Boston College football may open their 2024 ACC slate against FSU, but conference play really gets underway in October when they travel down to Charlottesville to play the Virginia Cavaliers.
When: Saturday, October 5th, 2024 (Time – TBD)
Where: Charlottesville, VA
Boston College defeated UVA in a nailbiter at Alumni Stadium last season, 27-24. Virginia converted a back-breaking Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half of that game to go up 21-7, but the Eagles rallied all the way back. Thomas Castellanos threw two TDs in the second half and capped it off with a late game drive to set up Liam Connor for the game-winning field goal with just over two minutes remaining.
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Virginia Overview
Virginia is heading into their third season under head coach Tony Elliott, who hasn’t been leading the Cavaliers to much success since he came over from being Clemson’s offensive coordinator. Virginia has won just 3 games in each of the past two seasons and they have won only three total ACC games in the past two seasons. But they showed signs of life in the back half of the 2023 season, taking down #10 UNC and playing close games against #11 Louisville and Miami, so Cavs fans aren’t all doom and gloom heading into 2024.
UVA Offense
Overall, the UVA offense was towards the bottom of the ACC last season, but at least improved from 2022. Their passing offense was their major force of the year, partially because they were playing from a deficit in most of their games, while their rushing offense was dead-last in the conference. But there are signs that they can keep developing under their offensive-minded head coach as their QB gets more experience and his supporting cast builds up.
When it comes to the most important position in football, UVA is in a pretty solid spot. Their QB room includes sophomore Anthony Colandrea and graduate student Tony Muskett, who shared time at the position last season. Colandrea went through some growing pains as a true freshman that was thrust into the starting position in 2023, but he showed enough talent that UVA fans should feel hopeful about him as their QB of the future. He threw for 13 TDs and 9 INTs in 8 games last season, and he got better as the season went on. Returning QB Tony Muskett will also be a helpful veteran presence for the offense if things go sideways.
At receiver, UVA lost their star WR Malik Washington to the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Washington racked up 1,426 receiving yards (1st in the ACC) and 9 TDs (3rd in the ACC) last season, so they are definitely losing some major production. Elliott’s staff has made a serious attempt at backfilling the roster by adding Notre Dame WR transfer Chris Tyree, UNC WR transfer Andre Greene, and Florida A&M tight end Sage Ennis. They’ll also return their #2 WR from last season, Malachi Fields. So it remains to be seen whether any of these players can take a step up to support their QB in the passing game, but there are a few players that could definitely take that leap.
The Virginia RB room didn’t show much last season and doesn’t seem to be bringing in any big new talent that could turn things around this year. The Cavs had a 3-man backfield last season and are losing Perris Jones and Mike Hollins from that committee. Only veteran Kobe Pace is returning for them in 2024, and there aren’t any major transfers or recruits expected to make a big impact right away. It also doesn’t help that UVA’s offensive line was one of the worst in college football last season. They are bringing in UCF offensive lineman Drake Metcalf, a few freshmen recruits, and are returning some veterans, but there don’t seem to be many reasons to expect vast improvement on the OL for 2024.
UVA Defense
The defense was the true weakness of Virginia last season. They ranked 2nd-to-last in the ACC in overall statistical rating, leading only Boston College (lol). They had the fewest sacks in the ACC and the second-fewest INTs. They are returning most of their veteran players, but that’s not necessarily a good thing for a team that struggled as much as they did, especially in the rushing game.
The good news is that UVA has been picking up some solid additions for their defense in the transfer portal and on the recruiting trail. Especially in the defensive backfield, UVA grabbed a few transfers from the FCS and G5 and a number of 3-start recruits that will immediately add some depth to their defense, headlined by CB Christopher Spence out of Virginia Beach, the #7 recruit in the state. While there isn’t a single player that pops out as a burgeoning star, the influx of new talent should help the Hoos start building a new foundation on that side of the ball. But it doesn’t seem like they are primed to take a big jump in 2024.