Virginia Football vs. Richmond Game Preview, Score Prediction

Matt Newton | Aug 30, 2024

Virginia welcomes Richmond to Scott Stadium on Saturday to open the 2024 college football season. / Virginia Athletics

Saturday marks the opening of the 135th season of Virginia football. Tony Elliott begins his third season as head coach of the Cavaliers by leading them against the same team they faced in his first game, as Richmond pays a visit to Scott Stadium on Saturday evening.

As the Wahoos and Spiders get set to open the 2024 college football season with an in-state matchup, read on for a full preview of Virginia vs. Richmond with everything you need to know, including game details and notes, an opponent scouting report, what to watch for, and a score prediction

Game Details

Who: Virginia Cavaliers vs. Richmond Spiders

When: Saturday, August 31st at 6pm ET

Where: Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia (61,500)

How to watch: ACC Network Extra/ESPN+

How to listen: SiriusXM 103 or 203 | Virginia Sports Radio Network

All-time series: Virginia leads 30-3-2

Last meeting: Virginia defeated Richmond 34-17 on September 3rd, 2022 in Tony Elliott's head coaching debut.

Notes

• Virginia is 85-40-9 all-time in season openers and has won six of its last season-opening games.
• UVA is 79-21-7 all-time in home season openers.
• Virginia owns a 30-3-2 all-time record against Richmond, a 21-2-1 record against the Spiders in Charlottesville, and a 14-3-1 record against Richmond at Scott Stadium.
• In the last meeting between these two programs, Virginia defeated Richmond 34-17, making Tony Elliott just the second UVA head coach since 1965 to win in his debut as the program's head coach.

Read Virginia's injury report for the Richmond game here: Virginia Football Injury Report: Hoos In/Out for the Season Opener

See below for UVA's week 1 depth chart for the Richmond game.

Virginia Football - Week 1 Depth Chart - Richmond / Virginia Athletics

Opponent Scouting Report: Richmond

2023: 9-4, 7-1 CAA, lost in second round of FCS Playoffs

Russ Huesman has Richmond trending in the right direction entering his eighth season at the helm of the program. The Spiders have been above .500 in each of the last four seasons and qualified for the FCS playoffs in each of the last two years, advancing to the second round both times. Last season, Richmond went 9-4 and 7-1 in the Coastal Athletic Association, winning a share of the CAA title for the first time since 2015.

This season, Richmond returns the bulk of its roster from last year, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Starting with the most important position on the field, the Spiders started four different quarterbacks in 2023 and return the two QBs who started the most games, redshirt junior Kyle Wickersham and sophomore Camden Coleman. Huesman has not named a starting quarterback, so the UVA defense has been preparing to face both Wickersham and Coleman, who are both big and physical players who are active in Richmond's run game.

Richmond returns every wide receiver who caught a touchdown pass in 2023 and brings back five offensive linemen who started games last season.

On the other side of the ball, Richmond ranked in the top five in the FCS in forced turnovers, third-down defense, and defensive touchdowns and were top 10 in the nation in sacks and interceptions. Wayne Galloway is the team's top returning tackler and Richmond brings back two defensive backs - D'Angelo Stocker and Jabril Hayes - who had three interceptions apiece in 2023.

In summary, Richmond has been one of the better FCS teams in the country over the last two years and has the pieces to be that yet again in 2024. Virginia would do well not to underestimate the Spiders.

Virginia Football Roster Breakdown

Over the past couple of weeks, we've analyzed the personnel in each position group on UVA's roster. Click the links below to read our breakdowns of each Virginia position group:

Pass Catchers | Defensive Line | Defensive Backs | Offensive Line | Running Backs | Linebackers

Of course, we've also written plenty about Virginia's quarterback battle, which ultimately ended with sophomore Anthony Colandrea winning the starting job over Tony Muskett. Read more on what Tony Elliott said about that decision here: Tony Elliott Details Decision to Start Anthony Colandrea Over Tony Muskett

What to Watch For

Early litmus test for the Virginia defensive line

The Cavalier defense managed just 11 sacks last season, dead last in the ACC. With the healthy return of edge rushers Kam Butler and Chico Bennett, who have at times proven themselves as capable pass rushers, there is optimism that this unit could make significant improvements in 2024. Saturday will present an immediate opportunity for the Virginia defensive line to prove itself, as Richmond's offensive line is big and experienced. Whether the Cavaliers can generate consistent pressure on Richmond's quarterback (whoever it is) and effectively bottle up the Spiders' ground game will be an early signal of how much progress this unit has actually made.

Anthony Colandrea's official arrival... with new weapons

Colandrea started six games last season as a true freshman and made eight total appearances, so his start on Saturday won't be a debut by any stretch. However, all of those appearances he made as a true freshman were due to Tony Muskett's unavailability due to injury. Saturday will mark the first time Colandrea is starting over a presumably healthy Tony Muskett, and perhaps formally marks the beginning of the time period we've all been referencing when we call Colandrea "the future of the program" for Virginia. In handing the keys over to Colandrea, Tony Elliott is making a statement: the future begins now.

While the record-breaking Malik Washington is gone to the NFL, Colandrea will still have Malachi Fields and eventually JR Wilson (when he returns from injury) to throw to, as well as transfers Chris Tyree (Notre Dame), Trell Harris (Kent State), and Andre Greene Jr. (North Carolina). There's no replacing Malik Washington, but Virginia has the weapons to not miss a beat in terms of its passing offense.

Special teams setting the tone for the season

Virginia has been one of the worst teams in all of college football in terms of special teams over the last two years. That was shown most distinctly in the two blocked punt touchdowns the Cavaliers gave up last season in two games that were ultimately decided by one score. UVA doesn't have to dominate special teams, just limit the disastrous miscues that certainly cost them at least a win or two in 2023. Reversing those trends must start with a clean special teams game on Saturday against Richmond.

Prediction

It's been eight years since Richmond came into Scott Stadium and handed the Cavaliers a 37-20 loss in Bronco Mendenhall's debut as UVA's head coach to start the 2016 season. Tony Elliott avoided that same fate by leading Virginia to a 34-17 victory in his head coaching debut in 2022, but one could argue that this season opener is just as important. The Wahoos have a difficult road ahead and wins may be hard to come by. Virginia needs to win and do so convincingly to set the tone for the rest of the season.

Score prediction: Virginia 38, Richmond 17

More Virginia Football News

Virginia Football: Players to Watch in UVA’s Season Opener Against Richmond

Virginia Football: Looking to Get Special Teams Back on Track in 2024

Virginia Football Injury Report: Hoos In/Out for the Season Opener

Virginia Football Position Overview: Breaking Down UVA's Linebacker Unit

Virginia Football: Four True Freshmen Listed on UVA's Week 1 Depth Chart