Everything Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said after the loss to West Virginia
- Tony Elliott said Montino Williams went out first against West Virginia because Brandyn Hillman had a tooth issue, missed the first three practice days and had difficulty sleeping and eating. Hillman practiced Thursday and Friday, but the staff wanted to manage him carefully. Elliott did not announce a permanent starting-order change or confirm that the planned extraction had occurred.
- After Noah Josey left in the second quarter with the ankle injury described in the article, Ben York and Jon Adair played inside for Virginia. Elliott valued Josey's leadership but did not identify his absence as the decisive cause of the loss; multiple interior linemen were already scheduled to play. No recovery timetable or new permanent OL order was provided.
- Elliott said West Virginia's edge pressures forced Virginia to hand off rather than retain a two-way quarterback run option. Trailing later also made the offense more predictable, and pressure overloaded protections when Virginia needed four receivers out. The staff leaned toward controlled throws against the varied looks; Elliott did not announce a standing restriction on Beau Pribula's running.
- Virginia wanted to make Michael Hawkins one-dimensional, but Elliott cited an early run-fit error that became a touchdown and empty formations creating one-on-one passing matchups even behind the chains. He also faulted lost contested plays and a crossing-route explosive, while noting that major penalties extended drives. The concerns were execution and preparation, not an announced coverage replacement.
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