Coach Bronco Mendenhall’s offense literally put the team on its back this weekend against the Pac-12 power that is the Oregon Ducks. The Cavalier running back crew carried the team offensively, compensating for a lackluster defense, which struggled for the second week in a row.
After rushing a meager 38 yards against Richmond, Virginia netted more than five times that this weekend against the Ducks, finishing with 193 rushing yards. As the historically thick smog over Virginia’s offense begins to clear, two Cavalier senior running backs are emerging from the rubble: Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell and Albert Reid.
Mizzell, a former five-star recruit and Virginia native, ended the 2015 season with a host of ACC accolades that put him on his rivals’ radar. To the average Joe though, Mizzell seemed to slip through the cracks. A formidable rusher and receiver, he produced results in short but consistent plays.
His longest career carry was only 36 yards, muting the impactful contributions he made to the Cavalier season. Breakouts were not the threat Mizzell posted, consistency was. This underrated reliability hallmarked his successful 2015 season, but it also kept him out of the spotlight.
Renowned or not, Mizzell’s abilities cannot be overlooked. Stepping into 2016, the question was: what will Mizzell do this year? Will he finally emerge as the standout star if he performs as well as he did in his underrated 2015 season?
When Mizzell appeared as a force to be reckoned with in 2015, he broke the ACC record for receiving yards in a single season by a running back and led Virginia in rushing yards — just to name a few of his season successes. His speed is undeniable; his versatility has been venerated; yet he started the 2016 season with two fumbles against Richmond accompanied by a lackluster seven yards against Richmond and 48 against Oregon.
During his impressive but underrated 2015 season, Mizzell was averaging slightly over 55 rushing yards per game and slightly over 60 receiving yards per game — results that have eluded the running back thus far this season. Two games in, the question has become: has Mizzell’s finesse faltered?
While this question may seem premature to ask only two games in, one can’t help but notice his struggles this season. The standout statistics that became characteristic of Mizzell last season have not yet appeared, his rhythm seems to be lost. Is this a Mizzell matter or simply a transition struggle?
As Mizzell fades, it’s Reid who has continued to fuel the fire in Virginia’s offense. The senior transfer has stunned so far this season with an impressive 126 rushing yards and a touchdown in the Cavaliers contest with Oregon, playing a career-best game in Eugene.
In his performance against the Ducks, Reid was the "epitome of what I want this team to look like," according to Mendenhall.
"He ran hard, he ran physical, he made the right cuts, he wanted the ball more, he was knocking guys over and he became someone we could rely on throughout the course of the game,” Mendenhall said.
With Reid leading the charge, the Cavalier running back crew as a whole stepped up to the plate even as Mizzell struggles to find his footing again. Complementing Reid last weekend was sophomore tailback Jordan Ellis, who finished Saturday night with 46 yards.
"To have our running back group come through the way they did, I was really excited to see them be more of who we've seen in spring and fall camp,”offensive coordinator Robert Anae said.
The Mendenhall team continues to make progress offensively; Anae has been redirecting this program to combine the backfield strengths with Benkert’s. The cumulative product needs everyone to be playing at their peak. The abilities of all Virginia running backs are central to Mendenhall’s efforts to improve execution.
As the team transition efforts continue, will Mizzell reemerge as a record-breaker as this Cavalier offense continues to evolve? Will he be part of the execution that Mendenhall expects from his team? Or will his season sit in the shadow of his impressive 2015 success?
Optimistically, Mizzell’s struggles should be seen as growing pains for both himself and Benkert. It was not until London’s last year with Virginia that he was able to tap into Mizzell’s potential. That same year, Mendenhall came in like a wildfire — burning London’s program to the ground just as it had begun to work for Smoke.
This period of adjustment has been difficult all around, but Mizzell seems to be struggling more than his running back teammates. As the transition continues, he must regain his dependability.
In no way, shape or form is Mizzell responsible for the inability of Virginia to emerge victoriously. While the Cavalier offense was remarkably stronger than their opening showing, Mizzell included, they still came in 108 rushing yards short of Oregon, and Virginia never led during last week’s midnight match-up.
Defensively, the Ducks were dominant as well, posing a greater threat to quarterback Kurt Benkert — who was sacked six times this weekend and has started the season with a string of unfortunate interceptions.
As the Mendenhall transition progresses, the underrated abilities of Mizzell will be essential if Virginia wants offensive success. If he can find his fire again, Mizzell could be the spark the team needs.
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