Cavaliers Edged by NC State, 35-31

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RALEIGH, N.C. — In a game that featured two prolific offenses, a defensive play sealed the victory for NC State on Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.

On a hot, humid afternoon, Virginia’s offense totaled 514 yards and 24 first downs in a rare non-conference clash between longtime ACC members. But after playing turnover-free football for the first 118 minutes and 58 seconds of the season, the Cavaliers, with a chance to pull out a dramatic comeback win, finally gave the ball away.

With NC State leading 35-31, a 20-yard completion from quarterback Chandler Morris to wide receiver Cam Ross gave Virginia a first down at the Wolfpack 12. On the next play, however, Morris tried to hit tailback J’Mari Taylor on a wheel route, and defensive end Cian Slone picked off the pass in the end zone.

NCSU ran out the clock to improve to 2-0, and UVA fell to 1-1.

“Super proud of the guys,” Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said. “Thought they battled their tails off, thought we grew up a little bit as a football team. But still, no moral victories. Non-conference or not, we came down here to win and we came up short … We’re gonna own it, we’re gonna get better, and we gotta go 1-0 next week.”

UVA’s defense gave up 416 yards and five touchdowns. The Wahoos recorded no sacks and had no takeaways. In the fourth quarter, though, the defense held the Wolfpack scoreless, giving the offense multiple opportunities to produce a go-ahead touchdown.

On Virginia’s penultimate drive, Taylor was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run from the NCSU 8. The Cavaliers’ final possession started on their 19, and five completions from Morris—two to Jahmal Edrine, and one each to Kam Courtney, Taylor and Ross—quickly moved them to the State 12. Then came a pass Morris would like to have back.

“Receivers were making great plays, the line was fighting their butts off,” Morris said. “Just unfortunate to not finish it.”

Taylor rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns, and Morris completed 30 of 43 passes for 257 yards and one TD. Wideouts Trell Harris, Edrine and Ross combined for 18 catches, and UVA’s offensive line didn’t give up a sack for the second-straight game.

Still, Morris said, the offense’s performance “just wasn’t good enough. It’s that’s simple. We gotta get back to work. Yeah, we had some good stuff, some good things happen, but at the end of the day, we gotta go score more points than they do, and we didn’t do that today. I feel like that’s on us. We left a lot out there.”

For the Wolfpack, tailback Hollywood Smother rushed for 140 yards and two TDs, and quarterback CJ Bailey completed 16 of 23 passes for 200 yards and one score.

After getting sizable second-quarter contributions from its defense and special teams, Virginia led 24-14 at the half. Will Bettridge’s 29-yard field made it 17-14 with 4:08 left in the second quarter, after which the Cavaliers forced a three-and-out. A 48-yard punt return by Ross, who ran a kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown in the season opener, gave UVA excellent field position, and the drive that followed ended with Morris’ 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Sage Ennis.

For the game, Virginia converted 10 of 13 third-down opportunities.

NC State scored the first 14 points of the second half to take its first lead, at 28-24, but Taylor’s third TD, on a 66-yard run, put the Hoos back on top with 5:11 left in the third quarter.

“We’re going to stay encouraged,” Elliott said. “We’re going to stay positive. My challenge to the team is we either get bitter or we get better. We either get defined by this game or we get developed, and I’m choosing to get better. I’m choosing to get developed. And I believe those guys in the locker room would say the same thing.”

UP NEXT: Virginia (1-1) opens a three-game homestand next Saturday against William & Mary at Scott Stadium. The noon game will air on ACC Network.

The Tribe took an 0-1 record into its Saturday night game against Maine in Williamsburg, Va.

UVA has won six straight over W&M and leads the series 32-6-1. The Tribe, which is looking to finish with a winning record for the fifth straight season, is in its seventh year under Mike London, a former head coach at Virginia.