Virginia Gets Overdue Big Defensive Play

His hands were wet and the night was unseasonably cold, so all Virginia defensive end Nate Collins could think when the ball floated in the air was to make sure he had a firm grip. He had nothing but empty bleachers in front of him and the opportunity to give the Cavaliers the lead in Saturday's game over Maryland, so long as he caught the ball out of the rainy sky over Byrd Stadium.

"I just wasn't giving that up," Collins said after Virginia's 20-9 victory. "That's a D-lineman's dream. With the way it happened to me -- just to fall into my lap like that -- there's no way I could live with myself if I fumbled that, if I let go of the ball."

It was the play Virginia waited for all season, if only because it was not supplied by the offense. Throughout a tumultuous offseason, Coach Al Groh insisted the team needed more game-changing plays -- specifically, more touchdowns by groups other than the offense.

Five games had elapsed, and Virginia had not recorded a non-offensive touchdown. But late in the third quarter in the season's sixth game, when the offense appeared unable to reach the end zone on its own, the defense finally answered Groh's call.

Maryland quarterback Chris Turner dropped back on second and 10 at the Terrapins 38-yard line, but linebacker Darren Childs deflected his pass. The ball fell into the hands of Collins, who returned it 32 yards to the end zone and gave Virginia the lead in its third consecutive win -- and a spot atop the ACC Coastal Division.

It was the first touchdown during an evening when both offenses struggled. Virginia recorded two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. The Cavaliers forced two other fumbles. They have now forced 14 turnovers in six games, and it was a matter of time that one finished with a touchdown.

"From Day One at training camp, Coach Groh really emphasized that to be a better team, we got to score non-offensive touchdowns," linebacker Steve Greer said. "So it's really big for Nate to make a play like that."

Childs came through on a blitz as part of a scheme devised for that particular situation. Childs was able to deflect the pass, and Collins -- a former high school tailback and quarterback -- showed previously unseen speed getting to the end zone.

"That was player execution. We ran the scheme as it was designed, Darren tipped the ball, Nate was where he's supposed to be," Groh said. "Sure, there is some good fortune involved in those. But we thought there were some opportunities in the turnover area tonight, and they were certainly as big a factor as anything. They stopped some drives, they gave us some field position. Those were pretty big factors in the game."

Collins said the defensive linemen occasionally take part in catching drills. Defensive line coach Chad Wilt tells his players to hold the ball high and tight when they do gain possession, and Collins actually worried about what Wilt will say because he admitted he did not hold the ball like he was taught.

Wilt will likely forgive him, considering the result. The other defensive players took notice, too, laughing at the thought of the 290-pound bowling ball dashing for the score.

"He's faster than I thought he was," Childs said.

The defensive score was especially important on Saturday, because the offense struggled through most of the game. The weather prompted Groh to focus on power running and field position. Starting running back Mikell Simpson sat out with a neck injury, so the Cavaliers turned to fullback Rashawn Jackson, who rushed for 90 yards on 19 carries and ran in the game's final touchdown. It was the fifth-year senior's first career rushing touchdown.

Virginia totaled only 201 offensive yards and was forced to punt nine times. The Cavaliers needed to play the fourth quarter without quarterback Jameel Sewell, who suffered a sprained right ankle.

But Virginia's defense did not need a big lead. It has allowed only one touchdown in three games, and that score came when Virginia had already inserted many of its second-team players in a blowout against Indiana.

Although the defense lacks some of the big names it featured in past seasons, Groh said the group has bought into the schemes. He mentioned that the team's most publicized players are cornerbacks Ras-I Dowling and Chris Cook, but the defensive backs are not in every play like the front seven, which has emerged despite their inexperience.

Those defensive backs often would argue about who would score first. They could not have expected a defensive linemen would claim bragging rights.

"For now," Cook responded, his way of predicting continued success for the Cavaliers' defense.