At Virginia, Groh must go

By Lee Roberts  |   Thursday, October 02, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Virginia Cavaliers
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

When Al Groh came to the University of Virginia in 2001, he promised championships for its football program. Now he’s the head coach of the worst team in the Atlantic Coastal Conference. Despite a recent contract extension, UVA needs to make a change if it expects to compete in the ACC in the near future.

Commentary: While UVA doesn’t have the unreasonable expectations that Tommy Bowden does at Clemson, the administration, fans and players alike all expect more than Groh has produced this year.

Even before last season, fans were singing the “Groh Must Go” chant despite the fact UVA had two first-round draft picks on the roster and ended up winning nine games, including a 48-0 victory over Miami in the Orange Bowl. Of course, a loss to rival Virginia Tech, coupled with blowing a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead to Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl, caused the choir to start back up.

With the loss of Chris Long and Brandon Albert to the NFL, and several other players to legal or academic issues, UVA is terrible. The Cavaliers are last in scoring offense and defense in the ACC. Further, according to the ACC’s official Web site, UVA is 10th or worse in 18 different statistical categories -- including total offense, total defense, turnover margin, first downs, third-down conversions and even point-after kicking percentage. That’s a recipe for disaster and telltale signs that a team has given up on its coach.

This week, UVA takes on the hottest team in the ACC, Maryland. Considering UVA lost 31-3 to Duke coming off a bye week, there don’t appear to be any winnable games left on the schedule. I’m not the athletic director at UVA, but a 1-11 season would be enough to make a change for me.

Fan Pulse: UVA loyalists are ready for a new head coach, but opposing fans seem to be enjoying the Al Groh era.

Injury Watch: No significant injuries for the Cavs this week.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (1)

About Lee Roberts

Born in Richmond, Va, I moved south to UNC-Chapel Hill for college and received a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. I currently live in Charlotte, NC and cover Auburn, LSU and the ...
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report