Poor play that haunted Virginia football throughout last season, from surrendering big plays to missing opportunities to a stagnant offense, resurfaced at a most inopportune time Saturday afternoon, when the Boston College Eagles marched into Scott Stadium and destroyed the Cavaliers, 41-10.
Virginia, which fell to 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC, squandered an opportunity to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2011.
Dominant from the start, Boston College (4-4) scored on its first four possessions of the afternoon, beginning with a 15-play, 85-yard drive that ended with a Colton Lichtenberg 30-yard field goal. The Eagles converted three 3rd downs on the drive, including a 3rd and 6 from its own six.
Despite entering the game ranked no. 101 in the nation in 3rd down conversions at 33.6%, the Eagles converted 10-of-15 3rd downs through the first three quarters. Meanwhile, a typically tough Virginia defense entered the game allowing just 26.8% of 3rd down conversions, good for seventh in the country.
“Offensively, I think it was the best plan that we have defended to this point and so I give their coaches credit and their players credit for executing it really well,” Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Again, the thought was this was going to be a really physical game, really if you look at their yardage of points, a lot of it was around us and over us rather than through and so the game took on really a different context than what I had anticipated and our adjustments weren’t effective in terms of counter measure. Conversely, I think it affected our entire team, including our offense, that there was some surprise there, that they were able to hold onto the ball, convert third downs and move it.”
Big plays surfaced on Boston College’s ensuing three drives. A simple jet sweep play turned into a 76-yard touchdown run by Thadd Smith. On their next offensive possession, Kobay White took a wide receiver screen pass 76 yards for another score. Suddenly, the Hoos found themselves in a 17-0 hole at the end of the first quarter.
BC turned its fourth offensive possession into a touchdown as well, thanks in part to another big play. Despite having defended the play well, Virginia surrendered a 46-yard completion on a flea-flicker play as part of a 9-play, 80-yard drive. This play and another key 3rd down conversion set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Brown to tight end Tom Sweeney, who would end up with four catches for 55 yards and two scores on the day.
“Yeah, they had three big ones,” UVA linebacker Micah Kiser said. “We didn’t execute well on third down, and that was the story of the game.”
The Virginia offense finally got something going in the latter part of the second quarter, when sophomore Joe Reed scored from a yard out to get the home team to within 24-7 at the half. The Cavaliers could not keep the momentum going, however, and were outscored 10-0 in the third quarter. Freshman AJ Mejia connected on a 38-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 24 before Boston College linebacker Jon Lamot intercepted Cavalier true freshman quarterback Lindell Stone’s deflected pass and raced to the end zone for the game’s final score.
At game’s end, Boston College had outgained Virginia 512 yards to 247. The Cavaliers fared well against running back AJ Dillon, allowing the freshman sensation only 3.7 yards per carry. Brown, however, decimated the Hoos to the tune of 19-of-24 completions for 275 yards and three scores. He added 32 yards on five carries and was not sacked on the day. Making matters worse for the Cavalier D is the fact that starting junior cornerback Juan Thornhill sat out the final three quarters with what appeared to be a leg injury. Starting safety Brenton Nelson left in the second half with an injury as well. The status of both players is unclear.
Virginia’s offense sputtered throughout, managing only 152 yards passing and 95 yards rushing (a 3.7 yard-per-carry average). Starting quarterback Kurt Benkert wasn’t sharp, completing only 17-of-33 passes for 126 yards and an interception. Seeing the first action of his college career, Stone completed only 2-of-9 passes for 26 yards and two interceptions. Jordan Ellis led the Cavalier rushing game with 58 yards on 12 attempts. Virginia’s receiving corps, which experienced some drops early, was led by Olamide Zaccheaus, who had six receptions for 57 yards.
“I think [this game] shows that we can’t just show up and expect to win,” Benkert said. “It’s not just going to happen for us. We have to go take it. These teams prepare just like we prepare. No game in the ACC is going to be easy. It really changes that mental approach going into the game that we have to go out and take it. It’s not going to be handed to us.”
Coach Mendenhall’s group has another chance to gain bowl eligibility next Saturday, when the Hoos hit the road to take on Pittsburgh. The Panthers are 3-5 after defeating Duke on the road Saturday. Virginia returns home on November 4 to face Georgia Tech, beginning what promises to be a challenging November schedule.
“This is all about heart and where you stand,” said Cavalier safety Quin Blanding, who led the Hoos wth 13 tackles and is now four tackles shy from becoming the all-time leading tackler in Cavalier history. “This is the midway point of our season and this is what will determine how we finish. This is a gut check, and I told the team it’s a hard check for all of us. If you messed up, you messed up. We have to watch the film, fix it, and get back and ready for next week.”
Click here for the official box score.
