OFFENSE CLICKS
Cavaliers knock off Tar Heels, become bowl-eligible again
CHARLOTTESVILLE — “The South’s Oldest Rivalry” offered something decidedly new to Virginia’s restructuring program: Bowl eligibility with room to spare.
Bryce Perkins passed for 217 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for another score Saturday to lead the Cavaliers to a 31-21 triumph over North Carolina.
With the win, U.Va. (6-2, 4-1 ACC) qualified for the postseason for a second straight season after a five-year drought.
And though third-year coach Bronco Mendenhall was glad to get his team’s sixth win out of the way early, he said it was a sign of something bgger.
“It's worth pausing to consider what that means for Virginia football,” said Mendenhall, whose overhaul of the school's football culture appears to be taking hold. “I think there's roots being established. I think there's momentum being generated, and I think the expectation is shifting now to winning football at Virginia.”
Perkins, a junior transfer from Arizona Western Community College, has had more to do with that than most.
On a day when leading rusher Jordan Ellis was playing on a tender left ankle, Perkins rushed for a team-high 112 yards on 21 carries
The Cavaliers, riding the legs of Perkins, scored on their opening drive and never trailed, keeping the announced crowd of 43,128 happy for the entirety of a glorious fall afternoon.
Practically the only — and certainly the loudest — displeasure the faithful voiced came in the final minute. As referee Duane Heydt interrupted a chant of “U-V-A! U-V-A!” to announce a stoppage, he pointed toward the Cavaliers' side of the field and said into the microphone, “Time out, Virginia Tech.” He was promptly and thoroughly booed.
Nathan Elliott passed for 271 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the Tar Heels (1-6, 1-4), who were outgained 425-337 in total offense. UNC had 66 rushing yards on 22 carries.
“I'm going to say all the way through the game, we weren't consistent running the ball,” Tar Heels coach Larry Fedora said.
“We have to run the ball efficiently to be successful.”
With a 17-yard catch on the final play of the third quarter, the 211th of his career, U.Va. recever Olamide Zaccheaus became the school's all-time leader in receptions. He broke the mark set by Billy McMullen in 2002.
“I'm grateful for people that have helped me get to where I am today,” Zaccheaus said. “People know who they are. I'm just grateful.”
U.Va. stretched its lead to 31-14 when Perkins arched a pass to tight end Evan Butts in the back of the end zone on the opening play of the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers pulled ahead 24-14 when, on third and 10, Perkins found Hasise Dubois wide open down the left side for a 33-yard touchdown with 13:11 left in the third quarter.
Suddenly employing a hurryup offense, the Tar Heels drove 80 yards in less than three minutes and pulled to within 17-14 on Carl Tucker's 16-yard touchdown catch from Elliott with five minutes remaining in the second quarter.
Tucker, a tight end, slipped behind U.Va.'s coverage and stood all alone on the left side of the end zone.
But UNC, a rival since 1892, could get no closer, and the Cavaliers could move on to their next goal.
“We're not easily satisfied,” said Ellis, who had 64 rushing yards on 16 carries. “We don't just want to be 6-2 and just get six wins. We want to win the ACC championship. We want to get the throne, as we call it. That's our goal. We've just got to take it one game at a time.”
Pittsburgh visits the Cavaliers next Saturday, followed by nonconference opponent Liberty. U.Va. finishes the regular season with road games at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
Against the Tar Heels, all phases of the game were clicking.
Brian Delaney's 37-yard field goal with 7:32 left in the first half extended the Cavaliers' lead to 17-7.
Perkins' perfectly placed 27yard touchdown pass to Joe Reed gave U.Va. a 14-7 lead with just under a minute to go in the first quarter.
On its first possession, UNC answered an early Cavaliers touchdown by marching 75 yards on 11 plays.
The drive was completed when Ellis hit Dazz Newsome in stride with a 30-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 7-7 with just under four minutes left in the first quarter.
The Cavalier bit first and hard when Perkins finished off a 13-play, 83-yard drive with a 10-yard touchdown run with 8:13 left in the first quarter. The drive, which came on U.Va.'s opening possession, consumed nearly seven minutes.
Unlike last season, when it took three shots at bowl eligibility to achieve it with a wild win over Georgia Tech, the Cavaliers enjoyed a subdued celebration Saturday.
There was talk of perspective and raised expectations and additional attainable goals with four games left on the schedule.
“This is what we expect to do: Win a bowl game,” said junior cornerback Bryce Hall, who had six tackles, broke up two passes and recovered a fumble. “Now we're like, ‘OK, how many more can we get now? Let's do something really special now.' ”