Normally, Virginia's narrow 13-12 escape over Wyoming last weekend would be reason enough for the Cavaliers not to overlook tomorrow's opponent, Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference.
But the Cavaliers (1-1, 0-0 ACC) have an additional reason to fear the Broncos (1-1, 1-0 MAC). Virginia hosted Western Michigan to open the 2005 season and the Broncos made a game of it, trailing only 24-19 until tailback Cedric Peerman's one-yard touchdown run with 5:38 remaining in the fourth quarter secured a 31-19 Virginia victory.
Sophomore left guard Branden Albert stated it bluntly at Tuesday's press conference.
"They presented a lot of problems to us last year," he said.
For all but the most knowledgeable college football fans, the MAC still flies far beneath the radar. That is not the case, however, for Virginia's coaches and players. As if they needed any further reminder of the dangers that MAC teams pose, Akron traveled to N.C. State last weekend and pulled out a thrilling 20-17 win.
"Once you take out those teams that almost by inheritance are going to stand out every year, there is now so much parity between teams in college football," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "There are just a lot of players around that are essentially the same players."
Western Michigan's offense is known for its inclination to pass the ball frequently. In last year's loss to Virginia, the Broncos passed on 49 of 86 offensive snaps.
Virginia, however, may be faced with a different Western Michigan offensive strategy this time around. A hand injury suffered by Western Michigan quarterback Ryan Cubit -- the son of Broncos head coach Bill Cubit -- in the season-opening 39-20 loss at Indiana put junior Thomas Peregrin in the starter's role for last week's 31-10 home win over Toledo. It was Peregrin's first career start.
In the victory, the Broncos made only 15 pass attempts, compared to 34 in the loss to Indiana. Junior running back Mark Bonds led the Broncos with 134 yards and one touchdown.
Groh is aware that Virginia might have to adapt to a more ground-based Western Michigan offensive approach.
"They played Toledo in a fashion that they haven't played anybody else," he observed.
Whoever starts for Virginia at quarterback, be it Christian Olsen or Kevin McCabe, will have to deal with a Western Michigan 4-3 defense that likes to blitz and put intense pressure on the opposing quarterback. Senior weak-side linebacker Ameer Ismail has notched three sacks and four tackles for a loss in the season's first two games. Given Virginia's struggles thus far on the offensive line, it could be a long day for Virginia's quarterback.
This is the fifth consecutive season that Virginia has played a MAC team. The Cavaliers are 2-0 against Western Michigan and 8-0-1 all-time against MAC teams.
Junior defensive end Chris Long made his first career start in last year's game against Western Michigan.
"I remember being thoroughly impressed with the level of talent in that conference," Long said. "It's going to be a real battle. ... We're anxious to get out there and try to get win number two."
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