Vic Hall

Virginia football fans Saturday filed into an overcast Scott Stadium not knowing what to expect from the Cavaliers in their first-ever matchup against Big Ten challenger Indiana. Roughly three hours later, the fans among the crowd of 45,371 emerged far happier, but likely with much the same feeling despite knowing the outcome.

Continuing a season in which the unexpected has become the expected, Virginia celebrated its homecoming with a lopsided 47-7 romp over the Hoosiers to snag its second straight win of the season and its first against a nonconference opponent.

“Our team has clearly taken another step down the road of progress,” Virginia coach Al Groh said.

‘Step’ might be an understatement in this case, especially in regards to the Cavalier offense. Entering Saturday’s game third worst in Division I in total offense, the team racked up 536 yards — more than their output from the first two losses of the season combined — and failed to commit a turnover for the second straight outing after committing seven in its week one embarrassment against William & Mary.

“We’re playing good ball now,” senior quarterback Jameel Sewell said. “We’re playing our ball.”

Although Sewell and his teammates may have struggled earlier in the season to discover their offensive identity, the team looked at ease from the start against the Hoosiers.  Capitalizing on a fumble recovery by sophomore safety Rodney McLeod on Indiana’s fifth play of the game, the Virginia offense needed just five plays of its own to tally its first score.

After a 29-yard strike from Sewell to sophomore wide receiver Kris Burd up the middle boosted the Cavaliers into the Hoosiers’ red zone, senior running back Mikell Simpson picked up where he left off in his 100-yard rushing performance against North Carolina with an 11-yard gain followed by a five-yard run to the right side for a touchdown and a 7-0 Virginia lead.

“[The fumble recovery] established for the defensive players that this was going to be another good defensive game for us,” Groh said. “It obviously created the type of momentum play and field position that let us get on top. As we say, this is all about meshing the different units together.”

Senior tailback Mikell Simpson’s future is unclear after a fourth quarter injury against Indiana. Photo by Bennett Sorbo.

If the Cavaliers’ various units were meshing well together, so were Sewell and his receiving corps. Coming out of an Indiana three-and-out, the senior slung a 31-yard rope to a diving Burd and then found junior tight end Joe Torchia for a 14-yard gain. Perhaps it was the next completion that was the most impressive, however, as Sewell connected with a sprinting Vic Hall on the left side for the senior’s first receiving touchdown of his suddenly prolific Cavalier career.

A three-year starting cornerback, “Do-It-All” Hall entered the year slotted as the team’s starting quarterback and has since seen time at eight different positions. Despite never even having played receiver before this season, Hall led Virginia Saturday with 85 yards on six receptions.

“Whatever job I’m given, I try to do the best I can at it,” Hall said. “Even if I’m not in, I’m watching it and I’m maybe learning something from the guy in front of me … I try to learn anything and everything I can about whatever position.”

Entering the game ranked sixth nationally in third down defense, the Cavaliers forced two more Indiana three-and-outs. With 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, junior cornerback Ras-I Dowling intercepted his first pass of the season from Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell to set up good field position for the offense. Simpson continued his display with a 37-yard reception — the longest of his career — followed by another five-yard run for a touchdown to put Virginia up 21-0.

The Hoosiers’ response ended in a sack by Cavalier sophomore defensive end Zane Parr, and Simpson compiled 26 more yards en route to another touchdown — the third of his four on the day.

A 37-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Robert Randolph in the final seconds of the first half may have given Virginia a seemingly insurmountable 30-0 lead, but the team refused to see the score as an indication it could back down.

“We can’t let up,” senior tackle Will Barker said. “We’ve got to go out in the second half like it’s the beginning of the game. We couldn’t let up, and we didn’t … I think it’s a testament of where our offense is going now.”

Perhaps the Cavaliers’ offensive output was an even greater testament to the recent improvement of the Barker and the offensive line, which has approached the past few weeks of practice with a different mentality and an emphasis on increasing the unit’s overall physicality. In the first half alone, Sewell was given enough time in the pocket to accumulate 248 yards of passing.

“I barely got touched today,” Sewell said. “That just gives me confidence to be able to sit back. That’s what we’re supposed to do [as quarterbacks], and with an offensive line, that’s what I’m able to do.”

The Cavaliers’ play at the start of the second half was all about the running game, however, as Simpson continued to find slots in the Hoosier defense and rushed for 41 of the team’s 56 yards on the drive, which resulted in yet another touchdown to give the hosts a 37-0 lead.

The fourth score would be Simpson’s last of the day, as he suffered a neck injury on a two-yard carry to open Virginia’s next series. He had to be carted off the field on a stretcher but was coherent enough to talk to teammates after the collision and gave a thumbs-up to the crowd on his way to the tunnel. The senior’s status has yet to be determined, but Groh feels “positive about his long-term.”

Simpson’s injury was the only bad news on an otherwise good day for the Cavaliers, as the team continued its thumping of the Hoosiers in the second half. Backs senior Rashawn Jackson and redshirt freshman Torrey Mack stepped up in the starter’s absence to rush for 73 and 37 yards, respectively, while Sewell finished the day with 308 passing yards before he was replaced by junior quarterback Marc Verica after Virginia took a 44-0 lead entering the fourth quarter. The defense allowed only one futile Indiana touchdown in the closing minutes of the game — the Hoosiers’ only trip into the Cavalier red zone on the day.

“[Sewell] has had three positive outings here now,” Groh said. “He seems to be finding that rhythm he found when we went on that winning streak in ’07. Three of them now, and we can begin to think we’re going in that direction.”

Groh only can hope the Cavs continue down their recent winning path as the squad gets set for its second conference game of the season next weekend at Maryland. The Terrapins, coming off a tough loss to Wake Forest, will look to avenge last season’s 31-0 embarrassment against Virginia in Charlottesville.

But Sewell is confident the team can continue to ride its recent wave of success.

“Go with the flow, baby,” Sewell said. “Things will work out for the better.”

Oscar

Major?
Mechanical engineering

Sexual Orientation?
Straight

What extracurriculars do you participate in?
Squash Club Team, Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

What are the physical and personality attributes you are looking for in a date?
Nice and humble personality. A pretty face but personality is always more important.

Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you work out? Do you attend religious services? Are you passionate about politics?
Don’t smoke, I do drink. Work out every now and then. Am Christian but haven’t been following in a while. Do not like politics.

How would you describe your race/ethnicity? Do you have an ethnicity preference?
I am 100 percent Puerto Rican, born and raised there and have no racial preference.

What are your favorite TV shows?
“House,” “Scrubs,” “Family Guy,” “Top Gear,” “Lie To Me,” “Hell’s Kitchen.”

What music do you like (genres and bands)?
Mostly Spanish music, (reggaeton, bachata, salsa, etc.) hip-hop, R&B, but open to all kinds except heavy metal.

What’s your favorite food/favorite restaurant in Charlottesville?
Chipotle, Littlejohn’s, Outback Steakhouse

What are your favorite books and authors?
Not a big fan of books.

What makes you a good catch?
I know how treat a girl right and would always respect her. I feel I have a good sense of humor and there is a lot to know about me and who I am.

What’s your type?
I like the girl to be nice, funny, smart and be able to have fun and try new things.

What would your theme song be?
“The Anthem” by Pitbull (Calabria Remix)

What’s your idea of funny?
Good jokes that don’t have racism or sexism or any of that in them.

Describe where you would go on your ideal date.
I think a good dinner and activity such as a movie or out to an arcade or amusement park is always best.

What are deal breakers (won’t date a smoker, age, etc.)?
I won’t date a smoker or someone over 5-foot-7.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
The ability to read people’s minds.

Are you outgoing or shy?
I can be shy when first getting to know the person then outgoing.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
In 10 years, I hope to have settled down with a wife and a good job in the field of engineering with a Ph.D. in my field.

If you were a member of the circus, who would you be and why?
A clown to make people happy and encourage laughter.

Describe yourself in one sentence.
I believe I am a nice, smart kid that knows how to treat a girl and that works hard to make his life better.

Marissa

Major?
Physics

Sexual Orientation?
Straight

What extracurriculars do you participate in?
Organization of Young Filipino Americans, club figure skating

What are the physical and personality attributes you are looking for in a date?
Tall (at least 6-feet tall) preferably dark hair, but it doesn’t really matter. I really like athletic guys who are into science/engineering.

Do you smoke? Do you drink? Do you work out? Do you attend religious services? Are you passionate about politics?
Smoke: cigarettes — no; drink — yes; work out — yes; church — yes; politics — apathetic.

How would you describe your race/ethnicity? Do you have an ethnicity preference?
I am Filipino, as far as preferences go, I usually go for white, Hispanic or Asian, I love multiracial also.

What are your favorite TV shows?
“Cash Cab,” “Mythbusters,” anything on the Food Network, “Fringe,” “Lie To Me,” “Heroes,” “Chuck,” “Family Guy.”

What music do you like (genres and bands)?
I like everything but I love music I can dance to.

What’s your favorite food/favorite restaurant in Charlottesville?
Dumplings downtown, Sakura, Martha’s Cafe before it closed; I really just love all food.

What are your favorite books and authors?
“Harry Potter,” Christopher Paolini, Philip Pullman

What makes you a good catch?
I’m smart, cute and funny. I can bake, I like sports, I’ve been told I have good taste in movies.

What’s your type?
I don’t really have a type, but if he has a motorcycle that’s a HUGE plus.

What would your theme song be?
“Paradise by the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf = story of my life.

What’s your idea of funny?
Really awkward situations can be pretty funny, sarcasm, dry humor, I’m from NY; we have a special kind of humor.

Describe where you would go on your ideal date.
For a first date, dinner and maybe a movie downtown.

What are deal breakers (won’t date a smoker, age, etc.)?
Won’t date a cigarette smoker, cigars/pot is okay. No fourth-years. No beards/mustaches.

If you could have any superpower what would it be?
Flying.

Are you outgoing or shy?
Shy at first, then I open up when I feel comfortable around people.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Teaching, hopefully engaged, maybe married, probably living on Long Island.

If you were a member of the circus, who would you be and why?
An acrobat or tightrope walker because they get to wear cool outfits and I used to do gymnastics.

Describe yourself in one sentence.
I am the girl who goes skateboarding in a dress and converse sneakers — sporty, but girly at the same time.

The Date

Oscar: I was kind of nervous, really — about what her interests would be and all that … what kind of things to talk about. There were a lot of things running through my head. My friends were like “Well, good luck!” They thought it was a cool experience. They kind of want to do it themselves now, too.

Marissa: My friends were all excited. They all filled out the survey too, but I guess I got chosen first so they were all, “Oh my gosh, I’m so jealous.” They were pointing guys out at the dining hall today, like “Hey, that could be your date.”

Oscar: We met on the Corner at Cohn’s, just outside. I got there first and I saw her walking. It was that awkward moment where I looked at her and she looked at me and I asked if she was Marissa. I thought she was cute and looked like a really nice person — just the type of girl I would go on a date with. Not like completely opposite of me. I thought it was a good match.

Marissa: He was really nervous, I could tell. It was cute. He asked where I wanted to go for dinner because he had his car. But I couldn’t decide and I don’t really know many places to eat around here. So he suggested Outback and that’s where we went.

Oscar: We both got the Outback special, the steak. I had the steak and the shrimp, and she just had the steak. The conversation was pretty good. We kept jumping from topic to topic. We had a few things in common. Kind of geeky, but I don’t want to say that. But we have the same interests in technology and stuff like that. She’s a physics major, and I’m a mechanical engineer, so we just started talking about high school and groups we were involved in, past experiences. She took mostly math and science classes, and so did I, so stuff like that.

Marissa: The conversation was good. Once we got going, there weren’t that many awkward moments except in the beginning and then in the end. We disagreed about music. Well, he had never really heard of half the music I was interested in. We didn’t really agree on food, either. We actually figured out that we were both at this random party last year that [the Organization of Young Filipino Americans] and [the Latino Student Union] co-sponsored. I’m in OYFA, and he’s in LSU, but we never realized we had been at the same place.

Oscar: I felt like we had a pretty good amount of things in common, but there was still open ground for things we could learn about one another. It wasn’t like I was talking to an opposite version of [myself].

Marissa: At the end of the date, he realized he had forgotten his wallet. He was so embarrassed. I felt so bad. He completely forgot to bring it. I was like “It’s OK, it happens.” I made a joke, “Is this your way of getting me to go on a second date?” He was like “No, I promise I’ll get you back.” We ended up spending more than the $30 and he was like “No, I’ll get you back even if there isn’t a second date.” So I just ended up having to pay.

Oscar: I didn’t notice until I got the bill. I completely didn’t do it on purpose. Right before, I switched pants and I forgot to switch my wallet, too. That was a really bad, weird moment. I think we’re going to go on a second date, so at least that’s good.

Marissa: The ride back was a little more awkward. He dropped me back at my apartment in Lambeth. I didn’t know what to do when we said goodbye. I didn’t know if I should shake his hand or give him a hug because we were in the car, so I was like “I’ll let you know about this weekend!”

Oscar: We’re hopefully going to plan something in the near future. I think it went pretty well, I would give it like an 8 or so.

Marissa: I’m going to be in D.C. all of Saturday, so we’re thinking maybe Friday. If OYFA’s having a party, I’ll invite him along. I would give the date a 6.5. We had a good time, but he forgot his wallet.

Oscar and Marissa made plans to go on their second date this past weekend. But Marissa was feeling a bit under the weather and the two had to postpone their next meeting for a later time.