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Miranda Mason reports on UVa’s loss to Maryland. |
The losses and frustration are starting to mount for the Virginia football team.
That’s what happens when each week features games plagued by turnovers, critical penalties, poor blocking, dropped passes, red zone inefficiency, big plays allowed, and overall inconsistent play. All of that reappeared once again this Saturday as UVa dropped its fifth straight game, trailing from wire to wire in a 27-20 loss to Maryland.
“Like I said, it hurts. It really hurts to go in each and every week and prepare with all you have on the practice field and you feel good about the situation coming out of the end of the week and then come out that Saturday and catch that ‘L’ in the column. It hurts. It hurts,” Virginia running back Kevin Parks said while staring straight ahead, his words trailing off at the end.
“It’s pretty tough, especially when you prepare all week and work hard in practice. This week we prepared pretty well and focused up. I think it comes down to passion, energy, and playing with heart for four quarters,” UVa linebacker La’Roy Reynolds said. “Unfortunately we didn’t pull this one off. We went out there and we played to the best of our abilities, but those little things, it’s those little things that always get us.”
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Virginia’s Kevin Parks posted 129 yards rushing. |
Indeed, the details and fundamentals have haunted this edition of the Cavaliers (2-5, 0-3 ACC) throughout the season. Whether it’s a slightly off-target throw or dropped pass, a bad angle or missed tackle on defense, a missed block on the offensive line or special teams, or a generally stagnant tempo overall, the Hoos seem a step slow and out of sorts far too often in 2012.
That adds up to an uneven and inconsistent level of play, which has found a way to erase any of the positives that arise week to week. On Saturday, for example, Parks piled up a career-high 129 rushing yards in his first career start as the Hoos posted 168 yards on the ground. On the other side of the ball, Reynolds racked up a team-leading 12 tackles including 3 Tackles For Loss as the defense stopped Maryland (4-2, 2-0 ACC) for minus-2 yards rushing on the day.
But neither of those things can garner the spotlight when so many other things continue to short-circuit the chances of winning.
The team committed 7 penalties for 70 yards, including a dead-ball personal foul that gave Maryland excellent field position on a touchdown drive right after the Hoos cut the lead to four points late in the third quarter. The offense scored just one touchdown in four red zone trips, committed two turnovers, (yes Virginia lost the turnover margin again – 2 to 1 – in this game), and allowed 5 sacks. On what was an otherwise good day, the defense gave up an early field goal on a drive with a 60-yard pass play and a touchdown on a blitz that didn’t quite get there.
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La’Roy Reynolds led the defense with 12 tackles. |
The special teams put the Hoos in an immediate hole when Stefon Diggs returned the opening kickoff 100+ yards for the touchdown and failed to provide any field position positives in the return categories. Unfortunately, of Maryland’s four 100-yard kickoff returns for touchdown in its history, two have come against Virginia. In addition to Diggs’ TD on Saturday, Dick Novak and Dennis Condie teamed up in 1960 for the full-field score when Novak returned the ball to the 9-yard line and then lateraled to Condie who ran 91 yards to score.
“I knew once I got the ball in the end zone that I was going to take it out regardless. I hesitated a little at first because they were telling me to ‘stay in, stay in’ but I was thinking, ‘No we’re going to take this one out.’ Last game we had a shot but we didn’t go for it,” Diggs said. “My front line guys did a good job so I didn’t want them to waste all their energy.”
“With Stefon [Diggs],nothing he does surprises me. Someone told me it was five yards deep in the end zone and I figure he’s going to go down and then I see him start and I go, ‘No, no, no. Go, go, go! Yeah!’ It was one of those deals,” Terp coach Randy Edsall said.
While another opponent capitalized on a big play, Virginia is left to lament the near misses. The glaring almost moment, of course, came on UVa’s final drive when Michael Rocco had replaced Phillip Sims at quarterback and pulled the team within a tying touchdown. Sims completed 13 of 28 passes for 139 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Rocco finished 5-11 for 79 yards and 1 touchdown.
With Rocco at the helm, the Cavaliers got the ball back at Maryland’s 49-yard line with 1:51 to go in the game. The drive quickly fizzled, however, after running back Khalek Shepherd broke open over the middle on the first play but the pass fell incomplete. If the connection is made there, Shepherd had lots of Scott Stadium grass in front of him so a touchdown or at least a big gain was on the table.
Instead, UVa has to find a way to keep pushing forward in search of a streak-snapping victory.
“My goal is to make sure I coach and teach, be a role model, be a mentor, understand these guys’ obligations in the classroom and in the community. We want to play well on the field, and we will play well on the field. I’ll continue to build good will because this University deserves it. We’re going through some adversity here on the football field. That’s what happens. The worst thing we could do now is start pointing fingers and blaming and things like that,” Cavalier coach Mike London said. “I will continue to work as hard as I can to make sure that this team and the players have an opportunity to be successful players once they finish playing, and get them coached up the way they need to be coached up. That’s making sure the coaches are accountable. We hope you get a chance to look at all aspects of what’s going on with this program, off the field, on the field and in the classroom. I understand that we live in a culture of wins and losses and things like that. It’s not from a lack of effort or a lack of trying. I understand that. I am more resolved and resolute to help these young men experience success on the field, as they are in other areas of their life.”
