The Virginia football team returned to the field and fell 49-13 to Tennessee in Nashville on Saturday.

UVA fell behind quickly as the Volunteers scored less than three minutes into the game, but hung around for most of the first half thanks to the defense getting four straight stops (including a fourth down run stuff) and a special teams fumble recovery. Ultimately, however, Tennessee began to wear down the Hoos. The Vols dominated in the trenches with both the offensive and defensive line creating advantages that the Cavaliers couldn’t offset.

Before Virginia lines up for the home opener with JMU in week two, here are some thoughts from the opener against the Volunteers.

Thoughts From Virginia Football Opener

1. Tony Muskett going down certainly not an ideal scenario

Of all the ‘what if’ types of things that could have happened in a game where Virginia was a severe underdog, one of the worst-case scenarios involved injuries at a vulnerable position and most specifically quarterback. Once Jay Woolfolk gave up football to focus on baseball this summer, the Cavaliers entered the season carrying only one quarterback with any game experience at all.

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