Wrapping up Clemson at Virginia
Michael Phillips
Nov 21, 2009
CLEMSON, S.C. – With nothing left to lose, U.Va. emptied the playbook and enjoyed some of its biggest gains of the season.
But like everything else this year, the momentum came crashing down. Mikell Simpson was injured, Jameel Sewell was sacked six times in the fourth quarter, and Virginia’s players walked off the field behind police escort as Clemson’s fans stormed the field to celebrate a division title.
Tigers 34, Cavaliers 21. A five-game losing streak continues.
“Some guys stepped up and made some plays,” coach Al Groh said. “But unfortunately we had some mistakes against a team that clearly can now be called championship-caliber.”
This performance wasn’t about Groh trying to save his job – that ship has sailed – but instead about a last-gasp effort from an offense that has limped through the season trying any number of different looks, none with success.
That changed in the first half when Simpson, who didn’t get a single carry a week ago, came out in the Wildcat formation as Sewell shifted over to receiver. Simpson had the act down as he glanced at his wristband, called the plays and quarterbacked the offense to an early touchdown drive.
“When I’m back there at quarterback, I’m like a little kid just back there having fun,” Simpson said. “We’ve been practicing it for a couple weeks, and we had nothing to lose, so we brought it out today.”
It was a shocking performance from an offense that has seemed incapable of scoring touchdowns against ACC competition.
Groh followed up the Wildcat with his best Boise State impression, having Sewell toss the ball to Vic Hall, who tossed it back, then following that up with a reverse that ended with Hall throwing a touchdown strike to a wide-open Joe Torchia after some misdirection.
“Whatever it took, we were going to do it,” Sewell said.
But the Cavs old nemeses were lurking – injuries, turnovers and special teams miscues.
At the end of the first half, Simpson made a diving catch in the end zone to cut Clemson’s lead to three, but it was his last play at full strength.
“When I stretched out to catch it, I felt a pop in my right hamstring,” he said. “Then I tried to come out for the second half and tried to run up and down and couldn’t accelerate.”
That forced the Cavs to use freshman Perry Jones, who finished with seven yards on five carries.
Turnovers also cost Virginia, as three times in the half Clemson started on the Wahoos side of the field, two of those because of fumbles. The defense, working with short fields, was scrambling to adjust to the speed of the game.
“We had a couple miscommunications that hurt us in the first half,” linebacker Denzel Burrell said. “As the game went on, we got settled in with the plays.”
The Tigers were particularly interested in boosting the Heisman candidacy of senior running back C.J. Spiller, who scored a touchdown in addition to 58 yards rushing, 39 receiving and 17 on punt returns.
Still, his numbers were eclipsed by quarterback Kyle Parker, who completed 19 of 26 and threw for two touchdowns to help the Tigers keep pace in the first half.
His top target was Jacoby Ford, who tallied 106 yards, several of them on plays that made him look like the Heisman contender – though if the trophy was given based on performances against U.Va. this year, they’d have to find a bigger ballroom in New York.
Finally, Virginia’s special teams also found itself vulnerable to mistakes, as on three consecutive kickoffs returner Chase Minnifield did not catch the ball – twice bobbling it, and once watching it hit his foot.
Those mistakes weren’t the end of Virginia – the Cavs were down two scores or less for the entire second half. But Clemson started building momentum, Hall struggled in the Wildcat, and the possibilities for a comeback kept getting slimmer.
“You’re going to make mistakes in the game,” safety Corey Mosley said. “Good teams overcome those plays, and find a way to get the win, because in the end, that’s all that matters.”
U.Va. Notebook:
O-line fades late:
Midway through the fourth quarter, Virginia got the ball and quarterback Jameel Sewell (Hermitage) threw a 38-yard strike to Perry Jones. It was the first offensive spark of the half, and it looked like the Cavs might mount a comeback attempt.
Instead, Sewell was sacked by Rennie Moore, Jones ran for a loss of a yard, and Kavell Conner (Manchester) pummeled Sewell on third down. A personal foul penalty extended the drive, but the damage was done.
The talk all season has been about U.Va.’s defense being on the field for too long, but yesterday it was the offensive line that struggled late in the 34-21 loss.
“All runners look the same when there’s no hole,” coach Al Groh said. “They did a better job along the line of scrimmage, controlling the line of scrimmage.”
Sewell took the brunt of the punishment in the fourth, getting sacked six times in the quarter.
“The pass rusher beat the pass blocker,” Groh said. “Sometimes it’s just that simple.”
True freshman Oday Aboushi came into the game to provide relief late – he had played previously this season.
Conner, who said was told by Virginia he wasn’t fast enough to play running back, made a season-high 15 tackles.
Injuries take their toll:
Running back and Wildcat ringleader Mikell Simpson injured his hamstring and was unable to return. He previously missed time this season with a neck injury.
On the defensive line, Nate Collins had his left shoulder iced down after the game, but said he’d be available to play next week. Linebacker Darren Childs was also seen limping off the field after the game.
Reloading for Tech:
The Cavs now find themselves on a five-game losing streak with one opponent remaining – Virginia Tech. A sellout crowd at Scott Stadium Saturday is unlikely to be exclusively orange and blue, but the Virginia players say they’re not going to go out silently.
“I’m glad everyone is still fighting and playing and not giving up,” Collins said. “We’re going into this last game full-throttle and trying to get the win. Nobody on our team has beaten Tech, so this is a big deal to us.”
Groh has beaten the Hokies only once in his nine-year tenure.
Containing Spiller:
For the second-consecutive year, Virginia managed to keep the Clemson ground game and running back C.J. Spiller in check.
The Tigers finished with 138 yards rushing on 29 carries.
“It wasn’t really about containing Spiller,” linebacker Denzel Burrell said. “It was just about making sure there weren’t any creases to run in. We kept a lot of the same game plan from last year.”
Spiller did find his way into the end zone in the second quarter, and is the only player in the FBS who has scored in every game this season.
He also set the ACC single-season record for all-purpose yardage. His 2,066 yards this year have eclipsed the 2,054 that Virginia’s Thomas Jones picked up in 1994.
Extra points:
-Sewell jumped two spots, to third, on the all-time passing list at U.Va. His 5,246 passing yards are more than Aaron Brooks’ 5,118 and Scott Gardner’s 5,218.
-After fumbling just twice in his collegiate career, Mikell Simpson dropped the ball near the end of the second half, marking his third fumble in 380 collegiate carries.
-Still suffering from a concussion, quarterback Marc Verica did not travel to Clemson with the team. True freshman Ross Metheny made the trip instead, but did not play. If he does not play against Virginia Tech, which is all but assured, he will redshirt the season and enter next year as a freshman.
-Clemson coach Dabo Sweeney turned 40 years old on Saturday, and was serenaded by the crowd in the fourth quarter.
For starters: On the Cavs first play, Jameel Sewell hands off to Rashawn Jackson, but the exchange is botched, and Jackson bobbles the ball until being hit, at which point he loses the ball and Clemson’s Brandon Maye recovers. But the Tigers did not capitalize, as they opted to go for it on fourth and 2 from inside the red zone, and quarterback Kyle Parker ran from a shotgun formation. He was pushed out of bounds short of the first down.
Turning point: With two minutes remaining in the half, Mikell Simpson fumbled in Virginia territory, setting the Tigers up to take a two-score lead.
Star of the game: After not playing last week despite being healthy, Mikell Simpson showed the glimpses of potential he has flashed his entire career, and ran the Wildcat offense effectively.
Big picture: Virginia needs a victory next week against Virginia Tech to avoid losing six straight games, something that hasn’t happened since 1981.
Go figure: 0 – second half points, after Virginia scored 21 in the first half.
Next: Virginia plays host to Virginia Tech Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. game that will be televised by ESPN. The game is sold out.
Scoring summary:
First Quarter
Clemson—Allen 16 pass from Parker (Jackson kick). Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 1:38. Key play: Virginia’s punt unit again fails to wrap up tackles as Jacoby Ford shakes off three of them on a 22-yard return that sets up the Tigers scoring drive.
Virginia—Sewell 6 run (Jarrett kick). Drive: 6 plays, 45 yards, 3:27. Key play: With Clemson sold on the wildcat formation, Jameel Sewell returns to his position as quarterback, fakes a handoff to Mikell Simpson, and jogs in for an easy score.
Second Quarter
Clemson—Spiller 4 run (Jackson kick). Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 2:45. Key play: The passing game is so successful that the Tigers have no reason to deviate from it, but they still find a way to get Heisman candidate C.J. Spiller involved by throwing him a pass and letting him gain 26 yards to set up his touchdown run.
Virginia—Torchia 5 pass from Hall (Jarrett kick). Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 3:40. Key play: Sewell takes off left, then hands the ball reverse-style to Vic Hall, running right, who throws a pass to a wide-open Joe Torchia. It’s the second trick play of the drive as Virginia pulls out all the stops.
Clemson—Jackson 21 FG. Drive: 13 plays, 57 yards, 6:12. Key play: Virginia apparently does not have a monopoly on trick plays, as Ford takes the ball on a reverse and bolts 16 yards for a first down inside the 10.
Clemson—Ford 24 pass from Parker (Jackson kick). Drive: 3 plays, 24 yards, 0:18. Key play: The normally reliable Mikell Simpson fumbles as he’s hit by Brandon Maye, and Clemson’s Chris Chancellor grabs the ball to give the Tigers outstanding field position.
Virginia—Simpson 23 pass from Sewell (Jarrett kick). Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 1:52. Key play: Despite having only eight seconds left on the clock, Sewell takes his time scrambling, throws a long, arching pass to Simpson, and watches him catch it in the end zone as time expires on the half.
Third Quarter
Clemson—Ellington 5 run (Jackson kick). Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:50. Key play: Xavier Dye makes a sideline catch on third down to extend the drive. On review, the 13-yard reception was upheld despite evidence that he may not have had his foot inbounds when he made the catch.
Clemson—Jackson 24 FG. Drive: 9 plays, 34 yards, 4:31. Key play: Returning the punt that set up the drive, senior C.J. Spiller set the ACC single-season record for all-purpose yards, which was previously held by Thomas Jones of Virginia from his 1999 season.
Grading the three keys:
Contain Spiller: C.J. Spiller’s Heisman hopes probably didn’t get a considerable bump from yesterday’s performance, as the Tigers quickly realized the way to victory was in the air. Spiller grinded out a strong performance, but had his biggest contributions as a receiver. In the end, this was somewhat of a moot point, as Clemson was so successful passing that it didn’t have much need for a power run game. Grade: C.
Quiet the crowd: A fourth-down stop after giving Clemson the ball practically in the red zone was enough to stun the Memorial Stadium crowd, but 24 first-half points brought everybody right back to their feet. It wasn’t a full house, but the 77,000 in attendance were the most that will see a Virginia game this year. When Jameel Sewell was sacked to start the fourth quarter, the building started shaking. One of the ACC’s top venues certainly delivered for its team. Grade: D.
Get Jackson rolling: Virginia did nothing but try to get Rashawn Jackson rolling in the first quarter, as the Cavaliers didn’t throw a pass. But while he had a strong showing, it was ultimately Mikell Simpson’s rendition of the Wildcat offense that lit the offensive spark for the Cavs. Jackson finished with 29 yards, and was mostly unheard from after the first quarter. Grade: C.
Game story, notebook and quick hits
