Here's a great stat that was announced by a member of the media peanut gallery before Al Groh's post-game press conference Saturday night: Virginia is 2-0 this year at home against top-25 opponents ... when the Cavaliers have had a player -- or four -- suspended.
That record says a lot about this team's determination to stick together in the face of adversity. But it's nothing compared to the fortitude displayed elsewhere in Scott Stadium that night, far from the field of play.
This is a tale of friendship, intrigue, rejection and triumph -- with a touch of divine intervention ... and mustard only, please.
Put a chain-link fence in front of fourth-year Engineering student Tom Kuklinski, and he'll hop over it. Dig a moat, and he'll build a bridge.
Ask him to sneak a high school friend in town for the weekend into the Georgia Tech game ... just listen to how a true engineer was able to solve this equation.
Scalp a ticket? Too much money. Ask me if I'll lend his friend John my student I.D.? No way in hell -- I'm not trying to have an honor trial anytime soon.
So TK did what any sensible person with a six-foot hot dog suit would do -- he had John hop in and stand behind him, covered by the bun. Walking as one unit -- with John's arms swinging outside the costume in unison -- the duo prayed no one would notice a 6-foot-5-inch, four-legged hot dog walking inauspiciously up to the gate.
Mossad, MI6, the CIA ... these guys should all be fighting over the chance to hire Hot Dog Man as an undercover intelligence operative come May. In fact, with a guy like TK on Virginia's side, I say bring on USC. I don't care if the undefeated Trojans win 100 games in a row -- anyone who fell for the classic "Trojan horse" trick wouldn't stand a chance against TK and his hot dog suit.
Unfortunately, Hot Dog Man's cover was blown before he could make it inside. His Achilles' heel? He was a 6-foot-5-inch, four-legged hot dog walking inauspiciously up to the gate -- with an arm that wasn't his blindly waving a single U.Va. student I.D. at the Scott Stadium usher.
Call in the bike cops -- we've got ourselves a little situation here.
For nearly 30 minutes, TK and John refused to admit that their cover had been blown. With a third friend named Packy watching from inside thanks to a legitimate ticket, the pair remained committed to one another and committed to the goal at hand.
Though their scheme had been clearly exposed, to remove the suit would be to formally admit defeat. The seeds of conflict were being sowed. For every minute the pair continued to hold out, the ushers -- and later the police -- became less and less amused with the obstinate roadblock in the entrance.
Authority figures never seem to like it when a group of Hot Dog loyalists congregates outside the gate to demand its leader's admittance. As Hot Dog Man tried (with John's arms flailing for effect) to plead his case, the crowd didn't just stand and watch. Its members began a "Free the Hot Dog!" chant that grew increasingly louder as more and more passersby joined the throng of student protesters.
The sight of a middle-aged couple taking pictures of the spectacle didn't exactly tickle the fancy of the irritated cops and ushers alike. Casually strolling past the North Gate, my mom and The Bob glanced over at the ruckus, only to see Hot Dog Man (plus one anonymous pair of feet) surrounded by a cadre of Pacific Blue cops -- the definition of a Kodak moment.
Judging by their pictures, the situation looked dim. Forget about getting into the Georgia Tech game -- TK was suddenly worried about getting into any game the rest of the academic year.
Then, out of nowhere, a woman appeared at the gate holding an extra ticket. Encouraged by nothing else but her own sense of compassion, the woman spoke.
"This is for the hot dog," she said.
In a drama destined for tragedy, the mystery woman was the deus ex machina popping up on Stage North to save the day.
"It was like she was a guardian angel," Tom said. "She appeared from nowhere, had a ticket to the game and was like, 'Here.'"
When the Hot Dog Men were finally given clearance to pass through, their supporters erupted in triumph.
"Hot Dog Man defeated the joke-artists," Tom said.
Now there's a lesson about sticking together in the face of adversity.
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