It’s been a little while since the Virginia Cavaliers had a legitimate lead running back who they could rely on for consistent production. In 2021, Wayne Taulapapa led the ‘Hoos with just 324 yards on the ground while two non-running backs Brennan Armstrong and Keytaon Thompson were second and third in total rushing. UVA didn’t have any single game 100-yard rushers last season and only averaged 123.2 per game from the running game compared to 392.6 yards on average through the air.
In fact, it’s been nearly four years since a UVA running back rushed for 100+ yards in a single game — the last to do so was Jordan Ellis in the 2018 Belk Bowl.