Last season in the first game of the year against William and Mary, Virginia looked confounded, befuddled, inept, perplexed, and just downright awful. Last night, the Hoos were purposeful, passionate, and powerful as they dispatched Mike London’s former club in front of an outstanding orange clad throng of Wahoo faithful. I was pleasantly surprised just how many fans did indeed show up to support the Hoos, and they were not disappointed with the effort put forth by Virginia. 54,146 fans is pretty strong showing for the Wahoo Nation considering that FCS school Richmond isn’t exactly Alabama or Texas.
On the first possession tailback Perry Jones looked like a combination of Darren Sproles, Barry Sanders, and LaDainian Tomlinson as he spun out of tackles, delivered blows, and gained 38 yards. Five plays later tailback Keith Payne scored the first TD of the London era on a two-yard scamper to make it 7-0. Keith Payne, who quit the team last season, and many thought he was done with football, had a huge game for the Wahoos. He scored 4 touchdowns as he carried the ball 16 times for 114 yards. Payne did not lose a single yard rushing, and finished the game with a 7.1 yard per carry average.
The fourth-year 6-3 255 pound Payne ran downhill and with a "get out of my way" attitude. His controlled violence as a ball carrier was a nice contrast to the slippery, lightning fast tailback Perry Jones. Jones also had an outstanding game as he ran for 74 yards on nine carries and a 8.1 yard per carry average. Payne carries the ball a little loosely for my liking, but he was solid with the ball and most importantly did not put it on the turf.
Senior signal caller Marc Verica looked sharp and confident on the field at all times. He made a couple of bad throws, but did not throw an interception, something that has been a problem in the past. Verica was 24/35 for 283 yards and he tossed a nice, but short TD to Kris Burd in the 2nd quarter.
Kris Burd had a coming out party against Richmond as he ran precise routes, and grabbed 7 balls for 122 yards. Dontrelle Inman, who fumbled in the first half, also had a fantastic game. Inman finished the contest with 7 catches for 88 yards.
Richmond’s talented quarterback Aaron Corp looked at many times to be the most accomplished player on the field. He really throws a nice ball, and has excellent pocket awareness for a quarterback that has only played in 3 college games. Corp, who started his collegiate career at Southern Cal, was 18/32 for 183 yards and one interception.
Virginia’s All-American cornerback Ras-I Dowling was dressed in the snazzy new orange and blue jerseys for the Wahoos, but the only time he saw the field was at the 50 pre-game for the coin-toss. He was held out due to an injury, Also, Virginia’s safety Rodney McCloud, a projected starter, did not play due to a nagging injury.
Defensively, Virginia only gave up one big pass play and one big run. LaRoy Reynolds played a hell of a game at linebacker as he was in on eight tackles, three of which were for losses. Chase Minnifield also had a nice game at corner. He made seven tackles and had a 65 yard interception.
The only concern I have from Saturday’s game is the kicking game. Punter Jimmy Howell averaged only 40.2 yards per punt. Virginia’s tandem of field goal kickers also missed two long field goals. If Virginia is going to win five or six games this season the kicking game is definitely going to have to improve. But with Anthony Poindexter in charge of that unit, you know they will get better as the season progresses.
A game ball should be given to Coach London for winning his first game at Virginia. The Hoos had lost four straight openers, and can now gladly start a new streak. Marc Verica, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor (who came up with a great game-plan) and tailback Keith Payne who was almost unstoppable also deserve game balls. LaRoy Reynolds was the best player on defense Saturday.
The crowd really was outstanding Saturday night. Go Hoos beat those damn Hokies!