With the passing game at times stalling for the Cavaliers, the run game must be an essential part of the offense in order for Virginia to pull off the upset Saturday against Virginia Tech.
Lately, however, the running game has not been nearly as productive as it needs to be. Since the Cavaliers upset Georgia Tech back on Oct. 25 – thanks in part to 126 yards rushing - the running game has not come close to cracking the century mark in its last three losses. The Cavaliers ran for 78 yards in a loss to Miami – during which junior running back Mikell Simpson was lost for the season with a shoulder injury – 28 yards on the ground against Wake Forest and then 30 against Clemson. Senior running back Cedric Peerman believes that the team’s success on the ground when it went 4-0 in October had something to do with the rushing yards decreasing in November.
“When we were on the winning streak, we ran the ball very well I thought,” Peerman said. “When you start improving, when you start doing better, a lot of teams get a little bit more amped up, the defenses are a little bit more amped up, because they know that there’s a challenge. We just have to rise to that challenge.”
Virginia is going to have to rise to the challenge Saturday when it faces the Hokies, because Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster is one of the best in the business. Virginia coach Al Groh believes the system Virginia Tech employs might have something to do with it.
“The system’s been a long time in development,” Groh said. “Most of the players who are playing it, even if they haven’t played in games before, have been a long time in development.”
Peerman agreed with Groh in his assessment of the Virginia Tech defense.
“I think they look just as strong as they have in the past few years,” Peerman said. “They always have great schemes and a great system. Of course, they have one of the best defensive coordinators in the country, so they’re always well-prepared, they always play with a lot of intensity, a lot of heart.”
There are some chinks, however, in the Virginia Tech rushing armor. In the last two games, the Hokies have allowed over 100 yards on the ground. The catch for Virginia, however, is that over 50 percent of the rushing yardage the Hokies have given up the last two games has been to quarterbacks, and sophomore quarterback Marc Verica has not proven to be a dual threat in the backfield very often this year for the Cavaliers. Therefore, a lot of pressure on the Virginia running attack falls on Peerman, and he knows what he has to do to be more productive against Virginia Tech.
Much of the difficulty for Peerman and Simpson before he got hurt was getting tackled in the backfield.
“I’ve tried to bounce it outside a lot this year – instead of doing that, you have to, for what it’s worth, live to play another day,” Peerman said. “Just get back to the line of scrimmage, and that’s something that I recognize that I need to do.”
With a passing game that has been sporadic this month, a lot of the onus falls on the rushing game. As far as motivation, though, Peerman does not need it simply because of who he is playing Saturday.
“[Playing against Virginia Tech] makes me focus a little bit more in preparation,” Peerman said. “I think we’ve played against great defenses all year. Just more so of a focused attitude and being prepared, and just knowing the situations in the game, and just knowing what can come up - trying to know what’s going to happen before it actually happens.”
Read More
Virginia baseball excluded from NCAA Tournament
By Xander Tilock | 2 days agoThe Cavaliers' season is over.
Scott Stadium selected to host 2026 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championships
By Michael Liebermann | 4 days agoThe biggest event on the college lacrosse calendar will unfold on Grounds.
Abysmal start proves too much to overcome as Virginia exits ACC Tournament early
By Ryan Weiner | 6 days agoIf the Cavaliers make the NCAA Tournament, they cannot afford to play another game like this.
