KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Virginia offense righted its ship Saturday at Western Michigan, sailing to an easy 59-16 win over the Broncos.
Converted wideout Marques Hagans reverted to quarterback, where he started for the Cavaliers, throwing for three touchdowns and running for 68 yards, while sophomore running back Wali Lundy racked up 121 yards, ran for two scores and threw for a third.
After a messy loss at South Carolina last week, Virginia (2-1, 1-0 ACC) wasted no time in beginning their assault on Western Michigan (0-3, 0-0 MAC). The Broncos drove to the Cavalier three-yard line on their first possession, only to be stuffed by the Virginia defense on a third down and three. WMU kicker Robert Menchinger put a field goal through the uprights, but though the Broncos scored first, the Cavaliers captured the momentum off the drive and never looked back.
"That field goal kind of changed the whole game," senior cornerback Almondo Curry said. "They went down to score, and our defense shut them down and set the tempo out there."
In addition to forcing six turnovers and sacking Bronco quarterback Chad Munson twice, the Virginia defense held the NCAA leader in passing yards to 21 completions out of 40 attempts for 197 yards. Senior cornerback Jamaine Winborne scooped up a fumble and ran 16 yards to set up a Lundy score two minutes before halftime, sending the Cavaliers into the locker room with a 31-10 lead. Defensive touchdowns sandwiched the second half for Virginia, with Curry returning an interception 23 yards for a score on the first drive of the half and freshman cornerback Tony Franklin picking off Munson and running 45 yards to the end zone in the final minutes of the game.
The defense lit up the scoreboard, but the Cavalier offense provided some fireworks of its own. Hagans powered the club from the position he practiced for two years but hadn't anticipated playing this season until the injury of starter Matt Schaub against Duke.
"Marques certainly provided a lot of energy," coach Al Groh said. "I thought he took real responsibility for what happened with the ball. He made effective decisions ... and brought his team home a winner."
Daylight was often all the sophomore quarterback needed. The versatile athlete broke through for several runs of over 10 yards, causing three of his teammates to laud him as a "playmaker" after the game. Hagans played nearly mistake-free football, taking the snaps in all but one series without recording an interception or turnover.
"I had a lot of fun out there," Hagans said. "It's always fun to play quarterback, but I knew we couldn't leave without a win."
Lundy showed playmaking ability of his own, beating Bronco defenders with a highlight reel's worth of jukes and spin moves. Lundy tore out of the locker room after a lackluster performance during the South Carolina game in which he was hampered by injury. He rushed for 114 of his 121 yards in the first half at WMU.
Lundy "could just never get loose last week," Groh said. "About Tuesday he started feeling a lot better. We saw a lot more of the Wali Lundy that we expected to see this year."
It was a Lundy touchdown late in the third quarter that was the most memorable -- and most devastating to Western Michigan's spirits.
With only the band left standing as fans cleared out of Waldo Stadium, Lundy took a handoff from Hagans and tossed an 18-yard pass to a wide-open Ottowa Anderson in the end zone.
Saturday's decisive victory over WMU showcased the best of the Cavaliers, but players and coaches agreed that Virginia still has something to prove as they head into a bye week and then the heart of their conference schedule, beginning with a home date against Wake Forest Sept. 27.
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