After suffering an embarrassing 23-3 loss to Wyoming last weekend, Virginia head coach Al Groh was disappointed in the team's performance considering he returned 18 starters from a year ago.
Al Groh. Meet Ted Roof.
Roof's Blue Devils were trounced 45-14 by a mediocre Connecticut team last Saturday despite returning his entire offensive squad from the 2006 campaign. But if Duke blew its best opportunity for a win last weekend, then Virginia might just be the second chance the Blue Devils desperately need.
When the two teams take the field Saturday, though, they may be shocked to see just how alike they are.
"I'm sure they are a team that has much the same mindset as our team does right now," Groh said.
Virginia's offense currently operates around its athletic yet inconsistent quarterback, Jameel Sewell, who established himself as the team's starter as a true freshman last year with his performance against Duke. Even with a year under his belt, Sewell stumbled out of the gate against Wyoming, passing for just 87 yards on 23 attempts with two interceptions. True freshman Peter Lalich entered the game late in the second half and should be expected to play against Duke if Sewell continues to struggle.
At his weekly press conference, Groh compared his quarterback situation to that of last year's Florida team with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow.
"There's a little bit of a reverse," he said. "In our particular case here, the incoming player (Lalich) has had more background and made his mark in throwing the ball. Jameel has demonstrated on occasion his ability to be effective as a runner. I'm not saying we have fallen into that type of cycle, but it presents that possibility."
Groh will have to explore all his options if he hopes to remedy an offense that mustered just 103 total yards-including negative-three rushing yards-against the Cowboys. Sewell's scrambling capabilities may cause some concern for the Blue Devils, who once again showed their weakness against quick quarterbacks when Connecticut's Tyler Lorenzen threw for 298 yards and completed nearly 70 percent of his passes by rolling out of the pocket.
On defense, Virginia probably considers itself lucky Wyoming only scored 23 points. The Cowboys tallied 253 yards through the air and added another 199 on the ground, yet somehow only scored two touchdowns.
This should be good news for Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, who is also looking to re-establish himself after a dismal start last week. Considering the Blue Devils' recent problems with their offensive line, though, Lewis will have to watch out for a Virginia defense that managed three sacks against Wyoming.
In many respects, these two teams are mirror images of each other. Both squads gave up huge yardage totals and gained very little in their opening contests, and both coaches said eerily similar things in their postgame press conferences. The only difference is that Virginia has grown more accustomed to winning over the last few seasons, including last year's 37-0 lambasting of Duke.
At the risk of losing to the Blue Devils for the first time since 2000, the Cavaliers will attempt to turn things around and send Duke home to its 22nd consecutive loss.
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