By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — For the University of Virginia football team, a week that ended with a gratifying victory started on a somber note.
On Monday, the University observed the first anniversary of the horrific shooting that claimed the lives of three football players last fall. Events were held throughout the day on Grounds to honor the memories of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry.
If that didn’t weigh heavily enough on UVA’s current players, they were keenly aware that a beloved teammate, tailback Perris Jones, wasn’t with them in Charlottesville. Jones was recovering from spinal surgery in a hospital in Kentucky, where he’d been injured during the Cavaliers’ game against Louisville on Nov. 9.
Through it all, though, his players showed up every day ready to work, head coach Tony Elliott said, and their efforts were rewarded Saturday, when UVA defeated ACC foe Duke 30-27 at Scott Stadium.
As the game approached, the Wahoos talked about playing for something bigger than themselves, and that “started with 1, 15, 41 and 2,” Elliott said, referring to the jersey numbers of Davis, Chandler, Perry and Jones, respectively.
At his postgame press conference, Elliott saluted his players’ resilience. “Those players in [the locker room] are gonna go do great things, because of the adversity that they’ve had to persevere through … I know people are gonna judge us by scores and stats and wins and losses, but that’s a group of winners in there that are going to do great things in life. It was a tough week, but the guys took it in stride and took ownership of it and had a really good week of practice, and that allowed them to be able to play the way they did today.”
Against Duke (6-5 overall, 3-4 ACC), which hasn’t won at Scott Stadium since 2013, UVA (2-5, 3-8), never trailed. It was 10-10 at halftime, but the Hoos built a two-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter and held on for a 30-27 win.
The Cavaliers’ mission this week was to attack, sustain and finish, and they succeeded on all three fronts.
“It’s a big-time win for Coach Elliott and the whole program,” said UVA quarterback Anthony Colandrea, a true freshman who coolly directed an offense that totaled 448 yards and didn’t turn the ball over.
This is Elliott’s second season with the Cavaliers. Before Saturday, they hadn’t won an ACC home game during his tenure, and they’ve often struggled in the fourth quarter this year. Of Virginia’s losses, five were by a combined 17 points. Still, Elliott has seen progress that might not always be apparent to those outside the program.
“I told the guys in the locker room, we’ve had to deal with some adversity that’s not normal to college football, and the guys have taken it in stride,” Elliott said. “Everything that they’ve been challenged with, they haven’t back down from, they’ve learned from it. They missed some opportunities, but they’ve showed up every single day.”
The team’s leaders include wide receiver Malik Washington, a graduate transfer from Northwestern who’s in his first season at Virginia. Washington came into the game on the verge of breaking two UVA records, and he left with both marks.
Washington caught eight passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, and he now holds the program records for receptions (96) and receiving yards (1,311) in a season. He’s had nine games with at least 100 yards receiving this season, the most of any player in the nation.
“I wish he had him for another year,” offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said. “I love the kid, and not just because his statistics. I love his day-to-day [approach] and how he attacks it.”
After the game, Washington fielded questions from reporters in the Scott Stadium media room. In his hands was a football commemorating his school records.
“I’m probably gonna sleep with this thing tonight,” Washington said, smiling. “I probably won’t let go of it for a little bit, man. It means a lot to me … I just know the work that I put in and the work that we put in offseason, all throughout the winter, it’s paying off, and I love to see that.”
Washington wasn’t the only Cavalier who had a big game against Duke. Wideout Malachi Fields had four receptions for 74 yards and a TD, and tailbacks Kobe Pace and Mike Hollins rushed for 54 and 50 yards, respectively. Washington’s understudy, true freshman Suderian Harrison, had three catches for 42 yards.
And then there was Colandrea, who’s filled in capably for the injured Tony Muskett. Against the Blue Devils, Colandrea completed 21 of 30 passes for 278 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, and ran nine times for 66 yards.
“At some point we gotta stop calling him a freshman,” Washington said. “He’s just our quarterback. He’s balling right now. He’s been balling all season, and he grew up today, and I think it’ll be really good to carry that over into next week and over into next season. I’m proud of him.”