2023 Virginia Cavaliers football team

2023 Virginia Cavaliers football
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Record	3–9 (2–6 ACC)
Head coach	Tony Elliott (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Desmond Kitchings (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple pro-style
Defensive coordinator	John Rudzinski (2nd season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–2–5
Home stadium	Scott Stadium

2023 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 6 Florida State y$		8	–	0					13	–	1
No. 19 Louisville y		7	–	1					10	–	4
No. 21 NC State		6	–	2					9	–	4
Georgia Tech		5	–	3					7	–	6
Virginia Tech		5	–	3					7	–	6
North Carolina		4	–	4					8	–	5
No. 20 Clemson		4	–	4					9	–	4
Duke		4	–	4					8	–	5
Miami (FL)		3	–	5					7	–	6
Boston College		3	–	5					7	–	6
Syracuse		2	–	6					6	–	7
Virginia		2	–	6					3	–	9
Pittsburgh		2	–	6					3	–	9
Wake Forest		1	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Florida State 16, Louisville 6
$ – Conference champion y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cavaliers were led by second-year head coach Tony Elliott and played home games at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Virginia Cavaliers football team drew an average home attendance of 43,293 in 2023.

Schedule

Virginia and the ACC announced the 2023 football schedule on January 30, 2023. The 2023 season was the conference's first season since 2004, other than 2020, with a scheduling format not split into two divisions. The new format sets Virginia with three set conference opponents, while playing the remaining ten teams twice (home and away) in a four-year cycle. The Cavaliers' three set conference opponents for the next four years are Louisville, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	12:00 p.m.	vs. No. 12 Tennessee*	Nissan Stadium Nashville, TN (SEC Nation)	ABC	L 13–49	69,507
September 9	12:00 p.m.	James Madison*	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	ESPNU	L 35–36	56,508
September 15	7:00 p.m.	at Maryland*	SECU Stadium College Park, MD (rivalry)	FS1	L 14–42	37,041
September 22	7:30 p.m.	NC State	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	ESPN	L 21–24	42,979
September 30	2:00 p.m.	at Boston College	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	The CW	L 24–27	41,868
October 7	12:00 p.m.	No. 10 (FCS) William & Mary*	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	ACCN	W 27–13	38,289
October 21	6:30 p.m.	at No. 10 North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC (South's Oldest Rivalry)	The CW	W 31–27	50,500
October 28	3:30 p.m.	at Miami (FL)	Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, FL	ACCN	L 26–29 OT	58,503
November 4	2:00 p.m.	Georgia Tech	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	The CW	L 17–45	42,606
November 9	7:30 p.m.	at No. 11 Louisville	L&N Stadium Louisville, KY	ESPN	L 24–31	44,628
November 18	3:00 p.m.	Duke	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	The CW	W 30–27	36,400
November 25	3:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA (Commonwealth Cup)	ACCN	L 17–55	42,976
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

Roster

2023 Virginia Cavaliers football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class RB 0 Cody Brown  So WR 1 Suderian Harrison Fr RB 2 Perris Jones  Sr WR 3 Delaney Crawford  Fr WR 4 Malik Washington GS RB 5 Kobe Pace Sr RB 7 Mike Hollins GS WR 8 Malachi Fields  So RB 9 Amaad Foston  So QB 10 Anthony Colandrea Fr QB 11 Tony Muskett Sr QB 13 Jared Rayman  Sr WR 17 JR Wilson So WR 18 Jaden Gibson Fr QB 19 Grady Brosterhous  Fr RB 20 Xavier Brown So WR 21 Landon Spell  Fr QB 22 Devin Sherwood  Fr RB 25 Donté Hawthorne Fr WR 26 Ethan Davies  So WR 27 KJ Bratton  Fr RB 28 Noah Vaughn Fr RB 34 Kevin Chadwick Jr. Fr RB 34 Jack Griese  Fr TE 44 Sackett Wood Jr. Sr OT 50 Jimmy Christ GS C 51 Ty Furnish  So OT 52 McKale Boley So C 53 Dawson Alters  Fr OT 54 Blake Steen  Fr C 55 Brian Stevens GS OT 57 Andy Lutes Fr G 58 Noah Hartsoe  Fr OT 60 Charlie Patterson  So G 61 Dane Steele Fr G 63 Joey Kagel  So G 64 Cole Surber Fr OT 68 Jack Witmer  So G 69 Luke Johnson  Jr G 70 Grant Lanham  So G 71 Ugonna Nnanna Sr G 72 Snoop Leota-Amaama  Fr G 74 Noah DeMeritt  Fr OT 75 Houston Curry  Fr G 77 Noah Josey  So G 78 Jestus Johnson III  Jr OL 79 Jessie Knight Sr WR 80 TyLyric Coleman Fr TE 81 TeKai Kirby Fr WR 82 Eli Wood  Fr WR 83 Dakota Twitty  Fr WR 84 Dillon Tennyson  So TE 85 Grant Misch  Sr WR 86 Claiborne Richards Fr WR 87 Titus Ivy Fr TE 88 Karson Gay  Fr TE 89 Joshua Rawlings  Jr TE 93 Henry Duke  So TE 94 Hayden Rollison Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class S 0 Antonio Clary Sr DE 1 Paul Akere GS LB 2 Stevie Bracey So LB 3 Langston Long Jr CB 4 Dave Herard  Jr LB 5 Kam Robinson Fr CB 6 Dre Walker Fr LB 7 James Jackson Jr CB 8 Malcolm Greene GS DB 9 Coen King  Sr DE 10 Ben Smiley III  Sr CB 11 William Simpkins III  So CB 13 Sam Westfall GS DE 14 Miles Greene Fr DE 15 Chico Bennett Jr. GS LB 16 Trey McDonald  Fr S 17 Aidan Ryan  So DT 18 Michael Diatta  So DT 19 Olasunkonmi Agunloye  Jr S 20 Jonas Sanker Jr S 21 Donovan Johnson Sr.  Jr CB 22 Elijah Gaines  Jr CB 23 Tayvonn Kyle  Sr DT 25 Terrell Jones  Fr S 26 Caleb Hardy Fr CB 27 Trent Baker-Booker Fr LB 28 Sam Brady  Jr S 29 Davis Lane Jr.  Fr S 30 Addie Burrow Sr CB 31 Micah Gaffney  So S 32 Landon Danley Fr LB 33 Josh Ahern  Sr S 36 Carlo Thompson  Fr S 37 John Hurley  Fr DE 38 Mekhi Buchanan Fr S 39 Robbie Engelberg  Fr LB 40 Rob Keys Fr LB 42 Kendall Cross  So LB 43 Logan Kotter  Fr DE 44 Brayden Sheffer  Jr S 46 Devin Clark Fr DE 47 Gabe Sneed Fr LB 49 Josh McCarron  So DE 52 Nate Morris  Jr LB 53 Justin Stewart Fr DE 54 Joseph Holland III  So DT 55 Anthony Britton Fr DE 56 Caleb Stoltz Sr DT 59 Jack Hardy  Jr DE 82 Kam Butler GS DE 88 Lorenz Terry  So DT 89 Sam Bond  So DT 90 Jahmeer Carter Sr DT 91 Jason Hammond Fr DT 92 Andrew Williams  So DE 93 Jonathan Horton  Jr DT 94 Aaron Faumui Sr DT 95 Nana Appouh Fr DT 96 Bryce Carter  So DT 98 Bryce Purnell  Fr DE 99 DJ Jones Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class LS 32 Luke Byrne  So P 38 Daniel Sparks Sr K 41 Will Bettridge So LS 45 Aidan Livingston GS K 47 Vadin Bruot  Fr K 98 Matt Ganyard  Sr P/PK 99 Elijah Slibeck Fr	Head coach Tony Elliott Coordinators/assistant coaches Des Kitchings – Offensive coordinator/ Tight ends John Rudzinski – Defensive coordinator/ Defensive backs Keith Gaither – Special teams coordinator/ Running backs Curome Cox – Defensive passing game coordinator/ Defensive backs Dave Patenaude – Senior offensive analyst Chris Slade – Defensive ends Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster

Game summaries

vs Tennessee

See also: 2023 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Game One – Virginia Cavaliers (0-0) vs No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers (0-0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Virginia	0	3	7	3	13
No. 12 Tennessee	7	14	14	14	49

at Nissan Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee

• Date: Saturday, September 2, 2023
• Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny, 80 °F (27 °C)
• Game attendance: 69,507
• Referee: Matt Loeffler
• TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), Katie George (sideline)

Game information

First quarter (12:05) TENN – Dylan Sampson 9-yard pass from Joe Milton III (Charles Campbell kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:55; Tennessee 7-0) Second quarter (4:41) TENN – Dylan Sampson 3-yard run (Charles Campbell kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 90 yards, 4:52; Tennessee 14-0) (1:42) UVA – Will Bettridge 30-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 52 yards, 2:59; Tennessee 14-3) (0:06) TENN – Joe Milton III 1-yard run (Charles Campbell kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:36; Tennessee 21-3) Third quarter (10:52) TENN – Joe Milton III 1-yard run (Charles Campbell kick) (Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 3:10; Tennessee 28-3) (7:23) TENN – Dylan Sampson 2-yard run (Charles Campbell kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 2:28; Tennessee 35-3) (3:05) UVA – Perris Jones 17-yard run (Will Bettridge kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:18; Tennessee 35-10) Fourth quarter (13:36) TENN – Jacob Warren 11-yard pass from Joe Milton III (Charles Campbell kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 27 yards, 2:03; Tennessee 42-10) (11:06) TENN – Dylan Sampson 3-yard run (Charles Campbell kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 1:40; Tennessee 49-10) (0:39) UVA – Will Bettridge 40-yard field goal (Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 3:57; Tennessee 49-13)

Statistics	UVA	TENN
First downs	12	29
Total yards	64–201	85–499
Rushing yards	40–95	52–287
Passing yards	106	212
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	11–24–0	23–33–0
Time of possession	32:54	27:06

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Virginia	Passing	Tony Muskett	9/17, 94 yards
	Rushing	Perris Jones	7 carries, 39 yards, TD
	Receiving	Malachi Fields	4 receptions, 63 yards
Tennessee	Passing	Joe Milton III	21/30, 201 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Jaylen Wright	12 carries, 115 yards
	Receiving	Ramel Keyton	3 receptions, 66 yards

at Maryland

See also: 2023 Maryland Terrapins football team

Pregame line	Over/under
MD -16.5	48.5

Game Three – Virginia Cavaliers (0–2) at Maryland Terrapins (2–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Cavaliers	14	0	0	0	14
Terrapins	7	7	7	21	42

at SECU Stadium • College Park, Maryland

• Date: September 15th
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT/12:30 p.m. PDT
• Game attendance: 37,041
• Referee: Mike Roche
• TV announcers (FS1): Eric Collins (play-by-play) and Devin Gardner (analyst)

Game information

First quarter 12:25 UVA - Perris Jones 13-yard run (Will Bettridge kick) - 7-0 Virginia, Drive: 3 plays, 65 yards, 1:20 4:16 UVA - Kobe Pace 19-yard pass from Anthony Colandrea (Will Bettridge kick) - 14-0 Virginia, Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:59 4:03 MD - Braeden Wisloski 98-yard kickoff return (Jack Howes kick) - 14-7 Virginia, Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00 Second quarter 1:23 MD - Roman Hemby 3-yard run (Jack Howes kick) - 14-14, Drive: 14 plays, 97 yards, 6:23 Third quarter 9:47 MD - Jeshaun Jones 64-yard pass from Taulia Tagovailoa (Jack Howes kick) - 21-14 Maryland, Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 2:39 Fourth quarter 11:10 MD - Roman Hemby 3-yard run (Jack Howes kick) - 28-14 Maryland, Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 3:34 10:25 MD - Antwain Littleton II 2-yard run (Jack Howes kick) - 35-14 Maryland, Drive: 3 plays, 30 yards, 0:37 5:58 MD - Colby McDonald 1-yard run (Jack Howes kick) - 42-14 Maryland, Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 3:18

Statistics	Virginia	Maryland
First downs	25	20
Plays–yards	69-354	61-461
Rushes–yards	30-91	31-119
Passing yards	263	342
Passing: comp–att–int	23-39-3	19-30-0
Time of possession	31:27	28:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Virginia	Passing	Anthony Colandrea	23/39, 263 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
	Rushing	Perris Jones	9 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Malik Washington	9 receptions, 141 yards
Maryland	Passing	Taulia Tagovailoa	19/30, 342 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Colby McDonald	10 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jeshaun Jones	5 receptions, 96 yards, 1 TD

NC State

See also: 2023 NC State Wolfpack football team

Pregame line	Over/under
NCSU –8.5	47.5

Game Four – NC State Wolfpacks (1–1) at Virginia Cavaliers (0–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolfpack	0	14	7	3	24
Cavaliers	0	7	6	8	21

at Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, VA

• Date: September 22, 2023
• Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT/4:30 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 42,979
• Referee: Riley Johnson
• TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), Paul Carcaterra (sideline)

Game information

First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter 4:55 NCSU – KC Concepcion 12-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Brayden Narveson kick) – 7–0 NC State, Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 2:43 1:46 UVA – Malik Washington 8-yard pass from Anthony Colandrea (Will Bettridge kick) – 7–7 Tied, Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:09 0:28 NCSU – Delbert Mimms III 1-yard run (Brayden Narveson kick) – 14–7 NC State, Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 2:36 Third quarter 6:48 UVA – Will Bettridge 21-yard field goal – 14–10 NC State, Drive: 5 plays, 60 yards, 1:59 2:24 UVA – Will Betridge 36-yard field goal – 14–13 NC State, Drive: 5 plays, 38 yards, 2:58 0:11 NCSU – KC Concepcion 48-yard pass from Brennan Armstrong (Brayden Narveson kick) – 21–13 NC State, Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:13 Fourth quarter 0:36 UVA – Malik Washington 3-yard pass from Anthony Colandrea (Malachi Fields pass from Anthony Colandrea for 2-point conversion) – 21–21 Tied, Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 2:53 0:00 NCSU – Brayden Narveson 33-yard field goal – 24–21 NC State, Drive 5 plays, 33 yards, 0:36

Statistics	NCSU	UVA
First downs	21	20
Total yards	319	384
Rushing yards	139	113
Passing yards	180	271
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	27:26	32:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
NC State	Passing	Brennan Armstrong	15–30, 180 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Brennan Armstrong	15 rushes, 64 yards
	Receiving	KC Concepcion	6 receptions, 116 yards, 2 TD
Virginia	Passing	Anthony Colandrea	18–30, 271 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
	Rushing	Anthony Colandrea	13 rushes, 43 yards
	Receiving	Malik Washington	10 receptions, 170 yards, 2 TD

Virginia Tech

See also: 2023 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

Game Twelve – Virginia Tech Hokies (5–6) at Virginia Cavaliers (3–8) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Virginia Tech	10	14	24	7	55
Virginia	0	0	10	7	17

at Scott Stadium • Charlottesville, VA

• Date: November 25, 2023
• Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: sunny • Temperature: 43 °F (6 °C)
• Game attendance: 42,976
• Referee: Gary Patterson

Game information

First Quarter (9:58) VT – John Love 41 yd Field Goal (Drive: 11 plays, 52 yards, 5:02; VT 3–0) (3:21) VT - Stephen Gosnell 44 yd Pass From Kyron Drones (John Love Kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:24; VT 10-0) Second Quarter (13:53) VT – Tucker Holloway 33 yd Rush (John Love Kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 2:32; VT 17–0) (5:30) VT - Bhayshul Tuten 32 yd Rush (John Love Kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2:16; VT 24-0) Third Quarter (11:12) VT - Da'Quan Felton 84 yd Pass From Kyron Drones (John Love Kick) (Drive: 1 play, 84 yards, 0:15; VT 31-0) (7:44) UVA - Will Bettridge 25 yd Field Goal (Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 3:28; VT 31-3) (7:28) VT - Bhayshul Tuten 94 yd Kickoff Return (John Love Kick) (VT 38-3) (6:07) UVA - Malachi Fields 38 yd Pass From Anthony Colandrea (Will Bettridge Kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 47 yards, 1:21; VT 38-10) (4:34) VT - John Love 47 yd Field Goal (Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:33; VT 41-10) (0:18) VT - Da'Quan Felton 34 yd Pass From Kyron Drones (John Love Kick) (Drive: 3 plays, 33 yards, 1:03; VT 48-10) Fourth Quarter (9:18) UVA - Malachi Fields 3 yd Pass From Anthony Colandrea (Will Bettridge Kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 78 yards, 3:28; VT 48-17) (3:53) VT - Malachi Thomas 7 yd Rush (John Love Kick) (Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 5:25; VT 55-17)

Statistics	VT	UVA
First downs	16	18
Total yards	500	286
Rush yards	252	43
Passing yards	248	243
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	28:46	31:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Virginia Tech	Passing	Kyron Drones	10/22, 244 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Bhayshul Tuten	16 carries, 117 yards, TD
	Receiving	Da'Quan Felton	3 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD
Virginia	Passing	Anthony Colandrea	29/46, 243 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Donte Hawthorne	4 carries, 16 yards
	Receiving	Malik Washington	14 receptions, 115 yards

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2024 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
6	184	Malik Washington	WR	Miami Dolphins