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Football takes down North Carolina, 31-21

The Cavaliers became bowl eligible for the second-consecutive season

<p>Junior transfer quarterback Bryce Perkins finished with 217 yards passing and three touchdowns to go along with 112 yards rushing and a touchdown against North Carolina Saturday.&nbsp;</p>

Junior transfer quarterback Bryce Perkins finished with 217 yards passing and three touchdowns to go along with 112 yards rushing and a touchdown against North Carolina Saturday. 

Virginia football defeated North Carolina Saturday night with ease, 31-21. The victory makes the Cavaliers (6-2, 4-1 ACC) bowl eligible for the second consecutive season, a big step for Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s program as postseason qualification is becoming consistent.

Virginia’s offense came out firing on all cylinders in the first quarter, led by junior transfer quarterback Bryce Perkins.

Perkins was responsible for 75 of the 83 yards on Virginia’s first drive. He capped it off with a 10-yard touchdown run.

North Carolina (1-6, 1-4 ACC) responded well to tie things up at seven apiece, converting on fourth and four and then scoring on a beautiful 30-yard touchdown pass from Tar Heels junior quarterback Nathan Elliott.

The Cavaliers answered with another decisive touchdown drive. Senior wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus brought Virginia inside North Carolina territory with a 29-yard run, and Perkins finished the drive with a floated 27-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Joe Reed. Virginia finished the first quarter up 14-7.

Virginia and North Carolina came up with a couple stops on defense to start the second. It was the Cavaliers who scored next, going up 17-7 courtesy of a 37-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Brian Delaney.

The Tar Heels immediately responded, with quarterback Nathan Elliott leading the way again. North Carolina used a 28-yard catch and run by sophomore wide receiver Beau Corrales to get into the red zone, and Elliot threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to bring the tally to 17-14. Virginia went into the half up three.

Virginia extended its lead on their first drive of the half. After the defense came up with a quick three-and-out, two Perkins passes made the score 24-14 Virginia. The first was a quick strike to Zaccheaus, who used his explosive speed to take Perkins’ pass 29 yards into Tar Heel territory. On the subsequent play, Perkins found junior wide receiver Hasise Dubois wide open for a 33-yard touchdown pass.

Virginia’s defense had a very strong start to the second half, with the secondary stepping up after a subpar first half performance. The Cavaliers forced the Tar Heels to punt on their first three drives, and forced a fumble near the end of the third quarter, which led to a Virginia touchdown to start the fourth.

The touchdown came on an incredible play from Perkins, who somehow managed to float a perfect ball to senior tight end Evan Butts through traffic to make it 31-14 Virginia. It was Perkins’ third touchdown pass of the day, and Butts’ first touchdown catch of the season.

North Carolina attempted to mount a comeback, going on a 92-yard scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter to make it 31-21.

But it was too little, too late for the Tar Heels.

Virginia’s defense stifled them on fourth down on their final possession, and Scott Stadium roared as the Cavaliers became bowl eligible for the second consecutive year.

Perkins led Virginia to victory, powering a high-octane Virginia offense. Perkins finished with 217 yards passing and three touchdowns to go along with 112 yards rushing and a touchdown. Zaccheaus was another standout on offense. The senior wideout finished with 138 total yards of offense, and he broke Virginia’s all-time reception record with 10 catches on the day.

The defense stood strong after a somewhat shaky first half. Senior safety Juan Thornhill and junior cornerback Bryce Hall led the secondary’s effort. Thornhill led the team in tackles with seven and Hall had six tackles to go along with multiple pass breakups. Senior linebacker Chris Peace was also outstanding, with six tackles and a sack.

With the victory and Virginia Tech’s loss against Georgia Tech, Virginia took over possession of first place in the ACC Coastal standings.

“We are not satisfied. We come out, and coach tells us everyday that we can win however many we want to… We love playing for each other, and we love playing for coach,” Perkins said. “We want the Coastal, and we are not going to be satisfied until we get that.”

The Cavaliers are 4-0 at home this year. Scott Stadium is becoming a place teams fear. The New Standard is palpable as Virginia’s football program has changed in mindset.

“I’m thrilled that the new standard is being fulfilled, and part of that, again, is that we expect to win football games. We expect to play in the postseason,” Mendenhall said. “I think there are roots being established, I think there’s momentum that’s been generated and I think the expectation has shifted now to winning football at Virginia.”

Red-hot Virginia has a quick turnaround. The Cavaliers will face Pittsburgh Friday night under the lights at Scott Stadium in a bid to continue their winning ways.

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