Can Virginia’s defense stop run-heavy William & Mary?

By Jerry Ratcliffe

One of William & Mary’s strengths just happens to be one of Virginia’s weaknesses as the two old rivals meet again Saturday at Scott Stadium (noon, ACC Network).

Mike London’s Tribe ranks No. 4 nationally among the 122 FCS teams in rushing offense, putting up 258 yards on the ground per game and 5.5 yards per carry. Last week, in a 16-14 loss to Elon, London’s offense rushed for more than 300 yards, but only passed for less than 40.

On the other hand, Tony Elliott’s Cavaliers have been one of the worst teams in FBS in stopping the run. UVA is No. 109 out of 130 FBS programs, giving up 178 yards per game rushing, 4.65 yards per attempt.

So, what can Virginia do to stop W&M’s running attack? Normally, a defense’s main goal is to shut down the opponent’s running game and make that offense one-dimensional. Is W&M already one-dimensional?

“They’re committed to running the football,” UVA defensive coordinator John Rudzinski said after Wednesday’s practice. “At the same time, they have some really nice play-action (passes) that stress you. They have some multiple-quarterback looks where they have two quarterbacks in there. They have motion from under center.”

Coach Rud said the Tribe stresses defenses with lots of motions and shifts, while staying disciplined, so Virginia has to be solid with its communication in identifying what W&M is doing.

If UVA can limit William & Mary’s ability to run the ball and force the Tribe to throw, it could help the Cavaliers take control of the game. London’s offense is No. 107 nationally (FCS) in passing, throwing for an average of 134 yards per game.

Virginia has been hampered by a rash of injuries to its defense, but should get a few players back this week. The Cavaliers have been shaky on that side of the ball all season and rank No. 107 (FBS) in the nation in total defense (412.0 ypg) and No. 120 in scoring defense (35.4 ppg).

While the Tribe is 4-1 and ranked in the top 10 in FCS football, it appears this is Virginia’s best shot to break its eight-game losing streak, dating back to last season. UVA is 0-5 so far this season, but has been in most of the games it has lost, including three games where the Cavaliers blew double-digit leads.

Last week, in yet another close 27-24 loss at Boston College, Elliott’s defense may have had a breakthrough in terms of turnovers. UVA had four takeaways — two interceptions, two fumble recoveries — doubling its totals for the season. That gave the Cavaliers’ offense four extra possessions, converted into 10 points.

“Coach Rud has done a good job the last couple of games since I challenged him to get more pressure on the quarterback,” Elliott said. “We’re going to have to do whatever it takes to try and get some pressure on the quarterback. That was one thing that was frustrating. Man, we gave up five sacks (to BC) and we didn’t get any.”

BC’s quarterback was mobile and managed to avoid UVA’s pass rush for the most part. Still, Elliott believes his defense has to become more disruptive to be truly effective.

Virginia has been outscored 56-11 in the fourth quarter this season, but Rudzinski doesn’t believe it’s a conditioning problem.