Sunshine in a cloudy game

Published 11:01 am Wednesday, January 3, 2018

University of Virginia sophomore wide receiver Joe Reed returns the opening kickoff of the Military Bowl 98 yards for a touchdown at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, on Thursday. In addition to the extra point, the score ended up being the Cavaliers’ only points of the day, as they fell 49-7 to Navy. Despite the loss, Virginia still finished the year with a 6-7 overall record which is a significant improvement on their 2-10 finish in 2016. Reed, a former Randolph-Henry High School standout, contributed to the resurgence as a kick returner, receiver and runner. He ended the year with 29 kick returns for 861 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 23 catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 10.6 yards per catch, and he carried the ball 21 times for 112 yards and a touchdown, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. One of his best games of the year came against the University of Miami, which entered week Week 15 ranked No. 10 in the nation according to the College Football Playoff Rankings. Though the Hurricanes won, Reed still had two catches for 81 yards and a touchdown and five carries for 27 yards.