Beau Pribula’s ability to beat a defense with both his arm and his legs was impossible to miss against NC State, and Virginia fans got a full taste of why he changes the conversation around the offense. He threw for 155 yards and added 100 more on the ground, a dual-threat performance that gave UVA an extra dimension.
His path to Virginia also adds another layer to what comes next. The double transfer might still be at Penn State had James Franklin appreciated his talents as much as UVA fans do this week. That backstory is likely to keep drawing attention in the buildup to UVA’s game against Franklin’s Hokies come November, though a lot can still happen before then.
Pribula is running behind an offensive line that brings a lot of mileage with it. Virginia’s protection group is made up of players in their fifth, sixth, seventh, sixth and seventh college seasons. Something may be off about college team-building when linemen are old enough to chaperon freshman mixers.
Around the rest of the sport, Virginia Tech is a more than 50-point favorite over VMI on Saturday night in the first football meeting between the schools since 1984. That sort of matchup, the kind that should come with reduced-price tickets in Blacksburg, perhaps even an apology, sits in sharp contrast to the rest of the schedule talk.
North Carolina’s win over TCU drew big words from an ESPN studio analyst, who called it “a monumental win” for the Tar Heels and Bill Belichick. That kind of language fits the modern TV habit of reaching for the superlative, and it also ignores how odd it is to act surprised that Belichick would be fielding a better team after a year of learning the college game. One unexpected victory is a small sample size, and the early doom surrounding Carolina has been overblown.
There’s also the ongoing legal backdrop around college sports, with the obvious question hanging in the air: Who will be suing the NCAA next week?
At Duke, the first on-court corporate logo will belong to Edward Jones, the wealth management firm. It’s a match that fits Duke’s image to a T-note, not exactly the same as, say, putting Cracker Barrel on the floor.
At the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz is drawing notice for his hirsute look, with the reigning vibe described as the werewolves of London look.
Curt Cignetti is another coach worth watching, with the question now whether he can contend for a second national title at Indiana using new players who aren’t from James Madison.
Colton Joseph, who followed the money to Wisconsin, gets a major test Sunday night against Notre Dame’s acclaimed defense in a nationally televised game from Green Bay’s Lambeau Field. Last season, Joseph quarterbacked ODU to a respectable 27-14 season-opening loss at Indiana on a more modest stipend, and maybe that experience will help him hold it together against the three-touchdown-favorite Irish.
Dabo Swinney called Lane Kiffin’s push to add two pros to the LSU roster “kind of embarrassing,” but it’s hard to argue that embarrassment still exists in the way big-time college sports operate.
Elsewhere in the NFL, Jayden Daniels has been working with new offensive coordinator David Blough on huddling, one of the areas that needs attention after the Commanders went no-huddle far more than any other team under Kliff Kingsbury. Daniels says he’s taking the new responsibility standing up.
Or kneeling. He hasn’t decided on his best huddle posture.
And Tony Romo’s emotional statement about personal struggles and a desire to improve didn’t draw any official reaction from CBS. The silence was loud enough to make it sound like a bad sign for Romo’s future at the network.
In Other News...
Pop Watsons Breakout Is Giving Virginia Tech Fans Mixed Feelings
William Pop Watsons first weekend at UMass offered a reminder of why Virginia Tech fans were intrigued by him in the first place. After transferring out of Blacksburg, the former Hokies quarterback walked into the season opener and helped lead the Minutemen to an upset of Rutgers, looking poised and efficient while completing 19 of 22 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns.
For Virginia Tech supporters, the performance had to land with a familiar mix of pride and regret. Watson had spent three seasons in the program, appearing in 11 games and making two starts, so there was already a sense of what he might become with a bigger opportunity. Seeing him seize that chance elsewhere only sharpened the question Hokies fans could not help asking about what might have been. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Tech Must Solve VMIs Trickiest Offensive Threat First
VMI opened its season by leaning hard into the ground game, and that is exactly the sort of challenge Virginia Tech has to sort through first when it studies the Black Knights' new-look opponent. Under first-year head coach Ashley Ingram, who installed a triple-option offense, VMI ran the ball 52 times for 229 yards against Idaho State while the passing game barely factored in, producing just 11 yards on nine attempts. Even in a 38-10 loss, Ingram said he was proud of the effort, which is usually what a coach says when the scheme is still finding its rhythm but the identity is already clear.
The Hokies do not need to worry about an aerial shootout here. They need to get lined up, tackle cleanly and keep an eye on the players who can turn a normal option snap into something bigger. VMI already showed it has a lead runner in Wilson, and the offense got an extra burst from true freshman Simon, who ripped off a 46-yard run. Against a system built to force hesitation, those are the kinds of plays that can tilt a game before the defense settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Techs Opener Will Reveal James Franklins First Real Plan
The season opener against VMI should offer the first real glimpse of how James Franklin plans to run Virginia Tech, and the curiosity starts at quarterback. With the Hokies set to play Sept. 5 on the ACC Network, the attention naturally falls on how the offense will be organized in Franklins debut, especially with a new coach trying to set the tone from the start.
There is also real intrigue in how many quarterbacks might see the field, which could tell as much about the staffs priorities as any opening-drive script. Virginia Techs defense is expected to handle its share of the heavy lifting too, so even a routine opener could reveal plenty about the balance Franklin wants between experimentation, control and early-season certainty. [Read more 🡒]