Associated Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — You remember the numbers K.P. Parks put up at West Rowan, right?
His 10,895 career yards were the third most in U.S. prep history. After a redshirt year at Virginia, it was time for Parks to remind fans of his greatness.
Parks had 55 100-yard games in high school, a national record. He got his first 100-yard outing in his college debut Saturday as Virginia routed William & Mary 40-3.
Parks finished with 114 yards on 16 carries and scored three touchdowns
“It felt real good to be back on the field again, just to be playing,” said Parks. “I thank the coaches for trusting me and putting me in the game. The offensive linemen played well. Everybody played well. We complemented each other, the offense and the defense.”
A 97-yard drive on Virginia’s first possession of the second half appeared to take the starch out of the Tribe and gave the Cavaliers a 20-0 lead when Parks scored on a 1-yard run. Virginia added another touchdown by Parks and a field goal to make it 30-0 after three quarters.
“I felt like William & Mary wore down a little bit, and that was a good job by our offensive linemen.”
The Cavaliers led 13-0 at halftime, thanks in part to the accurate arm of Michael Rocco, a sophomore who was 14 of 18 in the first half for 92 yards.
Two years ago, William & Mary came to Scott Stadium and upset the Cavs. So with a vastly different cast and a different coach, Virginia avoided another upset by the Football Championship Subdivision school with a dominating win over the Tribe in the season opener.
“This is a different team than played two years ago,” said Virginia coach Mike London, in his second year at the helm. “This team is focused on being better and executing our offense.”
The Cavaliers led 13-0 at halftime, thanks in part to the accurate arm of Rocco, a sophomore who was 14 of 18 in the first half for 92 yards.
The Cavaliers also got a big boost from their much-maligned defense, which held the Tribe to 169 yards of offense and produced two turnovers that led to 10 points. William & Mary converted only two of 14 third-down situations.
Rocco, making his first career start, completed his first 11 passes and finished 21 of 29 for 174 yards.
William & Mary, the preseason third-ranked team in FCS, was unable to cross midfield until eight minutes remained in the game.
The Cavaliers also scored on a 19-yard touchdown run by Parks midway through the second quarter. Sharing the running duties with junior Perry Jones, the redshirt freshman accounted for 78 of his rushing yards in the first half.
Virginia outgained the Tribe 212 yards to 52 yards in the first half.