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Sometimes a word of the week is just a word.
N.C. State players and coaches talked a lot about “urgency” in the days leading up to the team’s season opener. It didn’t quite materialize.
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Virginia defeated N.C. State, 34-8, in a performance where the Wolfpack looked stuck. The offense was held to its lowest output since scoring just seven points last year against Notre Dame and Miami.
The loss snapped several winning streaks, including its season openers (7), recent meetings with Virginia (4) and trips to Charlottesville (3). N.C. State had not lost to Virginia at Scott Stadium since Oct. 28, 2006. This was just the second season-opening loss under head coach Dave Doeren, who hadn’t lost an opener since a neutral-site contest against South Carolina in 2017.
“You’ve got to give Virginia credit where credit is due,” Doeren said. “They played a good game, (had a) good game plan, took care of the football, and were more physical in the run game. Obviously, the stats show that. Scoreboard shows that.”
The game began unraveling in the first quarter, primarily on offense. N.C. State (0-1, 0-1 ACC) started the game with a pair of three-and-outs and one interception.
Virginia safety Brandyn Hillman picked off CJ Bailey on the Wolfpack’s third drive of the game, defensive end Fisher Camac tipping the ball off his left hand and directly into Hillman’s path.
The Cavaliers (1-0, 1-0 ACC), who scored a 47-yard field goal on their second drive, extended their lead to 10 after scoring off N.C. State’s turnover. They scored two more touchdowns, including one to open the third quarter, creating a 24-0 lead.
Sophomore Will Wilson reprised his role as the short-yardage quarterback. He converted on 3rd down and 1 midway through the third, minutes before running the ball into the end zone for N.C. State’s first — and only — touchdown of the afternoon.
Bailey chalked up the day to “just not executing.” He said the team had a good game plan and emphasized practices have gone well.
“At the end of the day, it came down to executing, and that’s something that we couldn’t do,” Bailey said. “Whether it was me making throws, making the right throws, or me completing passes, or us in the trenches — no matter what it was, we just couldn’t execute.”
The Cavaliers added another touchdown with just under eight minutes remaining, solidifying the result everyone in the stadium saw coming since the first half.
N.C. State wanted defense to re-emerge this season, and that showed up in flashes. Popo Aguirre led all players with 18 total tackles. His performance was the best since Payton Wilson’s 19-tackle performance against Duke on Oct. 17, 2020. It ranks right outside the program’s all-time Top 20 list, which stops at 19 tackles in a single game. The list includes Wilson, Bill Cowher and Levar Fisher.
Despite his efforts, Aguirre believes he can do more, on the field and as a leader.
“I put everything on me,” Aguirre said. “What can I do better to help out my team? We’ve got a great group of guys. These guys are hungry. These guys are good.”
What we learned from the Wolfpack’s Week 0 season opener at Scott Stadium.
Bailey is one of the few quarterbacks returning for a third season with the same program. Meanwhile, Virginia’s Beau Pribula started his first game for the Cavaliers after transferring from Missouri (and playing under former N.C. State offensive coordinator Eli Drinkwitz).
In theory, Bailey should’ve been the more comfortable play caller on the field. Everyone, coaches and players, have talked about the game slowing down for him; the way he’s been able to read defenses. He looked like a new starter in a new system.
Bailey’s passes came under pressure, his few attempts at running the football rarely turned into anything. N.C. State reached the red zone once, but Bailey’s rush resulted in a fumble.
“They did a good job getting their hands up,” Doeren said of the Cavaliers’ defensive effort. “They batted four or five passes at the line of scrimmage, and we didn’t get any of those on our side. Then, obviously, the one fumble. Those plays are costly in a game like that.”
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The junior quarterback finished 12 of 23 passing for 84 yards, a career low as a starter. His 52% completion rate was the second-lowest in his three-year career. Additionally, it was the first time since his brief appearance against Tennessee in 2024 that he threw for fewer than 100 yards.
In two previous seasons, Bailey finished with a single-game completion rate under 56% once — 41% against Duke as a freshman — and never fell below that rate in 2025.
Pribula, meanwhile, seemed in control for most of the game. If he had any first-game jitters, they didn’t show. He was composed and decisive in the backfield, leading the Cavaliers offense with relative ease.
The fifth-year QB ended the game with 9 of 11 passing for 165 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception.
Virginia features one of the most experienced offensive lines in the nation. Two of its starters are in their seventh seasons and the youngest is in his fifth year, giving the line a combined 26 years of college before the first snap. Most of the line played together last year, too.
N.C. State’s defensive line has players with experience but certainly not to the degree of UVA’s resume. It also doesn’t have the same continuity.
That maturity showed up for the Cavaliers in the run game. UVA recorded 220 yards in the first half, including 168 on the ground. Pribula only attempted three passes in the opening half, but why switch things up when your own offensive line is shredding the Wolfpack’s defensive front?
Pribula recorded 80 first-half rushing yards, three shy of N.C. State’s total first-half offense. The fifth-year ran for 110 yards on the ground, which is the most by a Virginia quarterback since Brennan Armstrong — who played at UVA and N.C. State — recorded 105 yards against Richmond in 2022.
Aguirre said the team expected Pribula to play well, but it didn’t expect as many QB runs.
“We knew their offensive line was good. We knew that was going to be a battle, and the great equalizer was the QB run game,” Doeren added. “For the most part, their tailbacks didn’t hurt us in the game … the run game was more about the QB.”
A handful of Wolfpack players, in addition to Aguirre’s efforts, made solid defensive plays. Harvey Dyson, the nation’s leading edge rusher in 2025, and LaCorian Hodge recorded a sack and Ronnie Royal forced an emphatic pass breakup early.
There wasn’t enough pressure up front, though, for those plays to mean much.
Virginia’s Landon Danley started at the MIKE linebacker position instead of Kam Robinson. UVA head coach Tony Elliott told reporters this week that Robinson, who missed the end of last season with an injury, was day-to-day. Robinson had been practicing, Elliott said, but he provided limited information about the former All-ACC selection.
While Robinson is expected to be a key contributor to the Hoos’ defense once again, they didn’t really need him. Virginia’s defense disrupted the N.C. State offense from the first drive of the game.
At the end of the first half, the Cavaliers broke up five of Bailey’s passes, recorded a sack and forced a fumble.
Virginia used five linebackers on Saturday, and they more than handled Robinson’s would-be responsibilities. The Cavaliers corps finished with 20 total tackles.
Part of this can be blamed on the Wolfpack offensive line, which appeared paper thin for most of the afternoon. Had that held up better, maybe the offense could’ve made more plays and limited the UVA linebackers’ impact.
“Winning the line of scrimmage and winning the turnover margin are two things that are paramount, and we did not get that done today,” Doeren said. “That’s on me. I told the team in there, ‘As a head coach, I always take it personal how we play, and that was personal that we weren’t ready.’”
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This story was originally published August 29, 2026 at 6:43 PM.