A season of firsts ended fittingly — with a gritty win and a trophy in hand.
For the first time under Coach Tony Elliott, Virginia finished its season with a win Saturday at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. in the 2025 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Also for the first time under Elliott, the Cavaliers (11-3, 7-2 ACC) conquered an SEC opponent. And for the first time in program history spanning 136 years, Virginia finished the year with 11 wins.
“It’s so awesome to see when young people decide and believe and they’re unselfish and they just play to a standard,” Elliott said. “They play for each other. So it's been a fun, fun team to coach. We're just super excited. We were able to finish the season with a win versus a really, really good football team.”
The Cavaliers’ season concluded by toppling Missouri 13-7 — holding sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy, the nation’s second-leading rusher, to 89 yards and no touchdowns. Half of that yardage came on one play in the first quarter.
After Virginia allowed a touchdown on the Tigers’ (8-5, 4-4 SEC) first drive, the Cavaliers shut them out for the remaining 57 minutes of play.
In the game’s final minutes, Virginia’s defense had to protect a one-possession lead — and it came down to a fourth-and-two in Cavalier territory. If Missouri converted, it would have another chance to retake the lead. But that did not happen. Instead, graduate safety Antonio Clary and freshman defensive back Corey Costner rallied to tackle the runner just short.
Then Virginia’s defense had to hold strong one more time. With mere seconds left to play, junior walk-on quarterback Brett Brown entered in relief of the second string starter, freshman Matt Zollers. With everything on the line, Brown heaved a fourth down prayer into the endzone. A catch would have flipped the entire game upside down. A defensive stop would finally secure the win for Virginia.
Brown’s ball glided right into his receiver’s hands. The catch was almost complete. But then, with a triumphant swat, graduate safety Devin Neal knocked the ball away to ice the game. Pandemonium ensued, and a raucous celebration began as graduate quarterback Chandler Morris took a knee to tick away one last second.
On the offensive end, though, the Cavaliers were held to just three points in the first half for the first time all season. Virginia had to scratch and claw its way against a physical Missouri defense all evening.
Entering the third quarter down 7-3, that offense went to work. The Cavaliers engineered a masterful 75-yard touchdown drive that took 10 minutes off of the game clock over the course of 19 plays. Across program history, that drive was tied for the second-longest in terms of time and in terms of total plays. And partially because that drive took so long, the Tigers only ran six plays in the entire third quarter.
“[I] wanted to try and shorten the game a little bit where we could possess the ball [significantly more],” Elliott said. “And then once [we] started to get into the drive you saw the temperament and the demeanor of the guys on offense.”
When Missouri finally did get the ball back, Virginia’s defense took a sledgehammer to the Tigers’ comeback efforts — junior cornerback Emmanuel Karnley intercepted a pass to give the ball right back to the Cavaliers. Although Morris and company settled for a field goal, a 13-7 lead was the equivalent of a much larger edge in such a defensive slugfest of a football game.
That field goal from senior kicker Will Bettridge meant more than just three points. That kick was Bettridge’s 24th field goal of the season and the 67th of his career, both of which are program records for Virginia football.
That field goal also marked the final addition to the evening’s scoreboard. A few possessions were exchanged but the Cavaliers held on to win 13-7 — their third time holding an opponent to 10 points or fewer this season.
Missouri has almost never struggled that mightily on offense. They did suffer from the absence of senior quarterback Beau Pribula, who sat out with intent to enter the transfer portal, but even so, the Tigers have scored fewer than 10 points just thrice in their previous 56 games. Containing that offense is a rare feat.
In a vacuum, the win was impressive. But in the grand scheme of college football, simply calling the victory impressive does not do it justice. Virginia, after years of being an ACC doormat, shattered an SEC power. Before Saturday, the Cavaliers had not beaten an SEC opponent other than South Carolina since 1998.
“[The Cavaliers] believed when everyone around them told them not to,” Elliott said. “A lot of folks said that they weren't good enough to get to this point, but what they learned is it's always about being ‘inside out.’ It's never about what people say on the outside. It's all about what you believe.”
Across all bowl games nationwide, the Gator Bowl was just one of three bowl games to feature both teams ranked in the AP poll.
“At the end of the day, it's going to come down to a will to win,” Elliott said. “I think that's what you saw.”
In a season of dreams, Virginia got its happy ending. The Cavaliers earned a program-record 11 wins, emerging as a genuine ACC contender. The next task is to prepare for a massive transfer portal frenzy of entrances and exits, but for now, a triumphant curtain call erupts throughout the Commonwealth and beyond.
Read More
Amidst strong start, Gable Porter wins ACC Wrestler of the Week
By Jack Schocket | 10 hours agoPorter began the year with a loss in the Round of 16 of the Navy Classic Nov. 2, but has not fallen since.
No. 19 Virginia looks to reach program history against Missouri in the Gator Bowl
By Ryan Weiner | 2 days ago“We’re so grateful to have this opportunity,” Elliott said. “This program has been working hard over the last several years to get to the postseason and we’re so excited to be in Jacksonville.”
Men's and women's soccer’s memorable seasons ended in the same fate
By David Sewall and Mofeoluwa Akande | 2 days agoThe men's and women's finales were separated by one measly goal in regulation and penalties. It was a night of déjà vu in Klöckner Stadium. A night of opportunity for Virginia turned into a night to forget.
