Wahoo Wire

Courtesy of bleacherreport.com

“Mediocrity…It Groh’s on you.” That was the poster that stood out in the 500 person student section in the final seconds of the game on Saturday. Amid the pink slips with Groh’s name scattered along empty bleachers included many an airport bottle of bourbon and rum.

This, I believe, shows the steadfastness of Virginia students to make the best of any situation. Like the old adage, “If life gives you a miserably performing football team, make a bourbon and coke…or twelve.”

Believe it or not, there is an upswing to the football team’s current state. With people everywhere concerned with the state of the economy, we at least know that (even though we get into games free) students are pumping money into the economy through their desire to be drunk at all times.

So although last Saturday was the lowest attendance at a football game in a decade, the amount of money spent on booze without a doubt surpasses the revenue of ticket sales. So on the aggregate the economy is doing great (props Lee Coppock).

It was also inspiring to see that our fans have a sense of humor. After Sewell threw an incomplete downfield pass with 4 minutes left, all 2,000 fans still in attendance gave Groh a standing ovation in this valiant attempt to win a game (something he has resisted in recent years).

For those that weren’t aware, Beta Bridge had the words “Groh Must Go” painted on it…but only for a short time. The next day the entire side of the bridge was painted in black, which leads me to wonder if it was an inside job.

I can’t imagine Craig Littlepaige making the effort to paint the bridge, but then again, he did put in a lot of thought into the 10 year contracts he prepared for Groh and Gillen (to Gillen’s defense, whether you thought he was a good coach or not, at least he was a happy person. I’d take his personality mixed with losing any day over Groh’s approach of just losing).

Although the football team’s performance is depressing, the rest of our sports teams are on the rise. For example, basketball looks to be uplifting. Many predicted we would have trouble getting star players to come to UVa since Bennett is known for scoring in the 70s consistently. Apparently that is not the case, because over the weekend Bennett received a commitment from yet another top 150 recruit, and Virginia now has the 11th best recruiting class in the country for 2010. Bright things are on the horizon.

Not only is basketball doing exponentially better than our football team, but our soccer team is starting out the year pretty well. Right now ranked number 20 in the nation, they look poised to take a spot at the top of the ACC. They’ve got tough competition at Wake Forest this weekend, but it seems like the team will do well this year and compete for a spot in the NCAA Tourney.

In addition, the baseball team is in the midst of fall training. The entire team is back essentially, with some talented additions to the team as well. Coming off a College World Series trip, hopes are high that we can make it back to Omaha and advance even further.

It seems the rest of our sports teams can get it together, so why hasn’t football been able to right the ship? Many people say that UVa expects too much, that our program can’t handle consistent winning at a top level. If you listen to Tech fans or Colin Cowherd, at least, that’s what they’ll tell you.

Fortunately, these intellects are uninformed, not to mention miserable and pathetic. Point in being, George Welsh only had two losing seasons in nineteen years, and he adopted a program that had a losing season almost every year for the previous 30 years.

There is no excuse for the team to be playing as pitifully as it is currently; with the vast amount of facilities and accommodations made for athletes that didn’t even exist ten years ago, it blows my mind how backwards the program seems to have gone.

There is nothing funny about what happened this past weekend. Cheap jokes about alcohol consumption do not alleviate the miserable state of our football team. It’s tough to laugh when Coach Groh doesn’t seem to care anymore.

For some reason I have a real problem when the coach of the school refers to the students in attendance as “outsiders.” I realize that none of us are in the huddle, but let’s be real; when’s the last time you saw a team with a spread offense win a game without throwing a ball downfield?

And I realize that he needs to keep his team motivated, but if Groh has issues getting his team ready and motivated for the FIRST game of the season, can he really blame the fan base for questioning his influence on the team, or lack thereof?

The saddest part of this whole story is that Groh, up to a few years ago, was a much revered and respected alum of The University. Not only that, but his son Mike Groh was a hero in UVa folk lore in his defeat of Florida State in 1995.

Now both are a mockery in Charlottesville, and not without reason. If Al didn’t want to deal with the niceties of keeping up with donors and alumni support, talking to reporters after losing efforts, or involving the students in the game day atmosphere, he should have never left the pro ranks.

Watching this season has been like watching a close friend’s parents on the verge of a divorce. Even though you have a sliver of hope that the two will stay together and succeed, it’s most likely too late for any recourse.

Nevertheless, I refuse to give up on the team. Just as we stay devoted to a close friend, it is our duty to hang tough during this difficult stretch with our football team.