White: Training Camp Notebook
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 08/21/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Junior Keith Payne continues to move up the depth chart at tailback, in part because he's been healthy during training camp, but mainly because he's grown as a football player.
The 6-3, 245-pound Payne has "really developed his game," Al Groh said today, and the former Oakton High star is in the best shape of his college career.
"Some guys really buy into it heavily, and some guys it takes them a while to figure out that it's to their advantage to be that way," Groh said. "Keith is a big player to start with, so it probably wouldn't be fair to say that he was in bad shape, but he wasn't in the type of superior shape that a back needs to be just to go and go and go and go.
"He certainly trained hard during the offseason, and [strength coach Brandon Hourigan] did a great job with him, in particular, and it's made a big difference."
Payne has appeared in 17 games for UVa, rushing 63 times for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He's caught six passes for 46 yards.
* * * * * *
A knee injury kept Kris Burd from practicing until recently, but the sophomore wide receiver has quickly worked back into the rotation.
Burd is "very glad to be there," Groh said, "and he made a couple plays today that reminded me of the skills and the versatility that Kris brings to the offense."
In 2008, Burd caught seven passes for 75 yards.
* * * * * *
On his teleconference with reporters this afternoon, Groh didn't name names when asked if any of the Cavaliers' true freshmen would play this season. But he made it clear that he won't redshirt the entire class.
"There's a pretty good size list that I would anticipate are going to help us this year," Groh said. "At least at this stage, with two weeks to go [before the Sept. 5 opener], they're showing that they certainly could solidly put themselves in the mix."
* * * * * *
In the 1980s, Groh spent six seasons as coach at Wake Forest, where he compiled a 26-40 record. This is his ninth season at UVa, where his record is 56-44.
If you'd told him in, say, 1975 that he'd one day be entering his 15th season as an ACC head coach, Groh said, "I probably would have said I would consider myself lucky to have been able to do that for one year.
"Honestly, I do consider myself very lucky. I'm just an average guy who likes football, everything about it, and is committed to doing that, and things have gone my way, things have worked out nicely.
"I'm very appreciative of those things, and I consider myself to be a very lucky guy."
* * * * * *
Guests at practice today included Chris Slade, who recently was hired as the sideline reporter for radio broadcasts of UVa football games.
Slade was an All-America defensive end for the 'Hoos, and he discussed pass-rushing techniques with some of the players after practice.
* * * * * *
At St. Anthony's High on Long Island, N.Y., Max Pomper was a year ahead of John-Kevin Dolce. They both ended up at UVa, where Pomper became a starting defensive midfielder on the lacrosse team.
"We were real good friends, and we still are," said Dolce, a redshirt junior nose tackle on the football team.
In high school, Pomper played football, and he "was an awesome safety," Dolce said.
Dolce, however, rarely picked up a lacrosse stick. "Just messing around, but never to actually go on the field with," he said, laughing.
Pomper, who took a medical redshirt in 2006, is expected to play for the Cavaliers as a graduate student next season.
* * * * * *
As a redshirt freshman last season, Corey Mosley started UVa's final nine games at safety. He played well overall, but Mosley, not surprisingly, would like to have had a few plays back.
They included a long run by Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who capitalized on a poor pursuit angle by Mosley in the third quarter.
"Yeah, I got caught," Mosley said, "but it won't happen again. I can just tell you, it won't happen again. For the whole defensive side, it won't happen again. Not just for Tech, but all 12 games."
* * * * * *
Senior Darren Childs has replaced redshirt freshman Billy Schautz at linebacker in Virginia's nickel (five defensive backs) and dime (six DBs) packages.
"He's having a real nice camp," Groh said of Childs, who starts at inside linebacker in UVa's base defense. "I think maybe he's surprised himself."
* * * * * *
In 2008, Vic Hall didn't begin working at quarterback until the week of the Virginia Tech game, which he started at that position. That, however, was an unusual situation, Groh said yesterday.
In general, Groh said, "most everything that we're going to do during the season" is introduced during training camp.
"Our experience with what we call these 'one-week specials' is that the team never builds up enough accumulated repetitions on it to deal with all the variables that might come up," Groh said. "You know, when you put something in for a particular game, you only get to run it a few times. So as long as the defense or the offense that you ran it against in practice shows up, you're OK. But if one of a myriad of other things comes up, your players are as confused as the opponent.
"There will be a lot of things that we install during camp that for a number of reasons don't get used early, but they are things that the players will have a background in, and in that case we're comfortable with pulling those things out at a particular time."
* * * * * *
In new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon's system, the linemen set up farther from each other than in a pro-style attack.
"Before, in the old offense, it was at most two feet, maybe one and a half," right tackle Will Barker said.
And now?
"It can anywhere from two feet to five feet," said Barker, a four-year starter. "For me personally, it's whatever I want to do to try to screw with the defense."
With the wider splits, right guard B.J. Cabbell said, it's "a scary feeling at first, because you're on an island by yourself."
Apprised of Cabbell's comment, Barker said, "Being a tackle, I'm kind of on an island a lot, so for me it's not really an issue. But the rest of the guys, obviously, are handling it pretty well in terms of getting used to it, getting comfortable with it."
* * * * * *
Groh, who's been the Cavaliers' de factor defensive coordinator in recent seasons, added the actual title this year. Virginia's new linebackers coach, Bob Trott, is a former defensive coordinator at five schools -- Arkansas, Clemson, Duke, Baylor and Louisiana-Monroe -- and he's been a valuable resource for Groh.
Trott's experience as a coordinator is "beneficial," Groh said, "because he understands the administrative aspects that are necessary for that position. But the best experience that Bobby brings is experience in our systems. He was part of our operation with the Giants, with the Patriots and then, when he was in Cleveland, with Romeo Crennel. Romeo and I were together with the Giants, the Jets and the Patriots.
"So [Trott has] got a real good background in how this defensive system functions, and how we set up our meetings. Just all the things that go with it."
* * * * * *
Until classes start, a team in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision may not have more than 105 players at practice.
A spot opened on UVa's roster recently after Matt Kelly suffered a season-ending knee injury, and it's been filled by Billy Skrobacz, a 5-11, 215-pound linebacker from Deep Run High in western Henrico County. That's the same school that brothers Jake and Matt Snyder attended.
Jake, a first-year defensive end, is likely to redshirt for the Cavaliers this season. Matt, a sophomore, is contending for a starting spot at wide receiver.
Skrobacz made the all-Colonial District first team and the all-Central Region second team last season. He also was named to the Colonial's all-academic team.
 

Poindexter, Scott provide energy for UVa staff
By Jay Jenkins
Published: August 22, 2009

Anthony Poindexter suddenly has a sidekick.

At a recent Virginia practice, wide receiver coach Latrell Scott left his feet to celebrate a head-turning play with a pupil.

In past seasons, those acrobatics and other chest-pumping antics were left for Poindexter and former defensive coordinator Mike London, now the head coach at the University of Richmond.

“The old knee is kind of hurting, so I better watch out for the flying chest bumps,” said Poindexter, now Virginia’s secondary coach, with a laugh. “I don’t want to tear up the knee again.”

Jokes aside, sharing and even producing energy on the field in practice and games is something that Poindexter is willing to share as Virginia enters its ninth season under coach Al Groh.

“[Scott] is as crazy as I am, so we do a lot of drills together,” Poindexter said. “He has a lot of passion for the game. We get it mixed up at times out there.

“We have a little fun on the field. It is great for the players.”

While Poindexter has been as cult-like figure around the Cavalier program for over a decade, Scott is a relative unknown in his first year with the program.

What was known when he joined, however, was that he was regarded as one of the top recruiters in the region. That is a label that he takes pride in, but hopes to build upon.

“I want people to know that coach Groh hired me because I can coach the game of football,” said Scott, who joined Virginia’s staff after a season at Tennessee. “The thing that we try to do as a staff is put these kids in the best situation but the thing that we also have to do is go out and get good football players.

“I hope that I have the ability to bring both to this staff.”

Scott said the “transition” from Tennessee, a program that boasted former coach Phil Fulmer, was one that was made with ease.

“It was very easy because [Fulmer and Groh] are consummate professionals,” he said. “They are two of the best coaches in the history of college football so I was really looking for a situation where I could be around someone that would help me continue to grow in this profession.”

It helped that Scott was returning home.

“Virginia was a fit. Tennessee was a great place, a great atmosphere, but I am from Virginia,” Scott said. “I know what the Virginia-Virginia Tech game means to the state of Virginia, and things like that mean a lot to me.

“It was very important to be in a great situation with a great group of coaches and to work for a great boss.”

Discovering a depth chart

Today, Virginia will hold its second scrimmage with a lot on the line.

Earlier this week, Groh said that the closed session would help provide a better picture on the pecking order at numerous positions, notably quarterback, wide receiver and placekicker.

It should also provide further indication as to whether first-year players will be counted upon in the opening weeks of the season.

“There are certain positions that we can clearly see that the addition of some of these rookie players will be very beneficial to the team at some point,” Groh said. “So while they may not be high enough on the depth chart for someone from the outside to say they are going to be factors, we can see if we can bring this player along by October, that might be the first time he sees action, but all the sudden at that time he might make the position better.”

Thus far in training camp, veterans have raved about a host of rookies including wideouts Tim Smith and Quintin Hunter, a standout at quarterback last year at Orange County High.

“Quintin and Tim have seen some early time so far and I think they have responded well,” said quarterback Marc Verica. “They are both athletic kids and I think they can help us this year.

“Bobby Smith and Kevin Royal are also impressive. They are a little bigger. They are physical guys and they compete for the ball. They seem pretty hungry and they work hard and those are good signs. We are expecting some big things from them.”

Groh has not tipped his hand as to how many true freshmen could see the field this year, but look for a handful based on past campaigns.

“There is a pretty good size list that I would anticipate are going to help us this year,” he said. “At least at this stage, with two weeks to go they are showing that they certainly could solidly put themselves in the mix.”

Extra points

Redshirt freshman Tory Allen-Ford has landed a new role. It is one that the rookie hopes help land him on the field. Allen-Ford, who entered at 198 pounds and is now at 220, said he is working with the second-team unit on the dime package as a linebacker behind Cam Johnson. “I am just trying to get some playing time with that,” he said. … Running back Keith Payne, a junior, continues to impress in camp, according to Groh. Payne could push redshirt freshman Torrey Mack for the second spot on the Cavaliers’ depth chart behind starter Mikell Simpson. … Wideout Kris Burd (knee) has returned to practice and has shown signs of promise. … Former lacrosse standout Matt Kelly was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament earlier in camp. He had hoped to make an impact on special teams.
 

Callers punted from Groh's show
Doug Doughty

Virginia Tech isn't the only school punting callers from its football coach's radio show.

So is Virginia.

Cavaliers coach Al Groh won't have to deal with critical callers this fall. Getting rid of the call-in aspect will "liven the show up," host Dave Koehn said.

"It's going to be more entertaining," said Koehn, who is also UVa's play-by-play announcer. "It was just an hour of the same thing over and over."

Koehn said fans will be able to e-mail their questions to Groh during the weekly show.

"I certainly don't want to muffle our fans' opinions," Koehn said.

The name of the Monday night show will change from "Cavalier Call-In" to the "Farm Bureau Insurance Coach's Corner."

Did Groh, who is coming off a losing season, ask to remove those disgruntled callers from the show?

"He's a guy that definitely wants to focus on the positive," Koehn said. "But at least with me, in my conversations with him, that wasn't the reason that he wanted to get away from it.

"I'm sure we'll get some comments from folks via e-mail that won't be all flowers and roses."

Koehn said the decision to drop callers was made by both Groh and the staff at Virginia Sports Properties, which produces the hour show.

Koehn said that by removing callers, there will now be time to have a UVa player and an assistant coach on each show.

"It's an opportunity to bring some other voices in," said Koehn, the director of broadcasting for Virginia Sports Properties. "It's a little better of a vantage point into what the team's all about, as opposed to just two guys talking in a room for an hour with the same callers kind of calling over and over."

Koehn has yet to talk with new men's basketball coach Tony Bennett about whether there will still be callers on the basketball show.

New job for Slade

A familiar name is joining UVa's radio network.

Former Virginia and NFL standout Chris Slade will be the sideline reporter on UVa football broadcasts this fall.

"He wanted to get back involved with the program," Koehn said. "He bleeds orange and blue."

Slade, who was a linebacker for the New England Patriots when Groh was a Patriots assistant, might also have a role on Groh's radio show.

Hokies recruits include 5 preseason All-Americans
Conner Davis is top-rated UVa recruit
By Doug Doughty

The morning mail brought SuperPrep’s preseason rating of the nation’s top football prospects. Call me old-fashioned, but I still like the magazine format.

You can also call me prejudiced because I’ve been a contributor to SuperPrep for more than 20 years, but there’s still a lot in the magazine that’s news to me.

In fact, there are sometimes surprises in the list of Virginia prospects that I have rated because publisher Allen Wallace and his staff have different sources than I have.

There’s still some distinction to being called a SuperPrep All-American, even if there are 300 SuperPrep All-Americans this year. I’m not sure if it’s the first time Wallace has had 300, but there were 288 in the last issue I could find (from 2007).

My copies of the magazine go back to 1991, when there were 217 All-Americans.

I always check to see which of the players who have committed to Virginia Tech and Virginia are on the All-America list.

For the Hokies, that would include three in-state players: defensive end Zach McCray from Brookville High School in Lynchburg, offensive tackle Mark Shuman from Fork Union Military Academy and defensive lineman Nick Acree from Fork Union.

McCray, Shuman and Acree are rated No. 3, 5 and 7 among the eight in-state prospects who made preseason SuperPrep All-American.

The highest-rated University of Virginia recruit from the state is offensive lineman Conner Davis from Deep Run High School in Chesterfield County. He’s rated 11th. UVa’s other in-state commitments have come from 20th-ranked Henry Coley and No. 29 Rijo Walker (the “j” is silent, by the way).

Other Tech in-state commitments have come from Loudoun County linebacker Chase Williams, who is 16th; Derrick Hopkins (No. 17), Brian Laiti (No. 18), Matt Arkema (No. 19), Tahrick Peak (No. 21), Dominique Patterson (No. 23), E.L. Smiling (No. 33) and Caleb Farris (No. 34).

It was interesting to see Christchurch School defensive lineman Josh Lovell at No. 25 on the SuperPrep list because I hadn’t submitted his name. According to SuperPrep’s sources, Lovell has offers from West Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and East Carolina.

SOME OTHER THINGS I noticed:

Two of the out-of-state players who have committed to Virginia Tech are on SuperPrep’s preseason All-America team, tight end Jerome Lewis from Rochester, N.Y., and defensive lineman Justin Taylor from Norwood, N.C.

Lewis is rated the No. 4 prospect in New York and the No. 3 “jumbo” athlete in the country. Taylor is the No. 8 prospect in North Carolina and the No. 41 defensive lineman (out of 60 All-Americans) in the country.

Of the 17 players who have made oral commitments to Tech, 11 are from Virginia. Quarterback Ricardo Young is from Woodson High School in Washington, D.C., and is rated 14th on a list of prospects that includes Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia and D.C.

Only one Washington, D.C., player is ranked ahead of Young: Dunbar linebacker Javarie Johnson, who has committed to Miami. I couldn’t find Tech’s other quarterback recruit, Mark Leal, on SuperPrep’s list of the top 112 prospects in Florida, but I wouldn’t put too much stock in that.

Tech also has commitments from Baltimore defensive back Kyle Fuller (19th among Maryland prospects) and Luella, Ga., wide receiver Detrick Bonner (No. 70 in Georgia)

PHILLIP SIMS from Group AAA Division 6 state champion Oscar Smith of Chesapeake is rated the No. 3 quarterback in the country. Sims, who has committed to Alabama, ranks behind Sammamish, Wash., QB Jake Heaps, who has committed to BYU, and Wichita, Kan., QB Blake Bell, who has committed to Oklahoma.

Tyler Brosius, the quarterback from Waynesville, N.C., who has committed to Virginia is rated No. 24 by SuperPrep among prospects in that state. UVa-bound running back Kevin Parks, the MVP for West Rowan in its 3-A state championship victory, was 35th on that list.

E.J. Scott, the Good Counsel wide receiver who has committed to UVa, is 22nd among Maryland players on the SuperPrep list and defensive back Kyrrel Latimer from DeMatha is 25th.

Other Virginia recruits include defensive end Christopher Brathwaite, the No. 13 prospect in New York; linebacker Ryan Cobb, the No. 28 prospect in New Jersey, and wide receiver Pablo Alvarez (unranked in Florida).

UVa’s best chance at a preseason SuperPrep All-American may be with cornerback Louis Young, Scott’s teammate at Good Counsel. Young, who earlier had committed to Stanford but reopened his recruiting and will be in Charlottesville this weekend.

WITH PRESEASON FOOTBALL copy to complete, that’s it till next week.

 

It's all or nothing with ReynoldsJerry Crasnick [ARCHIVE]ESPN.comAug 21, 2009Comment on this storyWhen the Arizona Diamondbacks pulled into New York for a series against the Mets in late July, manager A.J. Hinch gave his hitters a brief tutorial on the hazards of Citi Field."It's a big ballpark," Hinch recalls telling them, "so 'turn and burn' doesn't work here. Don't try to hit the ball out of the ballpark, because it just doesn't carry."It was sound advice -- in theory. When third baseman Mark Reynolds drove Livan Hernandez's second pitch of the second inning an estimated 430 feet over the center-field fence, he made it clear that standard operating procedure doesn't apply across the board.The home run wasn't as mind-blowing as Reynolds' recent 481-foot blast off Phillies closer Brad Lidge -- unofficially the longest shot in major league baseball this season. But it was nevertheless instructive."People like to think that a ton of professional baseball players have the ability to hit the ball out of the park from pole to pole," Hinch says. "They don't. Ryan Howard? Sure. Albert Pujols? Sure. Alex Rodriguez? Sure. Mark Reynolds? Sure. Only the upper echelon of power hitters are truly pole to pole." If anything is going to take attention away from Reynolds' reputation as a one-man wind turbine, it's home runs by the carload.By any definition, Arizona's 2009 season has been a lost cause. The Diamondbacks are fourth in the National League West at 54-68. They endured tragedy when reliever Scott Schoeneweis' wife died, and clubhouse upheaval when manager Bob Melvin was fired in May and replaced by Hinch. Staff ace Brandon Webb pitched four innings before going down with a shoulder injury in April, and first baseman-outfielder Conor Jackson appeared in 30 games before contracting a prolonged case of valley fever.Eric Byrnes, Chad Tracy, Chris Snyder, Stephen Drew and Justin Upton all have spent time on the disabled list. Center fielder Chris Young played his way back to Triple-A Reno, clubhouse favorite Tony Clark was released, and Felipe Lopez was traded to Milwaukee in July. So it's no wonder Reynolds feels like the last man standing.Some days, it's not a pretty sight. Reynolds struck out four times against Cliff Lee on Wednesday in Philadelphia to raise his season total to 168. But with rookies Rusty Ryal and Trent Oeltjen batting behind Reynolds in the Nos. 5 and 6 spots, the Phillies weren't exactly compelled to challenge him."I'd like to think I help us win more than we lose," Reynolds says. "If I go 0-for- 4 with three strikeouts and somebody else gets the game-winning hit, I come in here and I'm happy. If I go 3-for-4 with a homer and we lose, I'm pissed."Amid Arizona's late-summer salvage operation, Reynolds' ledger features a lot more credits than debits. He ranks second in the majors to Pujols with 38 homers, and he's among the top five in total bases (266), extra-base hits (63) and slugging percentage (.598).And that's just the tangibles. Reynolds is never averse to diving in the stands for a foul pop or playing through nagging injuries. He performs with an intensity that the Diamondbacks hope will resonate throughout the clubhouse."He might be the toughest player on our team, both mentally and physically," Hinch says. "It's not always pretty and it's not always perfect, but it's awfully productive. And I mean that as a compliment."Reynolds is hitting with more power even though his main objective this season was to become a more well-rounded player. After committing a major league-high 34 errors at third base in 2008, Reynolds reported to the back fields at spring training at 6 a.m. several days a week and worked with former Diamondbacks Matt Williams and Jay Bell on the nuances of infield play. They addressed everything from footwork to arm angles, and some days they would talk for 45 minutes before Reynolds actually fielded his first ground ball.Reynolds still isn't great. But with 15 errors in 94 games this season, he's at least shown signs of improvement.Reynolds also worked extensively on baserunning with bench coach Kirk Gibson, and he's reaped the rewards with 21 stolen bases. When Reynolds and Gibson aren't talking trash during their daily cribbage game, they're holed up in the video room, and Gibson is teaching Reynolds the counts, situations and pitchers' physical cues that will make it most advantageous to run.If Reynolds isn't careful, he could finish the season as the first 50-homer, 30-steal man in history. Check his personal profile at www.baseball-reference.com, and you'll find that his prime historical comparable at age 24 was a guy named Mike Schmidt."I don't know if the term is 'country strong,'" says Arizona pitcher Doug Davis, "but his batting practice makes a mockery of everybody else's."The more natural comparisons for Reynolds are David Wright and Ryan Zimmerman, who grew up with him in Virginia's Hampton Roads region and graduated to big league stardom at third base. But they're both former first-round picks and Baseball America darlings. Reynolds, in contrast, had some skeptics to convince.After breaking his wrist and putting up disappointing numbers as a junior at Virginia, Reynolds lasted until the 16th round of the draft and signed for a $50,000 bonus. He hit 31 homers in two minor league stops in 2006, but some scouts speculated he might be cut out to be a DH.Reynolds earned lots of publicity last year for striking out a record 204 times, and he's on pace for 223 this season. But the whiff totals obscure the strides he's making as a hitter. His 60 walks are four short of his total for all of 2008, and his on-base percentage has risen from .320 to .373. He has also raised his batting average from .239 to .283.According to FanGraphs, Reynolds' 62.1 percent contact rate is the worst in the majors. But only 26.0 percent of his swings are at pitches outside the strike zone. That's a healthy percentage, but a lot more selective than San Francisco's tandem of Bengie Molina and Pablo Sandoval, both of whom take more than 44 percent of their swings at pitches outside the zone.Reynolds has done a better job of laying off sliders in the dirt this season, while clobbering breaking balls in the zone and hard stuff out over the plate. Recently more teams have begun pounding him on the hands with fastballs, and that's necessitated a new round of adjustments."He won't just hit a bomb off you, but he'll shoot you in the hole or hit that 20-hopper between first and second, like Pujols," Davis says. "He's starting to realize that home run pitches are mistakes, and he's capitalizing on mistakes."The party line from Reynolds and the Diamondbacks: Strikeouts are nothing to celebrate. But 12 of Reynolds' 38 homers have come with two strikes. If he can do so much damage with his current two-strike approach, Hinch thinks it would be counterproductive for him to "choke and poke." At the risk of infuriating traditionalists, Reynolds agrees."I don't understand why the strikeout is such a bad stat," Reynolds says. "I know when you have a man on third and less than two outs and you punch out, it's not good. But if there's a man on first and one out and you hit a weak ground ball to second base and it's a double play, what good does that do? If I strike out, at least the guy on deck still has a chance."Reynolds gained some perspective on how to deal with the criticism while playing alongside Adam Dunn, who spent 44 games in Arizona last season."Dunn is great," Reynolds says. "He's the poster child for not caring what people say. I don't know if it's a front that he puts on and he kind of cares, but he goes out and does what he does. If you like it, great. If you don't, he doesn't care."In truth, Reynolds' lack of national acclaim is more a function of playing in Arizona than all those swings and misses. He failed to make the All-Star team despite 24 homers and 62 RBIs in the first half, and finished third behind Shane Victorino and Sandoval in MLB's "Final Man Vote" even though he was the favored candidate of Arizona's senior U.S. Senator, John McCain.As Reynolds sat on his sofa and watched the Home Run Derby on television, he swapped text messages with teammate Dan Haren, who had a front-row seat at Busch Stadium when Prince Fielder beat Nelson Cruz in the finals."Dude, you would have put on a good show here," Haren texted him.Did the All-Star slight give Reynolds extra motivation to crank it up in the second half? Perhaps. But 16th-round draft picks don't have the luxury of massaging their egos. Reynolds speaks with the candor of a player who's never been fawned over, knows he has flaws to address and is convinced the long-term picture will be bright if he keeps working at it.One man's stubborn is another's resolute."I could care less what people write or say about me," Reynolds says. "My life is pretty good right now."It certainly is. Reynolds is having a bust-out year at 26. His wife, Kathleen, is expecting their first child, a boy, in November. And during homestands he revels in the company of the family dog, Brodie, a 150-pound bull mastiff who is less formidable than his appearance suggests."He's awesome," Reynolds says. "If he hears a noise, he'll bark, then he'll run and hide. He's a big baby, and we treat him like one. I miss him when I'm on the road."After six more weeks of bleacher-banging, man and dog will have plenty of time to bond. Unlike Brodie's, Mark Reynolds' bite is every bit as impressive as his bark.

Virginia Drops 1-0 Exhibition Match To George Mason
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 08/21/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - George Mason forward Parker Walton scored the match's lone goal in the 92nd minute, as the Virginia men's soccer team dropped its first preseason exhibition match to the Patriots, 1-0, Friday at Klöckner Stadium.

The Cavaliers out-shot George Mason, 19-5, and held a 4-3 advantage on corner kicks. Head coach George Gelnovatch utilized the depth of his roster and all three Virginia goalkeepers saw action.

"We had a lot of quality chances," Gelnovatch said. "It was evident that we have not worked a lot on finishing and we're tired from a long three days. We will be better on Monday."

The teams played to a scoreless first half, with UVa garnering the majority of scoring chances in the first period. In the 30th minute, Virginia had its best chance of the half when seniors Neil Barlow and Ross LaBauex connected in the Patriots' defensive end. LaBauex fired a shot on goal but it was kick-saved at close range by George Mason goalkeeper Sean Kelley.

The Patriots nearly got on the board with less than five minutes left in the half, when Ryan Gracia rocketed a shot on goal. UVa starting goalkeeper Diego Restrepo came up with the save, however, and preserved the tie headed into halftime.

In the second half, Virginia continued to have scoring chances. Shawn Barry had a shot hit both posts but not go in, while freshman Shane Cooke one-touched a Barry cross that missed inches wide.

In the first extra period, George Mason found the back of the net when Anthony Han served a ball into the box that Cooper Barham played on to Parker Walton. Walton's shot beat UVa goalkeeper Will Whorton low and to his right for the golden goal.

Virginia continues its preseason schedule with a Monday night exhibition match at Old Dominion. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 

Virginia Suffers 1-0 Loss at No. 6 Penn State in Season Opener
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 08/21/2009

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 11 Cavalier women’s soccer team fell to No. 6 Penn State 1-0 in the season opener for both teams at Jeffrey Field. Danielle Toney’s goal in the seventh minute was the only tally of the game, as Virginia’s streak of nine consecutive season-opening victories was snapped.

“We are very disappointed with the loss because I thought for the majority of the game, I thought we played well,” said head coach Steve Swanson. “We were pleased with our effort and our energy. Maybe a little bit of inexperience showed at times and maybe that cost us. But overall, this kind of game tells us a lot.”

Toney got ball on a clearance of a corner kick and made a 70-yard run to the top of the box to fire a far post shot for the opening goal of the game. The Cavaliers had chances to draw even in the first half, outshooting the Nittany Lions 10-7 overall, but Penn State took the 1-0 advantage into the break.

Virginia dominated the possession and play for most of the second half, but couldn’t find the equalizer. Overall, the Cavaliers outshot the Nittany Lions 17-9 and had a 7-3 corner kick advantage. Chantel Jones (Midlothian, Va.) made five saves for the Cavaliers, while Alyssa Neaher made four saves for the Nittany Lions.

"We had our chances," said Swanson. "We had some decent looks and created some good things, but we were a little bit impatient in the attacking third. Against a quality keeper like that, you maybe need to look at some other options. That is something that hopefully we will learn from."
Virginia returns home for their home opener on August 28 when it hosts Liberty. Game time at Klöckner Stadium is 7 p.m.
PENN STATE 1, VIRGINIA 0

#11 Virginia 0 0 0
#6 Penn State 1 0 1

Scoring Summary
PSU. Danielle Toney 1 (unassisted) 7’

Shots: UVa 17, PSU 9
Corners: UVa 7, PSU 3
Saves: UVa 5 (Jones 5), PSU 4 (Naeher 4)
Fouls: UVa 5, PSU 7

Weather: 79 degrees, humid
Attendance: 3098

Game Notes: Five Cavaliers made their collegiate debut, including Julia Roberts and Morgan Stith, who started … Kika Toulouse made the first start of her career … Cavaliers suffered their first loss in a season opener since 1999 and their first ever loss in August (17-1-0)