An old rival will return to Charlottesville, Va., on Friday night when Norfolk State visits rested and newly ranked No. 25 Virginia.
Michael Vick, the second-year head coach of the FCS-level Spartans, guided rival Virginia Tech to a 31-7 win over Virginia in his last appearance at Scott Stadium on Oct. 2, 1999. He threw for 222 yards on 7-of-9 passing, including a 60-yard touchdown strike to open the scoring.
Vick, whose Norfolk State squad (1-1) already has matched its win total (1-11) from his first season on the sidelines, said he remains confident in his team despite last Saturday’s 31-10 setback at Old Dominion.
“I think our team learned they can play with anybody,” Vick said during Monday’s Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference coaches availability.
The Spartans trailed only 17-10 midway through the third quarter before Old Dominion pulled away.
Vick said facing another FBS opponent on the road Friday will prepare his team for conference play.
“It’s a good test for us,” said Vick, who was 2-0 against Virginia in college before being selected No. 1 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2001 NFL Draft. “I hope our guys are excited about the opportunity we have to face a team like this and really get a chance two weeks in a row to see how good we really are.”
The Cavaliers (1-0) were idle last weekend following a rousing 34-8 home victory against North Carolina State in their Aug. 29 season opener.
That lopsided win elevated expectations for a Virginia squad that reached the ACC title game last season — losing to Duke — and finished 11-3 and ranked No. 19 in the final College Football Playoff poll.
Missouri transfer Beau Pribula threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns — with no interceptions — and carried the ball 15 times for 110 yards against the Wolfpack in his Cavaliers debut. He became the first Virginia quarterback to crack the century mark on the ground since Brennan Armstrong in 2022.
“I love how Beau runs, but 15 carries every game is probably not the way we want to make a living,” said fifth-year head coach Tony Elliott, who is 6-0 after a bye week at Virginia.
Virginia outgained NC State by a whopping 413-168 margin, including 258-76 on the ground as five Cavaliers running backs had at least six carries. Jekail Middlebrook rushed 15 times for 64 yards, while Xavier Brown ran for 40 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 58 yards and another score.
Elliott’s recent success with the Cavaliers has seen his name mentioned as a potential successor to embattled Dabo Swinney at Clemson, where Elliott was the offensive coordinator in his previous stop.
“I didn’t go to Virginia to go somewhere else,” Elliott said. “I came to Virginia to build Virginia into a destination for our fans.”
This will be the first meeting between Virginia and Norfolk State, with the Cavaliers favored by more than six touchdowns.
