Hoos This Team? Virginia Football Midseason Report

I have decided not to write for a while, somewhat out of frustration for the UVA program and also the lack of time, but this deserved my time. Hoo is this team? (Yes, Hoo.) UVA has turned what could have been the worst season in the modern UVA era into a potential run to create a little drama in the ACC Coastal.

Let me state for the record that I'm not completely sold on this team yet. These Cavaliers are 3-3, with all three wins coming in Charlottesville. In the two road losses, UConn and Duke (I'm still in shock over that one), UVA was outscored 76-13, which isn't exactly impressive.

There was a bye week between UConn and Duke, in which starting QB Peter Lalich was dismissed from the team and the university. Redshirt Marc Verica took the reins for good and had a much less than impressive performance at Duke (we won't talk stats—they're took depressing).

Then came Maryland, a night game in Charlottesville in which there was to be a protest of the University's recently imposed sign ban. The ban was lifted two days before the game, but people were still going to wear blue to protest Casteen, Littlepage, and the Grohs.

I was there for that game, and I was blown away. I hadn't seen a team run this smoothly since the Schaub days. Verica looked comfortable, and Ogletree and Peerman were on another level. Cedric carried that team that night. He's finally looking like the Cedric of last year before his injury.

UVA shut the favorites (Maryland) down that night 31-0, holding the ACC's leading rusher (at the time), Da'Rel Scott, to 36 yards. 

Maybe that night was a fluke. There's no way a UVA team that lost to Duke could go on to beat an ECU team that beat powerhouses Virginia Tech and West Virginia only a month ago. Or could they?

UVA came into this game, a noon game in Charlottesville, the underdog for the fifth time this season. Peerman carried the team again, rushing for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 10.8 yards every time he touched the ball. UVA pulled another one out, beating ECU 35-20.

So here we are, at the downslope of the season. UVA is facing a tough UNC team this week and again is the underdog, making it seven times this season. UNC will be without a couple key playmakers in Brandon Tate, who is out for the season with a knee injury (good luck, by the way), and QB T.J. Yates, who is still out with an injury.

This is a huge test for UVA, but again, it's in Charlottesville (3:30pm ABC/ESPN2).

The real test will come next week when UVA hits the road again, traveling to Atlanta to face a mean GT team and a tough triple option offense.

Make a believer out of me Wahoos. Take one this weekend and go on the road and take one, and then let's bring it back home to Charlottesville and see what we can make out of this season.

Will Groh pull another one out? I guess we'll see. Go Hoos!