It’s Week 0, and we already have an ACC game, with UVA Football set to host NC State at a sold-out Scott Stadium.
I’ll be at the stadium ahead of the 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff, efforting to get photos and videos of the pregame stuff, then shifting focus to game coverage.
Join us here for live updates throughout the day.
Game Details
NC State at Virginia
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN (Wes Durham, Max Browne, Madison Fitzpatrick)
Line: Virginia -4.5
Over/under: 53.5
Projected final score: Virginia 28, NC State 24
Pregame Coverage
- UVA Football: Depth chart for Week 0 season opener with NC State
- UVA Football: I’m not too confident about Kam Robinson being out there on Saturday
- UVA Football: Solomon Beebe ‘suspended indefinitely’ in wake of arrest
- UVA Football: Rico Flores Jr. listed as ‘out’ on updated pregame injury list
- UVA Football: The home opener with NC State on Saturday is officially sold out
- NC State coach Dave Doeren isn’t going to release a depth chart for the season opener: OK
- UVA Football: Previewing how the ’Hoos can game plan for NC State
First quarter
Update: 3:42 p.m. Kam Robinson not on the field for the first series. Landon Danley (32) starting in his place at mike linebacker.
Update: 3:48 p.m. The two teams traded punts on their respective first series. Virginia got a first down on a keeper from Beau Pribula, then stalled. The State D bottled up the two conventional runs, then broke up a third-down pass that wouldn’t have been close to moving the chains anyway. The UVA special teams did win the field position battle: the Daniel Sparks punt was fair-caught at the State 10.
Update: 3:52 p.m. The TV broadcast just showed Kam Robinson on the sidelines with no shoulder pads or helmet. Obviously, the game-time decision is, no go. (My seat in the press box is on the far left end, right beside the UVA radio booth.)
Update: 3:59 p.m. Will Bettridge good from 47 yards. To the boring game plan that I suggested: 10 offensive snaps to this point, nine of them are runs. Virginia 3-0, 5:11/1st.
Update: 4:04 p.m. Fisher Camac deflects the CJ Bailey pass attempt, and the pass was INT’d by Brandyn Hillman at the NC State 32.
Update: 4:07 p.m. Keeping it on the ground, Beau Pribula broke off another big first-down run; Virginia scored on a third-and-goal from inside the 1, tough run inside by Xavier Brown. Virginia 10-0, 2:37/1st.
Update: 4:16 p.m. End 1: Virginia 10, NC State 0.
Second quarter
Update: 4:25 p.m. Beau Pribula hits Xavier Brown, lined up in the slot, in stride on a 45-yard pitch-and-catch TD. Virginia 17, NC State 0, 11:26/2nd.
Update: 4:33 p.m. For all the hype, CJ Bailey has sucked today to this point: 5-of-12, 21 yards, one INT, at least three passes that he just botched.
Update: 4:41 p.m. That sack felt like a momentum shift, and then the State punt returner, Victor Brown, got 29 yards on the runback, to set up the offense at midfield. Virginia still leads 17-0, 5:45/2nd. Big series here. One first down, and State is in four-down territory. Feels like this where State can get back into it.
Update: 4:48 p.m. CJ Bailey scrambled inside the UVA 10, but fumbled as he tried to clear a tackler: forced by Brandyn Hillman, recovered by Landon Danley.
Update: 5:00 p.m. Virginia runs out the clock on the first half. End 2: Virginia 17, NC State o.
Third quarter
Update: 5:24 p.m. Three plays, all passes, 75 yards, with a 47-yard TD pass to Da’Shawn Martin. State came out prepared to stop the run. We didn’t run. Virginia 24, NC State 0, 13:35/3rd.
Update: 5:35 p.m. The teams traded punts. Virginia ran three times, and came up a yard short. Teased going for it on fourth-and-1 at their own 39; the State D stayed in place on the offsides play.
Update: 5:45 p.m. Mel Wilson takes the direct snap for the second time on the drive and scores from one yard out. CJ Bailey converted a third-and-21 with a pass to third-string tight end Vander Ploog. State went for two and converted on a pass from Bailey to third-string tailback DeAndre Desinor. Virginia 24, NC State 8, 4:59/3rd.
Update: 5:56 p.m. Virginia will have a fourth-and-1 at the State 43 when we resume play. End 3: Virginia 24, NC State 8.
Fourth quarter
Update: 6:10 p.m. That’ll do her. Xay Davis caps a 23-play (!), 75-yard drive with a 1-yard TD. The drive ate up 12:15 of game clock. Four fourth-down conversions. Virginia 31, NC State 8, 7:44/4th.
Update: 6:22 p.m. Will Bettridge doinks one in from 42 after State failed on a fourth down. Virginia 34, NC State 8, 4:26/4th.
Recap
Vegas had Virginia as a slight four-point favorite. Two of the three guys on the ESPN pregame show picked NC State to win outright.
CJ Bailey was on the “ACC Huddle” this morning talking about how his goal this year was to win the ACC and get his team into the CFP.
Some other time; the Pack was never in this one.
Virginia led 17-0 at the half after holding the supposedly high-octane State offense to 83 yards, and it didn’t get better from there for the squad from Raleigh.
UVA bullied NC State on the way to a 34-8 win.
It was big guys beating up on little guys from the jump.
Virginia ran the ball on more than 80 percent of its offensive snaps, the aim being to wear down a thin NC State defensive front, which, good game plan there, it worked.
The D harassed the hell out of Bailey, who was lifted in the fourth quarter after putting up harrowing numbers for a guy with lofty aspirations: he was 12-for-23 for 84 yards and an INT.
The INT set up one Virginia score.
Bailey also fumbled trying to extend a play on which he had already picked up a first down inside the UVA 10 in the second quarter, with State down 17-0.
Beau Pribula only attempted 11 passes, completing nine, for 155 yards and two TDs – a 45-yarder to Xavier Brown in the second quarter, and a 47-yarder to Da’Shawn Martin on the first series of the third quarter.
Pribula also ran for 110 yards on 15 rushing attempts.
The ‘Hoos put up 413 yards of offense, and the Virginia D held the Pack to 168.
Third-string linebacker Miles Brown led the D with eight tackles.
Safety Brandyn Hillman had four tackles, an INT and a forced fumble.
Highlights
Brandyn Hillman INT
INT 👉 TD @dmv_b3‘s interception leads to @XavierBrown22‘s fourth career touchdown 🤝
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/dm7Dk1kFG2
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 29, 2026
Xavier Brown 45-yard TD catch
✌️😤 There he goes (again), @XavierBrown22.
That’s his second TD of the afternoon, this one a 46-yd reception 💯
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/WNrRBI2JhP
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 29, 2026
DeShawn Martin 47-yard TD catch
Martin’s 47-yard TD reception gives us 24-0 lead in the third quarter 💯
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/rpfwG62fpO
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 29, 2026
Xay Davis 1-yard TD run
@XayDavis25‘s first career TD caps a 23-play, 75-yard drive over 12:15 💥🔨
📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/PYSvvlVtQr
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 29, 2026
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Chris Graham
