Going into Saturday night's Commonwealth Cup, there is a ton on the line for Virginia. A rare win over their in-state rivals from Virginia Tech, which is 3-8 and fielding one of their worst teams for this matchup in years, and the Cavaliers are in next weekend's ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.
It has been a dream season for head coach Tony Elliott and his team, one year after finishing 5-7 in 2024 and missing out on a bowl game after a 37-17 loss to the Hokies in Blacksburg. He built a roster through the Transfer Portal and now has his team one away from playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Virginia is coming off a bye week, and it came at a perfect time for them with injuries mounting. Elliott was hoping that star linebacker Kam Robinson was going to benefit from an off week ahead of playing Virginia Tech and be back in the lineup. It won't be happening.
Virginia coach Tony Elliott reveals devastating injury news ahead of Virginia Tech matchup
Robinson is a star linebacker who plays the Mike position and had 64 tackles, good enough for second on the team, this season after missing the first three games with a collar bone injury. On Tuesday, Elliott said that he is going to undergo surgery on his knee and will miss the rest of the season.
That is a brutal loss for Virginia, not only for this weekend, but also for the ACC Championship Game and either the CFP or a bowl game. Just how good is he? His 64 tackles came in just seven games. He was injured against Duke two weeks ago in a key road victory for UVA. The Cavaliers have many talented linebackers who can slide into the lineup, but Robinson's injury is something that will have a long-lasting effect on the field.