Cornerback Marcus Hamilton summed up the bleak situation best following Virginia's 38-13 loss at Pittsburgh Saturday night.
"If what we showed tonight is how Virginia is going to play, then we're in for trouble and a long season," the veteran senior said.
For many teams, the season opener is when questions raised during the off-season begin to get answered. After Saturday's performance, however, the Cavaliers find themselves facing only more questions.
All spring and summer, there was much discussion about who would fill the numerous gaps left by Virginia's departed stalwart players. The picture certainly was not made any clearer by Saturday's performance.
"Their stars played like stars," Virginia coach Al Groh said, referring to Pittsburgh. "We had no stars."
Despite spending three years as an understudy at quarterback, senior Christian Olsen looked like an overwhelmed rookie at times under the lights of Heinz Field. His catastrophic third quarter interception resulted in a touchdown that began the unraveling process for the Cavaliers in a game in which they trailed by only a touchdown at halftime. He also overthrew open receivers at several key junctures throughout the contest.
Despite his mediocre effort, Olsen does not have to worry about his job security. Groh made it clear that the starting quarterback job is not up for grabs.
"Let's not go down that road," Groh said tersely when asked about Olsen's hold on the starting job. "We've played one game."
Virginia's offensive woes were not limited to the quarterback spot. The running game was also largely kept in check due to an ineffectual effort by the Cavaliers offensive line. Virginia's running backs -
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