Virginia enters Saturday’s opener with a roster built to lean on experience, and that may be the cleanest place to start against NC State.
Among Power Four teams, the Cavaliers have the most career snaps, starts and games played on the roster. They also lead all of college football with 31 graduate players. That kind of veteran depth does not guarantee anything, but it can matter when games tighten up late and the fourth quarter turns into a test of who has more left.
The matchup comes with a familiar edge for Virginia, too. Since 2020, NC State has the second most wins in the ACC, and the Wolfpack have taken the last four meetings.
Tony Elliott has not beaten NC State yet as Virginia’s head coach. Last year’s meeting was a 35-31 shootout that produced nearly 1,000 yards of total offense, with both sides getting big production from star running backs.
This time around, both teams are again bringing in new starting running backs and refreshed receiving groups.
Virginia’s defense was one of the strongest parts of last season’s team. The Cavaliers finished with the No. 2 scoring defense in the ACC and ranked in the conference’s top five in all major defensive categories. Even better for Virginia, the unit kept getting sharper as the year went on, holding opponents to 21 points or fewer in the final eight games.
Up front, Virginia looks especially sturdy. All five starters have at least one all-conference season: McKale Boley, Noah Josey, Drake Metcalf, Makilan Thomas and Monroe Mills. Last year, the Cavaliers went sack-free in 35% of their games, a sign of how well that line held up.
Saturday also carries some milestone weight for the program. It will be the 1,400th game in Virginia history, and the Cavaliers are one win away from No.
- Their all-time record sits at 699-652-48, and a victory would make Virginia the 38th FBS program to reach that mark.
There are plenty of familiar threads between the teams. Offensive coordinator Des Kitchings spent several years in Raleigh with the Wolfpack. The transfer portal has also created a few crossovers, including safety Jalen McNair, who played with NC State receiver Victor Snow at Buffalo, and defensive end Matthew Fobbs-White, who played with Wolfpack linebacker Harvey Dyson.
Virginia has also been especially sharp when Elliott gets extra time to prepare. In games following a bye week, the Cavaliers are 6-0 under him. This week, Virginia effectively started its prep last Thursday, and the expectation is that the home team will be ready with a veteran group.
Limiting explosives will be a major key. In last season’s matchup, NC State hit seven plays of 20 yards or more, while Virginia had four. If the Cavaliers want to put themselves in position to control the game, they will need to keep the Wolfpack from turning the field into a track meet.
There is more history baked into this opener, too. Elliott is undefeated in August as Virginia’s head coach, and the Cavaliers are chasing their third straight ACC opener win.
They also are aiming to move to 10-1 in their last 11 home openers. In season openers overall, Virginia is 88-38-9, though the program has never won one this early.
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Virginias Pass Rush Faces An Early ACC Test Fans Will Watch
NC States opener against Virginia comes with a little extra edge because the matchup shifted late into a true road game, giving the Cavaliers an early chance to measure themselves against a familiar Atlantic Coast Conference foe. The spotlight will be on how Virginia handles quarterback C.J. Bailey and whether its defense, with Harvey Dyson III as a central figure, can make the Wolfpack work for every yard after an offseason of buildup.
For Virginia, the bigger concern is whether its pass rush can turn the game in its favor early, especially with Matthew Fobbs-White expected to be a disruptive presence off the edge. If the Cavaliers can get heat on Bailey and set the tone up front, they can make a season-opening statement in front of a home crowd, but NC States protection and the rest of the matchup pieces should give this one a sharp edge from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Opens With An Early Test That Could Shape The Buzz
Virginia is heading into its season opener with a chance to find out a lot about itself right away, and the matchup with NC State has drawn the kind of preview attention that usually comes with a game carrying more than September weight. Media outlets and podcasts have spent the week breaking down the meeting, which gives the Cavaliers a stage to show whether the early buzz around the program has real substance.
The interest around the opener only adds to the broader spotlight on the program this week, with running back Thomas Q. Jones also back in the conversation through a new docuseries on his football journey. It traces his rise from Big Stone Gap to UVA, then on to the NFL and acting, a reminder of the kind of long-term Virginia stories that still resonate even when the focus is on what comes next in the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Opens With An Orange-Out Stage Hoos Fans Will Love
Virginias home opener has the kind of built-in pageantry that tends to get Hoos fans fired up before the first snap is even played. The Cavaliers are leaning into the season kickoff with a full orange-out feel, highlighted by a Paint the Town Orange pep rally and spirit parade as Charlottesville gets ready for NC States visit. Even the uniform look is part of the buildup, with a sharper-than-usual home-game presentation designed to match the energy around the opener.
The football side of it should be just as intriguing, because both Tony Elliott and Dave Doeren have already pointed to how tight this matchup figures to be. Virginia wants the atmosphere to feel like more than just a backdrop for a September game, and the weeks events are clearly meant to turn the opener into a community-wide moment. With the fanfare running alongside the game prep, the Cavaliers are asking their crowd to help set a tone that could matter once the game settles in. [Read more 🡒]