Xavier Brown from Virginia rushed for 171 yards on nine carries as the Cavaliers dominated Coastal Carolina with a 43-24 victory on Saturday during an unusual road game at a Group of Five school.
The Cavaliers (3-1) achieved a total of 384 rushing yards, marking the first time they have surpassed 300 yards in a game since 2018.
These three wins match the total wins for the Cavaliers in each of coach Tony Elliott’s first two seasons at Virginia. The team has not made it to a bowl game since losing to Florida in the 2019 Orange Bowl.
“It’s a sign things are going in the right direction,” Brown said. “I think if we keep it up and keep our beliefs and keep backing it every week we should get to where we want to go.”
Before the game, it seemed like a tough challenge for the Cavaliers. They were only favored by a field goal against the Chanticleers (3-1), who have had three victories against power conference teams in the last five seasons.
Virginia forced a fumble on the opening kickoff, leading to a touchdown just three plays later, and had an interception in the first quarter that set up another touchdown, quieting the record crowd of 22,104 that came to see Coastal Carolina play on their teal Surf Turf.
The Cavaliers scored on their next five possessions. “Today we were a ground and pound team. We got after it,” center Brian Stevens said.
With all the rushing, Virginia didn’t rely much on quarterback Anthony Colandrea. He completed 13 of 20 passes for 131 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Fields early in the fourth quarter. Colandrea also ran for 46 yards.
Coastal Carolina quarterback Ethan Vasko was 10-for-21 for 222 yards. Tray Taylor had three catches for 70 yards, and Jameson Tucker had three receptions for 63 yards.
