Wahoos win spring game
Lundy's touchdown pass to Anderson highlights victory
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
April 18, 2004

For the first time in the Al Groh era, Virginia held an actual spring game and it actually provided fans with an interesting afternoon of football at Scott Stadium.

The 8,000-plus fans in attendance got to see UVa tailback Wali Lundy throw the only touchdown pass of the game, Connor Hughes miss a field goal and a pair of former Cavalier quarterbacks -Matt Schaub and Aaron Brooks - battle it out in a contest at halftime.

When the dust had finally settled, the Wahoos team behind 75 yards of rushing and a second quarter halfback touchdown pass from Lundy downed the Cavaliers squad, 10-7.

With four, 12-minute quarters that moved at an NFL game-type pace, the statistics were skewed but the respective defensive units stole the spotlight.

Bryan White and Mark Miller led the Wahoos with nine and eight tackles, respectively. Andrew Hoffman and Brennan Schmidt combined for three sacks for the winning team.

Tony Franklin paced the Cavaliers with eight tackles. Ahmad Brooks and Jermaine Dias each were credited with six tackles in the loss.

Offensively, all four quarterbacks that played - Marques Hagans, Anthony Martinez, Kevin McCabe and Christian Olson - struggled to get in a rhythm.

“Overall, today I’d say the quarterback play was erratic,” Groh said.

The play of the quartet left Groh without a clear indication of who would be the starting signal-caller when the team opens practice in August but it appears to rest in the hands of Hagans.

“[Hagans] went into the spring [at No. 1 on the depth chart]. Most likely [he] will remain that way,” Groh said. “We’ll see how things look after today.”

Hagans, who started at quarterback for the Cavaliers, finished 7 for 15 with 64 yards passing but threw two interceptions.

McCabe started for the Wahoos and went 4 for 9 with 41 yards passing.

In relief roles, Martinez passed for 19 yards (3 for 6) for the Wahoos and Olsen finished with 30 yards (3 for 7).

According to Groh’s postgame conference, all the quarterbacks made progress in the spring practice period. Groh indicated that he has received continuous updates on the progress of the four quarterbacks from their position coach - Mike Groh.

“Based on those insights, I’d say they all made progress from where they started,” the elder Groh said.

With 15 penalties being called in the game, Groh also walked away feeling as though there was room for improvement.

“I thought there were a number of players today who, after 14 practices, should have played better,” Groh said. “It’s true on every team … it’s true in sports. Certain guys, their game steps up on game day. Certain guys never seem to perform as well in the game as they did in practice.

“That’s kind of one of the perspectives I wanted to have from where I was standing,” Groh said.

Lundy opened the scoring with 1:37 left before halftime when he took a handoff from Martinez and tossed a 15-yard pass into the endzone to a wide-open Ottowa Anderson.

Hughes, who handled the placekicking duties for both teams, missed a 49-yard field goal attempt in the opening quarter for the Wahoos but later drilled a 27-yarder to push the lead to 10-0.

Hughes field goal was set up by an interception from rising sophomore Marshall Tucker. The Richmond native stepped up and caught a pass from Hagans and returned it 24 yards.

Trailing 10-0, the Cavaliers squad received a break in the fourth quarter when Wahoos QB Martinez fumbled a snap at his own 20-yard line. Dias recovered the ball and gave the Cavaliers prime field position.

Two plays later, Pearman raced nine yards around the left corner of the offensive line and jumped into the endzone to trim the lead to 10-7.

After getting the ball back, the Cavaliers final drive ended as Hagans final pass attempt was picked off by Marcus Hamilton as time expired.

As for the players, the game was a nice change of pace from the 14 previous spring practices and the drills they did in front of the fans at the last three Spring Festivals.

“We just tried to make it as exciting as possible,” UVa tight end Heath Miller said. “I think the fact that we were able to play a game today means we were getting more and more good players on the team. I think that is going to bring out more and more fans. Hopefully the fans enjoyed the game.”

 

QB questions still remain unanswered
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
April 18, 2004

With 18 starters returning from a bowl-winning season, Virginia football appears to be in great shape heading into the upcoming season except for that one big question.
Who’s gonna be the quarterback?
The Cavaliers entered spring drills with four candidates, all with limited or no college experience at the job. They exited spring practice on Saturday without coach Al Groh publicly naming a starter.

No standouts
After a less-than-impressive performance by all four in Virginia’s Spring Game, a 10-7 win for the White over the Blue, you really couldn’t blame Groh for keeping his thoughts to himself. The best two quarterbacks in the stadium were dressed in street clothes on the sidelines - former UVa passers Matt Schaub (who awaits the NFL draft) and Aaron Brooks, the starting New Orleans Saints quarterback.
“I think a one-game performance counts for a lot because the game moves faster and you have to handle situations,” Groh said afterward. “None of these quarterbacks have been in games very much over the last two years.”
On Saturday, it showed.
Marques Hagans, the guy who won the Western Michigan game in a pinch last season, was 7 of 15 for 64 yards and had two passes intercepted. The magic in his feet displayed in wild scrambles against the Broncos last fall amounted to 20 net yards against his own defense, which sacked him twice.
Christian Olsen, the Notre Dame transfer, who played behind Hagans on the losing Blue team, was 3 of 7 for 14 yards and was sacked three times.
Redshirt freshman Kevin McCabe, who chose UVa over the Irish, started for the victorious White squad and completed 4 of 9 for 41 yards. Sophomore Anthony Martinez, who appears to be the odd man out, was 3 of 6 for 19 yards.

Lack of long range
The longest pass of the day was a 21-yarder by Hagans. The only touchdown pass of the day was by a running back. Wali Lundy, who has now thrown for TDs on three occasions, tossed a 15-yarder on a pass/run option to wide receiver Ottowa Anderson for the game’s only passing score.
All this left Groh to comment: “Today the quarterback play was erratic.”
Hmmm.
We don’t think that’s what he had in mind when he began storing away quarterbacks like the Cold War countries use to stash away nukes in the arms race.
Brooks, who has carved his niche in the NFL over the past few years, was a casual observer from the sidelines but believes there’s hope for the fall at the quarterback spot.
“They’ve got some work to do,” Brooks said. “All of them look like they have some talent.”
But if Brooks had to make a bet on who will win out in the end, he said he would go with Hagans.
“He’s extremely athletic and that’s what he brings to the table,” Brooks said. “It’s good to have a quarterback who is a great athlete because they can make things happen. It’s a great starting point.”
Groh wasn’t ready to go out on that limb. He said that he had an idea about the pecking order of the four if he were forced to rank them but that he would rather tell the players where they stood before they read it in the paper this morning.
“Hagans went into the spring that way [as the guy to beat out] and most likely will remain that way,” Groh said.
That’s as much of a public commitment as he was going to make.
The coach said he was taking stock in what his son, Mike Groh, thinks of the matter. Mike Groh is quarterbacks coach and a former college quarterback at Virginia.
“Mike’s been there before and he relates the time frame a quarterback is in to different time frames he was in, when things really started to click for him,” said Papa Groh. “How the game action moved him along so much faster than practice time ever would. In his words, it’s game action that eventually leads to the game slowing down.”
It was important in both the Grohs’ views to give all of those staking a timeshare of the quarterback position equal exposure to game-like action Saturday. They wanted to see how each guy reacted under the heat of battle. That’s really what counts.
If Hagans is the leader of the pack, he wasn’t about to say so after Saturday’s performance.
“That remains to be seen,” Hagans said. “All I can do is continue to work hard. I think I made strides this spring but there’s a lot of things I need to work on.”
Things like learning about protection, reading defenses, how to determine who the hot receiver is when the defense makes an adjustment, all sorts of little things that separate great quarterbacks from good ones.
The offseason will give him and the other candidates a chance to improve in all those areas. The summer is when quarterbacks are made. They immerse themselves in game film and spend countless hours honing their timing with receivers in passing drills.
Hagans, a product of Hampton High and Fork Union Military, wasn’t real happy with his day.
“I could have had better timing and have made better decisions,” Hagans said. “I think it takes time but is also something I can work at by studying more film and learning the offense a lot better.”
Hagans felt he made a couple of bad reads, particularly on one of the interceptions, which seemed to draw Groh’s ire as well. But the young quarterback was trying to feel comfortable in that role as a leader of the offense, something that doesn’t come easy.
All of the quarterbacks have been working hard on and off the field to win the job or a shot at the job.
Finally, asked if he felt like the No. 1 guy, Hagans just smiled and answered, “I just go out and compete and whatever happens, happens.”
Chances are, he’ll know long before you and me.
 

UVa men dominate Duke
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
April 18, 2004

Virginia coach Dom Starsia has pleaded with his team to give a complete effort, not necessarily mistake-free, but just a full, cohesive game from start to finish.

This time, that message certainly was received.

In its most dominating and, yes, complete performance of the season, the No. 18 Virginia men’s lacrosse team downed Duke 13-4 on Saturday afternoon at Klockner Stadium.

Joe Yevoli, Foster Gilbert and Matt Poskay each had three goals to pace the Cavs (4-6, 1-3 ACC), who snapped a two-game slide that featured uneven performances.

“I felt that before the game, we were ready to play. My sense of things in the lockerroom doesn’t always correlate to the play on the field but I had a good feeling beforehand,” said Starsia, whose team at one point scored 10 unanswered goals. “We had a couple of good days of practice and just talking to each other. I felt we were going to come out and play good lacrosse today and we were on the play right from the beginning. … You need to have a resilient spirit and we showed that today.”

Virginia’s effort, resolve and ultimate dominance was particularly noteworthy given that a handful of players, including normal contributors Kyle Dixon and Nathan Kenney, were suspended for unspecified violations of team rules.

“You are a team and everyone has to make a contribution. It was important that this week we stood up and showed this was important to us and that principles were important to us. We were able to persevere at the same time,” Starsia said. “It was a valuable week and provided lessons for all of us. I don’t want to get carried away talking about athletics but once in a while life lessons do come into play. That was the kind of week and the kind of day it was for us.”

Added Yevoli: “It definitely sends a message and was definitely a wake-up call.”

After Duke (4-6, 0-4 ACC) netted the first goal on a tally by Lee Skandalaris, Virginia scored the game’s next three goals in the next three-and-a-half minutes. When Gilbert notched his first goal off a pretty feed from Poskay, Virginia had surged to a 3-1 lead.

The Blue Devils responded, tying the game at 3 early in the second quarter, but then Virginia seized firm control of the contest in just about every facet.

The Cavaliers scored four straight goals to end the half to gain a 7-3 halftime advantage.

The crisp play continued in the beginning of the third quarter as Virginia blanked the Blue Devils 4-0 in the stanza. Yevoli’s third and final goal of the game highlighted the stretch as he flipped a behind the back shot past Duke goalie Aaron Fenton with just three seconds remaining in the quarter. The tally gave the Cavs a commanding 11-3 lead.

Making the play most impressive was the very tight angle that Yevoli was given to thread the shot.

“I can’t remember when I had a goal quite like that. Even after I shot it, I still couldn’t believe that I actually shot it and it went in. It just worked out perfectly,” Yevoli said.

Poskay added two more goals at the start of the fourth quarter as the lead surged to 13-3. Duke finally earned its fourth goal on a score by Grant Byczek with 1:17 left in the contest.

In total, Duke’s scoreless drought lasted 42 minutes and 53 seconds as both an efficient and stingy Virginia defense limited the Blue Devils’ chances. Of course, Tillman Johnson’s 13 saves certainly aided the cause as well.

“I thought that we could defend them. The question for us was whether we could throw enough of them in the goal. It was the most opportunistic day for us offensively. We were making plays and a step ahead each time and that has not be a characteristic for us all season,” Starsia said.

Virginia now enters next weekend’s ACC tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C., as the third seed and will meet second-seeded North Carolina on Friday night. To reach the NCAAs and just get the chance to defend its national title, Virginia will have to win the ACCs and then capture the regular-season finale at Penn State. Saturday’s result and performance at least indicated that the Cavaliers are on the right path to complete such a scenario.

“This has been a watershed kind of week for us. We had some issues we had to deal with. We haven’t been playing well and we had to step up and do something today or the season was essentially going to be over,” Starsia said. “I haven’t been obsessed about the NCAA tournament. I’ve just wanted the team to play well. Today was an important day for our program to demonstrate and show who we are and what we’re about. I’ll take today as a small step forward and definitely a step in the right direction.”
 

Leachman nets game-winner for Cavaliers
By Nate Rullman / Daily Progress correspondent
April 18, 2004

A look at the series history between Loyola College and the University of Virginia can tell you just how close these two teams have been throughout the years. In the past 10 meetings, seven have been decided by one goal.

It is more than likely that a matchup between the two schools will be a nailbiter. Recent history shows that it is the Cavaliers (11-3) who seem to always get the better of the Greyhounds (12-2).

During last year’s matchup in Baltimore, the Cavaliers rallied from a 9-6 deficit to defeat Loyola 10-9. And once again, Virginia allowed the Greyhounds to smell victory only to take it away en route to a 12-11 decision Saturday night at Klockner Stadium.

“We have their number. It seems that no matter what happens in the beginning of the game, they just can’t find a way to beat us,” Virginia’s Molly Urlock said.

At the outset of the game, it appeared as if Loyola was going to buck the close game trend and race away to a convincing win.

The Greyhounds rattled off the first three goals of the game and did not allow the Cavaliers to register a shot until 4:14 had elapsed. Virginia jumped on the board emphatically on an eight-meter free position shot from Ashleigh Haas that made the score 3-1.

Virginia would score four unanswered goals to take a 5-4 lead. Riding strong play in the goal by Kim Lawton, Loyola closed the half with three goals to take a 7-5 lead into the lockerroom.

In a game that more resembled a college basketball game with each team going on long scoring runs, it seemed crucial for the Cavaliers to score first in the second half and end the momentum Loyola took into the break.

Taking matters into her own hands, Caitlin Banks controlled the opening draw and raced down the right side of the field into the Loyola defensive area and smoked a right-handed shot over the stick side of new Greyhound goalie Cindy Nicolaus to make the score 7-6, Loyola. The goal was Banks’ 100th goal at Virginia.

Added Banks: “That is definitely my favorite shot. My teammates did a great job of clearing out the side and I just kept going and created something.”

After trading goals for the first 5:22 of the second half, the Greyhounds held a 9-7 advantage. Banks again pulled the Cavs within one, dunking a rebound following a shot by teammate Amy Appelt. The score ended a seven-minute scoring drought by both teams during which Virginia hit two pipes and had quality chances saved by Nicolaus.

Five minutes later, the Cavaliers evened the score at 9-9 when Morgan Thalenberg caused a Loyola turnover in a clearing situation. After a takeaway check, Thalenberg scooped up the ball and easily put a shot into the empty net.

Thalenberg would control the next draw and found Tyler Leachman on the left side of the field. Leachman, in stride found a cutting Kim Connors for the go-ahead goal with 11:38 remaining in the game.

Loyola’s Jaclyn Borrone scored her third goal of the game to again even the score and Jen Schuerholz put the Greyhounds on top, 11-10, with 8:15 in the game.

A flurry of Virginia possessions yielded no goals as Nicolaus remained strong in goal. And on the offensive side, it looked as if Loyola was pretty content on spreading the field and using the clock.

With 3:49 left on the clock, Jess Wasilewski threw a takeaway check and quickly scooped the ground ball and moved it up the field to Appelt. Appelt ran directly towards the Loyola goal and for a second, it looked like she was going to shoot the ball from 20 yards out. But Appelt tucked her stick for 10 more yards and then ripped a shot from her feet into the back of the goal to tie the game at 11-11.

Nearly two minutes had passed and it looked as if regulation time was not going to be enough. However, with 9.4 seconds on the clock, Leachman was fouled and awarded an eight-meter, free position shot.

As if the shot was just another shot and not one that could possibly win the game, Leachman calmly bounced the ball past Nicolaus to give the Cavaliers the lead for good.

“It was a shot that we practiced that morning,” Leachman said . “I hadn’t shot a bounce shot the whole game and it worked out.”

In a game that featured so many great individual efforts, the effort of Caitlin Banks was critical in the Virginia win.

“We don’t win that game without the performance of Caitlin Banks tonight,” said Virginia coach Julie Myers. “I think she is just exceptional.”

The Cavaliers will travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech on Monday before heading to the ACC Tournament in Chapel Hill, NC.

 

Game reveals little about QBs
By Doug Doughty
doug.doughty@roanoke.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE - With the expressed intention of establishing a line of succession at quarterback, Virginia saw a running back throw its only touchdown pass Saturday in its spring football game.

Wali Lundy connected with Ottowa Anderson on a 9-yard scoring pass, and the Wahoos added a 27-yard field goal by Connor Hughes in a 10-7 triumph over the Cavaliers before an announced crowd of 8,239 at Scott Stadium.

The Wahoos, who were dressed in white, will be rewarded with steak and shrimp Monday night. The Cavaliers will dine on hot dogs.

"Me, personally, I like hot dogs," said Marques Hagans, one of the quarterbacks for the Cavaliers, who were dressed in blue. "I guess this does give them bragging rights."

Hagans was the second player taken in what head coach Al Groh called the 2004 Virginia Football Allocation Draft. The Wahoos, with the first pick overall, went with outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock.

"I wish it was the NFL Draft," Hagans said. "Maybe then we could have gotten a signing bonus."

There were a few NFL quarterbacks in attendance Saturday. Aaron Brooks of the New Orleans Saints took part in a halftime passing contest with fellow UVa alumnus Matt Schaub.

Schaub, a likely choice in next weekend's NFL Draft, set a school record by passing for more than 7,000 yards in a career that concluded last fall.

Hagans, who led UVa to a 59-16 victory over Western Michigan when Schaub was injured last September, split his time between quarterback and wide receiver last fall but has been a quarterback exclusively this spring.

Groh was unwilling to reveal a quarterback depth chart at this point, but Hagans went into the spring as the No.1 candidate and "most likely will remain that way," Groh said. "We'll see how things look after today."

Hagans split Cavaliers quarterback duties with Christian Olsen, a transfer from Notre Dame, with Anthony Martinez and Kevin McCabe sharing time for the Wahoos. None of Virginia's four scholarship quarterbacks completed as many as half of their passes.

Lundy carried 23 times for 75 yards and fellow tailback Alvin Pearman had 12 rushing attempts for 49 yards, including a 9-yard run for the Cavaliers' lone touchdown.

Lundy and Pearman combined to rush for nearly 1,600 yards last season, although Virginia was considered more of a passing team during an 8-5 season.

"We threw the ball a lot during the last two seasons because we had one of the best passers in college football," Groh said. "When a guy could throw close to 800 passes and complete nearly 70 percent, if you didn't throw the ball fairly often, you wouldn't be making use of all the personnel on hand.

"It's probably going to be a little while before Virginia, as with most teams, has a quarterback who's going to complete 70 percent of his passes. I think there's been only two quarterbacks in the country over the past two years who have strung that together.

"That, in itself, would say that we probably wouldn't throw as many passes as we did last year. If you don't throw more passes, I guess you run the ball more."

Groh said he felt the quarterback play was erratic Saturday and was upset with an interception yielded by Hagans before the half. Hagans was responsible for both interceptions given up by UVa quarterbacks in their 38 attempts.

"There's so much room for improvement," Hagans said.

Odds 'n' ends

One of the highlights was the punting of Kurt Korte, a transfer from William and Mary, who showed a strong leg during warm-ups and also boomed a 45-yarder in the game. ... Walk-on Tyrus Gardner, a redshirt freshman from Wytheville, celebrated his move from linebacker to fullback by catching a 10-yard pass. Gardner also snapped on punts for the Cavaliers team. ... Dennis Haley, a starting outside linebacker from Salem, took a turn at fullback when Cavaliers starter Jason Snelling pulled a hamstring. Haley dropped a pass and "you probably won't see him as a two-way player," Groh said. ... Groh said co-captains will be offensive guard Elton Brown, tight end Heath Miller and defensive tackles Brennan Schmidt and Chris Canty. ... Cornerback Marcus Hamilton and tailback Michael Johnson shared the Rock Weir Award as the most improved players in the spring.
 

Nike camp talent-laden but recruiting impact debatable
UVa, Tech recruiting target makes score
By Doug Doughty
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Fridays

Three years ago, Virginia was the site of a photo shoot for recruiting analyst Tom Lemming's football annual and, the next year, Lemming took his act to Virginia Tech.

Last May, Tech served as host school for the Nike All-Star Football Camp and, this Sunday, the Nike people will be visiting Charlottesville.

Get the idea: Neither of these schools is about to let the other get away with one-upsmanship.

There has been a change in the Nike format this year, with neither the Virginia staff or any other staff allowed to witness the camp, but that's not a major issue.

Virginia will have nearly 300 prospects on campus this weekend, some of whom will be in attendance Saturday at the Cavaliers' spring game.

(In fact, UVa sent out a memo to the media Friday and said the locker room would be closed to the media after the game because of the sizable group of prospects who will be on campus.).

While the Nike camp may bring some players to Charlottesville who otherwise may not have visited Virginia, it's debatable how much the camp will benefit the Cavaliers in recruiting.

Of the 293 players who were at Tech last year, seven ended up signing with the Hokies: linebacker Andrew Bowman from Hermitage High School in Richmond; Northside defensive lineman Brandon Holland; Blacksburg fullback-linebacker Sam Wheeler; defensive back Theodore Miller from Woodson High School in Washington, D.C.; Fork Union center Ryan Shuman; quarterback Sean Glennon from Westfield High School in Chantilly, and Glennon's teammate, wide receiver Eddie Royal.

Two other Nike attendees made oral commitments to the Hokies: Woodson tight end William Wall, who will attend prep school for a year, and Charlotte, N.C., defensive back Rod Council, whose status remains in limbo after his arrest Jan. 31 for stealing $16,000 worth of computer equipment from his high school.

So, the Hokies got nine players out of the Nike camp, but how many would have gone to Tech anyway? My guess is, most of them. Woodson and Hermitage both have been good to Tech over the years, Wheeler and Holland are local, and Royal and Shuman both have sisters at Tech. Glennon had other ACC-Big East offers, but Tech arguably was his best bet.

Among the players that were at Tech for the Nike camp and went elsewhere were quarterback Jordan Steffy (Maryland), defensive back Kent Hicks (Maryland), fullback Rashard Jennings (Pittsburgh), defensive tackle Demario Pressley (N.C. State), defensive lineman Jon Kirchner (UVa) and offensive lineman Tony Willis (Clemson).

Tech didn't offer all of those players, but there was ample talent on hand, including juniors such as Bath County tight end John Phillips, who recently committed to Virginia; Jamestown, N.C., running back Toney Baker and Varina High School defensive end Alan-Michael Cash.

Phillips, who underwent reconstructive knee surgery in December, may be in attendance Sunday but won't work out. Fellow UVa recruits Vic Hall, Jason Fuller and Patrick Slebonic will be among those doing the drills.

Baker, whose father, Tony, played for East Carolina and two NFL teams, rushed for 3,411 yards and scored 41 touchdowns this past season. Tech and UVa are both on his list.

BAKER AND GREENBELT, Md., wide receiver Derrick Williams are two of the top prospects expected at the Nike camp, with Williams, the younger brother of one-time North Carolina quarterback Domonique Williams, expressing interest in UVa.

One potential problem is Derrick Williams' stated desire to graduate from Eleanor Roosevelt High School in December and enroll in college for the second semester. In an interview with rivals.com, he said all of the schools that he is considering are agreeable to that proposal.

While such an arrangement might be common procedure at some schools, Virginia has never taken a December graduate in time for the second semester. Ahmad Brooks entered school in 2003 after spending the fall semester at Hargrave Military Academy, but, by then, he already had graduated from Hylton High School in Prince William County.

BLUE RIDGE SCHOOL basketball standout Laurynas (pronounced Laurus) Mikalauskas was in Charlottesville on Friday to meet with the UVa men's basketball staff after receiving word that he had met Division I eligibility requirements on the American College Test.

Virginia already had made a scholarship offer to Mikalauskas, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound junior, but it was contingent on him posting the required test score. In fact, the UVa staff was awaiting scores from the ACT and an as-yet unreported SAT before delivering his transcript to the admissions office.

Mikalauskas averaged 18.7 points and 11.3 rebounds this past season, his third at Blue Ridge after coming to the United States from Lithuania. He also has offers from Virginia Tech, Clemson and West Virginia.

The word out of UVa is that 6-11 senior Tunji Soroye from Montrose Christian Academy has a letter-of-intent in hand and will return it in the next week. Soroye, originally from Nigeria, committed to the Cavaliers during the fall.
 

Cavs' backs shine
Virginia will depend on its runners more since Schaub is gone
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 18, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Virginia attempted 448 passes in 2002 and 466 in '03, an average of nearly 34 per game. But the man who threw most of those passes - Matt Schaub - is off to the NFL. Expect U.Va.'s tactics to change this season.

"I think it's safe to say probably we won't feature that position as much as before in the early going," said Cavaliers coach Al Groh, who returns 17 starters from an 8-5 team.

Schaub was at Scott Stadium yesterday on a sun-splashed afternoon, but he's out of eligibility. None of the four candidates bidding to succeed him - Marques Hagans, Christian Olsen, Kevin McCabe and Anthony Martinez - appears to be Schaub's equal as a passer, which should mean an increased workload this season for tailbacks Wali Lundy, Alvin Pearman and Michael Johnson.

Each distinguished himself during a spring game in which the white-clad Wahoos beat the blue-jerseyed Cavaliers 10-7. The teams played 12-minute quarters, with the clock running much of the time, and a crowd of 8,239 saw Lundy saw rush for 75 yards and throw the game's only touchdown pass, on a halfback option, to lead the Wahoos.

Pearman and Lundy, a second-team all-ACC pick, combined for 1,572 yards rushing in 2003. Pearman split most of the Cavaliers' carries with Johnson yesterday and rushed for 49 yards and his team's only touchdown. Johnson, a former Parade All-American who redshirted last season, ran for 30.

"I saw something good out of all three of the backs, as has been the case all spring long," Groh said. "They all bring something to the table, not necessarily all different, but obviously each guy brings something in his own right. It looks like we're going to be pretty strong there, and we've done some things with the scheme to accommodate that fact."

U.Va., coming off an 8-5 season, may turn out to be strong at quarterback, too, but no one left the stadium raving about the passes thrown yesterday.

"I would say overall the quarterback play was erratic," said Groh, who stood deep in the offensive backfield on every play from scrimmage.

The QBs weren't the only ones who struggled. The Cavaliers were penalized 13 times for 90 yards, mostly due to mental breakdowns.

"I thought there were a number of players today who after 14 practices should have played better," Groh said. "It's true on every team, it's true in sports: Certain guys, their game steps up on game day, and certain guys never seem to perform as well in the game as they did in practice.

"That's one of the perspectives that I wanted to have from where I was standing: see how guys conducted themselves, whose intensity was greater than it ever was on a practice day, who seemed to be in a little bit of a daze compared to practice, who responded to the competition, who was making certain blocks or being blocked. There were certain guys I thought performed real well on game day and there were certain guys whose performance slipped back."

In addition to the tailbacks, standouts in the spring game included cornerbacks Tony Franklin and Marcus Hamilton, nose tackle Andrew Hoffman, defensive end Brennan Schmidt, linebacker Bryan White and punter Kurt Korte. On the game's final play, Hamilton intercepted a Hagans pass near the goal line to preserve the Wahoos' victory.

Fullback Jason Snelling, an L.C. Bird product who sat out the 2003 season, injured a hamstring early in the game and didn't return.
 

Quarterback the question at Virginia
BOB LIPPER BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW: POINT OF VIEW Apr 18, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE Bzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

This was a test. This was only a test. The quarterbacks on display at Scott Stadium yesterday did not set the turf on fire. They did not make their coach's heart go pit-a-pat. Nor were they facing hostile resistance from 'Noles, 'Canes or Hokies. They looked, well, ordinary at best. But this was a test. This was only a test.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled daydreaming and speculating.

This much we know about Virginia's 2004 football squad: It returns 16 starters. This much we also know: Matt Schaub isn't one of them.

Schaub, you may recall, played quarterback for the Cavs. Played the position quite well. Played it so well, in fact, he completed 69.3 percent of his passes for 5,928 yards and 46 touchdowns over the past two seasons. He's preparing now for the NFL draft. U.Va. is preparing to fill a void.

There's plenty of measurable commodities elsewhere. Heath Miller is a tight end to die for. Placekicker Connor Hughes misses once a month. Elton Brown could be an offensive line all by himself, but the rules allow Virginia to start four other returning bulldozers alongside him, so it will. The tailbacks are swift, the front seven on defense brawny, the receivers promising.

The quarterbacks question marks.

Spring games are normally pretty tame and nebulous encounters, and U.Va.'s was no exception. There was some sunshine, two touchdowns, a field goal and not much juice. Anybody wondering whether the Cavs will be Top 25 with a bullet or middle of the pack in the ACC was given few clues. Anyone hoping to see an ace emerge to take the snaps was disappointed.

"I would say, overall, the quarterback play was erratic," was Al Groh's pronouncement, and I wouldn't argue the point. Frontrunner Marques Hagans began the day fretfully and ended it unevenly. Redshirt freshman Kevin McCabe had three passes knocked down. Transfer Christian Olsen was sacked three times. Sophomore Anthony Martinez fumbled a snap and didn't show much zip on his throws.

Memo to rival defensive coordinators: Get ready for much Wali Lundy left, Alvin Pearman right and Michael Johnson skittering every which-a-way. There will be a passing game. It won't necessarily take center stage.

Hagans ("There's room for improvement," he said) is the guy at the joystick for now. At 5-10, he's not the tall-in-the-saddle quarterback Groh prefers, but he boasts the arm and the feet to make things happen. He's also seen the most active duty, albeit much of it coming as a receiver/returner/runner utilityman.

"If he'd stayed at quarterback, he'd be a little more advanced right now," sideline observer and 1998 starting QB Aaron Brooks said of Hagans. "He needs to work on some things, but he'll be all right. He's a playmaker. I think he's what you need to look at as far as what this team needs. There's a lot of talent here. If Marques continues to improve on his talent, we'll be where we want to be."

Where the Cavs want to be next December or so is somewhere other than the Continental Tire Bowl. They've made that jaunt the previous two years. They seek a grander stage. Whether they reach it depends some on productivity from one vital position. On that score, yesterday's audience couldn't help but be teased by watching Schaub and Moore playing catch near the stands while their descendants struggled and then providing entertainment at intermission with a skills competition.

"That's two pretty nice quarterbacks standing out there at halftime, huh?" said Groh.

He only hopes one among his current crop is half as advanced come the fall. Then we're talking exams.

 

Cavs' defense coach exits
Ex-Boise State leader helped U.Va. clamp down on opponents
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 17, 2004
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - A day after the University of Virginia announced he would return as men's basketball coach, Pete Gillen told reporters that "nobody put a gun to my head and said, 'You have to make changes.'"

Gillen indicated April 2, however, that changes in his program were likely, and a major one came this week. Assistant coach Rod Jensen has resigned "to pursue other professional opportunities," U.Va. announced last night.

The release from U.Va. did not include any comments from Gillen or Jensen. Attempts to reach them yesterday were unsuccessful.

Jensen, 50, came to U.Va. in the summer of 2002, several months after Boise State dismissed him as its coach. Jensen, who compiled a 109-93 record in seven seasons at Boise State, filled the vacancy created at Virginia when assistant Tommy Herrion left to become coach at the College of Charleston.

His ties to U.Va. helped Jensen get the job. His daughter Kate graduated from Virginia in May 2002, and Jon Oliver, the school's senior associate athletic director, played at Boise State when Jensen was an assistant there.

Jensen's teams at Boise State were known for playing superb defense, and Virginia's weaknesses in that area made him especially attractive. In each of U.Va.'s final seven games in 2001-02, its opponent shot at least 50 percent from the floor.

Opponents shot 44.2 percent against the Cavaliers in 2001-02. Jensen helped U.Va. lower that percentage to 43.5 in 2002-03 and to 42.7 in 2003-04.
 

Coach has U.Va. playing hardball
Thanks to O'Connor, Cavaliers are a force on the baseball field
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 16, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE They've been playing baseball at the University of Virginia since 1889, and only once have the Cavaliers won more than 38 games in a season.

But something unusual is happening at a place where lacrosse traditionally has overshadowed baseball. Thirty-six games into Brian O'Connor's first season as coach, U.Va.'s baseball team has 29 victories and is on pace to make the NCAA tournament for only the fourth time in school history.

Maybe O'Connor should stroll off into the sunset at season's end. How will he top this?

"Some people have said that," O'Connor, 32, replied with a smile, "but I really believe that this is just the start of what can happen here. We have too much to offer."

Virginia, ranked No.23 nationally, has won nine consecutive games. Picked to finish seventh in the ACC, the Cavaliers (11-4, 29-7) lead the conference. They begin a three-game series against Maryland (2-10, 16-18) tonight in Bowie, Md., and need only one win to set a school record for ACC victories in a season.

"We haven't been a strong ACC team, but that doesn't matter to any of us," said junior pitcher Andrew Dobies, who's 6-0 with a 1.89 ERA. "As long as we keep playing the way that we are, there's nothing that can stop us."

U.Va.'s dismal history in baseball notwithstanding, O'Connor walked into a good situation when he replaced Dennis Womack, who retired after the 2003 season. O'Connor inherited the nucleus of a team that went 29-25, its first winning record in five years, and nearly made the NCAA tourney. Clearly, though, the native of Council Bluffs, Iowa, deserves a large measure of credit for the Cavaliers' stunning ascent.

O'Connor's biggest attributes, Dobies said, are "just the fire and spark that he brings to the dugout every day."

Before coming to Virginia, O'Connor spent nine seasons as an assistant at Notre Dame, the last two as Paul Mainieri's associate head coach. With O'Connor on its staff, the Fighting Irish went 399-160-1 and advanced to the NCAA tournament six times.

"I was very fortunate that when I was at Notre Dame, my boss there gave me a tremendous, tremendous amount of autonomy in my job," said O'Connor, a former Creighton pitcher who was Baseball America's choice as the top college assistant in 2001. "He prepared me for this situation."

The top pitchers on Virginia's staff when the 2003 season began - Jeff Kamrath and Mike Ballard - are recovering from Tommy John surgery and won't play this year. The Cavaliers have thrived anyway behind starting pitchers Dobies, Matt Avery and Joe Koshansky, who also has 10 home runs and 48 RBI. U.Va. ranks among the nation's leaders in defense and ERA.

"You add those two together," O'Connor said, "and you're going to have a chance to really have a special team."

For O'Connor and his assistants, the first inkling that these Cavaliers could be special came after fall practice.

"We put these kids through some winter conditioning and training that not very many kids go through," O'Connor said. "And we saw the leadership that the veteran players had and how much it meant to the kids. I felt coming out of our winter workouts that we'd have a chance to do what we're doing."

The team met periodically for 6 a.m. workouts even, O'Connor said, if it "was snowing, raining or 10 degrees." The winter program culminated in a session at snow-blanketed Davenport Field. The players were split into five groups and put through an obstacle course that took about 45 minutes to complete. By the end, O'Connor said, mud and snow covered his charges.

"It was hell," Dobies said.

Ah, but that work is paying dividends, believes O'Connor, whose incoming class of recruits is considered one of the nation's best. Virginia's record last season in games decided by one run: 5-9. The Cavs are 6-2 in such games this season.

"If you can win one-run games, the majority of them, it's the difference in you being an NCAA team and not," O'Connor said. "To me, how you win one-run games is not ability, it's toughness, and that's tied to what we put them through in the winter."
 

Hamilton Is in Cavaliers' Corner
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, April 18, 2004; Page E08

CHARLOTTESVILLE, April 17 -- Virginia cornerback Marcus Hamilton had just grabbed an interception that sealed a 10-7 win, so he felt entitled to a moment of preening, even if this was only the spring intrasquad scrimmage. He bounced up off the ground, yanked his helmet off and accepted a teammate's embrace.

"What a way to end the game!" Hamilton shouted.

The Centreville High School graduate clearly enjoyed himself throughout the afternoon. He made a handful of tackles, knocked down a few passes and maintained a running dialogue with the opposing sideline, doing all he could to justify his selection as the Virginia defensive player who improved the most this spring.

"If you put in the work and time and effort that he did this offseason," teammate Elton Brown said, "you can kind of strut your stuff."

Hamilton, a 6-foot redshirt sophomore, has only recently rediscovered his strut after an uneven performance last year. After beginning the season as the third cornerback, he was gradually supplanted by classmate Tony Franklin.

"My first year, I was very confident and then I started to lose my confidence," he said. "Last year it was pretty much gone. . . . I felt like I was doing some things well, but not to the level that I wanted to. When you do things like that or you get yelled at a few times, then you start to doubt yourself. You can't do that as a corner. But I did."

Hamilton knew the loss of senior Almondo Curry would leave a starting spot open this fall, and he had no intention of letting the opportunity slip away.

"He just screwed his game down a lot tighter," Coach Al Groh said. "That gave him a lot more confidence. This is a player who's got excellent ability that hasn't had as much confidence in his ability perhaps as he might have. . . . But as I say on many occasions, confidence comes from demonstrated performance, and when a player can see himself doing things of a positive nature, he gets more confident."

Hamilton plans on showing that confidence on the field this fall, knowing he has the skills to back up his mouth.

"There's going to be a lot of it this year," he said with a smile. "A whole lot."

Cavaliers Notes: The four quarterbacks competing for the vacant starting job had what Groh called an "erratic" afternoon, combining for 154 yards on 17-of-37 passing with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Both interceptions were thrown by leading candidate Marques Hagans (7 of 15 for 64 yards). The winning team, the Wahoos, started redshirt freshman Kevin McCabe instead of the more experienced Anthony Martinez. . . . Tailback Michael Johnson was the most improved offensive player. . . . Brown, tight end Heath Miller and defensive ends Chris Canty and Brennan Schmidt (DeMatha) were voted captains by their teammates.
 

For Virginia QBs, No Guarantees
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Saturday, April 17, 2004; Page D04

CHARLOTTESVILLE, April 16 -- As Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans breaks the huddle and comes to the line of scrimmage, he looks tiny compared to many of his teammates. This is the leading candidate to succeed record-setter Matt Schaub?

Then Hagans takes the snap and the play begins. He slides to the right and completes a pass to a receiver who appeared to be well covered. Or he looks around, can't find anyone open and dashes upfield, out-running everyone in the defensive front seven.

"He's just an all-around athlete. He can do it all," center Zac Yarbrough said.

Despite his size{ndash}he's listed at 5 feet 10, 207 pounds{ndash}this fall, as a junior, Hagans likely will get a chance to show his talents at quarterback on a regular basis. He spent the past two seasons backing up Schaub and playing other positions just to get on the field. Since Schaub finished his senior season in December, Hagans has been the logical heir apparent. It appears little has changed to this point; as the Cavaliers conclude spring practice with Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage, teammates Christian Olsen, Anthony Martinez and Kevin McCabe are still playing catch-up.

Martinez, a 6-3 redshirt sophomore, isn't conceding the race just yet but admits Hagans is in the lead.

"He's taken a lot more game reps," said Martinez, who was supplanted by Hagans on the depth chart last season. "He's been in the system longer. I'd say that he's ahead, but it's up for grabs right now."

Hagans isn't resting on his laurels.

"Yeah, I go with the first group of guys, but nothing's guaranteed," he said. "I could go with the ones on one day and then [have] two bad days and lose my job. It's just a matter of who performs every day. Having the top spot right now doesn't mean anything."

Perhaps not. Coach Al Groh certainly isn't tipping his hand. But Hagans is doing all he can to prepare himself to be a starting quarterback in the new and improved, 11-team ACC. It's an adjustment, especially considering he put much of his energy last season into learning to play wide receiver.

"For one, I've got to learn to be more of a student of the game," Hagans said. "I can't just get my game plan and go home with it and not look at my book. I got to put extra hours in watching more film, studying my plays more, because . . . at quarterback, I got to know where the whole team is and what everybody else is doing. . . . It takes a lot more time and dedication."

Plus as Hagans put it, he's "not just another face in the crowd now." Like his fellow quarterbacks, he's working on all the intangible details of leadership that Schaub had down pat.

"Coach Groh wouldn't just put anybody [at quarterback] on the first team," linebacker Darryl Blackstock said. "He wants somebody to be a leader. He wants somebody to control the offense, run the show."

Hagans began last season at wide receiver and punt returner but spent more time at quarterback after Schaub was out for a few weeks with a shoulder injury and Martinez struggled in his stead. For the season, Hagans completed 17 of 26 passes for 218 yards and three touchdowns{ndash}most of which came in a star performance at Western Michigan{ndash}and also had 28 receptions and 28 punt returns.

That was enough to put him ahead of Martinez; Olsen, a redshirt sophomore transfer from Notre Dame; and McCabe, a redshirt freshman. But the learning process is ongoing.

"Eventually what he's going to need the most is game time," Groh said. "You often hear quarterbacks make reference to the fact that the game slows down for them at a point . . . and it's much easier to see what was going on. That only happens by playing in games. . . . He hasn't had a lot of snaps at quarterback over the last two years, but he's got some that he can look back on and say, 'Oh that's what it looks like when it's happening out there.' "

"The main thing is just keep progressing from where I'm at right now," Hagans said. "See where it takes me."