CHARLOTTESVILLE — The demise of Virginia’s seven-game winning streak, a binge rooted in drama, belief, talent and, yes, good fortune, was as implausible as the run itself.
The Cavaliers didn’t lose to an overtly superior opponent Saturday night at Scott Stadium. Indeed, they fell to a Wake Forest team that didn’t score an offensive touchdown.
But with quarterback Chandler Morris, injured on a late, head-high hit, sidelined for the final 2½ quarters, Virginia’s offense was equally feeble in a 16-9 setback.
Reserve quarterback Daniel Kaelin, a transfer from Nebraska, lost two fumbles and never found a passing rhythm, but truth is, the Cavaliers were just as punchless during the quarter-plus that Morris played. That’s a credit to a Wake defense led by All-ACC safety Nick Andersen and an indictment of a Virginia offensive line that neither pass-protected nor run-blocked well.
The Cavaliers rushed for 163 yards, but 54 of those came on a Kaelin scramble shortly after Morris’ injury.
The injury occurred when Morris, sliding after a short run, absorbed simultaneous hits from Travon West and DeVaughn Patterson. Officials flagged West for a late hit as Morris stayed down on the turf for several minutes, surrounded by medical staff.
He walked off the field under his own power to the locker room, not to return.
Kaelin’s ensuing 54-yard run down the sideline gave the Cavaliers a first down at Wake’s 8-yard line. The run more than doubled UVA’s feeble offensive output for the evening, but for the second time in as many red-zone trips, the Cavaliers settled for a Will Bettridge field goal, doubling their advantage to 6-0.
Ignited by run stuffs from Mitchell Melton, Jacob Holmes and Ja’son Prevard, and a fourth-and-1 end-zone pass break-up by Emmanuel Karnley, Virginia’s defense appeared capable of preserving that lead. Indeed, Wake converted only one of eight third downs and one of three fourth downs in the opening half.
Yet the Deacons (6-3, 3-3 under first-year coach Jake Dickert) went to intermission leading 10-6, courtesy of Carlos Hernandez’s 88-yard punt return for a touchdown and Connor Calvert field goal, the latter set up by Dallas Afalava’s strip sack of Kaelin, UVA’s first lost fumble of the season, recovered by Langston Hardy.
Another strip sack of Kaelin, this late in the third quarter by Nuer Gatkouth and recovered by Dylan Hazen, set up a 50-yard Calvert field goal that bumped Wake’s lead to 13-9.
When Calvert connected from 49 yards with 3:53 remaining, Virginia trailed 16-9. The Cavaliers’ defense had yet to break, but the question was whether Kaelin and the offense could muster a touchdown.
So often this season UVA coach Tony Elliott has spoken of his team’s belief in themselves and the staff. And so often that confidence, swagger even, prevailed.
For one fleeting moment, belief emerged as J’Mari Taylor burst 43 yards off left tackle to Wake’s 32, as the clock approached 3:00. But then Hazen ripped the ball away from Taylor just before Taylor’s knee touched, UVA’s third lost fumble.
Curtains for the Cavaliers?
Not quite. Not in 2025. They still had a pulse, albeit faint.
They forced a three-and-out in 41 seconds to regain possession at their own 42 with 2:28 left and a timeout in their pocket. Kaelin drove UVA to Wake’s 3-yard-line, where on fourth down, his pass toward Jahmal Edrine fell incomplete in the right corner of the end zone.
Disappointing as Saturday is, so much awaits the Cavaliers (8-2, 5-1 ACC).
Beat Duke next week and Virginia Tech on Thanksgiving Saturday and Virginia wins 10 games for only the second time. The first was 1989, a team headlined by Shawn Moore and Herman Moore.
Topple the Blue Devils and Hokies, and the Cavaliers claim at least a share of first place in the regular-season standings. Moreover, depending on tie-breakers, they could qualify for their second ACC championship, where a bid to the College Football Playoff would hinge in the balance.
Long cautious to invest emotionally in a program that hasn’t produced consistent success since George Welsh’s 2000 retirement, fans are warming to this team, witness the traffic that crawled toward the stadium more than three hours before kickoff.
Saturday’s crowd of 55,568 was the third straight of 50,000-plus to descend upon Scott Stadium, the first time that’s happened since 2008, when all seven UVA home dates exceeded 50K.
But 2008 was more a function of opponents such as Southern California, North Carolina, Miami and Clemson. The current home attendance run against Florida State, Washington State and Wake Forest — the Cougars and Deacons are hardly traditional draws — is about this team’s success and appeal.
Indeed, UVA’s appeal, not to mention the upside-down nature of ACC football 2025, was evident in Saturday’s television designations. While Virginia-Wake Forest aired in prime time on ESPN, Florida State-Clemson, a clash of the league’s premier football brands and instigators, was relegated to the ACC Network.
Does Saturday’s defeat take some shine off the season? Of course.
But the Cavaliers have at least two more games in which to restore that luster.
David Teel, [email protected]