Zaccheaus Named Belk Bowl MVP to End on a High Note
Posted on Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, 6:54 pm
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Belk Bowl MVP Olamide Zaccheaus poses with a fan after Virginia’s 28-0 win over South Carolina Saturday.
CHARLOTTE — When Virginia senior wideout Olamide Zaccheaus spoke to the media Friday morning leading up to Saturday’s Belk Bowl matchup against South Carolina, his formula for victory was pretty straightforward.
“It comes down to our execution versus theirs — that will determine the game,” said Zaccheaus, who went on to claim Belk Bowl Most Valuable Player honors after matching his career high by snagging 12 Bryce Perkins passes for exactly 100 yards and three touchdowns in the Cavaliers’ 28-0 blanking of the Gamecocks.
“There was more urgency during bowl prep than there was last year,” said Zaccheaus. “Obviously we didn’t have the best result last year, 49-7 losing to Navy, we just knew that we weren’t here for vacation, and this was a business trip and we wanted to win this game.”
Zaccheaus’ 12 receptions were the most for any Virginia player in a bowl game, and he extended his streak of games with at least one reception to 42, spanning all the way back to the 2015 season against Miami. The three receiving touchdowns are also good for a Virginia school record in a bowl game.
But despite all the accolades, the records and awards, the big plays, the yards after catch, the touchdowns — Zaccheaus remains humble and sticks with a team-first mentality.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the team,” he told reporters after his final game as a Cavalier Saturday. “We came here to get the win, that was the expectation. We did what we came out to do here.”
In terms of execution Saturday, we’d say mission accomplished for the school’s all-time leading receiver, who finishes his Wahoo career with 250 receptions for 2,753 yards and 24 total touchdowns (22 receiving, 2 rushing). The 250 career catches puts him 40 ahead of the legendary Billy McMullen on the all-time list. McMullen still holds the program’s receiving-yards record with 2,978. Zaccheaus’ 22 receiving touchdowns puts him at fourth all-time in school history.
Saturday marked the 50th game of Zaccheaus’ illustrious Virginia career, joining senior linebacker Chris Peace as two of only 13 Wahoos to play in 50 games or more at UVA.
“It still hasn’t hit me yet to be honest,” Zaccheaus said of playing his final collegiate contest. “I’m just excited to get this win with my brothers and this organization. We’re moving in the right direction.”
The name Olamide is Nigerian for “the blessing has come.” For Wahoo Nation, the blessing certainly came and may now be moving on, but Zaccheaus’ contributions will live forever in program history.
Zaccheaus, a 5-foot-8, 190-pound All-ACC first-team selection from Plainfield, N.J., finished his senior year with a school-record 93 receptions for 1,058 yards — which ranks third all-time for a single season at UVA — and nine touchdowns.
He joins another Wahoo legend, Herman Moore, and McMullen as just the third Virginia player in history to register a 1,000-yard receiving season.
On Virginia’s first scoring drive Saturday, Zaccheaus was instrumental. He rushed for 10 yards and a first down on the second play of the possession, his only carry of the contest, and then hauled in four catches during the march for 30 yards, including the first touchdown of the game from 6 yards out, setting the tone for a big day for the Wahoo offense.
With time winding down in the first half, Zaccheaus caught his longest pass of the day, a 13-yarder from Perkins, to set Virginia up in the red zone. Fellow senior Jordan Ellis trotted in for a score two plays later to give the ‘Hoos a 14-point halftime edge.
Zaccheaus’ second TD grab came midway through the third quarter, right in front of the South Carolina band, to extend the Cavalier lead to 21, and then his final trip to the end zone wearing the orange and blue was the ultimate dagger with under seven minutes to play, a 12-yard catch that silenced the Gamecock faithful for good and sent Wahoo fans into a frenzy at Bank of America Stadium, all but assuring the team’s first postseason victory in 13 years.
When asked if he will be leaving the program in a better place than he found it, Zaccheaus’ response was golden.
“Honestly I wish I had another year, because I know next year is going to be better than this year,” he said. “I’m just happy… I was able to leave this place better than I found it. I’m appreciative for Coach Mendenhall and his staff for everything that they’ve done for me, and my teammates and just everybody who’s involved with this organization and this program. I’m just so thankful for everyone.”
Wahoo fans everywhere will forever be thankful for Olamide Zaccheaus.
