Hollins makes most of first collegiate start

By Scott Ratcliffe

The Virginia offense looked a bit different in Friday’s loss to Wake Forest, with three-year senior starting running back Wayne Taulapapa inactive and sophomore backup Mike Hollins taking the reins of RB1.

The 5-foot-9, 210-pound Baton Rouge native got off to a solid start, showing flashes of his abilities on the Cavalier offense’s opening series. When the Demon Deacons jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead, the Wahoos began airing it out, trying to play catch-up in the second half.

As a result, Virginia ran just 27 rushing plays on the night, compared to quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s 59 passing attempts.

Armstrong toted the mail on 17 of those carries, often in scrambling situations where the Wake defense was up in his face seemingly as soon as the ball was snapped. The Deacs recorded nine tackles for loss, including six sacks, completely disrupting the rhythm we saw from Armstrong and the UVA offense over the first three contests.

Hollins finished the game as the team’s leading rusher, amassing 36 yards on six carries, while hauling in a pair of receptions for 20 yards in his first collegiate start. He also had a game-high 127 all-purpose yards, 71 of which came on kickoff returns.

That added experience should pay dividends moving forward, especially if Taulapapa — who exited the North Carolina game in the first half last week with a concussion — misses any more time. Hollins said he was ready for the challenge going into Friday’s game.

“Wayne’s my brother, and I’m out there playing every play for him,” Hollins said. “If he’s out, I’m up, and it’s my time. There’s no drop-off. I practiced all week to come out and execute, do my job like I do every week, and with Wayne being out it’s just an extra chip on our shoulder.”

It may have been the first time some Wahoo fans got the opportunity to really see what Hollins could do, as he played sparingly as a true freshman in 2019 and decided to opt out of the 2020 campaign.

Hollins, a self-described “all-around back,” has admitted that he missed the team and missed the game itself last year while watching from home, and he’s finally getting his shot to contribute at the highest level.

“The coaches on the staff, the players on the team, they know what I can do,” said Hollins, who scored from 9 yards out on his first career carry two years ago against William & Mary. “They know when I get the ball, I will run hard. … I just want to win.”

The next chance for he and his teammates to get back in the win column comes quickly, as the Hoos will have another short week of preparation ahead of Thursday’s Coastal Division showdown at Miami. Despite the all-around struggles and disappointment during the current skid, Hollins says nobody’s hanging their heads or throwing in the towel, not by a long shot.

“We’re focusing on staying together as a team,” he said. “We know we can play better on both sides of the ball, all phases, special teams. We’re gonna be ready next week, we’re just focusing on that.

“Right now, no hope is lost. It’s early, only a third through the season. We’re still figuring each other out, figuring our team out, and once we get there, I don’t see anyone stopping us. … The Coastal championship is still our end goal, no doubt about that.”