Groh says UVa is 'rebuilding'
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Nobody can remember Al Groh using the term "rebuilding" during his first five seasons as Virginia head football coach.

He's using it now.

The Cavaliers need to replace their leading passer, rusher, scorer, tackler, and all-time leader in starts, as well as a two-time All-ACC offensive lineman who is likely to be one of the first five players selected in the NFL Draft.

"We've got a significant rebuilding job in front of us," said Groh on the eve of spring practice. "We've got pretty huge losses in four areas."

Groh made specific reference to the offensive line, which loses three starters; special teams; quarterback and scoring.

Place-kicker Connor Hughes set a UVa record for career points and running back Wali Lundy set an ACC record for touchdowns. Lundy also led in rushing for the third time in four years.

Hughes had the luxury of concentrating on field goals and extra points because the Cavaliers had specialist Kurt Smith, whose kickoffs resulted in touchbacks nearly 60 percent of the time.

Quarterback Marques Hagans had more than 2,800 yards total offense last season, when he either passed or ran on 56.3 percent of the Cavaliers' plays and had 343 of Virginia's 363 pass attempts.

Even if the Cavaliers had all of the players who had eligibility remaining after the 2005 season, Groh would face an imposing task. But, a combination of attrition, injuries and academics will limit attempts to play a scrimmage April 22 at the conclusion of spring practice.

One of Virginia's three first-team All-ACC selections was an underclassmen, linebacker and leading tackler Kai Parham, and he announced in early January that he would forgo his final season of college eligibility.

Shortly thereafter, linebacker Ahmad Brooks said he would return for a fourth season, only to be dropped from the roster as part of a disciplinary move that included safety Tony Franklin and defensive end Vince Redd.

Brooks, Parham and Franklin started for three seasons and Redd may have had his best game in the Cavaliers' 34-31 victory over Minnesota in the Music City Bowl.

The loss of Franklin may be offset by the return of Nate Lyles, who suffered a neck injury Nov. 12 against Georgia Tech. Lyles underwent surgery and will miss spring practice.

"His circumstances are very positive," Groh said. "From a layman's point of view, surgery was remarkably successful and he's doing very well with his rehab. The prognosis is positive. I wouldn't say, 'Count him in,' but I wouldn't say, 'Count him out,' either. He's got a great attitude about it."

Cornerback Chris Cook is also coming back from surgery, but has not progressed as quickly as expected and is not likely to participate in spring practice. However, the secondary might be the team's most experienced unit.

Among the returning players who have started at least one game are safeties Lyles, Byron Glaspy and Jamaal Jackson, and cornerbacks Marcus Hamilton, Chris Gorham, Cook and Mike Brown.

Groh allowed Brown to practice despite his March 28 arrest for his part in a fight earlier in the month. The charge, for assault, originally was classified as a felony.

Groh said Monday that decisions such as the one on Brown are made "case by case". Groh has done his own preliminary investigation but said he will be "interested" to see how the case plays in court.

Brown suffered a knee injury Saturday in practice that is not considered serious. Of greater concern is a knee injury that caused Eugene Monroe to be helped from the field.

Monroe, rated the No. 1 prospect by SuperPrep in 2005, is expected to replace likely first-round draft pick D'Brickashaw Ferguson at left offensive tackle.

The Cavaliers are hopeful that Branden Albert will man left guard after starting 11 games last season as a freshman, but Albert is sitting out the spring to concentrate on academics. Outside linebacker Olu Hall and wide receiver Emmanuel Byers are doing the same.

Former Parade All-American Michael Johnson, a running back who has been nagged by foot injuries, showed up in a "boot" when UVa held its pro timing day March 21 and the absence of progress has Groh concerned. Jason Snelling, a fullback for most of his career, appears to have the inside track at tailback as a fifth-year senior.

"It was towards the latter part of the season and throughout the bowl preparation that we made the full transition," Groh said. "[We] just said, 'Look, he's going to be a tailback. That's what he's going to be. We should put him there and leave him there.' "

Snelling has been dogged by equilibrium issues throughout his career but he did not miss a game last season and rushed for a career-high 126 yards against Temple.

"Since midseason last year, he's been on a pretty good streak," Groh said. "It's an issue that he needs to stay alert to [and] we've got to stay alert to. It was difficult to carve out a prominent role for him, but there's been some advances on how to moderate his situation. It's allowed us to give him a designated role and have every expectation he'll be able to fill it."
 

U.Va.'s Snelling gets back to basics
Former L.C. Bird standout will start the season as No. 1 tailback
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 5, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE For Jason Snelling, fullback was a nice place to visit. But the University of Virginia senior is happy to be back home.

No. 38 is now the Cavaliers' No. 1 tailback.

"Somebody that's run the ball always has a passion to run the ball," Snelling said after a recent practice. "I learned when I got here that a running back here has a lot of different roles -- blocking, protection and running -- but it's good to get back there and show what I can do as a running back."

At L.C. Bird High, Snelling rushed for 4,153 yards -- the seventh-most in Central Region history and was a two-time All-Metro selection at tailback.

He entered U.Va., however, as part of a recruiting class that included Wali Lundy and Michael Johnson, tailbacks who didn't have the bulk to play elsewhere on offense. Already in the program was another gifted tailback, Alvin Pearman, and Cavaliers coach Al Groh didn't want Snelling to be a spectator. And so the 5-11 233-pounder was moved to fullback, where, Groh assured Snelling, he'd do more than block.

"We always knew he had ball-carrying skills," Groh said. "That's why we tried to craft the fullback position so it would be one where he got the ball."

At Bird, Snelling played on run-oriented teams. His ability to catch the ball was a revelation at U.Va. As a true freshman in 2002, Snelling had 31 receptions for 314 yards and four touchdowns. He redshirted in 2003 to try to get an undisclosed medical condition under control, then showed the next season that he hadn't lost his tailback skills.

Snelling, a punishing runner with excellent speed for a back his size, carried 27 times for 189 yards in '04, an average of 7.3.

He began last season at fullback but started taking turns at tailback after Lundy sprained a foot in the opener. The move eventually became permanent. Snelling rushed for a career-best 126 yards against Temple and finished the season with 325 yards on 58 carries.

"It was towards the latter part of the season last year and throughout the bowl preparation," Groh said, "that we kind of made the full transition and said, 'Look, he's going to be a tailback . . . Let's just leave him there.'"

Playing fullback "was a different experience," Snelling said, but one he embraced. The experience, he believes, made him "a better and more complete player."

The departure of Lundy, the fifth-leading rusher in U.Va. history, left a void that Groh will seek to fill with Snelling, Johnson, Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson. Groh has said he'd like a two-man rotation at tailback, and Snelling figures to grab one of those spots if he can stay healthy.

"One of the biggest detriments to Jason's production has actually just been a durability issue," Groh said.

His condition, whose symptoms included migraine headaches, limited Snelling to seven games in 2004. He appeared in all 12 last year but missed significant practice time in the first half of the season and played virtually nothing but special teams in several games.

The offseason has gone well for him, however, and Snelling and his coaches are optimistic he'll be able to continue in a leading role.

 

Highly touted freshmen impressive so far
Glading and Billings both major contributors on attack, helping Virginia maintain top national ranking
Ben Gibson, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

When Virginia freshman Danny Glading was ranked the number-one recruit in the nation by Inside Lacrosse magazine, there was a great deal of expectations to live up to. He already had to deal with comparisons to his brother, Billy, who was an All-American midfielder on Virginia's 2003 NCAA Championship team. Now the entire nation's eyes would be on No. 9 for the Cavaliers.

However, through 10 games this season Glading has surpassed the hype and become an integral part of the No. 1 Virginia men's lacrosse team's best start in school history, 10-0.

Glading is one of only two freshmen starting for the Cavaliers this season, and seems to have blended in nicely. He is currently fourth on the team and 10th in the ACC with 22 points on the year. Glading may be new to the team, but he has already begun to show signs of leadership on the field.

"Danny's a freshman, but he doesn't play like one out there," senior attacker Matt Ward said. "He certainly is almost the quarterback of our attack. He's getting one of the better defensive guys, and he's still willing to kind of control us on offense."

Glading is a pure athlete. At Georgetown Prep he lettered four times in basketball, and was even named captain his senior season. He lettered twice in soccer and broke the school records for both total points and assists as an All-American on his lacrosse team. Still, college has offered Glading a new challenge.

"It's a higher level lacrosse than high school," Glading said. "But I'm playing with such great people to adjust with, I learn so much from Ben [Rubeor] and Matt Ward every day in practice."

One thing Glading has picked up from his teammates is consistency. He has scored at least one goal in nine out of 10 games this season, including two against the No. 3 Maryland Terrapins last Saturday.

Glading, however, is not the only freshman getting attention. His roommate, freshman Garrett Billings, leads scorers off the bench with 17 goals this season and is currently tied with Glading at 22 points on the year. The friendly competition between these two attack men has helped take a team that was ranked 10th in the nation in scoring last season to first this year. Despite his initial success, Glading's coach says he still has room for improvement, a thought that could scare most defenders across the country.

"He needs to be a little bit more of an angry shooter," Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. "His shooting skills are good, but they could be better -- they will get better."

One thing that cannot get any better is Virginia's season so far. The Cavaliers are the only undefeated team remaining in the country, and have an average victory margin of 8.40 goals per game. The season's record-breaking success may be a surprise to some people, but not to the Cavaliers.

"I always hoped it would, and it is going great so far," Glading said. "Hopefully, we can finish it out just as well as we started it."

 

Cavaliers head to Richmond for bounce-back game
No. 18 Virginia was swept by N.C. State over the weekend, will look for McAnaney to right ship in first mid-week road game of season
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

The previous two times the Virginia Baseball team has been swept by a team from the Tar Heel State, the Cavaliers followed the losses with eight-run victories.

They will try to continue that trend today when they play their first mid-week game on the road against the Richmond Spiders at 3:00.

"It's going to be a little bit different, but I think [playing a mid-week game on the road] will be good for this team," Virginia utility player Sean Doolittle said.

The Spiders are currently 9-16 on the season and have a .500 record at home -- but that does not mean that they haven't been competitive all season. They lost to No. 8 Nebraska by just one run, and have lost four other games by two runs or less. This is also a program that has experienced success in the 21st century. The Spiders won the Atlantic-10 regular season championship in 2002 and 2003, the A-10 tournament title in 2002 and advanced all the way to the NCAA super regionals in 2002.

Offense was not a problem for the Cavaliers despite being swept at North Carolina State this past weekend.

"I've been very pleased with our offense all year," O'Connor said. "Up until this point this has been our best offensive ballclub that we've had since we've been coaches here. We've got so many threats in the lineup. We've got a number of guys that can steal bases. We'll continue to get better as an offensive ballclub as we move along too."

Pitching, though, was a major problem over the weekend. Starters Sean Doolittle, Jacob Thompson and Mike Ballard went only a combined 12 innings and allowed 16 hits and 15 runs. But these performances were not indications about how the trio has pitched so far.

"We've done a great job on the mound all year," O'Connor said. "There are going to be times where guys are going to struggle a little bit. What guys need to do when they don't have their best stuff is find a way to keep us in the ballgame and give us a chance to win. We didn't get enough of that [last] weekend."

Defense is also a concern for the Cavaliers, who committed six errors on the weekend. Sunday's outcome might have been different if it wasn't for errors in the first and second innings causing three unearned runs to be scored.

"We've got to get back to playing good strong defense," O'Connor said. "We've played pretty good defense up until that point. We just need to come back and really concentrate on our pitching and defense starting [today] against Richmond."

Pat McAnaney will get the start for the Cavaliers today. Even though he has not pitched much recently, O'Connor believes the sophomore is up to the task of guiding the Cavaliers back into the winners circle.

"We pitched him very limited last week because we thought there might be a chance that we would use him for the weekend and we didn't have to," O'Connor said. "I know he'll be ready to go [today]"

Even as Virginia looks to rebound from the weekend sweep, they are in a much better position to bounce back than they were last year after a 5-10 ACC start.

"I don't think it's a total sense of urgency," Doolittle said. "I just know that we're going to go about our business with a little bit more intensity this week."

 

Vikings discuss trade for Falcons backup Schaub
Though the talks did not lead to formal negotiations, it was an indication the Vikings want quarterback depth.
Kevin Seifert, Star Tribune
Last update: April 04, 2006 – 12:03 AM
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Atlanta quarterback Matt Schaub has not only been praised for his poise and his short-range accuracy, but he also showed an ability to scramble. Here he tries to escape Vikings defensive end Darrion Scott last October in a game in which he ran 56 yards on four carries.
CARLOS GONZALEZ, STAR TRIBUNE

The Vikings spent part of Monday discussing a possible trade for Atlanta backup quarterback Matt Schaub, two people with knowledge of the situation said. The talks were casual and did not lead to formal negotiations, the sources said, but the interaction confirms the Vikings' desire to add depth to the position, either through a trade or in this month's draft.
Discussions could resume as the April 29-30 draft approaches, but as of Monday no further talks were planned.

Schaub, 24, has spent two seasons backing up Michael Vick. He has drawn rave reviews in extensive preseason appearances as well as two career starts and 22 career games, and he is entering the final year of his contract. More than a half-dozen teams reportedly have inquired about him, believing he is ready to be an NFL starter, but the Falcons have appeared unwilling to part with the valuable reserve.

Now, however, the Falcons might be looking to enhance their draft position; they traded their first-round draft pick to the New York Jets last month as part of a deal for defensive lineman John Abraham. The Vikings have five picks in the first three rounds and probably would have to part with their first-round pick, No. 17 overall, in order to complete a trade.

Any team that acquired Schaub almost certainly would seek to sign him to a long-term contract extension. The Vikings had no such discussions Monday, the sources said. Schaub's agent, David Dunn, did not return phone calls Monday.

Brad Johnson ascended to the top of the Vikings' depth chart last month upon the trade of Daunte Culpepper, but coach Brad Childress has remained noncommittal about the position's short- and long-term future. Last week, Childress said Johnson is "our starter right now."

Schaub would be a heavy favorite to open the 2006 season as the Vikings starter if he is acquired. Otherwise, they plan to use Johnson, 37, as their starter this season and draft their QB of the future. Childress indicated last week that they might seek out a second-tier prospect and spend 2006 and perhaps 2007 developing him for a future starting role.

Schaub has been one of the NFL's most discussed names this offseason. At 6-5 and 237 pounds, he is known as a pocket passer with exceptional poise and short-range accuracy. He also ran for 56 yards on four scrambles during a relief appearance last season against the Vikings.

The Vikings have been increasingly connected with rampant trade rumors involving Schaub this offseason, especially as their relationship with Culpepper deteriorated. But as other teams tried and failed, the assumption around the NFL has been that Atlanta valued him too much.

However, Falcons coach Jim Mora said last week that Schaub was available. Schaub's experience in the West Coast offense, both in Atlanta and at the University of Virginia, has convinced many scouts he is ready to take over a similar offense as early as this season.

The Falcons' third-round pick in 2004, Schaub compiled a 98.1 passer rating last season in completing 33 of 64 passes for 495 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions.

Staff writer Judd Zulgad contributed to this report.
 

Duke lacrosse topic in Boston
NCAA president criticizes judgment of the Blue Devils
BY VIC DORR JR.
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Apr 5, 2006

BOSTON - NCAA President Myles Brand stopped short of accusing or convicting but was not at all reluctant to criticize when asked yesterday to discuss the off-field performance of the Duke University men's lacrosse team.

Brand, the featured speaker at a news conference called to promote the NCAA's commitment to women's athletics, soon found himself dealing primarily with the lurid tale of Duke lacrosse players, an exotic dancer and the dancer's allegations of sexual assault and racial intolerance. He emphasized that the allegations are merely that - allegations - until the criminal justice and law enforcement systems have been given a fair and thorough opportunity to function.

"It's very important that we not presuppose 'guilty' or 'not guilty' in advance," he said.

Then he sternly rebuked the young men for their poor judgment and puerile behavior.

"The situation that arose was inappropriate, at best," he said. "It's inappropriate that we should have any group of young men - let alone those who are playing on our athletic teams - invite a stripper [to a social function] and serve underage alcohol. The kind of environment [spawned by such behavior] may or may not have been illegal. But it was absolutely and entirely inappropriate."

Brand said he has not spoken with Dr. Richard Brodhead, Duke's president, regarding the incident.

"It's a campus-based issue and certainly the NCAA does not engage in law-enforcement activities," he said. "We don't have a role to play, nor should we, [in the on-going investigations]."

Some members of the media have found fault with the Duke women's basketball team, which played in last night's Division I national championship game, for declining to use its success as a podium from which to speak out about the incident.

Said Brand: "Pushing the [Duke] women to talk about something about which they have no knowledge and in which they played no role strikes me as misleading and certainly unfair."

Brand said he sees no indication that the simmering scandal has in any way detracted from the Blue Devils' run through the postseason.