It has been three years since a team other than Florida State owned sole possession of first place in the ACC. But when Virginia travels to College Park, Md., on Saturday to face No. 25 Maryland at noon, the teams will be fighting for just that.
The Cavaliers (3-1, 2-0 ACC) carry a three-game winning streak into the game after beating Duke at home, 35-10. Virginia has beaten the Terrapins (4-0, 2-0) for nine straight years, including four wins at College Park.
The Cavaliers' main offensive threat this year has been junior wide receiver Billy McMullen, who leads the nation in receiving touchdowns with seven and the ACC in receptions with 25. McMullen pulled down five catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns against Duke - his second straight game with two touchdowns.
Groh will continue to platoon sophomore quarterbacks Bryson Spinner and Matt Schaub against a Terrapin defense that leads the NCAA in interceptions. Spinner completed 15-of-23 passes for 194 yards against Duke.
"Offensively, [the Cavaliers] do a good job of throwing the football," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "That's their real strength. They have a good running game, but when you break them down, they are making their big plays in the passing game."
Defensively, the Cavaliers will have to contain Maryland sophomore running back Bruce Perry, who currently is leading the nation in yards per game. Perry, who was battling for the starting job before the season, is averaging 165.9 yards per game and almost seven yards per carry.
"He's one of those backs that linemen smile [at] when he comes in the game," Groh said. "He's got very good vision. He's really got burst. He can make that lateral jump cut that very few backs can make, and then burst out of that."
Maryland's offense is centered upon Perry's running style, which the Terrapins then use to open up their passing game.
The Terrapins "throw play-action off the run, which allows them a lot of seven-man protection, so the quarterback doesn't get hit very often," Groh said. "They've really been able to run the game the way they want to run it."
Friedgen said he hopes to stick to the basics Saturday, but stressed that Virginia will not be an easy team to move the ball against.
"There are not a lot of things there that you can exploit," Friedgen said. "You just have to get down to the man-on-man element and hopefully be able to block them and execute against them to be successful."
In his first year as the Terrapins' head coach, Friedgen is trying to lead Maryland to its first 5-0 start since 1978. He has a fundamentally sound football team that leads the nation in turnover margin and has dictated the pace of the game this year, according to Groh.
The Terps have "been playing really good field position on the basis of avoiding turnovers," he said. "They are getting very good field position either through that or through their special teams. They are running the ball effectively, which keeps the defense off the field, and reduces points allowed."
Groh said playing for first place in the ACC is not necessarily different than every other game his Cavaliers have played.
"I call them all big games," he said. "They are all big games to me"
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