Tony Elliott has handled his coaching tenure at Virginia with a level of maturity, professionalism, and empathy that I don’t know many could. He has dealt with unimaginable tragedy while also facing a rebuild that has been challenging, to say the least. Elliott has seemingly turned the corner in year three as the Cavaliers are 4-1 and they have been resilient in each game this season. The team is buying in to what Elliott is selling and the wins have followed.
Things started to swing for the Cavs last year when Anthony Colandrea took over as quarterback. They were forced to accept the mistakes you get from a freshman quarterback but they also got the “wow” moments that inexperience and recklessness bring with it. He made some unbelievable highlight plays while also trying to make too many plays that led to turnovers or negative plays.
This season, Colandrea has been much more under control and consistent. He has shown better trust in the players around him while also just being better at operating in the scope of the offense. He has been at his best on short and intermediate passes where he has been accurate and patient. He has also been very good when he throws the ball down the field. His legs are always a threat but he’s mostly been a scrambler as a runner.
Since Kobe Pace joined the Cavaliers from Clemson last season and is finally healthy, he has been the team’s primary running back. While Pace has a powerful running style, he has also demonstrated the ability to force people to miss games in order to prolong runs. Although he has broken a few significant runs this season, he will never be able to regularly outrun the defence.
The other back we’ll see this weekend is Xavier Brown. He is a quick-changer who moves with good speed and agility. Indeed, after scoring 171 yards against Coastal Carolina two weeks ago, he leads the team in yards. UVA has benefited because UK and UofL declined to recruit the Lexington native. Running backs are something the Cards have struggled with all season, and that will continue this weekend.
This year’s Virginia receiving class is the strongest UofL has seen thus far, led by outside star Malachi Fields. After amassing more than 100 yards in the season’s first two games, the 6-4/220 senior has scored three touchdowns in the past two games. Fields are able to it all and he is a true deep threat down the field with great body control and wide catch radius. UofL has to hope Quincy Riley can go this weekend to help defend Fields.
Chris Tyree was expected to take on the that Malik Washington played last year in the slot but that just hasn’t materialized. Tyree missed last week’s game but he only has a few catches on the year and hasn’t been able to use his speed to make big plays in the offense. Instead, Trell Harris has combined with Fields to create a productive outside receiving combination that Colandrea has utilized well.
While Harris has been a bright surprise for the Hoos, Tyler Neville has been all the could have hoped for when they landed the FCS All-American from Harvard. Neville had a two-touchdown game earlier in the season and he has been a consistent option for the offense in the middle of the field. He helps to open up the passing game with Harris and Fields being such threats on the outside.
