UVA’s X-Factor, Xavier Brown, averaging 8.9 per carry

By Jerry Ratcliffe

We’ve been saying for weeks now that Xavier Brown is Virginia’s best running back, and last weekend’s trip to the beach proved he’s the best.

In the Cavaliers’ 43-24 rout of previously unbeaten Coastal Carolina, Brown was dominating. He rushed 9 times or 171 yards, including a 74-yard run that sucked the enthusiasm out of Coastal’s home crowd.

With that game under his belt, Brown now has 293 yards rushing on the season on just 38 carries. Consider running backs with at least 30 rushes on the season and Brown ranks at the top of the ACC and second in the nation (by a Power 4 back) with an 8.9 yards-per-carry average, behind only Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins (9.3 ypc).

What makes Brown the best in UVA’s backfield is his speed, his explosiveness, something his backfield mates simply don’t have.

The junior out of Lexington, Ky., used to be an outside runner, using his speed to get to the edge, where he tried to outrun defenders. Now, he’s a more complete ball carrier because he can run between the tackles and get the tough yardage, the mark of a quality running back.

“Zay (Brown’s nickname among teammates) has got some twitch and explosiveness, and he just hits [the hole],” said offensive coordinator Des Kitchings, who formerly has been a running backs coach at Vanderbilt, Air Force, NC State, South Carolina and the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. “We have talked about ‘dirty runs.’ A 3-yard run can be celebrated.”

Those 3-yard inside runs can eventually turn into longer runs when the defense wears down or if a defender misses a tackle, particularly when Kitchings is running the “up-tempo” version of UVA’s offense, which prevents the defense from substituting personnel or getting any rest.

“The carries that he’s been given, he’s taken advantage of,” said Coach Tony Elliott of Brown. “He’s been running hard all year. The only thing that’s really been keeping him back is just getting nicked up. We knew from his freshman year that he was a little bit different. He’s got a different style. He’s explosive.”