The football program at Virginia has come off to a relatively good start, garnering three wins and only dropping one contest against Maryland. The cavaliers will have to rely on a number of key players to keep this success afloat. 

QB Anthony Colandrea

Colandrea is no surprise here. He is the starting quarterback and the engine of this Cavalier offense. The sophomore has been clocking an encouraging upward trend in his completion percentage and touchdown numbers. His completion percentage was around 75% for the first two games of the season before a drop to 56% against Maryland. Colandrea picked it up against Coastal Carolina, clocking in at 65%. He also threw for two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina and Richmond, three against Wake Forest. but threw for zero against Maryland. He will have to make sure to limit turnovers, however, as he threw two interceptions each against Wake Forest and Maryland. Colandrea’s ability to protect the ball on offense and continue to improve will determine the future of the Cavalier football season. 

WR Malachi Fields

Malachi Fields has been the leader on the receiving front for Virginia. He collected two touchdowns against Coastal Carolina and had 100+ receiving yards versus Richmond and Wake Forest. The 6’4 Charlottesville native seems to be picking up steam, which could be invaluable for the Cavaliers if he can keep it up. Fields must stay cool under pressure as he will continue to draw the top cover-guys from ACC squads and be tested in the latter part of the schedule. 

RB Xavier Brown

Xavier Brown had a killer performance against Coast Carolina. He rushed for 171 yards with his longest run going for 75 yards . This was the definition of a breakout game, as he had not recorded over 100 rushing yards in a single game in his career. This showing may be enough to make him the starter at running back. Can he continue to put together strong rushing numbers as the season progresses? His ability to do so would be invaluable to the Cavaliers.

TE Tyler Neville

Tyler Neville represents a new age for Virginia. He notably collected two touchdowns against Wake Forest. The Cavaliers have not utilized tight ends in the passing game often since Jelani Woods in 2021. He racked up 57 receiving yards against Maryland as well but only had 31 receiving yards against Coastal Carolina. His performance against Wake Forest is certainly an indicator of the great potential Neville holds. If the Cavaliers can find a consistent place for Neville in their passing game, they will find themselves with a sneaky weapon to utilize. 

Safeties Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary

Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary are important as duo and leaders of the defense. There’s an argument to be made that these two make up one of the best, if not the best, safety tandem in the ACC currently. These two need to chase the ball and force takeaways, however. Clary recorded an interception against Coastal Carolina, the first of the season for the UVA defense. Sanker and Clary have made over 70 tackles between the two of them. Their ability to cause turnovers and make interceptions will give Virginia the turning-point advantage that they really need. 

LB Kam Robinson

Kam Robinson was a notable absence in the Hoos’ only loss of the season versus Maryland. The defeat was not exactly a defensive issue, but Robinson would certainly have been able to provide a greater chance of victory. The linebacker has made 15 tackles in 3 games, including a sack against Wake Forest. His potential is high and his true impact has not been fully revealed as of yet.

DE Kam Butler

Kam Butler is a player that could be invaluable to the Hoos if he rises to the occasion. The remarkable seventh-year player has the opportunity to put pressure on opposing QBs, which will give the team a much needed boost in the pass-rushing department for the next stretch of the season. So far, he has made 15 tackles with one sack at Coastal Carolina. He’ll have to utilize his experience and game-sense in order to fuel an effective pass rush for the Cavalier for the rest of the season.

Bonus: Grady Brosterhous

We have to give a shoutout to the leader of the Grady Bunch. The junior quarterback is something of a QB sneak specialist. He has recorded just 10 yards over the whole season, but these have led to three touchdowns. If Brosterhous can be a consistent goal line playmaker for the Cavaliers this will prove to be a valuable tool on 4th and short situations. 

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Virginia Tech was faced with a big challenge on defense this past week, facing off against Miami, arguably one of the best offenses in the nation.

There were some last-second fireworks, but Virginia Tech unfortunately could not pull away. 

The defense though, showed promise in some moments, as Miami only punted twice. There’s pros and cons to that as well, Miami scored on over 54% of those drives, and out of all of the scoring drives all but one were touchdowns. 

There were also some good individual performances as well, granted some performances which are tainted by the result, but still good overall. Aeneas Peebles, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and Caleb Woodson all had sacks. Kaleb Spencer and Mose Phillips both came up with interceptions, and both returned them quite a ways. Dorian Strong also had some significant impact, helping both Phillips and Spencer on their interceptions.

So how did Virginia Tech defensive players grade out on PFF (Pro Football Focus)? Here are the grades for each defensive player with their snap count in parentheses.

1. DT Aeneas Peebles- 82.9 (44)

2. SS Kaleb Spencer- 73.2 (27)

3. DT Kelvin Gilliam- 69.5 (33)

4. LB Caleb Woodson- 67.4 (44)

5. SS Quintin Reddish- 66.9 (32)

6. S Mose Phillips- 65.6 (55)

7. DE Jason Abbey- 65.4 (8)

8. DT Wilfried Pene- 63.8 (39)

9. CB Dante Lovett- 63.2 (26)

10. DT Josh Fuga- 60.6 (30)

11. LB Sam Brumfield- 60.2 (43)

11. Mansoor Delane- 60.2 (71)

13. RE Malachi Madison- 59.1 (2)

14. CB Dorian Strong- 58.2 (72)

15. DE Aycen Stevens- 57.0 (11)

16. S Jaylen Jones- 56.3 (42)

17. DE Antwaun Powell-Ryland- 56.2 (39)

18. DE Keyshawn Burgos- 55.7 (42)

19. DE Cole Nelson- 52.8 (46)

20. C.J. McCray- 48.8 (2)

21. S Keonta Jenkins- 46.7 (40)

22. LB Jaden Keller- 46.0 (37)

23. LB Keli Lawson- 38.2 (29)

The ACC issued a statement on the controversial call that ended the Friday night matchup between Virginia Tech and Miami.

With three seconds left on the game clock, VT QB Kyron Drones launched a 30-yard bomb to Da’Quan Felton, who hauled in the miraculous Hail Mary. However, after nearly 10 minutes of deliberation, the referees overturned the call and Miami walked away with a 38-34 triumph.

“During the review process of the last play,” the statement read, “It was determined that the loose ball was touched by a Miami player while he was out of bounds which makes it an incomplete pass and immediately ends the play.”

There were obviously mixed reactions to the ending of what became a classic between Virginia Tech and Miami.

After the game, Miami QB Cam Ward didn’t hesitate to take to social media. In the win, Cam Ward completed 24-of-his-38 pass attempts for 348 passing yards and four touchdowns while throwing two interceptions. It’s only the latest standout performance for the Heisman Trophy candidate.

Ward’s choice of emojis in his post mimics his famous touchdown celebration. After the senior QB finds the end zone, he’ll often cover his face with one hand while waving his other hand in front of him. The post is salt in the wound for Virginia Tech fans, who took issue with the game’s controversial ending.

Virginia Tech fans weren’t the only ones who didn’t agree with the referees’ decision in favor of Miami. ESPN analyst Andre Ware believed the call shouldn’t have been overturned and sympathized with the Hokies faithful.

“A lot of conversations about that because I just don’t know where you see it on the replay to reverse the call on the field,” Ware said. “And had it been called incomplete, see it that way. I just thought the ruling – whatever was called on the field should stand. That’s tough.”