Cavs in need of a checkup

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —
Where’s Dr. Lou when you need him?
Maybe Virginia’s football team should make the long distance call this week to ESPN’s college football show to see if the doctor makes house calls. Legendary coach Lou Holtz sometimes portrays a character on the show, all in fun, as the doctor with all the answers to what’s ailing teams and offers up advice on how to win games.
After Virginia’s 28-17 loss at Wake Forest on Saturday evening, the Cavaliers could use all the help they can get.
With ACC Coastal Division leader Georgia Tech going down at North Carolina earlier in the day, a win by Virginia would have put the Cavaliers alone in first place. When they showed up at Wake’s BB&T Field, the Cavaliers seemed disinterested ... at least for a half.
By then, it was almost too late as the Demon Deacons held a commanding 28-3 lead. In fact, Wake scored more points in the first half against the Cavaliers than it scored the entire month of October.
Perhaps the only thing that allowed UVa to keep the faith was its last trip to Winston-Salem back in 2002, when the Cavs trailed 27-10 at the half and stormed back to win 38-34.
Of course, Virginia had a quarterback named Matt Schaub that passed the Cavaliers back from the dead in that game when Coach Al Groh threw the game plan out the window and threw caution and the football to the wind.
That wasn’t the case on a chilly night in this tobacco town thanks to a Deacons goal-line stand late in the third quarter. With Virginia knocking at the door with a first and goal at the Wake 1, the Cavaliers never hit pay dirt. Instead, they finished the drive at the 8-yard line, empty handed and still trailed 28-7 going into the fourth quarter.
As mind-boggling as it seemed, Virginia finally found a rhythm in the final quarter.
The Cavs made it look easy as they covered 69 yards in four plays and scored in a mere 56 seconds on a 21-yard TD pass to tight end John Phillips, cutting Wake’s lead to 28-10.
After holding Wake to a three-and-out, Virginia did it again. Quarterback Marc Verica engineered a 10-play, 65-yard drive ending in a 5-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Kevin Ogletree to draw within 28-17 with nearly nine minutes left to play.
Were we going to see Virginia’s second Winston-Salem miracle?
Wake went three-and-out yet again but the Cavaliers’ offense, which looked remarkable during a four-game winning streak in October, regressed to its former self and never threatened again.
What must have been most disturbing to Groh was yet another lousy start. It’s like Daylight Savings Time ended and the Cavaliers never got the message. Their body clocks looked like they were at least an hour late, falling behind 14-0 before one could blink.
This marked the fifth straight game that Virginia’s opponent scored the first time it had the ball.
Dr. Lou, what can one do?
“We created a script for ourselves here tonight that, as it played out, was going to make it very difficult for us to win the game,” Groh said of his team that dropped to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the ACC. “Between the penalties and the turnovers, we fed the supply line of Wake Forest points, which is what they’ve done a great job of over the years, turning those circumstances into points, and nullified our opportunities.”
The Cavaliers, atypically suffered four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble) and drew nine penalties for 58 yards.
Planning for this game, Groh believed it would be another thriller-diller like most UVa and Wake games. Perhaps it would have been if the Cavs had taken better care of the ball.
In a conference dominated by nail biters, protecting the pigskin becomes premium.
“For all the talking about blocking schemes and defensive adjustments, games are determined by what happens to the ball,” Groh said. “We let some bad things happen to the ball. We didn’t take care of it on offense.”
Oddly, veteran tailback Cedric Peerman, one of the most sure-handed Wahoos in program history, experienced another agonizing turnover. Peerman was stripped in overtime in last week’s home loss to Miami, a rare fumble by the fifth-year senior. In the first quarter Saturday, Peerman was stripped by Wake’s star linebacker Aaron Curry.
Dr. Lou, do you have a cure for fumbleitis?
Still, Virginia’s defense stiffened after that drop and forced a Wake punt.
It was the interceptions that proved to be daggers into the Cavaliers’ midsection.
Verica was picked three times, two resulting in Deacon touchdowns, another thwarting the Cavs’ last gasps.
The first pick came when Verica was blindsided by a charging Curry with teammate Boo Robinson intercepting at the Wake 47. On third-and-15, the Deacs’ Devon Brown was celebrating in the end zone after a 58-yard pass from Riley Skinner, as UVa safety Byron Glaspy fell down on the coverage.
Later in the half, Wake safety Kevin Patterson picked off a Verica pass aimed at Ogletree and raced 53 yards for the score and a 28-3 lead.
It appeared doubtful that Virginia would extend its 10-game winning streak on Wake’s home turf.
“Basically, if we don’t fall down and we don’t turn the ball over, who knows where [the game] goes,” Groh said. “It would have been a close game if it hadn’t gotten out of reach early.”
Dr. Lou, got a cure for throwing interceptions?
Strange as it seems, Verica actually threw for more yardage than Skinner, the ACC’s top-rated quarterback. Skinner threw for 130 and two scores. Verica passed for 279 and two TDs, becoming only the second quarterback in Wahoo history to throw for 200-yards or more for six straight games (Schaub was the other).
The BIG difference was that Skinner didn’t turn it over.
“[Verica’s] doing a lot of good things, but clearly what has to stop is the interceptions,” Groh said. “We’ve come down to North Carolina twice and probably turned it over 10 times (actually nine). That’s why we’re going home unhappy.”
Virginia also outgained the Deacs’ 307 yards of total offense to 273.
For the second straight week, Glaspy fell down while trying to cover a deep pattern, both resulting in key touchdowns that helped deflate UVa’s drive for the Coastal title. Heading into the Miami game, the Cavs were in first place and controlled their destiny.
Saturday, they played like a team that had nothing left to fight for even though first place was still on the line.
Wake was also playing for first and stayed there with a 4-2 record that ties Florida State for the Atlantic Division lead.
Dr. Lou, got anything for falling down, or an allergic reaction to first place?
The Cavaliers have displayed all the symptoms the past two weeks of a team on its last leg. However it’s not too late.
With a bye week coming up, perhaps Groh can reach into his vast laboratory of football and create a new monster that can help get Virginia to the finish line. The Cavaliers have two big games remaining, a home game against Clemson on Nov. 22 and the rivalry with Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Thanksgiving weekend.
Perhaps Dr. Lou could come up with some piece of advice to save the Cavaliers’ season.
More than likely he would just say it’s gut-check time in Charlottesville. Men, where is your brass?