Tony Elliott Shares His Biggest Concern About Matchup vs West Virginia On Saturday

If anyone understands Rich Rodriguez's offensive philosophy, it's Tony Elliott.

Virginia's head coach played wide receiver at Clemson when Rodriguez was the Tigers' offensive coordinator, so he learned firsthand the play calls and strategies that have made Rich Rod one of the more heralded offensive-minded coaches of his generation.

Rodriguez is beginning the second season of his second stint as West Virginia's head coach, and it's up to Elliott's Cavaliers to try to stop them in Saturday night's nonconference showdown in Charlotte.

".They're staying ahead of the chains, so they're not having to convert long yardage. And then obviously, once they convert, now they can play with tempo, be aggressive," Elliott said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference.

"And if you match any kind of personnel packages, now they can keep your personnel package on
the field, spread it out, and then here we go, right? And then that creates explosive plays. [They do a] really good job of being efficient and then converting on short yardage. But then also, whenever you make a mistake, they exploit it."

Virginia's defense hasn't made many mistakes in allowing just 11 points through the first two games of the season. The Cavaliers held NC State to 168 total yards and Norfolk State to 223, allowing just 2.4 yards per rush.

But neither opponent played with the high tempo the Cavaliers expect to see from the Mountaineers, and neither had two players in the backfield with the kind of big-play potential that WVU quarterback Michael Hawkins and running back Cam Cook bring.

Hawkins leads the Mountaineers with 199 yards rushing, and Cook has 194. Each has three touchdowns, including one from long-distance: 71 yards from Hawkins against Coastal Carolina and 72 from Cook against Tennessee- Martin. Hawkins also had a 59-yard touchdown pass against UTM.

"It poses some significant challenges where we're going to have to be gap sound, assignment sound," Elliott said. "And when we arrive, we arrive in swarms, right? Because typically what happens is with the quarterback or with their backs, the first guy doesn't get them to the ground. He makes the first guy miss. And a lot of times, there's not a second guy there. So now that extends for big plays.

"And then if you're staying ahead of the chains and you're not getting in the third down situations, then you can be really aggressive with your play calling. And then you can be more creative too, which poses more challenge for you defensively."

NC State's CJ Bailey is a dual-threat quarterback like Hawkins, and the Cavaliers held him to a career-low 84 passing yards, thanks largely to a deep rotation along the defensive line. But WVU's fast-paced, no-huddle offense may not allow the Cavaliers to substitute as freely, which could result in some tired legs later in the game.

Adding to the uncertainty, starting defensive tackle Jason Hammond is unlikely to play after suffering an elbow injury against Norfolk State. Darrion Henry-Young is expected to start in his place.

"It's the unfortunate part about football, it's the next man up," Elliott said. "And sometimes you gotta carry a little bit bigger load than maybe you want to, but it's whatever you gotta do for the team. So I'm excited for the other guys to get their opportunity. I'm really heartbroken for Jason, because I know how hard he worked to get back and he missed some time in the past."

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