Finally, UVA’s running game something to be reckoned with

By Jerry Ratcliffe

It’s a big weekend for Virginia football, homecoming and the reunion of the 1989 team — the only squad in program history to win 10 games — capped off by the noon kickoff against Boston College (Scott Stadium, ACC Network).

The Cavaliers, a 1- to 1.5-point favorite according to oddsmakers, have the opportunity to open 4-1 for the first time since the 2019 ACC Coastal championship season, against the best team they’ve faced this season, Bill O’Brien’s 4-1 BC Eagles.

One of the keys to Saturday’s game is whether Virginia can build off the success the running game experienced in its last outing in a 43-24 win at Coastal Carolina two weeks ago. UVA piled up 525 yards of total offense, 384 of that generated by a relentless running attack, the most by a Cavaliers team since 1998.

Xavier Brown led the way with 171 yards, a whopping 19 yards per carry, which tied Bob Davis’ 1964 record for the highest average of any 100-yard UVA rusher in program history.

UVA presently ranks third in the ACC behind UNC and SMU in rushing (see our ACC team and individual leaders, game preview graphic and more below), averaging 195 yards per game on the ground, 5.1 yards per carry, which is No. 33 in all of FBS football. Yeah, it’s a small sample size after only four games, but it’s been a while since a Virginia team was spotted that high in conference or national rushing statistics.

Question is, can the Wahoos continue that success against Boston College, which is sixth in the ACC in stopping the run, giving up 101.4 yards per game? The Eagles have only surrendered two rushing TDs in five games.

Tony Elliott realizes the task at hand.

“Same ol’ BC,” Elliott said this week. “Big, physical.”

Elliott should know. Not only did UVA face BC on the road last season and had the Eagles on the ropes before losing a heartbreaker, but Elliott faced Boston College every season during his decade-plus as offensive coordinator at Clemson.

It will be a much tougher test for Virginia’s offensive line than was the case at Coastal. BC is bigger and better. At Coastal, the Chanticleers did not make adjustments to stop the Cavaliers’ running game, and Elliott took advantage.

“I’ve said this from day one, and I’ll continue to say it, man, it starts with running the football,” Elliott said this week. “That’s where everything starts. Starts with running the football and stopping the run. Hopefully the guys have confidence that if they work together, play with low pads, then we can have success.”

Certainly a team that can run the football can dictate how a game flows. It controls the clock, controls the tempo, keeps the opponents offense on the sidelines.

Elliott and offensive coordinator Des Kitchings used part of the bye week last week to self-scout, and focused on the schemes that have been successful and threw out those that weren’t. Still, BC is going to be a challenge.

BC features an 8-man defensive front, an extra body to block, which means UVA’s tight ends and running backs are going to have to get involved in the blocking.

“Our backs are going to have to run through the smoke,” Elliott said, which means starting running back Kobe Pace, who is quietly averaging 5 yards per carry, is going to have to hit some of “the dirty runs” this week.

One of the more eye-popping statistics that emerged this week was that Virginia’s patchwork offensive line, which hasn’t been 100-percent healthy all season, ranks with the second-best run-blocking grade in the ACC, according to Pro Football Focus. That also ranks No. 20 in the FBS.

Elliott admitted he’s not a big stats guy and won’t truly be impressed unless his Wide Bodies finish the season with a successful grade, but he’s glad to see the O-Line get some credit, something that hasn’t happened a lot at UVA over most of the last decade.

“Just a testament to Coach Heff (offensive line coach Terry Heffernan),” Elliott said.

Elliott likes to sit in on some of the offensive line meetings during the week because he loves to listen to Heffernan teach. Heffernan, in his second year at UVA, came to Charlottesville from Stanford and has previous coaching stints with the NFL’s Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills.

“I think our offensive line is starting to understand it doesn’t matter who is there, what the expectation is, and the confidence comes from the preparation,” Elliott said. “Those guys don’t ever get enough love, so that’s a reason I spend a lot of time with them. They get a lot of blame. Actually, they get all the blame whenever things don’t go right, so just happy they’re getting some recognition.”

Virginia’s left offensive tackle McKale Boley is slotted to make his first appearance of the season on Saturday, having been sidelined with an ankle injury he suffered in training camp. That should help in that Jack Witmer, who started in Boley’s place, can relieve Boley or play at right tackle, or perhaps another spot on the line.

UVA also gets starting right guard Ty Furnish back, as well as his backup Charlie Patterson, who was nicked up.

Additional game-week links:

The Jerry & Jerry Show: Looking at UVA-BC; Hoops on the horizon

Podcast: Featured guest Ray Savage; in-depth look at Boston College

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

Virginia slight favorite against visiting BC

Elliott: We must defend Scott Stadium; plus injury updates

Let’s hear it for the returning 1989 UVA ACC champions

UVA Offensive Season Stats

UVA Defense/Special Teams Season Stats

Boston College Offensive Season Stats