Virginia didn’t win any style points Saturday night, but it did leave Scott Stadium with exactly what mattered most: a 28-25 comeback over Syracuse, a 4-2 record, and a 2-1 mark in ACC play.
That’s the kind of result that can steady a season. It also came with a long list of warnings.
Tony Elliott saw enough to like in the rain-soaked win, but the second half of the season is going to ask for more than resilience. Virginia’s ground game finally showed some life, the defense made just enough key plays late, and several veterans helped drag the Cavaliers back from the edge. Still, the issues that have followed this team all year were right there, too.
One of the clearest bright spots came from Xavier Brown and Kobe Pace Middlebrooks. With four running backs seeing the field, Middlebrooks was never going to pile up huge numbers, but his night still stood out.
After five weeks, his production had been modest - 242 rushing yards and seven catches for 51 yards - yet he broke through in the fourth quarter with eight carries for 50 yards and two short touchdown runs on direct snaps. He also added a pair of first downs on speed-option plays, part of a season-high 95-yard outing as Des Kitchings opened things up.
Virginia is going to need that kind of threat on the ground. Brown brings the power, but Middlebrooks gives the Cavaliers a different kind of danger, the sort of big-play element that can change a game in a hurry.
The secondary, meanwhile, was stretched thin again. Syracuse was using backup quarterbacks, but that didn’t stop the Orange from hitting explosive plays. Malachi Nelson, Syracuse’s third-string quarterback, completed passes of 51 and 29 yards, and fourth-stringer Danny Lauter later found Daunte Bacheyie for a 39-yard touchdown after Christian Ellis went for an interception instead of simply breaking up the pass.
Part of the problem was availability. Starting cornerback Omillo Agard was out, and Brandyn Hillman had to be helped off the field, which pushed Ellis into a bigger role.
Even with those setbacks, Virginia still allowed a season-high 267 passing yards to a team forced onto its backup quarterbacks. That’s a rough formula for a defense that’s trying to hold up through conference play.
The front also had to deal with injury trouble, especially inside. Virginia’s interior defensive line has been banged up, and opponents have taken advantage between the tackles.
Syracuse found some success there too, but Elliott did get a big performance from defensive tackle John Britton. He helped limit the Orange to two fourth-quarter rushing yards and finished with a team- and career-high nine tackles.
“I've challenged him. I've said this to him several times, I think he can be one of the best in the league," Elliott said.
"And now you're starting to see that it's all coming together. I don't like when D-tackles have to lead us in tackles, but whatever it takes to find a way to win."
The injuries kept piling up as the game went on. Hillman left with a lower-body injury, and so did Rico Flores Jr., Virginia’s most talented receiver, along with cornerback Jacobie Henderson.
Defensive tackle Sichaun John also needed attention from trainers. Add those names to a list that already includes Agard and Jason Hammond, who is out for the season, and Virginia is now leaning hard on depth at multiple spots.
Elliott pointed to Beau Pribula, Kam Robinson, Fisher Camac and Noah Josey as examples of veterans who kept their composure and helped fuel the comeback against Syracuse and the pressure that came with it. Those are the kinds of players the Cavaliers are going to need even more as the schedule stiffens, starting with Saturday’s trip to SMU.
There was one last area that needs attention: the pass rush. Virginia finished with only one sack, a late fourth-quarter takedown of Lauter by Camac and Matthew Fobbs-White.
With uncertainty in the secondary and stronger passing teams looming, the Cavaliers are going to have to create more consistent pressure. Elliott may decide to unleash Robinson more often to help make that happen.
In Other News...
Virginia Had To Dig Deep To Avoid A Brutal Home Letdown
Virginias afternoon at Scott Stadium had all the makings of a flat home disappointment before the Cavaliers steadied themselves and found a way to beat Syracuse 28-25. Tony Elliotts team spent much of the game chasing, and the offense did not fully come to life until after halftime, when the Cavaliers finally started to look more like the group that could finish the job in front of its own crowd.
The turning point came when Beau Pribula connected with DaShawn Martin on a 43-yard touchdown pass, a play that helped flip the momentum and open the door for the late push. Jekail Middlebrook added two rushing touchdowns as Virginia clawed back in the second half, a rally that left Elliott praising the teams resilience after a win that could have easily slipped away. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Finally Got The Win It Desperately Needed
Virginia football badly needed a stabilizing win, and it found one in a 28-25 escape over Syracuse that showed why close games have felt so difficult for this team. Virginia trailed at halftime but stayed in it with strong special teams and a defense that kept giving the offense a chance, even as the Cavaliers were outgained and had to navigate penalties and a steady dose of in-game adversity.
Jekail Middlebrook gave Virginia the kind of running game presence it had been searching for, helping the Cavaliers finish the job when the margin was tight. The result offers a measure of relief and a chance to reset, but it also leaves the bigger question hanging over the next stretch of the season: whether this was a true turning point or just a much-needed survival act. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Women's Soccer Sends A Strong ACC Message On The Road
Virginias womens soccer team kept its strong early-season form rolling with a lopsided road win over SMU, a result that should travel well as ACC play gets tighter and the margin for error shrinks. The No. 14 Cavaliers spread the scoring around and showed the kind of balance that can make a team dangerous over the long haul, with Olivia Rademaker, Sophia Bradley, Jordyn Hardeman, Aniyah Collier and Mackenzie Mize all finding the net in the victory.
For a Virginia group trying to make a statement beyond just one result, the bigger takeaway is how complete it looked away from home. Multiple scorers, steady pressure and a comfortable finish all point in the same direction, even if the full measure of what this performance means in the conference race will become clearer as the schedule moves on. [Read more 🡒]