Virginia football dominated in their season-opening 34-13 win over Richmond. The Cavaliers’ offense scored on six of their first seven drives before taking their foot off the gas and going scoreless for the game’s final 23 minutes. It was a commanding victory for the Cavaliers as a whole but here are five standouts.
Anthony Colandrea
Coming off a tightly contested and drawn-out quarterback competition, the sophomore quarterback needed a strong day to assure his coaches they made the right decision. He eviscerated any remaining doubt Saturday. His 346 total yards, three total touchdowns and 73 percent completion percentage speaks for itself. But it is his zero “turnover-worthy plays,” per PFF, that signifies his offseason growth. Seventeen of his 23 passes traveled 10 or fewer air yards, but when he did push the ball downfield, he had success.
Colandrea’s first touchdown of the game to junior receiver Trell Harris wasn’t necessarily a marvelous pass. Harris was blanketed, so Colandrea simply lofted a ball up and trusted his receiver to come down with it. That was the theme of the day for Colandrea — trusting his playmakers. Getting the ball to skilled players in space is the name of the game, especially when senior receiver Malachi Fields can turn a smoke screen at the line of scrimmage into a 32-yard catch-and-run.
Malachi Fields
Speaking of Fields — wow. Saturday was a complete performance from the senior wideout. The aforementioned catch-and-run was one of a couple dominant plays with the ball in his hand. Fields also showed off his special ability to reel the football in, laying out for a ridiculous diving catch deep downfield. But in rewatching the game, it was Fields’ blocking that leaped off the screen.
His blocking reel is as fun and dominant as fans will see out of any receiver. Not many receivers can single-block a defensive end, let alone drive him 15 yards downfield and pancake him. Fields made it look routine. He also had a moment straight out of "The Blindside,” when he blocked a Spiders defensive back halfway into the bleachers. Former Virginia receiver Malik Washington tweeted during the game “#8 from Virginia is different. Can’t coach that!” — an accurate assessment.
The Offensive Line
Virginia’s struggles along the offensive line were well documented last season. But the unit was good Saturday, albeit against an FCS opponent. With senior Jack Witmer filling in at left tackle for the injured Junior McKale Boley, Virginia’s starting offensive line allowed only two hurries, one hit and two sacks. And to be fair, one of the sacks was really on Colandrea, who was trying to do too much. Graduate center Brian Stevens, senior guard Noah Josey, junior tackle Blake Steen and Witmer all graded out with a PFF grade above 70. Josey led the unit with a pass block grade of 83.9, while Steen posted the highest run block grade with 81.7.
Richmond’s undersized front unit got mauled in the run game, allowing Virginia to grind out 200 rushing yards with a 5.4-yard average. And perhaps the sweetest stat of all — the line committed just one penalty. It’s not time for a victory lap yet, but Saturday was a promising first game for the boys up front.
Kobe Pace
The rushing lanes might have been gaping, but graduate running back Kobe Pace ran hard all day long. Pace amassed 144 total yards, averaged 8.5 yards per carry and scored one touchdown. He displayed good vision and enough burst to bounce the ball to the outside when necessary.
Arguably his best individual effort came on an outside zone run in the first quarter. Pace received the handoff and was met in the hole by multiple Spiders. He bounced off their tackle attempts but ended up with his back to Richmond’s defense — a very vulnerable position. But Pace somehow snapped his body around and slammed his foot into the ground, faking out a Spiders safety before chugging ahead for another couple of yards.
On his 52-yard slip screen, Pace showed enough speed to beat the pursuing linebacker’s angle and race for another 30 yards. In both the run and pass game Pace looked explosive and dependable.
The Safeties
For as strong a defensive performance as it was for the Cavaliers, there weren’t any dominant individual defensive efforts. The pass defense was smothering, holding Richmond junior quarterback Kyle Wickersham to only 110 passing yards, but nobody grabbed an interception, and the team logged only one sack. It was an all-around disciplined performance, but the safety play shined most. Graduate student Antonio Clary and senior Jonas Sanker tied for the team lead in tackles with eight apiece, including a combined two behind the line of scrimmage. They did not miss a single tackle.
Clary received a 76.5 grade from PFF, the second-highest on the defense. Graduate Corey Thomas Jr., technically listed as a special defensive back called a SPUR, also shined, managing to force the game’s only turnover with a perfectly executed forced fumble. The Cavaliers ran a ton of quarters coverage plays — accounting for 48.3 percent of their plays, which asks a lot of the safeties, and they all delivered.
Ahead of an ACC road fight at Wake Forest Saturday, Virginia is off to a strong start. Receiving excellent contributions across a variety of positions will certainly help the Cavaliers compete to steal a win from the Demon Deacons down south.
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