Fourth-year running back Thomas Jones sat on the sidelines three years ago and watched future NFL back Tiki Barber set the Virginia career rushing record. Now, in the eighth game of his final year, it's Jones' turn.
With four games left in the regular season, Jones needs only 81 yards to break Barber's mark of 3,389 yards and is on pace to break the single-season yardage mark he set in 1995 as well. But don't ask the back out of Big Stone Gap, Va., to talk about himself - his powerful 5-foot-10, 205-pound frame belies an unassuming attitude.
"The main thing is to try to win the rest of our games and get in a bowl game," Jones said. "If I get 80 yards and we lose, then it doesn't mean too much. I really want to get it on a winning note."
But with No. 1 Florida State lumbering into Scott Stadium Saturday, neither the win nor the record is a certainty. The undefeated Seminoles boast the best rushing defense in the ACC by a whopping 40 yards-per-game and will make Jones work for every record-breaking yard.
Yet Jones will tell you that nothing, not even beating Florida State, is impossible. To this day, he still is inspired by the unlikely 1995 Cavalier victory over FSU that he witnessed as a high school senior.
"That was one of the main reasons that I came here," Jones said. "It was because of how confident our guys were playing. It didn't matter who they were playing, FSU on ESPN, they knew they could win."
It is this confidence and a hard-working attitude that have allowed Jones nearly to fulfill Barber's 1996 prediction that Jones would break his records. Besides having never missed so much as a practice while at Virginia, Jones will set another Cavalier record for durability on Saturday when he starts in his 31st consecutive game.
"He never seems like he gets tired," said John St. Clair, fourth-year center and Jones' roommate. "He goes out and breaks tackles, then comes back in, then goes out and breaks tackles again. I've never seen a guy with so much energy."
With such a run-intensive offense, one that Coach George Welsh characterized as one of the last power running games in the country, Jones' endurance is essential, as he is asked to carry the ball nearly 30 times per game. Nevertheless, Jones has maintained a 5.3 yards-per-carry average on the season and set an ACC record with four, 200-yard games in a career after his 221-yard performance at N.C. State.
Despite leading the ACC in rushing for the second straight year and standing second in the nation in rushing yardage, Jones rarely has been recognized by the national media. While such things may not interest the tailback, this oversight has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.
"I think he's a legitimate Heisman candidate," St. Clair said. "Look at what he's done. He's strong, durable and a great player. You can't ask for anything else out of a running back."
Rather than worry about personal attention, Jones seems more concerned with giving his offensive line praise.
"All the yards I get, it's by [the offensive line] - they're making the blocks," Jones said. "Every time I break a record, I give them credit, because it's the truth."
"Thomas always gives credit where credit's due," Cav offensive guard Noel LaMontagne said. "As long as he understands he's not out there alone - and he does that very admirably - he's not going to get a big head like he could. I mean, look at his performances, even in our losses. He's the best running back in the nation."
Until the Cavs can achieve the type of success that Jones has, however, the back won't be satisfied with personal accolades. But one player only can do so much, and all Jones can do is continue tearing up the league and hope his teammates follow suit.
Jones "pushes you to do a lot better," St. Clair said. "A lot of times, he'll run so hard, he'll run up your back, so you've got to block as hard as you can."
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