After incredible success in its first conference matchup this weekend, Virginia football takes to the road Saturday to face N.C. State.
Both teams are coming off solid wins. The Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0 ACC) picked up their first ACC victory in dominant fashion at Scott Stadium, cruising past Louisville 27-3 Saturday. The Wolfpack won on the road against Marshall, 37-20.
In a week that saw two ranked ACC teams go down — No. 23 Boston College lost to Purdue and No. 13 Virginia Tech was upset by Old Dominion — N.C. State (3-0, 0-0 ACC) and Virginia played good football.
Virginia was particularly impressive against Louisville, who they hadn’t won against since 2014. The Cavaliers’ defense stood out, holding the Cardinals without a touchdown on the day. It was the first time since 2010 that Louisville didn’t score a touchdown in a regular season game.
“Defense carried the beginning of the game, creating scoring opportunities, which then eventually we leveraged into touchdowns,” Virginia Coach Bronco Mendenhall said following the Sept. 22 victory over Louisville.
The defense allowing zero points in the first half set the tone for an offensive explosion in the second half. Junior transfer quarterback Bryce Perkins led the way, scoring three touchdowns — two through the air and one on the ground.
Virginia cemented its lead with strong defensive play. Sophomore linebacker Charles Snowden was excellent, especially in the second half. Snowden came up with a critical sack and fumble recovery that allowed Perkins to run in to make the score 27-3.
“[Snowden is] Bryce Hall-like in terms of his preparation and his conscientiousness and his diligence and his intelligence and his unselfishness … He certainly has the tools, and he’s learning what it feels like to play tired with all those snaps,” Mendenhall said following the win.
Virginia will need the same complete defensive effort on the road Saturday to win against a high-powered N.C. State offense.
Saturday’s matchup should be an epic quarterback duel.
Perkins is having an outstanding season, with 867 yards passing and nine touchdowns through the air, to go with 317 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground.
The Wolfpack are led on offense by sixth-year senior quarterback Ryan Finley.
Finley has 1,056 yards passing through only three games, along with five touchdowns. Against Marshall, he passed for a whopping 377 yards and one touchdown.
“[Finley] throws the ball really well and he throws it on time and he throws it to good receivers … he's poised, he's accurate and he's reflective of a player with experience,” Mendenhall said at a press conference Monday afternoon.
Virginia’s secondary, which has played inconsistent throughout the year, needs to step up to contain Finley.
They were great against the Cardinals, with two interceptions and only 148 passing yards allowed. Junior cornerback Bryce Hall, who had an interception Saturday, has played consistently this year, and senior safety Juan Thornhill will also play a key role.
Virginia’s defense is also limited by injuries. Mendenhall said in his Monday press conference that junior defensive end Richard Burney is out for the season due to a medical condition, and junior linebacker Jordan Mack will remain out for six more weeks. Other younger Cavaliers, like sophomore linebacker Zane Zandier, will have to step up to make plays.
The Cavaliers have a big challenge after one of their most complete ACC wins in a number of years. N.C. State has one of the best offenses in the conference, and will be a tough matchup.
“They're making plays even when they're covered and even if there is pressure,” Mendenhall said. “They're making plays even when it looks like on film the defense should be good here, but it doesn't end up that way. They just have good players.”
Despite N.C. State’s clear offensive prowess, if Virginia can pick up where they left off Saturday — playing complete football on offense and defense — they should have a good chance to win a huge game on the road.
Kickoff is set for 12:20 p.m. Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.
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