CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Coming off its seventh consecutive victory and fifth straight in ACC play, No. 12/14 Virginia (8-1, 5-0 ACC) hosts Wake Forest (5-3, 2-3 ACC) in a primetime matchup under the Scott Stadium lights Saturday night (Nov. 8). Kickoff set for 7 p.m. on ESPN and the Virginia Sports Radio Network. 

The game is also the Cavaliers’ annual designated Family Weekend and Heroes Appreciation game. 

Virginia enters Saturday’s contest as the only unbeaten team in ACC play. Of the Cavaliers’ last five games, three went to overtime. The other two were one-possession games in the final minute. Full Game Preview →

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INSIDE SATURDAY’S MATCHUP 

• Saturday will be the 53rd meeting between Virginia and Wake Forest, an all-time series that was first played in 1889. The Cavaliers have won 35 of the 52 meetings, including a 31-30 comeback win last season in Winston-Salem. 
• Wake has won five of the last six games against Virginia, including the last two at Scott Stadium (2012 and 2021). Virginia hasn’t defeated the Demon Deacons in Charlottesville since 2007. 
• Saturday will be the fifth night game at home this season—the most in a season since permanent lighting was installed at Scott Stadium in 1983. Virginia played four games under the lights in 1984, 2019 and 2021. 
• The Cavaliers boast a 5-0 record at Scott Stadium this season, marking the most home wins under Tony Elliott and most since 2020.  
• Virginia is one of 10 FBS teams with eight or more wins this season. 
• The Cavaliers are inside the AP top 25 for the sixth consecutive week. The No. 12 ranking is the highest since UVA was No. 10 going into its ninth game of the 2004 season. Virginia’s last win while ranked 12th or better was a 16-0 victory over Maryland in 2004 as the No. 12 team in the country.  
• Virginia enters the contest on a seven-game win streak, matching the most consecutive wins in UVA single-season history. It’s the longest streak since the 2007 season. UVA has previously won seven consecutive games in the same year in 1914, 1945, 1949, 1990, and 2007.  
• Only Ohio State (12 games), BYU (10), Indiana (9), and Texas A&M (8) have longer active win streaks than Virginia. UVA is tied with Alabama for the nation’s fifth-longest active win streak.  
• Virginia is outscoring its opponents 45-26 in the fourth quarter. The Cavalier defense has held its opponent scoreless in the fourth quarter in five of its nine games this season. The Cal touchdown (two plays, 25 yards) early in the final stanza last week was only the third offensive touchdown allowed in the fourth quarter by UVA. 

TOP STORYLINES

• At 8-1, Virginia is off to its best start in 35 years. The Cavaliers are the only team unbeaten in ACC play, winning their first five league games for the first time in program history. A win over the Demon Deacons would mark the first time ever in which UVA is off to a 9-1 start (or better) in 135-year history of Cavalier football.
• Saturday’s matchup will feature the ACC’s No. 3 scoring offense in Virginia (37.1 ppg) pitted against Wake Forest, the league’s No. 2 scoring defense (18.9 ppg). The Cavaliers have scored 30 or more points in seven of their nine games this season. Only two teams, Georgia Tech and NC State, have reached the 30-point mark against the Demon Deacons.
• Linebacker Kam Robinson has delivered in the clutch of late, including his interception return for a touchdown with 34 seconds remaining in the game to seal a 31-21 win at Cal last week. His tackle for loss in the end zone that resulted in a safety with 2:41 remaining against Washington State proved to be the game-deciding score, and he had his first pick-six of the year in UVA’s overtime win at Louisville.
• Virginia leads all ACC teams and ranks 11th in the country in turnover margin (1.0). The Cavalier defense has forced a turnover in six consecutive games and has not turned the ball over in five of its nine games this season. Virginia and Miami are the only two schools in the country that have not lost a fumble.

NUMBERS TO KNOW