The University of Virginia Cavaliers have fallen on some tough times during the Mike London era. After winning 8 games during the 2011 campaign, UVA has seen their wins drop by two in each of the following seasons all the way down to two this past season.
If the team is able to find a balance to make an advance towards ACC relevancy they will have to look no further than senior tailback Kevin Parks. The second leading rusher in the ACC last season, Parks has a chance to cement his status as one of the most productive backs in UVA history.
Parks finished the year strong, with three straight 100-yard games to close out the season and he finished with four overall on the season. He ran for a season high 130 yards in UVA’s 45-26 loss to the Miami Hurricanes.
He also showed the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, finishing tied for second on the team in receptions. With Jake McGee transferring out, he and Darius Jennings are the team’s leading returning receivers entering this season.
After being one of four running backs with 1,000-yard rushing years, Parks is the leading returning rusher to the ACC, as Andre Williams was drafted by the New York Giants this past draft. In fact, Parks is the only returning 1,000-yard rusher returning to the ACC, as DeVonta Freeman and Roderick McDowell are both no longer with their schools.
Despite being the school’s seventh all-time rusher going into this season, Parks has a chance to quickly shoot up the all-time rushing list. Currently sitting at 2,474 rushing yards, Parks needs 916 yards to pass Tiki Barber for second all-time. A truly elite season of at least 1,525 yards would make him the school’s leading rusher as he would pass Thomas Jones. He would leap over Tom Vigorito, Wali Lundy, and Terry Kirby on his way to the top as well.
With a new quarterback set to take over the starting duties for the Cavaliers, having a proven running back like Parks will only help Greyson Lambert ease into his role. Lambert’s ability to make opponents respect the passing game will open up running lanes for Parks, so their success will go hand in hand.
Anything will be better than David Watford’s 2013 season, as he had twice as many multi-interception games than he did multi-touchdown games – so the potential is there for Parks to have an even bigger season.
Park’s history against the 2014 season that is awaiting him will play in his favor, as he has 1,157 yards and 11 touchdowns throughout his history against the opponents he will play this year.
Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell will spell Parks, and he was a highly recruited freshman last year that could be a threat to steal some carries, but they could create a dangerous rushing tandem. But in the end, Parks’ experience and success thus far in his career should keep him locked in as the feature back.
With two more home games than on the road, Parks has a chance to shine. At home, Parks has twice as many touchdowns and over 300 more yards than he does when he is playing on the road.
Virginia won two of their first three games last year before losing the last nine to close out the season, and they return 18 total starters, including Parks and all four of their starting secondary. There isn’t anywhere to go but up from here, but they will be underdogs in all but the Richmond (maybe Kent State) game, so another year at the bottom of the ACC standings should be expected.
If they have any chance of increasing their win total, it will rest solely on Parks. His personal gain could work out best for the team.
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