CHARLOTTESVILLE 鈥 It took until the second quarter for new Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris to start making that important first impression.
But as Morris became increasingly comfortable during the Cavaliers鈥 spring game, his play started to reveal why he was one of UVa鈥檚 top transfer targets this past winter.
Off of play action and while throwing on the move, Morris was smooth and efficient.
鈥淲e saw him moving the pocket and extending some plays with his legs,鈥 UVa coach Tony Elliott said about Morris. 鈥淎nd he also stood in there on a third-and-long and ripped one up the seam. So, it was good for everyone else to get the chance to see what we鈥檙e seeing every day.鈥
The former North Texas signal-caller and All-AAC second-team choice in 2024 completed 12 of his 15 throws on Saturday for 155 yards.
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In the final minute of the opening half, he led the first scoring drive of the scrimmage, which was won 17-9 by Morris鈥 White squad.
鈥淲e kind of got settled in,鈥 Morris said.
Morris completed four consecutive passes over the final 37 seconds of the second quarter 鈥 three for 27 yards to Purdue transfer wide receiver Jahmal Edrine and one for 28 yards to tight end Dakota Twitty 鈥 to setup Daniel Sparks鈥 tie-breaking 26-yard field goal as time expired to send the Hoos into the locker room for halftime.
鈥淸Morris] has actually done well in all aspects throughout the spring,鈥 offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said, 鈥渨hether from the pocket, or I thought where he鈥檚 excelled is out on the perimeter, moving the pocket and having good vision down the field and being able to make accurate throws down the field.鈥
After the break, it was backup quarterback Gavin Frakes鈥 10-yard touchdown pass to slot receiver Kam Courtney that extended White鈥檚 lead to 10-0 with 6:25 to go in the third quarter.
Until Sparks鈥 field goal, both sides missed a pair of field goals 鈥 starting kicker Will Bettridge was a non-participant on Saturday 鈥 and defenses had proven stingy in the red zone early.
Blue鈥檚 game-opening drive went 72 yards with FCS North Carolina Central transfer running back J鈥橫ari Taylor accounting for 33 yards on the ground and Nebraska transfer quarterback Daniel Kaelin tallying 46 yards on five completions through the air during the initial series. But Blue couldn鈥檛 push the ball past the goal line, and White linebacker Landon Danley鈥檚 fourth-and-1 tackle at his own 3-yard line forced a turnover on downs to get Blue off the field.
That set the tone for two defenses.
White鈥檚 first series ended after only one play.
Blue linebackers Stevie Bracey and Myles Brown combined to force White tight end Hayden Rollison to fumble after he caught a pass from Morris. Alabama transfer defensive tackle Hunter Osborne recovered the fumble for Blue.
鈥淚 was hoping for zero-zero,鈥 defensive coordinator John Rudzinski said with a smile afterward about the two defenses鈥 strong start.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a little advantage for a defense in a spring game,鈥 Rudzinski added. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e seen the same plays for 15 straight practices, but I鈥檓 happy with what our guys were able to accomplish.鈥
Brown, who also played some safety in the contest, had a game-best 11 tackles, and Bracey complemented him with eight.
For White, Louisville transfer safety Devin Neal and sophomore defensive end Billy Koudelka led the way. Koudelka was credited with four sacks and four tackles for loss while Neal had six tackles and a sack.
Koudelka said he put an emphasis on trying to finish his spring strong.
鈥淚鈥檝e really done a good job of trying to use my hands more on my pass rush,鈥 he said, 鈥渁nd I think today, I was very hands-oriented and tried some stuff I鈥檇 been working on. It seemed to work.鈥
With the second- and third-teamers in action during the fourth quarter, the two teams added to the scoreboard.
White quarterback Boone Lourd鈥檚 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Owen Gardner grew the lead to 17-0, and Blue finally got on the board when quarterback Grady Brosterhous threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to running back Davis Lane Jr.
Elliott said he was pleased with the effort of the group, and excited about how both Morris and Kaelin played.
The fourth-year coach said he expects the competition between the two to continue into the summer.
鈥淚 really like having both of them here,鈥 Elliott said.
