Three Key Storylines For Virginia Against Wake Forest

Opportunity and adversity often go hand-in-hand. That is certainly true this week, as Virginia football hits the road for a Halloween duel at No. 14 Wake Forest. The Cavaliers, more likely than not, will lose by a few scores.

However, that same diagnosis was applied to last season's game in Charlottesville in which No. 12 Virginia was upset by the Demon Deacons. Perhaps the Cavaliers can return the favor Saturday. Here are three important storylines to follow:

This is a battle of two great defenses, and Virginia's struggling offense must step up

Wake Forest has the ACC's third-best scoring defense. Virginia is fourth. On the other end, the Demon Deacons also have the third-best scoring offense in the conference, while the Cavaliers' has been mediocre for the entirety of October.

Among FBS team, Virginia's offense ranks 125th in October. It has averaged just 16 points per game. The passing game is beyond stale. The performance on third down is even worse, as the Cavaliers converted just 27.2% of their third downs this month.

Virginia's chances of victory are as good as a snowflake's chance of surviving in summer. Beau Pribula hasn't thrown multiple touchdowns or over 160 yards since September. If Wake Forest stacks the box and focuses on mitigating the Cavaliers' run game, things could get ugly rather early.

Can Virginia stop Gio Lopez again?

Last season, Gio Lopez was the starting quarterback at North Carolina. He was average. Against Virginia, Lopez threw for 208 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 17-16 Cavaliers win. He was sacked three times.

Lopez is now with Wake Forest, where he has blossomed into one of the ACC's top quarterbacks. Virginia will need to replicate its valiant defensive effort against a signal-caller who is now third in the ACC in passing yards per game.

The scheme of defensive coordinator John Rudzinski fits well against Lopez, who can occasionally hold onto the ball too long and fail to sense pressure from his blindside (Lopez is left-handed).

The Cavaliers only have one win away from home since Nov. 16, 2025

Somehow, that statistic is true. Virginia's bowl win is the only victory away from Scott Stadium in almost a year. The Cavaliers' last true road triumph came Nov. 15 at Duke. This week's contest just so happens to be located in Winston-Salem, N.C. — in a less-than-friendly environment.

Virginia has had some difficult times in North Carolina recently. It is 0-2 in its last two trips to Charlotte, and lost last time in Raleigh. The most recent outing in Chapel Hill was a nail-biter and so was the 2024 trip to Winston-Salem.

Can the Cavaliers buck the trend and salvage an almost-lost season?

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