UVA vs NC State winners, losers: Beau Pribula, Cavs run over Pack in Week 0 ACC opener
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – It didn’t look like Rio de Janeiro. There were no sand beaches. Christ the Redeemer was not looming over the city.
None of that mattered to Virginia. The Cavaliers dominated NC State from the start and cruised to a 34-8 victory in a rare conference game in Week 0 of the college football season.
Originally not expected to be part of the league standings when it was announced in December, the game scheduled for Brazil between longtime league foes was scrapped in June due to logistic reasons and made a conference game.
It resulted in the first announced sellout in 18 years at Scott Stadium, though there were plenty of empty seats in the upper deck. That previous sellout was another home opener for Virginia. It ended 52-7 in favor of Southern Cal.
The win wasn’t as emphatic as that loss. But it provides a good platform for bigger things ahead. Of note was a dominant running game that piled up 258 yards and controlled the game.
Winners
Beau Pribula
New quarterback Beau Pribula provided much of that damage in the first half with 80 of the team’s 164 yards on the ground before intermission. That domination also opened the door for some big passing plays.
After a ball fake to a receiver in motion, Pribula found Xavier Brown out of the backfield running free in the middle of the field a 47-yard touchdown with 11 minutes left in the second quarter that put Virginia ahead 17-0.
A similar score came early in the second half, when he found Da'Shawn Martin all alone behind the defense for a 48-yard touchdown that effectively put the game away at 24-0.
Pribula finished for 9-of-11 passing for 155 yards and two touchdown. He piled up 110 rushing yards on 15 carries.
It was an impressive start to life in Charlottesville for the Missouri transfer who dealt with passing inconsistency and injury in his one season with the Tigers. He previously played two seasons at Penn State and was used primarily as a running quarterback behind Drew Allar.
His ability to have an impact on the ground will be a benefit for the Cavaliers, who last had a 100-yard rusher at quarterback in 2022 when Brennan Armstrong accomplished the feat.
Losers
QB CJ Bailey
Not much went right for NC State.
About the only positive was the trip back to Raleigh is only a matter of a few hours instead of flying 4,600 miles back from the Southern Hemisphere.
That will be little consolation for the Wolfpack, who entered the season with optimism that started with the return of quarterback CJ Bailey for third season as starter and hopes their defense would rebound after a difficult season.
But the offense never got going in the first half. Bailey was either late or short with his throws to an inexperience receiving group that struggled to get separation. A Bailey fumble in the second quarter snuffed out the only scoring opportunity of the first half.
Bailey ended a frustrating day passing at 12 of 23 for 84 yards with an interception on a tipped pass that set up Virginia's first touchdown.
The running game wasn’t much better. Jayden Scott, the team’s second-leading ball carrier in 2025, was expected to carry the load with the departure Hollywood Smothers. He never got going and finished with 20 yards on 7 carries.
Wolfpack defense
It was hard to pinpoint the worst part of the defense. None of it was good up front as Pribula consistently found space up the middle or around the end. The secondary wasn’t tested often but was found lacking the times Virginia tried to hit a big play downfield. Lots of work needs to be done in both areas.
NC State coach Dave Doeren has been a model of consistency, reaching bowl eligibility in 10 of 11 seasons. None of that, however, has resulted in an appearance in the ACC title game. And it likely won’t happen unless something significant changes between now and NC State’s next league game against Louisville in October.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UVA vs NC State winners, losers: Beau Pribula, Cavs run over Pack in Week 0 ACC opener
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