Cavs lucky and good against Terps

COLLEGE PARK, Md. Sometimes, it's better to be lucky than good.

Sometimes, a team is so good it can overcome bad luck.

The best combination is to be lucky at the right times and good at the right times.

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the resurgent Virginia Cavaliers.

Yesterday at Maryland, on a raw, rainy day, the Cavaliers had luck on their side.

For example, wide receiver Kris Burd caught a pass while on his back, barely in bounds. It appeared there would be an interception on the play. Instead, the Cavaliers gained 28 yards and the catch set up a field goal.

Was the play luck or a matter of being in the right place at the right time?

"I couldn't tell you," Burd said. "It was one of those plays. It happened so fast, in a blink of the eye it was right there in my lap."

The Cavaliers were lucky the play wasn't overturned when it was reviewed. The replay official easily could have said Burd's foot went out of bounds before he caught the ball or that his back was touching the sideline when he did catch the ball.

Instead, the referee said the play stood as called on the field.

"Sometimes there is a little bit of good fortune there," said Virginia coach Al Groh. "But those things happen to you when you lose games, too. We're not about to send it back."

Yesterday, the Cavaliers were good.

The defense executed a pass-rush scheme perfectly, which enabled linebacker Darren Childs to tip the pass, which led to defensive end Nate Collins catching the deflection and speeding -- well, he outran all the Terps in pursuit -- 32 yards to give the Cavaliers a 13-9 lead on their way to a 20-9 victory.

"It was something we knew all week was going to happen," Collins said. "We knew which way they were going to slide. It was great timing. We executed.

"I actually don't think I was in the right spot. There was so much going on. Once the ball was in the air, I just looked up, it fell in my hands, and I took off."

Often at the end of such plays, someone will come in late and punch the ball from the hands of the unsuspecting defensive lineman. Collins said he was lucky that didn't happen, but luck had little to do with it. He was aware that it could happen and made sure it did not.

The Cavaliers were good enough and lucky enough to overcome five sacks of quarterback Jameel Sewell. They persevered when an ankle injury forced Sewell from the game about four minutes left in the third quarter. And they got by without running back Mikell Simpson, who was out with a neck injury.

Maryland helped equalize things by losing two fumbles, missing two field goals and botching a snap in a shotgun formation that cost them 9 yards and momentum when they had moved to the Virginia 18 halfway through the fourth quarter.

"Had the sun been shining, we would have emphasized [forcing fumbles]," Groh said. "But we did emphasize that perhaps the elements might increase our opportunities to do so."

Ah, yes, perhaps so.

Perhaps the Cavaliers now are a team to watch. They have rallied from a nearly debilitating 0-3 start to even their record at 3-3. They are 2-0 in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the only undefeated team in conference play.

Who would have thought that possible a month ago?

For this to continue, they need Sewell to get well quickly and Simpson back in the lineup.

But opponents need to be wary of the Cavaliers. They have a knack for finding ways to win games. Such teams are dangerous.

"I have nothing but the highest level of admiration for what these kids gave tonight, for how they've stuck together, how they've unified and worked," Groh said.

"They've got a tough shell. They're pretty hard to crack."

Contact Paul Woody at (804) 649-6444 or . Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/World_of_Woody