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22 CAVALIER CORNER has been the model of consistency at the wide receiver position in college football this season. In 40 total games at Northwestern, he did not have a 100-yard receiving game. He broke UVA's single-season record for 100-yard games (six) in Week 8, and despite playing only one season at UVA has the most 100- yard games (10) in a career by a Cavalier. He surpassed previous record holders Germane Crowell (nine from 1995-97) and Kris Burd (nine from 2008-11) with a 14-catch, 115-yard effort against Virginia Tech in the season finale Nov. 25. It took just nine games to reach the 1,000 yards receiving mark, faster than the UVA quintet of pass catching royalty comprised of Wicks, Herman Moore, Hasise Dubois, Billy McMullen and Olamide Zaccheaus. Amaz- ingly, he surpassed his receptions and yard- age numbers for what he did in 40 games at Northwestern in just 12 at UVA. It doesn't seem to matter who is throwing him the football, either. His roommate and fel- low graduate transfer Muskett has been in and out of the lineup with injuries, allowing for five starts from the true freshman Colandrea. What has really separated Washington apart from the rest has been his ability to come up with the big play. He takes pride in being more than just a route runner or a receiver that can get first downs. He is de- termined to break tackles, rare for a receiver working out of the slot. The numbers prove it. According to Pro Football Focus, an ad- vanced data service tracking metrics across professional and college football, he led the FBS in missed tackles forced after a recep- tion (33) and ranked third in the nation in yards after the catch (711) at the end of the regular season. "He's a playmaker," Kitchings said. "He's a guy that believes in what we're doing. He's built like a running back, so he's hard to tackle. He's very consistent catching the ball with his hands. He's reaping the benefits of his work and his commitment to what we're doing." His signature performance of the 2023 season came against then-No. 10 North Carolina in Chapel Hill in Week 8. Virginia came into the contest seeking the program's first win over an Associated Press top-10 opponent. Washington delivered in a big way, catching a career-high 12 passes, the first of back-to-back weeks with 12 receptions. He was credited with 155 yards receiving and scored the game-winning touchdown to help the Cavaliers prevail, 31-27. On the go-ahead score with 8:51 remain- ing in the game, Washington caught a pass over the middle near the line of scrimmage and was hit after the first-down marker where in all reality he should have been brought to the ground. Instead, four Tar Heel defenders could not come up with the touchdown-saving tackle. It was a catch- and-run effort that defines his playing style. "When I got here, it was just attack each day," Washington said. "I'm going to do what- ever it takes to be that player that I know I can be, and so I had those numbers goals and those meant a lot to me but it wasn't something I was looking at every day. "It was attacking each day with a pur- pose, attacking each day with everything I had in me to be a better football player, a better person, and I knew if I kept doing that those numbers would come." The numbers certainly came. In the end, he put together the greatest season by a wide re- ceiver in UVA history. He's also had one of the best seasons in the history of the ACC. "It's cool, I get to check off [those goals] and write new ones," added Washington of his record-breaking numbers. "I go back and watch the tape and say, 'Man I got to get better right there' or 'I have to attack this another way.' So, it's learning from each game, creating new goals for myself, keep my foot on the gas and not relax." The 2023 season may not have gone the way Cavalier fans would have wanted in terms of wins and losses, but the fact is they did get to witness the single-best receiving season in terms of receptions and yardage in program history. There have been lots of good and bad in the transfer portal era across the college football landscape, but Malik Washington is a shining example of a student-athlete making the most of his opportunities on and off the field. Washington's 110 receptions broke the ACC single-season record and his 1,426 receiving yards rank as the fifth most in a single- season in league history. (Photo by Pete Emerson/courtesy UVA)