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18 CAVALIER CORNER BY SCOTT FITZGERALD T he 134th season of football at UVA is set to get underway Sept. 2 against Tennessee, which finished the 2022 campaign ranked No. 6 in the nation. The neutral site matchup at Nis- san Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., is slated for a noon kickoff on ABC. The contest will be the first in 294 days for the Virginia football program after the final two games of the 2022 season were canceled following the tragedy of Nov. 13 that claimed the lives of wide receivers Devin Chandler and Lavel Da- vis Jr., and linebacker D'Sean Perry. With all that the program has gone through, the word coming out of the McCue Center in the offseason has been "grateful." Both stu- dent-athletes and coaches alike are grateful to be back on the football field and grateful for the opportunity that each day has brought. With the gratefulness was a noticeable uptick in energy and enthusiasm in spring practice, the spring game and offseason workouts. "Coming off of how the season ended, it just gave everybody a different perspective on what we get to do every single day, differ- ent perspective on life," Fralin Family Head Football Coach Tony Elliott said. "I know it challenged me to think about how I approach every single day and having a gratitude and appreciation just to be able to get up every morning and go do what it is I love to do. "The players have come back with a great spirit. I mean, they have an unbelievable spirit." NEW PERSPECTIVE NEW PERSPECTIVE Cavaliers Are Ready To Bring Energy To The 2023 Campaign FOOTBALL PREVIEW Virginia returns its entire starting defensive line from a year ago, including All-ACC honorable mention selection Chico Bennett Jr. The graduate student led the Cavaliers with 7 sacks in 2022. (Photo by Matt Riley/courtesy UVA) 2023 UVA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Sept. 2 vs. Tennessee^ (ABC) 12 p.m. Sept. 9 James Madison (ESPNU) 12 p.m. Sept. 15 at Maryland (FS1) 7 p.m. Sept. 22 NC State* (ESPN) 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at Boston College* TBA Oct. 7 William & Mary TBA Oct. 21 at North Carolina* TBA Oct. 28 at Miami* TBA Nov. 4 Georgia Tech* TBA Nov. 9 at Louisville* (ESPN) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18 Duke * TBA Nov. 25 Virginia Tech* TBA ^ at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.; * ACC game