Devils steal Cavs’ soul; end 25-game ACC skid

By Jeff White
Published: September 27, 2008

DURHAM, N.C. — Nobody wanted to be the ACC football team that lost to Duke.

That team is Virginia. And that doesn’t help Al Groh’s job security.

Eight regular-season games remain for UVa, which fell 31-3 to Duke on Saturday. The Cavaliers (0-1, 1-3) have time to salvage their season, and perhaps they will. But if this turns out to be Groh’s final season as coach at his alma mater, what happened Saturday at Wallace Wade Stadium will be part of the reason.

The Blue Devils (1-0, 3-1) ended their 25-game ACC losing streak in emphatic fashion, outscoring Coastal Division foe UVa 28-0 in the second half. Virginia had won eight straight over Duke and 17 of the previous 19 meetings, but for the third time in four games this season, Groh’s club lost by at least 28 points.

“Right now we’re not a very good team,” said senior linebacker Clint Sintim, a four-year starter.

Duke, meanwhile, is better than it’s been in years. None of new coach David Cutcliffe’s players had won an ACC football game before Saturday, and they made history before a raucous crowd of 25,527 on a humid fall afternoon.

“The Blue Devils’ ACC winning streak has started!” yelled the jubilant P.A. announcer after the final second ticked off the clock.

The game was tied 3-3 at the break, but the Cavaliers will rue the first-half opportunities they squandered as much as their five second-half turnovers.

In the first quarter, UVa piled up 126 yards to 19 for Duke. On each of its first three possessions, in fact, Virginia drove inside the Devils’ 35-yard-line, but had only Yannick Reyering’s 33-yard field goal to show for its dominance.

The Cavaliers’ third series ended when junior tailback Mikell Simpson, on fourth-and-1 from Duke’s 20, was stopped about two inches from a first down.

“One of the things we understand is that if you don’t take control of a game, the game eventually gets away from you, and we had the opportunity (in the first quarter) to take control of the game,” Groh said. “I’m not saying lasting control, but we certainly had a chance to have 10, 17 points at a time when we were getting a lot done that we wanted to get done on defense and felt good about it, and we might have moved it in a different direction and been able to play an entirely different game.”

By halftime, sophomore cornerback Ras-I Dowling had two interceptions, and Sintim, who was abusing Duke’s linemen, had two sacks. But disaster struck UVa early in the third quarter. On the same play — what are the odds of that? — cramps felled both Sintim and Dowling.

They were helped off the field with the score 3-3. By the time Dowling and Sintim returned with 10:47 left in the fourth period, each having received an IV in the locker room, it was 24-3. Sintim almost immediately recorded his third sack, but by then the outcome was not in doubt.

“The game kind of got out of hand,” Sintim said. “It was an unfortunate series of events. Not to say that two people make the game, because that’s definitely not the case. It was just unfortunate circumstances.”

Sophomore quarterback Marc Verica’s second start for UVa began well, but it turned into a nightmare. Verica, who lost a fumble after a botched snap in the first half, threw four interceptions after intermission. His third was returned 42 yards for a touchdown that effectively sealed the Blue Devils’ victory, but Verica’s second might have been more costly.

It was 17-3 when Verica guided UVa to the Devils’ 17. A touchdown there, and the fourth quarter might have been interesting, but linebacker Michael Tauiliili intercepted an ill-advised pass to end the drive.

Overall, Verica was 19-for-42 for 194 yards. Still, Groh said he never seriously considered turning to backup QB Scott Deke.

“No, because that’s part of growing up as a quarterback,” Groh said. “You can’t run for the hills when things are tough. You’ve got to stand out there. Other players have some tough circumstances, and we don’t just run out there and bail them out.”

Groh said he wants to see how Verica will handle this adversity.

“It’s easy to be the quarterback when you throw for five touchdowns and 35 points,” Groh said. “It’s a little bit more challenging — and this what separates some guys some times — when everybody in the world knows that it didn’t go the way that you wanted it to. Some guys really respond to that, and that elevates their games, and some guys go downhill with that. We have every confidence that Marc will go in the right direction, but this will be his opportunity.”

White is a sports writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.