Virginia didn’t just finish off NC State on Saturday. It flattened the game with one long, punishing march that chewed up 12 minutes of clock and ended in a touchdown, the kind of drive that leaves no doubt about who owns the line of scrimmage.
That’s the identity Virginia is building around now: a massive, veteran offensive front and a deep stable of backs that can grind a defense into dust. The Cavaliers have enough muscle up front to control tempo, dictate terms and turn a game into a slow squeeze. “Big Boy Football” is the cleanest way to describe it.
The engine is the offensive line, and Virginia’s front kept showing it against the Wolfpack. Beau Pribula had a little fun with the group afterward.
“I wanted to get off the field as fast as possible because those guys up front are old, man,” Pribula said. But I think that [drive is] kind of who we are in a sense. That's what we're able to do, and it just opens up so many things when you have guys like that up front that are so experienced and they're they're so level-headed, and they're so easy to work with, and you know we can run the ball and then we can do a bunch of different things off of that.”
For the first time in a regular season game, Virginia had all five starters together. Right tackle Monroe Mills, who arrived as the top offensive lineman in the portal, missed the entire 2025 season.
Right guard Makilan Thomas also sat out the 2025 season. Against NC State, both finally lined up with left tackle McKale Boley, left guard Noah Josey and center Drake Metcalf.
The result looked seamless, like a group that had been together for years instead of one making its first regular season appearance as a full unit.
That level of confidence around the line isn’t new. Entering 2026, the Cavaliers were already viewed as one of the ACC’s top fronts, and Phil Steele slotted them No. 10 nationally. On Saturday, they played like a group that could justify even more respect.
What makes Virginia so dangerous is that the starting five isn’t the whole story. The reserves are a real weapon, too. Ben York, Jon Adair, Grant Ellinger, Ryan Brubaker, Noah Hartsoe, Alex Payne and others give this team the kind of depth that lets it absorb injuries without losing much, if anything, up front.
That’s a huge reason the run game can keep rolling. The backs know the blocking is there, and they know the workload can be shared. Xavier Brown was the headline runner Saturday, but Virginia leaned on five backs and kept fresh legs in the game.
“We played five guys today, and each one of us can go,” Brown said. “I think that's just kind of a testament to the brotherhood that we built as a group and confidence in one another going in there each and every week. Each of us have confidence in each other and are encouraging each other each and every week, all the way through camp, even in spring ball, all the way up to now.”
Virginia now heads into a bye week before hosting Norfolk State on Sept. 11 and then traveling to Charlotte, N.C. for a neutral site game against West Virginia on Sept. 19. It’ll be a while before the Cavaliers see another ACC opponent, but Saturday’s performance sent a clear message anyway.
“Really unimaginable the possibilities that can happen with [this run game],” Brown said.
In Other News...
Virginia Tech Just Sent An Early Message With This Kentucky Result
Virginia Tech opened the weekend with a clean statement in Blacksburg, taking care of Kentucky in a 3-0 men's soccer win on Friday night. The Hokies controlled the result from start to finish, and the kind of composed home performance they needed never really let the Wildcats into the match.
Diego Dauzier helped set that tone in goal, turning aside pressure when it mattered and giving Virginia Tech a steady last line of defense. For a team trying to build early momentum, the shutout was the sort of result that can carry weight beyond one night, especially with bigger tests likely ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Sent A Message Fans Have Been Waiting To See
Virginia opened the season looking nothing like a team easing into September, rolling past NC State with a performance that controlled the game from start to finish. The Cavaliers leaned on quarterback Beau Pribula and running back Xavier Brown, but the bigger story was the way the entire operation functioned on both sides of the ball, especially with injured starters Kam Robinson and Rico Flores Jr. unavailable.
The most encouraging part for Virginia might have been the tone it set on offense, where the Cavs consistently kept drives alive and left NC State chasing. It was the kind of opener fans had been waiting to see, one that suggested the program can win by dictating the game rather than reacting to it, even if the real test will come when the competition starts asking for more than a fast start. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Just Gave Fans A Reason To Dream Bigger
Virginia opened the 2026 season with a performance that looked bigger than a routine September win, leaning on a defense that forced turnovers and an offense that controlled the game on the ground and through the air. Xavier Brown found the end zone twice, while quarterback Pribula showed exactly why Virginia can build around his dual-threat ability, running for 100 yards and keeping NC State under pressure from start to finish at Scott Stadium.
The conservative approach from Virginia's offensive coordinator left room for the Cavs to keep plenty in reserve, which only adds to the feeling around this team after a one-sided opener. If the rushing attack keeps working this way and Pribula keeps stressing defenses as both a runner and passer, Virginia may have more upside than the box score from opening day could fully capture. [Read more 🡒]