Sewell keeps UVa close

CHARLOTTESVILLE — A team that started the season with too many quarterbacks suddenly found itself with none on Wednesday.

Only a gutsy effort by Jameel Sewell, who wasn’t supposed to play, kept Virginia in Saturday’s game. Ultimately, he fell two inches short on a fourth-down play, Boston College’s Dave Shinskie picked up those inches on his fourth-down run, and the Eagles prevailed with a 14-10 victory in a battle of equals.

“I feel bad for the players,” coach Al Groh said. “A total of six inches, that was the difference between the two teams.”

Sewell hadn’t practiced in nearly two weeks when Marc Verica came in Wednesday night with a concussion. Sewell took as much practice as he could on Thursday, and steeled himself to play.

The team’s only other options were freshman Riko Smalls, who isn’t yet ready, and Vic Hall, who has since been moved to wide receiver.

“I knew I had to play,” Sewell said. “If they needed me last weekend, I was going to go — if something was to happen to Marc.”

Verica was listed as “questionable” on the team’s injury report, but had been ruled out by the medical staff. If Verica hadn’t injured himself Wednesday, Sewell would have sat out the game.

From the beginning, the game was one of close calls. Kicker Robert Randolph missed a 47-yard field goal wide right, coming back out at halftime to nail the same kick in a practice situation.

Vic Hall ran a punt back for a touchdown — only to have it negated by a block in the back away from the play.

And perhaps most agonizingly, Sewell didn’t get the spot he was looking for during the two-minute drill.

With the Hoos down 14-10, he methodically led the team down the field, ultimately facing a fourth-and-1 from the Eagles 12-yard line. The play call was a pass, but Sewell’s receiver was covered and he took off running. The first line judge came in and spotted the ball, then another came in and moved it back just a couple of inches — which proved to be enough to end the game.

“That’s pretty much why I was upset,” Sewell said. After the game, he apologized for yelling at the officials, though they didn’t call a penalty on his heat-of-the-moment passion.

Like Randolph’s kick, the two-minute drill could have ended differently. In practice on Friday, the same play series netted a touchdown against the Virginia defense.

Boston College picked up its last touchdown as a matter of inches as well. Twice on the Eagles drive, they opted to go for it on a fourth-and-inches situation. The second time was on the goal line, and Shinskie barely snapped the ball before the play clock expired, then fell in for the score.

“We didn’t have a quarterback sneak on our wristbands,” Shinskie said of the delay in calling the play. “So we had to hurry up and get the play off, and I just went straight ahead then rolled to the side.”

That touchdown was the difference maker, and just like that two seemingly even teams moved to opposite records — BC at 7-3, Virginia at 3-7. The Cavs will not make a bowl game this season.

“To lose like that is heartbreaking,” linebacker Billy Schautz said. “But we’re going to try to get these last two games.”

Virginia’s defense seems to have found its groove, as emphasized by a Chris Cook interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter, which included a long, winding runback. Save for a lack of quarterback pressure, the unit did enough to keep the team competitive down the stretch.

Groh kept his usual calm demeanor after the game with the team — emphasized the positives, and how much the team had grown.

Despite the lack of scoring from the offense, he said the game had played out in a way that gave the Cavs an opportunity to win, and he vowed not to let the emotion of a close loss get in the way of his positive thoughts for the players.

“In the long run,” Groh acknowledged, “our life is based on what the scoreboard said.”

Phillips is a staff writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.