Cavaliers Shine in 55-16 Rout of William & Mary on UVA Strong Day

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — On UVA Strong Day at Scott Stadium, head football coach Tony Elliott wanted more than a victory. Elliott wanted his team to perform to a standard that would honor the memories of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry: the three Cavalier players slain in a November 2022 shooting on Grounds.

“What we wanted to do today was just bring glory to those guys’ legacy,” Elliott said, and the Cavaliers did their part Saturday.

Against William & Mary, which competes in the NCAA’s Football Subdivision, UVA rolled to a 55-16 win before an announced crowd of 38,512.

The 55 points were the most the Wahoos have scored since a 55-15 rout of Abilene Christian at Scott Stadium in November 2020. Davis, a wide receiver, and Perry, a linebacker, each scored a TD in that game.

Two longstanding UVA records fell on a brilliantly sunny afternoon. Until Saturday, the 691 yards of total offense Virginia gained at Scott Stadium against Davidson in 1968 ranked as the most in school history. The Hoos finished with 700 against the Tribe (1-2).

Moreover, tailback Harrison Waylee opened the second-half scoring with a 97-yard touchdown run, the longest rush in program history. Mikell Simpson had set the previous mark on Jan. 1, 2008, when he had a 96-yard TD run against Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl.

On defense, UVA allowed only 263 yards, 79 of which came on a touchdown pass from W&M quarterback Tyler Hughes to wideout Deven Thompson early in the second quarter.

That was the Virginia defense’s only notable breakdown in the first half. The Cavaliers led 42-7 at intermission, and most of their starters rested in the second half.

With 3:58 left in the first half, Daniel Kaelin took over as quarterback for starter Chandler Morris, who didn’t return. Morris completed 13 of 19 passes for 149 yards and one touchdown against the Tribe, a 3-yard toss to tight end John Rogers.

Kaelin, a redshirt freshman, gave way to true freshman Cole Geer with 9:42 remaining in the final period. Kaelin left having completed 8 of 14 passes for 164 yards, with one interception.

Eleven players carried at least once apiece for Virginia, which finished with 379 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. Waylee, a transfer from Wyoming, rushed 10 times for 151 yards and three touchdown, and Noah Vaughn carried eight times for 101 yards before leaving the game with an apparent high-ankle sprain.

Eleven players caught at least one pass each for the Hoos, led by wideout Kameron Courtney, who had four receptions for 67 yards. Courtney scored Virginia’s first touchdown, racing 23 yards on a reverse, and the Tribe never recovered.

In the second half, UVA outscored W&M 13-9. The Cavaliers’ points came on Waylee’s 97-yard run and two field goals and an extra point by Will Bettridge. The Tribe scored a touchdown late in the third quarter and then tacked on a safety midway through the fourth when a Virginia snap went out of the end zone.

The win was UVA’s seventh straight game over William & Mary. The Tribe’s head coach, Mike London, held that position at Virginia for six seasons (2010-15).

UP NEXT: The first-ever football game between UVA and Stanford is set for next Saturday night at Scott Stadium. At 7:30 p.m., the Cavaliers will host the Cardinal in a game to air on ACC Network.

This will be the ACC opener for Virginia (2-1), whose game against NC State on Sept. 6 didn’t count in the conference standings.

Stanford took an 0-2 record into its ACC opener Saturday night against visiting Boston College.