UVA Football: Time to Reevaluate Virginia's Quarterback Situation?

Henry Pallatroni | Nov 19, 2024

Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

Ten weeks into the 2024 season, the Virginia Cavaliers sit at an even 5-5. Searching for just one more win to be eligible for a bowl game, Tony Elliot and Co. need to find a victory at home this Saturday against No. 13 SMU or in the final matchup of the season against Virginia Tech. After a strong start to his first full year quarterbacking the Virginia offense, Anthony Colandrea has noticeably regressed the last five weeks. With just two games remaining, is there a case to make the change from Colandrea to Tony Muskett at the QB position?

“We’re going to look at whatever gives us the best opportunity,” Elliott said about Virginia’s quarterback situation following Saturday's loss at Notre Dame, a game in which Colandrea was benched at halftime while Muskett came in and scored two rushing touchdowns in the second half. "I told AC [Colandrea] that it wasn’t anything that was final. It was just we’re struggling on offense and we need to see if we could find a spark... I think it was, at that time, the right thing to do. We’ll go back, we’ll look at the tape, we’ll evaluate it, we’ll discuss it as a staff before we make any decisions going forward. We were trying to see if Tony could give us a spark.”

First, let's talk about Anthony Colandrea. The sophomore quarterback has proven that, at his best, he is a legitimate dual threat option at QB. After the Hoos' week five win at Boston College, it seemed all but certain that Colandrea was the answer for the future of this offense. He still very well may be, but the efficiency required from a quarterback to win has been missing down the stretch, and Colandrea's sophomore campaign has grown from one of excitement to one of inconsistency. Is that to be expected from the young QB? Of course. However, for a program looking to cap off this '24 season on a high note, Colandrea's performance over the second half forces one to question his viability for the final two games. And with 18 games and 16 starts under his belt, how long can he be considered a young quarterback?

In his last five starts, Colandrea is averaging just 161.2 passing yards, a significant drop from the first half of the year where he averaged 242.2 yards through the air. In this five-game span the Hoos are 1-4, and Colandrea has just 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He currently sits 15th in the ACC in efficiency rating and second in total interceptions, with 11 on the year. Though Colandrea's maturity and injection of energy into this year's offense deserves credit, and surely he will be a key piece of any success in his next two years with the team, Tony Muskett has been noticeably efficient in limited time across the Notre Dame, UNC, and Clemson losses.

In last Saturday's loss at No. 6 Notre Dame, Colandrea had his worst performance of the year, finishing just 8/21 with 69 yards and 3 interceptions. Tony Muskett entered the contest midway through the fourth quarter with the Hoos down 35-0. Across three drives, Muskett was 9/14 with 103 yards and 2 touchdown runs. Perhaps the lack of pressure that arises from garbage time football has helped the Muskett-led offense excel late across his three recent appearances, but the contrast between Muskett and Colandrea in South Bend this weekend further established the need to reevaluate who gives the Hoos the best chance at a victory, or two, in the next two weeks.

In my personal opinion, I think Virginia should give Tony Muskett the nod against SMU this weekend. Colandrea is a talented young QB, but in the last five weeks, he has shown little to instill confidence that he will suddenly find the form necessary to beat a ranked opponent at home or go into Blacksburg and find a win there. Would Colandrea being benched hurt his confidence? It could, but if the young QB really is the future of this program, perhaps it would serve as a motivating lesson as he looks to take a leap heading into his junior campaign. On the other side of the coin, Muskett has played well in his limited time this season. He is also on his way out of college football, and if given the keys to the team for the final two weeks, Muskett may just find the inspired football needed to get the Hoos to a bowl game.

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