As Virginia senior outside linebacker Clint Sintim formed an “L” with his arms in honor of graduate Chris Long after he came up with a third-down sack late in the third quarter with Virginia leading 31-0, the crowd, Virginia coach Al Groh and the rest of the sideline echoed Sintim’s jubilation. Maryland had drawn its last breath; Virginia’s frustrations were over.
“That might have been one of my all-time favorite moments,” Sintim said. “I was just able to come free and make the play and threw up the ‘L’ for my homie Chris [Long].”
As 50,727 fans rocked Scott Stadium for a deafening night-game atmosphere, Virginia showed a passion unbecoming of a team distraught by blowout losses and personnel issues in its 31-0 victory. A week after one of the worst losses in the program’s history against Duke, Virginia easily toppled a Maryland squad that had already defeated two top-25 teams this season.
“We knew as a team that we weren’t nearly as bad as everybody said we were,” Sintim said. “We weren’t depleted in all areas of the game. I mean, everybody made it seem like we were the worst team in America.”
Statistically, Virginia was indeed the worst team in the country going into Saturday’s contest in at least one category; its 9.9 points per game was last among FBS schools. The difference in Virginia’s 31-point effort against Maryland, however, was senior running back Cedric Peerman. After struggling with a leg injury all season that put him out of the contest against Duke, Peerman rushed 17 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
“I knew I could have [played against Duke], but I knew I risked just messing myself up even more and then being out even longer,” Peerman said. “It was really hard to have to swallow my pride and everything that game and just wait. The waiting, the patience just paid off.”
Groh said at his weekly Tuesday press conference Peerman would return to the starting lineup when “he’s ready to be Cedric;” Saturday, he was Cedric and then some.
“He’s got a rare heart for competition, he’s got a rare heart for this team and for his teammates,” Groh said.
With a sound running game for support, sophomore quarterback Marc Verica also had a breakout offensive performance. After throwing four interceptions against Duke a week ago, Verica finished with 226 passing yards with two touchdowns, including a stellar first half in which he completed 17 throws on 20 attempts. Whether it was stepping up in the pocket and throwing the deep ball, using his mobility to evade pass rushers and even rush for a touchdown of his own, or simply playing a sound game with no turnovers after throwing four interceptions a week ago, Verica looked as comfortable under center as he has been all season.
“It wasn’t an easy week for [Verica],” Groh said. “What he was able to do and come out and play with that kind of confidence and energize this team — we hope is a positive sign for what might follow.”
A theme for Verica all season has been knowing when to look downfield versus when to settle for the underneath pass. Against Connecticut, Verica said he was too conservative; against Duke, he said he pressed the issue.
On Virginia’s first two scoring drives, however, Verica showed progress. On the Cavaliers’ third play of the first touchdown drive toward the end of the first quarter, Verica came off a play action to Peerman, stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike to junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree beyond the secondary for a 51-yard score, Verica’s first touchdown pass of the year.
“That was awesome,” Verica said. “The offensive line gave me a ton of time, so all I had to do was throw it, and Kevin made a great catch and did an even better job of fighting to get in the end zone.”
On Virginia’s next drive, Verica complemented Peerman’s run attack with a series of quick hitters and screens. On a 2nd-and-7 from Virginia’s 32, Verica showed particular maturity; he rolled to his right, looked downfield and, when he saw nothing available, dumped the ball off to senior tight end John Phillips right at the first down marker.
Verica had “very good poise in those circumstances,” Groh said. “We had another circumstance down there before we kicked one of those field goals that we had to remind him when the pocket breaks down, you’re better off going short and whatnot, but he certainly showed more indications of that [maturity] here.”
On the Terrapins’ side, the second-half kickoff defined a night of futility for Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen. With the ball advanced to the 45 yard-line after an unsportsmanlike penalty on Sintim to end the first half, the Terps, down 21-0, tried to resuscitate themselves with an onside kick. Senior kicker Obi Egekeze’s kick, however, rolled just 4 yards from the tee before Virginia fell on the ball at the 49-yard line.
“I have some [golf shots] that don’t go that far,” Groh joked.
Virginia’s defense also deserved credit for shutting out a potent Terrapin offense that put up 71 points in its previous two games. Vital to Virginia’s chances Saturday were keeping junior wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey and sophomore tailback Da’Rel Scott from eating up big chunks of yardage; the Cavaliers surpassed even this goal by shutting them down altogether. Heyward-Bey’s 17 total yards came on a lateral on a trick-play attempt at the end of the first half, and Scott ended with 36 yards rushing and 16 receiving.
“Those were two of the players that, if allowed to produce as they had in the previous games for Maryland, were going to make it very difficult,” Groh said. “The players really focused in on what we had to do in those two phases in dealing with those two players, and really all the credit goes to those guys.”
With the stark contrast between this week’s game and the embarrassment to Duke the week before, was Duke a step back and Maryland a step forward as much as the scores would indicate? At this point, Groh said, that is a fair assessment, but only time will tell.
“If we start and sputter, and go back and forth, then we’ll see that’s what it is,” Groh said. “We saw this as a season that would be in progress because of the transition and the number of positions and so many players out there for the first time. Hopefully this is a sign that we’re going down that road.”
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