The ball soared off the foot of Chris Gould. Up 20-0 in the first quarter, the Virginia coverage team raced downfield on the kickoff. The ball landed at the three yard line and was returned by Pittsburgh's Lowell Robinson. Robinson made a cut and scrambled to the 28 yard line, escaping the bulk of Virginia defenders. Gould ran down with the coverage and came upon Robinson. The Pitt returner hit Gould head on, and the kicker wrapped his arms around Robinson, lifting him from his feet and sent him straight to the ground on his back.
That play pretty much epitomized Virginia's offensive game Saturday against Pittsburgh.
The longest of Virginia's four touchdown drives took only two minutes and 15 seconds. Sure, the special teams allowed the Cavs to start with good field position and rack up the points early and often, but the offense was so cohesive it wouldn't have mattered where Virginia started. The Cavs still would have run the score up, even if it took a little longer.
Sewell was 7-7 for 73 yards and three touchdowns in the first quarter. At the day's end he had thrown for 169 yards and carried it another 64. Peerman took the ball 87 yards on the ground and 44 yards in the air.
Seriously? And this is the offense that ranked No. 113 out of 119 schools last year. The offense that didn't rank in the top 100 in any offensive category? Virginia's scoring offense is up to 76th in the country. If you discount the three-point effort the Cavs had against Wyoming and only count their last four games, the ranking would be even higher. And the squad that took the field Saturday looked nothing like Wyoming's opponent at the start of the season.
Groh flaunted the cohesion this team has and the development it has made since last season.
But Virginia's rise to success has been a little bit more complicated, a little unconventional.
The injury in spring practice to Kevin Ogletree made Maurice Covington the most veteran receiver on the squad. Covington's subsequent injury completely opened the field for young receivers like Staton Jobe and Dontrelle Inman to step up. Despite the loss of talent, Ogletree and Covington's injuries were a good thing. Without a deep threat, Sewell has been able to focus on what he's best at --mid-range passes and roll-outs to the flats. Without a hot-shot receiver waiting for the ball 40 yards away, Sewell has stuck to tight ends Santi and Stupar and tailback Cedric Peerman for the majority of his passes. Wide receivers simply don't fit Sewell's ability as well as tight ends do.
But there is still a place for Virginia's wide outs. Jobe has shown progress, while still falling victim to rookie mistakes. Inman has shown his ability to be a deep threat, maybe not this year, but certainly down the road.
And let's not forget that Peter Lalich guy. He was the one who drove Virginia to victory against Duke. Sewell is Virginia's quarterback right now, but think about how much Lalich has allowed Sewell to improve. Lalich took the pressure off Sewell when he struggled and helped this team win when Sewell couldn't. This might not be his year to lead Virginia, but he'll have his time.
Even fullback Rashawn Jackson got his first career touchdown Saturday. Along with Jobe, Inman and Lalich, Jackson has helped diversify the offense to give Groh options other than his core of Santi, Stupar and Peerman. Groh can mix the new with the old. But Groh is right. The veterans have jumped by leaps and bounds since 2006. And they are the key reason this offense is producing.
Everyone's offensive numbers are up. Sewell's efficiency rating has gone from 105 to 113.
Or look at Tom Santi. He already has 17 receptions compared to the 29 he recorded last year. He has more touchdowns already, and he averages more yards per catch than he did last year.
Jason Snelling, the man who ran the backfield in 2006, never really got his season going until half way in to the year. No worries this year, though, as Cedric Peerman is the top running back in the ACC. He averages 113 yards per game. Sure he doesn't have the national recognition of a Tashard Choice or Branden Ore, but do you think he cares? I'm sure Al Groh doesn't.
So, yeah, maybe we didn't believe Groh last year when he said it just takes time for players to get to know each other and to get to know the game. But since we're paying him almost $2 million a year, I'm glad he knows what he's doing.
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