Like the week before in a comeback road victory, UVA withstood some costly mistakes and still had a chance to overtake the  Terrapins. Then came the fourth and final turnover. Alas, it was a blow from which the Cavaliers couldn’t recover.

“I think this team is well aware that we beat ourselves, and I think this team is well aware of what we can do,” said tight end Tyler Neville, a former Lafayette High star who had three catches for 57 yards, including a 39-yard reception that set up UVA’s only touchdown in the second quarter.

“We put ourselves in great positions. We just need to finish.”

UVA’s defense limited Maryland to a total of three points following the first three turnovers, but the Cavaliers couldn’t hold the Terrapins in check after wide receiver Malachi Fields lost a fumble near midfield with 11:19 remaining.

Maryland turned the takeaway into points when quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. ran for a 1-yard touchdown to push the lead to 27-13 midway through the final period. That score would hold up until the end, as UVA (2-1) missed an opportunity to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2019, the year it played for the ACC championship.

“We got it to the fourth quarter, one-possession game. That’s where we want to be, and we just couldn’t regenerate what we did last week,” said Cavaliers coach Tony Elliott, referring to his team’s 31-30 triumph at Wake Forest on Sept. 7, during which it overcame two turnovers and scored the final 14 points to win. “We’ll go back and evaluate the film and figure out how we’ve got to coach better and to better have these guys prepared.”

The Terrapins ran 80 total plays, compared to 67 for UVA, and had the ball for 11-plus minutes more than the Cavaliers.

“We put (the defense) on the field too much, put them in some compromising situations,” Elliott said. “Those additional snaps from the (offense) not being as efficient, man, they catch up with you.”

For a time, Virginia’s defense held up more than its end of the bargain, keeping the score at a seemingly manageable 20-13 in the fourth quarter despite the wave of turnovers. Quarterback Anthony Colandrea offset some amazing play — his scrambling 10-yard touchdown while making four defenders miss right before halftime was a sight to be seen — with a season-high two interceptions and a lost fumble deep in Maryland territory.

Virginia was fumble-free in its first two games before putting two on the ground against the Terrapins.

“We just couldn’t establish a rhythm,” Elliott said.

Even so, UVA’s defense did its part to keep the game close for the first three quarters. The Cavaliers came up with a slew of third-down stops and didn’t let the offensive miscues dictate the game script until the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers’ defense stuck to “the mentality of not worrying about the situation,” said safety Antonio Clary, who had a game-high 14 tackles and two pass breakups. “If the offense has a turnover, we have to be complementary. We’ve got to come out and get a stop. Situations like that are super-important in the game and can really change events of a game.”

Maryland left Charlottesville with the country’s best turnover margin (plus-9) through three games. Virginia, meanwhile, ranks 125th out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams with a turnover margin of negative-5.

The Cavaliers have lost seven turnovers and gained only two, on fumble recoveries from Clary and Kam Robinson.

“We’ve got to do a better job of creating turnovers because we saw how big that was for them tonight,” Clary said. “Forcing four was a big reason they won the game tonight. We’ve got to find ways in practice to just emphasize the turnover aspect, so we’re gonna find ways.”

UVA will look to get things right on Saturday when it travels to Coastal Carolina (3-0). Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

“At the end of the day, it’s one loss,” Clary said. “We’ve got nine games left this season that are guaranteed, so we’ve got to find a way.”

The game-day rush of emotions all came back to Clary, who saw his first action in almost 22 months after missing all of 2023 with an ankle injury.

“That first play on defense, it definitely woke me up a little bit, and I was ready to go,” said Clary, who tied for the team lead with eight tackles while also assisting on a tackle for loss and recording a quarterback hurry.

The Cavaliers (1-0) held the Spiders to 257 yards (110 passing) while yielding only one touchdown. They allowed only 123 yards and a pair of field goals after a first-half thunderstorm that delayed the game for two hours and 18 minutes.

UVA travels to Wake Forest on Saturday for its ACC opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“I feel like we played pretty solid,” said Clary, a Jacksonville, Florida, native who finished fourth on the team in tackles in his last season in 2022. He suffered an ankle injury during fall camp last year and missed the entire season.

“Not being out there in two years, I took a moment before the game just to sit there and really reflect and be grateful for this opportunity, because you only get so many of them and it can be over like that,” Clary added. “I was just blessed and grateful. It was definitely exciting getting in there on the first play. I didn’t expect it, but I was ready for it.”

The 6-foot, 203-pound Clary was active in his first game back, logging a pair of tackles on Richmond’s first drive. In addition to his stop of Brown on the initial snap, Clary tackled tight end Matt Robbert short of a first down to force a punt.

He and fellow safety Jonas Sanker, the team’s leading tackler last season, dropped Brown for a loss later in the first quarter.

When healthy, Clary and Sanker give the Cavaliers one of the best safety tandems in the ACC.

“You just look at those two young men; they do a tremendous job as communicators. They do a tremendous job also as football players when they’re one-on-one, so I’m excited to see them go compete here this fall,” UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski said this preseason.

Clary’s first-game excitement aside, he came away with a list of things he wants to improve before he hits the field again against the Demon Deacons. UVA seeks its first win over Wake Forest since 2007.

“I’m my biggest critic, so there’s definitely some plays that I left out there that I wish I could get back, but you know, you’ve got to move on and learn from it and make those plays next week,” Clary said. “First game back in two years, I felt it was OK.”

Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said he saved a special postgame congratulatory hug for Clary.

“He was the last one I got a hug from in the locker room as I came over here because it’s been two years since he played football,” Elliott said during his postgame press conference.

“He brings a toughness. He’s a highly intelligent football player. He can get his teammates lined up. He communicates well. When he comes downhill, he’s trying to run through you, and then he gives us some great value on special teams. Overall leadership, physicality, toughness and experience is what he gives us.”

Virginia (1-0, 0-0 ACC) at Wake Forest (1-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

On the air: ESPN2, 1140AM, 1650AM, 101.7FM

BetMGM line: Wake Forest by 2 1/2.

What’s at stake? The teams were picked 15th (Wake) and 16th (UVA) in the 17-team ACC, so a good start will be critical. Wake has won the last five meetings.

Key matchup: Virginia’s passing game against Wake Forest’s defensive front. The Cavaliers started Anthony Colandrea at quarterback, and he responded by throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score. The Demon Deacons got sacks from Jasheen Davis, Kevin Pointer and Branson Combs in their opener.

Players to watch: Virginia senior WR Malachi Fields had his first career 100-yard receiving game by grabbing five balls for 100 yards against Richmond. Wake Forest QB Hank Bachmeier, formerly of Boise State and Louisiana Tech, threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the season-opening win against North Carolina A&T.

Facts and figures: This is the first meeting between the longtime ACC teams since 2021. Virginia hasn’t beaten Wake Forest since 2007 and hasn’t won in Winston-Salem since 2002. … Davis moved past Boogie Basham for fourth place in program history with 21 sacks in the opener. … Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne, from King William High, ran for 135 yards in the opener, his second college 100-yard performance. … The Cavaliers have lost three straight league openers while the Demon Deacons have lost two in a row. — Associated Press

The big gain on the Cavaliers’ first play of the game was a signal of what was to come the rest of the way in their 34-13 victory Saturday night at Scott Stadium. Even with a delay of two hours and 18 minutes for a thunderstorm in the first half, Colandrea and Virginia’s offense couldn’t be slowed.

“I feel like as an offense, we did a great job of moving the ball downfield and also we came out hot,” Colandrea said. “We came out throwing the ball. We came out running it. I feel like we just did a great job.”

Colandrea began his second season with a bang. The 6-foot, 183-pound dynamo clearly showed why he emerged with the starting job this preseason after a tight offseason position battle with senior Tony Muskett.

Colandrea hurt the Spiders with his legs, rushing for a touchdown and 49 yards, a total that was reduced by 29 yards lost on two sacks. He peppered the UR secondary with big completions, connecting on 17 of 23 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was a big milestone. I feel like he’s grown up a lot since last year,” Cavaliers running back Kobe Pace said of Colandrea. “Over the offseason, he’s put in a lot of work, over ball security and just learning how to grow and mature and be that guy that we need him to be.”

UVA’s offensive onslaught was remarkable for its consistency from start to finish, as well as its explosiveness. The Cavaliers scored on six of their first seven drives, reaching the end zone four times and knocking through field goals on the other two.

Virginia reeled off an assortment of explosive plays, starting with Colandrea’s big run on the team’s first play.

Later in that drive, Colandrea connected with Trell Harris on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Harris, playing his first game with the Cavaliers after transferring from Kent State, raced down the sideline and fought off a defender to reel in the pass in the end zone.

The Cavaliers struck for seven plays of 30 or more yards in the first half. Colandrea connected on passes of 42 and 32 yards to senior wide receiver Malachi Fields, a 57-yard touchdown completion to junior running back Jack Griese and a 52-yard strike to Pace, who also had a 43-yard run.

“We had seen the explosiveness throughout camp,” UVA coach Tony Elliott said. “We felt like we had some guys that could make some big plays. It was a big challenge to run the football, so it was awesome to see some of those plays come in the run game, where we need to improve to play balanced football.”

Broadcast highlights from tonight's win vs. Richmond!#GoHoos | #UVAStrong pic.twitter.com/x6bRDLvKGW

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) September 1, 2024

Fields, who laid out near the sideline to make his spectacular 41-yard grab, finished with five catches for 100 yards. Pace rushed for 93 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 51 yards.

The big plays were a welcome sign for an offense that aspires to turn the corner this season after finishing 78th in the country in yards per game (368.8) while totaling only 20 plays of 30 or more yards (and 11 plays of at least 40 yards) over 12 games in 2023.

The development of playmakers like Fields, Pace and Griese, and the additions of transfers like Harris, wide receiver Chris Tyree and tight end Tyler Neville, a product of Lafayette High in Williamsburg, could make UVA’s offense more dynamic this year.

“Outside, we’ve got Malachi, Trell and Chris Tyree, and they’re all electric playmakers, and AC can really feed the ball out to anyone,” Griese said. “In the run game we have five returning offensive linemen, so I think we’re a lot more experienced in that way, and there’s just a lot of playmakers, and it’s hard to contain all of them.”

Colandrea’s emergence could bring it all together. He limited his mistakes in a turnover-free performance against Richmond while showing the capacity to alter a game with his legs and arm.

His threat as a runner helped open up lanes for the rest of UVA’s rushers, leading to a balanced output of 297 passing yards and 200 rushing yards. The Cavaliers’ 497 total yards were their most since churning out 513 against ODU on Sept. 17, 2022.

“We’ve got a lot of dudes who can make plays on the field,” Colandrea said.

The offensive outburst was the kind of start Elliott wanted to see. The Cavaliers will look to keep the momentum going in their ACC opener at Wake Forest on Saturday.

“A lot to build upon,” Elliott said. “Hopefully this is kind of the floor of this football team, that we continue to build on this.”

The Cavaliers pummeled Richmond 34-13 on Saturday night at Scott Stadium in a season-opening victory that was interrupted late in the first half by rain and lightning.

The long break didn’t hinder UVA’s momentum, as it came out with a quick touchdown drive that pushed its lead to 27-7.

Running back Kobe Pace, who finished with 144 total yards (93 rushing) and one touchdown, ran the ball on all four plays of the possession, churning out 43 yards on one of the totes, and ran into the end zone on a 3-yard carry with 3:16 left in the half.

The teams scrapped a traditional halftime and resumed the game after a brief timeout. UVA (1-0) took the second-half kickoff and drove downfield for another touchdown, this time a 7-yard run by sophomore quarterback Anthony Colandrea to make it 34-7.

Richmond (0-1) tacked on Brandon Peskin field goals of 35 and 33 yards.

Colandrea completed 17 of 23 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 49 yards and a score. He led the Cavaliers to 497 yards of total offense, their highest output since 513 against Old Dominion on Sept. 17, 2022.

UVA wide receiver Malachi Fields caught five passes for 100 yards, including grabs of 41 and 32 yards.

Virginia stormed to a 20-0 first-half lead before surrendering its first points late in the second quarter. Moments after Richmond quarterback Kyle Wickersham’s 5-yard touchdown run, a voice came over the public-address system to announce the game was being paused because of lightning in the area.

Fans emptied out of the stadium and waited out the delay.

UVA stole the show for most of the first half, particularly Colandrea, who led the Cavaliers to scores on their first five drives.

Colandrea, who emerged with the starting job after a tight offseason battle with senior Tony Muskett, completed 9 of 11 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns before the game was delayed.

He led the Cavaliers on two touchdown drives and two other possessions that ended in Will Bettridge field goals.

Colandrea was responsible for a bevy of big-yardage plays in the first half. He ran for 35 yards on UVA’s first play and then connected with wide receiver Trell Harris later in the drive on a 35-yard touchdown strike for a 7-0 lead.

The Cavaliers led 10-0 when Colandrea completed a 57-yard touchdown strike to running back Jack Griese. Griese, the grandson of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Griese, got behind Richmond’s defense, corralled the pass and ran down the sideline untouched for his first college score.

UVA used another big completion from Colandrea, this time to Pace for 52 yards, to set up a 33-yard Bettridge field goal. Bettridge made a 21-yard kick in the first quarter.

That 20-0 Virginia lead held up for most of the second quarter before Richmond marched down the field, converted two fourth downs and reached paydirt on Wickersham’s 5-yard run with 4:48 to go before halftime.

Wickersham completed 13 of 22 passes for 110 yards. He rushed for 37 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries.

Virginia travels to Wake Forest next Saturday for its Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Spiders, ranked 13th in the Stats Perform FCS poll, host Wofford at 3:30 p.m.

The same could be said of that position group’s impact on the UVA football program at large.

In an age of de facto free agency by way of the transfer portal, NIL payouts and early NFL defections, it was revealing that the bulk of the Cavaliers’ core elected to return in 2024, despite the team going 3-9 last season and missing a bowl game for the second straight year.

Leading the way were four defensive linemen all entering their fifth (or sixth or seventh) years playing college football, including one, Norfolk native Ben Smiley III, who is in his sixth year with the program.

In addition to Smiley, an Indian River High graduate, that group includes seventh-year defensive end Kam Butler, sixth-year defensive end Chico Bennett Jr. and fifth-year nose tackle Jahmeer Carter. Butler and Bennett started their careers at Miami of Ohio and Georgia Tech, respectively.

All four could have moved on, but decided to stick it out one more season in Charlottesville.

“I’m so thankful to those guys up front because they are four guys that are graduates that could have moved on,” said Tony Elliott, who begins his third season as the Cavaliers’ head coach on Saturday when his squad hosts Richmond at 6 p.m. at Scott Stadium.

“They could have tested the market from an NIL standpoint. They had every reason to. You’re a graduate. You just went through a tragedy (with the shooting deaths of teammates Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis, Jr. in 2022) and you want something new. But man, you’ve got Ben Smiley, Jah Carter, Chico Bennett and Kam Butler that decided to come back. I’m so grateful for them, and that’s just confirmation that I believe that the culture is really starting to take root.”

The 6-foot-3, 253-pound Butler is a rare seventh-year player. His fifth season, and first as a graduate transfer at UVA in 2022, was the COVID year of eligibility NCAA student-athletes received. He qualified for a sixth year in 2023 after the shooting. Last season was cut short by a shoulder injury in the fourth game, and he was eventually granted a medical waiver to return in 2024.

He is expected to make his 45th career start and play in his 55th game on Saturday.

“Coming back was a no-brainer,” said Butler, who had 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his four games last season. “That injury just left a really bad taste in my mouth. I was off to a pretty good season. I can’t wait to just get back to where I was before I got injured.”

The 6-foot-4, 256-pound Bennett experienced some nicks and bruises last year, too, missing the opener against Tennessee with a knee injury and playing through pain for much of the remainder of the season. He considered entering the draft, but decided to come back this season to raise his stock.

Bennett said battling through injuries last year gave him perspective about handling adversity.

“The easy answer is to just cop out, but you show the mental fortitude and that strength in just showing back up each day, continuing to strive, take one step forward and then allow yourself to still be around your teammates and support them, no matter what the situation may look like,” he said.

Bennett didn’t register a sack last year after accumulating seven the season before. In total, UVA tallied only 11 sacks in 2023, tied for the lowest output of any Football Bowl Subdivision team. Having Butler and Bennett back healthy should help get that number back up to at least where it was in 2022, when the Cavaliers recorded 30.

“This year, Chico has no excuses. Neither one of them do. So if they stay healthy,” Virginia defensive ends coach Chris Slade said as he knocked on a wooden table before him, “this will be big.”

A big motivator for Carter’s return was a chance to improve his NFL draft stock. A steady performer throughout his career, the 6-2, 309-pound nose tackle led all the team’s defensive linemen with 35 tackles last season, but he wants to be more disruptive behind the line of scrimmage, where he accumulated only two tackles for loss.

UVA defensive tackles coach Kevin Downing said Carter also returned to help get the program back on track after a couple of lean seasons.

“I feel gratefulness that Jahmeer chose to come back,” Downing said. “In this climate of where college football is now, trust me, he could have left. I know that.

“He chose to come back not just because of individual things, but because he loves this school; he loves this program, and he wants to make sure that when he leaves, he’s done everything he can to put this program to where he’d like to see it.”

Smiley is another asset for a defensive line that oozes experience. The 6-4, 308-pound Indian River High graduate was second on the team with two sacks last season and could play an even bigger role up front this season.

“He’s had a great offseason. He’s worked his tail off,” Slade said of Smiley. “He’s in good shape. He’s a guy who plays so hard and has a lot of pride in what he does. I’m excited for him this year, and I hope he has a big year.”

UVA will count on its experienced front line to put pressure on opposing offenses and force more third-and-long situations this season, which could lead to more turnovers for a team that registered only eight interceptions last season.

The Cavaliers also return first-team All-ACC safety Jonas Sanker, who is back for his fourth season, and Antonio Clary, who is expected to reclaim his safety spot after missing 2023 with an ankle injury. Kam Robinson, a freshman All-American last year, leads a linebacking corps that also includes fourth-year tackle machine James Jackson.

Experience abounds for a unit that ranked in the top 50 in points allowed per game and total yards yielded per game in 2022 before regressing to 119th and 104th, respectively, in those metrics last season.

With an experienced and committed group of linemen up front, even better days could be ahead for Virginia’s defensive unit.

By not leaving, “it just says that, one, they bought into the culture, and they want to be a part of it. Two, they want to see Virginia football do well, and they understand that in order for us to do well, it’s going to take guys like them,” Elliott said. “So they set the example; they set the tone, and I’m excited to see when we hit the grass what they’ve been able to do to with the team.”

Standouts

Kobe Pace, RB, graduate, Sr., 5-10, 215: This could be Pace’s year to carry a full workload after flashing his talents as a complementary back in his first four seasons. He has a chance to become a three-down player after accounting for 558 total yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the Cavaliers in 2023.

Anthony Colandrea, QB, Soph., 6-0, 183: Colandrea matured before everyone’s eyes last fall, displaying an uncanny knack for turning busted plays into big gains. He also showed a propensity to turn the ball over with nine interceptions and a lost fumble. Can UVA’s sophomore starter clean up those turnovers and take another step in year two?

Malachi Fields, WR, Sr., 6-4, 220: There’s an opening for Fields to take on the top receiver role this season with the graduation of record-breaking Malik Washington. Fields was a productive complementary target last season with 58 catches for 811 yards and five touchdowns. He has the talent to take that up a notch.

Jonas Sanker, S, Sr., 6-1, 210: UVA is in good hands with Sanker patrolling the secondary. He made 107 tackles last season, led the ACC with 73 solo stops and tied for second in the league with 11 pass breakups. The coaches have challenged him this preseason to become better in one-on-one coverage. That could send his draft stock soaring.

Kam Robinson, LB, Soph., 6-2, 234: The Cavaliers are excited to see what Robinson has in store for an encore this season after busting out as a freshman. He earned consensus freshman All-American accolades after leading the team with two interceptions, tied for third with 4.5 tackles for loss and finished third with 71 tackles.

Storylines

Another portal prize?: UVA hit the lottery when it added record-breaking wide receiver Malik Washington via the transfer portal last year. The Cavaliers believe they may have nabbed another portal playmaker in former Notre Dame receiver Chris Tyree. The Chesterfield native could be a game-breaker at wideout and as a returner of punts and kickoffs.

Stability up front: The Cavaliers return their most experience up front this season. In addition to its veteran quartet of defensive linemen, UVA brings back six offensive linemen who started at least five games last season and four (McKale Boley, Noah Josey, Brian Stevens and Ty Furnish) who started at least 11.

Fast start a priority: UVA’s bowl hopes hinge on performing well in the first half of the season with opponents Richmond, Maryland and Boston College coming to Charlottesville and road contests against Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina sprinkled in. The second half of the schedule includes tough road games against Clemson, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.

New facilities upgrades: Virginia opened its palatial $80 million Hardie Football Operations Center in June. The 93,000-square-foot facility includes a locker room, a massive strength and conditioning space, nutrition spaces, meeting rooms, coaches’ offices, video operations and sports medicine areas. Moreover, UVA announced the addition of a 6,700-square foot video display and state-of-the-art audio system to Scott Stadium for this fall.

Secondary shuffle: Safety is set with Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary, who is expected to return after missing all of last season due to an ankle injury. Cornerback is a different story, as the Cavaliers must replace three players who started at least seven games in 2023. Malcolm Green and Dre Walker are among the group that could step into bigger roles along with the likes of transfers Kempton Shine, Kendren Smith and Jam Jackson.

Schedule

Aug. 31: vs. Richmond, 6 p.m.

Sept. 7: at Wake Forest, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14: vs. Maryland, 8 p.m.

Sept. 21: at Coastal Carolina, TBA

Oct. 5: vs. Boston College, TBA

Oct. 12: vs. Louisville, TBA

Oct. 19: at Clemson, TBA

Oct. 26: vs. North Carolina, TBA

Nov. 9: at Pittsburgh, TBA

Nov. 16: at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 23: vs. SMU, TBA

Nov. 30: at Virginia Tech, TBA

“That’s about where we’re at,” he said a few weeks ago.

On Saturday, the team announced that sophomore Anthony Colandrea emerged as QB1 for the season opener after battling neck-and-neck with senior Tony Muskett. The 6-foot, 183-pound Colandrea started six games last season as a wide-eyed rookie, mixing electric playmaking with the sometimes-erratic tendencies of a freshman.

Since the end of last season, however, Virginia’s coaches have raved about the leadership and strength gains of the St. Petersburg, Florida, native.

“He’s not the puppy anymore,” Lamb said. “He’s a second-year guy who’s figuring out his way in the world with college and within this football team, and he’s trying to be a vet one day, and he’s really, really close to that title.”

Colandrea will lead the offense onto the field when UVA hosts Richmond in the season opener Saturday, Aug. 31, at Scott Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“AC’s been more of a true spread kind of guy in that he’s got the arm, got the ability to beat you from the pocket, but he’s really, really good at off-scheduled plays,” UVA head coach Tony Elliott said.

Colandrea showed that in a big way last season. He completed 63% of his passes for 1,958 yards, the most by any true freshman in the Power Five last season, and 13 touchdowns. Colandrea also set UVA single-season freshman records for completions (154), passing yards and total offense (2,183) and was feted with freshman All-American honorable mention by College Football Network.

His 10 turnovers (nine interceptions), however, are something the coaching staff would like to see him curtail this year. He showed progress as the season went on, tossing eight touchdowns and only three interceptions in his final four games, including a home win over Duke.

Colandrea has added muscle to his frame, which has only added to his already-swelling swagger. “AC has always had confidence. Now that his shirt’s fitting tighter, there’s even more to it,” Elliott said.

Elliott commended both Colandrea and Muskett for the maturity they showed while competing for the top job.

“The beauty of my job is that you have an opportunity to learn from young people through your pursuit of helping them develop,” he said. “Those two young men have taught this staff and me personally a lot about what it’s really all about and how to embrace competition, how to find value in your competitors.”

The 6-foot-2, 213-pound Muskett led the Cavaliers to two of their three wins in his six starts last season. The Springfield native completed 63.3% of his passes for 1,031 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. He wasn’t the same, however, after suffering a shoulder injury in the season opener against Tennessee, a malady that eventually required offseason surgery.

He was at full strength this spring, ready to compete with Colandrea for the starting gig.

“We both believe that competition breeds greatness,” Muskett said. “I know and he knows when we have someone else pushing us, that’s just going to make us better. So when the first game and the rest of the season comes around, we’ll be better and more prepared.”

Elliott defines Muskett as more of a pocket passer than Colandrea, and the senior’s leadership is unquestioned.

“He knows how to move within a program, knows how to lead,” Lamb said. “Just a true veteran.”

The way last season unfolded — with Muskett suffering an injury from which he never fully recovered until he underwent surgery and Colandrea starting six games as a freshman — is indication enough that the Cavaliers need both Colandrea and Muskett locked in and ready to play.

“Both of them have proven that they can win in the ACC, versus very good talent and good teams in the ACC,” Elliott said. “That’s what you like, that they’ve both shown that ability.”

Underdeveloped and inexperienced, Steen seemed ages away from contributing.

“About five practices in, I thought, ‘This kid will never play. There’s no shot this kid ever plays,’ ” Heffernan admits. “He was so athletically underdeveloped.”

These days, Heffernan is happy to confess that he was way off. Not only did Steen eventually play, but he earned a starting assignment at right tackle for the final five games of the 2023 season.

“To his credit, he’s just worked his tail off,” Heffernan said of Steen, a 6-foot-4 junior from Miami who is playing this preseason at 332 pounds, almost 15 pounds lighter than last season. “It’s a testament to his work ethic, but also how important it is to him.

“He’s just been on this upward arc. He’s had an incredible summer. He’s changed his body; he’s changed his demeanor. His movement skills, all his numbers are through the roof.”

Steen’s emergence last season was one of the biggest developments for an offense that struggled to find continuity because of inexperience and injuries.

Steen stepped into the starting lineup Oct. 28 at Miami and didn’t relinquish his spot. He started alongside right guard Ty Furnish, center Brian Stevens, left guard Noah Josey and left tackle McKale Boley for the season’s final stretch. That group is expected to line up for the Cavaliers’ first snap when they take on Richmond in the season opener Aug. 31 at Scott Stadium.

Boley and Stevens are both working back from injuries suffered during camp, but head coach Tony Elliott is hopeful both will return in time for the first game.

“Starting five games, it helped me grow a lot,” Steen said. “Especially with offensive tackles, the best way to improve is to play games.”

After two years of mixing and matching an assortment of inexperienced offensive linemen, UVA enters 2024 with one of the more seasoned groups in the ACC. The Cavaliers return three linemen who started all 12 games last season (Boley, Josey and Stevens), one who made 11 starts (Furnish) and two others who started at least five games (Steen and Ugonna Nnanna).

They also welcome back key reserve Jimmy Christ, who made two starts last season at right tackle, and added transfer Ethan Sipe, a tackle who started every game in his final two seasons at Dartmouth.

The group has put in valuable reps this preseason to develop more cohesion and fine-tune its communication. The offensive line was limited in that ability in the spring as Furnish, Stevens, Josey and Boley all missed time with injuries.

Heffernan is excited to have a group of experienced linemen in camp this preseason after auditioning a cast full of newcomers this time last year.

“It’s a lot nicer to be able to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got some known commodities that are coming back that have had shared experience with each other,’” the coach said. “That’s a luxury that you’re not always afforded.”

Steen was the lone starter who went through the entire spring camp, and he took advantage of those critical reps against Virginia’s group of seasoned defensive linemen that includes graduate student Chico Bennett Jr., sixth-year Kam Butler and sixth-year Ben Smiley from Indian River High in Chesapeake.

“I’m still considered kind of a young guy, so going against somebody like Chico every day, it’s a blessing for me because it’s helped me a lot,” Steen said.

Heffernan raves about the physical gains Steen has made since that first spring they were together. The coach also commends the player’s improved technique, which he has polished through film study and repetition.

“Physically, the biggest issue for Blake was he was just so physically underdeveloped. Weak. Big. He got here and was 344 pounds, but the muscle underneath, the trunk and core strength and the ability to be sudden in his movements wasn’t there. That’s something that he’s addressed,” Heffernan said. “He’s significantly leaner now and stronger and more sudden.

“And then there’s the mental piece, you know, understanding and learning the game. Blake’s a guy who loves football. … Blake’s a guy that is obsessive and watches old ’80s and ’90s games. He loves the game of football and so that’s helped him to mature and grow mentally.”

Steen doesn’t need to look far for inspiration. His older brother, Tyler, is in his second year with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in all 11 games and made one start as a rookie last season.

The younger Steen seeks his brother’s guidance in many areas, whether it’s related to technique or understanding a blocking assignment.

Tyler schooled Blake on the nuances of the Eagles’ highly effective short-yardage play, “The Tush Push” or “Brotherly Shove,” to the point where the younger brother was able to teach it to his coaches and teammates last season.

The play became a valuable option for the Cavaliers, who converted 10 of 14 fourth downs in their final seven games after adding it to their arsenal.

“Blake was the one who got up and installed it to the group,” Heffernan said.

UVA’s version of the play last year employed 6-2, 210-pound reserve quarterback Grady Brosterhous as a sizeable ball carrier plowing behind a group of Cavaliers blockers barreling forward like a rugby scrum.

“Obviously, you want to be lower, but at the same time you’ve got to have enough drive with your legs,” UVA offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said of the play’s unique blocking assignments. “Defensive players think they’ve got to jump. That’s the worst thing you can do is jump because we just submarine you right there. We get the tight ends down there and kind of get our hips up like a plow, and you try to dig through it.”

The play has been effective for the Cavaliers, one of many positive developments that have come with Steen’s maturation over the past several months.

His development, along with the growth of his fellow linemen and the addition of valuable depth, could be the ultimate difference for a Cavaliers offense that hopes to be balanced and consistent.

The play of the offensive line is “extremely critical,” Elliott said. “Mission critical, as I like to say to the staff. It’s mission critical because you win in the trenches, and I firmly believe that.”

That anticipation carries over in a grander sense these days in the University of Virginia’s running back room, where he joins a cadre of young backs champing at the bit to fill the holes left by last year’s leading rusher, Perris Jones, and goal-line maestro Mike Hollins.

“I rely a lot on my vision,” said the 5-foot-8 Vaughn, who is purportedly playing at close to 200 pounds these days. “I use my eyes to see the hole and then I use my speed to hit it. I feel that kind of works out nicely for me.”

Perhaps that could be a skillset that earns him valuable reps in the backfield this season. Vaughn, a sophomore from Maryville, Tennessee, is among a group of six running backs vying for bigger roles this year now that two of the biggest ground contributors from last year have moved on.

The Cavaliers want to see fifth-year playmaker Kobe Pace take the reins as a three-down lead back this preseason, but the likes of Vaughn, juniors Xavier Brown, Jack Griese and Davis Lane as well as sophomore Donté Hawthorne are pushing for a bigger share of the workload.

Hollins and Jones “were very consistent for us in third-down situations as pass protectors or as a third-down back, so the hope is that Kobe can transition to being that guy,” Cavaliers offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said.

Building up depth behind him is imperative at such a physically demanding position, Kitchings added.

“We have to have the next guy ready to go,” he said.

Enter Vaughn, a fleet runner who is back to full health after missing last season with an ankle injury. He was a bright spot for the Cavaliers during spring practice and appears ready to take another step this preseason.

“I feel like I matured a lot on the field,” Vaughn said. “I just feel like coming through those doors every day, you know, it’s a business mindset. It was a little different from last year. There was a lot of depth in the room, and I was coming off an injury, so you weren’t expecting to get much playing time, but now I turned it up a level in the spring, and I feel like I’ve been taking my game a lot more seriously.”

Vaughn, a consensus three-star recruit, rushed for 1,279 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in high school before suffering a broken ankle that shelved him for the final game of the regular season and the playoffs.

He had surgery to repair the injury, but experienced lingering pain during camp last year and required a follow-up procedure.

Vaughn said the lost season helped him with perspective, and he showed up for spring practice ready to work. As he gained maturity through his adversity, Vaughn said he stopped feeling sorry for himself and focused on getting faster and stronger and “controlling the controllables.”

His coaches saw a different player in the spring and summer.

“I think he’s done a great job this offseason with (football strength and conditioning coach Adam Smotherman’s) staff. He reshaped his body. He’s as big as he has been. I think he’s 199, rock solid. He’s got great vision. He’s got great feet,” said UVA running backs coach Keith Gaither.

“It’s just the consistency” we’re looking for, Gaither added. “Will he show up every day with the same intent and demeanor and passion? We don’t know. I hope. So far, so good, but I think the competition between him, Jack and Xavier is going to push him to do it because he can’t take a day off. None of them can.”

The Cavaliers hope to turn a corner in the run game this year after struggling on the ground in head coach Tony Elliott’s first two seasons. In 2023, UVA finished 107th out of 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in rushing yards per game (117.92), and only 11 FBS squads had fewer than the Cavaliers’ 12 rushing touchdowns.

Jones led UVA with 393 yards. Hollins had the team-lead in touchdowns with seven.

The production needs to improve if Virginia hopes to be the balanced and explosive offensive team it aspires to be.

The Cavaliers return ample experience up front, including three linemen who started every game last year — center Brian Stevens, guard Noah Josey and tackle McKale Boley; and three others who started at least five contests in guards Ty Furnish and Ugonna Nnanna and tackle Blake Steen.

At tight end, they return starter Sackett Wood and added transfers Sage Ennis (Clemson) and Tyler Neville, who played three seasons at Harvard after starring at Lafayette High in Williamsburg.

And the tailback room appears stocked with talent, with the game-breaking potential of Pace and the promise of Vaughn, Brown, Griese, Hawthorne and Lane.

“In order for us to really put stress on defenses, we’ve got to make them respect every aspect of our offense,” Elliott said. “Hopefully … with some more continuity on the offensive line, some more experience, it will help the run game all the way around. That’s also going to improve the passing game. Now you’re putting more pressure on the defense as opposed to kind of reacting.”

Vaughn says the running backs approach every practice as an opportunity to get closer to where they need to be.

“I feel like every day when we practice, it’s going to be a hard, physical practice,” Vaughn said. “That’s the mindset of our running back room … the first guy is not going to take us down. We’re going to always get some more yards out of it.”

“I’m going up there to do damage,” said the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Didawick, who matriculated to UVA after a stellar prep baseball career at Western Branch High in Chesapeake. “I’m swinging as hard as possible, whether it’s going (opposite field) or dead center or pull. I’m not going up there to just put the ball in play.”

The proof is in Didawick’s performance as he has helped power a potent Cavaliers lineup that has been pivotal in the program’s run to the College World Series for the third time in the past four years and seventh time overall.

The Hoos (46-15) lead the nation with 737 hits, have hit a school-record 116 home runs and are seven runs shy of breaking the single-season mark they set just last season (582). They take on fourth-seeded North Carolina (47-14) in the first game of the tournament at 2 p.m. Friday at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.

Thanks to a protein-rich diet and a fierce offseason workout regimen, Didawick transformed his body between his freshman and sophomore seasons and bumped his home run total from four in 2023 to 23 this year, tying the school’s single-season record set by Jake Gelof last year.

Didawick, a second-team All-ACC selection and one of three UVA players to receive All-Atlantic Region honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association, ranks fifth in the ACC in round-trippers and is tied for 22nd nationally.

He also set a new program record with 78 runs and is tied for the team lead in RBIs (68) and walks (41) while ranking second in stolen bases (14).

Harrison Didawick had 4 home runs all last season.

He had three this weekend, including the walk-off to secure a Commonwealth Clash sweep for UVA.

Didawick with 22 homers this season, one behind the single season record of 23 by Jake Gelof.
pic.twitter.com/ix3ZIcetPs

— Preston Willett (@PrestonWillett) May 19, 2024

“What I see out of him individually is a young man who has taken the lessons that he had last year in our uniform, and he played a lot as a true freshman, played in Omaha, and decided last summer and this fall to really work his tail off to get as strong and as physical as he could be, and it’s made a difference in who he is as a player,” said UVA coach Brian O’Connor, who has led the program to seven CWS appearances and the 2015 national championship.

Didawick transformed his body in the offseason by loading up on protein. He said a common breakfast was a half-dozen eggs and bacon, and he often chowed down at Chipotle for lunch. He mixed four or five hearty snacks in between three full meals.

“As soon as I woke up, I’d just eat, eat, eat,” he said. “If I was sitting there watching TV, I was eating. If I was doing anything, I was eating.”

Coupled with five workouts a week with the likes of Gelof and former UVA standouts Kyle Teel and Ethan O’Donnell, all of whom play professionally now, Didawick began building the kind of muscle that can pay dividends at the plate. He started noticing a difference while taking batting practice in the fall.

“Like the first couple of practices, I was putting balls off the scoreboard, and I was like, ‘Wow, I definitely didn’t do that last year,’ and it’s honestly not the ones where I fully connect on it where I know. It’s the ones where I hit it off the end of the bat and it goes over the fence,” said Didawick, who logged a 110 mph max exit velocity this year after topping out at 103 mph last year.

Didawick started the season with three home runs in the first four games and had an early March stretch of five long balls in four contests. He reached the 15-homer plateau on April 14 at Louisville.

“I expected to hit probably like 12 to 15 home runs this season, and so when I got to 15, I was like, ‘Wow, this is pretty cool. Let’s keep doing it,’ ” Didawick said.

Now he is one homer away from breaking Gelof’s record.

“It would be a great feeling, of course,” Didawick said. “I’ve talked to Jake about it and stuff, and he’s fully supportive, but he’s also told me that you can’t think about it. You have to worry about doing all the little things and focus on winning as a team, and I really appreciate that from him, and that’s what I’m going to do. If the record comes, it comes, but our goal and my goal is to win the national championship, so that’s what we focus on.”

In Didawick’s first experience in Omaha last season, the Cavaliers dropped two one-run games and were out of the tournament after the first weekend. He had a huge hit in the opener against Florida, delivering a run-scoring triple into the right-field corner to give the Cavaliers a two-run cushion in the top of the ninth before the Gators rallied with three runs in the bottom half of the frame.

Coming up short was a significant motivator for Didawick and his teammates.

“Yeah, 100%, there’s definitely unfinished business,” Didawick said. “We’re not going there just to be there. We’re going to win it.”

Didawick has caught the eye of professional scouts with his performance this season. The Athletic pegs him as a potential third-round pick for the upcoming Major League Baseball draft in July, and Baseball America rates him as a sixth-rounder.

A decision on his future will come after the season, Didawick said.

“That’s something we’ll talk about after the College World Series, but either way, it’s gonna be a great opportunity wherever life takes me,” he said. “I have not thought about that at all, though. Been focused on UVA.”

CWS schedule

Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, Nebraska

(All on ESPN)

Friday’s games

• Virginia (46-15) vs. North Carolina (47-14), 2 p.m.
• Florida State (47-15) vs. Tennessee (55-12), 7 p.m.

Saturday’s games

• NC State (38-21) vs. Kentucky (45-14), 2 p.m.
• Texas A&M (49-13) vs. Florida (34-28), 7 p.m.

“Competition breeds success,” Elliott said. “It brings the most out in people.”

Elliott says the focus this spring was for the quarterbacks, both of whom played significant snaps last season, to improve without the pressure of a job competition looming over their heads. Saturday’s Blue-White Game at Scott Stadium was an opportunity for Muskett and Colandrea to show how far they’ve come in their final action of the spring.

Muskett delivered a more impressive performance, tossing two long touchdowns in the first quarter and finishing with 200 yards on 10- of-18 accuracy in leading the White team to a 17-10 victory. Colandrea also played two quarters and completed 15 of 16 passes for 102 yards, including a longest of 28 yards.

“I’ve been pleased with both of their growth in the spring,” Elliott said. “So we have healthy competition and we know we can win with either one of them, and I want to see those guys continue to compete and feed off each other. I think their relationship is continuing to strengthen because now they understand that to be the best, you’ve got to have somebody there to push you.”

The start of the 2024 season is still more than four months away — UVA opens at home against Richmond on Aug. 31 – but both quarterbacks demonstrated the ability to not only lead the offense, but also make plays.

Muskett completed a 56-yard scoring pass to receiver JR Wilson and later delivered a 73-yard strike to wideout Claiborne Richards. Both pass-catchers took advantage of busted coverage, as Wilson ran 40 yards untouched after his lunging grab, and Richards sprinted nearly 50 yards unscathed after his juggling reception in the middle of the field.

Colandrea showed off his elusiveness, proving to be a much more effective running threat. He was unable to break a big one, however, as QB runs were whistled dead on first contact.

The spring game will be a valuable evaluation tool for the coaching staff, but not the end-all, be-all. Spring practice will be only part of the complete picture Elliott and his assistants will consider.

One of the advantages of not making the spring a full audition for the starting job is it gave both Muskett and Colandrea time to fine-tune areas of their games in a less pressurized environment.

“My mindset has just been to compete, do what I can do, do my best and then whatever happens, happens,” said Muskett, a 6-foot-2, 206-pound graduate student.

Muskett, the starter coming out of camp last year, got back up to speed after offseason surgery to repair the shoulder he injured in last season’s opener against Tennessee. He was never 100% after returning, and he eventually shut down for the season because of an ankle injury sustained against Georgia Tech on Nov. 4.

In his six games, Muskett, whom UVA quarterbacks coach Taylor Lamb calls “Mr. Fundamental” for his textbook mechanics, led the Cavaliers to two of their three wins. He completed 63.3% of his passes for 1,031 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions.

In the spring, Muskett worked on his decision-making to become more intuitive in and out of the pocket. Virginia’s coaches also expressed a desire for the veteran to become more of a leader this offseason, his second in the program after transferring from Monmouth last year.

Same goes for Colandrea, a sophomore who dazzled at times as Muskett’s understudy last year. The 6-foot, 180-pound playmaker had a penchant for the spectacular, turning busted plays into big gains, but he also had some costly turnovers that the coaching staff would like him to avoid.

He showed progress as the season went on, tossing eight touchdowns and only three interceptions in his final four games, including a home win over Duke. In all, Colandrea completed 62.6% for 1,958 yards, 13 TDs and nine INTs in eight games. He also rushed for 225 yards and was feted with freshman All-American honorable mention by College Football Network.

Colandrea might have proven to his teammates that he has the chops to make big plays at this level, but like Muskett, he wants to earn their respect as a leader as well.

“There’s steps that Colandrea needs to keep taking and Muskett’s got to keep taking to get comfortable in the leadership role,” Lamb said. “It’s a little bit different when you have two guys competing for a job. Which one wants to be the leader? We’ve got to have both those guys, no matter who’s playing. We need both those guys to win games.”

Colandrea took steps in the offseason to build more chemistry within the offensive unit, organizing a group trip to his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, during a break from school for workouts and camaraderie. The group of skill players stayed in a rented house, worked out during the day and hung out the rest of the time.

“The best football teams are always the closest teams, right? So that’s what I was thinking,” Colandrea said. “I was like, all right, I’m going to bring 13 guys down to Florida. We’re all going to stay in the same house. We’re all going to be working out every single day and just building a really good chemistry, a really good bond with everyone.”

That was especially important for a unit that is integrating a cadre of newcomers, including a big group of transfers that includes wide receivers Chris Tyree (from Notre Dame), Andre Greene Jr. (UNC) and Trell Harris (Kent State) and reserve quarterback Gavin Frakes (New Mexico State).

Frakes adds depth to the quarterback room, along with returning players Grady Brosterhous and Devin Sherwood. The three split reps in the second half of the spring game. Frakes completed a 40-yard pass to Greene on his first attempt.

“I think we wanted to find four guys that can go out there and win games at the Power Five level, or Power Four level, however you look at it,” Lamb said. “We wanted Tony and AC to keep getting better in their prospective areas to where we feel really good about those two after spring ball, that we can go win games. And then we had to bring up the depth too below them, bringing up those guys so if anything happens, we’ve got to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

Both Muskett and Colandrea won games last year, and the coaches expect both to be instrumental this year.

“I have faith in them, both Muskett and Colandrea,” said Wilson, who caught three passes for 79 yards in the spring game. “They can both do great things, so whoever wins that battle, we’re rolling and rocking with them, but I’m rocking with both of them anyways.”