Who should start at tailback for Cavs: Peerman or Simpson?

By Chris Preston  |   Sunday, June 22, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Virginia Cavaliers
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Some of the most successful college football teams in recent years have thrived while dividing time evenly among multiple tailbacks. Look no further than Arkansas last year, with Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden splitting touches with Felix Jones, or at West Virginia, where Steve Slaton shared time with freshman sensation Noel Devine. Perhaps the 2004 Auburn team was the best example, going undefeated behind tandem tailbacks Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams – both of whom were among the top five picks in the next spring’s NFL draft.

So generally, if you have two talented backs it doesn’t matter a whole lot who actually starts. But in the case of Virginia’s Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson, it might. Last year Peerman started the Cavaliers' first six games before suffering a season-ending injury against Middle Tennessee State. During those first six games (and even through the seventh), Simpson – then a sophomore – saw almost no playing time at tailback. Peerman carried the ball 113 times in those first six games, while Simpson got only three handoffs.

So when Simpson suddenly exploded on the scene with a 272-yard all-purpose masterpiece (119 on the ground, 153 through the air) in UVA’s critical road victory over Maryland, it was something of a shock. After all, Simpson had exactly zero touches in the three previous games – not even in the game and a half after Peerman went down. Basically, the two have never been UVA regulars at the same time. That will change this season, though.

It’s doubtful that whomever head coach Al Groh decides not to start will simply rot away on the UVA bench the way Simpson did the first half of last season. He will likely divide their time as evenly as possible, much like when Groh had future NFL draft picks Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman platooning at tailback a few years back. But Groh tends to stick with his starters more than most college coaches, which begs the all-important question: Which player should start?

Their rushing stats were almost identical in ’07: Peerman gained 585 yards on 113 carries, and Simpson ran for 570 yards, also on 113 attempts. But what gives Simpson the edge is his superior abilities as a receiver out of the backfield. His 43 receptions in just half of the Cavaliers’ games were tops on the team, and his 402 yards were a close second. Peerman, meanwhile, caught just 12 balls for 99 yards. Because Groh’s playbook is heavy on quick slants and outs to the tailback – and because UVA still lacks the big-play receiver it has coveted for years – Simpson has to be the choice at starter. He is simply the more dynamic playmaker. Furthermore, Peerman would make for one of the most potent backups in the country.
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