By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE — The University of Virginia football team has yet to win back-to-back games this season, its first under head coach Tony Elliott. Another chance for the Cavaliers to do so comes Saturday at Scott Stadium.
At 12:30 p.m., Virginia (3-4 overall, 1-3 ACC) hosts Coastal Division rival Miami (3-4, 1-2). The Wahoos have won 23 of their past 29 home games, and to “get an opportunity to defend Scott Stadium is very exciting for all of us,” defensive end Paul Akere said after practice Tuesday.
“Protect Scott Stadium, that’s the mindset that we have,” cornerback Anthony Johnson said. “I can’t remember the record, but I know we have a pretty good record at home, and we want to defend that record and defend our home territory.”
The Hoos are coming off a 16-9 victory over Georgia Tech. That game was played Thursday night in Atlanta. Two days later, at Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida, Miami committed eight turnovers and lost 45-21 to Duke.
Like Elliott at UVA, Mario Cristobal is in his first year as head coach at Miami, and both teams have had uneven seasons. The Hurricanes’ other defeats include a 45-31 loss to Middle Tennessee at Hard Rock Stadium.
With a new offensive system, it “takes time,” Elliott told reporters Tuesday at John Paul Jones Arena. “It’s a whole new chemistry that you have to develop. And the same thing defensively. You see those [Miami players] flying around at times, but then you see times where you’d like to see a little bit better … It’s just a transition. It’s just a process, and obviously all of us hope and wish that it would happen faster than it does.”
At his weekly press conference in Coral Gables, Fla., Cristobal said Monday that the Canes “are doing everything we need to in order to lay the foundation and build upon that foundation to get to where we need to get to.”
Miami’s No. 1 quarterback, Tyler Van Dyke, suffered a shoulder injury against Duke, and his status for this weekend is uncertain. But even if Van Dyke is unavailable, the Canes are “still talented. Lord, they’re still talented,” Elliott said. “Dudes running around everywhere.”
One of Elliott’s challenges this week is making sure his players don’t get fooled by Miami’s mediocre record. “You better not be falling for the bait,” he said. “This is a very, very good football team and very talented football team that is close to…