This weekend in football: Hokies finally wake up, Commanders are who we thought they were

Are you ready for some football?

Welcome to TWIF, an acronym that we're borrowing for the season from the International Tug-of-War Federation.

Every Sunday night, we'll wrap up the weekend that was in the world of football. Jump ahead to our College or Commanders section, or just read on for...

High schools

The always-anticipated Battle of Chester got extra significance this year, with both teams entering ranked in the top 5. L.C. Bird hoped to end a recent stretch of Thomas Dale dominance in the rivalry.

Instead, the Knights walked off with a 27-16 victory thanks to a pair of interceptions by senior linebacker Draylin Waller. Bird got a throwback performance, but it was a different type - the Skyhawks had 19 penalties called on them throughout the game.

Elsewhere, the Richmond High School for the Arts (formerly George Wythe) picked up its first win against a fellow RPS school since 2016 with a 24-20 win over John Marshall. Jayvion Oliver logged 250 total yards as well as the game-sealing interception on defense. Find a full scoreboard here.

College

Is UVA for real? It's too early to tell, but the Wahoos showed a lot of spunk in a 14-point fourth-quarter comeback at Wake Forest, and are now 2-0 for only the third time since the 2013 season.

The schedule down the stretch remains brutal, so it's probably best to enjoy the good times while they last. Still, it's OK to dream - UVA had two major weaknesses last year, and seems to have improved both. The defensive line is getting pressure, and made a big play to preserve momentum before halftime.

Then there's sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who has 726 total yards and 6 total touchdowns so far. Colandrea's game took a big jump this offseason, and if he can keep the turnovers in check, he'll be able to keep UVA competitive.

James Madison's players were booed coming off the field at halftime as they trailed Gardner-Webb 3-0, but shook off the rust and came back to win 13-6. Quarterback Alonza Barnett was the surprise winner of an offseason quarterback competition with Washington transfer Dylan Morris, but the Dukes will likely evaluate everything during their upcoming off week.

In Blacksburg, the Virginia Tech offense got off to a slow start once again, but got rolling in the second half to take care of business against Marshall.

Next week's opponent, Old Dominion, has shown fight in two losses to better competition. Whether the Hokies show up on time next weekend will be a key factor.

Commanders

With apologies to Dennis Green, the Washington Commanders are who we thought they were. A 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers resets expectations among the "they're this year's Houston Texans" crowd, but probably confirms preseason fears for most rational fans.

Some observations:

What to do with Emmanuel Forbes Jr.? He's a liability on the field, but it's not clear that anybody on the bench is better suited for the role. In an ideal world, a true CB1 could move everybody down a position on the ladder, which would benefit Benjamin St.-Juste as well, but that kind of help won't arrive for another season.
Jayden Daniels will have to run, and hits are a part of the game - even hits to the head, like the one he took while "sliding" early in the contest. But there was no reason to fling him at the defense recklessly while down three scores in the game's final minutes. Stat padding is fine, but not at the expense of the quarterback's long-term health.
There was much more of Luke McCaffrey than was expected based on preseason usage. McCaffrey's best play may have been the one he didn't make - he wisely held the ball on a lateral/pass combo when the play got swallowed up by the Buccaneers defense.
The next one is a big one for the defense. Daniel Jones was largely ineffective today for the Giants, and threw two interceptions, yet every time he sets foot in Landover he turns into a mix of Johnny Unitas and Tom Brady. If the Commanders defense can't stop Jones, it could be a long season.
I'm not convinced the next one is a big one for the offense, nor that anybody needs to be overly critical of the young quarterback. Daniels will continue to grow, and the running game will find its form over time too. Throw in the two missed field goals, and this should have been competitive for longer than it was.