No. 19 Virginia can reach 11 wins for the first time in the program’s 122nd season with a victory against Missouri in the Gator Bowl on Saturday night in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Cavaliers (10-3) tied the 1989 school record for wins by defeating rival Virginia Tech on Nov. 29 before losing to unranked Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Dec. 6, a setback that cost them a spot in the College Football Playoff.
“We have a tremendous opportunity,” fourth-year Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. “We’re playing an outstanding football team … and we have an opportunity still to do something that hasn’t been done within this program ever.”
Virginia is playing in a bowl game for the first time since the 2019 season and has not won one since shutting out South Carolina in the 2018 Belk Bowl. That was also the last time the Cavaliers beat a team from the Southeastern Conference.
Missouri (8-4) is making its fifth straight bowl appearance under head coach Eli Drinkwitz and is looking for its third straight bowl victory.
“This is a special team that has worked very hard to put themselves in this position and we look forward to ending the season on a high note,” Drinkwitz said.
All four of the Tigers’ losses this season came against ranked opponents in SEC play: Alabama, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Oklahoma. They finished the regular season with a 31-17 road win against Arkansas on Nov. 29.
Quarterback experience is the most glaring difference between the participants in the 81st Gator Bowl at EverBank Stadium.
Virginia’s Chandler Morris is potentially playing in his 47th and final collegiate game. This is his first season with the Cavaliers, his fourth stop after stints at Oklahoma (2020), TCU (2021-23) and North Texas (2024). He has applied for an additional year of eligibility in 2026 but as of Monday, Virginia general manager Tyler Jones told The Daily Progress that the school had not heard from the NCAA.
Morris has completed 64.6% of his passes for 2,802 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 13 starts this season. He has rushed for 245 yards and five scores.
With senior Beau Pribula entering the transfer portal, true freshman backup Matt Zollers will make his third start of the season for Missouri. When Pribula was injured, Zollers started in a 38-17 loss to then-No. 3 Texas A&M on Nov. 8 and in a 49-27 win against Mississippi State on Nov. 15. He has completed 53% of his throws for 402 yards with four touchdowns and one pick.
In a potentially awkward development, Virginia will reportedly be among the suitors for Pribula in the portal in case Morris does not get a seventh year of eligibility. Morris’ appeal is based on injuries that limited his snaps in 2021 and 2022.
Missouri will also be without offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, who left this month to become the head coach at Washington State, and two of its top receivers. Joshua Manning and Marquis Johnson, who combined for 57 catches, 658 yards and four touchdowns, are also entering the portal.
The Tigers will likely rely heavily on Doak Walker Award finalist Ahmad Hardy, who led the SEC in rushing yards (1,560) in 2025 after leading the Sun Belt (1,351) in 2024 while at Louisiana Monroe.
The Virginia defense, anchored by defensive linemen Mitchell Melton (10 tackles for loss, five sacks, three forced fumbles) and Daniel Rickert (8 TFL, 6.5 sacks), ranked sixth in the ACC against the run (111.1 yards per game) and third in total defense (313.9).
Missouri won the teams’ only previous meeting, beating Virginia 31-7 in Columbia, Mo., in 1973.
–Field Level Media
