All too familiar: No. 25 Virginia suffers upset loss in Charlotte, faltering against West Virginia

Fourth down.

Quarterback Beau Pribula looked to his left, searching for a prayer to keep the game alive. In an arena of nightmares and despair for Cavaliers of season past, Pribula found nothing but renewed demons in Charlotte, N.C. His team lost 38-27.

Pribula was sacked and West Virginia took over on downs with a two-touchdown lead and just a few minutes left in the game. A few moments later, Virginia (2-1, 1-0 ACC) was left sitting with another heartbreaking defeat at Bank of America Stadium.

The Mountaineers (3-0, 0-0 Big 12) outmuscled, outthrew, outran and out-mayo’d the Cavaliers in a primetime non-conference game. It was a surprising showing — Virginia ran for 113 yards in the first quarter but barely managed 40 more rushing yards for the rest of the game.

Coach Tony Elliott was not pleased.

The Mountaineers seized control in the second quarter, outscoring the Cavaliers 14-0. They never relented. West Virginia ended up jumping out to a massive 38-21 lead in the fourth quarter. It was the first time the Cavaliers have trailed by more than 10 points since 2024.

Running back Cam Cook and quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. each ran for 120-plus yards,. That star duo was expected to play starring roles, but they did more than that — they destroyed the nation's No. 5 scoring defense.

Virginia's defense ranked ninth nationally in yards allowed per game. Saturday, it allowed 437 yards. Hawkins had 313 total yards and a whopping five total touchdowns, breaking dozens of tackles in the process. This defense whiffed on tackles time and time again. Their opponent took advantage.

And while the Cavaliers' defense imploded, their offense did little to help them out.

"We became more one-dimensional while we were playing from behind," Elliott said postgame.

Virginia only scored 27 points — the same total recorded Coastal Carolina recorded against the Mountaineers. Normally elite on third downs, the Cavalier offense converted just six of their 16 third downs. A formidable offensive line allowed three sacks.

The sluggish performance was surprising because, on paper, Virginia had some positive statistics. The Cavaliers out-possessed West Virginia by over six minutes. They also had tremendous success running the ball in the first quarter. But the Mountaineers adapted — and Virginia did not.

The road ahead is now unclear for Virginia. This was a game the Cavaliers were favored to win by roughly 10 points. What will happen against the hungry up-and-comers of the ACC?

Silver linings are slim, but the Cavaliers benefit from the fact that this was a non-conference game. Virginia could also have an easier time next Saturday against Delaware. Nothing is guaranteed, though.

The Cavaliers learned that the hard way.

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