On This Date: Bryce Perkins Makes UVA Football Debut

Three years ago today, Perkins announced his arrival at Virginia with a four-touchdown performance against Richmond

Photo by Amber Searls/ USA TODAY Sports

On September 1st, 2018, Bryce Perkins made his debut as the Virginia Cavaliers starting quarterback.

UVA fans knew fairly little about Perkins going into the season. We knew that he was a dual-threat quarterback from Arizona who transferred to Arizona Western Community College after suffering a serious neck injury at Arizona State. We knew that he had a very successful 2017 JUCO season before transferring to Virginia. And we knew that head coach Bronco Mendenhall and his staff were very excited to have Perkins as the starting quarterback.

Beyond that, Perkins was entirely unproven, a question mark at the most crucial position on the team. Many in the UVA fanbase were skeptical, but eager to see the new quarterback take the field.

In his Cavalier debut against Richmond, Perkins showed Virginia fans why they were lucky to have him.

Perkins delivered a brilliant performance that had Scott Stadium rocking. He completed 13 of 24 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed 13 times for 108 yards and two touchdowns. On his first touchdown as a Cavalier, Perkins showed his blazing speed on a 36-yard touchdown run. Both of his rushing scores came in the first half, showing a dynamic ability to make plays with his legs very early on.

2⃣9⃣3⃣ TOTAL YARDS
🏈🏈🏈🏈  TOUCHDOWNS

HAVE A GAME BRYCE PERKINS!@UVAFootball wins its opener 42-13 on the back of its new QB#HoosRising pic.twitter.com/sLFBEcBugz

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 2, 2018

In the second half, Perkins ensured everyone that he was not just a runner, throwing for two touchdowns, including a 38-yard strike to Olamide Zaccheaus. In total, Perkins recorded 293 total yards and four touchdowns as the Hoos crushed Richmond, 42-13.

It was an amazing performance at Scott Stadium and an amazing day for Wahoos fans, who had just received a glimpse of things to come.

It was the start of a great career for Perkins, who set a new program single-season passing record with 3,538 yards in 2019 and set UVA records for total offense in both of his seasons at Virginia. Perkins led the Cavaliers to an 8-5 record in 2018, including a 28-0 win over South Carolina in the Belk Bowl. In 2019, Perkins and the Hoos snapped the losing streak against Virginia Tech in one of the greatest games in UVA football history, won the ACC Coastal title, and made trips to the ACC Championship Game and the Orange Bowl.

Perkins is now in the NFL and just made the 53-man initial roster for the Los Angeles Rams, and we are certain that there are more exciting things to come for Perkins in his football career.