No. 16 Cavaliers Commandeer Third Overtime Win Over North Carolina

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — An ACC football game dominated by the defenses came down to a single play Saturday afternoon at North Carolina’s Kenan Stadium.

Trailing 17-16 against No. 16 Virginia, which had scored a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, UNC could have kicked an extra point to extend the game. Instead, the Tar Heels lined up at the 3-yard line and opted to try to win on a two-point conversion.

The Cavaliers, who have grown comfortable in such tense situations, didn’t flinch. Carolina quarterback Gio Lopez rolled to his right and passed to tailback Benjamin Hall in the right flat. After an initial hit by UVA cornerback Emmanuel Karnley on Hall along the right sideline, nickel back Ja’Son Prevard, did the rest, stopping Hall inches from the goal line.

“You showed the heart of a champion,” Virginia head coach Tony Elliott told his team afterward.

Such drama is becoming the norm for these Wahoos. For the first time in program history, Virginia has played three overtime games in the same season.

The Hoos have won all three. They beat Florida State 46-38 in two overtimes at Scott Stadium on Sept. 26. Eight days later, UVA won 30-27 in overtime at Louisville. After rallying to edge Washington State 22-20 at Scott Stadium last weekend in a game that took a mere 60 minutes, the Cardiac Cavaliers had to work overtime again on a crisp fall day in Chapel Hill.

“That’s what I told our guys: ‘We’ve been here before. Unfortunately, this is what we do. Now we take it all the way down to the end,’ ” Elliott said. “And I could sense just the same attitude and belief as I did in the Florida State game. And I think that kind of started it and then it carried over into the Louisville game and then today.

“The guys just had confidence that we’re going to play however long it takes. And one of the bedrocks of our program is we play 60 minutes or however long it takes to find a way to win the game.”

UNC (2-5, 0-3), which continues to struggle in its first season under head coach Bill Belichick, won the coin toss before overtime and elected to play defense first. Starting at the 25, Virginia gained 9 yards on a pass from quarterback Chandler Morris to tight end Sage Ennis. Tailback J’Mari Taylor ran for 3 yards and a first down. After Morris threw an incompletion, Taylor had another 3-yard gain, bringing up third-and-7 from the 10.

Morris, who’s been playing with an injured non-throwing shoulder, didn’t hesitate to put his body on the line, as he has all season. He kept the ball and gained 7 yards to set up first-and-goal from the 3. Taylor took a handoff from Morris and gained 2 yards. Taylor then took a direct snap from center Brady Wilson and bulled across the goal line. That made it 16-10, and Will Bettridge added what proved to be a decisive extra point.

Lopez’s 9-yard touchdown pass to tailback Davion Gause made it 17-16, but the Hoos’ final defensive stop spoiled the day for the home fans in the announced crowd of 50,500. The rest of the crowd enjoyed itself immensely, chanting, “U-V-A! U-V-A!” after Prevard’s tackle on Hall.

The victory was Virginia’s fourth in its past five games at Kenan Stadium. Moreover, the Hoos have their first six-game win streak since 2007, and their seven victories are their most in a season since 2019, when they went 9-5 and played in the Orange Bowl.

“At the end of the day, we’re finding ways to win,” said Elliott, who’s in his fourth season at Virginia.

UVA and No. 7 Georgia Tech (8-0, 5-0) are the only ACC teams unbeaten in conference play.

Little came easily for Virginia’s offense on an afternoon when neither team scored in the third or fourth quarter. The Hoos totaled only 259 yards on offense and gave up six sacks, one more than they’d allowed in the previous seven games combined. But Virginia’s defense stood tall Saturday, forcing six three-and-outs, recording three sacks and intercepting two passes while holding UNC to 353 yards.

“As a team, we love to play complementary football,” said defensive end Mitchell Melton, who broke up two passes, one of which he eventually intercepted, and had two quarterback hurries. “Regardless of what’s happening on the offensive side, if they’re having a good or a quote-unquote bad day, whatever the case may be, we know that if we have their back, they’re going to have ours. So we just play as a team.”

UNC nearly struck first Saturday, but wide receiver Kobe Paysour fumbled at the left pylon after being tackled by UVA safety Corey Costner midway through the first quarter. The ball went out of bounds in the end zone, resulting in a touchback for the Cavaliers.

Virginia’s ensuing drive stalled at the 17, but Bettridge’s 34-yard field goal made it 3-0. Carolina tied the game at 3-3 early in the second quarter. Morris’ 30-yard touchdown pass to wideout Trell Harris gave UVA a cushion with 6:36 left in the first half, but the Heels answered with a drive capped by Lopez’s 1-yard TD run.

On the final play of the first half, Rece Verhoff missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, and the teams went into the break tied 10-10. The score didn’t change until Taylor’s touchdown run in overtime.

Yards were hard to come by for the Cavaliers’ offense, but their special teams provided a boost. Bettridge made his only field-goal attempt, Daniel Sparks averaged 48.9 yards on his eight punts, and Jayden Thomas, filling in for the injured Cam Ross, returned four punts for 58 yards, with a long of 31.

Morris finished 20-of-35 passing for 200 yards and one TD, with one interception. His favorite target was wideout Jahmal Edrine, who caught six passes for 75 yards. Harris finished with four catches for 72 yards.

UVA’s Kam Robinson led all players with 13 tackles, and fellow linebacker James Jackson, whose late interception sealed Virginia’s 2023 win at Kenan Stadium, had eight.

UP NEXT: Virginia’s schedule this season includes three first-time opponents, all from the West Coast. UVA defeated Stanford on Sept. 20 and Washington last Saturday, both at Scott Stadium. Now comes a match-up with the California Golden Bears.

Two of the nation’s top public universities, Virginia and Cal have never met in football. That’ll change next Saturday in Berkeley, Calif.

At a time yet to be announced, the Hoos (7-1, 4-0) will face the Golden Bears (5-3, 2-2) at California Memorial Stadium.

Cal lost 42-34 in double overtime to Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium on Friday night.

Two members of the Cal coaching staff previously worked at UVA: co-defensive coordinator/outside linebackers coach Vic So’oto and offensive line coach Famika Anae.

Virginia Team Notes 

• Virginia improved to 7-1 overall and 4-0 in ACC play, its best start in either category since the 2007 season. 
• UVA won its sixth consecutive game, a first under head coach Tony Elliott, and the program’s first six-game win streak since 2007 (when it won seven in a row).
• The Cavaliers played their third overtime game of the season and have won all three. Only eight other teams in college football history have won three overtime games in the same season. Overtime in college football was first instituted in 1996. In 2022, Texas Tech was the last team with three OT wins in the same season.
• Not since 1935 has UVA had more than three tied scores at the end of regulation.
• For the third consecutive year, UVA’s ACC win total (4) has improved under Elliott. 
• It was also the Cavaliers’ fourth consecutive win in ACC play – also its first such streak since 2007. UVA is assured at least a .500 record in ACC play for the first time since 2021.
• With SMU’s loss 13-12 loss at Wake Forest, UVA and Georgia Tech (5-0) are the only two remaining unbeaten teams in ACC play.
• Today marked the 130th meeting between North Carolina and Virginia, the “South’s Oldest Rivalry.” The Cavaliers improved to 60-66-4 all-time in the series that was first contested in 1892.
• The 130 meetings between the two teams are tied for second-most by two FBS rivals all-time. Georgia and Auburn, which already played in 2025, have also gone head-to-head 130 times, while Wisconsin and Minnesota have met 134 times heading into this year’s matchup.
• UVA’s 60th win of the series is also its most against any other opponent in program history.
• Virginia has won four of the last five games played at Kenan Stadium, including the previous meeting against then-No. 10 Tar Heels in 2023, the first-ever road win over a top-10 opponent in Cavalier football history. 
• Saturday’s contest marked UVA’s first win while ranked as high as No. 16 in the AP top 25 since Nov. 20, 2004, when the 16th-ranked Cavaliers defeated Georgia Tech, 30-10. It’s also the first time a ranked UVA team defeated North Carolina since 2005.
• The Cavaliers recorded their second consecutive ACC road win, a first since 2021. UVA defeated Louisville (Oct. 4), 30-27, in overtime at L&N Stadium.
• UVA posted its fourth first-quarter shutout of the season (CCU, W&M, FSU, UNC). The Tar Heels punted twice and lost a fumble at the goal line that bounced out of bounds for a touchback.
• UVA has not allowed a TD in its last three fourth quarters and is outscoring its opponents 38-19 in fourth quarters this season and 62-31 when factoring overtime periods.
• UVA has come up with a turnover in its last five games, all of which UVA has emerged victorious.
• The Cavaliers have only surrendered one touchdown in the last 96:36 of regulation, dating back to last week’s 22-20 win over Washington State (Oct. 18).
• The Cavaliers stopped the Tar Heels at the goal line on their two-point conversion attempt to seal the OT victory. UVA’s opponents are yet to convert a two-point conversion this season (0-3).
• Virginia forced into six Tar Heel three-and-outs, the most by a UVA FBS opponent 2021 (Miami–6).
• The Cavaliers and UNC combined for 15 punts, the most in a UVA game since the 2022 Georgia Tech game (16).
• For the first time since 2019 (vs. Liberty & Virginia Tech), UVA’s defense has recorded two interceptions in back-to-back games. The Cavaliers also had two in last week’s win over Wazzu. The Cavaliers have eight interceptions on the season.
• For the first time this year, UVA was held scoreless in the third quarter. 

Virginia Individual Player Notes 

• Mitchell Melton recorded his first career interception to halt a UNC red-zone attempt late in the third quarter. He also recorded a pass breakup on the play, after his deflection bounced off a Tar Heel helmet and fell into his hands. He finished the game with two PBUs and two QB hurries.
• Filling in for Cam Ross on punt returns, Jayden Thomas fielded the first four punts of his career. On his second career punt return, Thomas scampered for a 31-yard return, the second-longest by a Cavalier this season.
• Junior Kam Robinson was credited with a career-high 13 tackles, including five solo efforts and a half sack. His solo tackle in overtime was the 100th unassisted tackle of his career. Robinson was the game’s only player with double-digit tackles.
• Chandler Morris finished with 200 yards passing, eclipsing the 8,000-yard mark for his career. His lone touchdown pass of the game was the 59th of his career.
• Trell Harris’ 30-yard TD reception in the second quarter marked the eighth of his career and fourth of the season. His 30-yard reception is the second-longest receiving TD of the year for the Cavaliers. He also had a 75-yard TD reception against Stanford. His four receiving TDs leads the team.
• Antonio Clary finished with a season-high four tackles and intercepted the final pass of regulation to help force overtime. It was the third interception of his career. 
• Daniel Sparks punted eight times for a season-high 391 punting yards. He downed two inside the 20 and had three punts over 50 yards, including a 56-yarder early in the fourth quarter.
• J’Mari Taylor punched in what proved to be the game-winning touchdown on a one-yard rush in overtime. It was his fifth game this season with a rushing touchdown and his ninth overall. His nine rushing TDs are the most by a UVA player in a season since Brennan Armstrong (9) in 2021, and most by a Cavalier running back since Wayne Taulapapa (11) in 2019.
• Taylor’s touchdown is his second in overtime this season. He also scored the game-winning TD in UVA’s 30-27 overtime win at Louisville (Oct. 4).
• Defensive tackle Jason Hammond tied his career high of five tackles and tied for a game-high two QB hurries.

Offensive Starters: QB #4 Chandler Morris, RB #3 J’Mari Taylor, WR #7 Jahmal Edrine, WR #11 Trell Harris, TE #0 Sage Ennis, WR #5 Kameron Courtney, LT #52 McKale Boley, LG #77 Noah Josey, C #76 Brady Wilson, RB #60 Drake Metcalf, RT #68 Jack Witmer. 

 Defensive Starters: DE #14 Fisher Camac, NT #90 Jahmeer Carter, DT #91 Jason Hammond, DE #17 Mitchell Melton, LB #1 James Jackson, LB #5 Kam Robinson, CB #19 Emmanuel Karnley, CB #28 Donavon Platt, NB #10 Ja’son Prevard, S #30 Ethan Minter, S #27 Devin Neal. 

 Game Captains: #2 Stevie Bracey, #25 Terrell Jones, #52 McKale Boley, #88 Walker Wallace