Associated Press

Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell (10) and the Cavaliers are heavy underdogs as they visit No. 18 Clemson today.

From the moment that Boston College snuffed out Virginia's last bid for an upset last Saturday and assured the Cavaliers of a losing record, UVa players have been saying that they will be playing "for pride" in their final two football games.

They didn't get that from head coach Al Groh.

"I've never said that," Groh said earlier this week. "I'm just guessing, [but] perhaps players say that because they've heard it, or it's the answer to a question, 'Now that you guys aren't playing for a championship, are you playing for pride?'

"You know, I thought we were playing for pride every week.' "

Maybe they're also playing to keep from being embarrassed, which could happen today at Clemson, where the Tigers (7-3 overall, 5-2 ACC) will be 21-point favorites going into a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

Clemson has won five games in a row and could clinch a spot in the ACC championship game with a victory today. The Tigers have a one-half game lead over Boston College in the Atlantic Division race and would win a tie-breaker based on their Sept. 19 victory over the Eagles.

Virginia (3-7, 2-4) has lost four games in a row and a fifth straight loss today would equal the longest victory dry spell of Groh's UVa coaching tenure.

The Cavaliers lost five games in a row during the middle of Groh's first season in 2001.

Virginia has suffered some lopsided losses, most notably in a 52-17 setback two weeks ago in Miami, but four of the Cavaliers' losses have come in games they led during the second half.

In 2007, Virginia set an NCAA record by winning five games by one or two points during a 9-4 season. This season has been the 2007 season in reverse, down to critical spots of the ball.

The Cavaliers got the best end of a measurement in 2007 at Middle Tennessee State, where they won 23-21 with a last-minute field goal. Last Saturday, Virginia turned the ball over to Boston College following a last-minute measurement in a game the Eagles won 14-10.

"In 2007, I can remember during a lot of those games how calm the players were on the sidelines, even during what might appear to be tense, dramatic moments," Groh said.

He said he got many of the same vibes as Virginia marched down the field in the closing minutes against Boston College but agreed that teams have to learn how to win.

"I don't know exactly what that means," Groh said. "I've often wondered what that means, [but] it would be foolish to say there isn't some element of that. Learning how to win really means making plays."

This UVa team has not been known for making big plays, at least ones that benefit the Cavaliers. Clemson, on the other hand, has some of the most dynamic players in the ACC, including senior tailback and Heisman Trophy candidate C.J. Spiller.

Spiller is only the fourth-leading rusher in the ACC and has a lower per-carry rushing average than either Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams or Georgia Tech's Jonathan Dwyer, but Spiller leads the conference in all-purpose yardage and has scored 14 touchdowns.

"When you play against a team like that, field position is a tremendous issue," Groh said. "With Clemson continuously getting the ball around the 40-yard line, that doesn't give the opposite defense many plays to stop this high-powered offense. [With N.C. State] trying not to kick to him, Clemson got the ball around the 23-yard line and, the next play, he threw a touchdown pass.

"It couldn't have turned out any worse if they'd kicked to him."

Groh has been only slightly less impressed with the Tigers' redshirt freshman quarterback, Kyle Parker. The Cavaliers were victimized last week by a Boston College quarterback, 25-year-old David Shinskie, who decided to give college football a try after reaching Double-A as a professional baseball pitcher.

Parker, from the Jacksonville, Fla., area that has served as a cradle for ACC quarterbacks, graduated from high school in December of 2007 and enrolled at Clemson in time for the 2008 ACC baseball season. An outfielder and third baseman, he made first-team All-ACC and was named freshman All-American after batting .303, with 14 home runs and 50 RBI.

With two games remaining in the regular season, Parker has completed 54.1 percent of his passes for 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns.

"Looks like they're set at that position for quite some time," Groh said.