The Virginia football team wrapped up spring practice with an offense-defense scrimmage as it’s annual Spring Game on Saturday. The offense won the modified scoring system, 84-76. UVA coach Bronco Mendenhall said the parity that score suggests had carried through most of the spring and that the team accomplished a lot during the past few weeks.
”That’s probably the highest point total or highest score, or one of them, this spring,” Mendenhall said, while also noting that the team had used a similar format in all of its practices this spring. ”There was relative parity in terms of [the scores this spring]. We’ve had some scores that were lopsided one way or the other and today there was some pretty strong parity throughout. I liked that part.”
The official scoring system worked like this:
- 1st Down: 1 point if the offense moves the ball at least 4 yards; 1 point if the defense stops the play short of 4 yards.
- 2nd Down: 1 point if the offense gains half of the remaining yards for a first down (example: 3 yards or more on 2nd-and-6); 1 point if the defense gives up less than half of the remaining yards.
- 3rd Down: 3 points for the offense if it converts; 3 points for the defense if the offense doesn’t.
- 4th Down: 4 points for the offense if it converts; 7 points for the defense if the offense doesn’t.
- Touchdowns: 7 points for the offense.
- Turnovers: 7 points for the defense.
While the format and number-free jerseys made it harder to absorb from a fan perspective, the running backs clearly stole a big part of the spotlight. Daniel Hamm scored 3 touchdowns and Jordan Ellis tallied 2 touchdowns, while true freshman Lamont Atkins added another. All three showed some burst through holes and fought off tackles at times. Of the 84 points earned by the offense, the touchdowns by the backs accounted for 42 points alone.
The eye-opening plays of the day from those guys, however, came on a pair of breakout touchdown runs. Ellis slipped through a gap on the left side and sprinted approximately 65 yards for a touchdown at one point. On that particular call, it looked like linebacker Micah Kiser and safety Quin Blanding each blitzed on the other side of the line so when Ellis found his way through a hole, he had room to run to the horseshoe side of Scott Stadium.
Later in the scrimmage work, Atkins ripped off approximately a 73-yard scoring run too. On this one, he appeared to go right through the middle and then turned on some speed to reach the hill end zone virtually untouched.
”[Jordan Ellis is] very physical, very consistent. There’s no drama, it’s all about work with him,” Mendenhall said. ”He can run over you. He’s a single-cut back that runs with physical presence and he’s just so consistent. … I really like what he’s done and [Daniel] Hamm. Then we have two young guys with Lamont and Jamari [Peacock].”
Other highlights for the offense included a long catch for Olamide Zaccheaus, a long catch for tight end Evan Butts, a catch-and-run by receiver Joe Reed, a first down catch by receiver Ben Hogg, and a touchdown catch by tight end Tanner Cowley where he broke a couple of tackles. Quarterback Kurt Benkert took all of the snaps at quarterback and showed his strong arm on several throws again in this setting. He also scrambled for good yards on a handful of plays during the scrimmage.
Benkert’s lone blemish came on an interception that got tipped into the air first. That provided one of the highlights for the defense as Myles Robinson hauled down the ball and then picked up some return yards. The defense batted down at least one other pass and forced another turnover on a fumble as well. Bryce Hall flooded the pocket on that play and may have disrupted the action.
Kiser and Blanding both made several big stops for the defense as well, which is par for the course for that duo at this point. Lineman Juwan Moye stuffed a run in the backfield during the day as well, while outside linebackers Chris Peace and Malcolm Cook got involved in the action several times as well.
“Oh yes, [I saw] a lot of improvement,” Blanding said of the defense this spring. ”We’ve got a lot of young guys right now trying to learn the system and they did very well. I can’t wait to see the fall.”
The Cavaliers now break for exams and then summer workouts following spring exit interviews. When they return for fall camp, however, they can expect a similar setup when it comes to practice. The coaches plan to use a similar system in those practices and to continue full contact practices that include tackling to the ground.
When those practices roll around, several players are expected back from injuries that saw them in red jerseys watching or working out on the sidelines Saturday. Those players include defensive lineman Andrew Brown, offensive lineman R.J. Proctor, receiver Doni Dowling, receiver Hasise Dubois, receiver Warren Craft, and running back Chris Sharp. The Hoos also will welcome close to 30 new faces between incoming 2017 freshmen and graduate transfers. Those players include Notre Dame transfers John Montelus and Colin McGovern as well as Oklahoma State’s Brandon Pertile on the offensive line. Missouri quarterback transfer Marvin Zanders fits the grad transfer list as well.
”Our team is going to look significantly different in the fall with 30 new players joining us before you count new walk-ons,” Mendenhall said. ”So what you saw this spring most likely is going to happen again in fall. We’re going to play lots and lots and lots of football. There is risk of injury, but we need to play.”
