Brendan Farrell kicked a 26-yard field goal on the game’s final play as Virginia pulled out a 16-14 victory against visiting Old Dominion on Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers drove 56 yards in six plays in the final minute to set up the field goal. Farrell had missed to end Virginia’s previous possession.
Hayden Wolff threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Zack Kuntz with 1:01 remaining to lift Old Dominion to a 14-13 lead. That wrapped up a rare burst of offense from the Monarchs, who converted two fourth-down plays while driving 80 yards in 11 plays in just over two minutes.
Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong was 20-for-37 for 284 yards. He accounted for 43 yards on the last possession, 30 by pass and 13 by rush.
Wolff, who threw for two touchdowns, completed 23 of 37 passes for 235 yards.
Old Dominion (1-2), which opened the season with a home upset of Virginia Tech, was trying to pull off its second victory against an in-state Power 5 conference opponent in the opening month of the season. Instead, it lost for the second week in a row.
Virginia’s first possession of the second half resulted in the Cavaliers’ third lost fumble of the game. This one occurred inside the Old Dominion 30-yard line.
Farrell’s 30-yard field goal with 8:37 to play in the game stretched Virginia’s lead to 13-7. That capped an 11-play, 46-yard drive.
Virginia’s defense was mostly up to the task, holding Old Dominion to a total of 58 yards of offense in the Monarchs’ first five possessions of the second half.
But Farrell missed a 36-yard field goal with 3:07 left, preventing the Cavaliers from taking a two-possession lead.
Running back Xavier Brown rushed for 88 yards on nine carries for Virginia (2-1), which has managed just one touchdown scored across its last two games combined.
Old Dominion running back Blake Watson posted 70 rushing yards on 21 attempts.
Virginia scored on a 1-yard run from Mike Hollins with 3:13 left in the first quarter. The Cavaliers padded their lead to 10-0 on their next possession, which ended with Farrell’s 26-yard field goal.
Old Dominion finally scored on Wolff’s 29-yard pass play to Ali Jennings III with 19 seconds to play in the first half. That scoring opportunity came after the second of two Virginia fumbles in the second quarter. The Monarchs marked 64 yards in six plays.
–Field Level Media