After getting back on track in Kalamazoo Saturday afternoon against Western Michigan, Virginia gears up for a week of fine-tuning and rest. After a week off, the Cavaliers resume conference play next Saturday when they host Wake Forest.
The Cavaliers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) started their third quarterback in as many games against the Broncos, with versatile sophomore Marques Hagans leading the attack. News of the converted wideout's job change came unexpectedly to many in Charlottesville.
Coach Al Groh gave no indication in the days leading up to the 59-16 victory that he had lost faith in freshman backup Anthony Martinez, and with the game not televised, the stat line of Hagans: 12-20, 3 TD's, 68 yards rushing was a pleasant surprise early Saturday evening.
With 12 days until their showdown with Wake Forest, the question now mired in the mind of every Virginia football fan becomes, How long will Matt Schaub's shoulder take to heal?
Hagans' performance against Western Michigan allays some of the anxiety that goes along with an injured leader and a sputtering backup, but Virginia remains undoubtedly Schaub's team three games into the season.
Sophomore tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson helped to buttress a wall of support for Hagans, who was making his first start at quarterback since the Cavaliers' 40-19 dismantling at Florida State last season. Ferguson picked up ACC Player of the Week honors for his role in aiding the rest of the offensive line in stymieing WMU defenders to zero sacks.
"People might have been saying that we were lacking confidence [after last week], but we know who we are," Ferguson said. "We just looked at what we did last week incorrectly and made the necessary changes."
Ferguson's statement regarding the things done incorrectly against South Carolina that were corrected against the Broncos covered virtually every facet of Virginia's game. From Hagans' play at QB, to Almondo Curry, Jamaine Winborn and Tony Franklin's coverage, to Ferguson's blocking and Wali Lundy's rushing threat, the Cavaliers showed their ability to learn from a defeat and move ahead.
Western Michigan proved to be the perfect practice run for the shakeup at Virginia's quarterback slot, but Wake Forest promises to take the Cavaliers' a level above a training exercise.
The Demon Deacons (2-1, 1-0) have a history of battling Duke for second-to-last in the ACC, but after two upsets over Boston College and much-hyped quarterback Phillip Rivers and North Carolina State to open the season, the Deacons have suddenly become a force to be reckoned with on the conference schedule. Reaching as high as No. 20 in last week's AP poll, Wake Forest dropped out of the rankings following a loss to Purdue Saturday.
The week off seemingly could not have come at a better time for Virginia, who cannot afford to send a still-green quarterback on the field in a critical ACC game. Hagans played brilliantly against the Broncos, but the possibility of the display being a product of a weak opponent combined with beginner's luck bolsters the need for a healthy Schaub.
"It'll be a good time for the players to refresh themselves mentally and physically," Groh said of the break. "It gives us a chance to go to work on things to become a better team and to become a rested team, too."
If Virginia is able to improve upon any of their numbers from the game in Kalamazoo, it should make for an extremely one-sided affair.
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