By the Numbers: Breaking Down Virginia's Win Over Boston College

Matt Newton | Oct 6, 2024

Peter Casey-Imagn Images

For the first time since the epic 2019 campaign, Virginia football is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in ACC play. The Cavaliers posted their second-straight ACC victory, something they haven't done since 2021, by coming back from down 14 points with a big fourth quarter rally to defeat Boston College 24-14 on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville.

That marked the second time Virginia has come back to win after trailing by more than 14 points, as the Cavaliers also overcame a 14-point deficit in their big win at Wake Forest in week 2. Saturday was the first time UVA has erased a two-touchdown deficit at home since coming back from down 17-0 to beat Old Dominion in 2019.

The Hoos have fashioned themselves as comeback kids so far this season, boasting a 2-0 record when trailing after the first quarter and 2-0 when trailing at the half. While the UVA offense put together some big scoring drives to fuel the rally at Wake Forest, the Virginia defense was the key this time around, holding Thomas Castellanos and the Eagles scoreless for the final 43 minutes (and change) of the game, allowing the Cavaliers to score the final 24 points of the contest.

18 of those points came in the fourth quarter, the most Virginia has scored in the fourth quarter since the win at Louisville in 2021. The UVA defense forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter, including a fumble recovery and 40-yard return for a touchdown by Jonas Sanker. And while their overall offensive numbers seem pedestrian, the Cavaliers kept themselves in the game offensively by not turning the ball over for the second-straight game, the first time UVA has accomplished that feat since 2019.

See the chart below for a breakdown of the stats from Virginia's win over Boston College:

Virginia	Stat	Boston College
339	Total Offense	319
121	Rushing Offense	65
3.3	Yards Per Rush	2.2
218	Passing Offense	254
61	Completion %	73
12.8	Yards Per Completion	11.5
3/5	Red Zone Attempts	1/1
9	Red Zone Points	7
7/16	3rd Downs	6/13
1/2	4th Downs	1/2
29:32	Possession Time	30:28
5-28	Penalties-Yards	8-85
0	Turnovers	3
3	Sacks By	2
5	Tackles For Loss	6
4	Big Plays (20+ Yards)	5

Here are some key individual stats from the game along with some more notes:

We usually start with the offense in this section, but this time it seems fitting to begin with the defense.

Jonas Sanker found the end zone for his first-career touchdown, returning a fumble 40 yards to the house to give UVA the 24-14 lead late in the fourth. That marked the first time the Cavaliers have had a fumble recovery go for a touchdown since Eli Hanback jumped on a fumble in the end zone to all but secure Virginia's win over Virginia Tech in the 2019 regular season finale.

Chico Bennett Jr. posted his first career interception and became the first Cavalier defensive linemen with a pick since David Dean did so against Virginia Tech in 2014. Bennett caught a pass that was initially tipped by Anthony Britton, who was making his first career start.

Kendren Smith made his third-career interception and first in a Virginia uniform. Kam Robinson led the Cavaliers with eight total tackles, marking the first time this season that someone other than Antonio Clary (seven tackles) led Virginia in tackles. Robinson was one of three Virginia players to record sacks in the game, joining James Jackson and Kam Butler.

Three different Virginia players completed a pass in the game. Anthony Colandrea went 15/26 (58%) for 179 yards and a touchdown. When Colandrea left the field for one play after taking a big hit, Tony Muskett came in and completed his only pass, a 10-yard strike to JR Wilson. Malachi Fields also completed a 29-yard pass to Kobe Pace on a trick play, the longest completed pass by a non-quarterback since Perry Jones threw a 36-yard completion to Tim Smith vs. Louisiana Tech in 2012.

Fields was Virginia's leading receiver, tallying four catches for 63 yards and the go-ahead 30-yard touchdown from Colandrea in the fourth quarter. Fields has recorded at least one reception in his last 20 games. Andre Greene Jr. had four catches for 25 yards and JR Wilson, who made his season debut after missing the first four games with an injury, had four receptions for 44 yards.

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