What did Saturday’s win tell us about Virginia’s season?

Virginia announced itself to the country.

The Cavaliers eviscerated NC State 34-8, playing a near-perfect game on national television. Many analysts who did not give Virginia a single vote in the Preseason AP Poll ended up praising the Cavaliers, calling them a legitimate ACC contender.

It was just a single game, but Virginia presented a few promising trends that could help forecast the rest of the campaign. Here is what Saturday’s win tells us about the Cavaliers’ season:

Ten-plus wins is not unrealistic whatsoever

NC State was the third or fourth best team on Virginia’s schedule. Look at what happened Saturday, and then look at the rest of this schedule. Where are the losses going to come from? Other than an elite SMU squad, can an up-and-coming Cal team compete? What about an unproven Virginia Tech team or an underwhelming Florida State crew?

A prediction of 10 wins for the Cavaliers feels appropriate. Perhaps netting 11 wins is a realistic possibility after how strong Virginia’s first impression was.

The offense is elite in two key ways

The Cavaliers have an incredibly dangerous offense on paper. A deep running back room behind The Great Wall of Virginia equals a dominant unit. There is also potential with the wide receivers deep downfield.

But even when the Cavaliers score, the most consequential component of this offense is that it eats up the game clock. Virginia records touchdowns — but also takes north of nine minutes in the process. That means opponents have fewer minutes of possession, and opposing defenses get worn down.

When the Cavaliers light up the scoreboard and dominate time of possession, it will be enormously difficult for opponents to keep up with this offense.

Defense could be the ACC’s best

Virginia held a very talented Wolfpack offense to eight points — and that was without superstar linebacker Kam Robinson. Imagine what this defense could look like when its best player returns to the field.

The defensive backs are suffocating, with safeties Brandyn Hillman and Ethan Minter as some of the most reliable playmakers in the ACC. Then there is the trio of Jacobie Henderson, Omillio Agard and Donavon Platt — performing well in both man and zone coverage. Offenses also have to account for linebackers Maddox Marcellus and Landon Danley.

The defensive front, led by Fisher Camac, may be underrated as well. Virginia brutalized NC State’s offensive line more often than not, which kept quarterback CJ Bailey off-rhythm. The Cavaliers defense is defined by depth, experience and playmakers at every level. There will not be many (if any) defenses in the ACC that are as promising as this one.

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