In the world of Little League baseball and pee-wee football, the old saying goes, “winning isn’t everything.” But for the Virginia football team and coach Al Groh, winning is what makes the world go round. Without winning, Virginia could continue to trip down the slippery slope of college football rankings and see its dreams of a postseason collapse.
Survival is exactly what Virginia (1-3, 0-1 ACC) finds itself fighting for against ACC rival Maryland (4-1, 1-0 ACC) tomorrow at Scott Stadium after being punished by each Football Bowl Subdivision opponent it has faced this season by a combined score of 128-20. The pain of losing has struck a chord with Groh.
“Every week there’s a tremendous amount put into this ... for anybody involved who puts in that amount of time, and if you don’t get any reward for it, that’s a difficult end of the week,” Groh said.
Virginia now is attempting to regroup from a string of debilitating losses, most recently to an improved Duke team. One of the many tasks the team must accomplish is to revitalize its struggling offense against a Maryland team that shut down Clemson’s offense in the second half of the Terrapins’ come-from-behind victory last weekend. This will start with consistency at the helm of the offense with sophomore quarterback Marc Verica. Although the newly installed quarterback made some mistakes last week against Duke, as evidenced by the four interceptions he threw, he is confident that he is making strides in operating the offense.
“I think there were more positive plays [in the Duke game] than the UConn game,” Verica said. “There was a higher number of bigger plays.”
Moreover, Verica said, he recognizes the need to make better decisions downfield, adding, “there were some plays I wish I could’ve had back where I think I forced it. As these games go on here, I’ve just got to find a balance of when to take that shot and when to take what the defense is giving me.”
Verica certainly will have a chance to advance the chains Saturday, as the Terrapins’ defense has allowed an average of almost 285 yards passing in its last three games and averages next-to-last in the ACC in total yards allowed per game (387.4).
But Verica cannot be expected to carry the entire offensive load on his shoulders in only his third game as a starter. The Cavaliers have found it difficult to generate any offensive production without injured senior running back Cedric Peerman, who only carried the football twice against UConn and was inactive against Duke. Peerman is listed as questionable for the upcoming game against the Terrapins.
“When he’s ready to be Cedric, he’s going to start the game,” Groh said.
Whether Peerman will return to his former self by Saturday is yet to be determined, so the addition of junior fullback Rashawn Jackson to the running game could be an important factor. In his first game seeing real action at the running back position against Duke, Jackson rushed for 43 yards on eight carries for a highly effective 5.4 yards per carry average. Jackson’s continuation of this kind of production combined with a more prominent role in the running game may prove to help balance Virginia’s offensive attack.
“We want to get him the ball more because he does good things with the ball,” Groh said.
Still, the Cavaliers could benefit from production elsewhere in the running game, namely from junior tailback Mikell Simpson, who has struggled to find his footing thus far. After averaging 5.0 yards per carry just a season ago, Simpson has failed to duplicate his success, averaging only 2.3 ypc in four contests this season. The running back had a breakout game against Maryland last year, however, in which he rushed for 119 yards and caught 13 passes for an additional 152 yards en route to a 1-point victory for the Cavaliers.
On the importance of Simpson, Groh said, “Every team has got their corps of those guys, and they’ve got to step up and make those plays for their team.”
The play of Simpson, however, is not the only concern circulating through Virginia football circles. Groh’s future as head coach of the team has been questioned by some fans after a disappointing start to the season.
“I don’t think about my future,” Groh said. “I just think about the next game. I try to respect the game, do for the players what I’m supposed to do, which is more than just coach football.”
Still, Groh recognizes that the business he is involved in is primarily defined by wins and losses.
“That’s the nature of the business,” he said. “It is what it is.”
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Groh is concentrating on preparation for an offense that has posted averages of 35 points and 360 yards of total offense in its last three games. These statistics helped Maryland gain upset victories against then-No. 23 California and then-No. 20 Clemson. In particular, Virginia must make an effort to contain junior wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who has a total of four touchdowns — three receiving — already this season. His versatility makes him a viable running option as well, as he has already exploded for two long runs this season, most recently a 76-yard burst against Clemson.
“He’s a game-breaker in the fullest sense,” Groh said of Heyward-Bey. “He really has been the catalyst in every game.”
Containing Heyward-Bey could be the key to minimizing Maryland’s offensive production by limiting junior quarterback Chris Turner’s options downfield. But, in the competitive world of college football, it remains to be seen whether the Cavaliers’ efforts to restrict Heyward-Bey and the rest of the Terrapins will translate into a win Saturday.
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