Virginia’s Maurice Canady is looking to prove something after the gaffe of last week’s Notre Dame game. It took just 2:03 for William & Mary to jump out to a 7-0 lead. “We hadn’t had that in awhile”. You want to have a chance to play a lot of guys, and things like that, but like I said, it’s a good victory for us. We had some explosive plays for long gains. “That’s what important. We got the W”.
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“We just came out flat”, junior quarterback Matt Johns said.
“The biggest thing is that we won the game”.
The victory came in up-and-down fashion in a game that felt unusual for much of the afternoon. The Tribe sprinted out to a 17-7 lead after an interception by Matt Johns early in the second quarter, but the Hoos responded with a 28-3 surge that seemed to feature a dominant closing of the upset door in the opening moments of the second half. Style points, in other words, were in short supply.
William & Mary was driving for the game-winning score and was in Virginia territory, but the Cavaliers stopped William & Mary on fourth down to seal the win. As I said, you can look at FCS. Bottom line, a win’s a win.
The Virginia offense had two opportunities to run, even kill, clock in the fourth quarter, and failed to get a first down either team.
For Virginia, Wingo-Reeves touchdown was the first of his career, and Jordan Ellis also made his debut with a 39-yard run for a touchdown on his first collegiate carry. Later in the second quarter, receiver Canaan Severin flashed his one-handed catching prowess with a 26-yard reception that beat a double team bracket.
The punt return for a touchdown was UVa’s first since Alvin Pearman accomplished the feat in 2004.
Senior running back Mikal Abdul-Saboor set a school record with his seventh-consecutive 100-yard rushing effort (dating back to last season), as he posted 100 yards on 22 carries.
The Cavaliers seemed to have all of the momentum at the start of the third quarter. This time, Cluley hit wide open tight end Andrew Caskin with a 37-yard opposite sideline throw. Free safety Quin Blanding is the cream of the crop, the reigning ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year who had the most tackles of any freshman in the country last season.
The Virginia Cavaliers take on the William & Mary Tribe today in a college football schedule game between a nationally recognized but winless team and a lesser known but undefeated squad.
In order to mimic that result the Tribe will have to force Virginia to make mistakes and avoid making mistakes of their own. Johns led four scoring drives of at least 75 yards. They got a break when Canady was called for holding on a fourth-and-10 pass that fell incomplete, extending the drive, but lost eight yards on a fumble on the next play and faced a fourth-and-7 from Virginia’s 30 when Steve Cluley’s 36th pass of the game sailed high and into a empty end zone.
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Keanu Reuben recovered an onside kick to begin second half, but W&M was unable to pick up a first down.
