Following a dominant Week 0 performance against conference rival NC State, Virginia coach Tony Elliott challenged his team to bring a similar “standard” of play “week in and week out.” His team responded to the call on Friday night, jumping out to an early lead over Norfolk State and never looking back. In the first ever meeting between Commonwealth universities, the Cavaliers dominated the Spartans, 59-3.
“It’s huge for us to be able to play a ton of guys and then be able to illustrate that the standard didn’t change,” Elliott said during his postgame press conference.
It was the biggest margin of victory for Virginia football since a 1990 blowout of Duke that finished 59-9. Additionally, the 59 points are the most the program has scored since a 2003 victory at Western Michigan.
UVA asserted itself early in the game on both sides of the ball. Norfolk State opened the contest with a 10-play, 46-yard drive that tested the Cavaliers’ readiness. However, NSU quarterback Deljay Bailey sailed a pass on fourth down that was intercepted by Brandyn Hillman and returned to the Spartans’ 37-yard line.
That set up the first score of the game and the rout was on. The Hoos used a 7-play, 37-yard drive to produce the opening touchdown, as quarterback Beau Pribula connected with wideout Jacquon Gibson on a 6-yard touchdown pass.
On the ensuing possession, Bailey tossed his second interception of the game on the third play of the drive. Again, it was Hillman who was the beneficiary of a wayward pass. The Cavaliers needed only one play to get back into the end zone as Pribula tossed his second touchdown of the game, connecting this time with receiver Da’Shawn Martin on a 22-yard completion.
After the UVA defense forced a 3-and-out on the next possession, the offense again used tempo and efficient passing to quickly move the ball down the field. Pribula connected for the second time with Gibson on a 30-yard touchdown to cap off a 3-play, 66-yard scoring drive that pushed the score to 21-0 with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter. It was a lead the Spartans never threatened.
Virginia entered the game as more than a six-touchdown favorite over Norfolk State, an FCS team that finished the 2025 campaign with a 1-11 record. Though head coach Michael Vick opened the season with a victory against Winston-Salem State, his team has lost back-to-back games against in-state FBS opponents.
Elliott moves to 7-0 in games immediately following a bye week and Virginia now sits at 2-0 on the season. The Week 1 bye is the earliest in the history of the program, and UVA’s next open date occurs eight weeks from now in early November. The win sets up a neutral site game next Saturday in Charlotte against West Virginia. Before that, though, here are the key takeaways from UVA’s game against Norfolk State.
Throw to Score, Run to Win
In media appearances, members of the Virginia coaching staff frequently use a common motto for the offense: “You throw to score but run to win.” The opening game against NC State demonstrated that the Cavaliers could effectively run, as UVA opted to keep the ball on the ground on 57 of 68 offensive plays on the way to 258 yards rushing. However, offensive coordinator Des Kitchings flipped the script against Norfolk State, empowering his quarterbacks to come out firing.
“We knew they were probably going to try and sell out to stop the run with the effectiveness we had the week before,” Elliott said.
On UVA’s first three offensive possessions Friday night, Kitchings called 8 passing plays and only 3 rushing plays. Pribula answered the call by completing all 8 passes, 3 of which resulted in touchdowns, tying a personal best for passing touchdowns in a game.
Pribula finished the night completing 12 of 14 passes for 162 yards. Unlike his debut which featured 15 rushing attempts, Pribula only carried the ball twice. The only blemish on the UVA starter’s efficient evening came in the second quarter when a pass was batted at the line of scrimmage and intercepted by Spartans’ safety Josiah Davis. It was the Cavaliers’ first turnover of the season.
With the game well in hand at halftime, Pribula was replaced by back-up quarterback Eli Holstein. The Pittsburgh transfer led two third quarter scoring drives, tossing a 1-yard touchdown to Ty’Lyric Coleman followed by a 5-yard strike to Isaiah Robinson. Holstein finished the game completing 4 of his 6 attempts for 27 yards.
Third-string quarterback Cole Geer also got into the action for the first time this season, spelling Holstein late in the third quarter. Geer completed 2 of 4 passes, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to reserve tight end Hayden Rollison.
Cumulatively, Virginia quarterbacks amassed 229 passing yards and 6 touchdown passes. Success in the passing game led to larger running lanes for UVA’s backs as the game progressed.
“The staff did a good job with the plan of being prepared to come out and throw the ball to maybe set up the run, and then later in the game, we were able to settle in with the run,” Elliot said. “I think that made the run game even more effective.”
Xay Davis finished as the most productive running back statistically, using 11 carries to accumulate 107 yards. It was Davis’ first career game eclipsing 100 yards on the ground. Noah Vaughn was not far behind, finishing the game with 8 carries for 81 yards. Peyton Lewis gained only 7 yards on 4 carries but did reach the end zone late in the second quarter.
As a team, Virginia finished with 237 rushing yards, averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
“It starts with the big guys up front”, Davis said of his team’s offensive success. “Without them, we can’t get the passing game or the run game going.”
For fans worried that UVA’s offense is too one-dimensional, this game provided evidence of the balanced attack the coaching staff is hoping to deploy throughout the season.
Brandyn Hillman Anchors Another Strong Defensive Performance
For the second game in a row, the Virginia defense put forward another excellent showing. And for the second straight game, safety Brandyn Hillman was the catalyst for forcing critical turnovers. Hillman’s 2 interceptions in the first quarter gave the UVA offense great field position for their first 2 touchdowns. Against NC State, Hillman also had an interception and a forced fumble.
“I’m just glad he’s on my team,” Elliott said of Hillman. “He plays with such intensity, such passion and love for the game. And he’s a natural playmaker.”
Hillman was not the only Cavalier defenseman to flip the field with a turnover. In the fourth quarter, linebacker Justin Rowe intercepted an errant throw from Spartans quarterback Tyrone Jackson, then deftly evaded tacklers to return it for UVA’s final touchdown of the game. Rowe’s pick-6 covered 50 yards.
The Virginia defense has now forced at least one turnover in 12 of the last 13 games. UVA has allowed fewer than 10 points in 4 of its last 5 games.
It was also the second consecutive game where the Cavaliers shut down the opposing run game. After allowing only 76 yards on the ground to NC State, UVA improved on that metric by conceding just 55 rushing yards and 1.8 yards per rush to Norfolk State.
The Spartans were more effective passing the ball with their three quarterbacks combining for 168 yards on 34 attempts. However, the Cavaliers consistently dominated the line of scrimmage and created pressure in the backfield. Collectively, UVA’s defense generated 2 sacks and 8 tackles for a loss.
The defense also was buoyed by the return of superstar linebacker Kam Robinson to the lineup. In his first game back following ACL surgery, Robinson made an immediate impact, finishing the game with 5 total tackles.
“Being back at Scott [Stadium], I think I was definitely anxious at first, but once the game got on, I got more comfortable,” Robinson said of his long-awaited return to the lineup.
Cornerback Jacobie Henderson led UVA’s defense with 8 tackles. Darrion Henry-Young joined Robinson with 5 tackles.
A New Scoring Leader
With 7:21 to play in the third quarter, Holstein’s touchdown pass to Robinson extended Virginia’s lead to 41-3. Fifth-year kicker Will Bettridge trotted out and calmly knocked through the extra point. With the kick, Bettridge surpassed Connor Hughes as the all-time leading scorer in program history. With the 9 points scored in this game - 6 PATs and a 30-yard field goal - Bettridge now stands at 337 points in his career.
“Going into the week, I knew it was pretty close,” Bettridge said of nearing the scoring record. “I tried not to think about it too much, just wanted to do my job and then get a win.”
Elliott found added meaning in Bettridge’s accomplishment because of his decision to wear the number 41 to honor the late D’Sean Perry.
“I’m just thankful that not only is he being recognized but the number 41 is also being recognized, because they both mean a lot to us as a program,” Elliott said.
Bettridge has brought stability to Virginia’s special teams, which was a major weakness for the program for many years. Over the course of his career, Bettridge has made 126 of his 128 extra point attempts and converted on 70 of 85 field goal attempts (82.3%).
Following UVA’s final touchdown, Bettridge was replaced on the extra point kick by senior walk-on Chris Messmore. Messmore converted the try, earning his first collegiate point. Messmore worked in the UVA communications office over the last three years before assuming back-up kicking responsibilities.
“Being able to play a lot of young guys was actually pretty cool for me to see,” Bettridge said. “I mean Chris Messmore, first career point for him. That’s someone who just got here [in the program], but has become a good buddy of mine and just kind of helping him through the process. So to see him score was special.”
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