AP News Poll’s No. 25 Virginia scored on seven of its first nine possessions and rolled past Norfolk State 59-3 on Friday night at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, the first-ever meeting between the two programs. The Cavaliers improved to 2-0, while the Spartans fell to 1-2 in their second straight game against an FBS opponent.

Virginia’s Quarterback Rotation Piles Up Six Touchdown Passes

Virginia built a 21-0 lead after one quarter entirely through the air. Beau Pribula opened the scoring with a six-yard touchdown pass to Jacquon Gibson, added a 27-yard strike to Da’Shawn Martin, and found Gibson again from 30 yards out to cap a first quarter in which he completed 12 of 14 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns. Norfolk State’s lone points came in the second quarter on a 40-yard field goal from Marco Peery, a career-long that topped the 37-yarder he made the previous week at Old Dominion.

Virginia rotated quarterbacks the rest of the way, and each one found the end zone through the air. Eli Holstein threw touchdown passes to Ty’Lyric Coleman and Isaiah Robinson in the third quarter, and Cole Geer added a fourth-quarter scoring strike to Hayden Rollison. Justin Rowe closed the scoring with a 50-yard interception return touchdown with 4:17 left. Virginia finished 18 of 24 passing for 229 yards and six touchdowns with a single interception.

Norfolk State’s Offense Gained 223 Total Yards

Deljay Bailey completed 15 of 25 passes for 142 yards with two interceptions, and Norfolk State’s offense was held to 223 total yards on 65 plays, an average of 3.4 yards per snap. Elyjah Mitchell led the receiving corps with five catches for 43 yards, and Paul Billups II added 37 yards on two receptions, including a 32-yard grab that was the longest Norfolk State play of the night. Jalyn Daniels led the ground game with 22 yards on six carries as the Spartans finished with just 55 net rushing yards on 31 attempts.

Norfolk State’s best chance to make it a game came on its longest drive, a 76-yard march on 12 plays that stalled at the Virginia 14 and ended in a missed 32-yard field goal. Defensively, Brenden Thompson paced the Spartans with nine tackles, and Jordan Saunders added eight. Rontravious Perry posted three tackles for loss totaling 15 yards, including a 10-yard sack, and Josiah Davis recorded an interception for the second straight game.

Norfolk State Held the Ball Longer Despite the Lopsided Score

Despite being outgained 466 total yards to 223, Norfolk State actually won the time of possession battle, 31:46 to 28:14, controlling the ball for more than 10 minutes in the first quarter alone. The Spartans turned the ball over three times, all interceptions, and were held to just 4 of 17 on third down.

“Tough game today. It’s never easy when a team puts up 59 points on you,” Norfolk State coach Michael Vick said afterward. “I do think this was really good for our football team, to go out and play against a really good team, a well-coached team, a very physical, very smart team.” On facing two FBS opponents in seven days, Vick added, “It sets a standard for us moving forward. I’m extremely proud of them. They didn’t quit. They fought. I think we earned some respect from a lot of people.”

Norfolk State returns home to host Hampton in the annual Battle of the Bay on Saturday, Sept. 19, at William “Dick” Price Stadium. Track the Spartans and every other HBCU program the rest of the way on our 2026 football season dashboard.