Tony Elliott: ‘There’s nothing personal about this game when it comes to BA’

For Virginia coach Tony Elliott, Friday night’s game against NC State — and his former quarterback — is being treated like any other week. 

Wolfpack quarterback Brennan Armstrong spent his first five years of college football with the Cavaliers, and played for the ‘Hoos in Elliott’s first year in Charlottesville, before he transferred to Raleigh in January. 

“For me, there’s nothing personal about this game when it comes to BA, other than he’s the opposing quarterback,” Elliott told reporters during his weekly press conference. “And I would never use that as motivation with his teammates. At the end of the day, as we’re learning and I’m teaching this football team, emotion doesn’t win the football game. It’s a part of it, but emotion alone cannot win the football game.”

Virginia is still searching for its first win of the 2023 campaign after it lost to Tennessee, James Madison and Maryland through the first three weeks before opening ACC play against NC State this week. 

The Cavaliers have been outscored 47-3 in the fourth quarter this season, and the familiar face on the other side of the football field won’t change Virginia’s mindset of trying to win the game, Elliott said. 

Instead, he said many of his players will likely talk with Armstrong pregame to reconnect on the field at Scott Stadium since many of them are still friends with their former quarterback. 

Elliott added that he was grateful with how Armstrong handled himself during his last season with the ‘Hoos and his departure that followed. 

“What I will say about BA, I’m grateful for BA,” Elliott said. “For two reasons; one, for everything that he did for the University of Virginia and this football program as a player here. I’m grateful for how he handled his departure. He handled it the right way with me. And when he was here, he made an effort. He made an effort with this transition to help this coaching staff, with this team.”

While Armstrong will be leading the Wolfpack, Elliott wants to get in the win column no matter who’s playing quarterback for NC State.

“I want to win because it’s our first ACC game,” Elliott said. “It’s the second goal on our goal board: to win our ACC opener. It’s a really, really good football team that’s coming into Scott Stadium. That’s why I want to win the football game.”

It may start with the Cavaliers’ quarterback, which has been in flux through the first three weeks of the season. Monmouth transfer Tony Muskett started against Tennessee, but he exited the game with a shoulder injury, which allowed true freshman quarterback Anthony Colandrea to see the field.

In his first-career start, Colandrea threw for 377 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in a 36-35 loss to JMU. The Florida native followed his starting debut with 263 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions last week at Maryland. 

Muskett was dressed against Maryland, but didn’t appear in the contest. Elliott said he’s improving each day, but is still listed as day-to-day ahead of Virginia’s bout with NC State. 

“I have seen improvement that makes me think that he’s beyond emergency duty,” Elliott said of Muskett. “Still working through some of the other things, milestones and hurdles. I want to see him finish a practice without him having any noticeable grimaces — he’s still got some pain involved, some soreness.”

Whether it’s Colandrea or Muskett under center for Virginia, there’s one thing that Elliott was certain of: his team wants to get its first win of the season. 

“This group here man, they just want to experience what it feels like to be in the locker room after a win,” Elliott said. “And they’re working extremely hard to get there and trying to create the ownership, accountability, and self-awareness to do what you need to do late in the game to secure victories.”