No relief in sight for UVa

By Jeff White
Published: October 3, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Even at full strength, the University of Virginia football team would face an enormous challenge tonight against ACC rival Maryland. And UVa isn’t close to full strength.

Little has gone right for the Cavaliers (0-1, 1-3) this season, and the injury report released Thursday night brought more ominous news. Among those who will miss tonight’s game for health reasons are senior Zak Stair, who started the first four games at left offensive guard, sophomore tailback Keith Payne, who ran hard against Duke last weekend and has been a special-teams standout all season, and sophomore Joe Torchia, Virginia’s No. 2 tight end.

Payne isn’t the only tailback who’s banged up. Cedric Peerman and Raynard Horne are listed as questionable, as are wide receivers Maurice Covington and Kris Burd. Peerman and Covington, when healthy, are starters. With Stair out, true freshman Austin Pasztor is expected to make his first start, leaving Virginia with a startling lack of depth on the offensive line.

A season ago, an unlikely hero emerged to lead UVa to a stunning victory over Maryland in College Park. Tailback Mikell Simpson, then a seldom-used sophomore, totaled 271 all-purpose yards in Virginia’s 18-17 win. Embattled coach Al Groh may need another player to write a similarly improbable story tonight if the Cavaliers are to knock off the heavily favored Terps.

History suggests the Cavs will play well under the lights — they have won five straight night games at Scott Stadium — but the 2008 statistics suggest they’ll struggle tonight. Of the 119 teams in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision, UVa ranks 119th in scoring offense, 113th in turnover margin and 98th in scoring defense.

In its past two games — losses to Connecticut and Duke — Virginia has been outscored 76-13. The only UVa touchdown in either game came in the fourth quarter against UConn reserves.

“It’s like a drought almost right now,” said sophomore Marc Verica, who’s heading into his third game as Virginia’s starting quarterback.

Junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said: “It’s making us look at ourselves in the mirror and say, ‘We’re the offense. We’ve got to put some points on the board.’

“I wouldn’t say we’re frustrated, but we definitely feel pressed to make some plays and put some points on the board. And we know the team that’s coming in here is going to put some points on the board, so we can’t lay any eggs.”

Indeed, among ACC teams, only Virginia Tech is hotter than Maryland (1-0, 4-1). The Terps, tied for the Atlantic Division lead, have won three in a row since a shocking defeat at Middle Tennessee.

Maryland’s victims include then-No. 23 Cal and then-No. 20 Clemson.

“We have the momentum going,” Terrapins tight end Dan Gronkowski told reporters in College Park this week. “(Virginia is) a game we should win if we play like we can, and it’s going to be a good feeling knowing we have a week off after to rest up and get ready for the rest of the season. But we have to take this game seriously.”

That shouldn’t be a problem for the Cavaliers, who are tied for last in the Coastal Division. Groh was asked Tuesday how much a victory at home would mean for his team.

“It would mean a lot to win — period,” Groh said.

UVa’s captains include senior linebacker Clint Sintim, and he said the team has not surrendered.

“This year is not lost,” Sintim said. “It’s still early (in the) year, four games into it. ... If we can just get the ball rolling, we can make something happen.”

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