The NFL’s highest-scoring Week 1 of the Super Bowl era gave a few former Virginia Cavaliers plenty to smile about, and several of them wasted no time turning in eye-catching openers.
Jonas Sanker probably had the loudest all-around day. The Charlottesville native led the New Orleans Saints with 10 total tackles, seven of them solo, and added a tackle for loss in a strong second-year debut.
He also came within a whisker of an even bigger moment: Sanker scooped up a Jared Goff fumble in the second quarter and returned it for what would have been his first NFL touchdown, but the play was controversially overturned and ruled an incomplete pass. Even without the score, it was the kind of performance that makes the preseason buzz feel justified.
Dontayvion Wicks followed with a statement of his own in Philadelphia’s 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders. The fourth-year receiver finished with two catches for 73 yards and a touchdown, including a 64-yard gain in the first quarter when he blew past the secondary. Later, he showed off his route-running with a sharp move to create space in the back of the end zone for a nine-yard score.
Malik Washington also found a way to stay involved despite Miami’s 27-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. He led the Dolphins with eight targets, turning them into three receptions for 53 yards, and added a 17-yard punt return. The numbers point to a player who should keep playing a real role in the offense, even if the season opener was a rough one for Miami.
Olamide Zaccheaus had a quieter day statistically in Atlanta’s 20-13 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with one catch for five yards, but he still made a notable appearance in a different way. Zaccheaus was named both the Falcons’ emergency quarterback and emergency running back in Week 1. He hasn’t attempted a pass in the pros, but at UVA he was 2-for-2 throwing the ball, including a 15-yard touchdown to Evan Butts in a 2015 win over Duke at Scott Stadium.
And while Malachi Fields no longer officially counts as a former Hoos by NFL standards because his final college season came at Notre Dame, Virginia fans know the connection well. The rookie third-round pick got his pro career rolling on Sunday Night Football, catching two passes for 25 yards as the Giants upset the Dallas Cowboys. His four targets were tied for third-most on the team, a sign he may already have carved out a meaningful spot in New York’s plan.
In Other News...
Virginia Gets An Early Chance To Prove Something In Charlotte
Virginia gets an early measuring-stick game in Charlotte this week, meeting West Virginia at Bank of America Stadium in the Dukes Mayo Classic with both programs still unbeaten. It is the kind of nonconference showcase that can tell a lot about where a team really stands, and for Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers, the setting adds an extra layer of intrigue. Virginia has talked about its preparation and the value of playing in a venue with this kind of stage, where the margins tend to show up fast.
For the Cavaliers, this is also the first of two scheduled trips to Charlotte against the Mountaineers, which gives the matchup a little more staying power than a one-off neutral-site date. Virginia has reason to want a cleaner showing in Bank of America Stadium this time around, and the meeting arrives early enough in the season to shape how the rest of the schedule is viewed. A win would not settle anything, but it would offer a sharp answer to a basic question Virginia is trying to answer for itself right now. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Faces A Serious Defensive Test Before West Virginia Kickoff
Virginias defense is heading into its next nonconference matchup with a different kind of stress test, one that has Tony Elliott focused on more than just the final score. West Virginia brings an efficient, high-tempo offense that can make a defense work from snap to snap, with quarterback Michael Hawkins and running back Cam Cook both giving the Mountaineers production on the ground and keeping the pace moving.
For a Virginia unit that has looked solid in earlier games, the challenge is about sustaining that level while adjusting to a style that does not give much time to breathe. The Cavaliers are also dealing with a likely defensive tackle injury that adds another layer of uncertainty up front, just as they prepare for an opponent built to press that weakness quickly. [Read more 🡒]
UVA Says Goodbye To A Program Figure Players Never Forgot
For nearly a half-century, Ethan Saliba has been one of those constant presences around Virginia athletics, the kind of athletic trainer whose work is felt long before it is ever noticed. His reputation at UVA was built on more than treatment tables and rehab plans. It came from the trust he earned from generations of athletes and colleagues, along with the steady professionalism that made him a fixture across the department.
Salibas career has carried a level of recognition that matched his impact, including the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and a spot in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame. But the more meaningful measure may be the way former players still talk about him, with the kind of respect usually reserved for coaches and stars. After so many years tied to Virginias daily life, his departure closes a familiar chapter while leaving behind a question of how the program fills a role that was never really just a job. [Read more 🡒]