Déjà vu washed over Scott Stadium as the skies opened up and a weather delay interrupted Virginia’s home opener for the second year in a row. But unlike last season’s post-thunderstorm implosion versus James Madison, the Cavaliers (1-0, 0-0 ACC) held on for a 34-13 victory over Richmond. The Spiders (0-1, 0-0 CAA) were outmatched throughout most of the game.
Virginia’s defense took the field first and made quick work of the Richmond offense, forcing a three-and-out. On the Cavaliers' first offensive play from scrimmage, they dialed up a designed quarterback run for sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea — who hit the hole and bounced it outside for 35 yards. Virginia stuck with the run on second down and effectively picked up seven yards.
Wary of getting gashed by the run a third time, the Spiders flowed toward the line of scrimmage, playing right into the Cavaliers’ hands. Colandrea executed play action, set his feet and lofted a 35-yard lob to junior receiver Trell Harris who worked back to the football and made a contested catch in the south endzone of an erupting Scott Stadium.
On Richmond’s next possession, they faced a third-and-nine and called a tunnel screen which created enough space for the receiver to get past the first down marker — but graduate safety Corey Thomas Jr. punched the ball out of his arms just before he hit the ground. However, sophomore linebacker Kam Robinson fell on the fumble setting the Cavaliers up near midfield.
Two plays later, Colandrea swung it out to senior wide receiver Malachi Fields on a smoke screen. Two Richmond defenders converged on Fields, but he managed to slip by both of them and race down the sideline for a 32-yard gain. But the drive stalled when Colandrea, with a defender in his face, sailed a pass over the head of graduate tight end Sackett Wood Jr. on a third-and-three. The Cavaliers made their field goal attempt to bring the score to 10-0.
The Spiders faced a third-and-one on their next possession and tried to run the ball up the middle out of a heavy, two tight end set. But the Cavaliers’ defense held, blowing up the run in the backfield and forcing a punt.
Virginia’s offense took over, and on third down Colandrea rolled out and found junior running back Jack Griese streaking wide open for a 57-yard touchdown. Colandrea sprinted down with the rest of his teammates and threw up the Johnny Manziel money sign to a swirling sea of crazed fans clad in orange.
The Cavaliers' defense continued to smother Richmond, forcing a junior quarterback Kyle Wickersham incompletion on third down. Virginia took over again and continued their onslaught as fifth-year running back Kobe Pace ripped off a 52-yard catch-and-run on a screen pass.
But just as Colandrea was reciting his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech in his head, he flashed a bit of that familiar recklessness from last season. On first-and-seven he rolled out, did not like his options and tried to baseball turn deep in the backfield, resulting in a 20-yard sack. But junior kicker Will Bettridge hit the field goal putting Virginia up by 20 with 11 minutes 44 seconds left in the second quarter.
Richmond finally managed to generate some offense on a 13-play 75-yard touchdown drive midway through the second quarter. The Spiders leaned heavily on the ground game, running the ball nine times for 53 yards, including a five-yard Wickersham touchdown run.
With the score at 20-7, Mother Nature intervened. The skies opened up, and the announcement of a weather delay came over the PA system. Lightning and heavy rain poured in, and fans were ushered out of Scott Stadium as the players and coaches returned to the locker rooms for what would be a two-hour delay.
The lightning passed, but Virginia remained electric as junior running back Xavier Brown returned the kickoff to the Cavaliers’ 46-yard line. The excitement continued when Pace ripped off a 43-yard run through a gaping hole in the Spiders’ defense. Pace punctuated the drive with a three-yard touchdown rush two plays later.
Richmond’s momentum, on the other hand, was apparently zapped by the delay as Wickersham had his third-down pass batted down at the line by sixth year defensive lineman Kam Butler.
The Cavaliers took over but were stuffed on third-and-one at their own 35-yard line. Coach Tony Elliott elected to go for it on fourth down and brought in junior quarterback Grady Brosterhous who got the job done on the quarterback sneak. On the following play, Colandrea laid in a 41-yard ball to Fields who dove Superman-style to haul in the wet football deep in Spider territory. Bettridge’s 36-yard field goal missed left as the first half expired three and a half hours after the game’s start.
The Cavaliers received the ball out of the pseudo-halftime and Colandrea made one of his vintage backyard plays, scrambling around and shaking one Spider before hitting a wide-open receiver to get the Cavaliers over midfield. Colandrea scrambled twice on designed pass plays leading Virginia into the redzone. Then came a run by design, a quarterback draw which Colandrea took to the end zone from seven yards out to put Virginia up 34-7.
Wickersham responded by driving the Spiders past midfield with a 20-yard completion. But the Spiders took a delay of game penalty and failed to convert on a third-and-fifteen as Wickersham overshot his receiver running deep down the sideline.
Richmond graduate punter Aaron Trusler pinned the Cavaliers down at the five-yard line. Colandrea completed a pass to give the offense some breathing room, but the Cavaliers were met with a fourth-and-one from their own 28-yard line. This time Brosterhous was denied, and the Spiders took over in favorable field position.
The Spiders ran the ball down to the Virginia 17-yard line but had to settle for a field goal narrowing the score to 34-10.
Virginia went three-and-out on the ensuing possession as Fields’ was cut down short of the sticks on third down. Fifth-year punter Daniel Sparks bombed a 53-yard punt forcing the Spiders to start at their own eight-yard line after an additional holding penalty was tacked on.
The Cavaliers’ defense held, and Virginia’s offense took over at the Spiders’ 42-yard line after a short Richmond punt. Graduate quarterback Tony Muskett came in the game, but on fourth-and-four he threw an interception to redshirt freshman safety Matthew Traynor.
The Spiders took over and picked up one first down on a quarterback sneak and another when Palmer-Smith got loose for a 43-yard run down to Virginia’s five-yard line. But a sack by sixth-year defensive Ben Smiley III and a tackle for loss by sophomore cornerback Caleb Hardy forced the Spiders to kick the field goal.
Virginia took over and ran twice but committed a holding penalty that forced them into a third-and-thirteen. Muskett went for a deep ball but his pass floated over the head of his intended target. The Spiders picked up a final first down and let the clock run out.
While it is hardly time to declare Virginia a bowl team, there is no denying the game was a satisfying and definitive win. It is the first time since 2021 that the Cavaliers have beaten a team by over 20 points.
“I thought we did a really good job right out the gate in all three phases,” Elliott said. “It’s a team win, but the story is Colandrea’s maturation.”
Virginia racked up 497 total yards — more than the team did in any individual game last year. The Cavaliers took care of business at home and now await their ACC opener. Up next, Virginia travels to Wake Forest Saturday for a 7 p.m. start to ACC play. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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