Virginia escapes Old Dominion scare, Final Score 28-17

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Maybe it was last week’s thriller against Florida State, or maybe it’s next week’s road test at Notre Dame, but the Virginia Cavaliers came out sluggish against a red hot Old Dominion Monarchs squad ready to make their statement in the Commonwealth. Virginia woke up in the second half, scoring 28 unanswered points to overcome a 17-0 deficit and come away with a 28-17 win in Charlottesville.

Virginia stays undefeated on the season, advancing to 4-0 for the first time since 2004. They did so on the backs of a strong second half defense, including Charles Snowden and Zane Zandier, the latter of whom grabbed a momentum-shifting pick six for the Hoos.

ODU quarterback Stone Smartt had himself a game, racking up over 200 passing yards on 16 connections, most of which came in the first half when it looked like Smartt couldn’t miss.

In all, it wasn’t a highlights reel kind of game from either side’s offense. Virginia put up just 244 total offensive yards to ODU’s 270.

Snowden was the standout of the game and earned rock-breaking privileges from Bronco Mendenhall and team. Snowden made sure Smartt felt his presence on just about every down in the second half.

While Cavaliers fans can breathe a sigh of relief, there’s still some uncertainty as Perkins took a hard hit—one that was reviewed, but not called, for targeting—limping off the field and allowing backup quarterback Lindell Stone into the game late.

We’ll do some greater analysis over the coming days but in the meantime, the Hoos can take a breather as the No. 21 Hoos stay perfect on the season heading into a monster road game at Notre Dame next week.