Jordan Ellis Named ACC Running Back of the Week

In Bronco Mendenhall’s view, Jordan Ellis is Virginia football.

“He embodies what a Virginia football player should be,” Mendenhall said this week.

Fans saw a little of what Mendenhall was talking about in the Cavaliers’ lopsided win over Richmond in Saturday night’s season opener. Ellis rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns, which garnered him ACC Running Back of the Week honors on Tuesday.

Ellis was the workhorse for the Cavaliers in the win, toting the ball on 20 of UVa’s 48 rushing plays that gashed the Spiders for 301 rushing yards. He averaged 7.3 yards per rush, breaking all of his previous career highs for rushing yards and average.

His previous high had been 136 yards on 27 carries vs. North Carolina last year.

“On the field [Ellis] runs with power and he runs with confidence, and he does it over and over again,” Coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “So his consistency, his reliability, and the physical nature in how he performs … it takes a lot to develop your body to handle that kind of consistency and that many touches.”

Ellis, a 5-11, 225-pound back from Suwanee, Ga., is not what Mendenhall considers a speed back. His style is that of a slasher, a player that can take multiple hits and drag tacklers in their wake. Ellis is a physical back who can deal out as much punishment as he takes.

Off the field, Ellis is just as reliable. He was the first player in the program to earn his number each of the past three years, something he takes great pride in accomplishing. He works hard all the time.

“He just sets the standard,” Mendenhall said. “Our team knows exactly what we expect and what we want, and they know they have someone to look to that provides that reference point.”

The coach said that Ellis epitomizes one of the UVa program’s most sacred principles, less drama, more work. There is zero drama with Ellis.

“He’s always where he’s supposed to be and doing what he’s supposed to as hard as he can, and feels lucky and grateful to do it,” Mendenhall pointed out.

There was no surprise that when the team assembled in the Bryant Hall locker room after the Richmond win, that Ellis was selected to “Break the Stone,” a new tradition at UVa, where the player of the game takes a sledgehammer to a stone, signifying a win.

At the half, Ellis had 94 yards rushing on 14 carries, but seemingly, like all good backs, got stronger as the carries mounted.

“Obviously the first half I was just kind of feeling [Richmond] out,” Ellis said. “In the second half, we wanted to break their will and we knew they were getting tired and we knew we could run the ball on them.

Pro Football Focus, a national website dedicated to college and professional football, graded Ellis’ season debut at 91.4, the highest of any collegiate running back in the nation, and the second-highest of any offensive player in the country, just behind West Virginia quarterback Will Grier.

Ellis broke six tackles against Richmond and averaged 5.4 yards per attempt after contact, gaining eight first downs out of his 20 touches. He also was solid in his 13 snaps in pass protection.

The ability to run the football made Virginia’s offense more efficient, unlike the last two seasons when the Cavaliers struggled on the ground and allowed opposing defenses to make them one dimensional with the pass. Not Saturday.

In fact UVa gained more yardage against Richmond than it did in its last five games combined last season (250 vs. Navy, Virginia Tech, Miami, Louisville, and Georgia Tech).

“I felt good out there,” Ellis said of his performance. “With Bryce having those two huge runs at the start of the game, that opened up the run game for us. That’s what we planned on doing.

“Him and me, we’re going to have to carry the team in the ground game,” Ellis explained. “That opened up (slot receiver) Olamide (Zaccheaus) on the outside, and we’ve just got to keep improving and getting used to each other, gelling with each other and improving each week.”

Like any good back, Ellis knows where his bread is buttered: the offensive line. He didn’t miss an opportunity to make the Big Uglies feel appreciated.

“I think the offensive line is definitely much improved from last year, and I think they’ll continue to get better each week,” Ellis said.

If Virginia wants to beat Indiana on the road this weekend and improve upon last year’s 6-7 record, it is imperative that the offensive line does just that. Should that happen, it won’t be Ellis’ last ACC honors for the season.