Last Saturday’s thorough 52-7 shellacking by Southern California provided more questions than answers for the Virginia football team. Will the team’s performance last week foreshadow the rest of this season? Will the Cavaliers be able to scrape together a winning record? Was the game against USC a good litmus test for the team’s ability? Some of these questions could be answered Saturday when the Cavaliers (0-1) suit up against Richmond (1-0) at Scott Stadium at 3:45 p.m.
After an off-season during which the question of who would be the starting quarterback was left unanswered, it really came as no surprise that sophomore Peter Lalich, whose status is in doubt Saturday because of off-the-field issues, emerged as the starter Saturday. Some, however, are questioning Virginia coach Al Groh’s decision after Lalich fumbled twice and threw one interception.
“He kept his poise under pretty intense pressure, stepped up, moved in the pocket, made some good throws, was not rattled by the circumstances,” Groh said. “He had to move — somebody said to me, ‘Well it looked like Peter was a little anxious moving in the pocket.’ I said, ‘What was he supposed to do, stand there and get hit?’”
Another potential issue facing the Cavaliers is the loss of senior linebacker Aaron Clark for the season. Clark suffered a knee sprain against USC and is scheduled to have surgery. Clark may be back for a fifth year with the team if he decides to medical redshirt this season. Interestingly enough, his replacement, sophomore Denzel Burrell, is one of Clark’s closest friends on the team.
“He wasn’t my roommate per se my first year, but being a linebacker, we were always together, whether it be at practice or on the weekends,” Burrell said. “Just being a linebacker, being around him all day, that was my main crew, my main friends or whatever at that time, so he was definitely one of those.”
Burrell, the Rock Weir Award winner for most improved defensive player during spring practice, is happy about his opportunity to play but wishes the circumstances had been different.
“We had a huge battle throughout the spring and the summer in camp, and it was known to everybody we both wanted the spot, but we both were very supportive of the other person,” Burrell said. “It just sucks for him to go down in the way he did, the first game of the season, after he had worked hard this spring and the summer to get to where he was. I hate that it happened this way, that I had to step into a starting role because of an injury to him.”
Perhaps a harder hit to the defense than the loss of Clark was the departure of defensive coordinator Mike London before the beginning of the season. London’s coaching of Virginia’s formidable defensive line last season was one of the main reasons the Cavaliers were able to pull off so many last-second victories. London left the team to take the head coaching job at his alma mater, Richmond.
Although the Cavaliers are facing their former coach, they see no advantages to this situation.
“Since neither the offense or the defense seems to resemble what we’re doing, I’d say probably other than knowing Mike’s workout routine and what he prefers on his pizza, there’s not much that we’re going to be able to apply,” Groh said.
This week’s game provides a great opportunity for the Cavaliers to get back on the proverbial horse. Many of the things that stood out in last week’s matchup against USC were not circumstances of a more skilled team simply beating a lesser foe.
“What was disturbing to us was, we had five poor snaps in the game ... we had a block in the back on a kickoff return ... we had two illegal procedure penalties back-to-back there that put us in a deep hole, and then got a 32-yard punt after that,” Groh said.
Against a Football Championship Series opponent, the team has a chance to correct some of these mistakes before ACC play begins.
Last season’s opening loss to Wyoming was a bitter beginning to a successful season that ended up including a seven-game win streak and a trip to the Gator Bowl. Certainly that is enough of a reason to remain hopeful for this season. The mindset that carried the Cavaliers from that shaky start to the Gator Bowl was one of determination.
“Just after that Wyoming loss, pretty much the mindset on the team was just, ‘That’s enough, and enough is enough, and we’re ready to be a good team and have a good season and do whatever it takes to get there,’” senior safety Byron Glaspy said.
Virginia will not be facing the same challenge this weekend as it did in USC. However, Richmond should not be counted as a cupcake team despite its FCS designation.
“In the case of Richmond, it’s a very attractive school with high-end academics, located very similar to Virginia in the East Coast population corridor, so they have access to a lot of players and they have a very attractive product to sell,” Groh said. “Obviously those are the ingredients that make good players interested in going to schools.”
This season, the Spiders were ranked No. 5 in the FCS going into the season. FCS teams are no longer considered pushovers after FCS No. 1 Appalachian State defeated traditional Football Bowl Subdivision powerhouse Michigan last season. This is one team that cannot and should not be overlooked.
Overall, this season’s schedule is doing the Cavaliers no favors. Saturday’s game against Richmond provides the best chance for the Cavaliers to correct major mistakes before it is too late to salvage a season.
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