By Jerry Ratcliffe
For years, Virginia football fans have been pining for a running game they could count on.
Thanks to a stout offensive line and an array of talented backs, the Cavaliers have delivered big time with their ground attack, something offensive coordinator Des Kitchings hopes to continue this Saturday when UVA (4-1, 2-0 ACC) travels to Louisville (4-0, 1-0) for a 3:30 p.m. matchup (ESPN2).
Virginia (a 6.5-point underdog) hopes to snap a three-year losing streak to the Cardinals, and realizes this could be its toughest test of the young season.
Louisville boasts the No. 18 total defense in the country, giving up only 268 yards per game. The Cardinals rank No. 43 against the run, yielding 117.5 yards rushing per game, and have surrendered only three rushing touchdowns in four games.
Virginia owns the 12th-ranked rushing offense in the nation, averaging 243.4 yards per game on the ground (1,217 yards and a 5.61 yards-per-rush average). The Cavaliers have already scored 17 rushing touchdowns this season, three more than UVA scored all of last season in 12 outings.
So, something’s gotta give.
That was the same theme last week when Kitchings’ offense went up against Florida State, which was giving up only 78 yards rushing per game and had not allowed a rushing touchdown. UVA blew up those Seminoles numbers with 211 yards rushing and four TDs.
Kitchings credited the Cavaliers offensive line, which managed to change the line of scrimmage throughout the game and an up-tempo offense that kept FSU off balance.
Louisville is not only strong against the run, but has a ferocious pass rush that will be trying to get after Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris, who has only been sacked three times this season (twice by FSU). The Cardinals have recorded a dozen sacks, which ranks 18th nationally.
“Another week, another ACC challenge,” Kitchings said Wednesday. “Seems like I say this every week, that this defensive front is pretty dang good. These guys get after the quarterback, they wreak havoc. They’re very twitchy and they can speed the power rush, so we have got to be very good with our fundamentals.”
Kitchings said it is critical for Virginia to continue to be able to run the football, which allows the entire offensive plan to flow.
The Cavaliers’ run game has been dynamic. With the 1,217 rushing yards in five games, that’s almost the total of 2024’s season rushing of only 1,583 yards in 12 games.
While Louisville has given up a mere 470 rushing yards this season, Virginia’s leading rusher, J’Mari Taylor, has 397 yards rushing alone. Harrison Waylee has 229 and Xavier Brown has 206.
Tony Elliott had hoped to have Noah Vaughn, who he describes as the best overall back on the squad, back this week, but he is listed as out.
Like Kitchings, Elliott is well aware of the challenge that lies ahead. Louisville has reeled off seven straight wins going back to last season and has won 13 of its last 16 home games in a stadium where Virginia has won only once in five visits.
The Cavaliers had the Cardinals on the ropes the last two seasons, but let them off the hook.
“Louisville is undefeated, they were down 17 points (17-0) on the road (at Pitt last Saturday), so they’ve got a lot of belief as well,” Elliott said.
“They’re a confident bunch defensively. They’ve got a really good rotation on their D-line, which allows them to stay fresh. The linebackers are very athletic. They run well on the back end. They’re very well-coached and coordinated and you don’t see them out of position much.”
The coach pointed out that Louisville is two years removed from playing in the ACC Championship game.
“They have a ranked team coming into their stadium and they feel like they should be ranked, so there’s a lot of things that are going to make this a challenging opportunity for us, but our guys will be ready,” Elliott said.
