U.Va. thoroughly beaten on road
Gamecocks dominate Cavs on both sides of ball
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published September 7, 2003

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- It would be easy to pin it all on the absence of Matt Schaub, who wandered the sideline in his game jersey but in blue shorts and a baseball cap. It would easy to presume that had his separated shoulder healed in only seven days, things would have been different.

And they might have been. But Schaub doesn't play defense, so there's nothing he could have done about the scores of missed tackles. He isn't on the offensive line, which missed countless blocks and killed drives with penalties. And he isn't on the coaching staff, which was given an F by the head man himself.

Yes, Virginia's 31-7 loss to South Carolina Saturday afternoon was a true team effort.

"I don't think anybody in our organization, coaches or players, performed well today," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "We knew all week long this would be one of our biggest challenges. Unfortunately, from top to bottom, from the head coach down to somebody who didn't play, we weren't up for the challenge today."

The numbers show it. The Cavaliers had seven first downs, the fewest in Groh's 28 games at Virginia. Never did U.Va. move the chains twice in the same drive. Running a simplified playbook, first-time starting quarterback Anthony Martinez completed half of his 20 passes for 54 yards and was intercepted twice. The Cavs managed 170 yards on a team that ranked 10th in the SEC last year in total defense.

After pitching a shutout last week against Duke, Virginia's defense tackled USC runners as if they had been smeared in Quaker State. The Cavs gave up 261 rushing yards, 188 coming in the second half. They allowed a simple slant pattern to turn into a 99-yard touchdown.

The result: A 24-point loss, which looks even worse when you remember that South Carolina barely won its season opener against Louisiana-Lafayette.

"We got a reality check today," linebacker Darryl Blackstock said. "And we got it the hard way."

Yet, somehow, Virginia was still in the game late in the third quarter. But taking over at its 13-yard line with 3:26 left in the period, the Cavs made perhaps their costliest mistake of the day. On second down, Martinez handed to Alvin Pearman on a draw. It's hard to say who was at fault from the replay, but the exchange was never made. The ball hit the turf, and South Carolina end Moe Thompson fell on it.

Two plays later, Daccus Turman went in from 6 yards to extend the Gamecocks' lead to 17-7. After a Virginia punt, USC wore down the Cavs' defense on the ground. Quarterback Dondrial Pinkins capped his 6-yard touchdown run by carrying Virginia defensive end Chris Canty, all 280 pounds of him, across the goal line.

And this tells you something. USC had 133 total yards in the fourth quarter. Virginia had eight.

"Momentum plays a powerful role in football," Pearman said. "Once they got the ball rolling, starting with my fumble, there was no turning back for them."

If that wasn't the killer, it came midway through the second quarter. With Virginia ahead 7-3, Cavaliers punter Tom Hagan had pinned the Gamecocks at their 1-yard line. After a TV timeout, Pinkins came out in the shotgun with Troy Williamson split wide left. Virginia's cover man was Jamaine Winborne. At safety to Williamson's side was Willie Davis.

What followed was precisely what Virginia expected, at least according to Groh. You'd never know it. With Winborne shading him to the outside, Williamson slanted in and took Pinkins' pass at the 10. Winborne fell, and Davis came up and whiffed. And Williamson was off.

"We (were) figuring they might be in man-to-man coverage, and they were," USC coach Lou Holtz said. "It was an excellent call."

Virginia will no doubt fall sharply from its current spot of 15th in the polls. But that could be the least of its problems. Though it hasn't been said, Schaub is doubtful for next week's game at Western Michigan. And as the Cavs proved so convincingly Saturday, it doesn't take an overpowering team to beat them.

"We thought we were prepared for this, but we weren't," cornerback Almondo Curry said. "They dug us out today, they just point-blank dug us out. Now, we need to step up now and see who the men are on this team."

Lack of preparation hurts Hagans, Cavs
Published September 7 2003
David Teel

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Marques Hagans sat motionless in front of his locker, shoulders slumped, head bowed. Dejection personified.

Hard to blame him.

Hagans and 15th-ranked Virginia lost to South Carolina 31-7 Saturday. The beating was thorough and thoroughly avoidable.

How? Play Hagans at quarterback. Check that. Prepare Hagans during the week to play quarterback and then use him there during the game.

No, Hagans' presence under center would not have assured victory. But he certainly would have enhanced the Cavaliers' chances.

"I can't talk about it," Hagans said softly.

Allow me: Coach Al Groh and his staff miscalculated in not practicing Hagans at quarterback last week, and they need to correct that mistake before next week's game at Western Michigan.

Anyone who saw Virginia's season-opening victory against Duke and/or Saturday's game knows redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez is not ready to quarterback this team. Anyone who saw the Cavaliers' season-opening defeat last year against Colorado State knows Hagans is.

Martinez passed for a paltry 54 yards Saturday. He threw two ugly interceptions, took an unnecessary sack and produced six first downs.

The phrase deer-in-the-headlights springs to mind.

But Martinez doesn't take the full rap. His line blocked poorly, and his coaches called ill-conceived plays, leaving the offense conservative, predictable and helpless.

"I don't think anyone in our organization, coaches or players, performed well today," Groh said.

Offense, of course, was supposed to be Virginia's forte. But when All-ACC quarterback Matt Schaub injured his throwing shoulder during the Cavaliers' opening drive against Duke, all bets were off.

Enter Martinez. He earned the backup job during spring practice, and his development prompted Groh to move Hagans, last season's backup quarterback, to receiver.

The switch made sense. Hagans - fast, quick and elusive - is arguably the team's most versatile player, and he belongs on the field.

But after Martinez' relief performance against Duke, Groh should have known Hagans belonged at quarterback. Martinez completed six of 15 passes in the 27-0 rout. He threw a sweet, 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller, but his longest completion, a 39-yarder to Art Thomas, was underthrown.

With Schaub unavailable and Martinez facing 80,000-plus hostile fans in his starting debut, Virginia needed Plan B on Saturday. True freshman Kevin McCabe? No way. Former walk-on David de Laureal? Please.

Hagans was the obvious answer. He quarterbacked Hampton High to the 1998 Division 5 state championship, and when Groh benched Schaub in last year's opener, Hagans completed 10 of 13 passes for 120 yards. He did not throw an interception and rushed 11 times for 45 yards, this in his collegiate debut.

Yes, his lost fumble near the goal line sealed a 35-29 defeat. But he proved himself capable in game conditions, credentials Martinez, McCabe and deLaureal lack.

So obvious a solution was Hagans that South Carolina coach Lou Holtz prepared the Gamecocks' defense for him. Yet according to Hagans and Martinez, Hagans never practiced at quarterback last week.

That makes no sense. Hagans is not Billy McMullen or Herman Moore - an indispensable receiver who makes defenses cower. He's an athlete, and now the Cavaliers desperately need that athlete at quarterback.

So, just who was Virginia's backup quarterback Saturday? What if Martinez had been injured?

Depends on the game situation, Groh said.

What if Martinez had been injured in the first quarter?

"That's fantasy football," Groh huffed.

Fantasy? Try reality. Martinez isn't ready, and even when Schaub returns, his right shoulder figures to be problematic throughout the season.

Hagans may be undersized at 5-foot-10, but he runs a mean option, and his passes have plenty of zip. Move him back to quarterback.

Rest assured, he's waiting to be asked.
 

Cavs lose way on road
The Cavaliers allow a 99-yard TD reception and are outgained 423-170 in a lopsided loss to South Carolina on Saturday.
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

COLUMBIA, S.C. - The next time Virginia wants to promote senior quarterback Matt Schaub, it might want to distribute a tape of Saturday's game with South Carolina.
The Cavaliers were lost without him.

To believe head coach Al Groh, they probably would have been lost with him.

"There's a list of things that usually cause you to get beat," Groh said. "If you give up long touchdown passes you usually get beat. If you commit critical penalties, you usually get beat. If you get your quarterback hit, you usually get beat. If you turn the ball over, you usually get beat."

Virginia was guilty of all those indiscretions and more Saturday as unranked South Carolina hammered 15th-ranked UVa 31-7 before a sellout crowd of 80,150 at Williams-Brice Stadium.

Mostly, the Cavaliers were unable to move the ball, a scary proposition given the uncertainty of Schaub's return from a separated right (throwing) shoulder.

"That continues to be a day-by-day situation," Groh said. "It's day-to-day, even whether we can say when it's going to be."

Redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez started in Schaub's place and accounted for 28 yards in total offense. The Cavaliers had 162 yards as a team and managed seven first downs, the last with seven seconds left.

"That's the fewest I can remember giving up," said the Gamecocks' Lou Holtz, a college coach for 32 seasons.

Holtz had feared that Virginia had a surprise weapon in wide receiver Marques Hagans, its backup quarterback in 2002, and Groh had indicated Hagans might make the switch. However, Hagans did not play quarterback in the game or in practice, according to Martinez.

"Maybe if we thought that would have changed the circumstances some, we would have used that option," Groh said. "We didn't feel that would have changed the circumstances. We had some limited plays we could have used with him."

South Carolina (2-0) outgained the Cavaliers 423-170, but it was a close game for a half, with Carolina taking the lead on a 99-yard pass from Dondrial Pinkins to Troy Williamson with 6:03 left.

Before that, UVa led 7-3 and appeared to have South Carolina buried at its 1-yard line after a 56-yard punt by Tom Hagan.

Pinkins made a play fake on first down and connected with a slanting Williamson, who had found a seam in the zone between UVa cornerback Jamaine Winborne and safety Willie Davis.

"I wasn't anticipating the slant," Winborne said. "I was looking for more of a trick play, like a stop-and-go, thinking they might try and take a shot. A slant is really not a take-a-shot play."

Groh was most upset that Davis missed a tackle at the South Carolina 20. Winborne had been knocked down further up the field.

"That's a very embarrassing play," Groh said. "The disappointing thing is, it's the play [the coaches] anticipated, with the coverage we had practiced. You make a play, you're OK."

Aside from the 99-yard pass, the longest in South Carolina history and the longest ever given up by the Cavaliers, South Carolina had 111 yards and four first downs in the first half.

"At 10-7, it was the kind of game at the half that I thought it would be," Groh said.

Although the Cavaliers' offense became increasingly ineffective, it remained a 10-7 game until late in the third quarter, when an exchange between Martinez and running back Alvin Pearman resulted in a fumble that South Carolina's Moe Thompson recovered at the UVa 11-yard line.

Martinez was given credit for the fumble, "but it's my job to secure the ball," said Pearman, who, with 17 carries for 91 yards, was UVa's lone offensive threat. "I'll know better when we look at the film."

South Carolina needed only two plays to score on a 6-yard touchdown run by previously undistinguished running back Daccus Turman, who finished with 18 carries for 123 yards.

Daccus picked up 48 of those yards in the fourth quarter, when the Gamecocks outgained the Cavaliers 133-28, outscored them 14-0 and had the ball for more than 12 minutes. South Carolina had fourth-quarter touchdown drives of 80 and 48 yards without the benefit of a completed pass.

"Nothing is as good as it seems and nothing is as bad as it seems," said Holtz, whose team was panned after a 14-7 victory over lightly regarded Louisiana-Lafayette. "We are not as bad as we appeared last week, and we are not as good as we look this week."

Groh, looking at a trip to Western Michigan next week, can only hope Holtz is a prophet.

 

Cavs' Martinez calm, but erratic
By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Admittedly nervous when he was pressed into service in Virginia's opening game, quarterback Anthony Martinez said he was much more comfortable for his first college start Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The results were better for UVa when he was nervous.

Martinez said his nerves "were fine. They were under control. I was pleased with that. I was ready to go out there and play the game."

Martinez completed half of his passes, an upgrade over the first game, but his 10-for-20 passing day accounted for only 54 yards in a 31-7 loss to South Carolina.

He also yielded two interceptions and was credited with a fumble that South Carolina turned into an 11-yard touchdown drive to make it 17-7 in the third quarter.

"I know we had penetrators in the backfield, so I don't know if they got a hand on the ball or not," said Martinez, whose handoff was bobbled by tailback Alvin Pearman. "I'm not sure."

The first interception came after the Cavaliers had driven to the South Carolina 34 on their second series of the game. The second came on UVa's first drive of the third quarter, when it appeared that tight end Heath Miller had come open in the middle of the field.

"I thought I could get it over [linebacker Jeremiah Garrison]," Martinez said. "I saw him. I didn't put enough on it. I just made a bad throw."

Martinez's only completion to a wide receiver in the first half and in a four-quarter span over two games was to Marques Hagans for minus-3 yards in the second quarter. UVa's wideouts seldom looked open and had three catches for 16 yards.

Groh admitted that the gameplan was simplified to help offset Martinez's inexperience.

"I would have been pretty stupid [not to]," Groh said. "We've got the conference player of the year, who he replaced, who's a very sharp and alert quarterback on the basis of experience. The other guy's been in one game. It's our job to give the player the best opportunity to be successful.

Martinez described his mood as disappointed, "more in the fact that we lost, not because I didn't play as well," he said. "Now, I'm eager to get started again Monday and get ready for next week."

UVa's regular quarterback, Matt Schaub, was in uniform but his only contribution was in conferring with Martinez and some of the other offensive players. Schaub suffered a separated right (throwing) shoulder on the first series of downs against Duke but said Saturday that he is "getting better."

Walk-on David DeLaureal was at quarterback for the final series of downs, an indication either that true freshman Kevin McCabe is not ready to play in a game, as Groh had maintained one week earlier, or that the Cavaliers do not want to waste his redshirt year in a mop-up situation.

LUNDY SLOWED: For the second week in a row, UVa coach Al Groh made an early change at tailback, inserting Alvin Pearman for Wali Lundy. Against Duke, Lundy returned to rush for a team-high 88 yards on 21 carries. Against South Carolina, he had nine carries for 35 yards.

"He didn't seem to have very much juice today," said Groh, who limited some of Lundy's preseason work due to a hamstring injury. "He got out on the edge a couple times. He was trying, but he just couldn't do much with it."

INJURIES: Kevin Bailey, once considered the Cavaliers' top offensive lineman, did not make the trip and still does not have medical clearance to return after reconstructive knee surgery. Most of UVa's injuries have been on offense (Bailey, Matt Schaub, top returning wideout Michael McGrew and fullback Jason Snelling ) but nose tackle Andrew Hoffman and safety Willie Davis were injured Saturday. Hoffman appeared to injure an ankle and Davis had a "stinger" after a head-to-head collision.

UVA NEXT WEEK: The largest crowd in Waldo Stadium history is expected Saturday at 2 p.m., when Virginia (1-1) visits Kalamazoo, Mich., for its first meeting with Western Michigan. The Broncos (1-1) beat William and Mary 56-24 on Saturday. It will mark the first visit to a Mid-American Conference campus for the Cavaliers, who are 5-0-1 against MAC foes, all in Charlottesville.

 

'Cocks of the walk
U.Va. suffers humbling loss to S. Carolina
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 07, 2003

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Matt Schaub, wearing shorts and nursing a separated shoulder, watched from the Virginia sideline yesterday. The senior quarterback saw a horror show unfold for the 15th-ranked Cavaliers at Williams-Brice Stadium.

In its first full game without Schaub, the 2002 ACC player of the year, U.Va. mustered only seven first downs against unranked South Carolina, and No. 7 didn't come until 59 minutes and 55 seconds had elapsed. Virginia turned over the ball three times, gave up a 99-yard touchdown, got pushed around up front and passed for a meager 54 yards.

It added up to a humbling defeat for a team whose stay in the Top 25 may end tomorrow. The Gamecocks (2-0) outscored their guests 21-0 in the second half and walked off with a 31-7 nonconference victory before 80,150 fans.

"Overrated, overrated," many in the crowd chanted at the Cavaliers as the final seconds ticked off.

"I don't think anybody in our organization - coaches or players - performed well today," Virginia coach Al Groh said.

Redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez made his first start at quarterback for U.Va. (1-1), and it went poorly. His longest completion went for 12 yards, to tailback Alvin Pearman. Martinez, who was 10 of 20 for 54 yards, was intercepted twice.

Still, Groh chose not to replace Martinez with true freshman Kevin McCabe or sophomore Marques Hagans, who backed up Schaub last season but now plays wide receiver. Hagans said he did not take any snaps in practice last week.

"Everybody looks at the quarterback, but it wasn't just him," junior wideout Ottowa Anderson said when asked about Martinez's play. "It was a total group loss."

Martinez said he was "disappointed - not because of the fact that I didn't play well but because of the fact we lost."

The seven first downs were U.Va.'s fewest in three seasons under Groh, and that's "the fewest I can ever remember giving up," USC coach Lou Holtz said.

Martinez was sacked twice and lost 13 more yards on his other four rushes. The Cavaliers' lone standout on offense was Pearman, who rushed for 91 yards and the team's touchdown. But even the junior from Charlotte, N.C., wasn't flawless.

It was 10-7 late in the third quarter when Pearman fumbled a shaky handoff from Martinez. The Gamecocks recovered at the U.Va. 11. Two plays later, tailback Daccus Turman, who finished with a career-high 123 yards rushing, ran 6 yards for a touchdown, and the rout was on.

"Nobody did their job today," Pearman said. "Me, personally, I put the ball on the ground, and it really changed the game. I think it was the biggest play of the game, and I take full responsibility for it."

If that was the game's biggest play, the runner-up came in the second quarter. Pearman's 4-yard TD run had made it 7-3 early in the period, and the score was unchanged when U.Va. downed sophomore Tom Hagan's punt at the USC 1.

The Cavaliers' defense, stout to that point, couldn't have asked for a better situation. Yet it proceeded to surrender the longest play from scrimmage in school history. On first down, quarterback Dondrial Pinkins hit wideout Troy Williamson on a quick slant pattern. Williamson, wide open when he hauled in the pass, then eluded sophomore safety Willie Davis' diving tackle attempt. He raced untouched to the end zone to complete a 99-yard scoring play.

"Just a bad play," said Davis, who later injured his left arm.

Asked if that play changed the game's momentum, Groh said, "I don't know about momentum, but it sure as hell was a shift in score. That's a lot more important than the momentum thing. The disappointing thing is, it's the play we anticipated with the coverage that we practiced. It just goes to show you sometime: If you make the play, you're OK. Miss the play, you got a big problem."

After yet another U.Va. drive stalled, this one near midfield, Hagan punted early in the fourth quarter, and USC took over leading 17-7. Eighty yards from the end zone, the Gamecocks covered them exclusively on the ground.

On the final carry, by Pinkins, the 6-2, 245-pound junior carried 6-7, 285-pound defensive end Chris Canty, an all-ACC second-team pick in 2002, for the last half of a 6-yard gain. That seemed fitting in a game in which the Gamecocks' offensive and defensive lines dominated the second half.

"We fought, but I don't think we fought enough," U.Va. linebacker Darryl Blackstock said. "They played more physical than we did."

Pearman said: "Everybody needed to step up today, and nobody did."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Sep 07, 2003

QB, OR NOT QB: After his team's one-sided loss at South Carolina yesterday, Virginia coach Al Groh was noncommittal when asked if injured quarterback Matt Schaub might play next weekend at Western Michigan.

"Matt's situation continues to be a day-to-day situation, and that's the truth," Groh said.

The 6-5 senior's return is more likely to come Sept. 27 against Wake Forest or Oct. 4 against North Carolina. Schaub separated his throwing shoulder in the Aug. 30 opener against Duke, and his replacement, redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez, played three-plus quarters in the Cavaliers' 27-0 victory.

In his first college start, Martinez struggled yesterday, throwing two interceptions and passing for only 54 yards before a raucous crowd of 80,150 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia.

"He's right in line with everybody else," Groh said. "I don't think anybody played very well today over the course of 60 minutes. I'm sure there are a few plays he'd like to have back, but this was a pretty challenging environment for him to start out in, and things were moving pretty fast out there. I'm sure he'll get some things from [the experience] that'll help him in the future."

Not until the Cavaliers' final series did Martinez come out, and his replacement was former walk-on David de Laureal, not true freshman Kevin McCabe or sophomore Marques Hagans, Schaub's backup last season.

Groh said he'd planned for Martinez to go the distance. Asked who would have taken over at quarterback had Martinez been injured, Groh said that "would have depended upon the time of the game and the circumstances. . . . He didn't get hurt, so it's a moot point."

Hagans, an electrifying runner who has a strong arm, moved to wideout last winter, but USC coach Lou Holtz expected him to play quarterback yesterday. Holtz need not have worried.

"That was an option that we had, and that was considered," Groh said. "Maybe if we thought that would have changed the circumstances some then we would have used that option, but I didn't really feel that was going to change the circumstances very much."

RUNNING ON EMPTY: Sophomore Wali Lundy started at tailback for U.Va. but spent most of the game on the sideline. Junior tailback Alvin Pearman led the Cavaliers with 91 yards and one touchdown on 17 carries. Lundy ran nine times for 35 yards.

"He didn't seem to have very much juice today," Groh said. "He was trying, but he just couldn't do much with it."

OUT OF GAS: U.Va. became known for its second-half supremacy in 2002, when it outscored opponents 260-132 after intermission. Yesterday, though, the Cavaliers were shut out in the second half for the first time since a 24-0 loss at N.C. State on Oct. 27, 2001.

ONE FOR THE BOOKS: Until yesterday, Virginia never had allowed a play of more than 97 yards from scrimmage. That changed in the second quarter when South Carolina wideout Troy Williamson turned a short pass from quarterback Dondrial Pinkins into a 99-yard touchdown.

U.Va. had surrendered a 97-yard pass play, from Mark Fellers to Craig Brantley, against Clemson on Nov. 16, 1974. Twice the Cavaliers had given up 90-yard runs: first to Navy's Joe Bellino in 1960 and then, 30 years later, to Maryland's LaMont Jordan.

For USC, the play was its longest ever from scrimmage.

FAMILIAR TERRITORY: Groh spent the 1988 season as offensive coordinator on Joe Morrison's staff at South Carolina. The Gamecocks went 8-4 and played in the Liberty Bowl that season.

As a head coach, Groh is 1-3 against South Carolina - 0-2 with Wake Forest and 1-1 with U.Va.

FOND MEMORIES: Mike Groh, who coaches U.Va.'s quarterbacks and receivers, was a sophomore at Columbia's Spring Valley High during the'88 season. Groh started at quarterback and helped Spring Valley win a state title. His teammates included Lee Flowers and Willie Williams - now NFL defensive backs - and Raleigh Boulware, brother of Peter and Michael Boulware.

UP NEXT: Virginia (1-1) plays Western Michigan at 2 p.m. Saturday at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo. The game won't be televised. U.Va. has never met WMU in football and has never played on the home field of a Mid-American Conference team. The Broncos were 0-1 heading into last night's game with Division I-AA William and Mary. - Jeff White

 

Cavaliers Are Road Weary
South Carolina Outgains Virginia 423-170 on Offense: South Carolina 31, Virginia 7
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, September 7, 2003; Page E09

COLUMBIA, S.C., Sept. 6 -- As they left the field at Williams-Brice Stadium this afternoon, the Virginia Cavaliers were a mix of disgust and wounded pride. The Cavaliers brought their No. 15 ranking here only to be dealt a decisive 31-7 loss by the unranked Gamecocks.

Virginia (1-1) trailed 10-7 at the half before South Carolina blew the game open with 188 second-half rushing yards. South Carolina held an overall yardage advantage of 423-170.

"They whipped us," Virginia defensive end Chris Canty said.

With redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Martinez playing just his second game in relief of injured starter Matt Schaub, the Cavaliers called nearly twice as many running plays as passes. Junior tailback Alvin Pearman gained 91 of Virginia's 116 rushing yards, but overall the Gamecocks (2-0) controlled the line of scrimmage of both sides of the ball.

"I didn't think either one of our lines played the way that we had hoped they would today," Virginia Coach Al Groh said. "Therein really lies the story line. . . . We knew this was going to be one of our biggest challenges. Unfortunately, today from top to bottom, from the head coach down to somebody who didn't play, we weren't up to the challenge."

Things started to come apart for U-Va. in the second quarter. The Cavaliers led 7-3 before South Carolina's Troy Williamson turned a 15-yard slant into a 99-yard touchdown. The Gamecocks took charge late in the third quarter with an 11-yard touchdown drive after Pearman and Martinez combined to fumble a handoff, and then sealed the win with two fourth-quarter scores.

With Schaub on the sideline in shorts and sneakers, Martinez played the whole game at quarterback and completed 10 of 20 passes for 54 yards with two interceptions and two sacks. He didn't have a completion longer than 12 yards.

Martinez "wasn't our problem," tight end Patrick Estes said. "Our team had problems. We just weren't playing like we should have been playing. You can't point that at our quarterback."

The game stayed close into the third quarter mainly because South Carolina wasn't able to generate much offense. Sophomore tailback Daccus Turman ran for 123 yards -- the Gamecocks' first running back to go over 100 yards since 2001 -- but quarterback Dondrial Pinkins was 9 of 24 and got 99 of his 162 passing yards on Williamson's catch-and-run.

But when Pearman and Martinez botched an exchange with 2 minutes 45 seconds remaining in the third quarter, South Carolina took over at the Cavaliers' 11-yard line. Virginia surrendered a touchdown to Turman run two plays later that pushed the lead to 17-7.

South Carolina broke the Cavaliers on its next drive, a 13-play, 80-yard march that included 12 rushes and drained 6:01 off the clock. The Gamecocks tacked on a final score with 78 seconds remaining when reserve quarterback Bennett Swygert ran in from six yards out on the first play of his career.

"Every [warning Groh] preaches to us happened today," Virginia outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock said. "We just basically learned the hard way. It hit us in our face -- like, damn, this is what Coach is always talking about."

Virginia was ineffective on offense from the start, generating 37 yards on its first four possessions. But on the Cavs' fifth drive, five consecutive running plays -- including a 34-yarder by Pearman on fourth-and-inches -- gave them a touchdown and a 7-3 lead.

Seven minutes later, Virginia punter Tom Hagan pinned the Gamecocks on their own 1-yard line with a 56-yard punt. But on the drive's first play, Pinkins connected with Williamson in stride on a slant inside cornerback Jamaine Winborne. Safety Willie Davis missed a tackle and Williamson was off, accelerating for just the 14th 99-yard touchdown in NCAA history.

"That was a very embarrassing play," Groh said.

Cavaliers Notes: Davis missed the final six minutes and later had his left arm in a sling after a collision with South Carolina fullback Cory Boyd. . . . Virginia punt returner Marques Hagans dropped his third punt of the season, though he has recovered all three fumbles.
 

Runaway victory
Sun sets on USC's drought against ranked opponents
By JOSEPH PERSON
Staff Writer
Erik Campos/The State

The rain stayed away, as did the boobirds. And by day's end the sun was shining on Williams-Brice Stadium.

South Carolina finally beat a team of consequence.

The Gamecocks put together an all-around performance Saturday to defeat No. 15 Virginia 31-7 and end a yearlong drought against ranked opponents.

It was USC's first win over a top-25 team since its 31-28 victory over No. 22 Ohio State in the 2002 Outback Bowl. The Gamecocks (2-0), who were 0-4 against ranked squads and 0-7 against bowl teams last year, will get another chance next weekend when they face No. 8 Georgia in Athens.

"We're not a great football team. We're a young team," USC coach Lou Holtz said. "But what we proved is we can play against a top-15 team when we play well."

Gamecocks receiver Troy Williamson put it this way: "Sometimes you've got to beat the unbeatable."

That might be overstating things. Virginia starting quarterback Matt Schaub, touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate, stood on the sideline in street clothes with a separated shoulder. And the Cavaliers (1-1) kept it conservative for backup quarterback Anthony Martinez, a redshirt freshman making his first start in front of the announced crowd of 80,150.

Martinez, who completed 10 of 20 passes for 54 yards with two interceptions, threw mostly dump-off passes and took few chances downfield.

But the Gamecocks' defense had a big hand in ruining Martinez's debut.

With defensive end Moe Thompson (two sacks, three forced fumbles) leading the upfield charge, USC held Virginia to 170 yards and seven first downs in its best defensive performance in four years. The Gamecocks limited N.C. State to 96 yards and six first downs in a 10-0 loss in Holtz's first game in 1999.

That game was played in miserable conditions as Hurricane Dennis swept through the Southeast. Tropical Storm Henri took it easy on Columbia on Saturday, so the Gamecocks provided the thunder and lightning.

The lightning came from Williamson, who made a 99-yard touchdown reception from Dondrial Pinkins for a 10-7 lead after the Gamecocks were in the shadow of their own end zone in the second quarter.

USC offensive coordinator Skip Holtz wanted to play it safe with a running play for Pinkins. But after a brief huddle with his father, Skip Holtz sent Pinkins in with a play that had only two options - Williamson on the slant or receiver Matthew Thomas in the flat.

Pinkins hit Williamson in stride and the former high school sprint champion from Silver Bluff took it from there, splitting defensive backs Jamaine Winborne and Willie Davis for the longest play from scrimmage in USC history.

"It wasn't a shift in momentum, but more like a shift in the score," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "It was a play we anticipated. It was a very embarrassing play."

Tailback Daccus Turman brought the thunder, with an assist from the offensive line. The sophomore from Washington, Ga., was the Gamecocks' leading rusher in last week's opening win over Lafayette-Louisiana, but most of the postgame focus centered on why freshman Demetris Summers didn't get more carries.

After Turman bulled for 123 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, the Summers talk should die down. Turman broke Herschel Walker's Georgia high school rushing records, but only had 35 carries all of last season.

Lou Holtz said it didn't take a coaching genius to feed Turman the ball Saturday. "He kept moving the chains," he said.

Turman became USC's first running back to rush for 100 yards since Andrew Pinnock (106) and Derek Watson (105) broke the century mark against Vanderbilt in 2001. The 5-foot-11, 229-pound Turman did yeoman's work on the Gamecocks' biggest series.

Scrapping the passing game after a series of dropped passes, Pinkins handed the ball to Turman seven times on a 13-play, 80-yard drive that used up the first six minutes of the fourth quarter. When Pinkins finished it by carrying defensive end Chris Canty into the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown, the Gamecocks led 24-7 and were on their way.

"That's one of those drives you build your team around and get excited about," tight end Hart Turner said.

The fans, many of the same ones who booed USC during the lackluster opener, seemed excited enough, sticking around until the second-teamers came in during the waning minutes.

Holtz made sure to mention them after the Gamecocks' first home win over a ranked team since beating No. 12 Georgia three years ago.

"I'm most happy for our fans," he said. "Our fans could walk out of that stadium and feel good about playing a nationally ranked team and winning."

Considering how long it had been, that was something to cheer about.

 

Groh: 'We didn't respond well'
By CHRIS DEARING
Special Correspondent

Virginia coach Al Groh was quick to take much of the blame for the 15th-ranked Cavaliers' 31-7 loss to South Carolina on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

"I don't think anybody from the coaches all the way down to the players did a good job today," Groh said. "This was a very challenging environment, and from myself all the way to someone who didn't play that much, we didn't respond well."

More important than anything, Groh said, was the absence of last year's ACC Player of the Year - quarterback Matt Schaub. Schaub injured his shoulder in the first half of the Cavaliers' season-opening 27-0 win over Duke.

That forced red-shirt freshman Anthony Martinez to make his first career start in front of 80,150 fans on the road.

Martinez did enough last week in leading the Cavaliers to a win. He completed 6-of-15 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown. He didn't turn the ball over, either.

That wasn't the case against the Gamecocks.

Martinez finished 10-of-20 with two costly interceptions and just 54 yards through the air. He also was sacked twice, lost a fumble on a bad exhange with running back Alvin Pearmanand had negative 26 yards rushing.

"Eventually somebody had to step up and make plays but unfortunately we didn't," Martinez said.

"They seemed to make all the plays. I don't really know what happened on the fumble. Maybe their guy got a hand on it, but I'm not sure. All turnovers hurt, but that was a big point in the game."

The fumble between Martinez and Pearman came late in the third quarter. Martinez was under pressure from Moe Thompson and tried to hand the ball to Pearman. The ball fell to the ground and Thompson recovered at the Virginia 11-yard line. Two plays later, Daccus Turman scored on a 6-yard run to give South Carolina a 17-7 lead.

"I thought the fumble was the biggest play of the game," Pearman said. "I take full responsibility for that. It changed the whole complexion of the game."

Virginia wanted to pound the running game and use a short passing attack to keep the Gamecocks off balance. But the ground game never got going and the passing game was limited to the tight end and running backs in the flats.

"We tried to do things that Martinez had a high confidence level in," Groh said. "But he was replacing a guy that is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. But this isn't Martinez' fault. He played right in line with everybody else."

One other option Groh had was to use wide receiver Marques Hagans at quarterback.

Hagans was the backup quarterback last season and played a couple of series in Virginia's 34-21 win over the Gamecocks in Charlottesville.

"Hagans was an option but the concern was the limited number of plays we could've run with him," Groh said. "It would've been even less than what Martinez had."
 

USC defense needed a little love
By RON MORRIS
Columnist

USC HAD A good, old-fashioned lovefest on defense Saturday during the Gamecocks' impressive 31-7 victory over Virginia at Williams-Brice Stadium, and it all started last week during practice.

Coach Lou Holtz created the all-for-one, one-for-all belief in the defense late in Thursday's practice. That's when linebacker Marcus Lawrence had just made an outstanding play by recovering a fumble and tossing the ball back to the offense before returning to the defensive huddle.

Holtz came charging from the sideline for a let's-hold-hands, heart-to-heart talk with the defense.

"He didn't like what was going on. He stopped practice," said Chris Cosh, USC's defensive coordinator. "He said, 'Hey, congratulate him (Lawrence). Share in the victory because he made that play, because he caused that to happen.'

"He was just pointing out that we needed to share in our success, celebrate every play that you make because it's hard to get them."

Tackle Darrell Shropshire said the defensive players then hugged one another, right there in USC's indoor practice facility. They didn't exchange any kisses and there was no guitar strumming or singing of "Kumbaya." But there was, by all accounts, an awakening, a realization that maybe this defense can be special with the infusion of a little love for one another.

There was a whole lot of that going on Saturday as USC's defense limited Virginia to 170 yards of total offense and seven first downs.

When Virginia's running backs saw daylight on the corners, USC's linebackers closed fast and stopped them in their tracks. When Virginia redshirt freshman quarterback, Anthony Martinez dropped back to pass, he saw mostly hands in his face and a secondary that blanketed his receivers. And when USC made one of its many big defensive plays, they spread the love of group celebrations around the field.

"They really played hard and played together," Cosh said. "It was really fun to stand on the sidelines and watch them get excited and play. That kind of energy feeds off each other."

Cosh was the chief energizer. When linebacker Lance Laury intercepted a Martinez pass on Virginia's second possession of the game, Cosh nearly reached the middle of the field to greet his players with head slaps and back pats. It was representative of the enthusiasm shown throughout by the defense.

"Last week to this week - we just believed in ourselves," cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "We know that we are a good team. This week we just had to believe it and play hard."

Shropshire, Laury, Robinson, Moe Thompson, George Gause, Jeremiah Garrison, Jamacia Jackson, Ted Crawford ‘.‘.‘. there simply were too many players who contributed to the unit's success to name them all. Normally when a coach talks about a team effort, it's nothing more than a cliche. Not Saturday.

For the second straight game, USC's defense forced three turnovers. This from a unit that forced only 21 turnovers in 12 games a season ago. Laury and Garrison picked off passes and Thompson recovered one of the three fumbles he forced. Thompson, whose presence was hardly noticed against Louisiana-Lafayette, also had two sacks.

"Moe was very active," Cosh said. "I saw him in the backfield plenty of times, not only in the passing game but in the running game, breaking free and containing the passer."

Cosh said the defensive emphasis this season -- and particularly during the week of practice -- was third down. A season ago, USC frequently looked helpless as opponents sustained drives with big plays on third down. Saturday, Virginia managed only two first downs in 14 third-down attempts. Equally as impressive, the Cavaliers did not manage a first down on seven possessions.

"Usually you achieve what you emphasize, and coach Holtz emphasized it to us," Cosh said. "Things kind of trickle down. We emphasized it to the players, and the players want to get off the field. The object on third down is to get off the field or take the ball."

That happened on 10 of Virginia's 17 possessions.

About the only time USC's defense slipped came early in the second quarter when Virginia's Alvin Pearman ran 34 yards on a fourth-and-1, then carried 4 yards on the next play for a touchdown. Holtz immediately huddled the defense on the sideline and took full blame for calling the wrong defensive alignment in a short-yardage situation.

The defensive players then patted one another on the back and the lovefest continued. With continued play like Saturday's by the defense, it might soon be time to start pumping a little "Get Together" by the Youngbloods into the public address system. Or "Kumbaya."