Practice pays off for Jones

For different reasons, Mikell Simpson may be the latest Michael Johnson.

The process that left Virginia’s starting running back deep on the bench did not involve fumbles, as was the case with Johnson, but Simpson’s benching provided a glimpse of the future.

Perry Jones, a seldom-used true freshman, was anointed with his first four carries of the season against Boston College in Simpson’s absence.

The playing time was given, Virginia coach Al Groh said, because of Jones’ attention to detail in practice.

“Coach told us that whoever had the best week of practice would play, so I came in with my mind set to playing hard to try and help the team,” Jones said. “I practiced hard this week, and coach gave me the opportunity.”

It led to four carries in the 14-10 loss to the Eagles and sent a message to veterans while speeding up the learning process for Jones.

With his longest carry covering just two yards — also his final total for the game — Jones admitted that running the football high school football is a tad different, but lining up on special teams earlier in the season helped.

“Everyone says that game speed is the toughest thing to adjust to in college, so getting experience with special teams before rushing definitely helped a lot,” Jones said. “I felt more prepared than if I had been on the sidelines all season.”

Jones, who ran for 1,831 yards and 30 touchdowns a year ago at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake, has impressed his teammates.

“He’s just good. Everybody knows it,” Virginia defensive end Nate Collins said. “We didn’t get him in the open field like we wanted to so he can work like he needs to.

“He’s going to be a great back before he leaves here. He’s going to be a great guy for our team.”

Despite losing Simpson and fullback Rashawn Jackson after this season, the future of Virginia’s backfield appears bright with the return of Jones, redshirt freshman Torrey Mack and true freshman Dominique Wallace, who will get his year of eligibility back through a medical redshirt.

“I think we have the guys to run the ball,” Virginia linebacker Bill Schautz said. “I don’t think there will be a huge drop-off with the guys we have.”