No. 24 Virginia got 15 points from Sam Lewis and 13 from Thijs DeRidder as it rolled to a fourth straight win.
Elliott guided Virginia to 10 regular-season wins and a spot in the ACC title game; Chesney coached JMU to a 12-1 mark and the Sun Belt championship.
UVA men’s basketball won a pair of games against Texas and Dayton.
JMU QB Alonza Barnett III and Old Dominion QB Colton Joseph are the other finalists for being named the top Division I player in Virginia.
This will be the Cavaliers’ first bowl appearance since the 2019 Orange Bowl. This will be their third time playing in the Gator Bowl.
Cavaliers’ loss opens the door for the possibility that JMU will make the College Football Playoff.
The North Dakota State transfer came off the bench to score 25 points.
Freshman point guard Chance Mallory scored 16 points and Virginia knocked down 12 3-pointers as it picked up the biggest win of the early season, winning at Texas 88-69 in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
For the first time since beating Richmond twice in 1906, Virginia will look to beat the same team twice in one season.
UVA faces Duke in the ACC championship game Saturday, where J’Mari Taylor has a chance to become a 1,000-yard rusher.
