NCAAF Game Recap - Old Dominion at Virginia
Sat Sep 21, 2019 7:00 PM EDT

UNCC
10
Clem
52
F
SMiss
7
Bama
49
F
ND
17
UGA
23
F
LSU
66
Vand
38
F
MiaOH
5
OSU
76
F
Aub
28
TxAM
20
F
Tenn
3
Fla
34
F
Utah
23
USC
30
F
Mich
14
Wisc
35
F
OkSt
30
Tex
36
F
UCF
34
Pitt
35
F
Oreg
21
Stan
6
F
UCLA
67
WaSt
63
F
AF
19
Boise
30
F
OD
17
UVA
28
F
Wash
45
BYU
19
F
Cal
28
Miss
20
F
Colo
34
AzSt
31
F
SMU
41
TCU
38
F
Hou
31
Tul
38
F
FLInt
31
LT
43
F
MSU
31
NW
10
F
ULMon
20
IASt
72
F
Elon
7
Wake
49
F
WestMI
33
Syr
52
F
BC
30
Rut
16
F
UConn
3
Ind
38
F
Mor
21
Army
52
F
CoCar
62
UMass
28
F
ULLaf
45
Ohio
25
F
CenCt
29
E Mi
34
F
Troy
35
Akr
7
F
BGSU
20
Kent
62
F
SoAl
3
UAB
35
F
Wyo
21
Tuls
24
F
App
34
UNC
31
F
Lou
24
FlaSt
35
F
Temp
22
Buff
38
F
JMU
37
Chat
14
F
SCar
14
MIZ
34
F
KY
13
MissSt
28
F
C Mi
12
MiaFL
17
F
NMS
52
NM
55
F
WVU
29
Kans
24
F
W&M
7
ECU
19
F
Hamp
27
Lib
62
F
Wagn
7
FlAtl
42
F
GASt
34
TxSt
37
F(2OT)
(N/A)
6
SamHu
45
F
SIU
28
ArkSt
41
F
N AL
12
JacSt
30
F
Bayl
21
Rice
13
F
Ball
23
NCSt
34
F
UTSA
3
NorTx
45
F
SJSU
31
Ark
24
F
NEV
37
UTEP
21
F
Neb
42
Ill
38
F
SacSt
20
Fres
34
F
Toled
41
ColSt
35
F
UtSt
23
SDSU
17
F
C Ark
16
Hawaii
35
F

Sep 21, 2019, 7:00 PM EDT

Final

1

2

3

4

T

Old Dominion (1-2)

10

7

0

0

17

(21) Virginia (4-0)

0

7

7

14

28

No. 21 Virginia rallies past Old Dominion to stay undefeated
Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:40 AM

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) Bronco Mendenhall isn't big on fiery halftime speeches. So, with his team trailing visiting Old Dominion by 10 points at halftime, the Virginia coach's message to his players was simple.

"All I said was, `Now that that's over, we'll start playing,"' Mendenhall said.

His defense certainly did.

Linebacker Zane Zandier returned an interception 22 yards for a touchdown, part of a dominant defensive second half, as the 21st-ranked Cavaliers rallied past the Monarchs 28-17 on Saturday night to remain undefeated.

Old Dominion's failed fourth-down try in its own territory set up Virginia's go-ahead score, a 7-yard touchdown run by Wayne Taulapapa with 10:16 to go for a 21-17 edge.

After the game, Monarchs coach Bobby Wilder defended the decision.

"We came in here to win and that is how we tried to play today," he said.

The Cavaliers (4-0) are off to their best start since opening 5-0 in 2004. The Monarchs (1-2) have lost two in a row, both to in-state ACC opponents. They lost to Virginia Tech two weekends ago, a year after stunning the Hokies in Norfolk.

Linebacker Charles Snowden finished with a game-high 15 tackles, including two of the five sacks on Old Dominion quarterback Stone Smartt. He echoed Mendenhall's sentiment that the halftime mood was more about getting reset than getting motivated.

"Just kind of gathering ourselves in the locker room, settling down, taking a breather," Snowden said. "Wasn't a lot of `rah-rah.' It was just, `go out and play the way we know we can play."'

Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins didn't have his best statistical game, but still ran for one score and threw for another. He left the game for a play on Virginia's final possession after taking a big hit from Old Dominion defensive end Keion White while trying to pick up an errant snap.

White had a big game, finishing with six tackles, including 3 1/2 for losses, and blocked a potential game-tying field goal in the second half.

"I was just trying to fight. Our team needed it," White said. "I was just trying to fight but obviously wasn't good enough."

Fueled by Virginia penalties and defensive miscues, Old Dominion jumped out to a 17-0 lead with 10:32 left in the first half. The Monarchs got an 8-yard scoring run from Smartt, and a 47-yard touchdown pass from Smartt to Matt Geiger against a busted coverage in the secondary by the Cavaliers.

"Old Dominion showed up ready and hungry and eager to play," Mendenhall said. "It took us, our program, my program, much longer to reach that same state."

A 57-yard kickoff return by Joe Reed gave Virginia the ball at the Old Dominion 33-yard line, the Cavaliers finally got going in the second quarter. It took one of Perkins' jaw-dropping runs - a 10-yard scramble that saw him dodge a rusher, outrun another defender and sidestep a third - to finally get Virginia on the board, pulling to 17-7 with 6:57 left in the first half.

The Cavaliers got their second touchdown when Smartt, under pressure, tried to force a short throw that was intercepted by Zandier and run back 22 yards for a touchdown with 10 minutes to go in the third.

"That sparks the whole team," Reed said.

THE TAKEAWAY

Old Dominion: Smartt's running ability will help keep Old Dominion in a lot of games. He's a dynamic playmaker who can be used on designed runs or to make something out of nothing when plays break down. But what really helped the Monarchs get off to a fast start in this one was Smartt's development throwing the ball. He hit on his first six throws, threw his first touchdown pass of the season and finished . His bad decision on his interception to Zandier helped turn the game, but overall, Smartt took a step forward in the throw game.

Virginia: After a shaky start, Virginia's defense took control in the second half, holding Old Dominion to just 46 total yards while shutting out the Monarchs after the break. Led by linebackers Jordan Mack and Charles Snowden, The Cavaliers forced two three-and-outs and twice stopped Old Dominion on fourth down. Virginia finished with five sacks.

UP NEXT

Old Dominion: The Monarchs jump into Conference USA play, hosting East Carolina and new coach Mike Houston, on Saturday night.

Virginia: The Cavaliers face their first ranked opponent when they visit Notre Dame.

---

More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25

Passing

OD Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
S. Smartt 26 16 61.5 1 206 47 1 83.2
UVA Att Cmp % TD-Pa Yds-Pa LgPa Int Rat
B. Perkins 24 15 62.5 1 175 34 0 98.4

Rushing

OD Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
K. Strong 13 39 3.0 14 0
E. Davis 4 15 3.8 6 0
UVA Att Yds-Ru Avg LgRu TDRu
B. Perkins 14 35 2.5 15 1
W. Taulapapa 11 33 3.0 8 1

Receiving

OD Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
M. Geiger 1 47 47.0 47 1
K. Strong 4 39 9.8 20 0
UVA Rec Yds-Rc Avg LgRc TD-Rc
J. Reed 4 40 10.0 25 1
L. Atkins 1 34 34.0 34 0

Fumbles

Returning

OD KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
B. Watson 2 21.0 0 32 0 0 0
UVA KR Avg KRTD LgKR PR Avg TD LgPR
J. Reed 4 29.8 0 57 0 0 0
B. Kemp IV 0 0 0 2 5.0 0 7

Punting

OD Punt Yds Avg LgPu
B. Cate 6 250 41.7 50
UVA Punt Yds Avg LgPu
N. Griffin 6 218 36.3 42

Takeaways

UVA Int Yds InTD
Z. Zandier 1 22 1

Team Stats Comparison

OD UVA
Points For 17 28
Total Yards 270 244
Rushing Yards 64 69
Passing Yards 206 175
Passing Completions / Attempts 16/26 15/24
Turnovers 1 0
Interceptions Thrown 1 0
Fumbles - Lost 0/0 0/0
First Downs 16 14
Penalties - Yards 5/40 7/70
Time Of Possession 16:16 44:44
Third Down Conversions/Attempts 4/16 1/11
Fourth Down Conversions/Attempts 3/5 1/2
Punts - Average Yards 6/42 6/36

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter OD UVA
OD 07:38 FG Nick Rice 21 yd FG 3 0
OD 11:23 TD Stone Smartt 10 yd run (Nick Rice kick) 10 0
2nd Quarter OD UVA
OD 04:28 TD Matt Geiger 47 yd pass from Stone Smartt (Nick Rice kick) 17 0
UVA 08:03 TD Bryce Perkins 8 yd run (Brian Delaney kick) 17 7
3rd Quarter OD UVA
UVA 05:00 TD Zane Zandier 22 yd interception return (Brian Delaney kick) 17 14
4th Quarter OD UVA
UVA 04:44 TD Wayne Taulapapa 7 yd run (Brian Delaney kick) 17 21
UVA 07:27 TD Joe Reed 25 yd pass from Bryce Perkins (Brian Delaney kick) 17 28

Game Information

Stadium: David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Virginia
Attendance: 44,573
Game Time:
Weather: