With two games left in the regular season, the Virginia Cavaliers can still salvage a season that began with such high expectations.
Virginia still needs one more win in order to become bowl-eligible. The Cavaliers finish out their last two games at Scott Stadium, where they will face off against the surging Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets before their regular season finale against arch-rival Virginia Tech.
After a strong finish to the 2002-2003 season and an influx of young talent, preseason ACC polls predicted the Cavaliers to finish fourth in the ACC this season, while some magazines and experts had predicted the Cavaliers to place higher -- perhaps with a possible BCS berth.
At 5-5 and with four losses in the ACC, however, the Cavaliers are standing tied for sixth in the ACC, with a win over Georgia Tech Saturday placing them only fifth.
Coach Al Groh commented on the hype of the success of last season and their bowl victory against West Virginia.
The bowl win "was about as good as we can play and do things," Groh said in his weekly press conference yesterday. "I knew [this year] was going to be that type of season where every week was the same. I knew a lot of teams were going to fight it out, and a team was going to win and a team was going to lose."
This year, the Cavaliers have had some bad luck. Quarterback Matt Schaub went down early in the season and missed most of three games, and the Cavaliers have not been able to win the close games that went their way last year.
But this year, Virginia has shot themselves in the foot.
"You're not lucky when you get them," Groh said on making the big play or getting the favorable bounce. "You're not unlucky when you don't."
In Thursday's loss to Maryland, the Cavaliers allowed tailback Josh Allen to break away for an 80-yard score after the defense had him stuffed for a minimal gain. Also, a roughing the passer penalty in the first quarter and a holding call late in the fourth took away 11 points.
"Last year we made ourselves a team that was hard to beat." Groh said. "This year, we make it hard on ourselves."
The defense has been criticized for its sub-par play in the last month, where the team has lost four of its last five. Some have even criticized Groh's 3-4 defensive scheme as the source of the problem. Groh defended his game plan and pointed to the secondary as the team's weakness right now.
"It's the same thing every defense has to have, and it starts in the back end," Groh said. "In this day and age, most teams play during the course of each game some form of each configuration [3-4 and 4-3]. It's not up front where you lose games. It's always in the back."
When it comes down to the end of the season, these final two home games may likely determine the success of the team's season. The ACC can send six teams to bowl games. Groh and his Cavaliers know they have to be one of those six teams.
"I'm sure they're aware of it, too," Groh said. "They don't need much prodding from me."
Sophomore linebacker Darryl Blackstock just knows his team needs to get back to winning.
"We don't really think about it," he said. "We just want to win. A bowl is just something that happens. It's like a reward for winning."
Virginia will get its next chance against Georgia Tech at noon on Saturday.
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