CHARLOTTESVILLE — A game-winning safety late in the fourth quarter might just be one of the rarest occurrences in college football. UVA coach Tony Elliott drew a blank Saturday night when asked if he’d ever seen a game pivot on a play like linebacker Kam Robinson’s two-point defensive stop in the Cavaliers’ 22-20 win over Washington State at Scott Stadium.
The nature of the play may have been surprising — UVA went up for good when Robinson tackled running back Kirby Vorhees in the end zone with 2:41 remaining — but the game-changing impact of Virginia’s defense has become almost expected after the last three contests.
No. 16 Virginia (6-1, 3-0) hits the road Saturday for the 130th meeting with North Carolina (2-4, 0-2), and first-year coach Bill Belichick, in the “South’s Oldest Rivalry.” The Cavaliers defense may be put to the test again as it faces a Tar Heels team hungry for its first win this season over a power conference foe.
“We’ve got playmakers. We make plays,” said safety Devin Neal, who leads the Cavaliers with 40 tackles and four pass breakups this season. “We’ve just got to stop the offense, don’t let them get in a rhythm, just keep making them have to snap the ball. They’re eventually going to give us one.”
Hittin’ the road#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/sub0tea9hs
— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) October 22, 2025
The likes of Robinson, the ACC’s linebacker of the week, and cornerbacks Ja’son Prevard and Donovan Platt, among others, have been critical in helping the Cavaliers shut the door on opponents in ultra-close games.
For example, Prevard had two interceptions in UVA’s 46-38 overtime win over then-No. 8 Florida State on September 26, including a touchdown-saving pick in the end zone as the clock expired. Platt and Robinson both returned turnovers for touchdowns in a 32-27 overtime road victory over No. 19 Louisville on Oct. 4, and Robinson struck again with his safety against a Washington State squad that led by 10 early in the fourth quarter.
The Cougars, who piled up 252 yards and 17 points in the first half, were limited to 74 yards and a field goal in the second.
What’s more, Virginia held Washington State to eight yards on eight plays in the final quarter.
“We came back out with a different mindset (in the second half), like, ‘We can’t allow this. This is Washington State. They’re a good team, but we’re better,’” said Robinson after his team clinched bowl eligibility for the first time since 2021.
The significance of gaining bowl eligibility on Saturday wasn’t lost on the Cavaliers, but they expressed a desire to achieve more. As one of three ACC teams with unblemished conference marks this season, along with Georgia Tech and SMU, Virginia is thinking about what it would take to make it to the ACC championship game.
“You see we’re taking off,” Neal said. “We expect this now. What’s next?”
Winning out would certainly help, but that’ll be a challenging task. Three of Virginia’s next four games come on the road, including matchups with Cal (5-2, 2-1) and Duke (4-3, 3-1).
First, the Cavaliers must contend with a Tar Heels team that is licking its wounds after suffering a heartbreaking 21-18 loss at Cal last Friday. UNC failed to score the go-ahead touchdown with 3:48 left when wide receiver Nathan Leacock was stripped of the ball just before crossing the goal line.
Another one-possession ACC game coming down to a defensive play at the end. Virginia knows about those all too well.
“(Bowl eligibility) means a whole lot,” Prevard said, “but we’ve got to keep on focusing on the little things so it can keep meaning a lot, because this conference is crazy right now.”
