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Cavs' Collins and Jackson pick right day to make splash

October 18, 2009 12:36 am

COLLEGE PARK, Md.

With myriad factors stacked against it yesterday, Virginia turned to a pair of grizzled but relatively anonymous senior leaders. And on a miserable day when the ball was often slippery, the Cavaliers were in good hands with Nate Collins and Rashawn Jackson.

Collins made the pivotal play in Virginia's 20-9 victory over Maryland, intercepting a tipped pass and lumbering 32 yards for the go-ahead third-quarter touchdown. After that, the Cavaliers stuck the ball in Jackson's gut almost exclusively, and he churned out 90 rugged yards and an insurance score.

"Rashawn was magnificent," coach Al Groh said. Asked subsequently about Collins, Groh grinned. "Nate was pretty good, too," he said.

Surprisingly, the same could be said for the Cavaliers. Essentially left for dead after a lifeless 0-3 start, they've reached .500 and are the only team that's unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference play at 2-0--albeit with most of their tougher games ahead.

"We've found ourselves," Collins said. "We've found our identity. We're not going to crack."

Still, it didn't look as if the Cavaliers were going to move much in the Byrd Stadium muck yesterday. In a cold, steady drizzle, both offenses spun their wheels, and the equally inept Terrapins were clinging to a 9-6 lead (all on field goals) late in the third period.

That's when Virginia linebacker Darren Childs blitzed through a gap in Maryland's protection and tipped Chris Turner's pass. The ball floated through the raindrops toward the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Collins, who played quarterback, tailback and receiver in high school in West Chester, N.Y.

On a day when Maryland fumbled four times, Collins' huge hands enveloped the ball and didn't relinquish it until he had outrun a host of Terps into the end zone.

"I just wasn't going to give it up," Collins said with a wry smile. "That's a D-lineman's dream, just to have it fall in my lap. There was no way I could live with myself if I let go or fumbled it."

Those heroics essentially sealed Virginia's victory, because the Terps (2-5) were not about to drive for a touchdown. But Collins wasn't finished. He sacked Turner on fourth down at the Maryland 2 in the final minutes, setting up Jackson's first career rushing TD.

That was Jackson's ninth carry on Virginia's first 10 fourth-quarter snaps. (He caught a short pass from Marc Verica on the other.) That was no coincidence. The conditions were tailor-made for the 6-foot-1, 245-pounder's power game--"The weather was fun for me; I'm from Jersey," he said.

Actually, though, Groh and his staff had decided much earlier that Jackson would carry the load. Fleet-footed Mikell Simpson, the star of Virginia's 18-17 win here two years ago, missed yesterday's game with a neck injury, joining a long list of limping Cavaliers that yesterday added quarterback Jameel Sewell (ankle) and defensive end Matt Conrath (knee).

"We made the decision several weeks ago that Rashawn was going to be one of our key guys," Groh said, "and you've seen that develop over the past 3-4 weeks. We had no other plans [in the fourth quarter] but to give him the ball."

Jackson's carries and yardage totals were career highs, and they might have been even more impressive if his 46-yard touchdown hadn't been negated by a holding call. Still, Jackson was more excited to talk about Collins' touchdown than his own.

"That was sweet," Jackson said. "His run was better than mine. Nate's a fast guy; don't let the weight fool you."

The Cavaliers have been shattering misperceptions for nearly a month now, making a case for preserving Groh's job and salvaging a season that seemed lost. They'll face a huge test Saturday when they host Georgia Tech, but they won't do it without momentum or confidence. Veterans like Collins and Jackson will make sure of that.

"They've stuck together and kept working," Groh said, "Now, we've got a little something going."

Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com