Winless Virginia has perhaps its best shot at a victory in Saturday’s nonconference game with visiting William & Mary in Charlottesville, Va.
The Cavaliers (0-5) lost their first two Atlantic Coast Conference games by a combined six points, including last Saturday’s 27-24 collapse at Boston College.
After the matchup with the Tribe (4-1), an FCS member of the Colonial Athletic Association, four of Virginia’s next five games will be against ACC teams ranked in the Top 25 (North Carolina, Miami, Louisville and Duke).
Boston College overcame a 21-7 halftime deficit to beat Virginia, off to its first worst start since 1982. The Cavaliers did get a strong effort from Tony Muskett, who passed for 247 yards and three touchdowns in his first action since hurting his shoulder in the opener against Tennessee.
“I’ve got to do a better job … of helping them to understand that when you have success, you can’t take your foot off the gas, you can’t become complacent,” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. “Every play, every drive until the game is over, you’ve got to be looking at: ‘How can I get better? How can I improve?'”
The Cavaliers have dropped eight games in a row dating to last season, their worst skid since losing the final nine games in 2013. Virginia is fast approaching a full calendar year since its most recent win on Oct. 20, 2022, against Georgia Tech.
William & Mary, led by former Virginia coach Mike London, is coming off its first loss of the season. That defeat was to Elon, which scored 14 points in the fourth quarter for a 14-6 win last Saturday, the first two offensive touchdowns allowed by the Tribe since the season opener at Campbell.
“I’ve worn the hat on both sides,” London said of returning to Charlottesville, where he went 27-46 from 2010-15. “… It’s our job as coaches to try to get these guys ready to go do the impossible. You know, the whole David and Goliath type thing. We’re going to enjoy this week of preparing and getting ready to play.”
–Field Level Media
