Virginia's football season has been a tale of two teams.
The team that upset North Carolina two weeks ago was not the same one that suffered a season opening loss to Football Championship Subdivision William & Mary. The team that annihilated Indiana 47-7 last week looked dramatically different from the team TCU destroyed 30-14 in week two.
As the Cavaliers (2-3, 1-0 ACC) head to Maryland (2-4, 1-1 ACC), they hope the better of those two teams shows up for Saturday's conference matchup.
"It's a tremendous rivalry," senior fullback Rashawn Jackson said. "Our guys, we take it personally; their guys, I'm sure they take it personally. It's just good ACC football."
Although last week's 47-point performance showcased Virginia's offense, the Cavalier defense has proven crucial to the team's recent success. In the past two games, the unit has limited opponents' scoring opportunities and forced five turnovers total.
The defense's turnaround can partly be attributed to the improved play of junior cornerback Ras-I Dowling. After struggling early in the season to find consistency, Dowling tortured the Indiana offense last Saturday. His forced fumble, interception and nine tackles earned him the honor of being named ACC Defensive Back of the Week.
Dowling faces a tough test Saturday against Terrapin wide receiver Torrey Smith. Virginia coach Al Groh recognized that the sophomore will pose a threat to his secondary.
"Torrey Smith, he's one of the really exciting dynamic players in the Atlantic Coast Conference" Groh said. "He's one of those versatile players of which we speak. He has run reverses, he's caught the ball, he's returned kicks, he does a variety of things."
Smith leads the country with 236.7 all-purpose yards per game.
When asked about the duel between Dowling and Smith, Groh's analysis was simple: "That will be a good match-up."
Virginia may lack a receiver of Smith's caliber, but the team's emerging wide-outs have aided the squad's recent success. Senior Vic Hall has been impressive in his transition to wide receiver, scoring a touchdown against Indiana. Sophomore wide receiver Kris Burd also has caught the coach's eye.
"Clearly Kris Burd is making some plays for us," Groh said, "He ... has done it here now three games in a row so he would be deserving of going into that 'emerging receiver' category."
In addition to an improved passing attack, Virginia's running game has flourished during the winning streak. Last week, senior running back Mikell Simpson burned the Indiana defense for four touchdowns and 168 all-purpose yards.
If that was not Simpson's career game, his 2007 performance at College Park arguably was. Simpson eviscerated Maryland with 271 yards and two touchdowns, breaking out to lead the "Cardiac Cavaliers" to victory. Dowling recalled Simpson's Marlyand performance as "one of the best performances [he's] seen in a while."
Simpson's rebirth in last week's game could be shortlived, however, as he left the Indiana game with a neck injury.
If Simpson cannot play, Virginia will rely on Jackson at fullback and redshirt freshman running back Torrey Mack. The two have combined this year for only 161 yards and no touchdowns. Jackson's slow start, though, may have stemmed from a knee injury suffered earlier in the season, and the rookie Mack is quickly progressing.
Mack is "gonna be ready," Jackson said. "He's been practicing like a big time player, hopefully that'll carry over into the game and it usually does."
No matter who is in the backfield, Virginia fans might find solace in the fact that the Maryland defense has allowed an average of 36 points per game this season. The Terrapins lost seven defensive starters from a unit that ranked 10th in the ACC last year and yielded 42 points in last week's loss to Wake Forest.
Still, the Cavaliers are not taking their opponent lightly.
"That's a good team over there," Jackson said.
Moroever, as bitter Clemson fans can attest, Maryland has a track record of recording the upset. The slightly favored Cavaliers are riding momentum, but the Terrapins may have extra incentive. Last season, Maryland was on a roll before suffering a humiliating 31-0 loss to underdog Virginia.
As Jackson learned from his knee injury, "nothing is promised on the football field. You go out there and you practice and you play, and anything can happen at any given moment"
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