Wahoo Wire

A heartbreaking Halloween loss to Duke has Virginia coach Al Groh feeling haunted.

“It hurts losing,” says Groh, “We put a lot into this. We put everything we got into this, and when you get nothing back in return, it’s a haunting feeling.”

Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) fell 28-17 to the Blue Devils (5-3, 3-1 ACC) in a battle that was closer than the score indicates.

The Cavaliers came out of the gates like ketchup out of a bottle, managing one total offensive yard in the first quarter and Duke held the ball for more than 13 of the game’s first 15 minutes.

Given such a lopsided clock advantage and Duke’s highly touted passing offense, the first quarter might have been a blowout. The Virginia defense held tough, however, limiting the Blue Devils to just three early field goals.

“If a team can gain yards against you and get in the red zone, then you just have to buckle down and do the best you can to stop them,” says Junior tackle John-Kevin Dolce. “We were able to hold them to three instead of seven early on, and we look at that like a four-point play.”

The Virginia offense finally showed signs of life in the second quarter, tallying a field goal to finish the half only 6 points down. The Cavaliers then scored on their opening drive of the second half to take a 10-9 lead.

Virginia held that lead through 45 minutes of mutual insomniac offenses, until suddenly, both teams awakened in a scoring frenzy.

To start the fourth quarter, Duke’s freshman kicker Will Snyderwine drilled his fourth field goal of the day. However, senior quarterback Jameel Sewell responded with his own scoring march. The drive culminated in tight-end Joe Torchia’s first career touchdown and a 17-12 Virginia lead.

Duke rallied with a red zone drive, but sophomore cornerback Chase Minnifield forced an end zone interception that had Scott Stadium smelling victory.

“After the interception, we felt pretty confident,” said Minnifield, “But we knew we had to go back on the field and make a stop. We knew there was still a lot of time on the clock.”

Virginia could not find that critical stop. Duke scored 16 points in the game’s final 5 minutes to leave Cavalier players stunned.

“I’m really not sure what happened in the last 5 minutes of the game,” admitted Minnifield.

What happened was Thaddeus Lewis. The Duke quarterback came into today’s matchup with a nation-leading 144.47 passer rating. During the game’s final moments, he showed why Duke has the best aerial attack in the ACC.

Lewis authored a 67-yard drive, including 42-yard touchdown pass that gave the Devils a lead they would not relinquish.

Lewis “made the difference for his team,” says Groh. “He came up with throws that had to be made and that’s why his team is in the position it is right now.”

Lewis finished the game with 343 yards and handed the Cavalier’s a loss that stings. Virginia suffered its twelfth defeat in the last two years, and now faces a steeply uphill battle for a bowl bid.

As senior fullback Rashawn Jackson says, that “is definitely hard to swallow.”

Perhaps more disappointing than the conference loss, however, was the game’s attendance. Virginia continued to set record low turnouts, with only 41,713 fans coming out to Scott Stadium. The Cavalier players aren’t shocked, however.

“I mean this is UVA,” says Jackson. “This isn’t Michigan or LSU or Tennessee or Virginia Tech. Fans here, aren’t, they’re not that patient. I guess its natural sometimes, it’s human nature, when things aren’t going good, to…just turn your back.

The fans that do stay, however, make the losses that much harder.

“And the fans…screaming on the sidelines, those are the guys who made this loss feel even worse,” admits Jackson. “They were really hanging in there for us, and they were really giving us their all, and I appreciate that effort.”

For those fans, Jackson promises that the team will improve their own effort, starting next weekend at Miami.

“Hopefully these next four games go the way we want,” he says, “But hope isn’t gonna get us there. Practice tomorrow will and execution will. I hope too many guys aren’t discouraged, I hope more guys are motivated. Because I’m ready to go tomorrow and I’m ready to play Miami. I’m hoping everything turns out well.”