I turned to the local sports news network Monday night to see a familiar sight that has delighted me along with countless other Virginia football fans over the years. It was a highlight of our very own senior wide receiver Billy McMullen catching a Matt Schaub pass and picking up yet another first down for the Cavaliers.
Once a young freshman who adjusted to his role while the team revolved around then-quarterback Dan Ellis handing the ball to current Arizona Cardinal running back Thomas Jones, McMullen is now the centerpiece of the Cavalier offense.
McMullen was there all along, really, but last year was his breakthrough season. From last season on it seems that whenever the team was doing well, McMullen was the guy catching the ball. Mr. Consistency has been through changes of quarterbacks, running backs, defenses that often have struggled, and he has held up through it all and looks to spread the character around this season.
Last season was a record-breaker in nearly every way for the All-American candidate from Richmond, the most notable record being his 83 receptions, 29 more than any Cavalier to walk on Grounds before him.
The team was 5-7, far from BCS material. Even so, the offense had its high points, as in the Nov.10 25-point fourth quarter outing in a 39-38 win over Georgia Tech, a game in which McMullen caught 10 passes to lift him past the Cavalier record for career receptions.
It was then-quarterback Bryson Spinner who received most of the praise for the win, but maybe it was because Spinner was smart enough to know who to get the ball to in the clutch.
In the meantime, as the Cavaliers have tried to rebound from last year's losses, their offense once again has tremendous potential. Reminiscent of my freshman year, I remember the home wins, the challenge to Florida State, and hearing a story from the band about going to Hawaii.
Ellis' main two options then were Jones and McMullen. The next year, Ellis got hurt and Spinner and Schaub learned how to find McMullen for game-winning touchdowns.
Other runners have come to fill the loss of Jones. Among them are Arlen Harris and Antoine Womack, both of whom at some point filled a gap that appeared after the second revolutionary T.J. headed for the NFL.
Now, with Womack joining the Virginia legend in the pros and Harris and Spinner transferring, who are we to seek to take some of the pressure off McMullen and Schaub?
Try freshman tailback Wali Lundy, who showed how quick and deceptive he can be running through the Akron defense Saturday. Or maybe freshman tight end Heath Miller will prove pivotal in getting the Cavs through crunchy situations. Then there's the Cavalier defense, of course, where McMullen's fellow All-American candidate and co-captain Angelo Crowell hopes to rally up some aggression from Virginia coach Al Groh's talented youngsters.
That's the final answer, of course. Groh's the one calling the shots in terms of what new players come in, and it was evident in the Akron game that a number of players he's recruited are stepping up to do what McMullen is trained to do best: go out and catch the ball.
That's also why this season's so important -- Billy Mac can be the hero while also acting as a mentor before beginning what is hopefully a very successful NFL career.
Groh sees the team reaching new heights, but it's probably going to take a season before any of these new freshman stars come close to their full potential.
And that's where McMullen comes in. Where others have fled, he has stayed, and despite Saturday's lazy first-half play, I shouldn't even have to ask you to come out and support the man and his team as they try to put forth a more complete effort in future games.
Let's all hope that his character and consistency passes on to future Cavaliers who fight to increase their playing time. After all, as complex as the game of football can be, we know that one player can't get a team to win without a couple dozen other guys backing him up. What McMullen has learned to do, fellow Wahoos, is always be there at crunch time.
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