The Virginia football team jumped out to an early lead at Maryland, but ultimately fell 42-14 after a fourth quarter tailspin. For true freshman quarterback Anthony Colandrea, the evening could be summed up similarly. Great start, but a rough ending. The grades reflect that for both Colandrea and the Cavaliers as a whole.

Tom Brady had bad days. Wayne Gretzky’s slap shot cooled sometimes. Sue Bird had rough nights on the hardwood. You get the point. Great players, talented players, and evolving players all can have dreadful games. Of all the players mentioned, each had teammates around them. Team sport losses aren’t the results of one player and Saturday’s Virginia loss in College Park was a collective effort of the defense, special teams, and offense.

This game has received more coverage than needed and I’m not going to belabor the points already made this week. Instead, I will provide the grades and notes but decided to review the first three games and offer my perspective on where the team is at this juncture. Likely, nothing most of you have not already concluded as well.

Outside the notes, this will be my only comment on the game. Prior to the crescendo of fumbles, gaffes, and miscues late in the game, absent the kickoff return for a TD, all three operations played well enough to win.

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