Coming off a 24-14 win over Boston College, the future looked bright for the Virginia Cavaliers.
The win moved the Cavaliers to 4-1, with a home date with Louisville over the horizon. There was talk that Tony Elliott had a chance to continue to show that he had turned the corner with the program.
For most of the game, the Cavaliers went toe-to-toe with Louisville, even holding the lead until a late 14-yard touchdown from Tyler Shough to Jamari Johnson. Despite their best efforts, Virginia couldn’t respond, leading to a hard-fought 24-20 loss.
Despite the loss, there was still optimism, but the train has come off the rails over the last two weeks.
It started with a trip to Clemson, where the Tigers gifted Virginia an early lead before blowing the Cavaliers out, 48-31.
Then came the home game with North Carolina. The game with the Tar Heels looked like a perfect bounce-back game that would present opportunities for the offense to perform alongside an opportunistic defense.
North Carolina’s defense had given up points by the buckets. James Madison scored 70. Pitt posted 34 points followed by Georgia Tech going for 41.
Virginia (4-4, 2-3) scored 14 points in an inexcusable 41-14 loss to a Tar Heel team that has routinely given games away.
The Cavaliers defense had no answer for running back Omarion Hampton (105 yards rushing) or J.J. Jones (129 yards receiving). The offense gave up ten sacks and was outgained 428-288.
The talk has gone from the program turning the corner to whether it will bottom out.
The Cavaliers will be underdogs in their last four games, which includes three ranked opponents.
Virginia heads to Pittsburgh next Saturday (11/9). The undefeated Panthers (7-0, 3-0) are coming off a dominating win over Syracuse. A slow start could spell doom.
A trip to Notre Dame follows that. The Fighting Irish are still trying to convince voters that they should be in the College Football Playoff. Not only is Notre Dame playing for a win, but they’re also playing for style points.
The Cavaliers finish the season with a home date against ranked SMU and a trip to Blacksburg for their annual game against Virginia Tech.
The challenge over the next four games is two-fold.
Elliott must prepare for the opponent and be aware of not losing the locker room.
This stretch might be the most important in Elliott’s time in Charlottesville.
