Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering how much Marques Hagans may play at quarterback for UVa this Saturday ...
Coach Al Groh is trying to make sure that Hagans plays it safe in practice this week as he will likely be the backup to Anthony Martinez at Western Michigan.
“When quarterbacks get ready for training camp it is emphasized to them to have their arm in shape because they’re going to throw a lot of balls,” Groh said Wednesday. “Marques didn’t have time to get his arm in shape. I will be interested to see how that goes through the week. We’re giving him looks but not having him throw so much that he’ll show up on Saturday with a sore arm.”
Centennial bust?
Western Michigan is celebrating its centennial game this Saturday against the Wahoos but has been disappointed at the response of fans. As of Tuesday, at least 10,000 tickets were available for the game.
The Broncos were hoping for a sellout against Virginia, the first ACC team to ever visit Waldo Stadium. In fact, the school is considering changing its scheduling policy because of the lack of response.
School officials question whether the team should play in front of empty seats at home when a road game against a BCS opponent could net the program nearly half a million bucks.
Red hot
It takes a lot to get under Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe’s skin but N.C. State did it last week and paid a heavy price.
When Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato put a gag order on his team last week, prohibiting them from speaking to anyone about this week’s Ohio State game, Grobe took it personally.
“I saw an article about Chuck saying he’s not letting his players talk about Ohio State and that they’re going to be disciplined if they say anything about Ohio State and all that,” Grobe said. “The inference is that as long as they don’t say anything about Ohio State, then they will kick the hell out of Wake Forest.”
Several Deacons said they were insulted that State was worried more about the defending national champion Buckeyes than playing Wake last Saturday, when the Deacs stunned the Wolfpack in Winston-Salem, N.C.
“They came in here talking about next week, about playing for the national championship,” said Wake back Nick Burney. “Everywhere I went, even the supermarket, I’d hear about them talking about Ohio State and not us. The coaches told us to stick it to ‘em.”
And they listened.
Farewell Jim
A few years ago, I had the pleasure as president of the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers Association, to present Clemson play-by-play man Jim Phillips with the annual Skeeter Francis Award.
The honor, named after the still living legendary former ACC media relations man, is given to those for lifetime work in covering the league and its teams.
Phillips died Monday, having
broadcast 401 Clemson football games and over 2,000 Tiger athletic events during his career.
“He’s been a part of this program for 36 years, starting with Frank Howard,” said Clemson coach Tommy Bowden. “He’ll be deeply missed and I’m sure by now he’s already found Frank Howard and they’re telling stories.”

Tearing down the house. When Georgia Tech upset Auburn 17-3 last Saturday, the 55,000 Yellow Jacket fans had reason to celebrate.
But this?
They swarmed the field and tore down the goal posts. Maybe that is an indication of how victory-starved Tech fans are these days. After all, the Jackets had lost its last three outings dating back to last year, 51-7 to Georgia, 30-21 to Fresno State in the bowl game, and 24-13 to BYU last week.
Tech had also lost 10 players to academics.
“I hope at some point, when we beat the 17th-ranked team, it isn’t something that needs the goal posts to come down,” said Tech head coach Chan Gailey.
The program expanded its stadium to 55,000 seats this year, but don’t read too much into that. An estimated 20,000 Auburn fans were in the facility.

Tiger leaves again.  Sophomore wide receiver Roscoe Crosby has left the Clemson football team for the second time. He withdrew from school and headed home for family reasons.
The ACC approved a medical absence waiver for Crosby on Aug. 13 based on an elbow injury and emotional trauma created by the deaths of three friends who were traveling to Florida to visit him in May of 2002. He reported to practice five days later, the first time since March of 2002.
Crosby played as a reserve against Georgia but then left the team a few days afterward. The Tigers are hoping that he will eventually return to the program.

Tar Heel blues. Carolina coach Jim Bunting is still upset about his team’s defense, which is giving up 43 points a game after last Saturday’s triple-overtime, 49-47 loss to Syracuse. The Tar Heels have surrendered 1,071 yards in two games.
“We will be back to training camp with the defense,” Bunting said of this week’s open date. “We will go back to fundamentals and techniques to improve our more experienced players.”

Recommitted Wahoo.  Linebacker James Terry, who signed with Virginia last February but enrolled at Fork Union Military to finish up academically, officially recommitted to the Cavaliers on Wednesday.
“He’s a first-class young man,” said FUMA coach John Shuman. “He has some similarities to [Darryl] Blackstock. He’s fast, goes all-out, is a great leader and is smart.”
Shuman coached Blackstock for a season at Fork Union prior to the Tidewater product becoming a freshman All-American at UVa last year.
“James plays hard. He makes good grades. He already has sergeant stripes, which is not an easy task. He has been moved up quickly. He’s only been here three weeks.”

Short yardage. ... Darian Durant has already thrown more TD passes than any quarterback in UNC history (17) and still has at least 21 games remaining in his career with the Tar Heels. ...Asked what he was going to do to shutdown Ohio State’s running game this weekend in Columbus, N.C. State coach Chuck Amato replied: “Pray ... Do a lot of praying.” ...UVa senior center Kevin Bailey, who has been out of action since suffering a knee injury at FSU in the second game of last season, should be ready to play at Western Michigan this week. ...Groh reported that Bailey was in a few pileups in practice on Tuesday and came out of things OK. ...Duke fullback Alex Wade hasn’t seen much action this season because of a strained hamstring. ...The Blue Devils could win back-to-back games this weekend (vs. Rice) for the first time since early September of 1998. ...Duke’s defense returned to form last Saturday by limiting Western Carolina to a mere four yards rushing.
...Sign of the Apocalypse for Clemson football: The Tigers game at Georgia Tech on Sept. 20 will not be televised, marking the first time since 1987 that Clemson has played three straight games without any live network TV coverage. ...How hot is Georgia Tech freshman quarterback Reggie Ball? All 48 of his jerseys ordered by the school’s Barnes and Noble bookstore have already been sold out. ...Wake Forest’s No. 20 ranking in the AP poll is the first time the Deacs have made the poll since Jan. 3, 1993 when the Bill Dooley led squad beat Oregon in the Independence Bowl.

The picks. Last week: 3-4. To date: 9-5. This week: Clemson 27, Middle Tennessee St. 10; Rice 28, Duke 19; Florida State 23, Georgia Tech 16; Maryland 38, The Citadel 7; Ohio State 24, N.C. State 21; Virginia 31, Western Michigan 21; Wake Forest 24, Purdue 21.

Dennis Haley may have been the only Virginia football player to walk off the field at Williams-Brice Stadium with mixed feelings last Saturday.
Sure, like his teammates, Haley was upset about the 31-7 loss to South Carolina and chagrined at the way UVa’s defense was pushed around in the fourth quarter.
On the other hand…
“It felt great to be out there playing again,” said the junior linebacker. “It just felt good to run around and hit people. I was a little jacked up. It’s definitely been a long time.”
Over a year, to be exact. Haley started Virginia’s 2002 season opener against Colorado State last Aug. 22, then served a one-year NCAA suspension for academic reasons. He completed his sentence by sitting out this year’s opener against Duke, then suited up and played 23 snaps against the Gamecocks.
It wasn’t a dramatic comeback. Playing mainly in UVa’s nickel defense, Haley finished with just four tackles, but he shook off some rust and expects better from himself the rest of the season, starting with Saturday’s game at Western Michigan.
“I’m glad I got that first game out of the way,” said Haley, who also played on the punt-block unit. “I was still practicing with the team all last year, but game speed isn’t the same as practice speed. It’s different. It’s faster and more physical, so it takes a little while to get adjusted.”
Haley, who led Salem High to three Group AA state championships, once was considered among the most promising linebackers in Virginia’s program. He redshirted in 2000, played special teams in 2001, then earned a starting spot at outside linebacker during training camp in 2002.
Following the first game, however, he was sidelined by the suspension, then eclipsed by other linebackers. Darryl Blackstock, who took his spot, set an ACC freshman record with 10 sacks. Two current freshmen, Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham, generated much of the preseason buzz. Senior Raymond Mann is solid at the other outside position in UVa’s 3-4 scheme.
Because of that, Haley’s return slipped under the radar, but he says he gained a greater understanding of Virginia’s defense over the past year, as well as increasing his strength and speed. Now he could make a significant difference for a defense that yielded more than 420 yards per game last season.
“Dennis can play, man. He’s going to help us a lot,” Blackstock said. “He’s big, he can run and I know he’s been itching to get back out there on the field.”
At 6-foot-1 and 241 pounds, Haley has the size to pack a wallop. But his main role for the moment is in Virginia’s nickel package, primarily in third-down passing situations. That unit did well Saturday. The Gamecocks completed just one of nine third-down passes for a three-yard gain and also threw an interception.
Stopping the pass will be UVa’s top defensive priority against the Broncos. Senior quarterback Chad Munson set school records for passing yards (450) and touchdown passes (6) in last Saturday’s 56-24 victory over William & Mary. Through two games, he leads the nation in passing yards (783) and shares the lead in TD passes (8).
“They throw the ball a lot and that guy is on the money when they throw it,” Haley said after watching Western Michigan game tape. “Hopefully we can put pressure on him, get some sacks and mess up his timing.”
Haley is focused on the present but he can’t help getting excited about the future. Since Mann is the only senior in the linebacking corps, Haley figures to contend for that starting spot next year along with freshmen Vince Redd and Jermaine Dias.
“Our linebacking corps is young but I think it should be great,” Haley said. “It’s got speed, size and just great athletes. I think we can dominate.”

The biggest recruiting news coming out of UVa this week was in regards to the four top South Carolina targets who witnessed the Cavaliers meltdown in Columbia.
Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley offensive lineman Leon Hart, a 6-foot-4, 290-pounder ranked as the No. 5 offensive guard in the country, said that the loss to the Gamecocks would not hurt Virginia’s chances when it comes to recruiting him. However, he said he was much more impressed with South Carolina’s offensive line play and currently favors staying in state to play his college ball.
His teammate, defensive end Mack Frost, is probably the most likely candidate from the Palmetto State to take an official visit to Charlottesville. The 6-5, 235-pounder has shown quite a bit of interest in Al Groh’s program and continues to despite the tough loss. The other two targets from South Carolina are Florence (S.C.) Wilson linebacker Lawrence Timmons and Union, S.C., Bryan Bishop.
Timmons, a 6-3, 220-pounder, had listed UVa as his leader early in the process, but many other schools have evened things up. Bishop, at 6-4, 285, is still waiting on a UVa offer.
Two of Virginia’s top targets have scheduled an official visit for the Hoos’ home tilt against Virginia Tech.
Bluefield (Va.) Graham running back/defensive back Ahmad Bradshaw has already visited Virginia Tech and Tennessee and will take what could be his final official visit on Nov. 28 to see the Cavs. The 5-10, 185 speedster is being recruited as a cornerback by Virginia. He doesn’t list a favorite at this point.
Also visiting on Nov. 28 is Washington (D.C.) Gonzaga wide receiver Doug Dutch, who was recently named to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in Texas during January.
The 6-0, 200 pass catcher is a dynamic player who will also be a great special teams contributor in college. He also has a scheduled visit with Michigan for Dec. 12. Dutch is the top offensive target on the board for UVa this year with his game-breaking speed and ability to stretch the football field. One thing that has been lacking in the UVa offense is a true deep threat and Dutch would be that guy. He is also going to visit Miami and Florida, but Virginia looks like it’s in good shape at this point.
Another player very close to scheduling an official visit is Pottstown, Pa., cornerback Chris Gorham, a 6-0, 170-pounder who also likes Georgia Tech and Notre Dame. Gorham is headed to Atlanta to check out the Yellow Jackets on Oct. 3 and he’ll be in South Bend to see the Irish on Oct. 17. He could also be a visitor for the Virginia Tech game.
Little Rock (Ark.) Pulaski Academy linebacker Matt Stoltz has apparently eliminated his home-state school and is now down to two favorites. Arkansas has not been recruiting Stoltz as heavily as some expected while UVa and Tennessee are showing plenty of love to the 6-3, 230-pounder. Stoltz is expected to take official visits to both schools and decide sometime before his senior season ends.
There has been much talk in state regarding the status of Culpeper County defensive back Kent Hicks. The latest report out there is that Hicks, the No. 2 player in the state, has dropped Virginia from his list.
Not so fast. Hicks’ recruiting coach is UVa defensive line coach Mike London, who is considered to be one of the top young recruiters in the country. While Hicks is a bit confused about why Stefan Orange left the Cavaliers’ program, he said that he will not let anyone except for his family and perhaps his head coach influence his decision.
Hicks is visiting Boston College on Sept. 20 and also likes Maryland, Virginia Tech, Tennessee, Florida State and Miami. Look for the Cavaliers to get back in this battle soon enough. Hicks has already been to Charlottesville many times and will certainly take in a home game.
One player that was on the early commitment watch list for some reason is Plainfield, N.J., defensive end Dan Davis, a 6-3, 247-pound pass rusher. He has an offer from Virginia, but is also sporting offers from Nebraska, Georgia, Maryland, Rutgers and others.
He said he can’t understand why everyone thinks he’d commit early and plans to take all five of his official visits. However, he did say that Virginia is one of his top schools. Landing a player from Plainfield might be a good idea for the Cavs, especially since the top player in the state of New Jersey for 2005 is Davis’ teammate, offensive tackle Eugene Monroe.
Monroe is a 6-7, 320-pound monster with quick feet and terrific balance. He’s only 16 years old and reminds me of a young Bryant McKinnie, also a Jersey native. Monroe already has offers from Maryland and Rutgers and UVa will offer soon.