By: Clark Johnson | WV Sports Chat
Morgantown, WV – The West Virginia Mountaineers will be making a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina on September 19th to take on the Virginia Cavaliers. This will be the first time the two programs have met on the gridiron since 2002 – a 48-22 victory for the Cavaliers in the Continental Tire Bowl.
The Cavaliers are coming off their best season in recent memory. Under fourth year head coach Tony Elliott, Virginia finished the 2025 season with an 11-3 record, including an appearance in the ACC Championship Game and a 13-7 win over Missouri in the Gator Bowl. While the program lost many star players from their 2025 team, Elliott was able to put together a solid roster via the transfer portal for 2026.
On offense, the Cavaliers accounted for the loss of Chandler Morris at quarterback by adding Pitt transfer Eli Holstein and Missouri transfer Beau Pribula. Recently, the Cavaliers officially named Pribula as their starting quarterback to begin the 2026 season. In his one season at Missouri, the Pennsylvania native completed 67.4% of his passes for 1,941 yards and 11 touchdowns to 9 interceptions. Pribula also added 297 yards and 6 touchdowns on the ground.
The Cavaliers also filled out their skill positions via the portal. Former Tennessee running back Peyton Lewis and former UCLA receiver Rico Flores Jr. are expected to be key contributors this season in Charlottesville.
The offense is led by coordinator Des Kitchings, who is heading into his third season with the Cavaliers.
Defensively, the Cavaliers heavily reloaded in the transfer portal. Michigan transfer Brandyn Hillman and Virginia Tech transfer Christian Ellis headline a plethora of new faces that will look to build on the strong 2025 season for the defensive unit. Headed by coordinator John Rudzinski, the defense held opponents to 19.5 points, 114.5 rushing yards, and 195.6 passing yards per game last season. Should the new pieces gel, there’s no reason the Cavaliers should not continue their defensive success this fall.
Prediction
This is a game that has me sweating. The Mountaineers have the chance to really put together a strong start with a victory here. Though I expect this game to go back and forth, these teams are at completely different places in their respective rebuilds. I believe that will be the difference here.
The Mountaineers make one or two critical mistakes down the stretch to lose a heartbreaker here.
Virginia 31, West Virginia 28
(Photo by UVA Today)
