A talented but inexperienced group vies for U.Va. starting spots
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© August 27, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The quarterback is a Heisman hopeful.

His receivers?

They’re hopeful.

Inexperienced, but hopeful. Among them, the top seven wide receivers on the Virginia roster have just 41 career catches, and 29 of those are by a single player. Last year at this time, one of them was playing quarterback, while another was a cornerback. Two others were in high school.

As a group, they have more raw talent than last year’s receiving corps. But until someone steps on the field and begins reliably hauling in spirals from quarterback Matt Schaub, questions will linger.

“I’ve seen them practice plenty,” coach Al Groh said. “I’ve seen a number of them play in a game before. Their progress will only be measured by how they perform Saturday night” — in the season opener against Duke.

Ottowa Anderson and Art Thomas will be the likely starters, but Ron Morton, Ryan Sawyer and Marques Hagans will probably play also. True freshmen Fontel Mines and Deyon Williams could also see action. Playing time is there for the taking. No other position on the team is as wide open. “We’re all out there competing, so a lot of us have stepped up,” Thomas said.

None more so than Anderson and Thomas. For two seasons, Anderson, a Norview High graduate, has been a good football soldier, throwing vicious blocks, flying around on special teams, catching the occasional short pass. “Tough” is invariably the first word used to describe him, although Schaub threw in “tenacious” and “rugged” as well.

With Billy McMullen graduated and Michael McGrew out for the season with a broken leg, Anderson, who caught 17 passes last year to go with 12 earlier ones, suddenly finds himself as Virginia’s most experienced receiver. “Coach told me, 'You’re going to have to be a leader, whether you’re ready to or not,’ ” he said. Anderson feels he’s ready. He added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason, bulking up to 195 pounds, and has worked on improving his speed as well.

“He definitely is faster than people give him credit for,” Schaub said. “I see it in practice. I know how he can run.”

Everyone familiar with the Virginia program knows Thomas can run as well. The question is whether the 6-foot-2, 205-pound senior can make the transition to receiver after three years at cornerback. “Right now his speed is more consistent than his hands,” Groh said.

Speed is also the primary asset that Hagans and Morton bring. Hagans began last season as a quarterback, but after Schaub emerged as the clear starter, Virginia began using him as a punt returner and receiver. He moved to receiver for good in the spring.

Morton, a highly regarded prospect from New Jersey, redshirted last season. Sawyer, Schaub’s roommate, is known for his sure hands and reliable routes. He averaged 17.7 yards on 11 catches last year, and made four catches after replacing the injured McMullen in the Continental Tire Bowl. Mines (6-5, 215) and Williams (6-3, 185) have intriguing size and speed.

“We’ve got faster guys running the pass routes,” Groh said. “I don’t know if they’re going to make some of the catches Billy McMullen made, but we’ve got faster guys running them, and better opportunities to get over the top.”

It would be unrealistic to expect McMullen-like reliability — or production — from any of the receivers. Initially, Virginia will simply seek competence, something to build on.

The good news is that Virginia’s offense should allow the receivers a break-in period. Even with McMullen, Virginia’s all-time leading receiver, in the lineup, the Cavs completed just 41 percent of their passes to receivers last year.

“I feel we were underrated from the get-go,” Anderson said of the receivers. “Even with Mike (McGrew) people were doubting us. But I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this year.”

Maybe even themselves.

 

Hardy plays with purpose

Cavaliers safety dedicates season to fallen relatives

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   CHARLOTTESVILLE - As talk turned to his family, a distracted Jermaine Hardy started digging through items at the back of his locker, finally unearthing a sheet of paper with the photocopied pictures of three girls and their mother.

    "I've dedicated this season to them," said Hardy, a Virginia junior slated to make his first collegiate start Saturday night against Duke.

    The photos were of Angela Arrington and three of her daughters, shot to death April4 in their Northwest Roanoke home.

    Hardy received an excuse from spring practice and was among 800 mourners at the funeral, at which his uncle preached.

    "We've got a real close, big family," said Hardy's mother, Angela, whose sister is Angela Arrington's mother. "They were Jermaine's first cousins."

    Jermaine is an only child but a large family delegation will be at Scott Stadium this week, as it is for most UVa home games.

    "With the tragedy and all, this has given everybody something to look forward to," Hardy said.

    Although he was on the field for nearly 500 plays last season, Hardy was a backup cornerback who got most of his playing time in Virginia's nickel package or on special teams.

    He was at a UVa men's basketball game last winter when he worked up the nerve to ask head coach Al Groh if he could try safety.

    "I think I can play both positions," said Hardy, who made first-team All-Group AAA as a running back and defensive back at William Fleming High School. "But, I'd rather take a chance at safety this year instead of standing on the sideline behind two senior cornerbacks."

    Hardy's proposal wasn't anything Groh hadn't considered on his own.

    "When we came here, there were no corners on the team who'd ever played in a game," said Groh, entering his third season as Cavaliers coach. "I think Jermaine's got corner skills. If he didn't we wouldn't have put him in there.

    "I wouldn't be surprised if he were just as impressive at corner, if we had left him there, as he has been at safety so far. I think he's got corner skills, but I also think he's got safety skills. I'm anxious to see what he does in a game."

    Hardy takes over for Jerton Evans, a second-team All-ACC selection in 2002 who had six career interceptions but was best known for his tackling. Evans had 293 tackles in his UVa career, including 116 as a senior.

    "I could put 100 tackles out there as a goal," Hardy said, "but I've got to play my game. I can cover. I can hit, like Jerton, but I think I bring more speed and versatility to the position."

    Groh, who has vast experience on defense, isn't sure if he wants Hardy to make 100 tackles.

    "If your safety is the second-leading tackler on your team, you might have a bad defense," Groh said, "but, if your safety is your second-leading tackler, you actually might have a good defense. A number of teams play their safeties 'down in the box,' so it's designed for them to make a lot of tackles.

    "He's [Hardy] been a good tackler. I've never seen him, in a game, make tackles from this position. But, they're called safeties for a reason. They're the last line of defense against the run or pass. All the big hits and oohs and ahs don't mean a thing when somebody gets loose in the open field."

    If Hardy falls short at any time, it won't be for lack of preparation. Much of his free time is spent in front of a projector.

    "He's in there constantly," Groh said. "During training camp, some of the guys would be taking naps, which they're certainly entitled to, and he'd be watching film of the morning practice. He didn't want to wait till the evening, when we show it to the rest of the team.

    "A lot of guys, when they get in their third year, all of a sudden they get it. Well, he gets it. He's been one of the best guys in our offseason [conditioning program] and he's done an excellent job with his academics."

    Hardy, who spent a year at Hargrave Military Academy because he did not have the required academic credentials out of high school, had a 3.0 grade-point average in the spring semester.

    "I've never had an academic warning since I've been here," said Hardy, a psychology major. "This is a hard school. I couldn't get in here out of high school. I felt I had to prove I could do the work."

    The Cavaliers needed Hardy as a freshman in 2001, when he made the occasional big play but also had a reputation for late hits and other ill-advised penalties.

    "Now, he's one of our most intense, energetic practice players, tuned in on every play," Groh said. "When he first got here, he wasn't that way. He wasn't trying to hold back. He was just going the way that used to be good enough.

    "Now that he's learned what it takes, I think he's got two good years he's looking at."

U.VA. NOTES
Aug 27, 2003

ORANGE CRUSH: Ahmad Brooks wanted an orange jersey, and he got one late Friday. That meant the expected had occurred: Brooks had been promoted to the first team. He'll start alongside junior Rich Bedesem at inside linebacker Saturday night when U.Va. opens the season against ACC rival Duke at Scott Stadium.

Brooks, a Parade All-American at Hylton High in 2001, is a 6-4, 245-pound true freshman who spent last fall at Hargrave Military Academy. He began classes at U.Va. in January and went through spring practice with the football team. Brooks replaced junior Bryan White in the starting lineup.

"What [Brooks] has been able to assimilate in a short period of time is quite extensive and very impressive to me," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "He plays on the regular defense, he plays on the nickel, he plays on the goal line, he plays on two special teams . . . He's been exposed to an awful lot."

Brooks said he's "very satisfied" to have an orange jersey, which denotes he's a starting defender, but added that "right now, it's about keeping it."

After signing a letter of intent in February 2002, Brooks expected to play for the Cavaliers last season. Now that his long-awaited debut is almost here, "I'm just ready to play," he said. "I've been anxious to get on the field and play at the college level, and the time is now."

OUTSIDE LOOKING IN: Outside linebacker Dennis Haley, who hasn't played since last season's opener, will miss Saturday night's game. The NCAA ruled that Haley was ineligible when he played against Colorado State last season, and so he must sit out against Duke.

Virginia's second game is Sept. 6 at South Carolina. "I'm sitting here counting the days," said Haley, a 6-1, 240-pound junior from Salem.

Replacing Haley as Darryl Blackstock's backup against Duke will be junior Jon Thompson. A graduate of J.J. Kelly High in Southwest Virginia, Thompson came to U.Va. as a walk-on. He was awarded a scholarship last season.

"He's had a real good camp," Groh said. "He's tough, he's dependable. After three years at that position, he might know it better than anybody who's playing it."

MAYBE, MAYBE NOT: True freshmen Brooks and offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham are expected to play against Duke. Depending on how the game unfolds, several of their classmates might see action, too. This group includes wideouts Fontel Mines and Deyon Williams, offensive tackles Gordie Sammis and Eddie Pinigis and outside linebacker Vince Redd.

The 6-6 Redd, who weighed 275 pounds when training camp opened this month, is down to about 260, Groh said.

Another true freshman, safety Robbie Catterton, was on Monday morning's two-deep. But junior Jay Dorsey, a starter until Willie Davis replaced him about 10 days ago, practiced "with the second team today," Groh said on his radio show Monday night. "He's back on the two-deep."

BRIGHT FUTURE: Sophomore Michael Johnson isn't one of the three tailbacks listed on the depth chart handed out Monday. Ahead of him are sophomore Wali Lundy and juniors Marquis Weeks and Alvin Pearman. But Groh, a Bruce Springsteen fan, doesn't want Johnson, a former Parade All-American, to lose heart.

"There are going to be 'glory days' here for Mike Johnson," Groh said Monday night.

A high ankle sprain marred Johnson's freshman season. He finished with 133 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries. He returned three punts for 61 yards and caught five passes for 25 yards.

PLAN B: Former U.Va. basketball player Jermaine Harper had hoped to transfer to the College of Charleston. No go. Harper said yesterday that the Charleston, S.C., school, where former Virginia assistant Tom Herrion is head coach, declined to admit him because of concerns about his arrest last fall for driving under the influence.

Harper, a 6-3 shooting guard who has two seasons of eligibility remaining, said he's now considering Jacksonville State (Ala.), Weber State and Cal State-Fullerton. His favorite, Harper said, is probably Jacksonville State, a Division I school that competes in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

As a U.Va. freshman in 2001-02, Harper started three games and averaged 5.8 points. The Gardena, Calif., resident was expected to contend for a starting job in 2002-03, but he missed much of the preseason with mono. Then came his DUI arrest.

After sitting out the Cavaliers' first five games, Harper played in the final 27, starting twice, and averaged 3.9 points. His role was likely to diminish in 2003-04, and that contributed heavily to his decision to leave Virginia.

ON THE LIST: Lundy is a candidate for the Doak Walker award, given annually to the nation's top running back. He was one of 39 candidates named yesterday. Eight semifinalists will be chosen on Nov. 19, and the winner announced on Dec. 11. - Jeff White