Virginia looks to dish out revenge vs. Indiana
Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Bryce Perkins carries the ball past Richmond defensive back Daniel Jones (23) to score a touchdown last week.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Virginia looked solid in an opening 42-13 win over an FCS opponent in Richmond, who had knocked off the Cavaliers on the home field two years ago. Victory was never in doubt in that revenge game, and Virginia will have the chance to redeem themselves against another opponent on Saturday.
Indiana (1-0) knocked off the Cavaliers 34-17 last season in Charlottesville and welcomes Virginia (1-0) to Bloomington for the second of a home-in-home in a game that is key for both teams.
"You know, I think there is just a little bit more certainty as to who they are," Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall said about the Hoosiers. "Under a new head coach, year two always seems to bring some momentum, brings a little bit more clarity."
The Hoosiers dispatched FIU 38-28 on the road last week as quarterback Peyton Ramsey threw for three touchdowns. Ramsey had his coming-out party against Virginia last season when he completed 16 of 20 pass attempts for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Virginia will now have more film on the 6-foot-2, 212-pound sophomore, and with a stout secondary, that could end up making the difference.
"I remember a year ago we spent so much time preparing for the starting quarterback, and when Ramsey came in it was a completely different style," Mendenhall said. "So the alteration of the plan -- and I remember exactly what that was like and adjusting midstream."
Virginia ran for 301 yards against Richmond and put two players over 100 yards rushing in quarterback Bryce Perkins and running back Jordan Ellis.
Indiana will be playing its home opener and has a 40-18 record in those games at Memorial Stadium. The Cavaliers won the only meeting between the two teams in Bloomington, 34-31, back in 2011 and are looking to win their first two games of a season for the first time since 2012.
The Cavaliers were solid on both sides of the ball against the Spiders and held Richmond without an offensive touchdown -- the first time Virginia's defense held a team without a touchdown since 2013.
Indiana's ground attack will be without running back Cole Gest who ran for 17 yards against FIU before tearing his ACL. He will miss the remainder of the season.
Virginia hasn't knocked off a Big Ten team in six seasons.
NOTES
--RB Jordan Ellis ran for a career-high 146 yards against Richmond last week as Virginia's running attack was dominant against the Spiders. Ellis averaged 7.3 yards per carry and found the end zone two times. Ellis and the much-improved Cavalier running game totaled 301 yards on the ground behind an offensive line that was still a question. Virginia will get a better test from Indiana's defense but Ellis looks prime to continue a superb start to his senior season.
--CB Bryce Hall paced Virginia's defense with six total tackles and a sack against Richmond.
--QB Bryce Perkins opened his Virginia career with a bang. The junior became the first Cavalier quarterback to run for two touchdowns in a game since 2009 and also threw for 185 yards while rushing for 108. Perkins, who began his career at Arizona State, totaled four touchdowns and look perfectly comfortable in his first career FBS start.
--CB Tim Harris kicked off his sixth season as a Cavalier and made two tackles while deflecting a pass against Richmond. An injury-plagued career has not stopped Harris' drive and work ethic and he has shown that he will be a vital part in Virginia's stacked secondary.
--RB Olamide Zaccheaus has a reception in 30 straight games. The streak started against Miami back in November of 2015.
Recent Stories
No. 16 Marquette kicks off Big East schedule vs. St. John's
After an impressive showing during a formidable non-conference slate, No. 16 Marquette kicks off the Big East portion of its schedule Tuesday night when it takes ...
Virginia Tech begins ACC season against Notre Dame
No more preliminaries or cupcakes. No more feeling-out processes.
The basketball teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference will know knock antlers for the next two ...
No. 9 Florida State ready for final non-conference game before ACC play
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- After another long layoff, the Florida State men's basketball team finds itself ready to the page on 2018 on Tuesday with a New Year's Day showdown ...
No. 7 Gonzaga on roll as it faces Cal State Bakersfield
A softening schedule and being home for the holidays have Gonzaga humming.
The No. 7 Zags have raced to leads of 31-2 and 29-1 in their past two games, blowouts ...
No. 4 Virginia wraps up non-conference slate against Marshall
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -- Playing just their third game over the past couple of weeks during the holiday season, No. 4 Virginia closes out their non-conference schedule ...
Latest Player Notes
How a Wisconsin legend got his German protégé into Badgers pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Marlon Werthmann put his life on hold for the opportunity in front of him Friday at the McClain Center.Werthmann ...
Why former Wisconsin football running back Braelon Allen didn't run the 40 at pro day
Mar 15, 2024
Braelon Allen’s sweat covered his shirt and dripped off his beard as he approached a group of reporters Friday.The ...
How can UW recruit its best class ever? It starts with these five prospects
By Andy Yamashita
Seattle Times staff reporter
Jedd Fisch has lofty recruiting goals at Washington. He didn’t waste any ...
Texas football kicks off spring practice Tuesday. We answer 24 questions for the 2024 team
Things certainly look fresh for the 2024 college football season, especially on the Texas campus.There’s a new conference ...
College Football Playoff: Conferences solve their differences (for now) and agree on general framework for 2026 and beyond
The FBS conferences and Notre Dame agreed on Friday to continue the College Football Playoff beyond the 2025 season, signing ...
Ball security, leadership key as Aztecs look to identify starting quarterback
San Diego State seemingly auditions a new starting quarterback on an annual basis.In the past 12 years, the Aztecs have opened ...
Results and more: A look at what happened at Penn State football’s Pro Day inside Holuba Hall
Most of those at Penn State’s Pro Day Friday were relatively quiet throughout the afternoon’s workouts, but there was one ...
Defense dominates first two weeks of Oregon State spring practice as Beavers ready for 2-week breather
CORVALLIS – Oregon State hit the break of spring practices Saturday, not exactly the midpoint but a good place to assess ...
Dillon Gabriel to have similar input, autonomy as Bo Nix had in Oregon’s offense
Published Mar. 16, 2024, 6:26 p.m.By James CrepeaEUGENE — Dillon Gabriel will have much of the same autonomy as Bo Nix did ...
Two transfers, one underclassman who impressed in Missouri football's spring game
With that, spring camp’s a wrap.Missouri football held its Black & Gold spring game Saturday in front of a healthy crowd ...