After a close loss to Louisville in which they had a lead in the fourth quarter, Virginia football will look to rebound Saturday when they travel down to No. 10 Clemson. The Cavaliers (4-2, 2-1 ACC) have started the season off hot but have yet to play a ranked opponent like the Tigers (5-1, 4-0 ACC). This game will be a herculean challenge for Virginia — but if the defense continues to thrive and the red zone offense steps up, then the Cavaliers stand a fighting chance. This contest is pivotal — especially as Virginia inches closer towards bowl game eligibility.
Virginia enters this matchup in a strange spot — its success in 2024 originally came from a heavy dose of offense, largely sparked by dual-threat sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea and senior wide receiver Malachi Fields. However, as of late, the Cavalier defense has truly stepped up, with players like senior safety Jonas Sanker and sophomore linebacker Kam Robinson starting to generate national attention — Sanker has now won back-to-back ACC Defensive Back of the Week awards. Against the high-octane Clemson offense, Virginia will need its defense to continue to make game-changing plays.
As for the Tigers’ 2024 campaign, they got hit with a humbling loss early in the season when they lost to then-No. 1 Georgia 34-3. Since then though, they have been dominant. Clemson has scored 40 or more points in all but one game since the first week of the season and have blown out opponents by an average of 29.4 points in those five games. The Tigers now rank 10th in the country and have a real chance to both win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff.
The main storyline to watch in this game is the return to Clemson for Coach Tony Elliott. Before he coached the Cavaliers, Elliott played for the Tigers from 2000-2003 and later served as an offensive coordinator and position for the Tigers over an 11-year span. During his time at Clemson, Elliott won six ACC Championships and won two national titles in 2016 and 2018.
In total, Elliott’s record at Clemson was 131-21, which is quite an impressive feat. Still, Elliott has put those accomplishments in the rearview mirror. All that matters Saturday is earning a win for Virginia.
“I’ve been mindful that I do not want this game to be about me,” Elliott said. “I’ve told the players that this ain’t about me, this is about you guys going down there and playing your best game.”
While he still holds respect for the school, expect Elliott to still shoot for the big win and beat his old mentor in Tigers Coach Dabo Swinney. This game marks the first time Swinney faces off against one of his former players as a coach.
“[Swinney] operates with class, I operate with class, but we both want [our teams] to win, and we both want our teams to be successful so we’re going to go about it the right way,” Elliott said.
While this game marks a big return for Elliott, it also marks the return to Clemson for three Cavalier players. Graduate running back Kobe Pace, graduate tight end Sage Ennis and graduate defensive back Malcolm Greene all were initially recruited by and played for the Tigers. Pace played at Clemson for three seasons, recording almost 1,000 total yards and 10 total touchdowns before transferring after the 2022 season. Ennis left the Tigers after last season and played in 41 career games for the team. Greene also played for three years with Clemson from 2020-2022, appearing in most games and recording 38 tackles in 29 games.
While Ennis will be unable to play against his old squad due to a season-ending knee injury, Pace will start for Virginia, and Greene will also likely get playing time. Look for some former Tigers to prove something to their old school and power the Cavaliers to a win.
However, if Virginia is to pull off a top-10 upset for the second year in a row, their defense will have to shine. Clemson junior quarterback Cade Klubnik has been incredible all year and has begun to enter the Heisman Trophy conversation. Klubnik has spread the ball around a lot, but Cavalier defensive backs will also have to pay extra attention to sophomore wide receiver Antonio Williams, who leads the team with 349 yards and five touchdowns.
Graduate running back Phil Mafah will also cause problems for Virginia, as he is third in the conference in rushing yards with 604. To combat that lethal offense, Sanker and Robinson will do their jobs and more as per usual — but others, especially those on the defensive line, will also have to rise to the occasion to contain the Tiger offense.
Another key battle to watch for in this affair is the Cavalier red zone offense. Virginia currently ranks 106th in the country for red zone offense, with less than 50 percent of their red zone drives resulting in a touchdown. When playing against an elite opponent like Clemson, the Cavaliers will need every point they can get. Therefore, settling for field goals in the red zone or stalling out on fourth downs will be unacceptable if Virginia wants to pull out a victory. Elliott, alongside offensive coordinator Des Kitchings, will have to work to be more creative and lead this offense to more touchdowns from the red zone.
“I have a responsibility to this program to be laser focused,” Elliott said.
Should things go Elliott’s way against his old mentor, a win for the Cavaliers this weekend would be monumental for many reasons. For Virginia, a victory would mean it is one win short of bowl game eligibility — and become a real ACC powerhouse. For Elliott, a win would prove he made the right call coming to Charlottesville and that he has the wit to outsmart his old boss. For the Virginia fanbase, a top-10 win should drive people to show out in droves for the rest of the season. For the program, it shows recruits and potential transfers that Virginia is building something special.
Elliott and company have a chance to shock the world Saturday. The stakes have never been higher this season. A win this Saturday would give the Cavalier’s five wins total and their first top-10 win of the season, bringing them ever-so-close to a bowl game berth and undeniably marking significant progress in Elliott’s development of this program.
While winning this game will be an incredible challenge, the Cavaliers have won big games before and have all the motivation needed to do it again. The game starts at noon Saturday and will be broadcast on ACCN. Elliott and company are not expected to win, but if they do, the world will take notice.
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