CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – If there was anything left to question coming off of Virginia’s dominant season-opening win over North Carolina State, it was whether or not the Cavaliers – with a new quarterback and rebuilt receiving corps – could move the ball through the air.

Against an undeniably-overmatched FCS Norfolk State squad, UVA and Beau Pribula took a big step toward extinguishing any doubt. 

Pribula hit on his first nine passes, throwing three touchdown passes in the first quarter alone as No. 25 UVA ripped the Spartans, 59-3, on a humid Friday night under the lights at Scott Stadium. 

Pribula, the Missouri transfer, finished 12 for 14 for 162 yards with the three touchdowns and one interception on a tipped pass. He completed passes to eight Cavaliers, including five wide receivers. Pribula tossed two scores to Jacquon Gibson, a UMass transfer, and one to Da’Shawn Martin.

Four receivers had receptions for over 25 yards – Gibson, Martin, Isaiah Robinson and Kam Courtney.

Against N.C. State in the opener, Virginia piled up 258 rushing yards. Pribula picked up 110 of those yards on 15 carries. After that win, UVA coach Tony Elliott said he didn’t want to see his quarterback taking that much punishment week in and week out, noting the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Pribula “runs like a running back.”

Pribula didn’t play after halftime but he showed, going into next weekend’s game against West Virginia in Charlotte, that he can move the ball throwing it as well as running it. 

And, behind backup quarterback Eli Holstein, a Pittsburgh transfer, UVA’s throw game scored again. On the first drive of the second half, Holstein hooked up with Ty’Liric Coleman on a nifty 1-yard throw-and-catch on a fade route in the right corner of the end zone to extend the Cavaliers’ lead to 35-3 with 10:57 left. Holstein’s second drive finished with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Robinson and a 42-3 edge with 7:21 left in the third.

Defensively, Virginia (2-0) got two interceptions from Brandyn Hillman, the Michigan transfer who had a pick and a forced fumble in the opener. 

Star linebacker Kam Robinson, a preseason All-ACC selection, returned to action and had five tackles, including the 200th of his college career. 

Like UVA, Norfolk State (1-2) came out throwing in this game. The Spartans first 10 plays were all called passes. Deljay Bailey was 5 for 9 with a sack, but his final pass of the drive was picked off by Hillman, giving the Cavaliers the ball at Norfolk’s 37-yard line. 

Pribula went 5 for 5 passing on the ensuing drive, capping it by scrambling around until Gibson came open in the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown, putting the Cavaliers up 7-0 with 7:39 left in the first quarter. 

Hillman ended Norfolk’s second possession with another interception, this one setting up Pribula’s 27-yard scoring strike to Martin, a pickup from Kent State.

Virginia led 28-3 at the half and Pribula’s work was done. 

Eli Holstein played the third quarter and went 4 for 6 for 27 yards and two scores. 

Cole Greer was Virginia’s third quarterback of the night and played the fourth quarter. His first pass was a 12-yard touchdown to third-string tight end Hayden Rollison.

That put the Cavaliers up 49-3 just six seconds into the final frame and, as the sixth touchdown pass of the night, went a long way to proving they can throw the football.

A field goal from Will Bettridge, who became the program’s all-time leading scorer Friday night, and a 50-yard interception return for a touchdown by reserve linebacker Justin Rowe helped give UVA its largest margin of victory since 1990, a 59-0 win over Duke.