No. 25 Virginia and West Virginia are set to bring a border rivalry back to life Saturday night in Charlotte, and both teams arrive with matching 2-0 records and a lot of early momentum.
The Duke's Mayo Classic will be played at Bank of America Stadium, the same building where Virginia beat West Virginia 48-22 in the Continental Tire Bowl on Dec. 28, 2002.
That remains the most recent meeting between the programs. The series dates all the way back to 1898, with Virginia holding a 12-10-1 edge and West Virginia last winning the matchup in 1981.
This one also comes with a coaching connection. Virginia coach Tony Elliott knows West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez from their Clemson days, when Elliott was a wide receiver in 2000 and Rodriguez was the offensive coordinator.
"I know Coach Rodriguez well ... and he loves to run the ball," Elliott said. "And so we're gonna have our work cut out for us in Charlotte."
That run game has been the backbone of West Virginia’s start. The Mountaineers are averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 298.5 rushing yards per game, with seven rushing touchdowns through two weeks.
Quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. has thrown only 21 passes, but he’s also been the team’s top rusher with 199 yards and three touchdowns. Cam Cook is right behind him with 194 rushing yards and three scores.
"It starts with the run game," Rodriguez said after West Virginia ran for 316 yards against UT Martin, including a 71-yard touchdown run by Hawkins. "We thought we should be able to run for a few hundred yards. We didn't get as many big runs as I thought we could get."
Virginia has answered with a defense that has been hard to move on the ground. In wins over North Carolina State and Norfolk State, the Cavaliers have allowed just 2.4 rushing yards per attempt and 65.5 rushing yards per game, giving up only one rushing touchdown.
That unit got a lift last weekend with senior linebacker Kam Robinson back in the lineup after a season-ending knee injury against Duke last November. He finished with five tackles in his first game back.
"I just couldn't wait to get back out there, being the first game in a long time," said Robinson, the runner-up in voting for ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2025. "So being back in Scott (Stadium), I think I was definitely anxious at first, but once the game got on, I got more comfortable."
Virginia’s offense has been just as efficient. Beau Pribula, the Missouri transfer, has completed 21 of 25 passes for 317 yards, five touchdowns and one interception.
He’s also one of three Cavaliers with more than 100 rushing yards, joining Xay Davis with 120 and Noah Vaughn with 102. Da'Shawn Martin and Jacquon Gibson each have two touchdown catches.
The Cavaliers have piled up points quickly, outscoring their first two opponents 93-11, including a 59-3 win over Norfolk State last Friday. West Virginia has been just as dominant in its own way, rolling past UT Martin 52-7 last Saturday. The Mountaineers are 2-0 for the first time since 2018.
On the defensive side, West Virginia has yet to allow a first-half point this season, and seven different players have already recorded a sack.
Rodriguez knows the challenge that awaits.
"Our fans will travel well. Theirs probably will," Rodriguez said.
"Environment should be really fantastic. They're ranked, so it's a great test to see where we're at right now."
In Other News...
WVU Could Finally Add A Needed Weapon Against Virginia
West Virginia came out of the UT Martin game in good shape, and that alone gave Rich Rodriguez a little more room to breathe heading into a bigger test against Virginia. The Mountaineers are still trying to settle in offensively, but the possibility of getting wide receiver Prince Strachan into the mix offers a timely lift for a group that could use another proven target as quarterback Mike Hawkins Jr. continues to build rhythm with the passing game.
Strachan has been practicing with limited contact, and his status for the Virginia game may hinge on how he handles the next stretch of practices. If that goes well, West Virginia could finally add another weapon to an offense that already needs every available piece, especially with the Mountaineers looking to sharpen the connection between Hawkins and a deeper receiver rotation. [Read more 🡒]
Jahiem White Is Already Reopening An Old WVU What-If
Two weeks after his return to the field, Jahiem White is already stirring up one of those old West Virginia questions that never really goes away. Now playing for North Texas under Neal Brown, White opened his season with 61 rushing yards and a touchdown against Indiana, then followed it with a 124-yard, one-score outing that pushed him past 2,000 career rushing yards.
For Mountaineers fans, the pull is obvious. White was already the programs 27th all-time leading rusher before a season-ending knee injury interrupted his time in Morgantown, and his latest run of production only adds fuel to the sense that WVU once had a back capable of being much more than a steady contributor. The what-if is back on the table, even if the answer will have to wait. [Read more 🡒]
Rich Rodriguez Just Framed West Virginias Biggest Concerns Before Virginia
Rich Rodriguez spent part of his media session Wednesday laying out the pressure points West Virginia is carrying into its matchup with Virginia, and the focus started up front. He praised the experience and discipline of his defensive line, the kind of steady interior presence the Mountaineers will need if they want to control the game and avoid chasing it from the opening series.
Rodriguez also pointed to the challenge posed by one of Virginias players, a reminder that this one may hinge on a few individual matchups as much as overall structure. On the roster front, he said one player has a hearing scheduled for Thursday in Indiana, while Talleys injury status remains day-to-day with a possible return in one to two weeks, leaving West Virginia with a little more uncertainty as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]