CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy led the SEC – and all of power-conference football – in rushing yards this season. Virginia’s J’Mari Taylor led the ACC in that category, ranking No. 27 nationally. 

Neither of those players were competing for those teams, or even at that level, a year ago.

“Just confirmation and proof that football players are at all levels,” UVA coach Tony Elliott said. “And all levels of football are well coached and well prepared.”

The Cavaliers (10-3) and Tigers (8-4) are set to face each other Saturday in the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., in one of the month’s better non-College Football Playoff pairings. 

UVA was the ACC regular-season champion and came within a conference title game loss to Duke of reaching the CFP. 

Missouri suffered three of its four SEC losses to teams that made the playoff, including a three-point defeat by Alabama.

Hardy – who transferred to Missouri after one season at Louisiana Monroe – is just 68 yards short of setting the school’s single-season rushing mark. He’s expected to suit up for the bowl game and try to reach that mark.

Elliott said this week that Taylor – who spent five years at North Carolina Central before joining UVA – is “deliberating” whether or not to play in the Gator Bowl. 

It’s unlikely either team has the success they’ve had this year without the play of their transfer running backs.

Of course, as is always the case when adding transfers, neither coach knew exactly what they were getting when they went to the NCAA transfer portal looking for ball carriers.

“I had zero expectation that he would come in and be the first team All-SEC running back and be a finalist for the Doak Walker Award,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “I knew he was a talented player, but I didn’t know how good he was. It’s been a remarkable season.”

The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Hardy is a master at gaining yards after contact, capable of both breaking tackles and making defenders miss. 

He’s rushed for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns, and averages 6.5 yards per carry. In a Nov. 15 blowout of Mississippi State, Hardy ran for 300 yards and three touchdowns, including a 72-yarder.

“You watch him and he’s a pro back,” Elliott said. “You watch his feet and his patience and he has a good understanding of the scheme. And they have a great 1-2 changeup and they complement each other. When you have two backs that complement each other and both of them can run all the different schemes that you put out there, and then you have a quarterback on top of that that can pull it down and make you right and more, it creates a tremendous challenge.”

Jamal Roberts, who Hardy competed with for the top running back spot in the preseason, has had an impressive season in his own right, rushing for 697 yards and five scores while averaging 6.2 yards per carry. 

Drinkwitz said how Hardy handled that competition with Roberts – who is in his third season with the Tigers – was another part of the success story of Hardy’s addition. 

“Ahmad has always deferred the spotlight,” Drinkwitz said. “And shared the credit with him.”

At Virginia, the 5-9, 204-pound Taylor found himself competing with a host of running backs, including senior Xavier Brown, junior Noah Vaughn and Wyoming transfer Harrison Waylee, the nation’s leading active career rusher. 

Taylor emerged as the lead ball carrier and, after injuries to Brown and Vaughn, his role only increased. 

He’s rushed for 1,062 yards and 14 touchdowns, picking up 4.8 yards per attempt. He’s also proven to be an impactful and dependable pass-catcher out of the backfield, recording 43 receptions for 243 yards and a score.

And, as the year has gone on, Taylor has become an integral part of UVA’s pass blocking, excelling in blitz pick-ups. 

“I think he exceeded everybody’s expectations,” Elliott said. “We were confident that we were bringing in a good player that fit our culture. And man, he’s been awesome all year long.”