ACC Notebook: Pribula Shows Early Promise in Cavs’ Dominant Win
By Rory-Joe Daniels
Week 0 is in the books, and what a start it was. We saw Bill Belichick put on a second-half defensive masterclass and a strong showing at quarterback from Virginia transfer Beau Pribula. In our Week 1 ACC Football Notebook, we’ll look back at all the significant action before turning our attention to a busy week ahead, as the rest of the conference kicks off its season.
Pribula and the Cavaliers lay down early-season marker
It’s always tricky to predict how transfer QBs will fare, but Beau Pribula looked right at home for the Virginia Cavaliers. He showed his dual-threat ability, completing 9 of 11 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 110 yards on the ground at more than seven yards per carry. Head Coach Tony Elliott admitted it wasn’t exactly how they drew it up:
“I love how Beau runs, but you know, 15 carries every game is probably not the way that we want to make a living, but it’s what was required today to win the game.”
It was the first time since 2022 that a Virginia QB had topped 100 rushing yards, and it will certainly excite the fanbase. The defense matched Pribula’s energy early, coming out like their hair was on fire. CJ Bailey had little time to settle in the pocket as Virginia emerged convincing 34-8 winners.
It was a start that confirmed Virginia shouldn’t be discounted from returning to the ACC Championship Game after reaching it in 2025. Norfolk State are next after a bye week, when Pribula will hope for more early fireworks and an early shower.
Belichick leans on defensive prowess to cause Dublin upset
It felt vaguely familiar to see Bill Belichick, rain pouring, soaked, orchestrating a defensive stand to get his team over the line. After being unable to contain TCU’s outside-zone run game in the first half, the Tar Heels’ defense stiffened, and the Horned Frogs failed to score over the final 49 minutes.
TCU had amassed 111 yards on the ground by halftime, but the Tar Heels began winning at the point of attack and forcing the Horned Frogs away from the perimeter. Belichick was quick to downplay the ‘tactical adjustment’ narrative:
“It was the same plays, and I just think we probably did a better job of playing it.”
That perhaps minimises the impressive job the defensive front did. Stud edge rusher Melkart Abou-Jaoude recorded a sack, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble, but it was interior defensive lineman Xavier Lewis who truly deserved the headlines. Lewis finished with 4.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and a QB hit in a performance that earned him ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week honours.
The Tar Heels had their own shortcomings on offense, with an unspectacular start from transfer QB Billy Edwards Jr., but this should be a performance that builds confidence and eases some of the pressure on Belichick — at least in the short term.
What next for CJ Bailey and NC State?
Perhaps the most surprising performance on Saturday was CJ Bailey and NC State. They had expected to run Virginia close given the experience and continuity Bailey offers at the position. Instead, it turned into a dreadful showing, with Bailey and the offense failing to get out of neutral. The Wolfpack signal caller’s completion rate was barely over 50%, he managed just 84 passing yards and threw an interception.
Although one game should not be enough to derail Bailey’s future ambitions, analysts were looking for him to improve his consistency this season, making this an early blip worth monitoring. He made no bones about the showing in his post-match comments:
“Whether it was me making throws, making the right throws, or me completing passes, or us in the trenches, no matter what it was, we just couldn’t execute.”
After a bye week, the Wolfpack face Richmond. That offers Bailey a good chance to rediscover his natural rhythm in a ‘get-right’ style game. Following that, a road trip to Vanderbilt will put him under sharper focus. Let’s hope the mistakes from this week don’t rear their head again when the Wolfpack face SEC opposition.
Week 1 Game Picks
Let’s now turn our attention to this weekend’s games. The ACC has a couple of intriguing conference matchups as well as a couple of major ding-dongs with SEC foes, so let’s take a guess at how things could play out.
Miami @ Stanford
It was good to see Stanford get the better of Hawai‘i, even if it wasn’t wholly convincing. The run game looked strong, with the Cardinal running for 173 yards and Micah Ford scoring three touchdowns. Life will be much harder against a Miami defensive front featuring Ahmad Moten Sr. and Justin Scott. On offense, expect Darian Mensah to come out firing as he looks to make an early impression in the Heisman stakes. Stanford might hang in until the half, but the ‘Canes will hope to strike fear into the ACC on Friday night.
Miami 36-17 Stanford
Clemson @ LSU
This is arguably the headline fixture of Week 1, and while a lot of focus will be on starting QB Christopher Vizzina, I will be keen to see this Clemson defense. Lane Kiffin is debuting transfer QB Sam Leavitt, and his high-octane offense will likely be difficult to stop. However, this is a talented Tiger bunch. They have edge rusher Will Heldt, linebacker Sammy Brown and cornerback Ashton Hampton, which is why I think they could pull off an upset.
Clemson 31-28 LSU
UCLA @ Cal
If you are looking for a QB duel, then look no further than the West Coast. UCLA have Nico Iamaleava under the new leadership of Jamey Chadwell, and you can expect them to use his athletic ability to draw favourable looks in the passing game. For Cal, the buzz is high; Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is a legitimate Heisman contender, and they have pulled back previously tarped areas of the stadium to meet the demand for tickets. As it stands, it would be their highest attendance since 2024. I think that home advantage edges it for them.
UCLA 24-27 Cal
Louisville vs Ole Miss
I gave the ACC team the edge in the Clemson-LSU matchup, but it’s difficult to see the Cardinals getting the better of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinalists. It will be intriguing to see QB Lincoln Kienholz get his chance to start for Louisville, but you can bet on them leaning heavily on star RB Isaac Brown. Defensively, they will need edge rusher Clev Lubin to disrupt the backfield. However, the Rebels retain QB Trinidad Chambliss and RB Kewan Lacy. That duo makes this an uphill task for Louisville.
Louisville 23-35 Ole Miss
SMU @ Florida State
There were bright spots in Florida State’s 34-17 victory over New Mexico State, but the fact that it was a one-score game partway through the third quarter isn’t the best endorsement for Mike Norvell. SMU will be a much stiffer task, even with QB Kevin Jennings recovering from a hand injury. If he is fully healthy, then the Mustangs’ offense could steamroll a Seminoles defense that showed cracks last week.
SMU 33-20 Florida State
Rory-Joe DanIELS
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST
AS A LONG-SUFFERING CINCINNATI BENGALS FAN, RORY HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL FOR OVER 20 YEARS. HIS PASSION FOR THE DRAFT LED HIM TO GET ENTANGLED WITH COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND HE HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT PROSPECTS AND THE CFB LANDSCAPE EVER SINCE.
