Virginia didn’t empty the playbook in its season opener, and that may be the most encouraging part of the 34-8 win over NC State.
What the Cavaliers put on tape was simple, direct and hard to stop: a veteran offensive line controlling the front, a run game that kept the chains moving, and just enough passing to punish a defense that had to crowd the box. The result was a game that never required Virginia to show everything Des Kitchings has available over the next three months.
The most revealing number from Saturday might be the workload on Beau Pribula. He carried eight times in the first half and finished with 15 carries overall, including a sack. That was enough to remind NC State - and everyone else - that Virginia’s quarterback is a real dual threat, even if it wasn’t exactly a surprise to the Wolfpack’s staff.
Virginia averaged 4.7 yards on 52 carries, and that ground efficiency let Kitchings stay in his comfort zone. The Cavaliers’ school-record 23-play touchdown drive featured only five passes because NC State simply couldn’t get them off schedule. When an offense can keep pounding away like that, it forces defenses into uncomfortable decisions.
That’s where things can start to open up.
If opponents are going to sell out against the run, they’ll have to bring an extra defender into the box. And once that happens, Virginia’s receivers get a chance to matter in a much bigger way. Da'Shawn Martin already cashed in on that reality with an easy 47-yard touchdown catch when he found himself wide open on the opening drive of the second half.
Rico Flores Jr. didn’t play against the Wolfpack, and neither did Kam Robinson, with Norfolk State on deck next Friday. But once Flores is back, he should benefit from the kind of one-on-one coverage that comes when defenses can’t afford to sit two safeties deep.
The same goes for Kam Courtney, Jacquon Gibson and Ty'Lyric Coleman, who filled in well in Flores’ absence. Virginia’s receiver room may still be the offense’s weakest area, but a strong run game gives those players room to make plays.
The tight ends could also become part of the answer. Dakota Twitty, Connor Cox and John Rogers combined for two targets Saturday and one catch - a 7-yarder by Cox - but they were mostly asked to block, and they handled that role.
Still, Kitchings has shown how valuable that group can be, especially in the red zone. Sage Ennis, now graduated, shared the team lead with five touchdown catches last season, often by selling the block before slipping into space.
Virginia didn’t need much from that part of the offense against NC State, but it’s there if the Cavaliers want it. Twitty, Rogers and Cox can work in the same kind of way.
The run game itself should have more layers waiting to be used. Saturday looked like the kind of straightforward, bread-and-butter attack you’d expect in a preseason setting: draws, off-tackle runs and not much else.
But Kitchings has more in the bag. Peyton Lewis, who arrived from Tennesse with plenty of hype, looks stuck as the fifth-string tailback for now, though his speed gives Virginia a different way to attack the edge.
The offense also didn’t show many counters, the kind that could help guards Noah Josey and Mikalan Thomas build momentum while blocking for Jekail Middlebrook, Xavier Brown and the rest of the backs.
And then there’s Pribula himself. Tony Elliott said he “runs like a running back,” and Saturday backed that up.
Virginia is not likely to ask him for 15 carries again, both for his own safety and for the team’s long-term best interest. But after the opener, no opponent can afford to assume he won’t keep it in his hands.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Now Has A Rivalry Threat Worth Watching Closely
Beau Pribulas emergence has added a fresh layer to Virginia footballs season, and it comes at a time when the Cavaliers are trying to sort out what kind of threat they can be down the stretch. In the win over NC State, Pribula showed why his skill set matters so much to the offense, giving Virginia a quarterback who can stress defenses with his arm and his legs and make a game feel different snap to snap.
For a program with bigger tests still ahead, that kind of production is hard to ignore, especially as the schedule turns toward matchups that can shape how this season is remembered. Virginia Tech may have its own business to handle with VMI this week, but developments on the other side of the rivalry are worth watching closely, because Pribulas rise gives Virginia another element that could matter when the stakes get higher later in the fall. [Read more 🡒]
Virginias ACC Quarterback Outlook Comes With One Big Early Question
The ACCs quarterback picture already looks unsettled heading into the season, with 11 programs going shopping in the transfer portal and only a handful of teams bringing back a proven starter. Early Week 0 action gave a first glimpse at how some of those moves might play out, and it also helped sharpen the discussion around the leagues top options at the position entering Week 1.
For Virginia, the intrigue is less about what happened on opening weekend and more about how the Cavaliers fit into that larger quarterback conversation after their own first game. The league picture will keep shifting over the next few days as teams sort through early performances and upcoming tests, and Virginia will spend its off week watching those developments before it returns to the field in Week 2 against Norfolk State. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Uncovered A Scary Defensive Possibility
Virginias win over NC State came with a reminder that the Cavaliers may still be scratching the surface on defense. Even while missing several key players, the group held the Wolfpack to 8 points and got quality snaps from other linebackers, showing a level of depth that can travel with them into tougher stretches ahead.
Kam Robinsons absence was part of that performance, and his eventual return only adds another layer to what Virginia is building. With the defense already proving it can function at a high level when pieces are missing, the next question is how much more disruptive it can become once one of its top linebackers is back in the mix. [Read more 🡒]