Virginia Cavaliers running back J’Mari Taylor continued to be special on Saturday afternoon against the California Golden Bears. The transfer running back was a bell cow, running 21 times for 105 yards (5.0 yards per carry) and two scores.
Taylor got the party started for the Wahoos on the first drive of the game with a 25-yard rushing touchdown through the heart of the Cal defense.
That rushing touchdown came after he’d already gashed Cal for 11 yards on the third play from scrimmage.
While he didn’t see the ball too much over the following ten minutes of action, he racked up 26 yards on five carries on Virginia’s first drive of the second quarter. That included a 15-yard run from the Cal 20-yard line before a five-yard touchdown rush to bring his season touchdown total to a whopping 11 in nine games.
Taylor got banged up in the third quarter and missed some time while being evaluated on the sideline. He came back for the fourth quarter and played a massive role on the Wahoos’ last offensive drive.
Although UVA gave the ball back to Cal on its own 14-yard line after failing to convert on 4th-and-2, that possession took 4:35 off the clock and pinned the Golden Bears deep in their own territory.
Taylor was a big reason why they were able to do that, running five times for 28 yards and catching a pass for a gain of four. With 2:41 remaining, he converted a crucial 3rd-and-1 at the Cal 23-yard line on another direct snap. That conversion allowed the ‘Hoos to keep churning the clock and, thanks to Kam Robinson calling game, pick up their seventh straight victory.
On the season, Taylor is up to 686 rushing yards (4.6 yards per carry) and 11 scores on 150 carries. He’s also caught 27 passes for 130 yards. After a few weeks where the offense struggled to establish the run, Taylor and the big men up front were better in this game. Should they stay healthy down the stretch and Virginia be more able to consistently balance the run and the pass, there’s no reason to expect Taylor to slow down.
