Third down. Washington State pinned at its own one-yard line.
It was a 20-20 game with just under three minutes to go.
All of this was the product of a chain of events that began with an invalid fair catch on the previous kickoff, two incomplete passes and a false start — but what followed would be the end result of this mistake.
The Cougars’ senior quarterback, Zevi Eckhaus, called for the snap — handing the ball off to sophomore running back Kirby Vorhees. Vorhees looked for a hole to run through, but only found junior linebacker Kam Robinson waiting for him. Robinson slammed Vorhees down to the endzone dirt, earning a two-point safety for Virginia that gave them a lead they would never give back.
But more importantly, the Cavaliers have now secured bowl game eligibility. With Robinson’s statement play, Virginia has met the six-win threshold to return to postseason football.
Robinson’s safety capped off an incredible comeback from the Cavaliers, who were down 10 points going into the fourth quarter. Before the safety, Virginia found their way to a 97-yard touchdown drive, got an interception and kicked a game-tying field goal. In what has been a magical year for the Cavaliers, they had one more trick up their sleeves to extend their win streak to five.
The Cavaliers’ 22-20 win was not their cleanest of the season, but Robinson’s safety epitomized everything that has gone right with Virginia in the 2025 season. They are resilient, they are aggressive and, when a job needs to be done, they will get it done. Robinson knew exactly what he had to do when he met Vorhees in the backfield.
“All I saw was ball, I saw the wrong jersey color, and I said ‘Alright, I’m going to hit his a–s,’” Robinson said.
Robinson’s mindset makes sense. With the Cougars backed up on the doorstep of their own endzone, one would assume the Cavalier defense would be ultra-aggressive. That being said, Coach Tony Elliott was more focused on maintaining his team’s composure and holding firm than trying to get a stand-out play like Robinson’s.
“So the plan was to be sound in what we were doing, and to be aggressive, but then to also play under control,” Elliott said. “I was running around trying to get everybody under control in that situation because when you get [them] where you want them you can easily let them out if you play too aggressive.”
Composure is the best word to describe how the Virginia defense reacted to Washington State’s play. Nearly every single pass-rusher won their battle in that rep, with both Robinson and graduate defensive end Mitchell Melton getting contact on Vorhees behind the line of scrimmage. Additionally, no Cavalier committed any egregious contact or celebrated excessively to draw a penalty.
The safety was one of a series of timely takeaways for Virginia’s victories this year. Junior defensive back Ja’son Prevard had a game-sealing interception against Florida State, and Robinson himself had a pick-six in the victory over Louisville that swung the momentum back to the Cavaliers after a hard-fought first half.
Saturday, in addition to Robinson’s game-winning safety, he was assisted in the turnover department courtesy of interceptions from Prevard and senior cornerback Donavon Platt.
Virginia has now clinched bowl eligibility with their win over the Cougars, doing so for the first time since 2021 and the earliest in a season since 2007. Having been with the team for three years now, this achievement means everything to Robinson.
“The last couple years we never had the opportunity to be bowl eligible,” Robinson said. “So to be bowl eligible already is a checklist moment.”
Looking ahead at the season, this victory was crucial for Virginia. They now stand at 6-1 and only have ACC matches left to play. With many of these teams featuring high powered offenses, like California’s and Duke’s, the Cavaliers will take all the momentum they can get before they take on the back half of their season. A conference championship spot is still on the line, but the team will have to find a way to manufacture big time plays like Robinson’s to keep on winning.
With every game essentially a must-win affair for Virginia’s ACC Championship hopes, this composure and experience in crucial moments will be key to success.
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