U.Va. football launches slick TV campaign
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 15, 2003 | Last updated 6:21 PM Aug. 15

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The glamour roles were cast early in the production process. Quarterback Matt Schaub was recruited to thwack spirals off of tackling dummies, tailback Wali Lundy to high-step through some agility drills.

But there was one more television commercial to be made, and one more role to be cast. It called for a telegenic hulk able to hoist iron for as long as....well, as long as it took for the creative types to feel good about what they had on tape.

Enter Patrick Estes, Virginia’s unsuspecting 6-foot-7, 260-pound tight end. Estes had the day off and reported to “The Cage”, Virginia’s indoor practice facility, for what he thought would be a quick video shoot.

Two hours later, Estes had clean and jerked a 135-pound barbell “well over” 100 times. “It was a day off that didn’t turn out to be a day off,” he said.

Once he saw the finished product, Estes realized his unscheduled workout had been worth it.

“I didn’t know it was going to turn out as good as it did,” he said. “I was pretty impressed.”

Indeed, in its new TV commercials featuring Estes, Schaub and Lundy, Virginia football has never looked so hip.

The commercials are a departure from what Virginia has done in the past, when its advertising has followed a tried and true format used by most schools. In that formula, a spot is created by rolling a few video highlights, dubbing in the corresponding radio play by play, and flashing the phone number of the ticket office on the screen.

“It’s a little bit sleepy,” said advertising executive John Baechler. “And a little bit cheesy.”

Baechler, creative director of Hanna Advertising, of Spokane, Wash., wanted something different for Virginia. When his firm was awarded the Virginia account, Baechler’s first thought was: “We want to think of this as if it’s a Nike project, not a university project.”

The result is three fast-paced 30-second spots that utilize quick, cutaway shots from multiple angles, sudden freeze-frame stoppages, pop-up text and a pinging, electronic soundtrack.

Schaub slings passes on a practice field, alone under the lights. A pop-up tells viewers Schaub “makes the impossible possible.”

Lundy totes a football back and forth, back and forth, and “lets the scoreboard do the talking.” Estes presses a barbell overhead, clangs it to the floor, then presses it again, and again.

“Wins the game before it starts,” is the Estes tagline.

All of the ads follow the same theme, Baechler said.

“It’s not about that glorious game moment that most people focus on,” he said. “It’s about the hard work that comes before that.”

While the short-term goal is to sell tickets, the commercials are part of a larger effort to build the image of Virginia athletics, said Jon Oliver, an associate athletic director.

“We’re really going through an overall branding effort,” Oliver said. “We’re trying to tell the story of Virginia athletics.”

Virginia spent $125,000 to create the spots, and another $100,000 to buy advertising time, Oliver said. The ads are running in the Cavaliers “core” market from Richmond to Roanoke, and are not being broadcast in Hampton Roads or Northern Virginia, though they can be seen on the athletic department web site, virginiasports.com.

The campaign is the first step in a five-year process to build the Virginia brand. Oliver is in the process of looking for a firm to take on the project long-term, and expand the effort to other sports.

The branding effort itself is part of a broader 10-year plan laid down by athletic director Craig Littlepage, who took over for former AD Terry Holland two years ago. The theme of Littlepage’s campaign is “Uncompromised excellence.”

“We want to create a real sharp message in terms of what our goals are,” Littlepage said. ‘A sharp message in terms of our story and our mission.”

To that end, Virginia has reevaluated everything from its uniform to its logo. A “V” with crossed sabers beneath is now the official emblem of Virginia athletics. One day, school officials hope it will be as instantly recognizable as the Nike swoosh. Within the Commonwealth, anyway.

Oliver says the effort is coming at just the right time. With Virginia Tech joining the ACC next year, the state-wide battle over the loyalties of fence-sitting fans has taken on a new sense of urgency.

“It’s even more important now,” Oliver said. “There are people sitting right here in Charlottesville who are Virginia Tech fans.”

 

Brooks, Parham juiced for orange jerseys
Inside linebackers eye starting roles
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Aug 15, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE Virginia football coach Al Groh said it "kind of looked like Mardi Gras" in the McCue Center halls Feb. 4, 2002. That was the day linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham - along with a third Parade All-American, tailback Michael Johnson - announced they planned to sign with U.Va.

The wait is almost over for Virginia fans. Some 18 months after Brooks and Parham faxed in their letters of intent, they're poised to finally make their college debuts. Groh expected Brooks and Parham to each crack the two-deep at inside linebacker last season, but neither was able to play. Brooks spent the fall semester at Hargrave Military Academy, and back problems forced Parham to redshirt.

Virginia opens the season Aug. 30 against Duke at Scott Stadium. Neither Brooks nor Parham has claimed one of the orange jerseys worn by starting defenders at U.Va., but both work extensively with the first team in practice. Juniors Rich Bedesem and Bryan White may start in the Cavaliers' 3-4 defense, but look for Nos. 34 (Brooks) and 44 (Parham) to play early and often.

"If they don't, then the coach is crazy," Groh said.

When they weren't answering reporters' questions yesterday, U.Va. players signed autographs and chatted with fans at Scott Stadium. At last year's Meet the Team event, Brooks was not present, having failed to meet NCAA eligibility requirements as a senior at Woodbridge's Hylton High. Parham had stood among his teammates but said little, declining to discuss the back problems that dated to his 12th-grade year at Virginia Beach's Princess Anne High.

Parham is healthy now, and Brooks, who entered U.Va. in January, is eligible. Together they should help the Cavaliers overcome the loss of standout linebackers Angelo Crowell and Merrill Robertson.

"They just increase the talent level of the defense - dramatically," junior defensive end Chris Canty said. "They're two of the best athletes on this football team."

Brooks, USA Today's prep defensive player of the year in 2001, stands 6-4 and weighs nearly 250 pounds. The 6-3 Parham said he weighs between 245 and 250.

"They're similar in that they're both very imposing physically," Groh said. "The difference between Kai and Ahmad is one's a real hammer and the other one is of a speed player."

Parham moves well, Groh said, but Brooks, who also starred at running back for Hylton, has another gear. "There are not many guys his size who run like that," Groh said.

When Brooks and Parham were 10th-graders, Hylton pounded Princess Anne 38-13 in a Group AAA semifinal en route to the state Division 6 title. They renewed their acquaintance during the recruiting process, talking on the phone periodically. Each seriously considered Tennessee before choosing U.Va.

"I really didn't know Kai was coming here, but I'm happy that he did," Brooks said, "because he takes a lot of pressure off of me, and I probably take a lot of pressure off of him, too."

Parham said: "I feel like we definitely have a good feeling for what each other is going to do out there. If I slip up, he might be able to cover for me, and hopefully vice versa."

It's inevitable, many believe, that Brooks and Parham will displace Bedesem and White in the starting lineup this season. Groh, however, hasn't indicated as much and in fact has praised the training-camp play of Bedesem and White.

Parham wants to start, but he knows the job won't be handed to him. So does his classmate.

"Really, I want that orange jersey," Brooks said. "I think that'll look nice on my back. But I have to work hard at everything I do, really. Life's not a game. Right now, the person that has the orange jersey is working harder than me, and I just have to match his intensity and get that orange jersey."

Blue Devils return most starters in ACC
DAVID DROSCHAK
Associated Press

DURHAM, N.C. - Duke has had three winless seasons in the last seven years and plenty of lean times since dominating the Atlantic Coast Conference in the 1950s and early '60s.

But there have been rare moments when things have come together for the Blue Devils, when team chemistry was outstanding and upperclassmen played major roles in the program's success.

There was Steve Spurrier's ACC title team of 1989 and a 7-0 start by the Blue Devils five years later.

Duke may be on the verge of another breakthrough season in 2003 as 20 starters return in Carl Franks' fifth year.

"What really excites me more than anything else is the level of expectation of our players," Franks said Thursday. "They expect to play well and get in close situations like they were in last year and make the right plays. Hopefully, they'll react a little bit better than the first time they were there."

Last year's 2-10 season was marked by a series of close calls. Duke lost by five points to Northwestern and Virginia, by three against Clemson, and by two to North Carolina and N.C. State.

Duke will start eight seniors and 10 juniors and could get off to a fast start with opening games against Virginia, Western Carolina, Rice and Northwestern.

"I definitely think we have a winnable schedule, but I don't just look at the September games," running back Chris Douglas said. "There are games throughout the year that we've very capable of winning."

But Douglas has yet to taste an ACC win as the Blue Devils have lost a league-record 25 conference games.

The star senior said the team doesn't talk about the skid, saying the streak will take care of itself if Duke plays to its potential this year.

"Our goal is so much bigger than that," Douglas said. "This year we're not going to be satisfied unless we go to a bowl game."

For that to happen, the Blue Devils have to upgrade their offense as much as the defense turned around. Duke's 125.1 yards-a-game improvement on that side of the ball was the fourth best in ACC history.

The entire offensive line returns, and Douglas and 260-pound bruiser Alex Wade are arguably the best running back combo in the ACC.

However, Duke has had trouble in the red zone, averaging just 18.9 points last season. Franks has worked his club hard in fall drills inside the 20, hoping to see toughness when the Blue Devils have an opportunity to score.

"Teams that win games put points on the board," Douglas said. "In practice we're trying to execute plays to perfection in the red zone. It's one of the key points."

Douglas didn't hesitate to call the offensive line the best he's run behind since 2000.

"We've been through so much together that there really is no defense that surprises us," he said. "It's comforting that they've gotten so much smarter and so much stronger in their play and we can make our reads like a veteran squad."

Meanwhile, Franks said the most depth on his club is on the defensive front.

"I feel comfortable our defense can stop the run," Franks said. "Now we need to find out if our defense can stop the pass. That's a big area of concern."

Duke's pass defense ranked 102nd in the nation, allowing an ACC-high 255 yards a game.

"Communication is so important out there because that shows you know what's going on," said defensive back Kenny Stanford. "It shows you are confident in what you're doing. We seem to be communicating better in the secondary."

The star on defense is middle linebacker Ryan Fowler, who is one of just six players in school history to serve as team captain two straight seasons.

The 6-4, 235-pounder has 359 career tackles and is trying to become the first player to lead Duke in that category four consecutive years.

"There aren't many like him," Douglas said. "It's hard to really contain someone who has that much passion and that much aggression for the game. In practice, I like to put myself up against him because if I can win a battle against Fowler then I can take on any linebacker in the ACC."

Franks is convinced the Blue Devils can win at least seven games in 2003 and begin building a football foundation for the future.

"This season is important to our fourth- and fifth-year seniors," Franks said. "They deserve to have a good year. They've worked hard enough to have a good year."
 

Duke leaves no starting spot set
By BRYAN STRICKLAND : The Herald-Sun
bstrickland@heraldsun.com
Aug 14, 2003 : 11:41 pm ET

If Duke coach Carl Franks is anywhere near the football field -- and sometimes when he's not near the field -- he almost always has his depth chart with him.

And when Franks carries his depth chart, he usually carries a pencil and eraser as well.

With 20 of 22 starters returning from last season, most of Duke's starting spots would appear to be locked up. But Franks stressed during Duke's media day Thursday that nothing is set in stone.

"They're all open," Franks said. "If somebody practices better than another guy, then we're going to move them in front of them. There's nothing set.

"It's not a situation where guys don't have a chance to compete and a chance to beat the guys in front of them. Competition makes you a better football team, and if I said all the jobs were set, then I'd be eliminating competition."

The competition for starting spots is especially compelling on defense. In the secondary, sophomores Brian Greene and senior Temo George both have starting experience at cornerback. While junior Kenneth Stanford is firmly established on one side -- having started all but one game last season -- Greene started eight games and George started four last season.

They all figure to play plenty on a part of the field where Duke is desperate for depth. Terrell Smith and Alex Green are back at the safety spots, but from there, Franks is looking at sophomore C.J. Woodard of Henderson (special teams last year), redshirt freshman Von Bryant (tailback last year), sophomore Mark Thompson (former walk-on) and a trio of true freshmen.

"I feel comfortable that our defense can stop the run, but now we need to find if our defense can stop the pass," said Franks, whose defense was first against the run but last against the pass in the ACC last season. "That's a big area of concern."

As for the starting spots left vacant after last season, three talented players are battling for two outside linebacker spots -- including the spot left open by lone senior Jamyon Small. Sophomore Brendan Dewan started eight games last season and made an immediate impact, but he's battling occasional starters Giuseppe Aguanno and DeAndre White for snaps.

Converted linebacker Phillip Alexander appears to have established himself as the replacement for all-ACC pick Shawn Johnson, who transferred in the offseason to Delaware.

"We've got a lot of depth on defensive line," Franks said. "If you go down and watch the area where they're practicing, they look like their own little football team down there."

On offense, outside of the obvious decision regarding how to use running backs Chris Douglas and Alex Wade, the pass catchers are trying to catch the eye of the coaching staff.

Returning tight ends Andy Roland and Calen Powell -- who caught 22 and 20 passes respectively last season -- both figure to play. Both made six starts in 2002.

Franks said he wants to use about seven wide receivers, but the top of that list and the bottom of that list is up for grabs.

Senior Reggie Love and juniors Khary Sharpe, Senterrio Landrum and Lance Johnson all caught between 22 and 30 passes last season and are all capable of starting. Sophomore Ronnie Elliott got playing time as a true freshman and should figure into the mix again.

Converted quarterback Darryl Scott and former West Virginia player of the year Mark Wigal saw limited time last season, but four youngsters -- including true freshman Deon Adams of Greensboro -- are also trying to make their case.

As for who will throw the ball, Adam Smith established himself as the starter last season, but part-time starter Chris Dapolito and redshirt freshman Mike Schneider are getting plenty of reps in practice. Franks hasn't yet named Smith's backup.

The starting offensive line appears set, with four fifth-year seniors (Drew Sterojny, Daryl Lewis, Luke Bayer, Rusty Wilson) and junior Christian Mitchell returning.

On special teams, Franks has said that he'd like to see true freshman Alex Feinberg and returner Matt Brooks push returning placekicker Brent Garber.

Fan day set for Sunday

Duke will welcome fans for its annual "Meet The Team" day on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Players and coaches will sign autographs during the free event. Fans can pick up posters and magnet schedules and register for a door-prize drawing.

Parking with a price tag

The good news is that Duke is addressing its parking problems for football Saturdays. The bad news is that it comes with a price tag.

Parking for Duke home games this season will cost $5, a charge added in order to hire more personnel in hopes of curbing the chaos. Duke employees with a valid parking permit and Iron Duke members who contribute to the Athletic Scholarship Fund will continue to park for free.

Fans will no longer be able to park in illegal spaces, among them the popular stretches of grass down each side of Highway 751.


 

Can the Devils reach Boise -- or better?
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Aug 14, 2003 : 11:40 pm ET

If all goes right, Duke could win six, maybe seven, football games this season and show up on a blue field in Boise, Idaho, next Jan. 3 as one of the participants in the Humanitarian Bowl.

If all goes wrong, Duke could win half that many and Carl Franks won't be the Blue Devils coach anymore.

It's that thin a line the Blue Devils are walking this fall. True, they have veterans -- 11 offensive starters return and nine on defense -- and Franks looked somewhat poised at the plush Yoh Center on Thursday when talking with the media about his team. Well, just say he looked poised until the question of who'd really be calling the plays -- the fifth-year coach or newly-named offensive coordinator Jim Pry -- was asked.

It's a touchy subject with Franks, who spent nine seasons (1990-98) with Steve Spurrier at Florida, where plenty of points were registered. At Florida, Franks was running backs coach and recruiting coordinator. In four years at Duke, he has called mostly all of the offensive plays.

Franks lured former teammate Ben Bennett, who threw a Duke record 55 touchdown passes from 1980-83, as an assistant coach but didn't allow him to call plays. Bennett eventually grew frustrated and resigned.

Undoubtedly, this is going to be an issue worth watching from the get-go. Franks is trying to save his job and Pry, entering his third season and first as coordinator at Duke, is too. The problem for Duke is obvious. Lack of wins means lack of respect. Duke isn't picked last in the ACC by accident.

"Everybody gets along and our players understand our culture and philosophy while we're trying to rebuild the program,'' Franks said.

Culture? Philosophy? Franks must mean Duke is different from lots of folks in the business and that winning is not easily achieved.

Duke brought Franks, 5-40, 3-29 ACC, 2-20 in Wade Stadium, back because athletics director Joe Alleva strongly believes his one and only choice for the head coaching position deserves another year to see if things can improve. And, who knows, they just might.

If enduring pain paves the way to success, Duke might be due. Take your pick which was the most excruciating defeat of 2002 for the Blue Devils:

-- The 23-21 season-ending loss to North Carolina, the Blue Devils' 25th straight ACC defeat and the Tar Heels' 13th consecutive win in the series, in Durham when Dan Orner kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired.

-- Clemson's 24 points in the fourth quarter which resulted in a 34-31 comeback win over the Devils in Wade Stadium. Tigers quarterback Charlie Whitehurst burned the Duke secondary with 420 yards, including four touchdowns.

-- Virginia's 27-22 win in Durham. The Blue Devils, outscored 14-9 in the final period, owned the ball for 35:59, had 24 first downs to 17 for the Cavaliers and had 414 yards total offense to 317.

-- Duke led Northwestern 21-13 early in the second half but got outscored in the final period 7-0 and lost 26-21. It was one of five games Duke went scoreless in the fourth quarter.

-- How about the shocker at N.C. State? The Blue Devils lost 24-22, had three more first downs than the heavily-favored Wolfpack and 439 yards total offense to 427.

Franks likes the enthusiasm of his players and he should. And he should like his schedule, too. There's that difficult opener, Aug. 30 at Virginia, but unlike last year, there's no Louisville. In fact, Franks gets Western Carolina, Rice and Northwestern in consecutive weeks at home. Although nothing is guaranteed, Duke could be favored to win all three.

"We need to get in a close game and win it,'' Franks said. "We need to be able to stop people in the red zone and we need to score in the red zone.''

What Franks really needs is a thoroughly unexpected upset, something that might seriously ignite a season and ultimately save his job. He gets Wake Forest the week before the Deacs visit Florida State. He gets Tennessee between the Vols' trips to Alabama and Miami. He plays at Clemson between the Tigers' dates with Florida State and South Carolina.

Ask Franks if his team is capable of winning seven games and he'll tell you yes. "Things have to go our way. Things have to hit right,'' Franks said.

That will mean an improved secondary, one which rated dead last in the ACC in 2002. Duke allowed 3,056 yards via the air, an average of 254.7 per game. And better habits, especially on offense, in the red zone. That might mean finding the right flow for two capable running backs, fullback Alex Wade and tailback Chris Douglas.

While Wade, a captain and a fifth-year senior, had an ACC-high six 100 yard-plus games, and possesses punishing running skills, he must remain healthy and, as Franks said, be better in the red zone. Wade scored just four touchdowns last fall and two of those came against Navy. And Douglas, a senior tailback who brings a breakaway threat out of the huddle, had only one 100-yard plus game last season (126 vs. Virginia) and scored only two touchdowns, one at Northwestern and one at N.C. State.

Franks' four previous Duke teams didn't win a game in September until last year when they won at Navy 43-17 (the Blue Devils did open the season with a 23-16 win over ECU on Aug. 31). Franks' teams are now 1-15 in September. His passing game, with junior Adam Smith, improved somewhat last season with fewer dropped passes, but it still must get better if Duke is going to have a breakthrough season. While Smith might have a helpful year of experience, he is one of eight returning starting quarterbacks in an ACC loaded with good signal callers.

As culture and philosophy go, Carl Franks might agree Boise could be an awfully nice place to play on Jan. 3.


 

Matt Schaub went from bench to ACC player of year in 2002
Making most of moment

"If Matt exceeds what he did last year, he's not just going to win the Heisman," Al Groh said. "They might just change the name of the place we're sitting."

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   The argument could be made that the defining moment of Matt Schaub's college football career came when he lost his starting job prior to Virginia's second game of the 2002 season.

    "No," UVa coach Al Groh said at the ACC Football Kickoff. "The defining moment was what he did after that."

    You could go even further than that and point toward the December 2001 departure of rival Bryson Spinner as a turning point, but Schaub doesn't get into turning points or defining moments. Maybe that's why he keeps having them.

    Things haven't been the same since Schaub replaced first-time starter Marques Hagans in the third quarter against Florida State and completed 19 of 25 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns.

    That didn't prevent the Cavaliers, who once trailed 33-0, from losing 40-19. However, they won their next six games and tied for second in the ACC as Schaub was named ACC player of the year.

    Groh couldn't keep from laughing when a reporter asked if he could see Schaub "exceeding" his 2002 performance.

    "If Matt exceeds what he did last year, he's not just going to win the Heisman," Groh said at a meet-the-team function Thursday at Scott Stadium. "They might just change the name of the place we're sitting."

    Schaub was a model of efficiency in 2002, when he completed 68.9 percent of his passes for 2,976 yards and 28 touchdowns, with just seven interceptions.

    Heisman Trophy campaigns have been undertaken with lesser credentials, but most preseason publications haven't even chosen Schaub as their All-ACC quarterback, opting for North Carolina State's Philip Rivers.

    "It's motivation," said Schaub, a fifth-year senior, "but, at the same time, you've got to go out and play. It's like [Iowa's] Brad Banks last year. Who thought he was going to go out and lead the country in passing?"

    That's Schaub for you. Never too high, never too low. Some of that may come from a childhood when he had to cope with five moves before the family settled in Atlanta after his senior year in high school.

    He was born in Pittsburgh and lived in Albany, N.Y.; Chicago; Detroit; and Philadelphia, where he was a three-sport standout at West Chester (Pa.) East High School.

    "Playing ball helped him to make friends a lot quicker than other kids who might have been moved around like that," said his father, Dale, an administrator with Norfolk Southern since it absorbed his original employer, Conrail. "Sports was like a magnet to draw other people near him."

    There were few sports that Schaub couldn't play. In basketball, he scored more than 1,000 points at West Chester East. In baseball, he was a pitcher and shortstop. Dale Schaub said he was told by coaches that Matt could have played either baseball or basketball at the Division I level.

    When he plays golf, Schaub regularly shoots in the 80s. In high school, the track coach asked him throw the javelin. He says he can hold his own on a tennis court ("I'd have to see that," his father said), but admits that he can do little more than stay afloat in a swimming pool.

    "Hopefully, he isn't much of a skier either," said Groh, who lost offensive lineman Mark Farrington to a mishap on the slopes last winter.

    Matter of fact, Schaub isn't a skier. His father, a former basketball player at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, coached his only son in basketball and baseball but drew the line at skis and ice skates.

    "It didn't seem to make much sense to risk a broken leg or broken ankle," Dale Schaub said. "We didn't think that's where his future was."

    Quarterbacks who are Schaub's size (6-foot-5, 240 pounds) are frequently portrayed as unathletic, which is an unfair description in this case. Schaub may not be an Olympic sprinter, but he is athletic.

    Early emphasis on technique has made him something of a medical marvel.

    "He's kind of a rubber-armed guy," Groh said. "That's a good thing about holding training camp with him. As would be the norm with quarterbacks, I ask him constantly how his arm feels: Does he need any ice or does he need a day off or a practice off from throwing?

    "I've never heard him say anything but, 'Hey, my arm feels great.' He'll be able to get all the throws necessary to be ready. I kind of take my reading off of him. When he tells me he's had enough throws or needs more throws, we'll accommodate what he thinks."

    Schaub's first coach at UVa, George Welsh, had similar impressions. In 1999, Welsh made the decision to hold Schaub out of action and use fellow recruit Bryson Spinner as the backup to starting quarterback Dan Ellis.

    In hindsight, it was a wise move because Spinner left after the 2001 season and Schaub is available for a fifth year.

    "We went to Spinner as a backup because he was more mobile," Welsh said, "but there wasn't any difference in them. Schaub had great potential. He was very accurate. He had a nice release. He was very poised, very humble and willing to work.

    "The question was, and it showed up Al Groh's first year, 'Who do you play? Spinner or him?'"

    Schaub started the 2001 season and had a nightmarish opener, yielding two second-quarter interceptions at Wisconsin, one of which was returned for a touchdown in a 26-17 UVa loss. It was not unlike the 2002 opener against Colorado State, when Schaub was replaced twice by Hagans, the second time after a late interception on a badly thrown pass over the middle.

    Groh had shifted between Spinner and Schaub during the 2001 season, but Schaub's fate was no longer in his hands when Hagans got the nod at Florida State. If Hagans had played well that day and continued to play well, who knows if Schaub ever would have gotten another chance?

    "He made it into a turning point," Groh said. "If it hadn't worked out the way it did, maybe he would have come back and done it in the fourth game. It wasn't a one-time opportunity, but it seemed like all the dominoes were in place at that time to 'see where this is going to go.'

    "I think one of the real tests of a quarterback is when they get stuck in a situation like that, when a quarterback's had three interceptions or a bad game and everybody knows it and he knows it. How do they respond? Some guys never come back from it. Some guys rally."

    Welsh says he thinks Schaub compares favorably with another Pennsylvanian who played quarterback for the Cavaliers, Matt Blundin, a second-round pick who was the 40th player chosen in the 1992 NFL Draft. Schaub is much more experienced, already having thrown twice as many passes in his career (666) as Blundin did (304).

    Several players in Schaub's position have passed up their final season of eligibility or at least explored their options. Schaub already has a degree in economics - he made the ACC Honor Roll in 2002-03 - but never gave a moment's thought to jumping to the NFL.

    "People would ask me last year if I was going to go and my answer was 'no' from the start," said Schaub, who turned 22 in June. "For most of my career, it was so far down the road, it never even crossed my mind."

    Even when he was playing behind Spinner, Schaub never thought about going anywhere else.

    "I made Virginia my school when I was a senior in high school and I wanted to stick it out," he said.

    Maybe that was the real defining moment.

Thomas on receiving end of opportunity
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

CHARLOTTESVILLE - When Art Thomas saw fellow wide receiver and likely starter Michael McGrew suffer a broken leg this week, he didn't automatically think of himself.
Thomas is a candidate for the position left vacated by McGrew's season-ending injury, but his feelings ran deeper than that.

Thomas and McGrew have been roommates for all four of their years at Virginia.

"It really hurt me to see him go down like that because I know how much he's pointed toward this year," said Thomas at UVa's Meet The Team Day on Thursday at Scott Stadium.

McGrew had started 24 of 26 games over the past two seasons and his 60 career receptions dwarf what any other returning UVa wide receiver has produced.

"I think all of the receivers have taken [McGrew's injury] as a challenge," Thomas said. "But, there was as much urgency when he was healthy and still playing as there is now."

At 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Thomas is among the tallest of UVa's 10 scholarship receivers, as well as one of the fastest. However, he was listed as a cornerback on one preseason roster, an indication that his spring-time move to wide receiver wasn't a colossal success.

"I've been able to make the transition in camp better than I did in the spring," he said. "I knew I could play better than I did in the spring, mostly in understanding the offense and getting the plays down.

"It was more a case of knowing where I was supposed to be. I knew I had the athletic ability to play the position. Catching the ball is something I've always been able to do. I just need to become more consistent."

Groh said in a teleconference Wednesday that Thomas was used at cornerback at a time when there were few corners in the program and that he may have been done a disservice by never getting a look on offense.

"Things happen for a reason," said Thomas, who has scored two touchdowns at UVa, the most dramatic when he returned a fumble 92 yards for a touchdown in a 20-14 victory over Penn State in 2001. "Coming in here, I was an offensive-minded player. It's all I played in high school.

"Since then, I've developed a defensive mindset, but the more reps you get at anything, the more comfortable you become."

BAILEY UPDATE: Coach Al Groh said that center Kevin Bailey and offensive guard Mark Farrington are scheduled for testing today that will determine if their reconstructed knees are strong enough to tolerate full-scale workouts.

"I'm close, but it's hard to say how close I am," said Bailey, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the second game of last season, underwent surgery and then reinjured his knee in December when he slipped on a slick spot inside the door of UVa's Alderman Library.

At the beginning of the 2002 season, Bailey was the most experienced member of the Cavaliers' offensive line and was viewed as a candidate for postseason honors. With Zac Yarbrough entrenched at center and almost certain to start the opener, Bailey would not oppose a return to his original college home at tackle.

"It doesn't matter," Bailey, a fifth-year senior, said. "It's not my call, really. Wherever the coach feels I'm best-suited or wherever the team needs me, I'll play.

"I've had some setbacks, but I'm not frustrated. I'm doing what I can with what I've got right now. Sooner or later I'll get out there."

Sophomores D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Brad Butler started at tackle in the Continental Tire Bowl, but there is no experienced depth at either the tackle or guard positions.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Aug 16, 2003

WELL-ARMED: Mike Groh coaches Virginia's quarterbacks and wide receivers, but he can't be in two places at one time. Often during practices, the QBs are sent to one part of the field and the receivers to another. When that happens, Groh usually stays with the quarterbacks, and Anthony Poindexter directs the receivers.

The receivers coach's duties include throwing passes - often scores of them - during drills, and it's important that his tosses be accurate and well-delivered. Poindexter, in his first season as U.Va.'s graduate assistant for offense, handles that responsibility with aplomb.

"Actually, he throws the ball pretty well," coach Al Groh said yesterday.

Best known for his work as an All-America safety at U.Va., Poindexter was a two-way starter at Jefferson Forest High. With Poindexter at quarterback, Jefferson Forest captured Group AA, Division 3 titles in 1992 and'93, beating Matoaca in the state final both times.

The sideshows at the Cavaliers' spring game in April included a passing contest between two former U.Va. quarterbacks, Mike Groh and Tim Sherman. Will Poindexter be added as a third contestant next spring?

"They don't want me in that competition," he said, smiling. "I'm going to win that hands down."

MILLER TIME: At 6-5, 254 pounds, redshirt sophomore Heath Miller "has tremendous size," Virginia tight ends coach Andy Heck said. But size alone doesn't explain why Miller emerged as one of quarterback Matt Schaub's favorite targets last season.

Miller, a converted quarterback who redshirted in 2001, was named a Freshman All-American in'02 after catching 33 passes for 327 yards and nine touchdowns. The nine TD receptions are an ACC record for a tight end.

"The thing about Heath that I think makes him so effective as a receiver is, No. 1, he has a great feel for where the openings are in the defense," said Heck, a former Notre Dame tight end. "He's not just running to a spot, he's running to get open. And then when he's there, he has great ball skills. He's a guy who on the team has probably among the best hands."

TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW: Schaub is considered a longshot to win the Heisman Trophy. Even so, if he can match his phenomenal 2002 numbers - Schaub completed nearly 70 percent of his attempts, threw 28 TD passes and was intercepted only seven times - the 6-5, 240-pound senior figures to merit strong consideration from voters.

"If Matt exceeds what he did last year, not only will he probably win the Heisman, but they're going to change the name of the place where we're sitting," Al Groh told reporters Thursday at Scott Stadium.

PROGRESS REPORT: At the end of the Cavaliers' 15 spring practices, Groh and his staff recognize the team's most improved players. Asked Thursday who might get such an award this summer, Groh pointed out that U.Va. had practiced only 10 times, "so the race isn't over." But, he added, if "you made it a 10-practice race, perhaps Anthony Martinez."

Martinez, a redshirt freshman from Patrick Henry High, is No. 2 on the depth chart at quarterback.

RAZZLE-DAZZLE: Since Groh took over as coach after the 2000 season, U.Va. has become known for running trick plays, many of which have worked. The Cavaliers have more trickery planned for this season, but the plays may change.

"Those trick plays are probably like some of those Christmas presents you buy your wife," Groh said. "You know, if you try to give her the same present two years in a row, you're in trouble. That's the way some of those plays are. They've only got a certain shelf life, and then they've got to go to rest for a while before you recycle them. So you've just got to find some more."

DEPARTURES: Billy Schweitzer, a quarterback who never appeared in a game in his three years at U.Va., has transferred to Trinity College in Connecticut, Groh said. Schweitzer, who's from Alexandria, plans to play football at Division III Trinity, his father's alma mater.

Defensive back Randy Jones also has left U.Va. Jones, a touted recruit when he signed with the Cavaliers in February 2001, has yet to play in a college game. The Rockingham, N.C., resident was seriously injured in an October 2001 car wreck that killed three people, including one of his brothers. Jones never fully recovered from his injuries, and "I think his chances physically of playing here were pretty remote," Groh said.

Jones told The Washington Post last week that because of his poor grades, U.Va. had placed him on a one-year academic suspension after last school year and taken away his football scholarship. - Jeff White