Hagans passes as QB

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

   KALAMAZOO, Mich. - A few mistakes would have been understandable when Marques Hagans made the move from wide receiver to quarterback last Monday.

    That's what made Hagans' performance Saturday at Western Michigan so remarkable. It was virtually flawless.

    Instead, it was host Western Michigan that committed all of the errors as the Cavaliers rolled to a 59-16 victory before a crowd of 21,982 in the Broncos' Centennial Celebration Game.

    "We knew we couldn't leave here without a win," said Hagans, who was limited to five touches - two receptions and three punt returns - in a 31-7 loss at South Carolina.

    The Cavaliers managed seven first downs against the Gamecocks, prompting head coach Al Groh to return Hagans to quarterback, where he had served as the backup to Matt Schaub in 2002.

    With Schaub sidelined by a shoulder injury, redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez started at South Carolina.

    "It was kind of funny coming in here," UVa linebacker Dennis Haley said Saturday. "There was no way Western Michigan could have known what it was up against."

    Hagans, who allegedly had not practiced his passing since December, completed 12 of 20 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns. He also carried nine times for 68 yards.

    "He had spent two years in the system and, as I've said repeatedly, the system hasn't changed significantly," said Groh, who made the decision to start Hagans on Monday. "But, right away, I thought Marques had a more complete grasp of the offense than he ever did last year, which is when we were trying to coach the heck out of him.

    "It shows you just how important coaching really is. Let's give all the credit to Marques."

    Hagans, a 5-foot-10, 207-pound sophomore, was so efficient that he was able to turn the reins over to Martinez after tossing a 9-yard touchdown pass to fullback Brandon Isaiah that made it 52-10 as time expired in the third quarter.

    Isaiah was one of four UVa players who scored their first collegiate touchdowns, a group that included Deyon Williams, a freshman playing in his first college game. Williams' touchdown came on his first reception, a perfectly executed post pattern in the second quarter.

    "I didn't think they did anything with Hagans that they haven't been doing with their other quarterbacks," Western Michigan coach Gary Darnell said after repeatedly seeing Hagans dance away from pass rushers. "We just couldn't bring him down.

    "I will say that he threw the ball with a lot more arm strength than I would have expected. We wanted him to throw the ball."

    The Broncos (1-2) came into the game with the Division I-A leader in passing yardage, senior quarterback Chad Munson. Munson went 21-of-40 for 197 yards, but he was intercepted twice. The Cavaliers (2-1) intercepted three passes, two of which they returned for touchdowns.

    If Western Michigan had any hopes of rallying from a 31-10 halftime deficit, they were dashed when Virginia cornerback Almondo Curry stepped in front of Munson's first pass of the second half and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown.

    "I really wasn't cheating on the play," said Curry, a teammate of Hagans' at Hampton High School, where Curry was known as "Muffin" and Hagans was "Biscuit."

    "I was just playing the defense the way it was called. I don't know if he didn't see me, but the ball was right in my arms."

    Redshirt freshman Tony Franklin scored UVa's final touchdown on a 45-yard interception return, and the Cavaliers scored their last 35 points off turnovers, one reason that the Cavaliers enjoyed such a huge spread despite being outgained 408 yards to 403.

    Senior cornerback Jamaine Winborne had an interception, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt after missing much of the second half of the South Carolina game after being knocked woozy.

    Virginia had so many heroes, headed by Hagans, that sophomore tailback Wali Lundy was almost overlooked despite rushing for 121 yards, scoring two touchdowns and passing for a touchdown.

    "We had a lot of people in the film room this week," Winborne said. "That's not to say we hadn't been working hard before, but we put a lot of work into this."

    It was a bitter pill for Darnell, who worked with Groh at North Carolina and under Groh at Wake Forest. Groh admitted that his relationship with Darnell was one reason he agreed to a potentially hazardous trip to Kalamazoo.

    "I told him, "I wish it hadn't come to this,'" Groh said of their postgame exchange.

Cavs Blast Broncos, 59-16
by Jeremy Williams
Sep 14, 2003

It is almost assuredly safe to say that Virginia’s 59-16 romp over Western Michigan is exactly what Virginia head coach Al Groh expected to see from his 2003 version of the Cavaliers. Only it was with the hands, and feet, of a very different quarterback. Sophomore Marques Hagans started in place of an injured Matt Schaub and an ineffective Anthony Martinez to resurrect a derelict Virginia offense en route to 403 yards and 38 offensive points.

Hagans, who was unavailable to practice at quarterback the week before the debacle against South Carolina, showed why he is such a versatile player in leading UVa's offense to their highest point total in seven years. Considering that he had not practiced at quarterback since late December before this week, Hagans was extremely impressive, connecting on 12 of 20 passes for 162 yards and three touchdowns.

After a defensive stand on first and goal in the early going made the game 3-0, Hagans led the Cavaliers on their first sustained drive in two weeks, connecting with Art Thomas for Virginia’s first touchdown of many. More importantly, however, Hagans completed 3 passes for 38 yards, letting the Broncos know that the Cavaliers would have a passing game to go to this week.

Hagans would go on to throw for two more touchdowns to freshman Deyon Williams, who scored on his first snap as a Cavalier, and Brandon Isaiah, whose role has increased with Jason Snelling out for the year.

With Western Michigan having to concentrate a little more on Virginia’s passing game, a few more holes opened up for Cavalier running back Wali Lundy in the early going. While Virginia could only muster 119 yards on the ground last week, Lundy, who did not have much “juice” last week, went for 121 yards on 26 carries to outgain the entire Cavalier effort for last week.

On the Cavaliers’ second scoring drive it was all Lundy, as the sophomore running back ran for 51 yards on four straight carries to move Virginia deep into Bronco territory. After a Hagans scramble brought the Cavaliers down to the seven-yard line, Lundy barreled into the end zone to give Virginia a 14-3 lead and cap off an impressive first quarter that saw the Cavaliers gain 108 yards on the ground.

As the Virginia offense came back from a tough week against USC, the Cavalier defense played yet another solid game that included forcing six turnovers, reminiscent of last season. While the Cavaliers were actually outgained on the day by the Western Michigan offense, 408 to 403, almost half of WMU's yards came in the fourth quarter, when the game was over and Al Groh was checking out some of his younger players on the defensive side of the ball.

While there were quite a few big plays and turnovers for Virginia's aggressive defense, Western Michigan’s first series on offense might have been the most important of them all for Groh’s improving defense. After a three and out and a poor punt gave the Broncos terrific field position, Western Michigan marched down to the three-yard line, apparently going in for an easy score.

Like last year, however, Virginia had a bend-but-don’t-break-mentality, and stopped the Broncos from scoring an opening touchdown. When Virginia scored on its next possession, it was obvious that momentum had changed, and it was because of the Cavaliers big defensive hold.

Virginia’s first turnover came at a crucial time in the game, as it appeared as though Western Michigan might creep closer and make it a close game. After Bronco signal caller Chud Munson drove Western Michigan down the field for a score to make it 24-10 with 5:00 left in the 2nd quarter, Virginia gave the ball back soon after.

With a couple minutes left in the quarter, WMU had a chance to go down the field and come within a touchdown. However, on the Broncos' first play, Jermaine Hardy put a vicious hit on wide receiver Antonio Thomas, causing a fumble. Jamaine Winborne, who also had an interception on the day, picked up the fumble and rumbled down to the Broncos' 20-yard line. Three plays later, Lundy went in for his second touchdown that put away the Broncos for good. Later in the game, when it was out of control, both Muffin Curry and Tony Franklin picked off passes and scampered downfield for touchdowns to put the game further out of reach.

While both the Virginia offense and defense had terrific games on the day, certain parts of the special teams unit looked as though they need some work before facing Wake Forest in two weeks. In addition to poor coverage on kicks, Tom Hagan had a rough day punting the ball, as he only averaged 34.7 net yards per kick, leaving Virginia in some bad positions at times.

The sophomore punter appears to have the pooch punt down, as he had downed the ball within the 20-yard line seven times this season, but he has trouble when he needs to get the ball downfield. Hagan must improve his deep punting as Virginia makes its way farther into its ACC schedule.

Needless to say, coach Groh got what he was looking for in Saturday’s romp over a MAC team. With Schaub throwing passes up to 25 yards in length before the game, it appears he is closer to returning every week, but for right now, Hagans is Virginia’s quarterback, and he appears to be a pretty good option.


 

VIRGINIA 59, WESTERN MICHIGAN 16
Hagans ignites Cavs' rout Career highs at QB help U.Va. rip Western Michigan
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 14, 2003

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Marques Hagans spent the final quarter on the Virginia sideline, his helmet off and his work done for the day. Rarely has a football player been so deserving of a break.

Hagans, the third quarterback to start for the Cavaliers this season, turned in a spectacular performance in a game that was supposed to be close. The sophomore from Hampton High, who needed an IV after the game, ran nine times for a career-best 68 yards and completed 12 of 20 attempts for a career-high 162 yards and three touchdowns in a 59-16 rout of Western Michigan.

Not bad for a guy who played wideout and returned punts in Virginia's first two games.

"He's the spark," sophomore tailback Wali Lundy said of the 5-10, 207-pound Hagans, who wasn't listed on the Cavaliers' two-deep at quarterback. "I don't think there's a player like him in the country. He's prime time."

Hagans, ACC player of the year Matt Schaub's backup at quarterback in 2002, took no snaps last weekend against South Carolina, a 31-7 loss in which redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez played all but one series. Cavaliers coach Al Groh said he decided Monday to start Hagans against WMU. Hagans hadn't thrown a pass in practice since December, but little rust was apparent in practice or against the Broncos (1-2).

"This just shows you how important coaching is," Groh said, tongue in cheek. "Right away, I thought Marques had a more complete grasp of the offense than he did at any time last year when we were trying to coach the heck out of him. Let's give all the credit to Marques."

Asked which position is more fun, quarterback or wideout, Hagans smiled and said, "Always quarterback."

U.Va. (2-1) had fun aplenty yesterday in a game in which it entered as only a 7½-point favorite. Not since a 62-14 rout of N.C. State on Oct. 19, 1996, had the Cavaliers amassed so many points. Seven players scored at least one touchdown for U.Va. yesterday, including two defenders.

Virginia led 31-10 at halftime, and by that point, many of the Broncos' fans in the crowd of 21,982 at Waldo Stadium had vacated the premises. More flocked to the exits after U.Va. cornerback Almondo Curry intercepted a pass by Chad Munson and ran 23 yards for a touchdown 12 seconds into the second half.

"They came in here and beat the [expletive deleted] out of us," said WMU defensive end Jason Babin, an All-America candidate. "That's embarrassing."

Munson, a senior, entered as the nation's leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, and he has big-play receivers in Antonio Thomas and Greg Jennings. But a U.Va. defense that had broken down late against South Carolina rose to meet the Broncos' challenge.

"All we heard about their passing game and how many records their quarterback had broken and how good their receivers were," senior cornerback Jamaine Winborne said.

Munson completed 21 of 40 passes for 197 yards, but he threw only one TD pass and was intercepted twice. U.Va. turned both of those turnovers into touchdowns, and it sacked Munson twice. The second time, after Winborne jarred the ball loose from Munson, defensive tackle Andrew Hoffman recovered at the WMU 45. Three plays later, Hagans threw a 9-yard TD pass to reserve fullback Brandon Isaiah to end the third period, and Connor Hughes added his sixth PAT to make it 52-10.

The Cavaliers' final touchdown came when reserve cornerback Tony Franklin, a redshirt freshman, picked off a Blayne Baggett pass and returned it 45 yards, crossing the goal line with 3:16 left.

"We needed this to get back on track to where we want to be," Winborne said. "This is how we're supposed to play."

Lundy, slowed by a hamstring injury against South Carolina, was back to full speed yesterday. By halftime, he had 114 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, and he wasn't through. Lundy rushed for only 7 more yards after intermission, but he threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to wideout Ottowa Anderson late in the third quarter.

After U.Va.'s first drive stalled, WMU capitalized on a 16-yard punt by Tom Hagan and took over at the Cavaliers' 42. The Broncos passed on their first eight plays, moving 40 yards to the 2. But the Cavaliers held and forced Western Michigan to settle for a field goal.

Then Hagans went to work. Virgina's second series ended with his 11-yard touchdown pass to wideout Art Thomas. A 7-yard TD run by Lundy capped U.Va.'s third series. Less than two minutes into second period, Hagans hit true freshman wideout Deyon Williams on a post pattern for a 35-yard touchdown.

And so it went for a U.Va. team that hopes to get the injured Schaub back for its next game, Sept. 27 against No. 20 Wake Forest at Scott Stadium. The 59 points were the most scored on the Broncos at Waldo Stadium since 1961, a stretch of 217 home games.

"I think the players can be proud of what they did," Groh said.
 

Hagans excels in victory
Hampton native throws three TDs to defeat Broncos
By Bill Templeton
Correspondent KALAMAZOO, Mich.
Published September 14, 2003

Listed on the roster as a wide receiver, Marques Hagans made his second start for the University of Virginia at quarterback and made the most of his opportunity.

The Hampton native completed 12 of his 20 passes, including three touchdowns, and finished with 162 yards in U.Va.'s 59-16 win over the host Broncos. Hagans also rushed for 68 yards on nine carries.

"It wasn't necessarily a dream game, it was just what we needed," Hagans said.

Hagans' second start was the opposite of his debut last year against Florida State when he completed one of seven passes for 4 yards and was replaced by Matt Schaub in the second quarter.

Although the injured Schaub could be ready to play for the Cavaliers' home game Sept. 27 against Wake Forest, Hagans was the difference Saturday against the Broncos.

"Marques certainly provided a lot of energy," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "I thought he played very well and brought his team home a winner in his first start of this season."

After the Broncos opened the scoring with a 20-yard field goal by Robert Menchinger, the Cavaliers answered with 24 consecutive points.

Hagans hooked up with Art Thomas on an 11-yard scoring pass. Sophomore Wali Lundy followed with a 7-yard run, Hagans' 35-yard strike to true freshman Deyon Williams made it 21-3 and sophomore Connor Hughes tacked on a career-best 48-yard field goal.

Lundy, who rushed for a game-high 121 yards on 26 carries, added a 1-yard scoring run with 1-minute, 46-seconds remaining before halftime to set the stage for a big-play second half for the U.Va. defense.

Almondo Curry, a senior from Hampton, intercepted a pass on the first offensive play of the third quarter and darted 23 yards for the score, increasing the Cavaliers' lead to 38-10.

"My eyes just got big," Curry said. "I didn't know why the quarterback would throw the ball right to me like that. It was right in hands."

That play set the tone for a defensive performance that also included a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown by redshirt freshman Tony Franklin.

"Virginia has a great defense," Western Michigan quarterback Chad Munson said. "They came to play today. All 11 guys played hard each play. They were a very strong, physical group."

In between the two scores by the U.Va. defense, Lundy tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Ottowa Anderson and Hagans found Brandon Isaiah for a 9-yard scoring pass with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

The victory snapped Virginia's four-game road losing streak dating back to last season.

"I'm just glad we came down here and got the win," Hagans said. "I knew we couldn't leave without one. We needed this to get back on track."
 

U.VA. NOTES
Sep 14, 2003

ON THE MEND: Early arrivals at Waldo Stadium yesterday witnessed a scene that may bode well for Virginia. Senior quarterback Matt Schaub spent about 15 minutes tossing easy passes to tight ends coach Andy Heck and administrative assistant Tom Sherman, a former Penn State QB.

Schaub, who hasn't played since separating his throwing shoulder Aug. 30, threw 15-, 20-, 25- and 27-yard passes before heading to the locker room. The 2002 ACC player of the year, Schaub hopes to return for U.Va.'s next game, Sept. 27 against Wake Forest.

LIMITED ROLE: Redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Martinez, who played all but Virginia's final series against South Carolina last weekend, relieved starter Marques Hagans in the fourth quarter yesterday.

U.Va. led Western Michigan 52-10 when Martinez entered, and the Patrick Henry High graduate did little more than hand off in the final 11:17. Martinez completed his only pass, for a 6-yard gain, to junior tight end Patrick Estes, a Benedictine High product. For Estes, who started yesterday, the reception was his first of the season.

MEMORABLE DEBUT: Deyon Williams, a true freshman wideout who missed the first two games with a sprained ankle, entered on Virginia's third series yesterday. The 6-3, 185-pound Williams won't soon forget his first collegiate reception. Early in the second quarter, he ran a post pattern, hauled in a pass from Hagans and raced into the end zone to complete a 35-yard touchdown play.

Another true freshman wideout, Hermitage High graduate Fontel Mines, played for the first time yesterday, too.

"We were looking a bit more juice, a little more firepower out there," Virginia coach Al Groh said of his new receivers.

In the final quarter, offensive tackle Gordie Sammis became the sixth true freshman to play for the Cavaliers this season, joining Williams, Mines, linebacker Ahmad Brooks, safety Robbie Catterton and offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham.

FULL RECOVERY: Senior cornerback Jamaine Winborne, who missed the second half of the South Carolina game because on an injury, wreaked havoc against Western Michigan. Winborne deflected a punt, intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble, broke up two passes and sacked quarterback Chad Munson, forcing a fumble that U.Va. defensive tackle Andrew Hoffman recovered.

WELCOME ADDITION: Virginia regained the services of center Kevin Bailey yesterday. The 6-6, 290-pound senior played for the first time since injuring his knee in the Cavaliers' second game last season. Bailey relieved starter Zac Yarbrough with 11:51 left in the second half yesterday, and they split time the rest of the way.

BREAKTHROUGHS: Four Cavaliers scored their first collegiate touchdowns yesterday: Williams, senior cornerback Almondo Curry, redshirt freshman cornerback Tony Franklin and junior fullback Brandon Isaiah. Senior Art Thomas scored for the first time as a wideout, on an 11-yard pass from Hagans, but as a cornerback he returned a fumble for a TD in 2001 and an interception for a TD in 2002.

Also, sophomore tailback Wali Lundy threw his second TD pass yesterday. Lundy hit wideout Ryan Sawyer with a 38-yard touchdown pass on a halfback option at Wake last year.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Western Michigan's William Pease will move to Charlottesville in late November to begin assembling U.Va.'s first marching band.

A graduate of Virginia Beach's Princess Anne High, Pease has been WMU's director of athletic bands since 1998. His highly regarded marching band has 350 pieces.

Pease, who has a master's from James Madison University, also has directed the band at Virginia Beach's Kempsville High. U.Va.'s marching band is scheduled to begin performing at football games next season.

FRIENDS AND RIVALS: Groh and WMU coach Gary Darnell were colleagues at North Carolina and Wake Forest. Yesterday's game was the first in 24 years in which the longtime friends coached on opposite sidelines. In September 1979, Kansas State beat homestanding Air Force 19-6. Groh was Air Force's defensive coordinator, and Darnell held that position for K-State.

DOWN TIME: Virginia (1-0, 2-1) doesn't play again until Sept. 27, when ACC rival Wake visits Scott Stadium. The 20th-ranked Demon Deacons (1-0, 2-1) lost 16-10 to visiting Purdue yesterday. - Jeff White
 

Hagans Leads The Cavs In Rout
Fill-In QB, Making 2nd Start, Sparks Virginia's Offense : Virginia 59, Western Michigan 16
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, September 14, 2003; Page E16

KALAMAZOO, Mich., Sept. 13 -- Apparently the Virginia Cavaliers aren't dead just yet. Bruised by a deflating loss last week and still playing without their star quarterback, the Cavaliers rolled to a 59-16 win at Western Michigan today.

Sophomore Marques Hagans started for just the second time at quarterback and led Virginia (2-1) to its highest point total in seven seasons. Baffling the Broncos time and again with his elusiveness in the pocket and in the open field, he ran nine times for a career-high 68 yards and completed 12 of 20 passes for a career-high 162 yards and three touchdowns.

"He was the key today," Cavaliers cornerback Jamaine Winborne said. "We needed this win."

Hagans's performance, judged worthy of a game ball by Coach Al Groh, stood in marked contrast to the struggles redshirt freshman Anthony Martinez experienced while filling in for injured senior Matt Schaub in last week's 31-7 loss at South Carolina. Yet Hagans also had a lot more help from his teammates than Martinez did. Last week, the Cavaliers ran for only 116 yards; today Wali Lundy (121) led an attack that produced 217 yards -- 108 in the first quarter alone.

Virginia's defense created six turnovers, including a pair of interceptions that cornerbacks Almondo Curry and Tony Franklin returned for touchdowns. Those big plays were more than enough to turn an early 24-3 lead into the Cavaliers' biggest margin of victory since 1997.

"We just looked at what we did last week and corrected it," left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson said. "We made the necessary changes."

Those changes included using Hagans in his first extended stint at quarterback since his start at Florida State more than a year ago. The move was something of a surprise, since Groh's public comments this week led many observers to believe Martinez would retain the starting job and Hagans would split time with him as a reserve until Schaub returns. Today, Groh acknowledged he decided on "instinct" on Monday to start Hagans. Martinez was left with mop-up duty in the final 11 minutes.

"We wanted to [get] a little faster team on the field," Groh said. Hagans "was obviously able to do that for us today."

Schaub, who separated his shoulder in the season opener two weeks ago, played catch today for 15 minutes before the game, gradually increasing his distance to 25 yards. The initial, unofficial prognosis for his injury held open the possibility that he could return for the Sept. 27 game against 20th-ranked Wake Forest. (Virginia is off next week.)

"My arm was a little sore early in the week, but as far as the presence back in the pocket and reading the plays . . . it came back a lot quicker than I thought it would," said Hagans, who backed up Schaub last season but moved to wide receiver in January.

Groh said today he's not sure when Schaub will be back. For now, the coach said, Hagans is the starter.

"Our other quarterback can't play, so there's no question about what we're going to do," Groh said. "Right now he's the quarterback with no other options."

Entering the game, the edge at quarterback seemed to go to Western Michigan (1-2), whose senior starter, Chad Munson, led the nation with 783 passing yards. Today he was 21 for 40 for 197 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

The Broncos actually held a 408-403 advantage in offensive yards, but their mistakes doomed them. After giving the lukewarm crowd of 21,982 a spark with a second-quarter touchdown that cut the lead to 24-10, Western Michigan got the ball back with three minutes left before halftime. But on the drive's first play, wide receiver Antonio Thomas fumbled after an eight-yard catch. Virginia took over at the Broncos 20 and punched in another score with three rushes by Lundy.

Cavaliers Notes: Playing in his first game, freshman wide receiver Deyon Williams (Suitland) caught one pass for a 35-yard touchdown in the second quarter. . . . Tailback Alvin Pearman replaced Hagans as Virginia's punt returner, gaining 18 yards on two returns. . . . Fifth-year center Kevin Bailey split time with starter Zac Yarbrough in his first game since injuring his knee more than a year ago.
 

Cavs crash Celebration
Sunday, September 14, 2003
BY SCOTT JUNGMAN
KALAMAZOO GAZETTE

Western Michigan's football team knew exactly what Virginia was going to bring to the field Saturday at Waldo Stadium.

The Cavaliers ran the same offensive formations and plays the Broncos studied on film and expected. Virginia's defense lined up against WMU's passing attack just the way quarterback Chad Munson had planned.

But yet, superior talent cancelled all that preparation out and handed the Broncos their worst loss at Waldo Stadium in more than 50 years, as the Cavalier's spoiled WMU's Centennial Celebration with a dominating 59-16 victory.

Even that result wasn't totally unexpected.

"You had high anticipation," WMU head coach Gary Darnell said on the Broncos' chances of knocking off the powerful BCS team from the Atlantic Coast Conference. "But down deep, you always knew that there was the possibility that if the (game) got lopsided, it could wind up that way."

Virginia's punishing ground game, led by sophomore running back Wali Lundy's 133-yard, two-touchdown performance, wore the Broncos' defense down.

Cavalier quarterback Marques Hagans' scrambling ability also left WMU searching for answers all day -- he added 68 more yards to Virginia's 217 total rushing yards tally -- and it wasn't long before an early 3-0 WMU lead deteriorated into a 31-10 halftime deficit.

The rout was definitely on. But Virginia head coach Al Groh, who was facing old friend Darnell, took no added pleasure in it, even though his team bounced back in impressive fashion from last week's 31-7 loss at South Carolina.

"I told (Darnell) it shouldn't come down to this," Groh said of the conversation after the game between the two former co-workers. "I'm sure this was no fun for him or his team."

However, the first few minutes did offer a moment of hope. After WMU's defense forced a 3-and-out on the Cavaliers' opening drive, WMU marched the ball 39 yards downfield to the Virginia 2. But two straight running plays and a failed pass attempt to defensive end Jason Babin forced the Broncos to settle for a 17-yard Robert Menchinger field goal.

"At that point, it was like, 'OK, we've got them where we want them,' " WMU sophomore receiver Greg Jennings said. "Then to go three plays there and not come up with six (points), but come up with three ... we felt like we knew we could have done better. We were moving the ball like we wanted to, but we didn't get the job done. They made plays and we didn't."

Virginia responded by grinding out a 71-yard drive behind the running of Lundy to quickly erase the lead and eventually go ahead 24-3.

Jennings gave the Waldo fans something to finally cheer about when he reached high to pull down a 36-yard Munson pass at the goal line late in the half for his fifth touchdown of the season.

But Virginia again answered with the help of an Antonio Thomas fumble deep in WMU territory a few minutes later. Lundy made WMU pay for its mistake with a 1-yard plunge to make it 31-10 at the half.

Munson delivered the second of four total WMU turnovers on the first play of the second half. The senior threw a quick hitter to the sidelines and Virginia cornerback Almondo Curry cut the pass off in stride and waltzed 23 yards to the end zone to make it 38-10.

"Turnovers were the thing I was most optimistic about staying away from (Saturday) and it didn't happen," Darnell said. "I thought the real test for us as a team was to stay away from turnovers on offense, then that would be a big part of it."

The Virginia lead ballooned to 52-10 by the fourth quarter, before Phil Reed broke through for a 26-yard touchdown run against the Cavaliers' reserves.

"At the end, they could have named the score and everybody knows that," Darnell said. "But what we had to do was keep doing the same thing. We kept the offensive line in there and tried to keep them going. We got Jon (Drach) and Blayne (Baggett) some time (at quarterback)."

But the shame of the Broncos' worst home loss since 1953, a 65-22 defeat to Utah State, couldn't be disguised after Virginia's Tony Franklin returned an interception of a Baggett pass 45 yards to finish off the blowout.

"It's like playing in your backyard -- that's where you're supposed to feel safe and dominate," senior defensive end Jason Babin said of Waldo. "But they came in here and kicked the (bleep) out of us. If that's not motivation for us now, I don't know what is."

"Every player on our team should be absolutely embarrassed," Babin added. "I'm not saying they should be walking around with their head hanging low, but it is just embarrassing."

The Broncos now get a week off to prepare for the Mid-American Conference opener Sept. 27 at Ohio University.

"We're not going to let this thing happen (again)," Munson said. "As a team, we need to come together and figure out what needs to be done over the next two weeks."
 

Missed tackles a problem for Bronco defense
Sunday, September 14, 2003
BY SCOTT JUNGMAN
KALAMAZOO GAZETTE

Western Michigan's defense knew it would have its hands full stopping Virginia's talented running game Saturday at Waldo Stadium.

But the Broncos didn't plan on helping that potent attack with missed tackles, something that happened often Saturday and is a major concern for head coach Gary Darnell.

"It started a week ago with the William & Mary game," Darnell said. "I see us being less effective as tacklers and we actually changed our practice routine to start addressing that. We're going to have to be very aggressive in addressing that issue, because we are not a very good tackling team right now.

"In the first half, there was at least six to 10 times that we had guys right dead in the backfield for a tackle and we didn't get them on the ground."

Senior defensive end Jason Babin had Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans in his sights several times Saturday. But the elusive Hagans, who doubles as a wide receiver, consistently slipped through the pressure and scrambled downfield for big chunks of yardage.

Hagans finished with 68 yards on the ground and added 162 yards and three touchdown passes through the air in his first start of the season.

"Tackling was a big problem," Babin said. "If we could have just wrapped up and made our tackles, we could have put the ball in a better situation for our offense."

Meanwhile, Virginia running backs Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman took advantage of gaping holes in the Broncos' defensive line and combined for 143 yards. When either back broke into the secondary, the missed tackles again creeped up and led to even bigger gains.

"We had a couple breakdowns that we tried to get a hold of," WMU junior safety Scott Robinson said. "We all just came out and played as hard as we could to overcome the mistakes."

"I know if we want to win, we're going to have to start making those tackles," said senior safety Jason Feldpausch, who finished with a game-high 11 stops. "But (Virginia) did a great job and they have some elusive (running) backs."

The Broncos will now get two weeks to shore up the defense, before they face another power running team, Ohio University, in WMU's Mid-American Conference opener Sept. 27.

"It's probably going to be good for the team to have that time to sit back and focus on what things we need to improve on going into the MAC," Feldpausch said. "Hopefully, we can turn things around for us."
 

Hagans eludes WMU's grasp
Sunday, September 14, 2003
PAUL D. BOWKER
KALAMAZOO GAZETTE

Marques Hagans was the unknown. Well, sort of.

He was a wide receiver, as of last summer.

He was a running back, a kick returner.

He hadn't played much at quarterback since last September, when 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Matt Schaub led the Cavaliers to a 9-5 season by throwing for 28 touchdowns and breaking or tying 10 University of Virginia records.

But Saturday, with Schaub out with a shoulder separation and freshman quarterback Anthony Martinez totally ineffective last week, Virginia head coach Al Groh moved Hagans back to his old position. And did Hagans ever deliver.

He threw for three touchdowns and 162 yards, both career highs, in the Cavaliers' 59-16 pounding of Western. But more than that, he was the slippery eel that escaped the grasp of Western senior defensive end Jason Babin, among others.

"He upset me a couple of times," said Babin, the nation's fourth-best quarterback sacker last season and who had two sacks in two games this year. "He's very agile. I thought I had him several times."

Hagans, whose 12 completions were just two short of his career total over 14 games, led the Cavaliers to scores in four of their first five possessions. Before the second quarter was two minutes old, his third scoring pass of the game -- a 35-yarder to freshman Deyon Williams -- left the Broncos staring at a 21-3 deficit.

"He certainly played very well," Groh said. "He did a very credible job. He made good, effective decisions. He ran this team."

And he was just so darn fast, which is why Groh moved him to wide receiver in the first place. When the Broncos flushed him out of the passing pocket, Hagans simply sprinted away and threw or just headed upfield. His 68 yards rushing were just four yards fewer than WMU running back Phil Reed's total. He had a long run of 18 yards.

Afterward, Hagans was not talking stats. He was quarterback for a day, and that's it. Schaub may return for Virginia's ACC opener vs. Wake Forest in two weeks.

"It wasn't necessarily a dream game," Hagans said. "It was just what we needed."

How dominant was Hagans? The Broncos never sacked him. He was never intercepted. He even let running back Wali Lundy throw a touchdown pass to Ottowa Anderson.

"He circled our edges three or four times," WMU head coach Gary Darnell said. "His skills turned an average play into an outstanding play."
 

Broncos lag behind BCS boys
Sunday, September 14, 2003

Western Michigan's football players didn't even want to look up at the new video scoreboard by the end of Saturday afternoon.

That's how ugly this one got.

You'd have to go back all the way to 1961, when a 5-4 WMU team in a long string of 5-4 and 4-5 WMU teams gave up 65 points to Utah State at Waldo Stadium. But even that wasn't in the school's Centennial game.

This was.

Look up at the board, and you saw: Cavs 59, Broncos 16.

Ouch.

"Yeah, it's an embarrassing moment," senior quarterback Chad Munson said. "Turn out the lights on a score like that. It hurts."

Jason Babin, a senior defensive end who spent the day chasing University of Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans and didn't get even one sack, made a point of not looking at the scoreboard. He didn't have to. There's no use in looking back at the truck that just pounded you, either.

And he was steamed.

"You're embarrassed," he said. "Everybody on our team should be embarrassed about this. It's like your backyard, you're supposed to feel safe here. They kicked the (bleep) out of us. That's embarrassing."

"We know we should have done better," said Greg Jennings, a sophomore receiver from Kalamazoo Central. "That was on us."

Indeed, in brilliant sunshine, that was a dark day for WMU football -- perhaps a dark day on the way to brighter days ahead, when the Broncos are back battling the Marshalls and Toledos for Mid-American Conference championships and playing in bowl games.

Forget the score ... if you can. On the day of WMU's Centennial Celebration, a mere 21,982 showed up to see the Broncos sliced and diced by Virginia, an up-and-comer in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Three years ago, WMU filled up the place for Indiana State. Saturday, WMU had 10,000 seats to sell.

Of all that talk of WMU desperately battling attention vs. the Top 15 game being played between Michigan and Notre Dame 90 minutes down Interstate 94, the other side clearly won out. Maize and blue ruled, no matter how badly you bleed Bronco brown and gold. Folks passed up Waldo to go to Michigan Stadium. Thousands others just stayed home and turned into couch potatoes for the U-M vs. Notre Dame 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

Those who straddled the line left at halftime of WMU's game, with the Broncos down, 31-10.

Even in the press box, more eyes seemed focused on the overtime game between Ohio State and North Carolina State than the field below them. You know that had to be happening in the suites that surround Waldo Stadium on two sides.

As it did in 2000, when it beat Iowa, Western must win these Bowl Championship Series teams. WMU head coach Gary Darnell talks of being a Top 15 program, and he is right. That's what it may take to sell out Waldo on a day Michigan plays Notre Dame. There may be a day when we see folks holding out signs on Stadium Drive on a Saturday afternoon: "Need tickets."

But Saturday was clearly a missed opportunity. Beat Virginia, and the Broncos could have stood out on Waldo, thumped their chests and gotten all over ESPN.

So, was Western that bad or Virginia that good? Yes, the Cavaliers didn't have Heisman candidate Matt Schaub, out with a shoulder separation. But Virginia was ranked No. 15 just a week ago and has offensive and defensive lines that are ready for the NFL right now. Add in Marques Hagans, a quarterback turned into wide receiver and back to quarterback again, and the Broncos were cooked. This is a Virginia team that will be playing on the first of January.

"Deep down," Darnell said, "we almost knew if it got lopsided, it could get away."

The dam broke, the water rushed through and nobody knew how to turn it off.

And at times, it looked pretty silly.

Three times in the first quarter, the Broncos had to call timeouts because they couldn't get plays in. What is going on there?

Missed tackles in the first half alone left this glaring rushing statistic at halftime: Virginia 168, Western 8.

Munson's first pass of the second half was returned 23 yards for a touchdown.

Tyrone Walker returned a kick 100 yards for a touchdown, only to have it called back for an illegal block.

Meanwhile, with the bleachers emptying out, a lone desperate cry came down from the stands: "Let's go, Western! We can still win this one!"

Scoreboard watching, she was not.

For Broncos, it was indeed a bad day to do that.