I gotta hand it to the football team. I had never publicly voiced my concerns following the two brutal road losses, but privately, I was already out. I couldn't take the continuous positive spin coach Al Groh put on ugly wins and ugly losses. I was defeated. I was ready for anything: 6-5, 5-6, 4-7. But then, as the aging Don Corleone in "The Godfather: Part III" said, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in."
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It was Saturday, circa 4:30 p.m. I had just gotten off the golf course, showered and was trying to get fired up about the Florida State game. I donned my game clothes and walked out of my room in search of fellow football fans. I found a room filled with several guys, huddled around a TV. I figured I had found some kin who would want to head toward the stadium to start the tailgates. They were having none of it. The USC-Notre Dame game was on, and not even the promise of fried chicken, shrimp and Natural Light could lure them along with me.
So I set out alone. The streets were quiet. I walked past a few Seminole fans; they had a calm confidence about them, as if they were just wandering Grounds, taking in the nice sights before watching a sure victory. And that's when it hit me: These are the kind of days when anything can happen, where any team can stop the bleeding with a little guts and a strong backbone.
I usually arrive at the tailgates to a hopping crow -- but not today. Kickoff was only three hours away, and we almost had the entire section of our parking lot to ourselves. Something seemed fishy. My sister and brother-in-law (a former Welsh/Groh player) showed up, and we all agreed if there ever was a day for Virginia to buck up and pull out a win over a top-five team, today was that day. We said it, but we still didn't believe it.
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He's too small. Can't see over the line. Makes too many poor throws on the run. Relies too much on his feet.
But damn, where would we be without him?
Marques Hagans might not be the 5-foot-10 player the media guide lists him at, and he might not be your prototypical quarterback. But you won't find a guy with more heart -- and more fight -- in all of college football. I often find myself comparing Hagans to Carolina Panthers signal-caller Jake Delhomme in that they both make watching them play very tense and stressful -- but ultimately rewarding. It's about time we started appreciating the Magician some more.
If Florida State coach Bobby Bowden didn't have respect for the Magician before Saturday night, he sure as heckfire does now. His quote about how he hasn't seen a one-man show beat his team so badly made me beam with pride. I can respect Bowden's comments because he's seen it all, and for him to have never seen a guy play like the Magician did -- well, those are big words from Bowden, and Hagans deserves all of them.
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We don't have the linebackers to run a 3-4 defense anymore. Our secondary can't seem to cover anyone when it matters. If Maryland and Boston College can put up over a thousand yards of offense on us, Lord knows what Florida State can do.
Well, well, well. Looks like we have to throw everything we know about the 2005 football season out the window now. Linebackers Kai Parham and Ahmad Brooks were back to their disruptive selves. The secondary, led by Tony Franklin, came up with huge, decisive plays. And we finally saw a defense with the backbone that Groh promised to put out on the field.
WINA sports talk show host Jed Williams called Saturday's game a "referendum" on the Virginia season, program and head coach Al Groh. I'd say as I was sprinting onto the field, past winking security guards, screaming manically, that Jed, you have your answer.
One win. Over a top-five team. That's all it took. We've got the Magician and a defense that seems to be figuring things out. The ride is getting a lot more interesting. It's a whole new ballgame now.
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