Gillen not at fault for Vander Laan's exit

QB Schaub making progress

By DOUG DOUGHTY
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays

Although I think it is alarming that 12 underclassmen have left the Virginia men’s basketball program since the 1998 arrival of Pete Gillen, it probably would be hypocritical of me to rip the Cavaliers for the recent departure of Nick Vander Laan.

There has been considerable debate about Vander Laan among the UVa beat writers and I must say I am closer to agreement with Andrew Joyner, who last week compared Vander Laan to Mark "Oshkosh" Bogosh, than Jeff White, who talked about Vander Laan as if he were the second coming of Bill Walton.

Longtime readers of this column probably could see this coming: Vander Laan was not as good as Colin Ducharme.

I will submit that Vander Laan's transfer to NAIA power Concordia (Calif.) University has increased the questions about UVa's already weakened rebounding. I didn't know until I looked today that Vander Laan, with 4.5 rebounds per game, would have been UVa's top returning rebounder.

The Cavaliers’ top two returning rebounders now are Elton Brown (4.3) and Devin Smith (4.2).

Of course, rebounding wasn't a big problem last year, when the Cavaliers boasted the ACC’s rebounding champion in Travis Watson, but Watson has completed his eligibility and taken his 10.4 rebounds per game to a pro team in Greece.

VANDER LAAN wanted more playing time and I can see why Gillen wouldn't promise him more minutes. There were plenty of times last year, when Vander Laan averaged 15.3 minutes, that I felt he was playing too much.

On the other hand, if Vander Laan could have improved his free-throw shooting and learned not to put the ball on the floor after an offensive rebound, he would have played more this season. Brown isn't a proven rebounder and the Cavaliers need to have somebody who can get the ball off the boards.

I understand that Vander Laan recently has undergone a religious awakening or reawakening and I certainly wouldn't fault a man for following his beliefs. I do know that Vander Laan went to three high schools, including two different Connecticut prep schools, and now three colleges.

He may be looking for basketball utopia and there may not be one there for him. His Virginia career had parallels to his two years at California, where he had five double-doubles as a freshman but started going downhill as a sophomore.

He played more at California in each of his two of his two seasons — 22.8 as a freshman and 20.1 as a senior — than he did at Virginia. His most impressive Cavalier moment may have come when he had 24 rebounds against the Big Apple All-Stars in a preseason game.

GILLEN WANTS IT known that he didn’t "run off" Vander Laan. It's pretty clear that he didn't want two other part-time starters — Keith Jenifer and Jermaine Harper — to return, but it wouldn't have made sense for the Cavaliers to get rid of Vander Laan.

If you look at the total number of scholarship players who have left the program prematurely, it is excessive. However, if you look at the cases individually, it's hard to find a pattern.

The players who have left are Chase Metheney, Craig McAndrew, Monte Marcaccini, Colin Ducharme, Kris Hunter, Chezley Watson, Roger Mason, J.C. Mathis, Maurice Young, Jenifer, Harper and Vander Laan.

Metheney, McAndrew and Marcaccini all had remaining eligibility when Gillen got to UVa but never played for him. Mason was a two-time second-team All-ACC selection who made himself available for the NBA Draft and got guaranteed money from the Chicago Bulls. Can't blame Gillen for that.

Several of the players had academic issues, several had disciplinary issues. Many of them simply were not ACC-caliber players and you can blame Gillen and predecessor Jeff Jones for that, but I don't know how much.

When you're in a league with Duke and North Carolina, you sometimes take players like J.C. Mathis, considered the nation's top unsigned big man in the spring of 2000. Georgia Tech went after Mathis. Michigan took him as a transfer. However, the "top unsigned" label often can be misleading.

One thing you can say about a springtime commitment UVa received from point guard Sean Singletary is that it represented an attempt to avoid some of the past academic and disciplinary problems.

ON A FOOTBALL NOTE, I would be surprised Saturday at South Carolina if injured UVa quarterback Matt Schaub got off the bench, started warming up and entered the game. I would not be stunned.

("I would be ABSOLUTELY stunned," Jeff White said.).

UVa coach Al Groh already has said that Schaub will make the trip because he is one of the captains and "that's where he belongs." I can't remember if Groh was asked if Schaub will be in uniform but all reports seem to indicate that Schaub is making excellent progress from a separated shoulder and should play in September.

 

 

 

Coaches mull ACC schedule
By ROB DANIELS LANDMARK NEWS SERVICE

GREENSBORO, N.C. - ACC men's basketball coaches will discuss the possibility of playing a 20-game, full round-robin conference schedule for 2004-05, the first year of membership for Miami and Virginia Tech, when they meet at conference headquarters next week.
"It'll be a model, but it'll be one of many models," said Fred Barakat, the ACC associate commissioner in charge of basketball issues. "We want to put them all out there for them before we meet with the athletics directors."

The ADs are expected to convene Sept.8 to discuss - and perhaps decide - several issues stemming from this summer's vote to take on Miami and Virginia Tech as the league's 10th and 11th members, among them: whether to conduct a championship football game in December 2004; each school's perennial opponents in football and basketball if the full round-robin is vetoed; and revenue-sharing policies.

A 20-game league basketball schedule would please television networks, which yearn for as many ACC contests as possible, but it would limit teams to as few as six or seven nonconference games a season. Many coaches also are concerned that such a schedule would be too tough.

For the 2003-04 season, in which schools will still play 16 league games, Virginia is taking full advantage of the relative freedom by scheduling seven nonconference teams that finished worse than 200th in the final 2002-03 RPI rankings.

Other possibilities for the 2004-05 schedule include 16 and 18 ACC games. A schedule with fewer than 20 league games would mark the end of the full round-robin, and that would leave the ADs to determine which schools will be perpetually paired with one another.

"I don't think Solomon could figure this one out," Wake Forest coach Skip Prosser said, referring to the Biblical sage, not former Clemson guard Will Solomon.

 

 

 

U.VA. NOTES
Sep 05, 2003

WISH LIST: In bad weather, Virginia Tech's football team can practice inside Rector Field House, which has a full-sized artificial-turf field. Indoor practice facilities can be found at many other Division I-A schools, too, but not at Virginia.

That's a situation Al Groh would like to see changed in the near future.

"We're pursuing that," the Cavaliers' third-year coach told reporters yesterday as rain fell yet again in Charlottesville.

Groh said he'd like an indoor facility with a "nice high ceiling, bright lights, [a field that's] 100 yards and air conditioning when needed . . . and a cash bar in the corner."

Asked what the Cavaliers do when it's raining during practice, Groh said, "Get wet."

No.15 Virginia (1-0) plays at South Carolina (1-0) tomorrow afternoon.

INSPIRATIONAL LEADER: Senior quarterback Matt Schaub, who suffered a separated right shoulder last weekend against Duke, won't play tomorrow, but he'll be on the sideline with his teammates at sold-out Williams-Rice Stadium.

"He's the captain of the team," Groh said. "That's where he belongs."

Sources close to Schaub say he hopes to return Sept. 27 for Virginia's game against Wake Forest at Scott Stadium. U.Va.'s coaching staff doesn't want to rush Schaub back before his shoulder heals, however, so the Oct. 4 game at North Carolina might be a more realistic target.

The Cavaliers visit Western Michigan on Sept. 13. They're off Sept. 20.

HOME COOKING: The men's basketball team played 15 games at University Hall last season, including an NIT matchup against Brown. The Cavaliers will play at U-Hall 17 times in the coming regular season.

U.Va., coming off a 16-16 season, will play one of the weakest nonconference schedules in 2003-04 of any ACC team. The Cavaliers will face three teams from the Big South (High Point, Virginia Military Institute and Coastal Carolina), two from the Colonial Athletic Association (W&M and James Madison), two from the Big East (Virginia Tech and Providence) and one apiece from the Big Ten (Minnesota), West Coast Conference (Loyola Marymount), Big 12 (Iowa State) and Northeast Conference (Mount St. Mary's).

HOLES IN THE MIDDLE: U.Va.'s basketball team had five post players in 2002-03: Travis Watson, Nick Vander Laan, Elton Brown, Jason Rogers and Jason Clark. Watson and Rogers graduated in May, and Vander Laan transferred last month to Concordia University in his home state of California.

Brown, 6-9, is back for his junior year, and he's down to 250 pounds, 25 fewer than he carried in 2002-03. But Clark's status for 2003-04 is uncertain. The 6-8, 235-pound junior from Virginia Beach has eligibility issues that U.Va. officials are examining, sources said.

Virginia coach Pete Gillen declined to comment yesterday when asked about Clark's situation. The Cavs' most athletic big man, Clark started 15 games last season and, if eligible, is expected to play a significant role in 2003-04.

U.Va.'s five scholarship freshmen include 6-9 Jason Cain and 6-8, 240-pound Donte Minter. Cain, however, is listed at 197 pounds and is considered more of a perimeter player.

CRANK IT UP: Williams-Brice's official capacity is 80,250, but the attendance for USC's opener against Louisiana-Lafayette was listed as 82,227. The Gamecocks' fans are among the most rabid in college football.

"It's an incredible place to play. It's an incredible place to see games," said U.Va. defensive end Chris Canty, who's from Charlotte, N.C. "A lot of raucous fans."

To help prepare his team for the decibel levels they'll encounter on the road, Groh has been known to set up a sound system at Virginia's practice field.

"I mean, 'DJ Groh' is something else out there," junior tailback Alvin Pearman said. "He plays a little bit of rock'n' roll, a little bit of rap."

The players contribute the rap CDs. The rock, by such bands as AC/DC and Van Halen, comes from Groh's personal collection.

"Since I had to listen to their music, I figured they had to listen to mine," he said. - Jeff White

 

 

 

2003 UVa-South Carolina Preview
by Jeremy Williams
Sep 04, 2003

When the Virginia Cavaliers head into Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday afternoon, they will have a new signal caller making his first start in front of 80,000 hostile fans. With starter Matt Schaub sidelined by a shoulder injury, redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez will have to lead the Cavalier offense in a situation that he has yet to experience. Saturday’s game will be a good test not only for Martinez, but his fellow teammates, as they must step up big and support their young quarterback if Virginia hopes to come away from South Carolina with a win.
“It’s going to be a big challenge for me and the whole team,” Martinez said earlier this week. “But it is a challenge that we are all looking forward to. I’m ready to go down there. I have plenty of confidence in myself, and I am just ready to go down and play the game.”

Martinez and company will meet an interesting team in the Gamecocks, as it is unclear how good this South Carolina team will be on Saturday. Lou Holtz’ 2003 version of the Gamecocks struggled against a game Louisiana-Lafayette team at home in their first game, winning 14-7. With a young quarterback leading the way, South Carolina needed a touchdown run by Kenny Irons late in the 3rd quarter to put the pesky Cajuns away for good.

Much like the situation the Cavaliers find themselves in, South Carolina is led by an inexperienced quarterback. While Dondrial Pinkins did start two games at the end of last season, he has only thrown 101 passes in his career. In fact, before this season, Pinkins had almost run for as many yards as he had thrown for in a couple of seasons.

The dual threat quarterback had a good game against the Ragin’ Cajuns, throwing for 185 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. On the other hand, the redshirt junior only completed 47 percent of his passes, proving that he has a very strong arm, but one that often gets erratic.

For Virginia, one big key to Saturday’s game is to make sure that Pinkins stays erratic, and when the time comes, pick off a couple of passes. Pinkins also had a tough time holding onto the ball last week, as he fumbled twice, losing one. Last season, Virginia won the turnover battle handily and might need to do so again in a hostile environment in South Carolina.

If he has time to throw the ball, Pinkins has a potential All-SEC receiver that will be his go-to receiver. Sophomore Troy Williamson is the Gamecocks' best returning wide receiver from a year ago, and that showed in South Carolina’s first game when he caught four passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. On the other side of Williamson is redshirt senior Mikal Goodman, who led the Gamecocks in receiving last week when he caught six passes for 66 yards. If Virginia senior corners Muffin Curry and Jamaine Winborne can shut down South Carolina’s corps of receivers, the rest of Virginia’s defense will have an easier time taking care of South Carolina’s terrific set of running backs.

“It’s going to be a tough test for all of us in the secondary,” senior captain Muffin Curry said. “We are going to have to play a great game to come out of there with a win, because they have some good players down there.”

Led by freshman sensation Demetrius Summers, who was considered one of the top high school running backs in the nation last season, South Carolina has a good set of backs that will try and burn Virginia’s front seven. Before going down with an ankle injury last Saturday, Summers had gained 23 yards on only three carries. He figures to be back for the game, and could cause problems for the Cavaliers, as he appears to be a tremendous talent waiting to explode.

If Summers can’t take the load, sophomore Daccus Turman appears to be the Gamecocks' next best option. Turman, while young, gained a team-best 41 yards on nine carries against Louisiana-Lafayette. Senior Travelle Wharton heads an experienced offensive line that will look to open the holes for the Gamecocks' offense. The group is strong, and will be a tough challenge for the Virginia defensive line. However, coach Holtz will need both Summers and Turman to be effective if South Carolina hopes to get their second win of the season on Saturday.

“They have a tough offense to go up against,” said junior defensive lineman Chris Canty. “But I think we are all excited about going down there and playing a good game. It’s going to be tough down there, but defenses win games, and we know we will have to play well to win.”

On the other side of the ball, senior cornerbacks Deandre’ Eiland and Dunta Robinson headline a secondary that has plenty of experience, and some success, for South Carolina. While Eiland didn’t start last Saturday (and the depth chart released by USC this week says he won't again), he did pick off a pass, the lone interception for the Gamecocks on Saturday. Both senior cornerbacks have All-SEC talent and will provide a tough test for the young Martinez. Redshirt junior Rodrigues Wilson and fellow redshirt junior Jamacia Jackson are South Carolina’s starting safeties, which helped Eiland and Robinson shut down a Ragin' Cajun passing attack that threw for only 134 yards last Saturday.

“We definitely realize that they have some talented guys in the secondary down there,” Martinez said. “But I am excited about the challenge. I know that it will be different than what I faced [against Duke], but with a week of practice I will be ready to go down and play to my ability.”

The South Carolina front seven will be happy to welcome back linebacker Ricardo Hurley to a defense that did not allow an offensive touchdown against Louisiana-Lafayette. The defense only allowed 272 total yards, but it is hard to judge how impressive that is considering it came against a Rajin Cajun team that is not known for having a strong offense. South Carolina started Jeremiah Garrison, Kevin Caldwell and Marcus Lawrence with Hurley out, but the trio played well, stuffing any ground game that ULL tried to put forth.

The defensive line is led by dominating sophomore Moe Thompson, who was named a freshman All-American last season. Cavalier offensive lineman D’Brickashaw Ferguson better be up for a challenge, because Thompson is a load to handle on the outside, and will give the left side of Virginia’s line all they can handle come Saturday afternoon.

“We need to go down there and be ready to run the ball,” Ferguson said. “They have a very good team, but if coach says we need to run the ball, that’s what we are going to have to go out and do. If we can run the ball that will take some of the pressure off of Anthony, which will make our entire offense run smoother.”

The Lowdown

If the Cavaliers hope to be successful on Saturday, they will need to have an effective running game. For months Virginia head coach Al Groh has drilled into his team’s head that they must have a successful running game to compete for championships, and these are the times that he was referring to. With an inexperienced quarterback making his first start in front of a full house at Williams-Brice, it would be unfair to think he will light up an experienced secondary. For the Cavaliers to be successful on offense Saturday, they must establish a strong running game to allow some holes to open up in South Carolina’s secondary when they stack the box.

On the other side of the ball it will be important for Virginia’s front seven to stop the Gamecock’s hopes at a successful running game. If Demetrius Summers is completely healthy, that could be tough for the Cavaliers to do. While Virginia showed a tremendously improved run defense against Duke on Saturday, it was against Duke after all, and this will be a much tougher test. There is no question that the Cavaliers have a chance to have an unbelievable defense, and this game will go a long way in determining if Virginia’s D is on that pace.

In the end this is a game that Virginia might have won handily if Matt Schaub were completely healthy. As it is, it is impossible to tell how the Cavaliers will do with an inexperienced quarterback. A week of reps in practice will certainly help, but it is unclear if that will be enough. If nothing else, Saturday sure will be interesting.


 

 

Minus Schaub, Virginia turns to ground game
Martinez stepped in at quarterback and led Cavaliers to win over Duke last week
By STEVE WISEMAN
Staff Writer

Redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez showed the confidence his team needed Saturday night to help Virginia win its season-opening game.

Martinez stepped into the Cavaliers' lineup after starting quarterback Matt Schaub, the reigning ACC player of the year, injured his shoulder in the first quarter. Without their star, the Cavs still posted a 27-0 win over Duke with Martinez running the offense.

"It's my show now," Martinez told reporters after the game. "It's my job for however long Matt's out."

But with Schaub already ruled out for Saturday's game against South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium, Martinez's comments were probably only half right. It is Martinez's job while Schaub's bum throwing shoulder heals, but Virginia's running game figures to provide the majority of the show's biggest plays.

Virginia rushed for 204 yards in battering the Blue Devils, relying on sophomore tailback Wali Lundy (88 yards on 21 carries) and junior Alvin Pearman (68 yards, 13 carries) for steady yardage. That allowed Martinez to lead Virginia to 24 of its 27 points despite posting these rather pedestrian statistics: 6-of-15 passing for 76 yards and a touchdown.

Virginia coach Al Groh said the offense won't be simplified with Martinez under center. The running game, he said, is important even in an offense that's quarterback-driven.

One of the guys charged with opening holes and protecting Martinez knows Saturday's game will be a grind-it-out affair if that's what it takes to win.

"We've just got to keep it up until we get our quarterback back," Virginia guard Elton Brown said. "If that takes running the ball 50 times a game, that's what we'll do."

Martinez replaced Schaub after the first series of the Duke game. His first four passes fell incomplete as Virginia, leading 3-0, went three-and-out on his first two series. After that, Martinez completed six of his next 11 passes, including a 39-yarder to wide receiver Art Thomas that set up a Lundy scoring run and a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller.

"I thought the most significant thing was that he brought his team home," Groh said. "When he went into the game it was 3-0, and when the game ended, it was 27-0. He was the pilot when 24 of those points were scored, and that's a significant thing for a guy in his first game."

Groh, a hard-nosed coach who was as an assistant for noted taskmaster Bill Parcells with the New York Jets, refuses to let his team use Schaub's injury as an excuse. He cited two examples from last season as proof his team can overcome the obstacle.

Starting center Kevin Bailey suffered a season-ending knee injury last September. The Cavaliers posted an eight-win regular season anyway. Star wide receiver Billy McMullen injured his elbow during the first quarter of Virginia's Continental Tire Bowl game against West Virginia. The Cavaliers still won 48-22 to complete a 9-5 season.

"The players and the coaches did on Saturday night what they did when Bailey got hurt and when McMullen got hurt," Groh said. "Nobody blinked an eye and they went on with doing the job that they had to do to help the team win. That's the path that we're on, and that's what we have to do."

Before Saturday's events, the 6-foot-4, 238-pound Martinez figured his big chance would come a year from now after Schaub's eligibility was exhausted. Instead, his time is now.

"He's a big, strong quarterback with a live arm," Groh said. "Outside of that, until he has something on his resume, that's all just potential. Obviously we feel very positive about his potential, that's why he's here. (I'm) very confident in that he's going to be a very good quarterback."
 

 

 

 

ACC suffers through embarrassing 1st week
3 shutouts in 1 week group league with rare, inept company
Gregg Doyel

To find a week as bad as the one the ACC just endured, with three teams getting shut out, go way back in time -- past some of the darkest seasons in ACC football.

For example, 1979 was awful. Several weeks that season the league had only one team in the Top 20, and the ACC Player of the Year was Jay Venuto. Who? Exactly.

What are you smirking at, 1969? You were truly a terrible year, a year so bad that only one ACC team finished bowl-eligible. And that was South Carolina. No wonder the Gamecocks left the ACC one season later.

Yet as bad as it got in those years, not once did three ACC teams go scoreless in the same week. Which means 2003 is going to be worse for the ACC than 1969 or 1979. It's simple logic, people.

Or maybe not. Still, last week's tri-skunking -- North Carolina, Clemson and Duke lost by a combined 94-0 -- wasn't without precedent.

On Sept. 28, 1963, three ACC teams were shut out: North Carolina, Wake Forest and Clemson by a combined 85-0 (to Michigan State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech).

Then again, ACC shutouts were more common four decades ago. Television was black-and-white, the players were almost all white, and Wake Forest was just abysmal. In one stretch that season, the Deacons went six straight games without a point.

In recent years, though, shutout losses by ACC teams had been like no-hitters in Major League Baseball. You might see one or two all season, like 1997, 2000 and 2002, when the entire ACC suffered just two shutout losses; and 1999 and 2001, when there was one.

But last week there were three. Throw in Maryland's loss at Northern Illinois, Georgia Tech's loss at Brigham Young and Virginia's loss of quarterback Matt Schaub, and the only thing more embarrassing than ACC football at the moment is preseason projections that the league had arrived.

Arrived? Near as we can tell, ACC football is stuck in the 1950s -- back when it became identified as a basketball league.

Need a win? Play this team

Starving for Week 1 college football results, a friend of mine (OK, me) studied Sunday's sports page all the way down to the fine print, including this score: Stillman 74, Georgia State 0.No surprise there. Who among us doesn't know about the dynasty at Stillman? And as for Stillman coach Theophilus Danzy, he's one of those coaches who can take his players and beat yours by 74 -- or take yours and beat his by 74.

Or something like that.

Anyway, a little research showed Stillman is a provisional Division II team from Tuscaloosa, Ala., hoping to become a full member within a few years. Georgia State, meanwhile, is a club team -- a bunch of college guys with a hobby.

So if a provisional NCAA Division II team can get away with playing a club team, why not Duke? Or North Carolina? Or Clemson?

Just a thought.

Lists and stuff

• ACC refugees starring at The Citadel: Ex-Clemson quarterback Willie Simmons threw touchdown passes of 49 and 45 yards, and ex-Duke safety Anthony Roberts returned an interception 38 yards for a score in a 64-10 victory against Charleston Southern.

• Future Ronald Curry in the SEC: Georgia quarterback D.J. Shockley looks to be another Curry, the former North Carolina quarterback whose best position might have been elsewhere. Curry is sticking in the NFL as a receiver-returner-cornerback.

• Made-for-television combination: Mississippi's Eli Manning to Mike Espy. Great 21st century names.

• Reasons Clemson coach Tommy Bowden should feel secure in his job: We're thinking.

• Still thinking ...

Week 1's close calls

Texas A&M needed two huge kickoff returns from Terrence Murphy to get past Arkansas State 26-11. Murphy's returns of 58 and 77 yards led to a touchdown and a field goal. Good thing the Aggies weren't playing Stillman. ... Penn State needed charity from officials to get past Temple 23-10. Playing at home, the Nittany Lions were penalized one time for 5 yards. The officials were intimidated by the crowd and Joe Paterno? Hey, you said that, not me. ... Ole Miss needed field goals of 51 and 54 yards from Jonathan Nichols to get past Vanderbilt 24-21.

Week 1 thoughts

In a stroke of genius, Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer benched C.J. Leak five minutes into his start last season against Georgia -- irritating Leak's brother, Chris, who signed with Florida instead. Now for the rest of the story: The quarterback who replaced Leak that day, James Banks, has been moved to receiver. Oh Phillip, Phillip. ... When was the last time an offensive tackle blocked a field goal? Virginia's Elton Brown did it to Duke. ... Connecticut looked awfully Big East-ready in defeating Indiana 34-14 in the debut of $90 million Rentschler Field. Then again, it was Indiana.
 

 

 

Duke, UNC joined by football misery
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Sep 4, 2003 : 5:31 pm ET

You know what they're saying out there, don't you? Duke and North Carolina don't have football teams any more. Tradition doesn't win games, and it doesn't get you invited to a bowl.

One of my UNC friends said he left the Tar Heels' opener with Florida State at halftime last Saturday. Couldn't take it -- the game, not the humidity. And one of my Duke buddies told me the Blue Devils were going to make a statement at Virginia. Some statement.

When's the last time you heard anybody around Durham or Chapel Hill ask: "Are you ready for some football?" I know what you're ready for and you know what you're ready for, and it's not an oblong ball but a roundball, and it gets bounced inside a building.

May as well face it. Durham/Chapel Hill culture says basketball rules.

Now look, football is a great game. It's un-American not to know that football is, as one former Duke coach said, the last bastion of manhood left in our great country. Football invigorates the soul, allows you to forget the long, boring days of summer. It puts foul balls behind you and gives you first downs and red zones and the 4-3 and the 3-4 and the nickel and the dime. Winning allows you to relate much better than losing.

But you know what they're saying out there, don't you? We're in for misery. UNC has lost seven straight home games, and Duke has lost 26 straight ACC games. So what if they're having concerns about Tommy Bowden in Death Valley? Look what we've got.

John Bunting's into his third season at UNC. He has a brutal schedule and will be an underdog Saturday at home against a Syracuse team that finished 4-8 last season and surrendered 90 points in its last two games. Carl Franks' still-troubled Duke offense can't score touchdowns, and with Western Carolina heading into Wallace Wade Stadium on Saturday, there's doubt over who will win this one. Duke has scored three touchdowns in its last three games, all of them coming in last season's loss to UNC.

The problem with football west of Raleigh is that it isn't popular or passionate -- not even close. Duke students are sluggish in arriving for home games -- if they arrive at all. And that halftime exit by UNC fans Saturday night wasn't pretty at all.

Football rules in Austin and Norman and Ann Arbor and Columbus and University Park, Pa., and Lincoln and Tuscaloosa. But around here, it pales so ridiculously to the fashionable glory that basketball brings us. The problem always lasts. Mid-October press box talk at Wallace Wade Stadium will center around Luol Deng and Shavlik Randolph's improvement. You want to bet it won't?

What's the hot topic going to be Nov. 8 at Kenan Stadium when the Tar Heels host Wake Forest? What are the chances of Roy Williams being on the cover of UNC's 2003-04 basketball media guide? Raymond Felton or Chris Duhon? J.J. Redick or Rashad McCants?

If you really want to start a hot sports conversation, try this one: If you've gotta win one big game, who do you want, Roy or Mike?

Bunting doesn't have to be told that Williams is the new basketball coach at UNC. And how long before stories about Williams appear more favorable than the football team's dilemma? Bunting's lucky that his team turned an 0-3 start two years ago into an 8-5 season. The jokes about Mack Brown's 2-20 record in 1988 and '89 died somewhat when he finished 6-4-1 in his third season. His '93 team won 10 games and lost to Alabama in the Gator Bowl. Didn't matter, the '93 Tar Heels basketball team won the NCAA championship.

The Tar Heels are likely to give Bunting all the support he needs into next season, but unless Franks wins, and immediately, how can Duke bring him back for a sixth season?

Naturally, it goes without saying that the media can be cruel -- well, certainly sarcastic at times -- with regard to what can be safely described as the opposite of success. For the record, UNC is 11-15 under Bunting, but eight of those wins came in his first season when Julius Peppers started on the defensive front. Duke is 5-41 under Franks and -- just so you understand about that doubt over who wins the affair with the Catamounts -- consider that the Devils have won only twice at home since the coach arrived in 1999.

The Heels weren't supposed to beat FSU, and Duke wasn't supposed to beat Virginia. The problem is that neither scored a point, and right now both appear to be on track to play each other for eighth place in the ACC.

But that won't be until Nov. 22, and by then, who's going to want to talk football anyhow?

 

 

 

After a Slow Start, Martinez Plays Fast
Injury Thrusts Cavs QB Into Spotlight
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, September 5, 2003; Page D04

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Sept. 4 -- This summer, quarterback Anthony Martinez taped an orange sign inside his stall in the Virginia locker room. A simple sign, with eight letters printed in block capitals: Play Fast.

It's an echo of the instruction Coach Al Groh gave Martinez as he prepared for his redshirt freshman season. Everything is faster in a game than it was in practice, Groh said. Defenses come quicker, so decisions have to come quicker. As the primary backup to starting quarterback Matt Schaub, Martinez had to prepare himself for possible game action by working as hard and as fast as he could in practice.

"You never know when you're going to get in the game," Martinez said this week. "I'd look at that [sign], and I'd play fast."

The Cavaliers are glad he did. The shoulder separation Schaub suffered in last week's opener has forced Martinez into the lineup earlier than expected. After playing most of the game last week, Martinez will make the first start of his college career Saturday afternoon at South Carolina.

Martinez, 19, is not solely responsible for keeping No. 15 Virginia (1-0) afloat until Schaub's return, which could come in the next three weeks. Sophomore Marques Hagans, a dynamic athlete and former quarterback who played wide receiver for the past seven months, likely will take some snaps against the Gamecocks (1-0). The Cavaliers also will try to provide Martinez with 200-plus yards of support from the running game.

But his performance will be critical nonetheless.

"It's different than putting in another right guard," Groh said. "The right guard doesn't have to call the plays. The right guard doesn't become a symbol for the team. That's part of the transition [for Martinez], not just that he's the one throwing the passes."

Martinez certainly has the raw skills and the high school pedigree to suggest he can become a good college quarterback. He amassed 5,010 passing yards and 47 touchdowns in his career at Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Va., earning all-American honors from two major recruiting magazines as a senior. He is a 6-foot-3, 238-pound pocket passer with a right arm that routinely produced 94-mph fastballs for his high school baseball team.

Those past accomplishments were all but forgotten, though, when Martinez threw four consecutive incompletions after relieving Schaub in the first quarter of what would become a 27-0 win against Duke.

But in the final three quarters, he connected on 6 of 11 passes for 76 yards and led Virginia to 24 points.

"The first half he was just real jittery," junior wide receiver Ottowa Anderson said. "He was fumbling over his words [in the huddle]. He couldn't really get it out. I think he was just extra nervous. But as the game went on, we started telling him, 'It's your team now. You got it. Just relax.' "

"It's hard," Martinez said. "It was just so much in such a little bit of time. I was thrown in there, which I was glad [for], but it was just little things, like the wristband fogged up a couple times and I was trying to keep up with the play clock and trying to keep up with my wristband at the same time and trying to be loud in the huddle for the guys. Just little things added up, but as the game went on, I started to feel more comfortable."

Martinez expects to improve after practicing with the first-team offense all week, though he will have to decipher the defensive schemes South Carolina imported this offseason from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

"I'm up to the challenge," he said. "Once I completed a few balls [against Duke], I got more confident and I realized, I can do this."
 

 

 

 

Goodman no one-hit wonder
Receiver glad he stayed at USC, eager for recording career
By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer
USC’s Mikal Goodman came through in the clutch Saturday night, catching six passes, four for first downs.

Mikal Goodman raps about real life. Most of his songs involve young people trying to make the best of less-than-ideal circumstances.
Sort of like Goodman’s football career at South Carolina.

Though Goodman has not composed a rap about his USC career, he certainly has the material. Goodman was the face on the Gamecocks’ winless 1999 season — a wide-eyed freshman thrown to the SEC wolves when injuries sidelined USC’s other two scholarship quarterbacks.

Told by coach Lou Holtz that he was not good enough to play quarterback, Goodman was moved to the secondary and watched as Phil Petty led the Gamecocks during their two-year renaissance. Four years later, he has re-invented himself as a wide receiver. He has a degree and dreams of a career in the recording industry.

And he has no regrets.

“I’m proud that I stuck through it. A lot of people could have left. Coach Holtz always said, ‘If you quit at something early on in your life, you’re more susceptible to quit at things as you get older,’ ” Goodman said. “I really didn’t want to quit. I’m not a quitter. I wanted to stick through it and see what roads come out of this.”

Growing up in Daytona Beach, Fla., all roads pointed north toward a promising future as a Division I quarterback. Goodman had offers from Kentucky, Louisville, Penn State and others, but signed at USC as part of Holtz’s first recruiting class.

Any plans for a redshirt freshman season were dashed when Petty injured his knee during the fourth game in ’99. With backup Josh Rogers also out with a thumb injury, the Gamecocks turned to Goodman, who performed courageously behind an injury-ravaged offensive line that USC assistant Dave DeGuglielmo compared to a Division I-AA outfit.

Goodman started three games, completing 32 of 65 passes for 572 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

He was sacked 14 times, but kept all of his extremities in working order.

Goodman’s toughness was not lost on former Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin. After the Vols beat USC 30-7 in Knoxville, Martin sought Goodman near midfield.

“He was just like, ‘Hey, man, you did real good as a true freshman. Get in the weight room and stay positive and things are going to work out for you,’ ” Goodman recalled. “I appreciate him telling me that.”

But with Petty returning for two more years of eligibility, the USC coaches had other plans for Goodman.

“Finally, we said to him, ‘You aren’t going to be a quarterback. If you want to be a quarterback, you’re going to have to transfer, and I recommend you transfer down if you really want to play because you aren’t going to play quarterback here,’ ” Holtz said.

Goodman was redshirted his sophomore year and ended up at receiver the following year.

Goodman heard overtures from Bethune-Cookman, the I-AA program in his hometown. When USC running backs coach Buddy Pough took over at S.C. State before the 2002 season, Gamecock coaches asked Goodman if he wanted to play quarterback for the Bulldogs.

“I had a year left to get my degree. That’s really what made me stay,” said Goodman, who graduated with a retailing degree in May.

He is taking additional undergraduate classes while he completes his final year of eligibility.

USC fans should be glad Goodman stuck around. His easy-going personality makes him popular in the locker room, where teammates took notice of how hard he worked to come back from pectoral surgery in the spring. Doctors predicted he would miss the first two games this season.

But Goodman started the 14-7 season-opening win over Lafayette-Louisiana, setting a career high with six receptions for 66 yards.

Not exceptionally fast, the 6-foot-3, 197-pound Goodman has a knack for making clutch catches: Half of his receptions in the opener were good for third-down conversions.

“His route-running is un-normal. That’s what gets him open,” sophomore receiver Troy Williamson said. “When the ball’s thrown his way, it’s a for-sure catch unless he does something that he shouldn’t.”

If he’s not on an NFL roster next season, what Goodman wants to do next is open a recording studio in Daytona Beach with his brother, Mark Adams, and several friends. They are in the process of applying for a business license for the studio, Dirty Palm Records, which would specialize in rap artists.

Goodman has recorded about 10 of his rap songs, but still has not broken out a rhyme on his time at USC.

“These years went by real fast. I still have a lot of goals I want to achieve while I’m here,” said Goodman, who is shooting for 25 catches, 500 yards and five scores. “I just thank God that everything’s coming back around full circle.”
 

 

 

Holtz sees the brighter side of things

During a typical game week for Lou Holtz, the USC coach is overly pessimistic about his team’s chances on Monday but in much better spirits by the week’s end. That was the case Thursday, when not even a second day of weather-related scrambling could dampen Holtz’s attitude.
“For the first time, today I saw us become a team. I saw us start coming together a little bit more,” Holtz said. “I thought (quarterback) Dondrial (Pinkins) had an excellent day today. I thought the offense looked better than I’ve seen it look in a while.”

Despite beating Louisiana-Lafayette 14-7 in last week’s opener, USC coaches noticed players acting as if they had lost earlier this week.

“Part of it’s my fault where you’re striving for perfection and someone doesn’t reach it, you’re always on somebody,” said Holtz, adding that he saw more enthusiasm and players congratulating each other after good plays Thursday.

“It takes a while for that to come, and it’s starting to come,” he said.

• Injury update. Starting right guard Jonathan Alston is questionable for Saturday’s game against Virginia due to swelling on his knee.

“I think he’ll be able to play,” Holtz said, “but he wasn’t able to do much (Thursday).”

If Alston can’t go, sophomore Jabari Levey would start. Linebacker Lance Laury, limited by lingering knee problems throughout the pre-season, will start at the strongside spot after getting five plays last week, Holtz said.

Linebacker Ricardo Hurley (high ankle sprain) will play in a limited role.

• Weather men. Heavy rains forced the Gamecocks to use their 60-yard indoor facility for the second time in three days.

“Isolated thunderstorms mean they’re isolated strictly over our practice field,” said Holtz, who has grumbled about the small size and the poor turf conditions in the facility.

“I wish I had his complaint,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “You know he has another option: Stay outside.”

The Cavaliers do not have an indoor practice facility.

• Groh homecoming. Groh’s son, Mike, who coaches the Cavs’ quarterbacks and receivers, helped Spring Valley win the 1988 Big 16 championship as a sophomore quarterback on a team that also included Lee Flowers and Raleigh Boulware.

Al Groh was USC’s offensive coordinator for Joe Morrison’s final season.

• Odds and ends. Freshman Stephen Stellfox, a walk-on from Chapin, will replace Joey Bowers in handling the kickoff duties this week. ... Holtz said he hopes to redshirt junior college linebacker De’Adrian Coley and freshman tight ends David Laggis and Robert Pavlovic. ... Told that Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub, out with a separated shoulder, was making the trip, Holtz quipped: “If he does (play), we’ll blitz.”


— Joseph Person