Tony Elliott Details Approach to Rivalry Games Ahead of First Commonwealth Clash

Ahead of his first Virginia-Virginia Tech football game as UVA's head coach, Tony Elliott spoke on his approach to rivalry games

Year 2 of the Tony Elliott era of Virginia football is coming to a close, but this weekend marks the first time that Elliott will experience the high-stakes Commonwealth Clash rivalry game between Virginia and Virginia Tech. This game did not take place last year as a result of the shooting that claimed the lives of Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry. 

Tony Elliott is no stranger to a major in-state rivalry, though, having played and coached in a number of intense and heated rivalry games between Clemson and South Carolina. In his final weekly press conference of the season, Elliott spoke on his prior rivalry experience and what his approach has been towards this rivalry game now as a head coach. 

Read what Elliott said about the Commonwealth Clash below:

Q. You came here from a school that has a very intense football rivalry. How did the coaching staff there frame it to the players, and have you adopted a similar approach here with this rivalry?

TONY ELLIOTT: Great question. Coming from a that rivalry, what you knew was that it was 365 days a year, that it was about bragging rights. It meant a lot a lot of people. Having a chance to play in it, you experience it as a player, but it wasn't until I got out into the professional world that I realized, okay, folks are really about this. They planned their entire year around the football season and then this game at the end.

I sensed that was very similar here from day one. You know, you get all the congratulatory texts and 'welcome to the family', 'glad you're here', now beat Tech. I was like, okay, I get it. This feels very familiar.

Haven't had a chance to coach in this game with everything that's happened last year. I do want to take a second to acknowledge (Virginia Tech Head) Coach (Brent) Pry and Virginia Tech's administration and their program for all the support they gave us last year. I thought it was unbelievable just to see their folks showed up in town to be with us, to help us grieve, and continued support all throughout the process of determining whether or not we were going to play the game and even beyond that. Still continue to do feel the appreciation. So you can tell that there is a very, very strong level of respect, but we also know that what happens those three hours on Saturday is going to last for the entire year.

So very similar in terms of the feel and what I anticipate the game is going to be like, and then kind of the significance of the game. I think you do have to frame it the right way, because it's a long week and really it's all year. Everyone talks about it all year and it leads up to this week. Trying not to put undue pressure on the guys because at the end of the day, you got to prepare the same way that you prepared for other games. The way you frame it is this is just like any other game in terms of the preparation process, but the significance of the outcome is a little bit different. 

Q. This is the first time you and (Brent) Pry will meet. You talked talking about how important this would be going into the off-season. How important would this win be in terms of this new era of the rivalry? 

TONY ELLIOTT: Right, it's an opportunity for both of us. We're battling and jockeying to say this is our state. He's saying that they want to own the state; we want to own the state. That's what happens when you have a rivalry. 

But I got tremendous amount of respect for Coach Pry. Our relationship goes back to South Carolina State when I was on the staff with his younger brother. Tremendous amount of respect for he, his younger brother, his dad. It's a football family. 

Going to be big because it's the first time that we get to show and prove. We get to talk about we want to recruit the best players in the state, take ownership of the state. Now we get a chance to settle it on the field. I think that's important for each program, but then also it's an opportunity for all of the recruits from the state of Virginia to see both teams showcased. 

Q. Coach, your predecessor, and you mentioned the idea that this game is all year, 365, your predecessor talked about it 365. It was in the spring, preseason. The guys said that while obviously the game is important, you haven't had the same maybe year-round drilling of that message. What is your thought process in when to bring it up and how often?

TONY ELLIOTT: Right. So going back to my experience, I was part of a very intense rivalry and there was a time we lost several games in a row, and after looking back at it, a lot of it was we put too much emphasis on it. So you got to balance it, right? So I think we all know the implications, the significance, that it is 365 days. However, you have to work towards each opponent as you play those opponents. 

For me, the approach I'm trying to get everybody to understand is that every game is the most important game of the season, and then when you get to this game, now here is the significance around this game. Every game is going to have a different level of significance. Look at JMU. JMU is a really, really important game. We lose by one point. We win that game, now we know the importance of that game, but the significance was different because it was the first game of the season back in Scott Stadium and the tribute to the guys.  

So each game is going to have a type of different significance, but they're all important and they all are the most important games. That's been my approach, and trying not to put too much pressure on the guys and understand that what it takes to win this game is what it takes to win every game. 

It's a certain level of focus, trust for the preparation process, respect for the process, and not just trying to find that external motivation associated with the significance around the game. Because when we kick it off, everybody will be excited; 11 guys got to go on the field and do their job. They got to be passionate, energetic, but they also gotta be focused. I want to make sure we have that right balance. 

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Virginia (3-8, 2-5 ACC) hosts Virginia Tech (5-6, 4-3 ACC) in the Commonwealth Clash on Saturday at Scott Stadium at 3:30pm on the ACC Network.

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