The Virginia Cavaliers just earned a STATEMENT win against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in thrilling fashion.

Despite a 30-17 deficit entering the fourth quarter, the ‘Hoos drove down the field for a pair of touchdowns to pull ahead. Anthony Colandrea hit Trell Harris for a 24-yard score before Grady Brosterhous scored the go-ahead touchdown on a quarterback sneak with just 2:07 left in the game.

Then, the Virginia defense clutched up. As Wake Forest was driving downfield, a field goal away from the win, cornerback Malcolm Greene stripped Taylor Morin at the end of a 20-yard reception. Antonio Clary fell on the ball, ripping it out of a Demon Deacon’s players hands on the ground and giving the ‘Hoos possession back.

After the Virginia offense drained clock and Wake’s three timeouts, Daniel Sparks booted a crucial punt 59 yards to the Wake Forest five yard line. It wasn’t the prettiest of kicks. But it did the job and pinned the Deacons with just 57 seconds on the clock.

The Wahoo defense stayed disciplined on the final drive, getting to quarterback Hank Bachmeier and, eventually, snuffing out Wake’s last ditch effort to get to the end zone. With Jonas Sanker making the game-sealing tackle, the Cavaliers move to 2-0 on the 2024 season and 1-0 in the ACC.

Tony Elliott called this a “program game” earlier in the week. Despite a string of errors which gave Wake Forest life, UVA got the job done on the road.

Anthony Colandrea was up and down with a pair of picks muddling his final stat line. Yet his 33-43, 357-yard, and three touchdown game was paramount to Virginia’s upset win. Malachi Fields looks like an absolute stud, catching 11 balls for 148 yards after his first 100-yard game against Richmond in the opener.

Critically, Virginia also got production from Tyler Neville (four catches, 68 yards, two touchdowns) and Trell Harris (seven catches, 91 yards, one touchdown). The Harvard transfer Neville came to play in his second game for the Cavaliers, and Kent State transfer Harris overcame a brutal drop on the second drive of the game to put in his own breakout performance.

UVA will need more from its defense in coming weeks. But the Cavaliers also racked up six sacks – more than half of their season total from 2023 – and made big plays in the biggest moments.

Bottom line, Virginia is 2-0, a record the ‘Hoos haven’t been under Tony Elliott.