COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Have you heard the story of the tortoise and the 'Hoo? It's remarkably similar to Aesop's fable about the tortoise and the hare - so similar, in fact, that the Honor Committee might have a few choice words for me on poor Aesop's account. But thankfully for the Virginia football team and for my standing in the community of trust, the ending of this edition of the famous children's tale took a decidedly different turn. Spoiler alert: the shelled slowpokes had a nice run, but there's a reason why The Virginian has a turtle soup special running all week.
Gather round, kids - the story of the tortoise and the 'Hoo goes like this. In keeping with its season-long modus operandi, the Virginia offense started off faster than a Vin Diesel stunt driver shooting takes for the inevitable sixth installment of "The Fast and the Furious." Tailback Khalek Shepherd returned the opening kickoff 48 yards just past midfield. Then on the first offensive play of the game, tailback Perry Jones pounced on the shell-shocked Terps for a 47-yard touchdown run as he followed his blockers through a gaping hole and then burst down the right sideline untouched.
One play, 47 yards, 20 seconds, 7-0 Virginia, and given the conditions in College Park, Cavalier fans could be forgiven for thinking that the rout was already on. Maryland regrettably donned its traditional uniforms rather than return to the Halloween-friendly attire the Terps sported during their season-opening win against Miami. Morale undoubtedly plummeted as a result. Furthermore, the home field "advantage" in the spartan, sparsely populated Byrd Stadium was about as intimidating as the silly inflatable turtle stationed at one corner of the complex.
The 'Hoos hurtled out to a touchdown advantage but, with halftime less than three minutes away, had managed to trip and tumble to a 13-7 deficit. After quarterback Danny O'Brien directed the Terps to a 24-yard field goal late in the first quarter, Maryland quickly capitalized when Clifton Richardson coughed up a fumble early in the second. Tailback Davin Meggett rushed 42 yards to his right, and quarterback C.J. Brown followed with a 25-yard run and 13-yard touchdown pass for a 10-7 Terps lead. O'Brien continued to pick apart the Virginia secondary on the subsequent possession and completed two passes for 39 yards to set up first and goal from the 2. The Cavaliers finally flexed their defensive muscles by stuffing three straight Maryland runs from the goal line and forcing the Terps to settle for a second chip-shot field goal and a 13-7 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the half.
After such a stellar start, Virginia appeared to take both feet off the accelerator and put both hands on the snooze button as the Terps slowly but steadily crept back into contention and amassed a seemingly secure six-point lead before the break. Good thing Michael Rocco isn't a fan of nursery rhymes. The sophomore quarterback played the best game of his career - by the numbers, anyway - by game's end, but no stretch proved more pivotal than when he took over at the Virginia 35 with 2:41 left before halftime. Rocco completed two of three passes for 59 yards and righted the flagging offensive ship by tossing a 35-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Parks on a hot read - and taking a crunching hit in the process.
The huge play sent Virginia to the locker rooms with a 14-13 advantage and re-charged the Cavaliers' batteries. When the 'Hoos emerged from the halftime huddle, they looked like an unstoppable team of Energizer Bunnies for the first time since the opening series, a fact reflected by the final score line. On fourth-and-one at Maryland's 1-yard line, coach Mike London kept the offense on the field, and Jones juked left to score standing up for a 21-13 Virginia lead. A few plays later, safety Rodney McLeod jumped a sideline out pass for his first of three interceptions in the game, and the Virginia offense continued to bash the beleaguered Terps with a seven-play, 66-yard touchdown drive capped by Rocco's 17-yard pass to fullback Max Milien. Rocco followed that up with a seven-play, 69-yard drive for a 28-yard Robert Randolph field goal which gave Virginia its decisive three-score advantage, 31-13, with a quarter of play - and precious few Terrapins fans - remaining in the game. Far from a photo-finish, the 'Hoos handed the Terps a second-half shutout which had even Maryland's mascot, Testudo, retreating inside his shell.
During an exhilarating last month of play, the Cavaliers have made like orange and blue Power Rangers and morphed from a squad which arguably should have lost to FBS bottom-feeders Indiana and Idaho to a bowl-bound team which has now turned in three of its most complete performances in recent memory. After Maryland mauled Virginia 42-23 in Scott Stadium last year, the Cavaliers crunched a chief recruiting rival in the "DMV" region. More importantly, the 'Hoos became bowl eligible - and finally won a November game - for the first time since 2007; they also retained control of their own destiny in the Coastal division of the ACC, where Virginia trails Virginia Tech by just a game and plays the Hokies in Charlottesville for what is suddenly shaping up to be an epic season finale.
"I'm pleased that the coaching staff and the players just have a belief in themselves about having a good season, having a successful season," London said. "It's gratifying to see young men that believe in themselves ... to really make something significant out of the season."
The moral of the story? The same as Aesop's - but with one last twist. As the hare learned the hard way, a fast start doesn't guarantee a first-place finish, but the 'Hoos showed Saturday that a history of defeat doesn't doom a creature - real or imagined - to more of the same. With their penchant for fast starts and the passionate belief not to waste them, the Cavaliers have a real chance at much more than a middling bowl game before they cross the finish line.
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