Hobbled Covington bides his time

By Jay Jenkins

Published: October 1, 2008

His nickname seems a tad off, given his stature.

His game has been off, as well, but a good explanation exists for that.

Maurice Covington, affectionately called “Slim” by his teammates despite his 230-pound frame, has struggled to get on track in his final campaign as a Virginia Cavalier.

The senior wide receiver from Durham, N.C., has amassed only 58 receiving yards on six receptions.

Yet Covington has not — at least to date — played a contest near 100 percent.

“Early on in training camp, he had hip flexor issues,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “Maurice had a great summer. He was clearly very dedicated to making this a great season for himself and then he ended with hip flexor problems.

“That took something away from him and then in one of the scrimmages somebody in a pile fell on the back of his ankle. He got a high-ankle sprain which continues to aggravate him and sometimes gets riled up.”

Covington has been injured before. Last year, in the season’s third game, the 6-foot-4 wideout broke a bone in his hand and was held out of four games. He still managed to collect 21 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns.

His current injury situation, while not to the same degree, has reminded Groh of how unique Covington and sidelined running back Cedric Peerman remain to his program during adverse times.

“They are two kids that have been in it right from the start and have their heart with the team and in their last season they really want to do something and do something for the team,” Groh said. “Maurice is playing at probably less than what he expected to be able to play at this point in the season. Cedric isn’t playing right now.

“It’s hard on those kids and it tugs at your heart a little bit to see it.”

Covington remains hopeful that his best days at Virginia await him. That did not, however, ease the pain of losing to Duke, a program that plays just miles from his childhood home.

In fact, Covington had over 30 friends and family members at Saturday’s 31-3 loss.

“It definitely was a rough [homecoming],” he said. “I definitely wanted to give all my friends and family a good little show. I have been here four years on this team and they are ready to see me do something for this team.

“Things haven’t been going my way at all, but that’s the way the world goes sometimes. That’s life and you have to get over it.”

In addition to parallels that Groh drew with Peerman’s situation, Covington said his inability to contribute more on a losing team compares in some degree to the situation former wideout Fontel Mines faced in his final season in 2006.

That year, Mines expected to be one of the team’s most active pass-catching options, but hauled in 11 passes for just 99 yards and did not score as Virginia opened the season 1-3.

As has been the case this year, Virginia’s offense struggled out of the gate as quarterbacks were rotated in service. The Cavaliers scored four touchdowns and kicked five field goals in their first four games in ’06.

Covington thought the current offensive woes were starting to be addressed in the first half against Duke. Quarterback Marc Verica led UVa into Duke territory on each of the Cavaliers’ first three drives.

“I felt real good about the first half,” Covington said. “Even though we didn’t put too many points on the board I felt good about the offense. The defense was getting stops and I felt like in the second half we would get going again.

“It didn’t happen that way and I am very disappointed in the outcome.”

Covington certainly has the confidence of his quarterback.

“Slim’s a tremendous player and he is a tremendous leader on this team,” Verica said. “I know the kind of player that he can be and I know that we will see him make plays.”

Verica’s trust was evidenced by his attempt to stretch the field in the first half with a deep pass pattern to Covington. But as the ball approached Covington in the end zone, a Duke defender made premature contact with Virginia’s wideout, drawing a 15-yard pass interference penalty.

“I definitely thought I had one right there, but he kind of grabbed me and fell on me at the end,” Covington said. “It happens that way.”

Like the events of 2006, Covington said he and his fellow seniors would not quit on the season. He knows, however, that the 2006 team did rebound fast enough to qualify to the postseason, finishing the campaign at 5-7.

To become bowl eligible this year, Virginia must win five of its final eight games, a stretch that includes road games against a pair of ranked opponents (Virginia Tech and Wake Forest).

“We definitely have to pick it up fast. Getting beat at Duke was a big loss,” Covington said. “We have Maryland coming in and we have to play 100 times better than we did this week.

“We have a lot of seniors who will take control of the team. The seniors are not going to let this team fall back any further. The leadership is going to play a big factor on our team progressing.”