Senior quarterback Matt Schaub has a separated right shoulder, Virginia coach Al Groh confirmed Monday, though it remains uncertain how many games he will miss.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a day-to-day thing because it’s going to be longer than that,” Groh said. “I’d say it’s on an ongoing basis when he comes back. … When it happens, it happens.”
Groh said Schaub is not expected to miss the entire season but is certain to sit out at least Saturday’s game at South Carolina. More than likely, he also will miss the Sept. 13 game at Western Michigan. The 15th-ranked Cavaliers (1-0) then have a bye week before playing Wake Forest at home on Sept. 27.
Redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez, who played the majority of UVa’s season-opening 27-0 victory over Duke, will make his first start against the Gamecocks (1-0).
Martinez completed six of 15 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown against the Blue Devils. He admitted to a severe case of nervousness in his first few series, but said that should not be a problem Saturday, even facing a hostile crowd at 80,250-seat Williams-Brice Stadium.
“I calmed down a lot as the game went on. All the guys supported me and helped me relax,” Martinez said. “I know what to expect now. I know how it feels to be in a game and what needs to be done. I think it will all be a lot easier.”
Groh said Marques Hagans, last year’s backup quarterback, likely will see practice time at the position this week. The 5-foot-10 sophomore was moved to receiver in the spring and made a memorable debut there against Duke.
Hagans caught a 27-yard pass from Schaub on the first series and later turned a lateral from Martinez into a 14-yard touchdown run. He also threw a 9-yard pass to tight end Heath Miller on a fake punt, and returned five punts for 44 yards.
“I think we might certainly leave that option open to ourselves,” Groh said when asked about using Hagans as a quarterback.
Groh said true freshman Kevin McCabe, who entered the season as the No. 3 quarterback, was not ready to play against Duke if something had happened to Martinez.
Can McCabe be prepared to play this week? “We’ll see what kind of growth hormones we can give him,” Groh joked.
Another possibility is junior David de Laureal, a former walk-on whose only previous action as a Cavalier came on two kneel-downs at the end of the Continental Tire Bowl. Against Duke, he took Schaub’s spot as the holder without a hitch on a field goal and three extra points.

Going both ways. There were two notable members of Virginia’s goal-line offense against the Blue Devils. Freshman linebacker Kai Parham lined up at fullback, while junior defensive end Chris Canty played as a second tight end.
“That beefs us up a little bit – a 250-pound fullback who’s the strongest player on our team, and a 290-pound tight end,” Groh said. “That puts a little more muscle into our team.”
Groh said Canty delivered a crushing block on Wali Lundy’s 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Canty was an all-conference tight end and defensive end at Charlotte (N.C.) Latin High School.
“Offense is kind of easy,” Canty said. “You know who you’re supposed to block. You know where the play is going to go. You know the snap count. You can just fire off and block somebody.”
Can he catch? Canty had 20 receptions for 400 yards as a senior.
“I’ve got great hands,” Canty said, smiling. “If they throw it to me, I’ll get it.”

MJ waits his turn. Groh hopes to have the luxury of redshirting sophomore tailback Michael Johnson.
Johnson, a former Parade All-American, is the team’s fastest player, but he did not figure to see much playing time this season. The Cavaliers have three other talented tailbacks in sophomore Wali Lundy, and juniors Alvin Pearman and Marquis Weeks, who combined for 203 rushing yards against Duke.
Johnson told Groh that he would prefer to redshirt this season, the coach said, and he will do so if the other tailbacks remain healthy.
“I anticipate that Michael Johnson will have some glory days before he leaves the University of Virginia,” Groh said. “When we have the time to use Michael, I’d like to see what he could do with 200 carries a year, not a certain amount of carries spread out amongst four guys.”

Conference kudos. Two of Virginia’s linemen earned ACC player of the week honors.
Right guard Elton Brown, who graded out at 95 percent against Duke, was named offensive lineman of the week. The 333-pound junior often was the lead blocker for a running game that produced 204 yards. He also blocked a field goal.
Sophomore defensive end Brennan Schmidt recorded the first two sacks of his collegiate career and broke up a pass, keying UVa’s first shutout in five years. He was named defensive lineman of the week.

Crowd a pleaser. Groh’s first remarks following last Saturday’s game concerned the crowd of 61,737, a Scott Stadium record.
“I thought the fans had a great night,” Groh said. “They were into the game. … It looks like they’re trading in their red ties for body paint and their blue oxford button-downs for t-shirts, orange ones at that. It sounded like a true football house tonight, and that’s what we’re trying to turn it into.”
On Monday, Groh said the players were energized by the noise they heard when they opened the doors to their locker room before the game.
“It was so loud, it got us really jacked up,” said receiver Ottowa Anderson.
 
Extra points. Groh said five former walk-ons have been granted scholarships: sophomore kickers Connor Hughes and Kurt Smith, sophomore linebacker Mark Miller, sophomore cornerback David Hale and redshirt freshman center Philip Sims. … Senior center Kevin Bailey, who has not played since tearing the ACL in his right knee in the second game of the 2002 season, was in uniform against Duke but probably could not have played even in an emergency, Groh said. … South Carolina won its opener, 14-7, at home against Lousiana-Lafayette. The Gamecocks return just nine starters from last year’s 5-7 team.

Lou Holtz has always been known as a coach who cries the blues. He moans about his team’s woes and builds up his opponents to larger than life status.
So, when the South Carolina coach was asked Monday about his team’s chances this Saturday against 15th-ranked Virginia, Holtz went into his familiar act. About those chances ...
“Comparable to the stripper that’s running for governor in California,” Holtz quipped. “I say this from the bottom of my heart. Sitting here right now, I don’t know if we can make this thing close. I don’t know if we can make it close when I look at what we do and I look at what they do.”
What Virginia did was take up where it left off last season on defense, pitching a shutout against Duke in a 27-0 win. That came without Heisman Trophy candidate Matt Schaub, the Cavaliers’ starting quarterback who was injured on the first series of the game.

Getting it on the ground
UVa dominated the game on the ground, rushing for 200 yards against a defense that led the ACC against the rush last season and returning nine starters from that unit. And the Wahoos’ special teams turned in perhaps their best performance in years.
Meanwhile, Holtz had plenty to complain about as his Gamecocks squeezed out a 14-7 home victory against Louisiana-Lafayette, formerly known at Southwestern Louisiana. Whatever the name, the Cajuns were 24 point underdogs.
Holtz wasn’t happy with his offensive line, which struggled against the visitor’s eight-man defensive fronts. He wasn’t happy with USC receivers, who dropped 10 passes from new quarterback Dondrial Pinkins. He also wasn’t too pleased about the kicking game.
South Carolina, which lost its last five games in 2002, played so poorly that the Gamecocks were booed as they left the field at halftime.
“We did not play very well up front,” Holtz said of his offensive line, which averages 6-foot-5, 305 pounds per man. “We just got beat physically. There’s not another way to put it. Guys tried hard, but it was inconsistent. Basically we did not control the line of scrimmage.”

Scouting the opponent
Virginia coach Al Groh said that after studying film of the Gamecocks’ opening game that they are significantly improved at quarterback, much faster in the backfield, boast an offensive line that is more athletic than last year’s, and feature a brand new defensive scheme.
If there was one thing that Holtz liked about the opening victory, it was his defense. New coordinator Chris Cosh abandoned the old 3-3-5 scheme of former coordinator Charlie Strong, and replaced it with a 4-3.
“I thought our pass defense was very good,” said Holtz, who passed Woody Hayes for seventh place on the all-time win list with 239. “We got some pressure on the quarterback and that helped the secondary. To build a great football team you need a good defense and I think we took a step in the right direction.”
The Gamecocks forced three turnovers and kept the Cajuns’ offense out of the end zone (L-Lafayette’s touchdown came on the return of a blocked USC field goal).
“It’s the same scheme that Tampa Bay runs,” Groh pointed out. “It’s a difficult scheme to go against, one that we don’t see very often.”
This version of the 4-3 is built for speed, with a lot of movement, a lot of pressure and a lot of penetration, which will test Virginia’s offensive line and redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Martinez, who is trying to feel his way as the Cavaliers’ unexpected starter.
Groh said that USC’s new quarterback, Dondrial Pinkins, was a Donovan McNabb look-alike.
“He’s 235 to 240 pounds with running ability, a strong arm and wears No. 5,” Groh said.
Pinkins actually started the last two games of last season, but completed 16 of 34 pass attempts for 185 yards against the Cajuns. Holtz’s son, Skip, who has been the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator, has now taken over play-calling responsibility and favors a more wide-open style than his more conservative father.
“I don’t think we have a chance,” Holtz said about the Virginia game. “We might as well fold it up, take the week off and try to get some sleep.”
Anyone who believes that might want to check with Lou’s uncle Guido, who would love to show you some prime real estate in Florida.