Khalek Shepherd’s mother, Monica, knows football well and her oldest son better. So, when Khalek—his little brother, Chaudlier, is a redshirt freshman defensive back at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia—dropped a punt against UCLA in Virginia’s season opener Aug. 30 at Scott Stadium, his mother made sure he heard about it.
We have reached the midpoint in the 2014-15 college football season, and Virginia sits at 4-2 as it enters its bye week. Thus, with no game to preview, we here at Cavalier Daily Sports thought it would be fun to break down various position groups performance through the first six weeks of the year. So with that, members of this fine University, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of presenting to you the State of the Hoo-nion Address.
There is nothing quite like a nighttime football game. Anticipation has more time to build. More fans file into stadiums to be a part of the madness. And the players? Well, the stars shine brightest at night.
Though the Cavaliers did not score a point after the break and ceded 16 to the Panthers, Virginia toughed out a 24-19 victory before 43,307 fans on one of the chilliest nights this fall.
This Saturday evening, when the Virginia football team (3-2, 1-0 ACC) takes on Pittsburgh (3-2, 1-0 ACC), Scott Stadium will be the place to be. Following a third-quarter coast to victory over non-conference opponent Kent State, Virginia recognizes that a win Saturday versus an ACC coastal division foe would be an even bigger step in the right direction.
A week ago, I wrote that this Virginia team could shake things up in the ACC if the Cavaliers ever put a complete game together. On Saturday, they did just that.
The Virginia football team slammed Kent State, 45-13, Saturday at Scott Stadium in its final non-conference game of 2014, surpassing last year’s two-win total after just five weeks of play.
Coming off a tough loss against No. 21 BYU last Saturday in Provo, Utah, the Virginia football team will return home this week to face a slightly less daunting Kent State team. Though the Golden Flashes (0-3, 0-1 MAC) are winless on the season and coming off a 66-0 drubbing by Ohio State, the Cavaliers know better than to overlook this MAC team.
Virginia’s offense finally hit its stride Saturday against Brigham Young, putting up 519 yards on a school record of 102 offensive plays. The Cavaliers also held the ball for more than 41 minutes and put up 30 points for just the sixth time in the past three years.Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.
As of halftime Saturday in Provo, Utah, the Virginia football team—just a week removed from knocking off Louisville 23-21 in Charlottesville—led No. 21 Brigham Young, 16-13.The Cavaliers’ promising start, though, fizzled after the break, as the dangerous Cougar offense—led by junior quarterback and dark horse Heisman candidate Taysom Hill—exploded for 28 points.
Excitement filled Scott Stadium with about one minute to play last weekend, as students lined up to rush the field and celebrate a win against Louisville to match last season’s two-game win total.
It’s hard to imagine a more #GoACC week than the one which just passed: the two top teams didn’t play, two of the other top teams lost to supposedly inferior opponents and multiple quarterbacks faced discipline for a creative range of offenses, from shouting obscenities to driving under the influence.
This Saturday at Scott Stadium, the Virginia football team scored perhaps its most memorable and significant win of the past three seasons, pulling off a 23-21 upset against then-No. 21 Louisville before an announced crowd of 34,816 fans. The Cavaliers (2-1, 1-0 ACC), who received six votes in Sunday’s AP Top-25 Poll, trailed with less than four minutes left in the fourth quarter, but refused to lay down with the game on the line.
A week after picking up a 45-13 win against in-state opponent Richmond, the Virginia football team heads back into action Saturday against No. 21 Louisville in the last of three straight home games to open the season.
Harold’s dream come true was one pleasurable moment among many for the Cavalier players and fans in the 32nd all-time matchup between Virginia and Richmond, the program that coach Mike London departed to come to Charlottesville.
Saturday’s 45-13 trouncing of Richmond brought much needed joy to Scott Stadium for the first time since Sept. 21 of last year.
Coach Mike London will face his alma mater and former employer Saturday when Virginia football plays host to Richmond in a showdown of Commonwealth rivals. The Cavaliers (0-1, 0-0 ACC) are coming off a 20-28 loss against No. 11 UCLA last weekend, characterized by the strong play of both teams’ defenses.
Continuing the timeless tradition of #GoACC football, we rank ‘em from top to bottom.
In a game defined by staunch defenses, the first-half benching of sophomore quarterback Grayson Lambert and the emergence of sophomore backup Matt Johns, Virginia showed it can play with the country’s best teams—but certainly not beat them if its offense is sloppy.
On a day that was supposed to be a starting point in the Heisman campaign for UCLA junior quarterback Brett Hundley, the real story was created by a name no one expected to hear: Matt Johns.
