No. 24 Hoos Turn Page on Big Win

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — University of Virginia football players had Saturday off, and the break gave them more time to savor their memories of the previous night at Scott Stadium.

The players were off Sunday too, but many of them stopped by the Hardie Center for treatment. They were all there Monday to begin their preparations for UVA’s next opponent, unbeaten Louisville, and head coach Tony Elliott met with his senior leadership group before he addressed the entire team.

He asked the seniors if they’d reviewed videotape of UVA’s exhilarating win over then-No. 8 Florida State, and many had already done so. The group told Elliott that, as well as the Wahoos had played, they could have been even better.

The Hoos’ lapses were “evident in the film,” offensive guard Noah Josey said Tuesday. “There was some lack of attention to detail in some areas that we need to get cleaned up. And so for us this week is just about getting back to the details and figuring out how we can get better.”

At his weekly availability at the Hardie Center, Elliott said Tuesday that “it was a good sign that everybody was excited to win but also understands that we haven’t played our best game yet. We left some plays out there on the field. So I think this this group is really starting to understand that it’s not about an opponent. It’s not about the moment of joy in a locker room after the game, so to speak, but it’s about the process of preparing to try and chase your best game, week in and week out.”

In the Cavaliers’ first win over a top-10 opponent at Scott Stadium in 20 years, they knocked off the Seminoles 46-38 in two overtimes, after which jubilant fans stormed the field to celebrate.

Virginia’s supporters were in full voice all game. The noise level at the north end of the stadium, where UVA students congregated, contributed to a crucial penalty on the Seminoles, who were called for a false start in second overtime.

“Really, it kind of was a difference in the game,” Elliott said of the home-field advantage. “So just a big shout-out to the students and the fans for packing Scott and making it what we know it can be: one of the toughest environments in all of college football. So really, really appreciate everybody that came out on Friday night.”

The victory created significant buzz about the Hoos, who moved into The Associated Press’ rankings at No. 24 on Sunday. Now they go on the road to face an opponent to which they’ve dropped three straight games.

At 3:30 p.m. Saturday, in an ACC game to air on ESPN2, Virginia (4-1, 2-0) meets Louisville (4-0, 1-0) at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium.

The Cavaliers lost by seven points to the Cardinals in 2023 and by four points last fall, and Elliott said his team can expect to play more one-possession games as this season unfolds.

“We’ve just got to make sure that as we progress through the week that we don’t try to skip ahead,” Elliott said, “that we commit to the theme of the day and the quality of work that it takes day in and day out in preparation to be ready to play your best on Saturday.”

This is Elliott’s fourth season at Virginia. In his first, 2022, the Cavaliers lost three games by three points or fewer. In 2023, they were 2-5 in games decided by a touchdown or less. They fared better in close games last year, edging Wake Forest 31-30 and No. 23 Pitt 24-19, but they want to take another step forward this season.

“Something we talked about a lot in the offseason was finishing,” said Josey, who’s in his fifth year in the program. “A big mantra of our team coming into this season was finishing in everything that we do. And so I think we just showed that on Friday.”

UVA’s players “didn’t flinch,” Elliott said. “They believed. They believed they were going to win the game. They didn’t necessarily know how it was going to happen, but they believed at the end of the day they were going to make the play or plays to win the game. And I think that’s the difference. So what you saw on Friday night … for us was a culture game, the culture that we’ve been really, really trying to build here, an attitude of belief, an attitude of work, just playing together and being a team.”

As satisfying as the win over FSU was for the program, Elliott said, the Cavaliers shifted their attention to Louisville on Monday. He’s counting on his veteran players to help their teammates “understand that really you don’t change the approach, you don’t change the process,” Elliott said.

“The process stays the same. If anything, you have to insulate yourself more so that you’re not looking at your phone and listening to the text messages and what people are saying. Just focus on what you can control, and that’s how you prepare. But the positive about where we are, especially going into this game at Louisville, is we played at NC State, which is one of the better environments in all the college football. They do a really, really good job of making it difficult on the opposing team and I thought we handled the environment well, so we’ve got a little bit of experience there.”

That was the first of the five road games Virginia will play this season. At Carter-Finley Stadium, NC State rallied for a 35-31 win over UVA on Sept. 6.

GAME-CHANGER: Louisville’s many offensive weapons include sophomore tailback Isaac Brown. In the Cardinals’ 24-20 win at Scott Stadium last season, Brown rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, and he’s averaging 8.1 yards per carry this year.

“He’s a really, really good player, really explosive, really fast, really twitchy,” UVA linebacker Maddox Marcellus said, “one-cut type of running back.”

The key to limiting Brown’s production is “just making sure we communicate and do our job,” said Marcellus, a transfer from Eastern Kentucky. “It’s all about us at the end of the day.”

Louisville is coming off a 34-27 road win over Pittsburgh. The Panthers led 17-0 after one quarter and 27-17 at the halftime. The Cardinals found a way to win, though, “so they’ve got a lot of belief as well,” Elliott said.

The Cards will be playing at home Saturday against a ranked opponent, and they “feel like they should be ranked,” Elliott said. “So there’s a lot of things that are gonna make this a challenging opportunity for us, but our guys will be ready.”

INSPIRATIONAL FIGURE: Elliott said he hopes to see former UVA tailback Perris Jones this weekend. Jones, who earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Virginia, is pursuing a doctorate at Louisville, not far from the stadium where his college career ended in November 2023.

Late in the Cavaliers’ game against the Cardinals at L&N Stadium, Jones suffered a serious injury in a violent collision. He later underwent successful spinal surgery at the University of Louisville Medical Center and regained full mobility.

Asked Tuesday if he plans to bring up Jones to his team ahead of the game, Elliott noted that “many of the guys that are on the roster now weren’t there and so weren’t a part of that. It’ll be something that we acknowledge, but for a lot of those guys they weren’t a part of that, and that’s always a tough subject to approach as a football player, when you’re talking about a guy down on the mat and being momentarily or for a little while paralyzed. But hopefully he’ll come around and the guys will have a chance to meet him.”

NEXT MEN UP: Center Brady Wilson, who injured his calf Sept. 20 against Stanford, isn’t expected to play Saturday, Elliott said, but the Cavaliers hope Daniel Sparks will be cleared to punt.

Sparks suffered a hip injury Sept. 13 against William & Mary and hasn’t punted or kicked off in a game since then. He’s the holder on extra points and field goals.

In Sparks’ absence, sophomore Elijah Slibeck has filled in capably. Of Slibeck’s 26 kickoffs this season, 20 have been touchbacks, “so he’s done a phenomenal job there,” Elliott said.

On his six punts, Slibeck has averaged 45.2 yards. The Hoos have totaled 149 points in their past three games, so Slibeck hasn’t been called on to punt often, “but he’s done exactly what we’ve asked him to do,” Elliott said. “We challenged him to get a little bit more leg into the pooch punt that we had there [against Florida State]. But other than that, I feel like he’s really stepped up and taking advantage of his opportunity with Sparky being down.”

Virginia’s punt team figures to be tested Saturday. Louisville’s Caullin Lacy is averaging 29.6 yards per return, with a long of 93 for a touchdown against Eastern Kentucky on Aug. 30.

ROOM TO IMPROVE: The Seminoles came to Charlottesville averaging 58.0 points and 628.7 yards per game. UVA allowed 514 yards but came up with three takeaways, including a victory-sealing interception by cornerback Ja’Son Prevard on the game’s final play.

Marcellus said the Cavaliers’ defense wasn’t satisfied with its performance.

“I feel like we left definitely a lot of plays out there,” Marcellus said. “We didn’t feel too good about ourselves, because we knew we’re better than that. We had a couple miscommunications, misreads, and it led to some big plays on their end, but our offense came through and helped us out.”

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