Tony Elliott knows exactly what kind of offense is coming to Charlotte on Saturday night.
That’s the part that has Virginia’s head coach paying close attention as the Cavaliers prepare for West Virginia in a nonconference matchup. Elliott spent his playing days at Clemson under Rich Rodriguez, back when Rodriguez was the Tigers’ offensive coordinator, so he has a firsthand feel for the tempo, efficiency and pressure that have long defined Rich Rod’s system.
And Elliott didn’t hide what worries him most.
".They're staying ahead of the chains, so they're not having to convert long yardage. And then obviously, once they convert, now they can play with tempo, be aggressive," Elliott said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference.
"And if you match any kind of personnel packages, now they can keep your personnel package on the field, spread it out, and then here we go, right? And then that creates explosive plays.
[They do a] really good job of being efficient and then converting on short yardage. But then also, whenever you make a mistake, they exploit it."
That’s the challenge for a Virginia defense that has looked sharp through two games. The Cavaliers have allowed just 11 points this season, held NC State to 168 total yards and Norfolk State to 223, and are giving up only 2.4 yards per rush.
Still, this is a different kind of test. Neither of those opponents pushed the pace the way West Virginia is expected to, and neither came with the kind of backfield punch the Mountaineers have in quarterback Michael Hawkins and running back Cam Cook.
Hawkins has run for a team-high 199 yards, while Cook is right behind him with 194. Both have scored three touchdowns, and both have shown the ability to break a game open: Hawkins ripped off a 71-yard touchdown run against Coastal Carolina, while Cook turned in a 72-yard score against Tennessee- Martin. Hawkins also connected on a 59-yard touchdown pass against UTM.
"It poses some significant challenges where we're going to have to be gap sound, assignment sound," Elliott said. "And when we arrive, we arrive in swarms, right?
Because typically what happens is with the quarterback or with their backs, the first guy doesn't get them to the ground. He makes the first guy miss.
And a lot of times, there's not a second guy there. So now that extends for big plays.
"And then if you're staying ahead of the chains and you're not getting in the third down situations, then you can be really aggressive with your play calling. And then you can be more creative too, which poses more challenge for you defensively."
Virginia’s defense got a good look at a dual-threat quarterback in NC State’s CJ Bailey, and the results were strong. Bailey was held to a career-low 84 passing yards, with a deep defensive line rotation doing much of the work.
But West Virginia’s no-huddle approach could change the math. If the Cavaliers can’t substitute as freely, those fresh bodies that helped them early in the year may not be as easy to deploy, and fatigue could become a factor as the game wears on.
There’s also a personnel issue hanging over Virginia’s front. Starting defensive tackle Jason Hammond is unlikely to play after hurting his elbow against Norfolk State, and Darrion Henry-Young is expected to take his spot.
"It's the unfortunate part about football, it's the next man up," Elliott said. "And sometimes you gotta carry a little bit bigger load than maybe you want to, but it's whatever you gotta do for the team.
So I'm excited for the other guys to get their opportunity. I'm really heartbroken for Jason, because I know how hard he worked to get back and he missed some time in the past."
In Other News...
Virginia Gets An Early Chance To Prove Something In Charlotte
Virginia gets an early measuring-stick game in Charlotte this week, meeting West Virginia at Bank of America Stadium in the Dukes Mayo Classic with both programs still unbeaten. It is the kind of nonconference showcase that can tell a lot about where a team really stands, and for Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers, the setting adds an extra layer of intrigue. Virginia has talked about its preparation and the value of playing in a venue with this kind of stage, where the margins tend to show up fast.
For the Cavaliers, this is also the first of two scheduled trips to Charlotte against the Mountaineers, which gives the matchup a little more staying power than a one-off neutral-site date. Virginia has reason to want a cleaner showing in Bank of America Stadium this time around, and the meeting arrives early enough in the season to shape how the rest of the schedule is viewed. A win would not settle anything, but it would offer a sharp answer to a basic question Virginia is trying to answer for itself right now. [Read more 🡒]
Former Virginia Standouts Are Already Forcing Bigger NFL Roles
Week 1 is hardly enough time to draw sweeping conclusions, but several former Virginia standouts wasted no time making themselves part of the conversation at the next level. Olamide Zaccheaus filled in as Atlantas emergency quarterback and running back, Malik Washington led Miami in targets while also helping on special teams, and Malachi Fields made his NFL debut with the Giants and came away with two catches.
The most intriguing early returns may belong to the players who flashed more than one way to help. Jonas Sanker led the Saints in tackles and came close to adding a score, while Dontayvion Wicks found the end zone for Philadelphia, a reminder that Virginias recent NFL pipeline is already producing players who can push for bigger jobs. For a program that has spent years trying to turn college production into pro staying power, that kind of first-week impact is a welcome sign. [Read more 🡒]
UVA Says Goodbye To A Program Figure Players Never Forgot
For nearly a half-century, Ethan Saliba has been one of those constant presences around Virginia athletics, the kind of athletic trainer whose work is felt long before it is ever noticed. His reputation at UVA was built on more than treatment tables and rehab plans. It came from the trust he earned from generations of athletes and colleagues, along with the steady professionalism that made him a fixture across the department.
Salibas career has carried a level of recognition that matched his impact, including the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and a spot in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame. But the more meaningful measure may be the way former players still talk about him, with the kind of respect usually reserved for coaches and stars. After so many years tied to Virginias daily life, his departure closes a familiar chapter while leaving behind a question of how the program fills a role that was never really just a job. [Read more 🡒]