Saturday was a long, late night in Eugene, Ore., as the Virginia football team saw its second game of the season slip away with a 44-26 loss against No. 24 Oregon.
The Cavaliers (0-2) were outmatched by the speedy Ducks, (2-0) who were able to post 632 yards against the Virginia defense. Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s unit was unable to contain Oregon’s star skill players. Oregon’s junior running back Royce Freeman rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns while junior wide receiver Devon Allen had four catches for 141 yards.
Virginia was also called for 10 penalties, in contrast to having no penalties all game against Richmond last week.
However, the Cavaliers were able to improve their rushing game, which lacked considerably in last week’s match-up against the Spiders. Senior big back Albert Reid stole the show and contributed the majority of Virginia’s 193 rushing yards. Reid led the team with one touchdown and a career-best 126 yards. Sophomore speed back Jordan Ellis added 46 yards on six carries.
Junior quarterback Kurt Benkert struggled a bit against the quick Duck defense, as he was sacked six times and threw two interceptions. Benkert finished 20-for-39 for 193 yards. Still, he saw some success in the second half, throwing two touchdowns — the last of which was to senior wide receiver Keeon Johnson, who finished the game with a career-high six receptions.
There was one notable difference in the way the Cavaliers played in Eugene compared to their 37-20 loss to Richmond last week — they never gave up. Virginia outscored Oregon in the second half 20-14, despite falling behind 30-6 in the first half.
The Cavaliers will hope to earn their first win next week as they take on Connecticut Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in East Hartford, Conn.
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