On Saturday evening, the Virginia Cavaliers won their second consecutive game, starting 1-0 in conference play with a 48-20 win against the Stanford Cardinal. In the two programs’ first matchup, the ‘Hoos dominated from whistle to whistle as the offense was electric and the defense gave Stanford trouble up front.
With the ‘Hoos moving to 3-1 on the young season, we’ve got five takeaways.
Trell Harris’ big play ability sparks UVA offense early
Harris was the story of the first quarter. The wideout scored three touchdowns in the first 15 minutes of action
and finished with 145 yards on four catches.
Cam Ross has garnered the headlines in the early going, but Harris is a fully capable playmaker in his own right who forms a deadly combo alongside Ross. Harris does more of his damage on the outside whereas Ross operates best in the slot. Grouping those two with jump ball targets Jahmal Edrine, Jayden Thomas, and Dak Twitty and the speedster Kam Courtney gives the Cavaliers a deep and versatile group of pass catchers.
Of note, Harris went down with what seemed like a cramp in the fourth quarter. He dealt with an injury in the preseason, but looked to be fine walking off the field.
Virginia’s pass rush covers up issues in the secondary
The Wahoo defense was largely effective against the Cardinal. Stanford rushed for a net total of 35 yards (80 before sack yardage was accounted for) and finished with 321 total yards.
Stanford did connect on a few deep balls, though, as CJ Williams and Bryce Farrell ran by the Wahoo secondary a few times to create explosive plays. Those chunk gains were few and far between.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, they owned the line of scrimmage all night long. Not only did they limit Stanford’s backs to 3.3 yards per carry, but they also got home and sacked Ben Gulbranson five times and hit him on three more occasions.
Daniel Rickert was the most consistent Wahoo making plays in the backfield with a pair of sacks from the edge. Jason Hammond, Cazeem Moore, Jacob Holmes, and Melton Mitchell also got in on the action. The Wahoo defense will need those guys to continue to produce up front to clean up some of the mistakes made in coverage.
UVA’s offensive line remains stout despite injuries
For years now, Virginia has searched for both continuity and depth on the offensive line. The ‘Hoos surely haven’t had continuity in 2025 as injuries have piled up in the trenches. But the depth that UVA acquired in the transfer portal has paid off.
Center Brady Wilson was the latest offensive lineman to go down – seemingly injuring his right calf in the second half before being replaced by right guard Drake Metcalf. Kevin Wigenton, who didn’t practice much this week due to injury, subbed in at right guard and the ‘Hoos still managed to drive the ball down the field.
The broadcast showed Wilson on the sideline saying “I’m fine,” to teammates passing by. He’s been a crucial cog that’s kept Morris clean in the backfield. In fact, Morris only just took his first sack of the season on Saturday night when he ran out of bounds on a scramble. That play aside, his pocket presence has been practically flawless through four games. He has a knack for releasing the ball right when the pressure arrives.
Not only has the pass protection been impressive from Virginia’s big guys, but the team continues to be dominant on the ground. The ‘Hoos ran for 206 yards on 45 carries (4.9 yards per carry). The three-headed monster of J’Mari Taylor (85 yards on 15 rushes), Xavier Brown (55 on 10), and Harrison Waylee (45 on 9) continues to be dynamic as well.
Tony Elliott is holding this UVA team to a higher standard
Elliott was fiery on the Cavalier sideline throughout the game, even when the ‘Hoos were handedly beating Stanford. ESPN sideline reporter Dana Boyle noted Elliott’s passion coming out of the locker room as he emphasized his disappointment with how UVA finished the first half.
During the timeout between the third and fourth quarters, Elliott pulled the entire team into a huddle where Boyle said he spoke passionately to the importance of the whole team finishing the game strong – despite already leading by 18 points.
This came during a game when Virginia blew out an ACC opponent by four scores and put up 590 yards of offense. The Cavaliers have totaled 1,294 yards in their last two games compared to 584 allowed. They’ve scored more points through four games than through seven contests in 2025.
Clearly, though, Elliott and company are aware of the potential this team has. He’s made a consistent point to hold them to that.
“Everybody understands that there’s a standard we’re trying to establish,” he said postgame.
Everything is to play for Friday night vs. Florida State
Speaking of playing to a high standard, UVA has a chance to put the nation on notice in their next matchup.
I’m not sure the last time there was a Virginia football game with so much juice. The No. 7 Florida State Seminoles come to Charlottesville this Friday led by quarterback Thomas Castellanos – a familiar face to Cavalier fans.
A win would catapult Virginia into the top-25 and generate real buzz about the team’s potential to do damage in the ACC. Giving the Seminoles a competitive game would also be an encouraging result given the (lack of) strength of UVA’s remaining schedule.
Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. ET. As always, we’ll have you covered before, during, and after that contest.
