Return of Virginia's Kevin Ogletree well received
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By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
© August 12, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Kevin Ogletree is tired of talking about his knee. Virginia coach Al Groh is tired of talking about Ogletree's knee.

"I think really the Kevin Ogletree rehab story is over," Groh said Sunday.

It has been for some time, Groh and Ogletree say. The Virginia receiver, who missed the 2007 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament, returned to practice in December, as Virginia prepared to play Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl. He went through spring ball at full speed, looking every bit the Ogletree of old.

"He was Kevin as we knew Kevin to be, athletically," Groh said. "Maybe a little better."

The Ogletree Virginia knew in 2006 was a deep-threat receiver whose 52 receptions were nearly as many as the 55 collected by Virginia's top three wideouts in 2007. Maurice Covington led all receivers with 21. Dontrelle Inman and Staton Jobe caught 17 each.

Ogletree saw every catch from his perch on the sideline. "I never lost any juice. I was into every play," he said. "I felt like I was in there with the team, and I'm pretty sure they felt me and my enthusiasm."

They did. But they'd much rather feel it on the field, where Ogletree's return should make Virginia's receiving corps deeper and more talented than it has been in years.

"I'm real confident in our unit," Ogletree said. "I'm not just saying that."

A healthy Ogletree would be enough to boost the group's confidence. He's one of just nine players in Virginia history to catch 50 passes. But Covington, Inman and Jobe also return, as does senior Cary Koch. All should benefit from the attention opposing defenses will be forced to give Ogletree.

"It should open up more opportunities for us," Covington said.

Ogletree emerged as the team's go-to receiver as a sophomore in '06, coming on after Deyon Williams went down with a foot injury during preseason camp. He totaled 133 yards on three catches against Maryland, the highest single-game average by a wide receiver since Herman Moore caught three balls for 136 yards in 1989.

An All-ACC candidate heading into 2007, Ogletree blew out his knee in spring drills.

It was the first serious injury of his career. Following surgery, he attacked his rehabilitation aggressively. When he couldn't run, he lifted weights. From the sidelines, he studied opposing defensive backs, preparing for the day he would face them again.

"He was chomping at the bit," Covington said. "He's been ready to go for a long time now. Since probably midseason last year he's been ready to go."

It has been 17 months since the injury, eight months since he returned to practice. His return to the field is less than three weeks away.

"I just can't wait," he said. "It's coming close. I've got a lot of things I want to help my team do this year."

The first would be providing the long-ball threat Virginia lacked in his absence. Another will be helping bring along a new quarterback - whomever it might be.

Groh said that if anything, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Ogletree is stronger than before the injury. He has added several pounds of muscle and is noticeably thicker and more toned in the arms and shoulders. All that remains is for him to regain the timing and the feel of live-game action.

Once he does, he'll give everyone something else to talk about.

"I think everybody's ready to stop hearing about the knee," he said. "And play some ballgames."

 

Virginia QBs keeping quiet
By Andy Bitter
Published: August 10, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The three players vying for Virginia’s starting quarterback job took an odd tack at the team’s media day on Sunday: They chose not to speak to the media.

Fifth-year senior Scott Deke sat before a throng of reporters at the beginning of the event and made a statement for himself and the two other players competing to be the Cavaliers’ starting quarterback, Peter Lalich and Marc Verica.

“I think it’s in our best interest to stick to ourselves and keep working to do what’s best for our team,” Deke said before joining his fellow quarterbacks at a table signing autographs for fans the remainder of the session.

The trio was expected to be available for the media after being off limits on Saturday following Virginia’s first open practice.

Quarterbacks coach Mike Groh defended the decision.

“I think it shows the maturity level of all three of them, whether they’ve been here two years or five years, like Scott,” he said. “This could’ve been their opportunity to say, ‘Hey, finally I’ve got a microphone in my face and I get a chance to answer questions.’ But they’re more focused on the team than they are themselves and I think that says a lot about them.”

Deke, the oldest of the group, is listed atop the preseason depth chart, despite never having thrown a pass in a college game.

Of the three, the sophomore Lalich has the most game experience, serving at Jameel Sewell’s backup last year and throwing for 321 yards and two touchdowns.

Verica, a redshirt sophomore, has yet to appear in a game.

Don’t expect the Cavaliers’ quarterback quandary to change any time soon. Head coach Al Groh has been intentionally vague when speaking about the situation in his daily teleconferences.

“As I’ve said on a couple of occasions, we’re not keeping a daily scorecard on them,” he said Sunday. “We’re looking at the body of work. …

“Unless something dramatic happens right away — that some guy for five or six days is, ‘Holy smoke, this is real different’ — it’s the best thing for the team to get as much input as we can (and) not make an inappropriately quick decision.”

Virginia has no timetable for settling on a quarterback for its opener, a home game against No. 2 Southern Cal on Aug. 30. In fact, the situation may not be resolved by then.

“The most important thing is for the team to have the right quarterback in there,” he said. “It might take a few games to find out.”

 

Virginia Cavaliers notes
By Andy Bitter
Published: August 10, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Slowly but surely, Virginia guard B.J. Cabbell worked his way into game action last season.

First, it was in mop-up duty at guard. Then it was on the field goal unit. All of it was a sample, just to let the former Nelson County standout get a taste of what action was like in preparation for this season, when he is expected to jump into the starting lineup as he embarks on his third year with the program.

“I know I don’t have the big experience of being in an actual game,” Cabbell said at UVa’s media day on Sunday, “but it feels like, you know, the pace of a game from just being out there.”

The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Cabbell is listed as the No. 1 right guard on the preseason depth chart, ahead of redshirt freshman Billy Cuffee. It’s a scenario Virginia envisioned last year, when Ian-Yates Cunningham was finishing up his final year of eligibility.

The Cavaliers gave Cabbell very small roles, but they required him to take responsibility in something on game days.

“I don’t think it did much to help his game as a guard,” UVa coach Al Groh said, “but it helped his mental approach to be in games.”

Groh hopes that will help when Southern Cal comes to Scott Stadium for the opener on Aug. 30. Though the Trojans, the No. 2 team in the preseason coaches’ poll, had two defensive linemen selected in the top-10 of last year’s draft, they are traditionally loaded up front.

Cabbell’s response?

“I love it,” he said. “I’m up to the challenge. I mean, what bigger challenge can you ask (for)?”

‘Horrible to hopeful’

The Cavaliers have only practiced in full pads twice this preseason, which means the coaches have had few sessions to see their raw place-kickers in game-like situations. So far, all three of Virginia’s potential kickers — redshirt freshman Chris Hinkebein and walk-ons Yannick Reyering and Robert Randolph — have shown drastic improvement in their accuracy.

“As one coach put it: ‘From the spring, we’ve gone from horrible to hopeful,’” Groh said.

The group will have plenty more full-contact, full-speed drills, which Groh hopes will give the team better information as to who will succeed Chris Gould at place-kicker.

“We’re just trying to get a sense of it, because there’s nothing like being out there in a stadium and everyone is watching you,” Groh said. “When a kid plays one of the kicking positions, 65,000 people and everybody who watches SportsCenter knows whether he had a good play or not. So that’s a particular kind of pressure that can only be approximated in practice.”

Everyone’s an All-American

USC quarterback Mark Sanchez dislocated his left kneecap on Friday and his status for the season opener is up in the air. That wasn’t making Groh any less concerned about the Trojans’ offense.

“They replace one All-American with a potential All-American that nobody’s heard of,” he said.

Well, almost. One of Sanchez’s backups is Mitch Mustain, one of the most decorated prep quarterbacks ever. The former high school player of the year started his college career at Arkansas but left for USC after clashing with then-head coach Houston Nutt. Mustain, who sat out last year, is 8-0 as a starter.

Back with a purpose

Junior Kevin Crawford, a 6-foot-3, 280-pound defensive end, is a changed man after sitting out last year on an academic suspension.

“Even though he was out, he’s advanced from where he was when he left,” Groh said. “Because those things that held Kevin back were not athletic ability, but commitment and sense of purpose and work ethic, whether it was football-wise or education-wise.

“He’s one of those players who profited by seeing the other side.”

Crawford, who has two years eligibility remaining, could provide depth as a backup at one of the end positions.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2008 - 12:07 AM

Big man gaining experience
The freshmen on the Virginia men's basketball team this season include Assane Sene, a 7-0, 226-pound center from Saint-Louis, Senegal.

Sene, who turned 19 in June, played for his country over the weekend at the Nike Global Challenge tournament in Hillsboro, Ore. The field included three under-19 teams from United States and one each from Canada, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, Serbia and Senegal.

In three games, all of which Senegal lost, Sene averaged 3.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and 13.3 minutes. He was 3 for 7 from the floor and 5 for 13 from the line.

Because of summer-school commitments at U.Va., Sene wasn't able to practice much with the Senegal team before the tourney began, and that limited his role.

Sene has been playing basketball for little more than three years, and "any time he can get experience in a competitive environment, it's useful," U.Va. assistant coach Bill Courtney said yesterday.

An excellent athlete who runs the court well, Sene is "still raw on the offensive end, but getting better," Courtney said. "He's a guy who's going to give 100 percent every second he's on the floor. He's going to challenge every shot and try to get every rebound."

The Cavaliers' centers for the past four seasons include Tunji Soroye, who's from Nigeria. Soroye, who because of injuries played in only two games last season, is likely to be granted a medical redshirt, but he's not expected back at U.Va. in 2008-09. He posted career averages of 1.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.

"I think the only comparison is they're from Africa and they're tall," Courtney said of Soroye and Sene. "They have totally different games, starting with fact that Assane is left-handed and is more comfortable with the ball away from the basket."

Ex-Royal working back into rotation
If he's healthy -- and that's a big if -- former Prince George High star John Bivens figures to be one of Virginia's starters at inside linebacker in 2009. Bivens, a redshirt sophomore, has had two operations on his left knee in the past 16 months, and he wasn't an active participant in spring practice this year.

Bivens is again practicing with the team, however, and says his knee feels fine and that he doesn't "really have any restrictions."

Knee problems limited Bivens to seven games last season, and he played primarily on special teams. The Cavaliers' starters at his position -- Jon Copper and Antonio Appleby -- are seniors. Bivens will be on the second team if his knee holds up.

"I missed it a lot," Bivens said. "Of course being out of football is tough. I'm just happy to be out here with my teammates. Right now, I just want to do anything I can do to help my team win. So if it's a backup role or whatever it may be, my whole main focus is being a team player."

Football seats remain
Tickets for Virginia's four ACC home games went on sale yesterday. U.Va. hosts Maryland on Oct. 4, North Carolina, homecoming opponent Miami on Nov. 1 and Clemson on Nov. 22. Tickets are $42 apiece.

Also, tickets for Virginia's home games against Richmond (Sept. 6) and East Carolina (Oct. 11) are available for $16 and $35, respectively. The Aug. 30 opener against Southern California is sold out.

Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.virginiasports.com, in person at Bryant Hall in Scott Stadium, or by telephone at 800-542-8821.

Help for local group
Wahoo fans in the Richmond area can help support Meals on Wheels Serving Central Virginia by purchasing orange T-shirts through the U.Va. Bookstore. The shirts -- one for football and the other for all U.Va. sports -- are $10 apiece, and proceeds will help the organization that delivers meals to homebound clients in Central Virginia.

T-shirts can be purchased at the Meals on Wheels office at 1600 Willow Lawn Dr., from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays. For information, call Christy Dalton or Kathleen Seal at (804) 673-5035. -- Jeff White

 

New faces, tough season are ahead for Virginia
Cavaliers return only 10 starters this season; team still choosing a QB
By Shaun T. Cox/staff • stcox@newsleader.com • August 12, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The University of Virginia is fresh off one of its best football seasons in recent memory, but the Cavaliers have a lot of holes to fill and a ton of questions to answer — like who the starting quarterback will be, for instance.

The Cavaliers return just 10 starters, five on each side of the ball. Of the 119 NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision teams, only seven schools return fewer starters than Virginia.

Coach Al Groh, the reigning ACC coach of the year, will look to replace his starting quarterback, three offensive linemen and both tight ends, but the return of running back Cedric Peerman and receiver Kevin Ogletree will help ease the transition. Peerman, one of four team captains, was leading the ACC in rushing last season (113.2 yards per game) before missing the last six games with an injury, and Ogletree missed all of 2007 after suffering a knee injury in spring practice. Ogletree led the Cavs with 52 catches for 582 yards in 2006.

Groh said there's still an air of anticipation, and opportunities abound for his unproven team.

"It's more about challenges and opportunity for achievement than it is that kind of excitement," he said of fans' heightened expectations. "It's a different kind of excitement, I think, certainly for coaches and most likely for players than it is the air of excitement ... for a spectator. But right now it's not too exciting. It's just go to work every day and try to assess where the team is. What do we need to do to move forward and get better?"

Without a proven quarterback, offensive line play will be a major key, and the cupboard isn't completely bare. Senior Eugene More, an Outland Trophy Watch List member, will anchor the line at left tackle.

Groh said he's seen good progress from his three quarterbacks, senior Scott Deke, sophomore Marc Verica and sophomore Peter Lalich, although no one stands out at this point.

"We're not keeping a daily scorecard on them," he said. "We're ... looking at the body of work, and giving everybody plenty of opportunity to show us how the club will best operate."

Groh didn't rule out a multiple QB rotation early on.

"The most important thing for the team is to have the right quarterback in there," he said. "That's really only proven with quarterbacks when they play in a game, and we don't have any games to play, so it might take some games to find out exactly who the one quarterback is, or who the two are."

Ogletree said he's ready to help whomever's calling the signals get the ball in the end zone, and he's finished with the injury talk.

"I'm ready right now," he said. "The injury's behind me. We've got a lot to look forward to, and I'm not thinking about my knee anymore, which is good. It's a great feeling, and I'm not just telling you guys that. I'm healthy."

On the defensive side, senior outside linebacker Clint Sintim was named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch list. Sintim, a team captain, has started all 37 games in his career and had 77 tackles last year, good for third best on the team, in addition to nine sacks, tops in the nation among linebackers.

The secondary is young and inexperienced, so a solid pass rush up front will be critical, especially after the loss of Chris Long, the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft.

"We look forward to this really being a year where Sean (Gottschalk) moves forward," Groh said of his sophomore defensive end. "But also, we see in Matt Conrath a very bright prospect who will play a lot of good ball here over the next four years."

The Cavaliers will be tested right out of the gate with college football juggernaut and preseason No. 2 USC storming into Charlottesville on Aug. 30. The Cavaliers will likely have to lick their wounds quickly because a week two loss to the Richmond Spiders would spell disaster. The Spiders won the Colonial Athletic Association last season and made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, formerly known as Div. II.

Virginia's opponents went a combined 91-64 last season, and eight teams went to a bowl game. Four are ranked in the preseason USA Today Top 25.

After Richmond, the Cavs travel to Connecticut and Duke before returning home for three games against Maryland, East Carolina and North Carolina. Virginia then travels to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech, hosts Miami, makes the trip to Wake Forest, and then hosts ACC favorite Clemson.

The only game bigger than a season-opening battle with college football royalty is the next installment of the annual, season-ending blood feud with archrival Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The Hokies have won four straight and 8-of-9 against the Cavs, and it hasn't even been close. Tech's eight wins have come by an average of 19 points, with Virginia's only recent win coming in 2003.

 

Cavs’ Koch gets his opportunity
By Jay Jenkins
Published: August 11, 2008

Cary Koch is on cloud nine.

After watching the wide receiver in practice and limited action over the past two seasons, Virginia coach Al Groh rewarded the Louisiana native with a scholarship.

More importantly, Koch is all smiles — and holding his breath — as he has remained healthy for the first time during a training camp.

“I have missed two training camps so far,” he said. “It was my hamstring my first year here and then last year it was my MCL.

“I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying that I don’t have another injury.”

If he remains out of the training room and away from team doctors, Koch could play a vital role in an offense that could elect to become pass-happy. They certainly have enough pass-catching options.

Last season, Koch played the final 10 games and caught nine passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, which came against N.C. State. Six of his receptions also went for first downs.

That productivity — and some untimely departures from the program — made Groh’s decision rather easy, something he also did for wideout Staton Jobe and running back Hall Simmons.

“I am very thrilled with the scholarship,” Koch said. “My parents were helping me financially and now I am helping them.”

It is not Koch’s first experience receiving a grant-in-aid. As a freshman in 2005, he hauled in 23 passes for just over 300 yards at Tulane University.

But he walked away from the Green Wave program after his intended major was eliminated following Hurricane Katrina.

“I left a full scholarship at Tulane, and it was a big decision and a lot went into that, but that was my decision,” Koch said. “Once I came up here, that was the goal — get back on scholarship.

“I knew coming here that I would have to work twice as hard and be noticed by doing the extra things that a walk-on has to do to even be in consideration for a scholarship.”

The examples walking around Virginia’s locker room that went from practice players paying their own way to scholarship standouts were plentiful. Two starters — inside linebacker Jon Copper and safety Byron Glaspy — climbed the ranks during their respective careers.

“I didn’t really feel like a walk-on when I got here and I was never treated like a walk-on by anybody,” he said. “There are many so walk-ons who have earned scholarships and they were honest with me early on.

“They told me that if you work hard and put in the work that it would happen. That’s what I have done.”

As for his health, Koch credits the team’s strength coach, a common answer from Virginia’s players.

“I think that we are all, as a team, in the best shape that we have ever been in. It has been fun to watch in practice.”

 

UVa track coach: 'Time for change'
Randy Bungard says he was not forced out of his position by the Virginia administration.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Randy Bungard, the former director of Virginia's track and cross country programs, has left the school.
The announcement of Randy Bungard's resignation as head of the track and field program was like so many to come out of Charlottesville in recent years, with suspicions raised.

Just in the past three years, Virginia has made coaching changes in field hockey, softball and volleyball, usually with the notation that the coach would be departing to "pursue other interests."

In several of those instances, the coach did not have the option of remaining at Virginia, a conclusion to which some Internet posters jumped after the Bungard announcement.

"That's what worried me when this happened, that people would look at [the announcement] and say, 'Oh, Virginia canned this guy,' " said Bungard, who was at UVa for 13 years, including two seasons (1993-1995) as an assistant to Fred Binggeli. "I easily could have remained at Virginia. The administration wasn't unhappy."

Bungard, a 1982 Blacksburg High School graduate who won three Metro Conference championships as a decathlete at Virginia Tech, was head of Virginia's track and field program from 1997 until his resignation July 24th.

Virginia never won an ACC title during his time, but the men finished fourth and the women were fifth last spring. In track and field, as opposed to some non-revenue sports, all 12 ACC schools have men's and women's teams.

"If you look at the program, it's not in the dumps," Bungard said. "The men's team this year was maybe as good as it's been since I've been here. I felt good about where we were going, but, as we were talking, something came over me and told me, 'It's time for a change.' "

Bungard doesn't have another job -- yet -- but his wife does. For the past 20 months, Bungard has been married to Meridith Thorpe, an assistant field hockey coach at Iowa.

Thorpe is the most celebrated player in UVa field hockey history and holds the ACC record for points and goals in a career (1995-98). She also served as an assistant to ex-Cavaliers coach Jessica Wilk, whose "resignation" was announced in December 2005.

Thorpe was not interviewed for the post, which went to Michele Madison from Michigan State.

"Meridith wasn't very happy with how that all went down," Bungard said. "She was having a hard time being in Charlottesville. When the opportunity came up at Iowa, I said, 'You know, Meridith, you're pretty miserable here. Why don't you go ahead and look at that position?' "

Thorpe had just about decided not to pursue the Iowa opening when Bungard learned that the Hawkeyes' longtime women's track and field coach, James Grant, had died from cancer. When told by Iowa's athletic director that he might be considered for Grant's spot, Bungard advised his wife to go ahead.

Iowa eventually promoted from within to fill its track and field opening.

"We really didn't have a 'Plan B,' " Bungard said, "but that wasn't the primary reason I resigned. I still don't know if I'm going to head off to Iowa or not. What I do know is that I still want to coach."

Bungard, 44, isn't sure if he wants to be a director of track and field, a position that has become increasingly administrative. Indeed, Jason Dunn, who had been Bungard's assistant, went to Stanford as distance coach when he would have been a prime candidate to succeed Bungard.

Under Dunn's direction, Virginia has won two ACC men's cross country championships in three years.

"I knew that Virginia was a little bit nervous about letting Jason go," said Bungard, noting that Dunn also was being courted by Wisconsin. "That was part of my timing. I said, 'You know what, I think I'll resign and Jason can take a look at this option.' "

Dunn elected not to pursue the Virginia job for a lot of the same reasons that Bungard was willing to give it up. At Stanford, he'll be able to coach.

"If you're the director, you're responsible for six sports and more than 100 athletes," said UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage, referring to men's and women's cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. "The administrative aspect of the job had become overwhelming."

With the Olympics approaching, Virginia knew it had to move quickly and hired Texas assistant Jason Vigilante before he left for Beijing. When Vigilante returns, Littlepage will pitch the idea of filling a vacant assistant's job with a director of operations who can coordinate recruiting, academics and scheduling,

Virginia doesn't want to be left behind, but the Cavaliers face some obstacles, most notably the absence of an indoor track.

"When I first got there, I was like 'indoor, indoor, indoor,' " Bungard said, "but, in the meantime, the outdoor facility has run down. It's not that we can't train at Lannigan Field. The problem is, when you bring recruits in, they're thinking, 'Obviously, this isn't very important here.' Our track is the worst in the conference. Not even close.

"If Virginia had an indoor facility and a good outdoor facility, they'd be tough to beat. Kids look at Virginia. We can use academics, but when you're going against Stanford and [North] Carolina and Princeton and Duke, you can only use academics so much."

Littlepage said plans are on the table that would increase the seating at Lannigan Field, build a support building with utilities and running water and possibly add lights.

"Our goal would be to make it an asset," Littlepage said.