Hoos Out to Make History in Jacksonville

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

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — When he committed to the University of Virginia in the fall of 2020, offensive lineman Noah Josey had every reason to believe he’d get to experience a bowl game every year as a Cavalier.

UVA had played in the Military Bowl in 2017, the Belk Bowl in 2018 and the Orange Bowl in 2019, “and so the program was on a really good trajectory at that point,” Joseph recalled Monday at the Hardie Center.

Nothing, though, is guaranteed in athletics. The Cavaliers could have capped the 2020 season with a fourth straight bowl appearance, but after playing under strict COVID-19 protocols during the regular season they chose not to pursue an invitation.

In 2021, Virginia accepted an invitation to the Fenway Bowl but later had to withdraw because of COVID issues in the program. Tragedy struck the program in 2022, the first of three consecutive losing seasons, “but I always thought UVA is a place that could continue to excel,” Josey said. “It took a few years to get the culture where it needed to be, but I think there's no going back now.”

In their fourth season under head coach Tony Elliott, the Wahoos (10-3) have a chance to make history in a program that dates back to 1888. A victory Saturday night over Missouri (8-4) in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl would make this the first UVA team to win 11 games in a season.

Only twice have the Hoos reached the 10-win mark: in 1989 and this year.

“Trying to go get that 11th, that's been a big goal of ours,” quarterback Chandler Morris said Tuesday. “We’d be remembered forever around here, which would be awesome ... We’re chasing that each day.”

Josey said: “I think any time you have the opportunity to do something that nobody else has done at your university before, it's an exciting opportunity. And I think guys understand kind of the weight and the gravity of that. And so everybody's been putting the best work they can into it. It’s been a while since we've had the opportunity to play in a bowl game, so being able to go out there and be rewarded with a good game against a good team is something that we're all really excited about.”

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— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) December 18, 2025

The only player in Elliott’s program who’s been to a bowl game as a Cavalier is safety Antonio Clary, who was a true freshman in 2019. The Gator Bowl will be played at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla., which happens to be Clary’s hometown.

During a question-and-answer session with media members Tuesday, Clary pulled out his phone and showed a photo that showed him, at the age of 7 or 8, in the stands at EverBank Stadium, the home of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

“My mom sent me that,” Clary said, “and seeing that, it's pretty cool being able to finish in Jacksonville, my last college game, especially after everything I've been through.”

As much as he loves Jacksonville, Clary would have preferred for UVA to be elsewhere than the Gator Bowl this weekend. Had the Hoos defeated Duke in the ACC championship game Dec. 6 in Charlotte, N.C., they would have advanced to the College Football Playoff. But the Blue Devils won in overtime, and UVA accepted an invitation to the Gator the next day.

Virginia defeated Duke 34-17 during the regular season, which made the loss in Charlotte doubly frustrating for Clary and his teammates. The Cavaliers finished the regular season atop the ACC standings.

“But you've got to flush it down the drain and move on,” Clary said. 

In Charlotte, UVA scored the final 10 points in the fourth quarter and appeared to have all the momentum heading to overtime. But Duke scored a touchdown on the first possession of OT, after which UVA’s drive ended abruptly. On first down, Virginia tried a trick play that went awry. The Blue Devils picked off a Morris pass intended for wide receiver Eli Wood, and the game was over.

“I think the way it ended, that's why it hurt so bad,” Clary said, “just because we fought to get back in the game and get back in position to win the football game. Going to overtime and to lose it the way we did was heartbreaking. Any athlete would say you would rather get your butt kicked than to lose that way, on a last-second play or something like that.”

In the regular season, Virginia averaged 33.2 points and 433.2 yards per game. The Hoos scored only 20 points in the ACC championship game and totaled 344 yards on offense.

“We definitely left some plays out there,” said Wood, who caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Morris with 22 seconds left in the fourth quarter. “We were able to move the ball, but we left some plays out there, and the margin for error in college football is so small."

Asked about the ending, Morris said, “I think throwing an interception to lose the game, that's pretty difficult to process in general, no matter how quick it happens. It was difficult and I'd like to have that one back, but it was just part of it.”

The Cavaliers understand what’s at stake for them in Jacksonville. “This team, we're extremely invested in this,” Morris said, “and we've got a lot of our team goals on the line that we can go accomplish on the 27th. Everyone's fired up for the opportunity, so it'll be a fun one.”

Morris enrolled at UVA in January as a graduate transfer from North Texas. The other three players who met with media members Tuesday have deeper roots in the program. Clary joined the program in 2019, Josey in 2021 and Wood in 2022.

The Cavaliers leave Tuesday for Jacksonville, and “I think it will be a special time to go down there and spend a week with this team,” said Wood, whose brother Sackett Wood Jr. preceded him in the program.

“One last ride together. This team has been so special, so just getting down there and getting to enjoy each other's company and then going out to battle one last time is going to be special.”

Exams ended at the University last week, and most of the student body has gone home. That’s made preparation for the bowl game more enjoyable, Wood said. “We’re just out there playing ball, practice every day. And then no one's here, so you're just spending time with the guys after practice.”

Josey agreed. “Just being able to focus on football and that being the one thing that you have to worry about every day, it definitely feels nice.”

Win or lose in Jacksonville, “this team is only going to be together for seven more days,” Josey said, “and so relishing all the moments we have is what matters.”

The players had Friday, Saturday and Sunday off, which meant they were able to watch the opening weekend of the College Football Playoff. Doing so, though, reminded them of Virginia’s missed opportunity.

“Any time I get to watch ball, it's something that I love to do,” Josey said. “But there definitely is the thought in the back of your mind, the what ifs. But it's about this week now, and just trying to go out there and put our best product on the field.”

Clary still has fond memories of the Cavaliers’ 2019 stay in South Florida for the Orange Bowl. “People look forward to things like that,” he said, and for veteran players like Josey, Wood, defensive tackle Jahmeer Carter and linebacker James Jackson, the Gator Bowl is a reward for the commitment they’ve shown to the UVA program.

“So I'm really happy for guys like Jahmeer and James and other guys to get that experience,” Clary said.

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