Mikell Simpson, RB

Played in the season's first nine games before being sidelined with a broken collarbone … lone start came against Duke when Cedric Peerman was sidelined with an injury … finished second on the team with 262 rushing yards on 87 attempts … averaged 29.1 yards per game … caught 15 passes for 66 yards … top rushing game came against Maryland when he picked up 77 yards on 14 carries … scored touchdowns in first two games of the season against USC and Richmond … third score came against East Carolina … had four receptions for 31 yards in win at Georgia Tech.

A remarkable story and a player who typified the team's "next man up" philosophy … spent much of training camp practicing at wide receiver in an effort to get his play-making skills on the field … did very little during the first half of the season, catching only four passes for 31 yards in the first seven weeks … with Cedric Peerman out and Andrew Pearman ailing, he was moved back to tailback for the Maryland game … turned in one of the greatest individual efforts in school history in leading the team to a scintillating road win and was named the ACC Offensive Back of the Week … rushed for 119 yards and two touchdowns and caught 13 passes for 152 more yards to become only the sixth player in ACC history to compile 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game … on Uva's final 15-play, 90-yard drive, Simpson touched the ball the final 14 plays and capped the drive with a one-yard leap into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds remaining … his 271 all-purpose yards is sixth in school history, while his 152 receiving yards are second most by a running back in ACC history … led the team in rushing for the second time with 81 yards vs. NC State … he scored the winning touchdown for the second time in three weeks against Wake Forest and finished with 35 yards rushing … he just missed out on the 100-yard mark (93) against Miami, but he scored twice, his third multi-touchdown game of the season … was the team's leading rusher with 81 yards and one score vs. Virginia Tech … capped off the year with brilliant performance in Gator Bowl vs. Texas Tech … rushed for 170 yards on 20 carries … had a 96-yard TD run, the longest in UVa history and second longest in NCAA bowl history … that run was also the longest by a Division I player in 2007 … also caught a team-high five passes for 36 yards including an 11-yard TD catch … second on the team in rushing with 570 yards … led the team with 43 receptions for 402 yards, second on the team … also led the team with 10 touchdowns and eight rushing touchdowns … tied for third in the ACC in rushing touchdowns … scored a rushing touchdown in the last six games of the seaon … ninth in the country (second in ACC) in receptions by a running back with 43 … 12th nationally (second in ACC) in receiving yards by a running back with 402 … fifth on UVa's list for most receptions in a season by a running back and tied for eighth on the yardage list.

Played in six games including the season opener vs. Pittsburgh … had two carries for 20 yards in debut vs. Pitt … carried five times for 25 yards against Duke … scored his first touchdown on two-yard run vs. Blue Devils … also carried the ball against Maryland, North Carolina and NC State … had one reception for 12 yards against North Carolina.

Dynamic ballcarrier who was in uniform for all six home games but did not see action action and was redshirted.

Versatile, multi-purpose back for coach George Chaump at Harrisburg HS … SuperPrep All-American … ranked as the No. 13 running back nationally by SuperPrep, No. 14 by Rivals.com, No. 26 by CollegeFootballNews.com and No. 28 by Scout.com … a 4-star player by Rivals.com and Scout.com … listed as the nation's 6th-best safety by ESPN.com … ranked the 5th-best player in Pennsylvania by SuperPrep and Rivals.com, and No. 8 by Scout.com … missed several games late in his senior season … rushed for 456 yards on 51 carries and scored eight touchdowns that season … also had 263 yards receiving … All-Conference on offense and defense as a junior … rushed 88 times for 862 yards and 21 touchdowns his junior year … also caught 23 passes for 520 yards and five touchdowns and intercepted five passes on defense … also played basketball and was a sprinter on the track team.

PRONUNCIATION: Mike-KELL. Mikell V. Simpson … born 9-19-85 in Harrisburg, Pa. … son of John Culp … has two brothers--Thomas Logan and Davone Simpson; and three sisters--Shinene Simpson, Aries Gibson, Janette Gibson.