Marc Verica to start against UConn

I give up. I really do. I have no idea what to make of the signals coming out of Bryant Hall these days. There's this:

"There's some reporting on this young man that probably would fall under the category of 'tabloid' reporting," Groh said.

"It certainly lacks facts and, in some cases, it lacks reality.

"That's a shame. He's entitled to a private life, just like other 19- and 20-year-old students are. We're satisfied in how Peter has been conducting his circumstances and what he's being asked to do." (Emphasis mine.)

And then there's this:

Sophomore Marc Verica (Lansdowne, Pa.) will make the first start of his career at quarterback for the Cavaliers (1-1).

“We stand by Peter and in talking with him have made a decision which is best in the short term for him, the team, and our University,” Virginia coach Al Groh said in the release. “We have a strong set of standards and values on our team that reflect those of the University and we do not compromise those values to win football games.”

So I dunno. I was gonna have an opinion, but every time I do when it comes to Peter Lalich and his off-field escapades, the exact opposite happens. And is that not the most cryptic punishment quote you ever heard? If in fact it's a punishment? I'm just gonna stop speculating. I don't even know.

Verica's almost an entirely unknown quantity here. He committed so early in the process, way back in 2005, that nobody bothered evaluating him all that much, and he was kind of an afterthought in a class that included Keith Payne and Sean Gottschalk. Now he's the starting quarterback. I am not going to make one tiny shred of judgment on his ability to lead the offense until after I watch the UConn game.