Wahoo Wire

The wait for the first snap of the 2010 football season is finally over. This coming Saturday, the Cavaliers will usher in the Mike London era with an interstate clash against the Richmond Spiders. Coming off a tremendously disappointing 3-9 campaign last season, the Cavaliers hope to skip the growing pains of the rebuilding process under Coach London and start the season off with a victory.

A game not wanting for storylines, Saturday’s matchup will pit Coach London against his former team and alma mater. London has acknowledged that this is more than just another game to him, as many of the Richmond faithful are still angry over his abrupt departure for Charlottesville.

Saturday’s game also finds fifth-year quarterback Marc Verica firmly entrenched as the starter for the first time in his tumultuous career. Verica was a victim of the quarterback carousel that existed under former head coach Al Groh, but with the graduation of Jameel Sewell and Vic Hall, he finally has the confidence of his coach and looks poised to take control of the team.

If Verica is to have success, he will need to overcome a stingy Spiders defense that held opponents to 16.3 points per game last season. The Richmond defense features three players, DL Martin Parker, LB Eric McBride, and CB Justin Rogers, who are currently on the Buck Buchanan preseason watch list (Best FCS Defensive Player).

This will not be the first time the Spiders have faced ACC competition, as they opened last season with a convincing 24-16 win over Duke. In what may once have been considered a varsity-JV type matchup, the Spiders should not and cannot be taken lightly.

At the helm of the Richmond offense is former USC quarterback Aaron Corp. Unfortunately for the Spiders, Corp will most likely be without two of his primary receiving threats. Top receiver Kevin Grayson recently injured his knee and is a game time decision, and fellow receiving threat Dante Boston is serving a one-game suspension for violating a team rule.

Looking to bottle up the Richmond offense is a hungry UVa defense led by preseason second-team All-American CB Ras-I Dowling. Despite returning six starters from 2009, the defense has undergone quite the transformation from last season. New defensive coordinator Jim Reid spent the offseason scrapping the old 3-4 alignment and installing the more traditional 4-3. The switch to the 4-3 should enable the Cavs’ defensive line to put more pressure on the quarterback, which was an area that was often lacking last season.

Saturday also marks the second consecutive season the Cavs have opened against a Colonial Athletic FCS team, following last season’s tragic 26-14 loss at the hands of William and Mary. The Cavs have not won a season opener since a 2005 victory over Western Michigan, meaning that no current member on the roster has won on opening day.

Coach London hopes to reverse this worrisome trend and return UVa to college football relevance. If the Cavs hope to make it to a bowl game this season then they must take care of games against out-of-conference opponents, especially when the games are played at Scott Stadium. The Cavs were a woeful 1-5 in Charlottesville last season, and since his arrival Coach London has made it clear that he has higher standards.

In winning over a fan base accustomed to disappointment and erratic play, a good ol’ fashioned drubbing of the Spiders on Saturday would certainly be a solid start.