The Virginia football team and the No. 18 Maryland Terrapins will square off tomorrow in Scott Stadium, battling for second place in the ACC.
It will be an emotion-filled night, as 21 Virginia seniors will suit up for their last home game. The Virginia seniors have had roller coaster careers, playing under two head coaches and experiencing the highs of winning seasons and the lows of losing seasons.
"They've been very enthusiastic and responsive to the highest degree on how we have asked them to go about business," Virginia Coach Al Groh said. "They were determined that we were going to have a good team this year."
This year's senior day will differ from those of years past, since the game will be critical to the Cavaliers' standings. Virginia is looking to take the second spot in the ACC and gain a possible New Year's Day bowl berth. But Virginia is focusing more on ACC standings than post-season play.
"To start out with every year, conference standing is what we're playing for, that's the objective," Groh said. "You're not in a conference for any other reason but to win the conference, and since that's not something we can aim for at this moment, we're going to aim for as high as we can get."
Standing in the way of the Cavaliers' aspirations is a tough Maryland defense led by one of the nation's best linebackers, E.J Henderson.
"They have a bunch of playmakers all over the field," junior quarterback Matt Schaub said. "They have good linebackers, and good guys up front and in the secondary. They have a talented group of players."
Maryland is playing some of the best football in the nation. They have steam-rolled their way through the ACC, winning their last eight games.
Once again the Cavaliers will go into the game as underdogs. Virginia, however, seems to play well in that position. They have faced two ranked opponents in Scott Stadium and knocked off both of them. Virginia hopes to bring the same intensity to their game against Maryland as they have in others.
"It's a huge game," junior guard Ben Carber said. "It's another ACC rival. We've just got to go out and play them tough. Maryland's really picked it up in the past year, and they're a really good team now."
Virginia will look to the crowd to be its 12th man on Saturday night. The Cavaliers hope the stands are full and lively, which could rattle the opposing team's offense.
"The fans can get up late and maybe have a picnic before the game, and then get in and get those thunder sticks going," Groh said. "I would hope we could outdo ourselves in that respect this year."
Virginia will throw everything they have against the Terrapins, in hopes of garnering an unexpected second place finish in the ACC. It's a huge game for all involved in Virginia football, and one that Virginia seniors will not soon forget.
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