UVa coughed up three turnovers in the second quarter Saturday and that quickly turned a 0-0 score into 21-3 deficit. The miscues included two pick-six interceptions by Greyson Lambert.

The first came on Virginia’s first play of the period when Lambert stepped back to pass and quickly found pressure all around him. As he attempted to pass, the ball was deflected and fluttered into the air where Ishmael Adams made the pick. He returned 20 yards for the score. Later in the quarter, the Cavaliers faced third-and-eight from their own 38-yard line. They called a screen pass for the running back, but linebacker Eric Kendricks diagnosed the play and jumped the route for the interception. He returned it 37 yards for the touchdown.

With only 1:20 to go in the half, Wahoo coach Mike London decided to make a change and inserted Matt Johns into the game. Virginia called two running plays, which were followed by two UCLA timeouts. That left 1:10 in the half and UVa faced third-and-five at its own 30-yard line. What looked like a collect-your-thoughts-while-we-run out-the-clock situation quickly morphed into more when a third down pass play produced a 32-yard bomb to Canaan Severin on the sidelines. Johns scrambled for nine yards on the next play and then hit Andre Levrone for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 52 seconds to go. That suddenly made it 21-10 at halftime.

After the game and in the days since, London has downplayed controversy, rumors about an injury to Lambert (he clearly had tape on his left non-throwing shoulder), and focused only on a bigger message being sent to this year’s team: accountability and production matter.

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