A favorite method of all sportswriters for hooking the reader into an article is to capture a particular moment or sequence of a game that is defining or epitomizes the game’s theme in some way. Said writer then finds a clever method of connecting this moment to the entire game, flowing like a brook into the mouth of a gentle river.
In Virginia’s 28-17 loss to Wake Forest — which began with a 28-3 implosion in the first half — there were many such instances to choose from. As a fan of Virginia football, I was incensed with the team’s play; as a journalist, I was in heaven.
So rather than paint a picture of just one example of Virginia’s mediocrity Saturday that leads into an entire column, I can’t resist trying them all. Instead of one long editorial, I will choose to write the beginning of three — just a few graphs apiece, as we say in the biz — and the end. Let your imagination run wild to fill in the gaps.
(Disclaimer: I’m an amateur writer and make no claim that I have any idea what on earth I am doing.)
Article 1: The fall from glory.
With under two minutes in the first quarter, Wake Forest had the ball on the 42-yard line and it was 3rd down and about an acre. Junior quarterback Riley Skinner dropped to pass and saw freshman wide receiver Devon Brown streaking down the sideline. Senior safety Byron Glaspy was positioned perfectly; the receiver and the ball were in his sights. Worst scenario, I think to myself, it’s batted down. Best case, it’s an interception. (Sound familiar?)
But as the ball moved further along its trajectory, Glaspy began to appear as if he was trying to chase a butterfly. He started facing one way, misjudged the ball, turned the other direction, slipped and ultimately fell down as Brown made the catch in stride for a 42-yard touchdown.
Talk about déjà vu. The only play more devastating this season than Glaspy’s error Saturday was when he fell down against Miami last week, resulting in the game-tying touchdown that sent the game to overtime.
And as Glaspy fell helplessly to the ground again Saturday, so fell Virginia off its high horse of potentially achieving first place in the Coastal Division with its 28-17 loss to Wake Forest.
Article Two: The Longest Yard.
Put your arm at your side. Now pick it up, and reach forward three feet.
On 1st-and-goal at the 1-yard line, that’s about all you have to do. So when sophomore quarterback Marc Verica lined up under center following a 43-yard pass to junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree to the 1-yard line, I marked it down: touchdown, senior running back Cedric Peerman. Midway through the third quarter, even down 28-3, there was still hope; 25 points is a blowout, but 18 is manageable.
But on first down, Peerman was stuffed for a 1-yard loss. Second down: Peerman to the left, no gain. Third down: Verica is given the option of handing off to Peerman or faking the handoff and taking it himself, coach Al Groh said. Verica chooses to keep the ball himself and loses 4 yards.
“It looked like we probably had a score there if the ball was handed off,” Virginia coach Al Groh said.
On 4th-and-goal from the 6-yard line, the Cavaliers go for it, and who can blame them, being down 25 points. Verica, with another man open in the end zone, makes the intriguing decision of hitting a well-covered Peerman at the 9-yard line, and he gets taken down immediately. Demon Deacon football.
As one reporter in the press box put it, if Virginia ran a QB sneak four times, it gets in. Or at least it doesn’t move back 8 yards.
But there was no sneak in Al Groh’s mind on that series, and there was nothing sneaky about Wake Forest’s 28-17 win either, as the Demon Deacons opened up a 25-point halftime lead on Virginia, the largest deficit the Cavaliers faced since the 3-31 loss to Duke Sept. 27.
Article 3: Peering ahead.
Cedric Peerman doesn’t fumble.
Or so we thought. After fumbling the ball to the opposition for the first time in his career on the play that spelled defeat last week against Miami, Peerman fumbled yet again Saturday to give the ball back to Wake Forest.
There was indeed a lot of fumbling Saturday; up in the press box, I nervously fumbled with my soft drink, and on the field, Virginia fumbled away any chance it may still have had to win the Coastal Division, as the 28-17 loss to the Demon Deacons now puts the Cavaliers in the position that is familiar from a month ago: wondering if they will even make a bowl game.
(Skip to the end)
...The common sports cliché for up-and-down seasons is they are like a roller coaster ride; there are ups and downs, twists and turns, quick accelerations and sudden screeches to a halt.
And sometimes, you think you’re going to be sick.
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