Tony Elliott's two big decisions paid off handsomely in Virginia's opener

Decisions have consequences, as we all learn in elementary school. Some bring immediate results, while others aren't evident until much later. A few have both short- and long-term effects.

Tony Elliott pushed all the right buttons in Virginia's season-opening 34-8 victory over NC State Saturday. Two choices in particular — one strategic, the other a personnel matter — stood out.

Both paid immediate dividends, with the chance of season-long benefits as well.

The first decision was to sit star linebacker Kam Robinson, whose diligent rehabilitation from a torn ACL has been encouraging but not quite complete.

Robinson had participated in individual drills and limited scrimmaging during training camp, having regained some (but not all) of his speed and explosiveness. It surely would have been tempting for Elliott to rush him back into action, especially against an athletic quarterback like the Wolfpack's CJ Bailey. Elliott even said last week that he was optimistic Robinson would play.

But as he watched Robinson practice last week, Elliott had nagging doubts.

"It was close," Elliott said. "I think he could have played, and he would have played, but at the end of the day, I didn't feel great about it. He had a full week of practice; he he did had some contact, but I didn't want to force the issue. We've got two more weeks before we play [Norfolk State], so now add another two weeks, which would be three weeks of contact before he would really go."

ACL tears can require a full year of rehab to recover; Robinson's injury occurred nine months ago. Even after the physical recovery, elite athletes can hesitate to trust their repaired joint to perform at its usual level.

"He said he felt great; he looks great," Elliott said. "But ... I wouldn't have been able to live with himself if I had thrown him out there and something happened, because he's going to do Kam Robinson-type things. ... I want to see a little bit more of him really explode and feeling good about it rather than letting that be the first time that really happens."

As it turned out, the Cavaliers didn't need him against the Wolfpack. Even without him, their veteran defense frustrated Bailey, and backup Myles Brown made a team-high eight tackles.

Virginia won't really need Robinson against Norfolk State, which went 1-11 in Michael Vick's first season as coach. But barring any setbacks, it would be wise to get him some action and prepare him for the next week's game against West Virginia and the rest of the Cavaliers' ACC schedule.

Robinson might not be 100 percent for most of this season. But his teammates proved they can survive (and thrive) without him, and they'll clearly be better with him.

On the X and O side, Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings clearly wanted to establish dual-threat quarterback Beau Pribula's legs as a major part of their game plan against a rebuilt Wolfpack defense.

On a day when top receiver Rco Flores Jr. didn't play and slot target Jacquon Gibson didn't catch a pass, Pribula carried on the first snap of each of Virginia's first four offensive possessions, gaining 11, 18, 22 and four yards. By halftime, he had 81 yards on nine carries, and he finished with a game-high 110 yards on 15 attempts (matching Jekail Middlebrook's total carries).

The results were twofold: Pribula moved the chains and forced the Wolfpack's safeties to creep toward the line of scrimmage. That opened up play-action passing, which Pribula exploited with touchdown passes of 45 yards to Xavier Brown and 47 to Da'Shawn Martin.

Pribula's performance gave Virginia's future opponents something to think about, and it's nice to have his legs as an option. But Elliott prefers to limit his exposure to hard hits. Like Robinson, Pribula will be crucial to this team's success.

"I love how Beau runs, but 15 carries every game is probably not the way we want to make a living," Elliott said.

Added Pribula: "I'll do whatever it takes to win."

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