After some scorching-hot home games, Charlottesville finally delivered one of those perfect early autumn days. And after some noon starts, the schedule finally delivered a late kickoff that allowed us all to enjoy it. Students were at their cocktail parties. The rest of us were hanging out with friends in the parking lots, passing the time with some food, beverages, and conversation. Ah, enjoying a Saturday at the University the way Thomas Jefferson would’ve wanted it to be enjoyed … had he known about football and parking lots.

Soon, the afternoon blended into a perfect Saturday night under the Scott Stadium lights. Frisbees and fireworks filled the air, not to mention a football now and then.

The comfortably warm afternoon was tailor-made for some tailgating. And that comfortably cool night was tailor-made for some tail kicking.

So, with the weather and time on our side for a change, let’s fire up another installment of the notes from way up close to those lights.

A Shout Out: With the kickoff and temperatures finally cooperating, I finally attended my first tailgate of the year. Finally. Thanks to a good friend of mine, I was treated to some delicious tailgate fare – and got to play a little catch with his surprisingly athletic 3 year old. That’s right, the little guy was catching and throwing the pigskin around like a kid twice his age. Is it too early to get his recruiting film up on Hoo-Tube?

And The Intro Too: The timing of the game also allowed me to catch my first intro of the year. Aside from the inside-the-stadium asthma-inducing pyrotechnics (which I’ve complained about so much before, that I’ll spare you today), I was impressed. They’ve got the timing down on the players’ entrance (a problem in the past) and the night (key word) aerial fireworks were well done this week. Also, I like CavMan’s new digs – sort of like an ACC Temple of Doom meets Mortal Kombat concept. Now let’s see him rip the hearts out of some of these mascots.

The Almost-Gutsy-But-Just-Plain-Boneheaded Call Of The Game Award: I wouldn’t have done it, but it was pretty aggressive to try an onside kick to start the game. If it works, the Panthers seize some early momentum on the road where they needed some creative tricks to keep pace. If it doesn’t, the Hoos get excellent field position to start the romp. Sorry, Wanny, but “almost” won’t save your job.

A Quick Start Is One Thing: Turning it into a blowout in the first quarter is something else. Once again, some great scripted play-calling allowed Jameel Sewell to manage the game well, with a heavy dose of passes to the tight ends and runs by our favorite werewolf, Cedric Peerman .

Insult Of The Night: When “Danger Zone” started playing during one first quarter break, my tailgating buddy remarked that “so far, we’re Tom Cruise and they’re Kelly McGillis.” Ouch! Well struck.

It’s Going To Be A Long Night … … when even the other team’s kicker delivers a bone-jarring hit.

You Can’t Always Blame The Coaches: Pitt had some miserable penalties that killed its drives. In fact, in the first quarter, the Panthers had more penalty yards than they had yards gained. Maybe it’s just me, but that’s not a smart way to get that upset on the road.

A Glorious Halftime: It’s a wonder the things we can enjoy when we’re not ducking for cover from the sun! I finally watched a halftime show, and it was a nice treat given the weather (and the lingering high from the first half). The band is really coming along – they deserve some sort of award for what they’ve accomplished in their short existence. And the Frisbee dogs were back! A great performance by both pups, though I don’t envy the coach now that he’s got a Frisbee dog controversy on his hands.

Outdoing Chan: Back to the subject of bad play-calling, we’ve really had an uninspiring bunch of coaches visit Scott Stadium lately, haven’t we? This time, it took Wanny until the second half to figure out that continually attacking our secondary was his offense’s best chance. Didn’t he watch, I don’t know, any of our previous games? After the aggressive onside kick, his conservative play-calling was shocking. I know that you’ve got a good running back, but c’mon, man!

You Know You’re A Wahoo Fan When … … your team is up 30-7 in the fourth quarter, and you’re legitimately worried.

Progress! A defensive back caught a sure interception!

Should We Have Faked It? I covered the sportsmanship angle on the blog already, so the comment here is whether showing off one of our trick plays was a good strategic move. Many have commented that it was okay – the potential for a fake has been long known by opposing teams and there are other fake field goal plays in the quiver. And others add that this play will cause opponents to back off of trying to block the kicks. It’s a close call and something that might be impossible to ever truly evaluate.

However, I think it was probably better to keep this play a secret. For a coach’s preparation, there’s no substitute for actually having some game film on a rival’s formation. And we certainly didn’t need four more points to put Pitt away. Regardless of all of the reasonable justifications for this play, it would probably serve the team better in the future had the whole fake field goal concept remained completely confidential. That’s one more trick play that’s lost the unadulterated element of surprise.

I. Am. Ironman. When we’re at the tail end of a blowout, I think it’s safe to play some of those back-ups who were too inexperienced to play in more competitive situations. Just a crazy thought, but maybe they’ll get some of that whole experience thing that they’re lacking. For some reason, our coaching staff seems more willing to blow redshirts than to play redshirt freshmen.

Tight-end U: Another great game for Tom Santi , Jon Stupar, and John Phillips . Why a top tight end recruit would want to go anywhere else is beyond me.

Josh Zidenberg helps block for Vic Hall on a big punt return.

Ding-Dong The Two-Headed Monster’s Dead: As I noted last week, the dual quarterback approach hasn’t really worked out since the Duke game. So, Groh chopped off one of the monster’s heads, and left Pete Lalich on the bench this week even when Sewell started struggling. I’d rather see Sewell work through his kinks and develop his game right now. That way, Lalich can get that medical redshirt for that mysterious turf toe injury he received while walking on the Lawn last week (wink, wink).

One Shining Moment: I was fortunate to sit next to Josh Zidenberg ‘s proud parents again, and I enjoyed following him on special teams the entire game. And when I was leaving a little early (I know, I know – for shame) to start my two-hour drive home, Josh got his first carry of the game with the game winding down. As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I could hear a loud “Yeah, Josh!” from the top of my upper deck section. I looked up to see Mr. Zidenberg standing up, with his hands up in the air and an ecstatic look on his face. I was honored to witness this father’s moment of excitement. That, my fellow Hoos, is what it’s all about for a small minority of our fans. A moment here and there for proud parents to cheer on their favorite player.

Quick Hits: Rubbing in the highlights of our CTB bowl win over the Panthers while we’re thrashing them on the field? Now that’s just plain mean! … Our punt returning needs some work. The return men are not getting away from the ball when they’re unsure of its trajectory. … Nice to have Dave Matthews join the party! Thanks for the little music video, Dave! … A minor suggestion on the well-done video of past and current Hoos – rather than using the same video before each half, have two videos highlighting different players … And, of course, the weather is always a bit nicer when we’re enjoying a dominating performance and a four-game winning streak, isn’t it?

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