This season, Virginia has precariously danced through close games. Being dubbed as the “Cardiac Cavaliers” for playing in six one-possession games, this is a team that wanted to avoid tight contests. Too often, the defense would dominate while the offense stalled out, or vice versa. In short, the Cavaliers have been playing with fire, mere inches from being burned.
Coach Tony Elliott’s solution? Turn up the heat on opponents through complementary football, an ideal symphony in which the offense, defense and special teams dominate — and therefore, all support each other. That is what happened during Saturday’s 34-17 victory at Duke.
“We’re really starting to gel on all three levels. And so super proud of those guys” Elliott said.
For the first time since Sept. 20, Virginia’s offense surpassed 30 points and its defense allowed fewer than 20 points. Instead of one unit performing well while the other floundered, each compiled a high-quality performance.
“I felt like this was probably the most complete game we’ve played in all three phases,” Elliott said.
The Cavaliers curbstomped Duke for 45 minutes, holding a seemingly insurmountable 31-3 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Blue Devil offense, which entered Saturday’s contest averaging 35.2 points per game, was silenced.
There was a brief fourth quarter hiccup in which Duke combined a long touchdown drive with an interception returned for a touchdown, but Virginia regained control on its subsequent possession.
A gentler final score of 34-17 does not tell the full story of this football game. This game was, for most of the afternoon, an orange and blue domination through complementary football.
And at the heart of it all was a Cavalier defense which only allowed 10 points — hindering sophomore quarterback Darian Mensah, who is the ACC’s leader in passing yards and touchdowns.
“We all went to work at practice, and coaches came together,” junior cornerback Emmanuel Karnley said. “We all started meeting more, getting extra film in, and we decided we're going to become the number one defense in the country.”
That defense held Mensah to a season-worst 213 passing yards and one touchdown. Senior defensive tackle Jacob Holmes tackled him for a loss multiple times.
“Every week we're chasing our best game, and I feel like today was definitely one of our best games,” Holmes said. “And we did a good job of just doing it like Coach Elliott was putting in our heads all week.”
Just as importantly, the offense chased its best game too. Senior receiver Trell Harris carved the Blue Devil defense to pieces through his eight catches for 161 yards — both career highs — and a touchdown as a cherry on top. It was a stellar performance.
In true complementary fashion, the run game was equally prolific. Playing in front of his hometown friends and family, graduate running back J’Mari Taylor ran wild for 133 yards and two touchdowns, on an incredible 7.4 yards per carry. With a balanced run game and pass game, Virginia’s offense took frequent residence in Blue Devil territory.
“We just got back to who we were, and Coach Elliott and [offensive coordinator Des Kitchings] really challenged us this week and really got on to us,” graduate quarterback Chandler Morris said. “And it was great. I thought we responded well. And to be able to come out here and do what we do, and just really just do our jobs and try and play complementary football [was crucial].”
On special teams, senior kicker Will Bettridge did not miss any field goals or extra points, and the return defense prevented any large punt or kick returns. Avoiding a repeat of Wake Forest’s punt return touchdown was a top priority. The return defense never allowed Duke to begin a drive at midfield or worse.
With success in all three phases of the game, Virginia went from sinking into the flames of last week’s loss to emerging like a phoenix — hurling a fiery, relentless attack onto the Blue Devils. This week, the Cavaliers’ ACC title hopes are alive and well.
“I said, ‘Fellas, I recognize it. I've seen it. I've seen it in you, and I'm telling you [that] you got it — now you have to go showcase it to the world, for everybody else to tell you that you got it,’” Elliott said.
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