Story Links
Oct. 6, 2003
by Sean Lauer (4th year student)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – He’s got the whole world in his hands, or at least last Saturday’s game against ACC rival UNC. Wali Lundy had a breakout game for the Cavaliers this past weekend. The stat lines say it all: 129 yards, 3 touchdowns, final score UVA 38, UNC 13.
“Wali is a grinder,” explains Head Coach Al Groh. “He is a good kind of guy that you can feed it to a lot throughout the game. I’ve been impressed here, just in recent games, especially now that he has his legs back underneath him. I can see what he is capable of in terms of total carries in a game. He is a Back that you can ride for the whole fourth quarter if that is the way the game goes.”
Lundy has rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his last nine games for the Cavaliers and is averaging 102 yards per game. He is currently leading the ACC in total rushing yards (510) and average yards per carry (4.6).
According to Wali, “Every Back dreams of getting that ball 25 to 30 times per game so they can show what they can do.”
“Last year around this time, my legs were gone. Now I have a lot more stamina and I know a lot more about team defenses…I feel like a totally different Back from last year.”
Wali has definitely been showing what he can do this season. “He’s making guys miss in the secondary,” explains QB Matt Schaub. “Corners and safeties can’t bring him down by themselves. He’s doing a great job churning out yardage…. It’s very big for us in the fourth quarter when we’re winning to be able to run the ball with authority.”
The addition of a consistent running attack to the Cavalier offense proves to be a formidable obstacle for most opponents and should help build momentum for the team. “A lot of people knocked us out of the polls and out of the ACC,” said Wali after Saturday’s game, “but we’re just trying to prove we’re a better team than most people think.” The win against UNC is “a big one for us, a real confidence-builder for us going into next week against a real good Clemson team.”
Wali will get a lot more chances to show what he’s got the rest of the season. The Cavaliers still have to face tough defenses like Florida State, Maryland, and Virginia Tech.Make sure you tune in to all the Cavalier football action and root for Wali and the rest of the team.