Coach Al Groh, is Wali Lundy more of a power runner or a speedster? What makes Wali Lundy such a productive back?
"You just answered it right there. It's hard to describe him."
Well, what does he do best?
"Getting yards, I guess."
That's not very descriptive, now is it? Can you elaborate?
"Obviously it would be pretty dumb if I couldn't give you something specific, but basically I just like him. I like the way he runs."
At times, Groh might speak in a deliberate manner, choosing his words carefully, but never has he been left so utterly speechless. Of course, he's not the only one. Lundy has even made it difficult on his own quarterback to choose a definition.
"He's got it all," Marques Hagans said. "Just throw it in the pot and mix it all together, and you come out with Wali."
But what exactly does that mean?
"He's just one of those great running backs," Hagans said. "He does it all -- block, run, catch -- what more could you ask for?"
No one seems able to give an answer to questions about Lundy, least of all opposing defenses who have seen the 5-foot-10-inch, 214-pound back run rampant in his first three games. He has rushed for 319 yards at a 5.5 yard-per-carry clip. His 106.3 yards per game are good for 20th in the nation.
And that's not even to mention his touchdowns. Nine in his first three games. Fourteen in his last five, dating back to Tire Bowl II and Virginia Tech. The 54 points he's scored this season beat everyone else in the country by 15.
Though six different Virginia runners have scored, he's the primary reason the Cavaliers have converted 18 of their 19 red zone opportunities. The only one they missed, by the way, was in the final minutes of the UNC game when Virginia chose to let time expire with the ball on the Carolina one instead of run up the score even more.
What's most remarkable about Lundy's TD production is that everyone in the stadium, including the defense, knows that his number will be called on to score, and no one has yet been able to stop him.
"Down on the goal line it's going to be really hard to stop our offense," Lundy said. "I think it's due to our o-line. Other teams know what we're going to do. We run the same plays. We don't try to fool nobody."
Against the Tar Heels, Virginia dominated on the ground, running for 299 yards and seven TDs. But when Groh was asked after the game, he confessed that nearly all of that success came from constant repetition of three plays.
Clearly it is the personnel and not the surprise factor that makes these plays work so well. Lundy is certainly one who excels at finding the end zone.
"You need to put the guy in the game who's proven he has the best chance of getting there," Groh said. "Some guys have a vision for yardage wherever you give them ball."
Lundy knows what it takes to carry the ball in for six, adjusting his running style accordingly.
"I think when you get down to the five- or 10-yard line or even in the red zone, you can start running straight forward," Lundy said. "You try not to make as many cuts as you would if you were on the 50. You try not to make as many guys miss as running guys over."
Against Temple, on back-to-back drives Lundy scored inside the five, first by sprinting past two defenders to the corner of the endzone, and second by bowling over a defensive lineman who had the misfortune of guarding the goal line when Lundy had the ball.
Wali does well with whatever he is called on to do. He's logged 2,074 career rushing yards, but he also tied the ACC record for receptions by a freshman with 58. And he's also willing to sacrifice his body to protect his quarterback with a block.
No one could settle on an accurate characterization or even pick his one strength. But when asked to discuss what he does well, everyone turns into a motor mouth.
"He's got a good vision, he's got a good toughness, he's got a good burst, he's got enough wiggle," Groh said of Lundy. "He's willing to take [defenders] on, but he tries to make them miss."
Hagans added his own list.
"He makes people miss, he picks up blocks in the backfield, he runs the ball with authority, and he catches the ball out of the backfield," Hagans said of his tailback.
Lundy understands the game. He may only excel in "gaining yards," as Groh put it, but that's common among the game's best.
"All those backs who have been significant producers on every level, it's the combination of things that they are able to do," Groh said.
No one seems to know exactly what makes Lundy so good. It's now up to the rest of the ACC to try to figure out what even his own coach can't describe.
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