Perry Jones said he looked down, looked up and suddenly saw "20,000 people on the field."
"I actually didn't even think they were going to come out," the running back said. "I think I heard somebody on the loud speaker say don't come on the field, so I was kind of surprised."
Jones should have known better. After Virginia knocked off undefeated No. 12 Georgia Tech, a PSA reminding spectators not to enter the field did nothing to deter students from storming down. It sure as hell didn't stop me. Neither did the fact that I was supposed to be watching the game from the press box as a detached observer. Somewhere after halftime, I abandoned all hope of impartiality, snuck down to the hill and never regretted the decision.
Granted, in the press box I was surrounded by journalists who make their living analyzing and dissecting every component of the Virginia football team. During the waning minutes of the game, my group's analysis consisted of yelling, "Run the ball, run the ball, run the ball." After quarterback Michael Rocco hit Jones with a swing pass on third-and-6 to continue the team's crucial final drive, our chants switched to "Throw the ball, throw the ball, throw the ball." Then we were just cheered, "U-V-A, U-V-A" in unison and tried to avoid face planting into a swamp-like Scott Stadium as we rushed the field.
I walked into the post-game press conference sheepishly, half expecting someone to see my muddy feet, recognize me for the charlatan I was and rip away my undeserved credentials. If Mike London or his players noticed my disheveled appearance, however, they didn't care - they had bigger things on their mind.
Three weeks ago, after losing to Southern Mississippi, London arrived at the press conference visibly frustrated at a squandered opportunity. Two weeks ago, after narrowly squeaking past a sorry Idaho squad, the coach showed a palpable sense of relief. This week, he was just giddy.
London walked up to the mic, looked out at the group of reporters, flashed a big grin and asked, "Questions?"
The coach had been fielding a lot of questions recently, few of them pleasant, and none of them more common than "Rocco or Watford?" I'm sick of the quarterback debate, and I'm contributing to the ceaseless fury of articles, so London had to take pleasure in reminding us it doesn't always matter who's under center - both quarterbacks can hand off the ball effectively.
The Yellow Jackets and their triple option attack entered the game as the nation's second-best rushing offense, but the Cavaliers matched Georgia Tech yard-for-yard on the ground. Jones violently pounded the Yellow Jackets, smashing the ball up their gut, taking it outside and then effectively running the counter to notch 152 rushing yards. He set the tone with a touchdown on the opening drive, and Rocco followed with a score of his own, lofting the ball to find Tim Smith in stride for a 37-yard touchdown pass and 14-0 lead.
That advantage disappeared when Rocco threw a fluttering pass for a pick-six two possessions later, and quarterback David Watford entered the game as his replacement. Watford 'led' Virginia to another touchdown, but only by watching his tailbacks have their way with the Yellow Jacket defense; all 77 of Virginia's yards during the drive came via the run game.
The scoring drive answered another question plaguing the Virginia team - can they keep a lead?
When Georgia Tech's Rod Sweeting intercepted Rocco and ran to the end zone to tie the game 14-14, I couldn't help but groan with a 'here-we-go-again' mentality. Virginia has outscored opponents 47-7 during the first quarter this season but struggled to maintain that rhythm throughout the game. Last week, the Virginia offense looked infallible as it also assumed a 14-0 lead through the first quarter, but nearly gave the game away to the heavy underdog Idaho.
Following that game, the question on most fans' minds was simply, "What the hell?"
London still does not have a concrete answer beyond, "It's hard to win football games," and it has been hard for Virginia to win football games. The team has only won eight of them during London's tenure, and even he conceded, "We haven't won very much around here." But two seasons full of questions and frequently futile play made Saturday's win that much more emotional for the coach.\nAfter starting to answer that first press conference question he so eagerly anticipated, London had to stop, compose himself and say, "I just forgot the question you asked. Sorry about that."
He stopped midway through another response too - this time for a more poignant pause. He spoke about how proud he was of his team, and then fought tears as he searched for words to describe what beating Georgia Tech meant to his program. He finally settled on: "This is one of those wins that can change the perception of what you think about yourself ... This is one of those wins against a good team with a lot of accomplishments that you can try to turn the corner on about how you think about yourself, how people view your program."
London must be careful. Just one year ago, I rushed the field after an upset win against Miami, only to see the Cavaliers lose the rest of their games that season. Rocco admitted after beating Georgia Tech that the team needs to avoid an emotional hangover. It may also be premature to declare Virginia's offense saved simply because it ran through Al Groh's 3-4 defense. Cavalier fans know it's been done before.
Still, London also talked about how "winning is contagious," and I think he's right - I certainly became swept up in the atmosphere as I ditched the press box and ran onto the field. Upsetting Georgia Tech does not fully answer Virginia's questions, but it at least showed the team that those questions do not have to prevent them from winning - and that realization might be enough to "turn the corner"
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