How bad was that 37-17 loss to Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium on Saturday night for the UVA Football program?
With Tech leading 30-11 after three quarters, plenty of the Hokie faithful had seen enough and headed to the parking lots.
It’s terrible when the home team fans don’t care enough to watch a beatdown their team is delivering.
Who could blame them?
I, too, decided to bail and switch to my old standby, GritTV.
But even Grit TV let me down; the movie: “Rough Night in Jericho.”
I didn’t care for that movie, so I returned to the ACC Network to watch “A Rough Night in Blacksburg,” from the UVA perspective.
OK, enough of my weak attempt at comic relief.
What’s happening with UVA Football and UVA Athletics is no joking matter.
Before I begin my rant, I must ask this question: how is it that UVA would owe head coach Tony Elliott $14 million if he were dismissed now?
If that’s accurate, which it is, is Scott Boras his agent?
Or another critical question: who would have given him such a golden parachute?
I knew this would be a long night when the announcers were almost jokingly commenting that Tony Elliott had to educate his players on the importance of the Virginia Tech game.
Coach?
Even if you did have to do that, no, you don’t tell the TV folks that.
Virginia was beaten down by a third-string quarterback and a Tech team that will likely be dominated in a cold-weather bowl game.
This wasn’t Georgia Tech losing in 800 overtime periods at Georgia.
I’m still stuck on the fact that UVA might owe Tony Elliott $14 million not to coach.
Elliott’s three-year record at Virginia is 11-23; he’s 0-2 against the Hokies, having been outscored 92-34.
George Welsh and Bronco Mendenhall each won 16 games in their first three years. Al Groh won 22 games in his first three.
All three had the Cavaliers in bowl games in their respective first three seasons.
Elliott will spend the next few weeks begging, err, recruiting as many as 50 new faces to jump on a sinking ship.
Good luck with that, Coach.
Meanwhile, not to pour salt in a fresh wound, but Duke, under first-year coach Manny Diaz, finished 9-3; likewise for Syracuse, nine wins under rookie coach Fran Brown.
OK, I guess I did spill a pinch of salt.
My point here is this: with the right coach and the right staff, you can win.
Even at an academic school like Duke and an outpost like Syracuse, N.Y.
How about Indiana?
You know, Bobby Knight, Gene Hackman (from the movie “Hoosiers”).
Under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, the Indiana football team is poised to make the College Football Playoff.
Again, coaching matters.
Losing year after year to a mediocre (at best) Virginia Tech team isn’t like Georgia Tech losing to Georgia every season.
VPI’s record in the past five seasons isn’t much better than Virginia’s.
The Hokies football program has slipped to the point that Tech measures the program’s success in beating UVA.
Ouch.
Looking forward, Elliott may get a mulligan this season simply because, from what we hear, Athletics Director Carla Williams apparently seeks greener pastures.
And apparently, no one is discouraging her from doing so.
Problem being, if UVA keeps the status quo, the already dismal attendance at Scott Stadium will continue to plummet.
UVA Football fans are checked out on the coach and the administration.
If the $14 million is the roadblock to making a coaching change, then the money folks at UVA must ask this question: at what point does not buying out Elliott cost even more on the backend, like ticket sales?
The broken football program is more profound than the AD or the head coach; it’s a top-to-bottom problem at UVA.
The Board of Visitors, the President, and Admissions must be on the same page.
If Duke can be committed to football, why can’t Virginia?
Simply rotating head coaches is the definition of insanity at UVA.
Bronco Mendenhall did his best to overcome the institutional problems at UVA before being pushed out the door.
Three years and 11 wins later, here we go again.
The insanity continues, and apparently, no one cares.
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