Virginia is sticking with the same look on both sides of the ball as it prepares for Syracuse, even after a rough Saturday against Florida State.
The Cavaliers released their depth chart for the matchup with the Orange, though it comes with the usual caveat: it is not an official depth chart, and a player’s placement there does not guarantee that’s how things will line up on Saturday. Still, the message is clear enough - UVA is not shaking things up yet.
On offense, there are no real changes. The quarterback spot remains with Beau Pribula, despite another difficult outing, and head coach Tony Elliott said the Cavaliers are not making a switch right now. He pointed to broader issues across the unit, not just the quarterback play.
"10 sacks.. is that all on the quarterback? No, he missed two throws, right? And so if you're going to change the quarterback then I need to change a lot of other positions."
That assessment fits what Virginia has looked like through recent struggles. The offensive line has not held up, the tailbacks have not been explosive, and the receivers have not created enough separation or made enough plays around Pribula. If that group can’t find something against a Syracuse defense that has its own issues, the Cavaliers may be in trouble on that side of the ball for the rest of the season.
The backfield grouping listed in the source also remains crowded, with Xay Davis, Xavier Brown, Peyton Lewis and Noah Vaughn all part of the picture.
Defensively, Virginia is also keeping the chart intact. There are no changes there either, even though this group has been almost as frustrating as the offense. After looking like one of the ACC’s best defenses last season and opening this year strongly against NC State, the Cavaliers have stumbled badly against West Virginia and Florida State, leaving plenty of questions about whether the unit was ever as good as it first appeared.
Syracuse will bring a different kind of offense than either West Virginia or Florida State, but the Orange have shown they can score.
Elliott addressed the defensive breakdowns after the Florida State game, focusing on tackling and finishing plays.
"Yeah, I think u you know a lot of it is is we got to do a better job of wrapping when we tackle to get ball carriers on the ground. Like there were some several explosive plays that came after we had contact on the on the ball carriers.
And so we got to do a good job. Um we all we all got to strain a little bit harder uh to make sure that we uh that we prepare them better, coach them better, and then challenge them to go out and execute to the best of their ability."
Virginia still has time to clean things up, but the margin is shrinking. The Cavaliers need better play, and they need it quickly.
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