UVA Football
"The Ride"
We didn't just make a new home opener, we created a new tradition
During the 2024 and 2025 college football seasons, we created a home opening hype video for UVA Football that took fans to an older, darker time of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
We introduced a new version of the UVA Cavalier mascot: a dark, mysterious crusader fighting off the Spider of Richmond, the Demon Deacon of Wake Forest, and a host of other terrifying foes in the dead of night. Each video culminated in a custom fight scene where the Cavalier would defeat a horrifying version of the opposing team’s mascot.
We worked closely with the live events crew at UVA to time up the end of our video with the on-field Cavalier riding out onto the field.
The video series and our "The Ride" merch have been massively popular with fans.
Every week, we treated fans to a new battle vs a terrifying foe
Over the course of the 2024 and 2025 seasons, we gave fans 13 variations of our home opener, with a unique fight scene for every opponent.
We crafted each of these battles thematically, customizing each new monster to the opponent's mascot, team and brand colors. The battles all took place in iconic Virginia locations.
The William & Mary Griffin
We recast William & Mary’s Griffin mascot as a giant predatory beast that haunts the skies over Roanoke VA. The Griffin meets his shocking end at the iconic Roanoke Star at Mill Mountain Park.
The Demon Deacon of Wake Forest
The Demon deacon mascot gave us a chance to show UVA fans something they had never seen before - the Cavalier on two wheels. We packed this fight with references to Ghost Rider and the anime classic Akira to stage this motorcycle chase through the streets of Richmond.
The Louisville Cardinal Swarm
One Louisville Cardinal is not scary, but a blood thirsty swarm of thousands is another thing. This was our nod to Alfred Hitchcock.
The Virginia Tech Hokie-Mech
This was a special game so we made an extra long animation. UVA has only beaten their rival Virginia Tech once in the last twenty years. In 2025, UVA fans were ready for revenge. We gave the fans what they wanted to see - an absolute beat-down of a poorly constructed turkey-mech. Honestly, you'd think the Va Tech engineering crew would build a better bird...
The mood in the sold out stadium was intense and the cheer when the Cavalier won was deafening. The game was as brutally one-sided as the animation - a 27-7 win for the Hoos. This video was our biggest hit to date with UVA fans.
The SMU Minotaur
UVA students have used the wall of the Beta Bridge as a re-paintable canvas to share their beliefs and express their support of Hoo Nation. Today, it's the stomping grounds of the half-man, half Mustang of SMU.
Chauncey the CCU Chaunticleer
We reimagined the Coastal Carolina Chaunticleer as a monstrous rooster who arrives in downtown Charlottesville at dawn, with a single minded goal: to ruin the “Paint the Town Orange” day festivities with his destructive sonic rays.
The Stanford Spruce-Ent
Stanford’s only on-field mascot is a spruce tree with legs and googly eyes. We introduced UVA fans to his more ancient, terrifying cousin, a hideous beast last seen stalking the woods of Natural Bridge State Park near Lexington, VA.
The Maryland Terrapin
The coastline of Virginia Beach is being terrorized by battleship-sized terrapin turtle. The Cavalier will need an unexpected assist from the Va Beach Poseidon Statue to send this ancient horror back to the depths of the Atlantic.
Rameses the UNC Ram
The UNC Tarheels have an on-the-field ram mascot named Rameses.
We buried and resurrected him as an undead creature of bones and tar, haunting the peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
From the video boards, to the merch shop...
Behind the cape
The making of "The Ride"
Credits
This animation ran in-stadium, as well as on all University of Virginia social channels (Youtube, X, Instagram)
Client: University of Virginia
Creative Director: Greg Walter
Visual Lead: Ian Mork
Animation: Greg Walter, Stefan Warren, and Mike Lee Graham
Illustration: Ian Mork, Scott Hassell, Mike Lee Graham
Voiceover: Wolf Williams
Audio: Matt Peery
Producer: Lexi Morgan