Juan Thornhill – Noteworthy
All week long, Bronco Mendenhall said, he had a sense that Virginia was ready to perform on a big stage. The Cavaliers proved their coach right Saturday night, getting a touchdown from Jordan Ellis, three field goals from Brian Delaney and a stout defensive performance in a 16-13 victory over No. 16 Miami. “They’re becoming resilient and they are becoming confident and they acknowledge and see that happening,” said Mendenhall, in his third season at Virginia. “For me and my staff, it’s just fun to watch them transforming.” Ellis scored on a 7-yard run in the first half and Delaney connected on kicks of 26, 46 and 32 yards for the Cavaliers (4-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Miami appeared to have stopped Virginia on a third-down run in the final minutes, but a personal foul call against Tito Odenigbo kept the drive alive and the Cavaliers ran out the clock. Delaney kicked a fourth field goal with 30 seconds left, but was run into on the play, giving Virginia a first down. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, fans streamed down the hill at one end of the stadium and onto the field. “It woke everybody up,” said safety Juan Thornhill, who had two interceptions. “It just shows that we have a shot to win this. We have a shot to win the ACC.” – AP College Football