UVa breaks single-game yardage record, beats W&M 55-16
Virginia delivered an historically-lopsided win over William & Mary on Saturday, beating the Tribe 55-16 while breaking the program record for total yards in the process, a mark that had stood for 57 years.
All told, UVa amassed 700 yards of offense, which bested the 691-yard record that had stood since the Hoos put up 681 against Davidson in 1968.
Making it all the more special was the fact it was UVA Strong Day, complete with a pregame tribute to honor Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry, the three players who were tragically killed in November 2022.
Head coach Tony Elliott said the last time UVa scored as many points as the Wahoos did on Saturday—a 55-15 victory over Abilene Christian in 2020—Davis and Chandler both scored touchdowns, making today’s win that much more meaningful.
“Just super proud of the staff, super proud of the players in the locker room for taking ownership for something that they really didn’t know or understand,” Elliott said.
The game looked over quick, with UVa (2-1) going up 21-0 before William & Mary even got a 1st down thanks to scores from Kam Courtney from 23 yards out, J’Mari Taylor from the 1, and Xavier Brown from the 4 on the first three drives of the game.
But the time W&M (1-2) got that 1st down, that 79-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Tyler Hughes to a wide-open Deven Thompson down the sideline made a small dent in the deficit. After that, the Wahoos quickly took back control, scoring 21 more unanswered points on the Tribe.
By the end of the half, UVa had outgained William & Mary 457-100 in total yards.
The rushing attack in particular looked strong, with the aforementioned trio having scored as well as Harrison Waylee scoring twice in the first 30 minutes. Despite not scoring himself, the half’s leading rusher was Noah Vaughn, who racked up 101 yards on eight carries, including a 54-yard rush down to W&M’s 11-yard line early in the second quarter.
But just two plays later, Vaughn went down with an injury and needed assistance to get to the locker room. He later returned to the sidelines in the second half with crutches and a boot on his right foot.
During his postgame press conference, Elliott said Vaughn had suffered a high ankle injury and didn’t give a timetable to return. He added that the doctors were optimistic but they would need to reevaluate him later.
In Vaughn’s absence, Waylee continued to shine, finishing as the game’s leading rusher with 151 yards on 10 carries to go with three scores on the day.
In the passing game, Chandler Morris finished 13-for-19 passing for 149 yards and a touchdown before his day ended in the second quarter. His backup, Daniel Kaelin, took the reins and finished 8-for-14 with 164 yards and an interception.
By the third quarter, most of the starters from both teams were out. The Hoos scored another touchdown on their first drive of the half, a school-record 97-yard run by Wahlee (the longest since Mikell Simpson’s 96 yarder in 2007) but settled for field goals on their next two red zone trips with Kaelin’s interception sandwiched in between.
The Tribe made progress with a seven-play, 36-yard drive to start the second half, but stalled out at UVa’s 39 and punted. After two straight three-and-outs, backup quarterback Noah Brannock completed a deep 39-yard pass to Alfred Honesty to get the Tribe in the red zone, then picked up the touchdown two plays later with a six-yard rush.
After that, the Tribe were given a safety when a bad snap went over punter Elijah Slibeck’s head and sailed across the back of the end zone. Coincidentally, that play secured another noteworthy stat: The first game UVa has gone without punting since a 2019 meeting against the Tribe.
It was the first time two UVa players had run for 100 yards since Brennan Armstrong (105) and Perris Jones (104) against Richmond in 2022 and the first time two UVa running backs have done it since Daniel Hamm (136) and Kevin Parks (135) against VMI in 2013.
