Virginia Has Big Second Half in 28-17 Win over ODU

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia football team (4-0) scored 28 unanswered points to win 28-17 over Old Dominion (1-2) on Saturday night at Scott Stadium.
 
Virginia has started the season 4-0 for the first time since starting 5-0 in 2004.
 
UVA trailed 17-7 at the half but held ODU scoreless with just 46 total yards of offense in the second half. The comeback is the largest for Virginia since coming back from a 21-point deficit against North Carolina in 2002.
 
The Cavaliers had 11 tackles for loss and six sacks on defense. Virginia finished with 244 total yards of offense, with 132 of those in the fourth quarter.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Old Dominion jumped out to a 17-0 lead at the 10:32 mark in the second quarter. Virginia scored when quarterback Bryce Perkins (Queens Creek, Ariz.) scampered into the end zone from eight yards out. UVA trailed 17-7 at the half.
 
In the third quarter, linebacker Zane Zandier (Pittsburgh, Pa.) returned an interception for a touchdown to cut it to 17-14. UVA’s defense came up with a big fourth-down stop to get the ball at the ODU 29 early in the fourth quarter. Perkins connected with tight end Tanner Cowley (Manasquan, N.J.) for 22 yards and running back Wayne Taulapapa (Laie, Hawaii) ran it in from seven yards out to give Virginia the lead. On their next drive, the Cavaliers scored when Perkins connected with wide receiver Joe Reed (Charlotte Court House, Va.) for a 25-yard touchdown.
 
STAT LEADERS
QB Bryce Perkins
Passing: 15-24, 175 yards, 1 TD
Rushing: 35 yards, 1 TD
 
WR Joe Reed
40 yards, 1 TD
 
LB Charles Snowden
15 tackles, 2.0 sacks 3.5 TFL
 
NOTES
• ILB Jordan Mack extended his FBS-leading active sack streak to six games. He shares the lead with Ohio State’s DL Chase Young. Mack finished the game with one sack and currently has 7.0 sacks during his current streak.
• ILB Zane Zandier intercepted his first career pass in the third quarter and returned it 22 yards for a touchdown. It is the second UVA interception by a linebacker this season (Matt Gahm at Pitt).
• Zandier’s INT is the first pick-six by a UVA linebacker since Byron Thweatt returned an interception 53 yards against Virginia Tech in 1998.
• With 40 receiving yards, WR Joe Reed becomes the 40th Cavalier all-time to reach 1,000-career receiving yards. He reached the plateau on his 25-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter.
• TB Wayne Taulapapa put UVA up in the fourth quarter with his fifth rushing touchdown of the season on a seven-yard scamper.
• With one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, QB Bryce Perkins has rushed and passed for a touchdown in a game for the eighth time in his UVA career.
• RB Lamont Atkins had a career-long 34-yard reception in the fourth quarter.
 
UP NEXT
Virginia will travel to Notre Dame on Saturday, Sept. 28 for a 3:30 p.m. kick at Notre Dame Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind. The game will be broadcast on NBC.