Cavs like Parham's numbers
The Virginia inside linebacker has readily taken on added responsibilities and his teammates and coaches like the results.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Since the days of Jim Brown, Floyd Little and Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis, Syracuse fans have come to expect brilliance from a player wearing jersey No. 44.

In general, that tradition has not applied to an opposing player.

With no Syracuse player wearing No. 44 this year in anticipation of the jersey's retirement Nov. 12, Virginia inside linebacker Kai Parham did the number proud Saturday at the Carrier Dome.

Parham, who had three sacks in his first two seasons, recorded three sacks in the second quarter alone as UVa defeated the Orange 27-24.

"I knew about the tradition," said Parham, who has worn No. 44 since the seventh grade. "It's pretty funny, the irony of me going up there, wearing No. 44, and having a good game."

It couldn't have come at a better time for the Cavaliers, who have been without Parham's two-year running mate, Ahmad Brooks, for the first two games.

In the absence of Brooks and Darryl Blackstock, who skipped his final season of eligibility, the Cavaliers might have wondered where it would get their pass rush.

"I always felt I could do it," said Parham, a 6-foot-3, 247-pound junior from Virginia Beach. "I think the difference this year is that I'm out there a lot more."

Parham didn't lack for playing time -- he started 19 games the past two years and was on the field for more than 1,100 plays -- but, in 2004, he wasn't in the "nickel" defense that UVa employs in passing situations.

"When you're out there on third down, you have an opportunity to make a lot of plays," he said. "I feel I'm one of the best players on my team, so, of course, I want to be out there."

In the past, when Virginia went to the nickel, Brooks moved down to the line of scrimmage and rushed the passer. With Brooks rehabilitating a surgically repaired knee, Parham has taken over that spot.

"We had a combination [in 2003] where we had Ahmad playing one of the cover positions and Parham out on the edge," Groh said. "Then we switched it last year, but one of the things the coaches mentioned very early in camp this year was how effective Kai had become in his pass rush."

Brooks was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2004 and was one of three finalists for the Butkus Award that goes to the nation's top linebacker. Parham was second on the team in tackles and had more tackles for loss (11) than Brooks.

Parham, a deeply religious individual, didn't crave a lot of attention and didn't get much. That all could be changing. He was selected ACC defensive lineman of the week.

"It is nice," he said. "I'm glad that people can see what it is I do."

Parham calls defensive signals and has emerged as the leader of the defense, not that he wasn't filling that role already.

"Probably, quietly, he's interested in making that [Brooks] shadow a little bit smaller," Groh said. "If he was on a lot of other teams, he'd have been the prominent linebacker from the outset."

For the first time in his Virginia career, Parham feels completely healthy. He injured his back at Princess Anne High School and was unable to play or practice until the end of his redshirt season at UVa in 2002.

He didn't require surgery but during the lengthy rehabilitation, he wondered if he ever would play again.

"The thought definitely crossed my mind," he said. "It took such a long time to really feel good."

Doctors repaired a tear in his rotator cuff this past season. Parham did not participate in contact work this spring, but he continued to train.

"You can see his game," Groh said. "It's a rough-and-tumble game. It's not a finesse game by any means. He's a very gentle, compassionate soul off the field, so that's a transition he makes."

Parham and Brooks have been recognized as one of the top linebacker tandems in the country, but the duo of Parham and fellow Bible student Mark Miller took care of business Saturday.

"He's been in the favor of the Lord, as he would say," Miller remarked. "It's the best I've ever seen Kai play."

 

Scouts, lines and videotape
Virginia's first two opponents this season have new coaches. That means U.Va. video coordinator Luke Goldstein was immersed in a game of his own: chasing down the tapes of the opponent.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
September 22, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The plane from Syracuse, N.Y., touched down at Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport around 10:30 a.m. Sept. 11. Inside the plane was a package. And inside the package were three professional-grade Beta tapes. And on the Beta tapes was the information the Virginia football coaching staff used to help formulate its game plan for last Saturday's game at Syracuse.

If only the process of obtaining game tape was that linear.

It can be a transcontinental chase, especially when teams play opponents with new coaches - like Virginia did last week against Syracuse.

Since first-year Syracuse coach Greg Robinson installed a West Coast offense, U.Va. video coordinator Luke Goldstein needed more footage than the tape SU sent of its game against Buffalo.

Robinson was Texas' defense coordinator last year, so Goldstein got Texas footage from one of the Longhorns' 2004 opponents. SU offensive coordinator Brian Pariani was the Denver Broncos' tight ends coach and uses many of the Broncos' tendencies, so Goldstein milked a connection to get Broncos' footage. Goldstein also taped the Sept. 4 Syracuse-West Virginia game off television. Throw all of that footage in with the Buffalo tape that Goldstein picked up at the airport, and U.Va.'s coaches and players had enough film to keep them busy last week.

One thing about that film: It's not film - at least in the literal, reel-to-reel projector sense. Hasn't been since about 1988, when colleges transitioned to videotape.

Though most coaches still refer to the footage as "film," everything is digital now.

Virginia in December 2002 bought computer hardware and XOS Technologies software that cost about $850,000, Goldstein said. In his office at the McCue Center, there are two digital-editing consoles; two DVD recorders and a DVD duplicator, which he uses to burn DVDs for players to study at home; and four digital cameras ($16,000 each) that he and eight student assistants use to tape practices and games. The place looks like a small TV studio.

"In my room alone, there's probably over a million dollars of equipment," Goldstein said.

After games, it takes Goldstein and his assistants about three hours to transfer the digital-camera tape onto the computers and divide the footage into offense, defense and special teams. Each play is edited so it is seen from two bird's-eye angles: first from the sideline near the 50-yard line, then from the end zone. Goldstein then loads the segmented footage onto an 80-gigabyte removable hard drive.

Since ACC teams use the same editing system, they exchange these drives. Teams far apart put them on planes. But since Virginia's opponent this week, Duke, is nearby, one of Goldstein's assistants drove to a Hardee's in Chatham to exchange with the Blue Devils' representative. When Goldstein gets footage from opponents, he loads it onto the computer. Graduate assistants Kase Luzar, Bill Polin, Matt Stavish and Chad Wilt - guys who want to coach someday - attach information to each play. They start with basic stuff: run or pass, down and distance. Then more complicated information: formations, personnel packages, the type of play.

U.Va. coaches watch the plays on their computers because they're networked with Goldstein's equipment. (Coaches never deal with actual film or tapes.) A screen resembling a spreadsheet lists each play and the 35 to 40 criteria the grad assistants attached. With a few clicks, coaches can see every third-down play on which the opponent lined up with two running backs and passed the ball.

"It's impossible to estimate the amount of time it saves," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "Sometimes, the value of it isn't in time saved but in access to information. We're watching a particular team and wonder, 'How many times does this happen?' Each coach can come up with his own answer."

New Cavaliers often struggle with such detailed and lengthy film viewing; players watch about 10 to 15 hours a week.

"In high school, you just have a defense and offense (viewing) period," sophomore defensive end Chris Long said. "You come here and, all of a sudden, you've got periods (for) third-and-7. And 20 minutes later, you're third-and-6. And I'm like, 'What's the difference?' "

But coaches know players grasp the game's nuances in such sessions. Long said he first watches the offensive lineman with whom he's matching up. "You look for mannerisms to let you know what's gonna happen before it happens," he said. Then he checks out an opponent's overall offensive schemes. He occasionally critiques tape of himself, too.

Understandably, coaches want footage as early as possible on Sundays of game weeks. Virginia sends footage to midseason opponents several weeks in advance, but footage of the latest game doesn't arrive until Sunday. Goldstein last year gave a courier service tapes to fly to Syracuse. But the courier accidentally had the tapes sent to Los Angeles. Former SU coach Paul Pasqualoni, who knew Goldstein because the video coordinator attended SU, called Goldstein in his office.

"Luke, what'd you do with the film?" he said, partially paranoid of a U.Va. conspiracy. Goldstein made a new tape, which arrived in Syracuse later that Sunday.

"There have been times when coaches have thought video coordinators have been trying to screw 'em," Goldstein said.

Some coaches even tell the out-of-town airport to hold the tape they send to another team until they receive the opponent's tape, Goldstein said. Obtaining tape is trickiest for nonconference games. The ACC has a rule that says teams must exchange an equal number of game tapes. Non-conference exchanges are usually professional agreements, though teams sometimes refuse to exchange tape, like Michigan State did two weeks ago for its game against Hawaii. Video coordinators often use connections to get additional footage, like Goldstein did to scout Syracuse. He has college contacts from three years as video coordinator at Southern California and professional contacts from three years as the Jacksonville Jaguars' assistant video director.

Though NFL teams aren't supposed to send pro footage to college teams, Goldstein got the Broncos' film from a source, he proudly said.

After all, there is as much gamesmanship in getting the tape as analyzing it. Goldstein was sure Syracuse's video coordinator got U.Va.'s final six games from last season. "I didn't send it to him," Goldstein said. "But I guarantee he got the stuff."

Groh wants college teams to open their film vaults and make everything available to everyone, just like the NFL does. That's why Groh clears Goldstein to distribute footage to other schools as he sees fit.

"We're just trying to avoid a lot of the hocus-pocus that goes on," Groh said. Goldstein figures he helps someone one day, they'll help him down the road. And the result usually is the one thing that matters.

"We always get the film," Goldstein said.

Albert growing into role
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
September 22, 2005

D'Brickashaw Ferguson usually lets his game do the talking. Usually.

Seconds before a fourth down-and-inches on Saturday, Ferguson, the Cavs' left tackle, told coach Al Groh that he wanted the pivotal play run to his side of the offensive line - the left side.

That demand got the attention of Ferguson's neighbor on the offensive line, Branden Albert. The true freshman has started at left guard in Virginia's first two games.

"I was like, 'Oh man, he's coming to our side, so I've gotta do my job,'" Albert said. "I knew [Ferguson] was gonna do his job. I had to stay on my man and get some push."

Ferguson told Albert "what we needed to do and who to block and what the call was. And I just tried to follow what he said."

To say the least, Ferguson and Albert did their job. They opened up a hole big enough for fullback Jason Snelling to not only get the yard needed for the first down but to also get four more.

"That was nerve-wracking," Albert admitted on Tuesday.

Virginia went on to beat Syracuse, 27-24, and improved to 2-0 on the season. The Cavaliers will host Duke (1-2) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Being in trying situations is nothing new for Albert. He has overcome more than his share of adversity in his young life.

After his freshman and sophomore year of high school, his mother, Susan, urged Albert to move to Glen Burnie, Md., to live with his brother.

"My mother thought it would be a good idea for me to live with my brother because he is like a father figure to me," Albert said.

Of course it was it hard to leave his friends and family in Rochester, N.Y., but Albert understood his mother's reasoning.

Shortly after moving in with his brother, Ashley, and his wife, the siblings started talking about football. Ashley Albert, who played college football, thought his brother should play football for the first time in his life.

Weeks later, Albert was walking the hallways of Glen Burnie High and football coach Brad Wilson added fuel to the football fire.

Wilson, who also coached Virginia defensive lineman Ron Darden, asked Albert the following: "You are going to play football, right?"

Albert replied: "I was like, 'I guess so.'"

Albert had the body to play - he weighed 340 pounds and was close to his current height of 6-foot-7.

So how did his rookie season on the gridiron go?

"I was terrible," Albert said. "I ain't going to lie."

During the summer prior to his senior year, Albert said he lost 30 pounds and "started lifting weights." He also played AAU basketball for the Baltimore Slick and went to football camps, including the Maryland football camp, where his brother went to college.

Albert had what he called a "solid" senior season and he earned first-team all-metro honors by the Baltimore Sun as an offensive lineman in 2003. He also made 65 tackles as a defensive lineman.

Despite the honors, Albert remained off the radar of most college programs for football.

"He wasn't a great [football] player when we recruited him, but he certainly fit the model of the kind of guys we're looking for," Groh said. "We're looking for big, athletic guys who show particular athletic traits. And, they may not be developed to the point where a guy is a great performer at that particular stage.

"One of the things that was quite noticeable about him, in terms of his athletic ability and verified over the course of recruiting him through the winter, was how good a basketball player he was."

He was so good at basketball that he received a number of offers to play college basketball and even admitted that he "was thinking about" going that route.

"I had a lot of mid-major offers," said Albert, who averaged 15.5 points and

10.6 rebounds as a senior. "I had a couple of big-time offers, but mostly mid-majors."

With his decision in the air, Albert took an official visit to Virginia prior to signing day and ultimately gave the Cavaliers' coaching staff, namely offensive coordinator Ron Prince (his chief recruiter), a verbal commitment.

During the trip to Charlottesville, Albert said Groh gave him some advice.

"When I came out here on my recruiting visit, [Coach Groh] was like 'You better win a state championship because that will probably be the last time you play basketball,'" Albert quipped.

His team did not win the state title - they lost in the state semifinals.

That, however, was the least of Albert's worries. He failed to qualify academically, narrowly missing the necessary SAT score to be eligible.

Albert found himself headed to Hargrave Military Academy.

"It was very rough," Albert said. "Hargrave is not a place for young boys that want to cry. There were a lot of things that I had to deal with but it was to my benefit. I am happy that I went.

"I matured a lot being there. Football-wise, Coach [Robert] Prunty and his program, they teach you how to be physical. Being there, I learned how to be physical and strong-minded."

It didn't take Albert long to make a favorable impression on Groh.

By the second week of preseason camp, Albert said he had made his way to the top of the depth chart at left guard, a position he knew little about.

"I was kind of surprised, because I didn't know I would be starting or playing this early," Albert said. "The only difference [in tackle and guard] that I knew, was that you have to pull a lot for a guard. You have to be able to move so that is the only difference that I knew about."

Albert said that the offensive line system that UVa employs is "sophisticated" and in the early stages of camp he "was having trouble."

"I thought I might get playing time or just learn the system," Albert said. "In high school, you just line up and push. It's easier. Now everybody is bigger and stronger. You have to have good technique. If you don't have good technique you are not going to be able to push anybody."
 

College OT could use adjustments
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
September 22, 2005

Scattershooting around the ACC, while thinking that college football’s version of overtime could use some tweaking ...
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden, whose team lost a
36-30 triple overtime home game against Miami last Saturday night, believes the multiple extra periods are too exhausting for players. Bowden said he would favor making teams go for two-point conversions in the first overtime to settle the issue quicker.
Not so fast, my friend.
While Virginia coach Al Groh said he believed there might be some validity to that, both he and Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer have a different viewpoint. Beamer actually isn’t dissatisfied with the current system, which hasn’t been changed since its inception.
“If we had a vote, it would be to start the possessions further away from the goal line, like, say the 40-yard line, so a team would have to earn the right to go for a field goal,” Groh said.
He contends, as do many, that practically any team has good enough kickers these days to kick a field goal if it can’t move the ball from the current start of possession, the 25-yard line, which would make the attempt about 42 yards.
Beamer agreed.
“I think it wouldn’t be bad to move it back 5 or 10 yards,” Beamer said. “I feel like most people can make [a field goal] if you snap it from the 25. Plus, it would add a little bit more team play into the thing. There’s a good chance that most overtimes are not going to go past two or three anyway.”

All over again. A little déjà vu at College Park? Coach Ralph Friedgen isn’t quite sure after his Terps’ 1-2 start.
In back-to-back home losses to West Virginia and Clemson, Maryland is wondering what’s in store. Last year, the Terps also started 1-2 and went on to finish 5-6, the Fridge’s first losing season at his alma mater.
Maryland still has three games remaining against ranked teams, including UVa in two weeks, while the Terps have only three of their final eight games at home.
“Things could get worse before they get better with a young team,” Friedgen said. “We have been in this position before and still won 10 games [in 2002 and 2003]. But if you think I’m sitting here thinking about losing more games, you’re crazy. I don’t think that way.”

On the run. Part of Maryland’s problem has been the inability to run the ball and stopping the run.
The Terps rushed for a mere 50 yards against WVU, which used an eight-man box most of the game. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers rushed for 301 yards in the 31-19 win.
Maryland linebacker D’Qwell Jackson was frustrated with the effort.
“The front seven, we just couldn’t win up front,” Jackson said. “They pounded the ball down our throats. There’s nothing to say to that.”
North Carolina has suffered with the running attack as well, mounting only 57 yards rushing on 25 attempts in its loss to Wisconsin. For the season, the Tar Heels have mustered only 118 yards on the ground.

W for Dookies. Duke finally tasted victory last weekend, beating VMI. While the college football world hardly noticed, it was a big deal for the Blue Devils.
“We just really needed to get a win,” said Duke QB Mike Schneider. “It sounds funny, but that’s really just all we needed.”
Not a lot of folks were on hand to witness the occasion. Only 10,126 fans showed up for the game, the smallest home crowd at Duke since Oct. 1, 1966, when 10,000 were on hand to watch the Devils beat Virginia, 27-8.

Cedric the Great. Virginia’s redshirt freshman Cedric Peerman shares the lead in touchdowns (three) in the ACC and leads the league in kickoff returns, having brought back six kicks for an average of 30.8 yards per runback.
“Obviously, he has nice speed,” said Groh about his rookie. “It’s not just what you see visually, but he had success in the 100 meters in high school. It’s not Reggie Bush speed, but it’s decent. He runs the ball directly up the field and that’s the style of runner we’re looking for.”
Groh said he has three qualities he demands in a kickoff return specialist:
One, to secure and take care of the ball. Two, to run the ball directly up the field.
Three, with two return men back at the goalline, there’s a
50-50 chance that the ball will go to the other guy. So, Groh emphasizes that both be great blockers, to help spring the return. It’s an element of toughness that the coach requires.
Peerman has done exceptionally well for a freshman in picking up pass protection blocks, something not easy for a rookie who didn’t have to do much of that in high school.
“He’s learning that,” Groh said. “It’s a new part of his game. But he’s been very diligent. There has been a big improvement of that from spring practice through training camp and to now.”
Peerman leads the Cavaliers in rushing with 132 yards and is sixth in the ACC with a 66-yard average.

Ramblin’ Wreckage. Virginia Tech’s Beamer spoke at length Wednesday about the quality of Georgia Tech’s defense, and with good reason.
The Yellow Jackets’ defensive coordinator John Tenuta, believed to be the highest-paid assistant in the ACC at around $275,000, has already forced
12 turnovers in three games, best in the nation.
A total of 10 of those turnovers have been interceptions by eight different players. Georgia Tech only had 10 picks in 12 games last year.
“They do a lot of moving up front and play a lot of zone behind it,” Beamer said of this weekend’s matchup in Blacksburg. “It’s a gambling style of defense, but there’s some safety to it by playing zone behind it. There are gaps, holes available. But you’ve just got to get to the gap, get to the hole before it closes up.”
The last time Georgia Tech came to Blacksburg, a lightning storm converged over Lane Stadium at kickoff and the game was cancelled, sending a packed house away disappointed.

Short yardage ... ACC Commissioner John Swofford says that bids for the league’s 2007 baseball tournament have come in from four sites: Boston (Fenway Park), Greensboro, Jacksonville and Wake Forest. ... When Florida State’s football team stopped Boston College six times from no more than two yards out, it only helped the Seminoles continue their second-half dominance. In three games this season, FSU has outscored opponents 63-0 in the second half. ... How does that happen? ’Noles defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews: “We emphasize that they don’t score if you don’t let them. If you won’t let somebody in the end zone, they aren’t going to get in there. It’s just a battle of wills is what it is.”
... UNC has lost starting linebacker Doug Justice, probably for the season, after he broke a bone in his right foot in the Wisconsin game. ... Remember Toney Baker The Touchdown Maker? Virginia thought it might land the Greensboro running back in the last recruiting class, but Baker chose N.C. State. Last Saturday against Eastern Kentucky, Baker scored three times and rushed for
85 yards on six carries. State is considering starting him against rival UNC this weekend. QB Jay Davis said: “With our tailbacks, it’s eenie, meenie, miney, moe. Today, Toney was moe.”

The Picks. Last week: 8-2. To date: 17-8. This week: Miami 27, Colorado 19; N.C. State 24,
UNC 10; Virginia 38, Duke 13; Virginia Tech 30, Ga. Tech 23; Maryland 20, Wake Forest 17; Clemson 32, Boston College 27.

 

Leitao recruits paying visit to Virginia
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
September 22, 2005

Fifty-eight days remain before the UVa men’s basketball team takes the court against Liberty for its first game under new coach Dave Leitao, but the outcome of events this weekend could play a large part in determining the long-term success of the program.

Making official recruiting visits to the grounds will be a pair of senior forwards from New York - Jon Mitchell, a 6-foot-7, 235-pounder out of Mt. Vernon High; and Brad Sheehan, a 6-foot-10, 200-pounder from Albany Shaker High.

Tenatively scheduled to make unofficial visits are juniors Sam Zeglinski and Austin Freeman. Zeglinski is a 6-foot point guard from William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia. Freeman is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Maryland’s Dematha High.

According to Rivals.com, Mitchell is also drawing heavy interest from Pittsburgh and Marquette. Sheehan’s top suitors - in addition to UVa - are reportedly Syracuse and Georgia Tech.

The Cavs would appear to have the inside track on Zeglinski and Freeman. Zeglinski is a former high school teammate of Cavs point guard Sean Singletary, while Freeman is a former prep teammate of Cavs freshman Mamadi Diane.

Visiting UVa last weekend was Kelvin Lewis, a shooting guard from Texas who has reportedly narrowed his choices to UVa and Auburn. Rivals ranks Lewis as the 11th best high-schooler in the state.

With Gary Forbes transfering to UMass last week, the Cavs have three scholarships available for the class of 2006 and five for ’07.

 

UVa's Albert a rare freshman starter at guard
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 22, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Sandwiched between a potential All-American and a crafty veteran, Branden Albert had a feeling the play call would be coming to his side of the offensive line.
Sure enough, on fourth-and-less-than-an-inch at the end of the Syracuse game, Jason Snelling rumbled for a crucial first down behind the left side of the line. Leading the way were a pair of battled-tested veterans, tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Brian Barthelmes.

There was also Albert, a true freshman making his second career start.

"That was nerve-wracking," said Albert, who has shown no signs of frayed nerves since earning the starting left guard spot during training camp.

Virginia coaches have had no reservation about throwing challenges in the direction of Albert, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound behemoth from Glen Burnie, Md., who along with Ferguson is the only offensive lineman to start as true freshman for the Cavaliers in the last 33 years.

Not bad considering Albert didn't take up the sport until three years ago, just prior to his junior year of high school.

He always had basketball aspirations, only getting into football once he moved away from his mother and his birthplace in Rochester, N.Y., to Maryland to live with his older half-brother Ashley Sims at the age of 16.

Sims, 12 years Albert's senior, was like a father figure. A defensive end for Maryland in 1996 and now a probation officer in D.C., Sims prodded Albert to play football. It wasn't pretty.

"The first year I played football, I was terrible," said Albert, who admitted he long avoided the sport because he was scared. "I ain't going to lie."

Albert hit the weight room that offseason, went to a couple of football camps and continued his basketball career, playing with the esteemed Baltimore Select AAU team (he was on the team two years after Carmelo Anthony). He dropped 30 pounds from his then 340-pound frame.

Albert's future still appeared to be basketball (he had mostly offers from mid-major colleges), but Virginia continued to recruit him as a football player.

"The coaches who were working that area had a chance to see him on a number of occasions at basketball practice and in a game," UVa coach Al Groh said. "So, what we were looking for on the football tape was toughness and effort. And, then what the coaches could see in watching him play basketball was athletic ability, body control, that he was light on his feet for a big man."

Groh was persuasive in getting Albert to choose football.

"Coach Groh came out here

on my recruiting visit," Albert said, "and he was like, 'Uhh, you better win a state championship because that will probably be the last time you play basketball.'"

Albert did chose football - a late addition to UVa's 2004 class - but came up short of qualifying academically, going to Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham for a year instead.

"It was a very rough year," Albert said. "Hargrave is not a place for young boys who want to cry."

The leaps in Albert's game have been the benefit, however. He had a year in a military environment, away from home, with bigger, stronger athletes to deal with on a daily basis. That only honed the raw skills of a player who, despite his lack of a football background, had serious potential.

"He's one of those freak-of-nature type people," said Hargrave post-grad head coach Robert Prunty, who had Albert play primarily tackle but also guard. "You just don't get those kind that can run and are that aggressive and that athletic. ? He brings a defensive mentality to offense. He will block you into the ground."

Hargrave certainly gave Albert a head start when he came to UVa this summer. He excelled early, earning the starting left guard spot when the first depth chart was released the second week of camp, beating fellow freshman and prized recruit Eugene Monroe onto the field.

He has an excellent tutor just to his left in Ferguson, UVa's last offensive line freshman sensation. Ferguson, who has started all 41 games of his Virginia career, will have plenty of All-American accolades at the end of the season.

The Cavaliers can only hope Albert has a similar career path.

 

Losing to gain
LOSING TO GAIN Lighter Carter gives Cavaliers more production at nose tackle
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 22, 2005
DUKE AT VIRGINIA
SATURDAY: 3:30 p.m. RADIO: WRVA (1140), 3 TICKETS: Sold out

CHARLOTTESVILLE Yes, Al Groh likes his nose tackles big. But this was ridiculous.

On his way to the University of Virginia, Keenan Carter took a detour to Fork Union Military Academy. At FUMA, where he spent most of the 2002-03 school year, the 6-1 Carter's weight soared at one point to nearly 390 pounds.

"He kind of looked like one of those balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade," recalled Groh, U.Va.'s fifth-year coach.

Check out Carter now. He's svelte -- relatively speaking, of course. The U.Va. media guide lists the redshirt sophomore from Dumfries at 324 pounds, but that was his playing weight last season, Carter said Tuesday. He weighs 306 heading into 23rd-ranked Virginia's game against Duke this weekend at Scott Stadium.

Carter may not be Big Man on Campus any more, but he doesn't miss lugging around the extra pounds.

"My stamina is much better," said Carter, who brought a bottle of green tea with him to the interview room. "Sometimes I feel I can go for days. I move quicker. I've got more power. I feel more explosive."

He shed the weight, Carter said, by eating smaller portions of healthy food, by running, by lifting. To those who recall seeing Carter busting out of his Fork Union uniform at U.Va. basketball games in 2002-03, the transformation is striking.

"I see it coming," Carter said. "I still got a lot of work to do, but I'm starting to get the hang of it now."

Carter had 17 tackles in 2004, with nine coming against the Miami Hurricanes at Scott Stadium. He has yet to start for the Cavaliers, but a promotion could be imminent. In a 27-24 win at Syracuse last weekend, Carter led U.Va.'s defensive linemen with five tackles, four of them unassisted.

"That's the most active I've been," he said.

Even when his weight hovered in the 340-pound range, he had quick feet and excellent lateral mobility. Where Carter's weight loss has "really helped is from a stamina standpoint," Groh said.

"That was one of the big messages to get across. It's not just about, 'Is being lighter going to help you play this particular play better?' It's, 'Are you going to be able to play 15 plays in the game or 45 or 50 plays in the game?' He's seen the results of it, and he likes it that way. It's taken a lot less admonishing to keep his weight down in that area than it used to."

Carter said: "My stamina is much better. Sometimes I feel I can go for days. I move quicker. I've got more power. I feel more explosive. I just feel great out there."

Defensive coordinator Al Golden has been rotating three players at nose tackle: Carter, junior Ron Darden and senior Kwakou Robinson, who started both games. Against Syracuse, Darden was in for 10 plays, Carter for 21 and Robinson for 27. Some of Robinson's snaps came at defensive end, the position he played his first three seasons at U.Va.

"It keeps us fresh," Carter said of the rotation. "I like it."

There's a lot to like about Carter. When he committed to U.Va. in May 2001, as a Potomac High junior who'd made The Washington Post's All-Metro first team, Carter was thought to have the tools needed to become a dominant nose tackle in Groh's 3-4 defense. He's finally starting to deliver on that promise.

"He could be pretty hard to handle in there," Groh said. "If he taps into everything he has to bring, he could become a nasty afternoon for some center."

Carter, who redshirted at U.Va. in 2003, served as starter Andrew Hoffman's understudy in'04. Hoffman's work ethic was legendary around the McCue Center, and he set a standard that Carter has tried to meet.

"That man works hard," Carter said.

He missed spring practice after having surgery on his left shoulder, then suffered another setback when he broke his left hand last month. But Carter is undaunted. He's been playing with a soft cast on his hand. Perhaps that's fitting for a guy who toils at a thankless position.

"That's blue-collar work in there," Groh said. "Sometimes that has to be developed, and he's making good progress towards that."

 

Parham shines in spotlight after two years in shadows
With Brooks injured, all eyes focused on other inside linebacker
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Steve Young had to do it. Tom Brady had to do it. And now Kai Parham's doing it. What did all three of these people have to do? They had to step out of somebody's shadow because of injury and produce for the team. Young and Brady eventually led their teams to Super Bowl victories. Parham hopes to lead the Cavaliers to a national championship.

With junior linebacker Ahmad Brooks, the anchor of the Cavalier defense, sitting out the first two games of the season with a knee injury, Cavalier fans wondered who would emerge and become the playmaker Brooks has been for the past three years. Thus far, fellow middle linebacker Parham has done the job and then some.

A five-star recruit out of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Parham would normally be the jewel of any recruiting class. However, it was Brooks -- the No. 6 overall prospect in the nation -- who received most of the attention from that stellar 2002 recruiting class. Starters since their red-shirt freshmen years, Brooks and Parham have been staples in Groh's 3-4 defenses, combining over the years to form one of the nation's best linebacking corps. Despite their collective accomplishments, Brooks is the person people across the nation know about. But with Brooks out the first two games, Parham is finally getting the attention many feel he has deserved for two years.

Parham's performance in the 27-24 win at Syracuse displayed his skills. With Brooks sidelined, he had eight tackles, including six solo, three tackles for loss and three sacks. His three sacks, in particular, came in crucial times of the game. Two of the three sacks occurred on third down, one of the sacks ended any chance of Syracuse scoring a touchdown at the end of the half, and one of the sacks placed Syracuse out of field goal range. His outstanding play earned Parham ACC defensive player of the week honors.

He "ran the defense very well, really stepped up," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "He played like a big time linebacker today -- that's two games in a row for him."

It does not matter to Parham whether he or Brooks garners more attention from the media.

"Kai's not worried about being in the shadow or the spotlight," outside linebacker Mark Miller said. "What we're seeing now is all deserved for Kai Parham. College football, just college in general, is a growing experience. Kai has matured a lot, I've matured a lot -- we're all more comfortable as we get older in knowing how to handle things."

Because of their common faith, Miller and Parham are very close on and off the field. Despite their shared faith, however, Miller jokingly said Parham has little mercy for opponents.

"If he's coming at [opposing quarterbacks], they're probably not going to be in the favor of the Lord," Miller said.

Even with the new accolades, Parham is still a team-first player with winning as his primary goal.

"I'll take a 27-24 win any day," Parham said after Virginia's victory at Syracuse. "A win is a win."

With Brooks' status for the Homecoming game against Duke Sept. 24 still up in the air, Parham will have to continue casting his own shadow if the Cavaliers are to continue their winning ways.