Virginia’s trip to No. 24 SMU got a lot more complicated Wednesday night.
The ACC availability report brought a fresh round of bad news for the Cavaliers, and the list of players trending in the wrong direction is getting hard to ignore. Several names that had been questionable earlier in the week were downgraded, and UVA is heading into Dallas with a roster that is far from whole.
Coach Tony Elliott said Tuesday that starting cornerback Omillio Agard will miss the rest of the season after tearing his ACL. Fellow starter Jacobie Henderson also dealt with an injury, suffering a shoulder issue late against Syracuse, but he was officially cleared Wednesday night.
Even so, the secondary took more hits. SPUR Corey Costner, who had not seemed like a major worry earlier, is now doubtful. Brandyn Hillman is also doubtful after hurting his ankle against the Orange, and linebacker Caleb Hardy unexpectedly joined that group as well.
If Costner and Hillman cannot go, Virginia may be forced to patch things together with backups. Montino Williams and Christian Ellis could end up starting at safety, Justin Ross may have to step in at corner, and Jaylen Jones could see heavy work at SPUR.
The Cavaliers still have not reached a game with their starting group completely healthy. The closest they came was against West Virginia, when Kam Robinson was still getting settled and Rico Flores Jr. was on a snap count.
Since then, Virginia has lost Agard, defensive tackle Jason Hammond and possibly Flores to season-ending injuries. There was no official update on Flores Wednesday beyond confirmation that he will not play at SMU.
SMU has its own injury issues, though not nearly at the same level. The Mustangs are without one of their starting defensive ends, their No. 2 running back and their No. 4 receiver.
Starting kicker Nick Reed is questionable. Beyond that, SMU’s important pieces are largely available, especially when stacked against Virginia’s battered depth chart.
That matters in a big way for a road game that has not been easy to win since Rhett Lashlee took over in Dallas. It matters even more because the stakes are stark: the loser is effectively out of ACC championship contention.
Virginia and SMU will kick off at 12 p.m. on The CW.
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Becca Wright gave Virginia the lift it wanted, finishing with 11 kills as the Cavaliers took the match in four sets. Virginia kept its edge through a tight finish, closing out the contest after Tech pushed back in the third and made the final frame far more competitive than the first two. [Read more 🡒]