Virginia football prepares for Virginia Tech with win over Liberty

Virginia football warmed up for their Commonwealth Cup showdown on Thanksgiving weekend with a strong performance against Liberty in Week 13.

It wasn’t always the most confident of performances, but Virginia still emerged with their eighth win of the 2019 season in a 55-24 takedown of Liberty in Charlottesville in early Saturday action in Week 13.

The Cavaliers took an early lead, spotted the Flames two touchdowns, and pulled away for the blowout in the second half after retaking the lead right before halftime.

Liberty took the lead early in the second quarter, putting a scare into Cavaliers fans at Scott Stadium. Two plays after taking a sack, Flames quarterback Stephen Calvert found Noah Frith for a 32-yard touchdown pass on 3rd-and-17 that gave the visitors a 14-10 lead. But after the defense held Virginia on the ensuing drive, Calvert threw an interception on his next possession that allowed the Cavaliers to recover and jump back to a 24-14 lead before halftime.

After the break, Liberty kept charging for a shot at the upset, scoring 10 more points. Unfortunately for the Flames, their defense was unable to stop Bryce Perkins through the air and a deep backfield on the ground. Perkins threw for two touchdowns and 199 yards on 18-of-30 passing, and he added 30 yards and a touchdown rushing the ball.

The quarterback was one of four different Cavaliers to rush for a score. PK Kier led the way with 82 yards and a score on 10 carries, while Lamont Atkins added 61 yards and his own rushing touchdown on his nine chances to run with the football. As a unit, the Virginia backfield finished with 227 rushing yards to out-gain the Flames nearly three-to-one on the ground.

Liberty managed to rack up nearly 400 yards of offense against Virginia, but the Cavaliers defense shut things down on the ground and forced the Flames to become one-dimensional. Safety De’Vante Cross picked off Calvert twice as the Flames quarterback finished 16-of-40 for 283 yards with two touchdowns and two picks.

With the win, Bronco Mendenhall’s team could climb into the College Football Playoff rankings ahead of their Commonwealth Cup showdown against Virginia Tech. The rivalry game in Charlottesville will decide whether the Cavaliers become the seventh different ACC Coastal champion in the past seven years since the league expanded to 14 teams in 2013.

A win over the Hokies secures a spot against Clemson in Charlotte, while a loss could keep them out of the title game.