Al Groh couldn't bring himself to shower. Not after the way his team lost, on a four-yard touchdown pass in overtime. Not after the way they played, flat and lifeless except for a burst of energy in the third quarter. Groh could not change clothes. He couldn't do anything but sit silently on a bench in the bowels of Death Valley, buried beneath the Tiger faithful dancing on the field above, with all the tradition of Clemson's lucky rock weighing down upon him.
The way he sat said it all. Tucked in the corner of the Virginia locker room, looking out into space, hands on his knees, Groh's empty stare showed why you can't come out flat against an ACC opponent. And why you can't repeatedly run into the line on third-and-short. And why you can not jump offsides on the first play of overtime.
His expression demonstrated the consequences of missed opportunities, like allowing Clemson to recover their own fumble early in the fourth quarter to keep alive the drive that resulted in the tying touchdown for the Tigers.
Groh sat right next to the door, waiting to hit the road the moment the gear was packed, hoping to limit the number of excruciating seconds he had to spend in that place. The coach looked exhausted, spent, emptied of his every cell. It was the most important road game of his Cavalier career, and there it was, in shambles, on the same field where Billy McMullen pulled down a touchdown catch for a last-second win in 2001. The loss could be blamed on Matt Schaub, who Groh said "was a little bit high with the ball all day," or on the wrenched toe of running back Wali Lundy, or on the determination and persistence of the Tigers. Yet most Cavalier fans blamed the decision to kick a field goal on a fourth-and-one in overtime.
Although a QB sneak sounds tempting with the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Schaub under center, going for the first in that situation was no guarantee. The possibilities of a fumble or being stuffed loomed, and the gamble was too great for the defensive-minded coach to take.
"If we miss it, we lose right there," Groh said.
Yet the result of sending out sophomore Connor Hughes for the three points and failing to keep Clemson out of the end zone also seemed too great for Groh and his team to bear.
The visitors' locker room was somber after the loss, absent of the usual chatter and ringing cell phones. Everyone moved methodically, stiffly, as if Virginia had been sucker-punched and hadn't yet recovered its collective breath. Clearly, no one felt the fist deeper in his gut than Groh. He never got angry after the crushing blow, never threw chairs or kicked water coolers. He simply sat, sunk low in his trademark gray sweatshirt, as if he didn't believe he deserved to separate himself from the stench of loosing just yet.
The smell permeated the locker room Saturday, showing in downcast eyes of Alvin Pearman, who looked straight at the floor as he fielded questions, and in the long face of a frustrated Schaub. The stench even found its way into the mouth of Chris Canty, a defensive leader who said he was "totally destroyed" by the loss.
When asked if the outcome made the Cavaliers hungrier for Florida State, Canty said, "We'll be hungry when we get the losing taste out of our mouths. It's a terrible taste."
Virginia will have to wash themselves clean of Clemson and find their hunger before clashing with a Seminole squad that knows something about tough losses. Florida State fell 22-14 to Miami last Saturday, and will be looking for redemption -- and control of the ACC -- in Scott Stadium.
It is time for the biggest test of the season. Can the Cavaliers cowboy up and take out the mighty 'Noles? It is a daunting task for a team in search of rhythm and consistency, a team whose bright spots can be brilliant and whose darker moments leave their coach alone in a crowded room, suffering silently amid the stifling smell of an overtime loss.
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