Depth on OL still a question
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Of the three 2005 Virginia offensive linemen who are taking part in NFL training camps, right tackle Brad Butler ended his UVa career with the fewest starts, 37.

You could take all of the current Virginia offensive linemen and they haven't made 37 starts among them.

When the question of offensive-line depth was raised Monday, head coach Al Groh couldn't offer much insight. Groh could have mentioned redshirt freshman Will Barker as a possible backup, but he isn't sure Barker won't be a starter.

"He not only has to contribute; we see him very much in the competition to play," said Groh, who has Barker at Butler's old right-tackle spot. "He might be the guy.

"The other person at the position [Eddie Pinigis] doesn't want it to be that way. He's doing a good job, too."

Barker did not arrive at Virginia with the buildup or body of fellow 2004 offensive-line signees Eugene Monroe and Branden Albert, but he's catching up in a hurry.

Barker, listed at 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds in the UVa media guide, weighed 306 when he reported for the start of preseason practice.

"It would have been overly ambitious for us to set his present weight as his goal," Groh said. "He got there a little faster than he, with his input, or I would have anticipated.

"He's really an example of what we're looking for in terms of a tall, rangy, athletic guy. He was a good lacrosse player [at the Haverford, Pa., School]. Just to be a lacrosse player, at 6-7, is a notable thing. When we first saw him, he was certainly less than the mid-260s that he reported at. He was maybe in the high 240s."

The left offensive tackle is projected to be Eugene Monroe, rated the No. 1 prospect in the country by SuperPrep following the 2004 season. Monroe played sparingly last season and underwent surgery after hyperextending a knee in spring practice.

"He's taken most of the snaps," Groh said of Monroe. "He's doing all right. He looks like a player who had surgery on his knee in April."

Virginia has been known to flip-flop its linemen, "but, at least in Will's situation, he's trying to figure out how to be a right tackle," Groh said.

Virginia's 2005 offensive line included a first-round NFL draft pick, left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who started all 49 college games in which he was in uniform. Brian Barthelmes, a free-agent signee of the New England Patriots, started 38.

The Cavaliers have a pair of one-year starters back in guards Marshall Ausberry and Albert. Ian-Yates Cunningham, the front-runner at center, has started six games in his UVa career, none of them at center.

Pinigis and No. 2 center Jordy Lipsey have started three games and two games, respectively.

Odds and ends

Groh said that wide receiver Cary Koch will not be required to sit out a year after transferring from Tulane. Koch, who had 23 receptions last year for the Green Wave, was eligible for a waiver from the NCAA because Tulane eliminated his major in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. ... Freshman running back Keith Payne, the Group AAA player of the year as a senior at Oakton High School, has wowed training-camp onlookers with his blend of size and speed. Groh said that Payne weighs in the 241-242 range. "We've got to be around him a while to find what his ideal weight is, but it's certainly not going to be 220. We're not going to turn him into a small back," Groh said. ... UVa was not among the 52 teams that received votes for the Top 25 in USA Today's preseason coaches poll. Duke, which went 1-10 last year, got one vote for 25th. Groh is not among the 63 Division I-A coaches who make up the panel. ... Hargrave Military Academy coach Robert Prunty said he expects signees Billy Cuffee, Ras-I Dowling and Almondo Sewell to be on hand Monday for the start of preseason practice. Prunty said his conversations indicate that all three will sign with UVa again next winter.
 

Preparation keeps Cavs' Santi ahead of the pack
Junior anchors strong corps of UVa tight ends
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 8, 2006

The blue ink scribbled on the athletic tape on Tom Santi’s left wrist was smeared by sweat as Sunday’s practice came to an end.
That Santi had jotted several words on the tape is not newsworthy. Tons of Virginia’s football players do it. In fact, many like cornerback Marcus Hamilton write religious notations like “God Can.”
Santi, a third-year tight end, took the time before practice to work on his penmanship for different reasons.
“I’m not trying to get juiced up yet,” Santi laughed.
Santi constructed a cheat sheet to help master an offense that now includes a number of new formations and plays.
“We put in some new stuff,” Santi said. “I know all the plays, but I like to make sure.”
Being a veteran, Santi knows better than to tip Virginia’s hand, but said the creative ideas are “just stuff that suits the personnel that we have” on offense.
“Training camp,” Santi added, “is where you find out the identity of your team and I think what the coaches are doing is a lot of fun.”
Santi said he had a “terrific” summer preparing for the season, but none of that helps once the first horn blows at Virginia’s practice field.
“Nothing gets you ready for actual football camp,” said Santi, who caught 19 passes for 358 yards and two scores last year. “There is no amount of running or anything that you can do. The running, the lifting and all the conditioning you do in the summer just sets you up to be able to deal with it.
“It gets you as prepared as can be to deal with it, but it is a totally different beast.”
With Santi, fellow junior Jonathan Stupar (25 career catches, 332 yards) and sophomore John Phillips (2 catches,
27 yards), Virginia boasts one of the deepest collections of quality tight ends in the country.
Virginia coach Al Groh said on Monday that it only makes sense that his offense uses the trio to its advantage.
“Clearly they are some of our best players so, yes, we are going to play a good percentage of time with those guys in there,” Groh said. “Heck, we might play with three of them sometimes. As we said before, there’s plenty of room for tight ends here and with the way we like to use them, there is always room for another one.”
True freshman Joe Torchia, a four-star tight end from Cold Spring, N.Y., is also in camp and Virginia received a verbal commitment this weekend from highly-touted tight end Andrew Devlin from Pittsburgh.

CENTER OF ATTENTION: Ian Yates-Cunningham worked throughout the weekend at center with the first-team offense, as expected, and appears to have a decided advantage over Jordy Lipsey to start the season opener at Pittsburgh on Sept. 2.
Cunningham, a junior, has made six career starts - he started five at left guard in ’03 and one at right guard last year - but his next start at center will be his first.
“I don’t want to put it in the non-competitive category, but there’s going to have to be some circumstances to change the listings as they are right now,” Groh said.

TURNING HEADS: Running back Keith Payne might not play as a true freshman this year. Only time will tell, but regardless it was obvious the rookie’s physique had fans buzzing this weekend at Virginia’s three open practices.
While the Virginia media guide lists Payne at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, both figures appear outdated.
Groh said Payne actually reported to camp closer to 240 pounds, but time is needed to determine the ideal playing weight for the 2005 VHSL Class AAA Player of the Year.
“He’s a big man and he’s naturally a big man,” Groh said. “We are not going to try to turn him into a small back but I think we will have to be around him longer to find out really where his ideal weight is, but he is certainly not going to be 220.”

EXTRA POINTS: Groh was asked during a teleconference on Monday about sophomore Eugene Monroe and his progression at left tackle. Monroe had surgery to repair a dislocated knee just five months ago. “He’s taken most of the snaps and he’s doing alright,” Groh said. “He looks like a player that had surgery on his knee in April. He’s doing well, but he obviously had surgery.” …
Through the first three practices, the Cavaliers’ offensive coaching staff has given lots of attention to the fullback position. There’s good reason for that. Josh Zidenburg, a junior, broke a bone in his leg in Virginia’s final regular season game at Miami and junior Kevin Bradley was held out of spring practice to focus on academics. “We didn’t put much time in on that personnel group [in the spring], so we’re putting a little bit more time in than might normally be the case with it right now to catch up and to be able to make an evaluation,” Groh said. …
Virginia will have its first off day from practice on Wednesday. The break also gives many of the players extra time to study for exams for summer school courses. Practice on Friday will be open to the public and starts at 2:30 p.m.

 

'Hoos Who: Vic Hall
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 8, 2006

Put the questions about playing quarterback on the backburner. Vic Hall doesn’t want to hear them.

Yes, it was at quarterback that that the 5-foot-9, 182-pound Hall set Virginia’s state high school record with 13,770 yards of total offense in a career.

Yes, Hall was considered the ninth-best quarterback in the country by SuperPrep after leading Gretna High to a pair of state titles and back-to-back 14-0 seasons as a junior and senior, respectively.

And yes, the redshirt freshman dreams of taking snaps as a Cavalier signal-caller but an overriding desire to play and win football games this year takes precedent.

“Right now, I see myself as a defensive back,” Hall said on Sunday. “If I try to focus on being a quarterback then clearly I can’t focus on being a DB and I can’t compete for playing time. Right now, I have my mind focused strictly on defensive back.

“I’m not saying quarterback is out of the question, but for me to be the best defensive back, I have to push that to the side.”

Hall’s switch came midway though the season last year after injuries left UVa paper-thin at cornerback. Hall did not see game action, saving a precious year of eligibility, but his progression had started and it has spilled over into his first training camp as a defensive-minded player.

“It’s a different start at a different spot and I’m getting a little more reps than last year,” Hall said.

“I was coming in as a quarterback and it was a pretty difficult transition from high school to college playing quarterback. It was a little slow as far as the reps and learning process, but being as though I switched to corner in the middle of last season,

I am more comfortable with it now.

“I learned a lot during the spring so I came in knowing some stuff and some techniques. I feel more comfortable now and more confident.”

Despite being one of the best athletes in the ACC, Hall knows that playing time could be scarce. Senior Marcus Hamilton and junior Chris Gorham are penciled in as starters and a pair of sophomores - Mike Brown and Chris Cook - were in the starting lineup at times a year ago.

“We have a very talented secondary from the corners to the safeties,” Hall said. “From the first team to the second team to wherever, we have a good lineup. We just have to work hard in camp and get better.”

With the logjam at cornerback, Hall could see his biggest impact on special teams, perhaps returning kicks or punts.

“Coach [Al Groh] is always looking for help on special teams,” Hall pointed out, “and I’m going to work hard on special teams to help this team anyway that I can. Just like anybody that has been on offense before and likes to score, when they get the ball in their hands they will do whatever it takes.

“I think if I can get the ball in my hands, I will do whatever it takes to score for my team.”

 

Tulane transfer eligible for '06
NCAA lets WR Koch play
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 7, 2006
Daily Progress staff writer

Football coaches love depth. That’s not a well-kept secret.

On Friday, Virginia’s secondary received a lift as Tony Franklin and Nate Lyles, both safeties, rejoined their teammates for the first time in months as training camp opened for the Cavaliers.

John Garrett, the assistant head coach for Virginia’s offense, got a similar boost late Saturday night.

Tulane transfer Cary Koch, a wide receiver, was deemed eligible to play immediately by the NCAA on Saturday and will not have to sit out the ‘06 season as many expected.

“We worked hard and long on the waivers and we kept sending them to the NCAA and finally we got a call [Saturday] night saying I was eligible this year,” Koch said.

The 6-foot, 185-pound wideout, who caught 23 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season, was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team.

Hurricane Katrina was the culprit. After the devastions last year, Tulane was forced to eliminate a number of majors, including sports medicine and computer science, Koch said.

After hours of contemplation, which turned into months, Koch started looking elsewhere. Colorado, LSU and Virginia came to the forefront, before playing for the Cavaliers made the most sense.

“I chose the best one on eduacation and the best football school, so I chose Virginia,” Koch said. “It was hard considering everything with Tulane and the hurricane that we went through and it was really hard considering our season last year with 11 games and 11 stadiums.”

Because of Hurricane Katrina, Koch spent the fall semester at Lousiana Tech and he and his teammates played their 11 games at 11 different stadiums.

While the season brought Koch closer to his coaches and teammates, the images of the aftermath will stick out in his mind forever.

“We went to play Southeastern [Louisiana] at Tiger Stadium at LSU, and we actually drove through the city about two weeks after the hurricane hit because we went to stay down in New Orleans,” Koch said. “As we passed through the city, there wasn’t a word said on the bus because it was a culture shock.

“Some of the guys were from New Orleans growing up and it looked like a third-world country. It was bad. There were boats and cars and everything on the interstate and trees down everywhere.”

The trip opened Koch’s eyes to devastation that the hurricane delivered near a campus that he would return to until the second semester.

“We had to keep taking detours everywhere to get to where we were trying to go,” Koch said. “It was so sad.”

Koch knows that Virginia has a number of wide receivers ahead of him on the depth chart, including seniors Deyon Williams and Fontel Mines, but he remains confident that his departure from Tulane is for the best.

“It was tough. I would have been a big-time player this year,” Koch said. “I was a big part of the offense last year, and I would have been even more involved this year.

“It was a big decision changing schools and going to the coaches to tell them that ‘You know, in my heart this is not where I felt I should be.’”

EXTRA POINTS: Virginia had two special guests at its open practice on Sunday. Marvin Austin, a five-star defensive tackle from Coolidge High in Washington, D.C., was joined by teammate and linebacker Romale Tucker during the practice. Virginia coach Al Groh spent a considerable amount of time chatting with both at the session. …

Converted punter Chris Gould said he was done to 204 pounds, an ideal weight for a placekicker. The junior said he dropped almost 20 pounds to get to his ideal weight to handle kickoff and placekicking duties for the Cavaliers. …

Cornerback Chris Cook did not practice on Sunday. … UVa will practice today and Tuesday (both closed to the public) before taking an off day on Wednesday.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Aug 8, 2006

IMPOSING PRESENCE: Tailback Keith Payne, who outplayed All-American Percy Harvin of Landstown High in last year's state Division 6 title game, doesn't look a typical college freshman.

"He looks like a big veteran," Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell said of Payne, who stands 6-3 and weighs about 240 pounds.

In Oakton High's 28-7 rout of previously unbeaten Landstown, Payne rushed for 250 yards and scored four touchdowns. At U.Va., he's joined a stable of tailbacks that includes seniors Jason Snelling and Michael Johnson, sophomore Cedric Peerman and redshirt freshman Mikell Simpson.

"He's naturally a big man, and I'm sure he's going to grow into more of a big man," Virginia coach Al Groh said yesterday. "We're not going to try to make him a small man."

Groh said he doesn't know the ideal weight for Payne, but "it's certainly not going to be 220."

Payne said after practice Saturday that he's trying to learn the playbook and fit in.

"Right now, it's not my team, it's the veterans' team," he said. "I'm just there to try to help out."

WAIT AND SEE: Christian Olsen entered training camp as U.Va.'s No. 1 quarterback, but Groh's confidence in the fifth-year senior is tempered by realism. Olsen, Marques Hagans' backup in 2004 and '05, never has started a college game.

"He's gotten on the bus, he's gone to the stadiums, he's been on the headset, he knows all of what's going on," Groh said, "but now he's got to move from being the understudy and knowing his lines but not having to recite them. Now he's got to get on the stage and be the guy. I can't tell you how it's going to go. All I can say is to this point he's done all the right things."

NIGHT AND DAY: Offensive tackle Will Barker's work in strength coach Evan Marcus' weight room has paid impressive dividends. Barker, about 265 pounds when he enrolled at U.Va. last summer, weighed in at 306 this year.

"He got there a little faster than certainly Evan or myself expected," Groh said.

Barker, who also played lacrosse at the Haverford School near Philadelphia, is "really is a good example of what we're trying to find; that is, tall, rangy, athletic guys," Groh said.

So far in training camp, Barker has been backing up junior Eddie Pinigis at right tackle, but don't be shocked if he wins the starting job.

"He might be the guy," Groh said. "Now the other guy at that position, Eddie Pinigis, doesn't want it to be that way, and he's doing a good job, too. That's a very competitive position."

The starter at left tackle is sophomore Eugene Monroe, who missed most of spring practice after dislocating his left kneecap April 2.

"He's taken most of the snaps. He's doing all right," Groh said. "He looks like a player who had surgery on his knee in April."

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: Former Prince George High star John Bivens was projected as an inside linebacker when he signed with U.Va. in February. On the eve of training camp, however, the 6-2 Bivens learned he'd playing safety, his position at Prince George.

"I'm fine with it," said Bivens, who at 215 pounds is light for a linebacker in U.Va.'s 3-4 defense.

Whether he'll be asked to bulk up, Bivens said, he's not sure.

"They really haven't told me yet, but I'm guessing that if they want me at safety, I'm good at my weight right now," he said. "That's probably why they moved me. I really wasn't heavy enough to play linebacker right now."

On a team stocked with veteran defensive backs, Bivens is likely to redshirt this season.

"That's up to the coaches," he said. "I've just got to go out there and do what I need to do, and learn the playbook, and get used to the system. I really don't have a problem with redshirting."

ELEVENTH-HOUR ADDITION: The guy wearing the No. 26 white jersey in training camp? That's Cary Koch, a transfer from Tulane who's eligible this season.

Koch, a 6-0, 185-pound wideout from Baton Rouge, La., caught 23 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns at Tulane last season. But the New Orleans school eliminated several majors in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and Koch decided to transfer.

"Tulane was all on his side and wanted to what they could to help him and recommended him strongly," said Groh, who received a phone call from Green Wave coach Chris Scelfo on Koch's behalf.

Typically, a player must sit out a season after transferring from one Division I-A program to another. In Koch's case, Groh said, the NCAA "understood the uniqueness of the situation and worked with him."

POSITION OF STRENGTH: Between them, tight ends Jonathan Stupar and Tom Santi had 43 catches for 677 yards and three touchdowns in 2005.

Stupar and Santi are back for the Cavaliers, and so is another talented tight end, sophomore John Phillips, who caught two passes for 27 yards and one TD last season.

Look for U.Va. to use two tight ends on many plays this season. "Heck, we might play with three of them in there sometimes," Groh said. -- Jeff White
 

collegefootballnews.com counting down the best football game finishes since 1970:
No. 51 Michigan 18 ... Virginia 17, August 26, 1995

At the time: It was the opener for both teams playing the Pigskin
Classic in late August. It was the first game for Michigan head coach
Lloyd Carr leading his 14th ranked Wolverines against the 17th ranked
Cavaliers.

The setup: Virginia stunned the Big House crowd as QB Mike Groh ran
for a one-yard score and RB Tiki Barber ran for an 81-yard touchdown
on the way to a 17-0 lead with just under 13 minutes to play.
Michigan QB Scott Dreisbach, who won a hotly contested quarterback
battle with Brian Griese, was having a rough game with two
interceptions, but he finally got hot with a long pass to Mercury
Hayes leading to a two-yard Ed Davis touchdown run. PK Remy Hamilton
missed the extra point. Hayes scored on Michigan's next drive taking
a pass 31 yards for a touchdown, but misfired on the two-point
conversion making it 17-12 Virginia midway through the fourth quarter.

The ending: Michigan's defense was able to hold giving the ball back
to Dreisbach on the Michigan 20 with 2:35 to play. He was able to
move the offense, but he wasn't doing it quickly getting to midfield
with around a minute to play and, finally, down to the Virginia 15
with :12 left. First down. Incomplete. Second down. Incomplete. It
was third down with six seconds to play and no timeouts left.
Dreisbach dropped back and made a rookie mistake throwing it to
receiver Tyrone Butterfield well shy of the goal line. Had
Butterfield caught it, time would've run out, but he tried to knock
it down, missed, and it went up in the air before falling to the turf
leaving just enough time on the clock for one more play. Dreisbach,
who finished with 372 yards, lopped the ball to the right side of the
end zone to Hayes, who had gotten free of Virginia DB Ronde Barber.
Hayes made the grab and dragged his toes just enough for the
touchdown with no time left on the clock and an 18-17 win.

How they ended up: Michigan won the first five games of the season
before losing to eventual Big Ten champion Northwestern. The
Wolverines finished 9-4 after losing 22-20 to Texas A&M in the Alamo
Bowl. Virginia bounced back to win its next five games before losing
at North Carolina. Two games later, the Cavaliers won a classic game
handing Florida State its first loss in ACC play. They finished 9-4
beating Georgia 34-27 in the Peach Bowl.
 

Mt. Lebanon tight end chooses Virginia
By JoAnne Klimovich Harrop
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, August 6, 2006

Mt. Lebanon football coach Chris Haering gave tight end Andrew Devlin some advice when he was considering playing lacrosse during his freshman year of high school.
"Coach told me that football would pay for my education," Devlin said.

Haering was right.

Devlin, a 6-foot-6, 255-pound senior, made a verbal commitment to play at Virginia. He chose the Cavaliers over Pitt, Boston College and Michigan.

"I don't think Coach Haering has ever been wrong about anything," said Devlin, who caught 12 passes for 100 yards last season and who also is one of the top basketball players in the WPIAL. "He says some crazy things, but they happen.

"I have the utmost respect for Coach Haering. He is such a motivator. I owe part of this to him, my parents and my teammates. They have always supported me."

Devlin, a first-team all conference selection who can bench press 350 pounds, said when he visited the university and spent time with the players he felt like he was with his friends on the Mt. Lebanon team.

"There were so many deciding factors," said Devlin, who had 32 offers. "I really liked the campus and the academics, and the players and coaches are great. Plus, they run a three-tight end set and a pro-style system."

Virginia, which produced Steelers tight end Heath Miller, has been recruiting Devlin for the past year. On the first day when coaches can visit prospects, the Virginia coaches showed up at Mt. Lebanon High School early in the morning to make their interest known.

Devlin, who also plays defensive end, said another thing that impressed him about playing for Virginia is coach Al Groh is a former coach of the New York Jets.

"Coach (Groh) is very knowledgeable about the game," Devlin said. "He was thrilled to hear from me when I told him I chose Virginia. When I called him, he was with his staff and they all screamed and yelled and the people I was with were screaming and yelling. That was pretty neat. I am looking forward to going there."

Devlin will have an opportunity to see Virginia play when the Cavaliers face Pitt in the season opener Sept. 2. Virginia (7-5 last season) defeated Minnesota, 34-31, in the Music City Bowl.

"I'll be at the Pitt game," said Devlin, who plans to study medicine at Virginia. "Then, next year, I will get to play Pitt when the Panthers come to Virginia. I am glad I made my decision. Now, I can concentrate on the football season."

Devlin is the 10th-ranked recruit in Pennsylvania, according to rivals.com.