Cavaliers now a 'new team'
Six weeks ago, the Virginia women’s lacrosse team lost to Maryland,
11-8, at Klockner Stadium. To the Cavaliers, that is ancient history.
“I think we’re a different team than we were two weeks ago,” said sophomore
attack Cary Chasney. “Hopefully that team will show up [today]. The new team.”
When third-seeded Virginia (12-3) and top-seeded Maryland (14-1) meet again at
12:30 p.m. for the ACC championship at Klockner, the Cavaliers expect a
different performance and a different result than the first matchup.
In that game, UVa got off to a slow start and occasionally played sloppy,
selfish and undisciplined lacrosse.
“I think we play more as a team now,” said defender Courtney Muller.
As evidence, the Cavaliers point to their improvement over the past two weeks.
They lost to Duke by a 12-7 score on April 6, then upset the second-seeded
Blue Devils in Friday’s semifinal, 12-9.
Having avenged one of its three regular-season losses, Virginia has a chance
to do it again today.
“The same exact thing happened against Maryland as it did against Duke,” said
midfielder Lauren Aumiller. “I think beating Duke was really important because
it gives us more confidence. It shows that we can beat anyone in the country.”
Beating the Terrapins has never been easy. The Cavaliers have lost 16 of their
past 17 meetings, with the lone victory coming in the 2002 regular season.
Maryland is 5-0 against Virginia in ACC tournament play.
The Cavaliers are convinced that they match up well with the Terrapins, but
they must do a better job of maintaining ball possession and their composure.
They did neither well six weeks ago.
Virginia turned the ball over 17 times and took just 21 shots in that game,
failing to reach double figures in goals for the first time in two years. The
Cavaliers appeared frustrated and were called for numerous fouls. Aumiller was
ejected with 12 minutes left for her second yellow card.
Maryland also played with more patience than usual, allowing it to dominate
possession time. Whether the Terrapins use the same strategy today remains to
be seen.
“We have added some plays,” said Maryland coach Cindy Timchal. “Defensively,
we are looking to mix it up a little bit. You never know what to expect.”
The game features the nation’s top two scorers in Aumiller (69 points) and
Maryland’s Kelly Coppedge (68). Coppedge, the ACC player of the year, scored
five goals against Virginia in the first meeting.
“It’s important to slow her down, but we can’t focus too much on them,” Muller
said. “We need to focus on ourselves.”
Virginia would like to win the ACC men’s lacrosse championship today.
Duke needs to win it.
At least that’s how the Blue Devils see things. To secure an NCAA tournament
bid, they figure, they must claim the conference title after a regular season
that was mediocre at best.
Of course, that’s nothing new. Duke also entered the previous two ACC tourneys
on the NCAA bubble and ended up winning the championship each time. This
afternoon at Klockner Stadium, the fourth-seeded Blue Devils (8-5) will try to
make it three in a row despite going 0-3 in conference play during the regular
season.
“It seems like we put ourselves in the same situation every year,” said Duke
senior midfielder Kevin Caccese, who scored three goals in a 7-6 upset of
top-seeded Maryland in Friday’s semifinals. “We force ourselves to show up.
Our coaches have stepped up and the leadership of the team showed up [Friday].
That’s been the case every year I’ve been here.”
The Blue Devils have a history of elevating their play in the postseason. In
1995, they went 0-3 in ACC play during the regular season, then won the
conference championship. Over the past three years, they have gone 3-6 against
league opponents in the regular season and 5-0 in the ACC tournament.
“I think Kevin Caccese put it best: We’ve had no choice the last couple
years,” said Duke coach Mike Pressler. “This year, if we had any NCAA hopes,
we had to beat Maryland. For us to continue with our senior class, which we’ve
valued so much here — it’s one of the best groups we’ve had, character-wise
and athletic-wise — we want to keep playing past Hofstra next week.
“We think we need to win this thing to solidify a spot in the [NCAA]
tournament.”
The 13th-ranked Blue Devils conclude the regular season at Hofstra next
Saturday but would likely clinch a seventh straight NCAA tournament bid with a
victory today.
The second-seeded and fourth-ranked Cavaliers (8-2), meanwhile, have all but
sewn up a spot in the 16-team NCAA field. But they still have plenty of
motivation. They have not won the ACC championship since 2000 and lost 14-13
to Duke in last year’s title game.
“Duke beat us last year. That’s there, definitely,” said senior midfielder
Chris Rotelli. “But I don’t think it makes any difference who we play. This is
just something we want and we’re going to do our best to get it.”
Virginia was fortunate to advance past the semifinals after squandering a
three-goal lead in the final 2:25 of regulation against North Carolina. The
Tar Heels tied the game at 12 and had an extra-man opportunity in overtime,
but All-ACC goalie Tillman Johnson made a key save — his 18th of the game,
matching a career high — and Billy Glading scored the game-winning goal
moments later.
“We’re just happy to be playing in the final,” said UVa coach Dom Starsia. “We
certainly expect another hard-fought game from Duke.”
Besides the kids busy riding the Gyrosphere in the parking lot, most of
the approximately 6,000 fans in attendance at the Cavalier Football Festival
on Saturday seemed keenly interested in watching one player.
Ahmad Brooks did not disappoint them.
Making his debut at Scott Stadium, the freshman linebacker turned in a number
of plays that got the crowd excited. His first tackle drew an ovation. His
second came on the next play when he chased down tailback Marquis Weeks for no
gain.
Other players performed well on the final day of the spring practice period,
but no one generated more of a reaction.
“He makes the crowd buzz, huh?” said UVa coach Al Groh, who understands the
buzzworthiness. “Obviously a lot of ability, a lot of want-to. A lot of people
came out to find out about this Brooks guy. He gave them a little preview, and
I felt good for him about that.”
Cavalier fans have been waiting to see the 6-foot-4, 249-pound Brooks in
action since the USA Today defensive player of the year out of Hylton High
signed with Virginia two falls ago. Academically ineligible, he spent last
semester at Hargrave Military Academy boosting his SAT score. He enrolled at
UVa this spring and has spent the past three weeks learning the defense and
impressing his teammates.
“He’s a great player,” said guard Elton Brown. “He has everything a linebacker
needs — strength, speed, he thinks on his feet. He’s just going to make me
better, trying to block him.”
“He’s a phenomenal athlete,” said quarterback Matt Schaub. “He’s so fast, it’s
like having a safety at linebacker, though he’s much bigger than most
safeties. His closing speed on the football is tremendous.”
Brooks said he was focused on the action and did not hear the crowd, but
teammates told him that he was well-received by the fans.
“It makes me feel great,” he said. “It makes me feel I’m a superstar already,
but I haven’t even set the tone yet.”
Spring stars. No score or stats were kept Saturday as the offense tried to
move the ball against the defense in various situational drills, but several
players stood out.
Rising junior linebacker Dennis Haley appeared to make the most tackles and
also had an interception. Groh also singled out a number of players for
praise, including Schaub, Weeks, tailback Wali Lundy, tight end Heath Miller,
receiver Michael McGrew and cornerbacks Jamaine Winborne and Tony Franklin.
Weeks had two touchdown runs during which he bounced off tacklers. Schaub
threw TD passes to Miller and Kase Luzar, while backup quarterback Anthony
Martinez made long completions to Art Thomas and Jason Snelling.
Connor Hughes, who became UVa’s starting kicker late in the season, made all
eight of his field-goal attempts, including a pair each from 30, 38, 45 and 48
yards.
“He’s had a good spring,” Groh said of Hughes. “He’s had a lot of good days.”
Most improved. Groh presented the Rock Weir awards for most-improved player
to tight end Patrick Estes, safety Jermaine Hardy and center Phillip Sims.
“I was excited,” Estes said. “I thought it was a well-earned award.”
The rising junior earned the award partly because of his work in the team’s
offseason conditioning program. He has gained nearly 20 pounds and now carries
267 pounds on his 6-7 frame.
Hardy, a rising junior, has made a successful conversion from cornerback and
probably will remain at safety, Groh said.
Sims, a walk-on, was the team’s only healthy center this spring along with
converted defensive end Matt Stone. For that reason, Groh joked, he may be the
team’s most valuable player.
Hands off. Every player was fair game to be tackled, Groh said, “except our
Heisman Trophy candidate.”
When any defensive player got near enough to touch Schaub, the referee blew
his whistle. Linebacker Darryl Blackstock said the coaches yelled at him for
hitting Schaub in practice several days ago, so no one was about to make the
same mistake.
On one play, Brooks raced up the middle and had a clean shot at Schaub but he
changed direction at the last moment and whizzed past the quarterback.
“For that reason alone, I’m glad” about the rule, Schaub said. “If he hit me,
I might still be lying out there.”
Extra points. No player suffered a serious injury during the 15 spring practices. Rising sophomore tailback Michael Johnson slightly aggravated a pulled hamstring on an open-field run Saturday and was held out the rest of practice as a precautionary measure. … Winborne intercepted one of Schaub’s passes intended for Ryan Sawyer in the end zone. … Virginia opens the 2003 season against Duke on Aug. 30.
Last football season Virginia finished next-to-last in the ACC in the
rushing department. The Cavaliers had only one running back ranked in the
league’s top 10 and that was true freshman Wali Lundy, who averaged a little
over 50 yards per game.
Coach Al Groh wants to fix that.
Wahoo faithful at Saturday’s spring football festival got a sampler of what
Virginia’s running attack might look like this fall.
On one possession, Lundy carried the ball seven straight times, covering 55
yards and scored a touchdown.
“We were trying to establish a little something there,” said Groh. “That was
the coach’s personality coming out.”
A little later junior tailback Marquis Weeks worked outside the right end,
lowered his left shoulder and ran over defensive back Marcus Hamilton en route
to a 43-yard scoring run. While Virginia has been a little pass-happy during
Groh’s first two years on the job, he wouldn’t mind controlling the running
lanes a little more this season.
Running campaign
“It has been an ongoing campaign since February to develop some weapons in
terms of breaking tackles,” said Groh. “Both [Lundy and Weeks] are stronger
and one in particular got his pad down out there today and knocked a guy down.
That was not in his game last year.”
He was speaking of Weeks, who like Lundy, worked hard in the winter program to
build more powerful and explosive bodies that can not only take the punishment
but dish some out. Not all the work came in the weightroom. Groh encouraged
his backs to watch a lot of film of NFL running backs and how they were able
to get extra yardage.
“I watched a lot of Walter Payton film,” said Weeks. “We also watched Eddie
George and Marshall Faulk. Coach wants us to break more tackles and we saw how
those backs get low.”
What they learned in film study was applied to the practice field via special
drills. By making their bodies bigger, stronger and faster, they are already
better than last season.
“I’m definitely stronger physically than before,” said Weeks, who displayed
his physicality by running over the defensive back. “I ran him over like three
times in practice over the last week, so it was good to do it out here where
everyone could see it.”
Developing strength
Lundy, who came on strong at the end of last season with 127 yards against
Virginia Tech, then another 127 and four TDs against West Virginia that earned
him MVP honors in the Continental Tire Bowl, said things are coming easier to
him after developing his body in the offseason.
“I took a beating last season,” said the New Jersey product. “Coming out of
high school, I had not lifted weights that much and I was breaking down
halfway through the season. I’ve worked hard in the weightroom so I will be
more durable this year.”
He also got a lot out of watching the Payton films and carried it over to
practice.
“Every day in practice all I hear is coaches yelling, ‘Give ‘em a move, give
‘em a move,’” said Lundy. “That really sticks in your head. Payton talked in
the video about how he tried to work him
self to death in every practice and one of his phrases kept coming to me every
time I touched the ball ... ‘Keep running, keep running, fight for more
yards.’”
Lundy said he now believes he can rush for 100 yards a game in his upcoming
sophomore season and is confident that UVa has other backs who can do it as
well. While he and Weeks got the bulk of work in the spring festival, rising
sophomore Michael Johnson was limited by a tight hamstring. Yet another
experienced back, rising junior Alvin Pearman, will be back this summer after
suffering a knee injury last season.
Quarterback Matt Schaub said he had noticed that Lundy, who caught 58 passes
last season, had improved both his ability to run routes and pass-catching
ability.
If the films and the shouting and all that weren’t enough to remind the backs
to run hard and run low, there was always the most effective reminder on hand.
Linebacker and headhunter Darryl Blackstock, issued his own daily warning:
“They try to get low on us,” said Blackstock with a wide grin. “They know that
if they don’t get low, then it’s going to get ugly.”
Cavs, Brooks spring forward
Freshman highlights scrimmage
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 20, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE - He looks so lean in a football uniform, it's hard to believe
freshman linebacker Ahmad Brooks carries 245 pounds on his 6-4 frame.
"He doesn't look like it, and he doesn't run like it, either," said tailback
Marquis Weeks, one of Virginia's swiftest players. "He's very, very fast. He ran
me down on a couple plays from behind, and I was like, 'Man!' I didn't know how
he did it."
U.Va. held its 15th and final practice of the spring yesterday, and about 6,000
fans showed up at Scott Stadium to watch the offense battle the defense in a
variety of situational drills.
Virginia is touting No.7, Matt Schaub, as a Heisman Trophy candidate, and the
senior quarterback's fine play earned appreciative applause yesterday. But no
Cavalier got more cheers than No.34, who trotted out with the second-team
defense but later worked with the first unit.
"Ahmad's a special guy," Weeks said.
"He makes the crowd buzz, huh?" U.Va. coach Al Groh said.
Not that the man in question noticed.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't know," Brooks said, "because everything's
blocked out once you're on the field. I didn't really know I was getting that
much cheers until my teammates were telling me after the play."
It's a sound to which Brooks became accustomed during his storied career at
Woodbridge's Hylton High, where he was USA Today's prep defensive player of the
year in 2001. After playing for Hargrave Military Academy's postgraduate team in
front of sparse crowds last fall, Brooks was delighted to hear the fans' roar
again.
"It's making me feel great," he said. "It's making me feel like a superstar
already, and I haven't really set the tone for myself yet, because it's just
spring ball."
No stats were kept, and defenders weren't allowed to tackle Schaub. Brooks stood
out anyway. When he wasn't pressuring second-team quarterback Anthony Martinez,
he was corraling Weeks from behind. He later pounced on Schaub for what would
have been a sack.
"I've been waiting for this chance for so long," Brooks said.
So have his coaches at U.Va. Brooks was considered the jewel of a highly
regarded class that signed with Virginia in February 2002 and was projected to
start last season. He failed to meet NCAA eligibility standards, however, and
had to take a detour to Hargrave.
Brooks raised his test score last fall then started classes at U.Va. in January.
Don't be surprised if he's in the starting lineup Aug.30 when Virginia opens
against Duke.
"He's got, obviously, a lot of ability and a lot of want-to," Groh said
yesterday. "It was nice for him. I felt good for him. It's his first time out.
I'm sure he's alert to the circumstance that a lot of people were out to find
out about this Brooks guy, and I think he gave a pretty good little preview as
to what his future's going to look like."
U.VA. NOTES
Apr 20, 2003
RECOGNIZED: Jermaine Hardy, a converted cornerback who has won a starting job at
safety, yesterday received the Rock Weir Award as Virginia's most improved
defensive player during spring practice. Two offensive players received the
award: tight end Patrick Estes and walk-on center Phillip Sims.
Estes, a Benedictine High graduate, is a rising junior. During the offseason, he
added about 20 solid pounds, and he's now 6-7, 267.
As a sophomore, Estes started four games and caught 13 passes for 97 yards and
four touchdowns. He wasn't disappointed with his play, he said, but "just felt
like there was a lot further for me to go. I knew I could step it up another
level and started working harder in the weight room, and I think that helped me
a lot on the field."
Virginia coach Al Groh said Estes' "power at the point of attack is signficantly
improved, and his receiving is significantly improved."
Estes and rising sophomore Heath Miller give U.Va. perhaps the nation's best set
of tight ends. Miller caught 33 passes last season for 327 yards and nine TDs,
an ACC record for a tight end.
VALIANT EFFORT: With Virginia's top three centers - Kevin Bailey, Zac Yarbrough
and Mark Farrington - sidelined with injuries this spring, Sims was pressed into
service. The former standout at Brookville High in Lynchburg earned the respect
of his teammates and coaches.
"Not only was he one of the most improved players in the spring practice, he
might have been the most valuable player," Groh said. "Because of the way that
circumstances had gotten, without Phil Sims there wouldn't have been any spring
practice. It would have been all individual drills."
Joining Bailey, Yarbrough, Farrington and Sims this summer will be Jordsey
Lipsey, one of the nation's top high school centers in 2002. Lipsey attended
yesterday's spring finale, as did many of the Cavaliers' other incoming
recruits.
STRONG SHOWING: Virginia's kickers took a turn in the spotlight yesterday, and
they didn't disappoint. Connor Hughes, the returning starter, was particularly
impressive in their drill.
Hughes, who made 5 of 6 field goal attempts in five games as a true freshman,
was 8 for 8 yesterday. He was 2 for 2 from each of four distances: 31, 38, 45
and 48 yards.
RUGGED RUNNING: Virginia's top two tailbacks, rising sophomore Wali Lundy and
rising junior Marquis Weeks, sparkled yesterday. They showed that they've
learned a few things from the Walter Payton videos Groh has shown them this
offseason.
"Both of the backs are stronger," Groh said. "Plus we've had an ongoing campaign
here since back in the end of February or so, about developing some weapons in
terms of breaking tackles."
Weeks supplied two of the day's most memorable plays. On the first, he bounced
off an attempted tackle by freshman safety Lance Evans, put his left hand to the
turf to steady himself then raced to the end zone to complete a 43-yard
touchdown run.
Later, Weeks stiff-armed his way clear of freshman cornerback Marcus Hamilton en
route to another TD.
SLIMFAST: Virginia's starting right offensive guard wasn't the only Elton Brown
at Scott Stadium. The crowd included his cousin of the same name, a U.Va. hoops
player.
There's not as much of the basketball Brown these days. The 6-9 sophomore, who
played at 270 pounds this season, said he's down to 256. He looked it.
OVERCONFIDENT? Expect Mike Groh, who coaches Virginia's quarterbacks and
receivers, to catch some grief around the McCue Center. In a passing contest
matching two former U.Va. quarterbacks yesterday, Tim Sherman soundly defeated
Groh.
"I think he was a little too casual about this contest," Al Groh said of his
elder son. "I think he was thinking, 'How can I be challenged by a guy from an
insurance office?'"
- Jeff White
Freshman linebacker is biggest hit at U.Va.
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published April 20, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Matt Schaub is Virginia's Heisman hopeful, and the line for
his autograph stretched at least 50 yards down the sidewalk. But he wasn't the
one most of the 6,000 fans, give or take, came to see Saturday afternoon at
Scott Stadium as the Cavaliers staged their annual spring game.
Actually, it was controlled scrimmage, with no score or statistics kept. There
wasn't an MVP, either. But had there been, freshman inside linebacker Ahmad
Brooks would have been the man to beat on the defensive side.
There was no official count, but Brooks made four memorable plays. Three
involved tailback Marquis Weeks, who had the misfortune of running his way
before being stuffed near the line of scrimmage. Another came when Brooks shed
two blockers and "sacked" Schaub - which, in this setting, means he touched him.
With each move Brooks made, the crowd ooohed. And once, when he came out for a
break, Brooks received a standing ovation.
"That made me feel great," he said. "Makes me feel like I'm a superstar
already."
He is in the public's mind.
"He makes the crowd buzz, huh?" Virginia coach Al Groh said. "Obviously he has a
lot of ability and a lot of want-to. It's nice for him. It's his first time out
and I'm sure he was alert to the circumstances. A lot of people wanted to find
out about this Brooks guy, and I think he gave them a pretty good preview to
what his future's going to look like."
Brooks, the USA Today's Defensive Player of the Year in 2001, originally signed
with Virginia two Februarys ago. But unable to get the score he needed on his
SAT, he spent the fall at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham. After qualifying
in December, he was allowed to enroll at U.Va. for the spring semester. So
instead of arriving in August, like the rest of Virginia's true freshmen, he now
has the experience of 15 spring practices.
"If I had come here in August," he said, "I would have had three weeks to learn
the plays and then have a (season-opening) game against Duke."
Brooks worked with the second-team defense Saturday, but few expect that status
to remain unchanged. For the moment, juniors Rich Bedesem and Bryan White are
No. 1 on the depth chart at the two inside spots. At 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds,
Brooks is bigger - and faster - than either.
"He made a couple of plays on me today," Weeks said, "and I was like, 'How did
he do that?'"
On another, Brooks beat two blockers off the ball and had a free shot at Schaub.
The whistle sounded before contact was made, much to the relief of Schaub - and
no doubt Groh.
"I'd probably still be lying out there," Schaub said.
Brooks, however, knows he has more ahead of him.
"It's a big adjustment, because in high school I could just push the offensive
linemen off and run to the ball by using my speed and athletic ability," he
said. "But now, there's more to it because everybody's big and fast at the
college level. You just have to use your hands more and use your speed."
NOTES: In live kicking drills Saturday, Lafayette's Connor Hughes went 8-for-8,
hitting two kicks each from 30, 38, 45 and 48 yards. ... Defensive back Jermaine
Hardy, tight end Patrick Estes and walk-on center Phillip Sims were named the
team's Most Improved Players. ... Walk-on Rodney Johnson of Bethel had five
carries. ... Weeks scored on a 43-yard touchdown run.
Haley blossoms in spring again
Dennis Haley of Salem and newcomers Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham lead strong
defensive effort.
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
CHARLOTTESVILLE - A former teammate watching from the sidelines Saturday said
that Virginia outside linebacker Dennis Haley was "playing like he has a lot of
anger in him."
While Haley didn't necessarily agree with that assessment, he accepted it as a
compliment.
"I was just going out there to have fun," said Haley, who was all over the field
Saturday in what has become an annual rite of spring.
Haley, a Salem High School graduate, has showed signs of promise in the past but
has been on the field for only 65 plays in his two-year UVa career.
That included a start in the opening game of the 2002 season, after which he was
suspended for nonfootball reasons that he remains reluctant to discuss.
"I really don't have that much time left," said Haley, who is approaching his
fourth year at UVa, with two years of eligibility remaining. "It's time to get
it done."
Haley thought he was in position for a breakout year in 2002, but he was
notified after the opening game that he was not eligible. Haley was under the
impression that he had taken care of business academically, "but there's no room
for error now," he said Saturday.
"I've got to stay on top of things."
The same could be said for football. Haley, whose athletic ability has helped
create the impression that he coasts, has put on nearly 40 pounds of muscle
since arriving in the fall of 2000 as a 6-foot-1, 210-pounder.
Seldom has Haley been as assertive as he was Saturday, when on his second play
he sacked quarterback Anthony Martinez, then later stopped running back Michael
Johnson for a 4-yard loss and intercepted a pass.
"Dennis was in on a lot of plays," head coach Al Groh said. "He showed up. He
showed up well today."
Haley played on the second unit, which had its way with a patchwork offensive
line, but he also played with the first unit in third-down situations. For most
of the scrimmage, he found himself next to freshman Ahmad Brooks, the 2001 USA
Today high school defensive player of the year.
Brooks, a rare midyear enrollee, was quick to make his presence felt with
several tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
"He makes the crowd buzz, huh?" Groh said.
There was little dropoff between the first defense and a second defense that
included Haley, Brooks and redshirt freshmen Kai Parham, a linebacker; and
cornerbacks Marcus Hamilton and Tony Franklin.
The first offense was without rehabilitating linemen Kevin Bailey, Brian
Barthelmes and Zac Yarbrough, but looked sharp with 2002 ACC Player of the Year
Matt Schaub at quarterback and tailback Wali Lundy carrying 14 times for 89
yards during the main part of the scrimmage.
Haley was one of several former Roanoke Valley performers to play well, along
with William Fleming's Jermaine Hardy, who is a first-team safety after spending
two seasons as a reserve cornerback.
"I knew we were losing three safeties," Hardy said, "so, I went to see Coach
Groh and asked if I could go back there. He said he had been thinking the same
thing."
Hardy was one of three players to share the Rock Weir Award as UVa's most
improved player, along with tight end Patrick Estes and Phil Sims, a walk-on
from Heritage High School in Lynchburg. Sims was UVa's principal center after
three scholarship players were lost to injury.
Place-kicker Connor Hughes was 8-of-8 on field-goal attempts ranging from 31 to
48 yards, but UVa did not attempt any punts. Roanoke's Tom Hagan, the Cavaliers
punter last season, was wearing a sling and out of uniform after undergoing
shoulder surgery Tuesday.
McMullen works to get up to speed for NFL
Linebacker Angelo Crowell is also expected to be drafted, most likely in the
fourth round.
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES
CHARLOTTESVILLE - When last seen, Billy McMullen was being assisted from the
field at Ericsson Stadium, clutching an elbow he had dislocated on the sixth
play of the Continental Tire Bowl.
So, why, four months later, are all the questions about McMullen's legs?
Actually, McMullen was getting those questions before his elbow injury, and
there has been no letup in advance of the NFL Draft next Saturday and Sunday.
It's nothing McMullen hasn't heard before.
"I just want to get a foot in the door," said McMullen, a spectator Saturday at
Virginia's spring football finale, "just like here. You know, I wasn't really
highly recruited, but I came in here, got my foot in the door and did what I had
to do."
McMullen set virtually every UVa receiving record and his 210 career receptions
rank second on the ACC's all-time list.
Last summer, McMullen said he was concerning himself with the upcoming season
and would work on his speed during the winter. Since then, he has attended a
speed camp in New Orleans, where his workout partners included former NFL wide
receiver Torrance Small.
"He helped me out with a lot of stuff I had to fine-tune," McMullen said. "It
wasn't just a speed camp. We worked on fundamentals. I'm not a 40-[yard] guy,
but I can tell the difference on the field, coming out of my breaks and other
stuff."
McMullen was one of 12 players listed as "failing prospects" in Monday's edition
of USA Today, but at least he was in good company. The list included Penn State
running back Larry Johnson and Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey, the third- and
fifth-leading vote-getters for the Heisman Trophy.
McMullen said Saturday he expects to be drafted between the first and third
round, with the fourth round a possibility. The Sporting News this week rated
him as the No.7 wide receiver prospect and projected that he would go to Arizona
in the second round, with the 37th pick overall.
At 6 feet 4 and 208 pounds, McMullen offers a big target who has given opponents
fits near the goal line. Virginia head coach Al Groh, previously the head coach
of the New York Jets, said that some teams prefer big wide receivers.
"That's a known fact," McMullen said. "Some teams like smaller, quicker wide
receivers. Some teams like big, tall guys, [teams] like Philadelphia.
Philadelphia ran the same offense we ran this year, so I guess that's why
they're looking at me. Miami, too. Detroit likes big wide receivers."
Although The Sporting News projects UVa linebacker Angelo Crowell as a
fourth-round pick, most analysts believe that Crowell will be the first
Cavaliers' player selected. UVa listed Crowell among its top five prospects -
its "cream of the crop" - at outside linebacker.
Crowell had a school-record 155 tackles this past season as an inside linebacker
in Virginia's 3-4, "but I could see him as an outside linebacker in a 4-3," Groh
said.
The Sporting News predicted that Detroit would draft Crowell in the fourth
round, which would make for an interesting story. The Lions waived Crowell's
older brother, Germane, earlier this offseason.
Groh thinks that two other UVa players with more than 100 tackles last year,
linebacker Merrill Robinson and safety Jerton Evans have a chance to be drafted
on the second day.
"It's not important to me where I'm taken," Robertson said Saturday. "Guys like
[John] Lynch of the Bucs didn't get drafted. I'm not the fastest guy or the
strongest guy, but once I get to a camp, I'm going to show them what I'm about.
I'm going to make a team."
Dixon makes impact in his freshman year
Spalding alumnus helps Virginia to ACC title game
By Paul McMullen
Sun Staff
Originally published April 20, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Kyle Dixon was more than a standout lacrosse player at
Archbishop Spalding High. He also earned the school's Excellence in Chemistry
Award, and his ability to recognize the volatility of certain compounds has come
in handy during his freshman season at Virginia.
"At Spalding, I was the lead player," said Dixon, who joined an elite midfield
corps here and forced his way on to the first unit. "I've had to change my role,
but I knew I was going to have to do that. We've got three great senior
midfielders. I thought they were the best unit in the nation last year. I was a
vocal leader in high school. I'm trying to do that, but I feel a need to let the
light shine on the seniors."
Syracuse has Michael Powell and Princeton revolves around Ryan Boyle, but no
college men's team has a better collection of offensive talent than the
second-ranked Cavaliers, who meet No. 14 Duke today (3 p.m.) in the Atlantic
Coast Conference tournament title game at Klockner Stadium.
Sophomore attackmen John Christmas and Joe Yevoli are recognized playmakers.
Coach Dom Starsia thinks Chris Rotelli should be national Player of the Year.
Last season he ran on a dynamic first midfield with Billy Glading and A.J.
Shannon. Crunch time often sees that group reunited - Glading got the overtime
goal that beat North Carolina, 13-12, in Friday's semifinals - but he's the one
who made room for Dixon and shifted to the second unit.
"It's pretty difficult for any freshman to step in, but Kyle's done a great
job," Glading said. "He proved he had the ability to run on the first line with
Chris [Rotelli] and A.J. [Shannon]. He's a specimen. Sometimes you have to say,
'Kyle, even though you're a freshman, sometimes you can run over people.' He has
the capability to do things that other players can't."
Dixon stands 6 feet 4, weighs 210 pounds and can power his way through a double
team.
In lieu of joining an established prep power, he followed a brother and sister
to Spalding, where he manhandled the opposition in the Maryland Interscholastic
Athletic Association's B Conference. His 193 goals and 196 assists established a
career point record for Anne Arundel County-based players, but he also heard
jibes that he didn't do it in the A Conference.
Despite its firepower, this has been a season of transition for the Virginia
offense. It spent the past four seasons following the direction of Conor Gill,
who came out of St. Paul's and notched 146 career assists. With Gill back
coaching at his prep alma mater, the Cavaliers need a new traffic cop who can
draw a second defender and dump the ball to the open man.
In Virginia's first six games, Dixon had one goal and two assists. In the past
four, he has three and four, as Starsia has had to coax him into being as
assertive as he was at Spalding.
"Kyle could absolutely have his way in the B Conference," Starsia said. "All of
a sudden, he was running into guys who were as athletic as him, and he was
tentative. In the first half of the season, we weren't getting a lot of
production from him. He was respectful of the veterans, to the point of being
deferential. We told him he had more to offer, and not to be afraid of making
mistakes.
"My mantra became, 'No short stick [defensive midfielder] can cover you.' We've
told him to go to the cage until he draws a double team. That's going to mean
better shots for Rotelli and Shannon, and that's going to make us a better
team."
Virginia's O-Line Remains on the Sideline
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, April 20, 2003; Page D12
CHARLOTTESVILLE, April 19 -- Some of Virginia's best offensive linemen didn't do
much today. While their teammates went through their final spring practice
before more than 6,000 fans at Scott Stadium, Kevin Bailey, Brian Barthelmes,
Zac Yarbrough and Mark Farrington stood together on the sideline, dressed in
workout gear.
They will play regularly for the Cavaliers in the fall. Two likely will fill the
starting spots at center and left guard. But during the three-week spring
session, they were stuck watching because of injuries or illness.
"It's tough. I'm getting anxious, getting ready to play, looking forward to next
season," Yarbrough said as the Cavaliers wrapped up nearly two hours of
scrimmages. "This is a big step for next season. It's just hard to sit out and
watch."
Bailey, a senior center, is still working back from a knee injury that ended his
season after two games last year; Yarbrough, the junior who replaced Bailey last
season, is recovering from hernia surgery. Highly touted freshman Jordy Lipsey
won't arrive until August, so redshirt freshman walk-on Phillip Sims has become
the starter by default.
At left guard, redshirt freshman Ron Darden is working with both the first and
second teams because Barthelmes was only recently cleared to exercise after
doctors discovered inflamed blood vessels in his brain. Farrington, a junior who
was a valuable backup at guard and center last season, hurt his right knee while
skiing this winter.
Sophomore right tackle Brad Butler missed the first two weeks of spring practice
because of mononucleosis, leaving sophomore left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson
and junior right guard Elton Brown as the lone stalwarts.
The Cavaliers said players such as Darden and Sims -- the latter one of three
players selected for the most improved player award this offseason -- have made
good use of their increased playing time.
"Now we have more backups and even possible starters because these guys are
getting to play," said Barthelmes, a sophomore who expects to be ready for
August training camp now that he has stopped taking the medication that caused
his condition.
Of course, that doesn't mean the injured starters aren't itching to get their
jobs back.
"I know it's tough for 'em," said Brown, who missed time last season with an
ankle injury. "They try to jump in the drills in practice, stuff like that. They
hate being away from the game. I kind of feel sorry for them, because I know
what it's like when you have to sit. But they're working hard, real hard to get
back. We'll have them back in August."
Cavaliers Notes: Freshman inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks (Hylton) drew some of
the day's biggest cheers after making a handful of big plays. "Yeah, he makes
the crowd buzz, huh?" Coach Al Groh said with a smile. . . . Junior tight end
Patrick Estes and junior defensive back Jermaine Hardy were also named most
improved.