Last weekend was rather uneventful for Virginia football, who enjoyed a well-deserved bye week following a 3-1 start to the 2024 season. The next few days figure to have the Cavaliers — and all of Grounds — a little bit busier, though, as the team prepares to host Boston College Saturday amidst Homecomings Weekend.
Each year, Homecomings brings thousands of University alumni back to Charlottesville during the first weekend of October, and that time is now upon us. Saturday night at the Ting Pavilion, Young Alumni Relations will host its annual party for the three most recent graduating classes — the Class of 2024, Class of 2023 and Class of 2022. Additionally, several student organizations are holding events to welcome back past members who are paying a visit to Grounds.
The weekend of celebration will also see a handful of Virginia’s sports programs in action at home, starting Friday with men’s soccer against Virginia Tech and volleyball versus Florida State. The following day, both men’s and women’s basketball will take the court at John Paul Jones Arena for the Pepsi Blue-White Scrimmage. Sunday, volleyball hosts Miami at JPJ, while field hockey will battle Louisville at Turf Field.
But, of course, the main event is the football game Saturday afternoon. Virginia will take on Boston College at 12 p.m. at Scott Stadium, where several members of the Cavaliers’ 1989 team will be in attendance. That year, Virginia shared the ACC title with Duke, and as part of Homecomings, the program will be honoring some of its former players for the 35th anniversary of their championship season.
With a large crowd of alumni behind the current Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0 ACC), Coach Tony Elliott’s group is looking to improve the program’s measly 1-7 all-time record against the Eagles. Luckily, Virginia will have momentum on its side, having stormed to a 43-24 win against Coastal Carolina in its last outing. There, the Cavaliers racked up 384 rushing yards and five total touchdowns on their way to the program’s first 40-point performance since 2021.
In total, Virginia is averaging a blistering 30.3 points and 455.5 yards per game to begin the 2024 season. Sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea has been finding open receivers all over the field, and the ground duo of graduate running back Kobe Pace and junior running back Xavier Brown has produced an average of over 125 yards per game.
The Cavaliers’ impressive run game has been made possible by a steady offensive line group, which is getting back senior Ty Furnish and junior McKale Boley, a pair of starters who missed the game against the Chanticleers due to injury but are expected to be healthy for Saturday. Senior Noah Josey has also been a standout in the trenches, as he grabbed ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors after earning the third-highest pass-blocking rating among all FBS guards in week four.
Boston College is not shy about running the ball themselves, though. The Eagles (4-1, 1-0 ACC) are averaging over 40 carries per game in 2024 and have already scored nine rushing touchdowns in just five contests. Virginia has an above-average run-stopping unit, but it has not come up against a rushing attack as prolific as the one Boston College will bring into Scott Stadium.
In line with the ground-and-pound emphasis from both teams, one of the biggest storylines of this game will be the matchup between talented dual-threat quarterbacks. Both Colandrea and Boston College junior quarterback Thomas Castellanos are carrying the ball more than 10 times per game this season. They like to get out of the pocket and try to turn potential sacks into solid rushing gains, something which could see defenses suffer.
Castellanos’ playing status is in slight jeopardy after he missed last week’s game against Western Kentucky with an undisclosed injury, but he is expected to play Saturday. If Castellanos does not suit up, junior quarterback Grayson James will be next in line for the Eagles. James struggled last week, completing only 19 of his 32 pass attempts for 168 yards while tossing a touchdown and an interception each.
Aside from the quarterbacks, each team has a couple of high impact players on defense that will look to shake up the game. For Boston College, the defense runs through senior defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, who leads the FBS in sacks with eight and is third in tackles for loss with 9.5. The Cavaliers have only allowed six sacks this season, but they know Ezeiruaku and the Eagles are talented up front.
“They are a smart group, they play very hard [and] it's gonna be a great challenge for us,” Josey said. “I’m excited to go against them.”
For Virginia, senior safety Jonas Sanker captains the defense. He has caused problems for opposing offenses on many levels, whether through rushing the quarterback or hawking long passes. Alongside Sanker, graduate student leaders in defensive end Chico Bennett Jr. and safety Antonio Clary will make Boston College earn every point.
Like Josey, Elliott commended the Eagles’ roster but emphasized the confidence he has in his group.
“Boston College is a really good football team,” Elliott said. “They're known for being a physical football team in the trenches. It's a fight we're getting ready to walk into.”
Based on the body of work both teams have put together thus far, that fight seems likely to last all 60 minutes. Boston College’s last three games have been decided by six points or fewer, and the Eagles’ only loss came on the road to No. 9 Missouri. Not much separates them from Virginia, whose lone conference test to date was decided by one point at Wake Forest.
Few Cavalier fans would complain if their team handily defeats Boston College. But a wire-to-wire, tension-filled game might be the ideal outcome for a passionate Homecomings fanbase, of which many will be seeing their only game in Scott Stadium this season. If that wish materializes Saturday afternoon, Virginia will undoubtedly send its alumni faithful home satisfied.
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