And last night we looked like a dumpster fire. Totally uninspired from the start but still making careless passes and taking poor shots midway through. I get it--UVA is an awesome defensive team. They are. But we didn't help ourselves--our identity did not get on the bus to Charlottesville. That's kind of disturbing.

At this point I find myself asking if there is some kind of locker room issue, if teams are scheming us differently, or whether it is just mental and physical fatigue setting in. Clarke seems considerably out of sorts since his punishment began (when the heck will Buzz move beyond that?), the defensive effort seems to have fallen way off, and it just seems like the team gets discouraged more easily lately.

In that respect, the bye week could not come at a better time, and I am hoping it makes a difference. We all know that depth is a huge issue; the guys must be incredibly worn down by now.

In my mind, the Miami game next Wednesday will be very telling. Maybe we'll win, maybe we'll lose, but how do we look? There won't be any excuse to not play better and eliminate some simple mistakes after a week off. Miami is talented, but this is not a mismatch by any means. I will be fine losing if we pass the eye test, which we have not for several games now.

On the other hand, if we come out flat and uninspired and still make unforced errors, it'll tell me there are larger, underlying issues.