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Live Coverage: UVA Football faces #12 SMU with bowl eligibility on the line

Chris Graham

The UVA Football team (5-5, 3-3 ACC) hosts #12 SMU (9-1, 6-0 ACC) on Senior Day with bowl eligibility on the line.

Better get there this week, because next week, the ‘Hoos are at Virginia Tech, and you already know how that one is going to go.


First quarter

The UVA defense got the stop at midfield, so, good first effort there.

Anthony Colandrea gets the start at QB.

The opening Virginia drive stalled at the UVA 41. Crowd not happy with the decision to not go for the fourth-and-1 there. I’m kinda with them there.

SMU converted a third-and-7, got a big gainer on a wide-receiver screen (Kelvontay Dixon, 52 yards), then Brashard Smith ran through the A gap for 11 yards and scored on a 4-yard TD through a UVA linebacker.

SMU on the board first: 7-0, 7:58/1st.

A false start on a third-and-10 forced a third-and-longer, and Colandrea gained 10 yards on a scramble.

The SMU punt returner (Roderick Daniels Jr.) was tackled in the end zone, but the ruling on the field has it that his momentum carried him into the end zone, so the ball is placed at the SMU 3.

Not sure how that is. The kid tried to run the ball after catching it. Otherwise, wouldn’t the ball be at the 20?

Virginia got good field position after the punt. Went for fourth-and-7 at the SMU 39. Colandrea was sacked. Blitzer up the A gap.

End 1: SMU 7, UVA 0.

Quick stats:

  • Total offense: SMU 150, UVA 44
  • Possession: SMU 7:33, UVA 7:27

Second quarter

The opening play was a wide left 48-yard field-goal try from SMU’s Collin Rogers.

Virginia picked up one fourth down in plus territory, and has a fourth-and-1 at the SMU 19. Timeout. Grady Bunch?

Verdict: A gap run for Kobe Pace. First down.

Correction: 12 players in the huddle substitution infraction. Five-yard penalty.

A substitution infraction after a timeout. That’s incompetence.

Will Bettridge was wide left from 41 yards.

Basic coaching incompetence. It’s just unconscionable that you come out of a timeout with too many men in the huddle.

SMU, after the penalty and the miss, has driven into the UVA red zone. Just like last week, then Virginia was driving for a game-tying score and fumbled, and Notre Dame went 88 yards in nine plays to get separation, here we are again.

Next play after the injury timeout: Kevin Jennings to Jordan Hudson 17-yard TD pass.

Drive: nine plays, 76 yards.

SMU 14, UVA 0, 5:52/2nd.

Here come the INTs.

No INT. Just a sack on third down. Nothing new there.

SMU got just into the red zone, drive stalled, Collins Rogers good from 35.

SMU 17, UVA 0, 1:25/2nd

Virginia got a first down on a third-down Colandrea scramble, but the drive stalled on another third-down sack.

Colandrea is 9-of-14 for 53 yards, and he’s been sacked three times.

Has seven rushing attempts (including scrambles) for 39 sack-adjusted rushing yards.

First half mercifully comes to a conclusion. SMU leads 17-0.

Quick stats:

  • Total offense: SMU 283, UVA 97
  • Kevin Jennings: 16-of-20, 222 yards, 1 TD
  • Brashard Smith: 11 attempts, 39 yards, 1 TD

Third quarter

UVA’s first possession ended with a third-down sack.

SMU got to first-and-goal, but a tripping penalty forced a field goal try. Collin Rogers was good from 39 yards.

SMU 20, UVA 0, 10:12/3rd.

Virginia got an INT in plus territory from Corey Thomas. The drive stalled in the red zone.

Sequence: run for no gain on first down, play action pass to Suderian Harrison for three yards, screen to Harrison that lost a yard.

Sack on fourth down.

Officially the fifth sack of the day for SMU.

End 3: SMU 20, UVA 0


Fourth quarter

Kevin Jennings 1-yard TD run. D kept us in it as long as it could.

Two-point try no good.

SMU leads 26-0, 12:21/4th.

Virginia finally on the board. Colandrea ran around in circles for a couple of minutes on fourth-and-goal from the 4, somehow found Malachi Fields in the end zone.

SMU 26, UVA 7, 4:16/4th.

The starting QB, Kevin Jennings, threw a TD pass with 1:42 to go.

Virginia ran the clock out, as it turns out.

Final: SMU 33, UVA 7






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Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

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