A heartbreaking loss like Virginia experienced this past weekend only makes the team hungrier to come out and prove themselves as players, as a team, and as a program. Devastating outcomes will only fuel their fire and passion in the games ahead of them.
That’s the stance the Hoos have taken this week as they prepare for William & Mary on Saturday.
Coach Mike London set the tone in that regard. He expressed how impressed he was with the improvement from game 1 to game 2, and how he was pleased with the increase in explosive plays. He conveyed confidence that this team can play with the best teams, and looking forward, he acknowledged a need to manifest that improvement in the victory column.
“It’s tough,” London said. “It’s tough when you lose games like that right on the cusp of something great happening for these young men and the amount of time they put into it. I love these guys. When they hurt, I hurt.”
Despite the close loss, London communicated that as a team, they are not satisfied with close losses or moral victories. He said the team has a long way to go, but is confident that they will continue to keep improving.
London presented his usual positive attitude even though the team has started 0-2. A close loss? More adversity? Moving forward, he said part of the big picture lesson here is to get up and try again.
“Part of life and part of coaching is the fact that you never can define who you are at this particular moment, particularly when you’re on the opposite end of the ledger,” London said. “You always have to keep coming back. You always have to stand up and face the fact that life goes on, the next opportunity’s going to present itself. There’s a never quit, never die attitude.”
That mentality is the starting point for the weekend. The rest will come down to execution and play on the field. William & Mary comes to town with a 1-0 record and an eight-game winning streak in the month of September, dating back to 2013. So while London’s UVa teams have won six games against FCS opponents by an average of 34 points, the Tribe will present a challenge.
“They’ll come to play,” London said. “As I said, you can look at FCS [but] I mean, we’re not looking at it that way. We’re looking at it as another opponent, the chance for us to compete and win a home game here in Charlottesville, get moving in a positive direction coming off these last two games, particularly this last game. “
