By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — For the University of Virginia football team, a week that ended with a gratifying victory started on a somber note.
On Monday, the University observed the first anniversary of the horrific shooting that claimed the lives of three football players last fall. Events were held throughout the day on Grounds to honor the memories of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry.
If that didn’t weigh heavily enough on UVA’s current players, they were keenly aware that a beloved teammate, tailback Perris Jones, wasn’t with them in Charlottesville. Jones was recovering from spinal surgery in a hospital in Kentucky, where he’d been injured during the Cavaliers’ game against Louisville on Nov. 9.
Through it all, though, his players showed up every day ready to work, head coach Tony Elliott said, and their efforts were rewarded Saturday, when UVA defeated ACC foe Duke 30-27 at Scott Stadium.
As the game approached, the Wahoos talked about playing for something bigger than themselves, and that “started with 1, 15, 41 and 2,” Elliott said, referring to the jersey numbers of Davis, Chandler, Perry and Jones, respectively.
At his postgame press conference, Elliott saluted his players’ resilience. “Those players in [the locker room] are gonna go do great things, because of the adversity that they’ve had to persevere through … I know people are gonna judge us by scores and stats and wins and losses, but that’s a group of winners in there that are going to do great things in life. It was a tough week, but the guys took it in stride and took ownership of it and had a really good week of practice, and that allowed them to be able to play the way they did today.”
Against Duke (6-5 overall, 3-4 ACC), which hasn’t won at Scott Stadium since 2013, UVA (2-5, 3-8), never trailed. It was 10-10 at halftime, but the Hoos built a two-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter and held on for a 30-27 win.
The Cavaliers’ mission this week was to attack, sustain and finish, and they succeeded on all three fronts.
“It’s a big-time win for Coach Elliott and the whole program,” said UVA quarterback Anthony Colandrea, a true freshman who coolly directed an offense that totaled 448 yards and didn’t turn the ball over.
This is Elliott’s second season with the Cavaliers. Before Saturday, they…