Not all wins are created equal. AP No. 24 Virginia’s dominating defeats of Coastal Carolina, William & Mary and Stanford to open the season, which they won by an average of 36 points, were smooth, almost seamless. The offense glided down the field, the defense stalled drives on a whim. Those wins were impressive, but Friday’s victory was a different animal altogether.
The Seminoles arrived at Scott Stadium ranked eighth in the country, sporting the most yards gained in the entire country and a victory over Alabama. This was the best team the Cavaliers have faced under Coach Tony Elliott, tied with also-No. 8 ranked Notre Dame last season. Against that No. 8, Virginia lost 35-14. This year, Elliott and his squad were determined to achieve a different result, and they did.
Virginia won on Friday with pure aggression and force of will. For this coach and this team, the victory doesn’t come as a surprise — it is a manifestation of what they have built over a long and busy offseason.
Elliott often talks about “the standard” — a level of effort that is an expectation rather than a mere aspiration. Every bead of sweat, every bit of blood dropped from nicks and cuts over the summer and spring, has culminated in this victory.
“Competitive stamina is about competing to the standard, regardless of circumstances constantly changing,” Elliott said, “Adversity is the companion of the champion, the enemy to the weak.”
Across the board, this squad fought through adversity to reach that standard, and graduate quarterback Chandler Morris led the charge. In the second overtime, under heavy pressure and with no open receivers, Morris took matters into his own hands and ducked and dove into the endzone for what would ultimately be the game-winning touchdown. It was Morris’ third rushing touchdown of the night and his fifth total score. Despite some pain in his non-throwing hand and a couple interceptions early in the game, Morris willed himself and his team to victory.
“I’d go to war with [Chandler Morris],” quarterbacks coach Taylor Lamb tweeted after the win.
One near-interception went for a 28-yard gain thanks to senior wide receiver Trell Harris. Harris ripped the ball away from a defender and danced and shrugged off a few more in a rampage up the sideline to set Virginia up to tie the game before half, slowing Seminole momentum.
Morris and Harris’ performances were emblematic of the overall offensive aggression. Virginia went 5-5 in the red zone and 2-2 on fourth down. Offensive coordinator Des Kitchings and his unit won on the margins, dogpilling on defenders to push ballcarriers past the marker for crucial first downs.
“It’s a natural thing, it’s just will, you know,” senior running back Xavier Brown said when asked about the pile-ups. “It’s just the fight in our team and what we’re gonna do.”
On the other side of the ball, the defense also capitalized in high leverage moments, like when junior defensive back Ja’Son Prevard intercepted senior quarterback Tommy Castellanos by swatting a pass to himself. Almost single-handedly, Prevard killed a drive where the Seminoles likely would have scored. It wasn’t just a display of athleticism either — rather, it was the fruit of disciplined preparation in practice over the prior week.
“We talked about matching the hand all week … so once you act like he was gonna throw the ball, just match his hand,” Prevard said. “And then I tipped in there and caught the ball.”
Prevard not only ended that drive, he ended the game with yet another pick, this time in the endzone on Florida State’s fourth down attempt in the second overtime.
At the beginning of fall camp, Elliott asked his team a question, “Why would you play this game if you don’t believe you can go compete for a championship?”
This sort of sentiment isn’t a unique expression among college football coaches, but the performance Virginia gave Friday night is of rare stock. The win itself vaulted now-nationally ranked Cavaliers to the top of the ACC leaderboard with a 2-0 conference record, but the nature of the victory is why they exited Scott Stadium like champions.
“That’s what I envisioned when I decided to take the job here,” Elliott said.
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