A sweet winning streak for the Virginia football team turned sour at the end of last Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium. The loss to Miami in an overtime letdown has cast a shadow of doubt on whether Virginia can make it to the ACC Championship game.
Had the team avoided two missed field goals and a late fumble, the Cavaliers (5-4, 3-2 ACC) could have prevented the 24-17 overtime loss to Miami (6-3, 3-2 ACC). But instead of dwelling on what might have been, the Cavaliers will use last Saturday’s disappointing results as motivation to play at the height of their ability as they take on Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C. Saturday.
“We can’t wait to get back out there, especially coming off a game like that,” Virginia junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said. “We want to get back out there as soon as possible. We want to go prove something again.”
For Ogletree, “proving something” has not been a problem during his first season back from a knee injury. Despite his setback, Ogletree is nearing the bar he set for himself in 2006. This season Ogletree has 44 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns, proving his ability to return strong after a year of recovery.
The previously unrecognized potential of Virginia redshirt freshman wide receiver Jared Green was apparent when he caught his first touchdown at the collegiate level during Virginia’s matchup against Miami. Upon direction from Virginia coach Al Groh, Green has used the 2008 season to focus on developing his strengths and not worrying about the weaknesses he may have.
“He was a very raw player coming in,” Groh said. “We had a chance to see him catch the ball much more in practice than in games and had confidence that with work he would develop into a good receiver.”
Even if Green continues to impress the coaches on the field and even if passes are completed and Virginia executes plays successfully, the Cavalier defense will have its work cut out for itself with Wake Forest’s redshirt junior quarterback Riley Skinner on the field.
With a shoulder injury, Skinner boasts a 123.4 pass efficiency rating, 122 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
“He’s a marvelous player,” Groh said. “He makes great decisions, he’s accurate, he’s cool at the end of the games. He’s clearly engineered that train.”
When two teams with standout players like Wake’s Skinner and Virginia’s Cedric Peerman compete, the result is unpredictable. Virginia and Wake Forest epitomize the concept of unpredictability with their individual histories of saving the action for the final quarters.
“Wake Forest and Virginia are the two teams during the course of two-plus seasons, almost three seasons now, who have played in the most games in this conference that were decided right at the end,” Groh said. “That was the case last year when the two teams played, and now a year later there’s just been more added to that total for each team. Last year substantiated that because clearly that was decided on the last play.”
Just last weekend against Duke, Wake Forest pulled away with a 33-30 overtime win, tying with Florida State for second in the ACC Atlantic Division.
The Virginia football team has not traveled to Wake Forest since 2002, making it difficult to know what to expect from the Demon Deacons on their home field.
“It’s almost as though you’re playing a non-conference opponent,” Groh said. “You know what’s going on with their games, but outside of that you don’t have a great familiarity with them. You really have to study them.”
Virginia’s determination to put last weekend’s loss in the past could bode well for the Cavaliers as they enter tomorrow’s game.
“That’s the great thing about this game — there’s a chance for redemption from week to week,” sophomore quarterback Marc Verica said. “If things didn’t go your way the week before, then you have a great opportunity the next week. Usually, a win can solve things like this.”
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