A look at Virginia’s season openers under Tony Elliott

Under Tony Elliott, Virginia is 3-1 in its season openers. All three wins have come at Scott Stadium, the site of the Cavaliers’ 2026 opener Aug. 29 against NC State.

But before Virginia dons its orange jerseys and takes the field, let’s take a look at each of the Cavaliers openers from the Elliott era.

2022: 34-17 win versus Richmond

The score might not tell the full story. Virginia dominated in this one, producing 505 yards of total offense. The Cavaliers ran for 259 yards, their most since 2020. A few other milestones were achieved in this game — including McKale Boley becoming the second Virginia freshman to ever start a season opener at offensive tackle. The other was D’Brickashaw Ferguson.

This game was also the first career start for Jonas Sanker and James Jackson, as well as the first time the Cavaliers wore orange jerseys and orange pants since 2010. Virginia has since gone white-orange-orange in every home opener under Elliott.

2023: 49-13 loss versus Tennessee (Nashville, Tenn.)

Mike Hollins leads the Cavaliers onto the field, carrying the 4th Side flag. | Courtesy Virginia Athletics

This season opener was the first game Virginia played after the Nov. 13, 2022, tragedy. The Volunteers showed their support, donning 1-15-41 decals on their helmets. A house record 69,507 fans packed Nissan Stadium for the neutral-site contest.

The 2023 opener marked the collegiate debut for Kam Robinson, Jason Hammond, Anthony Britton, Eli Wood and Anthony Colandrea. The freshman Colandrea filled in late for Tony Muskett, who was injured — opening the door for Colandrea to earn several starts in 2023.

2024: 34-13 win versus Richmond

The 2024 opener against the Spiders was similar to the 2022 rendition. Virginia dominated from start to finish — with a two-hour intermission due to rain delay in the middle. Colandrea surpassed 340 total yards and scored three touchdowns, with just six incompletions.

This was Trell Harris’ first game as a Cavalier, and the first 100-yard game of Malachi Fields’ career. This opener also marked Hammond’s first college start and Ethan Minter’s collegiate debut.

2025: 48-7 win versus Coastal Carolina

Cam Ross celebrates a first down. | Courtesy Virginia Athletics

With a near-perfect performance, Virginia eviscerated the Chanticleers. There were too many firsts to list — but the top Cavaliers were Cam Ross (224 all-purpose yards), Landon Danley (team-leading seven tackles, first career start), J’Mari Taylor (two touchdowns), team defense (Coastal Carolina went 1-for-14 on third down) and team offense (48 points, the most under Elliott).

This performance was a sign of things to come. Virginia went 10-2 in the regular season en route to a school record of 11 wins.

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