Few people are circling Norfolk State as a real threat to knock off Virginia on Friday night. The 25th-ranked Cavaliers come in deeper, more seasoned and healthier after a bye week, and they’re fresh off a 34-8 win over NC State to open the season.
Still, the Spartans (1-1) aren’t walking into this one without a few reasons to pay attention. Their best hope would be Michael Vick, in his playing prime and back in uniform. Instead, Vick will be on the sideline, trying to solve a Virginia team he once beat three times in three tries as Virginia Tech’s starting quarterback.
Virginia owns the edge almost everywhere you look, but the game will still be shaped by a few individual battles.
One of them is on the outside, where Norfolk State receiver Cameron Billups has quickly become a key piece for Deljay Bailey. Billups was one of the biggest names among the 20 transfers Vick brought in after going 1-11 in his first season as a college coach.
He barely saw the field as a freshman at North Carolina last season, but he did catch seven passes in Norfolk State’s loss to Old Dominion last week. At 6-2 and 195 pounds, he gives Bailey a legitimate target.
How Virginia handles him matters because the Cavaliers’ secondary was suffocating in the opener. Against NC State, Agard and the rest of the defensive backfield allowed just one completion for 20 yards. If they can repeat that kind of control, it gives Virginia’s pass rush a chance to get after Bailey.
Up front, the Cavaliers should like their odds even more. Virginia starts five graduate students on the offensive line, and that experience shows up in a matchup like this one.
Norfolk State’s three-man front includes redshirt sophomore Malik Moses and junior Eugene Allen IV, both giving up 50 pounds or more to the man across from them. The one interior lineman who can stack up physically is 300-pound redshirt senior Dantey Menard.
That sets up Virginia to lean on the run game early, just as it did against the Wolfpack. Look for Beau Pribula to hand off more than he keeps it himself, with the Cavaliers trying to create big lanes and control the line of scrimmage.
Even so, Virginia still has something to prove through the air. The passing game was barely a footnote in the opener, and Pribula needs more of a connection with Kam Courtney, Ty'Lyric Coleman, Da'Shawn Martin and Jacquon Gibson as the schedule stiffens later on. Gibson, who caught 63 passes last season at UMass, was held without a catch against NC State and was targeted only once.
Norfolk State’s secondary is young but athletic, with transfer safety Josiah Davis from Florida serving as the anchor. That gives the Spartans a chance to test Virginia’s receivers, but the Cavaliers should still have opportunities to win those one-on-one matchups and build some confidence before next week’s showdown with West Virginia.
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Virginia Faces One Early Test Fans Can't Ignore After NC State
Virginia heads into its home date with Norfolk State coming off a statement win over NC State, and the mood around the program has shifted quickly from proving itself to protecting against its own momentum. The Cavaliers are ranked 25th and favored, but this is the sort of early-season spot that can reveal whether a team is simply feeling good or actually building something sustainable.
There should also be a notable personnel change on the field, with linebacker Robinson expected to be back after working his way through a surgically repaired ACL. Virginia will, however, be without receiver Rico Flores Jr. because of a hamstring issue, and it is exactly the kind of availability wrinkle that can make a supposedly manageable game feel a little less simple if focus slips even for a moment. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Defense Has A New Chance To Prove Week 0 Was Real
Virginias defense made its loudest early-season statement in Week 0, holding NC State to eight points and helping push the Cavaliers into the No. 25 spot in the rankings. Now the unit gets another chance to back that up against Norfolk State, with defensive coordinator John Rudzinski looking for the kind of clean performance that would make the opener feel less like a strong start and more like a standard.
Kam Robinsons return adds another layer to the front seven after his long recovery from the ACL tear he suffered on Nov. 15, and his presence gives Virginia another proven piece to lean on as the season settles in. Along with defensive lineman Britton, the Cavaliers could also get a closer look at freshmen linebackers Uran and Brannon, who may be asked to handle more work as the staff sorts out how much depth it can trust beyond the first wave of defenders. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Has More Than One Reason This Home Opener Matters
Virginias home opener against Norfolk State at Scott Stadium carries a little extra meaning beyond the usual September reset. After a bye week, the Cavaliers are looking to keep their early momentum going, and there are a handful of individual milestones in the mix as the program settles back into game mode. Kicker Will Bettridge is on the doorstep of a major place in school history, while several other players are approaching career marks of their own.
The broader team picture has been just as encouraging, especially on defense, where Virginia has been making a habit of creating problems for opposing offenses. That kind of disruption has helped the Cavaliers stay on track, and it gives this matchup a chance to serve as both a tune-up and a showcase. With the record intact and the milestone watch continuing, Scott Stadium has more than the usual opener storylines to follow. [Read more 🡒]