Although Virginia celebrated a decisive 44-14 victory over Temple on Saturday, the Cavaliers nevertheless left the gridiron with a loss.
Sophomore wide receiver Fontel Mines broke his collarbone after the second of his two catches for 29 yards against the Owls. He will be out four to six weeks for rehabilitation.
"It's hard to go down in the first game," Mines said. "This is the first time I've really been hurt, and I feel like I'm letting the team down."
The sophomore receiver said that after the play, he thought he had re-aggravated a shoulder injury he sustained during spring ball. It wasn't until he came off the field that he said he noticed a difference.
"Something felt different, and my heart just dropped," Mines said. "But they assured me I would be okay. It's frustrating, but it happens for a reason."
Mines said he hopes to be back on the field for the Oct. 7 game at home against Clemson.
His injury leaves a young Virginia wide receiving corps -- comprised of walk-on junior Imhotep Durham, freshman Emmanuel Byers and sophomore Deyon Williams -- to vie for the open spot. Elsewhere, the first-team Virginia defense held the stagnant Temple offense in check throughout the game. Virginia head coach Al Groh highlighted the play of the secondary and the front three -- Brennan Schmidt, Andrew Hoffman and Chris Canty.
"All three demonstrated progress in their games -- not only in being a year older and more experienced, but they have also become better players," Groh said.
One of the biggest personnel changes against the Owls came courtesy of senior Marquis Weeks, who joined a relatively young and inexperienced secondary at safety for the first time since his offseason transition from tailback. The defensive starter recorded four tackles and a sack.
"I didn't react as I would've if I had scored a touchdown or made a big run," Weeks said. "I didn't even think of it as a big deal until Mike McGrew started screaming at me from the sideline congratulating me."
Weeks was on the field for about 75 plays and said he felt increasingly comfortable at his new position as the game progressed.
... Looking ahead to this week's game against rival North Carolina, which will be the 109th game of the South's Oldest Rivalry, many of the Cavaliers reaffirmed the team's commitment to the run.
After the Cavalier offense rushed for 286 yards against Temple, key offensive players Wali Lundy and Elton Brown named running the ball and pushing back the opposing defensive line as the keys to controlling the tempo of the game.
"Every game is crucial," Lundy said. "The goal remains the same -- we're trying to go 11-0."
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