UVa prepares for an unpredictable Week 1 against Coastal

After a long preseason camp and an even longer offseason, Week 1 of the college football season has finally arrived.

Virginia is set to take on Coastal Carolina at home this Saturday at (6 p.m., ACC Network) but with the Wahoos sporting 54 newcomers and the Chanticleers bringing in 61 with new coordinators, plenty of questions still remain.

The amount of new faces on UVa’s roster this season has been a major storyline all offseason. But with the Hoos finally set to take the field, Tony Elliott said the biggest thing he wants to see on Saturday outside of a win is for his players “to be a team.” 

To him, that means starting fast, controlling the momentum and finishing in the fourth quarter.

Elliott also emphasized how he wants to see his team play a clean game, once again saying “we can’t lose to UVa.” He tied his last point back to a phrase that has become commonplace around the program — “No excuses.”

“There’s no excuse that’ll justify a lack of not meeting expectations,” Elliott said, “and I think the expectation that we have inside the building is probably greater than any expectation that we get externally, and so there’s no excuses.”

The players understand what their coaches mean by that, with offensive lineman Noah Josey saying he thinks the mantra is all about being accountable to his teammates.

“If the guy next to you has that same mindset of, ‘I’m gonna go out there and do my job no matter what, no matter what the situation is, no matter what adversity they may face,’ I think it creates better team bond,” he said.

That bond is something Elliott said he let come together organically, and while he said they were a couple of days he had to step in and reaffirm the program’s expectations, he praised the Hoos’ senior leaders for setting the groundwork for the newcomers and policing those situations themselves.

Uncertainty on the other side of the field

But the Cavaliers aren’t just trying to bring themselves together as a team. They’re also trying to prepare to face a program that might even be more of an enigma, as the Chanticleers have a new offensive coordinator, Drew Hollingstead, and a new defensive coordinator, Jeremiah Johnson. 

Preparing for the two new coordinators has meant studying film from their previous programs rather than from Coastal itself, with Hollingstead coming from Western Kentucky and Johnson from Louisiana Tech. 

Elliott said the focus of the Hoos’ film study has been on the scheme rather than the personnel.

“You’re watching Western Kentucky, you’re watching La Tech, as opposed to at least you’re watching some of our guys that you see when you look at us schematically,” he said, “so it’s a different challenge than years past in getting prepared for a season opener. Because there’s always a ton of unknown in a season opener.”

Running back J’Mari Taylor said the key to preparing for the Chants has been “to take in everything from what they showing us on film.” While coaches can always change their schemes when going to a new program, Taylor said he believes that UVa just needs to “stick to our rules” in the face of anything unexpected.

“If we see, if they try to throw anything crazy at us, stick to our rules and we’ll be just fine,” he said.

Injury updates

With plenty of uncertainty already in this matchup, Elliott ended his time with the media this week addressing the team’s health, which has provided a number of major question marks already. 

He confirmed that wide receiver Suderian Harrison is questionable with a hamstring injury, and defensive end Mekhi Buchanan will be out with a high ankle sprain alongside safety Antonio Clary, who Elliott said is a week or two away from returning. This is in addition to linebacker Kam Robinson, who was already confirmed to be out for the first few weeks of the season with a collarbone injury.

In more positive news for the Hoos, Elliott shared that wide receiver Trell Harris will be good for Saturday, and that offensive lineman Ethan Sipe, defensive lineman Hunter Osborne, running back Davis Lane, cornerback Kevon Gray and defensive back Christian Charles are all back in practice, just in time for this weekend.

Thus, the stage is set for the beginning of the Hoos’ new season, one they hope to begin on a high note. Taylor, who will be making his UVa debut this week after transferring from NC Central, said there’s plenty of excitement in the locker room already, and there will only be more come Saturday.

“It’s going to be a great sight to see,” Taylor said, “and we’re going to make UVa proud, and we’re going to come out with the win.”