Photo courtesy of Susan Phillips

The Phillips family (from left) UVa tight end John, mother Susan, father "Bugs" and William and Mary quarterback Jake.

The ideal fall Saturday for Susan and Gene "Bugs" Phillips from Bath County would be a 1 p.m. football game at William and Mary followed by a 7:30 game at Virginia.

They could drive to Williamsburg and watch older son Jake play in the afternoon, then hustle off to Charlottesville and catch younger son John on the way home.

It's happened once all season.

Maybe it would help if ACC schedules were set before the season, but it's almost been cruel the way television programmers have teased the Phillipses on a weekly basis.

The final blow came Nov. 10, when the ACC announced a noon kickoff for Virginia's game Saturday with Clemson. William and Mary entertains Richmond at the same time.

It's nothing they haven't experienced before, but this time it's different. This time it's Senior Day, the final home game for both Jake, a fifth-year senior quarterback for the Tribe, and John, a fourth-year senior tight end for the Cavaliers.

On an occasion when most schools introduce their seniors and their parents, John will be accompanied by his father and Jake by his mother.

"It's been hard for me," Susan said. "I've had a rough week. We didn't say anything to the kids. They knew that Parents' Day was on the same day but I don't think they realized it was at the same time.

"If the Virginia game had been at 3:30, that would have worked out fine because we could have walked Jake out, driven to Charlottesville, changed clothes and walked John out."

They'll continue to deal with the inconvenience while realizing how fortunate they've been.

"It's bittersweet," Jake said. "We all wish we could be together, but we're thankful that we've had such full careers."

Jake, who is one of the William and Mary captains, has accounted for 7,782 yards and 74 touchdowns (57 passing, 17 rushing) in his Tribe career.

John enters Saturday's game with 46 receptions, the high among ACC tight ends. Also a co-captain, he will making the 26th start of his career.

They were teammates for three seasons at Bath County, where Jake was named Associated Press Group A player of the year in 2003, when the Chargers reached the Group A Division 1 championship game. A week after the season, he made an oral commitment to Division I-AA William and Mary, choosing not to wait on a possible offer from I-A Virginia.

But, the Phillips family hadn't heard the last from UVa head coach Al Groh, whose staff already had begun its pursuit of younger brother John.

"We've never really talked about this," Bugs said this week, "but coach Groh told Jacob, 'If you go to Fork Union or Hargrave for the first semester, we'll bring you in [after that].

"It seemed that coach Groh was really interested in having Jake on his team. He said, 'I'm not sure you'll be a quarterback,' but you'll definitely have your shot. He said, 'I want you on my football team.'"

It was food for thought, but Jake felt he had given his word to Wayne Lineburg, the William and Mary assistant who had recruited him. Coincidentally, Lineburg subsequently joined the staff at UVa.

"I really wish we could have gone to the same school," Jake said. "But we've tried not to second-guess ourselves. We're at the places we are for a reason and we're making the most of it."

If Jake had gone to Fork Union, he might have ended up a year behind his younger brother, who was never redshirted at UVa. Then again, the Senior Day issue also could have been averted if John had been redshirted.

"It definitely has occurred to me," said John, who played enough to letter in 2005. "As a freshman, you're anxious to get on the field and don't think about redshirting. This is the first season that I've caught a lot of balls, and I wonder what might have happened if I had another year. My parents could have made all the games."

Virginia faced Division I-AA Richmond this year but the Cavaliers originally were supposed to entertain William and Mary in what would have been a dream matchup for the Phillipses.

"It was on the schedule for two [or] three years," Jake said. "We were so excited when we heard about it, but when they had an opportunity to play Southern Cal, they had to bump it back a year."

Southern Cal wanted to play Virginia in the opening game and William and Mary didn't have an opening for the Week 2 slot filled by the Spiders.

"How many times do you see two brothers flip a coin with each other?" Jake said.

The stars must not be aligned for the Phillips family this year. Last spring, Virginia and William and Mary had their spring games on the same day.

Clearly, there have been many times when one brother has been playing and another has been on an open date. Last Saturday, John was in the stands with the rest of the Phillips family for William and Mary's game at James Madison.

William and Mary (7-3) would have a chance for the Division I-AA playoffs with a victory over Richmond. Virginia (5-5) could play two more games, a Nov. 29 trip to Virginia Tech and a possible bowl bid if the Cavaliers get to six wins.

Then what?

"Hopefully, they'll be going to NFL games," said John, who has been the topic of numerous agent inquiries. "I really think Jake's got a shot, too. I hope they're still debating on which games to go to next year."