PFF Grades and Snap Count For Virginia In Their Loss to West Virginia

How did the Virginia Cavaliers grade on PFF after their loss to West Virginia on Saturday?

Sep 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Beau Pribula (7) looks to pass against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Virginia offense stalled out after a strong first quarter, and the Cavaliers' defense, thought to be one of the best in the ACC, was shredded on the ground by the West Virginia rushing attack, and the end result was the first loss of the season for UVA.

It was not a great night for either side of the ball. An injury to offensive lineman Noah Josey disrupted the Cavaliers' offensive line, and they could hardly get any explosive plays. The defense could not contain quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr, who had perhaps his best game as a college quarterback.

So how did Pro Football Focus grade the Cavaliers performance in week two? Snap counts are in parentheses.

Offense

Sep 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers running back Jekail Middlebrook (21) celebrates his touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. OL Makilan Thomas- 70.5 (75)
2. OL Monroe Mills- 66.5 (75)
3. OL Noah Josey- 65.6 (20)
4. WR Da'Shawn Martin- 64. 7 (30)
5. WR Rico Flores Jr- 63.6 (37)
6. WR Kameron Courtney- 63.1 (42)
7. RB Xavier Brown- 63.0 (19)
8. QB Beau Pribula- 62.8 (75)
9. TE Dakota Twitty- 62.4 (44)
10. OL Drake Metcalf- 61.4 (75)
11. WR Jacquon Gibson- 60.8 (25)
12. OL Jon Adair- 60.7 (13)
13. OL McKale Boley- 59.0 (62)
14. TE Connor Cox- 58.0 (18)
15. RB Xay Davis- 56.5 (14)
16. RB Jekail Middlebrook- 56.2 (40)
17. WR Isaiah Robinson- 56.1 (11)
18. Ben York- 55.5 (55)
19. WR Josiah Abdullah- 54.6 (18)
20. WR Ty'Lyric Coleman- 48.8 (36)
21. RB Noah Vaughn- 46.1 (6)
22. TE John Rogers- 43. 8 (35)

There was not a lot of good things that came out of this game for the Cavaliers offense.

Some of the offensive line held up decently, but others did not. The running backs and the skill position players were not able to make a huge impact on the game, and per PFF grades (and the eye test), it was the worst game of the year for quarterback Beau Pribula. He was not effective on the ground nor the air, but his receivers did not help him out.

After a strong couple of weeks, it was tough sledding for the UVA offense.

Defense

Sep 19, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers safety Ethan Minter (30) tackles West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (3) on a run play during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. DT Anthony Britton- 77.9 (41)
2. DB Cristian Ellis- 74.8 (24)
3. DE Nnanna Anwanyu- 74.7 (26)
4. LB Ezekiel Larry- 73.7 (16)
5. LB Kam Robinson- 73.3 (43)
6. DE Fisher Camac- 68.9 (57)
7. LB Maddox Marcellus- 66.5 (47)
8. DL Cazeem Moore- 65.9 (14)
9. LB Myles Brown- 65.8 (11)
10. DL Kervins Choute- 65.7 (17)
11. DB Justin Ross- 65.3 (11)
12. DL Grayson Reid- 65.2 (25)
13. DB Corey Costner- 64.5 (38)
14. DB Montino Williams- 64.3 (14)
15. DB Donovan Platt- 62. 5 (26)
16. DB Jaylen Jones- 61.7 (8)
17. DL Darrion Henry-Young- 61.4 (33)
18. DL Matthew Fobbs-White- 60.3 (53)
19. DL Billy Koudelka- 60.0 (1)
20. DL Jewett Hayes- 60. 0 (1)
21. DB Omillio Agard- 59.8 (66)
22. DB Jacobie Henderson- 53.2 (67)
23. LB Caleb Hardy- 51.9 (14)
24. LB Landon Danley- 50.3 (29)
25. DB Brandyn Hillman- 46.9 (57)
26. DB Ethan Minter- 41.1 (49)
27. DL Devon Baxter- 40.7 (4)

This was the most disappointing side of the ball on Saturday night.

What might be the most disppointing was the safety duo of Brandyn Hillman and Ethan Minter. Both were playing well heading into the game, but turned in their worst performance of the year vs WVU. It was not a great game for the front seven either, including star linebacker Kam Robinson.

West Virginia was an underated team that has a tough run game to bottle up, but this side of the ball has a lot to work on over the course of the season.