Cavaliers Ready for First Road Test at Wake Forest Saturday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Coming off its 34-13 season-opening victory over Richmond, Virginia (1-0) will play its first road game of the season against ACC foe Wake Forest (1-0) on Saturday (Sept. 7) at Allegacy Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and the Virginia Sports Radio Network. 

GAME DETAILS
Date: Saturday, Sept. 7
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Allegacy Stadium (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Television: ESPN2 • Mike Monaco (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst) and Dawn Davenport (sideline)
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network, Virginia Sports Mobile App, TuneIn App, SiriusXM Channel 391

Inside Saturday’s Matchup 

• Virginia and Wake Forest square off for the first time since the 2021 season and the first time in the Tony Elliott era. 

• Besides the new ACC members, Wake Forest, Florida State and Clemson are the only three teams Elliott has not faced as a head coach. 

• The Cavaliers own a 34-17 advantage in the all-time series against the Demon Deacons, a series that was first played in 1889. Virginia is looking to halt a five-game Wake Forest win streak, its longest ever against UVA. 

• The Cavaliers last win against Wake Forest came in 2007, a 17-16 win at Scott Stadium. Virginia is seeking its first victory in Winston-Salem since 2002, a 34-30 come-from-behind effort. 

• Virginia opens up ACC play with Wake Forest as its first opponent for the first time since 1978 and sixth time ever (1962, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1978, 2024). 

• UVA is looking to end a three-game skid in ACC openers and secure its first win in an ACC opener since 2020 (38-20 win at home vs. Duke). The last two UVA ACC openers were decided by a combined five points (2021 – L, 20-22 at Syracuse & L, 21-24 vs. NC State). The last UVA win in an ACC opener on the road was in 2019 at Pitt, 30-14. 

Top Storylines 

• In week one against Richmond, Virginia posted 34 points, its second-highest total in 23 games under head coach Tony Elliott. The Cavaliers produced 497 yards of total offense, their highest output since the 2022 season. 

• The Cavaliers yards came in bunches in week one with seven plays over 30 yards. The longest of the day coming on a 57- yard reception by Jack Griese for UVA’s second touchdown of the year. 

• Sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea shined in his 2024 debut after being named the starting quarterback one week prior to the opener. Colandrea accounted for 346 yards (297 pass, 49 rush) of total offense and three touchdowns (2 pass, 1 rush). 

• In UVA’s last 12 ACC games, nine have been decided by a touchdown or less and seven by four points or less. In 2023, Virginia was 2-5 in games that were decided by one score. 

• Virginia racked up 200 rushing yards against Richmond, led by graduate student Kobe Pace’s 93, his highest total as a Cavalier. Pace’s last 100-yard effort came against Wake Forest in 2021 when he accumulated 191 yards as a member of the Clemson backfield. 

SERIES HISTORY 

• Dating back to the inaugural meeting in 1889, UVA leads the all-time series with Demon Deacons, 34-17, including 16-7 in Winston-Salem. 

• However, Wake is riding a five-game win streak in the series, which began in 2008. 

• The last time Virginia defeated the Deacs was at Scott Stadium in 2007 in a 17-16 thriller. The Cavaliers scored their second touchdown of the contest with 2:18 remaining to take the lead and Wake missed what would-have-been a 47-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. 

• The last time UVA won in Winston-Salem was in a 38-34 shootout in 2002. The Deacs orchestrated a 24-point second quarter and led by as many as 17 points (34-17) midway through the third quarter. However, UVA scored three unanswered touchdowns the rest of the way to complete a miraculous comeback on the road. 

NUMBERS TO KNOW 

8 – Consecutive games Virginia has produced a 100-yard receiver. In UVA’s win over the Spiders, receiver Malachi Fields tallied 100 receiving yards for the first time of his career. 

189 – Receiving yards Fields has accumulated in his last two games, an average of 94.5. 

25 – Graduate student Jahmeer Carter is expected to make his 25th consecutive start on the Cavaliers’ defensive line, the longest active streak on the team. 

8.45 – Yards-per carry that running back Kobe Pace averaged in week one against Richmond, the third highest in the ACC. 

ON THE HORIZON
The Cavaliers return to Scott Stadium next Saturday (Sept. 14) to host Maryland (1-0) for an 8 p.m. kickoff on ACC Network.