The Sports Xchange
Sep 3, 2016

First-year coach Bronco Mendenhall's Virginia debut was spoiled by in-state foe Richmond as the Cavaliers were dominated on both sides of the ball in a 37-20 loss to the Spiders on Saturday afternoon at Charlottesville, Va.

The win marked Richmond's first triumph over the Cavaliers since the 1946 season.

Quarterback Kyle Lauletta paced the Spiders' offense completing 24 of 35 pass attempts for 337 yards and three touchdowns.

Richmond (1-0) controlled the game from the opening kickoff as it scored on its first four possessions of the first half, which included three field goals and an 11-yard touchdown pass by Lauletta.

The Spiders were relentless on offense and defense as they out-gained Virginia (0-1) 530-302. Running back Gordon Collins ripped off 114 yards on the ground, including a 55-yard touchdown run to seal the game for the Spiders late in the fourth quarter.

Virginia was stifled by Richmond's defense as it managed just 38 yards on the ground and turned the ball over four times, which included three fumbles.

Cavaliers senior running back Taquan Mizzell, who was looked at as one of the top offensive threats in the Atlantic Coast Conference, totaled just 31 yards of offense and fumbled twice. East Carolina transfer Kurt Benkert had a solid performance in his debut for the Cavaliers as he went 26-for-34 for 264 yards and three touchdowns.

With Virginia down 23-7 midway through the third quarter, Benkert tossed his first interception with the Cavaliers, allowing the Spiders to control the remainder of the game.

Richmond held the ball for 39:46 compared to just 20:14 for the Cavaliers, and went 5-for-5 in its red-zone opportunities.