Will Virginia Struggle Travelling to the West Coast In Their Matchup Against California?

Can The Cavaliers avoid the west coast struggles that have plagued east coast ACC teams?

Sept 9, 2023; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Head Coach Tony Elliot discussing plays over the headset to his players during the second half against the James Madison Dukes at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Hannah Pajewski-Imagn Images | Hannah Pajewski-Imagn Images

Teams have struggled going on the West Coast and picking up wins since the addition of California and Stanford in the ACC. You go back to last year, and it took a last-second drive for the Miami Hurricanes to beat California. This year, then No. 25 ranked Florida State struggled against Stanford and suffered its fourth consecutive loss in a 20-13 defeat to Stanford. It is never easy to go and travel far and be mentally ready to go. The Cavaliers have pulled out close victories in the past two games against Washington State and North Carolina. The same themes have been apparent in the last two games, which have been slow starts for the Cavaliers. With a high-powered offensive attack they will face on Saturday, it will be imperative that they get going early in the game. Head coach Tony Elliot addressed going to the west coast this week and some of the practice schedule they have lined up for the week.

"All right, so I'll just give you an example. I let the seniors pick the uniform combination, right?

“They do it every week and we do it on Mondays and typically it's not a it's not an issue when we when we pick it on Monday, but we had to pick the combination two weeks in advance and we also had to stipulation we had to wear the same color helmet two weeks in a row because as soon as we came off of the North Carolina game, we wanted to pack it on the trunk because the tractor trailer was going to get back at 8, 9 p.m.on Friday and it's leaving 4 p.m. on on Sunday, and everything's gotta be packed. So it really wasn't enough time. And then you gotta soak jerseys, because you're playing on grass, but you gotta wear the white jerseys, because it's two away games,” said Elliot.  

“And then if you wear white pants, you gotta soak the white pants, and then you gotta send the white pants. So there are just so many logistics that go into it, because it's a four-day trip for the gentlemen who are driving the truck. So all of that stuff was left on Sunday. So now when we get off the practice field on Wednesday, We're going to have to pack our shoulder pads, and then Thursday we got to pack all the other auxiliary equipment and put it on bags and get it to the airport to get it on the plane. And there that means you got to carry less luggage, so everybody's going to be wearing the same clothes for a couple of days because of the weight the weight requirements on the plane. So there's a lot that goes into the trip, but you know what? That's also, you know fun things to deal with. I was asking a couple of guys around the building if they had ever been to California, and there's a lot of folks, players, and staff that have never been to the state of California. So it's actually pretty cool that you get a chance to travel that far.”

“I don't want to do it every week, right? I don't want to do it too much, but we can kinda muscle up. And then also our practice schedule is going to change. So there's a lot of conversation with the senior leadership on how we want to approach practice on Wednesday and Thursday because of the travel time. And so just a ton of logistics. So really, really grateful and appreciative of all the folks that don't get recognized for the tremendous amount of work that's gone into trying to make this as normal a trip.”

Protecting Morris Key

Oct 25, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Chandler Morris (4) throws in incomplete pass near the end zone on fourth down in the third quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Virginia will have to make sure it locks in on protecting quarterback Chandler Morris, who they struggled to keep upright last week, giving up six sacks. That will be a major storyline to watch for, and if they can protect him early, then the Cavaliers should be able to get off to a great start and take advantage of a porous pass defense. The Cavaliers have the weapons and a wide receiver in Jahmal Edrine, who has been coming on as of late. He was the highest graded Cavalier in the win against North Carolina per PFF (Pro Football Focus), finishing with a 71.1 grade. With his emergence, the Cavaliers should be able to have a big day on Saturday.