“727 yards,” the loudspeakers boomed proudly at Scott Stadium as the fourth quarter began to wind down. The actual number ended up at 700 yards exactly after a negative play, but nevertheless, the record was secure with minutes still left to play against William & Mary — this was the most yards gained by Virginia in any game in program history.
At the beginning of his postgame press conference, Coach Tony Elliott did not hesitate to tip his hat to offensive coordinator Des Kitchings.
”He’s a football guy,” Elliott said postgame. “He knows it at the highest level. It’s awesome to see everything coming together now.”
Things are indeed coming together for the Cavaliers ahead of hosting Stanford Saturday at 7:30 p.m, their first conference opponent. After three weeks of play, the Cavaliers rank 15th nationally in total points scored. This kind of production has been absent from Charlottesville for years, and now that it is back, the players appear to have bought in, according to Elliott’s recounting of the locker room after last week’s victory.
“They threw Coach Kitch up on their shoulders and it was awesome to see,” Elliott said. “Those guys believe.”
Virginia’s recent offensive success is set to be tested, as the Cardinal have held opponents to under four yards per carry and rank as the 29th best defense in rushing yards per game. Stanford has also forced nine sacks this season and looks to be a better front seven than any other unit the Cavaliers have faced this season.
At the same time, the Cardinal have allowed opposing passers to complete nearly 70 percent of their passes, so Kitchings may depend on graduate quarterback Chandler Morris more than usual. Graduate guard and former Cardinal Drake Metcalf expressed confidence during media availability in the Cavalier offensive line’s ability to win the matchup with his former squad’s front seven.
“One of those units is gonna have to give this weekend. It’s either gonna be us or them, and that’s not gonna be us, for sure,” Metcalf said. “So long as we do our job up front, we know [Morris and the running backs] are going to do their job behind us.”
Metcalf’s confidence in himself and his teammates is well-earned. The fireworks have come from just about every member of the offense. The new and improved offensive line, which was made a priority of the offseason, has allowed zero sacks after allowing the fourth-most in the country last season. Following the win in the season opener, Metcalf emphasized the importance of the line to offensive success.
“We’re the wheels that make this thing go, right?” Metcalf said. “It’s a souped-up truck, and really cool, but you know, we’re the unsung heroes that are going to make this machine go.”
In past years, comparing the Virginia offense to souped-up truck would be a joke, but the investment during the offseason has yielded serious results — no laughing matter. The offense is built on transfers and is excelling as a unit.
“I was probably one of the biggest skeptics of where college football was heading with the transfer portal,” Elliott said. “But this has been an exceptional group of young men that has won me over right from the way they’ve come together.”
Morris, who transferred in from North Texas, has been a steady hand behind the wheel for Virginia, only giving away a single turnover through three games. Additionally, while the offensive line deserves most of the credit for zero sacks allowed, Metcalf spoke on how crucial Morris’ veteran pocket presence is for helping the unit do its job.
“What we can build off of having Chandler back there in the pocket is awesome,” Metcalf said. “We take care of [blocking], and one of our wide receivers gets open, which is likely to happen with the room that we have with our wide receivers.”
The time that Morris and the offensive line can buy has produced standout play from a talented group of receivers like graduate transfer Cam Ross, senior transfer Jahmal Edrine, senior Trell Harris and sophomore Kameron Courtney. These performances have come even with Kitchings’ offense having a 114-127 pass-to-rush attempt ratio.
Kitchings has not stopped running the ball because it has yet not to work — Virginia currently leads the ACC with 6.3 yards per carry. The Cavaliers have four backs who Kitchings and Elliott can trust, and together they have come to rest at sixth in FBS rushing yards and touchdowns, respectively. Half of this stable, graduate transfer running backs J’Mari Taylor and Harrison Waylee, are two of seven players across the country to have each had games with over 150 yards and three touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, Virginia will be adding much needed reinforcement — preseason All-ACC selection junior linebacker Kam Robinson will be making his season debut after a collarbone injury sidelined him for the first three weeks of the season. Robinson, the de-facto leader of the defense, will start as the MIKE, a spot which junior linebacker Landon Danley has held down admirably in reserve.
Virginia’s offense is barrelling over its opponents and with the addition of Robinson — and soon, graduate safety Antonio Clary and junior defensive end Mekhi Buchanan — the defense could take a step up as well. This upcoming matchup with Stanford, as well as the Friday night showdown with No. 7 Florida State a week from today, will be critical to see if this truck can keep on rolling through rough roads.
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