After a surprise 4-1 start to the season, Virginia football has taken a nosedive. The Cavaliers are losers of three straight games, the most recent of which was a 41-14 beatdown delivered by North Carolina. Against a team that was previously winless in ACC play, Virginia’s performance had fans streaming for the exits before halftime.
That embarrassing Oct. 26 spectacle has called into question the job security of Coach Tony Elliott and sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea. With the future of Virginia football’s two most important figures up in the air, three Cavalier Daily sports writers break down what to expect for the rest of 2024.
Should Tony Elliott be on the hotseat?
Peter Kriebel, Staff Writer: The “hot” seat seems an unfit adage. If Tony Elliott sits on a proverbial chair whose temperature assesses his performance, that chair is a smoldering blob of lava. I think Elliott is a very good man, someone the players appear to respect and play hard for. But this is a results-oriented business, and if you don’t win games you’ll be on the curb carrying one of those sticks with the red bandana knotted at the top.
Ryan Weiner, Staff Writer: Absolutely. Nothing can save Elliott outside of a 180-degree turnaround. With a 4-8 season looming, Elliott has either lost the locker room or cannot coach well. Both are fireable offenses. He has not proven to be the recruiter he was at Clemson and team performance has not improved in his tenure, with offensive and defensive points per game sitting in the bottom half of the country, alongside no bowl appearances. In the new era of college football, this program needs someone who can recruit and coach. Elliott cannot do either at a high enough level.
Casey Reims, Staff Writer: Elliott’s seat is warm, but it is not hot yet. For it to stay that way, he has to squeak out one more win. Let’s not forget there was noticeable optimism surrounding this team after the 4-1 start. If Elliott can recapture some of that energy to close out the season, I think he will be granted a final year to see if he can fully turn the ship around.
Should Anthony Colandrea be benched for graduate quarterback Tony Muskett?
PK: Even if Muskett were to play better than Colandrea, whatever marginal benefit he would provide would not be worth hamstringing the future of the program. Bench Colandrea, and you give him a reason to transfer. The sophomore quarterback has not been perfect, but to heap the blame on him for the team’s slide would be reactionary. There are deeper problems with the team than just one position — problems that have masked Colandrea’s second-year leap. He has taken better care of the football and kept Virginia in all but three games this season.
RW: Absolutely not. This debate was settled in 2023 when Colandrea threw for 1,958 yards to Muskett’s 1,031 and displayed a dual-threat element that his backup lacks. Muskett supporters may argue that he avoids costly errors, but the North Carolina game marked the first time Colandrea threw an interception in four weeks. A quarterback change will only cause more chaos within a program that is already in disarray. Elliott should stick with Colandrea and let him develop.
CR: Benching Colandrea is an interesting idea, but one that poses more threats than benefits. With a young quarterback like him, you risk killing his confidence by taking him out and, even worse, giving him a reason to transfer. If that happens, the Cavaliers will be in much more trouble than they are now. Let’s face it — Muskett certainly is not the future for Virginia football, while Colandrea might be. Why not ride it out with the sophomore when the season is practically over already? There is no risk, only reward in that scenario.
Virginia’s four remaining opponents are No. 10 Notre Dame, No. 13 Southern Methodist, No. 23 Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. Will the Cavaliers win another game?
PK: Even the most rabid Virginia football fan would tense up when asked to project the remaining four games of the season. Virginia had its spine ripped out by a North Carolina team on its third quarterback. There’s absolutely no reason to think the Cavaliers can hang against the class of the conference and beyond. Personnel deficiencies can be hidden, but when teamwide deflation becomes palpable as it did against North Carolina, that’s usually a sign of a team dead in the water.
RW: That depends. If the team that showed up in the first five weeks comes back, Virginia can win another game. The Cavaliers lost five one-score games in 2023, staying competitive with multiple ranked opponents. They have failed to show grit as of late, and the loss to North Carolina emphasized how their mindset has soured. The willingness to compete needs to change if the Cavaliers want to avoid a seven-game losing streak.
CR: If, for one game, everything goes right, they have a chance. However, I fear the North Carolina game may have shown where Virginia stands against competent football teams. Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the only opponents remaining on their schedule are more than competent. My head says Virginia can not win another game, but my heart says this team has what it takes.
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