Virginia 28, Syracuse 25: Middlebrook's late runs erase a 17-7 halftime deficit

Virginia was outgained by 142 yards, held the ball for less than 25 minutes and trailed 17-7 at halftime. It still won, because Jekail Middlebrook scored twice in a span of 6:22 in the fourth quarter at Scott Stadium on Saturday.

Those two short runs were the end of a 21-point Virginia run that turned a 10-point deficit into a 28-17 lead. Syracuse answered with a touchdown and a two-point conversion with 2:50 left, but did not score again. The Cavaliers move to 4-2; the Orange fall to 2-3.

How it was won

Virginia scored first. Xay Davis ran 14 yards for a touchdown at 10:29 of the first quarter, and Will Bettridge made it 7-0. Syracuse tied it at 4:02 on a 1-yard run by Ahmad Miller, with Shay Barker adding the kick.

The Orange controlled the second quarter. Malachi Nelson found Umari Hatcher for a 13-yard touchdown at 10:26, and Barker kicked a 29-yard field goal with 32 seconds left in the half for a 17-7 lead.

Virginia's comeback began late in the third. Beau Pribula hit Da'Shawn Martin for a 43-yard touchdown at 2:01, cutting the gap to 17-14. Middlebrook then scored from 3 yards at 11:42 of the fourth to give Virginia a 21-17 lead, and from 5 yards at 5:20 to make it 28-17.

Syracuse's last score came from Danny Lauter, who threw 46 yards to Daunte Bacheyie at 2:50, then passed to Justus Ross-Simmons for the two-point conversion. That made it 28-25, the final.

The box score favored Syracuse almost everywhere. The Orange had 430 total yards to 288, 25 first downs to 18, and 35:07 of possession. Neither team turned the ball over. Nelson went 16 of 29 for 217 yards and a touchdown. Tylik Hill ran 23 times for 118 yards, and Ju'Juan Johnson added 35 on 10 carries. Hatcher caught eight passes for 126 yards, and Bacheyie had four for 97.

The difference was in finishing drives. Syracuse converted 5 of 15 third downs and settled for a field goal at the end of the first half. Virginia, 3 of 10 on third down, scored touchdowns on all four of its scoring drives.

Pribula completed 11 of 19 for 119 yards and the touchdown to Martin, who had two catches for 48 yards. Middlebrook carried 17 times for 95 yards and the two scores. Davis ran six times for 39 yards, and Kameron Courtney caught three passes for 38 yards.

Against the number

Virginia closed as a 14-point favorite, and Syracuse covered comfortably, losing by three. The Orange were +410 on the moneyline and Virginia -550, so the favorite won straight up but never came close to the spread.

The total closed at 49.5, and the 53 points went over. The over was not secured until Syracuse's touchdown and two-point conversion with 2:50 left, which moved the total from 45 to 53.

Prices and results for this one are on the game page.

What's next

Syracuse hosts Louisville on Saturday, October 17, on ACC Network. The Orange are 2-3, with all three losses by 14 points or fewer, two of them by a field goal.

Virginia travels to No. 24 SMU the same day, on CW. The Cavaliers are 4-2 and 2-1 in their last three, though their last road game was a 38-7 loss at Florida State.