virginiasports.com:

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The UVA football team fell behind 14-0 early in the second quarter but never panicked Saturday afternoon. The Cavaliers held Boston College scoreless the rest of the way and rallied for a 24-14 victory in an ACC game at Scott Stadium.

Virginia, which won three games in each of its first two seasons under head coach Tony Elliott, is now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in conference play. The crowd at Scott Stadium included many members of UVA’s 1989 team, the first in program history to win the ACC title, and the current honored them with a stirring comeback.

“As a program we grew up today,” Elliott told his players afterward. “We took a step.”

The Eagles (4-2, 1-1) came in with a 7-1 all-time record against UVA, and for the first 17 minutes it appeared they would continue their dominance in the series. At the end of the first quarter, Virginia had one first down, and BC went up 14-0 with 13:08 left in the second quarter.

The Cavaliers managed to stay connected, though, and grew stronger as the game went on. The first of Will Bettridge’s three field goals made it 14-3, and pivotal sequence late in the first half kept BC from taking a commanding lead.  The Eagles picked up a first down at the UVA 35, but their next three plays netted only one yard, and they ended up punting.

Virginia took over at its 3-yard line with 1:44 left in the half. Two penalties on BC—the first a targeting call—helped the Hoos drive across midfield and into the red zone. On the final play of the half, Bettridge’s 33-yard field goal cut the Eagles’ lead to 14-6.

The Wahoos dominated the second half, coming up with three takeaways.

Defensive end Chico Bennett Jr.’s came up with first career interception after Anthony Britton tipped a pass by BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos at the line of scrimmage. Bennett Jr.’s interception gave the Hoos possession at midfield, and two plays later they had their first lead. A first-down run by tailback Kobe Pace gained 20 yards, and quarterback Anthony Colandrea teamed with wide receiver Malachi Fields on a 30-yard touchdown pass with 10:39 to play.

Colandrea then passed to wideout Andre Greene Jr. for a two-point conversion that put Virginia up 17-14.

A disastrous series followed for BC. On third-and-9 from near midfield, Castellanos fumbled, and UVA safety Jonas Sanker scooped up the ball and raced 40 yards down the right field for a touchdown with 6:02 remaining. Bettridge added the extra point to close out the scoring.

Defensive back Kendrick Smith, a graduate transfer from Penn, came up with UVA’s final takeaway, his first interception as a Cavalier with 3:04 remaining.

The Hoos finished with 339 yards of offense, to 319 for the Eagles. Colandrea completed 15 of 26 passes for 179 yards and one TD.

Three wideouts had four receptions apiece for UVA: Fields (63 yards), JR Wilson (44 yards) and Greene (24 yards). Fields, who played quarterback at nearby Monticello High School, also completed a pass on a trick play Saturday, connecting with tailback Kobe Pace for a 29-yard gain.

Pace led all rushers with 83 yards on 19 carries.

BC defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku came in leading the nation in sacks, but the Cavaliers’ offensive line didn’t allow him to significantly disrupt their passing game. UVA, meanwhile, recorded three sacks, one each by linebackers Kam Robinson and James Jackson and defensive end Kam Butler.

UP NEXT
For the first and only time this season, Virginia will play a second straight home game. At 3:30 p.m. next Saturday, UVA takes on ACC rival Louisville at Scott Stadium. The game will air on ESPN or ACC Network.

No. 22 Louisville (3-2, 1-1) lost 34-27 to visiting SMU on Saturday afternoon.

Virginia has dropped two straight games to Louisville, which leads the series 7-5. When the teams met last season, the Cardinals rallied for a 31-24 win at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium in Louisville.