Virginia has to learn how to win: ‘We have to go take it. That’s a mindset’

There’s a lot to winning football games. One part that we often overlook: teams have to learn how to win, to take care of all of the little things that winning teams do to be able to put games away.

The Virginia program under second-year coach Tony Elliott still hasn’t learned how to win.

“We’re right there on the doorstep, man, but we’ve got to have the courage to step into the room. We can’t wait on somebody else to invite us in, or we can’t wait on the other team to make a mistake and give us the game. We have to go, and we have to go take it. That’s a mindset,” Elliott told reporters on Tuesday at his weekly press conference.

Elliott is 3-12 through just short of a season and a half at the helm at Virginia. Six of those 12 losses have been by three points or less, with three of the losses in this season’s 0-5 start coming by three points or less.

The 36-35 loss to JMU in Week 2 included a blocked punt that led to a JMU touchdown, then a blown 35-24 fourth-quarter lead that may or may not have had to do with, you know, mobile phones.

The 24-21 loss to NC State in Week 4 was aided by three 15-yard penalties on the ‘Hoos in the final 36 seconds that helped set up the game-winning 33-yard walk-off field goal.

Last week’s 27-24 loss at Boston College saw Virginia blow a 14-point lead for the second time this season as UVA was able to put up just 39 yards on offense in the second half.

Another way to look at the 0-5 start, then, is, three plays – three plays! – spread out over three games go the other way, and Virginia is 3-2, instead of 0-5.

“I think some of the common things is we get to that point, and now we feel like we’ve got to hit the home run, and you don’t have to hit the home run. Just take the base hit, and then base hits over base hits will add up to a collective run, so to speak, if we’re using baseball terminology,” Elliott said.

It’s not only the three close losses this season. Virginia has lost eight straight; five of those have been by three points or less.

It can feel like the entire program is beating its head against a wall trying to get this thing figured out.

“Hopefully we’ll get to a point where we’re tired of those tough lessons, and we just say, you know what, we’re not waiting on anybody else. We’re going to take it,” Elliott said. “That’s the next step, and that’s where I’ve got to get better as a coach to figure out how to properly communicate that and instill that in the young men so that, when we’re in those close games, man, we’re just trusting and believing that we’re going to make the play to win the game and not hoping it just goes our way.”