LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It's the kind of moment that freezes football games, fans, players, teammates, opponents, everyone, in their tracks. When Perris Jones, a sixth-year senior running back from Virginia, collided with Louisville linebacker Cam'Ron Kelly just before the end of the third quarter in the Cardinals 31-24 win Thursday night, there was no doubt something was wrong.
Louisville trainers shot onto the field, sprinting to Jones while a resulting fumble from the play was still being run back for a long touchdown. They and others motioned quickly for Virginia players to cross the field to attend to their players.
For 10 minutes, medical professionals and athletic trainers worked to stabilize and immobilize Jones, who was unable to move his extremities at the time. It was, without question, the most important act of teamwork of the evening.
Just after midnight, UVA football posted on social media that Jones had regained movement in all extremities and would remain in Louisville's University of Louisville hospital overnight.
According to the Associated Press, Jones was still in Louisville as of 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
In the moment, Virginia players knelt on their sideline. Louisville players knelt. Even the dramatic play — a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Malik Washington to give Virginia a 21-14 lead — ceased to feel significant.
Virginia players kneel as their teammate, Perris Jones, is attended to by training staff in a game at Louisville.
"We're getting some encouraging news," Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said after the game. "I know he's getting an MRI right now, but the news is encouraging."
Asked about the challenge of playing after the shock of such a scene, he said, "It's a very, very difficult reality of the sport that we play, that every play can end that way, and you don't wish that for anybody. Man, I know one thing: Perris is a tough young man and he lays it on the line every time he goes out there for this football team. We're believing and praying that he's going to have a full recovery. I'm putting that in the Lord's hands and I'm asking for that in advance and believing that that's going to be the case. But you know, we saw the same thing up at Boston College, the opposite. It was reversed, where their guy had to go out on a stretcher, and nobody wants to see it and it's tough to get back motivated, but man, I believe the guys, I believe they responded."
Virginia, of course, has had to respond before. The team lost three members last year when a shooter opened fire on a charter bus returning from a field trip. Jones, one of the team's more experienced players, was among the leaders who helped teammates cope with and heal from the tragedy. He began his career as a walk-on at UVa.
His UVa bio notes that he plays guitar and writes poetry, serves food to the homeless with his family every Christmas morning and earned bachelors' degrees in both African-American studies and English in 2022. He now is pursuing a master's degree in Educational Psychology.
Players from Louisville and Virginia gather around UVa running back Perris Jones before he his carted off the field during Thursday's game.
We're obviously praying for him," said Louisville quarterback Jack Plummer. "That was scary. I think everyone in the stadium was quiet. For me personally, I was reflecting on what was happening. Then we had to recenter ourselves and understand that we still had a game to play. The conversations I had at that point were about how we were down and I said we needed to find a way to win, reset, and do our job. It was obviously a tough situation and we're praying for him. Hopefully he gets better."
Kelly, who had the collision with Jones, was a teammate with him in the spring. Kelly spent all of spring practice with Virginia after transferring from North Carolina. The hit happened so quickly and commanded so much attention of players in proximity that few noticed the ball had been fumbled.
"I guess maybe he lowered his head, or tried to go low, and I went low, too, and it was a collision," Kelly said. "And I guess the ball came out too. It happened and I'm just praying for him basically. I said my peace to him while he was on the stretcher and nothing but love for him and wish him a speedy recovery."
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