Virginia football coach Al Groh promised that his Cavaliers would be exciting to watch. He kept his word on Saturday.
After a 36-yard David Greene field goal put Virginia comfortably ahead, 17-0, with 20 minutes left to play, the Cavaliers almost fumbled their way to a loss and narrowly escaped Scott Stadium with a 17-16 win over Richmond.
"We're pleased to have won," Groh said. "We're always pleased to win. We never apologize for winning. We had hoped to play better in a number of different facets of the game. We didn't play very well. Its part of a continuing project to get this team playing where we want them to."
Richmond began to dig itself out of the 17-point deficit when Spider quarterback D'Arcy Wills tossed the ball to wide receiver Cordell Roane on a quarterback option with less than two minutes left in the third quarter. Roane scampered 46 yards to score Richmond's third touchdown against Virginia at Scott Stadium in 55 years.
"We never ever looked at the score," Richmond coach Jim Reid said. "If you just play one play at a time just as hard as you possibly can, you never know what can happen. As I told the players, I don't want any tears."
Virginia's attempt at a trick play, however, yielded much different results. With Richmond only seven points behind in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers ran a reverse to junior wide receiver Tavon Mason from Richmond's 46-yard line.
But Mason did not catch the toss cleanly and could not recover the bouncing ball. A swarm of Richmond defenders pounced on the football at Virginia's 32-yard line and the Spiders looked destined to tie the game. Richmond needed only three plays to find the end zone as fullback Claude Diggs scored from 5 yards out to bring the Spiders within one point.
But the Cavaliers breathed a heavy sigh of relief after Richmond place kicker Doug Kirchner missed the extra point to leave the score at 17-16.
Luck appeared to be by Groh's side for the rest of the game. Virginia kick returner Alvin Pearman ran into Cavalier tight end Kase Luzar and fumbled the ball on the ensuing kickoff. But Virginia wide receiver Ottowa Anderson was at the right place at the right time and fell on the ball to preserve Virginia's possession.
Richmond had one more chance to win the game with five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Spider wide receiver Ryan Tolhurst beat Virginia cornerback Rashad Roberson on a deep route and caught a 37-yard pass from Wills. But Roberson redeemed himself by stripping the ball from Tolhurst. Virginia linebacker Earl Sims recovered the fumble to seal the victory for the Cavaliers.
The coaching staff "has been emphasizing [ball disruption] since camp," Roberson said. "They just wanted that to become an instinct. That instinct came in at that time. That's exactly what I snapped to. My mind went, 'Go for the ball.' Fortunately, I was able to do it."
Richmond finished the day with 197 yards rushing and 129 yards passing.
"After two games, I'm pretty pleased with the direction that the defense is going," Groh said.
Both Virginia quarterbacks Bryson Spinner and Matt Schaub played in Saturday's game. Spinner started but did not look comfortable in the first half. He completed 10-of-14 passes for 94 yards with one interception before Schaub came in to play the last series. Schaub hit 6-of-7 passes to rally the Cavaliers to their first score. Schaub lobbed the ball deep in the end zone for wide receiver Billy McMullen to put Virginia up, 6-0.
But Spinner was back behind the center after halftime and answered Schaub's touchdown drive with one of his own. Spinner threw a quick strike to McMullen from the 1-yard line to give the Cavaliers a 13-0 lead. Spinner and Schaub combined to complete 26-of-37 passes for 242 yards with one interception.
"I thought [Spinner and Schaub] both did a nice job," Groh said. "Matt did an excellent job coming down and taking us down, showing lots of poise and presence at the end of the half. Bryson came out and did an excellent job in the third quarter. He really was the spark of the drive. Without his throws, we really wouldn't have gotten down there."
Groh said he had planned to use both quarterbacks against Richmond.
"We have to play both these guys in games to see what they can really do," Groh said. "That's the reality here."
Virginia junior Arlen Harris did an admirable job filling in for the injured Antwoine Womack by gaining 99 yards on the ground on 24 carries.
Although Groh's home debut may not have been a blistering success, Groh still left Scott Stadium smiling after receiving news that his daughter Ashley Anne had given birth to a son.
"That's the best thing that happened all day," Groh said.
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