University of Virginia Library

Long Grid Season Ends

Sports Analysis

By Hugh Antrim
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Virginia people have a
way of accepting victory
reluctantly, but once having
convinced themselves that
prosperity can indeed exist, are
completely confused when stung by
defeat.

For so long the Wahoos ran on
and off the field with an incredible
lack of success. Feature that 0-29
losing streak not too many years
into the past. Then feast the mind
on the brilliance of last season's 7-3
mark, and the excitement of the
Quayle, Arnette, Anderson
machinery.

It's really no wonder that after
four weeks of the season, when the
Cavaliers were 3-1, many of us
expected some kind of '68 repeat.
North Carolina State blasted that
myth right out of Scott Stadium all
the way up to Annapolis and the
supposedly harmless Naval
Academy.

There's really no need to go to
enumerate the mistakes, mental and
physical, that became a part of
Virginia football. Those details are
only good for witchcraft manuals.
All kinds of accusations could be
leveled at the football team for
these humiliating and continuous
errors, but a quick glance at the
deceiving statistics reveals that
Virginia must have had some
football team playing football after
all.

Prior to the Maryland encounter
Virginia was still leading the ACC in
total defense and had managed to
hold on to a third place ranking in
total offense - a fairly interesting
testimony to the cellar dwellers.

It's the psychology of the thing
that is intriguing. After a 7-3
performance, the 3-7 performance
(with only four touchdowns in the
last six games) is confusing, plainly
bewildering. One can always refer
the misery to the coaching staff,
the players' attitude, or the
increasing pressure and competition
of ACC football - but, well, that
ploy is as effective as one's own
rhetorical powers make it. And the
misery seems to persist, and one is
yet confused by the facts.