Tony Elliott, Virginia Tech football coach, explains what is at stake.
The Virginia Tech and Virginia football teams will compete in the annual Commonwealth Cup in Charlottesville on Saturday afternoon.
There doesn’t have to be much on the line for the two teams to battle for 60 minutes, but this is a big game for the Hokies. In fact, it’s a huge one for the program’s future under second-year head coach Brent Pry.
Virginia Tech enters the game with a 5-6 record and needs a win to become bowl-eligible and receive the valuable extra practices and bowl game to prepare for 2024. Virginia is 3-8 after a 30-27 home win over Duke last weekend. Both coaches held their weekly media sessions on Tuesday and discussed the upcoming battle.
According to Virginia coach Tony Elliott, his team is competing for bragging rights.
Virginia coach Tony Elliott held his weekly meeting in Charlottesville and discussed the significance of a win over Pry and the Hokies on Saturday.
“We’re battling and jockeying to say, ‘This is our state.” ‘
Yes, they are vying for that, but Virginia is only looking for a victory over a Virginia Tech team that has won 17 of the last 18 meetings. Of course, the Hokies are also playing for a bowl game, which will give them an advantage over the Cavaliers in the extra practices and games in December that Virginia does not receive.
Following Saturday’s victory over Duke, Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea stated unequivocally that the Cavaliers would defeat the Hokies. In his defense, the Cavaliers are playing better football in the second half of the season, with a signature road win over North Carolina and a close loss to Louisville two weeks ago. This will be a difficult game for Virginia Tech, and Elliott hopes to win state bragging rights with an upset.
After a year off due to the horrific shooting in Charlottesville, the Commonwealth Cup returns on Saturday, marking the first meeting between head coaches Brent Pry and Tony Elliott. With the exception of three games this season, the Cavaliers have been very competitive, including a late lead over a Louisville team that beat Virginia Tech badly. Virginia has the best passing offense the Hokies have faced this season and will be fired up after a difficult season to derail Virginia Tech’s bowl hopes.
The Cavaliers have rotated two quarterbacks this season, senior transfer Tony Muskett and freshman Anthony Colandrea, who play remarkably similar games. Both have a knack for moving around the pocket and making plays to get first downs. Both are also prone to making poor decisions at inopportune times. Des Kitchings, the offensive coordinator, prefers to spread the field in order to play to his team’s strengths. UVA will frequently align three receivers and an H-back or four receivers, and the space allows for an inside zone read and split zone read focused run game. This also allows both quarterbacks to improvise and run if necessary.
Muskett is the more likely of the two to escape the pocket and try to extend the play. As he evades the rush, he keeps his eyes down the field, giving his receivers more time to break open.
Colandrea has a stronger arm than Muskett, but when the pocket breaks down, he tends to put his head down and run. He displayed exceptional speed on this QB draw after breaking through the first line of defense.
