After Virginia football’s signature win over Boston College, we take a look back at our keys to victory for the Cavaliers, analyzing how they executed each one: 

If you want to read the original article: UVA Football: Five Keys to a Virginia Victory over Boston College

Limit Big Plays

The Cavaliers did a decent job on this key. Boston College’s longest play from scrimmage was a 34-yard catch by Kamari Morales, which was one of five plays that went for 20+ yards for the Eagles. Only one of those plays, a 29-yard touchdown catch by Morales, went for a touchdown as the UVa defense forced the Boston College offense to gradually drive down the field if they wanted to score. Most importantly, four of those five big plays came in the first half as the Cavalier defense smothered the Eagles in the second half.

Ironically, Virginia’s defense had the longest play from scrimmage when the Boston College offense was on the field in a 40-yard fumble recovery touchdown by Jonas Sanker to put Virginia up 24-14. A clutch heads up play by Sanker sealed the Virginia victory at Scott Stadium. Overall, Virginia succeeded with this key, as Boston College struggled to find rhythm offensively after some early success and could never have a true momentum sparking moment when Castellanos and co. were on the field. 

Win the Second Half

The Cavaliers executed this key to perfection, outscoring Boston College 18-0 in the second half with all those points coming in the fourth quarter. This total could’ve been higher if it weren’t for a missed field goal by Will Bettridge and Virginia’s turnover on downs on the Boston College two yard line, which will be discussed in a later key. 

One of Tony Elliott’s buzz words this season has been “complementary football” and the Hoos demonstrated that to perfection. In the fourth quarter, Virginia scored 15 points off turnovers with a Chico Bennett interception setting up a 30-yard touchdown catch by Malachi Fields that was placed beautifully by Colandrea two plays later, and then Sanker had the fumble recovery touchdown on the ensuing Boston College possession. 

Further, the halftime adjustments that Elliott and his coaching staff made were pivotal to Virginia’s success in addition to the belief the team maintained that the game was far from over at halftime despite having zero touchdowns in the first half. 

UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia vs. Boston College

No Turnovers

When Colandrea throws zero interceptions, the Cavaliers are 3-0 in the last two years. Against Boston College, Colandrea played a clean game with zero interceptions, showing maturity and poise in the pocket. Looking at the running backs, Kobe Pace and Xavier Brown secured the football, producing zero fumbles, complementing Colandrea’s performance. Although the UVa offense did not have the greatest day, it played steady and executed when needed. 

Pound the Rock

The Virginia rushing attack did not have its best outing, but not its worst performance. The Cavaliers finished with 121 yards on the ground, with Kobe Pace leading the way with 83 yards on 19 carries. The rushing attack wore down the Boston College defense as Virginia persistently ran the ball, which eventually led to a 20-yard rush by Pace that opened up the BC defense, allowing Colandrea to find Fields for the game-winning touchdown. Virginia rushed the ball 37 times on Saturday, which certainly took a toll on the Eagles’ defensive line. 

Play Smart Football

The decision that needs to be discussed is the 4th and goal on the two yard line where Coach Elliott opted to go for it and failed to convert. The smart and conservative decision is to kick the field goal, you have a depleted wide receiver core, kicking is probably your best option. The second option is if you go for it you get the ball to your playmaker in Malachi Fields, Virginia failed to do either of those options. 

It was a series of poor decisions during that sequence that luckily did not cost the Cavaliers. 

Besides that one play, Virginia did well in this key, playing clean special teams and limiting penalties (five for 28 yards).

Virginia Football Opens as Home Underdog vs. Louisville in Week 7

UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia vs. Boston College

By the Numbers: Breaking Down Virginia’s Win Over Boston College

VIDEO: Sanker, Colandrea, Pace & More React to UVA’s Win Over Boston College

UVA Football: Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 24-14 Win Over Boston College

HERNDON, Va. – Police in Northern Virginia are searching for a suspect after a man was shot several times outside a shopping center in Herndon on Sunday night.

The shooting occurred just before 7:45 p.m. at the Worldgate Shopping Center, located off Centreville Road. 

Herndon police say the victim was shot multiple times, including in the upper body, and was rushed to Reston Hospital. He is now reported to be in stable condition following surgery.

Authorities have identified 25-year-old Mohamed Abdalla as a suspect in the shooting. Police have released an image of Abdalla and are asking for the public’s help in locating him.

According to the department, one officer was patrolling the area when he heard multiple gunshots coming from the shopping center. 

As the officer rushed to the scene, he saw a car speeding away from the area and attempted to follow the vehicle on the Dulles Toll Road. However, the officer lost sight of the car. 

Meanwhile, other officers responded to the scene and found the victim suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Several stores and restaurants in the area were open at the time, and many nearby residents and business owners were shocked by the crime.

Amit Patel, the owner of Uncle Jalapeno Mexican Grill and Bar, expressed his concern over the shooting in what is typically seen as a safe and busy area. 

“Scary, this place is the hub of Herndon next to Dulles Airport,” Patel said. “It was strange that this happened last night.”

Witnesses who live nearby also voiced their concerns, with some noting the recent rise in crime in the area. 

“It’s crazy to hear that. Hopefully, it never happens again,” said Ken Huang, a local resident. “It’s pretty sad that stuff like that is going on in my neighborhood,” added Jeyson Garcia. “The crime has been going up, and I just hope to see it change.”

As of now, police are still working to determine if the victim and suspect were acquainted or if the shooting was random.

Anyone with information on Mohamed Abdalla’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Herndon Police Department.

Top 2025 recruit Aniya Trent of Springboro (Ohio) High School has committed to Virginia Tech, she told On3. She chose the Hokies over Washington, Clemson and Penn State.

Trent told On3 in a previous interview that the deciding factor for her would be the family feel and culture. She found that with Virginia Tech and new head coach Megan Duffy. 

“At the end of the day, the ball stops bouncing,” Trent told On3. “I want to go somewhere where I will be able to have a relationship outside of basketball, but also be able to have my fun when I’m there for four years… It’s going to be definitely the culture, the family aspect side of it, and definitely just somewhere where I’m going to feel comfortable and have a lot of fun and win. Winning is a big part. I want to win.”

Virginia Tech didn’t enter the picture until the new staff arrived this offseason, but they made an immediate impression. 

“They came in when the new staff came in, but their one coach from Kentucky has been recruiting me for a while,” Trent told On3. “She moved from Kentucky to Virginia Tech – Jen Hoover – so she’s been recruiting me for a while. So I’m super comfortable with her. The new head coach called me. She FaceTimes me all the time, so that’s super nice. We’ve been building our relationship, but I just want to go down there and kind of see what it’s like. I’ve heard amazing things about Virginia Tech, so I want to see, and it’s a great program overall. I’m excited to go down there and see what it’s like, meet the players, get some info from them and see how it will be.” 

The 6-foot-1 forward brings a strong post presence to the Hokies, but has also been continuing to strengthen her outside game. 

“I would say, and I’ve heard from many people, [I’m] just unselfish,” Aniya Trent said of her game. “I like to get my teammates a lot of open shots. And I play hard, and I think I put effort into it. I’m in the process of stretching out my game and becoming more versatile because I’m usually just put in the post, but I’ve been working on my outside game for about two years now. I’ve been working on just being able to shoot mid range, being able to shoot threes and take it off the dribble because I know I’m capable.”