After a 1999 season that left the Cavalier football team with more questions than answers, coach George Welsh vowed to "reinvent the corporation." Assistant coaches were shuffled, offensive and defensive schemes were evaluated, and players changed positions. However, Saturday's 38-35 overtime loss to Brigham Young, a game the Cavs led 21-0 at halftime, looked painfully familiar to longtime fans of the program.
"It reminded me of what happened last year," sophomore cornerback Rashad Roberson said, referring to the Cavaliers' 45-40 victory over the Cougars last season in Provo, Utah. "We came out intense the first half, and then the second half we came out comfortable with the lead that we had. The intensity wasn't there."
The second-half collapse has become unfortunately familiar for the Cavaliers in recent years. Seven times since 1995, the team has lost after holding second-half leads larger than a touchdown.
"It just seems like it's become a habit for us," Roberson said. "Once you get a comfortable lead, you lose that intensity."
"No matter what happens in the first quarter, the first half, it's a 60-minute game," Welsh said. "Sometimes things go right for you, sometimes they don't go right, but you have to play for 60 minutes."
The Cougars jump-started their offense in the second half by throwing short passes to running backs. The Cavaliers couldn't put pressure on BYU quarterback Bret Engemann, failing to tally a sack in the second half after recording five in the first 30 minutes of play, a drought that left Cavalier coaches and players scratching their heads.
"They got too many easy five-yarders, and I'm not sure why," Welsh said.
Senior linebacker Byron Thweatt was equally chagrined.
"Coming in, we prepared for the pass," Thweatt said. "They spread us out and ran criss-crosses and draws, and after a while it started working."
The Cavs' problems were compounded by missed tackles and shaky coverage in the secondary, two problems that plagued the team last season.
"I think that we definitely tackled better" Saturday than last season, Roberson said. "It still wasn't enough. We missed some key tackles, and that hurt us."
Thweatt echoed his teammate's sentiments.
"The way we play defense, you have to make one-on-one tackles in the open field," Thweatt said. "That's something we need to work on."
The Cavalier offense tried its best to keep up, but unlike last season's victory over the Cougars, Virginia couldn't score enough points to stay ahead.
"The game's never over," junior tailback Antwoine Womack said. "These college games are so crazy nowadays. They can go any way. If you get momentum, you can put up as many points as you want."
The Cougars' adjustments in the second made the difference in the game, giving the BYU offense a shot in the arm.
"These guys had a game under their belt and they knew that they had to fight for something," senior linebacker Donny Green said. "They were tired of coming back over here and losing, and they stepped it up at the end"
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