Virginia fans had heard the murmurs. They’d read between the lines of in-house quotes from coaches and players. They got the briefest of glances on one run in the final spring scrimmage. On Saturday, however, they saw it for themselves. And the anticipated debut of Bryce Perkins did not disappoint.

Perkins opened his UVA career with 12 carries for 104 yards and two touchdowns to go with 12-of-23 passing for 181 yards and two touchdowns plus an interception. He became the first UVA quarterback to rush for two touchdowns and for at least 100 yards since Jameel Sewell did it in separate games in 2009. He’s just the 13th quarterback in program history to break the 100-yard barrier. Perkins said after the game that his instincts in the pocket and on run reads were “not as shaky as I thought they were going to be” and that it felt natural on the field.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, cruised in the opener against Richmond, 42-13. That’s tied for the second highest point total in a game so far in the Bronco Mendenhall era. The Hoos put up 49 on Central Michigan in 2016 and tallied 42 against Boise State last year as well. More important than the output itself, however, may have been the way it was produced.

The Hoos put on display what an offense can look like with a dual threat quarterback that has options based on defensive decisions. Even in a mostly simplified and vanilla form like Saturday, there’s the possibility of consistently exciting football that many UVA fans are craving.

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