Tony Muskett defines a successful season for Virginia

Ahead of another campaign for the Virginia Cavaliers, quarterback Tony Muskett is setting expectations high for the program in 2024.

Muskett is going into his second season with Cavaliers. Last season, he played in six games, completing 63.3 percent of passes for 1,031 yards and six touchdowns. Additionally, he ran for 66 yards and a touchdown, but an injury also forced him to miss some time.

As he looks to bounce back in a huge was this season, Muskett has clearly defined some goals for Virginia is 2024, and he’s not shying away from some pressure.

“That’s a good question. I’m going to give the answer that Coach E gives us. He’s big on preaching our first opponent is ourselves. UVA’s first task of victory is UVA,” Muskett said, asked what a successful season is the Virginia. “I’d be lying if he said the standard wasn’t a bowl game, ACC championship and now a spot in that College Football Playoff.

“I know for a lot of people in years past, that hasn’t been the standard for UVA. We’re trying to be the top program in the country and become the model program. With that comes championships, bowl games, College Football Playoff berth. That’s the standard we’re chasing so that’s the standard we’re going to set.”

Will anyone be picking Virginia to get to the College Football Playoff? Not in 2024, but it’s a heck of a goal to reach for. Perhaps the Cavaliers can go on a run in the ACC, but it would be something that’s more than unexpected from the masses.

Regardless, the unbridled confidence from Tony Muskett and company is what Virginia needs to return to their standard. Time will tell if 2024 is the season when it happens, but the attitude is right, at the least.

Tony Muskett on rivalry vs. Virginia Tech: ‘It would feel good’ to beat them

Moreover, Virginia hasn’t beaten Virginia Tech in the time that Tony Muskett has been with the program. Still, as he explained at ACC Media Days, he knows that it would feel good to find a way to beat the Hokies. 

“I mean, yeah, it’s definitely a big game,” Tony Muskett said. “I mean, we’re focused on the other 11, as well. I know Tech is our rival, a big rivalry game. Every game on the schedule is a big game for us. We want to win all 12 of them, come back here win the ACC championship, go on and make a playoff run.”

Virginia last beat Virginia Tech in 2019, when the teams were coached by Bronco Mendenhall and Justin Fuente, respectively. That win for the Cavaliers was their only win over the Hokies since 2004. That included a 15-game Hokies winning streak, making this one of the more one-sided rivalries in college football over the last two decades.

“It would feel good. But just like the other game, we want to win them all,” Muskett added.

In 2023, Virginia Tech dominated the game against Virginia in a 55-17 win. That came a season after the game was canceled in the wake of the tragic shooting that led to the deaths of three different Cavaliers football players.

The rivalry between Virginia and Virginia Tech has been played since 1895 and the two teams compete for the Commonwealth Cup. The first eight games of the series had been won by the Cavaliers, setting Virginia up with an early lead in the series. Virginia also had long periods of success in the late 1940s and early 1950s and in the late 1980s. Virginia Tech leads to all-time series over Virginia 61-38-5. 

Muskett and the Cavaliers are going to have some time to wait before getting their shot at the Hokies. The two teams are set to play on November 30th in Lane Stadium.

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this article.