Perkins rediscovers form as Cavs take control of Coastal
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Bryce Perkins was on the field for 71 snaps Saturday night. Remarkably, and oh so vitally, he passed or ran on 63 of them.
And gracious, did he ever produce.
Setting a University of Virginia record with 490 yards in total offense, Perkins led the Cavaliers to an extra-large 38-31 victory at North Carolina that puts them in firm control of the ACC’s Coastal Division.
This was the Perkins everyone expected this season. This was the offense U.Va. coaches envisioned.
But limited by a cranky right knee and pedestrian offensive line, Perkins had yet to approach his 2018 form. Talk about impeccable timing for the sequel.
Perkins passed for 378 yards and three touchdowns, both season-highs. He rushed for a seasonbest 112, more than half on a 65-yard, third-quarter jaunt on which he tightroped U.Va.’s sideline.
“A 65-yard run from your quarterback on a pass play?” Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Boy, what a nice bonus to have.”
Only Louisville’s Lamar Jackson (525) and Duke’s Daniel Jones (547) have accounted for more yards in a game against North Carolina than Perkins did Saturday. Nice company to keep.
The Cavaliers (6-3, 4-2 ACC) needed every bit of Perkins, not to mention Terrell Jana’s 13 receptions (nearly double his previous career-best of seven) and a clutch fumble recovery, to survive North Carolina’s 539 yards, 179 more than Virginia had yielded to any opponent this year.
“He had not been as good a thrower as he was a runner,” UNC coach Mack Brown said of Perkins, “so we felt like we had to make him throw the ball to win the game, and he did.”
Credit Perkins’ toughness. Credit often-criticized offensive coordinator Robert Anae, who called an imaginative game that included play fakes to spring tight ends Tanner Cowley and Grant Misch for easy touchdown catches of 9 and 6 yards, respectively.
“We knew we needed to produce at a higher level on that side of the ball to have our best chance down the stretch,” Mendenhall said, “and to their credit, we did.”
Even the one offensive play that Perkins watched from the sideline worked for the Cavaliers, who during one span had consecutive touchdown drives of 78, 75, 85 and 75 yards.
It was a first-quarter, fourth-and-3 at UNC’s
33-yard line. Virginia lined up to attempt a field goal, broke that formation and had holder/ backup quarterback Brennan Armstrong take a shotgun snap, after which he found Cowley for 5 yards and a first down.
Four plays later, Perkins ran 1 yard for the Cavaliers’ opening touchdown.
Mendenhall said special teams coordinator Ricky Brumfield designed and installed the play during the week.
“It looked great in practice,” Mendenhall said, “and the head coach got lucky to call it at the right time.”
Luck also emerged in the third quarter, when Jana recovered running back Wayne Taulapapa’s fumble at North Carolina’s 18. On the very next play, after a Tar Heels penalty, Perkins found Cowley for a touchdown.
“I saw him roll over,” Jana said, “and he had no football. And I was like, ‘Wait a minute, something’s wrong.’ Luckily, the DB kind of missed it, and then I was in the right place at the right time. It seemed like that kind of night for me.”
“Huge,” Mendenhall said of the recovery. “When you go in for a fumble, it’s not like it’s all fun and games down there. What happens at the bottom of the fumble pile stays at the bottom of the fumble pile. It’s not an accident Jana was the one in there. He’s tough. Fitting that he was there.”
Virginia’s defense also displayed some late-game toughness after yielding four Sam Howell touchdown passes, three to Dyami Brown (202 receiving yards). The Cavaliers stopped the Tar Heels on downs on their final two possessions.
North Carolina’s outburst came against a Virginia secondary further compromised by injury. Safety Brenton Nelson was shelved for the year during the week by an unspecified ailment, the sixth defensive back lost for the season.
Enter reserves such as redshirt freshman Jaylon Baker, who with five minutes remaining defended a fourth-down pass intended for Beau Corrales in the end zone.
As only could happen in the Coastal Division, the Cavaliers and Tar Heels (4-5, 3-3) combined for 35 points and 437 yards in the third quarter, only to both go scoreless in the fourth quarter.
And now Virginia can taste its first division title. The Cavaliers close the regular season against Georgia Tech, Liberty (non-conference) and Virginia Tech, all at home. They are 4-0 at Scott Stadium this year and are the only ACC team without a remaining road test.
Beat the Yellow Jackets and Hokies, and Virginia wins the Coastal. Depending on how the rest of the division fares, the Cavaliers may not even have to end their 15-year losing streak against Virginia Tech.
“We’ve just got to build on (this),” Perkins said, “and keep doing our thing.”