Tech-UVa rivalry intensifies in plain view
A banner flying over the Gator Bowl mocks Virginia.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Some fuel has been added to the Virginia-Virginia Tech football rivalry, airplane fuel to be precise.

More than 10 days after the Gator Bowl, nobody has come forward with information about a plane that flew over Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and the banner that streamed from its tail.

"WE HOKIES HAVE ACC+BCS," it read. "U HAVE VA PRIDE."

The message was an obvious reference to the final game of the regular season, when Virginia welcomed Virginia Tech to Scott Stadium with a display of brotherhood that it called "Virginia Pride."

The Hokies defeated the Cavaliers 33-21, winning a spot in the ACC championship game and, ultimately, an Orange Bowl berth

Pre-game and halftime activities in Charlottesville were both panned by UVa fans who found them excessive and praised by Virginia Tech fans who found them admirable.

Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage cited the unique nature of this year's game, the first major sporting event between the teams since the April 16 shootings on the Tech campus in Blacksburg.

Littlepage said recently that he was prepared for criticism that he received over the phone and via e-mail, but UVa had not been mocked publicly in the fashion it was at the Gator Bowl.

"I was made aware of the plane afterward but didn't see it personally," Littlepage said. "It is an unfortunate situation that someone chose to exploit the discussions about the Virginia Tech game activities by doing that. I guess it was intended to irritate our fans."

Richard Rogers, who took the photo that was made available to The Roanoke Times, said he first saw the plane before the game. Rogers is a member of a UVa fans' group that calls itself, "Wilk Hall," a play on the will-call booth at which reserved tickets can be claimed.

"Pretty much the whole Wilk Hall group saw the plane," said Rogers, an alumnus and season ticket-holder. "We had well over 120 people show up for the tailgate, so there was no shortage of witnesses.

"It definitely flew over multiple times. I do not recall seeing that plane during the actual game, however, although to be fair my attention was on the game and not on what may or may not have been flying around by that point."

Attempts to trace the plane so far have proven futile because payment was made with a money order. The cellphone number left as a contact is no longer in service, a UVa official was told.

There is a school of thought that the scheme might have been hatched by a UVa fan or fans who were disgruntled with Littlepage or school president John Casteen.

"I've heard that," Littlepage said. "I won't comment on that because there's no way I would be able to give a response that would resonate at all.

"It's hard to believe, but things like that have been done before, not necessarily impacting our program."

One of the more memorable events involving a stadium flyover took place in September 1989, when co-conspirators Randy Garnett and Billy Joe Jennings rented a plane that was flown over Virginia Tech's Lane Stadium with the banner, "Tech Fans -- Get Rid of Brill."

Bill Brill was a longtime Roanoke Times sports editor who doubled as a lightning rod for Hokies' fans.

There was a number at the end of the banner, so Brill called.

"I remember Brill called the house, but Dad never would talk to him," said Garnett's son, Jimmy, also an avid Tech supporter. "I talked to Brill for about an hour. But, if you're asking about the plane in Jacksonville, the Garnetts had nothing to do with it."

Jimmy Garnett was not at the Gator Bowl but saw photos of the plane while scanning a UVa fans' Web site, thesabre.com.

"I go over there all the time," he said. "I never post, but you know what they say, 'Know your enemy.' I don't like to antagonize people and, to tell you the truth, a lot of what I read on the Tech site aggravates me."

Some might say Garnett has mellowed.

"What did I think of the plane?" Garnett said. "I didn't like it. I thought it was rubbing it in, especially after Virginia had been so classy after the events of [April] 16."

Garnett won't discount the notion that the flyover was the plot of a Wahoo in Hokie's clothing. Eventually, he thinks the truth will be told.

"Somebody will take credit for it before it's all over," he said, "but, in my Tech circles, I haven't heard a word."

Littlepage would be only too happy if normalcy were restored.

"I don't think this represents an institutional position by Virginia Tech," he said. "I think many people have gotten beyond the Virginia Tech game, both the game and the activities related to it. What I'm sensing is, 'Let's move on.' "
 

Clawson move has UVa fans worried
Richmond is Mike London’s alma mater
By Doug Doughty

For the second year in a row, Virginia is holding its breath over the feared loss of football assistant Mike London, the Cavaliers’ two-year defensive coordinator.

Virginia was able to hold onto London when Old Dominion was preparing for its resumption of football at the Division I-A level, but now it is London’s alma mater, Richmond, that has a vacancy for a head coach.

Dave Clawson, 40, announced Friday that he is resigning as Spiders’ head coach after four seasons to become the offensive coordinator and quartebacks coach at Tennessee.

Virginia sweetened London’s contract after a 5-7 season in 2006, giving him a multi-year deal and some much-needed security in case things did not go well during 2007. However, security is not necessarily an issue now, not after a 9-4 season and a Gator Bowl trip. Neither is money.

London has not been a college head coach and, at 47, who knows when there will be another opportunity? It is generally believed that London was told he would get an interview in the event of a coaching change at Virginia, but who knows when that change will occur and in what climate?

Besides, if Al Groh were to retire in five years and Richmond were to go 40-17 under London, who’s to say London wouldn’t be a stronger candidate for Virginia at that time?

Of course, a five-year record of 40-17 would be almost unprecedented in recent history at Richmond, where Clawson was 29-20 in four seasons. Richmond has had three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 52 years.

Would Clawson have been considered for a Virginia opening if it had come open this year? Probably not. That’s probably why he took the coordinator’s post at Tennessee. In his eyes, it would be easier to move from Division I-A coordinator to Division I-A head coach than it would be from Division I-AA head coach to I-A head coach.

But, who knows? Bud Foster has been a successful Division I-A coordinator for a long time at Virginia Tech. How many Division I-AA athletic directors have been dialing his number?

Clawson was rolling the dice, particularly given the sporadic disenchantment with Volunteers’ head coach Phil Fullmer, and so would London. It depends on whether he would feel his career would be fulfilled if he climbed no higher than the Division I-AA level because neither wins nor head-coaching opportunities are guaranteed.

OF COURSE, ALL this supposes that Richmond would come after London, but why not? Not only did Virginia have another Top 25 defense this year under his tutelage, but London has the kind of personality and charisma that would suit the position.

One thing is for certain: The Cavaliers would miss him dearly.

Not only does he relate to the players on the current roster, but he is the Cavaliers’ best recruiter. That’s not Doug Doughty talking. That’s the numbers talking. Of the 16 players who have made oral commitments to Virginia, eight are listed with London as their principal recruiter by rivals.com.

Only two other UVa assistants are listed with multiple recruits, Bobby Diaco with three and Bob Price with two. This is not a staff known for its high-octane recruiters.

If London left, I don’t know if Virginia would lose any of the eight players he has recruited this year. However, he is the Cavaliers’ only hope in the Hampton-Newport News area, which to date has not produced a Division I-A recruit this year but figures to be loaded next year.

Why would London stay? Family, maybe. His daughter, Kristen, is on the UVa women’s basketball team. Money is another possibility. He reportedly makes $240,000 per year at Virginia and Richmond would have to stretch its budget to get anywhere close to $200,000. If Virginia Tech could bump Foster up to $350,000, Virginia certainly could justify moving London closer to $300,000.

London has never left the impression of a guy who’s in the profession for the money, but could he afford to leave $100,000 on the table? What would his accountant say?

A FORMER UVA STAFFER, Danny Rocco, made a similar decision several years ago, when he left the assistant head coach’s role at Virginia to become the head coach at Division I-AA Liberty.

I called Rocco today to ask him what he thought about Clawson’s decision to leave Richmond for a I-A coordinator’s post. Rocco doesn’t pretend to have any inside information but he wondered if Clawson even got a sniff when the head-coaching position came open at Duke, a I-A program the Spiders had beaten only one year previously.

(Ironically, the Duke job was filled by the guy Clawson will be succeeding as Tennessee offensive coordinator, David Cutcliffe).

“I think you have to look at where all a guy has been,” Rocco said. “You take a guy like Dave Clawson. He’s never been in a I-A program so he came to the realization this year that, for him to be really able to get on track and have a legitimate shot at one of these jobs, he’s got to show I-A on his resume. He’s got to be able to say he’s ‘been there and done that.’

“Everybody’s situation is unique. I had been around a lot of quality programs and quality guys. I’d had a number of different titles and responsibilities. I felt that the best thing for me to do to become a head coach in any I-A league was to be a head coach. Coming here and having success has put me on a track that would allow me to be a I-A coach.”
 

With Clawson out, who's next?
London, Gregory, Huesman probably at top of the list
Saturday, Jan 12, 2008 - 12:07 AM Updated: 12:27 AM
By JOHN PACKETT
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Dave Clawson has left the building. In this case, it's the Robins Center.

The next question is: Who's going to take his place in the football coach's office at the University of Richmond?

Clawson, who led the Spiders to their best season in school history last year, confirmed yesterday that he has accepted the positions of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Tennessee.

With Clawson gone, speculation about his successor has centered on a pair of former UR players and assistants.

Mike London, defensive coordinator at the University of Virginia, and Richmond native Greg Gregory, the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida, appear to be among the leading candidates to replace Clawson, who went 29-20 in four years at the helm of the Colonial Athletic Association school.

Another top contender could be UR's defensive coordinator Russ Huesman, who got a ringing endorsement from Clawson during a farewell press conference.

"I feel very strongly that Russ Huesman would make an excellent head coach," Clawson said. "Russ has done a tremendous job here for four years, developing our defense. He might have done the best job of all his four years this year. I think people expected us to give up 40 or 50 points a game.

"For him and our defensive staff to do the job they did, with as young a team as we had this year, was his best coaching job. He's an excellent recruiter and relates well to the players."

The Spiders gave up an average of just under 24 ppg in going 11-3 and reaching the semifinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. In 2006, UR allowed 18.1 ppg.

"Would I love to be the head coach here? Yes," Huesman, 47, said. "We'll see what happens as the days progress. It's all in the administration's hands and who they want to talk to."

London, 47, served on three different staffs at UR. He coached the outside linebackers and served as recruiting coordinator during one of his stints.

"We're waiting to hear back from [Athletic Director] Jim Miller," said Dennis Cordell, London's agent. "We sent Jim an e-mail a few days ago, inquiring about the position. He called back and said, 'Let's wait and see what happens with Dave's situation.' There has been no application and no interview has been set up."

Contacted yesterday in his Tampa, Fla., office, Gregory indicated that he was "definitely interested" in the position.

"But it takes two to tango," said Gregory. "I'm hoping they're interested in me. I'd love to come home and have the opportunity to coach there. Some people might look at Richmond as a stepping stone, but I'm 50 years old, and I'd like to finish out my career there. I'd like to have the chance to come and continue the success that Dave has had there."

Miller said yesterday that he, Deputy AD David Walsh and UR President Ed Ayers will work together in choosing a successor. It is not expected for a decision to take long.

"There are short-term implications as far as recruiting," Miller said. "But we're not going to let short-term implications drive our decision. We're committed to conducting a search that gets us a person that buys into everything that goes on at the University of Richmond. A person that can take all the positives and plusses of the university and move us forward."

Other names that have been mentioned as possibilities include The Citadel coach Kevin Higgins, former Massachusetts coach Mark Whipple and Elon coach Pete Lembo.

 

UVa assistant London a possibility for Richmond
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 12, 2008

There was a common thought amongst Virginia fans on Friday: Here we go again.

Virginia defensive coordinator Mike London, regarded as one the best recruiters in the state, is attached to yet another vacant job.

On Friday, as expected, University of Richmond coach Dave Clawson offered a letter of resignation to the school in order to assume the role as offensive coordinator at the University of Tennessee.

When Clawson’s departure became official, previous speculation intensified in regards to the vacancy at Richmond and London, a 47-year-old UR alumnus and former assistant coach at the school.

In 2004, London interviewed for the vacancy at Richmond, a post that was later filled by Clawson, who went 29-20 in four seasons and advanced to the NCAA Football Championship series (formerly Division I-AA) playoffs in each of the last two seasons.

London also interviewed to become the head coach at Old Dominion last year, but Virginia restructed London’s contract. Last March, Virginia’s university relations office reported that London’s annual salary was $240,000.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported earlier this week that Clawson had signed a five-year deal worth $300,000 annually in December, but later said the deal was worth “between $200,000 and $250,000 annually.”

Sources have confirmed that London, while pleased with his position as the highest-paid assistant on coach Al Groh’s staff, is interested in speaking with Richmond officials about the position.

Other candidates for the Richmond job are expected to include South Florida offensive coordinator Greg Gregory and Richmond’s current defensive coordinator Russ Huesman, who has been at the school since 2004.

London was unavailable for comment per Groh’s ruling that assistant coaches are off limits to the media outside of a short period during training camp.

 

Matters of the heart
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
January 12, 2008

Before and often while addressing the media after Virginia’s games, Al Groh glances at the contest’s box score.

The coach scans for yards gained, yards allowed, ball disruption and performance on third downs.

At least one thing, however, can not be measured in numbers. As former UVa quarterback Marques Hagans demonstrated, heart matters.

Somewhere along the way, quarterback Jameel Sewell picked up on that.

Teammates have seen it. Coaches have raved about it. Opposing teams have suffered from it.

“He’s an emotional player and he’s a prideful player,” Groh said after one contest.

That, in itself, however, does not guarantee wins.

Sewell, having completed just half of his eligibility, was forced to learn how to keep that in check.

“One of the things that was challenging for him to deal with in the past was when things didn’t go well, his emotions would get in the way,” Groh said. “Everybody has toughened up around here mentally, and I think [Sewell’s] done the same.”

To his credit, Sewell is 13-9 since taking over as Virginia’s quarterback during the 2006 season. In the ACC, the southpaw is 10-6 and did the unthinkable, delivering road wins for a

program that struggled outside Scott Stadium.

Can improvements be made?

Without a doubt. Virginia finished 90th in the country in passing offense, moving the ball through the air at an average of 194.8 yards per game.

The Cavaliers, who also utilized true freshman Peter Lalich in eight games, ranked 93rd in nation in passing efficiency.

While ugly on the surface, those numbers seemed nearly impossible after a dismal performance at Wyoming in the season opener.

Sewell - months after a wrist surgery that essentially saved his career - finished 11-for-23 for just 87 yards with two interceptions.

Success through the air was not imminent, and Lalich saw the field with frequency, but Sewell remained the starter and avoided another interception until the sixth game of the season, a road win at Middle Tennessee State.

It was during the come-from-behind win at Middle Tennessee that Sewell surpassed the 200-yard mark through the air, something he did four more times this season.

Sewell was banged up in several games, including losses to North Carolina State, Texas Tech and Virginia Tech, but Groh saw the youngster mature before his eyes in a offense relegated to conservative measures with unproven talent at wide receiver.

“[Sewell] really understands how we need him to play the game,” Groh said. “He’s comfortable and adept at playing like that.”

Quarterbacks

Departed starter - None

Projected starter - Jameel Sewell (Jr.)

Grade: B-

For the second straight season, Sewell finished 91st in the nation in passing efficiency, although his rating climbed more than nine points to 114.94 as he tossed 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Sewell, an accomplished scrambler, is aware that he needs to avoid injuries. But he should benefit from spring practice, a luxury he was not awarded after his rookie campaign.

Many feared that Sewell would need knee surgery after being forced out of the Gator Bowl - he did return - but sources confirmed that Sewell will not need to go under the knife.

Sewell will face an interesting challenge in 2008.

For the first time in his career, Sewell will be without one of his “coaches.”

Backup quarterback Scott Deke, despite boasting an additional year of eligibility, will graduate and enter the business world for a job in Chicago or New York.

“Scott was my second coach behind coach Mike [Groh],” Sewell said. “I am definitely going to miss him a whole lot. It is going to be a little difficult trying to get through the season without him because he helps me with everything, everything that I am doing on the field.”

In addition to relaying the offensive plays from Mike Groh to Sewell, Deke served as an extra set of eyes and ears.

“He lets me know what needs to be done,” Sewell said. “He helped me learn the playbook when I first got here, and he is still helping me learn protections.

“He is a big part of my success.”

Deke, whose lone appearance came late in a blowout win against Pittsburgh, said his decision to move on was based solely on his desire to start a new chapter in his life.

“It is never a tough decision when you get to graduate from the University of Virginia because you know that the opportunities that arise are hopefully endless,” Deke said. “It’s an education that I really appreciate, and you know, it is a new chapter.

“Football is not everything, but I definitely enjoyed it.”

Deke, despite failing to live up to the expectations of many, said his appearance against Pitt will remain a special memory.

“It was definitely a lot of fun and most of the guys were very excited for me,” Deke said. “I got my own little exciting chant on the sidelines from the guys, so that was fun.”

As a mentor, Deke helped the entire crew of reserve quarterbacks, a unit that includes Lalich, rising sophomores Marc Verica and Patch Duda and redshirt freshmen Warner Blunt and Brendan Lane.

Blunt, Lane and Duda joined the program as walk-ons, but Deke said they serve an obvious purpose.

“They service the team in a lot of ways, whether it is through the scout team or through drills,” he pointed out. “Everybody has their role. They wouldn’t be on the team if they didn’t.

“Trust me, there are a lot of balls thrown in practice. Every arm is needed.”

Sewell said that often includes scout team work and post-practice drills with defensive players, something often overlooked from the outside.

“We definitely need all of those quarterbacks because there are different things that they need to do on different days to get the defense prepared well for the upcoming game. That’s why they are there,” Sewell said. “Some of them have the same qualities of the quarterbacks that we are playing against. We need them to mimic them and get the defense prepared for what their quarterback likes to do, how he releases the ball and what his tendencies are.

“They really help us with our defensive ball skills.”

Remaining positive as a player not expected to ever see the field seems like a daunting task. But it is one that earns extreme respect.

“It is a team-bonding situation,” Deke said. “All the guys out there love football and they love being a part of the team.

“I have always thought that the walk-ons are really dedicated guys. To go out and do everything that everybody does and also pay your way through, that’s really a tribute to their dedication.”

Lalich and Verica do not have to foot the bill for their education, but have displayed the same dedication to Deke.

Verica, in fact, may serve as a hidden key for the 2008 season. Should Virginia elect to redshirt Lalich, a popular idea in many circles, Verica, or a player from a different position, such as cornerback Vic Hall, would need to be ready to replace Sewell for a drive, even a play, on short notice.

“I think Marc is doing a great job of improving,” Deke said. “He has really become a student of the game. No matter how many reps he gets in practice, he’s always watching film, watching practice, watching how he does on the scout team.”

Verica is listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, but that latter figure has increased.

“He is getting a lot stronger,” Deke revealed. “He has done a great job in the weight room.”

Virginia, of course, could elect to play Lalich again.

Better yet, Lalich hopes to be able to compete for the starting spot.

“Hopefully, they give me a shot in the spring,” Lalich said, “and I am going to try my best.”

In eight appearances, Lalich finished 35-of-61 for 321 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against Georgia Tech. His best performance came against Duke as he tossed 12 completions for 131 yards.

While it appeared that the playbook was never flipped when the right-handed Lalich entered the game, he said a roller-coaster

season and a costly fumble against Texas Tech did not impact him mentally.

“I am disappointed,” Lalich admitted. “But it doesn’t hurt my confidence at all.”

Few envied some of the late-season situations that Lalich was thrown into.

“That’s never easy for anybody to do,” Deke said. “But, obviously, as everyone knows, Pete is an amazing raw talent. He can throw the heck out of that ball.

“He is also a really smart quarterback. He is a student of the game.”

In the style of backup quarterback Johnny Moxon from “Varsity Blues,” Lalich constantly churns out football thoughts in his brain, perhaps to a fault.

“We will sit there before meetings and joke around and he will draw up plays and different things and think of different schemes,” Deke recounted. “He really loves football. He loves throwing the ball and he has a great time out there. I am really excited about his development, too.”

Deke just laughs thinking about what the future could hold for Virginia’s quarterbacks, a collection that should benefit greatly from the return of wideout Kevin Ogletree - the team’s top receiver in 2006 - from a torn anterior cruciate ligament and the maturation of several inexperienced pass-catching options.

“Between Pete and Jameel, there is a lot of quarterback talent,” Deke said. “Every team needs good depth at quarterback, as you see, because at any time somebody can go down.

“You look at [injured star] Dennis Dixon at Oregon … you need somebody to step up. You need depth and, fortunately, we have that.”

 

Opening calling London?
The Richmond football coach's departure creates an opportunity that might intrigue the Bethel grad.
By DAVID TEEL | | 247-4636

Digg Del.icio.us Facebook Fark Google Newsvine Reddit Yahoo Print Reprints Text size: Virginia defensive coordinator Mike London, a Bethel High graduate and the Cavaliers' lead Peninsula recruiter, could be on the verge of his first head-coaching job.

Richmond coach Dave Clawson resigned Friday to become offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Tennessee. London played defensive back at Richmond, earned his degree there and twice served as a Spiders assistant coach.

Richmond interviewed London, then Virginia's defensive line assistant, before hiring Clawson in 2004. Clawson compiled a 29-20 record in four seasons with the Spiders. This season, he guided them to an 11-3 finish and the national playoff semifinals, where they lost to eventual champion Appalachian State.

London, 47, could not be reached via phone or e-mail Friday. This season he oversaw a Virginia defense that improved dramatically from 2006, ranked 16th nationally in points allowed and led the Cavaliers to a 9-4 record and Gator Bowl invitation.

A sophomore on Bethel's 1976 state championship team, London worked as a police department detective in Richmond after college graduation. He returned to football in 1988 as Richmond's outside linebackers coach.

London subsequently moved to assistant positions at William and Mary, Richmond, Boston College, Virginia and the Houston Texans before returning to Charlottesville as defensive coordinator in 2006. During his first stint at Virginia, London was the program's recruiting coordinator.

London's daughter Kristen is a reserve guard on U.Va.'s basketball team. His son Brandon, a University of Massachusetts graduate, is a receiver on the New York Giants' practice squad.

UR's new coach will be well-positioned to sustain the program's success. The Spiders, who play U.Va. next season, started 14 freshmen or sophomores in 2007 as Clawson was the Colonial Athletic Association coach of the year.

At Tennessee, Clawson replaces David Cutcliffe, who left to become head coach at Duke.