It's crunch time for the Virginia football team. After last week's loss to Boston College, the team currently stands at 3-2 and is unranked nationally. The Cavaliers' opponent this week is Florida State, currently 5-0 and sporting a No. 4 national ranking.
Saturday's matchup is a make or break game for Virginia. Should the Cavaliers pull off a tremendous upset, it will catapult them back into the race for the ACC Championship. A win also would greatly lift the morale of the depleted team. However, a loss would drop the Cavaliers to 3-3, a .500 record and well behind the division-leading Virginia Tech Hokies.
The suspension of left tackle Brad Butler and the controversy surrounding the incident that led to his suspension has only added fuel to the fire. The team will rely on its veterans to hold the team together and regroup for Saturday's game.
"I'm one of the older guys around here," said junior wide receiver Fontel Mines. "I think I have to help pick some of the other guys up so we can regroup as a team. We have to really lean on one another, know that we're there for each other."
Last season Florida State was the team with all the questions. Virginia went into Tallahassee with a 5-0 record and No. 6 national ranking. But, the Seminoles soundly beat the Cavaliers 36-3 that day. From that point on, Virginia amassed a 3-4 record and lost in the MPC Computer Bowl to Fresno State.
By the looks of it, Florida State holds all the momentum going into the game. Virginia coach Al Groh however, said he does not believe in momentum. He has stressed over and over again to his players to forget what happened in the past and move on. When asked whether or not he buys into Groh's mantra that momentum doesn't exist, wide receiver Fontel Mines responded accordingly.
"I think I do, because this is a different week," Mines said. "We're not worried about last week. We're well aware of what happened. College football is a week-to-week thing -- anything can happen. Last year, Carolina beat Miami. Things happen unexpectedly. We've got to correct the things we've been doing wrong and prepare ourselves for a great team."
The Cavaliers appear to be overmatched on both sides of the ball. Florida State is leading the ACC in offense, averaging 428 yards per game. The team's quarterback, Drew Weatherford, has the luxury of throwing the ball to some very talented receivers. Freshman wide receiver Greg Carr has caught five touchdown passes and averages nearly 30 yards per catch. Carr's deep threat ability will present significant matchup problems for a depleted Virginia secondary.
Offensively, the Cavaliers are working with an injury-ridden offensive line. The suspension of Butler will force yet another newcomer into the lineup. Such inexperience on the offensive line does not bode well against Florida State, a notoriously blitz-happy team.
"It's different than it was last year, because I don't think there was one scratch the entire season [in the offensive line]," sophomore center Jordy Lipsey said. "This year, there's been lots of injuries and uncertainty. It's been interesting."
Lipsey, along with the rest of the offensive line, will have to deal with Seminole linebackers Ernie Sims and A.J. Nicholson, who are potential All-American candidates. However, the Cavaliers are confident they can put last week's events behind them and focus on Saturday's game.
"We've got to treat every one of these practices like we're getting ready for the biggest game of our season -- because it is," said Lipsey. "When we get to Saturday, we need to be ready. It's time for us to put all this other stuff behind us, all this stuff that has happened in these last couple of weeks and get ready for the biggest game of the season."
The Cavaliers are set to play Florida State Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Scott Stadium.
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