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Scott German: Bye, bye, bye

Scott German

To write that Virginia’s overtime win over Idaho Saturday wasn’t pretty is giving the team way too much credit. It was about as ugly as anything I have ever seen on display in my 30-plus years of watching UVa. football.

Uglier than watching a Sonny Randle-led team surrender 60-plus points in four straight games in the early ’70s. Uglier than watching a Gary Clark James Madison team hang a loss on Virginia in Scott Stadium with Cavalier coaching legend George Welsh roaming the sidelines.

Hey, even blowing a 28-0 halftime lead to Clemson was easier to digest than the Cavalier win (or was it really the Idaho loss?) on Saturday in front over 20,000 empty seats.

After blowing an early lead (14-0), Virginia redeemed itself in overtime when Idaho elected to go for a two-point conversion to win rather than live to see another series with a one-point PAT attempt. The pass attempt to win the game was batted down at the last possible second, handing the win to the Cavaliers.

The story should then continue, “Sending the Cavalier fans into frenzy as they headed to the parking lots.” But many of the Cavalier fans (what there were of them) had already begun that trek as regulation ended. That’s right: Fans leaving the stadium after regulation before overtime play even started, the scene almost surreal actually that may sum up the state of Virginia football in 2011- a lackluster fan base that almost begrudgingly attends games and uses any excuse to leave.

After Saturday’s game,  UVa. coach Mike London said, “There were a couple of things out there that weren’t executed properly, but that’s why you practice. It’s always good that you learn something with an ugly win or a tough win.”

A couple of things? You’re kidding, right, Coach London? Is that really all you saw that was wrong on Saturday – a couple, as in two, maybe three at most? There were usually a couple of things that went wrong on just about every series for Virginia both offensively and defensively. And those wrongs weren’t all on the players’ backs.

Example one, after mounting an impressive late first-half drive, when the coaching staff, with a measly six seconds remaining, decided to not kick a relatively short field goal of 26 yards. Instead the coaching staff instructed first-year starter Mike Rocco to run another play, but to throw the ball away quickly should the play implode.

Again Coach London, surely you jest. You are asking (or expecting) a inexperienced quarterback to be able to process that much information that quickly? Instead of rewarding your offense for a niftily-executed two-minute drill, you took a gamble, a gamble that if unsuccessful would get yourself and team booed off the field. End result was the play route broke down, Rocco was left to scramble, and when tackled at about the six-yard line the play clock read 00:00 and the boobirds were out in force.

Not quite the way you want to send your team off the field at half.

So during the bye week the coaching staff better go back to class and study “Clock Management for Dummies.”

Coach, take the three points and then limp into halftime with at least a two-score lead.

Example two, stop playing chess with your quarterbacks. An old saying goes, “Teams that profess to having two quarterbacks usually have none.” Since game one London has designated certain series for freshman quarterback David Watford to enter the game, regardless of the situation or how Rocco is playing. In the Southern Mississippi game, that designated series for Watford to play found the Cavaliers with the ball on their own one.  Talk about baptism under fire.

On Saturday Watford again entered the game on a specified series, however late in the game London alternated between Rocco and Watford. Could it be that London is just uncertain in his own ability to make a decision and stick with it? Or is he just hoping that one player loses the position rather than the other quarterback candidate winning it? Either way, five games into the season and neither player has done either, and as a result the Virginia offense is sputtering – at best. Rocco finished the Idaho game 20 of 30 in passing for 240 yards, including a scoring strike. Watford was 10 of 20 for 95 yards and the eventual game-winning touchdown pass in OT.

Example three, there’s nothing special about the Cavaliers’ special-teams play. Virginia had a punt blocked for a touchdown and field goal kicker Robert Randolph missed two very makeable field goals, one being deflected at the line. Idaho punted nine times and Virginia returned only one. Special-teams coordinator Anthony Poindexter has some serious explaining to do regarding mental lapses by the Cavalier punt returners, who watched catchable puts go over their heads and roll to inside the five yard line. Poindexter has been part of the coaching staff for nearly a decade, never distinguishing himself in any capacity. A legend in his playing days at UVa., Dex may be doing his career a detriment remaining on Grounds.

And finally, who the heck is responsible for Virginia’s home schedule? William & Mary, Southern Mississippi, and Idaho! Not exactly murderer’s row or must-see college football. And to show just how low Virginia football has digressed, two of those games could have easily been lost. In 2009 W&M did win in Scott Stadium. For pure curiosity, I walked over to the Idaho fan section to get a better count of how many Vandal fans made the trip across country. I counted approximately 100, but later learned about half of those were probably displaced fans living closer to Virginia.

Needless to say, although they did their best to create a better atmosphere in Scott Stadium, there’s just so much 100 fans can do. Can’t Craig Littlepage or whoever is making the calls find some school willing to come to Charlottesville for what nowadays is not a surefire butt-kicking but a realistic chance of winning against a team in the mighty Atlantic Coast Conference.

So the bye week comes at a very opportune time for the entire Virginia program. Players and coaches need to do some serious evaluations of just how the season has unfolded to date, a season that so far has brought Indians, Eagles and Vandals to Scott Stadium. Next up on October 15th is a visit from 11th-ranked Georgia Tech. The Ramblin’ Wreck may very well do just that to the Cavaliers if significant improvements are not seen.

Column by Scott German

Scott German

Scott German

Scott German covers UVA Athletics for AFP, and is the co-host of “Street Knowledge” podcasts focusing on UVA Athletics with AFP editor Chris Graham. Scott has been around the ‘Hoos his whole life. As a reporter, he was on site for UVA basketball’s Final Fours, in 1981 and 1984, and has covered UVA football in bowl games dating back to its first, the 1984 Peach Bowl.