Jekail Middlebrook rushed for two second-half touchdowns as Virginia won the first matchup with Syracuse in four years, rallying past the Orange 28-25 on Saturday night in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers (4-2, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 17-7 at halftime and appeared to be headed for a second straight defeat, but quarterback Beau Pribula rallied the squad in the final 30 minutes.
Pribula finished 11 of 19 for 119 yards and a touchdown.
In losing its 10th straight ACC game, Syracuse (2-3, 0-3) cut its deficit to three points when backup quarterback Danny Lauter tossed a 46-yard score to Daunte Bacheyie and hit a two-point conversion pass with 2:50 left in regulation.
Malachi Nelson was 16 of 29 for 217 yards, but he left the game on the Orange’s final drive due to an apparent collarbone injury, The Post-Standard reported after the game. Syracuse’s Tylik Hill rushed for 118 yards on 23 carries.
The Cavaliers’ Xay Davis burst through the line and rumbled in on a 14-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening drive.
However, Syracuse answered Virginia’s tally on fourth-and-goal at the 1 when Ahmad Miller plunged in at 4:02.
The Orange took their first lead in the second quarter when Umari Hatcher (eight receptions, 126 yards) made a sliding catch on a 13-yard throw by Nelson. Hatcher’s sixth receiving touchdown this season capped a 91-yard drive.
On its final series of the half, Syracuse benefited from a penalty-aided drive. Shay Barker redeemed himself from an earlier missed kick by hitting from 29 yards for a 17-7 halftime lead.
Playing for his fourth college team, Nelson sizzled in the first half. The five-star quarterback in the Class of 2023 completed nine of 14 passes for 142 yards.
Barker missed a second field goal, a 41-yarder, preventing his team from padding its lead in the third.
The Cavaliers cut into the margin, 17-14, when Pribula lofted a long ball that Da’Shawn Martin hauled in for a 43-yard touchdown at 2:01 of the third quarter.
Middlebrook gave Virginia its second lead, 21-17, with a short run at 11:42 of the fourth.
The home squad took advantage of a special teams miscue when Orange punter Jimmy Gregg fielded a low snap and touched the ground with his right knee, giving Virginia the ball at the 34. Middlebrook scored with 5:20 left on another short run.
Down by three after Lauter’s TD pass and a defensive stop, Syracuse took over at its 13 with just over a minute to play and turned the ball over on downs.
–Field Level Media
