Virginia opens practice today
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 5, 2005

Freshmen beware.

Your life as you know it is about to change. Why? You are now a college football player.

That means a bigger playbook, faster and stronger players and a spotlight that is a whole lot brighter.

From high school All-American Eugene Monroe to walk-on Joe Sanford, a former Monticello High School star quarterback, today will serve as a welcome of sorts to the Virginia football program.

And don’t forget Al Groh is watching you. You might think you can take a play or two off here and there, but that’s not the case.

Groh is like Big Brother. He’s always watching.

Cameras will be perched in every nook and cranny to catch your every movement and when the day is done he watches every, yes every play.

And so starts the preseason practice period at Virginia.

UVa’s 2005 football season unofficially gets under way today at 6:15 p.m. as the team holds its first preseason practice session.

The practice, which will be held on the fields behind University Hall, is one of seven that are open to the public. Fans are asked to pick up a pass for access to the practice fields at the reception desk at the McCue Center. If there is no one at the desk, go to the gate to the field to pick up a pass.

New sod was recently placed on Virginia’s regular practice field, meaning the team will work out on the lower fields where the lacrosse team’s practice during the spring.

Other open practices will be held on the following dates: Saturday (5:15 p.m.), Sunday (2:45 p.m.), Monday (6:15 p.m.), Tuesday (11:15 a.m.) and Saturday, August 13 (8:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.).

Virginia was picked to finish third in the six-team Coastal Division by the media earlier this summer, behind Virginia Tech and Miami, respectively. The Cavaliers went 8-4 last season and made their third straight bowl appearance, losing in overtime to Fresno State 37-34 at the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

Virginia returns 14 starters (six on offense, six on defense and two on special teams), 33 lettermen, and a familiar face in wide receiver Ottowa Anderson, who missed the 2004 season while he served an academic suspension.

Cavs not idle in months leading up to practice
Monroe already listed on two-deep
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Nobody should put much stock in the two-deep football rosters distributed at the start of preseason practice, but they often are a reflection of goings-on that are not otherwise publicized.

It wasn’t until the UVa media guide was made available in Hot Springs that reporters were sure that sophomore cornerback Philip Brown was not on the roster. Also missing were wide receiver Ron Morton, offensive lineman D.J. Bell, linebacker Devaunta Brown and offensive lineman Davon Robb, who originally joined the program as a walk-on.

All five were on scholarship but only one of them, Philip Brown, received a letter. Brown started three games toward the end of the season but was dropped to the second team after a 30-10 victory at Georgia Tech and reacted so negatively that he was left at home for the season finale at Virginia Tech.

There had been speculation that Brown’s emergence might free the Cavaliers to move cornerback Tony Franklin to safety, but head coach Al Groh said in Hot Springs that a Franklin move was never under serious consideration.

“Somebody down at the tavern might have been talking about it,” Groh said, “but I didn’t entertain any conversations about it, OK? Obviously, corners are hard to find and corners with experience are even harder to find. We’ve got some guys [Franklin and Marcus Hamilton] who are going into the second half of their career as experienced corners. We’re not going to give away corners.”

Many of Brown’s 385 plays last year came as a third cornerback in nickel packages, a role that possibly could be filled by another Brown, 5-foot-9, 170-pound speedster Mike Brown, one of the highest-rated signees in UVa’s recruiting class. Brown was the only four-year starter in Rich Hansen’s 22 seasons as the head coach at St. Peter’s Prep.

The depth chart in UVa’s media guide shows sophomores Mario Moore and Chris Gorham as the back-ups at cornerback. Moore, a walk-on from Heritage High School in Lynchburg, played in six games last seasons. Gorham played in four games and for a total of 20 plays – questionable use of a potential redshirt year, if you ask me – but he was highly regarded enough in high school to have drawn scholarship offers from Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and South Carolina.

It was no surprise to see Moore and Gorham listed as the back-up corners, but what did grab my attention was the absence of Chris Johnson from the two-deep at defensive end. Johnson (6-3, 275) started the final four games of the 2004 season and had a tackle for loss in UVa’s games against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

When the Cavaliers went to Boise, Idaho, for the MPC Computers Bowl, Johnson started and played 45 plays at one end spot. Chris Long did not play at all. In the final regular-season game, at Virginia Tech, Johnson played 33 plays and Long played nine plays. Yet, going into the fall, Long is listed as a starter and Johnson isn’t on the two-deep.

There is no question that the Cavaliers are high on Long, oldest son of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long. “He’s got an immense amount of talent,” Brennan Schmidt, the other first-team defensive end, said. But, what are people to make of Johnson? Seldom-used Allen Billyk and senior Kwakou Robinson are listed ahead of him as back-ups.

Groh indicated that Johnson’s omission was not an oversight, an indication that Johnson’s offseason, either on the field or in the weight room, was not worthy of a spot in the two-deep. More than likely, the demotion was intended as a wake-up call; if he didn’t have talent, Johnson wouldn’t have played 206 plays in the fall.

“Playing time isn’t inherited,” Groh said. “It’s earned. And, it’s earned on an ongoing basis. That could be different on Aug. 6. But, on Aug. 5, based on 15 practices during the spring, that’s how it came out. Chris Long has certainly shown at every stage that he can be a very good player.”

IN WHAT MAY have been a first, prize recruit Eugene Monroe was listed as the back-up to Marshal Ausberry. No previous Groh recruit had been listed on the two-deep before practicing with the team.

Ahmad Brooks was listed on the two-deep in 2003, when he technically was a first-year freshman, but Brooks had enrolled the previous January and had gone through spring ball. Although Monroe has not practiced yet, he has been in Charlottesville since the start of the summer, attending class and working out.

“Eugene has made a very positive impression,” Groh said.

Monroe eventually may move to tackle and replace one of this year’s two senior starters, D’Brickashaw Ferguson or Brad Butler, but if Groh is determined to play his five best offensive linemen, regardless of position, Monroe could be a candidate to start at guard.

Doug Doughty will be on assignment Friday and is taking a vacation day Thursday. His Notebook Plus column will resume next week.

big questions for Virginia and Virginia Tech
Several issues must be resolved in the preseason if the Cavaliers and the Hokies are going to live up to expectations.
BY NORM WOOD
247-4642
Published August 5, 2005

Virginia and Virginia Tech open preseason football practice today with several questions that need answers before the season begins in less than a month.

U.Va. will open Sept. 3 at home against Western Michigan. Tech opens Sept. 4 at North Carolina State in a 7:15 p.m. game.

Tech is coming off an unexpected Atlantic Coast Conference championship in its first season in the conference, but must replace nine starters. Meanwhile, U.Va., which will replace 10 starters, is trying to forget about losing three of its last four games last season on its way to an 8-4 record.

Both U.Va. and Tech are expected to be top 25-caliber programs this season, according to most of the preseason publications, but that's only if they can first work out some personnel situations. Here's a look at a few issues coaching staffs from the teams will address in the next four weeks:

1. Will Tech's Marcus Vick continue to progress the way he did in spring practice?

If the Hokies are going to succeed, Vick has no choice. He completed 31-of-53 passes for 406 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in three scrimmages during spring practice, but he hasn't been tested against a steady pass rush. He'll need to step out of the cocoon a few times before the season opener, take a few knocks and see if he can remain poised.

2. How healthy is Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks?

The All-American missed spring practices after undergoing surgery to regenerate bone growth in his right knee. He led U.Va. with 90 tackles as a sophomore last year. His rehabilitation has been on schedule so far, but U.Va. coach Al Groh expects him to take it easy early in training camp.

3. After going through last season with only seven dependable offensive linemen, will Tech have more depth?

With left tackle Jimmy Martin, left guard Will Montgomery and right guard Jason Murphy all returning as starters, Tech at least has a chance to give Vick some time to make decisions. But the starters may end up playing a lot. Only three of Tech's backup linemen - tackle Reggie Butler, who will start this season, and guards Brandon Gore and Tripp Carroll - played often last year.

4. How good is Virginia freshman offensive lineman Eugene Monroe?

The 6-foot-6, 316-pound right guard from South Plainfield, N.J., was ranked as the nation's best offensive lineman and a top-5 overall player last year by several recruiting publications. He's slotted on the preseason depth chart as the backup to Marshal Ausberry at Elton Brown's old position. Ausberry, a sophomore, appeared in six games last year. Virginia needs Monroe to develop as quickly as Brown did as an underclassman.

5. Can Tech sophomore D.J. Parker, a Phoebus High graduate, earn the starting job at free safety?

He has as good a shot as anybody, considering cornerback Jimmy Williams, an All-America candidate and Bethel High graduate, is the only Tech player with experience at free safety. Parker will have to hold off senior Justin Hamilton, who must prove he has recovered from offseason tendon surgery in his right ankle, and redshirt freshman Kent Hicks, who coach Frank Beamer said two weeks ago still has some maturing to do.

6. Will Virginia's punting game improve?

U.Va. was the worst punting team in the ACC and ranked 116th of 117 nationally last year with 29.9 net yards per punt. Sean Johnson punted for the first nine games, averaging 35.3 yards. But freshman Chris Gould took over for the last three games. Gould will compete during camp with junior-college transfer Ryan Weigand. The punting game cost U.Va. last year against Miami. The Hurricanes led by three points with eight minutes left in the game when Roscoe Parrish returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown; Parrish returned his first punt of the game 45 yards.

7. Cedric Humes or Mike Imoh? Who will start for Tech at tailback?

Imoh has the inside track after a strong spring. He will be healthy coming into practice, which can't be said of Humes. A strained hamstring may limit Humes' carries in early practices. Imoh emerged as Tech's No. 1 tailback option last year because Humes wasn't able to fully recover from offseason ankle surgery until late in the season. But Beamer likes Humes, and will likely give him every opportunity to beat out Imoh. 8. Will U.Va. tight ends Tom Santi and Jonathan Stupar display even a smidgen of Heath Miller's ability?

The sophomores must try to replace Miller, who won the Mackey Award last season as the nation's best tight end and left early for the NFL. Miller led Virginia receivers with 541 yards and five touchdowns. When teams contained him, the Cavaliers struggled; he caught one touchdown pass in Virginia's four losses. Santi started three games last year as a true freshman and caught 13 passes for 155 yards. But he missed spring practices while recovering from shoulder surgery. Stupar missed most of last season with a foot injury. Groh likes to use his tight ends, so development here is important.

9. Who on this year's team will lead Tech?

Beamer is big on the idea of chemistry, and following examples set by leaders. Most of the guys he depended on are gone, including quarterback Bryan Randall, defensive end Jim Davis, cornerback Eric Green, free safety Vincent Fuller and linebacker Mikal Baaqee. It'll be ironic if Beamer has to rely on guys like Imoh, Vick or Williams - all of whom have been in Beamer's doghouse - or quiet guys like defensive end Darryl Tapp and tight end Jeff King.

10. How much will the Cavaliers miss Philip Brown rotating at cornerback? Brown will not play this season because of academic problems. He started three games last season as a true freshman and made 20 tackles. He was one of U.Va.'s fastest players, too. And while starting corners Marcus Hamilton and Tony Franklin return, sophomore backups Mario Moore and Chris Gorham have played a combined five games at the position.

Youngsters could see some action
Influx of freshmen gives Cavaliers, Groh more bodies than experience
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Aug 5, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - During open football practices at the University of Virginia, rosters with players' names and numbers are handed out to spectators. Thanks to a huge influx of new players, those sheets will be prized possessions at the opening session of U.Va.'s fifth training camp under Al Groh.

Of the scholarship players who take the field tonight, about one-third will be true freshmen. In all, 25 scholarship players entered the Cavaliers' program this summer, including Hermitage High graduates Jameel Sewell (quarterback) and Jeffrey Fitzgerald (defensive end). Twenty-four - the exception being wideout Andrew Pearman, a transfer from Hawaii who must sit out this season under NCAA rules - are eligible immediately.

Look for many of the newcomers to play this season. Gone from a U.Va. team that finished 8-4 in 2004 are numerous standouts, including seven players who in April were selected in the NFL draft: tight ends Heath Miller and Patrick Estes, linebacker Darryl Blackstock, defensive linemen Chris Canty and Andrew Hoffman, offensive guard Elton Brown and tailback Alvin Pearman (Andrew's big brother).

"That's one of the realities of college football," Groh said last month. "Guys cycle in and they cycle out. And a lot of these very good players that we had that are [now in NFL camps] were relative unknowns when they started their careers at Virginia. It's only at the end of their career that they had this reputation - well-deserved - and some of these players coming in have the wherewithal to be the same kind of guys."

The most highly decorated member of the freshman class is Eugene Monroe, a 6-6, 320-pound offensive lineman whom some recruiting analysts rated as the top prospect in the Class of 2005. Monroe, expected to take over at one of the tackle spots after seniors D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Brad Butler depart, may contend for the starting job at right guard in the meantime. In U.Va.'s media guide, Monroe is listed as sophomore Marshal Ausberry's backup at that position.

"Eugene has made a very positive impression," Groh said.

When asked about true freshmen, Groh likes to say, "When they're ready [to play], we're ready." Ready or not, first-year players may be needed to provide depth at several positions, most notably linebacker. Virginia's base defense is the 3-4, and the only outside linebacker who has seen significant playing time is sophomore Jermaine Dias. True freshmen such as Olu Hall and Jason Fuller are likely to be pressed into service on the outside, and classmate Antonio Appleby could see action at inside linebacker.

Other candidates to play as true freshmen include cornerback Mike Brown, safety Chris Cook, wide receivers Kevin Ogletree, Brandon Woods and Maurice Covington, running back Rashawn Jackson and tight end John Phillips.

"We're very enthusiastic about starting a new cycle with some of these guys," Groh said.

For the first time, the NCAA this year allowed Division I-A schools to cover the summer-school costs of incoming football recruits. All of U.Va.'s newcomers spent at least part of the summer in Charlottesville, and between classes they worked out under the tutelage of strength coach Evan Marcus. That head start should accelerate the freshmen's transition to college football. Maybe that's why, publicly at least, Groh doesn't seem stressed about replacing such players as Miller and Brown and Blackstock.

"It probably becomes most daunting if there's not quality young players to follow them," Groh said. "Would we like to have some of those players in the lineup this year? Sure. But that's the reality. You know guys are going to leave, so you don't really lament that they're going to go."

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Aug 4, 2005

TOUGH CUSTOMER: Virginia defensive end Brennan Schmidt didn't miss a game in 2004, but he played more than half the season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Most of the time, Schmidt recalled recently, his shoulder, first hurt in the Florida State game, didn't bother him, "but it would just hurt like hell when I would go down and land on it certain ways.

"It was one of the more painful things I've ever experienced. But it's always been one of my goals to never be carried off the field or never have the play stopped, so no matter how much it hurts, I'm running off the field."

Schmidt, who sat out spring practice, has been cleared for the Cavaliers' training camp, which begins tomorrow. A 6-3, 270-pound senior, Schmidt is a team captain for the second straight season. He's started every game in his college career, 39 in all.

On a team whose other defensive ends include sophomores Chris Long, Chris Johnson, Allen Billyk and Vince Redd, Schmidt has a leadership role to play.

"Really, all I can do is just be a good example for all those guys," he said. "Give them a good example of how to handle pressure in big games and step it up when you need to."

ADAPTABLE: Before he took over as U.Va.'s full-time quarterback in 2004, Marques Hagans dazzled at other positions. He returned punts in 2002 and'03 and played wideout in'03, catching 28 passes for 262 yards.

Should he get an opportunity with an NFL team, Hagans said, he'll happily line up wherever his coaches put him.

"Oh, most definitely," he said. "I'll take it however I can get there: receiver, punt returner, kick returner, I don't care. I just like to play football."

Asked about his days as one of former U.Va. quarterback Matt Schaub's targets, Hagans said, "I had a lot of fun playing receiver, running out there, catching passes from Matt, making people miss."

Hagans is listed at 5-10 in U.Va.'s media guide, but that's probably generous. In any event, the former Hampton High star is realistic.

"There ain't that many 5-11 quarterbacks in the NFL," Hagans said.

Five-eleven?

"Five-eleven," Hagans said, smiling. "That's my story, and I'm sticking to it."

NAME TO REMEMBER: Tailback Cedric Peerman, a 5-10, 185-pound redshirt freshman from William Campbell High, was among the standouts in U.Va.'s spring game. He's impressed his teammates off the field, too.

"Definitely in the weight room," Hagans said. "He's my workout partner. He's probably pound for pound the strongest person on the team. The numbers he puts up are unbelievable."

As a 12th-grader, Peerman won the 100-meter dash at the state Group A track meet. He placed eighth in the shot put.

NEW HOMES: Among the Cavaliers who have changed positions since last season are Redd and Ron Darden. The 6-6 Redd was a reserve outside linebacker as a redshirt freshman in 2004, but he's grown out of the position. Redd is up to about 290 pounds.

A 6-4, 327-pound junior, Darden played in six games as a backup offensive guard last season. He's now at nose tackle.

Darden missed spring drills because of an undisclosed medical condition, but he's been cleared to play again.

"Everything seems to be fine with Ron right now," U.Va. coach Al Groh said recently. "As mysteriously as his health issues developed, they seem to have subsided.

"He's trained, really, with great energy all summer long. His performance has been excellent. He's been one of the consistent participants in the off-day workouts. That is, we've got four planned workouts a week, and the gym is open two other days a week. He's consistently been in there on the two other days."

HANDLING PRESSURE: Groh said he can understand how some players and some teams are more comfortable in the role of underdogs.

If a program is to be one of the nation's elite, however, it must learn to deal with the pressure that comes with being the favorite, Groh said, because ultimately "that's what a team is trying to be . . . If there's any pressure in performance, it ought not to be where you're picked in the preseason, it's sitting on the top with three weeks to go." -- Jeff White
 

Cavs coach set for Stones
Wild horses couldn't drag Groh away from Scott Stadium concert
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Jul 30, 2005

Forget football. When their teams take the field for warmups Oct. 8 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., Al Groh and Tom O'Brien plan to talk rock 'n' roll for a few minutes.

The Rolling Stones are scheduled to perform in Charlottesville on Oct. 6. Virginia's football team flies to Boston the next day, but that's not going to keep Groh, the Cavaliers' fifth-year coach and a classic-rock enthusiast, from catching Mick and the boys at Scott Stadium.

At dinner Monday during the ACC Football Kickoff in Hot Springs, Groh promised fellow Stones fan O'Brien, a former U.Va. assistant who's in his ninth season as BC's coach, that he'd fill him in on the show when they see each other at Alumni Stadium.

The Stones will play at Fenway Park on Aug. 21 and 23, but conflicts may keep O'Brien, who can't always get what he wants, from attending either show.

Groh, 61, and O'Brien, 56, are contemporaries of Stones singer Mick Jagger, who turned 62 on Tuesday. Not so Virginia defensive end Brennan Schmidt, who at 22 is young enough to be Jagger's grandson. Don't expect to see him at Scott Stadium on Oct. 6.

"No, and I don't really care either," said Schmidt, a team captain. "I have more important things on my mind than the Rolling Stones."

- Jeff White

Ready for some Virginia football?
Inside ACC Nation
Chris Graham
chris@augustafreepress.com

One writer listed the Virginia Cavaliers in the first-place slot in the Coastal Division in last month's Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff preseason balloting.

It wasn't Jeff White of The Times-Dispatch - though it could have been, to hear him break down the upcoming 2005 football season.

"I don't think, to be honest with you, that I would put them first, because I don't think they're going to stay completely healthy. But I don't think there's much of a talent differential between Tech's first 22 and Virginia's first 22," said White, who covers UVa. athletics for the T-D.

The reason that White sees the Hokies going into the '05 campaign with a bit of an advantage, he told the "ACC Nation" radio show last week, is the strength of schedule for both teams.

"One of the things that Tech has going for it is a very favorable schedule, more so than Virginia. That works in Tech's favor," White said. "Tech gets Miami in Lane Stadium, for example, where Virginia has to go to the Orange Bowl and play."

The Hokies - who were tabbed by the writers attending the Football Kickoff as the preseason favorites to win the Coastal, with Miami picked to finish second and the Cavs third - do have to travel to Charlottesville in November for a key late-season game.

By that point, the winners and losers could be determined by the health factor that White referenced.

"Virginia is extremely thin at certain positions. Inside linebacker, outside linebacker, really. The dropoff from Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham to whoever's going to be backing them up is staggering. It's not one of these deals where you go from an A-plus to a B. Even last year, when Rich Bedesem was healthy, when they had to put him in for Parham or Brooks, he was a very good player in his own right. They don't have anyone like that in the system," White said.

"The stars across the board on this team are very good, almost at every position," White said. "I just think a couple of injuries to the wrong guys could devastate this team."

Another factor that could devastate the '05 Cavs has to do with its passing game - which was downright anemic in losses to Tech, Miami and Florida State last fall.

"Anyone who saw the spring game would have seen that the passing game was a real point of emphasis in spring practice. I assume that will continue. I know they would like to have more of a balance, and particularly would like to be able to throw when necessary," White said.

"One lesson that came out of last year was that against the better teams on the schedule, you need to have a little balance. Virginia was good enough with its running game to basically run over eight teams on its schedule, and those teams couldn't do anything to stop them. But Virginia Tech, Miami and Florida State were able to shut down the run, and Virginia wasn't able to pass against those teams. And to be an elite team, you have to be able to do both," White said.