Virginia held its first preseason practice on a hot and humid Charlottesville Wednesday evening. The practice comes exactly a month from their opening game against Richmond in Scott Stadium.
From the very beginning of the two-hour practice, it was evident that new head coach Tony Elliott was going to be the pace-setter.
Like a cat on a hot tin roof, Elliott was seen everywhere on the field, whether on the outside practice grass or inside the George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility. Elliott was in constant motion, waving his hands, directing traffic, leading drills. The new coach made it clear: practice is for real, and you play like you practice.
And his energy and enthusiasm did not go unnoticed. After practice, Virginia defensive tackle Ben Smiley said it’s easy to see how much the first-year coach cares. “As a player, seeing him engaged like that really shows how much he cares for the game. At each station anywhere on the field, he’s giving coaching and giving tips,” said Smiley.
After the practice, Elliott said his “activity level” on the field is just natural. “More of it is my background,” remarked Elliott. “In college, I was a receiver above my ability because I understood the fundamentals of the position. So, even though I wasn’t as fast as some of the guys I played with, I was able to compete because of my understanding of the fundamentals and techniques,’ added Elliott.
Wednesday’s practice was fast tempo, with the offense averaging about 10 plays per five-minute segments, a point that Elliott made known to the media. “That’s what we are trying to establish, sharpness and crispness, because at the end of the day, football is won when the pressure is on and guys can trust their fundamentals and stay fundamentally sound late in the game,” noted Elliott.
Elliott said the injection of the transfers and first-year players was huge. “The transfers came here very driven young men, they play with a sense of urgency, which creates competition,” said Elliott.
“We are a different looking football team. I want to give a shout out to the strength staff. It’s a different looking football team than in the spring. Physically the guys attacked the summer, they have taken nutrition seriously. We have to get to the level of the mental toughness we want, having a full roster is sure better than the 54 scholarship players we had in the spring,” said Elliott.
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