Tony Elliott Focusing on What’s To Come During Week 8 Matchup vs Washington State

Virginia is favored to win Saturday's matchup, but that doesn't mean that it will be an easy feat.

Aug 30, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott looks on from the field during the second quarter against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Now that Virginia's bye week is over, it's crunch time for the Cavaliers. On Saturday, they will face Washington State, and although UVA is favored to win on its home turf, both programs will be tested. As we've seen from UVA's consecutive upsets, being favored to win is not necessarily a one-way ticket to victory. Each game requires focus, precision, and, as Elliott emphasizes, passion. Without those three ingredients, any chance of victory will quickly fade away.

Elliott Highlights Several Keys to Success When Facing WSU

Sep 26, 2025; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott smiles on the field after a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Formerly ranked No. 4, Ole Miss was incredibly close to suffering a loss against Washington State over the weekend. Needless to say, the score was not expected to be that close, but WSU rallied and nearly brought home a stunning upset.

"... a lot of credit to Washington State. Man, they play extremely, extremely hard. They're very, very well coached. Coach Rogers does a really, really good job, and you look at his background, he's a national champion, right? And he's used to winning and so he knows what it looks like and what it takes, and they pride themselves on effort. So, we're going to have to match that. And that's what is really cool about this matchup in this particular game, because I think a lot of people say that Virginia plays hard. Like, when these guys watch the games, it's like, man, these guys play hard.

Well, when you watch Washington State, they play extremely hard in all three phases. So, it's going to be a battle of who can play the hardest, but at the same time, who can play sound and under control, and that's going to be the challenge. So, you know, we have to do a good job of communicating. They do a good job with their personnel... We need to stay out of long yardage so that the advantage doesn't go to the defense for them to pin their ears back and try to get after the quarterback."

As much as Elliott and his program would like to celebrate their victories thus far, they've made it crystal clear that they need to focus on getting better each week as the season progresses. They are only halfway through — there's still plenty of work that needs to be done.

Elliott stated, "But man, we're only halfway. And like I tell the guys, the least important thing is a score at halftime, right? Right. So, your record at the halfway [point] during the season doesn't matter. It's what you do in November, what you do in December, and you've got to separate in October. And so, we haven't talked about that. We're not discussing that. We're just trying to figure out how to defend Scott Stadium, right? This has been an objective of this football team and this program to be a better team at home. We're playing a very, very capable and good, powerful football team that's getting better each week."

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