Virginia Ready for Lone Star State Showdown with No. 24 SMUVirginia Ready for Lone Star State Showdown with No. 24 SMU

Virginia Ready for Lone Star State Showdown with No. 24 SMU

Kickoff from Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas is set for noon ET on The CW and the Virginia Sports Radio Network

Countdown to Kickoff
Dallas, Texas

Countdown to Kickoff

Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia Cavaliers
at
#24 SMU Mustangs
#24 SMU Mustangs
Tv: The CW
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Entering the back half of its regular-season slate, Virginia (4-2, 2-1 ACC) looks to deal No. 24 SMU (4-1, 2-1 ACC) its first-ever ACC loss at home this Saturday (Oct. 17). Kickoff from Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas is set for noon ET on The CW and the Virginia Sports Radio Network, which can be streamed through the Virginia Sports mobile app. 

The Cavaliers look to build on last week’s 28-25 comeback victory over Syracuse and secure their second straight victory, while also seeking their first road win of the season. No. 24 SMU is the Cavaliers’ first ranked opponent of the year, but under head coach Tony Elliott, UVA has earned at least one ranked win away from Scott Stadium in each of the past three seasons. 

Since joining the ACC in 2024, the Mustangs are 9-0 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings has made 31 career starts dating back to the 2023 season and was the runner-up for 2026 ACC Preseason Player of the Year. 

“We’re not going to apologize for winning games. There is no such thing as an ugly loss. There are a lot of teams in the country that aren’t 4-2. There are a lot of teams that lost to teams that they were favored to beat. This is college football, it’s hard."
Tony Elliott

Tony Elliott

Tuesday during his weekly press conference

By The Numbers

1

UVA punter Daniel Sparks leads the ACC and is third nationally in punting average (49.9). He is the reigning ACC Specialist of the Week and has two punts of 70 yards this season.

3

Wide receiver Da’Shawn Martin has caught a TD in UVA’s last three games. Of his 13 receptions, five have gone for scores, the second most in the ACC.

4

Career comeback victories engineered by quarterback Beau Pribula when trailing at the half after Saturday’s 28-25 win against Syracuse. Three of the four erased fourth-quarter deficits.

66

First-quarter points tallied by UVA this season, outscoring its opponents 66-14 in the opening stanza.
  • Saturday will be only the second meeting between Virginia and SMU. The two schools met for the first time back in 2024, a 33-7 win by the 13th-ranked Mustangs at Scott Stadium.
  • Virginia will play its first game in the state of Texas since 2012, a 27-7 loss at TCU. UVA’s only other games in the Lone Star State were in Austin against the University of Texas. The Longhorns defeated the Cavaliers 68-0 in 1977 and 17-16 in 1995.
  • SMU is Virginia’s first ranked opponent of the 2026 season and first since squaring off against then-No. 25 Missouri in the 2025 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. UVA is also scheduled to play a road contest against newly-ranked Wake Forest on Oct. 31. The Demon Deacons made their first appearance of the season in this week’s AP poll at No. 21.
  • Two of UVA’s five road wins against ranked opponents since 2000 have come under head coach Tony Elliott: in 2023 at No. 10 North Carolina and 2024 at No. 23 Pitt. The Cavaliers are 14-76-1 all-time against ranked foes on the road.
  • Virginia has won three of its last five games against ranked opponents, including both contests against AP Top 25 teams in 2025 (#8 FSU & #25 Missouri).
  • Virginia will play at noon ET for the first time since Oct. 25, 2025, at North Carolina. Dating back to last season, the Cavaliers have played their last 12 games at 3:30 p.m. ET or later. Eight of those 12 games have been after 6 p.m. ET.
  • UVA and SMU are among nine ACC teams with only one conference loss entering the weekend.
  • Saturday’s matchup is one of nine games in Week 7 that features two Power 4 teams that each have four or more wins.
  • The Cavaliers have committed only two turnovers (1 fumble, 1 INT) through their first six games, tied for the fewest in the ACC. UVA is one of 11 teams nationally with two or fewer turnovers this season. The Wahoos' average turnover margin (1.0) through six games is the best in the ACC.
  • Virginia is seeking its first win away from Scott Stadium in 2026 and looking to become the first-ever ACC team to record a league win at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. ACC schools are 0-9 in Dallas since the Mustangs joined the league in 2024. Last season, UVA matched a school record with four road wins, all against ACC foes. UVA's four road victories were tied with Duke and Pitt for the most in the league.
  • Saturday will be a matchup of the top passing offense in the ACC (SMU - 341.0 ypg) against the top passing defense in the league (UVA - 161.8 ypg). The Mustangs' passing attack ranks third nationally. SMU has gone over 400 yards through the air in three of its five games this season.
  • Virginia erased a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Syracuse 28-25 last Saturday (Oct. 10) at Scott Stadium. It was only the third time since 2006 that the Cavaliers overcame a double-digit halftime deficit to win. The three-point victory is UVA's first one-score game of the season after eight of its 14 total contests in 2025 were decided by eight points or less.
  • Virginia is the only ACC team without a player from the state of Texas. Offensive lineman Monroe Mills played two seasons at Texas Tech (2022-2023), defensive end Matthew Fobbs-White played at Baylor last season, and defensive end Nnanna Anyanwu played at UTSA (2023-25). Fobbs-White had three tackles (two solo) and a TFL last season for Baylor in a 48-45 OT victory at SMU in 2025.

HOO TO WATCH

#18WR

Da’Shawn Martin

A third-year transfer from Kent State, Martin has one touchdown reception in five of Virginia's first six games, including its last three.

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