Normally, any college football program would be flattered to be compared to a professional team. Think of the Miami Hurricanes and the long-running joke that they could blow some of the lesser NFL squads off the map. But after this NFL preseason, Virginia fans should be terrified of one particular comparison. Simply put, if our favorite Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Schaub should get injured like pro quarterbacks Chad Pennington and -- yes I said it -- Michael Vick, we are almost certainly in trouble.
If you've had even a passing interest in Virginia football this summer, you've heard the Schaub hype. Career Services couldn't have helped him put together a better resume: top returning quarterback in the nation, All-America Watch List, O'Brien Award candidate, and yes, main man of schaub4heisman.com. But what you haven't heard, what you are desperately trying to put out of your mind is a 2003 Virginia football season without number 7 on the field. Unthinkable!
Perhaps we had taken Schaub for granted so long that his newfound indispensability is lost on us. As long as we've paid attention he has been part of a quarterback controversy: Spinner breathing down his neck one season and Hagans the next. Hey, during some of those games we were hoping that Schaub would be replaced by the other guy. Go ahead, admit it, you were a part of the crowd that booed our hero off the field against Colorado State last year. But now, with Schaub's name practically glowing at the top of the depth charts, we just can't imagine what life would be like without him.
Groh can't imagine it either. Asked about the possibility of Schaub going the way of the Vick, forced to miss games because of injury, Groh deflected:
"I think we'd have a lot shorter press conferences," he said.
The Vick comparison rang eerily close to home when Groh tried to describe a Virginia squad without Schaub at the helm:
"Did you see the Atlanta-Miami game? That's probably what it would be like."
The game, where the Vick-less Falcons watched Miami toy with backup quarterback Doug Johnson, should strike fear into the hearts of the Cavalier faithful.
Could that be us?
I say this with no disrespect to the man behind Schaub in the depth charts this year, redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez. Martinez has the raw skill to be a good quarterback -- you only have to watch a few of his lightning throws in a practice session to know that -- but he doesn't have the experience or the intangibles that really make Schaub special. It's more than an aura. Schaub has been booed and benched and battled back, convincing his team and their fans that he was the man for the job. That builds a kind of confidence, a type of maturity that makes the idea of renaming one sports trophy the Scheisman a less laughable idea. It took Schaub a long way to climb to the heights he's at now, but now the stakes are higher if he falls.
Maybe I'm overreacting. We're talking about a Virginia team that was picked to finish no better than eighth in the ACC last season, a laughable prediction by year's end. These players have exceeded expectations and laughed in the face of naysayers on their way to a nine-win season. Who am I to say that with a plethora of talent at the other positions, the Cavaliers couldn't do just as well with a different signal caller. Perhaps Martinez is just waiting for his Mark Bulger moment to break out and lead the Cavaliers to a season more surprising than last year's. Or, most comforting for all of us in orange and blue, perhaps our beefed-up offensive line will keep Schaub so well protected he has to wipe his hands on his jersey to make it worth a wash.
As the Cavaliers get ready to face perennial conference doormat Duke, they would do well to remember what the Falcons and Jets learned the hard way: with one injury, even the most meaningless game can drastically change a season.
So Matt, do your school, your fans and your team a favor -- for this one season, please don't go pro.
Read More
Cavaliers then, Cavaliers now — but this time with greater aspirations
By Mofeoluwa Akande | 7 hours agoSix years after their national title, Ty Jerome and De'Andre Hunter are gunning for another ring.
With dominant play, No. 7 seed Virginia men’s tennis storms through NCAA Regionals
By Margaret Piatos | YesterdayVirginia advanced to the third round for the sixth year in a row.
As the postseason approaches, Virginia softball aims to surprise
By Emory Huffman , Ben McNiff and Cierra Lyles | YesterdayThree beat writers discuss expectations for Virginia and assess its season so far.
