UVA Football lost tailbacks Xavier Brown (broken collarbone) and Kobe Pace (knee) during last week’s 33-7 loss to College Football Playoff contender SMU.
Brown is out for the season. Pace is listed as the starter at tailback for the regular-season finale at Virginia Tech on Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, ACC Network), but head coach Tony Elliott said Tuesday that Pace is “an end-of-the-week type of decision” in terms of his availability.
Sophomore Noah Vaughn looked good in relief, gaining 44 yards on 10 rushing attempts and 16 yards on three pass receptions.
The three-star recruit from Maryville (Tenn.), where he was a four-year starter, has “a ton of upside and a lot of potential,” Elliott said.
“I think once he gets going in the rhythm, in a groove, I think that’s when you really start to see the quick feet he has, and the vision,” said Elliott, whose question with Vaughn is his ability to be a participant in pass protection.
Vaughn got six pass-block snaps last week, and was dinged for one QB pressure.
“That’s always the biggest transition for a young back, especially when you’re in there on third down, and you see like in the NFL, they have third-down backs because they specialize in the ability to protect because of all the exotic looks they end up seeing,” Elliott said.
“The areas I want to see growth and improvement, and hopefully quickly, will be in pass protection, and then I think as he has more reps and more touches, you’re going to see more of the things we see on the practice field,” Elliott said.
“I think he is probably, of all the backs, he’s the most all-around. He can do a little bit of everything. He needs some experience, reps, and contact in a game to get him going,” Elliott said.
Finally, Trell Harris will be back in the lineup
We only got three games of Trell Harris, but what the Kent State junior transfer had to offer – 13 catches on 18 targets, 201 yards, three TDs – was enough for us to see that he can be a difference-maker for the UVA offense.
“Yeah, I think it’ll be big. Just gives us more balance,” Elliott said.
Harris is the deep threat that the offense has been missing since Week 3.
He had three catches on seven targets that were 20+ yards downfield, with an average depth of throw of 35.6 yards, and average yards per catch at 34.7.
Even though Harris has only played three games, the three catches, seven targets and 101 yards on passes traveling 20+ yards downfield all rank second on the team, behind Malachi Fields (seven catches/16 targets, 245 yards on 20+-yard passes in 2024, in 11 games).
“He is a little bit different than the guys out there in terms of his play speed and ability to go over the top. So, I think it just kind of gives us a little bit more balance. Hopefully it will free up a little bit for Mal and the other guys,” Elliott said.
Video: UVA Football Injury Report
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Chris Graham
