Kurt Benkert kicks off his NFL career with a solid performance

One night after a handful of Virginia alums excelled on the gridiron, former Virginia quarterback Kurt Benkert got his NFL career underway. Benkert, who was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons, took on the New York Jets in preseason action. The Falcons fell to the Jets 17-0, but Benkert had some highlights worth sharing in his debut.

In Atlanta’s first possession in the third quarter, Benkert rolled left and found teammate Dontez Byrd down the sideline for a pick up of 27 yards and a first down.

He later made a connection with Devin Gray for another big pickup:

Benkert finished 9-for-17 (53%) for 125 yards and a late interception. He was sacked twice for a loss of six yards, but picked up 11 yards on two rushes in the game. Our friends over at the Falcoholic had some, um, creative ways to describe Benkert’s rushing prowess.

Fellow Wahoo alum Matt Schaub also saw action in the game with Schaub going a perfect 9-for-9 for 54 yards in the game.