Colandrea shines as Virginia cruises past Richmond, 34-13

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea threw for 297 yards and 2 touchdowns in a dominant 34-13 victory Saturday night over the University of Richmond in the season opener for both teams.

The Cavaliers learned their lesson from last year’s home-opening loss to James Madison. In that game, Virginia appeared to have the game in hand, but a weather delay shifted the momentum and led to a Dukes victory.

Saturday night’s game went into a weather delay late in the second quarter, with Virginia leading 20-7. When play resumed 2 hours and 17 minutes later, Virginia quickly scored a touchdown, and kept its foot on the gas through the third quarter before turning to clock-running mode.

“I think about last year ... we had a similar situation and we didn't finish,” coach Tony Elliott said. “I'm really proud of the staff and the guys for finding a way to finish tonight.”

Elliott said one takeaway from last year was that the players got hungry during the downtime. This year, food from the concession stands was brought down so the players could have something to eat - Colandrea said he had a barbecue sandwich.

Richmond’s offensive line struggled to get any traction against the bigger, stronger UVA defenders. The Spiders kept the winner of their quarterback competition under wraps until game time, when sophomore Kyle Wickersham ran out to take the first snaps. He made a 5-yard scramble for the team’s lone touchdown, but managed just 110 yards passing.

Virginia will test itself against Wake Forest and Maryland in the next two weeks, and Colandrea showed growth that will be encouraging to the team’s fanbase. He did not turn the ball over, and ran out of bounds or slid instead of exposing himself to big hits.

“I'm proud of just the maturity and growth,” Elliott said. “I thought he made some heads-up plays. He went out of bounds a couple times. It shows progress.”

Colandrea was given the fourth quarter off.

“I feel like as an offense, we did a great job of moving the ball down the field, and also we came out hot,” the quarterback said. “We had some plays that we want to get back, but I think next week we'll bring them back.”

The Cavaliers spread the love around among their playmakers. Transfer receiver Trell Harris had the first touchdown, and nine players had a reception in total.

Griese shows off speed

The Cavaliers’ longest touchdown was a 57-yard catch-and-run reception by Jack Griese, the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Famer Bob Griese. It was his longest career reception and first receiving touchdown - he had a rushing touchdown last year.

The takeaway

Virginia: After watching other ACC teams struggle to dispatch FCS foes, a no-doubter is a solid start in a make-or-break year for coach Tony Elliott. Colandrea’s success on Saturday provides hope that things could be different this time around.

Richmond: The Spiders head home with a $450,000 check and playoff aspirations in the FCS. Both survived the blowout loss intact.

Up next

Virginia: travels to Wake Forest on Saturday, Sept. 7.

Richmond: plays host to Wofford on Saturday, Sept. 7.

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Michael Phillips, The Associated Press