Quarterback commits to Cavaliers
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
July 20, 2003

In a day where college football recruiting has become so sophisticated, the case of Virginia's newest commitment has thrown the system for a loop.

Scott Deke (pronounced DAY-KEY), a 6-foot-2, 205-pound quarterback from Loyola High School of Los Angeles, pretty much recruited himself for the Cavaliers. On Saturday, he made it official when he announced he would sign with Virginia in February.

According to sources, Deke impressed Virginia's coaching staff more than any other quarterback who attended the Cavaliers' summer football camp. However, UVa is still considering adding another quarterback to the 2004 recruiting class.

"I put together a highlight tape, sent it to them and they liked it," Deke told The Daily Progress on Saturday afternoon. "I came to Virginia's football camp three weeks ago and I guess they liked what they saw. They offered me."

Deke said he and his mother visited the school unofficially during the winter, strengthening his desire to become a Cavalier.

His mother attended Hollins College outside of Roanoke and his father went to VMI. Deke lived in Centreville when he was young before moving to the West Coast.

"I've thought about Virginia for a long time," Deke said. "They were always at the top of my list."

The California high schooler said he looked at Stanford, Cal-Berkley, Oklahoma and several Ivy League schools but felt like UVa would be the ideal place for him because of the school's academics and a solid football program.

He was offered by Army and VMI, but noted that he felt other offers would have been forthcoming had he shown as much interest in those schools as he did in UVa.

Deke started out last season playing more safety than quarterback, but the junior took over the team midway through the season and led Loyola to the California Division I semifinals. Along the way, he passed for around 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns.

"I've always been blessed with a strong arm," Deke said. "That's always been my claim to fame. One of my big attributes has been my ability to think on the field. I've always been a strong student of the game and had the ability to play under pressure."

Deke's accuracy is something that impressed UVa's staff. He completed 65 percent of his pass attempts last seson.

"That's something that I'm always working on," he said. "People sometimes laugh at me or kid me because I carry a football around every where I go and throw it to my brothers or anyone else I can."

Deke has been fascinated with UVa ever since he thought there might be an opportunity for him there.

"Outside of academics and big-time football, I've never seen a more beautiful school and the stadium is incredible," Deke said. "It was a no-brainer for me. I knew that's where I wanted to go to school and hopefully to be part of a prestigous program that is trying to win a national championship."

At Loyola, Deke plays for legendary California high school coach Steve Grandy, who is in his 28th year. The rising senior has been recognized the last two years as an All-California Interscholastic Federation scholar athlete.

 

Bowden still in control at Florida State
Published July 22 2003
David Teel

GREENSBORO, Ga. -- Florida State won't fire Bobby Bowden. With two national championships, a 14-year dynasty and 332 victories on his resume, the Seminoles' football coach is untouchable.

But is he also out of touch? Is his program out of control? And might a third consecutive "down" season in Tallahassee create enough unrest to prompt his retirement?

Bowden's Hall of Fame credentials aside, those were fair questions Monday as he met the media at the ACC's football kickoff.

Following a morning on the golf course, Bowden was, as usual, gracious, charming and resolute. Such was not the case during much of this off-season.

"I got very upset," Bowden said. "I wasn't worth confronting for about a month. But it's a new year, and I've about got my anger behind me."

Bowden's anger had little to do with his team's 9-5 record, the program's worst since 1986. And, he insisted, it had little do with a few of his players misbehaving.

No, Bowden got peeved because some fans and media believe that he has lost his grip on the program he has guided since 1976.

Their evidence: nine defeats in the past two years, matching the Seminoles' total from the seven previous seasons combined; the Sugar Bowl suspensions of defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (theft) and quarterback Chris Rix (sleeping through a final exam); revelations that quarterback Adrian McPherson gambled on sports.

"We do not have a control problem," Bowden said. "I don't know who thinks that stuff up. We're just like everybody else."

Indeed, many other athletes from many other schools land in the cop shop. But when the coach is 73 years old and the team is losing ...

Bowden went from Saint Bobby to Buffoon Bobby almost overnight. The reversal, said Clemson coach Tommy Bowden, shocked his father.

Truth is, neither portrayal is fair. Bobby Bowden, like all successful coaches, is as calculating as Warren Buffett.

"The only thing I can say about me is, I try to be good, but I don't claim to be good," he said.

That philosophy has served him well. From 1987-2000, his teams won at least 10 games and finished among the top five in the national polls every year. He stands second to Penn State's Joe Paterno (336) on Division I's career victory list.

But there is no denying that Florida State has slipped. More caretaker than hands-on teacher the last five years, Bowden misses former assistants Chuck Amato and Mark Richt, the head coaches at North Carolina State and Georgia, respectively. Also, Bowden faces an improved ACC and absurd non-conference schedules (Iowa State, Louisville, Miami, Notre Dame and Florida last year; Colorado, Notre Dame, Miami and Florida this year).

"Our talent level hasn't dropped that much," Bowden insisted.

Following his month-long snit, Bowden returned to his daily routine. According to Tommy, that includes 45 holes of golf, a nap and confusing the names of his grandchildren.

"He's still the Rock," senior linebacker Michael Boulware said. "The way he coaches is the same."

The Rock knows this is a critical season, and with 10 returning defensive starters and quality players such as Rix, tailback Greg Jones and tackle Ray Willis on offense, he believes the program is well-stocked.

"It's like all old fighters," Bowden said. "You think you can win that title again."

Old fighters also find it difficult to leave the stage.

"I've never considered retirement a day in my life," Bowden said. "Yet one of these days it's going to happen."

Across the room, Tommy Bowden was discussing his own problems: three pedestrian seasons in four years as Clemson's head coach.

"Tommy's like me," Bobby Bowden said. "He'd better get with it."
 

ACC NOTES
Jul 22, 2003

AT THE POLLS: Florida State is entering its 12th football season as an ACC member, and for the 12th straight year, the media have picked Bobby Bowden's team to win the conference championship.

The Seminoles won their 10th ACC title last season. No longer, however, is FSU considered a lock to finish atop the league standings.

In 1993, '94, '98 and 2000, the Seminoles captured every first-place vote in balloting among media members at ACC Football Kickoff. In yesterday's voting at Greensboro, Ga., FSU barely beat N.C. State for the No. 1 spot in the poll.

The Seminoles received 35 first-place votes (out of 84) and totaled 672 points. The Wolfpack (664 points) got 26 first-place votes, and No. 3 Maryland (607 points) got 18. Virginia received the five remaining first-place votes and totaled 570 points.

A season ago, the Cavaliers beat the'Pack 14-9 and the Terrapins 48-13. Those outcomes notwithstanding, the Gator and Peach bowls spurned U.Va. and chose N.C. State and Maryland, respectively.

From a 9-5 team, Virginia returns nine starters on offense, including quarterback Matt Schaub, the reigning ACC player of the year, and eight on defense. Also back are punter Tom Hagan and kicker Connor Hughes.

Asked about yesterday's voting, U.Va. coach Al Groh smiled and said, "I guess a lot of the pickers must have been on the Gator Bowl and the Peach Bowl committees."

Two years ago, Maryland, the media's choice to finish seventh in the ACC, won the title. Last year, Virginia was picked to finish eighth. It ended in a tie for second with Maryland.

OLD PALS: Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen's close friends include Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer. They worked together at Maryland, where they were graduate assistants, and again at The Citadel, where they were on Bobby Ross' staff.

"Actually, we were in a Lamaze class together" in 1977 at Charleston, S.C, Friedgen revealed yesterday.

That experience was capped by the births of Beamer's son, Shane, and Friedgen's daughter Kelley.

Ten weeks ago yesterday, Friedgen had a hip replaced. Coming out of surgery, he got a call at the hospital from Beamer, who was worried the Hokies might be left out of ACC expansion.

"I don't know what he thought I could do to help him.," Friedgen said, smiling. "I was still coming out of the anesthesia. My wife said, 'I don't think Ralph can talk to you.' . . . That was before he got the governor involved."

Last month, of course, Tech accepted an invitation to join the ACC in 2004.

"I'm happy for Frank and Virginia Tech, and I think [as] a football program they really bring a lot to our conference," Friedgen said. "It's not going to be the most fun in the world to play against Frank, because we're such close friends."

Each has a summer house on nearby Lake Oconee, where they once were co-owners of a golf cottage.

STUMBLING BLOCKS: Close games were Duke's downfall last season. The Blue Devils, who finished 2-10, lost by five points to Northwestern, five to Virginia, two to N.C. State, three to Clemson and two to North Carolina.

"We need to play in a close game and win it," Duke coach Carl Franks said. "That would do more for our football team than anything."

PEP TALKS: Florida State's recent decline hasn't pleased the players who made Bobby Bowden's program so feared. Numerous alumni have returned to Tallahassee to speak to the team, senior linebacker Michael Boulware said.

"They've come back and told us basically they're disappointed," said Boulware, an All-America candidate. "They have a right to be, and they've given us some advice about coming together as a team and playing as one, and [how] what goes on on the team, stays on the team. They're doing whatever they can to help us out."

Those players, Boulware said, have included his brother Peter, Brad Johnson, Warrick Dunn, Corey Fuller, Corey Simon, Derrick Brooks and Dexter Jackson.

PIVOTAL GAME: N.C. State hasn't launched a Heisman Trophy campaign for senior quarterback Philip Rivers, but his reputation is such that he's included on virtually every preseason list of candidates.

How Rivers fares Sept. 13 may determine if he'll seriously contend for the award. State plays defending national champion Ohio State at 101,568-seat Ohio Stadium that day. If Rivers sparkles against the Buckeyes, his Heisman chances figure to improve. If he struggles, he may be discounted as a legitimate candidate.

The Wolfpack won eight games in Rivers' first year, seven in his second and 11 last season, which ended with a 28-6 rout of Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl. In none of those seasons, however, did State finish better than fourth in the ACC, despite beating FSU in 2001 and again in '02.

To be considered a national power, the Pack must first become a force in its conference. "We're on our way," Rivers said. "Hopefully, this'll be the year."

- Jeff White

 

Choosing best QB in the ACC a tossup
League has quality depth at position as eight of nine schools return starters
By Christian Ewell
Sun Staff
Originally published July 21, 2003

GREENSBORO, Ga. - Listen to defensive backs if you're looking for an indication that 2003 might be a good year for quarterbacks in the Atlantic Coast Conference. You're going to hear very little.
At the league's media kickoff event yesterday, secondary members - a group not known for caginess in their comments - took special care to remain conservative when asked to assess the league's QBs, possibly the best as a group in this young decade.

Virginia's Matt Schaub was the ACC's Player of the Year in 2002, an honor that N.C. State's Philip Rivers probably would have won if not for his team's late-season slump. They may not have played as well as Maryland's Scott McBrien over the final two months of the regular season and Florida State's Chris Rix has the most promise, though much of it unfulfilled. In all, eight of the nine schools return their starting quarterbacks.

For fear of slighting someone, the league's defensive backs usually named more than one quarterback as the league's best.

North Carolina defensive back Dexter Reid named his own quarterback, Darian Durant, each time when he was asked who are the league's best three quarterbacks.

Most of the comparisons for the league's best quarterback are between Rivers and Schaub, a pair of seniors who arrived to this point through different routes. Rivers became the Wolfpack starter in his first year and will likely become the league's career passing leader halfway through this year. Schaub didn't become a full-time starter until his fourth year in Charlottesville, when he completed 69 percent of his passes and finished sixth nationally in passing efficiency.

Wake Forest defensive back Quentin Williams wouldn't say that either quarterback is better, though he would say that they're different. He liked Rivers' decisiveness - "he makes decisions just like that" - while admiring Schaub's ability to deliver the big play when you'd least expect it. "You never know when it's going to happen, and it's going to crush you."

NOTE: Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who has a summer home in nearby Lake Oconee, appeared at the event using a walking cane yesterday, 10 weeks after having hip replacement surgery in May. Three weeks into his rehabilitation, Friedgen suffered a blood clot that sent him back to the hospital and delayed his healing process. Nonetheless, he said he hoped his left leg would become strong enough to get rid of the cane before the Terps begin camp Aug. 4.



 

Noles kings no longer
By CAULTON TUDOR, Staff Writer

GREENSBORO, GA.--Florida State picked for third? Not in the nation, mind you.
That's where I have the Seminoles in the ACC, a league they basically have ransacked like a private toy chest since entering conference football competition in 1992.

A third-place league prediction isn't official. That's just my opinion, and there's no doubt FSU will get its share of first-place votes when the ACC polls writers on Monday afternoon.

But regardless of where Bobby Bowden's team is picked , there's little doubt that FSU's standing as the league's dominator has slipped measurably during the past two seasons.

Going back to the 13-2 BCS championship Orange Bowl loss to Oklahoma at the end of the 2000 regular season, the Seminoles have gone 17-9 overall and 13-3 in the ACC. That's plenty good, but it's nothing compared to the 70-2 conference record compiled from '92 through that 2000 season.

By the time Bowden reached his team's locker room following a 17-7 loss at N.C. State last season, there was little for the coaching legend to cite except the obvious.

"We've slipped," he said. "We're just not as good as we ought to be."

A week later, the Seminoles pounded rival Florida 31-14, but an ensuing 26-13 Sugar Bowl loss to Georgia only emphasized the struggle and trouble afoot in Tallahassee.

Off-field turmoil, including gambling allegations against now-gone quarterback Adrian McPherson, has weakened Bowden's once pat hand.

So, too, have raids on the coaching staff that was stable for more than a decade.

When N.C. State hired away Chuck Amato after Florida State's 1999 national championship run, Bowden's defensive think tank took a hit. A year later, Georgia plucked offensive coordinator Mark Richt. Over the past two seasons, Bowden went 0-3 against his former top aides.

"Sure, that's been a factor," Bowden said last season. "Any time you lose great coaches, it hurts you."

At NCSU, Amato has put together a program that I now believe is the league favorite, even though the Wolfpack must play ACC road games against FSU and long-time nemesis Georgia Tech.

Then, there's Virginia, my pick for No. 2 against a league road schedule that includes NCSU, Maryland and North Carolina.

In only two seasons at his alma mater, Al Groh has built a recruiting dynamo. Although the Cavaliers were the league's youngest team in '02, they completed conference play with a 14-9 win over NCSU and a 48-13 rout over Maryland.

In bowl games, the Terps then pounded Tennessee and the Wolfpack erased Notre Dame while Virginia routed West Virginia.

"We were a very good team by the end of the season," Groh said. "Now, it's a matter of seeing if we can pick up where we left off."

Mix in the Terps, who have gone 21-5 in Ralph Friedgen's first two seasons as coach, and the top of the conference has never looked more competitive.

In fact, FSU's situation has reached the point where there is for the first time ever legitimate speculation about Bowden's ability to restore dominance. Now in his 70s and increasingly frustrated by losses, the magic touch of yore is fading.

Rival coaches still give Bowden's program the overall advantage in quickness and skill-position talent, but FSU's once insurmountable edge in depth is now problematic.

Even at quarterback, where junior Chris Rix is expected to start in the Aug. 30 opener at UNC, the Seminoles have questions. Rix has slipped in and out of the doghouse throughout his career. In terms of consistency, he rates behind NCSU's Philip Rivers, Virginia's Matt Schaub and Carolina's Darian Durant.

"It's a season when I've got to established myself again, and so does the whole program in a way," Rix said after spring drills.

That's certainly the challenge, but are the Seminoles up to it? It's no lock. Times have changed, even in the ACC.