home. It would've been raining a little, perhaps, but it would not have been like the drencher Virginia played in at Indiana. Still, the school made the right call to play the game at a neutral site and act quickly. Otherwise, Ohio might have wanted to cancel the game, as ECU did instead of going to Virginia Tech. I thought it was cool that ESPN had athletics director Carla Williams talk during the broadcast about the decision. She said it also had to do with the fact that they didn't want to take away from first responders in the area helping people deal with the hurricane instead of being available for a football game. Williams has been a very visible advocate for UVa so far and has seemed like a great hire by the school. On Twitter, she is constantly popping up at UVa sporting events, even the ones that aren't as popular.
Still, there was pressure on UVa in Nashville. A close loss would've left everyone wondering could UVa have won had the game been at Scott Stadium. But I was very pleased with how energetic the team was early on in what amounted to an empty stadium. Virginia coasted a little after grabbing the big lead, but the dominance early was easy to see. It was a good job by the players, coaches, staff, everyone in getting the team out to Nashville and ready to win a winnable game to get to 2-1.
The Cavaliers created their own energy and came out firing on all cylinders in their victory over the Bobcats on Saturday in Nashville. Only about 5,000 people attended the relocated game, and so the atmosphere was very different than normal. But Virginia jumped out to a 35-7 lead and then staved off Ohio's bid to come back in the second half to get to 2-1 on the year.
Here are a few observations:
Charles Snowden and Chris Peace combined for a big sack early. Virginia got off on the right foot largely thanks to the two linebackers pushing the linemen they were up against into Ohio QB Nathan Rourke. Snowden's tally for the game shows zero sacks, but from what I saw, his initial surge is what knocked Rourke into Peace and his lineman. Snowden definitely should get some credit. Rourke fumbled as he went down, and Eli Hanback landed on the loose ball. The Cavaliers were off and running on their first offensive play when Jordan Ellis scored from 18 yards out.
Olamide Zaccheaus' speed struck again. On Virginia's second possession, the senior took a simple out route to the house from 86 yards away when he broke one tackle and sped down the sideline, escorted by a nice block from Hasise Dubois. Zaccheaus is so fast, though, I'm not sure it would've mattered. The play was reminiscent of his 81-yard TD off a simple catch against North Carolina last season. Zaccheaus set the single-game school record with 247 receiving yards against the Bobcats. According to Wikipedia, the previous record was held by Ken Shelton (241 yards vs. William & Mary in 1974).
On Virginia's next scoring possession, Ellis showcased his improved-looking speed. I said earlier
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| Jordan Ellis ran for 179 yards, a new career high, and three TDs against Ohio. |
Hanback picked up his second fumble and rumbled toward the end zone, switching the ball from one arm to the other before fumbling just shy of the goal line. It ended up being funny since UVa won the game. That TD would've made it 35-7, and later, the 'Hoos made it 35-7 anyway. Lost in the amusing sequence was the fact that Richard Burney, the converted tight end, is the lineman that blew up the QB-RB exchange that caused the fumble. Nice play by him.
Zane Zandier really stepped up at linebacker. Zandier, a sophomore, started for Malcolm Cook, who was out with an injury. The sophomore really showed his potential, leading the team with 10 tackles and finishing with 1.5 sacks. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds with some speed, he looks like a very promising young player.
Following the Hanback fumble, Ohio went for it on fourth down. It was fourth-and-2 at the Ohio 45, and the Bobcats ran an option. Joey Blount and Brenton Nelson, who have competed for one of the starting spots at safety, did a fantastic job of tackling the running back in the backfield and getting the ball back for the Cavaliers.
Bryce Perkins showed some accuracy on the run. Perkins had an awesome passing game, completing 25 of his 30 attempts for a career-high 379 yards. He again had some nice throws on the run, including one as he moved to his left to Dubois on the drive following the fourth-down stop.
Dubois showed off his jumping ability on the next scoring play. Perkins lobbed one toward the end zone from the 10-yard line, and Dubois, who is 6-3, outjumped a smaller Ohio cornerback for the score. He maybe could've caught the ball anyway, but it was good to see him use his athleticism and be willing to battle for the catch like that. Dubois is much more involved in the passing game this year than last. He had a career-high six receptions against Ohio.
It wouldn't be a Virginia game without a dropped pick-6 by Bryce Hall. The cornerback has been solid in the season's first three games, but as he did against Indiana this year and Miami last year, he seemed to have his eyes set on a pass only to have it go through his arms. One of these days, he is picking a pass off and taking it the distance. Hopefully it comes in a big moment for the 'Hoos.
Virginia got the ball back up 35-7 with 1:58 left in the first half and then helped Ohio. On second down, Perkins dropped back and was hit and fumbled. Ohio scored on that drive and then successfully executed an onside kick to the get the ball back. The Bobcats scored again to make it 35-21. All of a sudden, they were back in the game. I didn't mind Virginia's mindset, though. Two minutes to go was plenty of time, and another score would've basically put the game out of reach at 42-7. It didn't work, and the turnover sort of set off a chain of events that helped Ohio get back in the contest, but I thought the risk was worth it. Ohio still never got within single digits of the Cavaliers. UVa ended up doing a nice job of getting a field goal at the end of the half, making it 38-21 at the break. That meant that when Ohio scored its next TD, instead of a 35-28 one-score game, it was 38-28. I think that field goal helped Virginia's psychological edge as the teams went into the locker rooms.
Hall made a great play at the end of the third quarter that stymied the Bobcats' biggest threat. Down 38-28, Ohio had the ball, fourth-and-3 at Virginia's 40. Hall broke up a pass play across the middle, getting the ball back to Virginia. That was a big play that stopped Ohio's momentum. Virginia ended up missing a field goal on the ensuing possession, but basically put the game away with another Perkins-to-Zaccheaus catch-and-run TD after the defense again stopped Ohio. But that drive that got to the UVa 40 was the closest Ohio got to threatening to cut the lead to single digits.
The weather in Charlottesville wasn't that bad. The game could've been played at home. It would've been raining a little, perhaps, but it would not have been like the drencher Virginia played in at Indiana. Still, the school made the right call to play the game at a neutral site and act quickly. Otherwise, Ohio might have wanted to cancel the game, as ECU did instead of going to Virginia Tech. I thought it was cool that ESPN had athletics director Carla Williams talk during the broadcast about the decision. She said it also had to do with the fact that they didn't want to take away from first responders in the area helping people deal with the hurricane instead of being available for a football game. Williams has been a very visible advocate for UVa so far and has seemed like a great hire by the school. On Twitter, she is constantly popping up at UVa sporting events, even the ones that aren't as popular.
Still, there was pressure on UVa in Nashville. A close loss would've left everyone wondering could UVa have won had the game been at Scott Stadium. But I was very pleased with how energetic the team was early on in what amounted to an empty stadium. Virginia coasted a little after grabbing the big lead, but the dominance early was easy to see. It was a good job by the players, coaches, staff, everyone in getting the team out to Nashville and ready to win a winnable game to get to 2-1.
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