Groh watch begins after loss to Virginia Tech

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Before the muffed option, before the chanting and the poem and the speculation, there was fun.

It was Jameel Sewell, on senior day, rushing for 99 yards in the first half. Finally healthy, he was running and cutting all over the field, and it didn't appear there was anybody in a bright white jersey that could stop him.

"It was fun," the Hermitage grad said. "That's what it was. It was very fun."

For a while, it appeared this wouldn't be a record-tying sixth-straight loss to Virginia Tech. It looked as if it would be a revival, a reminder of the good days, a fitting way to send out coach Al Groh and his senior class.

But that's not how things are going these days in Charlottesville. The high of a Chris Cook interception was followed by the low of a fumble, and from there, it all went south.

"We tried to frame the game a particular way, to get to a particular point in the game," Groh said. "Actually, it was rolling in that direction. Then that one score seemed to pull all the dominoes out of the pile."

That wasn't Groh's most noteworthy postgame quote, of course.

Standing in the locker room to address his team, he pulled out a sheet of copier paper, folded twice over, and began to read, quoting a poem by Dale Wimbrow, titled "The Guy in the Glass."

The poem is about how, at the end of the day, you have to be able to look yourself in the mirror and be proud of yourself, no matter how the world views you. Groh recited the poem, then added an extra stanza, reflecting how he viewed himself.

"When I visited the guy in the glass, I saw that he's a guy of commitment, of integrity, of dependability and accountability," Groh said. "He's loyal. His spirit is indomitable. And he is caring and loving. I'm sure I will always call the guy in the glass a friend."

And with that, Groh walked out of the locker room.

"It was very emotional," Sewell said. "You could see it on his face. He's having a tough time just like we're having a tough time, but we've got each other's backs. No matter what it is, we're going to stick it out together. All of us."

The coach also recited the poem to reporters, again leaving the room at its conclusion. He was joined in the press room by his extended family, including his wife Anne, who held a yellow rose. It's traditional for outgoing seniors to present loved ones with a flower on senior day.

As of last night, there was no official notice that Groh's contract had been terminated -- he has two years remaining and is owed $4 million if he is fired. But all indications are that notice will be given within the next few days, if not today.

"He's a very educated man, very smart, very emotional," fullback Rashawn Jackson said. "And I think that poem described it all . . . described how he felt. It takes a big man to stand up in front of a team and read something like that."

The team nearly delivered Groh an incredible farewell victory. At halftime, the Cavs trailed only by one, as four seniors were playing prominent roles on offense.

Sewell was finding his groove as a runner, Jackson was eating up yardage in the backfield, and Mikell Simpson and Vic Hall were substituting in to provide fresh legs.

But just like last year, the Cavs hung close, but couldn't find a way to break through.

A sellout crowd announced at 58,555 seemed split down the middle, providing a raucous atmosphere. But at the end, it was just the maroon fans left, chanting for another year of Groh, who defeated the Hokies only once during his nine-year tenure.

That's going to mean another long offseason in Charlottesville, though during those long winter months, they can remember the first half of yesterday's game, when for a rare half-hour, there was fun at Scott Stadium.

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546