Cavs moving on without Williams
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 12, 2006

Life without wideout Deyon Williams officially opened on Friday for fans that took advantage of a chance to watch the Cavaliers.

Williams, Virginia’s leading receiver last year with 58 receptions and 767 yards, had surgery on Friday for a stress fracture in his right foot.

While Virginia coach Al Groh has not offered a timetable for Williams’ return, new starting quarterback Christian Olsen said he hopes to have the wideout back by the time the team opens ACC play.

“I think he will push hard and hopefully be able to get back in there by Game 3 or 4,” Olsen said. “These other [wideouts] are stepping up real well. We are real excited about where that is going, and we are going to try not to let it bother us.”

The biggest benefactor of Williams’ surgery could be sophomore Kevin Ogletree. As a rookie, Ogletree caught seven passes for 27 yards.

“He’s a natural pass-catcher,” Groh said. “He’s got some elusiveness, he’s got real good acceleration.”

Ogletree’s progression has not surprised veteran wideout Emmanuel Byers. The pair room together during training camp at the team hotel.

“We go over the plays a lot. He is looking at his playbook every night,” Byers said. “Last year, he was just a freshman and didn’t know what was going on.”

Byers admitted that it is tough picturing Virginia’s offense without Williams in it.

“Deyon, he knows this was his last season and he is still in our prayers. Hopefully, we will get him back, but for now we are just going to take it in stride,” Byers added. “We have young guys stepping up and everybody has to step up now because we lost a key receiver like that.

“Everybody has to play their part but we will be all right.”

Added orange

Senior Tony Franklin has joined the growing number of defensive players wearing an orange jersey at practice.

The safety became the 13th player on the team to receive the honor, which is given out to signify a starter in Virginia’s 3-4 defense.

Franklin, one of four safeties with the honor, did not let the addition slow him down Friday.

The former team captain drilled fullback Josh Zidenburg on one pass to the flat and successfully collided with tailback Cedric Peerman on another. Both plays went for a loss.

“Tony looks great,” cornerback Marcus Hamilton said.

“I am so happy for him.”

Out of action

Redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell was not in full pads like the rest of his teammates on Friday.

On Tuesday, Sewell injured himself in an accident on his bicycle.

The injury could hinder the signal-caller’s chances of winning the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Olsen.

“Sewell significantly cut his foot on a bicycle chain the other night,” Groh said on Friday. “He’s not practicing, so he’s not in the competition right now … and so we’re just moving on without him.”

Don’t expect Olsen to rag on his understudy too much.

“I got caught in one once so I can’t really give him too hard of a time,” Olsen laughed.

Just for kicks

Ryan Weigand is battling Ryan Weigand for the starting job as Virginia’s punter in the season opener.

At least that’s how Groh is looking at it.

“Right now it’s Ryan competing against the necessary performance,” Groh said earlier this week. “When he hits them right he’s definitely got the most punch and the most lift. What he’s competing against is consistency because he’s got enough talent to hit it well.

“I guess if he was a baseball player, you’d say, ‘He can really hit it, he’s just got to improve his average.’”

Virginia also has walk-on freshman Nathan Rathjen, a product of Loudoun Valley High, listed at punter.

Open house

Virginia will practice twice today and both sessions are open to the public. The team’s first practice starts at 8:45 a.m., with the nightcap getting started at 6:45. Sunday’s practice at 2:30 p.m. is also open.

 

'Hoos Who: Branden Albert
Sophomore, Guard
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
August 12, 2006

Branden Albert looks at it as though he is playing with bonus time.

Albert, a mammoth left guard on Virginia’s offensive line, was held out of spring practice to allow the sophomore extra time on academics.

The move in itself sent a message to the youngster.

“It was a big wake-up call,” Albert said. “I realized that this could be taken away from me. I think I took it for granted at first.”

Albert said on Friday that he is “good to go” academically, but he sees why Cavalier fans were nervous. Out of high school, Albert was forced to enroll at Hargrave Military Academy for a year.

“My wake-up call should have been in high school,” Albert said, “but I didn’t realize until last year that it could all be taken away from me.”

With only two starters back on Virginia’s offensive line from last year’s team, Albert is suddenly the old man of the group.

In fact, Albert was the only Cavalier lineman to start all 12 games a year ago and Sporting News named him a third-team All-American.

With his experience comes added responsibility, which the 306-pounder welcomes.

“I have to be a leader because of all the guys that left,” Albert said. “[Junior guard] Marshal [Ausberry] and I have to be leaders on the offensive line.”

Virginia lost Brian Barthelmes, Brad Butler and D’Brickashaw Ferguson to the professional ranks, but Albert is confident the new group in the trenches can provide protection for new quarterback Christian Olsen.

“A lot people don’t know that we had guys like Ian-Yates Cunningham and guys like Eddie Pinigis on the team that can really play ball,” Albert said while also raving about fellow sophomore Eugene Monroe. “I don’t think it is a big fall off. We are young guys, but we work really hard and we have great coaching by Coach [Dave] Borbely.

“We are just ready to play so we can show how good we are.”

Borbely, the team’s new offensive line coach, replaced former O-line coach Ron Prince after he was named the head coach at Kansas State.

“Coach Borbely has simplified things more,” Albert said. “He makes things easier for us and he is a great motivator.

“He is always finding new ways to motivate you.”

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Aug 12, 2006

HAMMER TIME: He's no heavyweight, but Virginia safety Tony Franklin packs a lot of power in his 185 pounds. That was evident again late yesterday afternoon at the close of the Cavaliers' practice.

In an 11-on-11 goal-line drill, the 5-10 Franklin met ballcarrier Cedric Peerman head on and dropped the sophomore tailback for a loss. Two plays later, Franklin crushed fullback Josh Zidenberg, who had caught a short pass in the flat, to prevent another touchdown.

The fans at the open practice -- along with Franklin's defensive teammates and coaches -- roared with delight after the highlight-reel hits.

"That's Tony Franklin," junior defensive end Chris Long said. "That's what he is. He's explosive, and he's a spark that can really ignite this team. I really am so happy to have him back, and I know that's not just my opinion, it's everyone else's."

Franklin, who'll compete as a graduate student this season, was reinstated to the team before the start of training camp by Al Groh, U.Va.'s coach. Groh had dismissed Franklin, a three-year starter in the secondary and a 2005 team captain, before the start of spring practice for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

The defense, incidentally, won the goal-line competition yesterday, which meant sprints for the offensive players after practice. To win, the defense had to overcome a strong effort by senior tailback Jason Snelling, who ran well throughout the practice.

SEEING ORANGE: The Cavaliers' first-team defense consisted of 13 players yesterday. Wearing orange jerseys, which signify first-team status, were ends Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald, nose tackle Allen Billyk, outside linebackers Clint Sintim and Jermaine Dias, inside linebackers Jon Copper and Antonio Appleby, cornerbacks Marcus Hamilton and Chris Gorham and four safeties: Franklin, Nate Lyles, Byron Glaspy and Jamaal Jackson.

"It's a really good sign," Long said of the four-way battle at safety. "It just means that there's that much competition, and there's that many guys stepping up. We've had some productive practices over the past few days. There's some good and bad things, but as many good things this early is really positive."

LANCE ARMSTRONG, HE'S NOT: Don't expect to see quarterback Jameel Sewell wearning flip-flops the next time he gets on a bicycle.

Sewell, a redshirt freshman from Hermitage High, suffered a cut on his right foot this week while riding from the John Paul Jones Arena to the nearby hotel at which the team stays during training camp.

The injury kept him out of practice yesterday, which meant more snaps for Kevin McCabe and Scott Deke, who are competing with Sewell for the job of backing up starter Christian Olsen.

"I had flip-flops on, and I wasn't thinking," Sewell said after practice yesterday. "And it wasn't like I was going out of control. I was just riding regular, and I tried to stop."

His foot slipped off the pedal, however, and caught on the sprocket.

"I guess they don't build them with those chain guards any more," Groh said yesterday morning.

Sewell, whose right foot was taped under his shoe yesterday, said he plans to resume practicing today.

"I gotta stay strong," he said. "I can't let this hold me back."

In another memorable mishap involving a U.Va. football player, early in Groh's tenure, offensive lineman Mark Farrington hurt his right leg while skiing.

"When you think you've got everything covered, you've always got something new," Groh said.

WORDS OF ADVICE: In a drill matching a pass-rusher against a blocker, reserve safety Brandon Woods' lack of agressiveness didn't please his coach.

"You can't run in there like Anna Nicole Smith getting in the tub," Groh yelled to Woods.

FOURTH AND LONG: The Cavaliers' punter is likely to be Ryan Weigand, a junior college transfer who redshirted at U.Va. last season.

"When he hits them right, he definitely has the most punch and lift," Groh said. "What he's competing against is consistency. He's got enough talent. If he were a baseball player, you'd say he could really hit it. Now he's just trying to raise his average."

Weigand, who's from Pasadena, Calif., got off several booming punts in practice yesterday. Chris Gould, Virginia's punter last year, is expected to handle field goals, extra points and kickoffs this season.

NAME TO REMEMBER: Freshman Chris Dalton probably will redshirt this season, but Groh likes what he's seen of the 6-2, 164-pound wideout from Statesville, N.C. Dalton is one of the fastest players on the team.

"Very promising," Groh said when asked yesterday about Dalton. "He's got height, he's got real good long speed, he gets out of his cuts well."

Dalton's lack of strength is his biggest weakness at this stage. -- Jeff White
 

Sewell sits out due to injury
Virginia coach Al Groh says because of a bike accident, the potential backup QB is sidelined.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

The next time Virginia football coach Al Groh sees one of his players on a bicycle, he wants it to be a stationary bike.

Redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell, whose strong left arm and quick feet have made him a candidate for UVa's back-up quarterback spot, has lost valuable practice time after he "significantly cut his foot," Groh said Friday.

"He's not in the competition right now, so we're just moving on."

Sewell was riding a bike to the hotel that serves as preseason headquarters when one of his feet became entangled in a chain.

"When you think you've got everything covered, there's always something new," said Groh, who is in his 40th year of coaching. "I think this is the first bicycle-chain incident that we've had.

"You know how bikes used to have those chain guards on them. I guess they don't build them with those chain guards anymore."

Sewell was expected to battle junior Kevin McCabe for the No. 2 job behind graduate student Christian Olsen.

"We've got a multi-thousand-dollar simulator to use in the off-season," Groh said. "I guess this is like the off-season [for Sewell]."

Scott Deke, a Roanoke resident who went to high school in California, is the only other upperclassmen among UVa's scholarship quarterbacks.

Parham's move

With his reaction Friday, Groh indicated that he was unaware that 2005 leading tackler Kai Parham had been waived by the Dallas Cowboys, who signed him as a free agent when he was not selected in the NFL Draft.

Parham, a first-team All-ACC selection, had one year of eligibility remaining, but elected to make himself available for the NFL Draft.

He had back problems early in his career and may have been thinking of the injury that sidelined Chris Canty when he returned for a fifth year at UVa in 2004.

Now, will future Virginia players consider Parham's fate?

"If you tried to take a reading off all those different situations, you wouldn't know what to think," Groh said. "I don't think players can do that. They've got to take their individual circumstances and try to get responsible input.

"When you take responsible input and take a reasoned conclusion, you can't look back and say, 'I should have done this,' or 'I should have done that.' If a person doesn't use input or doesn't make a responsible conclusion, then I believe that person can have regrets."

Groh was not heavily involved in Parham's decision but did support Heath Miller in his jump to the NFL in 2005.

Williams surgery

Fourth-year wide receiver Deyon Williams, sidelined earlier in the week by a stress fracture, underwent surgery Friday to stabilize the fifth metatarsal bone in one of his feet. Groh noted that North Carolina also had lost one of its strong safeties, Trimane Goddard, to a similar injury.

Virginia has not offered a prognosis on Williams' return, but preliminary reports on Goddard's injury have indicated he could miss the season.

Williams has not used his redshirt and has the option of returning for a fifth year in 2007 if the injury prevents him from returning this year.

Status elevated

Groh said that he has restored the scholarships of D.J. Bell and Davon Robb, a pair of offensive linemen who missed the 2005 season while on academic probation.

He at least partly based the decision on their commitment to finishing their degree work this year.

The Cavaliers also moved closer to the 85-scholarship NCAA limit by awarding a grant to John Phillips, a quarterback who is entering his third season as the holder for UVa field goals and extra points. Of the 83 players whom UVa is known to have on scholarships, 10 joined the program as walk-ons.

Transfers

Wide receiver Cary Koch, a Conference USA all-freshman selection last year at Tulane, is not the only player to join UVa's program as a transfer.

The Cavaliers also have added 6-4, 247-pound defensive end Pete Bladel from Division III Christopher Newport and 6-3, 230-pound tight end Arthur Singleton from Divsion I-AA Marist.

Bladel, a graduate of Stone Bridge High School in Loudon County, played in three games last year at Christopher Newport and was not projected as a starter this year. Singleton, from New York, did not have a reception for Marist. Groh said that Koch, who had 23 receptions last year at Tulane, currently is nursing hamstring pulls in both legs.

Recruits

Elisha Harris, who coached Virginia signee DeAndre Filer last year at Indian River High School in Chesapeake, said Friday that he has heard in the past week that Filer will go to Hargrave Military Academy. Hargrave coach Robert Prunty earlier had confirmed that three UVa signees (Almondo Sewell, Billy Cuffee and Ras-I Dowling) would be joining his program.
 

Tech recruit Gee expected at Hargrave
UVa recruit could play immediately for State
Doug Doughty

Anybody doing the math on Virginia Tech’s 2007 football recruiting class should have the Hokies with 25 commitments.

That includes two 2006 signees who did not meet NCAA eligibility guidelines but remain in the Hokies’ fold, defensive ends Mike Gee and Ladi Ajiboye.

As reported earlier, Ajiboye will spend this coming semester at Hargrave Military Academy, and the word Friday was that Gee also is expected at Hargrave when the postgrads report Monday.

There had been talk that Gee might sit out the first semester and enroll in January.

Obviously, no more than 25 players may enroll for 2007, but the Hokies are not done recruiting. The projections I’m getting are that Tech may take commitments from as many as 29 recruits, counting Gee and Ajiboye.

If Gee and Ajiboye meet NCAA eligibility guidelines during the fall, they could enroll at mid-year and count toward Tech’s 2006 quota. The same applies for Douglas McNeil, a wide receiver from New Town High School in Owings Mill, Md.

Most of Tech’s remaining recruits are from Virginia. They include defensive back Cris Hill from Highland Springs, wide receiver Jay Smith from Lake Taylor, and Varina High School teammates Jamar Jackson and Bud Tribbey. Jackson plays defensive end and Tribbey is a D-tackle.

Tech already has a commitment from Davon Morgan, a quarterback and defensive back for Varina who is expected to play in the secondary for the Hokies.

AS FOR VIRGINIA, listed as having 13 commitments after the weekend addition of Anthony Mihota and Andrew Devlin, the actual number is a little more fuzzy.

Of the eight 2006 Virginia signees who were not admitted, three already have enrolled at – or are committed to -- other schools. They are linebacker George Johnson (Rutgers), quarterback O.C. Wardlow (North Carolina Central) and defensive lineman Gavin Smith (North Carolina State).

Smith originally committed to N.C. State in 2004 but backed out of his commitment and signed with the Cavaliers. He was released from his letter-of-intent by UVa when he failed to graduate from Wakefield High School in a timely manner, but apparently only needs to get past the NCAA Clearinghouse to be eligible to play for the Wolfpack this season.

At one point, Smith was listed on UVa’s website as an enrolled student, but it’s not on there anymore. On July 7, Gavin Coleman Smith, described as a white Caucasian from Raleigh, N.C., received a 30-day suspended sentence in Albemarle County General District Court when he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence.

Smith was not prosecuted on an accompanying charge of reckless driving after he was clocked at 98 MPH on April 16 in a 55-MPH zone in Charlottesville. In addition to $426 in fines and court costs, Smith lost his driver’s permit for 12 months. (The Gavin Smith who signed with Virginia is also a white Caucasian, and media sources in Raleigh confirm the connection).

Of the other five UVa casualties, three are at Hargrave Military Academy (Almondo Sewell, Billy Cuffee and Ras-I Dowling), Fork Union Military Academy coach John Shuman says he’s still trying to determine if he can help a fourth (Asa Chapman) and a fifth is unaccounted for (DeAndre Filer).

Hargrave coach Robert Prunty said that his conversations indicated that Sewell, Cuffee and Dowling remain committed to UVa. But Dowling has told rivals.com that he might be inclined to sign with another school if he could enroll at midyear, an option that Virginia has given only to women’s golfer Jennie Arseneault in recent years.

Cuffee and Dowling never posed as a “package” deal, but at least they go to Hargrave with a prior relationship. Of the partial or non-qualifiers in Virginia’s 2006 recruiting class, Sewell appears to be the best bet to wind up in Charlottesville.

AN INDICATION OF the changes in football recruiting is the early commitments by Virginia players to schools like East Carolina, which has gotten a pledge for 2007 from Darryl Freeney, a 5-10, 181-pound Darryl Freeney, who had 27 receptions last year at Nansemond River in Suffolk.

Freeney reportedly had gotten some attention from Freeney, but it appears that players like Freeney and Norfolk Maury linebacker Steve Spence have come to the understanding that they aren’t going to get an offer from Tech or UVa until late – if they get an offer at all – and jump at the first good opportunity.

East Carolina coach Skip Holtz and his staff actually have commitments from three Virginians, including Cliff Perryman, a 6-1, 218-pound linebacker from Hermitage High School in Richmond.

Other out-of-state schools with commitments from Virginians include West Virginia (two), Maryland (two), Notre Dame, N.C. State, Syracuse and Clemson. Clemson recently landed Brian Linthicum, a 6-4, 250-pound tight end from New Mexico who is playing at St. Anne’s-Belfield in Charlottesville.

A Maryland commitment not previously mentioned in The Roanoke Times or roanoke.com was from Ira Davidson, a 6-2, 273-pound defensive lineman from St. Stephen’s in Alexandria.

Virginia Tech has 11 commitments from Virginia and UVa has seven, making it 22 Division I-A commitments already from Virginians.
 

U.Va. report: Bike accident knocks Sewell out of backup QB race
By ED MILLER , The Virginian-Pilot
© August 12, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Jameel Sewell has temporarily fallen out of the competition for the No. 2 quarterback slot at Virginia.

Apparently, after falling off his bike.

Sewell has missed practice after "significantly" cutting his leg on a bicycle chain earlier this week, coach Al Groh said. It's unclear when he'll return.

"I think this is the first bicycle chain incident we've had," Groh said.

A redshirt freshman from Richmond, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Sewell was expected to compete with junior Kevin McCabe for the backup job behind Christian Olsen. Sewell's considered the most mobile quarterback on the roster.

With Sewell out, McCabe took most of the snaps behind Olsen at Friday's open practice.

Transfer wideout should help when he's not hurt
Also held out of practice Friday was receiver Cary Koch, a transfer from Tulane who has two pulled hamstrings, Groh said. Koch, who caught 23 passes for 308 yards as a freshman for the Green Wave last year, will be eligible to play immediately because of academic cutbacks at Tulane due to Hurricane Katrina. Normally, a Division I-A transfer would have to sit out a year.

Koch is expected to provide depth to a receiving corps that will be without leading receiver Deyon Williams for an indefinite period. Williams was scheduled to have surgery Friday to repair a stress fracture in his foot.

"Tulane recommended him strongly to us," Groh said.

Franklin finding his form, firing up his teammates
Safety Tony Franklin, re-instated to the team last week after being dismissed last March for a violation of team rules, was wearing a starter's orange jersey Friday.

Franklin made the two biggest hits of the day, late in practice during goal-line drills. On the first play, he stuffed running back Cedric Peerman short of the goal line. Two plays later, he flattened fullback Josh Zidenberg, who had just hauled in a screen pass.

"The two hits he had gave everyone a lift," cornerback Marcus Hamilton said. "It's great having him back."

Barker bulked up and pushing Pinigis for job
Junior Eddie Pinigis was expected to step in for the graduated Brad Butler at right offensive tackle. But he's getting a run from redshirt freshman Will Barker, who may have added more weight in the off season than any player on the team.

The 6-foot-7 Barker weighed about 260 pounds when he arrived last season. This year, he reported at 306.

"He really is an example of what we're trying to find. That is tall, rangy, athletic guys," Groh said.

At 6-7, 293, Pinigis falls into that category himself.

"That's going to be a very competitive position," Groh said.

 

Mental toughness
Virginia kicker Chris Gould prepares for the tough task of replacing Connor Hughes and Kurt Smith with some help from his brother, who kicks for the Chicago Bears.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
August 12, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On the first day of spring practices in March, Chris Gould lined up a field goal and began his stint as the replacement for Connor Hughes, the best place-kicker in Virginia history.

By the end of practice, Gould might have felt like the worst kicker in Virginia history.

"I couldn't hit U-Hall if they asked me," Gould said, referring to University Hall, the basketball arena next to Virginia's practice fields.

His problem: He tried to kick the ball as hard as he could. Perhaps he tried in one practice to make Virginia's coaches forget about Hughes' school-record 66 field goals. And that's the worst thing a kicker can do - try to kick.

So Gould spent a month this summer in Chicago, working out with his brother, Robbie, the kicker for the NFL's Chicago Bears. They kicked at a local high school and trained at a fitness center. Most important, Robbie schooled Chris on the mental aspect of kicking - that torturous seesaw of confidence.

It would be hard to blame Gould, a junior, for feeling pressured right now. He must replace not only Hughes but also Kurt Smith, Virginia's kickoff specialist last season, who was drafted by the San Diego Chargers.

"Any time you replace Connor Hughes and Kurt Smith with one player, you've gotta have a lot of pressure on you," said Gould (pronounced "gold").

Virginia recruited Gould as a kicker and planned to redshirt him in 2004. But after punter Sean Johnson struggled, Virginia coach Al Groh turned to Gould in the season's third-to-last game. Gould punted for the rest of 2004 and all of last season.

Before spring practices, he hadn't kicked much since 2003, his senior year at Central Mountain High in Mill Hall, Pa., near Williamsport. Groh tried to minimize Gould's placekicking last season, but Gould snuck in some post-practice kicking with Hughes.

"He's always had that mentality of going up and killing the ball," said Hughes, a Lafayette High graduate who is in training camp with the New Orleans Saints. Hughes watched Gould kick some 60-yarders after practice.

Said Gould: "When you swing at 100 percent like I was doing in the springtime, you can't be very accurate. You can't control your body motion and get it to go in that linear path toward the field goal posts."

Before the summer, Robbie invited Chris to Chicago. Robbie kicked for Penn State and spent the final 13 games of his rookie season last fall with the Bears. He was 21 of 27 on field-goal attempts.

But Chris, 20, is the one who got Robbie, 23, into kicking. Both were soccer players growing up, before Chris started kicking in seventh grade. Chris and his father, Robert, practiced kicking at 6 a.m. every day before school. One morning, Robbie gave it a try.

It was just the two of them this summer, Chris and Robbie. They've been close since they were kids, since Chris was Beep and Robbie was Taz - the nicknames their maternal grandfather, Robert Ruhl, gave them before he died of cancer when Chris was 4.

Robbie was Taz - as in cartoon character the Tasmanian Devil - because of his boundless energy. Chris was Beep because he'd climb on his grandpa's recliner, and his grandpa would tap him on the nose and say "Beep!" Then Chris would tumble down, giggling.

"The name just stuck with him ever since," Robert said.

Gould, naturally shy, introduces himself to strangers: "Hi, I'm Beep." That's how he knows if they're paying attention. Everyone calls him Beep - his teammates, Groh, his parents, his brother.

"I like Chris, but a lot of people are named Chris," Beep said.

He was a different Beep after his month in Chicago. He and Robbie kicked field goals from inside 40 yards, focusing on accuracy, not distance. They watched film together, Robbie helping Chris slow down his routine. Swing with 80 percent of your leg power, Robbie reminded him.

Robbie doesn't profess to be an expert; he's picked up tidbits in his brief NFL career from kickers like Adam Vinatieri.

"What I've picked up since I've been in the NFL is you don't have to kill every ball," Robbie said. "It's just a matter of making field goals. ... Things I wish I would've known when I was younger."

Chris now approaches field goals not by licking his chops and rearing back, but by reviewing his pre-snap mental checklist: three steps back, two steps over, stay poised, keep your head down, make sure your hips are going right at the goal posts, approach the ball slowly, slow down on the back swing, 80 percent leg swing, 80 percent leg swing, 80 percent ...

"You have 25 seconds on a play clock to come out, set up and make sure everything's aligned," Gould said.

Twenty-five seconds. Can't break Hughes' school record of 66 field goals in 25 seconds. So Gould won't even try.