Important Notes and Quotes From Tony Elliott After Bye Week

Tuesday, Virginia Coach Tony Elliott addressed the media after the bye week. The time away from ACC play was ever-valuable — especially after a 51-7 blowout loss at Wake Forest.

Here are the most important notes from the Cavaliers' coach:

Will Eli Holstein start at quarterback?

In short, no.

Elliott continues to reiterate a sense of belief in Pribula. That doesn't mean Holstein isn't contributing.

"Really proud of Eli (Holstein)," Elliott said. "And I think if there's a way that you can find to play two quarterbacks, I'd love to be able to do that because I think we've got two quality quarterbacks."

Starting Holstein doesn't seem to be on the table. A reason why is because Elliott noted the offense's problems are varied. Elliott said it's not all on Pribula.

"I think everybody wants a new quarterback, but hell, any quarterback that's getting hit, and he's getting hit early in the game, it's going to be hard for him to be as efficient as possible," Elliott said.

It is worth noting that Pribula has run into several sacks. Elliott mentioned this after the Duke game.

What went wrong against Wake Forest, and how can it be fixed?

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"So schematically I don't see a problem schematically with where we are, except for a call or two here, which is gonna happen in the course of the game," Elliott said. "Where we gotta get better, is we gotta make sure that every young man that we put on the field is prepared and understands how to function and operate in those situations."

Elliott said the answer lies in simplifying where Virginia can simplify. The mental component is the priority.

What's up with the offense (and defense)?

Last year, Virginia had a top-25 offense (and defense) on third downs. This year, the Cavaliers have struggled mightily in those crucial situations.

Elliott said that sequencing could be part of the situation. Virginia is often in four-down situations, which lead to more conservative inside runs on third down.

"So my philosophy on a sequencing situation is you're trying to get half of it or put yourself in a fourth-and-short," Elliott said. "Don't put the ball in jeopardy. And so, some of the run calls, some of the quick game passing and some of the longer yardage situations was because we were sequencing trying to get to a fourth down. And then we still got to get better on fourth down conversions."

Defensively, Elliott said it all starts with limiting explosive plays on third down.

"We've given up some super explosives on third and long, when we should be getting off the field," Elliott said.

Status check on Virginia's goals

"Obviously, Charlotte, probably out of the picture," Elliott said. "So, we're not as focused on that. Now it's on accepting the challenge of facing the adversity that you have in front of you and don't run from it. Run to it. And know that if you do that, on the other side, there's going to be a tremendous amount of growth. So, still a lot of things to focus on, even though maybe a couple of the things we started the season focusing on are out of the picture."

Elliott added that beating Virginia Tech (which he calls the State Championship) is still on the table. So is reaching a bowl game.

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