Depth big boost for U.Va. defense
David Teel
12:03 AM EDT, August 16, 2007
 

Best anyone can tell, Chris Long missed no more than a half-dozen snaps at defensive end for Virginia last season. But as good as Long is -- think future Pro Bowler good -- Cavaliers coach Al Groh wonders whether his team might be better in 2007 with a little less Long.

And a little less Jon Copper, Antonio Appleby and Clint Sintim.

Groh realizes the notion is counterintuitive.

"Our defense (last season) played better than defenses have around here for quite some time," he said.

Indeed, Virginia yielded 289.5 yards per game in 2006, the program's best since 1979. New NCAA timing rules, since reversed, certainly affected the numbers, but the Cavaliers were stingy by any measure, ranking among Division I-A's top 25 in passing defense, total defense and scoring defense.

They also were, in Groh's words, "an iron-man defense." Especially among the front seven, where ends Jeffrey Fitzgerald and Long, and linebackers Copper, Appleby and Sintim never sustained serious injury and rarely caught a break.

Substitution stats are inexact, but Virginia credited Long with 715 snaps. Opponents ran 721 plays.

Copper was on the field for 785 snaps, about 80 coming on special teams. Appleby logged 732 plays.

You get the picture. With quality front-liners and little depth, not to mention an anemic offense that ranked 109th in time of possession and 110th in scoring, Groh and defensive coordinator Mike London had no choice but to lean hard on the starters.

Entering the heart of preseason drills, Groh suspects and hopes 2007 could be different.

"Those players who did that yeoman's duty last year ? are clearly getting better and better," he said. "(But) the new players coming up are demonstrating more proficiency and earning more of our confidence. The issue's going to be whether the (old) guys are improving so much more that the gap is getting bigger even though the young guys are improving."

The young guys are redshirt freshmen such as inside linebackers Darnell Carter and John Bivens, and end Sean Gottschalk. There's also junior end Alex Field and junior linebacker Aaron Clark.

Common sense tells us that absent some rest, even the best-conditioned athletes succumb to fatigue. And Virginia did blow a 20-0 halftime lead last season against Maryland.

But Groh said, "That's the intriguing thing from our standpoint. There really isn't any performance evidence that (fatigue) was (an issue), and I know these players, having gone through that ? are of the attitude: 'I've already done it once. I don't want to come out. Why would you want to take me out this year when it went so well last year?' "

No question, an athlete's instinct is to resist substitution, to consider it a reprimand.

"I honestly don't want to come out," Sintim said, quickly adding that he has "the utmost confidence" in the backups.

Copper concurred but also conceded, "I think the guys collectively kind of know that (rest) is the best deal for the team."

That may be particularly true in the season opener Sept. 1 at Wyoming, and not just because the Cowboys took the Cavaliers to overtime last season in Charlottesville. The Wyoming campus in Laramie is more than 7,000 feet above sea level, more than enough to leave a scrawny marathoner gasping for air, let alone a 280-pound defensive end.

Long and Fitzgerald form arguably the ACC's best end tandem; Appleby, Copper, Sintim and Jermaine Dias mesh well at linebacker; either

Vic Hall or Chris Cook could become the first Virginia cornerback to earn first-team all-ACC honors since Ronde Barber in 1995.

If safeties Nate Lyles, Byron Glaspy and Jamaal Jackson improve their pass coverage, if some reserves provide quality snaps, and if the offense progresses, the Cavaliers could be a top-15 defense.

"We'd like to be able to do it," Groh said. "I think it would be worthwhile to take a few plays off the list of most of the players out there during the course of a game."

 

Snelling gets the Falcons' attention
BY MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
August 17, 2007
 

One former Cavalier is making an immediate impression in the NFL.

In Atlanta's preseason-opening 31-16 loss to the New York Jets on Aug. 10, former Virginia running back Jason Snelling had 10 carries for 48 yards and a long run of 12 yards. The performance had a reporter from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution crashing U.Va. coach Al Groh's daily preseason conference call to ask about Snelling, Atlanta's seventh-round draft pick, who led the Cavs with 830 yards on 183 carries.

Snelling primarily played tailback at U.Va., though some NFL scouts saw a blocking fullback with good hands - he also had 282 receiving yards in 2006 - in his 5-foot-11, 232-pound frame.

"He's got a multi-faceted game," Groh said. "It was his versatility that was very valuable to us here."

While at Virginia, Snelling learned to deal with the epilepsy that forced him to redshirt what would have been his sophomore season. He also coped with the death of his older brother Matthew in 2005.

"Jason really showed great resilience and staying power under his circumstances, and he certainly will be a person to tell you that he received a lot of support and caring from his teammates," Groh said.

Snelling and the Falcons travel to Buffalo tonight to take on the Bills in their second preseason game.

Snelling was one of two U.Va. players drafted in 2007. Cornerback Marcus Hamilton also went in the seventh round, to Tampa Bay, which plays at Jacksonville on Saturday.

MAKING IMPRESSIONS

It's been an up-and-down preseason for Virginia redshirt freshman tailback Raynard Horne, who has had good moments - like a short-yardage touchdown run during last weekend's open practices - and bad - like big losses after being tackled in the backfield.

Horne is competing for playing time behind starting tailback Cedric Peerman. Along with redshirt tailback Keith Payne, Horne also is battling running back/wideouts Andrew Pearman and Mikell Simpson for snaps.

"He's made progress, but he's certainly behind (Peerman and Pearman)," Groh said. "(But) he's got a good overall package of skills. He's got good straight-line speed. He's gonna get bigger and stronger. (It's) a process of taking those things and putting them all together and developing his game."

Junior linebacker Aaron Clark's development was slowed by mono-like symptoms that kept him out of practice until Monday.

"He's probably a little bit raw with his techniques right now, but he's catching up with the other guys," Groh said.

One of those "other guys" is junior linebacker Clint Sintim, who had 45 tackles and tied for the team lead with four sacks despite playing with a shoulder injury for most of the season. The injury was kept quiet, but still concerned Groh.

"I don't know how many people were really all that aware of it," Groh said. "Certainly Clint and I were. He was one of our best players, and the depth situation would have been really challenging to have to go at it without him. There was definitely a level of anxiety on a week-to-week basis."

Sintim is healthy now, and "all facets of his game have moved along," Groh said. "His run techniques are better, his pass rush is better, his situational awareness is better. He's really progressed as a player."

As to whether any candidates have caught his eye as a replacement for injured go-to receiver Kevin Ogletree, Groh turned to a baseball metaphor to explain the evaluation process.

"On a day-to-day basis, there's certain guys who stand out," he said. "The way one of our coaches expressed it in one of our staff meetings is, evaluating our receivers is like watching a baseball game inning by inning. Unless somebody scores 10 runs in one inning, it's probably going to take the full nine innings to find out who wins. That's kind of the way it's going with the receivers."

WAITING FOR WORD

Summer-school exams ended last week, but Groh said he hasn't seen the players' final grades. "I continue to wait for the full academic information to be on my desk," he said. "I'm getting antsy."

Sophomore linebacker Olu Hall, who sat out last season to concentrate on academics after appearing in eight games as a true freshman in 2005, is the team's main academic question mark. Hall, who attended school at Robinson in Fairfax, is not expected to practice today.
 

Men’s tennis tops Doughty rankings
Women’s basketball drops to bottom five
By Doug Doughty

I can’t say where Randy King is going with his first Virginia Tech Insider of the year, but you can bet that football will be the topic.

This column generally focuses on football and men’s basketball, but the first UVa Insider of 2006 was devoted to a rating of the Cavaliers’ athletic programs and that’s where we’re going again this year.

Last year, they were called the Doughty rankings, but you notice that the “r” is lower case. They certainly weren’t official and some people would say they aren’t particularly astute.

The question I asked several football players on Sunday was, “Where is this program right now.” That’s the basis for these ratings – not necessarily what the team did last year, not necessarily what it’s going to do this year, but where it stands.

With last year’s ratings in parentheses, here are this year’s ratings:

1. MEN’S TENNIS (3) – Coach Brian Boland hasn’t won a national championship yet, but the Cavaliers couldn’t be much closer. They were eliminated by eventual national champion Georgia in Athens, Ga., this spring, and boasted the individual singles champion in Somdev Devvarman, who will be returning. Three ACC titles in four years (four consecutive regular-season titles) isn’t too shabby for a program targeted as Tier 4 in 2001.

(At this point, it is worth revisiting the report submitted to the UVa Board of Visitors in 2001 that had UVa’s programs broken into four tiers. Tier 1 programs were to be fully funded, Tier 2 teams were to receive substantial if not full funded, Tier 3 teams were to receive limited grants and Tier 4 scholarships would be based solely on need.

2. MEN’S LACROSSE (1) – Dom Starsia’s teams throw in a klunker every now and then and 2007, with a first-round NCAA home loss to Delaware was one of them, but how do you argue with three NCAA titles in eight years? Plus, the Cavaliers are welcoming the nation’s top recruiting class.

3. BASEBALL (4) – Another former Tier 4 sport, if you can believe that. The season ended on a sour note when the Cavaliers again failed to make the second weekend of the NCAA playoffs, especially when they were looking at hosting a Super Regional. Injuries played a big part in that; besides, Oregon State then went on to repeat as NCAA champion. With openings at LSU, Notre Dame and Florida in the past two years, keeping Brian O’Connor has been huge.

4. WOMEN’S LACROSSE (10) – Julie Myers’ team has had a few clunkers of its own, but the women did win an ACC title last year – one of only three for the UVa program – and reached the NCAA championship game, where they gave defending champion Northwestern a battle before losing 15-13. It was UVa’s fourth final in five years.

5. MEN’S SOCCER (12) – Way too low last year, given the Cavaliers’ 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament in George Gelnovatch’s 12 seasons as coach. Virginia last year made its first trip to the final four (College Cup) since 1997 and continues its involvement with the top prospects in the country.

6. WOMEN’S ROWING (13) – Second-place finish at NCAA regatta showed that failure to make the championships in 2006 was just a blip on the radar screen. Cavs also finished second in 2005 and followed that up with the nation’s top recruiting class. Like men’s tennis, women’s rowing probably has an NCAA title in its future.

7. MEN’S BASKETBALL (8) – The program’s first NCAA appearance in six years was huge, as was the decision by two-time All-ACC selection Sean Singletary to return for his final season. Still, before passing final judgment, you’d like to have a better read on Leitao as a recruiter. Loss of Patrick Patterson was predictable; however, UVa needs to get to a place where it can keep the Ed Davises in state.

8. SWIMMING (5) – Fail to win an ACC men’s championship for the first time in nine years and you drop to the second five? This is some tough competition. It’s a wonder that coach Mark Bernardino was able to put together a streak without decent diving facilities. A 16th-place finish in the NCAAs was worth big Directors’ Cup points but the women (39th) need to get better.

9. WOMEN’S SOCCER (2) – Huge drop from 2006 despite two NCAA Tournament wins, but this program appears to be stagnating, given its quarterfinal loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament. An ACC title in 2004 was a major breakthrough in light of North Carolina’s decades-long domination; maybe that lifted expectations too high.

10. CROSS COUNTRY (11) – Men failed to repeat 2006 ACC title but both men’s and women’s teams finished 14th in the NCAAs after matching third-place finishes in the ACC. Men’s and women’s teams had not both qualified for the NCAAs in the same year until 2005.

11. FIELD HOCKEY (Bottom five) – What a difference a new coach can make! All it took was one game for the Cavaliers to end a 20-game ACC losing streak as they upended No. 4 North Carolina in the ACC opener. Under national coach of the year Michele Madison, the Cavaliers got as high as No. 7 in the rankings and reached the second round of the NCAA playoffs.

12. FOOTBALL (9) – The Cavaliers have the potential to win seven or eight games this season, which would be a good improvement on last year’s 5-7 record but the promise of a 9-5 season is 2002 has not been approached since. Virginia has gotten some impressive prospects from out of state but is not going to thrive without in-state talent.

13. WOMEN’S TENNIS (6) – Need to see a little more from this program, which brought in the nation’s top recruiting class last year but struggled with freshmen in key roles. Trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament represented decent progress in coach Marc Guilbeau’s second year.

14. WOMEN’S GOLF (7) – Departure of Lauren Mielbrecht and injury to Jennie Arseneault placed a major burden on senior Leah Wigger. Cavaliers finished ninth in the NCAA regionals, where only eight teams advanced to the championships, and now deal with the graduation of Wigger and retirement of coach Jan Mann. New coach Kim Lewellen will be followed from East Carolina by NCAA qualifier Lene Krog.

15. VOLLEYBALL (Bottom five) – The Cavaliers need some recognition after going 23-8 and finishing second in the ACC. They hoped for an NCAA Tournament berth, which would have been their first since 1999, but only regular-season champion Duke got a bid and there is no ACC Volleyball tournament. Sixteen conference victories was an all-time high.

BOTTOM FIVE

WRESTLING (Bottom five) – This could be the next field hockey, a program ready to jump out of the bottom five after a top-10 recruiting year. Cavs weren’t as good this year (2-3 ACC) under new coach Steve Garland as they were under ousted predecessor Lenny Bernstein, who had a 4-1 conference record in his final year.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (14) – Cavaliers would have won 20 games if they had won at Wisconsin in the women’s NIT, but this program has done – and can do – so much more. Virginia has made the women’s NCAA Tournament only once in the past four seasons and failed to sign any of the seven in-state players who were ranked among the nation’s top 100.

TRACK AND FIELD (Bottom five) – If Virginia Tech can win women’s indoor and outdoor championships, Virginia ought to do better than sixth. The UVa men were 47th at the NCAA meet, while the women failed to score.

MEN’S GOLF (Bottom five) – The Cavaliers finished ninth out of 11 teams in the ACC Tournament and haven’t been as good in three years under Bowen Sargent as they were under predecessor Mike Moraghan, a personal favorite I must confess. On top of everything else, sophomore Daniel Kefale was arrested on drug charges after the season.

SOFTBALL (Bottom five) – Alumna Eileen Schmidt takes over the worst of UVa’s athletic programs (17-39 overall, 1-20 ACC). The Cavaliers’ failure to recruit Angela Tincher probably cost two UVa head coaches their jobs; you think they’d have enough sense to recruit Abbie Rexrode out of the same James River program that produced Tincher.
 

Cavs look to defense
By Blair J. Parker/staff
bparker@newsleader.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE — With summer term final exams in the books, the University of Virginia football team only has one thing to worry about now — surviving two-a-days in the blazing heat and setting their sights on an ACC championship.

The fans, along with the media, had the opportunity to meet the 2007 Cavalier squad at the annual Meet the Team Day at the Scott Stadium on Sunday, but the majority of the buzz that surrounded the event was the resurgence of the Cavs' defense, led by 6-foot-4, 279-pound senior defensive end Chris Long.

"He is the standard setter. He was a high motor, high energy, high ambition player when he came here and that's the key to having that kind of personality on your team," said Al Groh, who is entering his seventh year at the helm of U.Va. "He also has embraced every particular facet of the culture and how we try to do things. He shows the way for everyone and when he speaks, he's the E.F. Hutton of the team."

For the second straight season, Long was selected as team captain and enters the 2007 campaign as a candidate for the Outland Trophy, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, Bednarik Trophy, Lombardi Trophy and Hendricks Award. He was also selected as a preseason first-team All-American.

Alongside Long on the defense will be fellow linebackers Jon Copper and Antonio Appleby, who were one and two in tackles for the Cavs last season, and Clint Sintim. Also making noise will be defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald and cornerback Vic Hall.

"I think coach Groh has a lot of trust and faith in us (the defense) and is expecting a lot this year," Sintim said. "I know the way I feel and other guys, my other linebackers, like Antonio (Appleby) and Jon (Copper), he (Groh) really pushes us to maximize our athletic ability."

Since the Cavaliers have only been on the field for a week, Groh isn't putting a lot of stock into player and unit evaluation up to this point.

"I'm really not pleased or unpleased with any of these practices so far. You just go coach them, then evaluate them and prepare for the next (practice). I think it will really be into next week before it's valid to start forming some conclusions about players or units," Groh said.

On the offensive side of the ball, redshirt freshman tailback Keith Payne has a strong chance of nailing down a spot in the starting lineup, giving the Cavs one more option in the backfield. But it's Cedric Peerman, the team's leading returning rusher with 390 yards, who has been running with the first team, while Mikell Simpson, Raynard Horne and Andrew Pearman have also been getting turns in the backfield.

"Cedric is one of the hardest working guys on this team and I think he's really going to have a breakout season," said junior guard co-captain Branden Albert.

With last season's leading receiver, Kevin Ogletree, sidelined with a knee injury, competition for playing time at the wide receiver slot will continue through training camp.

"We're going to take every opportunity to let this play out throughout the full month of August," Groh said.

The Cavs will be looking to second-year quarterback Jameel Sewell to continue his progression from last season and raise his level of play to another level. Four weeks into the 2006 season, Sewell took over as the starter and earned honorable mention freshman All-American honors and finished second on the team in rushing with 200 yards and four TDs.

"We're finally healthy as a line, and I think that will help us tremendously this year, especially when it come to protecting Jameel (Sewell). We have a full year of playing together under our belts, and I think that will make it hard on defenses because we are so familiar with each other," said left tackle Eugene Monroe, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound junior.

A word Groh continuously repeated during his press conference was depth. But no thanks to an NCAA rule, Virginia and other Division I-A programs are restricted to inviting only 105 players to training camp.

While additions, typically recruited walk-ons, can be added once the fall semester begins on Aug. 28, programs are forced to make decisions on invitations.

Virginia has 24 true freshmen and four recruited walk-ons in camp, and reached the maximum number of players, but because of roster management, the Cavs have 20 players who are classified as redshirt freshmen. That number gives Virginia a newfound level of talent.

"The new players coming up are demonstrating more proficiency and earning more of our confidence. It's a decision I think every team has got to face because obviously when you substitute in most cases, the player coming in probably isn't going to perform to the same level as the player who went out," Groh said. "That's why he's not first team. So the idea of giving players rest is certainly is a significant one, but we don't want to lower the overall team performance just to say that the player is resting."

As always, competition during training camp and practice determines playing time, but this year Groh and his staff are optimistic about the chance to play two on a regular basis and have a third ready.

Virginia is looking to improve on last year's sub-.500 record of 5-7 and will have its first opportunity in the season opener Sept. 1 at Wyoming. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. Virginia's home opener is Sept. 8 against Duke at noon.

"I can't wait to hit the field against Wyoming because we've been leaving it all out there in camp and we put in so many hours over the summer. It will be nice to just get out there where its all for real," said junior linebacker Aaron Clark, a graduate of Rockbridge County High School.

Former Bath County star John Phillips, a junior tight end, is expected to contribute to the Cavalier' offense, while Rockbridge County graduate and junior walk-on Brandon Jarvis is also competing for playing time at cornerback.