Hughes comes through
Kicker hits chip shot as time expires to lift Cavs
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
September 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - A game of inches was decided in a split second.

Virginia’s Connor Hughes connected on a 19-yard field goal as time expired Saturday afternoon, giving the 25th-ranked Cavaliers an emotional 27-24 victory over Syracuse in front a Carrier Dome crowd of 40,027.

Virginia’s offense used a 13-play drive to march 57 yards, converting twice on third-down opportunities and once on fourth down, setting up the game-winning attempt. The drive consumed six minutes and 24 seconds. That left all that was needed - one second - for Hughes to kick the game-winner.

UVa improves to 2-0 with the win, while Syracuse fell to 1-2.

“[The Carrier Dome] was a good place to play at this stage of the season,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “It presented us with a challenging environment. We’ve seen others that are tough, too, but this definitely is. We have a lot of players who played a lot of minutes today that haven’t been in games like this before, so that’s very positive for them. I am very pleased for them. I thought they stepped up and did what needed to be done.”

Trailing 24-21, Syracuse started what proved to be their final offensive drive at their own 46-yard line.

After five rushing attempts from tailback Damien Rhodes and a screen pass from quarterback Perry Patterson that moved the ball to Virginia’s 38, the Orange faced a 4th-and-4.

Syracuse, electing to go for it, converted as Patterson connected on a pass across the middle to his tight end - Joe Kowalewski - for an 11-yard gain. Virginia was also accessed a penalty for roughing the passer on the play - the end result was a first down for Syracuse at the UVa 13.

Rhodes was given the ball on first and second down, attempts that gained a total of five yards.

Syracuse went to Rhodes again on third down on a counter play but UVa linebacker Mark Miller, playing in the place of an injured Ahmad Brooks, rushed across the line of scrimmage to make the tackle.

“It was a terrific open-field tackle by Mark,” Groh said. “The play had to be made and he stepped up and made it.”

Miller, who was credited with seven tackles (six solo), said he spotted the play call, for a counter, right away.

“We had not prepared for [the counter] as much and the first two times we didn’t recognize it at the beginning,” Miller said. “That third time though, I knew exactly what it was. I thank the Lord that I was able to get a clean shot at him and a TFL [tackle-for-a loss].”

Miller’s tackle not only saved what would have been a first down, possibly a touchdown, but also forced Syracuse freshman John Barker to kick a 27-yard field goal.

“I thought we were going to win it when we tied it up,” Syracuse coach Greg Robinson said. “I thought we were going to win it the whole time. There was never a doubt in my mind that we weren’t going to win that football game.”

After the successful attempt by SU, Groh said he was aware of the importance of Miller’s stop.

“That was certainly on my mind during the exchange, during the timeframe that they were setting up the kickoff,” Groh said. “That play had a chance to dramatically impact the final result of the game. It kept us in a position there where we could do what we needed to do at the end to kick the field goal to win it.”

Virginia started the final drive in great field position thanks to a 37-yard kickoff return from redshirt freshman Cedric Peerman that gave the Cavaliers the ball at their own 41.

After back-to-back rushing attempts from Peerman netted four yards, Hagans avoided a sack on third down, rushing out of the pocket and up the right side of the field for a 26-yard run to the Syracuse 29.

Virginia went on to convert a 3rd-and-2 situation - Peerman carried for two yards - and a 4th-and-1 play as fullback Jason Snelling rumbled for five yards behind the block of left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Kai Parham, who was in the backfield to block.

Groh said the play-call was an easy choice.

“We had a good pass rush in the game, so it wasn’t about not wanting to play defense – it was just a case of sometimes you have to step up and try to win the game instead of trying to keep from losing,” Groh said.

With 1:08 left, Syracuse called their third and final timeout.

Snelling carried the ball on first and second down, moving it to the two-yard line.

Groh elected to let the clock roll down to one second before calling a timeout.

That was enough time for Hughes to seal the road win.

“We have got one of the best field goal kickers in the country and that was from point-blank range,” Groh said.

In the first quarter, Syracuse opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run by Patterson.

Virginia answered on the following drive, their second of the game, with a 1-yard run by Peerman. The scoring run capped an 11-play, 74-yard drive.

While the Virginia defense limited Syracuse for the remainder of the first half, Hagans limited the Cavaliers, throwing a pair of interceptions.

Hagans did, however, give the Cavaliers the lead by connecting on a 1-yard TD pass to Peerman with 7:36 left in the opening stanza.

On the scoring play, Peerman raced out to the right, hauled in the catch and lunged into the right corner of the end zone.

“It was a terrific throw and catch,” Groh said.

After forcing the Orange to punt on its opening drive in the second half, Hughes gave Virginia a 17-7 lead on a 26-yard field goal.

Then, Syracuse got going offensively.

After gaining just 77 yards on its first 33 plays of the game, the Orange used a five-play, 60-yard scoring drive, trimming the lead to three at 17-14.

Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson delivered a pair of completions, including a 31-yard strike to Kowalewski, who had gotten behind Virginia secondary.

Virginia struck back. And quickly.

Michael Johnson, who had just four carries for 11 yards in the first half, took the handoff from quarterback Marques Hagans on the second play from scrimmage and broke to his left and around the offensive line. He outraced several Syracuse defenders for a 70-yard touchdown run, the longest run of his career.

The score, which came with 6:57 left in the third, gave Virginia what appeared to be a commanding 24-14 lead, but ultimately set up the showdown.

Hagans led Virginia offensively, gaining 110 yards on the ground on 14 carries. He also went 16-for-26 passing for

145 yards and a touchdown but had three first-half interceptions.

Patterson finished 17-of-20 passing for 172 yards for Syracuse and a TD. Rhodes finished with 27 carries for 80 yards.

Virginia returns to action on Saturday against Duke at Scott Stadium at 3:30 p.m. It will be the first Atlantic Coast Conference game of the season for Virginia.

 

QB Hagans aids Virginia with his feet
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
September 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y.

Watching film of Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans in preparation for Saturday’s game with the Cavaliers, Syracuse coach Greg Robinson remarked that if Hagans were three inches taller, he’d be a Heisman candidate.

Well, maybe three more inches and three less interceptions.

But still, the elusive UVa senior, who often leaves defenders spellbound with his magical escapes from sure disaster, is always one second or one move from taking your breath away. Blink and you’ll miss it.

Now that Robinson has seen the real thing, he’s happy it was for the last time. Virginia ended the two-game series with the Orange with a dramatic, Reaper Cheating, 27-24 win in a frantic Carrier Dome.

Good with the bad

Hagans, better known back in the Old Dominion as simply “Biscuit,” delivered a performance in the Loud House that kept the crowd of 40,000 on the edge of their seats. Somewhat divided on the merits of a 5-foot-10 quarterback, Virginia supporters praise Hagans for his Houdini-like moves one moment, then curse him the next for an errant pass that ends up in the wrong set of mitts.

Maybe without the mistakes, the 25th-ranked Cavaliers might have rolled to 2-0 in a little more convincing form, but without Hagans, Virginia might not have escaped at all.

“Marques Hagans was pretty spectacular out there today,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “He can just pick up the team and carry us.”

Hagans did just that in this domed meteorological steambox that left the quarterback so dehydrated at game’s end that he spent his postgame celebration on the receiving end of an IV transfusion and missed the media interview session.

The numbers

When the day was done, Hagans had rushed 14 times for 110 yards, and thrown for 145 more. Some of those runs were notable, purely a result of his God-given ability, created by natural instinct. Others were more designed.

A few of them saved Virginia’s bacon as the Orange refused to give in.

Forget that he threw three interceptions, giving him as many (5) in the first two games as he had all of last season. Well, don’t forget about them. It’s hard to ignore three picks.

But that’s what Groh did, at least for the time being, and stressed that his QB did the same.

“They weren’t a matter of bad reads. It was an accuracy situation,” Groh said. “What we tried to emphasize to everybody at halftime was to remember that things aren’t always going to be perfect and to forget about it.”

Groh’s message was particularly aimed toward Hagans. At halftime two weeks ago, after the quarterback had thrown two interceptions against Western Michigan, the coach told Hagans to put it behind him.

“I told him, ‘We’re going to ride you all the way,’” Groh recalled the conversation.

Hagans settled down and won the game. Groh had that same advice for Hagans at the Carrier Dome after the Cavs took a 14-7 lead into the locker room at halftime in spite of three interceptions.

In the second half, Hagans completed 5 of 8 passes and had no interceptions, but may have done more damage with his legs than his arm.

“We don’t lose confidence in Marques because we know he’s always going to come out and lead us like he did today,” UVa tight end Tom Santi said. “On the ground, in the air, he is always making plays and he is a great guy to follow.”

And, make plays he did.

A pair of Biscuit escapes resulted in first downs that kept UVa’s first drive of the third quarter alive as the first of two Connor Hughes field goals gave the Cavs a 17-7 lead. After Syracuse came back to knot the game at 24-all with 6:25 to play, Virginia faced a third-and-six at its own 45, reeling a bit from a shift in momentum.

It was Hagans’ time again.

He read Syracuse’s blitz, ducked onrushing defenders, tucked the ball and shook what his momma gave him. Hagans darted through the middle of the line and bolted for 26 precious yards of New York real estate for a game-changing first down at the Orange 29.

From there, he methodically killed the remaining 4:40 of the clock and any chance of a Syracuse upset of the 25th-ranked Cavaliers as Hughes closed the deal with a chip shot, game-winning field goal.

“I thought we had him,” Robinson said of that last scramble. “You can see now that he has some special qualities about him. No question about it. All in all, I thought our guys did some great things against him. It was those two big plays that got us.”

The other was a similar scramble on third-and-six for 37 yards on UVa’s second drive of the game, setting up the Cavs’ first touchdown.

“He’s so active, quick, and strong,” the Syracuse coach said. “The guy just explodes on you. I’ve seen some fast guys out there that had some great angles on him, but couldn’t close the distance. He’s very instinctive.”

We’ve seen it from Hagans for four years now. We heard about him when he was on UVa’s scout team as a true freshman, how he compared to Florida State’s Charlie Ward and Georgia Tech’s Joe Hamilton of days gone by.

Fast forward to the past two seasons and the comparisons are updated to “He’s a smaller Michael Vick.”

While the size bothers Hagans’ detractors, it doesn’t bother Groh.

“Was he a Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, prototypical drop-back passer out there today? No,” Groh questioned. “But any teams that have accomplished anything in a season have had a quarterback that during the course of the season has picked them up and carried them.”

No question Hagans did that Saturday as he had a career-high 14 rushes, which could be a good sign for the Cavaliers if the quarterback decides to run the ball more as the season progresses.

“We encourage him to do that,” Groh said. “God has blessed him with a talent that all those 6-5 quarterbacks wished they had.”

Hagans quickly makes the transition from quarterback to a skilled running back when he takes off.

“If you let him scramble, he’s going to kill you,” said UVa tailback Cedric Peerman. “Today, I’d give him a grade of 10 as a running back. The play is never over with him. I was on the sidelines a couple of times and watched him get out of some sticky situations that not many people could get out of.”

But when Hagans’ head touches the pillow tonight, or he looks back on this game 10 years from now, it probably won’t be the magical runs, or the TD pass to Peerman that required laser-like precision.

Rather it will be the three interceptions that will haunt him.

Yeah, he might have forgotten them as Groh suggested for the second half, but they will be a driving force in every practice, every film session and every game he plays the rest of the season.

Hagans wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

Bold approach pays dividends for Cavs
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
September 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Coach Al Groh knew his Virginia team was going to have to make a stand somewhere at the end of the game, so why not make it from inches away?

Faced with a fourth-and-inches situation at the Syracuse 10-yard line with 86 ticks of the clock remaining, deadlocked in a 24-all tie, it would have been easy to go for the field goal and hang on.

Groh chose a more bold approach to settling the issue. He went for it.

Fullback Jason Snelling, standing on the sidelines after a timeout was called for a measurement, hurriedly rushed onto the field to replace smaller back Cedric Peerman for the fourth-down play, almost drawing a penalty for too many men on the field. But officials allowed the substitution and Snelling plowed his way behind All-ACC left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson for the first down at Syracuse’s 5-yard line.

Had Virginia not made the first down, Syracuse would have had the ball back with more than a minute to play, two timeouts remaining, and the score tied, which could have resulted in overtime.

The play forced the Orange to burn its last time out at 1:08, as UVa pounded Snelling into the line two more times to the 2, before calling time out with one second to play, setting up Connor Hughes’ winning field goal.

Asked what made him go for it on fourth down, Groh’s answer might be better understood by the pop culture crowd, Tom Cruise fans in particular.

“You guys ever see the movie ‘Risky Business?’” Groh said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to say [long pause], ‘What the heck.’”

Groh’s terminology may have been a little more G-rated than the Cruise quote he was referring to, but it held its meaning.

“We had to make a stand someplace against [Syracuse],” Groh said. “It was either stop them four plays in a row, or settle it from one inch. The odds were better from one inch.”

Syracuse protested that Snelling’s replacement of Peerman was an illegal substitution. But while Groh, Snelling and Peerman all admitted they were worried a penalty might have been called, they agreed there was no attempt to deceive Syracuse, but rather just get a bigger back into the game.

“It was a late change,” Snelling said. “But I knew [Groh] put me in for a reason. That’s football, people in and out. Coach told me to go in, so I ran in and I wasn’t trying to deceive anybody.”

Peerman was in the huddle and thought he would get the ball, but all of a sudden things changed.

“I had no idea [Jason] was going to come in,” Peerman said. “I was trying to listen to the play and I felt someone’s hands on my back. ‘J’ said I was out. I didn’t know if I had done something wrong or not. I just tried to get out as fast as I could. I was worried about a flag.”

Robinson said that if it had been fourth-and-five rather than fourth-and-inches there would have been no issue.

“But in my mind, I thought there was an illegal substitution,” the SU coach said. “Obviously, the officials didn’t see it that way and that’s the bottom line. If it was fourth-and-five, they’re kicking the ball right there.”

The Cavaliers chose the right back and the right spot along the line to get the job done. Snelling is a power back and running behind perhaps the best left offensive tackle in college football, was a wise decision.

Ferguson relished the idea.

“When the coaches call a play my way, I’m happy,” Ferguson said. “I just want to do my job. At crunch time, when the coaches show the confidence, like on the fourth down play, you just want to show them that their confidence is warranted.”

Everybody thought so, even Robinson.

“It was inches,” the Syracuse coach said. “[Groh] did the right thing. They made it.”

 

Orange fail to make good on chances
By Dan Friedell / Special to the Daily Progress
September 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Each week during the college football season, coaches preach the value of points from turnovers. Scoring on an 80-yard, clock-burning drive is great, but a quick strike off of a bonus possession caused by an interception or a fumble is even sweeter.

In just three games, the Syracuse defense has developed a reputation for causing drive-ending turnovers with its heels on the goal line. It did that three times on Saturday and more than once against West Virginia two weeks ago.

And before a highlight-filled second half saw the Orange turn a 17-7 deficit into a 24-24 tie before ultimately losing 27-24, those clutch plays were the bright moments in Syracuse’s season.

An ideal defense

But even before the season started with just more than 128 minutes of shutout ball (The Orange held Buffalo scoreless last week and the lone West Virginia touchdown on Sept. 4 came via an interception return) rookie Syracuse coach Greg Robinson’s defensive philosophy started to take hold.

Senior defensive end Ryan LaCasse spoke about how one play during the preseason sold the Orange’s defense on its new head coach.

“Coach Robinson’s big on ‘keep on playing.’” LaCasse said after Virginia’s victory in the Carrier Dome. “In a scrimmage, the offense had the ball on the one-yard line and [safety] A.J. Brown came in and smacked somebody and forced the ball out. He showed us there that if you keep on playing, you can get a turnover on any play.”

That defensive idealism came through for the Orange in the second quarter as it intercepted Cavalier quarterback Marques Hagans three times. Unfortunately for Syracuse, something else that emerged during the West Virginia game showed itself on Saturday - its offense consistently had trouble capitalizing on turnovers.

After the game, Robinson and his players spoke freely about Virginia fullback Jason Snelling’s fourth-and-inches first-down run that set up Connor Hughes’ last-second game-winning field goal, but few realized the significance of three unconsummated second-quarter turnovers.

In fact, LaCasse didn’t seem to care that his offense couldn’t take advantage of the defense’s efforts.

“That’s fine. We’re just going out there and trying to get the ball back for them as many times as possible. That’s all we care about. What they do with the ball is the offense’s prerogative,” LaCasse said.

0 for 3 and three and out

Taking over the ball late in the first quarter with the game tied 7-7, Hagans led the Cavaliers on a 75-yard march to the Syracuse five. On third-and-four, Hagans tried to hit tight end Tom Santi near the goal line, but Syracuse defensive back Tanard Jackson tipped the pass into the hands of LaCasse.

Syracuse took over on its 20-yard line, and promptly punted after two short runs and a Kai Parham sack of Perry Patterson resulted in no gain.

Hagans and the Cavaliers took over after a Brendan Carney punt was returned to Syracuse’s 48. He dropped back and tossed the ball deep down the left sideline, but was intercepted by Syracuse cornerback Steve Gregory, who leapt to catch the ball at his own 8.

What happened next?

Syracuse running back Damien Rhodes carried three times for one yard, and Carney was forced to punt from his goal line. Virginia return man Michael Johnson settled under the punt at the Syracuse 47, but was run into by Jackson, and the resulting penalty gave the Cavaliers a first down at the Syracuse 32.

This time, Hagans wasn’t so charitable, as he hit Santi for 23 yards on the next play to put the ball on the Syracuse 9. Three plays later, Hagans found Cedric Peerman on a crossing route to give the Cavaliers a 14-7 lead.

The Orange converted two first downs following the kickoff, but the drive stalled and Carney made another appearance, punting Cavaliers back to their 19 yard line with 4:20 left in the half.

Virginia managed two first downs and moved the ball to midfield as the clock approached 2:30. Hagans, who only threw five interceptions all of last season, dropped back on first down and hit Syracuse free safety Dowayne Davis in the hands at the Syracuse 30 for his third interception of the quarter. Davis crisscrossed the field as he returned the ball to the Virginia 34 as the clock struck 2:00 to play in the half.

Davis said that his offense’s ineptitude in the first half made scoring a touchdown the first thing he thought of as he turned upfield.

“I was definitely trying to get to the end zone, trying to score, trying to put some points on the board,” Davis said. “But unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”

What did happen, however, is that Davis turned the ball over to his offense in prime field position. But two incompletions and another Parham sack brought Carney in to punt again.

Neither team scored before halftime, but with the Orange set to receive the second-half kickoff, points in the waning moments of the first half could have made a difference.

After the game, Robinson said he didn’t feel that his team’s inability to score points off of the turnovers was a major problem. Instead, he focused on the offense’s second half turnaround that resulted in 17 points in just over 15 minutes.

“The offense, what I like, is they kept fighting. They didn’t get discouraged, and man, they came up with some huge plays [later in the game].”

But Davis said that ultimately, the offense’s struggles will weigh down the defense.

“It feels a little bad,” the redshirt freshman said of watching the offense fizzle. “But that’s our job, we’re gonna have to get them back the ball, and eventually they’re gonna come around.”

When the offense comes around, so might Syracuse’s record.
 

Cavalier Football Notebook
September 18, 2005

KEEPING THE FAITH: Virginia tailback Michael Johnson finished with just six carries but he made the most of it, gaining
81 yards.
More importantly, Johnson scored a critical touchdown on a 70-yard run in the third quarter.
Johnson's role in the contest against Syracuse was unknown after he fumbled twice in the season-opening win over Western Michigan on Sept. 3.
Virginia coach Al Groh said he had faith in the junior ball carrier.
"We certainly weren't happy about [the fumbles], but there is an element that you have to show some confidence and you have to show some trust in players, especially early in the season," Groh said. "We had a little talk about 'I haven't lost my confidence in you. I trust you. Here are the changes that have to be made. If they are made in how you carry the ball.'
Groh said the issue in the opener was simple.
"What happened in the last game is that Mike forgot about carrying the ball. Really, he was interested in running the play," Groh said. "He didn't have enough focus on that fact that look: 'I have the ball.'"
Johnson also finished with three punt returns for 43 yards.

SAVING THE DAY: Virginia punter Chris Gould made two acrobatic plays on snaps that nearly went over his head - one in the first half and one in the second half.
Gould corralled both snaps and although his stats suffered - four punts for 143 yards (35.8 avg) - the end result was better than it could have been.
"That's one of things that clearly we need to do a little better job of - getting the ball back there to the punter but [Gould] saved us in two circumstances," Groh said.
Gould said it "is part of the game. Not only do you have to be athletic when you play cornerback or something else, but you have to be athletic when you play punter. Kurt, Connor and I, we are all pretty athletic."
Gould added that Tyrus Gardner, Virginia's long-snapper, "hasn't had one bad snap that I can think of [before the Syracuse game]. He has always done a great job of it for me."

LUNDY'S STATUS: Virginia senior tailback Wali Lundy was on the field during Virginia's opening drive but did not return to the game.
Lundy was injured (sprained foot) in the first quarter against Western Michigan after gaining 29 yards off three carries.
Lundy is expected to play more on Saturday against Duke.
When asked if Lundy would have played more had the contest been against an ACC foe, Groh was undecided.
"That would be a tough call," Groh said. "Obviously, we think these two backs today did a good job. We think Wali is one of the best four or five backs in the league and so we would certainly like to have him. Now we have had to play and win two games without him. It's not the way we thought the season would go, but we are probably better for it now at this stage."

SEEING BLUE: For the first time since the 2000 season, Virginia's uniform included blue pants. The last time prior? In road games during the 2000 season under former coach George Welsh.

MAKING THE CATCH: Virginia wideout Deyon Williams made a number of key catches and finished the contest with seven receptions for 61 yards.
The seven receptions are the most in the junior's career.
"When he starts putting together a few back-to-back like that, then we might be saying that we have the real thing," Groh said.

QUICK HITS: Kwakou Robinson carried the flag out of the tunnel for the Cavaliers. ? The touchdown catch in the first half for tailback Cedric Peerman was the first reception of his career. Peerman, a redshirt freshman, also finished with his first multi-touchdown game. ? With three interceptions, it marked the first time in a span of 22 games that Virginia had done that. ? Virginia converted 10 of their 17 chances on third down. Syracuse made five of their 15 attempts in the same situation. ?
The Cavaliers were called for six penalties for 60 yards. ? Kai Parham led Virginia on defense with eight tackles. He also had three tackles for a loss of 17 yards. All three TFL's were sacks on Syracuse QB Perry Patterson. ? Virginia cornerback Marcus Hamilton had seven tackles - all solo.

 

Forget flash, style; Cavs grind this one out
Connor Hughes boots a 19-yard field goal as time expires to seal the victory.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- When everybody else had showered and dressed and headed outside to meet with family and friends, one player remained in Virginia's locker room Saturday.

Marques Hagans, so spent that he was hooked up to an IV for nearly 45 minutes after the game, had to know the Cavaliers weren't going to fly home without him.

On a day when injuries had All-America linebacker Ahmad Brooks at home in Charlottesville and top tailback Wali Lundy confined to the sidelines, Hagans showed that UVa is not a one-man team -- not unless he is that man.

Hagans rushed for a career-high 110 yards, including a 26-yard dash on the Cavaliers' final drive, as 25th-ranked Virginia slipped past Syracuse, 27-24, at the Carrier Dome.

"He was pretty spectacular," UVa coach Al Groh said. "Is he a Peyton Manning or a Tom Brady in the pocket? A picture quarterback, he's not. He is what he is and he's pretty darn good at what he is."

Syracuse had overcome a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to force a 24-24 tie with 6:25 remaining, but the Orange (1-2) never got the ball back before Connor Hughes kicked a 19-yard field goal as time expired.

Moments earlier, Groh had passed up a chance for a go-ahead field goal when he went for a first down on fourth-and-1 from the Syracuse 10-yard line.

"We were going to have to take a stand some place," Groh said. "We were either going to have to stop them four plays in a row with a three-point lead or we were going to have to try and make an inch.

"Certainly, the odds favored us making an inch. Are you familiar with the movie, 'Risky Business?' What the heck?"

Those weren't the exact words of Joel Goodson -- the adventurous high-school graduate portrayed by Tom Cruise -- but they were close enough.

The gamble worked when Jason Snelling rambled to the 5, although Groh had played it a little tight by substituting Snelling for Cedric Peerman after the Cavaliers (2-0) already had entered their huddle.

"I worried about it at the time [of Snelling's insertion]," Groh said. "But we weren't trying to deceive anybody. I believe the rule says you have three seconds before the guy's got to leave the huddle."

By the time Snelling had picked up the first down, first-year Syracuse coach Greg Robinson had ventured onto the field in protest.

"In my mind, I thought there was an illegal substitution," Robinson said. "Obviously, the officials didn't see it that way and that's the bottom line.

"It still comes down to this, that it was fourth-and-inches. If it was fourth-and-five, they're kicking the ball right there. What got us to fourth-and-inches, that's just as important as what happened there at the end."

The Cavaliers had reached the 10-yard line by virtue of a 5-yard flare pass from Hagans to Emmanuel Byers. Virginia virtually had abandoned its passing game after Hagans was intercepted three times in a span of four second-quarter possessions.

"I'm disappointed by the three interceptions," said Hagans, who did not meet the media but furnished a quote through the UVa sports information office. "My team fought hard and that's all that matters. They kept us in the game and we won a tough one on the road."

Hagans set a torrid early pace, accounting for 121 yards during a first quarter in which he ran the ball six times and threw 12 passes.

UVa held the Orange without a first down and only 12 yards in a second quarter that included three sacks by inside linebacker Kai Parham. But the turnovers kept the Cavaliers from pulling away and it was a 14-7 game at the half.

Aside from a 70-yard touchdown run by UVa junior Michael Johnson in the third quarter, Syracuse was the aggressor for most of the second half and repeatedly victimized the Cavaliers with sprint-out passes by Perry Patterson to tight end Joe Kowalewski.

The only stop of any consequence for the Cavaliers came when walk-on Mark Miller tackled Damien Rhodes for a 2-yard loss at the UVa 10, forcing Syracuse to kick the field goal that made it 24-24.

At that point, the Carrier Dome was living up to its nickname as the "Loud House," but some of that enthusiasm was blunted by Peerman's 37-yard kickoff return to the UVa 41.

Three plays later, Hagans avoided a Syracuse blitz on third-and-5 and got as far as the Orange 29 before he was grounded. At that point, UVa already was in field-goal position.

"I'd like to see it," Robinson said. "I thought we had him. You can see now, he has some special qualities about him."

Virginia had slipped from 23rd to 25th in the polls during an open date and entered the game as a 712-point favorite, down from nine earlier in the week. But nobody was worrying for style points.

"We're not playing for ratings," Groh said. "We're trying to get our team in a position to be at its best when it needs to be. I thought this was a positive step."

 

Brooks' replacement tackles assignment
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

SYRACUSE -- After a week of swirling debate about his status, Ahmad Brooks was an afterthought Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

Virginia had Mark Miller to thank for that.

Miller, a senior linebacker who arrived at UVa without a scholarship, had the biggest tackle for the Cavaliers in a 27-24 victory over Syracuse.

The Orange, relentless in their bid for a go-ahead touchdown, had to settle for a tying field goal after Miller stopped tailback Damien Rhodes for a 2-yard loss at the Cavaliers' 10.

"It was a reaction play," Miller said. "They'd come twice before with [the same look] and, when it came the third time, I was able to make a quick reaction, it opened up beautifully and I was able to get the TFL.

"Sometimes, you're like, 'I've got to make this tackle.' Sometimes, you make the tackle and you're just like, 'Thank you Lord. I'm glad that happened.' "

Miller, a 6-foot, 222-pounder from Briarwood Christian in Birmingham, Ala., was making his second start in place of Brooks, who is rehabilitating a surgically repaired knee and did not make the trip to Syracuse.

Miller, who had two tackles in UVa's opening game, a 31-19 victory over Western Michigan, had seven Saturday, six of them unassisted.

"In the Western Michigan game, they were throwing a lot of passes, many of them out wide," Miller said. "What I wanted to prove this game is that they're [the Orange] a running team and that I can get in there and stop the run.

"I pray and hope that Ahmad comes back and helps our team, but I've been here for three years and put in a lot of preparation for these type of situations. Whether it's making plays or messing up plays, I'm going to give it all I've got."

Lundy rested

Cedric Peerman, a redshirt freshman from Campbell County, started in place of veteran tailback Wali Lundy and carried 20 times for 63 yards. Peerman also scored UVa's first two touchdowns on a 1-yard run and 1-yard reception and now has three 1-yard touchdown plays after two games.

Lundy, who was listed No. 1 on the depth chart, made the trip and participated in pregame drills but did not play in the game. One of the considerations, Groh said, was a desire to have him 100 percent for league play.

"Wali actually felt the best today that he has felt," Groh said. "Our traditional [ACC] standings are so important now. It took him nearly two weeks from the day of the [foot] injury to get to the point where he was really back.

"If he had gotten injured again today, it would have taken another two weeks and that would have been two conference games. We had confidence in Cedric and Mike [Johnson] and they deserved that confidence."

Personnel

Jackson Andrews, a redshirt freshman from North Cross School in Roanoke, made the trip as a reserve deep-snapper. Andrews backs up another Timesland product, Tyrus Gardner from George Wythe, who succeeded Shawsville's Ryan Childress. ... Chris Cook, a true freshman from Heritage High School in Lynchburg, received extensive playing time at cornerback. ... Former UVa soccer goalie Ryan Best made his college football debut on the kickoff team.

Special assignment

Co-captain and quarterback Marques Hagans has elected to stay with his teammates in the locker room while the other co-captains participate in the coin toss. Groh said that another player will replace Hagans for the coin toss each week; on Saturday, it was fifth-year wide receiver Ottowa Anderson, selected by the coaches as the top special-teams player against Western Michigan.

Fashion statement

Virginia wore blue pants, a first during the Al Groh coaching era. The Cavaliers had not worn blue pants on the road since 2000, their last season under George Welsh.

Virginia next week

Virginia (2-0, 0-0 ACC) will entertain Duke (1-2, 0-1) at 3:30 p.m. in the first of five straight conference games for the Cavaliers. The Blue Devils, who defeated VMI 40-14 on Saturday in Durham, N.C., will be playing their third straight game against a team from Virginia.

 

Cavaliers cool customers in 'Risky Business'
Virginia works the clock in the final minutes and beats Syracuse on a last-second field goal by Connor Hughes.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
September 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Cedric Peerman leaned into the huddle and listened as Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans shouted the play over the din of the roaring crowd. It would be a handoff to Peerman.

So, as Peerman began to focus on gaining the inch that meant the first down and more than likely the victory against Syracuse, he felt a hand yank the back of his jersey. He turned around and saw fullback Jason Snelling, who had run toward the huddle to replace him.

"I didn't know if I had done something wrong or not," Peerman said later.

Moments later, Snelling surged forward for a 5-yard gain that set up Connor Hughes' last-second 19-yard field goal, which gave the Cavaliers a 27-24 win at the Carrier Dome.

Syracuse coach Greg Robinson threw a fit before, during and after Snelling's run, insisting the Cavaliers committed an illegal substitution because they broke huddle with 12 players on the field. The play was close enough to that 5-yard penalty that Peerman looked over his shoulder for a flag as he ran toward the sideline.

"Obviously, the officials didn't see it that way, and that's the bottom line," Robinson said. "What got us to fourth-and-inches, that's just as important as what happened there at the end."

Virginia coach Al Groh said he was simply trying to get a bigger back in the game, not deceive the Orange, which is illegal. The 5-foot-11, 245-pound Snelling and the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Peerman split tailback duties with Michael Johnson because starter Wali Lundy sat out with a sprained left foot.

Snelling had the Cavs' fewest rushing yards, 17, but his 5 on the fourth-down play were the most important.

"With our team," Snelling said, "whoever's in there running the ball, whoever's blocking for us, it's expected."

The Orange called its final timeout after Snelling's run and could only watch as the Cavaliers ran two more plays and called timeout with one second left to set up Hughes' field goal.

"Once they got that first down to run the clock out," SU wide receiver Tim Lane said, "there was not much we could do."

For three-plus quarters, the Cavaliers (2-0) couldn't do much to put away the Orange (1-2), a team that two weeks ago gained 103 total yards, its fewest since 1976.

Virginia led 24-14 after Johnson's 70-yard touchdown run with 6:57 left in the third quarter. But Syracuse tied it at 24 in the fourth after quarterback Perry Patterson capped an 80-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run and John Barker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 6:25 left.

The Cavaliers got excellent field position after the field goal when Peerman returned the kickoff 37 yards to the Virginia 41. Two plays later, with 4:50 left, the Cavs faced third-and-6 at their own 45. But Hagans scrambled 26 yards to the Syracuse 29, putting Virginia in field-goal range.

"I thought we had him," Robinson said.

Hagans made up for three first-half interceptions by running for a career-high 110 yards.

The Cavs picked apart SU's defense and worked the clock after Hagans' run - a 2-yard run here, a 4-yard pass there. With 1:41 left, Peerman's 1-yard run was just short of the first down.

"It was less than an inch," U.Va. offensive tackle Brad Butler said.

The 40,027 fans rose to their feet when they saw that Groh opted not to kick the field goal, which would've left SU with some time to counter.

"All we came for was to win," Groh said of his decision. "You guys ever seen the movie 'Risky Business'? Sometimes, you've just gotta say, 'What the ... heck.' "

Virginia wins on last-second field goal
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Al Groh’s staff had to make a decision.

Should Virginia kick a field goal on fourth-and-inches then try to defend a Syracuse offense that had scored 17 second-half points and marched down the field for a field goal on its previous possession for the final minute and a half? Or should the Cavaliers could go for it, get the inch, move the chains, kill the clock and kick a gimme field goal without letting the Orange get the ball back?

They chose to take Joel Goodson’s advice.

“Have you guys ever seen the movie ‘Risky Business’?” Groh asked, referring to the seminal ‘80s movie starring Tom Cruise. “Sometimes you’ve just got to say, ‘What the heck.’”

Those were more or less Goodson’s words. In hindsight, it was great advice.

Fullback Jason Snelling plowed his way for five yards on fourth-and-inches. Three plays later, Connor Hughes split the uprights with a 19-yard field goal as time expired to give 25th-ranked Virginia a 27-24 victory over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome on Saturday.

The closest Hughes had come to a walk-off winner was against Wake Forest two years ago when he made a game-winning field goal with just seconds left. The chip shot might not have been as dramatic as a walk-off home run in baseball, but it was a game-ender nonetheless.

“Maybe it was like a sacrifice bunt,” Hughes joked afterward.

The truth is Virginia (2-0) won the game with a mettle-testing drive in the fourth quarter after watching Syracuse (1-2) answer Michael Johnson’s 70-yard touchdown sprint with a Perry Patterson touchdown run and a 27-yard field goal by John Barker to tie the game at 24-24 with 6:25 to go.

Cedric Peerman, who had two first-half touchdowns while filling in for the injured tailback Wali Lundy, gave the Cavaliers good field position with a 37-yard kickoff return to the UVa 41 to start the drive. After two runs put Virginia in a 3rd-and-6 situation, quarterback Marques Hagans, who had his struggles throwing the ball, bailed it out with his legs.

Hagans, who threw three first-half interceptions, dropped back to pass, stepped up to elude the Syracuse blitz and took off down the right side of the field. By the time he was tackled, he had gained 26 yards and gave Virginia a new set of downs at the Syracuse 29.

The senior ran 14 times for a team-high 110 yards, moving the chains four times with third-down scampers.

“Marques was pretty spectacular out there today,” Groh said. “He can just pick up the team and carry us. That scramble at the end was just a tremendous play.”

Said offensive tackle Brad Butler: “When things were down … he was the one who kept everybody together. Leaders are going to make mistakes. In a place like this, it’s how you come back from those mistakes that will (determine) whether you win the game or not.”

Several plays after Hagans’ scramble, Peerman came up about an inch short on a third-down run at the Orange 11, bringing up the Goodson-inspired fourth-down decision.

Snelling came onto the field late and pulled Peerman out just as Virginia broke the huddle, prompting the Syracuse coaching staff to yell at the referees for an illegal substitution penalty. The Cavaliers had been penalized earlier in the game for the infraction.

“In my mind I thought there was an illegal substitution,” Syracuse coach Greg Robinson said. “Obviously, the officials didn’t see it that way and that’s the bottom line.”

There was no call.

“I was worried about it, especially after the earlier call, but there was no intent to deceive,” Groh said. “We wanted to get a bigger back into the game.”

Snelling showed why when he rumbled for five yards off the left side of the line, giving UVa a first down with 1:08 left on the clock. Two more Snelling runs put the ball at the Syracuse 2, setting up Hughes’ field goal.

Afterward, Groh said he didn’t hesitate with the decision to go for it on fourth-and-inches.

“We’d have to make a stand someplace,” he said. “Either we were going to have to stop them four plays in a row with a three-point lead or we would have to make an inch. Certainly the odds favored us in making an inch.”

Said defensive end Chris Long: “I was real excited about that call. It’s something that you might not expect, but that can make you successful.”

Yeah, just ask Joel Goodman.

 

Cavs inch past Orange
Snelling comes through on crucial fourth-down play; Hughes' FG wins it
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- On fourth and an inch, from barely inside the Syracuse 10-yard line, junior fullback Jason Snelling took a handoff and bulled his way to the 5 for a first down with 1:08 remaining. With that carry, the former L.C. Bird High standout helped ensure that Virginia would cash in on Al Groh's big gamble.

The game ended with Connor Hughes' 19-yard field VIRGINIA 27 SYRACUSE 24goal, which gave 25th-ranked U.Va. a 27-24 victory yesterday at the Carrier Dome. Hughes, of course, is almost automatic from that distance. Not so automatic is the decision Groh made after the Orange stopped tailback Cedric Peerman just shy of the first down on a third-and-2 run.

The Cavaliers' fifth-year coach could have sent Hughes out to attempt a 27-yard field goal with about 75 seconds left. Groh opted instead to run Snelling behind the left side of the offensive line.

"You guys ever see the movie Risky Business?" Groh asked reporters afterward. "Sometimes you just gotta say . . . what the heck."

Those weren't Tom Cruise's exact words, but Groh's point was well-taken. The Orange (1-2) had scored 10 fourth-quarter points off his defense, and the crowd of 40,027 was in full voice.

"We were going to have to take a stand some place," Groh said. "Either we were going to have to stop them on four plays in a row, with a three-point lead, or we were going to have to try to make an inch. I think certainly the odds favored us making an inch [as opposed to] having to stop them four plays in a row. . . . Sometimes you gotta step up and try to win the game instead of thinking about trying to keep from losing."

Moments before U.Va.'s fourth-down play, Snelling had sprinted to the huddle from the sideline, grabbed Peerman and directed him off the field. Syracuse coach Greg Robinson screamed for the officials to call an illegal substitution penalty on Virginia, for having 12 men in the huddle, but to no avail.

"Obviously, the officials didn't see it that way," Robinson said, "and that's the bottom line."

Virginia will take a 2-0 record into its ACC opener against Duke (0-1, 1-2) at Scott Stadium next weekend. If not for quarterback Marques Hagans' uncanny ability to impersonate Houdini, the Cavs might well be a .500 team. But U.Va. had numerous other heroes yesterday, among them junior tailback Michael Johnson, who raced 70 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, with Snelling contributing a key block, and senior inside linebacker Mark Miller.

Miller, a former walk-on who's starting in place of the injured Ahmad Brooks, had a career-best seven tackles against the Orange. None was more important than his final stop. With the crowd in a frenzy, the 'Cuse, trailing 24-21, had driven to the Cavaliers' 8. But on third and 5, Miller corraled tailback Damien Rhodes for a 1-yard loss, forcing Syracuse to settle for John Barker's 27-yard field goal with 6:25 left.

The 'Cuse had run that play "twice before," Miller said. "When it came the third time, thank the Lord I was able to make a quick reaction. It opened up beautifully, and I was able to get the [tackle for loss]."

Thanks to a 37-yard kickoff return by Peerman, who sparkled for the second straight game, Virginia started its final drive -- the game's final drive, as it turned out with excellent field position. Runs by Peerman on first and second down, however, netted only 4 yards, bringing up third and 6 from the U.Va. 45. That's when Hagans, who confounded Syracuse at Scott Stadium last season, left the Orange grasping at air again.

In the first quarter yesterday, Hagans had scrambled for 38 yards. This time, he eluded an apparent sack, broke free and ran 26 yards to the Syracuse 29. A second-down pass to Snelling picked up 8 yards to the 21, and then Peerman ran 2 yards for a first down.

Peerman, a redshirt freshman, led the Cavaliers with two touchdowns, the first coming on a 1-yard run in the first quarter, the second coming midway through the second period on a 1-yard pass from Hagans.

Hagans finished with a career-best 110 yards rushing, the first time in his college career he's topped the 100-yard mark. The 5-9 senior completed 16 of 26 passes for 145 yards and one TD, but he also threw three picks -- all in the first half. For all of Hagans' mistakes, though, he delivered when his team needed him.

"He was pretty spectacular for us today, obviously," Groh said.

Junior inside linebacker Kai Parham recorded three sacks and a game-high eight tackles to lead a U.Va. defense that dominated for stretches but struggled against Syracuse's short-passing game in the second half. Of the Orange's 252 yards of offense, 183 came after intermission. In the second quarter, the Cavaliers held Syracuse to 12 yards on 18 plays, but Hagans' three interception kept the home team in the game.

In two games, Hagans has thrown as many picks -- five -- as he did all last season. The Dome was steaming, and Hagans needed an IV after the game and didn't meet with reporters. But he passed along a statement through a U.Va. official.

"I'm disappointed by the three interceptions," Hagans said. "My team fought hard, and that's all that matters. They kept us in the game and won a tough one on the road."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Sep 18, 2005

PLAYING IT SAFE: Wali Lundy traveled with Virginia's football team to New York and warmed up before yesterday's game at Syracuse. Lundy felt the best, coach Al Groh said, that he had since spraining his left foot in the Sept. 3 opener, and the senior tailback might have played had Virginia been facing an ACC opponent. But the Cavaliers' coaches chose to hold Lundy out as a precaution.

"I guess you could say that the preseason is over," Groh said. "Now we got five straight conference games. I've mentioned to you how [the ACC] divisional standings are so important now. It took him nearly two weeks from the day of the injury to get to the point where he was really back, and we just felt if he got injured again today, it would take another two weeks, and then that'd be two conference games that he'd miss. We had confidence in Cedric and Mike, and they confirmed that confidence."

Cedric Peerman, a redshirt freshman, started at tailback, though he didn't get his first carry until midway through the first quarter. Peerman rushed for 63 yards and one touchdown and also had a TD reception.

Michael Johnson, a junior, ran six times for 81 yards and one TD. His score came on a 70-yard sprint down the left sideline, the longest run of his college career.

After Johnson fumbled twice in U.Va.'s first game, many wondered how much the speedster would play against Syracuse. But Johnson rotated at tailback and distinguished himself on special teams, returning three punts for 43 yards.

"We certainly weren't happy [about the fumbles]," Groh said, "but you got to show some confidence, and you got to show some trust in players, especially early in the season."

NEW LOOK: For its first road game, U.Va. broke out new uniforms. With white jerseys, the Cavaliers wore blue pants. Virginia hadn't worn that combination since 2000, George Welsh's last season as its coach.

UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Much was made of the ACC's new instant-replay system, but it never was used in Virginia's opener. The Big East has adopted instant replay, too, and an official's on-the-field call was overturned in yesterday's game at the Carrier Dome.

In the secnd quarter, Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson passed to tight end Joe Kowalewski, who bobbled the ball before securing it along the U.Va. sideline. Groh yelled that Kowalewski had a foot out of bounds when he made the catch, but an official called it a 26-yard completion. The game was stopped, however, for the play to be reviewed in the replay booth. After a short delay, it was ruled an incompletion.

TASTE OF ITS OWN MEDICINE: Few college teams have thrown to a tight end more than U.Va. did during Heath Miller's illustrious career. Syracuse adopted a similar strategy in the second half yesterday, as Patterson found Kowalewski open repeatedly. Kowaleski finished with seven catches for 96 yards, both career highs, and one TD.

"The thing that gave us consistent difficulties in the game and really brought them back in the game were bootleg passes to the tight end," Groh said. "It wasn't that we were fooled by them. We knew what was going on . . . We're going to have to handle that type of play better in the future."

SAY WHAT? The Carrier Dome was 10,000 fans shy of a sellout yesterday, but the crowd was deafening as the 'Cuse erased a 24-14 deficit in the fourth quarter.

"That's nothing like I've ever been in," U.Va. defensive end Brennan Schmidt said. "I remember being on the sideline, with my coach being two feet away from me, and not hearing what he was saying. It was crazy."

One reason, perhaps, that the Orange fans were so enthusiastic: Beer was sold at the Dome until the start of the third quarter. At ACC stadiums, no alcohol is sold.

GO-TO GUY: In U.Va.'s opener, junior wideout Deyon Williams tied his career high with five catches (for 79 yards). Against Syracuse, Williams caught seven for 61 yards.

"Consistency was a big issue with me last year," Williams said. "This year, my focus is on being consistent every game, every practice."

MEDICAL REPORT: Four injured players stood in street clothes on the U.Va. sideline Sept. 3. Two of them - safety Lance Evans and offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham - were in uniform yesterday, though they didn't play. The other two- linebacker Ahmad Brooks and defensive end Chris Johnson - didn't travel north with the team.

UP NEXT: The Cavaliers return to Scott Stadium for their ACC opener. U.Va. (2-0) entertains Duke (0-1, 1-2) in a 3:30 p.m. game that won't be televised. The Blue Devils beat Division I-AA Virginia Military Institute 40-14 yesterday at Wallace Wade Stadium. - Jeff White

 

Cavaliers, Hagans are on honeymoon
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW Sep 18, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. They're married. Joined at the hip. A union. A couple.

Under the puffy covering of the Carrier Dome, Marques Hagans and Virginia Cavaliers football renewed their vows yesterday. They're together for better or worse, in sickness and in health, in third-and-long or in the red zone, for richer, for poorer, till one 5-10 dynamo's last ounce of eligibility do they part.

They're also a scrambly 2-0 with their X-factor quarterback at the joystick. Bliss was rekindled with one game-rescuing scamper and this 27-24 squeaker over Syracuse. But there are still, you know, issues.

Hagans did everything possible to keep the Cavs and the Orange in this game before intermission. He did it all for U.Va. with his feet. He did it all for Syracuse with his arm. By the time the half ended at 14-7 Virginia, he'd racked up 154 of his team's 234 yards worth of real estate while flinging three balls to SU defenders.

The interceptions short-circuited promising drives --one of the pickoffs came in the end zone -- and gave Hagans a total of five in six quarters. That's as many as he had in 12 outings as a junior.

Continue this pace into mid-October at Boston College and against Florida State, and Hagans and the Cavs might require counseling. As it is, he settled down after the break and orchestrated a win. That's what Marques Hagans does: He orchestrates. U.Va. rooters just have to hope the sweet notes drown out the sour.

One thing they can't quibble about is effort. The guy plays his heart out. Body, soul, guts and protoplasm, too. Postgame in this hothouse encounter -- and remember, Hagans ran or threw the ball on 40 of U.Va.'s 70 snaps and took a direct hit or two -- he was hooked to an IV, dehydrated and devoid of jazzy sound bites.

"I'm disappointed by the three interceptions," he said in a statement. "My team fought hard, and that's all that matters."

What mattered at money time yesterday was this: third and 6 for Virginia at its 45, just under five minutes to go, score tied at 24-all, Syracuse gathering momentum like one of those lake-effect snowstorms that blitz the area come Jim Boeheim season.

Surrender the ball at that juncture, and the Cavs might've been headed toward 1-1. They'd coughed up a 10-point lead. Their defense was sagging. They were facing their second consecutive three-and-out.

Marques Hagans, come on down!

He'd swiveled 37 yards in a similar situation to propel U.Va. to its first touchdown. This time, he took the snap, faded, dodged a couple of rushers -- and took off. Twenty-six yards later, the Cavs had a first down and a grip on the clock and script. The tape will show Connor Hughes' field goal won it. The citations will note that Hagans made it possible.

"That's Marques," said defensive end Brennan Schmidt. "Biscuit is one of the toughest guys I know. People may give him flak for not being the tallest quarterback. He just makes plays. He's a winner."

Winning was Hagans' specialty at Hampton High, where he became the Crabbers' QB to be named later after U.Va. lost Ronald Curry to North Carolina in 1997. He was recruited originally by George Welsh and inherited by Al Groh, who moonlighted Hagans as a receiver and punt returner before anointing him the successor to tall-in-the-saddle Matt Schaub last year.

"Is he Peyton Manning or Tom Brady in the pocket?" Groh said. "He's not. He is what he is. He's pretty darn good at what he is."

You may now kiss the quarterback.

 

Real Thirst for Victory
In end, only dehydration can slow Cavs' Hagans
Sunday, September 18, 2005
By Dave Rahme
Staff writer

When it was finally over, when Marques Hagans had run and passed and willed the University of Virginia to a 27-24 victory over Syracuse, the senior quarterback remained as elusive as he had been on the field.

The only thing that could put the senior quarterback on his back inside the steamy Carrier Dome on Saturday afternoon was dehydration. While the media clamored to get a first-hand account of Hagans' heroics - and there was plenty to describe - he was in the training room with an IV stuck in his arm.

Finally, long after head coach Al Groh had addressed the media, showered and exited the building along with most of his players, a UVA spokeswoman said the man of the day would be unavailable for comment.

"I did get a quote from Marques, though," she said.

It was obvious from what she read that Hagans was still woozy. After accounting for 255 yards of total offense (110 rushing, 145 passing) and making the play of the game as the clock wound down, he had this to say of his performance:

"I'm disappointed by the three interceptions. My team fought hard, and that's all that matters. They kept us in the game, and we won a tough one on the road."

OK, add amnesia to Hagans' postgame diagnosis of dehydration. His three first-half interceptions led to zero Syracuse points, a development that would haunt the Orange in the second half. They were more than offset by an incredible display of toughness and leadership that lifted the No. 25 Cavaliers (2-0) to victory.

Here, for your benefit, Marques, are the highlights:

Ö With just under five minutes to play, your team is facing a third-and-six call from your 45-yard line. In a similar situation on your last possession you were sacked by SU defensive end Ryan LaCasse, leading to a punt and a subsequent Orange field goal that tied the game at 24, capping a 10-point SU rally.

This time, with the pocket collapsing around you and the crowd roaring in anticipation of another sack that will force another punt, you duck down, then step up under the rush. Suddenly you are in the clear and SU is in a world of trouble. You race 26 yards to the SU 29, giving your team the first down that eventually leads to Connor Hughes' chip-shot field goal as time expires.

"It comes down to one guy at that point," UVA defensive end Chris Long said. "That guy has to be a playmaker. He's a playmaker."

"He's so active, quick and strong," SU head coach Greg Robinson said. "The guy just explodes on you. I saw some fast guys out there (on SU) who had some great angles but couldn't close the distance on him."

Need more, Marques?

Ö Your team is ahead 14-7 early in the third quarter and is facing a third-and-two at the SU 21. Again the pocket breaks down, and you roll to your left with LaCasse bearing down on you. The 249-pound defensive end collars you for what appears to be a 4-yard loss, but you shake him off your back, stop on a dime before going out of bounds and then race seven yards up the sideline for a critical first down at the SU 18. The play sets up a short field goal and a 10-point lead.

"He may be the toughest guy in the world," Long said. "Well, maybe not the world, but he's the toughest guy I know."

"I guarantee you he's the most exhausted player on the team right now," said UVA offensive tackle Brad Butler, unaware that Hagans was hooked up to the IV for just that. "He's got a big heart. You can't measure that heart, and that's what carries him in situations like that."

Flash back earlier now, Marques.

Ö It is the first quarter and your team has been stuffed on its first possession. Your defense subsequently has yielded a 56-yard touchdown drive, and you are behind 7-0. The crowd is electric, the noise coming down upon you in waves as you face a third-and-six call from your 42. Again the pocket collapses, this time thanks in part to a safety blitz. Again you evade the arms reaching for you, sprint to the sideline and then race 38 yards to the SU 20. Four plays later the score is 7-all and the crowd is quiet.

That is what you did for your team Saturday, Marques. Sure, you weren't the superb junior who completed 11 of 12 passes for 202 yards and a TD and raced 59 yards for another score last season against the Orange. Sure, you threw the three picks and misfired a few other times when you had receivers running in the clear.

But at each critical juncture of the game, when the Orange (1-2) was threatening to take charge early or pull ahead late, you put your team on your back and carried it. Perhaps that is why the IV was still pumping fluids into your body long after the game had ended.

"He's not a West Coast type of quarterback," Groh said of his 5-foot-10, 211-pound quarterback. "He's not a Tom Brady. But he's a terrific football player, a tremendous football player."

One that made the difference for the Cavs on Saturday, even if he chose to focus on his three interceptions instead.

He had to be woozy.

 

Risky business pays dividends for Groh
Sunday, September 18, 2005
By Dave Rahme
Staff writer

The football rested on the Syracuse University 10-yard line, roughly one inch away from a first down. It was fourth down. There was 1 minute, 30 seconds to play, and the score was tied.

That was the situation that faced Virginia head coach Al Groh on Saturday afternoon in the Carrier Dome. Oh, and Groh also had Connor Hughes, one of the nation's very best place-kickers, loosening up his leg on the sideline.

Earlier, with his team facing a similar down-and-distance situation and leading 14-7, Groh had sent Hughes into the game to make a 26-yard chip shot. What would it be this time?

"You ever see the movie 'Risky Business'? " he said to a huddled mass of mostly blank faces in the bowels of the Dome following his team's 27-24 victory over the Orange. "Sometimes you just have to say what the heck."

In went fullback Jason Snelling. Out came tailback Cedric Peerman. Snelling took the handoff, made five yards and the first down, and the Cavs were able to run the clock down to one second before calling a timeout and sending in Hughes for the game-winning 19-yard field goal.

"We were going to have to make a stand someplace," Groh said. "We were either going to have to stop them on four plays on defense (had he elected to kick a field goal on fourth down) or make an inch. Certainly the odds favored us making an inch."

The Cavs should have had to make substantially more than an inch, according to SU head coach Greg Robinson and the partisan crowd. Snelling raced onto the field from the sideline as the Cavs were in the huddle, and Peerman raced off the field as they broke the huddle. If a team breaks the huddle with 12 players, an illegal substitution has occurred and a 5-yard penalty is mandatory.

"First of all, I say this: It was fourth-and-inches," Robinson said. "If it was fourth-and-five there is no issue (UVA kicks). Let's start with that. But in my mind I thought there was an illegal substitution."

UVA had been flagged earlier in the game for the same violation, but this time the head of the Atlantic Coast Conference crew told Robinson it was not an illegal substitution. Perhaps the official was swayed by an argument Groh made after the first penalty.

"I told him there has to be an intent to deceive," Groh said. "That's the way we read the rule. After the first one there was obviously no intent to deceive. We tried to call a timeout to avoid the penalty, so how could we be attempting to deceive? After the first one, though, I was worried about it (the second time)."