Jones in UVa and ACC Record Books
Thomas Jones etched his name throughout the Virginia and Atlantic Coast Conference record books this season, placing his name beside at least eight conference and 15 school records. Here’s a look at some of the records he set during his illustrious career. *=modern era (since 1937)

ACC Records Set
Most Yards Rushing in a season—1798, ‘99
Best Rushing Avg. in a season—163.5, ‘99
Most Rushing Attempts in a season (tied)—334, Charlie Wysocki, Maryland, ‘80
Most 200-yard games in a season—4
Most 200-yard games in a career—6
Most consecutive 200-yard games—2 (twice!)
Most all-purpose yards in a season—2054, ‘99
Most Consecutive Games with a Touchdown—16, 1997-99
First player in ACC history to have 200 yards rushing AND 100 yards receiving in same game—vs. Buffalo, 1999 (221 rush, 110 receiving)

Virginia Records Set
Most Yards Rushing in a Career—3998
Most Yards Rushing in a Season—1798, ‘99
Best Rushing Avg. in a Season—163.5, ‘99
Most Rushing Attempts in a Career—809
Most Rushing Attempts in a Season—334, ‘99
Most Rushing Touchdowns in a Career*—36
Most Total Touchdowns in a Career*—40
Most 200-Yard Games in a Season—4
Most 200-Yard Games in a Career—6
Most Consecutive 200-Yard Games—2 (twice!)
Most Rushing Attempts in a Game—39 vs. Ga. Tech, ‘99
Most All-Purpose Yards in a Season—2054, ‘99
Most All-Purpose Yards in a Game—331 vs. Buffalo, ‘99
Most Consecutive Games with a Touchdown—16, 1997-99
Most Consecutive Starts by a Tailback—34
Fewest Practices Missed—0

Preseason Recognition

•Doak Walker Award Candidate
•Football Writers Assn. All-America checklist
•2nd-Team All-American by Football News
•#8 RBin the nation by Lindy's
•#12 RB in the nation by The Sporting News
•Honorable Mention All-American by Street & Smith's
•ACC's top-five offensive players by CNN/SI.com
•Sixth-best player in the ACC by Lindy's
•1st-Team All-ACC by Preview Sports
•1st-Team All-ACC by Athlon
•1st-Team All-ACC by The Sporting News
•1st-Team All-ACC by Football News
•1st-Team All-ACC by College & Pro Football Newsweekly
•1st-Team All-ACC by Street & Smith's
•1st-Team All-ACC by Lindy's
•1st-Team All-ACC by Jim Feist's College Football

Week Eleven Highlights

Cavs Rally To Knock Off Terps, 34-30

Jones Named To 1999 Walter Camp Squad

University of Virginia tailback Thomas Jones is joined by four players from Florida State and three from Penn State on the Walter Camp 1999 All-America team-the nation's oldest collegiate all-star squad that dates back to 1889.

The Camp selection is the third All-America squad Jones has been named to this week. He was named to the Football News and Football Writers Association of America teams earlier in the week. Jones becomes the first Cavalier named to the Camp team since guard Mark Dixon in 1993 and joins former North Carolina star Don McCauley as the only running backs in Atlantic Coast Conference history named to the team.

Jones, a senior from Big Stone Gap, Va., broke McCauley's ACC single-season records for most yards rushing (1,798) and all-purpose yards (2,054) this fall, finishing third in the nation in rushing and second in all-purpose yards.

This marks the second year in a row Jones has led the ACC in rushing, becoming the first player since Ethan Horton of North Carolina (1983-84) to lead the conference in back-to-back seasons.

Jones also led the ACC in rushing touchdowns (16), total touchdowns (17) and receptions by a running back (22) this season. His four 200-yard games in '99 tied for the national lead and is the most ever in a season by an ACC player. Prior to this season, the ACC record for career 200-yard games was three-Jones finishes his career with six. Jones owns at least seven ACC and 14 school records.

Thomas Jones Named Finalist For 1999 Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award

University of Virginia tailback Thomas Jones is one of three finalists announced by the Southwestern BellSMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors today for the 1999 Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award. Jones is joined by Wisconsin's Ron Dayne and Shaun Alexander from Alabama.

"Not only are Shaun Alexander, Ron Dayne and Thomas Jones excellent running backs, they are outstanding young men," said Jim Turner, chief executive officer of the Dr Pepper Bottling Company of Texas. "All three of our finalists have represented their schools well both on and off the field and embody the spirit of the Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award."

As the three finalists, Jones, Dayne and Alexander will be flown to Orlando, Fla., next week for ESPN's Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 9. The winner of the 1999 Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award will be announced live on the show, which will air on ESPN at 5:00 p.m. (EST) and will be rebroadcast on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. (EST).

"Over the years, some things about the game have changed, but the award is still presented to people who are in the same mold as Doak," said Greg Lewis, the inaugural winner of the Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award in 1990 and member of the National Selection Committee.

The award will officially be presented at the 10th anniversary Dr Pepper Doak Walker Award Presentation Banquet on Monday, January 24, 2000 in Dallas.

This continues what has been a very rewarding postseason for Jones. UVa's all-time leading rusher has been named first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association of America, Football News magazine, the Walter Camp Foundation.

Jones is third nationally this season in both rushing and all-purpose yards. He set ACC and school records with 1798 yards rushing (163.5 ypg) and 2054 all-purpose yards (186.7 ypg). Jones if Virginia's all-time leading rusher and ranks fourth in ACC history. This season he became the first player in more than a decade to lead the ACC in rushing two seasons in a row.

The Cavaliers, 7-4 overall this season, are set to face Illinois (7-4) in the Micronpc.com Bowl at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 30 at 7:00 p.m.

Week Ten Highlights

Jones Leads Nation in Rushing and All-Purpose

Heisman Trophy candidate Thomas Jones has put together the best all-around season in school history this fall and leads the nation in rushing AND all-purpose yards.

He is averaging 170.7 yards rushing and 195.1 all-purpose yards per game.

If Jones can maintain his rushing lead, he would become the first Cavalier to lead the nation in rushing (and join former Wake Forest great Brian Piccolo in 1964 as the only ACC players to lead the nation in rushing).

Also if he leads the nation in all-purpose yards he would be the fourth Virginia player to lead the nation in that category. Bill Dudley led in 1941, John Papit in 1949 and Frank Quayle in 1966 are the others.

Jones has almost completely rewritten the Virginia record book in both categories. He has rushed for 1707 yards this season, while compiling 1951 all-purpose yards.

He reached the 1000-yard mark in just seven games, joining John Papit (1949) as the only players to get to 1000 yards in seven games.

Jones then set the school single-season mark in just nine games, breaking the record that took Tiki Barber 12 games to set in 1995 (1397 yards).

Jones topped Barber's school record for all-purpose yards in just 10 games. Barber held the record with 1906 all-purpose yards in 12 games in 1995.

Not surprisingly, Jones has been the game's leading rusher in every game for Virginia this season.

Jones has been at at his best as the season heads into "crunch time", averaging 200.8 yards in his last five games as the Cavaliers fight for a bowl spot. In fact, his performance in this span is by far the best stretch in school history (and would qualify as one of the best seasons).

His 164 yards vs. Florida State are the most the Seminoles have allowed since UVa's Tiki Barber rushed for 193 yards in 1995, a span of 50 games.

Jones has gained 200 or more yards on the ground in three of the last four games. What makes this so remarkable is prior to Jones the ACC record for CAREER 200-yard games was three and the season record two. Jones has four 200-yard games this season and six for his career.

He has rushed for 200+ yards in the last two games, the second time in his career he has back-to-back 200-yard games. Former Cavalier Terry Kirby and Maryland's Charlie Wysocki are the only other ACC players to do it once.

Jones is also the only player in ACC history to have more than one 200-yard effort against one team. He rushed for 207 yards vs. Georgia Tech last season and 213 this season.

A look at Jones in the last five games is below.

Opp.            Att.  Yds.   Avg    TD
Duke            31    185    6.0    2
N.C. State      38    221    5.8    3
#1 Fla. State   26    164    6.3    1
#2 Ga. Tech     39    213    5.5    2
Buffalo         32    221    6.9    1
last 5          166   1004   6.0    9
avg. last 5     33.2  200.8  6.0    1.8

Jones Takes Just Nine Games to Set Record
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber was very prescient regarding the performance of the player who was his understudy three years ago as Jones has erased Barber's name from the top spot on many lists.

The most recent record to fall is UVa's single-season rushing mark. Barber rushed for 1397 yards in 12 games in 1995, but Jones needed just nine games this season to move past Barber.

Jones has rushed for 1707 yards this season and needs just 14 yards to add another ACC record to his bag of records. North Carolina's Don McCauley rushed for 1720 yards in 1970.

Perhaps it's fitting that Jones and Barber are the only players in school history to put together back-to-back 1000-yard seasons. (Terry Kirby had two 1000-yard seasons but they weren't consecutive.) Between Barber and Jones, they hold the top-four seasons in school history.

Jones is also averaging 170.7 yards rushing per game this season, tops in the nation. If he breaks McCauley's record he will also set an ACC record for highest single-season average. McCauley averaged 156.4 ypg in 1970.

Below is the list of all 1000-yard rushers in UVa history.

Jones Sixth All-Time in ACC
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber knew what he was talking about as Jones has taken the football world by storm this season.

Jones, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, now has 3907 career rushing yards sixth in ACC history. With the final regular season game of his collegiate career coming up Saturday against Maryland, Jones needs just 93 yards to become the fourth player in league history with at least 4000 career yards.

Jones' place on the ACC all-time rushing list is below.

Week Nine Highlights

Jones Leads Nation in Rushing
Heisman Trophy candidate Thomas Jones has put together one of the best seasons in school history in 1999. He leads the country in rushing, averaging 165.1 yards per game (1486 yards in nine games). He reached the 1000-yard mark in just seven games, joining John Papit (1949) as the only players to get to 1000 yards in seven games. Jones then set the school single-season mark in just nine games, breaking the record that took Tiki Barber 12 games to set in 1995 (1397 yards). Not surprisingly, Jones has been the game's leading rusher in every game for Virginia this season.

Jones has been at at his best as the season heads into "crunch time", averaging 195.8 yards in his last four games as the Cavaliers fight for a bowl spot. In fact, his performance in this span is by far the best four-game stretch in school history.

His 164 yards vs. Florida State are the most the Seminoles have allowed since UVa's Tiki Barber rushed for 193 yards in 1995, a span of 50 games. Adding his 207 yard effort in last season's game against Georgia Tech to this season's 213-yard performance makes him the first player in ACC history to have two 200-yard games against one team. A look at Jones in the last four games is below.

Jones Sets Record in Nine Games
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber was very prescient regarding the performance of the player who was his understudy three years ago as Jones has erased Barber's name from the top spot on many lists.

The most recent record to fall is UVa's single-season rushing mark. Barber rushed for 1397 yards in 12 games in 1995, but Jones needed just nine games this season to move past Barber. With two games remaining to play, Jones has rushed for 1486 yards and is sure to add to that total. Perhaps it's fitting that Jones and Barber are the only players in school history to put together back-to-back 1000-yard seasons. (Terry Kirby had two 1000-yard seasons but they weren't consecutive.) Between Barber and Jones, they hold the top-four seasons in school history.

Jones is also averaging 165.1 yards rushing per game this season, tops in the nation. If he can keep up this pace he will eclipse the ACC single-season record currently held by former North Carolina star Don McCauley. McCauley rushed for 1720 yards and averaged 156.4 ypg in 1970. Below is the list of all 1000-yard rushers in UVa history.

Jones 10th All-Time in ACC
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber knew what he was talking about as Jones has taken the football world by storm this season.

Jones, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, now has 3686 career rushing yards 10th in ACC history. With two games to play, he will undoubtedly finish higher.

Jones' place on the ACC all-time rushing list is below.

        Player, school  Rush Yds.
5.      Warrick Dunn, Florida State     3959
6.      James McDougald, Wake Forest    3811
7.      Raymond Priester, Clemson       3717
8.      Jerry Mays, Georgia Tech        3699
9.      Leon Johnson, North Carolina    3693
10.     Thomas Jones, Virginia          3686

Experienced Line Opens Holes for Jones
Head coach George Welsh has always emphasized the need to have a strong running game and this year is no different. Virginia features the nation's top running back in Thomas Jones. Jones has rushed for 1486 yards this season (165.1/g), tops in the country. Leading the way for Jones is a battle-tested line that features three returning starters and another player who started five games last year. Virginia's top offensive lineman is left guard Noel LaMontagne. A senior tri-captain, LaMontagne is the most experienced lineman with 27 career starts under his belt.

Joining LaMontagne on the left side of the line is Josh Lawson, a first-team All-Freshman by The Sporting News last season. However, Lawson did not play vs. Florida State due to an injury and was replaced by Jared Woodson.

Second-team All-ACC John St. Clair is the center. One of the top (and most underrated) centers in the country, he is quietly molding himself into one of the top center prospects available in the upcoming NFL draft. Pro Football Weekly listed him on its midseason All-America team. Sophomore Evan Routzahn, a starter in five games at left guard last season, has moved to right guard and is considered a very promising player by Welsh. He is joined by junior Brad Barnes, the right tackle. Barnes saw limited action in his first two years, but has worked hard to forge his way into the line-up and is considered by Welsh the most improved player on the offensive line. Barnes was selected the ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week for his play in UVa's win over N.C. State.

Primary back-ups along the line include George Seals at center, Woodson at guard and Dustin Keith at tackle. Keith has also seen action at center.

Week Eight Highlights

Jones Leads Nation in Rushing
Heisman Trophy candidate Thomas Jones is putting together one of the best seasons in school history in 1999. He leads the country in rushing, averaging 159.1 yards per game (1273 yards in eight games). He reached the 1000-yard mark in just seven games, joining John Papit (1949) as the only players to get to 1000 yards in seven games.

Jones' 1273 yards are already fourth-most in a season in school history and 10th in ACC history and he still has three games left to play. Not surprisingly, Jones has been the game's leading rusher in every game for Virginia this season.

He has been at at his best lately. He carried the ball a school-record 38 times for a career-high 221 yards and three touchdowns in UVa's 47-26 win over N.C. State last month.

The 221 yards proved to be a milestone as it was the fourth 200-yard game of his career-an ACC record. He also tied the ACC record with his second 200-yard game of the season.

Despite Virginia's loss to top-ranked Florida State last week, Jones proved to a national television audience who the best back in the country really is. He rushed for 164 yards against a Seminole defense that was allowing just 86.0 yards rushing coming into the game. His 164 yards vs. the Seminoles are the most they have allowed since UVa's Tiki Barber rushed for 193 yards in 1995, a span of 50 games.

Jones Shows Up Every Day Despite leading the ACC in rushing by nearly 400 yards and standing as the third-leading returning rusher in the nation this season, Thomas Jones fails to get the attention he deserves. He ran for 1303 yards last season, the eighth-highest total in ACC history, and tied the ACC record with two 200-yard games. And the player with the common name continues to display his uncommon abilities.

Jones leads the nation in rushing, with a 159.1 yards per game average as he threatens the ACC single-season rushing mark of 1720 yards by North Carolina's Don McCauley in 1970.

In his third year as the starting tailback, perhaps it's important to also note his durability. A testament to his offseason work ethic, Jones has not missed a game in his career, while starting the last 31 at tailback. He made the 31st consecutive start of his career last week against Florida State to add to his list of school records- most consecutive starts by a tailback. Terry Kirby got the starting nod 30 straight games from 1990-92 and held the previous record.

Just as amazing as his streak of consecutive starts is the fact that Jones has never missed so much as a practice during his career at Virginia.

Jones Fourth and Climbing
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber seems to be very prescient regarding the performance of the player who was his understudy three years ago.

Jones, who has 1273 yards rushing this season, is one of just eight players in school history to top the 1000-yard plateau. (Virginia has had 11 1000-yard seasons-Jones, Barber and Terry Kirby each had two.) His 1273 yards this season is already fourth in school history and he has three games yet to play in his quest to set UVa's single-season rushing record.

Barber currently holds the record with 1397 yards in 1995 when he played in 12 games. (Barber also holds the 11-game record with 1360 yards in 1996.) Jones, who needs just 125 yards to set the single-season record, has to average 41.7 yards per game the rest of the way to eclipse Barber.

Perhaps it's fitting that Jones and Barber are the only players in school history to put together back-to-back 1000-yard seasons. (Terry Kirby had two 1000-yard seasons but they weren't consecutive.)

Jones is also averaging 159.1 yards rushing per game this season, tops in the nation. If he can keep up this pace he will eclipse the ACC single-season record currently held by former North Carolina star Don McCauley. McCauley rushed for 1720 yards and averaged 156.4 ypg in 1970. Below is the list of all 1000-yard rushers in UVa history.

Week Seven Highlights

Jones Breaks Loose As Cavs Clobber Wolfpack
RALEIGH, N.C. - Thomas Jones set an Atlantic Coast Conference record with his fourth 200-yard game, gaining 221 yards and scoring three TDs as Virginia beat North Carolina State 47-26 Saturday.

Jones' 200-yard mark broke a record held by four players. He also set the Virginia record for career rushing touchdowns with 32, topping the mark held by Tiki Barber. His 35 touchdowns overall has tied Barber and Frank Quayle for most career touchdowns by a modern-day Cavalier.

The Cavaliers (4-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a two-game losing streak and beat N.C. State (4-3, 1-3 ACC) in Raleigh for the first time in four games.

Four Cavaliers Earn Weekly ACC Football Honors
Jones wins the same award four times this season.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Four University of Virginia football players earned weekly honors from the Atlantic Coast Conference this week for their roles in UVa's 47-26 win over N.C. State last Saturday (Oct. 16).

Tailback Thomas Jones shared the Offensive Back of the Week award with Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler. Jones rushed 38 times for a career-high 221 yards and three touchdowns in the win over the Wolfpack. Jones, the ACC's leading rusher with 1,109 yards, became the first player in ACC history to have four 200-yard games in his career. He is second in the nation in rushing this season, averaging 158.4 yards per game. This is the fourth time he has won this award this season, more than any other player this season.

Junior tackle Brad Barnes earned Offensive Lineman of the Week accolades as he helped pave the way for the Cavaliers' season-high 281 yards on the ground, including Jones' career-high total of 221 yards, in the win at N.C. State. Barnes graded out at 91 percent, the highest of all offensive linemen and made the key block on two of Jones' three touchdown runs.

Middle linebacker Yubrenal Isabelle, a 6-1, 237-pound junior from Bluefield, W. Va., was the conference's Defensive Lineman of the Week. He led the Cavalier defense in the N.C. State win with seven tackles, all solo. Isabelle had one tackle for a loss, recovered one fumble and intercepted a pass in the third quarter returning it 19 yards to set up Virginia's second touchdown of the third quarter. The interception was the first of his career. He has led the team in tackles in the last five games in which he has played this season.

Wide receiver Billy McMullen, a 6-4, 195-pound, freshman from Richmond, Va., was named the ACC Rookie of the Week this week. He had four receptions for a team season high 109 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's win. He had a career-high 41-yard reception for a touchdown and another TD catch of 34 yards. McMullen also had two tackles on special teams. He is the first true freshman to catch two touchdown passes in a game since Germane Crowell in 1994.

Other weekly winners are-Tommy Polley (linebacker from Florida State) as the Defensive Back of the Week and North Carolina punter Brian Schmitz as the Specialist of the Week.

Tailback Thomas Jones rushed 38 times for 221 yards and three touchdowns vs. N.C. State on Oct. 16 as the Cavaliers gained an important ACC road win to boost their record to 4-3 overall (3-2 ACC).

In the process, Jones was able to set, tie or come close to several ACC and UVa single-game and career records.

A partial list of his accomplishments is below.

ACC records set

ACC records tied

Virginia Single-Game records set

Virginia Single-Season records tied

UVa Career records set (modern day since 1937)

UVa Career records tied (modern day since 1937)

Virginia Single-Game Records just missed

Miscellaneous Notes on Jones:
This was his 15th career 100-yard game, tying John Papit for second on the school list. Tiki Barber’s 19 is the record. It is also tied for 12th most in ACC history.

Jones has 1109 yards this season, eighth-most in school history (with four games to play). The record is 1397 by Tiki Barber in 1995.

Jones has 3309 career yards rushing, third in school history. Barber holds the school record with 3389, while Terry Kirby is second with 3348 yards. Jones needs 81 yards to pass Barber. Jones is 16th in ACC history in career rushing yards.

Week Six Highlights

Jones Shows Up Every Day
Despite leading the ACC in rushing by nearly 400 yards and standing as the third-leading returning rusher in the nation this season, Thomas Jones doesn't get the attention he deserves. He ran for 1303 yards last season, the eighth-highest total in ACC history, and tied the ACC record with two 200-yard games. In his third year as the starting tailback, perhaps it's important to also note his durability. A testament to his offseason work ethic, Jones has not missed a game in his career, while starting the last 29 games. His streak of 29 consecutive starts is the longest by a UVa running back since Terry Kirby got the nod in 30 consecutive games from 1990-92. (Tiki Barber had a string of 21 consecutive starts.) Just as amazing as his streak of consecutive starts is the fact that he has never missed so much as a practice during his career at Virginia.

Fourth in Nation
Heisman Trophy candidate Thomas Jones is putting together one of the best seasons in school history in 1999. He has rushed for 888 yards in six games (148.0 per game) and ranks fourth in the nation in rushing. His 888 yards are the second-most yards after six games in school history. Only John Papit (1040 in 1949) rushed for more yards after six games than Jones. Not surprisingly, Jones has been the game's leading rusher in all six Virginia games this season. He rushed 35 times for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns against 17th-ranked Brigham Young on Sept. 25. It was the third 200-yard game of his career, tying an ACC record. Like many of his offensive mates, Jones had a rough day against Virginia Tech two weeks ago. He was held to a season-low 83 yards by the Hokies. But that was still far better than the Hokies' average of 51.3 yards rushing per game coming into the contest. He got back on track last week against Duke, a team that he hadn't done well against in three previous games. Jones rushed for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries vs. the Blue Devils. Jones' 888 yards (through six games) is the third-best total after SEVEN games in school history. In addition to leading the ACC in rushing, Jones leads the ACC in all-purpose yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. Below is the list of the best performances through seven games in school history.

Player,          year Yds thru 7 games
1. John Papit,   1949 1040
2. Tiki Barber,  1996 909
-  Thomas Jones, 1999 888 (6 games)
4. Terry Kirby,  1992 884 (only played 6 of first 10)
5. Thomas Jones, 1998 860

Jones in ACC All-Time Top-20
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber seems to be very prescient regarding the performance of the player who was his understudy three years ago. Jones rushed for 1303 yards last season, the third-highest single-season mark in school history (behind Barber's two best seasons). So far this season Jones is turning in another big year. He has rushed for 888 yards, and has had four 100-yard performances. He rushed for a career-high 210 yards vs. Brigham Young on Sept. 25. Jones now has 3088 career rushing yards, fourth in school history and 18th in ACC history. Jones' place on the ACC and UVa all-time rushing lists is below.

ACC    UVa Player,          school     Yds.
12.     1. Tiki Barber,     Virginia   3389
13.     2. Terry Kirby,     Virginia   3348
pre ACC 3. John Papit,      Virginia   3238
14.        Michael Ramseur, WFU        3325
15.        Charlie Wysocki, Md.        3317
16.        Kelvin Bryant,   UNC        3267
17.        Don McCauley,    UNC        3172
18.     4. Thomas Jones,    Virginia   3088

Week Five Highlights

Jones on Record Pace
Heisman Trophy candidate Thomas Jones is off to the the best starts in school history this season. Through five games he has rushed for 703 yards (140.6/g) and is eighth in the nation in rushing. His 703 yards are the third-most yards after five games in school history. John Papit (774 in 1949) and Terry Kirby (752 in 1992) are the only Cavaliers with more.

Not surprisingly, Jones has been the game's leading rusher in all five Virginia games this season. He rushed 35 times for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns against 17th-ranked Brigham Young two weeks ago. It was his ACC-leading third 100-yard game of the season and the third 200-yard game of his career, tying an ACC record. Like many of his offensive mates, Jones had a rough day against Virginia Tech last Saturday. He was held to a season-low 83 yards by the Hokies. But that was still far better than the Hokies' average of 51.3 yards rushing per game coming into the contest.

Jones' 703 yards (through five games) is the fifth-best total after SIX games in school history. In addition to leading the ACC in rushing, Jones leads the ACC in all-purpose yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns. Below is the list of the best performances through the first six games in school history.

  Player, year                 Yds through 6 games
  1.  John Papit, 1949                986
  2.  Terry Kirby, 1992               884
  3.  Tiki Barber, 1996               759
  4.  Thomas Jones, 1998              743
  -   Thomas Jones, 1999  (through 5) 703

Jones Passes Quayle, Eyes Vigorito
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber seems to be very prescient regarding the performance of the player who was his understudy three years ago.

Jones rushed for 1303 yards last season, the third-highest single-season mark in school history (behind Barber's two best seasons). So far this season Jones is turning in another big year. He has rushed for 703 yards, with a career-high of 210 yards vs. Brigham Young two weeks ago. Jones now has 2903 career rushing yards, fifth in school history and needs 11 yards to pass Tommy Vigorito for fourth place. With a 100-yard game against Duke on Saturday, he could jump into the top-20 in ACC history as well. Jones' place on the ACC and UVa all-time rushing list is below.

 ACC     UVa  Player, school            Yds.
  12.     1.  Tiki Barber, Virginia     3389
  13.     2.  Terry Kirby, Virginia     3348
 pre ACC  3.  John Papit, Virginia      3238
  18.         Natrone Means, UNC        3074
              Ethan Horton, UNC         3074
  20.         Steve Atkins, Md.         2971
  21.         Steve Jones, Duke         2951
  22.     4.  Tommy Vigorito, Virginia  2913
  23.     5.  Thomas Jones, Virginia    2903

Jones Ties ACC Record with Three 200-Yard Games
Thomas Jones had a big night as the Cavaliers defeated Brigham Young 45-40 in a shootout two weeks ago in Provo, Utah. Jones ran roughshod through a Cougar defense that was seventh in the nation in rushing defense, relinquishing just 55.0 yards per game.

He carried 35 times, tying his career high, for 210 yards and two touchdowns against a defense designed to stop him. It is typical to see teams put eight or more men in the box in an effort to contain the slippery Jones and BYU was no different. In addition to establishing a new career high, the 210 yards is tied for the seventh-best mark in school history. He also joined John Papit as the only players in school history with three 200-yard games in a career and added his name to a list of four other ACC players with three 200-yard games. The other ACC players to compile three 200-yard efforts are three North Carolina players (Amos Lawrence, Natrone Means and Mike Voight) and Maryland's Charlie Wysocki.

Virginia's Heisman Trophy candidate from Big Stone Gap, Va., is eighth in nation in rushing, averaging 140.6 yards per game.

Week Four Highlights

Jones on Record Pace
Heisman Trophy candidate Thomas Jones is off to the the best starts in school history this season. Through four games he has rushed for 620 yards (155.0/g) and is fifth in the nation in rushing.

His 620 yards are the most yards after four games in school history, barely topping John Papit's 617 yards in 1949.

Not surprisingly, Jones has been the game's leading rusher in all four Virginia games this season.

He rushed 35 times for a career-high 210 yards and two touchdowns against 17th-ranked Brigham Young last Saturday. It was his ACC-leading third 100-yard game of the season and the third 200-yard game of his career, tying an ACC record.

Jones needs a big game vs. Virginia Tech to keep up with Papit's pace, though. Papit rushed for 774 yards through the first five games of the 1949 campaign following a 212-yard effort vs. West Virginia in the fifth game that season.

Nonetheless, Jones' 620 yards (through four games) is still the fourth-best total after FIVE games in school history.

In addition to leading the ACC in rushing, Jones leads the ACC in all-purpose yards, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns.

Below is the list of the five-best performances through the first five games in school history.

      Player, year          Yds thru 5 games
  1.  John Papit, 1949         774
  2.  Terry Kirby, 1992        752
  3.  Frank Quayle, 1968       659
  -   Thomas Jones, 1999       620 (Through 4)
  4.  John Papit, 1948         580
  5.  Tiki Barber, 1995        572

Jones rushed for 1303 yards last season, the third-highest single-season mark in school history (behind Barber's two best seasons).

So far this season Jones is turning in another big year. He has rushed for 620 yards in four games, with a career-high of 210 yards vs. Brigham Young the last time out.

Jones now has 2820 career rushing yards, fifth in school history and needs 84 yards to pass Tommy Vigorito for fourth place.

Jones' place on the ACC and UVa all-time rushing list is below.

  ACC      UVa  Player, school            Yds.
  12.       1.  Tiki Barber, Virginia     3389
  13.       2.  Terry Kirby, Virginia     3348
  pre ACC   3.  John Papit, Virginia      3238
  18.           Natrone Means, UNC        3074
                Ethan Horton, UNC         3074
  20.           Steve Atkins, Md.         2971
  21.           Steve Jones, Duke         2951
  22.       4.  Tommy Vigorito, Virginia  2913
  23.       5.  Thomas Jones, Virginia    2820

The Cavaliers feature one of the nation's top running backs in Thomas Jones. Jones has rushed for 620 yards this season (155.0/g), fifth in the nation. Last season Jones rushed for 1303 yards and led the ACC by almost 400 yards.

Leading the way for Jones is a battle-tested line that features three returning starters and another player who started five games a year ago. Virginia's top offensive lineman is left guard Noel LaMontagne. A senior tri-captain, LaMontagne is the most experienced lineman with 24 career starts under his belt.

Joining LaMontagne on the left side of the line is Josh Lawson, a first-team All-Freshman by The Sporting News last season. He worked his way into the starting line-up last preseason and has remained there since.

Second-team All-ACC John St. Clair is the center. One of the top (and most underrated) centers in the country, he is quietly molding himself into one of the top center prospects available in the upcoming NFL draft.

Sophomore Evan Routzahn, a starter in five games at left guard last season, has moved to right guard this season and is considered a very promising player by Welsh. He is joined by junior Brad Barnes, the right tackle. Barnes saw limited action in his first two years, but has worked hard to forge his way into the line-up.

Week Three Highlights

Jones Runs Toward Top Five
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber seems to be very prescient regarding the performance of the player who was his understudy three years ago.

Jones rushed for 1303 yards last season, the third-highest single-season mark in school history (behind Barber's two best seasons). So far this season Jones looks poised for another big year. He has rushed for 410 yards in three games, with a high game of 164 yards against Wake Forest the last time out.

Jones now has 2610 career rushing yards, sixth in school history and needs 86 yards to pass current UVa radio color analyst Frank Quayle for fifth place.

Jones' place on UVa's all-time rushing list is below.

   Player         Att.  Yds.   Avg.  TD
1. Tiki Barber    651   3389   5.2   31
2. Terry Kirby    567   3348   5.9   24
3. John Papit     537   3238   6.0   27
4. Tommy Vigorito 648   2913   4.5   15
5. Frank Quayle   514   2695   5.2   28
6. Thomas Jones   539   2610   4.8   24

Jones Attains Ironman Status
Despite leading the ACC in rushing by nearly 400 yards and standing as the third-leading returning rusher in the nation this season, Thomas Jones doesn't get the attention he deserves. He ran for 1303 yards last season, the eighth-highest total in ACC history, and tied the ACC record with two 200-yard games.

Going into his third year as the starting tailback, perhaps it's important to also note his durability. A testament to his offseason work ethic, Jones has not missed a game in his career, while starting the last 25 games. His streak of 25 consecutive starts is the longest by a UVa running back since Terry Kirby got the nod in 30 consecutive games from 1990-92. (Tiki Barber had a string of 21 consecutive starts.)

Week Two Highlights

Experienced Line Opens Holes for Jones
Head coach George Welsh has always emphasized the need to have a strong running game and this year is no different. The Cavaliers feature one of the nation's top running backs in Thomas Jones. Jones has rushed for 246 yards this season (123.0/g), tied for 21st in the nation. Last season Jones rushed for 1303 yards and led the ACC by almost 400 yards.

Leading the way for Jones is a battle-tested line that features three returning starters and another player who started five games a year ago. Virginia's top offensive lineman is left guard Noel LaMontagne. A senior tri-captain, LaMontagne is the most experience lineman with 22 career starts under his belt.

Joining LaMontagne on the left side of the line is Josh Lawson, a first-team All-Freshman by The Sporting News last season. He worked his way into the starting line-up last preseason and has remained there since. Second-team All-ACC John St. Clair is the center. One of the top (and most underrated) centers in the country, he is quietly molding himself into one of the top center prospects available in the upcoming NFL draft.

Sophomore Evan Routzahn, a starter in five games at left guard last season, has moved to right guard this season and is considered a very promising player by Welsh. He is joined by junior Brad Barnes, the right tackle. Barnes saw limited action in his first two years, but has worked hard to forge his way into the line-up.

Week One Highlights

Workhorse Jones Eases Pressure on Ellis
Dan Ellis' first start at quarterback was made easier by the presence of tailback Thomas Jones, who could take some of the pressure off Ellis. Jones, the ACC's leading rusher a year ago, picked up where he left off last season by rushing for 149 yards on 35 carries against North Carolina in last Saturday's season opening win. The 35 carries matches Jones' career high.

Jones ground out yardage, especially in the second half, as Virginia maintained ball control. In the second half, he carried 22 times for 84 yards. He scored on a one-yard plunge late in the third quarter as UVa regained a 10-9 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Jones carried four times for 21 yards on UVa's final drive to help set up Todd Braverman's game-winning field goal.

Jones Jumps Two Places on Rushing List
As his career at Virginia was coming to a close in 1996, Virginia's all-time leading rusher, Tiki Barber, mentioned that Thomas Jones (then a true freshman) would be the one to break his records. Barber seems to be very prescient regarding the performance of the player who was his understudy three years ago.

Jones rushed for 1303 yards last season, the third-highest single-season mark in school history (behind Barber's two best seasons). This season Jones looks poised for another big year. He rumbled for 149 yards and one touchdown on 35 carries last Saturday against North Carolina and jumped two places on UVa's career rushing list.

With 2349 career yards, Jones is seventh in school history in rushing. His place on UVa's all-time rushing list is below.

   Player         Att. Yds.  Avg.  TD
1. Tiki Barber    651  3389  5.2   31   
2. Terry Kirby    567  3348  5.9   24
3. John Papit     537  3238  6.0   27
4. Tommy Vigorito 648  2913  4.5   15
5. Frank Quayle   514  2695  5.2   28
6. Jim Bakhtiar   555  2434  4.4   13
7. Thomas Jones   492  2349  4.8   20

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