CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (CBS19 SPORTS) -- The Virginia Cavaliers were 23.5-point underdogs heading into Saturday matchup against No. 10 North Carolina, but against the odds, the team was able pull off a historic win, earning their first victory over a Top 10 opponent in program history. 

"I told the guys from Day 1 that we could do it," UVA football coach Tony Elliott said. "I told them they could play with the first opponent all the way through with this one, but the key is believing that you'll be the guy that will make the play." 

The guy that made the play for the Cavaliers Saturday was linebacker James Jackson who picked off Drake Maye with 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. 

"The belief has been there for us all year," senior quarterback Tony Muskett said. "You look at the first six games there's a couple in there where we're in a similar situation, but we just don't manage to get it done. We've always had that belief. It was just a matter of taking that last step in the fourth quarter." 

Muskett's lone scoring contribution came from a 14-yard touchdown pass to Malik Washington, but his quiet day was a result of Mike Hollins' three rushing touchdowns that provided a huge boost to the team. 

"No one broke focus," Hollins said. "We envisioned this throughout the week and throughout the entire season especially this week. We just wanted to play a complete game." 

Like they've had to also season, the team will have to quickly put this win behind them and turn the page to Saturday when they face off against the Miami Hurricanes, a team that was a few votes shy from making the AP Top 25 this week.