Virginia Runs Over NC State 34-8 in Opener
Fifty-seven rushing attempts for 258 yards. NC State had 24 carries for 76. That is most of the story of Virginia's 34-8 win, and the rest is that the Wolfpack never got a lead, a tie or a sniff of one.
The Cavaliers scored first on a 47-yard Will Bettridge field goal in the first quarter, then Xavier Brown pushed in a 1-yard run to make it 10-0. Brown came back in the second quarter on a 45-yard catch from Beau Pribula, and it was 17-0. Pribula found Dashawn Martin from 47 yards early in the third, and that made it 24-0. NC State finally got on the board late in the third when Will Wilson ran one in from a yard out and CJ Bailey hit Deandre Desinor for the two-point try, so 24-8 was the score going into the fourth. Xay Davis scored from a yard out and Bettridge added a 42-yard field goal with 4:26 left to close it out.
Pribula did it all with very little passing. He was 9 of 11 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, then ran 15 times for 110 yards on top of it. Nobody on the other side matched that. Bailey was 12 of 23 for 84 yards with an interception and a lost fumble, and NC State's whole offense came to 168 yards. Virginia had 413 and did not turn the ball over once.
Virginia starts 1-0 and NC State 0-1, and the Wolfpack have an offense to sort out. For fantasy, Pribula (29.2) was the week's reminder that a quarterback who runs the ball does not need many throws to score. Brown made 23.8 on only eight carries and two catches.