QB Verica low on wins, but high on confidence;He has performed well late in games but struggles

Published Oct. 20, 2010 10:13 a.m. ET

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College football: U.Va. QB Verica low on wins, high on confidence

NORTH CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA Saturday: 6 p.m., ESPN3.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE Marc Verica is no stranger to grumblings about his performance. As if on cue, those have resurfaced after two straight losses by Virginia to open ACC play. What's new is the level of support he's getting.

"When your teammates and coaches are behind you and you have their support, it means a lot," he said. "You don't have that little voice in the back of your head saying, 'You can't make this mistake,' or, 'You have to do everything right.' "

While the Cavaliers have a number of issues to address, many on the defensive side of the ball, the spotlight always seems to come back to the quarterback.

Verica is hitting 57 percent of his passes, with 229 yards per game in the air. His overall stats place him right in the middle of ACC starters - he's slightly above Clemson's Kyle Parker and slightly below Florida State's Christian Ponder.

But Verica has been much more proficient late in games, struggling out of the gate. Verica is last in the ACC in first quarter passer rating.

Coach Mike London said that a successful passing game can open up a lot of options offensively, particularly with success on first downs. Verica was 1 for 5 when a pass was called on first down to start last Saturday's game. He then finished the game 7 for 9 in those situations.

"Our thing with Marc is to try to get him to have some success early," London said. "We've got to complete passes; we've got to set up second and 2. We've got to have a second and five or six. Then you can prepare to have a successful, makeable third down situation."

Part of the reason Verica has such confidence from the coaching staff is a lack of experience behind him. The backups are freshmen Ross Metheny and Michael Rocco, whose only college experience has been in mop-up time this season, mostly against VMI.

Both Verica and London believe the offense should be moving out of the learning phase by now, having processed changes made in the offseason. London said that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor's demeanor is one that Verica should imitate, as the coach keeps an even keel on the sideline.

Verica believes confidence among the offense is growing, and that having the faith of his coaches has allowed him to work through mistakes.

"When things aren't going well, or in any adverse situation, the members of the group are going to look to their leader to see how he responds," the senior said yesterday. "If they see that their leader is tucking his tail and he's embarrassed, or he's humiliated, or he's discouraged, it's probably going to permeate throughout the group.

"My approach is that I'll never stop and I'll never quit. Even if it means the last drive of the game."

Last week in practice, the team worked on a last-drive scenario, which was then duplicated to near-perfection against the Yellow Jackets. The key for Verica, long regarded as a smart player during practices, is to find a way to carry that momentum from the McCue Center down to Scott Stadium.

"That's what the best ones do," Lazor said. "They take what happens in practice and translate it to the playing field."

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546 or mphillips@timesdispatch.com

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