Anderson, Williams get nod
Senior, junior will each start at receiver against Western Michigan
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
September 1, 2005

One way or the other, Ottowa Anderson will be on the field for the first play Saturday night.

Playing special teams on the kickoff and kickoff coverage units gets him that honor.

Anderson looks at his other starting assignment as a privilege.

The same can be said for Deyon Williams.

It will be Anderson and Williams that get the starting nod at wide receiver on Saturday when No. 25 Virginia takes to Scott Stadium to play Western Michigan in the season opener for both teams.

While it doesn’t come as a surprise to the magnitude of true freshmen Branden Albert starting at left guard, both players have overcome minor challenges since preseason practice started in early August.

Anderson, a senior, had to regain the faith of the coaching staff, after missing the 2004 season to serve an academic suspension.

Williams, a junior, missed a handful of practices with a muscle pull and watched from the sidelines as a number of fellow wideouts made positive impressions.

When the dust settled and the two-deep was released, both proved they were up to the challenge.

“[Starting at wideout] is just a chance to make more plays - that’s how I look at it. Regardless of what it is, it is an opportunity to get out there and help my team any way possible,” said Anderson, who started 13 games at wide receiver in 2003. “It is nice to know that hard work is recognized on all parts of the game, including special teams.”

Williams, who started five of the 10 games he played in last year, said he has been counting days for his first start.

“I waited a whole year for this,” Williams said. “I have been losing sleep.”

Both players will be counted on to help get the Cavaliers’ passing game on track - an attack that averaged 180.6 yards per game and accounted for only nine touchdowns a year ago.

That attack could get off to a roaring start against WMU, who allowed an average of 265.2 yards per game last year through the air as it went 1-10 overall.

Williams said the building process started months ago as the receivers and quarterback Marques Hagans started spending more time together off the field.

“During the offseason, we would hang out together,” said Williams of his signal caller. “We needed to be on the same page and he knows his receivers now. He knows us like the back of his hand. That is the communication and the chemistry that we need between receivers and a quarterback.”

The impact, Williams said has been noticeable in practice.

“We can be on the field and there can be a change in the defense and we can just look at each other. We don’t even have to give a signal, and we know what he wants or he will know what we are talking about,” Williams said.

That relationship, Williams admits, will mean nothing if he does not remain on the field and at 100 percent, where he claims he will be on Saturday.

“That has been my whole priority: to stay healthy,” Williams said. “I took those couple of days off [at the beginning of training camp] because I wasn’t feeling too good. The only way I am going to perform is if I am healthy. As long as I am healthy, my whole priority is to come out there and make plays every practice, every day. I have to prove myself every game.”

Williams also has to prove himself to UVa coach Al Groh, who has often pointed out the need for a third-year player in the college or professional ranks to emerge as a player that can be counted on for big things.

Williams has bought into that philosophy.

“I think it is true. [Coach Groh] has been on this level and in the NFL so whatever he is talking about, I have to take it and run with it,” Williams said. “He’s not going to tell me something that is going to hurt me and that’s what I have been doing - living up to what he expects of me.

“He has been telling me to prove myself on every play. If I make a bad play on the last play, forget about it. It is over. You can’t change it.”

What Williams, Anderson and the other receivers can change is the future.

“We have been talking to each other, making sure each other keeps a level head, uplift each other’s emotions and bringing positive energy to the group,” Williams said. “We have been telling each other all year long that this going to be a new year for us. We have got to work hard and we have to bring something to the table this year.”

 

ACC looking very strong defensively
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
September 1, 2005

Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering why the league chose to put Virginia and Virginia Tech in the same division after splitting the Florida and North Carolina schools ...

Deeee-fense
Last season, the ACC became perhaps the nation’s best defensive league and it could be again this year.
The ACC was home to eight of the top 28 defenses in the country last season, including Virginia, which was 18th in both total defense and scoring defense. Clemson was 29th in the nation in scoring defense, but only eighth in its own conference.
“A lot of our teams have a lot of kids back again this year,” said Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, whose team was not one of those eight from a year ago.
ACC scoring dropped 12 percent, from 27.9 points per team each game, to 24.5 points, which represented the biggest one season dip by any league since 2001 when Big East scoring declined by 13 percent.
“I think it’s going to be very similar this year,” said Clemson’s Tommy Bowden, who pointed out there’s a lot of good defensive coordinators using zone blitzes, plenty of talent in the league and that there were a lot of inexperienced quarterbacks last season.
“This is a defensive conference right now,” said Tigers QB Charlie Whitehurst. “I would not want to be a rookie quarterback in this conference.”

Long time coming
It has been 40 years since Maryland and Navy played in football, so it’s no wonder that the old rivals will play in front of 80,000 fans at sold out Ravens Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday.
“The game has generated tremendous interest,” said Maryland’s Friedgen. “Our players better understand how important this is. Hey, Navy won 10 last year, we won five.”
The Terps coach said the game is good for the state of Maryland, good for high school football in the state and the neutral site helps the economy in Baltimore and would do the same in Washington D.C.
“It’s something we should have been doing for a long time,” he said.
The Fridge said he’s nervous because his team is so young and he’s uncertain how they’ll play in an actual game.

Hair today, gone tomorrow
Boston College senior defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, who was voted the ACC’s Preseason Player of the Year at The Homestead in July, has been a big media hit back in Beantown.
Hot topics? Obviously, the preseason honor and his hair. Kiwanuka cut his trademark dreadlocks over the summer, which caused BC to have to re-shoot its media guide cover. He had posed for Playboy’s All-America team (yes, fully clothed) back in April, with his shoulder-length do, but decided to cut them before school started.
“My identity wasn’t tied to my hair,” he said. “I grew it out as a style thing and liked it, but always said that if I had to go off and get a job, I would cut my hair to look more professional.”

UVa hoops. Yeah, we know it’s football season, but we haven’t forgotten you hoops junkies.
Virginia will bring in two talented New Yorkers for visits in the coming weeks (Sept. 24 to be exact): Brad Sheehan and Jonathan Mitchell. Sheehan is a 6-foot-10, 200-pound player at Shaker High School, while Mitchell is 6-7, 235 who stars for Mount Vernon H.S.
The Cavs will sign two players in this immediate recruiting class and are looking almost exclusively at frontcourt help. However, coach Dave Leitao’s team will have five scholarships available in the recruiting class after this one.
In fact, the Cavs may be getting real close to getting one early commitment for that class.
Meanwhile, Duke Crews, a forward from Bethel, has cut his list of schools to UNC, Wake, Georgia Tech and Tennessee.

The Vick Factor. How concerned is N.C. State’s defense over new Virginia Tech starting quarterback Marcus Vick?
The Wolfpack have been watching film from the
2001 season when Vick played wide receiver for the Hokies.
“We’re just trying to pick up every tendency that we can because he’s an athlete,” said one State player.
Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato still remembers playing against Vick’s older brother, Michael, when Amato was at Florida State.
“I remember playing against Michael in New Orleans with a very, very fast defensive football team and he ran by us like we were standing still. That scares me because Michael and Marcus are the same size and about the same speed (Michael 6-1, 218, 4.23 speed; Marcus 6-1, 217, 4.28).

Out of the blocks. Georgia Tech picked a tough way to open the season by playing at
No. 16 Auburn, which has won 15 consecutive games. But it’s just one game in a very tough schedule that includes road trips to Virginia Tech, Virginia and Miami, and a home game against No. 13 Georgia.
At least one publication ranked the Yellow Jackets’ schedule as the toughest in the country, along with North Carolina’s. Seven of Tech’s
11 games are against opponents that played in bowl games last season, and Clemson, which was eligible but did not participate.

Quote of the Week. Clemson’s offensive line reported to training camp a lot lighter this year, including one starter who dropped from 360 to 335. All this weight loss prompted center Dustin Fry, who lost
15 pounds, to say:
“I definitely think we’re not going to be a bunch of pork chops on the damn line. It looks like a lean line.”

Renewed emphasis. Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer is trying to put the ‘special’ back into the Hokies’ special teams play. Tech has blocked only seven kicks over the past two seasons, well below the pace that coined the phrase “Beamer Ball.”
“We’re going to work a lot harder on getting better people on there,” said Beamer, who personally coaches those teams. “We were freed up on the punter I don’t know how many times last season and we didn’t always get it done.”
Tech blocked eight kicks in 2000 and seven in both ’01 and ’02.

Short yardage ... So, what ever happened to Florida State QB Chris Rix? He’s been married for two months and living in Newport Beach, Calif., from where he will work with Fox Sports Radio as a college football analyst this season. ... Georgia Tech star tailback
P.J. Daniels said he helped stay in shape over the summer by taking up rock climbing at an indoor climbing wall in Atlanta. … Yellow Jackets’ coach Chan Gailey said an off-season heart attack did not change his life because he said “I have a peace about the future,” relating to his strong faith. ... Yes, FSU has had its share of QB problems, but Drew Weatherford, the leading candidate for the starting job recently threw for 401 yards in a Seminoles scrimmage. ...
N.C. State will showcase its renovated “Vaughn Towers” in its Sunday opener against the Hokies. The facility houses a press box, 51 luxury suites,
955 club seats and a large lounge area.
... Clemson backup QB Tribble Reese hails from Mountain Brook, Ala., and can’t help but think of former friend Natalee Holloway, who mysteriously disappeared in Aruba. Reese doesn’t like some of the things he has heard about her. “I’ve heard reports on the news of how she was like dumb and just partied all the time, but she did nothing like that,” Reese said. “She went out and had a good time just like anybody else. She was just the nicest girl ever.” ... Boston College lost two key backups for the season in training camp, junior defensive tackle Justin Bell from Alexandria (Achilles), and sophomore tight end Trey Koziol (torn ACL). ... Duke senior offensive lineman Jim Moravchik will wear No. 55 this season in honor of Micah Harris, a defensive end who was killed in an auto accident in June of 2004. The jersey was last worn by Harris, a close friend of Moravchik, who said he “cried forever” when he heard of Harris’ passing.

The picks. Wake Forest 27, Vandy 24; Duke 31, ECU 20; Boston College 34, BYU 31; Virginia 48, Western Michigan 13; Texas A&M 28, Clemson 17; Auburn 24, Georgia Tech 19; Virginia Tech 20, N.C. State 14; Miami 19, FSU 16. Upset special: Navy 20, Maryland 17.

 

WMU starts with tough slate
After meeting UVa, Broncos face Toledo, Southern Illinois
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
September 2, 2005

Supporters of the Western Michigan football program would probably just as soon forget the school’s 99th season of football.

Losing 10 games and going winless in your conference has a way of doing that.

Unfortunately for the Broncos’ fan base, the 100th season of football might start off with more of the same.

After WMU opens the season on Saturday against No. 25 Virginia

(6 p.m.), the Broncos face Toledo, a nine-game winner last year, on the road and host NCAA Division I-AA power Southern Illinois, who went 10-2 last season and advanced to the postseason.

That’s not exactly the welcoming party that first-year coach Bill Cubit was looking for.

“You probably would want to schedule Portage Central [High School] and Kalamazoo College and a few of those early,” Cubit joked on Tuesday. “But that’s just the way it is. That’s college football. You’ve got to go play.”

To make matters worse, Ryan Cubit, the team’s starting quarterback and the son of the coach has missed a number of practices in the past two weeks with shin splints in his right leg and is listed as “questionable” for Saturday’s game.

The quarterback returned to practice with his teammates on Sunday, working primarily out of the shotgun. On Tuesday, however, Ryan Cubit spent practice time riding a stationary bike.

Coach Cubit told the Kalamazoo Gazette (Mich.) that his sons’ absence was by design.

“We wanted to go out for two days and test it and find out, ‘Is it sore when he’s inactive?’ Rather than beat him up another day, we want to see how he feels,” the elder Cubit said.

Without Ryan Cubit under center, Western Michigan would turn to senior Robbie Haas, who played in four games last year, completing 6 of 9 passes for

33 yards. His longest completion went for six yards and he has never started a collegiate game.

In that scenario, the backup quarterback would be either redshirt freshman Alex Engram or true freshman Tim Hiller.

“It all depends on the circumstances. It could be Alex, it could be Hiller,” Bill Cubit said. “Both are real inconsistent right now. You’d like not to have to play freshmen.”

Injuries are nothing new to Ryan Cubit.

Last year, Ryan Cubit completed 170 of 290 pass attempts (58.6 percent) for 1,887 yards and 14 touchdowns, while throwing 12 interceptions, but he suffered a season-ending ankle injury against Bowling Green in the Broncos’ ninth game. Ryan Cubit battled through a number of injuries at Rutgers too, where he was enrolled before he transferred to Western Michigan in 2003.

The importance of having a healthy quarterback is compounded by the questions surrounding the Broncos’ running game. Western Michigan’s opponents last year rushed for 2,617 yards. That was 1,237 yards more than the Broncos output.

Trovon Riley, the Broncos’ leading rusher a year ago with 691 yards, will miss the first two games for disciplinary reasons. That leaves the starting nod to sophomore Mark Bond (67 carries for 225 yards in ’04).

The problems linger on the defensive side of the ball too.

The new coaching staff used spring practice to install a 4-3 defensive scheme, eliminating the 4-2-5 defense that was used last year as the Broncos finished among the worst units in the country. The Broncos allowed 480.6 yards (No. 115 in

I-A) and 39.6 points per game, which was 114th in the nation.

While improvements are expected, the team will be without a number of the key players this weekend, including linebackers Darrell Copeland (ACL, out for the season) and Cornelius Robinson, defensive back Desman Stephen and defensive tackle Joe Alvarez.

“We do have a lot of inexperience and that’s a cause for concern right now,” Bill Cubit said. “I think our kids will play hard, I really do. It’s going to be tough for them to surrender.

“I’m looking forward to it because I see our kids and know how much it means to them. I don’t know what the deal’s going to be. All I know is they’ll go out there and play 100 miles an hour.”

 

Cavalier Notebook
September 2, 2005

PUNTER FOR HIRE. Virginia coach Al Groh said on Thursday that he planned to meet later in the day with Chris Gould and Ryan Weigand, the two candidates for the job as the starting punter.
While Groh did not release who the starter would be, Gould said earlier in the week that he would rather play than redshirt. Gould, a sophomore, is expected to be the replacement for senior placekicker Connor Hughes in 2006.
“As a player and a competitor myself, I never just want to just concede something to somebody,” Gould said. “If [my redshirting] is in the best interest of the team and that’s what Coach Groh feels, then I’m happy to do what he feels is best for the team. It could go that way.”
Early in training camp, it appeared that Gould had a distinct advantage over Weigand, a junior college transfer from California. Gould said his teammate has made considerable improvements since that time as he adjusted to the speed of Division I football.
“Ryan has really been kicking the ball well and he has really improved a lot,” Gould added. “I know how he feels with the nervousness of being here. It is big college program, big-time football.
“It is not every day that you see Ahmad Brooks running after you as a punter in high school or junior college. He has seen it and now he’s getting more comfortable and he has been hitting the ball really well.”
When asked if that was the role that Brooks had been used in since returning to practice, Gould backtracked.
“No. I was just using a metaphor there,” Gould said with a smile.
Groh said earlier in the week that Brooks would not play against Western Michigan as he continues to recover from offseason surgery to correct a degenerative bone problem in his right knee.

PROVING THEY KARE. Fans attending Saturday’s game have the chance to make donations for the relief effort to aid those impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
A group of students with “UVA Students KARE” (Katrina Aid and Relief Effort) will be stationed prior to the game at each entrance to Scott Stadium to accept cash donations and checks only in support of the relief effort. The money raised will be contributed to the American Red Cross. Gates will open at 4 p.m.

EXTRA POINTS. Ben Parziale, a sophomore defensive back, was recently awarded a scholarship, Groh said on Thursday. Parziale, who redshirted in 2003, did not play in a game last year. He becomes the third walk-on to be awarded a scholarship in the past month, joining long snapper Tyrus Gardner and wideout Mike Robertson. …
Western Michigan’s two-deep includes 11 sophomores, eight redshirt freshmen and nine true freshman on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. If you add in the specialists on the Broncos’ depth chart you get a total of 36 sophomores and freshmen. …
Current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference are perfect in six games against Western Michigan. The Broncos, who were shutout in five of those games, have been outscored 264-16 by ACC foes. The only game they scored in? WMU lost at home to UVa, 59-16, in 2003.

 

Salaries are on the rise for assistants
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Sports Editor
September 2, 2005
 

When Chuck Amato left a cozy position at Florida State five years ago to become head coach at North Carolina State, “Chucky Chest,” as he is known around the ACC, made a splash when he assembled college football’s first million dollar coaching staff.

Every major program in the country began to improve its pay scale for assistant coaches, who until then normally received modest salaries. Six figures has now become the norm for most programs as the average figure for most nine-man staffs in both the ACC and SEC fall in the neighborhood of $1.2 to $1.3 million.

It’s yet another case of one upsmanship as college programs try to keep up with the Joneses.

Beamer ball

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer, recently offered a new $2 million a year contract with the Hokies, seems more concerned about boosting the salary of his assistant coaches, who now receive $1,210,000. None of those assistants, including the two coordinators, have reached the $200,000 a year mark as of this writing.

Not so at Virginia, where one assistant is paid a salary of $210,000, a rare figure among public schools in the ACC. The only other known assistant in the league to receive $200,000 or more is N.C. State defensive coordinator Steve Dunlap, who is at the 200k figure. Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon is believed to be over that mark, but the private schools in the league (Miami, Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Boston College) are not obligated to reveal salaries.

Virginia’s overall staff is being paid $1,187,700. That’s pretty much in the ballpark with the other ACC schools.

Florida State’s staff is paid $1,184,000, but its highest paid coach, long-time defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews is at $190,000. Clemson’s staff is paid $1,260,000, while N.C. State’s is $1,204,795, and North Carolina’s is $1,147,000. On that note, it’s easy to understand why coach Al Groh, who just signed a new $1.7 million deal for the next six seasons (with a cost of living adjustment that will total $2.2 million at the end of the deal), and Beamer always seek to improve salaries for their assistant coaching staff.

Well compensated

Eight of UVa’s nine assistant coaches make more than $100,000 a year, and all but two of them have multi-year contracts. The other two have one-year deals only.

It’s similar at the other public schools in the league. At Virginia Tech, N.C. State and Clemson, eight of the nine are over $100,000, while at UNC, all nine are at $115,000 or more.

Boston College didn’t divulge its salaries but sources close to the program believe all the assistants are well over $100,000 because of the high cost of living in the area. Miami’s salaries are expected to be similar to FSU’s, but no official numbers have been released.

Georgia Tech’s salaries are unknown, but figures to be good because rival Georgia’s average assistant’s salary is $138,271, topped by assistant Rodney Garner’s $210,000. One report confirmed that Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta, a former UVa player who applied for the Cavaliers’ job when George Welsh resigned, makes $275,000 a year coaching the Yellow Jackets.

The highest-paid college assistant coach known was former Southern Cal offensive coordinator Norm Chow, who earned $500,000 annually with the Trojans. Chow was a member of that inaugural N.C. State million-dollar staff.

N.C. State offensive coordinator Marc Trestman and Clemson’s offensive coordinator are compensated $175,000, while UNC’s Gary Tranquill is listed at $149,266, the highest of any Tar Heel assistant. At least two UVa assistants earn higher salaries than that.

It’s a trend that will most likely escalate in the coming years, because just like quality head coaches, the market value for top assistants is going up.

Welcome to the football arms race. It’s not going to slow down any time soon

 

Position change no trouble for Franklin
The two-year starter at cornerback for UVa had expected to be switched over to safety and he's ready for the new job.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In some respects, Tony Franklin's college career was born on the September 2003 afternoon when he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown at Western Michigan.

The Broncos will furnish the opposition again Saturday, when Franklin, a Virginia cornerback for the past two seasons, will be reborn as a safety.

The move had been discussed for months, just not in official circles.

"I heard all the rumors so, mentally, I was preparing myself in case it did happen," said Franklin, a fourth-year junior from Cleveland. "If it was going to happen, I knew it would be for the best of the team."

The decision came one week into preseason practice, by which time UVa had settled on sophomore Nate Lyles as one of its starting safeties but had concerns about the other spot.

"In all fairness to Tony, he's started for quite some time at cornerback," head coach Al Groh said Tuesday. "We weren't going to move him to a position where he wasn't going to be a starter."

Franklin had made 18 consecutive starts since the 2003 season, when a similar move enabled him to move into the lineup. Unhappy with the play of his safeties, Groh shifted then-corner Jamaine Winborne to safety for the final six games of the season.

Although most of his practice time at UVa had come at cornerback, Franklin had been a safety at St. Peter Chanel High School, where he rushed for 2,200 yards as a senior and was named all-state at running back.

Not all safeties can play cornerback, and vice versa.

"The first thing with corner is raw cover skills," Groh said. "That's what corners have to do. Nobody is as isolated on the field as the corners, other than the guy across the line from them."

The job description for safeties is a little more detailed.

"At safety, we tell them three things," Groh said. "Get the rest of your defense lined up and ready to play, defend the deep ball and be a good open-field tackler."

The staff knew Franklin wasn't shy. Even though he had two more seasons of eligibility, he was elected a co-captain last spring.

"He doesn't panic," Groh said. "He took control [at safety] in the early minutes of the first day we tried him there. He knew the calls and was very confident in them. He'd heard them for two years."

Franklin had 78 tackles last year and ranked third on the team behind a couple of inside linebackers, Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham. As an open-field tackler, he's a proven commodity.

On the other hand, he intercepted only one pass last season and the Cavaliers had nine interceptions as a team, none by the two senior starting safeties, Jermaine Hardy and Marquis Weeks.

Defensive coordinator Al Golden has taken on the secondary as his area of personal responsibility and has emphasized turnovers. For ages, UVa fans have agonized over the inability of their pass defenders to look for the ball.

"There's been a change," Franklin said. "We'd been taught to play the receiver. It's hard to make a play on the ball when you're not looking at it. If we get caught not looking for the ball now, we have to do up-downs.

Franklin never volunteered to move to safety, "but I always thought it was a good idea," he said. He quickly bonded with Lyles, a Chicago resident with whom he carpools to the Midwest.

"We haven't had a safety since Jerton [Evans] who could hit like he can," said Franklin, who also praised his replacement at cornerback, sophomore Chris Gorham, as well as true freshman corner Mike Brown. "It's probably the most talented secondary since I've been here."

 

No let-up In Groh-bashing
Shotgun unlikely till Barthelmes ready
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES


At the risk of coming off as Al Groh’s big defender, I’m a little puzzled by the Groh-bashing that has taken place in the media.

The Sporting News’ evaluation of Groh as the 11th-best coach in the 12-team ACC came only months after SportsIllustrated.com had listed Groh as the fourth most-overrated coach in the country.

I realize there may be some media backlash stemming from Groh’s decision last year not to let his assistant coaches speak to the media, and he can be difficult to deal with. But I’m not aware that either of the writers, Matt Hayes (Sporting News) and Stewart Mandel (sportsillustrated.com), deals with Groh on a regular basis.

There also might be a perception that Groh, the recent recipient of a five-year, $1.7 million-per-year contract, is overpaid. However, I imagine that both of these articles were written prior to the contract announcement (the sportsillustrated.com piece definitely was).

Early on, people were annoyed by Groh’s constant references to the NFL, but, at some point, it becomes an issue of performance. Groh hasn’t won an ACC title, but neither have many of the coaches ranked ahead of him by The Sporting News, including Tommy Bowden, John Bunting and Chan Gailey.

I played golf with Bunting at the ACC’s Football Kickoff in Hot Springs and developed a greater appreciation for him. He’s a delightful guy, a guy you can root for, but there is absolutely no evidence that he’s a better coach than Groh.

There is a school of thought that says Groh should have been more successful at Virginia because of the high rankings given his recruiting classes, but recruiting is part of coaching, too. Also, if seven of his players were drafted by the NFL last year, with another two mentioned as first-round picks before deciding to stay in college, shouldn’t the Cavaliers have been better than 8-4?

Maybe so, but you can’t mention the seven NFL picks without pointing out that the Cavaliers were 4-0 with Chris Canty and 4-4 without him. Also, there weren’t any UVa players drafted as wide receivers or cornerbacks.

It almost comes across as a personal vendetta.

SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA’S most notorious Western Albemarle High School graduate, Roanoke talk-show host Greg Roberts, took issue with Groh’s observation Tuesday that his fifth team has an odd mixture of experience and inexperience.

Here is an abbreviated version of Groh’s quote:

“We have certain positions that are rich in experience, but across the board, it’s the most inexperienced team that we’ve had,” he said. “We don’t have an outside linebacker on the roster who’s ever started a game in college. We don’t have a guard, a currently-listed [offensive] guard, who’s ever started a college game.”

Roberts, who regularly cracks on Virginia’s recruiting classes and the high rankings they have received, wonders why UVa should be so inexperienced if it has recruited so well.

Actually, Groh was somewhat mistaken. Ian-Yates Cunningham, who began preseason camp at center, has moved to offensive guard, where he started four games in 2003 as a true mistaken. Brian Barthelmes, who actually has started 27 games at guard bin his career, is now playing center.

Groh did not offer any interpretations of his statement in a news conference Thursday.

“I couldn’t answer that,” he said. “I haven’t give it any thought. What I’ve dealt with is the ‘how it is’ rather than the ‘how it got that way.’ "

ONE OF THE CONCERNS with Barthelmes is the novelty of the snap, particularly in shotgun situations. An inability to execute the shotgun snap contributed to the demise of Kevin Bailey, an outstanding tackle who also battled knee problems in his final two seasons, 2003-2004.

“In the early going, when he was first playing there, [Bailey] didn’t have any trouble with it,” Groh said. “Then, he had a couple of critical miscues that were – I’ve never thought about it this way – a signifcant factor in the outcome of two of those games [against North Carolina State and Florida State].”

Barthelmes “has a little bit of trepidation with it right now, as you might expect,” Groh said. “He’s seen what it can do and he was in those games. But, fortunately, there’s an easy way – and the coach doesn’t have to be particularly smart to figure it out – to minimize that problem.”

In other words, don’t expect a lot of shotgun from Virginia with games on the line.

Regarding Cunningham, who missed the 2004 season while rehabbing from back surgery, Groh indicated there has been something of a flare-up.

“He’s experiencing a little bit of a problem with his back right now that’s holding him back,” Groh said. “We just have to see, long term, if this can be overcome or not.”

OF THE THREE WIDE receivers signed by Virginia last year, only Kevin Ogletree is on the depth chart for Saturday.

“He was one of the first players to arrive,” Groh said. “He graduated [from high school on a] Friday and was here Monday. He actually was here long enough to take three classes in summer school and do very well.

“He participated in workouts with the players, so he got comfortable with them. He’s got a lot of talent and it’s very easy to see, [but] when you play at this level, talent alone isn’t enough. That’s why a player’s here … because he’s got talent.”

GROH SAID THURSDAY that Ben Parziale, a walk-on defensive back from Jefferson Forest High School, has been awarded a scholarship.

Parziale, a third-year sophomore, was in uniform for six home UVa games and the MPC Computers Bowl but has not played in a game.

Parziale is the third walk-on from Timesland to receive a grant this preseason, joining deep snapper Tyrus Gardner from Wytheville and wide receiver Mike Robertson from Blacksburg.

“That’s why we did it,” a tongue-in-cheek Groh said.

GROH ALSO SAID that he planned to meet Thursday afternoon with sophomore punters Chris Gould and Ryan Weigand and inform them of his choice for Saturday but no plans were made for passing along that information to the media.

 

It's time for Cavaliers to make a move
Published August 31 2005

David Teel

Virginia plays three lightweights this football season: Western Michigan, Duke and Temple. Combined record last season: 5-28. Bank on three blowouts.

Temptation says to include road games at Syracuse and North Carolina on the gimme list, given the Cavaliers' 2004 beatdowns of each. But as Virginia Tech and Miami will attest, the Orange and Tar Heels often grow fangs at home.

Point is, Virginia wins the games it should, no small feat by the way. Has for two years as Al Groh and his staff upgrade the program's front-line talent and depth.

Conversely, big games are a big problem, and until that's corrected, the Cavaliers will fall shy of the conference championships and top-10 rankings Groh fervently believes they can attain.

Since housing No. 15 West Virginia in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl, the high-water mark of Groh's four years at his alma mater, Virginia is 0-7 against opponents that finished the season ranked among the Associated Press' top 25. The Cavaliers were 0-3 in 2003, falling to Clemson, Florida State and Maryland, 0-4 last season, losing to Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and Fresno State.

Only once, in last October's 36-3 drubbing at Florida State, was Virginia outmatched, and if not for some inhumane officiating in the MPC Computers Bowl, the Cavaliers would have defeated Fresno State. Moreover, only two of the seven defeats came at Scott Stadium.

Alas, Virginia's program moved beyond shallow what-ifs 20 years ago. Check the scoreboard and call me in the morning.

So, big-game flop? Much to prove in 2005?

"It's fair," incumbent quarterback Marques Hagans said. "We lost those games, for whatever excuse you want to make. Until we win those games, people have a right to say what they want to. We've just got to perform in big games."

Hagans doesn't exclude himself. He was pedestrian last season against Florida State and Virginia Tech, terrible against Miami and so disgusted by the bowl defeat that he left belongings in the locker room and moped to the team bus without showering.

Groh, his reputation cut as a defensive assistant in the NFL, cites the offense for stumbling on the big stage.

"In those kinds of games the last couple of years, with an exception here and there, we've been able to keep the score down low enough to win," he said. "But we haven't scored enough points."

That certainly was true in the 19-14 loss to Florida State in 2003 and even last year's 31-21 defeat against Miami, which returned a fourth-quarter punt for a touchdown. But most disappointing was last season's Virginia Tech game.

Playing for a share of the ACC championship, Virginia scored three points on two possessions inside the Hokies' 10-yard line. The lowlight came in the fourth quarter, when the Cavaliers settled for Connor Hughes' 19-yard field goal after having first-and-goal at the 1.

Many fans, most media and a significant portion of the locker room expected more last year. After all, entering 2004 the Cavaliers had won bowl games in consecutive seasons for the second time in program history, and the roster teemed with NFL prospects. Why, Virginia was the trendy darkhorse pick to win the ACC, the arrival of Virginia Tech and Miami notwithstanding.

Groh doesn't believe such hype affected the team, but defensive end Brennan Schmidt isn't so sure.

"I really don't like it when you have all the pressure and everyone says you'll do all these great things," he said. "Guys start forgetting what it takes to get there."

No such pressure this season. Florida State and Virginia Tech are Charlottesville-bound, but Virginia had a school-record seven players chosen in the NFL draft, and few, if any, project the Cavaliers better than third in the Coastal Division behind Virginia Tech and Miami.

Groh doesn't appear worried. Lamenting the departures, he said, would be "like a dog baying at the moon, it won't do any good," and replacing the draftees "becomes most daunting if there's not any quality players to follow them."

Clearly Groh believes the program is stocked well enough to absorb the inevitable turnover. Redshirt sophomores such as guard Marshal Ausberry, noseguard Keenan Carter and linebacker Jermaine Dias head the depth chart to supplant the likes of Elton Brown, Andrew Hoffman and Darryl Blackstock.

"When you get to this point in your career," Groh said of the third-year players, "it's time to make a move, or somebody else will."

Same goes for Groh's program. When you get to this point, it's time to make a move.
 

Cavaliers wait to unveil punter
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
August 31, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Starters are now in place for all of the Virginia football team's positions - except one.

The punting job will be a game-time revelation when the Cavaliers open their season Saturday against Western Michigan at Scott Stadium. Coach Al Groh said he'd use the next two days of practice to decide between sophomores Chris Gould and Ryan Weigand.

Groh said it's hard to judge a punter's ability solely on practices because coaches tell players not to go after the punter on rushes.

"A lot of what goes on on the practice field is like going to the driving range," Groh said.

Gould, who replaced Sean Johnson and punted for the final three games last season, said he expects a decision on Thursday or Friday. Both Gould and Weigand, who transferred from Pasadena (Calif.) City College, have a redshirt year, so Groh could pick one punter and redshirt the other.

"I don't have any inclination of where it's gonna go," Gould said.

BROOKS OFFICIALLY OUT

No surprise here, but preseason All-American inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks won't play in the opener. Brooks is still recovering from offseason surgery to regenerate bone growth in his right knee.

"He's got his pads on (in practice)," Groh said. "You can call that what you want. He's done a little bit."

Groh and U.Va. players have hesitated to talk extensively about Brooks' status. Senior Mark Miller will start in Brooks' spot.

LAST SHOT

Senior Kwakou Robinson will start at nose tackle after struggling last year at defensive end. So what makes Groh think Robinson will succeed at his new role?

"Faith," he said. "Got one last chance to do it. Sometimes, that's the best motivator."

NEW LOOKS

U.Va.'s first two games are against teams with new coaches. Bill Cubit arrived at Western Michigan from Stanford, where he was offensive coordinator. Greg Robinson came to Syracuse after serving as Texas' defensive coordinator. Since both coaches installed new systems, Groh said his staff hasn't been able to review last year's tape of the teams and has relied on more general preparation.

THIS AND THAT

Seven true freshmen are on U.Va.'s two-deep. If all of them play in the opener, they'd be the most true freshmen to play in an opener since 2002, when 10 played. Four played last year - cornerback Philip Brown, defensive end Chris Long, safety Nate Lyles and tight end Tom Santi. ... Heritage High grad Michael Johnson is slotted as Wali Lundy's backup at running back. Though Johnson might not play often there, he can show off his speed as U.Va.'s kickoff and punt returner. Johnson is considered the Cavaliers' fastest player, though he has sometimes bobbled returns. "He's gonna get his hands on them," Groh said. "The big question is whether the ball's gonna stay on his hands." ... U.Va. is 75-31-9 in season openers and has won its past two.

Underrated Cavs looking to fly under the radar
Inside ACC Nation
Chris Graham
chris@augustafreepress.com

Al Groh is now the $1.7 Million-a-Year Man.

Talk about something that will send a college-football team's expectations through the roof ...

"This contract is based on good results, not great results. But with this kind of deal, now the expectation truly is ACC championship," said Jed Williams, the sports director of WINA-1070AM in Charlottesville.

"Good is not good enough, especially considering that all 85 of the players on his roster, for the first time since he's been back in Charlottesville, were recruited by him and members of his staff. This is the year, this year, next year and hereafter, where good needs to become great for the Virginia Cavaliers," Williams told the "ACC Nation" radio show.

Virginia opens its season on Saturday with a home tilt against Western Michigan. It enters the 2005 campaign in a different position than in 2004 - when the Cavaliers were regarded as a national contender and were ranked in the top 10 as late as mid-November.

The '05 Cavs are ranked 25th in the preseason Associated Press poll - and are expected to finish no better than third in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Williams thinks the team could use the relative lack of attention nationally as a motivational ploy - as Virginia Tech did in '04 en route to the ACC title.

"Look at Virginia's best season under Al Groh, 2002, and clearly they were the dark horse. They were picked seventh in a then-nine-team Atlantic Coast Conference and went on to win nine games, drubbed Maryland, beat South Carolina, rallied around the flag, in Al Groh parlance, and won a bowl game. That will be the call to battle, the call to action, once again," Williams said.

Virginia's secret weapon could be senior quarterback Marques Hagans - who himself comes into the '05 season lightly regarded despite being the highest-rated returning signal-caller in the conference from 2004.

"If you look at the ACC as a whole, the knock on the ACC in 2005 is that it's a bad quarterbacks conference. It's a very watered-down league in terms of signal-callers," Williams said. "You can break that down into two groups. Most of the quarterbacks are young or rookies or players who have never started under center in this conference, and those who have some experience, guys like Jay Davis at N.C. State and Reggie Ball, who has been much maligned at Georgia Tech, the guys who are returning, the guys with a year or two of experience, do not have good experience, no positive experience. Even Charlie Whitehurst had a very checkered year a year ago, though he had a great 2003.

"I was a little bit surprised, to be honest, that Marques Hagans wasn't at least preseason second-team all-ACC," Williams said. "Hagans, to a certain degree, was graded a bit unfairly last year. People forget that he played the entire second half of the year banged up. He had a bad hip, bad ribs, and didn't play as well as he would have wanted to overall in the biggest games. But still, if you look at his body of work, they won eight games, and a lot of those games, particularly Georgia Tech and Syracuse, largely because of what he did on the field, and he led the ACC in completion percentage."

He might have to approach those numbers again in '05 if Virginia is to get over the hump from good to great.

"If Virginia wants to break through and become a national program, they have to break through and beat a Florida State or a Miami or a Virginia Tech," Williams said. "They were close last year, but they couldn't get over that hump and do that. Because of that, it was a year of unfulfilled expectations, simply because the expectations that they had last year, with all the talent that they had on last year's team, with seven players being drafted, the expectations were so high.

"Not that internally their expectations have gone down. They're still chasing Jacksonville and an ACC championship, but just based on the way that they were perceived, and the sour taste that last season left in everyone's mouth, I think that flying beneath the radar, being a little bit lower key, might have some advantages," Williams said.

 

Schaub knows his role in Atlanta scheme
Inside ACC Nation
Chris Graham
chris@augustafreepress.com

If nothing else, Matt Schaub's performance in the 2004 and 2005 preseasons has given Atlanta Falcons' fans something to talk about the past two Augusts.

"What he does every preseason is create a pocket controversy of who should be starting, believe it or not," said Wes Durham, the play-by-play man on the Falcons' radio network.

"There was this feeling, a year ago, the way Schaub was performing in the preseason, well, maybe he could be better than Michael Vick. It's a moot discussion, a stupid discussion, but it happens here," Durham said.

The controversy intensified early in the '05 preseason after Schaub, a University of Virginia graduate, was named MVP of the American Bowl won by the Falcons 27-21 over Indianapolis. Schaub completed 11 of his 13 pass attempts for 115 yards and two touchdowns in the game.

He has cooled off since - going 19 for his last 45 for 169 yards and one touchdown versus two interceptions.

Meanwhile, Vick, a Virginia Tech product, has performed above expectations in the '05 preseason - completing 58.6 percent of his passes and compiling an 87.0 passer rating.

Which is to say that Schaub had better get used to carrying that clipboard around - at least for the foreseeable future.

"Matt feels that he has a good situation here in Atlanta," Durham said. "Sure, you want to play in this league, no question. There are worse jobs in this world than being a backup quarterback in the NFL. Financially and physically. The backup doesn't get beat on very much.

"Three, four years down the road, he's going to be a hot commodity on the free-agent market," Durham said.

 

No time like present for U.Va.'s Williams
Maturation and preparation could have him on brink of breakout year
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 2, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE It's time, and no one knows that better than Deyon Williams. Time for Williams to start living up to his enormous potential. Time for him to be a player on whom University of Virginia coach Al Groh can count. Time for him to become a wide receiver whose skills scare defensive coordinators.

"I've been talking to Coach, and he's been telling W. MICHIGAN AT VIRGINIAme I have two years left to do something," said Williams, a 6-3, 188-pound junior from Upper Marlboro, Md.

Virginia opens the season tomorrow night against Western Michigan at Scott Stadium, and Williams is listed as a starter at wideout, along with senior Ottowa Anderson. Despite missing some time with a minor injury, Williams sparkled in training camp last month and may, at last, be poised to break through as a Cavalier.

"Certainly since the start of the winter offseason program, through spring practice and training camp, there's not really much more we could have asked of Deyon's efforts or his production," Groh said yesterday.

Such commitment hasn't always been a trademark of Williams, who admitted as much Tuesday.

"In high school, you do this, do that to get by," he said. "Now in college, it's a whole 'nother level. You've got to do some of the extra sometimes if you want to be good. That separates you from being mediocre and [being] great."

Fellow wideout Fontel Mines said he's witnessed a dramatic change in his classmate and close friend.

"Deyon has developed a tremendous work ethic, pulling me and other guys to come out and do extra things," Mines said. "That's really been his big step this summer, taking that leadership to be the go-to receiver."

Williams started five games in the 2004 regular season, and his total might have been higher had U.Va. not opened several times in two-tight end formations. When the Cavaliers' offense took the field for the first time at the MPC Computers Bowl, however, freshman wideout Theirrien Davis was in the lineup, not Williams.

"It wasn't a blow to my pride, but it was a wake-up call, like, 'Look here, you've got to pick your game up,'" Williams recalled.

Mines said: "It just goes to show you that nothing is given. You have to work for everything you get. So [Williams] turned around his attitude. This offseason, he's had something to prove."

Williams no doubt would have benefited from a redshirt season, but as a true freshman he'd cracked the rotation by the third game. In all, he played in 10 games and caught eight passes for 122 yards and one touchdown in 2003. More production was expected from Williams last season, but he posted modest totals of 19 receptions for 261 yards and one TD in 10 games.

Holding him back, Williams said, was his "lack of focus. Last year was my first year of really starting. That was kind of my first look at how to be a complete receiver. Now that I know what to expect, it's a lot of help to me just coming out of last year and . . . looking at all the stuff I did wrong that I can fix."

Williams' chief asset is his exceptional athleticism. As a senior at Suitland High, at Maryland's Class 4A track meet, he placed second in the 300-meter hurdles, second in the 110 hurdles, second in the high jump and third in the long jump. He's a tall target and generally has caught passes thrown his way at U.Va.

"He's got big-time talent," Groh said last summer.

Now, Williams knows, it's time for him to produce. Groh can cite numerous examples of players who have blossomed as juniors, and he expects Williams to take a similar step forward.

And if Williams stands still? There are plenty of other receivers at Virginia who'd be happy to replace him in the starting lineup.

U.Va.'s coaches "told me I've got to bring the noise every weekend, because we've got more competition now on the field than ever," Williams said.
 

Cavaliers unfazed by new players, adjustment
Many players, coaches see Western Michigan game as opportunity to showcase new talent, set lineup
Adrian Vigil, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Having new faces in the huddle at the start of the season is a part of college football. With players only allowed four years of eligibility, new personnel is a part of the game. Constant player-turnover is something every program has to deal with, but this year, the Virginia football team has more than its fair share of new faces. Having lost seven players from last year's 8-5 team, there will be many young players looking to get their first start for the Cavaliers this season.

"You're not really worried about there being a whole lot of newcomers, because everybody has to start their first game sometime," senior wide receiver Ottowa Anderson said. "Every program goes through that, and Coach Groh has done a good job of getting the talent and depth at the positions so that we have the players to step up and play."

The depth Anderson mentioned will be on display tomorrow, as many players who have been on the roster for a year or two expect to see playing time against Western Michigan. One of those players is cornerback Chris Gorham.

Last year, Gorham was one of only 10 true freshmen to see playing time for Virginia. Gorham got his first action Oct. 23 against Duke and also played in the final three games of the season, including the MPC Computers Bowl against Fresno State. Because Tony Franklin will be moving to safety, a starting cornerback spot is opening, and Gorham could be the man to fill it.

"The coaching staff is going to do what they think is best for the team," the sophomore said. "Tony understood that, which is why he moved to safety. We're just trying to do what's best for the team. [Possibly starting] is definitely exciting, having a chance to showcase your talent."

Another player who was with the program last year and hopes to see action this year is linebacker Clint Sintim. Last year, Sintim dressed for all the Virginia home games -- in addition to games against Virginia Tech and Fresno State -- but did not see any playing time and red-shirted the season. Throughout preseason workouts, Virginia coach Al Groh has praised the play of the 6-foot-3, 250- pounder from Woodbridge, Va. and has said he is a strong candidate for a starting role. Despite the praise of his coach, Sintim said he still knows he has to prove himself.

"It's nice to know [Groh] thinks highly of me," Sintim said. "He probably thinks better [of] me than I think of myself. You can say I'm this and you can say I'm that, but I haven't really had the chance to prove myself. Hopefully, after Saturday we'll all know what Clint Sintim is about."

The defense is not the only unit that will see new faces in the rotation. In fact, the offensive line, one of the strongest units in recent Cavalier history, will have at least two freshmen vying for playing time this year. Both Eugene Monroe and Branden Albert are looking to get on the field in their first season at Virginia. Many people have high expectations for Monroe, the early star of his class, who was rated the No. 3 player in high school last year by rivals.com, and Groh already has said he will see playing time against Western Michigan.

"Right now, he's definitely going to play this year," junior nose tackle and former offensive lineman Ron Darden said. "He's going to get in the game this year, and a lot of that is going to come just getting his body better conditioned. It's really hard for an 18-year-old to come here with the amount of rigors and the things that we do, especially for the offensive line. I think he's doing a great job with it thus far, and I think he has a long way to go with it."

Albert also is a candidate to see playing time with his massive 6-foot-7 inch, 310-pound frame and athleticism. His combination of size and power at first confused Anderson when he saw Albert working out over the summer.

"In the summer time, I saw him playing bball in the AFC, and I thought he was here to play basketball -- he was that athletic," Anderson said. "He's working hard on the line, and he's going to do a good job for us."

The fact that many of these players are unknown to most Virginia fans doesn't stop them from wanting to prove they belong next to the stars of the program. Tomorrow they will get their first chance to show that they belong.