With Virginia football just a day away, fans get a chance to see if the Cavaliers have improved enough to create a turnaround year for the program. UVA posted back-to-back three-win seasons, but the new campaign starts Saturday at Scott Stadium with a 6 p.m. kickoff against Richmond. Will the Hoos surprise the oddsmakers and some fans with a strong season?
A lot of the answer rests on the shoulders of a true sophomore quarterback. Virginia coach Tony Elliott named Anthony Colandrea the starter last weekend after he won a close training camp battle against Tony Muskett. Both players started six games last fall, but the youngster will get the first shot in 2024. Colandrea (6’0”, 183) completed 154 of 246 passes last season (62.6%, 8.0 yards per attempt) for 1,958 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions alongside 225 rushing yards. He set single-season freshman records at UVA for completions, passing yards, and total offense (2,183 yards) and the passing yards were the most of any true freshman quarterback in the Power 5 conferences last season. Colandrea led the Hoos to a victory against Duke last fall for his only career win as a starter to date.
On the other hand, Muskett had 1,031 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions with 66 rushing yards last fall. He has started college football games for the past four years, first at Monmouth and then at Virginia. That experience includes four 1,000-yard passing seasons, twice as many touchdowns as interceptions in his career (57 to 21), and 16 wins as a starter. Obviously, a change can be made if things don’t go well but the fact that Elliott put his chips on the Colandrea table is in some ways the more bold choice for Elliott with questions about his head coaching chops out there and potentially his job security in the future.
But bold may be exactly what a stagnant Virginia program needs. Bryce Perkins helped fuel a brief surge in interest in 2018 and 2019, but the pandemic quickly derailed any momentum that may have followed. Otherwise, the program has been spinning its wheels or worse for too long. There’s a new football facility and NIL (name, image, and likeness) to try to bring up some recruiting traction, but excitement within the fan base remains elusive. Ticket sales seem lacking. Preseason chatter is subdued. Predictions aren’t rosy. The cost to go to games, both in time and dollars, may feel less appetizing in that atmosphere.
Perkins, however, showed the way that the quarterback position alone can provide a jolt of energy with dynamic plays and wins. Yes, the program was in a modestly better place after a 6-7 season in 2017 provided the Hoos’ first bowl appearance since 2011, though that ended in a flop against Navy. Still when Virginia handed him the reins in 2018, Perkins had no major college experience after an injury at Arizona State led to a stint at Arizona Western Community College. He opened as a starter against Richmond with 185 passing yards and 2 touchdowns plus 108 yards and two touchdowns. By the end of the year, he was one of two players in the nation with 2,600+ passing yards (2,680) and 900+ rushing yards (923), joining Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray (Oklahoma). More importantly for the purpose of this discussion, thanks to his athletic ability that led to ‘wow’ moments leaping over or running by defenders and plenty of production through the air too, he had captured the interests of UVA fans. Students were on board too with the Superman show. And by the time he was done, he had worked his way on to quite a few ‘all-time favorite Hoo’ lists.
Colandrea obviously isn’t going to play the position the same way – 6’3″ and 210 is quite different than 6’0″ and 183 if nothing else. More specifically, he’s more of a ‘trust my arm’ than ‘trust my legs’ to improvise type of player in the face of challenges. With that said, he’s got some wiggle when he runs with the ball and a whole lot of zip when he throws it. He’s got some swagger and confidence that seems really hard to rattle. He’s bobbing his head, dancing with the music waiting for TV timeouts to end, pumping his fist, and all of that jazz too. And, yes, Colandrea was bold before playing the Hokies.
All of that drew fans in last season despite the team’s three victories. There’s a proverbial “it” thing going on with the kid from Florida. Now imagine if Colandrea does all that and wins? So, yes, a potentially bold choice, but a potentially rewarding one if it works.
Here are what fans think about the move.
- Is anyone else more excited because AC was named the starter? ~ hooman#1
- I’m excited about Colandrea starting. There’s a real opportunity for a good start over the first six games. ~ Wahoo Josh
- AC must’ve had an insane off season. Kid has the squad around him. ~ ILoveIsaiahWilkins
- Does AC remind anyone of Doug Flutie (for those who go back that far)? ~ jhy3
- Love this choice! Colandrea has that extra swagger that makes the entire team play with more confidence. ~ Five Pillar
Fan(s) Of The Week
UVA!
Student Fan(s) Of The Week
Smile, if you love the Hoos!
Feature Photo Of The Week
It’s time for kickoff! Keep your eyes out for new Cavalier Marching Band uniforms too.
Or, from a pragmatic standpoint:h
You have two QBs whom you see as about equal in talent. One is a 2nd year, the other in his 5th. Play the younger guy.
You have an experienced backup in ’24 and an experienced 3rd year in 2025. If you start the 5th year, maybe the 2nd year skedaddles and in 2025 you have to start all over.
Or, to say it another way, play Colandrea now and you’ll have a far more experienced QB in ’25. Play Muskett and you won’t.
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