COLLEGE PARK, Md.--Halloween doesn't arrive until the end
Through three underwhelming wins over marginal foes, the Cavaliers had insisted that the only important thing was the final score. Their flaws were excused, their mistakes covered. But there was always a sense of foreboding.
Yesterday, those fears came to fruition. A 2-2 Maryland team that Virginia shut out last year hung 570 yards and 45 points on the Cavaliers, despite the return of All-America linebacker Ahmad Brooks. The Terrapins ran at will, converted third-down passes and scored whenever they needed to.
"Their defense was pretty strong, but it seemed like we could do whatever we wanted from a team perspective," said Maryland tight end Vernon Davis, giving the Cavaliers a simultaneous compliment and insult.
Truth be told, the Cavaliers' defense is nowhere near as good as the sum of its talented parts. They were ranked 18th in the country entering the game, mainly because they had played three offensively challenged opponents.
Coach Al Groh had earned praise for his guts in going for it on fourth and one late in a tie game against Syracuse. Unsaid was that he didn't trust his defense to stop the Orange.
Yesterday, we found out why. Maryland shredded the Cavaliers' front three, opening enormous holes for sophomore Lance Ball to gain 163 yards on just 17 carries.
Virginia allowed Maryland quarterback Sam Hollenbach to throw for a career-high 320 yards and receiver Danny Melendez--who was in coach Ralph Friedgen's doghouse last season--to set career bests with nine catches for 125 yards. Perhaps most importantly, Ralph Friedgen and his staff badly outcoached Groh and his.
That's the bad news for Virginia. Here's the worse news:
In the next two weeks, the Cavaliers must visit Boston College and its mammoth offensive line, then play host to speedy Florida State. November brings visits from Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, as well as a trip
Groh has won raves for his top-10 recruiting classes, but he has shown little ability to parlay that talent into significant victories. In recent years, the Cavaliers have beaten the teams they should beat, but rarely the ones they shouldn't.
A win yesterday wouldn't even have been considered an upset, even with stud offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson out with a knee injury and Brooks recovering from one. Virginia entered the game ranked 19th but untested; Maryland was teetering, with both its confidence and its bowl chances shaky.
"I don't think any game could have been more important than this one for us, with the tough second half of the season we have coming up," said Hollenbach, mindful of upcoming dates with FSU, Virginia Tech and BC.
Friedgen has one of the best offensive minds in college football. You knew that with time and talent, he'd get the Terps turned around. In fact, at 2-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, he's convinced his team can win the Atlantic Division title and play in the league's first-ever championship game.
"I still haven't given up on playing in Jacksonville. I don't know about you guys," he told the skeptical press. "We've got to keep getting better and more confident."
Virginia is now where Maryland was three weeks ago: reeling and vulnerable. Friedgen has steadied the ship and has his team thinking big again after a 5-6 season in 2004.
Can Groh do the same? Or will a season of promise go downhill fast? One loss doesn't represent a crisis. But it can become an omen--especially in a month devoted to ghouls and goblins. And for the Cavaliers, yesterday was mighty spooky.
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