The game-day rush of emotions all came back to Clary, who saw his first action in almost 22 months after missing all of 2023 with an ankle injury.

“That first play on defense, it definitely woke me up a little bit, and I was ready to go,” said Clary, who tied for the team lead with eight tackles while also assisting on a tackle for loss and recording a quarterback hurry.

The Cavaliers (1-0) held the Spiders to 257 yards (110 passing) while yielding only one touchdown. They allowed only 123 yards and a pair of field goals after a first-half thunderstorm that delayed the game for two hours and 18 minutes.

UVA travels to Wake Forest on Saturday for its ACC opener. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“I feel like we played pretty solid,” said Clary, a Jacksonville, Florida, native who finished fourth on the team in tackles in his last season in 2022. He suffered an ankle injury during fall camp last year and missed the entire season.

“Not being out there in two years, I took a moment before the game just to sit there and really reflect and be grateful for this opportunity, because you only get so many of them and it can be over like that,” Clary added. “I was just blessed and grateful. It was definitely exciting getting in there on the first play. I didn’t expect it, but I was ready for it.”

The 6-foot, 203-pound Clary was active in his first game back, logging a pair of tackles on Richmond’s first drive. In addition to his stop of Brown on the initial snap, Clary tackled tight end Matt Robbert short of a first down to force a punt.

He and fellow safety Jonas Sanker, the team’s leading tackler last season, dropped Brown for a loss later in the first quarter.

When healthy, Clary and Sanker give the Cavaliers one of the best safety tandems in the ACC.

“You just look at those two young men; they do a tremendous job as communicators. They do a tremendous job also as football players when they’re one-on-one, so I’m excited to see them go compete here this fall,” UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski said this preseason.

Clary’s first-game excitement aside, he came away with a list of things he wants to improve before he hits the field again against the Demon Deacons. UVA seeks its first win over Wake Forest since 2007.

“I’m my biggest critic, so there’s definitely some plays that I left out there that I wish I could get back, but you know, you’ve got to move on and learn from it and make those plays next week,” Clary said. “First game back in two years, I felt it was OK.”

Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said he saved a special postgame congratulatory hug for Clary.

“He was the last one I got a hug from in the locker room as I came over here because it’s been two years since he played football,” Elliott said during his postgame press conference.

“He brings a toughness. He’s a highly intelligent football player. He can get his teammates lined up. He communicates well. When he comes downhill, he’s trying to run through you, and then he gives us some great value on special teams. Overall leadership, physicality, toughness and experience is what he gives us.”

Virginia (1-0, 0-0 ACC) at Wake Forest (1-0, 0-0)

When: 7 p.m. Saturday

On the air: ESPN2, 1140AM, 1650AM, 101.7FM

BetMGM line: Wake Forest by 2 1/2.

What’s at stake? The teams were picked 15th (Wake) and 16th (UVA) in the 17-team ACC, so a good start will be critical. Wake has won the last five meetings.

Key matchup: Virginia’s passing game against Wake Forest’s defensive front. The Cavaliers started Anthony Colandrea at quarterback, and he responded by throwing for 297 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score. The Demon Deacons got sacks from Jasheen Davis, Kevin Pointer and Branson Combs in their opener.

Players to watch: Virginia senior WR Malachi Fields had his first career 100-yard receiving game by grabbing five balls for 100 yards against Richmond. Wake Forest QB Hank Bachmeier, formerly of Boise State and Louisiana Tech, threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions in the season-opening win against North Carolina A&T.

Facts and figures: This is the first meeting between the longtime ACC teams since 2021. Virginia hasn’t beaten Wake Forest since 2007 and hasn’t won in Winston-Salem since 2002. … Davis moved past Boogie Basham for fourth place in program history with 21 sacks in the opener. … Wake Forest running back Demond Claiborne, from King William High, ran for 135 yards in the opener, his second college 100-yard performance. … The Cavaliers have lost three straight league openers while the Demon Deacons have lost two in a row. — Associated Press

Game of the week

No. 24 N.C. State vs. No. 14 Tennessee, Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (ABC; WVEC in Hampton Roads)

This is a neutral-site matchup in Charlotte, a valuable recruiting market for both the home-state Wolfpack and neighboring-state Volunteers. It’s also the kind of nonconference matchup that could factor into the chase for a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff.

The Vols (1-0) beat Chattanooga 69-3 for their biggest season-opening margin of victory since 1915 while rolling up 718 total yards behind redshirt freshman quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Things were tougher for the Wolfpack (1-0), who trailed 21-17 entering the final quarter in a mistake-filled slog against Western Carolina before scoring the final 21 points.

The undercard

No. 23 Georgia Tech at Syracuse. Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets (2-0, 1-0 ACC) cracked this week’s AP Top 25 after a season-opening takedown of Florida State in Ireland, the program’s first ranking since the 2015 season. A win against the Orange would mark Georgia Tech’s first 2-0 start in league play since 2017.

Syracuse (1-0) opened the Fran Brown era by beating Ohio behind Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns.

Impact players

Thomas Castellanos, Boston College. The quarterback threw for 106 yards and two scores to go with 73 yards and a rushing score in the Eagles’ win at FSU on Labor Day to open Bill O’Brien’s tenure. The Eagles host Duquesne on Saturday, with Power Four nonconference games against Missouri and Michigan State looming.

Cam Ward, Miami. The preseason pick for ACC Player of the Year was terrific in the season-opening win at Florida, throwing for 385 yards and three scores. The Washington State transfer is poised for another big performance as the No. 12 Hurricanes host Florida A&M on Saturday.

Inside the numbers

Duke didn’t have an accepted penalty against it in the season-opening win against Elon, the Blue Devils’ first game under new coach Manny Diaz. Kansas State was the only Bowl Subdivision teams to avoid a Week 1 penalty. … Pittsburgh redshirt freshman Eli Holstein, a transfer from Alabama, threw for 336 yards and three scores in a season-opening win against Kent State. That ranked 17th in the FBS ranks for players who have played just once so far and third among ACC passers, trailing only Ward and McCord. Coach Pat Narduzzi is sticking with him as the starter for this weekend’s game against Cincinnati. … The two ACC teams (Clemson and FSU) to file lawsuits against the league seeking potential exits elsewhere are 0-3. The league’s other 15 teams have combined to lose twice.

New leader

North Carolina third-year sophomore Conner Harrell is taking over at quarterback after opening-night starter Max Johnson went down with a season-ending injury at Minnesota.

Harrell is due to make his second career start against Charlotte on Saturday for the Tar Heels (1-0), who are replacing No. 3 overall NFL draft pick Drake Maye.

“Our goal is to build the offense around his strengths,” offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey said of Harrell, pointing to “a big arm” and Harrell’s mobility.

Friday’s games

BYU at SMU, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Duke at Northwestern, 9 p.m., FS1

Saturday’s games

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, noon, ESPN2

#23 Georgia Tech at Syracuse, noonn ACCN

California at Auburn, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2

Duquesne at Boston College, 3:30 p.m., ACCNX

Jacksonville State at #22 Louisville, 3:30 p.m., ACCNX

Charlotte at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m., ACCN

Marshall at Virginia Tech, 4:30 p.m., The CW

Florida A&M at #12 Miami, 6 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+

Virginia at Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ESPN2

Cal Poly at Stanford, 7 p.m., ACCNX/ESPN+

#14 Tennessee vs. #24 NC State, 7:30 p.m., ABC (WVEC)

Appalachian State at #25 Clemson, 8 p.m., ACCN

The big gain on the Cavaliers’ first play of the game was a signal of what was to come the rest of the way in their 34-13 victory Saturday night at Scott Stadium. Even with a delay of two hours and 18 minutes for a thunderstorm in the first half, Colandrea and Virginia’s offense couldn’t be slowed.

“I feel like as an offense, we did a great job of moving the ball downfield and also we came out hot,” Colandrea said. “We came out throwing the ball. We came out running it. I feel like we just did a great job.”

Colandrea began his second season with a bang. The 6-foot, 183-pound dynamo clearly showed why he emerged with the starting job this preseason after a tight offseason position battle with senior Tony Muskett.

Colandrea hurt the Spiders with his legs, rushing for a touchdown and 49 yards, a total that was reduced by 29 yards lost on two sacks. He peppered the UR secondary with big completions, connecting on 17 of 23 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns.

“It was a big milestone. I feel like he’s grown up a lot since last year,” Cavaliers running back Kobe Pace said of Colandrea. “Over the offseason, he’s put in a lot of work, over ball security and just learning how to grow and mature and be that guy that we need him to be.”

UVA’s offensive onslaught was remarkable for its consistency from start to finish, as well as its explosiveness. The Cavaliers scored on six of their first seven drives, reaching the end zone four times and knocking through field goals on the other two.

Virginia reeled off an assortment of explosive plays, starting with Colandrea’s big run on the team’s first play.

Later in that drive, Colandrea connected with Trell Harris on a 35-yard touchdown pass. Harris, playing his first game with the Cavaliers after transferring from Kent State, raced down the sideline and fought off a defender to reel in the pass in the end zone.

The Cavaliers struck for seven plays of 30 or more yards in the first half. Colandrea connected on passes of 42 and 32 yards to senior wide receiver Malachi Fields, a 57-yard touchdown completion to junior running back Jack Griese and a 52-yard strike to Pace, who also had a 43-yard run.

“We had seen the explosiveness throughout camp,” UVA coach Tony Elliott said. “We felt like we had some guys that could make some big plays. It was a big challenge to run the football, so it was awesome to see some of those plays come in the run game, where we need to improve to play balanced football.”

Broadcast highlights from tonight's win vs. Richmond!#GoHoos | #UVAStrong pic.twitter.com/x6bRDLvKGW

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) September 1, 2024

Fields, who laid out near the sideline to make his spectacular 41-yard grab, finished with five catches for 100 yards. Pace rushed for 93 yards on 11 carries and caught two passes for 51 yards.

The big plays were a welcome sign for an offense that aspires to turn the corner this season after finishing 78th in the country in yards per game (368.8) while totaling only 20 plays of 30 or more yards (and 11 plays of at least 40 yards) over 12 games in 2023.

The development of playmakers like Fields, Pace and Griese, and the additions of transfers like Harris, wide receiver Chris Tyree and tight end Tyler Neville, a product of Lafayette High in Williamsburg, could make UVA’s offense more dynamic this year.

“Outside, we’ve got Malachi, Trell and Chris Tyree, and they’re all electric playmakers, and AC can really feed the ball out to anyone,” Griese said. “In the run game we have five returning offensive linemen, so I think we’re a lot more experienced in that way, and there’s just a lot of playmakers, and it’s hard to contain all of them.”

Colandrea’s emergence could bring it all together. He limited his mistakes in a turnover-free performance against Richmond while showing the capacity to alter a game with his legs and arm.

His threat as a runner helped open up lanes for the rest of UVA’s rushers, leading to a balanced output of 297 passing yards and 200 rushing yards. The Cavaliers’ 497 total yards were their most since churning out 513 against ODU on Sept. 17, 2022.

“We’ve got a lot of dudes who can make plays on the field,” Colandrea said.

The offensive outburst was the kind of start Elliott wanted to see. The Cavaliers will look to keep the momentum going in their ACC opener at Wake Forest on Saturday.

“A lot to build upon,” Elliott said. “Hopefully this is kind of the floor of this football team, that we continue to build on this.”

The same could be said of that position group’s impact on the UVA football program at large.

In an age of de facto free agency by way of the transfer portal, NIL payouts and early NFL defections, it was revealing that the bulk of the Cavaliers’ core elected to return in 2024, despite the team going 3-9 last season and missing a bowl game for the second straight year.

Leading the way were four defensive linemen all entering their fifth (or sixth or seventh) years playing college football, including one, Norfolk native Ben Smiley III, who is in his sixth year with the program.

In addition to Smiley, an Indian River High graduate, that group includes seventh-year defensive end Kam Butler, sixth-year defensive end Chico Bennett Jr. and fifth-year nose tackle Jahmeer Carter. Butler and Bennett started their careers at Miami of Ohio and Georgia Tech, respectively.

All four could have moved on, but decided to stick it out one more season in Charlottesville.

“I’m so thankful to those guys up front because they are four guys that are graduates that could have moved on,” said Tony Elliott, who begins his third season as the Cavaliers’ head coach on Saturday when his squad hosts Richmond at 6 p.m. at Scott Stadium.

“They could have tested the market from an NIL standpoint. They had every reason to. You’re a graduate. You just went through a tragedy (with the shooting deaths of teammates Devin Chandler, D’Sean Perry and Lavel Davis, Jr. in 2022) and you want something new. But man, you’ve got Ben Smiley, Jah Carter, Chico Bennett and Kam Butler that decided to come back. I’m so grateful for them, and that’s just confirmation that I believe that the culture is really starting to take root.”

The 6-foot-3, 253-pound Butler is a rare seventh-year player. His fifth season, and first as a graduate transfer at UVA in 2022, was the COVID year of eligibility NCAA student-athletes received. He qualified for a sixth year in 2023 after the shooting. Last season was cut short by a shoulder injury in the fourth game, and he was eventually granted a medical waiver to return in 2024.

He is expected to make his 45th career start and play in his 55th game on Saturday.

“Coming back was a no-brainer,” said Butler, who had 23 tackles and 3.5 sacks in his four games last season. “That injury just left a really bad taste in my mouth. I was off to a pretty good season. I can’t wait to just get back to where I was before I got injured.”

The 6-foot-4, 256-pound Bennett experienced some nicks and bruises last year, too, missing the opener against Tennessee with a knee injury and playing through pain for much of the remainder of the season. He considered entering the draft, but decided to come back this season to raise his stock.

Bennett said battling through injuries last year gave him perspective about handling adversity.

“The easy answer is to just cop out, but you show the mental fortitude and that strength in just showing back up each day, continuing to strive, take one step forward and then allow yourself to still be around your teammates and support them, no matter what the situation may look like,” he said.

Bennett didn’t register a sack last year after accumulating seven the season before. In total, UVA tallied only 11 sacks in 2023, tied for the lowest output of any Football Bowl Subdivision team. Having Butler and Bennett back healthy should help get that number back up to at least where it was in 2022, when the Cavaliers recorded 30.

“This year, Chico has no excuses. Neither one of them do. So if they stay healthy,” Virginia defensive ends coach Chris Slade said as he knocked on a wooden table before him, “this will be big.”

A big motivator for Carter’s return was a chance to improve his NFL draft stock. A steady performer throughout his career, the 6-2, 309-pound nose tackle led all the team’s defensive linemen with 35 tackles last season, but he wants to be more disruptive behind the line of scrimmage, where he accumulated only two tackles for loss.

UVA defensive tackles coach Kevin Downing said Carter also returned to help get the program back on track after a couple of lean seasons.

“I feel gratefulness that Jahmeer chose to come back,” Downing said. “In this climate of where college football is now, trust me, he could have left. I know that.

“He chose to come back not just because of individual things, but because he loves this school; he loves this program, and he wants to make sure that when he leaves, he’s done everything he can to put this program to where he’d like to see it.”

Smiley is another asset for a defensive line that oozes experience. The 6-4, 308-pound Indian River High graduate was second on the team with two sacks last season and could play an even bigger role up front this season.

“He’s had a great offseason. He’s worked his tail off,” Slade said of Smiley. “He’s in good shape. He’s a guy who plays so hard and has a lot of pride in what he does. I’m excited for him this year, and I hope he has a big year.”

UVA will count on its experienced front line to put pressure on opposing offenses and force more third-and-long situations this season, which could lead to more turnovers for a team that registered only eight interceptions last season.

The Cavaliers also return first-team All-ACC safety Jonas Sanker, who is back for his fourth season, and Antonio Clary, who is expected to reclaim his safety spot after missing 2023 with an ankle injury. Kam Robinson, a freshman All-American last year, leads a linebacking corps that also includes fourth-year tackle machine James Jackson.

Experience abounds for a unit that ranked in the top 50 in points allowed per game and total yards yielded per game in 2022 before regressing to 119th and 104th, respectively, in those metrics last season.

With an experienced and committed group of linemen up front, even better days could be ahead for Virginia’s defensive unit.

By not leaving, “it just says that, one, they bought into the culture, and they want to be a part of it. Two, they want to see Virginia football do well, and they understand that in order for us to do well, it’s going to take guys like them,” Elliott said. “So they set the example; they set the tone, and I’m excited to see when we hit the grass what they’ve been able to do to with the team.”

Standouts

Kobe Pace, RB, graduate, Sr., 5-10, 215: This could be Pace’s year to carry a full workload after flashing his talents as a complementary back in his first four seasons. He has a chance to become a three-down player after accounting for 558 total yards and four touchdowns in his first season with the Cavaliers in 2023.

Anthony Colandrea, QB, Soph., 6-0, 183: Colandrea matured before everyone’s eyes last fall, displaying an uncanny knack for turning busted plays into big gains. He also showed a propensity to turn the ball over with nine interceptions and a lost fumble. Can UVA’s sophomore starter clean up those turnovers and take another step in year two?

Malachi Fields, WR, Sr., 6-4, 220: There’s an opening for Fields to take on the top receiver role this season with the graduation of record-breaking Malik Washington. Fields was a productive complementary target last season with 58 catches for 811 yards and five touchdowns. He has the talent to take that up a notch.

Jonas Sanker, S, Sr., 6-1, 210: UVA is in good hands with Sanker patrolling the secondary. He made 107 tackles last season, led the ACC with 73 solo stops and tied for second in the league with 11 pass breakups. The coaches have challenged him this preseason to become better in one-on-one coverage. That could send his draft stock soaring.

Kam Robinson, LB, Soph., 6-2, 234: The Cavaliers are excited to see what Robinson has in store for an encore this season after busting out as a freshman. He earned consensus freshman All-American accolades after leading the team with two interceptions, tied for third with 4.5 tackles for loss and finished third with 71 tackles.

Storylines

Another portal prize?: UVA hit the lottery when it added record-breaking wide receiver Malik Washington via the transfer portal last year. The Cavaliers believe they may have nabbed another portal playmaker in former Notre Dame receiver Chris Tyree. The Chesterfield native could be a game-breaker at wideout and as a returner of punts and kickoffs.

Stability up front: The Cavaliers return their most experience up front this season. In addition to its veteran quartet of defensive linemen, UVA brings back six offensive linemen who started at least five games last season and four (McKale Boley, Noah Josey, Brian Stevens and Ty Furnish) who started at least 11.

Fast start a priority: UVA’s bowl hopes hinge on performing well in the first half of the season with opponents Richmond, Maryland and Boston College coming to Charlottesville and road contests against Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina sprinkled in. The second half of the schedule includes tough road games against Clemson, Notre Dame and Virginia Tech.

New facilities upgrades: Virginia opened its palatial $80 million Hardie Football Operations Center in June. The 93,000-square-foot facility includes a locker room, a massive strength and conditioning space, nutrition spaces, meeting rooms, coaches’ offices, video operations and sports medicine areas. Moreover, UVA announced the addition of a 6,700-square foot video display and state-of-the-art audio system to Scott Stadium for this fall.

Secondary shuffle: Safety is set with Jonas Sanker and Antonio Clary, who is expected to return after missing all of last season due to an ankle injury. Cornerback is a different story, as the Cavaliers must replace three players who started at least seven games in 2023. Malcolm Green and Dre Walker are among the group that could step into bigger roles along with the likes of transfers Kempton Shine, Kendren Smith and Jam Jackson.

Schedule

Aug. 31: vs. Richmond, 6 p.m.

Sept. 7: at Wake Forest, 7 p.m.

Sept. 14: vs. Maryland, 8 p.m.

Sept. 21: at Coastal Carolina, TBA

Oct. 5: vs. Boston College, TBA

Oct. 12: vs. Louisville, TBA

Oct. 19: at Clemson, TBA

Oct. 26: vs. North Carolina, TBA

Nov. 9: at Pittsburgh, TBA

Nov. 16: at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 23: vs. SMU, TBA

Nov. 30: at Virginia Tech, TBA

“That’s about where we’re at,” he said a few weeks ago.

On Saturday, the team announced that sophomore Anthony Colandrea emerged as QB1 for the season opener after battling neck-and-neck with senior Tony Muskett. The 6-foot, 183-pound Colandrea started six games last season as a wide-eyed rookie, mixing electric playmaking with the sometimes-erratic tendencies of a freshman.

Since the end of last season, however, Virginia’s coaches have raved about the leadership and strength gains of the St. Petersburg, Florida, native.

“He’s not the puppy anymore,” Lamb said. “He’s a second-year guy who’s figuring out his way in the world with college and within this football team, and he’s trying to be a vet one day, and he’s really, really close to that title.”

Colandrea will lead the offense onto the field when UVA hosts Richmond in the season opener Saturday, Aug. 31, at Scott Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“AC’s been more of a true spread kind of guy in that he’s got the arm, got the ability to beat you from the pocket, but he’s really, really good at off-scheduled plays,” UVA head coach Tony Elliott said.

Colandrea showed that in a big way last season. He completed 63% of his passes for 1,958 yards, the most by any true freshman in the Power Five last season, and 13 touchdowns. Colandrea also set UVA single-season freshman records for completions (154), passing yards and total offense (2,183) and was feted with freshman All-American honorable mention by College Football Network.

His 10 turnovers (nine interceptions), however, are something the coaching staff would like to see him curtail this year. He showed progress as the season went on, tossing eight touchdowns and only three interceptions in his final four games, including a home win over Duke.

Colandrea has added muscle to his frame, which has only added to his already-swelling swagger. “AC has always had confidence. Now that his shirt’s fitting tighter, there’s even more to it,” Elliott said.

Elliott commended both Colandrea and Muskett for the maturity they showed while competing for the top job.

“The beauty of my job is that you have an opportunity to learn from young people through your pursuit of helping them develop,” he said. “Those two young men have taught this staff and me personally a lot about what it’s really all about and how to embrace competition, how to find value in your competitors.”

The 6-foot-2, 213-pound Muskett led the Cavaliers to two of their three wins in his six starts last season. The Springfield native completed 63.3% of his passes for 1,031 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions. He wasn’t the same, however, after suffering a shoulder injury in the season opener against Tennessee, a malady that eventually required offseason surgery.

He was at full strength this spring, ready to compete with Colandrea for the starting gig.

“We both believe that competition breeds greatness,” Muskett said. “I know and he knows when we have someone else pushing us, that’s just going to make us better. So when the first game and the rest of the season comes around, we’ll be better and more prepared.”

Elliott defines Muskett as more of a pocket passer than Colandrea, and the senior’s leadership is unquestioned.

“He knows how to move within a program, knows how to lead,” Lamb said. “Just a true veteran.”

The way last season unfolded — with Muskett suffering an injury from which he never fully recovered until he underwent surgery and Colandrea starting six games as a freshman — is indication enough that the Cavaliers need both Colandrea and Muskett locked in and ready to play.

“Both of them have proven that they can win in the ACC, versus very good talent and good teams in the ACC,” Elliott said. “That’s what you like, that they’ve both shown that ability.”

Underdeveloped and inexperienced, Steen seemed ages away from contributing.

“About five practices in, I thought, ‘This kid will never play. There’s no shot this kid ever plays,’ ” Heffernan admits. “He was so athletically underdeveloped.”

These days, Heffernan is happy to confess that he was way off. Not only did Steen eventually play, but he earned a starting assignment at right tackle for the final five games of the 2023 season.

“To his credit, he’s just worked his tail off,” Heffernan said of Steen, a 6-foot-4 junior from Miami who is playing this preseason at 332 pounds, almost 15 pounds lighter than last season. “It’s a testament to his work ethic, but also how important it is to him.

“He’s just been on this upward arc. He’s had an incredible summer. He’s changed his body; he’s changed his demeanor. His movement skills, all his numbers are through the roof.”

Steen’s emergence last season was one of the biggest developments for an offense that struggled to find continuity because of inexperience and injuries.

Steen stepped into the starting lineup Oct. 28 at Miami and didn’t relinquish his spot. He started alongside right guard Ty Furnish, center Brian Stevens, left guard Noah Josey and left tackle McKale Boley for the season’s final stretch. That group is expected to line up for the Cavaliers’ first snap when they take on Richmond in the season opener Aug. 31 at Scott Stadium.

Boley and Stevens are both working back from injuries suffered during camp, but head coach Tony Elliott is hopeful both will return in time for the first game.

“Starting five games, it helped me grow a lot,” Steen said. “Especially with offensive tackles, the best way to improve is to play games.”

After two years of mixing and matching an assortment of inexperienced offensive linemen, UVA enters 2024 with one of the more seasoned groups in the ACC. The Cavaliers return three linemen who started all 12 games last season (Boley, Josey and Stevens), one who made 11 starts (Furnish) and two others who started at least five games (Steen and Ugonna Nnanna).

They also welcome back key reserve Jimmy Christ, who made two starts last season at right tackle, and added transfer Ethan Sipe, a tackle who started every game in his final two seasons at Dartmouth.

The group has put in valuable reps this preseason to develop more cohesion and fine-tune its communication. The offensive line was limited in that ability in the spring as Furnish, Stevens, Josey and Boley all missed time with injuries.

Heffernan is excited to have a group of experienced linemen in camp this preseason after auditioning a cast full of newcomers this time last year.

“It’s a lot nicer to be able to say, ‘Hey, we’ve got some known commodities that are coming back that have had shared experience with each other,’” the coach said. “That’s a luxury that you’re not always afforded.”

Steen was the lone starter who went through the entire spring camp, and he took advantage of those critical reps against Virginia’s group of seasoned defensive linemen that includes graduate student Chico Bennett Jr., sixth-year Kam Butler and sixth-year Ben Smiley from Indian River High in Chesapeake.

“I’m still considered kind of a young guy, so going against somebody like Chico every day, it’s a blessing for me because it’s helped me a lot,” Steen said.

Heffernan raves about the physical gains Steen has made since that first spring they were together. The coach also commends the player’s improved technique, which he has polished through film study and repetition.

“Physically, the biggest issue for Blake was he was just so physically underdeveloped. Weak. Big. He got here and was 344 pounds, but the muscle underneath, the trunk and core strength and the ability to be sudden in his movements wasn’t there. That’s something that he’s addressed,” Heffernan said. “He’s significantly leaner now and stronger and more sudden.

“And then there’s the mental piece, you know, understanding and learning the game. Blake’s a guy who loves football. … Blake’s a guy that is obsessive and watches old ’80s and ’90s games. He loves the game of football and so that’s helped him to mature and grow mentally.”

Steen doesn’t need to look far for inspiration. His older brother, Tyler, is in his second year with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in all 11 games and made one start as a rookie last season.

The younger Steen seeks his brother’s guidance in many areas, whether it’s related to technique or understanding a blocking assignment.

Tyler schooled Blake on the nuances of the Eagles’ highly effective short-yardage play, “The Tush Push” or “Brotherly Shove,” to the point where the younger brother was able to teach it to his coaches and teammates last season.

The play became a valuable option for the Cavaliers, who converted 10 of 14 fourth downs in their final seven games after adding it to their arsenal.

“Blake was the one who got up and installed it to the group,” Heffernan said.

UVA’s version of the play last year employed 6-2, 210-pound reserve quarterback Grady Brosterhous as a sizeable ball carrier plowing behind a group of Cavaliers blockers barreling forward like a rugby scrum.

“Obviously, you want to be lower, but at the same time you’ve got to have enough drive with your legs,” UVA offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said of the play’s unique blocking assignments. “Defensive players think they’ve got to jump. That’s the worst thing you can do is jump because we just submarine you right there. We get the tight ends down there and kind of get our hips up like a plow, and you try to dig through it.”

The play has been effective for the Cavaliers, one of many positive developments that have come with Steen’s maturation over the past several months.

His development, along with the growth of his fellow linemen and the addition of valuable depth, could be the ultimate difference for a Cavaliers offense that hopes to be balanced and consistent.

The play of the offensive line is “extremely critical,” Elliott said. “Mission critical, as I like to say to the staff. It’s mission critical because you win in the trenches, and I firmly believe that.”

That anticipation carries over in a grander sense these days in the University of Virginia’s running back room, where he joins a cadre of young backs champing at the bit to fill the holes left by last year’s leading rusher, Perris Jones, and goal-line maestro Mike Hollins.

“I rely a lot on my vision,” said the 5-foot-8 Vaughn, who is purportedly playing at close to 200 pounds these days. “I use my eyes to see the hole and then I use my speed to hit it. I feel that kind of works out nicely for me.”

Perhaps that could be a skillset that earns him valuable reps in the backfield this season. Vaughn, a sophomore from Maryville, Tennessee, is among a group of six running backs vying for bigger roles this year now that two of the biggest ground contributors from last year have moved on.

The Cavaliers want to see fifth-year playmaker Kobe Pace take the reins as a three-down lead back this preseason, but the likes of Vaughn, juniors Xavier Brown, Jack Griese and Davis Lane as well as sophomore Donté Hawthorne are pushing for a bigger share of the workload.

Hollins and Jones “were very consistent for us in third-down situations as pass protectors or as a third-down back, so the hope is that Kobe can transition to being that guy,” Cavaliers offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said.

Building up depth behind him is imperative at such a physically demanding position, Kitchings added.

“We have to have the next guy ready to go,” he said.

Enter Vaughn, a fleet runner who is back to full health after missing last season with an ankle injury. He was a bright spot for the Cavaliers during spring practice and appears ready to take another step this preseason.

“I feel like I matured a lot on the field,” Vaughn said. “I just feel like coming through those doors every day, you know, it’s a business mindset. It was a little different from last year. There was a lot of depth in the room, and I was coming off an injury, so you weren’t expecting to get much playing time, but now I turned it up a level in the spring, and I feel like I’ve been taking my game a lot more seriously.”

Vaughn, a consensus three-star recruit, rushed for 1,279 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior in high school before suffering a broken ankle that shelved him for the final game of the regular season and the playoffs.

He had surgery to repair the injury, but experienced lingering pain during camp last year and required a follow-up procedure.

Vaughn said the lost season helped him with perspective, and he showed up for spring practice ready to work. As he gained maturity through his adversity, Vaughn said he stopped feeling sorry for himself and focused on getting faster and stronger and “controlling the controllables.”

His coaches saw a different player in the spring and summer.

“I think he’s done a great job this offseason with (football strength and conditioning coach Adam Smotherman’s) staff. He reshaped his body. He’s as big as he has been. I think he’s 199, rock solid. He’s got great vision. He’s got great feet,” said UVA running backs coach Keith Gaither.

“It’s just the consistency” we’re looking for, Gaither added. “Will he show up every day with the same intent and demeanor and passion? We don’t know. I hope. So far, so good, but I think the competition between him, Jack and Xavier is going to push him to do it because he can’t take a day off. None of them can.”

The Cavaliers hope to turn a corner in the run game this year after struggling on the ground in head coach Tony Elliott’s first two seasons. In 2023, UVA finished 107th out of 133 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in rushing yards per game (117.92), and only 11 FBS squads had fewer than the Cavaliers’ 12 rushing touchdowns.

Jones led UVA with 393 yards. Hollins had the team-lead in touchdowns with seven.

The production needs to improve if Virginia hopes to be the balanced and explosive offensive team it aspires to be.

The Cavaliers return ample experience up front, including three linemen who started every game last year — center Brian Stevens, guard Noah Josey and tackle McKale Boley; and three others who started at least five contests in guards Ty Furnish and Ugonna Nnanna and tackle Blake Steen.

At tight end, they return starter Sackett Wood and added transfers Sage Ennis (Clemson) and Tyler Neville, who played three seasons at Harvard after starring at Lafayette High in Williamsburg.

And the tailback room appears stocked with talent, with the game-breaking potential of Pace and the promise of Vaughn, Brown, Griese, Hawthorne and Lane.

“In order for us to really put stress on defenses, we’ve got to make them respect every aspect of our offense,” Elliott said. “Hopefully … with some more continuity on the offensive line, some more experience, it will help the run game all the way around. That’s also going to improve the passing game. Now you’re putting more pressure on the defense as opposed to kind of reacting.”

Vaughn says the running backs approach every practice as an opportunity to get closer to where they need to be.

“I feel like every day when we practice, it’s going to be a hard, physical practice,” Vaughn said. “That’s the mindset of our running back room … the first guy is not going to take us down. We’re going to always get some more yards out of it.”

Talk about the highest of highs and lowest of lows on the Olympic stage for the tight-knit family from Nashville, Tennessee. Both sisters are stars for the powerful University of Virginia women’s swimming team and remain on the roster for 2024-25, Gretchen as a senior and Alex as a graduate student.

Alex Walsh finished third in the women’s 200-meter individual medley, in position for bronze, before a review canceled her result.

She was disqualified for not completing the backstroke leg of her race on her back and turning too soon in her transition to the breaststroke, according to World Aquatics. Alex walked through the mixed zone after her event at La Defense Arena on the second-to-last night of swimming without speaking to reporters.

Not long after, Gretchen was part of the U.S. 4×100 mixed relay. That team won gold and broke the world record in an event that debuted at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

She clasped hands with Torri Huske on her left and Nic Fink on her right and joined backstroke star Ryan Murphy on the same medal stand that Alex had missed out on earlier. Huske, who swims for Stanford, is from Yorktown High in Arlington, Virginia.

They finished in 3 minutes, 37.43 seconds, 0.12 ahead of China. That finish also went under review before becoming official. When it did, Murphy threw both arms into the air to celebrate.

Gretchen Walsh now has a gold to add to her two silvers in Paris.

The Walshes have accomplished so much together. Just this past spring, they led the Cavaliers to their fourth straight NCAA swimming and diving championship.

Two recent UVA alumnae also were major parts of Saturday’s Olympic swimming.

In the same 200 IM from which Alex Walsh was disqualified, former UVA star Kate Douglass won silver in 2:06.92, short of only 17-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh, who posted an Olympic record of 2:06.56.

Alex Walsh was the 200 IM silver medalist three years ago in Tokyo at 2:07.06.

Paige Madden, the ACC Swimmer of the Year in 2020 and ’21, earned the bronze medal in the 800 freestyle with a personal-best 8:13.00. Katie Ledecky took yet another gold (8:11.04), with Australia’s Ariarne Titmus getting the silver (8:12.29).

In the mixed relay, Ryan Murphy, Nic Fink, Gretchen Walsh and Torri Huske held off China for a winning time of 3:37.43, breaking the mark of 3:37.58 set by Britain when it won gold in the wild and woolly event’s Olympic debut three years ago.

With each team picking two men and two women, the U.S. and China both went with their male swimmers in the first two legs.

Murphy put the U.S. in front on the backstroke, China’s Qin Haiyang slipped past Fink on the breaststroke, but Gretchen Walsh put the Americans back in front on the butterfly before Huske held off Yang Junxuan to secure the gold.

The Chinese team, which also included Xu Jiayu and Zhang Yufei, took silver in 3:37.55. The bronze went to Australia in 3:38.76.

Léon Marchand swam the breaststroke leg for France, but couldn’t add to his already impressive haul of four individual golds. The French finished fourth, more than two seconds behind the Aussies.

When the British won gold in 2021, the Americans finished fifth. Britain was seventh this time.

They’ve dealt with a head coaching change in 2021 and getting accustomed to a new coach and his style.

They dealt with five defeats by a touchdown or less last season.

And, of course, they dealt with the shooting deaths of three teammates late in the 2022 season.

“It’s time for these guys to enjoy the fruits of their labors,” Elliott said Tuesday at the ACC Football Kickoff event.

“They’ve had to deal with some things that weren’t of their making,” said Elliott, entering his third season as the Cavaliers’ head coach. “Now we need to go out and win some games and play in the postseason. Those guys deserve that.”

UVA’s football fortunes began to unravel weeks after Bronco Mendenhall resigned as head coach in December 2022. The Cavaliers had landed a spot in the Fenway Bowl, but a COVID outbreak among the Virginia players forced the game to be canceled.

Elliott’s first season, played with many new faces in the Virginia lineup after numerous transfer portal defections, ended with a 3-7 record — and tragically the Nov. 22 shooting deaths of Lavel Davis Jr., D’Sean Perry and Devin Chandler. The three players were killed by a shooter on a bus after returning from a field trip. Running back Mike Hollins and another Virginia student were injured.

Then came the frustration of the five narrow losses and a 3-9 record last season.

Time to move on

“I wouldn’t have chosen for things to happen this way, but everything happens for a reason,” Elliott said.

Now, the Virginia coach said, it’s time to move past the troubled days.

“That first spring I was here, we had only six scholarship players,” said Elliott, a former offensive coordinator at Clemson. “We’ve been able to grow since then.

“When you look at the last two years, you can see that we’ve laid the foundation. Competitively, we are much improved.”

If you’re looking for good news, there is some to be found.

The Cavaliers have two promising quarterbacks and figure at least one of them should step forward this season. Senior Tony Muskett and sophomore Anthony Colandrea split time at the position last year.

Muskett and Colandrea are friends, and Muskett said Tuesday that Virginia will be solid at quarterback.

“AC is a great kid,” Muskett said of Colandrea. “We get along really well, and a lot of the credit goes to (quarterbacks coach Taylor) Lamb. He works with both of us and has helped keep us close.”

Colandrea and Muskett will have returning receiver Malachi Fields and transfers Chris Tyree (Notre Dame) and Andre Greene Jr. (North Carolina) as targets.

Injuries hurt the defense last season, with defensive end Kam Butler missing much of the season with a pectoral muscle injury.

“I feel really good and am excited about getting back,” said Butler, who had 3.5 sacks in three games last season before getting hurt.

The Cavaliers also are strong at linebacker, with James Jackson and Kamren Robinson leading the way.

Some problem spots

Potential problem spots are the running game and the secondary.

The Cavaliers weren’t a good rushing team last season, ranking 105th out of 130 FBS squads. They averaged 118 yards a game on the ground, so Muskett and Colandrea might have to provide much of the offense with their arms.

“Running the ball well is critical,” Elliott said. “We need to make our opponents respect our running game.”

In the secondary, three starters from last season are gone. Elliott said he used the transfer portal to reload there, but we’ll have to wait and see how the newcomers fare.

Elliott is hoping his team can make a statement in its opening four games.

“With the way our byes happen, the season is divided into four parts,” he said. “It will be nice to get off to a good start.”

Those opening games are against Richmond, Wake Forest, Maryland and Coastal Carolina.

“Our mindset is that every game is the most important game of the season,” Elliott said. “But we need to start strong.”

Defensive end Chico Bennett said last season “was frustrating.”

“You always want to win,” Bennett said. “It was a matter of four or five plays. Our guys know we’ve been close.

“But we’re tired of just being close. Now it’s time for us to win.”

Virginia strong safety Jonas Sanker landed at No. 39 on EA Sports’ list. The senior is listed with a 92 overall rating.

Sanker is coming off a junior campaign that landed him a first-team All-ACC selection. His 107 tackles last year led Virginia and were No. 4 in the ACC. Sanker was third in the ACC in pass deflections with 11.

Sanker’s rating of 92 overall makes him the highest-rated strong safety in the game.

Top 100 @JonasSanker x @EASPORTSCollege #UVAStrong | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/Oat9apnNti

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) July 10, 2024

Virginia Tech cornerback Dorian Strong landed at No. 66 on EA Sports’ top 100. The graduate student is listed as a 91 overall player.

Strong was a third-team All-ACC selection last year and was named to Action Network’s All-American second team. Strong defended 11 passes last season, tying him with Sanker for No. 7 in the ACC.

Strong’s rating of 91 makes him the ninth-highest-ranked cornerback in the game.

Sanker and Strong are the fourth- and eighth-highest-rated players from the ACC in the game, respectively.

Michael Sauls, (757) 803-5774, michael.sauls@virginiamedia.com