The NCAA has stripped away national titles, repossessed Heisman trophies and vacated wins. It has slapped schools with sanctions for recruiting violations, academic misconduct and even handed down the "Death Penalty" to Southern Methodist University during the 1987 season. But it has never, ever doled out losses to both participants of a college football game.
Well, there's a first time for everything - and after watching nearly 70 minutes of eye-gouging gridiron at Scott Stadium Saturday evening, that time is now.
The sportswriters for the local papers will dutifully ascribe myriad storylines and superlatives to Virginia's 21-20 overtime victory against Idaho, but it basically boils down to this. A pretty bad Cavalier team from a pretty bad Atlantic Coast Conference played a really bad Vandal team from the really bad Western Athletic Conference.
Virginia was favored by 17 points and dominated Idaho in total yards, first downs and time of possession, but either team could have won the game. And since neither team should win again for the rest of the season, I guess there was a lot on the line.
The box score recorded for posterity a nauseating summary of Virginia's struggles against one of its most lowly regarded opponents in recent memory - no small feat for a Cavalier squad which has scheduled five FCS cupcakes during its past four seasons. One week after three Michael Rocco interceptions and a Southern Miss fake punt gave the Golden Eagles a 30-24 victory, Virginia committed three more turnovers, had a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and made numerous mental miscues as the Vandals rallied from a 14-0 first quarter deficit.
The Cavaliers cruised to the early two-touchdown lead as Perry Jones put the team on his back with Kevin Parks sidelined by an injured ankle. Jones opened the scoring when he peeled left past a diving Vandal defender on a 10-yard touchdown jaunt, and he then secured a short pass from Rocco before winning the race to the right pylon for a six-yard score on the following possession.
Seemingly convinced of a cakewalk for the remaining three quarters, the Cavaliers replaced Rocco with David Watford and periodically rotated between the two quarterbacks for the rest of regulation. Watford's relief performance against Southern Miss certainly merited more playing time. However, his apparently obligatory appearance on the fourth Virginia possession and the subsequent switch to a performance-based timeshare under center turned an offense which was firing on all cylinders into a sputtering mess which struggled through three scoreless quarters thereafter.
With Rocco riding the pine despite consecutive trips to the end zone, Watford whiffed on his third pass attempt of the game, an overthrown heave to the streaking Kris Burd which was picked off by the Vandal in man coverage. Rocco returned for the next four possessions before halftime, but consecutive drives ended when Clifton Richardson and Jones each lost a fumble. Rocco wasted an additional chance to extend Virginia's 14-6 lead when he made an ill-advised scramble from the Idaho 20-yard line with six seconds remaining and was stopped six yards shy of the end zone with no time left for a field goal attempt.
Rocco also led the first three drives after halftime, but sacks led to Virginia punts on the first two possessions and Robert Randolph had his 41-yard field goal attempt blocked on the third.
Watford then quarterbacked three Virginia drives to increasingly unsuccessful results. The first ended in a Randolph pooch punt after three straight Watford incompletions. The second stalled when Randolph missed a 36-yard field goal wide right, and by the time the third concluded, the Scott Stadium scoreboard read 14-14. After a botched wide receiver reverse to Darius Jennings and a pass to Jones netted a combined minus-15 yards, the Vandals blocked Jimmy Howell's punt, scooped up the loose football at the 4-yard line and sauntered into the end zone for six. One Brian Reader two-point pass later, Idaho had improbably tied the game.
Rocco and Watford each led one unfruitful drive prior to the end of regulation before the coaching staff benched supposed starter Rocco and instead put its overtime hopes on Watford's young shoulders.
"I didn't really know what was going on," Rocco said. "But it was the coach's decision to put [Watford] in and he did a great job."
In comparison to Rocco's more palatable passing line - 20-of-30 for 240 yards and a touchdown - Watford finished just 10-of-20 for 95 yards and an interception. When it mattered most, however, the true freshman didn't disappoint. On second
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