The Last Straw?

Coach Al Groh team lost its fourth straight season opener.

When things started poorly early in the 2006 season, Al Groh once said that playing three quarterbacks in a search for improved offense would be a real ham and egg operation. I guess Virginia fans now know what that looks like.

The Hoos tried three quarterbacks on Saturday night against William & Mary, a rotation that felt haphazard and uncomfortable throughout the stunning 26-14 defeat. Now the Cavalier program, from Groh on down, is left with proverbial egg on its face after losing to an FCS team picked to finish fifth in its own conference division.

And it’s not just because the Hoos lost. Losses happen. It’s how they lost.

William & Mary outplayed Virginia without playing all that well. The Tribe was more physical. They were more confident. They had more passion. They had a better game plan and they executed it better. They had more resilience. They had more points.

For Virginia, on the other hand, Saturday’s outing was disastrous in every sense of the word. Turnover. Turnover. Turnover. Turnover. Turnover. Turnover. Turnover. Poor game management. Poor decision-making. Poor play calling. Poor blocking. Poor execution.

Poor us.

But this can’t be a pity party. We’ve already had that. After a 36-3 loss at Florida State in 2004. After a 7-5 loss at UNC in 2005. After a 17-10 loss at home to Western Michigan (the ham and egg game) in 2006. After a 23-3 loss at Wyoming in 2007. After back-to-back 45-10 and 31-3 losses to UConn and Duke in 2008.

After Virginia Tech 7 of the last 8 years.

No, there’s no time for crying. The program has been on a downward trend for what is now a fifth season, save the miraculous 2007 Gator Bowl run that was full of cheat-the-reaper wins. Otherwise, the Cavaliers have all the telltale signs that surround struggling programs:

  • Fan dissention … or worse apathy – The Sabre’s message boards are a microcosm of what Virginia fans are feeling right now; frustration or fatigue are quickly becoming the only emotions left out there.
  • Can’t win big games – Even the best year, 2007, contained losses in the biggest games at the end as Virginia Tech and Texas Tech prevented a 10-win season.
  • Roster issues at inopportune times – Most recently Keith Payne , but Kevin Ogletree , Eddie Pinigis and Peter Lalich to name a few.
  • Declining ticket sales – As RichmondBizSense.com reported, UVa’s season ticket sales were down 14.6 percent as of the end of July while other in-state schools like Virginia Tech (sold out), Old Dominion (sold out) and Richmond (up 25%) are selling seats like hotcakes.
  • Can’t beat the rival – Virginia Tech has defeated UVa 7 of the last 8 outings.

If that list isn’t enough to see that the Virginia football program is in the doldrums, there’s also another glaring problem. The team does not reflect the head coach’s self-described identity: Smart, tough, focused. Did UVa look like any of those things Saturday night against William & Mary?

Clearly the answer is no. Seven turnovers including a muffed punt, mishandled squib kicks, eight penalties including flags for 12 men on the field and running into the punter, and getting stuffed in short yardage including 0-2 on fourth downs prove that. When a team no longer resembles what the head coach himself wants it to be, there is a major problem.

Al Groh is all out of straws.