3-0.
In case you missed it, this was the score of the Virginia-Richmond game after the first three-plus quarters, before the Cavs blew it open at the end of the fourth to a 16-0 shutout. 3-0! One, two and three points!
As Cavalier Daily photographer Jason O. Watson pointed out to me at halftime, the Virginia women’s soccer team led Liberty the entire game Friday, Aug. 29 and after three-quarters of that game was leading 4-0. Which is the low-scoring game again?
In many games like this one, a microscopic score can be blamed on field conditions, particularly wet ones. (See the Steelers’ 3-0 victory over the Dolphins in the sludge last November). Not so in this game. The weather wasn’t perfect — a little pregame shower may have dampened the field a bit, and the wind was swirling somewhat — but it practically takes a monsoon to have that dramatic an effect. Not so Saturday. (Just imagine what the score would have been if Hurricane Hanna had hit.)
Nor was this game one of those conservative, old-fashioned, good ol’ smash-mouth grinders. Balls were flying this way and that from both quarterbacks; there were turnovers, turning points and returns. The opportunities to score were endless, particularly for the team from the FCS, lest we forget. A turnover on downs deep in Virginia territory, a 63-yard interception return, two field goal attempts at less than 30 yards in length and back-to-back Virginia penalties totaling 29 yards weren’t enough for the Spiders to salvage a single point. And that’s without mentioning a wide-open receiver in the end zone who junior quarterback Eric Ward missed by a hair, and another no-one-in-shouting-distance receiver who dropped a pass inside the five.
“If the spider has eight legs, I think we shot ourselves all eight times,” said Mike London, Richmond head coach and former Virginia defensive coordinator.
Even more dumbfounding was how the generally conservative Virginia coach Al Groh seemed to develop a reckless streak overnight. He went for it on fourth down every time there was even a slight dilemma, including a fourth-and-one from his own 29-yard line (which Virginia didn’t make). Was I the only one who checked the sideline to make sure he wasn’t on a bathroom break for that call?
Of course, by far the best call of the night was by the students who handed out blank pieces of paper to hold up in protest of the new sign policy. Well done, ladies and gents.
Perhaps the worst call of the night also wasn’t on a play-call; it may have been the decision to start the now oh-so-controversial quarterback Peter Lalich, who admitted to using marijuana and underage drinking after being put on probation for underage drinking in July. As a disclaimer, let me first say that I will reserve some judgment on this decision until the full story comes out — maybe Groh knows something about Lalich that we don’t. Perhaps Lalich had a legitimate reason to not take the drug test that The Cavalier Daily reported Thursday he refused to take. But, assuming that Lalich is still using marijuana and that’s all there is to it, don’t you at some point have to send the message that you can’t smoke a joint and be a football player, particularly in light of Virginia’s recent history of off-field troubles?
As for Lalich’s play, he once again showed off prodigious skill at some points and head-scratching decisions at others. I am going to resist making some joke about him figuring out that his use of the grass at Scott Stadium might take priority over his use of grass off the field, but it did appear that his head was not exactly in the game all the time. Chalk it up to inexperience. (I hope.)
Of course, in the end, all that counts is results. Virginia won the game. The Cavaliers were certainly saved by some Spider mishaps but also by stellar defense in short-field situations and flawless special teams, highlighted by a blocked field goal. The linebackers looked great, the defensive line stepped up and made a few plays, and Vic Hall’s pick-six to seal the deal was absolutely huge.
But the disheartening bottom line is that Virginia came out of this game looking worse than when the Cavaliers came into it. Such is the case when you play an FCS team — if you don’t blow them out of the water, then questions abound.
3-0 after three quarters certainly blew the Cavaliers out of the water, but not in the way that they hoped. What I need is something to help me kick back, relax and take my mind off of these troubling times.
Any ideas?
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