Virginia football dominated Ohio in a game that was moved to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., due to Hurricane Florence.
The last time Virginia (2-1) played at Vanderbilt Stadium was in the 2005 Music City Bowl, in which the Cavaliers beat Minnesota 34-31.
The Cavaliers came out hot on their way to a 38-point first half — Virginia’s highest tally in a single half since they scored 38 in the first half against Duke in 1990.
The second play of the game resulted in a turnover off a fumble. Junior defensive tackle Eli Hanback picked up the ball on the Ohio (1-1) 18-yard line, and senior running back Jordan Ellis capitalized, running the ball in for a score on the next play. Ellis had a monster first half, rushing for three touchdowns. His 171 rushing yards on the night were a career-high.
Virginia continued their momentum after Ellis’ first touchdown by picking up a quick three-and-out on defense.
Then, Virginia executed another explosive one-play drive. Senior wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus used his game-changing speed to turn a routine pass play into an 86-yard touchdown. His score brought Virginia up 14-0.
The Bobcats responded with a touchdown of their own, using a 70-yard run from Ohio junior quarterback Nathan Rourke to make it 14-7 Virginia.
But the Cavaliers responded with another one-play drive for a score. Ellis took it to the house again the first play after the kickoff on an impressive 75-yard explosion through the middle of the Ohio defense. Ellis’ score was the first in a three-touchdown Virginia run that appeared to put the game out of reach.
Virginia’s next scoring drive saw Ellis get in again on a 6-yard run with 11:35 remaining in the second quarter. Shortly thereafter, senior quarterback Bryce Perkins’ connection with junior wide receiver Hasise Dubois made it 35-7 Cavaliers. Perkins had an outstanding day, passing for a career-high 379 yards and three touchdowns.
Ohio had its say before the end of the half, generating some momentum on two-consecutive touchdowns.
Their run started with a strip sack of Perkins. The next play, a 29-yard touchdown pass from Rourke, made the score 35-14.
The Bobcats kept things rolling by recovering the ensuing onside kick and using another quick Rourke touchdown pass to make it a two-score game, 35-21.
The Cavaliers recovered some momentum going into the half with a field goal to make it 38-21.
Ohio appeared to pick up right where they left off with their first drive of the second half, marching 80 yards down the field for another score. It was 38-28 Virginia now, with Ohio on a 21-3 run and hungry for more.
But after a couple stops on the defensive end, Zaccheaus came up with the play that ensured Virginia would come away with the victory.
With 6:01 left in the fourth quarter, Zaccheaus took another short pass from Perkins all the way, a 77-yard reception that saw the senior wide receiver outrun the Bobcats’ secondary.
“[The] biggest play of the game was the third down at the end where it looks like if they have a chance to stop us there … Who knows in terms of maybe not a win, but it’s even closer,” Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “Yards after the catch were critical and it looked a lot like the play in the first half.”
Zaccheaus finished with a career-high and Virginia single-game record 247 receiving yards on the day, bouncing back from a rainy Indiana game in which he picked up only 9 total yards.
Ohio added a field goal late, but Virginia cruised to victory, 45-31.
It was a big step up for an offense that sputtered on the road against Indiana last week. The Cavaliers will take this momentum into a home clash next week against Louisville, their first conference matchup.
“First of all, the maturity to handle this unique trip, I think was huge — the ability to play the game,” Mendenhall said. “And again — exposing strengths and weaknesses was huge … That alone builds momentum and helps us improve going into the next one.”
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