Virginia
UVA Football Report Card: Handing Out Grades for Virginia’s Win at Coastal
Virginia took care of business in week 4 at Coastal Carolina, riding a breakthrough performance from its run game and timely stops from its defense to cruise to a 43-24 victory over the Chanticleers on Saturday in Conway.
As we break down what we saw from the Cavaliers in their win at Coastal and what it means moving forward, let’s hand out some report card grades for various players, position groups, and other categories to help evaluate Virginia’s performance in week 4.
Xavier Brown & UVA Rushing Attack: A++
UVA fans will hope that this is just the first of many great games for the junior running back, but now, this has to go down as “the Xavier Brown game.” He needed just nine carries to rack up 171 yards, averaging an astonishing 19.0 yards per carry. Brown became the first Cavalier to rush for more than 150 yards since Bryce Perkins in the win over Virginia Tech in 2019 and Brown’s 75-yard carry in the third quarter was the longest by a Virginia running back since Jordan Ellis in 2018.
Virginia rushed for 384 yards, most since totaling 446 rushing yards against San Jose State in 1998.
Coastal Carolina was overmatched at the line of scrimmage, but Brown and Kobe Pace have the potential to be a formidable running back duo if they can sustain their success on the ground against ACC defenses. That’s a big question mark, but Saturday showed what the Hoos can be offensively when they get into a rhythm running the football.
Anthony Colandrea: A-
Colandrea’s stats don’t jump off the page: 13/20 (65%) for 131 yards and two touchdowns, 46 rushing yards. The game simply didn’t call for Colandrea to throw the ball very much and he did well to switch his mentality to more of a game manager. He executed that role at a high level, not turning the ball over and effectively orchestrating long scoring drives that almost always ended in points. The lone blemish (and reason for the A-) was a lack of pocket awareness by Colandrea on a couple of sacks, including one where he held on to the ball too long and got hit by a pass rusher he should have seen coming. Other than that, it was a solid day for Colandrea and a good bounce-back from the Maryland game.
Honorable mention QB Tony Muskett: A
Muskett didn’t look good late in the season-opener against Richmond, throwing an interception and going 0/3 on his passes in garbage time. The Coastal game was the opposite, as Muskett completed both of his passes for 10 yards, scrambled for nine yards to move the chains on third down and generally played good clean football in his two drives on the field in the fourth quarter. This isn’t the role Muskett saw for himself this year, but it’s important that he show positive signs in these garbage time reps in case something happens to Colandrea.
Offensive Line: A
Still missing multiple starters (LT McKale Boley and RG Ty Furnish) and other key depth linemen who are out for the season, this was an important performance for the UVA offensive line, even against an overmatched opponent. The Cavaliers enforced their will up front and successfully established the run, which anyone who follows Virginia football can say is a rare occurrence. You can’t complain with the results running the ball and at least one of the sacks Colandrea took was not really the fault of the offensive line. Let’s see if this group can get some confidence going after this game and begin to string together good performances, especially if McKale Boley and Ty Furnish are able to return after the bye week.
Penalties: C
This was a bit of an issue on both sides of the ball, but more so for the UVA offense, which was penalized five times for 45 yards. It was an all-around great day for the Virginia offense, but there’s always something to work on.
Overall Offense: A
In so many ways, this game was the opposite of the Maryland game for the UVA offense. Virginia didn’t turn the ball over, executed well in the red zone (31 points on six trips), and converted on third downs to keep drives alive (9/18). The 43 points scored was the most for Virginia since the 2021 season and the Hoos went over 500 yards of total offense for the first time since early in the 2022 campaign.
UVA Football: Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 43-24 Win at Coastal Carolina
Antonio Clary: A+
Clary continues to play at an elite level in his comeback season after missing all of 2023 with an injury. He finished with eight tackles and recorded UVA’s first interception of the season. Clary has led Virginia in tackles in each of the first four games this season. Together, he and Jonas Sanker make up one of the strongest safety units in the ACC through the first third of the season.
Run Defense: A
Coastal Carolina came into this game ranked 13th in the country in average rushing offense and 9th in total rushing yards. Those numbers were propped up by some lousy competition, but the UVA defense completely smothered Coastal’s ground game, holding the Chanticleers to 82 total yards and 3.4 yards per carry. The holes weren’t there and the Cavaliers did a good job tackling at the point of attack on running plays.
Pass Defense: C
We mentioned that Virginia did a good job tackling specifically on running plays because UVA’s pass defense did leave something to be desired with missed tackles and big plays. Coastal Carolina had seven passing plays of 15 or more yards, including completions of 65, 58, 41, 31, and 29 yards. 259 of Coastal’s 302 passing yards came on big plays. It was a good game plan to force Ethan Vasko to throw rather than using his legs, but there remains some significant questions about UVA’s cornerback play as opposing receivers continue to find some success, especially on big plays.
Overall Defense: A-
As opposed to the Maryland game, where the UVA offense consistently put the Virginia defense in bad spots. This was a game where the Cavalier defense didn’t need to do much in order to come away with a win. Virginia’s defense did its part, though, coming up with huge plays and pivotal stops to prevent Coastal from building any momentum. Holding the Chanticleers to a field goal on their first possession and turning them over on downs three times in the second half were notable moments for a UVA defense that struggled to get off the field against Maryland. Coastal Carolina was 4/13 on third downs and 1/4 on fourth downs. That’s a step in the right direction and some good positive momentum heading into the bye week.
Special Teams: B
Daniel Sparks had some issues on his kickoffs early on, sending one out of bounds for a penalty and leaving another short of the end zone, but he settled in later and got a few to go through the end zone for touchbacks. He also booted a 60-yard punt, but shanked another out of bounds for just 28 yards. All in all, Sparks averaged 46.7 yards on three punts and that’ll get the job done.
None of Will Bettridge’s field goals are going to win any beauty contests, but they all went in. Bettridge went 3/3 on field goals, including a 47-yarder that matched his career-high, and 4/4 on extra points, accounting for 13 total points.
Virginia still isn’t getting much out of the return game yet as Chris Tyree has yet to really find his rhythm. He had one return for 16 yards and Virginia did not return any punts.
That said, there were no massive special teams miscues and as long as that’s the case, Virginia will earn a satisfactory grade on special teams.
ESPN+ Broadcast Quality: F
Those that tuned in to the ESPN+ stream of Virginia’s game at Coastal Carolina will agree that this F grade is justified. That was embarrassing.
Hitting the Keys: Looking Back at Our Five Keys to Virginia vs. Coastal Carolina
By the Numbers: Breaking Down Virginia’s Win at Coastal Carolina
UVA Football: Five Takeaways From Virginia’s 43-24 Win at Coastal Carolina
Virginia Uses Dominant Ground Game to Overpower Coastal Carolina 43-24
Virginia
Giants will hold 2026 training camp in West Virginia
The New York Giants will be forced to hold their 2026 training camp, the first with John Harbaugh as head coach, out of state.
Per a report from the New York Post, the Giants will hold what will likely be the first two weeks of training camp in West Virginia at the Greenbrier Resort, located in White Sulpher Springs.
Part of the reason for the move is the fact that World Cup games will be held at MetLife Stadium this summer. There is also ongoing construction at the Giants’ facility at 1925 Giants Drive. The Giants are expanding their locker room, weight room, dining facility and office space at their headquarters, constructed in 2009. That work began before Harbaugh was named head coach.
NFL teams have used the Greenbier extensively since 2014, when it was first established to host training camp for the New Orleans Saints. The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns have held training camps there, and other have practiced there during extended road trips.
The facility has two grass fields and a FieldTurf field, as well as all of the other accommodations an NFL needs.
The Giants have trained at their own Quest Diagnostics Training Center in East Rutherford, N.J. since 2013.
Exact dates for NFL training camps have not yet been set, but the starting date is generally some time in late July. Per the Post, most practices at the Greenbrier are expected to be open to the public.
Virginia
Senate approves lawmaker pay raise as teacher pay hike stalls in Virginia budget talks
RICHMOND, Va. (WSET) — As the legislative session in Richmond comes closer to an end, lawmakers are still hard at work hammering out the budget for the year ahead. This year, the Senate has approved a pay raise for lawmakers after tabling bills that would have provided larger pay increases for teachers.
With the cost of living rising, teachers across Virginia have been watching the proposed budget closely and hoping for higher pay.
In February, a bill that would have raised teacher salaries by 4.5% each year until reaching the national average of $77,000 was tabled until next year. The decision left some educators disappointed.
“It’s definitely disappointing. We’re at a time where we are struggling to keep highly qualified staff in the buildings and in the profession, to be quite honest, because we have to compete with other industries,” Karl Loos, president of the Lynchburg Education Association, said.
SEE ALSO: ‘Strangest election cycle:’ Registrars prepare for referendum vote despite legal limbo
There is still a 3% increase for teachers included in the proposed Senate budget, and a 2% increase in the House of Delegates’ proposed budget. But Loos said a 3% raise only matches the rate of inflation, and will likely not be appealing enough to fill vacant positions.
“I think certainly teacher pay is a deterrent for a lot of people, especially as they see the amount of work that goes into it and the compensation for that work,” Loos said.
The Virginia Education Association also advocated for the 4.5% pay increase. Chad Stewart, the interim director of Government Relations and Research, said they believe budget uncertainty may have made lawmakers hesitant to commit to long-term increases they might not be able to sustain.
According to the State Fiscal Impact Statement, seen below, it would have required an additional $159.0 million in 2027, and increasing amounts for the next couple of years to meet the goal of reaching the national average.
“We’ve seen commitments going back decades from previous governors who have all stated they want to get the national teacher pay average, but no governor has ever delivered on it,” Stewart said.
Stewart said the average national pay for teachers they are hoping to meet is $77,000, and that the current average salary for teachers in the Commonwealth is around $70,000. He said ultimately it comes down to the budget, and he hopes in the following years teachers will receive that larger pay increase. Stewart said the organization hopes Gov. Spanberger will be the first to follow through on that promise.
Meanwhile, legislation that would increase pay for state lawmakers was passed in the Senate on Thursday. Republican Del. Tim Griffin of the 53rd District said he voted against the measure.
“I was outraged last week when they raised their own pay. I voted against it,” Griffin said. “When you run on affordability, I think people expected it to be more affordable for the people that live and work in Virginia, not for ourselves. It kind of defeats the purpose.”
When asked about the proposed pay increases in the House and the Senate, Campbell County Superintendent Clay Stanley said in a statement, “I am praying for 3%. Our teachers, at minimum, deserve a raise that matches the cost of living increase.”
ABC13 reached out to local Democratic lawmakers for comment on the teacher pay raise legislation, but did not receive a response.
Virginia
Why a 6-year-old with diabetes is pushing for change in Virginia – WTOP News
First grader Ruston Revell is pressing Virginia lawmakers to pass a bill that he argues will make schools safer for kids with diabetes.
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Why a 6-year-old with diabetes is pushing for change in Virginia
Speaking in front of Virginia lawmakers, 6-year-old Ruston Revell needs a wooden stool to reach the microphone for his testimony about diabetes.
Dressed in his blue suit and red tie, he’s there on a mission.
“Living with diabetes isn’t easy, there are lots of ups and downs — just like my blood sugar,” Ruston told legislators in the Virginia General Assembly.
The legislation that brought Ruston from Prince William County to Richmond would update an existing law to specify how Virginia schools handle accommodations for students with diabetes.
“When I’m at school, my nurse and all my teachers help me when I need it, but not all kids like me are that lucky,” Ruston told WTOP. “These bills change that, so kids with diabetes can be safer in schools.”
He’s testified before committees in both chambers as corresponding bills move through the Virginia General Assembly. HB1301 and SB122 have both earned support in their respective chamber.
“Although, I’m small, my voice is big and it can change the world,” Ruston said.
In his testimony, the first grader clearly explained the care he requires to manage his Type 1 diabetes during the school day.
“He just pops up on his little stool and takes control of the room,” said Kelly Revell, Ruston’s mom. “It’s usually a little quiet, and after he finishes, he gets a whole room full of applause.”
Today, Ruston enjoys playing baseball, swimming and spending time at the playground.
But things were different before his diagnosis five years ago.
A life-changing diagnosis at 15 months old
During the summer of 2020, Kelly said her son started showing signs of diabetes, such as extreme thirst — symptoms she recognized because her father had been diagnosed in his 20s.
“He would just lounge around the house and have no interest in playing with his sister,” Kelly said. “He stopped eating, so he was eventually airlifted to Children’s National in D.C., where he was admitted to the pediatric ICU for nearly a week.”
At just 15 months old, Ruston was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Kelly said that news was life-changing.
“Now, in order to keep him alive, we have to hurt him multiple times a day, by giving him four to five shots and even a dozen finger pricks just to make sure his blood sugar is in range,” she recalled.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks cells that make insulin. A lack of insulin can lead to high blood sugar, which could cause serious health issues or be deadly.
“We had to wake up at 2 a.m. every night for six weeks, before we started utilizing technology, just to make sure that he was safe and healthy with his blood sugar,” Kelly said. “A lot of times, it resulted in phone calls to the hospital because he was at a dangerous level, and then we would be up for hours making sure he was back in range.”
For the Revell family, managing Ruston’s diabetes looks different nowadays.
(Courtesy Kelly Revell)
Courtesy Kelly Revell
(Courtesy Kelly Revell)
Courtesy Kelly Revell
(Courtesy Kelly Revell)
Courtesy Kelly Revell
(Courtesy Kelly Revell)
Courtesy Kelly Revell
(Courtesy Kelly Revell)
Courtesy Kelly Revell
How a 6-year-old handles his diabetes
Ruston knows how to prick his finger to check whether his blood sugar is in range.
“My mom and dad help me change my insulin pump every three days, and my CGM every 10 days,” Ruston said, referencing his continuous glucose monitor, known as a CGM.
“It hurts, but at least I don’t have to do shots. They’re the worst.”
Living with diabetes, Ruston needs to calculate the number of carbs he’s getting to determine his insulin dose, which is administered automatically through a pump.
“He is a pro at using a food scale,” Kelly said. “If he wants to eat anything, apple slices, we cut them up, and he puts them on the food scale and determines how many carbs are in that.”
Halfway through his interview with WTOP, Ruston’s phone beeped, flagging his low blood sugar and triggering a quick juice-box break.
That’s the kind of intervention he could require at school.
“When I’m low, Nurse Barnes tells Ms. Grant for me to have a juice box or gummies,” Ruston said, describing a snack to correct his blood sugar.
At his current school, Kelly said Ruston has had all his medical accommodations met since his first day of kindergarten.
“He gets so many hugs. Everyone knows him. He walks into the front office every day to visit the clinic, and they just they really take care of him,” she said.
Things were more complicated before Ruston began kindergarten. Kelly said the family was initially told that the accommodations requested by his doctor would not be allowed.
“What was most difficult at the time was the thought that a kindergartener would be responsible for alerting adults if his phone signaled a low or high blood sugar, rather than having trained staff receive those alerts directly through available technology,” she told WTOP.
The situation was resolved, but it drew Kelly’s attention toward legal protections for kids with diabetes.
What Kelly and Ruston are asking Virginia lawmakers to do
For the past several years, Kelly has been involved with an advocacy group, FOLLOWT1Ds, which argues that unclear or inconsistent school policies can create stress for families and put kids in danger.
“Prince William County has updated their diabetes policies recently, so more students with diabetes across our county are better protected,” Kelly said. “But that’s not happening everywhere in Virginia.”
The bills moving through the Virginia legislature would require school systems to create a divisionwide plan for supporting students with diabetes.
That would include making sure school staff are trained to follow through with a child’s medical orders.
“You really have to put in all of your trust in your school,” Kelly said. “This is a life-threatening disease, and if they forget to give him a juice box when he’s low, that can result in him going to the hospital, or it could be fatal.”
The legislation would also require schools have procedures for administering insulin and glucagon.
Families who have students with diabetes would send schools medical orders from their doctors that outline the child’s needs.
“A lot of times, the schools will either deny or modify these accommodations, even though they’re medically necessary,” Kelly said.
The statewide regulations haven’t been updated since 1999, Kelly said.
“While we’ve had all of these technology advances, like the insulin pump and the CGM, Virginia still hasn’t advanced their laws to align with standard methods of care that we’re using today,” Kelly said.
Ruston doesn’t receive insulin shots anymore. But Virginia law is behind on that front, according to Kelly and other advocates.
“Right now, the policy in Virginia, if his pump were to fall off while at school, they would, instead of reinsert the pump, they would give him a shot,” Kelly said.
In that scenario, Kelly said the school employee would have to calculate how much insulin to dose.
“I wouldn’t even know what to dose him, because with the pump, it’s automated nowadays,” she said. “It would require an immediate call to his doctor for guidance.”
She worries that it could lead to a miscalculation and health complications.
Kelly said the lack of consistency can impact older students, too. She said some high schoolers have gotten in trouble for having their cellphones at schools that ban the devices.
But those phones let students monitor their blood sugar, communicate medical treatments and administer insulin.
It’s the second year in a row that advocates like Kelly have asked legislators in Richmond to approve revisions to state law.
This time, Ruston is joining the push for change by sharing his story with lawmakers.
“I want to make sure other kids in different schools can have more help with diabetes,” Ruston told WTOP.
Anyone interested in following the legislation or submitting a comment to lawmakers can find more information on FOLLOW T1Ds’ website.
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