As the “99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff” series continues, my mind drifted to week 2 and Indiana this weekend. The kickoff against the Hoosiers is just 14 Saturdays away and that early-season road game figures to play a big role in UVA’s overall fortunes this season.
Much like last season’s road game at Boise State in September, the Indiana matchup feels like a road game that could swing a lot of positive momentum in Virginia’s favor if the team can grab a win. Indy finished 5-7 and just out of bowl contention last season and the team is going to be hungry to turn things around in Tom Allen’s second season. That means the Hoosiers’ home opener with UVA is likely going to receive a lot of attention from the hosts. After all, IU won last season’s matchup in Charlottesville and a repeat showing would go a long way to putting a bowl game in play.
In other words, both teams likely think the Sept. 8 game is extremely important to their bowl hopes. That could make for an interesting showdown.
With that said, there was another reason Indiana caught my attention this weekend and for an entry in this article series.
No. 91 – Facing Running Quarterbacks
The Hoosiers split time between pro-style quarterback Richard Lagow and dual-threat quarterback Peyton Ramsey last season. UVA fans probably remember Ramsey, then a redshirt freshman, checking in at Scott Stadium and changing the rhythm of the game. This season, IU plans to run the quarterback according to this Indianapolis Star article and that’s something to test the defense as Bronco Mendenhall begins year three.
After all, running quarterbacks gave the Hoos trouble at times last season. Here’s a look at some of the ground game statistics for opposing quarterbacks in 2017:
- W&M – Tommy McKee 15-89, 1 TD
- Indiana – Peyton Ramsey 12-32, 1 TD
- UConn – Bryant Shirreffs 14-90
- Duke – Daniel Jones 9-36
- UNC – Brandon Harris 10-25
- Boston College – Anthony Brown 5-32
- GT – TaQuon Marshall 29-143, 2 TDs
- Louisville – Lamar Jackson 15-147, 1 TD
- Miami – Malik Rosier 9-38, 1 TD
- VT – Josh Jackson 8-38
- Navy – Malcolm Perry 16-114, 2 TDs/Zach Abey 13-88, 5 TDs
As you can see, opposing quarterbacks put up at least 20 rushing yards in 11 of 13 games last season and they scored touchdowns in six different games. While some of the numbers are not big numbers for net yardage, sacks skewed the success some players had on the ground against Virginia. Ramsey lost 27 yards for IU, Jones lost 18 for Duke, Harris lost 25 for UNC, and Rosier lost 14 for Miami. That would have pushed each member of that quartet past 50 rushing yards. So even if you throw out the option QBs at Georgia Tech and Navy, it’s something that challenged the Hoos last season.
While Richmond may present a test in that regard in the 2018 opener (Joe Manuso rushed 13 times for 32 yards in the Spiders’ spring game, but likely starter Kevin Johnson has not run much in limited appearances earlier in his career), the first big challenge with running quarterbacks could come in that first road game at Indiana. UVA saw how Ramsey impacted the game last season with a rushing touchdown, but that same Indy Star article indicated he “might now be its slowest” option at QB. True freshman Michael Penix showed some wheels in spring practice and graduate transfer Brandon Dawkins rushed for 1,582 yards and 20 touchdowns over parts of three seasons in Arizona.
In other words, regardless of who the Hoosiers zero in on as their starter, that player should be expected to carry the football on offense. Will UVA be up to the task that early? What will it look like game to game? At the end of the season, will there be a list of quarterbacks that rushed for touchdowns against the defense again? The answers to those questions could be a big storyline for 2018.
Since starting the “99 Virginia Football Thoughts Before Kickoff” series, a full week has passed. Topics so far have included Jordan Mack, Han Solo, and recent transfer commit Cassius Peat among others. The previous articles are below. Click away.
If we succeed in building a 2018 offense that features a running QB, perhaps that will give our defense more preparation, in practice, for Ye Olde Running QB.
One factor to consider here is this: if Perkins is as effective as we hope, our time of possession will increase substantially and our scoring will as well. In turn, our opponents will have the ball fewer times and have to score more to beat us. Hope the D, then, is up to the task.