Virginia's Olsen, McCabe both hope to get the call Saturday

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - They are friends and teammates, players who have sat side-by-side through countless meetings, dissecting defenses and offensive schemes.<br> <br> But when Al Groh sends one of them out as the starting quarterback on Saturday against Western Michigan, Christian Olsen and Kevin McCabe both want to be the guy.<br> <br> For Olsen, it would seem like one last chance to prove he&#39;s deserving.<br> <br> The fifth-year senior and starter since the spring has been underwhelming, to say the least, in two starts so far, so much so that McCabe has relieved him in each game.<br> <br> McCabe has made mistakes, too, including a play change on 4th-and-1 at a key juncture against Wyoming that led to Virginia not getting a first down it needed badly.<br> <br> But he also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Olgetree in overtime, the play that eventually lifted the Cavaliers (1-1) to a 13-12 victory against the Cowboys.<br> <br> For McCabe, it was the latter feeling that lingered.<br> <br> ``It was fun to go out there and play,&#39;&#39; he said this week, before he and Olsen engaged in what promised to be a three-day competition to earn the start Saturday.<br> <br> ``Any time you just sit in the wings for three years and cheer your team on you always want the best success for the team no matter who&#39;s playing, but when you&#39;re able to be a part of it, you&#39;re able to contribute to a win, it&#39;s a different feeling and you just want to go out and duplicate that success the next week, and the week after.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> If the week afters continue for McCabe, the junior could be the Cavaliers quarterback for two years, a notion that was not lost on him after his strong showing.<br> <br> Not lost, also, was the potential price you pay for being the marquee player.<br> <br> ``Next week, my name could be dust in the wind,&#39;&#39; he said.<br> <br> Olsen might have felt like his name was the one being battered this week, but Groh said with two inexperienced guys battling, every day counts in games and practice.<br> <br> That gave the fifth-year senior hope the battle will continue.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s a lot better than coach coming in and saying one of us is definitely the No. 2 and one of us is definitely No. 1,&#39;&#39; Olsen said. ``We both have an opportunity to go out and win that spot. It&#39;s going to be an exciting week of practice.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> As sullen as he was after finding himself once again fighting for the job he won in the spring, Olsen said the Cavaliers&#39; victory took some of the sting away.<br> <br> Virginia won the game because after scoring a touchdown to make it 13-12 in overtime, Wyoming&#39;s Aric Goodman missed the tying extra point, sending it wide right.<br> <br> ``It would have been a lot worse being the Wyoming kicker,&#39;&#39; Olsen said.<br> <br> (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)