UVA’s Defense Delivers a Historic Gator Bowl Finish-and a Legacy Moment for Devin Neal
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - With the clock ticking under a minute and Missouri driving, Virginia’s defense found itself in a familiar position: backs against the wall, game on the line. The Tigers had just ripped off a 24-yard completion to get inside the red zone, down to the Cavaliers’ 21-yard line.
No timeouts left, fourth down looming. And then came the moment that sealed it all.
Matt Zollers, Missouri’s starter, had just taken a hit and was sidelined. Enter backup quarterback Brett Brown, who stepped into the huddle with the season hanging in the balance.
His target? Kevin Coleman Jr., streaking toward the end zone.
But standing between Coleman and glory was Devin Neal-Virginia’s steady, no-flash, all-substance safety.
Neal read it the whole way.
“I had to stay over the top,” Neal said after the game. “Wherever the quarterback was looking, I was going to stay over the top. And when he threw the ball, I knew I didn’t have to pick it, but I had to get the ball out.”
He didn’t just get it out-he punched it to the turf. Game over. History made.
Virginia’s 13-7 win over Missouri in the Gator Bowl wasn’t just a gritty defensive stand-it was a milestone. The Cavaliers locked in their first 11-win season in program history, and their first bowl victory since 2018. And fittingly, it was Neal-who’s made a habit of showing up in big moments-who closed the curtain on this one.
Neal finished the game with 10 tackles and the game-saving pass breakup, a performance that encapsulated everything he’s meant to this defense: dependable, poised, and always in the right place at the right time.
“It means a lot to me, man,” Neal said, reflecting on his final game in a Virginia uniform. “Just being able to finish the game, just finish it strong, no matter the adversity.
I’m just glad I left it on the field. I don’t have a single regret about this game.”
It didn’t start the way the Cavaliers wanted. Missouri opened the game with a statement drive-seven plays, 74 yards in just three minutes, 54 of those yards coming on the ground. It looked like the Tigers might run wild.
But that’s when the veterans stepped up-not just on the field, but on the sideline.
“It was more just the echo of poise,” Neal said. “Just don’t change anything up.
We know who we are. We know what we’ve been practicing.
Just have your brother’s back. And that’s what we did.”
From that point on, the defense flipped the script. They forced a critical third-quarter turnover that swung momentum Virginia’s way and never gave it back.
Missouri, one of the top rushing teams in the country, was held to just over 100 yards on the ground the rest of the game. And more importantly, they were shut out for the final 56 minutes and 56 seconds.
The Tigers went just 3-for-12 on third down and were 0-for-3 on fourth down conversions. Every time they needed a play, Virginia’s defense had the answer.
And now, this 2025 Cavaliers team owns a permanent place in the program’s record books. Only one other team-back in 1989-had reached double-digit wins.
But none had ever hit 11. Until now.
“Just being a part of something, being a first to something is special,” Neal said. “Even if this mark is beaten-12 wins, whatever-it’ll always be this team that’s remembered. And I’m thankful to be a part of this team with this group of guys that we have.”
For Neal, it’s the perfect ending. For Virginia, it’s a new standard. And for college football fans, it was a reminder that sometimes, defense still wins games-and makes history in the process.