BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

CHARLOTTESVILLE

The players and the crowd of 54,146 were lively for the debut of first-year head coach Mike London.

Virginia and its fans rarely let up from start to finish as the London era got off to a rousing start in the Cavaliers' 34-13 victory over Richmond, the team he coached the past two seasons.

"It was really important to come out and at least be representative of a team trying to improve," London said. "We're not world beaters but if we can just come out, don't self-destruct, show we can score points and play defense, that's the improvement we were looking for."

The Cavaliers were 3-9 last season, and that led to the firing of head coach Al Groh. They looked much improved last night.

Their win snapped a four-game losing streak in season-openers.

"It was crazy because before the game all of us just got real hyped," senior wide receiver Dontrelle Inman said. "The vibe was so crazy. I was telling the guys, 'We can't lose this game.' We bled blue and orange, and we just came out with the win."

The Cavaliers (1-0) were led by a pair of seniors with something to prove.

Senior running back Keith Payne was in and out of London's doghouse because of poor academics and conditioning all summer, but broke through with 114 yards and four touchdowns last night.

Payne energized his teammates with a few runs in which he dragged several Richmond defenders along the way.

"This is something the whole team wanted," Payne said of a season-opening victory. "We have a new staff, new coaches and new schemes. We have high expectations for all of us."

Senior quarterback Marc Verica played as if he has high expectations, too. Verica was discarded to the bench last season after he threw eight touchdowns and 16 interceptions as a starter in 2008.

He was sharp last night, connecting short and long. Verica threw for a career-high 283 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown pass to Kris Burd (seven receptions, 122 yards) in the second quarter.