Halloween Horror in Winston-Salem: Cavaliers Crushed 51-7 by No.14 Wake Forest (10-31-26)
By: Xavier Jones
Headline Photo Credit: Arturo Jones-LMS Network
The Virginia Cavaliers walked into Allegacy Financial Stadium on Halloween looking to spoil the party for a surging No. 14 Wake Forest team. Instead, they got treated to a full-blown nightmare.
Final score: Wake Forest 51, Virginia 7. The Cavaliers (4-5, 2-4 ACC) dropped their third straight game and now sit on the edge of bowl eligibility with three games left. The Demon Deacons (7-1, 5-1 ACC) extended their winning streak to five and looked every bit the ranked team they are.
This one was never close. Wake Forest scored on its first nine possessions. Virginia managed just 16 rushing yards on the entire afternoon. The defense got gashed for 538 total yards, including a brutal 309 on the ground. Third-down efficiency told the whole story: Wake Forest converted 9-of-14. Virginia went 1-of-12.
What Went Wrong for the Hoos
Beau Pribula finished 20-of-29 for 212 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The numbers look decent until you realize most of the production came after the game was already decided. Virginia didn’t score until 50 seconds remained in the third quarter, when Pribula hit Da’Shawn Martin for a 47-yard touchdown. By then it was 44-0.
The run game was non-existent. Solomon Beebe led the way withâ¦9 yards. The offensive line couldn’t create any push, and the Cavaliers were forced into obvious passing situations all day. Eli Holstein came in late and went 12-of-16 for 102 yards against Wake Forest’s backups, but the damage was long done.
Defensively, Virginia simply couldn’t get off the field. Ty Clark III punched in three short touchdowns. Gio Lopez threw for 229 yards and a score before exiting with a lower-leg issue. Carlos Hernandez torched the secondary for 8 catches and 136 yards. Jamar Searcy and Kyndall McCaleb added big runs, including McCaleb’s 27-yard touchdown in the fourth.
It was the second-largest margin of victory for Wake Forest in the history of the series.
The One Bright Spot
DaShawn Martin. The receiver put together a career day with 9 catches for 119 yards and the lone touchdown. In a game where almost nothing else worked, Martin was consistent and physical. He was the clear bright spot on an otherwise dark afternoon.
Looking Ahead
Virginia now needs to win two of its final three (Cal at home, North Carolina at home, Virginia Tech on the road) to reach six wins and bowl eligibility. The schedule is manageable on paper, but the current form is not. Tony Elliott’s team has dropped three straight and looks short on answers in both the run game and third-down defense.
Halloween was supposed to be about tricks and treats. For the Cavaliers, it was only tricks â and a whole lot of them. The Hoos head into the bye week with plenty of soul-searching to do if they want this season to end with anything other than disappointment.
Wahoowa, but this one stung.
