‘Just joy’: Virginia coach reflects on historic win
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Virginia coach Tony Elliott knew he had a team ready to make a breakthrough. He had no idea it would happen the way it did: On the road, in historic fashion.
But what he will remember most from the Cavaliers‘ stunning 31-27 upset victory over No. 10 North Carolina on Saturday night is the pure joy in the locker room. Because only they know how much they have endured since last Nov. 13, when Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were tragically shot and killed after returning to campus from a field trip.
To put it simply, Elliott told ESPN on Sunday afternoon, his team has not stopped believing since that tragic day.
“That’s what my message was in my postgame, right there on the field, just acknowledging the fact that it’s been a hard road,” Elliott said. “It wasn’t even a sense of relief. It was just joy to see these young men smile. For me personally, it was a moment of confirmation that everything that we’ve tried to do since the passing of our three young men has been the right thing.
“This isn’t the only way that it’s going to be measured, but it was awesome to see the young men smiling and dancing and having joy in the locker room.”
It was the first road win in Virginia history against a top-10 ranked opponent, and it was the largest upset by an ACC team since NC State beat No. 2 Florida State in 1998. It was also Virginia’s first ACC win in a calendar year — since a 16-9 victory over Georgia Tech on Oct. 20, 2022. The final two games of the 2022 regular season were canceled following the shooting.
Virginia opened this season 0-5 — three of those five losses came by three points or less, all of them in the final minutes of the game. Elliott kept reminding players that, at some point, those close losses would turn into close wins, but they had to be willing to step up and make plays when it mattered the most.
A home win against William & Mary helped, but an open date the week before playing the rival Tar Heels provided an opportunity to hit the reset button and send a message as a 24-point underdog.
“There’s three things in life you don’t get back. That’s time, words and opportunity,” Elliott said. “We don’t get back those opportunities that we missed in the first half of the season, so let’s focus on what we can control and how we play. What are the things we need to do better? I think the guys took that to heart.”
Headed into the UNC game, the Cavaliers emphasized controlling the line of scrimmage with their offensive line — something Virginia struggled to do in the early part of the season due to injuries and a lack of depth. But with Mike Hollins taking charge in the backfield, Virginia set the tone up front — rushing for 228 yards.
Hollins, who survived the shooting that killed his teammates, had three rushing touchdowns.
When James Jackson intercepted Drake Maye with 26 seconds left to seal the victory, jubilation ensued.
“How do you keep believing when you come up short in a football game? Because it’s just a football game,” Elliott said. “They had to believe in each other to get through December, January and those months right after everything took place. So that’s what gives them the fortitude to just keep believing. Because at the end of the day, they’ve been taken down to their knees and broken down with what happened. The only way that they were able to build themselves back up, to be able to take one step after another was to believe: to believe in each other, to believe in a greater cause than what they’re seeing, to have faith in something that they hope for.
“That’s what I believe is the motivating factor. These young men, those in particular that were here last year, they’ve been through something that forced them to come together and believe in each other. So they truly understand what it means to believe. Why yesterday? I don’t really know. That’s for the Lord to reveal in due time. We kept believing if we persevered and stick together, and we keep the right perspective, then our reward will come at the appropriate time. It’s awesome they’re going to be able to say that all of us collectively were a part of making history.”
Elliott said he made sure to take a few minutes in the locker room to watch his players celebrate, to remember that moment forever.
“Because that’s what motivates me,” Elliott said. “That’s really why you coach, to be honest with you, is for those moments.”
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Jeff Passan, ESPN
The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
The 23-year-old Abrams led off for the Nationals and went 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT. He was informed of the demotion Friday night, sources said. He will be sent to West Palm Beach, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.
Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.
Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.
Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first-half into an All-Star selection, hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and Abrams’ defense has been a weakness throughout the season.
Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.
“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Saturday. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”
CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson defensive end Peter Woods will not play for the 21st-ranked Tigers against NC State on Saturday because of a leg injury.
The team announced Woods’ status about 90 minutes before kickoff. Woods, 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, got hurt two weeks ago on a chop block below the knee in a 66-20 victory over App State. Woods came back in briefly after getting checked then missed the second half.
The Tigers were off last weekend.
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has said Woods’ playing status was day-to-day. Swinney said Woods had not missed a practice. But Woods came out to the field for warmups in sneakers and sweatpants while other defensive linemen went through drills.
Woods leads the Tigers with 2½ tackles for loss.
Third-year sophomore Jahiem Lawson is listed as Woods’ backup on the depth chart.
NC State will be without starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who was hurt last week in a win over Louisiana Tech. Freshman CJ Bailey started for the Wolfpack.
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Pete Thamel, ESPN
Utah quarterback Cam Rising is a game-time decision with an injury to his throwing hand, sources told ESPN, with the expectation that he will attempt to start.
No. 12 Utah plays at No. 14 Oklahoma State on Saturday, one of the biggest games of the season in the Big 12.
Rising has been limited in practice this week with the injury, and he is not expected to be 100% if he does play. He will be monitored closely to see how his injured fingers impact how he throws. The fingers play a huge role in both spin and velocity, which will impact his effectiveness in the passing game.
He injured his hand Sept. 7 against Baylor in the second quarter when he threw a ball away and was pushed out of bounds and landed awkwardly on the water coolers on the Bears sideline.
Rising warmed up with a glove on his hand before last week’s game against Utah State but did not play, and he was spotted with two fingers wrapped on the sideline against Baylor. It’s uncertain if he will use the glove on Saturday.
Utah’s offense plays a majority of its snaps under center and uses clapping as a mechanism in its snapping operation, which would both stress the fingers.
Backup quarterback Isaac Wilson is a true freshman who made his first career start against Utah State, going 20-of-33 passing for 239 yards and three touchdowns. He took first-team reps in practice this week when Rising wasn’t out there.
Wilson is the brother of former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson, who now plays in the NFL for the Denver Broncos.
Rising is a seventh-year senior who had emerged as one of the Pac-12’s top quarterbacks in 2021 and 2022. He has been snakebit by injuries in recent seasons, as an injury in the Rose Bowl following the 2022 season ultimately led to him missing the entire 2023 season.
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