CHARLOTTESVILLE — With 32 new transfers on its roster, Virginia was certain to get contributions from at least some of its fresh faces in its season opener against Coastal Carolina on Saturday night at Scott Stadium.
Before kickoff, there was intrigue of just how impactful these new players would be. They answered that question very quickly.
The Cavaliers relied heavily on a cadre of transfers on both sides of the ball in a demolishing the Chanticleers 48-7.
“We’ve got guys. We’ve got guys that want to win, that know how to get in the box,” said running back J’Mari Taylor, who scored two rushing touchdowns in his first game after transferring from North Carolina Central.
Running back J’Mari Taylor (3) of Virginia rushes past Coastal Carolina defenders Myles Woods (14) and Xamarion Gordon (6) for a touchdown in the second half Saturday night at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville. RYAN M. KELLY/GETTY
UVA proudly displayed some of its portal prizes, especially wide receiver Cam Ross, a former James Madison star who caught seven passes for 124 yards and a touchdown and also had a 100-yard kickoff-return score. Quarterback Chandler Morris (from North Texas) completed 70% of his passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
He exited the game early in the third quarter after taking a hard hit by Coastal Carolina safety Myles Woods at the end of a 28-yard run. Transfer Daniel Kaelin (Nebraska) led a pair of scoring drives in the second half, each ending with a Will Bettridge field goal.
UVA coach Tony Elliott said Morris suffered a left shoulder injury and will be re-evaluated Sunday. “I’m hopeful for next week,” the coach said.
All of Virginia’s touchdowns were generated by transfers. In addition to Taylor’s two scores, Harrison Waylee (Wyoming) had one, Ross reeled in a 29-yard scoring pass from Morris and wide receiver Jahmal Edrine (Purdue) caught a 7-yard touchdown pass.
“It was great, but that’s just game one,” Taylor said. “We have to continue throughout the rest of the season to exceed the expectations we have for ourselves.”
UVA’s defense stymied Coastal Carolina’s attack. The Cavaliers held the Chanticleers to 254 yards and only 13 first downs. UVA forced three turnovers — linebacker James Jackson recovered a first-quarter fumble, safety Ethan Minter logged an interception in the third quarter and cornerback Kevon Gray grabbed a fumble in the fourth.
Transfers Fisher Camac (UNLV) and Maddox Marcellus (Eastern Kentucky) both assisted on a sack and contributed to the Cavaliers’ four tackles for loss.
“I think the team did a good job of playing complementary football and capitalizing on momentum,” Elliott said.
Running back Ja’Vin Simpkins scored the Chanticleers’ only touchdown on an 8-yard run in the third quarter.
Morris was masterful in orchestrating the offense, displaying the veteran poise from his previous five seasons with North Texas, TCU and Oklahoma. He led the Cavaliers to four touchdowns in the final 15:01 of the first half.
His 46-yard completion to Ross, who should be lauded for running for most of the yardage on his own, set up UVA’s first touchdown on Taylor’s 1-yard run with one second remaining in the opening quarter.
That opened the floodgates, as UVA went on to outscore Coastal Carolina 21-0 in the second quarter.
UVA forced a punt on Coastal’s first drive of the second period. Caleb Hardy slipped by his blocker and got his mitts on the kick. Trey McDonald recovered the ball at the Chanticleers’ 35. It was Virginia’s first blocked punt since 2019.
“Look at what special teams did today. They impacted the game, and that’s what we need,” Elliott said.
The following drive, Morris picked apart Coastal’s defense with completions of 9 yards to Edrine, 13 yards to Ross and 8 yards to tight end Dakota Twitty to set up Waylee’s 1-yard touchdown run with 11:22 left in the half.
Morris threaded a 29-yard touchdown strike to Ross late in the second quarter to push the Cavaliers’ lead to 21-0 with 3:27 left.
The quarterback’s dominance continued on the next possession as he tossed a 48-yard dime to deep-threat receiver Trell Harris, who made an acrobatic one-handed catch at the Coastal Carolina 2-yard line. Harris tapped the ball in the air with his right hand and then cradled it before coming down.
A short time later, Morris connected with Edrine on a 2-yard touchdown reception to build the cushion to 28-0 with 18 seconds remaining in the half.
Meanwhile, Virginia’s defense completely dominated the Chanticleers. Two of Coastal Carolina’s five first downs in the opening half came via penalty.
The Chanticleers’ best first-half scoring opportunity came midway through the opening quarter. They appeared to take a 3-0 lead on Kian Afrookhteh’s 41-yard field goal, but a fortuitous illegal-formation flag against the Cavaliers gave them a fresh set of downs at the UVA 20.
Coastal reached the Cavaliers’ 13, but a high shotgun snap over the head of quarterback MJ Morris ended up in the hands of Jackson to halt the drive.
Virginia extended its lead to 35-0 on Taylor’s 2-yard run early in the third quarter. Coastal Carolina broke the shutout on Simpkins’ scoring run with 6:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Ross struck again with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Cavaliers kicker Will Bettridge capped the scoring with field goals of 32 and 41 yards in the fourth quarter.
