Lack of run game dooms Virginia

Over the Al Groh era at Virginia, generally passing statistics have generally been losing statistics.

The exception was in 2002-2003, when golden-armed Matt Schaub directed the team to 17 wins and back-to-back bowl wins. Even then, the Cavaliers had a decent ground game with Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman.

With eight minutes to go in Saturday night’s home game against Duke, there was no running game to rely on when Virginia needed it most.

Passing fancy

The Cavs had relied on the pass to cover 60 yards and take the lead over the Blue Devils, who hadn’t won in Charlottesville since 1999. Quarterback Jameel Sewell connected to tight end Joe Torchia on fourth-and-inches for a first down, then again for a 19-yard touchdown pass to go up, 17-12 early in the fourth quarter.

A few minutes later, the Devils were knocking on the door, third-and-14 at the Virginia 7-yard line, when Cavalier defensive back Chase Minnifield picked off a Thaddeus Lewis pass in the back of the end zone to end the Duke threat.

That was the last bright moment for UVa, which had hoped to even its record at 4-4 and remain in second place in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

Instead, the final eight minutes had a nightmarish end for the Cavaliers.

Mr. Mo Mentum

Old Mo had swung in Virginia’s favor. All the Cavs had to do was make something positive happen.

“Clearly, it was a critical stage,” Groh said after the 28-17 loss, UVa’s first back-to-back losses to Duke since 1981 and 1982. “If we can take the ball and move it down the field, we’re going to eat up the clock, maybe get some more points. That’s what good teams have to do offensively.”

For Virginia fans, what ensued was akin to watching Bambi getting snagged in an electrical fence.

The next three UVa offensive possessions were disastrous: no first downs, minus-6 yards, five incomplete passes, a sack, and a fumble, all leading to two Duke touchdowns in a matter of 23 seconds.

Groh tried to do what good teams do on that first possession, calling two straight running plays to his best back, the physical Rashawn Jackson, who netted one yard, followed by a third down scramble by Sewell for three yards and a punt.

Duke scored five plays later when Conner Vernon beat UVa corner Chris Cook on man-to-man coverage for a 43-yard TD and an 18-17 lead. Only 23 seconds later, the Devils were dancing in Virginia’s end zone again after two straight Sewell incompletions, followed by a Sewell fumble, scooped up for a TD by Duke’s Charlie Hatcher.

Game, set, match, for all intents and purposes, although UVa had a mathematical chance, trailing 25-17 with 3:22 left.

The implosion continued on the next series with three straight Sewell incompletions and a sack with 2:55 to go.

In reality, the game slipped away on that first possession when momentum was in UVa’s corner.

“Actually, I wanted to score there,” Jackson said after the game. “That was the mindset, let’s score. I should have gotten a first down. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do that. If we had, the momentum of the game would have switched.”

Jackson may have been attempting to shoulder the blame and Groh had attempted to do what good teams need to do, but both forgot a crucial part of the equation.

There was no blocking, nowhere for Jackson to run for the second week in a row. Virginia’s running game has been pathetic the past two weeks because there are no holes.

The passing game has suffered as well, as it has most of the season in which Cavalier quarterbacks have been sacked 28 times, one of the worst in the nation, and kept Sewell running for his life.

The UVa quarterback didn’t show up for post-game media interviews because he was getting X-rays, and left Scott Stadium with his shoulder wrapped in ice.

For the night, the Cavaliers rushed for a measly 89 yards, the third straight game Virginia has been held to less than 100 yards on the ground.

When a team can’t control the line of scrimmage and becomes one-dimensional it doesn’t have much of a chance unless there’s a Schaub on the roster. Sewell tries hard, but he’s no Schaub.

Other than a mysterious 47-point outburst against Indiana a few weeks ago, Virginia’s offense has been rather putrid. It came into the game ranked No. 115 in the nation in total offense (out of 120 FBS schools) and will likely sink deeper after managing a mere 196 yards (nearly 100 yards less than its per-game average).

That’s not what good teams do.

This is not a good football team.

UVa’s defense, under constant pressure due partly to an inept offense, kept the nation’s sixth-ranked passing attack under control for most of the evening but eventually bowed as Lewis threw for 343 yards and a TD on 40 attempts, even though he was sacked six times.

Among his aerial darts were the 42-yarder to Vernon, a 40-yarder to Donovan Varner, and a 33-yarder to Austin Kelly.

The Cavs had no answer. Sewell, who left the game with an injury and returned, along with replacement Marc Verica combined for a 13-of-38 passing night and 107 yards. Sewell, one of the top six on UVa’s career passing yards list, was a less-than-impressive 8 of 22 for 86 yards.

“Protection certainly would have to be better — we can all see that,” Groh said. “We dropped some balls when we were open, we can all see that. And we missed some receivers who were open, and we can all see that.

“In college football these days, with some exceptions, the great deal of scoring comes from the passing game and when there are problems in three different areas of the passing game it’s difficult to produce the amount of points necessary,” Groh said.

When you can’t run the football and you can’t throw the football, you’re doomed, which explains why Virginia is 3-5 and has lost nine of its last 12 games.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe, who has reversed the fortunes of a program that was once the sad sacks of ACC football, also believed his team won the game on the sequence after falling behind.

As soon as UVa took the lead, Cutcliffe went to his defense and told them it was OK, that Duke would score another touchdown, and just to focus on the next series.

“That was a big stage in the game, and we had them back on the 20-yard line,” Cutcliffe said. “They did the natural thing to try and run the football. They really did not have a ton of success running the ball, so our guys responded. It was huge.”

Virginia failed to answer the bell and will likely not be favored to win any of its remaining four games: at Miami, Boston College (home), at Clemson, and Virginia Tech (home).

“Hopefully the guys will find it as motivation,” Jackson said of the loss. “That starts [Sunday at practice]. We have, what, four games left? Hope isn’t going to get us there. I hope guys are motivated because I damn sure am enthused and ready to go. I’m ready to play Miami.”

Question is, are his teammates?