42 - 14 Leading 14-0 against early Virginia looked like they might have a shot at an upset against Maryland. 42 straight Terrapin points later, and it was the same ole story for the Virginia Cavaliers under Tony Elliot.
As recently as 2019, Virginia won an ACC Division Title. They were going to play in a canceled bowl game in 2021.
Then the previous head coach Bronco Mendenhall departed, and Tony Elliot was brought in. Elliot played a big role the Clemson’s Tigers offense during their dynastic run from 2015-2020.
After a 2-1 start during his Virginia tenure, it’s been a disaster ever since losing 9 of his next 10 games.
Five games into his Virginia coaching career, we saw red flags going up and asked how concerned should Virginia fans be.
The biggest red flag for me was that Elliot inherited a Virginia offense from 2021 that was among the ACC’s best passing offenses, but Elliot was determined to instill a more balanced run/pass offense and said as much. He said it so much, that it was clear he was going to put his offense in no matter how the offensive skill level matched.
When coaches do that it makes me nervous going in because it shows an inability to adapt a style.
Even Paul Johnson when he brought in his triple-option offense to Georgia Tech years ago knew enough to throw to WR Demaryius Thomas who had over 1700 yards receiving in 2 years.
Tonight Virginia let a winnable game turn into a route. The plays often seem okay, but the execution and attention to detail just aren’t there.
There is a dropped pass here, an overthrow there, a penalty, then a missed tackle.
Elliot is showing an inability to adapt, and a team that doesn’t do the little things.
We all understand Virginia had to deal with an unimaginable tragedy at the end of last year, and it doesn’t matter how Virginia’s season goes I believe Elliot will be back.
The question is where are the tangible signs that Elliot is going to turn things around?
You can’t give up on Elliot yet, but you can start asking the question.
