Charlottesville, VA: Football coaches talk often about being solid in all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. Evidently, Tony Elliott preaches that message pretty well. UVA blocked a punt, returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, and rolled up over 400 yards of total offense in a 48-7 blowout of Coastal Carolina on Saturday night at Scott Stadium.
In his debut with the Cavaliers, transfer quarterback Chandler Morris was 19-of-27 passing for 264 yards with two touchdowns in less than three quarters of work. The son of former SMU and Arkansas HC Chad Morris also led UVA in rushing with 50 yards on five carries.
Meantime, the Cavalier defense stymied Coastal’s new-look “Air Raid” attack, holding the Chanticleers to a Ja’Vin Simpkins rushing touchdown and just 254 yards in total offense. UVA hindered CCU’s progress by limiting them to just 1 of 14 third downs and securing three turnovers.
Elliott summed up the win perfectly in his postgame press conference by saying, “I thought we played complementary football.”
Game Story Courtesy of UVA Athletics: The first of Virginia’s seven home games this season drew an announced crowd of 46,143, and students, most clad in orange, turned out en masse. At a pep rally at Scott Stadium on Aug. 22, Elliott said Saturday night, he had challenged students “to show up early, to be loud, and I thought they did a really, really good job. I thought we had a good atmosphere to start.”
Virginia’s defense dominated for most of the game, but its offense sputtered for much of the first quarter. Once the Cavaliers settled into a rhythm, however, they moved the ball almost at will. They led 28-0 after a first half in which Morris passed for 239 yards, and they pushed their lead to 35 points before the Chanticleers finally scored later in the third quarter.
Not since 2021 had UVA held an opponent scoreless in the first half.
Moments after Coastal’s only touchdown, transfer Cam Ross became the first Cavalier since Joe Reed in 2019 to return a kickoff for a touchdown. No. 6 also impressed as a wide receiver, catching seven passes for 124 yards and one TD.
An injury to Morris early in the third quarter marred the Cavaliers’ win. He took a hit to his non-throwing shoulder at the end of a 28-yard run to the Coastal 2 and had to leave the game. Redshirt freshman Daniel Kaelin took over at quarterback. Morris, who appeared to have hurt his AC joint, will be re-evaluated Sunday morning, Elliott said.