Last Thursday was Michael Rocco’s time to shine. Less than a week after coach Mike London announced the sophomore quarterback would receive the bulk of the offensive snaps, Rocco did not disappoint, throwing for two touchdowns, 226 yards and no interceptions during the Cavaliers’ 28-21 victory against Miami.
Tomorrow, Rocco leads Virginia (5-3, 2-2 ACC) to Maryland (2-6, 1-4 ACC) with a possible bowl berth on the line.
“I’m extremely proud on a big stage that he could handle it because [the Hurricanes] were bringing it,” London said. “Hopefully now that Michael has the opportunity to be the quarterback, we’ll get more consistent play, better play [and] more confidence in his play.”
The win at Miami marked Virginia’s fifth of the season, and now the team sits one win away from bowl eligibility with four games remaining. Virginia has not played in a bowl game since a 2008 loss to Texas Tech during the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, but it does not want to get caught looking past Maryland.
“If you start thinking about all things that can happen down the road, your total focus isn’t on the opponent,” linebacker coach Vincent Brown said. “Even though their record may not indicate it, this is an explosive and dangerous team. We have to have 100 percent attention on how to beat it.”
Much like Virginia, Maryland has juggled its own issues at quarterback this season. Sophomore quarterback Danny O’Brien started the season as the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, but new coach Randy Edsall benched O’Brien mid-season against Georgia Tech in favor of the more mobile sophomore quarterback C.J. Brown.
During last weekend’s loss to Boston College, however, Edsall benched Brown during the second quarter for O’Brien. Neither quarterback played consistently, and consequently both are listed as co-starters for the game against Virginia.
“The quarterback situation – whichever one they decide to go with, both of them are very adept to running the style of offense they have,” London said.
Despite the inconsistency at quarterback, the Terrapins have proven to be fierce competitors this season. They narrowly lost 21-16 to then-No. 13 Georgia Tech, and almost handed then-No. 8 Clemson its first loss, until the Tigers rallied during the final quarter to win 56-45.
“We know Maryland is a great team, [but] they’ve played a lot of good teams already and unfortunately their record doesn’t show it,” junior linebacker LaRoy Reynolds said. “As far as we’re concerned, they have a very dynamic quarterback and running back, and an offense that can put up points fast.”
Like Maryland, Virginia also boasts a dynamic running attack, which posts 186.4 yards per game. The Cavaliers’ trio of tailbacks will likely receive a sizable number of carries tomorrow, in large part because of Maryland’s subpar run defense. The Terrapins rank 118th out of 120 FBS teams in run defense, allowing a staggering average of 234.8 rushing yards per game, and have looked especially suspect since losing captain and star senior linebacker Kenny Tate to season-ending surgery.
Beyond Saturday’s bowl ramifications for Virginia, the matchup also carries recruiting implications for both teams – currently, 12 of Virginia’s scholarship players hail from Maryland.
“There’s no secret that Maryland is an area where we recruit heavily – D.C., Northern Virginia, up and around there,” London said. “Having success in the recruiting arena is important, as is having success in the athletic arena. Having the opportunity to play Maryland, for us it’s another chance for another ACC win, but naturally you look at some of the recruiting implications as well.”
Although the postseason and recruiting implications are too significant to ignore completely, the Cavaliers will try to table those issues as they travel to College Park.
“All we’re focused on is winning games,” Brown said. “We’ll prepare like that every week. Win this game and let the chips fall where they may”
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