Down 6-0 late in the first quarter, things could have snowballed on Virginia’s football team Saturday.

Last week was one of the bittersweet experiences of Marc Verica’s young life.

Don’t expect to see East Carolina football coach Skip Holtz calling in to ESPN’s “Dr. Lou” segment any time soon. That’s where coaches and players call in to see the advice of “Dr. Lou,” who in reality is former coaching great Lou Holtz, who just happens to be Skip’s father.

It was no coincidence that the revival of Virginia’s offense on Saturday night coincided with a resurgence of the Cavaliers’ running game in a stunning 31-0 pummeling of Maryland.

Kevin Ogletree was sitting around chewing the fat with a bunch of sportswriters the other day when he recollected all of the Virginia quarterbacks that had thrown him a pass during his career.

With turmoil swirling around Groh after the Cavaliers’ 1-3 start, fans are looking for reasons as to why the program is struggling in the coach’s eighth year on the job.

Virginia’s football season threatened to burst at the seams on Saturday when the Cavaliers committed the ACC’s version of the unforgivable sin. They lost to Duke.

There seems to be an attempt on Tobacco Road to rekindle the football rivalry between Virginia and Duke, two desperate teams that clash today at high noon in Durham.

A year ago, Marc Verica was buried on Virginia’s quarterback depth chart. He was fourth behind then-starter Jameel Sewell, true freshman backup Peter Lalich and senior Scott Deke.

After all of the hullabaloo, it really didn’t matter who suited up at quarterback for Virginia on Saturday night against Connecticut. Johnny Unitas could have been taking the snaps and the Cavaliers would have still been under whelming.

Didn’t take long for Al Groh to sum up the challenge in traveling to Connecticut for this Saturday’s game against the Huskies. All the Virginia coach had to do was remember back to last year’s 17-16 win over UConn in Scott Stadium.

When Virginia designated Saturday’s football date with Richmond as its “retro game,” the Cavaliers weren’t counting on having to rely on winning in the same fashion as last year.

One hundred and twenty years of Virginia football and only one Cavalier team managed to win 10 games in one season: the 1989 squad.

It didn’t take long for the naysayers to come out of the woodwork and declare the 2008 Virginia football season officially over.

Lalich, the golden arm from West Springfield High School, the kid who was groomed to be a passing quarterback from early on, launched his ownership of the Virginia quarterback job under the sternest test on Saturday. Southern California’s veteran defense threw everything it had at the young right-hander and he survived.

In perhaps the biggest home opener in nearly a quarter of a century, the nation’s best football program over the past six years will bring a national spotlight to Charlottesville. While the oddsmakers and the naysayers don’t give Groh’s Cavaliers a snowball’s chance, don’t tell the Wahoos.

Last year was a good time to be Dave Borbely, in his second season as Virginia’s offensive line coach. From stem to stern, he had veteran linemen at every spot, including first-round NFL draft choice Branden Albert at guard. That was last year.

Point is, football is a lot more fun when teams are competing against the best and that’s what this Saturday is all about. Southern California, the best college football program in the country this decade, comes to town for a 3:30 p.m. showdown with Al Groh’s Wahoos.

Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson combined last season for 1,155 yards rushing, 501 yards receiving, 15 touchdowns and a whole lot of headaches for defensive coordinators. 

A nose tackle can play a perfect game and almost no one would know —there’s not a lot of glory tossed their way.

Don’t expect any long-winded conversations with Virginia starting cornerback Ras-I Dowling. If a question can be answered in 20 words, Ras-I can do it in 10.

John Swofford said Tuesday morning that if some think the ACC has a post-expansion image problem, he doesn’t share that opinion.

When Clemson rewarded Tommy Bowden with a lucrative contract during the winter, expectations soared as high as his new salary. Bowden had flirted with an offer from Arkansas until Clemson opened its coffers.

After the grades from the first semester were compiled, Sewell was placed on an academic suspension for the next two consecutive semesters, meaning he would miss spring practice and this coming season. So, Groh and his staff were forced to find another quarterback and return to a different style of play.

Grove went out like a champion, made the birdie for a final round of 1-under par 69 and a two-shot victory with a three-day total of 3-under 207.

The city championship has been the most unpredictable of all the local major tournaments over the past two decades.

If you’re wondering why Virginia was eager to host the NBA Top 100 Camp the past two years, look no further than Sylven Landesberg.

Brian Skatell has a story to tell, and he has his fingers crossed that The Golf Channel’s “Big Break” series will be the avenue.

Thirty-one golf balls sailed simultaneously down the 14th fairway at Farmington Country Club, each a memory of the late Bill Battle and what he meant to those assembled to celebrate his life.

The good doctor served not only the University of Virginia’s athletic teams and the general community here over that span, but also made regular trips to William & Mary, Richmond, VMI, even what was then Ferrum Junior College many moons ago. He would travel the state helping high school and college athletes recover from serious injuries suffered in their respective sports.