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. 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.
