OPINION: Who Should Start at Quarterback for Virginia Football?

Discussing who should start at quarterback for the Cavaliers between Colandrea, Muskett, or both

Will Tony Muskett or Anthony Colandrea be Virginia's starting quarterback to start the 2024 football season? / USA TODAY Sports

Anthony Colandrea or Tony Muskett? Or both? 

In Tony Elliott’s final press conference of fall camp, he mentioned that he was not opposed to playing a combination of both quarterbacks, as the competition is extremely competitive between the former Monmouth transfer Muskett and the young hot-shot sophomore Colandrea, who each started six games for Virginia in 2023.

UPDATE: Tony Elliott has officially named Anthony Colandrea as the starting quarterback for Virginia's season-opener against Richmond next Saturday. Read more here: Anthony Colandrea Announced as UVA Football’s Starting Quarterback

When I think of the possibility of playing two quarterbacks, my mind immediately jumps to season three of Friday Night Lights in which Head Coach Eric Taylor chose to play both his senior quarterback Matthew Saracen and standout prodigy freshman J.D. McCoy. 

As Coach Taylor struggled with the decision he ended up choosing to play both for a game which turned out to be an extremely poor decision with constant delay of games as players became confused with the two offensive sets being run among the two quarterbacks. In response, Taylor eventually opted for McCoy later in the game as alternating quarterbacks during a game proved ineffective as the offense struggled to find a rhythm. 

The experiment of the two-quarterback setup was classified as a “certified disaster” by the legendary Dillon Panthers announcer Sammy Meade. 

Moving back to UVA, Elliott is not basing his decision-making off of a show but it does raise the point of how difficult it is to change quarterbacks even throughout a season. Switching quarterbacks may affect the confidence of both Colandrea and Muskett while also impacting the chemistry established between them and their wide receivers and offensive line. 

So, who should it be? 

In 2023, Muskett threw for 1,031 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions in six games on 147 attempts compared to Colandrea who threw for 1,958 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on 246 attempts over eight games. 7.01 yards per attempt for Muskett and a 63.3 completion percentage versus 7.95 and 62.6% for Colandrea. Pretty even statistics, with a slight edge for Colandrea. 

As for best performances, Muskett’s best game was against North Carolina, where he threw for 208 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and a 66.7 completion percentage in Virginia’s first-ever win against a top-ten opponent on the road. Muskett also starred against Boston College, throwing for 247 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in a 27-24 loss.

On the other hand, Colandrea’s best game was in a 30-27 win against Duke where the then-freshman threw for 278 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and had a 70% completion rate. 

Based on those statistics, the nod is given to Colandrea as against North Carolina it was the rushing attack that ran for 228 yards that truly gave the Cavaliers the victory. Furthermore, in the Boston College game, one of Muskett’s touchdown passes was a 50-yard Hail Mary to Malachi Fields just before halftime. 

My Pick: Anthony Colandrea 

This will be a tough pick for Elliott, but for me, I think the Cavaliers should put their faith in Colandrea. The sophomore is the future of Virginia football and with Colandrea having shown flashes of brilliance in 2023 I think he should be entrusted with the keys to the offense moving forward. Furthermore, with Muskett in his final season, the only way he should win the job is if he is significantly better than Colandrea and Elliott feels he would benefit more from watching from the sidelines for a year. In response to this point, it is clear that the quarterback battle is super tight, leading me to give the nod to the sophomore who broke the UVA freshman single-season passing yards record in 2023 and the player who will be a mainstay in Charlottesville for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, in Colandrea's second season, I expect an added level of composure and sharpness with a year already under his belt.

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