Sewell bouncing back from wrist surgery
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
July 24, 2007

PINEHURST, N.C. - Had he been watching, Groh might have needed a dose of blood pressure medicine.
During a workout earlier this summer, quarterback Jameel Sewell lost his balance and went to the turf. In letting his instincts take over, the sophomore thrust out his surgically repaired left hand to brace the fall.
Oddly, it served as a positive step in the southpaw’s rehabilitation process.
“He did come up one day to tell me that the day before, in working out, he tripped and put his hand to reactively cushion himself,” Groh recounted. “He got up and was like, ‘Wow. This is still good.’ So that was certainly a positive thing.”
Sewell was a hot topic - Groh fielded numerous questions about the health of his signal-caller.
“The only way I can answer it is to say that he has been a full participant in the summer offseason workout program, which includes all the training sessions, all of the throwing that the players have done together,” Groh said. “Some of the training sessions have involved a lot of pretty aggressive work with their hands and wrists and he has done everything that all the other players have done.
“He is positive about where he is. We are positive about where he is. The injury occurred when he put his hand out to brace himself - it wasn’t a throwing injury. That might come up.”
Groh remained steadfast in saying that the wrist would not truly be tested until training camp starts in early August.
“I think we will just have to wait and see what all the game circumstances bring, which obviously creates a level of anxiety for everybody,” he added.

Sticking with the quarterbacks
The race to become Sewell’s backup could be one of the tighter battles in training camp.
While it initially appeared as though Marc Verica was going to emerge from spring practice as the No. 2 quarterback, mixed results for the redshirt freshman and a solid performance from Scott Deke in the spring game left the battle unanswered.
“Scott had some good plays in the game,” Groh said, “and certainly warrants the opportunity to probably be listed on the same line.”
Both might soon be battling for the spot as the third option behind true freshman Peter Lalich.
When asked if the prized recruit would redshirt, Groh took a safe approach.
“I think we are just going to wait and see how a number of things go at that situation,” he said.
Lalich made a lasting impression, however, when he arrived alongside cornerback Chase Minnefield well before the other recruits for a summer-school session in June.
“By the time that we report for camp he will have been there for two months,” Groh said. “Given the nature of that position, it is as much or more about leadership than it is about passing the ball.
“To have any leadership the first thing a player has to have is communication with his teammates. This gives him the opportunity to establish a relationship with the veteran players and for them to see him work, what his work habits might be, as well as for him to have more time to plug into the culture and the attitude of the team.”

A tight squeeze
A quick glance at Virginia’s newest roster proves one thing: Virginia loves tight ends - and lots of them.
In fact, the Cavaliers have nine players listed at tight end at the moment.
“We do have quite a few tight ends on the roster and we think we have some more coming,” Groh pointed out. “That’s a position that we like a lot of because they either become proficient there [or shift to another position].”
Groh used redshirt freshman Jack Shields, now working at center, and junior Antonio Appleby, now an inside linebacker, as examples.
“We like those tall, rangy, can-put-size-on players,” Groh said.
One of the current tight ends, senior Tom Santi, praised the group collectively on Sunday.
“That is a very motivated group,” Santi said. “There are some hard-working guys. Some of them might not ever play at Virginia, but you wouldn’t know it by the way that they work.”
Mark Ambrose, who is listed at 6-foot-5 and 218 pounds, and Andrew Devlin (6-6, 255) are the most recent additions to the position.

A lighter moment
In talking about Wyoming, Virginia’s first opponent of the season, Groh created a wave of laughter.
With a pair of fake punts ran by the Cowboys in last year’s game as the subject matter, Groh was jokingly asked about assistant Bob Diaco, the team’s special teams coach, and if his job was in jeopardy following that contest.
“We didn’t quite have the hook out,” Groh quipped. “I had to break out a few of my double-combination words on that one.”
Groh drew another set of smiles later in the press conference when he was asked what he learned from North Carolina State coach Tom O’Brien when he coached his son, Mike, at UVa.
“I didn’t really learn anything,” Groh said. “Mike learned a lot.”

Extra points
While rare, players have redshirted during the middle years of their careers. Don’t expect junior Alex Field to join that small contingent. The defensive end, who is listed at 6-7, 280, is “too valuable,” Groh said. “Without Alex, we are right back to where we were last year [without depth]. Alex’s progress has been significant, both in the spring and the summer. He has really done a good job.”
… There are currently six players listed on the roster weighing in at more than 300 pounds. The corpulent club includes Will Barker, Billy Cuffee, B.J. Cabbell, Branden Albert, Eugene Monroe and Nick Jenkins. The biggest? Jenkins, a true freshman and defensive lineman, wins at a listed figure of 315 pounds. … At this point, junior tailback Cedric Peerman is listed as the top option to return kicks. It would not mark the first time under Groh that a running back returned a kickoff and headed into the offensive huddle. “Wali [Lundy] did it at stages of his career,” Groh said. “I don’t see it being a problem.” Peerman enters the season ranked eighth among active I-A players with a 26.5 yards-per-return average.

 

A sneak peek at Maryland
By Jerry Miller / jmiller@dailyprogress.com | 978-7258
July 24, 2007

Virginia at Maryland
Oct. 20, TBA (TV - TBA)
At Byrd Stadium - College Park, Md.

The Terrapins
2006 Record: 9-4 overall, 5-3 ACC (T-2nd)
Coach: Ralph Friedgen (50-24, 7th year)
Stats: Rushing Offense - 61st nationally; Passing Offense - 80th; Total Offense - 88th; Rushing Defense - 96th; Pass Efficiency Defense - 65th; Total Defense - 84th.

Flashback
With the naysayers building in College Park, Ralph Friedgen and the Maryland Terrapins rattled off a strong 9-4 season that culminated with a 24-7 victory over Purdue in the Champs Sports Bowl. The win pushed Friedgen’s record to 3-1 in bowl games. Maryland used a 28-26 road victory over Virginia to jumpstart a five-game winning streak, which included wins over N.C. State, Florida State, Clemson and Miami. The Terps fell to Boston College and Wake Forest to close the season, which
blew any shot Maryland had of contending for the conference championship.

Fast forward
Maryland returns eight starters on offense and six on defense, but it must replace quarterback Sam Hollenbach, a solid option who finished 203-of-328 passing with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season. Junior Jordan Steffy (6-1, 209) and sophomore Josh Portis (6-3, 201), a transfer from Florida, will battle for playing time under center. Steffy may have a slight edge because he knows the system, but Portis has tremendous athleticism and 4.4 speed. Senior tailbacks Lance Ball (5-9, 223) and Keon Lattimore (5-11, 223) will split the carries again this season. Ball rushed for 815 yards and eight touchdowns last year, while Lattimore posted 743 yards and three scores.

Key player
Expect Ball, a second-team All-ACC selection in 2006, to improve upon his numbers from the last two seasons - Ball had five starts and 903 rushing yards in 2005. Maryland’s offensive line is much improved, which should allow Ball to make a run at the ACC rushing title.

Inside the game
After dropping a heartbreaker last year at Scott Stadium, Virginia should be pumped for this trip to College Park. This matchup starts a tough five-game stretch for the Cavaliers to close the season that includes trips to N.C. State and Miami and home affairs with Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. UVa’s rush defense will be tested in this one.

 

ACC NOTES
Tuesday, Jul 24, 2007 - 12:06 AM Updated: 09:56 AM

More split time for Miami QBs?
Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman split time last season as Miami's starting quarterback. New coach Randy Shannon said he's uncertain about his plan for the position this season, but he's spent lots of time talking to new offensive coordinator Patrick Nix about it.

"If we have to use both quarterbacks, we will," Shannon said. "If we have to use one, we will."

Alvarez still waiting for NCAA approval
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said he will know next week whether recruit William Alvarez will be admitted to school. Alvarez, a 6-5, 315-pound offensive lineman from Hylton High in Woodbridge, is awaiting NCAA approval of his grades. He could provide much-needed depth on the line.

Tech gets two more commitments
Tech received two more commitments yesterday, bringing its total for the class of 2008 to 15. One commitment came from Allen Stephens, a 6-1, 240-pound linebacker from Halifax County High in South Boston. The other came from Eddie Whitley, a 6-1, 185-pound defensive back from Butler High in Matthews, N.C. The Hokies now have 10 state commitments.

Groh won't overuse Sewell on ground
Virginia's second-leading rusher in 2006 was quarterback Jameel Sewell, who ran for 200 yards and four touchdowns.

"It's a skill that he has," Cavaliers coach Al Groh said yesterday. "We want to take advantage of all the skills that each player has. We have to balance that with, obviously, he's our key guy right now. We don't want to overexpose him to unnecessary hits. . . . We just have to know that while he's a very good runner, it probably wouldn't be smart to run him an inordinate amount of times."

Sewell, a sophomore, graduated from Hermitage High.

Davis making changes for health
Butch Davis hasn't coached since the 2004 season, when he was the Cleveland Browns' boss. Before taking the Browns' job after the 2000 season, he spent six years as head coach at the University of Miami.

Davis, the new coach at North Carolina, said he has "to do a better job -- which I didn't do previously in my life -- or making sure I don't short-change myself in terms of exercise" every day.

In the spring, Davis underwent chemotherapy after having a cancerous growth removed from his mouth. Davis said yesterday that he's been fully cleared by his doctors. -- Darryl Slater and Jeff White
 

Expansion has done nothing to boost ACC play at this point
July 24, 2007
By Dennis Dodd
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer

PINEHURST, N.C. -- There are better ways to enter the marketplace.

How do the ad slicksters put it -- product rollout, brand launch?

There are even more inventive ways to tap dance around the issue at ACC media days. The hell with the corporate buzzwords. ACC football has disappointed. As a brand, it is branded, arriving underdeveloped in 2004 and going into 2007 overhyped.

The ACC league presidents are still on the hook for delivering a beta version too soon, with too many glitches. Three years ago, that quickie expansion forced an awkward, gi-normous 11-team league to kick off without Boston College. Two years ago, league champion Florida State lost five games.

Last season, the league went Van de Velde, limping home with Miami and Florida State both at 7-6.

"Outside of the conference (the perception is) yes, one of us, or Virginia Tech, need to be their showcase team," Miami offensive lineman Derrick Morse said.

The fact that the ACC is still launching football is the biggest clue to its underachievement. Check your preseason magazines for confirmation. The conference is rated somewhere below the SEC, Pac-10, Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 heading into this season.

Pretty much where it was before Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech came onboard.

Check the outside world. It has not been kind to the ACC. BCS league teams are 16-6 against the ACC. The SEC is particularly harsh, having gone 7-1 against the reconstituted ACC. The league is 1-8 in BCS bowls, the only victory being Florida State's 2000 Sugar Bowl win.

Against the top 10, the ACC is a staggering 3-31 since 2000.

There is a segment of the population that would give up a kidney in return for ACC Tournament tickets. A similar segment wouldn't give you a can of kidney beans for tickets to last season's football championship game between Wake Forest and Georgia Tech.

There is not a bigger difference in perception between the two money-making sports in any major conference.

"When a Wake Forest can win a league with Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech in the league that's something to be respected ... " commissioner John Swofford said. "If that fits Madison Avenue, fine. If it doesn't, that's fine too."

No, it's not. The hoop-centric ACC expanded for football. It expanded for football because the financial rewards reaped by Big 12 and SEC -- two other 12-team leagues.

While the money has been good, the football hasn't been great. Which means the brand is diminished. Madison Ave. and the rights holder want to see Miami and Florida State in the ACC championship game. Each year, if possible. They're also tired of waiting. A Florida State-Miami Labor Day night season opener the past three seasons has been scrapped in favor of Florida State-Clemson this year.

The last ACC team to win a national championship was Florida State in 1999. No ACC champion has finished undefeated in the league since that year. Also since then, the Big 12 and SEC have each won national championships.

With a chance to showcase its league here, ACC coaches brought a grand total of one quarterback (Boston College's Matt Ryan) to the media days.

Only Virginia Tech is a consensus Top 25 pick. As good as the favored Hokies are, they might be knocked out of the national title chase in Week 2 at LSU.

Mike Krzyzewski once said the league had sold out for football. Certainly not at your school, Mike.

"Last year was bad for us, we won only seven games and I almost feel embarrassed," Morse told the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "If I didn't care about winning, I'd go to Duke."

You want to talk branding? For a few horrific minutes, Miami was still Miami. Let's not forget its brawl with Florida International that disgraced the school and the league.

As good a story as Wake Forest was, the ACC didn't expand so that its league championship game wouldn't sell out and the Gator Bowl Association would reportedly lose $300,000 on the game at Jacksonville's Alltel Stadium.

It didn't form so that a slump by glam programs Miami and Florida State would coincide with/be caused by a new level of "competitiveness," in the league.

"How can you put pressure on me?" said 77-year-old Bobby Bowden. "I could walk out tomorrow and have a darn good time (but) I don't want to ... Miami will be back and we will too."

That's part of the problem: The assumption that Miami and Florida State will be back anytime soon.

It's not so much Bowden's age but his method for rebuilding that's the problem. Five new coaches aren't going to mean diddly if the new assistants don't find better players. It used to be a Seminole quarterback wouldn't start until his junior season. In recent years, flameouts and freak outs have forced Bowden having to start inexperienced quarterbacks too soon.

Randy Shannon wasn't the first choice at Miami, but might be the best choice in the long run. He is a disciplinarian whose rules would make both Larry Coker and Bowden blush.

What we don't know is if the career assistant can coach a lick.

"Miami football is still Miami football," Shannon said. "Will the numbers come back next season? It depends."

Madison Ave. isn't the only one watching.


 

ACC likes revisions to rules shortening games
Caulton Tudor, Staff Writer

PINEHURST - The pendulum on college football's game clock will be adjusted yet again when the 2007 season starts in just more than a month.
The radical rules changes aimed at shortening game times in 2006 have been reviewed and slightly rewritten. Many fans probably will notice little change, but the NCAA's mission to provide more plays in less time continues.

Games in 2006 averaged 14 minutes less than in 2005, but quickness came with a cost. There were also 14 fewer plays per game, a development that many coaches found agonizing throughout the season. The plan now is to correct what coaches saw as an overcorrection in '06.

Technically, the biggest change for '07 will be a relocation of kickoffs from the 35-yard line to the 30, which puts college kickers in tune with the NFL.

But the kickoff rule change comes with a twist. In 2007, the game clock will not start until the kick is touched in the field of play. In '06, the clock started the moment the ball was kicked.

Doug Rhoads, the ACC's new director of football officials, said Tuesday the 30-yard line kickoff placement should result in far more returns.

That, in turn, almost certainly will lead to more illegal blocking penalties, but it also should add a dash of excitement. Led by N.C. State's Darrell Blackman, 10 ACC players averaged more than 22 yards per kickoff return last season. Almost all of those players will be back in '07.

Another change will occur after television timeouts. Rather than getting 25 seconds to start a play, the offense will have to snap the ball in 15 seconds. Most games have 12 TV timeouts, which can range in length from 90 seconds to 2 1/2 minutes.

Also, the clock will be stopped for only 30 seconds, rather than 65, for non-TV timeouts. Each side gets three of those per half.

After changes of possession, the rule reverts back to the pre-2006 policy. The clock will not start until the ball is snapped. Last year, the play clock started as soon as the ball was placed on the line of scrimmage.

"Hopefully, these adjustments will make for a smoother game flow," Rhoads said.

Most of the ACC coaches favor the adjustments. Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer called it an "even-handed compromise," an opinion shared by most of his colleagues.

"I think fans will like these changes," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "They'll see more football in about the same amount of time."

In the league headquarters at Greensboro, Rhoads and his support staff certainly will see a lot of plays.

Thanks to a recently completed enlargement of the ACC compound, a television command center has been built that will allow Rhoads to monitor all televised games live.

"This will be a great help in allowing us to review game situations, officiating decisions and almost everything else involved with game operations," ACC commissioner John Swofford said.

Not all ACC games are televised, but there are only a few exceptions. Almost all of the 48 in-league games will be aired. The purpose of the "war room" -- Swofford's expression -- is not to make on-the-spot rulings from ACC headquarters. Rhoads, a former FBI agent, won't be phoning officials during games to make suggestions or corrections.

"But this will allow us to greatly speed up the review process," Rhoads said. "By Tuesday, we should be able to get game review DVDs to all officials. It'll improve our communications ability across the board."

Quicker is better. That's the theory driving most of college football these days. But I've got a simpler solution: cut the number of those TV timeouts in half.

 

League seeks bids for 3 title games
Football championships pursued by Charlotte
KEN TYSIAC
ktysiac@charlotteobserver.com

PINEHURST --The ACC told the four cities vying for the league's football championship games that the years 2008-10 are open for bidding.

Charlotte and Florida's Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa must return written proposals to the ACC by Aug. 31. Conference officials haven't decided whether they will award the championship to one city for all three years or whether multiple cities will host, said Michael Kelly, associate commissioner for football operations. "We have the fall to evaluate and figure out what we're going to do," said Kelly, who expects a decision in December.

Officials from the cities might be asked to make presentations to the ACC athletics directors Nov. 30, one day before the championship in Jacksonville.

In addition to a financial commitment, the ACC is asking the cities to specify stadium and weather information, availability of hotels near the stadium site, and plans for fan-friendly events.

Jacksonville hosted the first two championship games and received a one-year extension for the 2007 game before conference officials decided to put future games up for bid.

Thursday games might be tough sell

North Carolina football coach Butch Davis' push for a Thursday night home game might face opposition from the school's faculty council.Faculty members have opposed such games on grounds that they can disrupt classes when school is in session.

"It's a new group (on the council) every year. I very much doubt that the council will have changed its mind, but you never know," faculty secretary Joseph Ferrell said Tuesday.

Davis said Monday that he would like to play a home game on a Thursday night.

Ferrell said that in past years, athletics director Dick Baddour has assured the faculty that ACC officials understand UNC doesn't want a Thursday night game. Faculty chair Joe Templeton said professors want students in class Monday-Friday and added that the council won't address Thursday night games unless the issue is presented.

New `war room' aids reviews of calls

The ACC's refurbished office complex in Greensboro includes a new "war room" where conference officials can watch up to four football or basketball games at once.

Football officiating coordinator Doug Rhoads said the video technology will allow him to review calls quickly and send out DVDs to referees by Tuesday each week for teaching purposes.

Briefly

Ex-Duke women's basketball player Lindsey Harding and Florida State sprinter Walter Dix were named the ACC's athletes of the year ... Commissioner John Swofford said he senses "more open-mindedness" to the idea of a "plus-one" national championship game to be played after the bowls. ... The ACC's proposal for a December signing date in football has received support from the Big Ten and Big 12 and opposition from the SEC and Pac-10, Swofford said.