Take Two: Revisiting the keys and grading UVa's win over ODU

The Result: No. 21 Virginia rallied from a three-score deficit in the first half to beat Old Dominion 28-17 and move to 4-0. It's the first time the Cavaliers have been undefeated at this stage in a season since 2004. The 28 unanswered points are the most for UVa since trailing Carolina 21-0 at the half In 2002.

The Turning Point: There were two turning points in the game but the biggest one was Zane Zandier’s interception early in the third quarter that was returned for a touchdown, the first pick-6 of his career. That score helped the Hoos gather themselves after a rough opening drive on offense and pulled them within a score at 17-14.

The Stat That Tells the Story: After the Monarchs put together a 224 to 66 lead in total yards in the first half, UVa’s defense held Old Dominion to just 46 total yards after halftime as the Hoos scored 28 unanswered to win it.

Wahoo of the Week: It’s Charles Snowden, who was everywhere for the Cavalier defense on Saturday night. The junior linebacker led the Hoos in tackles with 15, including 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. The second of those two sacks on 4th down all but sealed the win for Virginia and for his efforts he was chosen to break the rock in the locker room after the game.

Bronco’s Winning Formula:

24+ Points?: Yes (28)

+1 Turnover Margin?: Yes (+1)

+5 Average Starting Field Position?: Yes (+22)

1) Take control of the game early.

Virginia didn’t do this in any sense. ODU took the lead with a field goal on its opening drive and the Cavaliers didn’t answer until they were already down 17-0. The three early Monarch scores made it clear that this would be a contested game for the remainder of the night and any ideas of getting backups in and resting starters in the second half went out the window. UVa was able to rally and ultimately avoid a big upset, but starting the game the way they did on both sides of the ball forced the Wahoos to play another tough, contested game when it seemed possible that they would be able to win comfortably.

Grade: F

2) Get off the field on 3rd downs.

This was a goal for the defense but unfortunately the offense had their own problems on high-leverage downs. UVa’s defense gave up some back breakers early but did a good job getting Old Dominion off the field in the second half. For the game, ODU converted just four of its 16 3rd-down attempts, including zero conversions on five attempts in the fourth quarter. It took UVa’s defense about a half to settle into the game, but once it did the Monarchs found very little success moving the ball. If you look at the game as a whole, the defense did a decent job keeping ODU in check.

Grade: B+