CITRUS BOWL : Virginia Owns Plenty of Options for Illinois

Virginia Coach George Welsh says the importance of the Cavaliers’ running attack shouldn’t be overlooked in a Citrus Bowl game likely to be dominated by two talented passers.

“I think we have to get some first downs on the ground and make some five- to 10-yard runs,” Welsh said. “When we’ve been unproductive on the ground, we haven’t won.”

No. 15 Virginia (10-2) features a stronger ground game than 11th-ranked Illinois (9-2).

Welsh said running the ball is “not the only way, but that’s the way we’ve won this year.”

The Cavaliers have rushed for 2,594 yards this season, an average of 216. Virginia is led by junior tailback Marcus Wilson, who had 1,098 yards. Virginia is 8-0 when Wilson runs for 100 or more yards.

Illinois this season has given up an average of 145 yards on the ground and 141 in the air.

“We have a pretty good defense,” Coach John Mackovic said. “We’re No. 1 in the Big Ten, and that’s a good defensive conference. If our defense plays up to their capabilities, then we’ll have a pretty good game. We’ve done that most of the time, but not all the time this year.”

Illinois has 1,627 rushing yards this season, an average of 148, but the Fighting Illini have no 1,000-yard runner. Junior fullback Howard Griffith, with 654 yards, is the only Illinois player to run for more than 360 yards.

Mackovic said the two quarterbacks “are where you are going to start watching this game.”

Illinois’ Jeff George has completed 62% of his passes this season for 2,417 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was intercepted 11 times.

“Our players feel if they get the ball to him enough times, he can make some things happen and give us a chance to win,” Mackovic said.

George is a drop-back passer and poses no threat to run, but the opposite is true for his Virginia counterpart, Shawn Moore, a redshirt junior.

Moore, who has completed 57% of his passes, threw for 2,078 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The speedy Moore also scrambles well and runs the option for the Cavaliers, and rushed for 505 yards and nine touchdowns as Virginia captured a share of the school’s first Atlantic Coach Conference championship.

“We have a lot of things we can do on offense,” Welsh said. “We have a quarterback who can beat you in the pockets some and throw deep. We’re a pretty decent option team and we have a good power running game.”