Everything From Tony Elliott After Virginia Clinched a Spot in the ACC Championship

Heading into the Virginia Cavaliers' matchup against Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers knew how much was at stake. A win over the Hokies would allow UVA to slide into the ACC Championship Game. Fortunately, the Cavaliers didn't appear to lose any momentum after their bye week — they clinched a 27-7 victory over Virginia Tech. Head coach Tony Elliott sat down for a media appearance after the game and shared his thoughts on how the game played out. Here is everything he had to say.

Opening Statement...

"Yeah, I would like to start with just thanking Delena, Simone and Happy because it was a long two weeks to get here, and we went through a very, very difficult week with the sentencing, and this one's for them, and we're not here without the inspiration that they provide us on a daily basis. So hopefully this brings them some joy as they really kind of now get a chance to embark on their road to healing and recovery. I think that all of us outside of the families, the Davis family, the Chandler family, the Perry family, have had an opportunity to kind of, you know, move forward a little bit and grieve and heal. They haven't. It's been a very very long three years for them, but we believe that we got, you know, kind of some just do and now we can really embark on the road to recovery, but it's still going to be a long way, and hopefully tonight is just an opportunity for them to just find some joy in the program that their sons were a part of. So, we love you. We thank you. We're always here for you, and hopefully going forward they'll be able to come back as often as they as they would like and be a part of more nights like tonight."

On what this win means for his program and for his older players...

"Yeah, I think it is just confirmation of what's possible, and I think those guys came to Virginia even with the previous staff, believing that they could could have a night like this and then when the new staff came in, man, they fought hard to buy into to believe in what we were telling them our vision was going to be going forward and then they persevered through all of the adversity and they're the big reason why this football team is where it is. So, it's so awesome when you get to see quote on quote forefathers. That's what I call Clary. I call them that in the locker room. Yeah. They're the forefathers of the program, but a lot of times they don't get to see, right, the promised land, right? They envision it. They see the vision, but they never get to experience it. So, to see Josey and Jah and Bracy and I even count the guys that came in, you know, that were committed to the previous staff. So, just a confirmation that they made the right decision to stay when the easy thing would have been to leave and to go somewhere else and try to find, but now they're getting to experience grass, at least this season."

On Maddox Marcellus' start and filling in for Kam Robinson...

On Chandler Morris and his awareness...

"He just did what was required, right, when he needed to pull it down and extend it with his legs, he did. You know, I thought he put some balls in some positions where guys needed to come down with him, but he distributed the ball like a point guard. He ran the offense efficiently. We knew tonight was going to be, you know, a little bit different approach with the weather, right? We were going to need to be able to establish the run game, and he was going to have to use some of the outlets to extend some of the run game, because we knew versus that defensive front, it was going to be tough just to pound it and pound it and pound it. So I thought he did what he needed to do, right, to lead, you know, the offense and lead this team to victory."

On Kyron Jones and UVA's defense...

"First of all, it starts with Coach Rud and the staff. They do an unbelievable job of analyzing the opponent and putting together a good plan to give us a chance to be successful. And then, man, they've developed great relationships with the guys to where the guys are just eager to get in there and watch film, study the details, and there's a lot of details that will give you an opportunity to play fast, to anticipate what kind of plays are coming, and I thought they did a really, really good job. So they believe in the system. They believe in our plan, our approach, the way we prepare, and that's why you've seen them, you know, really start to come on here down the stretch now that everybody's kind of comfortable with each other. They know how to communicate. They’ve got good chemistry going. So it's a combination of the staff, the plan, and then the guys really just taking ownership of it and going out and executing."

On J'Mari Taylor and the direct snap pass...

"Well, you know, you got to keep people honest and they've been working on it for a couple of couple of weeks and, you know, that's one of those plays that you want to try and call it in the right situation and I think right there, that's why I told Dez, I said, "Man, you pulled it out at the right time right there on on first down." But hopefully that'll keep some of the things that we like to do, keep people honest on that. And, you know, when you look at football at the highest level, and you see the very efficient offenses, a lot of time it's when they can get the ball back to the back right and stay ahead of the chains and that's where it's important right when you can can use your back as an additional guy out of the backfield to just kind of create angles, create numbers, it helps you stay efficient and stay ahead of the change."

On how his experience will help him in the weeks to come...

"You know, the good thing about the championship game is very similar to a regular week of preparation in that you don't go down until the night before, right? So, you don't travel until Friday, which is not a different rhythm than what they're used to. I think the approach that the guys have bought into is that every game is the most important game of the season. It's the biggest game, and you prepare as if it's the championship game. I think that's done a lot for them in preparation for this. They've done a good job of blocking out the noise thus far. Now, we just have to, I have to help them from that aspect. You know, we'll get down there. We'll see the venue, which will be a little bit different. Normally, we don't get to the stadiums ahead of time until we show up two hours before, but on Friday, we'll go and just take a little walkthrough so they can see the stadium. It's a pro stadium. Kind of get some of that stuff out, you know, we've wanted to play in prime time, and we've been fortunate enough to play in primetime, you know, several times this year. So the 8:00 kickoff will not be something that's extremely new to him, like a little bit different because it's an hour later. We've been playing 7-7:30. So there's not a whole lot that I really have to do because it's very similar to a typical week of travel. Now, the biggest thing is to get them to not worry about who we're playing and all that kind of stuff and block out the noise so that we can get a great week of prep to play our best four quarters."

On what it means to have the students and community involved...

"You know, it's really about everybody else to be honest with you. It was about the players, it was about the students, it was about the band, it was about the fans, it was about Dr. Williams. It was about Tyler Jones. It was about all of the folks. That's really what it was about. And that's all I've really been after is to do everything I possibly can so that everybody else can experience the joy of that moment. But it was cool because they took me to midfield. So, I didn't get to go down there and do all of that. But it was pretty cool to see from a distance, just man, that's what it's supposed to look like, right? And that's what can happen when people get out of their own way. They believe in something bigger than themselves. They find value in the people around them, and they invest in that. Then you can accomplish great things."

On if this moment is going the way he wanted it to...

"Yeah, I mean, I was very fortunate to have a coach and a mentor who helped me to dream big as a coach. I had an aunt who took me in at the age of 12 and taught me how to dream big and to see beyond my circumstances, and then life has given me plenty of opportunities to see beyond my circumstances. And the hardest part is when you're trying to teach others, you can't do it for them, right? You can't do it for them, but you can encourage them. You can try to inspire them, and you can get them to that point, but man, they've got to do it for themselves. And that's really the coolest thing, right? And I say this very humbly, but I believe that having done it before, it can be done again. Not saying that it's easy. I know it's very difficult. And I also knew that, you know what, that may not have been the Lord's plan, but he's requiring me to believe. And in order for it to happen, I'd better believe with everything that I have. And so, it's just so cool to see when really, you know, God takes control and people submit the outcome to him, and they just do the work, then ultimately, and I think we all know this, that he'll bless us with the desires of our heart. So, it's really, really cool to be and humbling to be in this moment."

On what this win says about his program...

"Yeah, I think that what it says is, man, we're headed in the right direction. We want to compete for this state, right? We want to be a worthy rival, right? We want to show up and do our part for everybody involved. Not saying that we're going to win every one of them, right? But I don't think you can win anymore until you get that first one, and get that monkey off your back, and to be able to come out and to play well and to win, kind of the way the guys did. I think it makes a statement for 365 days, and that's it. You know, we got to do it all again. So, just because of what happened tonight, it's not going it doesn’t carry over to next year. But I think it gives us confirmation. It gives us motivation. It gives us encouragement, a little bit of validation that we're definitely headed in the right direction to make this a competitive rivalry and make Virginia a program of relevance locally and then also nationally."

On how Ben York and Kam Courtney played and any updates on Cam Ross...

"Kam Courtney tied his career high with six catches. So, obviously, he came in and played well and got thrown back there as a punt returner. He's about our third or fourth guy. Doesn't get as many reps, but he fielded the ball. So, I thought he did well there. You know, Ben York was out there, and we didn't have to modify what we were doing, and he's predominantly kind of worked on the right side, and then he goes over to the left, and he's able to hold up for us, and he's coming off of an ankle as well. So, he's not quite 100% but I thought he thought he held his own. Boley right now is the ankle. The X-rays were negative when they brought him in. So, don't know how long that's going to be. We'll know better in the morning when we see how much swelling is involved there. What about Cam Ross? Oh, Cam Ross, a hamstring. I went to him afterward. He stayed dressed out. He said it'll be ready by next week. We'll know more once we get through the doctor's check in the morning."