No. 25 Virginia Stops W. Michigan 31-19

Posted 10:05PM on Saturday 3rd September 2005 ( 19 years ago )

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Marques Hagans threw one touchdown pass and ran for another score and mistake-prone Virginia did most of its scoring in the first 17 1/2 minutes in beating Western Michigan 31-19 Saturday night. The No. 25 Cavaliers (1-0), unable to stop the Broncos' short passing game most of the night, led only 24-19 when they finally got the stop they needed with 11 minutes left. On fourth-and 4 from the Virginia 31, Tony Franklin and Jermaine Dias tackled tight end Brandon Ledbetter 3 yards short of a first down and the Cavaliers took over. Twelve plays and 69 yards later, freshman Cedric Peerman gave Virginia some breathing room, scoring on a 1-yard run to make it 31-19 with 5:38 remaining. Before the scoring drive, Virginia's possessions in the half had ended on a fourth-and-2 play that went for a yard, a lost fumble and a missed 37-yard field goal. Western Michigan (0-1), playing its first game under coach Bill Cubit, looked nothing like a team on a 10-game losing streak, even though its starting quarterback sat the game out. Ryan Cubit, the coach's son, has a leg fracture and was replaced by Robbie Haas, who was brilliant, completing 33 of 49 passes for 271 yards. He connected with wide receiver Greg Jennings 16 times for 156 yards, and got loads of help from running back Mark Bonds, who bulled his way for 119 yards on 30 carries. Early on, Virginia seemed on its way to an expected blowout. The Cavaliers' first offensive play was a 57-yard pass to Ottowa Anderson, who was making his return after missing last season for academic problems. Three plays later, Hagans threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tom Santi. After Kwakou Robinson recovered a fumble by Haas at the Broncos 41 later in the quarter, Hagans hit Deyon Williams for 40 yards, then ran it in himself on the next play. Michael Johnson's 7-yard scoring run in the second quarter made it 24-3. The Cavaliers played without linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a second-team All-American and their top tackler the last two seasons, and lost starting tailback Wali Lundy on their second offensive series when he pulled up limping on a 28-yard run. Both absences showed. The Broncos repeatedly picked up key gains in the middle of the defense on short passes. Two running backs substituting for Lundy - Johnson and Jason Snelling - were pulled after fumbling. Peerman was the fourth back used. Hagans, who was 17-for-25 for 252 yards, also threw two interceptions, the latter of which was returned 55 yards for a touchdown by C.J. Wilson 37 seconds before halftime, pulling the Broncos to 24-16. Earlier, Nate Meyer had kicked field goals on 42, 31 and 32 yards. © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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