The Akron Zips have been outscored 173-71 this season, and although this winless team couldn't pull off a victory, they were much closer to achieving that goal than the final score indicated Saturday. The Zips exploited and embarrassed a Cavalier defense by not only scoring a season high 29 points, but also racking up 495 total yards of offense.
Akron is not an ACC caliber team, but Virginia was impotent at stopping the Zips' passing game. Charlie Frye, the Akron quarterback, was able to complete over half of his passes for an astounding 337 yards. Frye's passing yard total could easily have been closer to 500 had his wide-open receivers not dropped so many passes in the first half.
"It doesn't hurt our pride," senior defensive captain Angelo Crowell said. "We messed up out there, we gave up too many big plays. If we eliminate big plays, it's a different ballgame."
Didn't hurt their pride? It sure hurts the pride of anyone who was wearing an orange and blue tie to explain why their team gave up almost 500 yards to a team that can't win a game. Giving up 500 yards to Akron is like John Candy wearing a bikini, it just should never, ever happen.
So what happened to the pass defense of Virginia that held both Chris Rix and Corey Jenkins to less than 200 yards passing? There are only a couple of possible answers, and neither is very pleasant. Either the Virginia coaches misjudged Frye's ability, drew up a poor defensive game plan and were unable to adjust during the game or, more likely, the Cavaliers played sloppy defense because they faced an 0-3 team that was blown out by Iowa and Maryland.
If there is one truth I've learned in a lifetime of playing competitive sports, it's that teams that play down to poor competition and expect to turn it on the next game can't do it. No matter who the opponent is, 100 percent is required physically and mentally every time you set foot on the field.
Groh wanted to get pressure on the quarterback, and he did, but he too recognized the shortcomings of the defense's play.
"I would have liked to see a couple more sacks come out of it," Groh said. "There are two in particular that I remember that, had the coverage been better, we [could have come away with the sack.] In some cases I think we got some good schooling today on how to play better man-for-man coverage."
Groh also noted that Akron ran a spread-out offense that helped expose what coverage the defense was playing. The bottom line, however, is that Frye repeatedly was able to avoid a sack on third or fourth down, and throw the ball to a wide open receiver for a first down.
Frye does deserve credit for playing a great game, but at the same time, Virginia's defense deserves a rebuke for playing sloppy coverage. Groh did a good job of doing both.
On the one hand he praised Frye as "a real good quarterback" and Groh told Frye after the game how much he respected him. On the other hand, Groh didn't hesitate to raise his voice on the sideline with his own defensive captain.
"Angelo [Crowell] wasn't in sync with his coverage," Groh said about an intense conversation he had with Crowell on the sidelines. "I was trying to get him in sync with where he should be in that coverage so that they didn't continue to throw the ball to the back underneath."
Yes, there were some positives about Virginia's defense: it was able to pressure the quarterback and it did make a big play when Art Thomas ran an interception back for a touchdown, but it is extremely troubling when a team like Akron can threaten late.
The Zips were less than a touchdown away from taking the lead in the fourth quarter when the Cavalier offense saved the day by compiling a 68-yard drive that killed time and resulted in a touchdown that put the game out of reach for the Zips.
"Yeah, I'm pleased," Groh said of the way his team played. Groh ought to be pleased that he came away with a win, but embarrassed that it was even close against a MAC bottom-dweller.
Although the Cavaliers walked off the field Saturday with a win, they should take much more away from the game. When asked whether they won as decisively as they had wanted, Crowell said "A win is a win, you know, and we'll take it."
As much as I respect Crowell, I must disagree. No win is ever just a win, every game -- win or lose -- is a statement about your team and your own self-respect.
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