Virginia Cavaliers Football Progress Report - CM Hooe's Blog

CM Hooe's Blog

Virginia Cavaliers Football Progress Report

Posted on November 11, 2008 at 03:59 PM.

(4)

Once again, being a devoted fan of the Virginia Cavaliers' football team has not been good for my heart. After sinking below even my worst expectations to start the year due to a prolonged period of unexpected roster attrition that began in January, then continued through the first four games of the season, the team rallied back, stringing together a four-game win streak to get back above the .500 mark. After two recent losses, however, the team may be reeling a bit, and at 5-5 needs to win one of their last two games to go bowling.

GAME-BY-GAME REPORT CARD

Game 1 vs USC Trojans (L 7-52, D): I can't really say I expected anything but being the whipping boys of Pete Carroll's Men of Troy, but any blowout loss isn't going to earn any high grades, regardless of the opponent.

Game 2 vs Richmond (W 16-0, C): A defensive struggle of a game against a FCS opponent; six of the 16 points came on a late defensive touchdown by third-year defensive back Vic Hall. It was a cause for concern for the offense at the time, but the effort displayed by the defense was certainly admirable.

Game 3 at Connecticut (L 10-45, F-): The defense flat-out didn't show up; the effort exerted by the group in this game was atrocious. On offense, Marc Verica was inserted into the lineup at quarterback as Peter Lalich did not make the trip due to legal problems, but that's still no excuse for getting whipped so badly. After this game, Lalich was removed from the football team due to a violation of his alcohol probation; Verica was the quarterback from here on in.

Game 4 at Duke (L 3-31, F---): Rock bottom. At this point, I was calling for the Grohs' heads (head coach Al and offensive coordinator / son of head coach Mike). Though Duke is admittedly looking better under new head coach David Cutcliffe, this loss is still inexcusable.

Game 5 vs Maryland (W 31-0, A+): The complete antithesis of the Duke game; a competitive Maryland team that was in the mix of the top teams in the ACC Atlantic came to Charlottesville on a Saturday night and simply got rocked in all phases of the game. At this point, I have no idea what to make of this year's Cavaliers' squad.

Game 6 vs East Carolina (W 35-20, B): Was a solid game by the Hoos, though we certainly got off to a slow start in this one (went down 6-0 early thanks to a 3-and-out and a turnover, then reeled off 28 unanswered). Verica threw his first two TD passes of the season in this game, and TB Cedric Peerman had a monster game with 173 rushing yards.

Game 7 vs North Carolina (W 16-13 OT, C+): Wasn't the sharpest game by either team by any means, but a clutch drive by Verica with less than a minute in the fourth quarter sent the game to overtime, where Cedric Peerman once again willed our team to victory.

Game 8 at Georgia Tech (W 24-17, B-): A classic example of the "Cardiac Cavs" living up to their recent moniker after they won an NCAA-record five games by less than a TD last year, the Wahoos rode the shoulders of Peerman throughout all four quarters (noticing a trend?) and took the game in its late stages, despite trailing 14-3 early.

Game 9 vs Miami (L 17-24, C): The Cavs had the upper hand throughout the entire first half, but the inconsistency of the team, combined with the apparent disappearing act of Peerman for much of the second half (he physically wasn't in the game, for no apparent reason) gave a more talented Miami team the opportunity they needed to send the game to overtime. Once in overtime, Miami would take the game.

Game 10 at Wake Forest (L 17-28, D): The Wahoos were flatter than a pancake under a steamroller for three quarters, spotting Wake a 28-3 lead. Marc Verica attempted some heroics in the fourth, putting together two solid drives, but there wasn't enough game left for Virginia to continue the comeback effort.

PLAYER AWARDS
OFFENSIVE MVP: RB Cedric Peerman, Sr: This is a no-brainer; Peerman has simply carried the Cavs for stretches at a time, and he is the heart and soul of this team, and a great person to boot.

DEFENSIVE MVP: LB Clint Sintim, Sr: Another no-brainer, as he currently leads the ACC in sacks and has proven to be a very good linebacker. I don't feel that he's as strong of an emotional leader as Peerman is, but his play sets the standard for everyone else on the field.

MOST IMPROVED: CB Vic Hall, Jr: Last year, my nickname for Hall was "Toast"; for a cornerback, that's not a good nickname to have at all. This year, along with Ras-I Dowling, the secondary play has markedly improved over the course of the season. He's not great by any stretch yet, but he's no longer a turnstyle for receivers to go through either.

OUT-OF-NOWHERE GUY: QB Marc Verica, Soph: At the conclusion of last season, Verica was the fourth quarterback on the depth chart with nary a shot of ever seeing the field in Charlottesville. Between then and September, starter Jameel Sewell is academically suspended and Peter Lalich gets into legal trouble. Given the volatility of the position and the rock-bottom expectations for him, Verica has played admirably, though he's still got plenty of room to improve.

REMAINING GAMES OUTLOOK (vs Clemson, at Virginia Tech): In my opinion, both of these games are toss-ups, just as the ACC as a whole has been this entire season. Clemson has arguably underachieved more than any other team in the nation this year, but they still have a talented squad featuring tailbacks James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Tech presents a challenge; the Hokies' defense is always a tough matchup, and while they don't appear to have a great offense, they are beginning to gel just in time for the stretch run. In addition, the game will take place in Blacksburg, where Virginia hasn't won since their epic 26-point comeback in 1998.

Certainly it has been an interesting season so far for the Virginia Cavaliers, and with two games left it just as likely could be more fun as much as it could be spectacular crash-and-burn. Time will tell which we do get.

Comments

# 1 The GIGGAS @ Nov 11

I hope 10 years isn't the charm for the Cavaliers in Blacksburg.

# 2 Steve_OS @ Nov 11

Good use of the blog system K!

# 3 homer73 @ Nov 30

It's been a long football season, and it's going to be hard to get excited about next year if the same coaching staff comes back. Al said there wasn't much difference between VT and Uva this year... does that mean that he knows him and his staff did a crappy coaching job?