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Success comes to pass for Cavaliers' Schaub
 By JOHN GALINSKY / Daily Progress staff writer
Sep 24, 2002

 
A month ago, Matt Schaub lost his starting job but not, he insists, his confidence. Now, statistically anyway, he's one of the country's top quarterbacks.

Things have changed in a hurry for the Virginia junior, who ranks seventh nationally in passing efficiency (164.3), fifth in completion percentage (68.8) and tied for second in touchdown passes (12).

"He is in a nice groove right now," UVa coach Al Groh said.

Schaub didn't start the season that way. He was erratic in the opener against Colorado State, throwing an ugly interception late in the game and watching redshirt freshman Marques Hagans lead the final drive.

Hagans started the next week at Florida State. Schaub, who expected to start all season, says he wasn't upset with the coaches.

"I was angry at myself," he said. "I knew I could have played much better."

Ever since then, he has. Schaub came off the bench to throw for three touchdowns against the Seminoles. He threw three more against South Carolina, then set a career high with five TD tosses last Saturday against Akron.

In his last five halves of play, Schaub has completed 71.5 percent of his passes with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. The success hasn't come as a surprise, he says, because he never doubted his ability.

"It's how I envisioned I could play," he said.

With two straight victories, Schaub also has improved his record as a starter to 3-6.

"That's the most important statistic for a quarterback - whether he wins the games or not," he said. "I've concentrated on getting the wins, bearing down and doing whatever I have to do."

Asked if Schaub has turned the corner in his career, Groh smiled. "I've been doing this since 1968 and I don't feel like I've turned the corner yet," he said. "So I wouldn't say my quarterback after two and a half games has turned the corner."

Still, Groh said, "He's a more experienced, more mature player. He's been through game preparation, making decisions, all the issues that go with being the quarterback. I think he's in a nice rhythm."

Triple threat. Through Hagans has not started since the FSU game, he has made himself useful in several ways.

Hagans played three different positions against Akron: quarterback, tailback and punt returner. During one second-quarter drive, he lined up at quarterback and converted a third down with a 2-yard run. As a tailback, he also ran four yards to the Akron 1, setting up Schaub's touchdown pass to fullback Jason Snelling.

Though he did not throw a pass, Hagans ran three times for five yards and returned two punts for 16 yards. He also made an interception on Akron's fake punt in the first quarter,

"I think we'll continue to see him in a variety of roles, including quarterback," Groh said.

Nice boots. Freshman punter Tom Hagan had his best game against the Zips. He averaged 44 yards on three punts, including a pair of 47-yarders with good hang time. Akron's longest punt return was three yards.

"I hope that's what I have to look forward to on a consistent basis," Groh said. "He's demonstrated he has those [kicks] in his leg."

Hagan is averaging 37.8 yards per punt, fifth in the ACC.

In a drought. Because of the city's restrictions, UVa has not been allowed to water its practice fields since last Tuesday. Groh said the grass is dying but the team will not move to the artificial turf practice field.

"We'll just practice on dirt earlier than usual," he said.

Extra points. UVa's game at Duke on Oct. 5 will begin at noon and will be televised by the Jefferson Pilot/ACC network. … There might be plenty of points in Saturday's game. Virginia ranks 101st nationally in total defense, while Wake Forest is 92nd. Both are allowing more than 400 yards per game. … No UVa player earned ACC honors Monday. The winners were Georgia Tech tailback Tony Hollings (offensive back), Wake Forest guard Blake Henry (offensive lineman), N.C. State defensive end Shawn Price (defensive line), Georgia Tech safety Jeremy Muyres (defensive back), Florida State return man Leon Washington (specialist) and N.C. State tailback T.A. McLendon (rookie).

 

 

2 TD catches for McMullen so far
 
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   CHARLOTTESVILLE - Some of Billy McMullen's biggest contributions to Virginia's 48-29 victory over Akron last weekend came when he wasn't catching the ball.

    There was no greater evidence of that than on UVa's first possession of the second half, which was capped by a 2-yard McMullen touchdown reception.

    McMullen, a first-team All-ACC wide receiver in 2001, was responsible for the Cavaliers getting to the Zips' 2 by drawing a pair of interference penalties.

    "There's a lot of holding and pushing," said McMullen, who was seen pleading with the officials after an earlier incompletion. "On both sides, it's a matter of how much you can get away with. Sometimes you win, sometimes they win.

    "I think they were playing not to get beat deep. It was a pretty aggressive group."

    McMullen had four receptions for 79 yards Saturday and has a team-high 16 receptions after four games, down from 25 at the same stage last year. Both of UVa's tight ends, Heath Miller and Patrick Estes, have more touchdown receptions than McMullen.

    In 2001, McMullen had 12 of UVa's 24 touchdown receptions. So far this season, he has two of 13, a sign of greater diversity in the Cavaliers' passing game but not necessarily a positive sign, according to head coach Al Groh.

    "Why would you want to reduce his touchdown catches?" Groh asked Monday. "The Arizona Diamondbacks get all those wins out of two guys [Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling]. Think they're saying, 'Let's get the Big Unit down to 15 wins and start some other guys.'?"

    Virginia (2-2) already has completed touchdown passes to seven players this year. Six players caught TD passes all of last season.

    "We certainly do want to get all the players involved," said Groh, whose team visits Wake Forest on Saturday. "We spent a lot of time in the postseason working on some things that happened last year and in anticipation of how opponents might try to deal with Billy this year.

    "If teams want to overplay to his side this season, we want to have enough firepower on the other side to make it worthwhile."

    GLASS HALF FULL: There is a flip side to the statistic that shows Virginia without a field goal in its first four games. The Cavaliers have attempted only two field goals, misses from 36 and 37 yards by redshirt freshman Kurt Smith.

    Groh said he is sure Smith and his challengers are feeling the pressure to make a field goal, "but this is sort of a good news, not-so-bad news deal."

    "Yes, we haven't made one of our attempted field goals, but the ratio of field-goal attempts to touchdowns is very low," Groh said. "That's what we're down there for - to score touchdowns and not to attempt field goals."

    UVa has made 18 trips into the red zone inside the 20-yard line and has scored 15 touchdowns.

    ANOTHER "SLASH": When it was uncertain whether long snapper Ryan Childress would return from a midweek injury, Groh had backup quarterback Marques Hagans pencilled in to snap for punts.

    Childress was back in his accustomed spot Saturday, but Hagans did not lack for activity. He took a few snaps at quarterback, one of them a quarterback draw; had two carries as a running back; returned two punts for 16 yards; and intercepted a pass on an Akron fake punt.

    Groh said Hagans would continue to return punts until true freshman Michael Johnson, also a tailback, returns from an ankle injury.

    "Otherwise, it would be a different guy every week," said Groh, who already has used five players in that role.

    PERSONNEL REPORT: Johnson was one of four injured UVa players not in uniform Saturday, although he barely had a limp Monday in the locker room. Sidelined by knee injuries were center Kevin Bailey, outside linebacker Raymond Mann and cornerback Marcus Hamilton.

    Mark Farrington, a starter at offensive guard in the first two games, did not play until the Cavaliers kneeled down for the final snap Saturday. Farrington has been in uniform for the past two games, but new starter Ben Carber may be hard to dislodge.

    Groh, who has been alternating three senior safeties, may not have that luxury this week. Chris Williams, a starter in two of the first three games, was helped from the field after suffering a sprained ankle against Akron. In his absence, Shernard Newby had his ninth career interception.

 

 

Barber helping to keep Buccaneers' defense in good trim
All-pro cornerback might be playing best football of his six-year NFL career

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
 

TAMPA, Fla.

Ronde Barber knows his place.

Barber, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' All-Pro cornerback, might best be known as the twin brother of Tiki, a New York Giants running back, but that hasn't stopped him from establishing himself as one of the best at his position in the NFL.

A sixth-year pro, Barber tied for the league lead in interceptions with 10 last season and accompanied the Bucs' longtime defensive stars Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks and John Lynch to the Pro Bowl for the first time.

Coaches and teammates say that Barber might be playing even better this season.

"That boy is special," Sapp said. "Everything he touches right now is platinum."

Although Barber entered last night's game against the St. Louis Rams without an interception, he had broken up a team-high eight passes and had made 14 tackles through two games.

In last week's 25-0 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, he deflected six passes and also made a key block on special teams, setting up Karl Williams' 56-yard punt return for a touchdown.

"I'm seeing the ball, and I've been working on that all the time," Barber said. "You have to be in position to make the plays, and that's more important than making the plays sometimes. I pride myself on being in position a lot, and it showed up."

Lynch, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, said that it's difficult to imagine anyone - at any position - playing at a higher level right now. Sapp marveled about the progress Barber has made since entering the league as a third-round draft pick in 1997.

Opponents have noticed, too, noting that Barber not only is Tampa Bay's best cover corner, but one of the team's surest tacklers, too. He has also contributed as a pass rusher with 101/2 sacks in his first five seasons.

"He's a guy who's made a lot of big plays for them," quarterback Kurt Warner of the Rams said. "He's got a great feel for that system and his role in that system."

Barber's block on Williams' punt return against the Ravens caught the attention of Coach Jon Gruden, who's in his first season at Tampa Bay after four years in Oakland, where he coached cornerback Charles Woodson, a Pro Bowler.

"I usually don't compare players, but this guy is a really good player," Gruden said. "He's a collision player, not a drag-down corner. He's a knock-down corner and can tackle firm."

But Barber, a perfectionist who's always striving to get better, isn't satisfied.

After having four more interceptions last year than he had in his first four seasons combined, Barber, 5-10 and 184 pounds, wasn't happy about getting his hands on the ball so many times without an interception last week.

"If you touch the ball six times, you should intercept at least two of them," he said.

"The hardest thing about having success is that it starts setting up a standard of play for yourself.... There's always something little you can do. You've heard the cliche a hundred times: You're either getting better or you're getting worse. I'm not trying to get worse."

 

 

Lost and found explains Zips' season to this point
Frye, running game perform, but it happens in Akron's fourth loss to open year
By David Lee Morgan Jr.
Beacon Journal staff writer
 

For the fourth Monday in a row, University of Akron football coach Lee Owens found himself talking about a loss.

Coaches will tell you there is no silver lining in defeat, but in this particular case, Owens said not all was lost -- in their 48-29 downfall at Virginia, dropping the Zips' record to 0-4.

``I really haven't been able to fault our effort the first four games,'' Owens said. ``Our execution improved this week. You can see fundamentally we're getting better on both sides of the ball. We're starting to get a little identity as a team.''

Akron returns to the Rubber Bowl and the Mid-American Conference on Saturday against Miami (Ohio) with an improving quarterback and running game.

Zips quarterback Charlie Frye had a record showing against Virginia. He posted career highs for attempts (47), completions (27) and yards (336), 11 shy of the school record.

``I was impressed with the things (Frye) was able to do under pressure,'' said Virginia coach Al Groh, the former New York Jets head coach. ``We got a good schooling on how to play man-to-man coverage.''

The Zips only trailed Virginia 34-29 with nearly seven minutes left to play.

Said Owens: ``What it's come down to the last two weeks is just being able to get a stop or putting a drive together when you need to for a win, and we haven't done that.''

Akron's running game produced better than it had in the first three games. Bobby Hendry had 79 yards, the team's best effort this season.

The Zips rushed for a season-high 154 yards and outgained the Cavaliers 495-414. They also had 27 first downs compared to Virginia's 19.

Hendry, who was Akron's leading rusher last year with 819 yards in nine games, had been battling a hamstring injury during preseason camp.

``He's getting healthier each week,'' Owens said. ``He's also getting more comfortable with what we're trying to do with the offense.''

Starting senior Brandon Payne is still affected by an ankle injury suffered two weeks ago,

``Brandon and Bobby are both the No. 1 running backs, and we'll continue to play them both a lot,'' Owens said. ``Against Virginia, (Payne) used him as slot receiver and not as much as the tailback.''

The Zips worked in a couple of other running backs, including freshman Jerell Ringer (32 yards) and freshman Thomas Plummer (24 yards).

``We're trying to develop more depth at the skill positions,'' Owens said.

 

 

Success in Grobe's Wake

 
By Frank Dascenzo : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Sep 23, 2002 : 10:33 pm ET

Jim Grobe tells an interesting story about the first time he met his Ohio football team. All the players were gathered in the weight room, and some were wearing Michigan caps and Notre Dame caps and who really cares what other kind of caps. But nobody was wearing anything that read "Ohio U Bobcats." Not one player.

Mystified, Grobe knew he had to change something abruptly.

"We had to instill some pride," Grobe said.

Pride is a wonderful intangible, but Grobe inherited a team that finished 0-11 and ranked last in Division I-A in 1994. After a 2-8-1 finish his first season, Grobe led the Bobcats to a 33-33-1 record. When Wake Forest athletics director Ron Wellman offered Grobe the head-coaching job, the Deacons got a man who had experienced rebuilding and knew how to teach and maintain success.

Look at Wake Forest now. The Deacons, 6-5 a year ago with wins over East Carolina, Virginia and North Carolina, went into West Lafayette, Ind., on Saturday and shocked Purdue, a touchdown-plus favorite. Considering the Boilermakers were 14-4 at home the three previous seasons, with wins against Michigan in 2000 and Michigan State last season, it was quite an achievement.

Of all the wins by ACC teams on Saturday, which was really the most impressive — N.C. State’s overtime victory at Texas Tech or Wake’s upset of Purdue?

Already Grobe has given the Deacons a respected new look in a league that all of a sudden is getting a reputation for having some very good coaches whose last names aren’t Bowden. Wake, 2-2, easily could be 3-1.

Wellman might have the perfect man for the Wake job. Remember where Grobe worked before going to Ohio. It was with Fisher DeBerry at the Air Force Academy. Grobe was linebackers coach for the Falcons, not a bad thing to have on your résumé when you’re job searching in college football.

It takes a special coach to win at Wake Forest, where success hasn’t come easy. But Grobe, 2-0 vs. Steve Logan-coached ECU, has made sure his teams are ready to play every game.

In 15 games as Wake’s coach, Grobe has more wins, with eight, than his predecessor, Jim Caldwell, had in his first three seasons. Caldwell was 6-27 from 1993-95 and finally was fired after an eight-year run of 26-63 that included a 12-52 ACC record.

Under Grobe, Wake Forest remains one of the classiest pictures in ACC football. Not only is Grobe keenly aware of the type of school he’s at, but also has become a very good game coach. Nine of Wake’s 11 games in 2001 were decided by seven points or fewer, and none was as dramatic as the Deacons’ 32-31 come-from-behind win at North Carolina.

Coaching at Wake isn’t easy, but it’s not an impossible task, either, although Caldwell made it appear like one at times.

As good as Grobe was last season, it will be interesting to see how the Deacons wind up. They get five of their remaining eight games at home, including winnable battles with Duke, UNC and Navy.

Since the ACC was formed in 1953, Wake has had 12 football coaches. Only three, Cal Stoll (6-5 in 1970), John Mackovic (8-4 in 1979) and Bill Dooley (6-4-1 in 1988) managed to have winning records their second seasons.

First-year coaches were plentiful in the ACC a year ago, and each had something to feel good about. Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen took his alma mater to the ACC title and an Orange Bowl spot and was the ACC coach of the year. John Bunting was tremendous after an 0-3 start at UNC, taking the Heels to an 8-4 finish. Al Groh’s Virginia team went 5-7 but won two of its final three, and the wins were over Georgia Tech and Penn State.

Eventually Grobe got to see some of his Ohio players wearing caps that read "Bobcats." It’s probably a pretty safe bet that if you were to walk into the Wake Forest weight room today, you’d see some players wearing "Demon Deacons" caps.

 

 
Ring leader
Sharper's job: teach Texans how to win

 
BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST		 Sep 24, 2002
 
 
Jamie Sharper owns a Super Bowl ring and a new residence amidst Houston's urban sprawl, and the two possessions don't have much in common. The ring represents what Sharper was. The house pinpoints what Sharper is. And, please, forget about any debate over the definition of what is is. We're not taking depositions here, we're taking stock of a football career.

What Sharper is is a piece of a foundation. From Hermitage High by way of Virginia's Cavaliers, the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL expansion draft, Sharper now gets his paychecks from the Houston Texans, the pro game's latest entry and newest doormat.

He is only 27 and in his sixth NFL season.

And is being counted on to provide stability and veteran leadership.

This tells you something about Sharper's stature and much about the Texans. Beginning with the 0-11-1 Cowboys of 1960, expansion teams don't set the NFL on fire. Their rosters normally are a hodgepodge of aging castoffs and fuzzy-cheeked wannabes, and they're routinely gobbled up by rivals delighted to have a soft touch come to town.

The Texans fit the profile. Their biggest star is a retractable-roof stadium. They have a rookie quarterback and no established playmakers to rescue him. They stunned the upstate Cowboys in their inaugural outing but have since scored six points and lost two games - the latest be ing Sunday's 23-3 decision against the Colts.

But they do boast a pretty fair defense.

And a major reason is Jamie Sharper.

"The way you really lead in this business is by going out and doing it between the lines," Texans coach Dom Capers said. "That's how you gain respect. That's what leadership is all about, and that's what you see in Jamie. He's smart, he has good instincts and I see him getting better. I'm glad we have him."

The Texans have him because Baltimore couldn't afford him. Hamstrung by salary-cap issues, the Ravens were unable to keep their all-galaxy defense intact. Something had to give. That something was Sharper. He's started 88 of 89 games since being picked in the second round of the 1997 draft and is a noted run-stuffer. But he was third in the team's pecking order at linebacker behind Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware. So he became a Texan. His main adjustment isn't to the humidity.

"The big difference is that guys in Baltimore knew exactly what they had to do to win," Sharper said. "Here, guys don't realize yet you've got to get your job done whether you're up by 10 or down by 10. We're a young team. We've just got to keep getting better."

That's what the Ravens did. They were patsies when they moved from Cleveland to Baltimore. They won six times each of Sharper's first two seasons. Two years after that, they were Super Bowl champs. The lessons of that progression weren't lost on Sharper. He preaches them to a new crowd today.

"It was a learning process," he said. "We got beat up a lot in Baltimore and lost a lot of games. We grew as a team. After awhile, we started beating up on people. During our championship season, we got to a point where we felt no one could beat us but our making mistakes. We have to do that here."

Sunday wasn't a step in the right direction. The offense managed only 204 yards, and the defense yielded a couple of long touchdown passes. As for Sharper, he sacked Peyton Manning and was in on nine tackles. He leads the Texans in that department with 29, which is nothing new since his 435 tackles are tops all-time at U.Va.

What is new is adapting to an altered cast and calling.

"At first, when I knew I was going to be [let go], it was a little bittersweet," he said. "But my defensive coordinator and position coach were leaving - the guys who had taught me how to play in the NFL - and it was time to go somewhere else and take my game to another level. They're looking for guys like me to make a statement here - to take the leadership mantle. It's a big change, but, hey, you've got to change or you get left behind."

He aims to keep moving forward. He's got the ring to remind him how it's done.