The good, bad and ugly from UVA's rebound against the Orange

On a rainy night at Scott Stadium, the Cavaliers eked out a win

Oct 10, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Syracuse Orange defensive back Demetres Samuel Jr. (1) defends a pass intended for Virginia Cavaliers wide receiver Da'shawn Martin (18) in the third quarter at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cardiac Cavaliers are back. Well, at least to some extent.

Virginia football provided some of the stress and excitement reminiscent of the 2025 season in its 28-25 win over Syracuse. These Cavaliers were favored by nearly 10 points and won by just a field goal, but the end result is what counts (until it is time for the analyzing their performance).

The good: A hard-fought win, Sparks, Middlebrook, timely defense and season stock

A win is a win. And this was an especially valuable one, as nine ACC teams lost this weekend. Virginia's biggest goals are still achievable. It was not pretty, but this team showed it can compete in a strange ACC this year. The season stock should be going up.

Daniel Sparks was crucial to Virginia's victory. His six punts went for a total of 313 yards (52.2 yards per punt). He was able to consistently pin the Orange deep despite a torrential downpour making the ball (and field) very slippery. Right now, Sparks is a top frontrunner for First Team All-ACC Honors.

Jekail Middlebrook was also a leading star, as he had 17 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns. This was his best performance as a Cavalier.

All together, Sparks, Middlebrook and a stiff Virginia defense led the way to victory. After being torched for 17 points in the first half (and being booed off the field), the Cavaliers defense only allowed eight points in the final 30:31 of gameplay.

The bad: Pribula, poor discipline

Beau Pribula had a magificent 43-yard touchdown pass to Da'Shawn Martin that completely changed the game in the third quarter. But other than that explosive play, Pribula went 10-18 for 76 yards. He also contributed 34 rushing yards on nine carries. Virginia's punter had nearly triple the total yards that its quarterback produced.

Syracuse, starting a third-string quarterback, had 98 more passing yards than Pribula. The fourth-string quarterback was eventually thrown into action and contributed another 50 yards and a touchdown. In their first seven drives, the Cavaliers only reached Orange territory twice.

Costly penalties were also a relavant theme Saturday. Jacobie Henderson delivered a late hit on the quarterback who was already out of bounds and several yards short of the line to gain. Overall, Virginia had five penalties for 65 yards, three of which came on defensive stops on third downs.

All three of those stops on third down were actually on the same drive. And somehow, Syracuse did not score. That perfectly leads into this last point:

The ugly: Virginia did win, but it got boatloads of help

A win is a win, but this was as close (and ugly) as it gets. The Orange benefited from three penalties on third downs in one drive and ended that drive with a missed field goal. Syracuse outgained the Cavaliers by 142 yards, and missed two field goals in a game that Virginia won by three points. Sparks had more total yards than his entire offense.

If the Orange simply made one more field goal, this may have been a very different game. Or, if Syracuse was not down to its fourth-string quarterback late in the game. The list goes on and on. Here is what Coach Tony Elliott had to say about a win that certainly was not pretty:

Great response from Tony Elliott. I asked him about a win that wasn’t pretty: pic.twitter.com/Y2X1BRXLgp

— Xander (@xandertilock) October 11, 2026