Baseball

Baseball had an incredibly successful week, as they played James Madison on Wednesday March 16th and won 7-3. John Hicks had a great day, going 3-4 with two home runs and four RBI. Steven Proscia had a solo homerun, his second of the season.

Considering Virginia only had one homer in the first 17 games of the season, it was an incredibly successful offensive day with three in one game. Will Roberts got the win, pitching 5.2 innings, striking out seven with to earned runs. Branden Kline also got his eighth win of the season.

Friday started the beginning of their home series with No. 4 in the country Florida State, and opened up the first game with a win in extra innings due to Stephen Proscia’s game winning hit to left field. It was John Hicks who scored the final run in the 11th inning to secure the victory. Danny Hultzen had another phenomenal game, with 12 strikeouts and passing a former UVa record with his career 292 strikeouts (The previous record of 290 was held by Seth Greisinger).

The second game was equally as thrilling, as Virginia won another 11-inning game over Florida State 5-4. Jared King led off in the bottom of the 11th and hit a walk-off homer to give Virginia the win. Branden Kline picked up the win for the ‘Hoos, pitching 3.1 innings of relief, allowing one run on four hits.

In the last game on Sunday afternoon, Florida State avoided being swept in the series and pulled out the win 12-11 in extra innings. A stellar day for Virginia offensively, Stephen Proscia went 3-for-6, and John Hicks hit a two-run homer to go with another hit.

Although making up for a 4 run deficit in the 9th inning, Florida State pulled it out in the 10th inning, snapping Virginia’s 13 game winning streak.

Virginia moved up in the polls, from No. 5 to No. 3, and has a midweek series with Towson.

Men’s Basketball

The Men’s Basketball team did not receive an NIT bid, and respectfully declined an offer to play in the CBI.

Women’s Basketball

The Virginia women began NIT play last week, defeating Morgan State 69-56. Junior guard Whitny Edwards led the team with 11 points and 7 rebounds, and junior Ariana Moorer had 10 points, 3 assists, and 4 rebounds.

In the second round, Virginia defeated Loyola 71-49, and improving to 18-15 on the season. The win also extended Debbie Ryan’s career, as she is retiring after this season.

The third round matchup will be at JPJ Thursday, March 24, with general admission tickets priced at $8 for adults and $6 for youths. The game will be against ACC rival Boston College, and parking will be free at JPJ and UHall.

Men’s Golf

The 17th-ranked ‘Hoos finished third in the Schenkel Invitational. Ben Kohles’ fifth place finish was the best on the team, as he scored 5-under 211. Amory Davis finished seventh at 212, with a 2-under score in the final round.

Ben Rusch finished 15th overall, Bruce Woodall scored a 77 during the final round, and Will Collins was 36th. The next tournament is March 27th at Hootie @ Bulls Bay.

Women’s Golf

The women’s golf team earned second place at the LSU Classic at The University Club in Baton Rouge. The seventh ranked ‘Hoos shot 6-over 294 on Sunday, finishing a three-day total of 31-over 895. Arkansas won with a score 24-over 888.

Sophomores Brittany Altomare and Nicole Agnello tied for 11th, and Joy Kim had the lowest round of the tournament on Sunday with a 4-under 68.

Virginia next plays in the Bryan National Championship on March 25.

Men’s Lacrosse

Virginia pulled off a win against Ohio State 14-11, which was the 100th win at Klockner Stadium for the lacrosse team. Rhamel Bratton and Steele Stanwick both scored four goals, and Chris Bocklet had three goals to lift the Cavaliers over the Buckeyes. Goalie Adam Ghitelman had his 44th win, putting him tied for No. 6 in NCAA history. Virginia was 13-9 on saves, and 17-12 on faceoffs, even though Ohio State outshot Virginia 39-35.

Virginia plays next on March 26th in Baltimore to face Johns Hopkins for the Doyle Smith Cup. The game will be on ESPNU and start at 2 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse

Virginia came back from a seven-goal deficit against William and Mary March 16th to pull out a 14-13 victory. On Saturday, March 19, the Cavalier women took their No. 8 seed into Klockner and held onto a lead 10-9 against a tough Princeton group, who was ranked No. 15. This was the 14th time in 30 games against Princeton that the game was decided by just one score.

Virginia heads to James Madison Wednesday to take on the No. 9 team in the country at 7 p.m.

Softball

On March 19, the Cavaliers faced Boston College in a doubleheader, and dropped both games to the Eagles. The Eagles dominated both games, winning the first on 9-3 and the second 11-3.

In the third game March 20, Virginia was once again edged out by the Eagles, losing 7-6 and being swept in the series.

The softball team plays again Thursday at The Park at 4 p.m.

Swimming and Diving

The women’s team placed 13th at NCAAs on Saturday in Austin, Texas. Meredith Cavalier, Meredith Purdue, and Katya Bachrouche earned honorable mention All-America honors on the last day.

The six Virginia seniors—Katya Bachrouche, Claire Crippen, Hannah Davis, Kristen Moores, Anne Summer Myers, and Liz Shaw—are the most successful class in school history after capturing four ACC titles, the first class to do so.

Coach Marc Bernadino said, “History will prove this group to be one of the greatest teams that has ever competed and represented the University of Virginia.”

Men’s Tennis

Dropping to the number 2 spot, the Wahoos went on the road and defeated No. 32 Oklahoma 5-2 Friday, March 18th. Coach Brian Boland said, “I thought we competed hard in some tough conditions tonight…I was overall pleased with the effort.”

On Sunday March 20th, the tennis team continued the winning streak and won 5-2 against No. 6 Texas. The Wahoos continue their road trip as they travel to Miami on Friday.

Women’s Tennis

The 11th ranked Virginia Women dominated No. 40 Boston College on Friday afternoon, improving to 13-2.

Two days later, though, the team lost 4-3 at Maryland. This dropped the women to 13-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.

The women have No. 6 Miami on Saturday and No. 35 Florida State on Sunday.

Track and Field

Anthony Kostelack was named the ACC Men’s Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year. He becomes the second in a row for the Cavaliers, as Robby Andrews won it last year.

Information and Statistics provided by Virginiasports.com.

When I first read of a documentary being made about the history of Virginia football, to say I was surprised is an understatement. UVa football? Besides wearing coats and ties to games, there aren’t many other things that come to mind over the last century besides a lot of losing followed by somewhat consistent success. On the surface, it certainly doesn’t seem like the school to deserve any kind of recognition for its football program.

Boy was I wrong. Kevin Edds, a 1995 graduate of the University, did an incredible job piecing together the story of Virginia football, as well as a story of the birth of football in America in his film “Wahoowa: The History of Virginia Cavalier Football.”

After watching the documentary, I was completely surprised to find the pivotal role that UVa played in the foundations of American football. First brought to Charlottesville in 1887 by two Ivy League students, Virginia grabbed on to the sport with great enthusiasm immediately. Of course, in the beginning years, the sport was closer to what we now know as rugby, but UVa can be accredited with many of the fundamental changes to the game that have carried on to this day.

William Lambeth, the de-facto athletics director before there was a title for the position, created many of the rules later adopted by the NCAA, such as having four quarters instead of two halves; and he also instituted eligibility rules, making it an official rule that players on the team had to be enrolled students at the University (before then, “tramp” athletes, such as out-of-towners and staff members at the universities, were eligible to play).

At one point in the first decade of the twentieth century, after several deaths across the country from football injuries, the entire sport was in jeopardy of being abolished. If it weren’t for the heroic persuasion of our President Alderman in 1909 to the other college presidents at a NCAA meeting, the game of football would most likely not have continued on the collegiate level in the United States. He proposed that certain rules be changed to ensure the safety of the players. Alderman himself was a big fan of the sport, and understood the positive effect it had on the University community.

The documentary shows how Virginia was known universally as the “Powerhouse of the South,” the only team from the south that could compete with the Ivy League teams. As the sport grew, though, the academic stringencies hampered Virginia’s ability to consistently win on the football field. Virginia held the country’s longest losing streak at 29 games. Charlottesville became known as a coaches’ graveyard, as the Hoos experienced a 26 year period with only two winning seasons.

Enter George Welsh.

As Edds shows in the film, Welsh was the modern catalyst for success at Virginia. The documentary shows how Welsh’s tireless work ethic and discipline brought consistent winning to Virginia, as he guided them to 14 straight seasons with at least 7 wins, as well as bowl games in 10 of his last 12 years at the helm of the program. The film highlights the biggest games, including the 1990 Clemson game, the 1995 Florida State game, as well as the 1998 Virginia Tech game.

The documentary also discusses the highlights of the Groh era, and finishes with the hope for winning under London’s leadership. Throughout the film, Edds gives in-depth description of players and coaches who had great impact on the team, from “Bullet” Bill Dudley, to future greats like Anthony Poindexter and Thomas Jones.

Clocking in at 2 ½ hours, the film does a great job of covering all the important facts throughout the programs history. Anyone who is a Virginia fan, or a college football fan, can learn a great deal from this film, as Virginia played a pivotal role in the formation of the sport.

The film’s creator, Kevin Edds, has worked in television since he graduated in 1995 with degrees in Economics and also in Rhetoric & Communication Studies. He started out working with the Sports Information Department at Virginia as a student. “We did behind-the-scenes work like setting up cameras, laying down wires, etc. But I did get the chance to be Dick Vitale’s personal assistant during one game (he likes Sprite by the way), and was also able to work ESPN’s on-screen scoreboard during the 1995 upset of Florida State.” Following this job, he volunteered at a Richmond news station, and then moved on to an internship at the Discovery Channel after graduation, where he was eventually hired full-time.

After working at the Discovery Channel for 11 years, he started his own production company in 2006, Daedalus Creative. “I currently produce commercials, on-air promos, and short-form marketing elements. Most days I am either shooting interviews or b-roll for our projects or sitting in an edit suite supervising the production of our projects.”

So what made a successful producer like Edds want to do a documentary on Virginia football?

“I was inspired by what I thought were dozens of fascinating stories involving the University’s players, coaches, opponents, and administration in shaping the game of football as we know it today. Few people know how pivotal the University was in the development of this sport that is now played and followed by millions.”

Edds also has a few words for those who are interested in a career in television media. “As Milton Berle said, ‘If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.’ You’re not going to get the job of your dreams right out of college, and you may not even know what your dream job is, if it even exists yet.”

His advice: get your foot in the door any way you can. “Volunteer to work for free. Offer to help any way you can, and ask if you can just watch what goes on. No matter what field you plan on entering after graduation, you can do a lot more when you’re willing to work for free! If Milton Berle, the man known as ‘Mr. Television’ to millions of fans, had to build his own door, so can you.”

For anyone interested in purchasing the film, visit uvafootballhistory.com.

The game was a microcosm for the entire 2010 season; a ray of hope at the beginning, followed by a harsh treatment of reality the next three quarters. At the half, Tech lead 17-0, yet had produced four less offensive yards than Virginia.

A miscommunication led to a Verica interception on Virginia’s 20 yard-line and set up Tech’s first score. Two failed fourth down attempts in the second quarter, with a failed fake punt attempt and a Payne run up the middle, deflated the hopes for the few thousand UVa fans in Lane Stadium. Tech’s ability to capitalize on Virginia’s mistakes made the difference in the first half, and their superior speed and talent carried them the rest of the way in the second half.

The barrage of their extremely talented running backs in Ryan Williams, David Wilson and Darren Evans wore down the Virginia defense in the second half. Backup quarterback Michael Rocco got some minutes during the first half for Virginia, which shows that London feels Rocco has a better chance of leading Virginia to success in the future compared to Ross Metheny.

London said after the game, “the only thing we can do is continue to look forward to what type of team I envision this team to be.” The day was also an emotional one for the seniors on the team, who suited up their last time as Cavaliers on Saturday. Senior Darnell Carter said, “”I love some of the guys in here. We’re close. It hasn’t really hit me yet, but it’s starting to wear on me.”

The biggest thing that this game showed was how far ahead Virginia Tech is in the success of their football program compared to Virginia, and that it will take some time for London to be able to rival their success. This was the 7th consecutive year that Virginia Tech beat Virginia, and the first time Virginia has won only one conference game since 1982.

There is a saying that it is always darkest before dawn. Let’s hope that sun rises soon.

Courtesy of Jaryd Waegerle, Wahoo Wire

In a year of great turmoil in college football, quite possibly the most damaged school in the NCAA comes to Charlottesville on Saturday evening. North Carolina is in the midst of a heap full of suspensions, coaching resignations, and NCAA investigations that have crippled dreams of a possible ACC championship. Initially, as of Thursday afternoon, all UNC football players were banned from using Twitter during the season. Despite these let downs, the team looked pretty strong in a convincing win at Clemson last weekend, and hopes to carry that strength into Saturday’s contest with Virginia.

Virginia, on the other hand, is on a two game losing skid, with the most recent loss coming to Georgia Tech. Although the spread of the score, 21-33, looks respectable on paper, it is apparent that the team has had trouble finding an offensive rhythm in the first half of games. The ‘Hoos also have to deal with the loss of starting tight end Joe Torchia, who will be out the remainder of the season. Colter Phillips will fill in as his replacement this weekend.

If Virginia will have any chance against a speedy North Carolina squad, it will need to get back to basics on its tackling, as there were many instances in the Florida State and the Georgia Tech match-ups where the backfield just did not wrap up. Fortunately, Ras-I Dowling is back to game speed, and Chase Minnifield’s play this season has been All-ACC caliber.

In addition, quarterback Marc Verica’s game speed needs to quicken if the offense is going to have any chance of gaining positive yardage against a depleted, but fast, UNC defense. There were many instances in the Georgia Tech game where he either held on to the ball too long, which either resulted in a sack or a quarterback sneak of little gain.

North Carolina has not won in Charlottesville since 1981, which was George Welsh’s debut year. If Coach London plans on keeping the streak alive, his plan better include Keith Payne. Payne has been the driving force behind Virginia’s offensive ability, as he can make an eight yard gain out of a run that should have only been a three yard gain. Although the Georgia Tech game was a step backward, it also showed that Virginia has more offensive weapons than initially believed. Max Milien’s debut touchdown run and Matt Snyder’s receptions late in the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech show that Offensive Coordinator Bill Lazor has some other options to use, even though Torchia is lost for the season.

This will be the 115th meeting of the South’s Oldest Rivalry, dating back to 1892. North Carolina leads the series 56-54-4, although Virginia has not lost since 2005 (a dismal 7-5 decision that was played the week after Virginia knocked off a top ten Florida State team). The gametime is 6:00pm and will be broadcast on ESPN3.com.

The baseball team has a series at Duke this weekend, and looks to improve on its 36-9 record this season. The next home series is a 3-game series against North Carolina starting May 14. Virginia is currently one game behind Georgia Tech in the ACC standings. The ACC Tournament starts May 26 and is being played in Greensboro, N.C.

Courtesy of http://cdn.bleacherreport.com/

I don’t think I’ve had more fun watching our football team lose than I did the past two home games. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. What I mean is that I am disappointed in the losses, but I couldn’t be more proud of our fans on the hill that made lemonade out of lemons and started a mud slide at the Georgia Tech game, and spent their time more wisely by playing human Tetris at the Duke game.

The chaos of students’ completely disobeying authority makes me feel good inside, because it’s good to know that even students at UVa are just as immature as a six year old deep down.

The combination of the rain, the wind and Georgia Tech’s incredibly simple, yet effective, offense was too much for the defense to contain. Yes, there were a few missed calls or bad calls that hurt the team. Yes, Jameel Sewell threw many spot-on passes that were dropped in the second half. And yes, the Duke game was disheartening to watch in the final 3 minutes, but at least there was effort for most of the game.

To the football team’s defense, GT was ranked number twelve in the country heading into that game, and will most likely be in the top ten after beating Wake Forest (barely) today. And the Duke team we faced is on the verge of having a winning season for the first time since MC Hammer was relevant.

And the Miami game…well, there weren’t many positives about this one. The two blocked punts were good, and a solid outing by Rashawn Jackson was inspiring, but besides that UVa was just the slower team on the field. When the offense can’t give the defense a rest, a speedy team like Miami will run laps around anyone.

Next week is the Boston College thriller, a rivalry that spans back to the mid-2000s. Although a win against BC is vital in our chase for a national championship, we also need to keep our eye on the real prize: beating Virginia Tech. I know the game is three weeks away, but it is never too early to start hating Tech. Planning our time between now and kickoff is pivotal to our success as a fan base. Here is a list of things that will help out in the effort to set up a victory for Virginia, but more importantly a loss for Virginia Tech.

1) Do NOT give any tickets to Virginia Tech fans from your high school

2) Do NOT give any tickets to Virginia Tech fans from your family

3) Go to the game, preferably for more than the first half

Every other year it seems that 60,000 Tech fans make their way into Scott Stadium to ruin the day for us 1,500 Wahoos. It isn’t just that they cheer for our rival that makes it awful; it’s all the niceties that go along in dealing with Tech fans.

It’s their set of ATV and tractor keys that they shake in your face every third down.

It’s their primal instinct of throwing drinks all over your coat when you ask them to stop shaking the keys in your face.

It’s the jail-time you serve for punching said Tech fan in the throat after they pour ice-cold Pepsi down your back.

So, although it’s impossible to keep all Virginia Tech fans from entering the stadium (like keeping a woman out of a pair of Uggs during winter), an effort must be made to limit the damage they do to our community by just being in the Charlottesville area. We suffer enough already over breaks with the traffic their second-rate students make on I-64 when passing through to get to Richmond (And by second-rate I mean stupid. Especially the ones from Godwin).

In all honesty, though, I’m worried about this game. When there have been 20,000 seats empty for our last two home games, seats that are traditionally taken by Virginia Tech fans already, I am scared that my hyperbole of 60,000 Tech fans won’t be too far from the truth.

If you know family or friends that aren’t going to the game, make sure they give the tickets to UVa fans, or at the least University of Richmond fans (That way they can get used to the feeling of where their Head Coach will be next year). If they can’t find anyone to give their tickets to, have the tickets destroyed.

So go to the game. If you go it means that one less Virginia Tech fan is in attendance. Plus, there will be a special postgame performance by the marching band for Al Groh (and hopefully Craig Littlepaige), where they will play a rendition of Roy Rogers’ “Happy Trails.”

Be obnoxious. Be reactionary. Fight fire with fire. It’s the only way you will enjoy the game.

Come down and cheer on your fellow classmates as the team plays two rivals in UNC and Georgetown.

Head coach Tony Fischer believes a good, loud crowd helps the team. “It definitely adds to the atmosphere when we get a large student crowd, they seem to be louder and crazier, and our team responds better when the students are there.”

“We welcome all UVa hockey fans to come watch us and see what good hockey is played in the south.”

The Hoos are struggling with a 1-5 record this year so far. All the games so far have been non-conference but they want to steal a page from the football team and win against their conference foes. If they pull out a win this weekend, they will be right back in the mix of things.

The team is a UVa club sport team that plays in the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League (ACCHL) and is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey League (ACHA).

Games are at 9:40 at the Charlottesville Ice Park on the downtown mall and tickets are free for students with valid ID.

For more information and to follow the hockey team, log on to wahoohockey.com

Courtesy of happehtheory.com

“Groh’s Out, Tuberville’s In.” That was the text I sent to my dad on Wednesday.

For those that don’t know (why would you?), my parents left for Hawaii that day. The American Dental Association was holding seminars all week where only Dentistry and Related Topics were discussed. Here was the itinerary they planned:

10am: Wake up

10:15am: Go to seminars

10:22am: Drink on the beach, eat nachos

2am: Sleep

So when my parents landed in Oahu my dad texted me to let me know they were safe and sound. I was on my way to a meeting when I received his text, and after I texted him the joke, I turned my phone to silent.

After the meeting, I checked my phone to see my dad had attempted to call four times in that span and left two messages. Message one:

“This is INCREDIBLE! Almost half of our flight was UVa alum, and we’re all celebrating! Thanks for the GREAT news!”

Message two (from mom): “Chris, that was so nice of you to think to text dad about this, I’m sure this will make his trip a lot better. The plane was ecstatic when dad told everyone!”

Now, I will say, my father is no plebe when it comes to UVa sports. He’s been a long time season ticket holder, and I figured that of all people I know he would understand I was joking. Apparently not.

The fact that my dad fell for the joke is telling. Like a kid taking candy from a stranger, the fan base is desperate for any good news. Fortunately, UVa won in dramatic Al Groh fashion last weekend: tough defense and an offense that eventually wears down the defense with a heavy ground attack.

It seems no one really has a clue about how many games we will win this season. In fact, the spread on the Indiana game (I am not making this up) an actual question mark. If the defense can play as well as they did last weekend then I don’t see Indiana putting many points on the board.

Then again, if the offense falls back into its ways of giving the ball to the other team, it could be a long day in Charlottesville.

As an armchair genius, I know that there are a few critical things that the team must do in order to achieve success.
Here are the keys of the game:

1) Defensive penetration

2) Limited turnovers

3) The Cavalier NOT falling off the horse

4) People in attendance, watching

If all of these can be fulfilled, I see a Virginia victory on the horizon. Actually, I’ll just be happy if the horse doesn’t buck our mascot off his back.

Although the team this year is probably not one of the more athletic in Groh’s nine year tenure, they have improved as the season has gone on. For example, whereas in the first game we had a conservative portfolio of offensive plays, we attempted two or three downfield passes at the end of the TCU game. Then we come out of nowhere in the Southern Miss game and score double digit points in the first half alone. Then, we play at a previously ranked UNC and humbled their offense, while our offense wore down their defense.

The parallels one can draw between this season and last season are remarkable. Get crushed by a nationally ranked opponent early, play pitifully against a I-AA (FCS, whatever) team, and then go on the road and beat a ranked team. My only hope is that this season doesn’t end in the same fashion as it did a year ago.

Now I know that we all have that part of us that says “If we keep losing, then Al Groh will be fired. Let’s go Indiana!” The question is which sentiment affects us more: our frustration with Al Groh, or our devotion to our football team. There have been many times where a part of me said it was okay to root against the football team.

I know that although it would feel great to have some resolution, it does no good to go through life continuously rooting against things. That is, unless you are an Eagles fan or Pat Robertson. Respectively, they both make good lives out of whining about their team or telling you how wrong it is to have fun.

Therefore, although the team is in limbo in terms of their identity (is this too much Catholicism for a sports column?), hopefully soon they will have a consistent product on the field every Saturday. A win this weekend would be huge.

The best part about this game?

Even if we lose, we are still undefeated in conference play.

BENEDICT ARNOLD: TRAITOR EXTRAORDINAIRE; Courtesy of peoplequiz.com

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this column do not necessarily represent the views of wahoowire.com.

Can we complain? The way we lost to Southern Miss was painful the way it ended, but no Wahoo out there can be disappointed with the success of the offense.

For Al Groh to create a hybrid offense of new and old schemes in just 3 days of practice is remarkable, and he deserves praise for these efforts. Sure, we lost, but as long as there is a sign of life in our football executions we should be happy.

Since we have a bye this weekend, I will take a break from my usual routine of making snarky comments about Al Groh, because he proved me wrong by making effective adjustments and putting up a good fight against a tough team on the road. Cheers to Coach Groh.

I look forward to playing UNC next week. Being the optimist that I am, I think we’re going to win. UVa is 9-2 after a bye week with Coach Groh, so the odds are stacked in our favor for next weekend.

Fortunately, there has been another issue that has arisen in the last week that should make any honest Virginia football fan cringe.

Recently, a Cavalier Daily’s diehard, all-the-way, Wahoo-wah, orange-and-blue bleeding featured writer had an article that summarized the feelings of any Virginia fan. That is, if by Virginia fan you mean VaTech enthusiast.

The article goes on and on about how the VaTech fans are the most hospitable people at tailgates. How their team’s entrance is orgasmic. How their fans are supportive the whole way through the game and loud with their Incredibly Clever “key-play” gimmick. How easy it is to be caught in the spirit of Tech fans and rush on to the field.

…I’m sorry, I just threw up on my laptop. I have never read anything more blasphemously anti-Virginia.

Or more wrong, in many ways.

For one, there were many fans that left the game early, so there goes his assertion that they cheered extensively throughout the game.

In addition, he also claims that there were over 80,000 roaring fans. Try 66,000.

The lesson here, children, is to check your facts before you publish an article that fondles a rivals schools enthusiasm, because you don’t want to come across as a traitor AND a liar.

What this CavDaily columnist did was basically justify cheating on a spouse.

Imagine if a father approached his family the way that this columnist approaches VaTech:

Home life has been difficult the past year or so. The wife is complaining, the children are constantly crying and screaming, and there seems to be no way out. So you decide to go on a date with the young and attractive secretary. After dinner you end up having the wildest sexual experience of your life, with no desire to go back to your wife and kids.

This is what a coward does.

Just as a coward decides to drop his loyalty to his school’s football team, in the most egregious form, by rushing the field after our biggest rival’s victory. Someone who does this has no dignity; especially if he feels so proud about it he inscribes the account in his school’s newspaper. The fact that the only support that this columnist got was from Virginia Tech fans makes one suspect for whom this article was actually written.

A real fan, similar to a real father, ignores the temptation to enjoy the short-term relief of another teams’ success, and works to make his experience with his own team’s team more amicable.

A real fan realizes that he will appreciate the winning seasons in the future much more, knowing how bad things have been in the past while having still supported the team.

A real fan doesn’t go to Virginia Tech and celebrate their traditions and victory and then write an article about it to torture and anger his fellow Wahoo fans.

I realize that there are many disgruntled and discouraged Wahoos out there. It is tough to watch our in-state rival get consistently better over the years and watch our program slowly dwindle into mediocrity.
No one denies this.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean it is okay to partially jump ship to the winning team. That’s what Benedict Arnold did, and look how that turned out.

This columnist, by acknowledging his ability to be persuaded by the spirit of the enemy, has shown his true colors. No real Wahoo would rush the field at Virginia Tech, no matter how enthusiastic their sports section is.

To sum up, here’s a quote from the responses to the column, from Troy: “Great article! You’re always welcome in BLACKSBURG.”

I agree. Go back to Blacksburg.

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.