Solid line play key to Virginia's success in 2010

For months now, we’ve heard about Virginia’s intentions of returning to a physical running game. Certainly, if the Cavaliers are to win Saturday’s opener against visiting Richmond, then a bruising rushing attack will be the key.

However, everything begins and depends on the offensive line. Without a good line, a team is dead in the water. It can’t run, it can’t pass, it can’t hide.

On the other hand, control the line of scrimmage with the Big Uglies and you can do anything you want.

Some may have tired of hearing Al Groh say it last year, but no truer words were ever spoken by a football coach when he said all backs run the same when there’s no hole.

Assessing the situation

So, just how is that Virginia offensive line coming along? There’s a couple of new starters, but three starters are back from last season, when the Cavaliers were woeful on offense, couldn’t run the football generally and gave up an ACC-high 41 sacks.

From Day 1, the coaching staff has continuously preached being physical and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor believes there has been progress made. He’s probably just as curious as you and I about how things are going to look Saturday night.

“In our opinion, you have to be physical in the passing game also,” Lazor said Wednesday. “We’ve made that real clear to them.”

So far, he has been impressed with all of his running backs as receivers, noting that they all appear to have good hands and a good understanding of how to run routes. He believes getting the ball into their hands via the pass is going to be a very important part of any offensive success the Cavaliers may have.

Certainly, the short passing game — which is the modern version of running game, with swing passes, various screens, even the shovel pass — is full of great surprise elements to help keep the defense off balance. Starting tailback Perry Jones, for instance, said the other day that he hasn’t dropped a single pass in training camp.

It all starts up front

Again, though, none of that matters if the line doesn’t do its job effectively. Lazor is spot on in his theory that the persona of an offensive line can heavily influence the personality of an entire team. The machismo is contagious.

“Most linemen enjoy it when they can put their hand on the ground and come off the ball hard and be confident and play fast in the running game, where there’s a chance to be physical,” Lazor said. “I think that carries over for your entire football team when your offensive line does that.

“I think it effects how your defense plays, I think it effects not only the plays you can call offensively but also the way you can gain momentum as the game goes on. I feel great about the progress we’ve made in that area. Steady, slow progress.”

Naturally, Richmond and other opponents down the road aren’t just going to sit there and let Virginia run the football down their throats. Defenses will put an extra man or two in the box to force the Cavaliers to throw the ball, test quarterback Marc Verica to see how he reacts. Certainly, there will be blitzes because opposing defensive coordinators have dissected every inch of video showing those 41 breakdowns from a year ago.

If the Big Uglies — or, as London prefers to call them, the Big Lovelies — get the job done, then that’s a major step in the right direction for Virginia’s football program. If they don’t, then oops, it’s back to the drawing board.

While Perry Jones has held the starting tailback spot since the end of spring drills, some observers are surprised that veteran Raynard Horne has taken over the No. 2 slot on the depth chart.

What ever happened to Torrey Mack, who was supposed to be the second coming of Wali Lundy? Is Dominique Wallace poised to crack into the top two as he continues to come back from last season’s broken leg. Is Keith Payne just a short-yardage guy?

Finally, will Jones and Horne be the playmakers London has been searching for all this time? It won’t take long to find out.