Virginia Cavaliers Outlast Liberty Flames, 45-24

By Scott Ratcliffe

Junior wideout Joe Reed scored three touchdowns in his final game at Scott Stadium Saturday, as Virginia won its seventh game of the season for the first time since 2011 with a 45-24 victory over Liberty, the first meeting between the in-state opponents.

UVa junior quarterback Bryce Perkins threw for two touchdowns — both to Reed — and ran for two more, while another senior, Jordan Ellis, went for 135 all-purpose yards and a touchdown of his own on Senior Day, as the Cavaliers moved to 7-3 on the season with two games to go.

Perkins was 14 for 22 on the evening for 168 yards, and also rushed nine times for 89 yards. Senior Olamide Zaccheaus, the leading receiver in Cavalier history, led the Wahoos in the receiving category in his final home game with 86 yards on seven catches.

The Flames (4-5) opted to receive to start the contest and marched right down the field, with Peytton Pickett providing runs of 29 and 18 yards along the way. His backfield mate, Frankie Hickson, punched it in from a yard out to cap the 12-play, 75-yard drive, and Liberty grabbed an early 7-0 lead with 10:34 left in the first quarter.

It took just over two minutes for the Cavalier offense to respond, as Perkins threw one up high for Joe Reed, and he went up and grabbed it from 14 yards out for his third touchdown of the season to tie it up at 7-7 with 8:30 to go in the opening frame.

After Liberty’s Alex Probert misfired on a 51-yard field goal try, Perkins ran one in himself, a 13-yard scamper out of the reach of a pair of would-be Flames tacklers with 1:19 remaining, and Virginia led 14-7 after a quarter of play.

UVa second-year linebacker Elliott Brown snagged a Stephen Calvert pass attempt out of the air for a pick on Liberty’s next possession, and senior running back Jordan Ellis accounted for 42 of the 77 yards on the ensuing Wahoos’ drive, including a 1-yard plunge into the end zone for his ninth rushing touchdown of the season to make it 21-7 with 7:37 left in the half.

Probert made good on a 37-yarder to trim it to 21-10 with 2:35 to go, and then Perkins threw his ninth interception of the year over to Bejour Wilson, who returned it down to the UVa 7. Hickson trotted in on the next snap, his second score of the day, and Liberty trailed by four, 21-17, just 28 seconds later.

Brian Delaney booted through a 33-yard field goal with three seconds left in the half to make it 24-17.

Reed took the opening kick of the second half 90 yards to the house to extend the lead back to double digits just 10 seconds into the third quarter, but Liberty answered quickly with a Peytton Pickett 18-yard touchdown trot, and UVa led 31-24 with 12:18 left in the third quarter.

Turner Gill elected to go for it on a 4th & 1 from Liberty’s own 14, and Brenton Nelson made the Flames pay for the decision as he broke up a pass intended for Antonio Gandy-Golden to turn the ball over on downs.

Three plays later from the shotgun, Perkins danced around a diving Brandon Tillmon and into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown of the game to push the Cavalier lead back to 14, 38-24, midway through the third quarter.

Virginia Sophomore free safety De’Vante Cross came up with his first career interception on Liberty’s ensuing possession, and then Juan Thornhill snagged one of his own after a Lester Coleman punt late in the third quarter.

The ‘Hoos reached the 40-point plateau for the third time this season on a 6-yard Reed screen pass from Perkins with 12:30 remaining, giving UVa its largest lead of the game, 45-24, and that’s as close as it would get.

Calvert was 15 for 26 for 149 yards, with the three interceptions and no touchdowns. Pickett had 117 yards on 17 carries to lead the Flames, while Hickson went for 93 yards on 26 carries. Gandy-Golden was held to 38 yards receiving on just two catches.

Virginia hits the road for the final two games, next week at Georgia Tech and then Friday, Nov. 23 at archrival Virginia Tech.