Winners and Losers From UVA's Rebound Over California

Buoyancy is always valuable. Virginia finally found it Saturday — blasting California 36-7.

The Cavaliers' defense was near-perfect, scoring two touchdowns while allowing just one. The Golden Bears only tallied 201 total yards. Virginia, meanwhile, earned 201 yards just from its rushing attack.

Here are winners and losers from the Cavaliers' fifth win of the 2026 campaign:

Winner: Team defense

Brandyn Hillman returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown. Kam Robinson did the same for 33 yards (plus a few more, counting his extra distance up The Hill to celebrate with students). Virginia also recorded four sacks, plus three more tackles for loss. This was probably the Cavaliers' most impressive defensive performance since the season opener back in August.

Overall, the only success Cal found came from a few soft openings in zone coverage. The Golden Bears probably would have been shut out if not for three questionable penalties that gifted Cal a luxury cruise from the first property on the Monopoly Board all the way to Boardwalk.

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Loser: Passing game, especially tight ends

Beau Pribula threw for fewer than 170 yards for the fifth time in the past six games. He missed Da'Shawn Martin a few times (including what could have been two deep touchdowns). Against a stingy North Carolina defense next Saturday, missed throws are going to be a problem.

Another problem is that despite emphasizing the run and play action, Cavaliers tight ends have almost never been a factor this season. The only catch by a Virginia tight end was a John Rogers gain of nine yards. The constant wasting of talented tight ends has been a major part of the offensive struggles this season.

Winner: Backups seizing the spotlight

Linebacker Justin Rowe, receiver Isaiah Robinson and offensive lineman Ben York all made their first career starts tonight. Each of them made notable contributions. York delivered a crucial block on Beau Pribula's 43-yard scamper, Robinson had a 20-yard catch and Rowe recorded four tackles (0.5 for loss).

Xay Davis, Josiah Persinger and other underclassmen also saw big snaps. Derek Uran and others did as well on special teams. That's a good thing. This offseason, the Cavaliers will lose over half of their starters to eligibility exhaustion (and possibly a few more to the transfer portal). Virginia needs to see what is has in its reserves. There are only a few more chances to do so.

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