I reflected on this during my drive home in the early hours of Sunday: it’s hard to find a game that meant more to a UVA Football team than Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech.
Forget about the 10-win season, the regular-season ACC title, and a trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game, the chance at a berth in the College Football Playoff.
ICYMI
- ‘State Champions’: UVA Football gets the Virginia Tech monkey off its back
- UVA Football: ‘Hoos dominate Hokies, clinch spot in Charlotte vs. Duke
- ‘Hoos 27, Virginia Tech 7: Virginia, preseason 14th in ACC media poll, headed to Charlotte
No doubt, those milestones are essential, but Saturday’s victory reminded me of the smiles of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler and D’Sean Perry, who lost their lives on Nov. 13, 2022.
Most of these current Cavaliers were far from Charlottesville when a gunman killed the three, but trust me, everyone connected to the UVA Football program, every day, sees their numbers – 1, 15, 41 – and will always hear their stories.
This week, this game may have offered some closure to the program.
Two Fridays ago, in Albemarle County, a judge sentenced the killer to five life sentences, plus 23 years.
ICYMI
- Christopher Darnell Jones gets five life sentences plus 23 years in UVA Football shooting
- The other victim from the 2022 UVA shootings: The shooter, Chris Jones
You know, Virginia coach Tony Elliott had that in his thoughts.
“We went through a very, very difficult week with the sentencing, and this one’s for them,” said Elliott, fighting through the emotions of opening postgame remarks.
I’m not sure if the casual or the passionate UVA supporter, including myself, can truly imagine what Elliott and the entire program have to face, let alone embrace, every day they walk into the football operations center at Scott Stadium.
Maybe “have to face” isn’t appropriate.
More so, “needs to face.”
Elliott’s opening remarks were for honoring the families of Lavel, Devin and D’Sean.
“We’re not here without the inspiration that they provide us on a daily basis. So, hopefully this brings them some joy as they really kind of now get a chance to embark on their road to healing and recovery,” said Elliott.
Only about 20 players on the current Virginia roster were on the team on Nov. 13, 2022.
“At the end of the game, I was standing out there and looked up at the sky,” offensive lineman Noah Josey said, “and I felt the presence. I was standing there with Will Bettridge,” a high-school teammate of Perry’s who wears Perry’s 41.
“Those guys are up there looking down and smiling. They were a big reason why we were able to get this done. There are so many amazing qualities about those young men that we carry with us every day,” said Josey.
And as long as Tony Elliott is in charge of the UVA Football program, no one will ever forget.
1, 15, 41.
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