Cavs picked to finish 4th in ACC
Virginia Tech favored to win league title
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
July 24, 2007

PINEHURST, N.C. - Al Groh expects to put a better product on the field this season.
Members of the media apparently do not share the same sentiments.
For the second straight year, Virginia’s football team was picked to finish fourth in the ACC’s Coastal Division in the annual preseason poll.
Virginia Tech was predicted to win the Coastal on 77 of the 83 ballots received and was also the clear favorite to win the ACC Championship game. Georgia Tech and Miami were selected as the second- and third-place teams, respectively, while UVa, North Carolina and Duke rounded out the division.
The Atlantic Division poll, which was considerably closer, featured four teams that received first-place votes. Florida State, the favorite, received 37 and was followed by Boston College (25), Clemson (8) and Wake Forest (13). Maryland and North Carolina State were picked to finish fifth and sixth.
The results of the poll did not come as a shock to Groh, who pondered the predictions earlier in the day.
“Driving down here I was trying to play the game myself,” Groh chuckled. “I was wondering - not my picks - but I was wondering how these picks would come out.
“Each one of the divisions are as I thought the voting people would pick them. I don’t think it was without good basis. I can understand why those picks were made.”
Groh is also cognizant that the process often has more to do with the 5-7 record that Virginia posted last year than the upcoming season, one that has an added sense of promise with 21 starters returning.
“One of the important things for any program is to get good performance from your young players,” Groh said. “Young players should play, need to play for teams to give you maximum performance. What we had last year was a circumstance of a lot of young players playing at the same time.
“If you take any one of them, was it a worthwhile year to play? Yeah, it was for a number of them. To do it simultaneously standing side-by-side made it difficult for them to play with cohesion and coordination.”
Virginia’s offense took the biggest hit - the Cavaliers scored only 181 points in their eight ACC games, which was only two more points than the total mustered by a winless Duke team.
“We had an inexperienced quarterback with an inexperienced line,” Groh said. “We have had one or the other in the past but not at the same time.
“It is our belief that a lot of steps were taken during those 12 games [last year] and during the spring, and a lot of players gave evidence of that in the spring.”

Extra points
It appears that junior Aaron Clark will work as a reserve linebacker in training camp. “It looks that way,” Groh said. “He is in the low 250s, which fits him, especially at 6-5, 6-6, into our linebacker size model. At that size, right now, that is what he is. He hasn’t turned into one of those other spots and that’s good, too.”

ACC FOOTBALL
Preseason media poll
ATLANTIC
Florida State (37) 423
Boston College (25) 363
Clemson (8) 332
Wake Forest (13) 325
Maryland 156
N.C. State 144
COASTAL
Virginia Tech (77) 491
Georgia Tech (4) 367
Miami (2) 356
VIRGINIA 255
North Carolina 188
Duke 86

ACC champ: Virginia Tech

 

Job status not making Groh sweat
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
July 24, 2007

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Former Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen used to kid around with media that he always felt like he was on the hot seat when he coached the Cavaliers.
If the school’s current football coach, Al Groh, is feeling any heat from last season’s 5-7 record, he’s certainly not showing it.

Cool as a cucumber
Remember the old deodorant commercial that featured the slogan, “Don’t ever let them see you sweat?” Well, that was Groh on Monday at the ACC Football Kickoff, held at the Pinehurst resort.
Grilled about whether he felt he was on the hot seat, because there has been no official indication from UVa’s administration that it is the case, a cool and collected Groh answered the question this way:
“I’m thinking specifically of the years I’ve been coaching when I was the head coach, and I guess this will be the 14th time (six years at Wake Forest, one year with the New York Jets, and entering his seventh season at Virginia),” Groh said. “Each of them has felt the same to me going into the season. There’s just an urgency to try to win games.”

Dealt a young hand
Such was the case last season when UVa’s four-year bowl streak came to a halt when the Cavs fielded a team with multiple question marks at quarterback, kicker and the offensive line. On several occasions he made reference to playing the 2006 season with the 2007 team.
If nothing else, some of the happenings around the football program have been a case of bad timing. Groh’s significant pay raise wasn’t greeted with warmth in some circles of UVa fandom, especially after that hike was followed by the 5-7 record. The school also decided to raise season ticket prices for the 2008 season, but announced that news to fans a year ahead of time, again on the heels of Groh’s first losing campaign since the first year he took over the job.

Still plenty of questions
While there is a divided camp among the fan base on what the 2007 season will be like with the 2007 players, Groh painted a portrait of optimism, but more like optimism with an asterisk attached due to the questions surrounding the health of incumbent starting quarterback Jameel Sewell, whose status remains somewhat of a mystery only a couple of weeks prior to the opening of training camp.
“It’s reality,” Groh said of Sewell’s wrist issues, “and we’re dealing with reality.”
If Sewell can’t answer the bell, then Virginia’s staff must choose between starting inexperienced backups Marc Verica or Scott Deke, or thrust the highly recruited golden arm of Peter Lalich into the limelight a year earlier than Groh had planned.
Should that happen, the smart money is on Pistol Pete.
Aside from the quarterback scenario, Groh was excited about the upcoming season, which kicks off at Wyoming on Sept. 1.
“It’s a season that the staff and the players have looked forward to with significant anticipation,” the UVa coach said. “I think everybody feels very positive, but I’d say it’s more of a little attitude toward performing the way that we think this team can perform.”
There’s several reasons for the head coach to feel better about things. When Groh scans his depth chart there’s a lot of familiar names, especially on defense, where practically the entire starting lineup returns. Offensively, the line has the potential to dominate and clear the way for big, powerful backs. There’s experienced tight ends and room for the unheralded to make an impact at wide receiver.
“I can clearly see that there are a lot more players that are much more familiar and comfortable that they can do their job,” Groh told sportswriters. “A lot of them were sticking their toe in the water for the first time last year.”
The fact that he has a cohesive coaching staff that has worked together for more than a year now is a bonus. Groh said he is already seeing the benefits of redshirting all but one player from last year’s incoming recruiting class.
Does he believe there could be a surge up the ACC standings a la Wake Forest in ’06?
“I think the players would be very disappointed if I didn’t represent them by saying, ‘Yes,’” Groh said.
Meanwhile, anything less than success will magnify the heat. It should be noted here that Groh’s predecessor, the legendary George Welsh owned a record of 33-33-2 after his first six seasons at Virginia, 18-19-2 in the ACC. Welsh went on to become the ACC’s winningest coach and now his bust graces the College Football Hall of Fame, right there with Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno.
In Groh’s six seasons at UVa, he owns a 42-33 record, 25-23 in the ACC.
Nobody said he’s got a seat reserved in the Hall. His present seat is all about the heat, but that could change drastically if Groh’s optimism turns into reality.
 

ACC NOTES
Monday, Jul 23, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 09:14 AM

TOUGHER ATTITUDE SOUGHT FOR TECH LINE

When Virginia Tech's new offensive-line coach, Curt Newsome, arrived in the spring, he tried to change one major thing about his unit: its attitude.

"We weren't as aggressive last year as we should have been," senior left tackle Duane Brown said.

Tech ranked 90th in the nation in rushing offense (113.3 yards per game) and 77th in sacks allowed per game (29 in 13 games).

"We just have to add that extra attitude and that demeanor to make us be what we want to be next year," said Brown, who played right tackle last season and is one of three returning starters on the line. "Going against our first-team defense, they have that. We didn't back down at all [in the spring] like we did sometimes last year."

Seminoles' Smith will get his chance this season

Tailback Antone Smith wanted out of Florida State midway through his freshman year in 2005.

"My bags were packed," he said.

Ranked the No. 1 running back in the nation coming out of Pahokee (Fla.) High, Smith was frustrated that he got just 36 carries as a freshman. After talking with Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden, he decided to stay.

Smith said he felt more hopeful last season, when he rushed 88 times for 456 yards and five touchdowns. The starting job is Smith's to lose this year, because Lorenzo Booker's eligibility expired after last season.

Losing mark boosts passion of Cavaliers

Virginia stumbled to a 5-7 record in 2006, a disappointing performance that drove coach Al Groh's returning players in their offseason workouts.

"Football's easy to play when you're angry, and it's easy to get ready to play football when you're angry," senior defensive end Chris Long said. "I trust my teammates and my coach, and we're going to go about this thing with a lot of passion. . . . When you're 5-7, if you're a little upset with yourself, there's something wrong."

Ryan and Singletary show ties that bind

At William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, Matt Ryan played football and basketball. His teammates in both sports included Sean Singletary, who was an outstanding wideout in football.

Now a fifth-year senior at Boston College, Ryan is the ACC's top returning quarterback. Singletary, a U.Va. senior, may be the conference's top point guard.

"He was a hell of a football player," Ryan said. "He made me look a lot better than I was, no question."

Close loss to Wake a flashback for Duke

On the game's final play, Chip Vaughn blocked a 28-yard field goal attempt by Duke's Joe Surgan, allowing Wake Forest to escape with a 14-13 victory Sept. 9, 2006, at Groves Stadium.

Wake went on to win the Atlantic Division title and then beat Coastal winner Georgia Tech for the ACC championship. Duke went on to finish 0-12.

"We're not harping on the past," Blue Devils safety Chris Davis said, "but it's definitely a flashback that comes back now and then. . . . We know how close that game was."

Wheeler plans to end slide against Georgia

Georgia Tech has lost six in a row to archrival Georgia. Nobody needs to remind Yellow Jackets linebacker Philip Wheeler of that.

Wheeler is a senior, and if he left Georgia Tech without having beaten the Bulldogs, he said, "I'd be pretty disappointed. But I don't plan on losing to Georgia this year."

-- Darryl Slater and Jeff White

 

Wake-up call
Underdog's title not good sign for ACC
Tuesday, Jul 24, 2007 - 12:10 AM
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST
PINEHURST, N.C.

With apologies to Mike Myers, Linda Richman and "Coffee Talk" . . .

I'll give you a topic: Wake Forest winning the ACC's football championship last year was either good for the league or bad for the league. Discuss.

The trophy is stored for now in coach Jim Grobe's office. Touch it, and it won't go poof. Bite it, and you won't make a dent. It's real. Little Wake Forest -- smallest enrollment of any school in a major conference, no prior titles to call its own in 3½ decades -- truly did reign as ACC kingpin in 2006 to send its rooters and players into a tizzy.

Were they dazed? Surprised? Blown away?

"A little bit of all of it," center Steve Justice said at the league's summertime footballfest. "When you're sitting with the family and you sit back and watch the film, you feel there's no way it really happened."

It really happened. The Deacons won every close encounter of the nail-biting kind. They lost their quarterback and best runner to injuries early on and never faltered. They rolled 30-0 at Florida State. (Let me repeat: 30-zip at Florida Flaming-Spear-in-the-Ground State!) They squeezed past Georgia Tech in the ACC title game and held up pretty well in an Orange Bowl setback against Louisville.

They finished 11-3 and 18th in the final AP poll.

They were a warm and fuzzy happening.

They also created doubts about the collective they represent.

"A lot of people think if Wake Forest wins the championship," as Justice put it, "the talent in the league must be down."

He's right on both counts. About what some people think. And about the talent level in the league. This takes nothing away from Wake's accomplishment, mind you. The Deacons deserved this championship. They were resourceful. They were tough-minded. They made their mark on performance, not by default.

"It was a team that didn't have all the talent in the world, but they did the little things right," said North Carolina defensive end Hilee Taylor. "They did just about everything perfect."

Not to mention the fact they were a great story.

But a positive statement for ACC football? Umm, not precisely. The ACC didn't import FSU 15 years ago so Wake Forest could rise above. It didn't expand and woo Miami so Wake Forest could be a force. But the 'Noles and 'Canes have slipped some, and Tar Heels, Terps and Wolfpack (among others) are wobbly. All of which cleared a path for Wake.

Anyone with even a hint of partiality toward underdogs had to cheer loudly.

Even if said softie presumes Wake is the "Disco Duck" of ACC football.

"I think a lot of people do think it's a one-shot wonder," Justice conceded. "They have a right to feel like that if you look at our history."

That said, if you scan the rest of the field in the Atlantic Division, you'll conclude the Deacons -- significant departures on defense notwithstanding -- have a shot to get to December. Beyond that, they're a beacon for the ACC's downtrodden and dispossessed. Why, even Duke -- 0-12 last year and losers of 17 league outings in a row -- believes it can follow Wake's example.

"It proves a school at a high academic level -- a small private school -- can get it done," said Blue Devils fullback Tielor Robinson. "We look at Wake, and we're really happy for them. We feel like we can do the same exact thing."

Duke flowing through ACC football like buttah? That's the last thing league boss John Swofford wants to see.

If he goes a third straight season without a national contender, he'll feel a little verklempt.

Talk amongst yourselves.

 

UVa faces a season with significance
Al Groh and his Cavaliers feel the urgency to start winning.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

PINEHURST, N.C. -- On his drive south for the ACC Football Kickoff, Virginia coach Al Groh amused himself by predicting the preseason order of finish.

"It wasn't my picks, but the way I thought these picks would come out," Groh said. "Each one of the divisions turned out the way I thought the voting people would pick them."

That included a choice of the Cavaliers as the fourth-place finisher out of six teams in the Coastal Division.

"I don't think it was without basis," Groh said. "I can understand why all those picks were made."

Virginia also was picked for fourth last year, when the Cavaliers finished third in the Coastal Division at 4-4, with a 5-7 overall record.

Groh didn't predict that Virginia would return to the form it held from 2002-05, when UVa had four straight winning season, "but it's a season the staff and players have looked forward to with significant anticipation," he said.

It's not hard to find a preseason annual that lists Groh among ACC or national coaches on a "hot seat."

Groh avoided that term Monday.

"Thinking specifically of the years I've been coaching when I was the head coach, this will be the 14th time," he said. "Each one has felt the same for me going into the season.

There's just an urgency to try to win games.

"I hate to throw it back the same way [the question was phrased]. I don't want to give you a cliche answer, but truthfully I really feel the same about every season.

"I feel the challenge on a season-by-season basis to make our team add up to everything it can be. It's an ongoing thing. It's what we live with, but it sort of energizes us, too."

A major factor in the Cavaliers' success will be the status of quarterback Jameel Sewell, who started nine games as a redshirt freshman but required surgery on his right (non-throwing) wrist in December.

Sewell originally injured the wrist before the season but that didn't prevent him from accumulating 95 rushing attempts to go with 143 passes.

"He's been a full participant in the summer off-season program," Groh said. "He's positive about where he is. We're positive about where he is.

"He told me they were working one day on the field and he tripped and put his hand out to cushion himself. He got up after the play and it was like, 'Wow, this is still good.' "

With the departure of tailback Jason Snelling, who had a team-high 183 carries for 772 yards, UVa might be well-served to make greater use of Sewell's running ability.

"It's a skill that he has," Groh said, "but you've got to balance that with, 'He's our key guy right now.' We don't want to overexpose him to unnecessary hits.

"We spent a lot of time trying to protect the quarterback so he doesn't get hit. We don't want to go over to the other side of the street and suddenly start exposing him to 18 or 20 hits."

Groh spoke last week of programs where it seems possible to win at least nine games a year by pushing the right buttons. Virginia has won nine games or more only five times in the past 50 seasons, one of them under Groh.

"I think we have a little bit of a sense," said Groh of Cavalier prospects for 2007. "It's mitigated a little bit, not because of talent, but there is some question about the quarterback position.

"That creates a little bit of an unknown for our team, but we've got a lot of players well-prepared to play well."
 

ACC prepares to rebound
David Teel
July 24 2007

PINEHURST, N.C. -- The ACC's oldest and youngest football coaches turned prognosticators Monday.

"I think you're going to see a breakout year for ACC football," said Miami's Randy Shannon, the pup at 41. "I really do."

"Miami will be back," assured Florida State's Bobby Bowden, the granddad at 77, "and we will, too."

They'd both better be right. If not, the conference's football reputation will continue its unmistakable decline.

Start with the polls, where the ACC has more issues than Sam Brownback and Bill Richardson. The league hasn't produced a top-five team since Florida State in 2000, and during that span, the other five Bowl Championship Series conferences have produced at least four each.

Even two non-BCS leagues, the Mountain West and Western Athletic, have seen teams finish among the top five in The Associated Press poll since 2000.

Last season marked the fourth in the last six that no ACC team made the final top 10. Moreover, it was the first year since 1991 that the conference wasn't represented among the top 15.

Not exactly what ACC honchos sold to fans and television networks when they raided the Big East for Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College to create a 12-member uber-conference.

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen attributed the ACC's declining rankings to parity within the league. "There are no easy outs," he said Monday during the conference's annual preseason gathering.

Fair enough. Florida State's 1992 arrival and subsequent domination forced the remainder of the league to upgrade or perish, and most programs responded. Maryland, Georgia Tech, Virginia, North Carolina and North Carolina State all have enjoyed moments, and last season Wake Forest earned its first conference championship since 1970.

But there's also no denying that Florida State and Miami, the league's most accomplished programs, have slipped. They lack the talent and depth of their halcyon teams, especially on offense and specifically at quarterback.

"I don't know that right now we have one great team," Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said of the ACC. "I think we have a lot of good teams."

They'll have a chance to prove it in September when ACC squads embark upon their most ambitious non-conference schedule in memory. The opponents include Notre Dame, Louisiana State, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Colorado, West Virginia, Alabama, Rutgers and Louisville.

Just consider Sept. 8. Virginia Tech visits LSU, Miami heads to Oklahoma, and Wake Forest hosts Nebraska.

And don't forget the annual November rivalries against the Southeastern Conference: Florida State-Florida, Georgia Tech-Georgia and Clemson-South Carolina. The ACC lost all three last season for only the second time since Florida State joined the conference.

"It is a sense of pride," Georgia Tech tailback Tashard Choice said. "You don't want anyone to think your conference is weak."

Truth is the ACC has been weak, and the malaise is most evident against non-conference opponents ranked among the top 10. In the last six seasons, ACC teams are 3-31 in such matchups. The conference's champions have been particularly disappointing, losing their last seven bowls, a futile stretch unrivaled in major college football.

"That," Friedgen said, "I can't explain."

Sure he can. He just prefers not to. As much as the post-expansion ACC fancies itself the equal of its BCS comrades, the mission is far from accomplished, and the difference is talent.

How to finish the job? How to make outsiders believe?

"I really don't know if you can," Georgia Tech linebacker Philip Wheeler said. "There's so much legendary stuff and traditions at other schools, and they don't want to let that go."

No they don't. You have to pry it from them. You have to sign better players and win more games.

Georgia Tech needs to beat Notre Dame and/or Georgia. Florida State needs to best Colorado and Alabama. Virginia Tech, the prohibitive favorite to win the ACC this season, needs to win at LSU.

"Your reputation is always on the line," Virginia Tech defensive lineman Carlton Powell said.

For the ACC, rarely more so than in 2007.
 

Groh optimistic about QB's health
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
July 24, 2007

PINEHURST, N.C. - Jameel Sewell has been a full participant in the Virginia football team's summer program. Whether that means the quarterback is fully healed from offseason surgery on his throwing wrist remains to be seen.
Cavaliers coach Al Groh was upbeat about the condition of his sophomore starter Monday at the ACC Kickoff. Groh said Sewell has done all of the throwing and training sessions over the summer, some of which require intensive work with the hands and wrists.

The other day, Sewell tripped in a training session and braced himself with his left hand - the exact same way that he injured it near the end of preseason practice last August. It didn't bother him. For a player who sat out most of spring practice, it's a step forward.

"He's positive about where he is. We're positive about where he is," Groh said. "What we've said is that we all understand - players, coaches, Jameel - it's probably going to take being in games (to gauge if he's completely healthy). ? It obviously creates a lot of anxiety for everybody."

Sewell started the final nine games last season and earned honorable mention freshman All-American honors after throwing for 1,342 yards and five touchdowns and running for four more scores.

Virginia's success this season hinges on his health. Behind him on the depth chart are Marc Verica and Scott Deke, two quarterbacks who haven't taken a snap in a game. True freshman Peter Lalich is in Charlottesville for the latest summer school session but hasn't had any formal practices with the team.

That leaves UVa with fewer proven quarterbacks than Groh would prefer, though that's nothing new.

"We have more than we had last year," he said, smiling, "so that's an improvement."

Competition over, drive isn't

One of the best position battles in the spring was between third-year cornerbacks Vic Hall (Gretna) and Mike Brown. Hall officially won the starting spot when Brown suffered a knee injury in June that will force him to miss the upcoming season.

Groh doesn't think the lack of competition will stymie the development of Hall, who has had almost two full years at the position and turned in a strong performance at the spring game, intercepting a pass.

"Vic's pretty driven," Groh said. "He really responds to competition. He's been fantastic here throughout the summer, and that's even after he was aware the competition was over. I feel very comfortable about Vic Hall in any circumstance."

Payne paying the price

Keith Payne isn't back with the team ? yet. The redshirt freshman running back was suspended last month for academic reasons but is moving toward a return.

Virginia put out a press release on Payne's suspension when it happened, which has not always been the case in the past. It might have been to motivate the promising 6-foot-3, 234-pound tailback, who many believe could be the starter this season if he gets his academics in order.

"We all know that there's a buzz around this player that might be a little premature to his readiness to perform at a certain level," Groh said. "So for the team's sake - so the team's not wondering day-to-day, 'Is Keith going to be here? Is Keith going to do that?' - we've cleared the issue up. If he clears the circumstances up, he's ready to go. If he doesn't, then we'll take care of that circumstance."

Left side looking up

This time last year, Eugene Monroe was still recovering from knee surgery and Branden Albert's academic problems threatened to keep him off the field. Now, the two make up one of the most promising left sides of an offensive line in the league.

Groh had plenty of praise for both. He said players and coaches are finally starting to see the real Monroe, who struggled physically most of last year before turning in a strong second half of the season. This spring he won the offensive Rock Weir Award as the most improved player.

"He finally had his legs under him, literally and figuratively," Groh said of the left tackle, a former Parade All-American in high school.

Albert came into his own last season at left guard, putting his academic problems behind him and earning honorable mention all-ACC honors. He wasn't as heralded as Monroe coming into UVa. In fact, he wasn't on many teams' radar other than Virginia.

"You have two guys, one of the most highly recruited linemen in the country playing next to a virtual unknown," Groh said. "And they're turning out to have very similar college potential."