Virginia’s offense had another rough night, and this time the timing made it sting even more.
The Cavaliers fell 23-13 at No. 24 SMU on Saturday, managing only one touchdown and leaving with their second ACC loss of the season. Virginia is now 4-3 overall and 2-2 in league play, and the scoring numbers from those conference defeats are hard to ignore: just 20 points combined.
For a while, though, this one was hanging in the balance. Virginia played SMU evenly through much of the first half and the game sat tied 10-10, helped along by a redzone fumble from quarterback Beau Pribula. Then, just as the first half was ending, the Cavaliers got the stop they needed and appeared ready to head to halftime with the momentum and the ball coming out of the break.
That’s when the momentum flipped. Defensive end Billy Koudelka was flagged after delivering a late hit on quarterback Kevin Jennings out of bounds, and the mistake handed SMU 15 free yards and one more snap.
The Mustangs turned that into a field goal and a 13-10 lead. Coach Tony Elliott shouted at Koudelka, and Virginia never quite recovered.
The second half opened with back-to-back three-and-outs for the Cavaliers, and whatever rhythm they had built in the first two quarters vanished. Virginia’s defense still held SMU to only a field goal during that stretch, but the offense couldn’t answer.
That was the story of the night. After those early third-quarter possessions, offensive coordinator Des Kitchings called for just one running back carry the rest of the way.
Virginia’s attack stalled out, and the Cavaliers produced only three points after halftime. Running back Jekail Middlebrook had 71 total yards in the first half, but he was only given four carries/targets in the second half.
SMU wasn’t flawless either. The Mustangs leaned on a few explosive plays more than steady execution, and Virginia’s defense generally held up well snap to snap.
The Cavaliers also drew six SMU penalties. None of it changed the final result.
Virginia’s defense did enough to keep the game within reach, but that only goes so far. The offense never made the kind of plays needed to finish the job, and that has become a troubling pattern for the Cavaliers.
Now the margin for error is thin. Virginia needs to win two of its last five games to become bowl eligible, and the schedule ahead is no gift: Duke visits Friday, then comes a trip to No. 21 Wake Forest, home games against Cal and North Carolina, and finally the regular-season finale at Virginia Tech.
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