Virginia shooting survivor Mike Hollins scores two TDs vs. James Madison in first home game since school shooting which killed three teammates

Virginia shooting survivor Mike Hollins scored two touchdowns Saturday in his first home game since the deadly shooting that killed three of his teammates on campus.

Hollins was on a school bus in November, returning from a field trip to Washington, D.C., when Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were tragically shot. He was shot in the back, had to undergo several surgeries and spent a week in hospital before beginning a lengthy rehabilitation.

And in an emotional first game in Charlottesville after the shootout, Hollins made a big impact, scoring for the first time from four yards out in the second quarter.

The running back then found the end zone in the third quarter with a nine-yard run.

Hollins was the team’s only representative for the drawing and was also the first Cavalier out of the tunnel.

The team ran toward an end zone painted with the words “UVA STRONG” and the names and numbers of the three killed. Most knelt in prayer upon arrival.

The end zone will remain painted to honor the three throughout the season. The Cavaliers wore stickers on their helmets and those wearing jerseys Nos. 1, 15 and 41 – the numbers of the three killed – wore legacy patches. Visiting dukes also wore stickers on their helmets.

More than two hours before kickoff Saturday, enthusiastic fans lined the team’s path to the locker room.

Many then donned the orange “UVA STRONG” t-shirts handed out to the first 35,000 fans to enter the stadium.

Fans were encouraged to take their seats at 11:30 a.m. for a pregame ceremony, and they applauded loudly as the team emerged from the locker room. The players went through their usual stretching and pre-game routine before heading back inside.

Tributes and dedications for three players killed in a shooting last November began Friday with the planting of a tree and the installation of a plaque honoring the three players, as well as another player and of an injured student. The victims were also honored before Saturday’s game against James Madison.

They returned and stood on the back line of the end zone to watch a five-minute video tribute narrated by Samuel L. Jackson that left many fans in tears.

Paratroopers then descended into the stadium, three carrying a banner bearing the jersey number of one of the players and the last with a “UVA STRONG” banner.

Another video highlighting Virginia football tradition ended with plaques honoring the three, now hanging under the pergola at the open end of the stadium, and then the families were introduced onto the field.

The numbers of the three killed were revealed on the LED board at the other end of the stadium, where the commentator indicated they would remain permanently.

Friday also included a tree planting and plaque installation honoring Chandler, Davis Jr. and Perry as well as another injured player and student.

The Cavaliers admitted they were emotional when they reconvened in the spring for 15 days of practice, especially when shooting survivor Hollins was in uniform.

Their first game back was last Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee, where they lost 49-13 to No. 9 Tennessee.

As second-year Virginia coach Tony Elliott has said repeatedly since the killings, there is no playbook, no formula for how a program recovers or how individual players behave.

“You have to compartmentalize and be strategic with the times of the day and know when you need to focus on football,” Elliott said this week.

“They also have academics that they need to continue to focus on and then spend the appropriate time mentally preparing for the emotional roller coaster that they’re going to experience at the end of the week and then also on game day. a delicate balance.

Saturday’s game ended 36-35 in favor of James Madison.