Overmatched? No. Cavs were overwhelmed.

ATLANTA

Having just been overpowered by the Auburn running back who bulled 22 yards for yet another Tiger touchdown, Henry Coley trotted toward the Virginia bench early in the third quarter Saturday night at the Georgia Dome.

The flap of the redshirt freshman’s right shoulder pad hung outside of his orange jersey. Surely, Coley’s spirits were just as disheveled, which U.Va. coach Mike London obviously sensed.

He met Coley, who’s from Virginia Beach’s Bayside High, at the sideline, wrapped an arm around Coley’s head, spoke into his ear, and with a pat sent him on his way.

Gotta keep playing. Gotta bounce back. A lot more football ahead for this team than behind.

For U.Va., that has to be the moral of what was frequently a dizzying New Year’s Eve at the Chick-fil-A Bowl, where Auburn prevailed 43-24 and sealed a two-game losing streak to the Cavaliers’ 8-5 season.

“I know it was ugly,” London said afterward, addressing the healthy showing of U.Va. fans who turned up at the Dome. “I appreciate you traveling. This program is up-and-coming. This program is gonna be a very good program.”

Relatively youthful, especially on offense – and on this night defensively depleted by injury - Virginia at times flirted with embarrassment against the Tigers (8-5), last year’s national champions, but a middling SEC entry this season.

But unlike its last showing a month ago against Virginia Tech – 38-zip if anybody forgot – U.Va. at least rebuffed the boulder enough to keep this one within two scores (and a pair of two-point conversions) nearly to the halfway point of the fourth quarter.

In the end, Auburn’s tricks – and they were plentiful – were far better.

Its speed and experience, honed in the SEC trenches, were far superior, even playing without star running back Michael Dyer, who was suspended for a team-rules violation.

Superior as well was Auburn’s ability to force mistakes upon the Cavaliers’ brutal special teams. The Tigers blocked two punts that led directly to nine points, returned a kickoff 62 yards to set up three more points and recovered an onside kick in the first half that preceded a touchdown.

They nearly got punter Jimmy Howell’s first try, a rugby-style job. They snuffed his second and forced a safety with a block in the third quarter.

And earlier, compounding U.Va.’s woes, Auburn sniffed out a fake field goal on which holder Jacob Hodges tried to run from inside the 20.

With it all, Virginia wasn’t necessarily overmatched - Auburn outgained U.Va. 454 to 435 - as much as it was overwhelmed by the compilation of ill-timed breakdowns that produced explosive Auburn plays.

But yes, sometimes the Cavs were just over-run.

Coley was forced into his first start when junior Steve Greer, U.Va.’s leading tackler, was unable to play because of a knee injury suffered against Virginia Tech and aggravated during bowl practice.

Greer suited up and went through pregame, but spent the night with a headset on talking to the defensive coaches. The Cavaliers were also without All-ACC cornerback Chase Minnifield, who also had a knee injury and stayed in sweats.

Still, the evening tilted irretrievably during a humiliating second quarter that couldn’t end soon enough for Virginia. Auburn not only riddled the Cavaliers for 237 yards in the quarter on 20 total plays, the Tigers toyed with U.Va., as if the Cavaliers were an SEC rag doll.

The period was a haze of misdirection plays, rotating quarterbacks, muddle huddles, a cut-back run for 60 yards, a pass for 50, that easily recovered onside kick and then even a fake onside kick.

After the Tigers went up 21-14, their kickoff team rushed toward the teed ball as if to stub another kick to try to recover, except they suddenly stopped, retreated and then booted it long.

The ooohing Auburn portion of the crowd clearly loved their Tigers being the big cat at that point to U.Va.’s zebra. The feast, after all, was on.

Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com