Elliott: Key to beating Miami is running the ball, winning fist fight in the trenches

By Jerry Ratcliffe

No way Virginia walked out of Kenan Stadium last Saturday night with the Cavaliers’ greatest road upset in their hip pocket without a gritty running game that left the Tar Heels eating their dust.

For years, from late-London to all-of Bronco to Elliott, UVA has desperately lusted for a reliable ground attack that wasn’t solely based on the quarterback. Tony Elliott’s offense found it three weeks ago against William & Mary, but critics said big deal, it was Bill & Mary.

What got everyone’s attention was last weekend in Chapel Hill when the Cavaliers ran the ball down Carolina’s throats. Two hundred and twenty-eight rushing yards to be exact on 54 running plays against a good UNC run defense, eating up 37 minutes of the clock, which helped keep a better-than-good UNC offense on the sidelines.

So the question is, can Virginia do it again this week at Miami, and then again, and again, and again to finish out the second half of the season?

It won’t be easy on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium when the 2-5 Wahoos take on the 5-2 Hurricanes (3:30 p.m., ACC Network). Miami is the No. 7 run defense in the country, giving up only 79.6 yards rushing per game (2.73 yards per carry and only 6 rushing TDs allowed).

“It’s who we want to be,” UVA offensive coordinator Des Kitchings said this week about the Cavaliers’ back-to-back, 200-yard plus rushing efforts. “We’re doing a better job collectively up front and it has been beneficial to have some of the quarterback runs we’ve had.”

Kitchings said after that game that he thought Virginia could run the ball on Carolina. Elliott said this week that the Cavaliers gained confidence prior to the trip because they were reminded of how well they ran the ball against UNC in a loss last season.

In addition, Carolina’s defensive structure was somewhat less challenging to run against because of its simple nature. That won’t be the case Saturday at Miami.

“Miami does a lot,” Elliott said. “There’s a lot of different structure that you have to prepare for. So there’s a lot of details.”

The Hurricanes handled Clemson with some exotic looks defensively and will likely throw some of the same things at Virginia.

“We went three-stack,” Miami defensive coordinator Lance Guidry explained on how the Hurricanes attacked Clemson. Now, part of that was because Miami was missing some defensive personnel, some of whom are back this week.

“Probably Sunday night (the week of the Clemson game), after watching them on film, in my head, I’m like, ‘Okay, we’ve got to get as much speed on the field as we can. So I started thinking we put three linebackers on the field with three down linemen, we can do more. We can drop into coverage differently, we can match up on tight ends, we can bring different pressures.”

The strategy worked, particularly in the pressure game where the ‘Canes pressured Clemson QB Cade Klubnik 18 out of 34 dropbacks and recorded five sacks.

Elliott knows what’s ahead for the UVA offense in this game.

“This bunch is top 10 in the country in stopping the run for a good reason,” Elliott said. “They’re very talented. Even though they do a lot of structures, their guys handle it very well, so you don’t see them out of position.

“I think being able to win the line of scrimmage is key, and that’s going to start with the run game for sure. We’ve got to protect the quarterback, we’ve got to take care of the football and we’ve got to find a way to continue to improve special-teams-wise to win the matchup.”

UVA won the field-position battle, sometimes under-recognized as a key to games, particularly with punter Daniel Sparks putting Carolina in the holes, allowing an aggressive Virginia defense to go after the Tar Heels. Defensive coordinator John Rudzinski also used a lot of exotic looks to make it difficult for UNC quarterback Drake Maye, pressuring him 36 to 40 percent of the snaps.

A lot of Virginia’s success in the running game has to be attributed to better performances by the offensive line, which controlled the line of scrimmage against Carolina and helped set the tone of the game.

“Hats off to Coach Hef (UVA’s new offensive line coach, Terry Heffernan),” Kitchings said. “He’s been busting his ass.”

Kitchings pointed out that much-maligned right guard Ty Furnish had responded to the challenge and that right tackle, who shares that spot with Jimmy Christ, has also gotten better.

“It has also been beneficial to have some of the quarterback runs we’ve had,” Kitchings said.

QB Tony Muskett, playing with a bum shoulder that will require surgery after the season, has picked up valuable yardage on scrambles and designed runs, particularly quarterback draws when he recognizes an opening. At Carolina, Muskett rushed a dozen times for 66 yards. Running back Perris Jones ran it 14 times for 77 yards and Mike Hollins had 15 carries for 66 yards and three touchdowns.

Elliott said Saturday’s game will boil down to what team wins it in the trenches.

“Down the stretch, it’s going to be like a fist fight in the trenches,” Elliott said. “Whoever can control the line of scrimmage is going to have the best chance of winning.”

That goes both ways, as Rudzinski pointed out.

“We have to do a great job on our side of the ball,” Coach Rud said. “If we can’t stop the run, it’s going to be a long day.”

Miami, which boasts the No. 22 rushing offense in the nation (194 yard per game, 5.43 yards per carry, and 13 rushing touchdowns), is also No. 13 nationally in average time of possession.

The Hurricanes are an 18-point favorite.