The Virginia Cavaliers are 1-0 to start 2026. The ‘Hoos used the energy from a big crowd inside Scott Stadium to take ahold of the game early on and never looked back. With plenty of big moments and very few not-so-big ones, here’s a look at the who is trending up and what is trending down.
Stock Up
Beau Pribula
The bar has been set at the quarterback position when it comes to first impressions this 2026 season. Pribula shined in his first game with the ’Hoos.
UVA leaned on his running ability from the first
snap of the game on, with the Missouri transfer carrying the ball 15 times for 110 yards. He ran it inside, he ran it outside and with the help of the O-line was able to consistently pick up chunk yardage to keep the offense on ahead of the chains.
And while he didn’t throw the ball 30 times, he, and the Cavalier receivers, made each passing attempt count. Pribula completed nine of his 11 attempted passes on the day with only a handful of them being contested by NC State’s secondary. UVA’s new QB took what the defense gave him from start to finish and that proved to be one of the many reasons the ‘Hoos were able to control possession and keep CJ Bailey off the field throughout.
Brandyn Hillman’s right hook
Like Pribula, Hillman had a monster day in his own right. Coming in after transferring away from Michigan, Hillman had as much hype as any new player on this roster and he confidently delivered on that hype in his first game. He reeled in his first interception on a tipped ball by Fisher Camac on NC State’s third drive to give the offense great field position and eventually push the lead to 10-0 soon after. And for as good as that interception was, along with his four tackles, his best play of the day came minutes before halftime when he forced the ball away from Bailey as the Wolfpack QB dove down after picking up yardage.
There’s no ambiguity around what Hillman was trying to do there and it was beautiful to watch. He comes in with a HEAVY right hand and punches the ball loose for the turnover. The UVA coaching staff continues to rave about how much of a disruptor Hillman is, along with the juice he brings to this defense. That energy was obvious Saturday and it’s already clear No. 6 will be a fan-favorite because of it.
Des Kitchings
Going into this game with a new quarterback and down a handful of receivers, most notably Rico Flores Jr., it was easy to wonder how crisp this offense would look in game one. A boat load of run plays and 34 points later, Kitchings and the ‘Hoos made a major statement to the rest of the ACC. UVA ran the ball 57 times for 258 yards on the backs of six different ball carriers and didn’t have a wide receiver register a catch until Ty’Lyric Coleman’s 20-yard grab to start the third quarter.
And despite Pribula only passing 11 times, each attempt was called at the perfect time. On both of the touchdown catches by Xavier Brown and De’Shawn Martin, UVA was able to pick on NC State’s need to load up against the run, allowing both guys to get behind the secondary for scores.
Beyond that, credit to the staff for understanding it could get multiple yards at a time on the ground consistently. It may not have been the most eye-catching offense to watch in terms of trying to push the ball down the field, but Kitchings and the coaching staff realized they could move the ball at will the on the ground, and boy did they exploit NC State’s weaknesses for 60 minutes doing so.
Scott Stadium’s home-field advantage
Up until the beginning of June, this game was going to be played in Brazil. From the moment it was moved to Charlottesville, you hoped the turnout would be great following an historic season. UVA put on the full-court press to try and sell Scott Stadium out, and did so for the first time since 2008. There have been a handful of well-attended games since then, but I can’t say I ever remember one where students were having to find seats in three sections-worth of space in the upper deck.
We saw a glimpse last year of what a good home crowd can do for a team, hopefully Saturday’s atmosphere can become the norm as the season progresses.
The Big Ten secondary
We already talked about Hillman, but Omillio Agard and Jacobie Henderson also made their first starts in a UVA uniform, both earning them at the corner spots. Both made their chances count with strong opening statements. Henderson broke up two passes and almost reeled in an interception that might have been for six, had he made the play. Agard made two tackles and added a pass breakup himself.
Throwing these two in the fold opens up a world of possibilities for DC John Rudzinski and this defense. Tony Elliott mentioned after the game how confident the ‘Hoos are in Agard and Henderson’s abilities to match up and run with guys one on one, not to mention the energy the two bring. The secondary looked well-rounded with speed and experience and much to do with that was the consistency these two transfers.
The big four of Brown, Danley, Hardy, and Marcellus
The big story coming in was whether or not Kam Robinson would be back after his ACL injury. He did not play, but with how fast and effective the linebackers that were out there played, you probably could have convinced a casual fan that he was. Landon Danley and Maddox Marcellus started the game and each had huge moments. Danley pounced on the fumble caused by Hillman to go with his five tackles, while Marcellus added seven of his own, including half a tackle for loss. Caleb Hardy made just one tackle but made it count, getting one of UVA’s two sacks on the game.
There was no surprise in watching multiple foundational guys at the position from a year ago shine, but it was Myles Brown who led the team in tackles on the day with eight. Brown made eight tackles in all of the 2025 season for context. Now in an expanded role, with the handful of others making plays alongside Brown, it should ease any nerves about this unit’s ability to hold up without Robinson and if anything, buys another week for the star linebacker to be fully ready for West Virginia.
Long offensive drives
The ‘Hoos got the ball with just under five minutes left in the third quarter and did not give it up until the 7:44 mark of the fourth quarter. 23 plays, 75 yards, and 12 minutes and 15 seconds later, the ‘Hoos gave NC State the metaphorical middle finger and finished the game off with a Xay Davis touchdown. Pribula and the offense slowly but efficiently moved the NC State front right down the field and converted on multiple fourth down attempts throughout the march. The drive pretty much summed up how this game went in its entirety; it also displayed just how dominant UVA can be on the ground as the game wears.
There were drives similar to this one last season against Florida State and Missouri to help pick up massive wins. For now, 12:15 stands as the time to beat and I would not be surprised to see this offense hover around the mark a time or two again going forward.
Defensive line depth
For another season, the ‘Hoos have the luxury to hockey substitute their defensive lineman. From interior guys to outside pass-rushers, I counted 12 different guys included in the box score. Jason Hammond and Anthony Britton trotted out there first as two of the veterans on the D-line and of the defense entirely. Matthew Fobbs-White made three tackles, despite not finding the quarterback for any sacks and fellow transfers Kervins Choute and Nnanna Anyanwu followed in stops with two apiece.
This defense is deep and it starts with the depth up front. The ‘Hoos are built to go all four quarters once again.
Stock Neutral
UVA’s passing attack
There are two perspectives to take from what this offense did here. First is, did UVA know it could pound the ball consistently for sure yardage and did the smart thing of not deviating from what worked? The other is, did they run the ball because they did not feel confident in the passing game going in, whether it be due to injuries and/or it being the first game of the year? Somewhere in the middle is probably where the truth is. Kitchings elected to run Pribula right off the bat, and continued to do so.
And while there were two passing touchdowns in this game, they appeared more to do with scheme since success of the run game required NC State to bring additional numbers down than Brown and Martin simply winning outside matchups. Coleman, Kam Courtney made multiple catches along with those touchdown passes, but we did not necessarily see the receivers pop in this game.
Stock Down
Charlottesville clouds
It was hot on Saturday. And each time I checked a forecast earlier in the week, I saw low-to-mid 80s and cloudy — as good as you could get on an August Saturday. Those clouds, other than for a few minutes to taunt everyone in the stadium, were not really there. But the sold-out crowd showed up despite the heat, and so did the team. A nighttime kick on a Friday night might feel like winter compared to the other day when Norfolk State comes to town.
Having to wait two weeks to watch this team play again
UVA had this bye week scheduled with the game originally being played in Brazil. It should prove huge from a health standpoint with the number of injuries the team had going in, especially at receiver, but it is a bummer to watch 60 minutes of dominance and have to wait for game No. 2 until he 11th. It is a great weekend though to sit back and root for the VMI Keydets to pull out their first win and Florida State to upset No. 19 SMU.
The pipe in the UVA coaches box
A funnier storyline from this game was the inside of UVA’s coordinator box throughout the game. ESPN had cameras in there to look in while Kitchings was, well…cooking, throughout the game. And for as fun as the celebrations in that room were as UVA continued to put points on the board, it was a moldy-looking pipe that caught people’s attention.
There’s just something funny about watching football coaches call plays from the point of view of a soda can in general, but this only added to the intrigue of ESPN cutting into the box as UVA continued to run the score up.
Perhaps fixing up the moldy wall before the next time would serve as the perfect metaphor for what this football program looked like on the field for so long compared to what it looks like now.
