Cavaliers missing some LBs
Virginia will be thin in the middle of its defense this spring due to injuries.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times
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CHARLOTTESVILLE - As fundamental as it is to his defensive beliefs, Virginia football coach Al Groh would have difficulty playing the 3-4 right now.

After one of his outside linebackers exhausted his eligibility and another made himself available to the NFL, Groh enters spring practice without an able-bodied inside linebacker. First-team All-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks will miss spring practice after undergoing offseason knee surgery and two-year running mate Kai Parham will see limited action after a shoulder operation.

Groh didn't seem too concerned Thursday on the eve of spring drills, "but, if we were playing USC on Saturday, it would be a little different," he said.

Another inside linebacker, fifth-year senior Bryan White, also will get limited work after disc surgery ended his 2004 season. Outside linebacker Vince Redd will sit out the spring to concentrate on academics.

The injuries are not confined to linebacker. Defensive end Brennan Schmidt underwent a shoulder operation that will keep him out of spring ball and tight end Tom Santi, offensive guard Brian Barthelmes and running back Michael Johnson will be taking things slowly after offseason surgery.

"Since I've been here, this is the most people I've seen miss spring practice," said quarterback Marques Hagans, who will be a fifth-year senior. "That's cool. We'll just take what we've got and go with it."

The first of three UVa practices open to the public will begin this afternoon at 5:45. The Cavaliers will practice at noon Saturday and at 2:45 p.m. Sunday.

After that, there will be two more practices open to the public, at times to be determined on back-to-back Sundays, April 10 and 17.

That will be followed by UVa's spring game April23 at 2 p.m.

For the first time under Groh, the Cavaliers had enough players to have a spring game last year. Injuries could complicate matters this year.

At some positions, like wide receiver and defensive back, UVa has ample depth.

"Those two places, we could throw and cover for hours," Groh said.

If that were the case, sophomore Jon Stupar might grow weary. In the absence of Santi, Stupar, who had foot surgery in the fall, is the only scholarship tight end.

Stupar will be getting the full attention of the longest-tenured UVa assistant, Bob Price, who worked under George Welsh for four seasons before Groh was named coach in 2001. Price, who coached the UVa defensive backs for the past four seasons, is taking over the tight ends.

Mark D'Onofrio, who coached the tight ends last year, will coach the inside linebackers this season. Defensive coordinator Al Golden is trading the inside linebackers for the secondary as his area of responsibility.

Groh said that the coaching staff's effort was the strongest last year that it had been, but he "was going to analyze every thing from the top down, which included me, the systems, all the way down to the shoes that we wore," he added.

The Cavaliers dropped to 8-4 with a 37-34 overtime loss to Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl.

"As much as I was very positive about the coaching last year," Groh said, "I felt that some of these staff changes would bring a certain amount of creative energy and, if you will, positive creative tension."

U.Va. trail is long and cold
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published April 1, 2005

The University of Virginia's men's basketball coaching search is 18 days old. Or, to look at it another way, not quite halfway through the high end of athletic director Craig Littlepage's projected time frame of four to six weeks.

So far, here's what's known: Littlepage is working as a committee of one, and he's controlling all leaks.

Littlepage left Wednesday for the Final Four in St. Louis, where just about every Division I coach will be. The list of candidates includes DePaul's Dave Leitao, George Washington's Karl Hobbs, Notre Dame's Mike Brey and Marquette's Tom Crean, according to sources familiar with the search and who wished to remain anonymous. And maybe, just maybe, Kentucky's Tubby Smith.

Smith, long thought to be the Cavaliers' main target, appeared to distance himself Tuesday by saying, "I expect to be here to fulfill my contract." Scott Stricklin, UK's associate athletic director for media relations, said there had been no contact made by Virginia as of Thursday afternoon.

One name you can cross off the list is West Virginia's John Beilein, who on Thursday signed a contract extension that takes him through the 2011-12 season at $700,000 per year.

Though it appears likely that Littlepage will meet with candidates in St. Louis, it's unclear where his interest lies. Several sources have said Leitao, Hobbs, Brey and Crean are on the short list. Littlepage said Thursday he does not expect any announcements until after he returns to Charlottesville on Tuesday.

Protocol requires Littlepage to request permission from a coach's athletic director before making official contact. ADs Jean Lenti Ponsetto at DePaul, Jack Kvancz at George Washington and Bill Cords at Marquette have not returned numerous messages left with their offices.

Notre Dame AD Kevin White's secretary referred questions to John Heisler, the associate athletic director for media relations. Heisler said Thursday he was unaware of any contact between Virginia and Brey.

A source close to Texas coach Rick Barnes said ACC associate commissioner Fred Barakat flew to Austin last weekend and tried to sell Barnes on the Cavaliers' job. However, the source said Barnes made it clear he is not interested.

Another possibility is Phoenix Suns assistant and former Cavalier player Marc Iavaroni, a fan favorite with limited college experience. Iavaroni said through a Suns rep that he would not comment on the U.Va. job until after his team's season ends.

Virginia is searching for a replacement for Pete Gillen, who resigned on March 14 after seven seasons.

Cavaliers have health issues
Virginia opens its spring football practice with several players unavailable due to injuries.
BY NORM WOOD
247-4642
Published April 1, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- By the time Virginia plays its spring football game April 23 in Scott Stadium, coach Al Groh may be looking for volunteers from the crowd to suit up. He's already looking at a depleted roster heading into today's first practice.

U.Va. will be without two defensive starters and five key reserves, including tailback Michael Johnson from Heritage High, for all of spring practice. At least five other returning players, highlighted by four starters, will be out for portions of the spring. It has made Groh's efforts to simply fill out a depth chart for the spring much trickier than expected.

"It's been fun to plan it," Groh said. "All practices take a lot of thought and a lot of planning, but this one has been particularly challenging."

Linebacker Ahmad Brooks (knee surgery) and defensive end Brennan Schmidt (left shoulder and thumb injuries) will miss all of spring. Also, defensive tackle Keenan Carter, Johnson (hernia operation), tight end Tom Santi (shoulder injury) and linebacker Bryan White (back surgery) won't participate in drills. Linebacker Vince Redd will skip practice to concentrate on academics.

Kicker Connor Hughes, a Lafayette High graduate, is expected to miss most of practice due to mononucleosis. Guard Brian Barthelmes (wrist injury) and linebacker Kai Parham (left shoulder surgery) will have to miss some of the spring. Quarterback Christian Olsen will not participate in the first three practices due to a foot injury, and starting quarterback Marques Hagans from Hampton High will miss today's practice to attend a funeral.

Though injuries will impede progress, Virginia, which finished 8-4 last season, should be able to address a few question areas. Some questions already have been answered.

How will U.Va. replace several offensive standouts, including offensive guard Elton Brown, tight end Heath Miller, running back Alvin Pearman and center Zac Yarbrough?

Marshal Ausberry, Gordie Sammis, D.J. Bell and walk-on Jeff Schrad will vie for playing time in Brown's vacated right guard spot. Miller will be impossible to replace, but even putting a body at tight end in the spring may be difficult. Jonathan Stupar will get plenty of opportunity to make an impression with Santi out.

Wali Lundy had the best offseason work habits on the team, according to Groh, which bodes well for him bouncing back from a 2004 season that saw him take a backseat to Pearman. Ian-Yates Cunningham, who sat out last season after having surgery to repair a herniated disk, and Jordy Lipsey will compete at center. Cunningham is moving to center from left guard.

Did U.Va. lose any significant underclassmen in the offseason or receive any unexpected additions?

Five players left the team, including sophomore punter Sean Johnson, who played in nine games last season. Though no surprise additions will be made in the spring, Groh is expecting receiver Ottowa Anderson to return in the summer. Anderson, who had 33 catches in 2003, didn't play last season after being charged with assault and battery during the summer.

Who will back up Hagans?

Olson, Scott Deke and Kevin McCabe will compete in the spring, but none of them is a solid No. 2 option. Incoming freshmen Vic Hall and Jameel Sewell could make a move in the fall.

Which unit may be U.Va.'s most surprising in the spring?

The secondary features two returning starters in cornerbacks Tony Franklin and Marcus Hamilton, which means capable backup Philip Brown, a former Phoebus High standout, will have to have a good spring to break into the starting lineup. Meanwhile, safety Nate Lyles has been impressive in the offseason, according to Groh.

Will any other former area high school standouts get a chance to gain more playing time this spring?

Groh said Melvin Massey, a senior from Warwick High, will get a good look at nose tackle. Massey has just 19 tackles in his career.

Cavaliers ready for spring football
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
April 1, 2005

Fans that elect to go to the Virginia football team’s first practice today may be in for a shock.
They will not see quarterback Marques Hagans, linebacker Ahmad Brooks or placekicker Connor Hughes in action. And the list goes on and on.
Injuries, illnesses and various other circumstances will keep a number of Cavaliers off the field for all or most of the 2005 spring schedule.
Even that, however, did little to dampen the spirits of UVa coach Al Groh on Thursday.
“We are anxious,” Groh said, “to start the football phase of putting another team together. I say the football phase because the first phase was the winter off-season program.”
Groh said the strength and conditioning program, which started in January and ended earlier this week, “went very successfully in many respects.”
Groh hopes he can say the same thing for the “football phase” after the annual spring game is played at Scott Stadium on April 23.
“We will have to do some creative work here in the spring,” Groh said. “We will have some positions that that will be fully stocked with personnel. We will have some positions that until training camp opens in August will be a little lighter on personnel … because we have players who are rehabbing from injuries or surgeries as a result of last season.
“Or we have some positions where we are waiting for the incoming players to come in and bolster the ranks and hopefully provide playing time for us.”
The most noticeable position missing possible starters is on the defensive line. Defensive end Brennan Schmidt and nose tackle Keenan Carter - both out with shoulder injuries - will miss the spring campaign.
Brooks, the team’s leading tackler last year from his inside linebacker spot, will miss all 15 practice sessions and the spring game as he recovers from minor knee surgery.
Other players out for the spring include the following: tailback Michael Johnson (sports hernia), tight end Tom Santi (shoulder) and linebacker Bryan White (back). There will also be a number of players limited in spring practice with injuries. That contingent includes guard Brian Barthelmes (wrist), linebacker Kai Parham (shoulder) and quarterback Christian Olsen (foot).
Hughes, who will be a candidate for the Lou Groza Award, hopes to return from a bout with mono by the end of camp.
Hagans, the team’s starting quarterback, is expected to miss only one practice, today’s opening session, as he attends a funeral.
Groh also said linebacker Vince Redd will sit out the spring to allow the rising sophomore to spend more time on academics.
All of the players who will miss the spring practice period “are all expected back for the start of training camp,” Groh said.
Another player expected back in August includes wide receiver Ottowa Anderson. After sitting out the 2004-05 school year to serve an academic suspension, Groh said “we expect [Anderson] to join us in training camp and be ready to go.”

Roster moves. A number of players are no longer listed on the roster issued by Virginia football on Thursday, most notably wideout Imhotep Durham and punter Sean Johnson. Others include two linebackers - Alex Hall and Adam Rhodes and defensive end Matt Stone. All five players are likely to graduate from UVa in May.

Open practices. In addition to today’s practice session, which will begin at 5:45 p.m., fans will be able to watch four additional sessions: Saturday at noon; Sunday at 2:45 p.m; Sunday, April 10, TBA; and Sunday, April 17, TBA.

Medical report mixed for Cavs
Quarterbacks, receivers, defensive backs healthy; injuries evident elsewhere
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Apr 1, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Spring practice opens today at 5:45 p.m. for the University of Virginia football team, and fifth-year coach Al Groh has no shortage of healthy quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs.

"We can throw and cover for hours," Groh told reporters yesterday at University Hall.

At most other positions, though, U.Va. lacks a full complement of players. Fans planning to attend tonight's practice should expect to see many of the team's most prominent players in street clothes.

"Ever since I've been here, this is the most people I've seen miss" spring drills, said rising senior Marques Hagans, the Cavaliers' returning starter at quarterback.

Groh dislikes talking publicly about injuries, but he didn't hesitate yesterday to reel off the names of players who'll miss all or part of spring drills. Perhaps he wanted to go ahead and answer questions that are sure to arise from spectators at the open practices.

For medical reasons, linebacker Ahmad Brooks (knee), kicker Connor Hughes (mononucleosis), defensive linemen Brennan Schmidt (shoulder, thumb) and Keenan Carter (thumb), tailback Michael Johnson (sports hernia), and tight end Tom Santi (shoulder) will not practice this spring. All are expected to be healthy by the start of training camp in August.

Linebackers Kai Parham (shoulder) and Bryan White (back) and offensive guard Brian Barthelmes (wrist) are recovering from surgery and will participate on a limited basis. Reserve quarterback Christian Olsen has foot problems and will miss at least the first three practices. Vince Redd, a candidate to start at outside linebacker, probably will be held out to concentrate on his academics. Hagans has a funeral to attend today and will miss at least part of tonight's practice.

This, obviously, is not an ideal situation for the Cavaliers' coaches. Yet Groh was in high spirits yesterday.

"If we were playing USC this Saturday, I'd feel a little bit different about it," he said. "But it's been fun to plan it. All the practices take a lot of thought and planning, but this one has been particularly challenging, in terms of just how to put together the practices."

Standouts lost from a team that finished 8-4 last season include Heath Miller, Darryl Blackstock, Elton Brown, Andrew Hoffman and Alvin Pearman, all of whom are likely to be chosen in this month's NFL draft.

Of losing such talent and leadership, Groh said, "That's one of the givens of college football, that it cycles through pretty fast. There are good players and good leaders who leave, but there's always another group that's ready to come up and replace them, and I think that we have a number of those guys in those circumstances.

"We've talked in the past about [how] certain guys got to carry the flag for the team. Certain guys carried it in the past, and they may not be here to carry it again, but others already jumped in in a hurry to carry it."

In each of Virginia's first three seasons under Groh, the team closed on a high note. The Cavs beat Penn State in the 2001 finale and won the Continental Tire Bowl in '02 and '03. But the streak ended last season on the blue turf of Boise State's Bronco Stadium. In the MPC Computers Bowl, U.Va. squandered a 21-7 lead and lost 37-34 to Fresno State in overtime.

"We didn't play our best," Groh said. "That's regrettable. That's the part I was most disturbed about."

Although the defeat still stings, Schmidt believes it will pay dividends for the Cavaliers in 2005.

"I definitely see it as a positive thing, because it leaves this bitter taste in your mouth," he said. "I think it's easy when you end on a good note and a win. You can sometimes forget the fact that you got where you were that season because you worked for it and earned it."

The theory that a season-ending victory propels a team into its winter workouts? Schmidt, a team captain in 2004, doesn't buy it.

"I always feel the opposite," he said, "just because with that bitter taste, you work harder. You don't settle for just anything. You push yourself harder because you are [ticked] off that you lost and you don't want it to happen again."

 

Five questions UVa hopes to answer during spring practice
By Andy Bitter / Lynchburg News & Advance
April 1, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The University of Virginia football team will begin spring practice today. Check that, whoever’s left and whoever’s healthy will begin spring practice today.

The Cavaliers will be far from full strength when they take the McCue Center fields at 5:45 tonight (practice is open to the public).

Normally, coach Al Groh would be tight-lipped about what’s ailing some of his stars. Thursday, he was forthcoming and relatively at ease with all the injuries.

“If we were playing USC on Saturday, I’d feel a little bit different about it,” Groh said. “It’s been fun to plan (the spring session). This one has been particularly challenging in terms of just how to put together the practices.”

Among the walking wounded who won’t be participating this spring are linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who had surgery to replace loose particles in his knee in the offseason, tailback Michael Johnson (sports hernia), kicker Connor Hughes (mono), defensive tackle Keenan Carter (shoulder), along with defensive end Brennan Schmidt and tight end Tom Santi.

Kai Parham (shoulder) and Brian Barthelmes (wrist), meanwhile, will be limited in practice.

“All these players are recuperating from kind of the rigors of last season and won’t participate,” Groh said. “But they’re all expected back fully for the start of (fall) training camp.”

The way UVa’s practice is set up, there will be little down time. The Cavaliers start as late as any team in the conference and will have 15 practices in 22 days. It’s at Groh’s preference. He wanted to take the maximum time after recruiting to properly evaluate the team’s systems and players for the spring.

It makes for a crammed spring session. That is, for those still participating.

Here are five questions UVa will try to answer during the spring:

1. What effect will December’s loss to Fresno State at the MPC Computers Bowl have on the team? Last time everybody saw UVa play, it blew a second-half lead to the Bulldogs on the blue turf in Boise. Quarterback Marques Hagans remembers. So disgusted was Hagans that he left the stadium without showering, clad in only a pair of shorts, an undershirt and socks. “That was the longest flight (home) I’ve ever had in my life,” he said. The loss is sure to still reverberate with the team today, especially since it’s the first time they’ve been on a field since their Boise blues. How it affects them remains to be seen.

2. Who will fill the (rather sizeable) gaps on the offensive line? Elton Brown and Zac Yarbrough are gone, leaving holes at the right guard and center positions. Ian-Yates Cunningham, who sat out last season with a back injury, will shift from guard to compete for the center job against Jordy Lipsey and D.J. Bell. Marshal Ausberry seems to have the inside track on the right guard position, though things could change in the fall when prized recruit Eugene Monroe arrives on campus.

3. Can the passing game be fixed? Deyon Williams and Fontel Mines were supposed to emerge last season as viable offensive threats, though injuries and an erratic passing game put that on hold. The Cavaliers especially struggled throwing the ball down the stretch when they were unable to protect Hagans and, when they did, nobody was open. Another year of experience will help, as will the emergence of Theirrien Davis (he dropped the “Bud”) as a full-time wideout. Plus, Groh sounded optimistic Ottawa Anderson (academics) would return to the team in the fall.

4. Who will fill the defensive front? UVa has big shoes to fill on the defensive line after losing Andrew Hoffman and Chris Canty to graduation. The spring will be a chance for everybody to showcase their talents, especially with Schmidt and Carter being out. That opens a door for someone (possibly sophomore Chris Long) to make a strong case for more playing time.

5. How will the new coaches do with their new jobs? Groh shuffled the deck after last season with his coaches, hoping to bring some fresh ideas to problem areas. Defensive coordinator Al Golden will now also work with the secondary. Bob Price, the erstwhile secondary coach, will man tight ends. And Mark D’Onofrio, who coached tight ends last year, will focus on the middle linebackers, completing the carousel. They’ll make their on-field debut at their new coaching positions today.

NOTE: Brooks and senior tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson were named as candidates for the 2005 Rotary Lombardi Award, which is given annually to the nation’s best collegiate lineman. Brooks was a first-team All-American and first-team All-ACC player as a sophomore last year. Ferguson was a first-team All-ACC choice and is a three-year starter for the Cavaliers.