Ground Game Fueling Hoos' Success

By Jeff White (jwhite@virginia.edu)
VirginiaSports.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — For the University of Virginia football team, running the ball effectively against Coastal Carolina was one thing. To follow that effort up with another strong performance on the ground against Boston College was especially pleasing for the Cavaliers’ coaching staff.

UVA, which rushed for 384 yards in a 43-24 win at Coastal on Sept. 21, didn’t come close to matching that eye-catching total in its 24-14 victory over BC at Scott Stadium on Saturday. Led by tailback Kobe Pace (83 yards), the Wahoos netted 121 yards on the ground. But 56 of those rushing yards came during a fourth quarter in which Virginia outscored BC 18-0. The Hoos had rushed for only six yards in the first quarter.

“What I was probably most proud of in this past week’s performance is that it didn’t start as fast as we wanted to,” head coach Tony Elliott said Tuesday during his weekly press conference at the Hardie Center. “Didn’t have as much success offensively or defensively as we initially wanted, but they just kept fighting, and they persevered. And then they were able to have a little success, and that bred more confidence, which allowed them to keep pushing.”

Among ACC teams, Virginia ranked 13^th in rushing offense (117.9 yards per game) in 2023. The Cavaliers rank seventh in the ACC this season (180.2 yards per game).

UVA (4-1 overall, 2-0 ACC) hosts Louisville (3-2, 1-1) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Scott Stadium.

Elliott took over at UVA in December 2021, and he said from day one that he wanted his team to be able to run the ball with authority.

“That’s the mentality,” Elliott said. “That’s what we desire to do … For us it’s being efficient, being effective, and I thought in the second half [against BC] we were a lot more effective with the run game, which allows us now to do more things in the pass game, play a little faster with our tempo. There’s a lot of things that come off the ability to be efficient running the football.”

Pace, a senior who began his college career at Clemson, has carried a team-high 61 times for 293 yards and two touchdowns this season. Junior tailback Xavier Brown leads Virginia with 315 yards rushing (on 38 carries).

Brown, who ran for a career-best 171 yards against Coastal, carried five times for 22 yards versus Boston College.

“At that position,” Elliott said, “it’s [sometimes a matter of] who gets the hot hand. I think early on we didn’t have a ton of plays early in the game just because we were three-and-out a couple of times and trying to establish the run. And different calls have different personnel packages. But, yes, he’s a guy that we want to get involved more in the right situations. So, do we have an ideal number for him? No, but I anticipate that he’ll have more than five touches. And he’s a guy that needs more than five touches, because each time he touches it, you’re seeing that he has the ability to have a big play.”

MEA CULPA: Elliott, who’s in his third year at Virginia, opened his press conference by apologizing to Boston College offensive lineman Logan Taylor. Now in his second year as an Eagle, Taylor played at UVA in 2022, and after the game Saturday he came up and hugged Elliott, who was on the field doing a TV interview.

Elliott used the wrong last name when he cited Taylor during the interview, and it’s “been bothering me since then,” he said.

“I didn’t realize it in the moment,” Elliott said. “I want to take a second. because Logan was a great representative when he was here [who] chose to go be closer to family. He was doing a great job for them. So, Logan, I want to apologize for saying the wrong last name. No ill intent. Wish you the best the rest of the way.”

GETTING UP TO SPEED: In his three seasons in college football, wide receiver Andre Greene Jr. has had three offensive coordinators: Phil Longo and Chip Lindsey at North Carolina and, now, Des Kitchings at UVA. That’s meant that Greene, since transferring to Virginia in January, has had to “put all the different terminologies together on top of school, on top of transitioning, just on top of everything,” he said Tuesday.

He’s also had to learn multiple positions at Virginia, which slowed his development, said Greene, a graduate of St. Christopher’s School in Richmond. “I’m just trying to be as diverse as I can. Just taking that approach of acting as if I don’t have any talent, and just trying to outwork everybody, whether that’s me knowing every position, me being in the rehab room, me meeting with the coaches and just learning all I can.”

Until the BC game, Greene had yet to record a reception as a Cavalier, but he broke out Saturday with a memorable performance. He had four receptions and also caught a critical two-point conversion pass from quarterback Anthony Colandrea.

“I think the biggest thing for us is he needed opportunity,” Elliott said. “He just didn’t have a ton of opportunities at his previous institution … When he showed up here, you could see that there’s a ton of talent. Just needed a little bit of development, just some time invested in understanding the playbook, also the fundamentals of the position. So those are the things we saw, just a young man that’s very talented. Once you meet him, have a chance to be around him, he’s a charming young man. Great smile. Very respectful, very, very conscientious. Just needed an opportunity. I’m happy for him to now, because coming in as a transfer is always tough. Gotta fit into a new locker room, have to learn a new system. So he’s really taken to that.

“He’s around the building all the time. Even on his own time, he’s here putting in work. Just happy to see him have success, and hopefully that will breed more confidence to continue to persevere through the development process, which hopefully will develop him into an outstanding player in the future.”

Greene said it’s “definitely great to have some momentum, to finally be able to do something. But I just want to help this team win, and I’m not really focused on my accolades at all. I’m just trying to do all I can, whether that’s on special teams or on offense.”

BY THE NUMBERS: To avoid situations where two players wearing the same jersey number might be on the field at the same time—a penalty if caught by officials—five Cavaliers have changed numbers this week.

Tailback Xavier Brown, who previously wore 20, is now 0. Safety Caleb Hardy has gone from 26 to 2, linebacker Trey McDonald from 16 to 8, linebacker Dorian Jones from 44 to 11, and tailback Davis Lane from 29 to 25.

MOVING ON: On defense, No. 8 previously belonged to Malcolm Greene, but the former Highland Springs High standout is no longer with the team and plans to resume his college career at another school.

Greene, a reserve defensive back who played in Virginia’s first four games, decided that he wanted to redshirt to retain this year of eligibility, Elliott said, “and I respect the decision. He did everything the right way. Malcolm’s been a great addition to our program. Really helped establish the culture in a competitive situation, and with one season left really wanted to try to maximize that opportunity.”

Greene, whose brother Miles is a second-year defensive end at UVA, began his college career at Clemson. He transferred to UVA after the 2022 season and started two games for the Hoos last year. He made a huge play late in Virginia’s comeback win over Wake Forest, forcing a fumble that teammate Antonio Clary recovered.

“He’s leaving on good terms,” Elliott said. “Everything is good. It’s just kind of where we are in college football.”

NEXT MEN UP: Among the Cavaliers expected to miss the Louisville game because of injuries are safety Antonio Clary, wideout Chris Tyree, tight end Dakota Twitty and cornerback Dre Walker. Elliott said he’s hopeful that wideouts Suderian Harrison and Trell Harris and cornerback Kempton Shine will be available Saturday.

A sixth-year senior, Clary leads Virginia in tackles, with 48, and he’s also intercepted a pass and recovered a fumble this season. Caleb Hardy, who started four games as a true freshman last year, is expected to take Clary’s place Saturday.

Clary positioned himself at the back of the secondary in practice Tuesday morning, “coaching every play,” Elliott said. “He’s helping Caleb and helping mentor, helping those young guys understand where their eyes need to be, what they can do on certain particular calls, when they can drive on routes, when they’ve got to stay on top of routes.”

Also on the two-deep at safety is Ethan Minter, a true freshman from the Richmond area.

The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Hardy has made two tackles in four games this season, one for an eight-yard loss. “Hopefully it doesn’t take long for him to kind of get back in the groove,” Elliott said, “and he’s played more snaps the last couple of games than early in the season. Hopefully it’s the combination of him seizing the moment, his opportunity, and then leaning on the leadership and guidance from Clary.”

Virginia began the season with a four-player rotation at tight end: Tyler Neville, Sackett Wood Jr., Sage Ennis and Twittty. Ennnis suffered a season-ending injury against Coastal Carolina, however, and Twitty took a blow to the head against BC. That’s created an opportunity for John Rogers, a 6-foot-3, 226-pound true freshman who wears jersey No. 89.

“John Rogers is ready to roll,” Elliott said.

A graduate of Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Rogers impressed the coaches in training camp, only to be sidelined with a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first five games.

“He’s back now healthy, ready to roll,” Elliott said. “And so he’ll be, as we said, called up to the big leagues this week. But he’s a competitor, smart kid, tough, fast.”

AT THE READY: Late in the first half against BC, Colandrea scrambled for an 11-yard gain. His helmet came off when he hit the ground, and that meant he had to sit out the next play.

No problem. In came fifth-year senior Tony Muskett, who started six games for Virginia last season. On third-and-10 from the UVA 41, Muskett took a shotgun snap and coolly threw across the field to wideout JR Wilson for a 10-yard gain.

“Big play,” Elliott said.

Colandrea then re-entered the game, and the drive ended on the final play of the half with a Will Bettridge field goal that cut the Eagles’ lead to 14-6.

Muskett received the team’s weekly 12^th Man of the Game award for his contribution to the victory, Elliott said. “I know in the event that there is a situation that he needs to go in the game, he’s going to be ready.”

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