Virginia’s secondary’s toughest test of the season will come Saturday in Raleigh when the Cavaliers face N.C. State quarterback Ryan Finley. Finley ranks 20th in NCAA statistics in yards passing with 1,056 in but three games, but those numbers don’t address the quality of this strong-armed, experienced quarterback who will be playing on Sunday’s. “I think he’s the best quarterback we’ve seen since we’ve been here as far as just a passer,” said UVa co-defensive coordinator Kelly Poppinga of the staff’s three years in Charlottesville. “[Finley] has seen it all. He knows how to diagnose coverages, knows how to throw […]

When longtime ACC rivals Virginia and N.C. State face off for the 58th time Saturday, there will be a greater sense of unfamiliarity than in previous matchups in the series, which dates back to 1904. Ever since the league has been split into two divisions, schools can go several seasons — six in this case — between meetings. Each side admits that there may be a small amount of knowledge when you factor in scouting other like opponents on film, but more attention is being paid to the team you’re preparing for. In his 14 years as a head coach, […]

Virginia’s Joe Reed gets behind the Cardinals defense for a fourth-quarter score It took a little while for the Virginia offense to kick into gear Saturday in the ACC opener against Louisville, but better late than never. The Cavaliers moved to 3-1 on the season as Bryce Perkins returned from a brief injury he suffered late in the first half, then wowed the crowd by hurdling defenders, throwing a pair of second-half touchdowns and running for another in a convincing 27-3 victory over the Cardinals at Scott Stadium. On the third play of the third quarter, Perkins threw just his […]

Bryce Perkins has become the “Thorterback” the Virginia offense has been looking for Holly Mendenhall isn’t accustomed to getting the answer from her husband that she received Friday night, the eve of Virginia’s ACC opener against Louisville. Bryce Perkins leaps over a defender “She asked me, ‘How do you think you’re going to do?’” UVa coach Bronco Mendenhall explained to media after the Cavaliers dominated visiting Louisville, 27-3 on Saturday. “I said, we’re going to win.” Rarely does Mendenhall say that to his wife or to anyone else for that matter. His confidence showed to his team because he noticed […]

Young U.Va. alumni (from left) Mary Ann Goode, Ray Ramirez and Carrie Leon celebrate on the Hill In the first half of Virginia’s ACC opener against Louisville Saturday, the offense managed just six points on a pair of first-year kicker Hunter Pearson field goals, after starter A.J. Mejia misfired wide right from 32 yards out on the opening possession. Charles Snowden (11), Aaron Faumui celebrate big play on D The Cavaliers needed a lift after failing to convert otherwise over the opening 30 minutes of play, and it was the UVa defense that provided the spark as the ‘Hoos (3-1, […]

Well, it’s Friday morning, game day is tomorrow, so it’s time to look at the tale of the tape between Virginia and Louisville. Weather should be close to perfect (partly cloudy and 78 degrees and game time) and the stats seem to favor the Wahoos. They’ve gained considerably more yards on offense than Louisville, and given up fewer yards and points than the Cardinals. Both teams are 2-1, but as Hootie pointed out in an earlier piece, the explosive Louisville offense of the past is not the same one they will be bringing to Charlottesville. Could be a great opportunity […]

Bryce Perkins against Ohio last week When Virginia coordinator Robert Anae and quarterbacks coach Jason Beck were scouting the Ohio defense, they must have been champing at the bit to unleash Bryce Perkins “the passer,” on the Bobcats’ secondary. Until last Saturday, Perkins was known more for beating you with his legs than his arm. His performance in Vanderbilt Stadium, in a game moved to Nashville because of potential hurricane issues, Perkins showed that teams better not sleep on his passing skills. UVa’s junior quarterback completed 25 of 30 pass attempts for 379 yards and three touchdowns against Ohio in […]

Scattershooting around the ACC, while betting that most of you are sitting around wondering when the last time a Virginia running back had the kind of success that Jordan Ellis had last Saturday in Nashville … Ellis, a senior from Suwanee, Ga., carried the ball 19 times for 171 yards and three touchdowns against Ohio in that game played at a neutral site due to the threats of hurricane activity. Before you get overly excited, remember the numbers were put up against Ohio, which ranks 80th out of 129 FBS teams in rush defense. Still, it was a memorable performance […]

Rank, School, Overall record/ACC, Previous rank, Comment: Clemson, 3-0/0-0 (1). Tigers have won an amazing 46 of their last 50 games. Shouldn’t have any trouble making it 47 out of 51 against Georgia Tech this weekend. Wondering if Clemson’s big hoss in the middle, Ferrell, who leads nation in sacks per game, and sixth in tackles, might just wreck Tech’s option. Virginia Tech, 2-0/1-0 (2). The Hokies, who sat out last week’s action due to Hurricane Florence, will play their new best friend, Old Dominion this weekend. The two teams are scheduled to meet 13 times through 2031. ODU is […]

At this time a year ago, Louisville’s offense was terrorizing most anything in its path. Elusive quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Heisman Trophy winner from 2016, was actually putting up video game-like numbers that rivaled and sometimes surpassed his Heisman year. Wow, have things changed. Jackson is now with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, and Louisville is surprisingly struggling mightily on offense. The Cardinals come to Charlottesville’s Scott Stadium this Saturday with a 2-1 record, but it hasn’t been easy in terms of scoring points. In fact, Louisville ranks 11th in the 14-team ACC in scoring per game (21.7) and dead last […]

It’s always sunny in Arizona. No, that’s not an advertisement by that state’s Chamber of Commerce. Instead, it came from Arizona-bred Bryce Perkins during Monday’s Virginia football interviews. Perkins was asked about the whole bizarre hurricane thing, UVa having to relocate its home game to Nashville, Tenn., to avoid the threat of Hurricane Florence over the weekend, something the junior quarterback was totally unfamiliar with. When a reporter asked him if he’d ever been involved in a game being moved because of a hurricane, Perkins took full advantage of the situation. “Never,” the QB smiled. “I’ve barely been around rain.” […]

Quarterback Bryce Perkins (3) did a superb job of getting the ball to his playmakers Saturday Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said after his team defeated Ohio University, 45-31, at neutral site Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Saturday night that the maturity of his team in handling an unexpected road trip was “huge.” UVa’s “home game” was moved to Nashville in order to secure a safe place to play due to the threat of Hurricane Florence. “To expose strengths and weaknesses is huge,” Mendenhall said of the win, which improved UVa to 2-1. “That alone builds momentum and helps us […]

It was quite an interesting week for the Virginia football program. With the threat of severe weather due to Hurricane Florence, the Cavaliers traveled over 500 miles west Saturday to face Ohio on the campus of Vanderbilt University. Bryce Perkins threw for 379 yards and three scores, Jordan Ellis Virginia rushed for a career-high 171 yards and three touchdowns, Olamide Zaccheaus set a UVa single-game receiving record with 247 yards and a pair of scores, and Virginia moved to 2-1 on the season with a 45-31 win over the Bobcats in Nashville. The ‘Hoos fans who made the trip enjoyed […]

Bronco Mendenhall (top) watches as his offense gained 552 yards; Olamide Zaccheaus caught 9 balls for 247 yards and 2 TDs Virginia came to the Music City to avoid a hurricane wreaking havoc on its football weekend. Instead, it was the Cavaliers that wreaked havoc, pounding Ohio University 45-31, in a game played at neutral site Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. It was a game UVa felt had to be played in order to give it a chance at making back-to-back bowl games. With several other games in the Mid-Atlantic canceled because of hurricane Florence, Virginia pulled out all the […]

Welcome to our third week of Tale Of The Tape, comparing the individual and team statistics for Virginia and Ohio in preparation for Saturday’s 4:30 game at Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville. It’s still summer in Tennessee, as the game is expected to be played in mostly sunny, hot weather. Of all the stats on the chart below, the ones related to the Ohio defense appear to be the most interesting. In its previous game, Ohio gave up 645 yards, and their secondary got torched, giving up 484 yards passing. Conditions could be right for Virginia QB Bryce Perkins to have […]