As Virginia surmounted its improbable comeback and students streamed onto the field at Scott Stadium Saturday following the team’s 16-13 overtime victory against North Carolina, my foot was lodged firmly in my mouth for two reasons.
One was that no one is allowed to cheer in the press box, and my shoe was the best object available to absorb my gleeful hollering. The second, though, was a horse of a different — and darker — color. In the two weeks that preceded this game, Virginia had been rolling, and I was predicting failure against UNC and beyond.
So the Cavs beat up Maryland — a fluke! Then they trounce East Carolina — the Pirates are overrated anyway!
I was 90-percent certain UNC would get the better of Virginia Saturday, and 50-50 that it would be by two scores or more. Early in the first quarter, after Virginia went three-and-out and North Carolina went three-and-in — as easy as 1, 2, 3, and ... they’re in the end zone — I was 100-percent on both.
How did Virginia do it? How does an offense that has scored one field goal — off two UNC turnovers, mind you — for the first 57-plus minutes stampede for a shiny 82-yard touchdown drive in the next minute and a half? Since when did Marc Verica become Joe Montana?
Furthermore, how does a secondary missing its best cornerback, sophomore Ras-I Dowling — who suffered a back injury in the first quarter, Virginia coach Al Groh said — contain one of the best receiving corps in the country? The last time Groh lost Dowling mid-game, Virginia gave up three touchdowns in barely more than a quarter – to Duke.
The only way I can understand this win is to agree with Groh that, just like last year’s team that won five games by two points or fewer, these boys have guts. It comes in the form of inside linebacker Jon Copper telling anyone on the sideline who would listen that his team was going to win, Groh said, and backing up his words with 16 tackles. It’s running back Cedric Peerman getting hammered at the line of scrimmage but refusing to go down or jumping up and screaming with passion after grinding every inch of a 4-yard gain. It’s outside linebacker Clint Sintim racing after the quarterback like a rabid dog after a flank steak again and again.
“A common theme that’s developing with this team, an identity that’s being forged in the last couple weeks, is just a tremendous amount of resolve and just toughness just to push through these adverse situations,” Verica said. “The resolve of my teammates and the coaches has just been awesome the last couple weeks.”
And it’s resolve that, frankly, these guys shouldn’t have. They should be looking over their shoulders at the team that could have been with nine players out of action because of academic, legal or personal issues. They should be yearning to get to 2009, when the current youth can be rejoined by quarterback Jameel Sewell, among others on academic suspension. After they lost to Duke by 28 points, the Cavaliers should have cashed it in for 2008 as so many fans did.
But Groh and co. wouldn’t let that happen. All week, the team spoke of the phrase Groh kept repeating: the one-game season. Next season, they said, was North Carolina.
And looking at the actual 2008 season, each game truly has been a tale of its own. Trying to make sense of what Virginia has done in its first seven games is like trying to merge seven pages from a connect-the-dots book into one unified picture.
The most beautiful part of this win, though, is that this game was make-or-break. Of Virginia’s five remaining games, three are on the road: against Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. If Virginia had dropped this one to the Heels, Wahoos would have felt distraught about the team’s bowl chances.
“The difference between where that number goes on the left-hand column or the right-hand column is so small,” Groh said. “We’d be saying the same thing about how so many players just fought their hearts out and made plays and played well today if we would’ve had one less point [at the end of regulation].”
Because of that tiny difference, though, there are more people who can feel more comfortable in their positions. Verica is now without question a legitimate ACC quarterback. Offensive coordinator Mike Groh silenced all those critics who were wetting their whistles to again blast him on radio shows and message boards. After the debacle that was Peter Lalich and the catastrophe in Durham, if Groh’s job was in jeopardy, he might have just saved it.
And, one game past the midpoint of the season, I finally feel secure in hopping on the U.Va. bandwagon. The last two weeks, I refused to acknowledge that Virginia was a legitimate team in the ACC. But no more. I’m on the bus.
Of course, now that I say that, Virginia is liable to drop every game the rest of the way.
But, that’s my favorite part about it: Even if the Cavs do go winless, they’ve still got four wins at season’s end. After all that transpired culminating in the 3-31 loss to Duke a little more than three weeks ago, that’s three more victories than a lot of people thought they would have.
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