Turning the Page: NC State Shifts to Virginia After Win
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It’s time to turn the page. It’s how the football season works each week: teams move on, whether it was a tough loss or an exciting win. Entering the next week, whatever happened in the last doesn’t matter anymore. NC State had its time to celebrate the win over East Carolina, but now it’s time to turn that page to Virginia in week two.
Virginia ranked No. 12 in the nation in terms of incoming transfers to its program. Head coach Tony Elliott enters his fourth season at the helm of the Cavalier program and is coming off a 48-7 victory over Coastal Carolina.
Sorry, we had to watch this again
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 31, 2025
✋@HarrisQuentrell #GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/6JTntZQgUy
The transfer made an impact. North Texas quarterback transfer Chandler Morris started his first game for the Cavaliers, going 19-for-27, 264 yards, and two touchdowns with no picks. An efficient start to his Virginia career, he led the passing game to an 0.30 EPA per dropback, ranking in the 78th percentile according to Game on Paper.
Morris handled most of his business in normal pass dropbacks. The Cavaliers only ran play action six times throughout the game. On no play-action attempts, Morris went 15-for-22, 2-4 yards and two touchdowns. He only had one Big Time Throw according to Pro Football Focus.
His favorite target? James Madison wide receiver transfer Cam Ross. He hauled in seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown. Purdie wide receiver transfer Jahmal Edrine caught the other touchdown pass Morris threw; Edrine finished with 24 receiving yards.
Goodnight 😴#GoHoos 🔶⚔️🔷 pic.twitter.com/b38bp6PfZD
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) August 31, 2025
The ground game was also dominated by the transfer class. North Carolina Central and Wyoming running back transfers J’Mari Taylor and Harrison Waylee each found the endzone in the blowout win. Taylor rushed the ball 10 times for 32 yards and two scores; Waylee rushed the ball seven times for 18 yards and a score.
Defensively, no one particularly stood out. It was a team effort that caused chaos for Coastal Carolina’s rebuilt roster. The Cavaliers' defense only let the Chanticleers' offense total -0.22 EPA per play, ranking in the 13th percentile.
Virginia linebacker Landon Danley led the team in total tackles with seven. One aspect the Cavaliers could look to improve in week two is the pass rush. The team only totaled eight total pressures. Wyoming transfer Sabastian Harsh for the Wolfpack generated six by himself in week one.
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Daniel Rios graduated from the esteemed Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His deep passion for sports has taken him to positions at ESPN and Cronkite News. Currently, he serves as the Assistant Beat Writer for the North Carolina State Wolfpack On SI.
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