Virginia Football One Win Away From Bowl Eligibility After Holding Off UNC, 20-14

A 5-1 start to the 2017 season has given senior linebacker Micah Kiser and the rest of the Virginia football players reason to celebrate. ~ Photo courtesy Matt Riley/Virginia Athletics Media Relations

A grind-it-out affair ended with the Virginia football program defeating North Carolina 20-14 in Chapel Hill. With the win, head coach Bronco Mendenhall’s group moves to 5-1 overall, 2-0 in the ACC, and is now just one win away from becoming bowl eligible.

Virginia football, which last went to a bowl game in 2011, is off to its best start since the 2007 season.

“Another hard-fought game between ACC opponents,” Mendenhall said.

“To [North Carolina’s] credit they came back, but to our credit we came back again. We train hard, we practice hard, and we want to play harder longer. The last two weeks that’s all that’s happened. We made one or two more plays and played a little harder and a little longer than our opponent. And, it was good enough to win the game.”

Quarterback Kurt Benkert completed 19-of-31 passes for 249 yards, coming through with a touchdown pass to tight end Evan Butts late in the first half and an 81-yard scoring pass to H-back Olamide Zaccheaus. The senior signal caller made some timely throws, but junior tailback Jordan Ellis and Zaccheaus were the stars of the Cavalier offense on Saturday afternoon.

Ellis went over the century mark rushing for the first time in his college career. He churned out 136 yards on 27 carries, headlining a Cavalier rushing attack that was successful throughout.

“Jordan Ellis is tough,” Mendenhall said. “I think he had probably the most impact on the game of anyone on our team. He just kept falling forward and falling forward and running hard and falling forward, and the clock was ticking down and we were moving the football. It didn’t yield a lot of points, but we changed the field and gained momentum and had time of possession for quite a while.”

“I think he was the key to the game,” Mendenhall said of Ellis.

The speedy Zaccheaus had 100 yards receiving on five receptions, none bigger than the 81-yard touchdown catch that gave the Hoos a 17-14 lead with 3:25 left in the 3rd quarter. UVA, which took a 10-0 lead into halftime, had surrendered two Michael Carter touchdown runs before Zaccheaus’ score.

“I just knew I had an opportunity to make a play,” recalled Zaccheaus, who took roughly a 4-yard pass and sprinted down the sideline for the score. He has scored a touchdown in every one of Virginia’s wins in the Mendenhall era. “Doni (Dowling) had a great block for me downfield, and that’s what sprung me to the end zone.”

The Cavaliers easily surpassed the Tar Heels in total yards (405 to 257), total offensive plays (78 to 53) and first downs (23 to 12), won the turnover battle (3 to 1), and dominated time of possession (39:58 to 20:02). The visitors couldn’t shake the home team on the scoreboard, though, thanks to an inability to convert on 3rd down (just 4-of-16 on the day, including 1-of-10 the final three quarters) and two missed touchdown opportunities deep in Tar Heel territory.

The first of UVA’s missed touchdown chances came on its third drive of the game, when Benkert and the offense had 2nd-and-goal from the UNC 1 before settling for a 20-yard A.J. Mejia field goal. The score gave the Hoos a 3-0 lead. Early in the 4th quarter, the Hoos settled for a 27-yard Mejia field goal despite starting the possession on the UNC 30 following a Brenton Nelson interception. Virginia drove down to the Tar Heel 6 before a costly holding call on Evan Butts negated an Ellis touchdown run. Mejia’s field goal gave the Hoos a 20-14 advantage.

Virginia’s defense made the 20-14 lead stand by holding the Tar Heels scoreless in the 4th. The Hoos stymied quarterback Brandon Harris and the UNC offense throughout the game, save for two 3rd quarter drives. A 56-yard run by Carter on UNC’s first drive of the second half set up the Tar Heels’ first touchdown. Four minutes later, Carter sprinted 52 yards for Carolina’s second score, suddenly giving the Heels a 14-10 advantage.

UNC couldn’t muster much else on offense. Virginia allowed 104 yards on two carries but only 107 yards on UNC’s other 33 rushes. Harris struggled mightily through the air, completing only 7-of-18 passes for 46 yards and three interceptions. Nelson, cornerback Bryce Hall and linebacker/safety Chris Moore came up with the picks.

Virginia’s offense squandered an opportunity to put the game away when Benkert fumbled on 3rd-and-17 from the Carolina 29. The fumble, Virginia’s first lost fumble of the season, gave North Carolina possession with 2:46 left in the 4th and trailing by only six.

Safety Quin Blanding led the Hoos with 10 tackles while linebacker Chris Peace led the team with 1.5 sacks. Peace’s sack on 4th-and-9 at the Virginia 37 ended the Tar Heels’ comeback hopes, as UVA took possession with 1:07 left in the game. The junior outside linebacker grabbed Harris’ facemask on the play; however, there was no call, and two kneels later the Hoos were officially 5-1.

“We just want to keep riding this train, this ‘new standard’ mindset, and we’re going to do what we do,” senior linebacker Micah Kiser said.

Virginia returns home to Scott Stadium next Saturday to face a 3-4 Boston College team that defeated Louisville at Louisville on Saturday. Kickoff is 12:30 p.m. EST.

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