This won't work against tough opponents
Published September 18 2005
David Teel can be reached at 247-4636 or by e-mail at dteel@dailypress.com

Virginia is 2-0, soon to be 3-0 and figures to be 4-0 headed for Boston College early next month, when Beantown will be more obsessed with Manny being Manny than ACC football.
Other than that, what do we know about these Cavaliers?
Their 27-24 victory at Syracuse on Saturday certainly wasn’t very illuminating. The offense was overpowering and careless, the defense intimidating and gullible.
This in the bedlam that is the Carrier Dome against a bad Orange team that two weeks ago did not convert a single third down (0-for-15) in a home loss to West Virginia.
The yin and yang, as usual, starts with quarterback Marques Hagans. Without his three second-quarter interceptions, all in Syracuse territory and one in the end zone, Virginia hangs up half a hundred, the Dome empties early and Faegan’s Pub is packed. But without his outrageous feet and fourth-quarter poise, the Cavaliers are, at best, staring at overtime.
“He was pretty spectacular for us today,” Virginia coach Al Groh said.
True enough. Hagans rushed for a career-high 110 yards and passed for 145 and a touchdown. The effort so taxing inside this humidor, Hagans required intravenous fluids after the game.
Hagans’ two signature plays were ad-libs. He scrambled 36 yards out of a first-quarter blitz and raced 26 yards on a third-and-6 to sustain the game-winning drive that ended with Connor Hughes’ 19-yard field goal at the gun.
Left unnoticed on the final drive: Four plays after his 26-yard jaunt, Hagans had the presence to stay inbounds on a scramble to the left, forcing the Orange to use a timeout.
Quick cinematic aside: Of his decision to go for a fourth-and-inches just prior to Hughes’ field goal, Groh compared himself to the young, pre-Scientology whacked Tom Cruise in “Risky Business.” Don’t know about you, but I’d prefer not to see Groh in his tighty-whities dancing to Bob Seger.
We now return to the dancing of Marques Hagans.
“I commend anyone who can tackle him,” Virginia defensive end Brennan Schmidt said, “because in practice I can’t get near him.”
But we already knew Hagans was elusive. Knew it from his days at Hampton High and from last season at Virginia. Heck, knew it from this season’s opener, when his 12-yard improv saved the drive that produced the clinching touchdown in a 31-19 escape against Western Michigan.
Yet Hagans has thrown five interceptions in 51 attempts this season. Last season he threw five in 261.
You can get away with such missteps against Western Michigan and Syracuse. Ditto next week against Duke and perhaps the following week at Maryland. But not against future roadblocks such as Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Miami.
Virginia’s defense is no different. After Syracuse (1-2) drove 56 yards for a touchdown on its first possession, the Cavaliers limited the Orange to 13 yards on its next 24 plays.
But Virginia failed to sustain that dominance. Syracuse’s pop-gun offense produced 183 yards and 17 points in the second half, and fooled the Cavaliers several times with bootleg passes to the tight end.
Which prompts the question Groh loathes: When will inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, sidelined after offseason knee injury, make his 2005 debut?
Yes, senior Mark Miller was much better in relief Saturday than against Western Michigan. And yes, he stuffed Damien Rhodes for a 1-yard loss on a third-and-5 from Virginia’s 8 in the fourth quarter.
No, he’s not Brooks. Not close. Not as fast. Not as hell-bent for leather.
The hunch is Brooks and tailback Wali Lundy (sprained foot) return to the lineup sooner rather than later. Breather though it should be, the Duke game kickstarts a stretch of five consecutive ACC contests for Virginia.
“The preseason,” Groh said, “is over.”
Left unsaid: And Virginia needs to play accordingly.
 

Hagans unhappy with his misfires
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- In a statement he crafted for the media while he was having fluids replenished intravenously, the first thing quarterback Marques Hagans mentioned Saturday was the three interceptions he had yielded.

There was no mention of a career-high 110-yard rushing effort that was critical in Virginia's 27-24 victory over Syracuse.

Until Saturday, the last UVa quarterback to rush for more than 100 yards in a game was Shawn Moore, who ran for 121 yards against Maryland in 1989.

Hagans had led the Cavaliers in rushing last year against Syracuse and twice had rushed for more than 80 yards in a game, so nobody was shocked when he went over the century mark. What was less predictable was his continuing problem with interceptions.

Hagans has been intercepted five times in two games, equaling the five times he was intercepted in 12 games and 261 attempts last season.

All five interceptions have come in the second quarter.

Virginia head coach Al Groh said Saturday all three of Syracuse's interceptions had come on errant throws and that his quarterback's decision-making had been sound.

"We tried to emphasize with him and the team that things aren't going to go perfect," Groh said. "Those things that happen. Forget about it. Trust yourself. Trust the system.

"I reminded him of what we said at halftime last week: 'We're going to ride you. Let's go.' "

After closer review, Groh said Sunday that Hagans probably should not have forced the ball to tight end Tom Santi on a pass that resulted in an end-zone interception. On another interception, Deyon Williams fell down after getting his feet tangled with a Syracuse defender.

On the third interception, the ball sailed on Hagans, as it did on a later series when he had Williams open at the 5-yard line.

Sharing the ball

Hagans was one of three UVa players with more than 100 all-purpose yards.

Freshman tailback Cedric Peerman had 147 yards (63 rushing and 81 on kickoff returns) and junior tailback Michael Johnson had 124 yards (81 rushing and 43 on punt returns).

Alvin Pearman had a 78-yard run against Virginia Tech last year, but Johnson's 70-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was UVa's longest scoring run in Groh's five seasons as head coach.

Johnson fumbled twice in UVa's opening game and muffed a punt Saturday, although Syracuse was penalized for interfering with the punt receiver, giving the Cavaliers a short field before their second touchdown.

"We've talked for two weeks about the fumble situation and we weren't happy about it," Groh said. "But there's some element of 'got to show some trust' and 'got to show some confidence' in the players.

"What happened last game was, Mike forgot about the ball. He was interesting in running the play and wasn't telling himself, 'Hey, I've got the ball.' "

Instant replay

Just when reporters were asking if instant replay was in effect for a nonconference game, officials reviewed a first-quarter pass from Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson to tight end Joe Kowalewski and decided Kowalewski had stepped out of bounds.

The call nullified what would have been a 22-yard gain to the UVa 24. Instead, with the score 7-7, the Orange was forced to punt.

Even with that catch overturned, Kowalewski finished with seven receptions for 96 yards, and another Syracuse tight end, Alex Shor, had two catches for 16 yards. Two Western Michigan tight ends combined for seven receptions in UVa's opener.

"It gave us consistent difficulty," Groh said, "and really brought [Syracuse] back into the game. Obviously, we'd like to play those plays better."

Odds and ends

Groh cited sophomore punter Chris Gould for snaring two errant snaps from Tyrus Gardner and said that aspect of special teams would receive special attention prior to the Cavaliers' game Saturday with Duke. ... Williams had a career-high seven receptions and was the intended receiver on four incompletions. Ottowa Anderson, who had more than 100 receiving yards in the opener, did not have a catch. ... Junior fullback Jason Snelling had carried the ball once all day before he was inserted for a fourth-and-inches play that was one of three straight Snelling runs prior to Connor Hughes' winning field goal. ... Before Saturday, the last time Virginia had won a game on a field goal on the final play was in 1989, when the Cavaliers beat Louisville on a 39-yard Jake McInerney field goal.

1. Containing the big play | Grade: B

In its 31-10 victory over Syracuse last year, Virginia did not allow a rushing or passing play of more than 18 yards. Syracuse completed a 31-yard touchdown pass and also had gains of 24 and 22 yards but nothing to compare to the 70-yard touchdown run by the Cavaliers' Michael Johnson.

2. Avoiding turnovers | Grade: C

Virginia yielded two interceptions and lost a fumble in its 31-19 victory over Western Michigan in the opener. Three Syracuse interceptions kept the Orange alive until the final play on a day when it was outgained 416-252.

3. Protecting QB Marques Hagans | Grade: B+

Hagans' own ability to avoid Syracuse's rush made it even harder to believe he was sacked four times against Western Michigan. Syracuse sacked him one time for a 2-yard loss.

 

With some starters out, Groh calls on new faces
New contributors, including Kai Parham and Mark Miller, have emerged to help Virginia start its season 2-0.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
September 19, 2005

He has seen and heard things like this before, played in close games in loud stadiums. So Kai Parham has some credibility when he says, "To a large degree, you can always learn so many things through experience."

Parham, Virginia's junior inside linebacker, had just played in another close game in another loud stadium on Saturday, and while the Cavaliers' 27-24 win over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome surely pleased him, it wasn't an enlightening experience.

But for several Cavs - including two who played key roles on the game's decisive play - the final minutes of U.Va.'s victory were their first exposure to the sights and sounds of college football drama.

After U.Va. coach Al Groh decided to go for it on fourth down and inches at the Syracuse 10-yard line with 1:26 left in the game, he chose junior fullback Jason Snelling to carry the ball.

Snelling sprinted toward the huddle and substituted for Cedric Peerman at the last minute, then ran 5 yards to the left, aided by a block from true freshman left guard Branden Albert.

Snelling came into the game with 42 career carries for 299 yards. Though Albert is more inexperienced - Saturday's game was the second of his career - Snelling is no ball-carrying veteran. The Cavs have turned to him this season while starting tailback Wali Lundy missed half of the season opener and all of Saturday's game with a sprained left foot.

"There were some players involved in that drive that have never been in one before," Groh said. "Now they can say they've been there."

The Cavs were only in position to win because senior linebacker Mark Miller tackled SU running back Damien Rhodes for a 1-yard loss to squash the Orange's previous drive. Syracuse had to settle for a field goal that tied the game at 24.

Miller had played in 37 games heading into this season, but mostly on nickel packages. In those situations, he concentrated on defending pass plays. So he certainly wasn't accustomed to making plays like stopping Rhodes. "It was the first game that he's ever played in that he really had to step up and take on blockers," Groh said.

Miller made seven tackles, tied for second-most on the team. "That was one of our big goals for this game, to be a hard-hitting defense," end Brennan Schmidt said.

It would be unfair to compare Miller with Ahmad Brooks, whose starting spot Miller is occupying while Brooks recovers from offseason surgery on his right knee. Brooks is a preseason All-American. Miller will likely return to his old role when Brooks comes back.

But like Snelling and Albert, Miller was certainly steady in his first time amidst the drama.

NOTE

Syracuse's coaches thought Snelling's substitution for Peerman was illegal. But Groh said the play would've been a penalty if the Cavs had 12 players in the huddle for at least three seconds, which didn't occur. And since U.Va. just swapped a tailback for a tailback, Groh said the play wasn't deceptive either. "It was the same group of personnel," he said. "It wasn't like we were going from three wide receivers to three tight ends."

Many reasons dictate Virginia's win
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
September 19, 2005

What were the reasons that made it possible for Virginia’s football team to escape from central New York with a 27-24 win over Syracuse in its first road game of the season?

Was it because quarterback Marques Hagans magically danced around the FieldTurf to the tune of a career-high 112 rushing yards?

Was it the job the Cavaliers’ defense did in dominating Syracuse’s offense after Hagans threw three interceptions in the second quarter?

Was it Virginia’s improved offensive line play, which allowed only one sack (a 2-yard loss) and made a statement during the final scoring drive of the game as they opened holes and provided protection?

Or was it the play of UVa’s special teams unit - a group that did well at returning kicks, converting field goals and limiting negative plays?

For the Cavaliers, it was all of the above. And thanks to those factors and many others, Virginia (2-0) stayed undefeated for another week and walked away from the Carrier Dome with what one player called the “ultimate team victory.”

When Virginia’s defense faltered, the offensive unit produced. When the Cavaliers’ defense allowed 17 second-half points, the offense did enough to make a win a reality.

“That’s what you have to do,” Virginia tight end Tom Santi said. “When one facet of the team falters, the other one has to pick it up and I really feel like that is what we did. It was a great team win to come in here to the Carrier Dome and do just that.”

After the Cavaliers’ defense spotted Syracuse a 7-0 lead early in the first quarter, Hagans led Virginia down the field on a 74-yard touchdown drive. The QB completed three passes - two for first downs - and scampered for 43 yards on two carries.

The team theme continued.

A minute and 13 seconds into the second quarter, Hagans threw an interception, his first, in the end zone.

Virginia’s defense forced Syracuse to punt after three plays did not net a single yard.

The next time Hagans got the ball back he threw another interception on first down on a deep ball intended for Deyon Williams, who stumbled to the ground 35 yards into the route.

The defense bent this time, allowing a mere 3 yards before forcing one of the seven punts that Syracuse’s Brendan Carney had in the game.

That stop proved vital in helping Virginia take its first lead of the game at 14-7.

Late in the first half, Hagans threw his third and final interception. The overthrown pass, which was intended for tight end Jonathan Stupar, left Syracuse in prime field position at its own 34.

Despite starting on Virginia’s side of the field for the first time in the game, the Orange went three-and-out as they lost 8 yards, thanks partly to one of the three sacks that UVa linebacker Kai Parham registered in the game.

The back scratching continued in the final minutes of the second quarter after Virginia long-snapper Tyrus Gardner fired a snap above the head of punter Chris Gould. The sophomore snared the high snap and got off a 29-yard kick.

Despite starting in prime field position, the ’Cuse went nowhere as time expired on the opening 30-minute session.

“What the defense did at the end of the half after that snap put us in very difficult field position, we could have given up cheap, cheap points that they should have never gotten the ball in that position, that was terrific,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “I wouldn’t say turning points, but it was one of the key junctures of the game at that point right there.

“[If Syracuse] makes 10, 12 yards in four plays, they have a chance to kick a field goal. And yet they ended up going backwards.”

The roles reversed a bit in the second half as Syracuse gained 183 of its 252 total yards, but every time Virginia needed a play offensively, they delivered.

Tailback Michael Johnson used the longest carry of his career - a 70-yard run - to score a TD and Hagans spearheaded an impressive game-winning drive by going a perfect 2-for-2 passing and running for 30 yards.

In the end, Virginia’s respective units did exactly what was necessary to keep a bagel in the loss column.

“That is how it is in college football. You have to rally around each other,” said UVa cornerback Marcus Hamilton, who made seven solo tackles. “I know defensively everybody at each position believes in what each is going to do and I am sure the offense does too.”

Brennan Schmidt, a senior defensive end and team captain for the Cavs, said that the three-point win will “build character.”

Last season, Virginia’s closest margin of victory came in a 16-0 home win over Maryland.

“Close games helps to get our team battle-tested and I like that,” Schmidt said. “I like being in these types of games where you really have to hunker down and see what you have got. I am really proud of everyone on this team.

“Games don’t go perfect and when they don’t it is whoever has the most heart and toughness and I think we showed that.”

To say the least, the record shows it.

Movin’ on up. Virginia climbed two spots in the AP poll, jumping from 25th to 23rd. The Cavaliers, who are one of 18 undefeated teams in the rankings, are one of five Atlantic Coast Conference teams ranked in the top 25. Boston College and Clemson were ranked last week but fell out after losing to Florida State and Miami, respectively.

Virginia Tech is No. 4 and FSU is at No. 6. Miami (1-1) is ranked No. 12 and Georgia Tech logged in at No. 15.

 

Feeling Down about Cavaliers
Walker Freer, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

It's hard to get down on a football team that starts the season 2-0 and is ranked 23rd in the country. But despite the fact that Virginia has two wins in the bag and a likely third on the way with Duke visiting Saturday, I'm down on the Cavaliers. The lackluster performance Virginia put forth against Syracuse might have been good enough to scrape past a Big East has-been, but it won't be good enough to beat many ACC teams.

I'm as happy with a win as the next fan, but after two straight underachieving victories, Virginia has seemingly slipped into a gray area of acceptance. Following Saturday's game, the team and coaches alike seemed perfectly satisfied to walk out of the Carrier Dome with a three-point win against an inferior opponent.

It all begs the question: Why are we content with a 31-19 win over Western Michigan or a 27-24 escape at Syracuse? This is a team that opened last season with five straight wins while averaging a margin of victory close to 31 points. One year later, the Cavaliers are suddenly satisfied to accept narrow wins over lesser opponents. If anything, games against Western Michigan and Syracuse should be seen as pre-season games –- tune-ups for approaching road contests at Maryland and Boston College, games that will go a long way towards determining Virginia's fate in the postseason.

Instead of actively addressing glaring weaknesses -- see concerns in the secondary -- Virginia seems to ignore them. Despite continually getting beaten underneath by short passes against Western Michigan two weeks ago, Virginia still allowed Syracuse tight end Joe Kowalewski to repeatedly get open and catch seven passes for 96 yards and one touchdown. Chalk the Western Michigan performance up to season-opening jitters and rust accumulated from nine months of off-season monotony, but after two weeks of preparation, Saturday's defensive breakdowns were unacceptable. Given, junior linebacker Ahmad Brooks is still injured, but he might be out indefinitely. That means fans must do what coach Al Groh did weeks ago, move on and assume that Mark Miller (who had seven tackles Saturday) will be starting in Brook's place for the rest of the season.

Let me make myself clear: I don't doubt the effort or determination Virginia players and coaches give day in and day out while going about practice and games. What bothers me is the nonchalant attitude that has started to seep into the program. Every down of every game matters, and until Virginia starts treating it that way, I can't see the Cavaliers escaping their rut of eight-win seasons.

Notwithstanding, Virginia earned the victory against Syracuse and showed tremendous heart in gutting out a road win at the Carrier Dome. Instead of folding Saturday after the Orange came roaring back to tie the game with six and a half minutes remaining, the Cavaliers responded with experience and assertion. Maybe this team possesses a resilience that last year's squad was missing. Maybe a few close games will act as an alarm to awaken the talent Virginia fans know lies dormant underneath those blue and white jerseys.

Saturday, Virginia's approach could be boiled down to a statement Groh made to an ESPN reporter as he left the field following the game. In reference to his decision to go for a first down with Virginia facing fourth and inches late in the fourth quarter, Groh likened the situation to a modified motto from the movie "Risky Business," saying "Sometimes you've got to say what the heck."

I guess if it worked for Tom Cruise it'll have to work for Virginia.

 

Bad and good sides of Hagans exposed in Virginia's victory
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 19, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Close to an hour after the Cavaliers’ 27-24 last-second win over Syracuse on Saturday, quarterback Marques Hagans remained in the Virginia locker room, getting at IV.

His lack of energy was understandable, considering he had just spent the previous three hours keeping both teams in the game.

Hagans had one of those performances that makes you scratch your head in disbelief but not always for the same reason.

He was bad at times, throwing three first-half interceptions when Virginia (2-0, ranked 23rd in the latest Associated Press poll) had a chance to put the game out of reach against a Syracuse offense that couldn’t move the ball.

He was great at others, scrambling for 110 yards on 14 carries, bailing the Cavaliers out on third down four times with first-down runs.

And he was downright clutch when UVa needed him most, dashing up the right sideline for 26 yards on its game-winning drive, eluding the blitz with a nifty sidestep on third-and-six and getting the ball up to the Syracuse 29-yard line. Connor Hughes kicked the game-winning field goal as time expired several plays later.

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

For a team looking for players to step up with linebacker Ahmad Brooks and tailback Wali Lundy nursing injuries, Hagans certainly did his part, even if it did leave him drained.

“He used the whole tank out there,” UVa head coach Al Groh said.

You wouldn’t believe it if you listened to Hagans himself. His three picks all came in the first half. One came when he forced a pass into a tight spot in the end zone, one came when receiver Deyon Williams fell down on a deep ball and one was simply an overthrown ball. They came in the span of four possessions.

“I’m disappointed by the three interceptions,” Hagans said in a release, his IV treatment preventing him from speaking to the media. “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.”

The truth is, UVa doesn’t win the game without him. One third quarter play epitomized Hagans’ ability to frustrate a defense.

Virginia faced a third-and-two situation when Hagans was forced out of the pocket to the left. He put the breaks on near the sideline, juked back toward the field to avoid a closing Syracuse rusher, Ryan LaCasse, who had him dead to rights. Eluding the sack, Hagans lunged forward for the first down, setting up a shorter field goal for Hughes later on the drive.

“We knew coming into the game that Hagans was hard to stop,” LaCasse said. “Unfortunately, we just couldn’t stop him enough times.”
 

Groh has Cavs playing for progress
Virginia responded to fourth-quarter adversity in game-winning drive
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 19, 2005

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- From its first game to its second, the University of Virginia football team improved. The signs of progress evident Saturday afternoon at the Carrier Dome mean a lot more to coach Al Groh than any national attention the Cavaliers may be receiving early in the season.

"Right now, we're not playing for ratings," Groh said after Virginia edged Syracuse 27-24 on Connor Hughes' 19-yard field goal as time expired.

"We're trying to get our team put together and positioned to be at its best when it needs to be -- that is, as we move progressively into the season."

U.Va. (2-0) moved up two spots, to No. 23, in The Associated Press poll released yesterday, and rose one position, to No. 19, in the USA Today coaches' poll. The Cavaliers play their ACC opener Saturday afternoon against Duke (0-1, 1-2) at Scott Stadium and figure to be unbeaten when they travel to Byrd Stadium for an Oct. 1 date with Maryland.

Groh's fifth team at his alma mater is very much a work in progress. Among the Cavaliers who played significant minutes against Syracuse were true freshmen Chris Cook (cornerback), Branden Albert (offensive guard) and Olu Hall (linebacker), redshirt freshmen Cedric Peerman (tailback) and Clint Sintim (linebacker), and sophomores Jermaine Dias (outside linebacker), Nate Lyles (safety), Chris Gorham (cornerback), Jamaal Jackson (safety), Keenan Carter (nose tackle), Chris Long (defensive end) and Marshal Ausberry (offensive guard).

"To a large degree, you can only learn [some] things through experience," junior linebacker Kai Parham said. And now, U.Va.'s younger players have experienced -- and triumphed in --one of the most intimidating environments in which a visiting team can play.

Groh said: "We have a lot of players who played a lot of minutes today who haven't been in games like this before, so that's very positive for them. I'm very pleased for them. I thought they stepped up and did a lot of things that had to be done."

Syracuse (1-2) scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to pull to 24-24, but Virginia regrouped. In one of the more memorable drives in the program's history, U.Va. ran off the game's final 6:25 on its last possession. The drive featured senior quarterback Marques Hagans' breathtaking 26-yard run, running back Jason Snelling's fourth-and-an-inch carry for a first down at the Orange 5 and, finally, Hughes' game-winner.

"That's one of the things that's necessary on the road," Groh said of his team's ability to overcome adversity. "You're going to find yourself in those circumstances, and now we've done it. It doesn't mean it comes automatically the next time, but at least now we've done it. The players have some confidence in doing it."

The Cavaliers hadn't scored on a game's final play to win since Oct. 28, 1989, when Jake McInerney's 37-yard field goal lifted them to a 16-15 win over Louisville at Scott Stadium. Nearly 16 years later, Hughes' kick triggered a raucous celebration on the visitors' sideline.

"That was a lot of fun," Long said. "I love playing on the road, and it feels great to say I played at the Carrier Dome."