Virginia
Virginia Football: Tony Elliott Open to Playing Both Quarterbacks
Tony Elliott held his final press conference of fall camp on Monday evening and, somewhat expectedly, he has yet to name a starting quarterback as the competition between Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea continues with less than two weeks remaining before the 2024 Virginia football season begins.
Here’s what Elliott said on Monday about his timeline for determining the starting quarterback for week 1.
“I’m hopeful that, as we get through this week, in fairness to whoever it is, he’ll at least have a week to prep as the starter, but we’re gonna have some tough conversations with all of our personnel over the next couple of days,” Elliott said. “This is a little bit different because of the times that we’ve had in camp. We’ve really been able to push these competitions to get a good body of work to make decisions. So, I’m hopeful that sometime this week, we should be able to settle in on who’s going to be the guy, or if it’s going to be a combination of both of them, again. For those guys, they’ve battled their tail off. They’ve both done a good job. And now it’s on us as coaches to do the right thing based on the body of work as we truly evaluate it and what gives us the best chance to go win football games.”
It was always a possibility, and a relatively likely one, that Elliott would wait until the week of UVA’s season-opener against Richmond to publicly name a quarterback. But not only has Elliott and the Cavalier coaching staff not given any indication as to which way they are leaning as fall camp comes to a close, but Elliott also said he hasn’t ruled out playing both quarterbacks. When asked about the possibility of playing both quarterbacks, this was his answer:
“That’s to be determined. If that’s the way that it shakes out, you know, that’s the way that it shakes out. And again, we’ll have those conversations and see what’s best for the football team,” said Elliott. “I think you got both guys that are very, very capable. But I’m not gonna say yes, I’m not gonna say no. Those will be conversations that we’ll have the rest of this week to determine as we get ready to prep and how we need to prep for Richmond.”
Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea both started six games last season and each had their ups and downs, which is why this quarterback competition is so close. But last season, all of the games Colandrea started were with Muskett unable to play due to various injuries. Now, both quarterbacks are healthy and Elliott and his coaching staff have a tough decision to make with many factors to be considered.
Which quarterback gives Virginia the best chance to win? How long is the leash for the eventual starter in week 1? Does Tony Muskett’s experience give him the nod or does Anthony Colandrea’s future potential as a younger player make a difference? Does playing both quarterbacks in the same game offer more benefits than drawbacks?
I, for one, do not envy the UVA coaching staff for the decision before them, but the clock is ticking.
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CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — West Virginia has plenty of state symbols, be it the black bear as the state animal, the cardinal as the state bird or the rhododendron as the state flower, but did you know that the Mountain State also has its own official gun?
The Hall Flintlock Model 1819 was first manufactured in Harpers Ferry by John H. Hall in 1811 and was adopted by the United States Army in 1819, making it the first breech-loading rifle ever adopted by a country’s military.
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Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution -
Model 1819 Hall Breechloading Rifle presented by Congress to Gustavous A. Bird for his participation in the Battle of Plattsburgh 9/11/1814 by John C. Bird via the Smithsonian Institution
All of this information is listed in Senate Concurrent Resolution 7, which was introduced and passed during the 2013 West Virginia Legislative session, and officially recognizes the Model 1819 as the official firearm of the State of West Virginia.
On top of being created in West Virginia, the resolution also points out that the rifle saw use during the Civil War, an event that directly led to West Virginia’s statehood.
While having an officially recognized state firearm may seem far-fetched, West Virginia is not the only state that has one. As a matter of fact, a fifth of the states in the country have officially designated a state firearm, including West Virginia’s neighbors in Kentucky and Pennsylvania.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches.
That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer.
“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”
The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s.
But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers.
“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”
On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli.
It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist.
“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said.
The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship.
Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment.
Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day.
Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years.
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. (WSET) — Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.
The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.
In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.
SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues
John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.
Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.
“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.
Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.
City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.
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