Overreactions From Virginia Football's Win Over Richmond

Overreacting to the Cavaliers week one victory over the Spiders.

Trell Harris celebrates his first touchdown of the season after a 35 yard pass from Anthony Colandrea. / Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Week one of the Virginia football season is complete. A lot happened in that game so let’s do what every sports talk show and media outlet does and overreact. With that being said, here’s our overreactions from Virginia’s week one win over Richmond in addition to one ACC overreaction: 

For a quick game recap: UVA Football: Virginia Storms Past Richmond 34-13

Anthony Colandrea Will Be a Top QB in College Football

Whether that is this season or over the rest of his college career, Anthony Colandrea will be a star for the Cavaliers and a top name in the college football landscape. Against Richmond, Colandrea showed improvement from last season throwing for 297 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The sophomore was constantly making the smart plays, showing he has worked hard to be better with a year under his belt. If he was under pressure, instead of trying to lob a ball into double coverage to be a hero, Colandrea would run and take what the defense was giving him, allowing the Virginia offense to live another down. 

Maturity is the word to describe Colandrea’s performance on Saturday, a performance that showed great signs of things to come for the sophomore with high expectations. 

Virginia Will Once Again Finish Last in Sacks in the ACC 

The Cavaliers had one sack against Richmond which came in the fourth quarter as the game drew to a close. Only getting one sack against an FCS opponent is worrisome as the offensive lines Virginia will be facing are only going to improve as the season progresses. A defensive line that fell way short of expectations last season may once again be falling short of the bar this year.  

Malachi Fields Will Go Far in the Biletnikoff Award Voting 

Fields registered his first 100 yard game of his career against Richmond, showing with Malik Washington now gone, the senior has stepped up to the plate in the wide receiver room and is eager to step into the top wide receiver role for the Hoos. The diving catch Fields made at the end of the first half was an NFL caliber catch for a top collegiate wide receiver who is going to build off of this performance against Wake Forest. 

Chris Tyree May Have Been Overhyped  

Let’s take a step back and admit that any comparisons between Malik Washington and Chris Tyree were a little extreme. Washington delivered the most prolific season for a Virginia wide receiver ever, finishing with 110 receptions and 1,426 receiving yards which were both single-season school records. Placing those expectations on Tyree is extreme. 

As for his performance, Tyree had zero catches and three drops, a tough first night in the blue and orange which was probably attributed to first game jitters. The solution: get Tyree a touch early against Wake Forest with a jet sweep or a screen to eliminate any confidence issues early on. He may not be Malik Washington, but he is still a critical part of this Virginia offense.

Virginia Tech is Tied for Last in the ACC

Before the Cavaliers took to the field on Saturday night, their rival the Virginia Tech Hokies had already suffered their first defeat of the season in a 34-27 overtime loss to Vanderbilt. So as the players in orange trotted out to the packed crowd at Scott Stadium, they trotted out in search of their second victory of the day.

For More Virginia Football News

Virginia Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for UVA's Win Over Richmond

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

Five Takeaways from Virginia Football's Win Over Richmond