UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

August 29, 2023

Tony Elliott

Press Conference

Q. Hey, Tony in what area or areas would you most like to see improvement in this opener and the whole season from last year?

TONY ELLIOTT: The areas for me is consistency on both sides of the ball. Just to be consistent. To be competitive and be consistent and not beat ourselves.

I like to see us from a special teams standpoint show a better understanding of schematically what we're doing. We spent a lot of time in fall camp really, really emphasizing the fundamentals of special teams.

I would like the defense to continue to show the consistency they had. I think when I referred to consistency I was talking more about the offensive side of ball.

Those are the areas that I'm looking for. And then effort. Not improve, but consistent effort as well.

I thought the guys played hard but we need to continue to do that in order to be able to get to where we want to go.

Q. Tony, it's been a long time since guys played a game. Have you felt the anticipation start to build a little bit this week with your team, and can you sense the excitement level?

TONY ELLIOTT: Yeah, it started last week when we broke camp. In the first practice back you kind of felt like we're getting ready for a game.

Today, it was good to see the excitement. Guys were a little bit -- showing that they're a little bit tired of each other, trying to get a little scrappy, which was a good thing.

So definitely can feel the anticipation. The guys have had good energy from the start of camp. They continue to have good energy, which you can feel and you're starting to hear them say it's game week, getting ready.

So the guys are definitely excited and you can feel it.

Q. Tony Muskett has played a bunch of college football; he hasn't played in a stadium this size, not this level. What is kind of your anticipation and how are you coaching him in terms of the emotions of what is a debut for him?

TONY ELLIOTT: Just be himself. At the end of the day, it's about just playing your game, doing what it is that has always made you successful, not trying to do too much.

For him our message is don't need to be Superman, don't need to be a super hero. Just go on yourself and have fun and enjoy the moment.

And for all the guys in particular this is probably going to be an environment that they may played in before, and so they got to be ready. They can't become overwhelmed by the environment.

So you play for the roar of the crowd. There is no question about it, but after you hear that initial roar then you got to lock in and just go do your job.

A lot of times what happens is you get into a zone and you block out what's going on around you and you're just focusing. Really that's the message for him and everybody, just go be who I've seen you guys be for the last six, seven months.

Q. Last time we talked to you, some of your offensive linemen were banged up. You were hoping to get them back for Tennessee. Can you talk about the health of the offensive line?

TONY ELLIOTT: Good point there. Feel a lot better about that today than the last time that we talked. Boley is back this practice. Stevie's back in practice, so we feel good.

Jimmy is still about a week away, and then Houston, we are hoping in the next couple weeks will be able to get some work.

But we feel good about the five we're going to run out there and we've been able to have them the last several practices together, working together.

There was a stretch during camp at all positions where guys were up and down just because the nature of the game, but I feel better about where we are with Boley being back at left.

And then now Ugonna. We've been working him at guard and now we are playing him at tackle, so got him at tackle. Ty has been steady and Josey has been healthy for a couple weeks now.

So we feel much better there.

Q. With your days at Clemson you coached in some really high profile games against big time opponents. Does that help you better in a game like this and terms of preparation, knowing or telling your team was what expect?

TONY ELLIOTT: You're getting into the good stuff right there. This week it's been about trying to prepare these guys for the environment. It's going to be loud. There will be a lot of excitement. I think more so the crowd as much as the anticipation of wanting to play.

This football team hasn't played if a long time. Been a very long off-season. So helping the guys understand how to channel that emotion, not play the game before you show up. Don't play the game in the locker room. You're going to have to make sure that you manage -- and kind of the analogy I've been using is gas in your tank -- you got manage it.

You can't use it all in the first quarter, first five minutes. You got to be able to use to each quarter, each play, and not be too emotionally involved in the game.

What I've learned in games like this is the emotions are high early, and then comes down to who can lock in, focus, and then when you get into the course of the game where there is momentum changes, can you stay steady so that you can continue to do what you need to do to give yourself an opportunity to be in position.

But definitely focusing on just teaching these guys how to manage their emotions. Don't play the game the night before, right? Don't play it on the bus ride to the stadium.

So just giving them tips on how to manage themselves so they're prepared to play for four quarters.

Q. You talked in November a lot about turning tragedy into triumph. I know mourning isn't a linear timeline, but is there some anticipation or excitement of now maybe entering into that triumph stage or just getting to honor your guys every Saturday now?

TONY ELLIOTT: That's a great question there because every day is the triumph for us. I believe as a program, every day that we continue to wake up and come to work, put our best foot forward, that's the triumph in all of this.

Now we have an opportunity on a national stage to show just how resilient the human spirit is, and that's what I'm looking forward to, is just seeing the guys play in way that inspires people.

Because we know the responsibility that we have to the legacies of the ones that we lost and we've got a great opportunity. Football is a great unifier as I've said before.

People will be watching. The situation is gonna come back up. It's going to be right in front of us and we have a chance to say, you know what? We're going to accept the challenge and be the ones that's going to triumph every single day.

The outcome of the game don't necessarily determine the triumph. For me it's about how the guys play. And they if they play in a way that inspires others then they're going to give themselves a chance in each game they play to be in it all the way to the end.

We got to learn as a program how to win football games. That's not an easy thing. A lot of people say it, but it's a mindset, a mentality, and it takes experience going through the process to be able to develop that mindset.

So really, really excited for our guys to play. Definitely going to be carrying the Davis family, the Chandler, family, the Perry family with us when we step on the field knowing their sons should have been with us, and we're going to try and use that energy and channel it to play in such a way that everyone says, you know what, that's triumphant bunch of individuals considering everything they been through.

Q. For guys like Suderian or even Will Bettridge wearing 41 and wearing 1, how have you seen them step into that role of honoring them by wearing their jerseys?

TONY ELLIOTT: Bettridge's being a teammate of D'Sean was excited about the opportunity. You see that every day. He carries himself in a way as to represent D'Sean.

Suderian coming from the same high school as Lavel, what you seen from him is just humility, a lot of energy, a lot of excitement. Also he understands the responsibility of being that same high school had a relationship with Lavel prior to coming to Virginia.

Q. We'll have information next week about special activities around the James Madison game, but because you brought up the numbers, coach, you might want to -- you visited in the spring, the legacy patches, so explain that a little bit more?

TONY ELLIOTT: So the first thing after everything happened and you start to gain your wits about you again and start thinking about football, one thing I wanted from us as a program is to make sure their legacies are visible every time we step on the field.

That was the motivation behind the patches that are going to be on 1, 15, and 41. Right now we had several guys already in those numbers that are wearing them. Obviously Will Bettridge, a relationship with D'Sean and his family, the transition of 41.

And then the connection between the same high school with Suderian.

And going forward, as things continue to progress, we'll get input from the families. It'll be a selection process to be able to wear those jersey numbers. For me it was about being able to honor them every time we step on the field.

So not only did you see the No. 1, 15, or 41, but you also had the patch that has their names, initials, and all that stuff on it.

Q. I know you mentioned the health of the O-line. Chico Bennett is not on the depth chart. Do you have a timeline for him to return and any other injuries?

TONY ELLIOTT: He was pushing for this week, and obviously it was a big scare for all of us. It's a crazy story. He was taking a knee after practice and next thing you know he can't straighten his leg. We're like, oh, Lord, what just happened?

We're very fortunate that it was a minor procedure where they had to remove some bone fragments. So it's really how quickly can the swelling go down. There was nothing structurally wrong. I was just walking over here with him. He's walking good. He is back running a little bit.

So I'm anticipating next week is realistic for him.

Injury-wise, guys, Donovan Johnson is still a couple weeks away. Xavier Brown is couple weeks away from being ready to go. I'm trying to think anymore long-term guys.

Will Simpkins is back running and cutting, so I anticipate him back.

Hamstring with Titus Ivy. Young guy, Caleb Hardy is coming back from an ankle, and I anticipate those will be are week to week.

We should get some more guys back next week. Chico was pushing for this week, but probably was a smartest thing just to wait and hold him until next week.

Gives Ben Smiley a great opportunity. I'm excited about that. He'll be a great opportunity, and I'm sure Chico will give him some tips to help him be prepared.

Chico is the biggest one. The other injuries we didn't anticipate having this week, and I am hoping in the next week or two we will have some of those guys back.

Q. How about Antonio Clarey?

TONY ELLIOTT: Clarey, so he's pushing for trying to be ready this week. I think he would be a guy that would be limited, but if we needed him, we could get some work out of him. That will be more of a game-time decision.

Q. Moving from those guys, some of the defensive guys, this is a very fast paced offense.

TONY ELLIOTT: Yes.

Q. What stands out on film?

TONY ELLIOTT: They're good. They're really good. What they do is people talk about the pace, but it's as much of how they spread the field. If you watch them, their splits are a little bit unorthodox. They kind of go against convention when you start talking about the spacing. They really, really push the wideouts wide to the sideline, but then what is does is it forces the defense to make a decision.

If you're doing that and changing formations, depending on how your defense adjusts, you could have traveling back and forth with some of your secondary guys which creates a problem in terms of getting lined up.

They're physical up front. They can run the football. Quarterback, man, he is a stud. He can run it and throw it. Is a throw guy first, but, man, when he pulls it down it's pretty scary.

The backs run hard. Offensive line-wise I know they got a little bit of transition with a couple guys. I anticipate that you'll a see very similar group that's physical, can protect the quarterback, but then also create movement in the run game.

So for our defense we're going to have to be very, very quick after the whistle and get the call and get lined up. That's something I've always challenged the guys is to win between the plays, and the way you win between the plays is your intensity, focus, and sense of urgency.

Can you hurry up and get the call and get lined up and go ahead and process the play before the ball is snapped? So the speed and then just the width of the splits. The ability for them to do a lot of different things. They motion the stacks. They do a lot of good stuff, and they do it fast.

They also -- they kind of break your rules. That's the tough part. From a defensive perspective you have rules, spacing on the field, certain landmarks, and now they're outside your landmarks so all your training is outside the window. Now you have to adjust specifically to the spacing a lot like preparing for option football, right?

So it goes against the rules. Even though it looks very similar to what you're seeing in college football, the fact that those guys are pushed to the sideline, leverages change, all kind of different things change.

Now what it does, especially in the run game, it creates just one-on-one matchups without the support being able to get there, right, because they got to defend the perimeter. So it's a big challenge.

Q. You had Kobe Pace for a couple years at Clemson. He's been here for eight months or so. Is it fair to say that injuries have held him back more than anything?

TONY ELLIOTT: No question. No question. He's as talented as any of the guys that I've coached. I know people you coached Travis Etienne. Let's not compare anybody to Travis Etienne. He was the unicorn.

Kobe is a complete back. He can do everything. Big guy, but has better feet, body balance, and vision than you would anticipate from a big guy.

So he's not just a plugger. He can find the holes and he can split out and catch the ball. He is 215 pounds and one of the strangest guys in the weight room. It's been injuries, and unfortunately for him he plays a position where there is going to be a lot of contact, right, a lot of the contact.

For us, unfortunately he went down for a couple days, but he's been working his way back. I feel good about the rotation. I think nowadays you're seeing that's the strategy with backs, is to do it by committee. I anticipate that you'll see a lot of him, Mike, Perris early on for us.

Q. You touched on the tempo that Tennessee plays with. How do you guys simulate that in practice?

TONY ELLIOTT: Oh, man, we got the scout team going fast, fast as we possibly can. Coaches straining and pushing the guys to get lined up. So you try to emulate it as fast as you can.

Then there are components where we have tempo. So throughout the course of fall camp when we have had our good-on-good work we put an emphasis on tempo. It helps both sides of the ball. Helps us to practice our own tempo, but then also the defense be able to get lined up a little bit quicker.

That's the key, get lined up, because they do what they do and they're good at what they do. You got to get lined up to it and have formation. That's what defensive football is, is formation, recognition in certain situations.

Q. Jeff asked about Pace. Malcolm Greene is listed as "or". How has his camp been?

TONY ELLIOTT: So Malcolm is a guy -- first thing is story about him and his family. Unbelievable family first and foremost. Dad is a UVA grad. Showed up on his initial visit at my previous institution and he had on a coat and tie. Him and his little brother had on a coat and tie on in an official visit. First time I had ever seen it.

When he went to school, out of high school he had his associates degree already. Very, very motivated young man. He loves football. He loves football. He loves everything about football. He's a very, very violent guy for his size. You know, being that he's a corner, right? But he plays very, very aggressive and very, very violent for his size. You saw those things.

And he wants to lead. He doesn't back down from any challenge from a leadership standpoint. So really, really pleased with that aspect so far. That's something that I wanted to bring to our locker room, just to be able to challenge guys to strive for their best.

Biggest thing for Malcolm is he's transitioning from nickel to corner position where we say, hey, at this position you might not need to be quite as aggressive and physical because now you're wanting to jump every route and then people are going to exploit that.

He's been awesome in the locker room.

Sam has done a really good job, too.

So both of them are going to play. They're going to play a considerable amount. When you put the an "or" up there either guy could run out there. I would like to have more "ors" because then you can maintain the competition level and take it all the way it game day.

Q. We were talking to Dennis the other day, and first thing he noticed about Tennessee's defense was their front seven. Can you just talk a little about them and how you expect them to test Tony early?

TONY ELLIOTT: You can't help notice them. They're really big. When I look at the list, especially the inside guys, 320, 340, 310, 301, 310, right, that's big on the interior. They're not just big two gapers. These guys can move, push the pocket, get off blocks. They can disrupt the run game.

And then you're going to have to double them, right? It's going to be hard to single block those guys. Harrison and Baron, man, they're twitchy, talented. They can get after the quarterback.

So then I think their best player a Aaron Beasley, a linebacker. He roams, a great pass rusher. Man, he's a big guy that's a match up problem on your backs. Doesn't matter who your back is. Our biggest one is 215; he's listed at 225, but he plays a lit bigger than 225. Very experienced too. Senior player, played a lot of football.

Then they're bringing in the transfer from BYU. He's a big guy. So they're big, they're fast, athletic. So the way I think they're going to to challenge Tony is they're not going to let him hold the ball. They're going to be able to push the pocket interior-wise, create pressure, and squeeze the pocket coming off the edge, force the ball out of his hand quickly.

I think they will try and bring some pressure, see can they th overwhelm our backs in protection and get to the quarterback, see can they rattle them.

You play man coverage on the outside and you say, hey man, are you good enough to beat us? That's why I think that they're going to challenge Tony. They are going to stop the one you have run with their six man box, and be able to play cover one, man coverage, and man free across the board.

Hey, I want to see you throw and catch in tight windows. You better not hold that ball, because if you hold this ball longer than 2.8 you're going to be on the ground.

That's what I anticipate will be their approach. Now, they play Clemson differently when you watch them on film. Still trying to figure out why they did considering at the end of the season Clemson was down a couple receivers. They played a little bit more two shell, cover two.

Now, part of it was to try and frustrate and confuse Klubnik with some of the variations of coverage. I think they're going to play -- in my opinion what I told the guys -- big boy football. Going to line up, be in your face, and come after you with six, right.

Then if they can't, they are going to go seven and play zero coverage and say, hey, let the best man win. That's what I'm anticipating.

Q. Lex Long, you guys moved him to linebacker in spring. He is rotating a little bit at safety and linebacker. What is it about him that makes him so versatile and how has he done balancing those two responsibility?

TONY ELLIOTT: So Lex, first of all, if you spend any time with him you realize he's an awesome young man, very, very well-rounded, very diverse just in his personality and interests and likes.

I think that helps him in football because he's been able to live his life where he focuses in different areas. It's easy for him to transition from one spot to the other.

Linebacker, I was talking to Rud and hold on now, you see him show up every day on film at linebacker. Why are we moving him back? It's a function of depth at corner. We have to play Coen at corner until we can develop some of the younger guys.

Same thing at safety with Clarey being down for an extended time during camp. Just a little bit more veteran leadership and he's played the safety position but could transition to the linebacker. I think the emergence of Kam Robinson gave us more depth at linebacker.

Then Bracey has taken another step, so we feel good at linebacker. Where we got the ability to take Lex and put him back, but he's also ready in an instant to transition back to the box.

So what makes him so versatile is his athleticism. Very athletic for a guy his size. He is up to 220, 25 pounds. He still runs like he did when he was a little bit lighter. Then when you get him in the box you can see his twitchiness and suddenness creates a different outcome when he attacks the football.