Virginia’s opener against NC State told a pretty clear story: the Cavaliers found a groove on the ground and didn’t need to leave it. In a 34-8 win, UVA ran the ball 57 times and threw it just 11 times, a split that immediately stood out and is still drawing attention as the Hoos get ready for Friday night’s matchup with Norfolk State at Scott Stadium.
Offensive coordinator Des Kitchings addressed that imbalance Tuesday in his first public comments since the game, and he made it clear Virginia isn’t walking into the next one with a set passing quota in mind. He said a few of quarterback Beau Pribula’s carries - maybe four or five - came on scrambles after pass plays were called, but the broader point was that the offense kept leaning on what worked. Tony Elliott put it simply: "it wasn't broke, so don't fix it."
That approach also keeps the spotlight on a receiver group that entered the 2026 season with some questions, since six of the top seven pass catchers from 2025 are not on this year’s team. With Virginia listed as a 44.5-point favorite against Norfolk State, it’s natural to wonder whether Friday gives the Cavaliers a chance to get more live reps in the passing game. Kitchings, though, said the staff isn’t chasing a target number.
"To say OK yeah, we want to go out there and we want to throw 30 times Friday night - it's not a number," Kitchings said. "We know that there will probably be more pass attempts.
What is that number going to be? We don't know. ...
Having that ability to throw it when we want to and throw it when we need to, no different than we believe in our ability to be able to run it when we want to, run it when we need to. Our belief is you have to run to win, but you have to be able to throw to score.
Being able to do both of those at a level that will put us in a position to win games each week will be a story of its own."
One player who made the most of the opener’s limited passing opportunities was Ty'Lyric Coleman. The fourth-year receiver entered 2026 with just six career catches, most of them coming after games had already gotten out of hand, but he earned the starting nod against NC State and came through in key moments.
Two of Pribula’s nine completions went Coleman’s way, and both mattered. Early in the second half, Virginia called a flea flicker and Coleman hauled in a 20-yard catch through traffic.
Later, he converted a fourth-and-4 with an 11-yard grab to help extend a fourth-quarter drive. That possession became the 23-play touchdown march that put the game away for good.
Coleman finished with two catches for 31 yards.
"I think one guy definitely stepped up and we've been seeing that throughout, started back in the spring, saw it continue to grow throughout fall camp, it was Ty'Lyric Coleman," Kitchings said. "I thought the catch he made to start the second half, that was a big catch in traffic, contested catch to a certain extent.
Beau threw a hell of a football, but to make that play should only bolster his confidence and our confidence in him. Then he had a fourth down conversion as well.
So that was good to see."
Elliott also weighed in on the unusual scene from Monday night’s Florida State-SMU game, which was delayed 105 minutes because of electrical issues at Doak Campbell Stadium. The late kick in Tallahassee came after a transformer short caused problems with stadium lights, team communications, broadcast booth monitors and more. The ACC and both teams eventually agreed to play with limitations, including no replay reviews, no coach-to-player helmet communication and no tablets on the sideline for video.
Elliott said Virginia’s staff would talk through how to handle a similar situation if it ever came up, but he didn’t sound bothered by the old-school setup. He noted that the Cavaliers already practice without tablets and rely on tempo anyway.
"The iPads are down, but we coach every day, because of the pace of practice, we don't have the iPads at practice. And most of us have coached our entire career without the iPads," Elliott said.
" And so I'm kind of a fan of that. I like the old school coaching, where you really got to pay attention to what's going on and then make adjustments in game.
So I actually would have enjoyed that piece of it, right? But we'll talk about it now that it has come up as
a staff, but I wouldn't make it something bigger than what it is. For so long, all of us coaches, we couldn't have any technology. And so you basically relied on each other from that standpoint."
Tuesday also brought a quick look at a more personal note from Virginia cornerback Jacobie Henderson, who wore a Jacobie Henderson Foundation sweatshirt to his media session. Henderson said it’s a small community outreach effort he started back home near Charlotte, N.C., with help from family and friends.
Virginia also made a jump in the rankings after Week 1. The Cavaliers, now 1-0 after the 34-8 win over NC State, moved into the US LBM Coaches’ Poll at No. 25, tied with Florida. Miami sits at No. 7 and SMU at No. 17 among ACC teams in that poll, while Clemson dropped out after its 51-10 loss to LSU.
The AP poll was just as kind to UVA. The Cavaliers landed at No. 25 there too, joining Miami at No.
7, SMU at No. 17 and Louisville at No. 24 among ranked ACC teams. Clemson again was the team on the outside looking in after its opening loss.
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