After Virginia's 24-0 victory over Troy State last month, coach Al Groh praised his young defense for allowing only one touchdown in its last two games, a long pass play to Florida State's Craphonso Thorpe. Looking back, he may have wanted to wait a few weeks. Maryland embarrassed the "Orange Crush" Thursday night, giving Cavalier defenders their second shellacking in as many games. This time, Maryland back-up running back Josh Allen looked like a Heisman candidate, posting a career high 257 yards on 38 carries. Allen had 154 in the first half alone, including an 80-yard touchdown run on which he hesitated at the line of scrimmage before scampering untouched down the sideline.
Virginia's defensive woes did not stop with Allen. Maryland quarterback Scott McBrien repeatedly found open Terrapin receivers on short and medium range passing routes. McBrien also beat the Cavalier defense with the long ball, hitting Jabar Williams on a 41-yard strike early in the second quarter. On another play, the senior southpaw from DeMatha completely eluded the Virginia pass rush, forcing Ahmad Brooks and Darryl Blackstock to trip over themselves in pursuit.
Virginia's defense bounced back in the second half, allowing only a Nick Novak field goal. The Cavaliers pulled within 10 points twice late in the game, but the defense could not make the big play when needed.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Virginia had Maryland backed up at its own 18-yard line. Facing third and two, McBrien threw a wide-receiver screen pass to Latrez Harrison. Defensive End Chris Canty had Harrison stopped for a two-yard gain but missed the tackle. To make matters worse, he spun Harrison into the open field, where the senior ran for 45 yards.
Later in the quarter, Allen reasserted his dominance, hitting massive holes in the middle of the Cavalier defensive line.In doing so, he single-handedly led the Terps down the field on a drive Virginia had to stop.
The fact that Virginia's defense let an opposing player post gigantic numbers in and of itself is not a rare cause of concern. The frequency with which the Cavaliers do it, however, does not bode well for their aspirations of future ACC championships. Against N.C. State, the Cavalier defense made Phillip Rivers look like the best player in the nation. Against Maryland, they made Josh Allen look like the best running back in the ACC. Want a scary thought? Virginia still has to face Virginia Tech's Kevin Jones, who had a career high against Pittsburgh last week.
When you really think about it, Virginia's defensive performances of late should not come as that great of a surprise. The Cavaliers did not shut many teams down last year, despite greatly improving on defense as the season progressed. With Virginia losing its top three tacklers to graduation, maybe Cavalier optimists should have tempered some of their preseason excitement. When safety Willie Davis went down against South Carolina, maybe they should have braced for impact.
Virginia starts five underclassmen on defense, and its inexperience is showing. Wonder kids Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham may be able to replace last year's seniors Angelo Crowell and Merril Robertson in the Virginia linebacking corps, but it will be a while before they can replace the war-tested leadership that tandem brought to the team. The two freshmen phenoms committed three crucial penalties during last night's game, and one has to doubt that Crowell would have made the same mistakes.
Here's a stat to consider: Virginia allowed 14 points in two games against Troy State and FSU. In eight quarters against N.C. State and Maryland, it allowed 78. The Cavalier defense has all the tools to shut teams down, but it will take time before it can do so consistently. Cavalier fans can only hope that time comes soon, because the road to the ACC title isn't going to get any easier.
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