MIAMI | The last time Virginia coach Al Groh was on the sideline in South Florida, his Cavaliers ended Miami’s era at the Orange Bowl with a stunning 48-0 romp.
If his team doesn’t win in Miami again Saturday, another era - his own - could be closing.
No. 16 Miami and Virginia will be desperate for different reasons. The Hurricanes (6-2, 3-2 ACC) need a victory to remain viable in the conference title race and maintain slim hopes of reaching a BCS bowl. Virginia (3-5, 2-2) is still part of the league chase as well, but the bigger issue for the Cavaliers revolves around Groh’s future.
So Saturday’s winner gets a clear boost. And the loser might feel lingering aftereffects for a long time.
“Big game for both teams,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said.
Subplots abound. For starters, there’s the little matter of 48-0. To Miami, that still matters.
“Still lingers,” Shannon said.
Of the 22 starters the Hurricanes had on the field that November night in 2007, only five remain on the roster. The stadium is gone - by 2012, the Florida Marlins expect to open a ballpark on the site - but the memories of that loss linger around the Hurricanes, even for those who weren’t playing back then.
“It’s kind of a revenge thing,” quarterback Jacory Harris said.
Harris was a high school senior that night. The overflow crowd kept him from getting into the stadium until the second quarter, when it was already 24-0. Inside, he seethed at the display, everything Virginia did right almost reaffirming his decision to be part of Miami’s rebuilding project.
“That was crazy,” Harris said.
Crazy also would describe Miami’s trip to Virginia a year ago. Miami was down 17-10 with eight minutes remaining, getting the ball at its 5-yard line. With 55 seconds left, facing third-and-15 from the Virginia 26, Harris rolled left and was eventually hit by linebacker Clint Sintim.
Somehow, Harris got enough on the throw to get the ball into the end zone, where LaRon Byrd caught it for an overtime-forcing touchdown. Another Harris touchdown in the extra session gave Miami a 24-17 victory; the Cavaliers have lost eight of 11 since.
“There’s a lot of players who made good plays last year against us,” Groh said. “But it was the Jacory Harris drive that did it.”
Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said earlier this week that Groh will face an end-of-season evaluation on his “full body of work.” Groh has been on the hot seat before, but a 9-4 record in 2007 went a long way toward appeasing Virginia’s fan base.
Going 8-12 since — and staring at another season without a bowl bid — seems to have eroded much of that goodwill. If Jameel Sewell (shoulder) can’t go Saturday, Groh’s job will get even tougher. Virginia’s quarterback is 2-0 against Miami but is listed as doubtful.
“I don’t think probably that I’m a very hard book to read, because I don’t really try to do things with any pretensions,” Groh said. “I’ve got this sign on my desk that says, ’Just coach the team.’ And that’s what I like to do, and that’s my responsibility. I try to coach the team the best way I can every day.”
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