After the University of Virginia mustered only five points Saturday against the University of North Carolina, the team's fewest since a 36-3 loss to Florida State last year, many have begun to wonder why the offense could not produce against an unranked UNC team. Many point to the offensive line and its inconsistency.
"When [sophomore guard Marshal] Ausberry got hurt, the most sensible move was to try and get our five best linemen into the game," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "That meant moving [senior tackle Brad] Butler to right guard -- he fought it out, but that was really a bit to ask of him."
Surprisingly, Butler had never played nor practiced at right guard this season. Still, Butler was willing to carry the weight for the team and said switching positions is something players should be prepared for.
"That's what you do in football -- people get hurt all the time," he said. "How you rebound from that is going to determine your season."
Despite Butler's opinion on the versatility necessary for an offensive lineman, Groh found restructuring his offensive line difficult when it came to his younger players.
"We didn't have any right guards left," Groh said. Freshman Eugene Monroe "is a left tackle. I don't want to take a young player like that and try to bounce him back and forth. That's not fair to him, and in the long run that's bad judgment."
To make matters worse, Virginia All-American tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was injured early in the season, forcing him to miss two games. Ferguson's status continues to waver.
"With the Ferguson situation, we can't ever say, 'Ferguson's back,'" Groh said. "He could re-injure [it], and we'd need a left tackle."
With the overall inexperience of the offensive line and the treacherous injuries, offensive production has become extremely limited.
Last year, the Cavalier offense was fueled by offensive line standouts like Elton Brown and Zac Yarbrough. Brown won the Jacobs, which is awarded to the ACC's most outstanding blocker trophy, two years in a row. Like other Cavaliers, Yarbrough won the distinction of ACC player of the week in November 2004.
The stellar offensive line helped make Virginia's rushing offense the 12th best in the country. Alvin Pearman racked up 1,037 rushing yards and then-junior Wali Lundy followed behind him with 864 yards. The Cavaliers were well known for their torrid rushing offense.
With Pearman departed to the NFL, Lundy has been asked to lead the rushing offense. While dealing with injuries of his own, Lundy has managed only 191 yards so far this season.
Behind him, younger backs like freshman Cedric Peerman and junior Michael Johnson have tried to step it up for the Cavaliers. With 69 yards Saturday against UNC, Peerman is showing progress and development for a freshman. Still, the offensive line continues to struggle. Michael Johnson, however, tweaked his ankle on the opening kickoff of the UNC game, and his status is now questionable.
Heading into a bye week, the offensive line can rest while the remainder of the team refocuses before the Temple game Nov. 5. If at all possible, they might find the motivation they had against FSU.
"When you get a loss, you want to get another win quickly," Butler said. "We'll get over this loss and get ready for Temple a week from now, but sitting here thinking about this loss all week -- it's going to be tough."
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