Cavaliers Now

Five Takeaways from Virginia Football's Win Over Richmond

Analyzing what we learned from Virginia's season opening win against Richmond.

Aidan Baller

Anthony Colandrea was instrumental to the Virginia win against Richmond.
Anthony Colandrea was instrumental to the Virginia win against Richmond. / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
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Through a lengthy weather delay, the Cavaliers dominated the Richmond Spiders all night to put Virginia into the win column with a 34-13 victory at Scott Stadium.

Here’s our five takeaways from Virginia’s decisive win over Richmond: 

Anthony Colandrea Looked the Part 

After winning the starting job over Tony Muskett in Fall camp, Colandrea proved Tony Elliot’s decision to be the correct choice. Against the Spiders, Colandrea made all of the correct throws and played smart football for the majority of the game. His lone mistake was a 20-yard sack he suffered after trying to extend a play. 

Despite that, Colandrea threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns. The sophomore was also not afraid to scramble, rushing for 49 yards and a touchdown, taking whatever the defense gave him. The result builds momentum for Colandrea as he will face a much tougher opponent next week in ACC opponent Wake Forest. 

One interesting note about the pass game, a lot of short passes and throws to the sideline, but not a lot of throws down the middle of the field. 

Virginia Weathers the Storm

Last year against JMU, the Cavaliers led 35-24 before a weather delay. After the delay, the Cavaliers collapsed, with the Dukes scoring 12 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to defeat the Hoos. Against Richmond, the Cavaliers entered the locker room during the weather delay up 20-7, a similar score line, although this time, Virginia scored on its first possession after the delay with a beautiful return by Xavier Brown to the Cavaliers 46-yard line. After that, Kobe Pace rushed for 43 yards before a short three-yard rush for the touchdown to silence any comeback for the Spiders. 

Tony Elliott mentioned after the game the Cavaliers opted to eat during the delay which was different than last year. Colandrea mentioned he ate barbecue while Kobe Pace had a PB&J.

Kobe Pace Impresses in the Backfield 

Pace rushed for 93 yards and one touchdown, showing why he is the Cavaliers' starting running back this season. After an impressive Fall camp where he received praise from offensive coordinator Des Kitchings, Pace looked quick coming out of the backfield, averaging 8.45 yards a carry. Pace averaged 6.1 yards a carry his sophomore year at Clemson and is off to a great start to his final collegiate season. 

Malachi Fields is Elite, But Chris Tyree Struggled 

The senior from Charlottesville was unstoppable against Richmond. The Cavaliers ran multiple bubble screens with Malachi Fields, and in two scenarios, Fields broke a minimum of two tackles, showing his strength and quickness. Fields finished with 100 yards and recorded the catch of the game, fully laying out to catch a pass from Colandrea. On the other hand, Notre Dame transfer receiver Chris Tyree recorded three drops and zero catches. 

Only One Sack for the UVA Defense

Overall, the defense had an outstanding night, limiting the Spiders to only 13 points. The Cavaliers did have seven tackles for a loss, and Corey Thomas Jr. recorded a forced fumble that was recovered by Kam Robinson. 

The lone point of improvement was the sack category, where the Cavaliers recorded just a single sack and it came late in the fourth quarter. Virginia recorded only 11 sacks in 2023, which was last in the ACC. This category needs to improve. 

The Cavaliers will now shift their focus to Wake Forest, who they will face next Saturday at 7pm in Winston-Salem.

More Virginia Football News

VIDEO: Colandrea, Clary, Pace, Butler React to Virginia's Win Over Richmond

Five Takeaways from Virginia Football's Win Over Richmond

UVA Football: Virginia Storms Past Richmond 34-13

Virginia vs. Richmond Enters Weather Delay in the Second Quarter

Virginia vs. Richmond Live Updates | NCAA Football

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Aidan Baller

AIDAN BALLER

Aidan has been writing for Virginia Cavaliers On SI since January of 2023 and covers UVA football, basketball, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse. He is from New York and is currently in his fourth year at the University of Virginia, enrolled in the M.S. in Accounting program.