One year ago, the Virginia football team finished their storybook 2002 season with a 48-22 trouncing of then-15^th-ranked
West Virginia in the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl, surging to a final rank of 22^nd in the Associated Press
poll after being picked in the preseason to finish eighth in the ACC.

With fourteen true freshmen seeing playing time and only five starters departing, expectations for Al Groh’s young
squad skyrocketed. ESPN’s Ivan Maisel picked Virginia to win the ACC, as did The Sporting News. Even with only
six seniors expected to start for the Cavaliers in 2003, Virginia began the season ranked 18^th, only the
fourth time in school history that the Cavaliers had been ranked in the top-20 entering a season.

With reigning ACC player of the year Matt Schaub back at the helm, offense was not expected to be a problem for the
Cavaliers. After being benched early in 2002 in favor of Marques Hagans, Schaub rebounded and had a record-breaking
year, throwing for 2,976 yards and compiling a 28:7 touchdown to interception ratio. ESPN mentioned Schaub as an early
Heisman candidate last November, and the university opened a major preseason campaign marketing their star quarterback.

Schaub would be losing his favorite target, as Virginia career receiving leader Billy McMullen graduated. But an
improved ground game featuring 2002 Continental Tire Bowl M.V.P. Wali Lundy running behind the same five linemen he did
in Charlotte was expected to compensate for losing McMullen.

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