Defense Rounding Into Form for Cavaliers

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

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The University of Virginia football team’s two-deep on defense includes five transfers who were not on Grounds for spring practice: Daniel Rickert, Donavon Platt, Christian Charles, Jordan Robinson and Emmanuel Karnley.

It wasn’t surprising, then, that UVA’s defense lagged behind its offense early in the season, head coach Tony Elliott said Tuesday at the Hardie Center.

Platt, Charles, Robinson and Karnley all play in the secondary, and they needed time to get used not only to each other, but to the defensive backs already in the program, a group that included Ja’son Prevard, Devin Neal, Ethan Minter and Antonio Clary.

Moreover, Elliott said, the defense “had some injuries during fall camp where guys missed some time. And now we’re starting to get guys back, and they’re gaining some experience. They’re a little bit more comfortable with just everything. And so I felt like it was going to take a little bit of time, but I also felt like it could come together.”

He’s seen that happen. Platt and linebacker Kam Robinson each scored a touchdown Oct. 4 in visiting Virginia’s overtime win over Louisville. In UVA’s most recent game, a 22-20 victory over Washington State at Scott Stadium, Platt and Prevard each had an interception, and Robinson recorded the safety that gave the Wahoos their first lead.

Robinson, a junior, missed Virginia’s first three games this season while recovering from a broken collarbone, but he’s second on the team in tackles, with 35.

“He’s a guy that can do it all,” Elliott said. “He can run sideline to sideline. He can cover just about anybody on the field in man coverage if you need him to. He can rush the passer.  He can fit the gap. There’s really not many things that he can’t do athletically … and I think he’s gonna continue to get better. I don’t think he’s hit his ceiling yet.”

Rickert, who plays defensive end, leads the 16^th-ranked Wahoos with 4.5 sacks and six quarterback hurries.

Linebacker James Jackson, who’s in his fifth year at UVA, is third on the team in tackles this season, with 31. Jackson said Tuesday that the defense’s “communication has gotten better every game. In practice, you see guys are practicing better. Practice habits are getting better across the defense. And I think it definitely played a role, guys getting here in the summer. But I think everyone has the right intentions. Everyone is trying to get better and trying to help the team.

“It’s hard to all be on the same page, but that’s what good defenses do. They communicate at a high level. So I feel like we’re getting better at that every week. We just need to keep doing that, keep getting better, keep trying to get on the same page, from the D-line to the linebackers to the defensive backfield.”

Of the 19 transfers who enrolled at UVA in January, eight are playing key roles for the defense: Neal and Prevard in the secondary, ends Fisher Camac, Mitchell Melton and Cazeem Moore; tackles Hunter Osborne and Jacob Holmes; and linebacker Maddox Marcellus.

HEALTHY RESPECT: Next up for Virginia (6-1 overall, 3-0 ACC) is a Saturday clash with North Carolina (2-4, 0-2) at Kenan Stadium. The noon game will air on ACC Network.

The Tar Heels have struggled in their first season under legendary head coach Bill Belichick, but every ACC “team you play has the talent to beat you,” Jackson said. “We’re not good enough to go in there and just expect to win and expect them to lay down. That’s never going to happen. They have a lot of talented players, and they have a coaching staff who knows how to put their players in the right place to be able to be successful … So we’re expecting it to be a challenge.”

At his weekly media availability, Elliott fielded several questions about UNC and its slow start. He said he’s focused this week on “getting the guys to block out the noise and see the film for what it really is. That’s contrary to what reports may be saying in the media.”

North Carolina is coming off a trip to the West Coast. UNC lost 21-18 at Cal on Friday night. The Heels had a chance to take the lead late, only to lose a fumble that the Bears recovered in the end zone.

Elliott said he sees a UNC “team that’s getting better, that has some good personnel, that was close to winning a game last week. So that’s what I want the guys to focus on: just trust your eyes and focus on your preparation, because at the end of the day it doesn’t matter who we play from here on out. It doesn’t matter who we line up against. It’s all about our preparation and how we approach the game, so that we can be in the best physical, mental and emotional state to perform at the highest level.”

He expects the Heels “to fight with everything that they have,” Elliott said, “and they have nothing to lose. So that’s what makes them dangerous. And they’re improving, they’re playing at home, and I think that their coaching staff and the players have got a ton of pride.”

In its most recent game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Virginia defeated then-No. 10 UNC 31-27. Jackson sealed the win, UVA’s first-ever on the road against a top-10 opponent, with a late interception.

“I remember that being a bright spot in the 2023 season,” Jackson said Tuesday. “They were ranked, but we had a lot of confidence going in. There’s a lot of good memories from [playing] there last time, for sure

THE VIEW FROM JPJ: Virginia’s new head men’s basketball coach, Ryan Odom, dropped by a football practice during training camp in August, and he’s delighted to see Elliott’s team shining this season.

At 6-1, UVA is off to its best start since 1961, and the crowds at Scott Stadium have grown larger and louder as the season has progressed.

Asked if his program benefits from football’s success, Odom said Monday night at John Paul Jones Arena, “There’s no question about it. The whole University does. And so we’re excited about what Coach Elliott and his staff and his players are doing right now.

“It’s a beautiful thing to watch. They’re very resilient. They come into each game prepared and ready to compete to win. You see an enthusiasm with the way that they play, and you can see them impacting the crowd, and the crowd being there for them. And so that marriage is really important in sports. It’s important for the overall health of our university, and there’s no question that we can feed off of one another.”

Odom’s players were among the throng of UVA students who celebrated on the Scott Stadium field Sept. 26 after the football team’s two-overtime win over then-No. 8 Florida State.

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE: Brady Wilson, who started Virginia’s first four games at center, has been cleared to play again after being sidelined with an injury. Also available in Chapel Hill, Elliott said, will be tailback Noah Vaughn and offensive linemen David Wohlabaugh Jr.

A graduate transfer from Syracuse, Wohlabaugh has been dealing with a foot injury and has yet to make his UVA debut.

Vaughn hasn’t played since sustaining a high-ankle sprain Sept. 13 against William & Mary. Vaughn had rushed for 101 yards on only eight carries before getting hurt in that game.

Offensive tackle McKale Boley and wide receiver Cam Ross had to leave the Washington State game because of injuries, but both are back at practice this week, Elliott said.

“So I think the only one that’ll be down will be X,” Elliott said.

Tailback Xavier Brown, who’s third on the team in rushing, this season, left the Wazzu game after hurting his knee. Elliott said the Hoos are waiting to learn the extent of Brown’s injury.

With Brown out, Vaughn and Harrison Waylee will have larger roles behind J’Mari Taylor, who leads Virginia with 512 yards and eight touchdowns on 108 carries.

Waylee had the Cavaliers’ longest run, a 22-yard gain, against Wazzu and scored their final touchdown.

“Now, he’s got to take care of the ball, and he knows that, but when we’ve given him opportunities, he’s produced,” Elliott said, “so I’m really confident. And Noah … was on fire the last time out, so I’m confident that those guys will step in. And then they care a lot about X. That’s their brother.”

UVA’s starting quarterback, Chandler Morris, has been playing through a sore shoulder. He said Tuesday that he feels “as good as you can feel for week nine or whatever it is. So I feel good and excited to get back out there and get to work.”

Morris has completed 145 of 211 passes (68.7 percent) for 1,607 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season as a Cavalier. He’s also rushed for four touchdowns.

At this point in the season “everyone’s got little aches and bruises and stuff,” Morris said. “I’m just trying to do whatever I can do to help the team move the chains and go win football games.”

HOOS RISING: After winning three games in its abbreviated 2022 season and three again in ’23, Virginia finished 5-7 last year. The Hoos’ success this season, Elliott’s fourth as head coach, is resonating with high school seniors, with commitments mounting in the Class of 2026.

His message to recruits, Elliott said, is that this “is what we envisioned as a staff when we came to UVA [in terms] of being able to win football games. Now we’re just getting started, and they have an opportunity to continue to elevate this to where we believe it can ultimately get.”

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