DESHAZO: Tony Elliott faces another crisis moment in his tenure as Virginia's coach

Tony Elliott has endured some difficult moments in his five seasons as Virginia's head football coach.

There was the unspeakable tragedy of seeing his first season end prematurely after the murder of three of his players. There was the 0-5 start to his second campaign; a three-game losing streak to end 2024 that denied the Cavaliers a bowl bid; and an upset loss to Duke in the 2025 ACC title game with a College Football Playoff berth on the line.

In terms of on-field performance, though, Saturday's debacle was the most disappointing effort of his tenure. Entering the game as rare road favorites, the Cavaliers were thoroughly outplayed and outcoached by an FSU program whose fan base was calling for the firing of its head coach, Mike Norvell.

Now, after the most successful season in school history, the Cavaliers are subject to external criticism -- and perhaps internal doubt. It's up to Elliott to ensure a year that began with great expectations doesn't unravel.

Because it most certainly could.

"It was a rough day at the office for all of us," a grim Elliott told reporters after the game. "We're going to take accountability from it. We're not going to point no fingers. We're not gonna lay blame anywhere other than things that we didn't control that we said we were going to try to control ... and show up next Saturday and see if we can't get this bad taste out of our mouths."

Can they move past this loss?

Virginia QB Beau Pribula — Oct 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Beau Pribula (7) throws the ball during the first quarter of the game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

No amount of mouthwash can erase or mask the ugliness of 10 sacks of Beau Pribula, thanks to an FSU defensive front that overwhelmed Virginia's heralded veteran offensive line. Or five rushing touchdowns by Seminoles quarterback Ashton Daniels against a defense that had allowed just four in its first four games.

The tackling was disgraceful, the offense was inept after the first quarter, and the perception of this team shifted almost 180 degrees in the course of 3 1/2 excruciating hours.

After skillfully guiding the Cavaliers through their 2022 grief, Elliott now must find some difficult X and O answers if he wants to keep his program on the rise.

"It starts with me," Elliott said. "I've got to do a better job from a leadership standpoint--and I will. I believe we've got young men in there that care, that want to do well. They'll come in Monday looking for answers, and my job is to make sure I give them the right answers. It's on me to make sure that I give them the right answers, and I'll bust my tail between now and Monday to make sure that I do."

Those answers may include some personnel changes.

Quarterback shouldn't be one of them. Pribula endured his worst day as a Cavalier, but it's hard to imagine the less-mobile Eli Holstein faring any better against the Seminoles' fearsome pass rush.

Center Drake Metcalf was noticeably overpowered, making backup Ryan Brubaker an option. Jekail Middlebrook, recruited largely for his pass-catching skills, dropped a potential touchdown pass from Pribula while the outcome was still in doubt.

The defensive line seemed to lose containment often, allowing Daniels huge running lanes. And the numerous missed tackles would make a high school defensive coordinator furious.

Virginia is now 0-2 away from Scott Stadium this season, with its hopes of an ACC title and a CFP berth gone. Saturday night's home game against a beatable Syracuse team won't get the season back on track--but it could completely derail it if the Cavaliers don't respond appropriately.

After that is the most difficult game on Virginia's schedule, at SMU, followed by contests that previously seemed winnable against programs that are exceeding expectations: Duke, Wake Forest, California, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech. And next year's ACC schedule (on paper, at least) is much more challenging.

This feels like a tipping point for Elliott's tenure at Virginia, a program that has posted consecutive winning seasons just once (2018-19) in the past 20 years. He methodically invested in veteran players to build his program, and it slowly paid off.

But Saturday exposed Virginia's weaknesses. And just as FSU's promising 2025 season imploded after a double-overtime loss to Virginia, these Cavaliers are at a dangerous precipice. A lot of people will be watching to see how they respond -- including athletic director Carla Williams, who hired Elliott.

"We're gonna get it fixed," Elliott said. " ... I'm a glass-half-full kind of guy."

A lot of Virginia supporters likely had completely empty glasses and bottles after watching Saturday's game. It's up to Elliott and his staff to refill them.

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