Scouting Virginia: The Cavaliers Rally From 17-7 Down to Beat Syracuse 28-25 and Head to Dallas to Face SMU

Pony Up. SMU sat out Saturday, so the most important game for the Mustangs was in Charlottesville, where next week's opponent had to come from behind.

Virginia beat Syracuse 28-25 on a rainy homecoming night at Scott Stadium, per VirginiaSports.com's Jeff White. The Cavaliers scored on their opening drive, then gave up 17 straight points and trailed 17-7 at halftime. The comeback started late in the third quarter. Beau Pribula hit Kent State transfer Da'Shawn Martin for a 43-yard touchdown, and Jekail Middlebrook scored twice in the fourth quarter on direct snaps from the 3 and the 5. That 21-0 run, in about 12 minutes, put Virginia up 11. Syracuse scored late, but its last drive died on downs with 17 seconds left.

"I'm not apologizing for winning, bottom line," Tony Elliott said. Still, the numbers tell SMU a lot. Syracuse outgained Virginia 430-288 and had the ball for 35:07 to Virginia's 24:53, and the Orange did it while starting their No. 3 quarterback. Syracuse also missed two field goals. Tailback Tylik Hill ran for 118 yards, and receiver Umari Hatcher caught eight passes for 126. Virginia had its share of injuries, too. Receiver Rico Flores Jr., defensive tackle Sichan John, cornerback Jacobie Henderson and safety Brandyn Hillman all left the game. Defensive tackle Anthony Britton had a team-high nine tackles.

Virginia (4-2, 2-1 ACC) has won five straight at home, but next week it goes on the road to Gerald J. Ford Stadium. The UVA release lists SMU as No. 24 and notes Elliott has beaten 13 of the 16 ACC schools but not Clemson, Miami or SMU. The only previous meeting was SMU's 33-7 win at Scott Stadium on Nov. 23, 2024. For SMU (4-1, 2-1), that lines up with the bye-week to-do list Roundtable's Timothy Hamm laid out: get the run game going after a 58-yard rushing day in the rain against Boston College.

Around SMU's schedule Saturday: Notre Dame beat Stanford 58-7, Cal beat Virginia Tech 25-20 and Wake Forest won 38-14 at NC State.

Kickoff is Saturday at 11 a.m. Central on The CW. Get ready on the SMU Football page. Radio question: can SMU's defense make Virginia's offense look like it did in the first half against Syracuse?

Sources: VirginiaSports.com — Cavaliers rally for fifth straight win at home; ESPN — Virginia 28, Syracuse 25 recap; Exa sports scoreboard — NCAA football scores, Oct. 10, 2026; Roundtable — SMU has clear bye-week priorities.