Would somebody please wake me up? This had to have been only a nightmare. In the real world, there is no way that Virginia could lose at home to a middle-of-the-pack MAC team like Western Michigan.
But this situation, however, is what we've come to at this school in the sixth year of the Al Groh era. Saturday's travesty marked perhaps the lowest point in Virginia football history since before George Welsh arrived in 1982. It certainly was the worst loss under Groh.
Barely beating Wyoming was one thing. It was dissatisfying, but not a disaster. Falling to Western Michigan on Homecomings, however, was an entirely different story. The Virginia football program has fallen into a dark abyss and it is not entirely clear if there is hope of rescue any time soon.
Obviously, there were many players who did not make plays for the Cavaliers Saturday. But it is the coaching staff that deserves the lion's share of the blame for the nightmare that transpired.
An already muddled quarterback situation was made even more confusing by Groh's decision to bench junior Kevin McCabe in the second quarter. Despite throwing two costly interceptions in his quarter and a half of play, McCabe actually had the offense humming more effectively than it had all season.
The Cavaliers notched seven first downs in the first quarter, compared to 24 overall in the first two games. McCabe also led Virginia on its longest scoring drive of the year so far, a 10-play, 83-yard possession that resulted in a Jason Snelling touchdown run and tied the game 7-7 with 5:14 remaining in the first quarter.
After that touchdown, I jotted down in my notepad, "Ladies and gentlemen, that's what an offense looks like." It was the first time all year that the Cavaliers had been able to mount a sustained drive that ended with seven points being put on the board.
Interceptions happen, especially to inexperienced quarterbacks. It looks, however, that McCabe will not be given the chance to gain the experience he would need to be consistently effective. That's a shame, because the quarterbacks who followed McCabe performed worse than he did.
The offense looked alive with McCabe at the helm. When Olsen came in, it was as if Groh flipped a switch from the aggressive setting to the lethargic setting.
At the half, Groh pulled a desperate trick out of his bag. Rather than give McCabe a second shot or let Olsen continue his mediocrity, Groh gave the ball to sophomore Jameel Sewell. At first, it looked like a Hollywood moment. The crowd roared as Sewell hit Fontel Mines for an 18-yard reception on the first play of the series. Thoughts of "Steamin" Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx's character in "Any Given Sunday") flashed through my head.
Three plays later, however, Sewell was sacked, forcing Virginia to punt. The next two Virginia possessions were three-and-outs and the Cavaliers scored no points in the second half with Sewell running the show.
Sewell may have potential a year or two down the road. Note that I said "may," not will. If Groh was truly interested in winning a few games this year, McCabe would appear to be the best bet.
The most frustrating part of all this is that, with a serviceable offense, Virginia would have the chance to win a fair amount of games in the ACC this year. There is no truly dominant team in the conference this season and several teams look downright feeble (i.e. N.C. State, which has dropped two straight games to lesser out-of-conference foes. Groh may be feeling a good deal of pressure but it is nothing compared to what Chuck Amato is facing in Raleigh.).
Virginia now embarks on a three-game road swing through Georgia Tech, Duke and East Carolina. Based on their performance thus far, the Cavaliers will likely have a record no better than 2-5 when they return to Scott Stadium Oct. 14 to face Maryland. Will anybody even care by that point?
I am comforted by one fact. Basketball season starts in 55 days. Come to think of it, maybe Sean Singletary could play quarterback.
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