Five takeaways from UVA football’s 51-7 loss at No. 14 Wake Forest
Analyzing Virginia’s blowout loss in Winston-Salem, where the Demon Deacons scored on their first nine possessions.
1. Virginia Cavaliers faced a lopsided 51-7 loss to No. 14 Wake Forest, their largest of the season and the biggest of Tony Elliott's coaching tenure. The game was played at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, VA on October 23, 2026.
2. Wake Forest entered the contest as the 6-1 ACC team with a bye, while Virginia was a 12.5-point underdog. The Blue Devils were also returning from a bye, coming off a 6-1 record and a dominating performance against Duke.
3. Wake Forest's offense was dominant from the start, going 9-for-14 on third down and rushing for 309 yards. Quarterback Gio Lopez led the team with strong performance, hinting at the chemistry between him and offensive coordinator Rob Ezell.
4. Virginia struggled on both offense and special teams, committing turnovers and failing to execute plays consistently. Their running game was almost non-existent, with only 16 yards on 19 carries, and they ran only 19 times for 16 yards on the day. Special teams allowed Wake Forest to pick up a significant lead early in the game.
5. The loss drops Virginia to a 4-5 record, with three consecutive losses and a 44-point deficit against Wake Forest—the largest of the Tony Elliott era. The Cavaliers now have a bye before facing California, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
