Despite setbacks, Cavaliers playing it out

It was unclear entering the season what it would take for Virginia coach Al Groh to march into the 2010 campaign.

Some guessed it would take a postseason appearance.

Others were of the opinion that the Cavaliers needed a winning record and win over rival Virginia Tech, a program that Groh is 1-7 against.

Both scenarios seem unlikely after Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) collapsed in the final four minutes en route to a 28-17 setback against Duke.

The loss gives the Cavaliers the worst mark among the programs in the league over their past 22 games, respectively, at 8-14 overall. Even Duke, a team without a bowl berth since 1995, is 9-13 during that span after upsetting Virginia for the second straight year.

Despite the woeful numbers and the apparent changes coming at the McCue Center, Virginia’s players will attempt to win for Groh and each other.

“Of course we are playing for the coaches,” Virginia running back Rashawn Jackson said. “Of course we are, but when we are on the field we are not protecting Coach Groh. We are protecting Jameel Sewell. Will Barker isn’t blocking for Coach [Dave] Borbely. He is blocking for Rashawn.

“Of course we play for our coaches. We have really good coaches, really good people and I love our coaches, but when we are on the field we have to do things for each other.”

That was the case against Duke, but 17 unanswered points in the final 3:25 left the Cavaliers winless at Scott Stadium in six of the past seven games.

“[The coaches] call the plays and we execute them. Unfortunately, we didn’t execute to my expectation or to anyone’s expectation on the offense,” Jackson said. “Now we find ourself in a hole. I really feel like we should have won this game.

“I feel like we should have won a lot of these games that we lost, but not to harp on the past so I am ready for [practice] and ready for Miami.”

The mindset heading to Miami for Saturday’s game, which starts at noon, will be monitored, as it is throughout the season, Groh said.

“I am always concerned about the players’ frame of mind regardless what the outcome is,” he said. “That’s the most significant factor in being ready for the next week. This is one that I am sure that we are all disappointed in.

“We did some things, with all due credit to Duke, they made plays and they deserve credit for doing that. By the same token, I think from our side we can say we did some things to give the game away.”

Groh said he felt as he does after every defeat: “hurt from losing.”

“We put a lot into this,” he added. “[We] put everything we got into it. When you get nothing back in return it is a haunting feeling.”

Apparently, that was what the masses that attended the contest felt. The smallest crowd in a decade left in near unison after Duke took a 25-17 in the fourth quarter.

The players noticed.

“This is UVa. This isn’t Michigan or LSU or Tennessee or Virginia Tech. Fans here aren’t that patient,” Jackson said. “It is natural, I guess it is human nature sometimes when things aren’t looking good to kind of … I don’t want to say tuck your tail, but just to turn your back. What really stuck out to me was fans screaming on the sidelines, ‘Rashawn, UVa, Go Hoos, we love you [and] we are here for you.’

“Those were the guys who make this loss feel even worse, because they were really hanging in there for us and they were really giving us their all. I appreciate that effort. I appreciate those fans and those people who stayed and finished watching the game. I was disappointed I couldn’t help those people’s weekend go a little bit smoother. Hopefully, they aren’t getting bugged about it at work on Monday. I am sure that some of them might and that is even more disappointing. There is nothing I can do about it now and it is all in the past. I have to focus on tomorrow and have to focus on Miami.”