Clemson Football Opponent Preview: Homecoming for Former Tiger - Game 7: Clemson vs. Virginia

Just as the midseason peak fades, Clemson returns home from its escapade in Winston-Salem to face the Virginia Cavaliers. The Game 7 showdown will be a homecoming of sorts for former Clemson offensive coordinator and player Tony Elliott.

Elliott lettered at Clemson from 2000-’03, when he was a walk-on wide receiver. His position coach during his senior season was current Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney.

Elliott joined Swinney’s staff in 2011 as his running backs coach and three years later was promoted to co-offensive coordinator where he helped the Tigers win two national championships and advance to the College Football Playoff six consecutive years.

Elliott became the head coach at Virginia following the 2021 regular season.

The Cavaliers have had a rough couple of seasons under Elliott, but they are hoping to improve on their back-to-back 3-9 seasons.

The positives, though? They have been close.

They lost by single digits in five of their nine losses in 2023. They lost the close ones, whether it be by costly turnovers, unnecessary mistakes, or simply inconsistency on all sides. Although those don’t sound like positives, it shows their potential to be a great team.

It doesn’t mean they don’t have a lot of work to do, especially if they want to compete when it comes time to head into Death Valley in October.

OFFENSE

Quarterbacks Anthony Colandrea and Tony Muskett lead the room in Virginia, where Colandrea is expected to get the starting job. While Muskett offers veteran talent, Colandrea showed a lot of good in 2023, and his talents will likely win over the starting job.

The Cavs’ leading rusher from 2023, Perris Jones, is gone, and his production wasn’t what they needed. With only 393 yards and two touchdowns on the year, the Virginia running game was much less than what they wanted. With the talents of Kobe Pace and Xavier Brown to follow, there is heightened expectations for what will be produced on the ground.

With record breaking receiver Malik Washington headed to the NFL, the wide receiver rooms gets a fresh new look. Notre Dame transfer Chris Tyree and UNC transfer Andre Green, and Kent State transfer Trell Harris will join a room with experienced receivers JR Wilson, Malachi Fields, and more.

The offensive line has four returners, with UCF transfer Drake Metcalf filling in the center position. Regardless, everyone on the line needs to be better if the offense wants to see improvement.

DEFENSE

The defense for the Cavaliers was bad in 2023. Last place in the ACC in scoring defense (33.9 ppg) and sacks, the pass rush needs to be better, and it all starts with the front seven.

Kam Butler will help lead the pass rush, after securing a team-leading three sacks last year, and 2022 All-ACC selection Chico Bennett Jr. will be alongside the rest of the promising depth on the line.

Linebacker duo Kam Robinson and James Jackson combined for over 150 tackles, and they need depth around them to step up. Even if that comes from the secondary, the front seven, or their supporting cast, they need consistency all around.

A lot of talent and promise is held in the secondary. With Penn transfer Kendren Smith and Eastern Michigan transfer Kempton Shine coming in, and the return of previously-injured Antonio Clary at safety to join leading tackler Jonas Sanker, there will be big improvement in creating a no-fly zone in Virginia.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Regarding preseason, things stay the same on special teams for the Cavaliers. Will Bettridge, Virginia’s kicker from 2023, performed well in his sophomore season, nailing every extra pointer and going 18-for-21 in kicks. He is expected to perform even better in his junior year for the program.

Punter Daniel Sparks returns as a fifth year, looking to improve on his last year, where he had multiple blocked punts and dips in performance. Additionally, Chris Tyree is expected to return kicks yet again in 2024, this time for the Cavs.

OVERVIEW

The number one objective for the Cavaliers in 2024 is consistency.

They were nearly last in the ACC in rushing last year. And even though they had a good passing game, it lacked fluidity in the big games. Virginia needs to build on the veteran players they have now and use their transfers to fill in the gaps.

They don’t have the easiest schedule, but they have many chances for revenge, facing Boston College on Homecoming after losing by three last season and Virginia Tech for their final matchup, who blew out the Cavs by 38.

Virginia has the pieces to have a fighting chance with their slate of games, and it all depends on whether they can have well-rounded output.