For Hall Simmons, a relative unknown to those outside of the Virginia football program, actions speak louder than words.

Instead of assembling in their normal fashion, nearly every player inside Virginia’s locker room huddled just a few feet away from Cedric Peerman on Saturday to offer support.

It took Virginia over a month and back-to-back victories over ranked opponents to climb into first place in the ACC’s Coastal Division.

Certainly, there have been many factors in Virginia’s reversal of fortunes on the football field over the past month: a quarterback who gets it, a tough-minded defense, the return of Cedric Peerman and Kevin Ogletree’s ability to stretch opposing defenses, just to name a few. One that is often overlooked is the steady improvement of the offensive line.

Dedrick Epps could have done a double-take.

For now, the villagers have put away their torches and pitchforks. It isn’t Al Groh’s head they want, but rather the continuance of Virginia’s current four-game winning streak.

Miami will get its shot at revenge on Saturday — the Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2 ACC) invade Scott Stadium at noon with hopes of upending Virginia (5-3, 2-1) and jumbling the league’s Coastal Division standings even further.

Having lost his starting spot to a younger, less experienced player, Nate Collins had every reason to hang his head.

Virginia offensive coordinator Mike Groh learned a long time ago, that when in doubt, hand the ball to Cedric Peerman.

While UVa defensive backs had a few hiccups in the first half, the unit came up huge when it really counted.

The more Virginia wins, the more accolades come the Cavaliers’ way. While channel surfing the past few nights, I couldn’t help but notice all the warm comments directed toward UVa football coach Al Groh.

After salvaging its season with a three-game win streak at home, Virginia (4-3, 2-1 ACC) is suddenly a player in the conference race — for now.

For Georgia Tech wide receiver Correy Earls, it seemed as though the moment would never end.

A simple message scripted in block letters on both forearms of Virginia linebacker Darren Childs unravel a tale of survival and success when combined that was magnified Saturday during an improbable 10-tackle performance in the Cavaliers’ 16-13 overtime win over North Carolina.

A pair of true freshmen who played a major role in Virginia’s win over North Carolina could have easily been standing on the sidelines at other schools if not for their respective gut feelings.