Cavaliers look to break serve against Terrapins
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

1. Avoid another Western Michigan | B

The Cavaliers had Saturday's game with Duke well in hand by the start of the fourth quarter, but Virginia got off to a slow start offensively and had 32 yards in 17 offensive plays in the first quarter.

2. Defend the tight end | A

The Blue Devils' Ben Patrick had two receptions for 24 yards, one of them on a deflection. It was no repeat of UVa's 27-24 victory over Syracuse, when Orange tight end Joe Kowalewski had seven receptions for 96 yards.

3. Reduce interceptions | A

UVa quarterback Marques Hagans, intercepted five times in the first two games, was on target all afternoon against the Blue Devils. If not for five drops, he would have been over 75 percent.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Although many of his analogies deal with golf, Virginia football coach Al Groh has a clear understanding of the tennis expression "holding serve."

In Groh's first four years as UVa coach, the home team won each game in the Maryland-Virginia series, a trend that will continue unless the Cavaliers break serve Saturday at noon at Byrd Stadium.

Road conference wins are critical for a team with title aspirations, "otherwise, the best you can finish is 4-4," Groh said Sunday.

"It would be hard to get in the championship game at 4-4."

Virginia (3-0, 1-0 ACC) improved to No. 19 in The Associated Press poll after a 38-7 victory over Duke, but the Cavaliers could find a re-energized Maryland team after the Terps' 22-12 victory Saturday at Wake Forest.

Virginia ended the game against Duke without four of its regulars, including preseason All-America tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who limped off the field with 1:20 remaining in the first quarter and did not return.

Groh agreed that Ferguson's knee injury did not compare in severity to the ligament damage that caused defensive end Chris Canty to miss the last eight games of the 2004 season.

Center Brian Barthelmes had an injury to his right foot, outside linebacker Jermaine Dias had an icepack on his right knee and tight end Tom Santi hoped to learn the cause of the pain he was experiencing in his chest.

The injuries to Ferguson and Barthelmes caused UVa to go with a makeshift offensive line that included right tackle Eddie Pinigis from Jefferson Forest High School.

It was the most extensive playing time for Pinigis, a 6-foot-7, 290-pounder who might be eyeing a starting job when another Lynchburg-area product, senior Brad Butler, completes his eligibility.

"We would certainly hope so," Groh said. "That's what we would be expecting of a player of that time frame [third-year sophomore]. He's been making nice progress towards that objective; by the same token, it looks like we're going to have some competition at both [tackle] spots."

Pinigis has had a career path similar to Mike Mullins, a starting offensive tackle in 2001 and 2002 whom Groh once described as "a mauler."

"That comparison certainly was made when we were recruiting Eddie and previous to his getting here," Groh said, "and I think it's held up pretty accurately."

 

Cavs force the issue against Duke
Virginia shows its aggressive side and sees its defense improve.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
September 26, 2005

Marcus Hamilton saw Duke quarterback Mike Schneider look right, toward his side of the field.

"I knew he wasn't gonna beat me deep," Hamilton said.

So Hamilton watched Schneider's hand. The moment he saw the ball leave it, he stepped in front of the Duke wide receiver and intercepted the pass at Duke's 38-yard line.

But Hamilton, a cornerback, stepped out of bounds 4 yards later. And an illegal blocking penalty on U.Va. linebacker Bryan White gave the Cavs the ball at Duke's 44.

Still, Hamilton's aggressive play in the second quarter of Virginia's 38-7 win over Duke on Saturday was an icon for a game in which the Cavaliers took a few other chances.

"You have to have a little bit of daring," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "And you have to have a little bit of fearlessness about you if you're gonna be a playmaker,"

Is this year's team is more aggressive than last year's?

"We had a different kind of team last year," Groh said. "We had a team that was built around power. ... Whether we can play (aggressively) in the future or play this way successfully, we'll have to see."

Yes, you can gamble against inferior teams like Western Michigan, Syracuse and Duke. But risks get riskier in the meat of the Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, which U.Va. starts on Saturday at Maryland.

Credit U.Va.'s defense for its four-turnover effort against Duke after inexcusably allowing 19 points against Western Michigan and 24 against Syracuse.

"There's a long time for this story to be written," Groh said of his defense. "I'm certainly not starting the wheels on the bandwagon to roll right now. For what they had to deal with (Saturday), they did a nice job."

The ACC's most impotent offense, that's what.

And as much as Groh wants to quiet chatter of injured linebacker Ahmad Brooks' status, his absence will become more obvious as the opponents get tougher. (But with as little as Groh will say about Brooks' progress, the kid could very well show up healthy at Tuesday's press conference and cartwheel around the room.)

Ditto both of those points for injured offensive left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson (sprained left knee) and center Brian Barthelmes (left ankle). Groh said Sunday that Ferguson's injury doesn't appear as serious as the leg injury that knocked out defensive end Chris Canty for last season's final eight games.

Without Ferguson and Barthelmes on Saturday, the offense took some risks, too. The revamped offensive line that included sophomore center Jordy Lipsey and sophomore right guard Eddie Pinigis jumped early on three consecutive plays in U.Va's first second-half drive. Facing third-and-24 at the Duke 46, offensive coordinator Ron Prince called - hey, what the heck? - a deep pass to tight end Tom Santi.

Santi caught the pass at the 10 and stumbled into the end zone.

One game at a time for UVa
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
September 26, 2005

One and done.

Basketball coaches say it when their teams get a single shot per possession. Other skippers talk about it for different reasons.

For Virginia coach Al Groh, it pertains to his team’s schedule. Win a game and move on.

On Saturday, the Cavaliers did win, as they beat Duke, 38-7, at Scott Stadium. And minutes after the victory, Groh was ready to move on.

“Each week and each game is its own week,” said Groh, whose team plays Saturday at Maryland at noon. “There’s no succession of incidences. There’s not a momentum of winning. There’s not a momentum of losing. Each game is its own deal.”

Virginia (3-0, 1-0 ACC) took care of its latest agreement with an offensive outburst in the second half - the Cavs scored 28 points after halftime - and with a stellar defensive performance.

Duke turned the ball over four times, was limited to 11 first downs and gained 215 yards of total offense. Those numbers were padded by the only scoring drive of the game for the Blue Devils - a fourth-quarter drive that covered nine plays and 78 yards and finished with a 30-yard TD pass from Zack Asack to Jomar Wright.

While the victory keeps Virginia undefeated, it was just lowly Duke. The Blue Devils average 225.5 yards per game, which ranks 115th of 117 teams in the country.

Knowing that his team has beaten Western Michigan, Syracuse and now Duke, Groh was slow to put his team on a pedestal.

“There’s a long time for this story to be written,” Groh proclaimed. “I’m certainly not starting the wheels on the bandwagon to roll right now.”

There are ample reasons for Groh’s reservation. The schedule gets tougher. The expectations have been raised. Injuries have taken their toll.

As Virginia enters a four-week stretch that includes road games at No. 21 Boston College, Maryland and North Carolina, and a home game against No. 6 Florida State, the stakes are suddenly higher.

And that is exactly what Virginia’s standouts claim they are ready for.

“I think we’ll do well. People are going to find out we have some very good players on our team,” Virginia defensive end Chris Long said. “Personally, I can’t wait until we start playing those quote-unquote ‘good teams’ that everyone says we haven’t played yet.”

Extra points. Virginia climbed to No. 19 in the country in the AP poll and No. 18 in the coaches’ poll. … The Cavaliers are now ranked second in the ACC in passing efficiency, kickoff returns and rushing offense. … Virginia senior D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who sprained his left knee against Duke, does not have an injury of the magnitude to what former DE Chris Canty had last year according to Groh. … Speaking of injuries, the coach added that tailback Wali Lundy felt better on Sunday than he did on Saturday when he “did not have his full game,” Groh said.

 

Passing attack found targets for Cavs
U.Va. players shake off dropped balls in romp over Duke
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 26, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On Virginia's third play from scrimmage Saturday, wideout Deyon Williams dropped a pass from quarterback Marques Hagans. On the first play of the Cavaliers' next possession, tight end Tom Santi dropped a throw from Hagan. Wideout Fontel Mines followed suit a play later.

"You want to be kicking yourself," Santi said of his reaction to dropping a pass, "but you got to put it out of your mind. You got to just think about the next play. That's how football is."

The Cavaliers' passing game may not have started auspiciously against ACC rival Duke, but matters soon improved for the home team at Scott Stadium. Mines had an 11-yard reception for a first down, and Hagans (13 of 21 for 174 yards) finished with a career-best four touchdown passes. Two went to Williams, one to Santi and the other to true freshman tight end John Phillips in U.Va.'s 38-7 romp over the Blue Devils.

"We know they want to catch 'em," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "They don't want to drop 'em. It's early in the game, and there's a lot of balls going to be thrown. Whenever possible, with each of them individually, I said, 'Look, I know you can catch the ball. These things are going to happen. We're going to throw a lot of balls to you today. Just forget about it and catch the next one.'''

There's no need for his targets to apologize in the huddle after drops, Hagans said, "because I make mistakes, too. I throw bad balls, and I'd just thrown five interceptions in the first two games, and they're always there to pick me up . . . I know that they don't want to drop the ball. I don't want to throw interceptions. It's an encouragement thing. I've got to stick with them, and they've got to stick with me."

Virginia (1-0, 3-0) moved up four spots to No. 19 in The Associated Press poll released yesterday. The victory over Duke (0-2, 1-3) came at a price for U.Va., which lost two starting offensive linemen -- left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and center Brian Barthelmes -- to first-half injuries. Barthelmes (left ankle) could have re-entered the game if needed. Ferguson (left knee) watched the second half in a warmup suit, but Groh indicated during his teleconference last night that the All-America candidate's injury isn't thought to be season-ending.

Santi sat out most of the second half, too, after he started coughing up blood and feeling soreness in his chest. But the sophomore from Nashville, Tenn., later met with reporters and said his problem had "cleared up."

Given the Cavaliers' record in College Park, Md., under Groh -- 0-2, and neither game was close -- they'll want all the firepower they can muster this weekend. Virginia plays Maryland (1-1, 2-2) on Saturday in a noon game that Jefferson-Pilot Sports will televise. After wins over Western Michigan, Syracuse and Duke, U.Va. is entering a more challenging portion of its schedule. The Cavaliers play Oct. 8 at Boston College before returning home for a Oct. 15 date with Florida State.

"I think it's going to pick up a little bit," Hagans said. "No disrespect to any of the other teams we played before, but the first three games of the season are out of the way."

 

Leitao gets first recruit for Cavaliers
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 26, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Five months into his tenure as the University of Virginia men's basketball coach, Dave Leitao has his first recruit. Not until the 2007-08 season, however, can point guard Sam Zeglinski suit up for the Cavaliers.

Zeglinski, a 6-0, 175-pound junior at William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, visited U.Va. with Quakers coach Jim Phillips last month. Zeglinski returned this past weekend for another visit, this time with his parents and sister. Before heading home, Zeglinski committed to the Cavaliers.

"I felt it was a great opportunity for me," he said Sunday. "I fit best at Virginia."

Zeglinski saw a familiar face on his visits to U.Va. The Cavaliers' starting point guard is sophomore Sean Singletary, with whom Zeglinski started in the Penn Charter backcourt as a ninth-grader in 2003-04.

"It didn't factor into the decision that much, but I talked to him, and he told me he liked [the school and the coaching staff]," Zeglinski said.

Leitao is preparing for the possibility that Singletary will leave U.Va. early for the NBA.

"Coach made it clear that it's going to be Sam's ball when Sean leaves, whether it's after his junior year or senior year," said Zeglinski's father, John, a former Wake Forest football and baseball player.

In 2004-05, Zeglinski was the only sophomore to make the all-Inter-Ac League team, which included such notables as Wayne Ellington (North Carolina commitment) and Gerald Henderson (Duke commitment).

"He's got a great feel for the game," Phillips said yesterday. "He does everything. He can handle the ball. He can break pressure. He can shoot."

Penn Charter played in the Benedictine Capital City Classic last season, and Zeglinski made the all-tournament team. In the quarterfinals, against eventual champion Benedictine, he scored 27 points. In the seventh-place game, Zeglinski had 24 to lead Penn Charter past Trinity Episcopal.

 

Defense held off Duke but performance came against worst offense in the ACC
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 26, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Whatever praise was heaped on the Virginia defense, either by coaches or the media, after a strong performance in a 38-7 win over Duke on Saturday was tempered by one nagging, yet clearly obvious fact - it came against Duke.
Yes, the same Duke with the worst offense in the ACC. The same Duke that was not averaging even 100 yards a game through the air. The same Duke that Virginia Tech held to 35 total yards of offense just two weeks ago.

With that in mind, the Cavaliers’ effort against the Blue Devils shouldn’t be blown out of proportion. But it shouldn’t be overlooked either.

UVa (3-0, 1-0 ACC) held Duke to 215 total yards Saturday, 112 of which came on the Blue Devils’ last three possessions when the Cavaliers began to rest their starters. Of their 13 possessions, five ended with the Blue Devils going three-and-out and four ended with turnovers.

Was it a positive step forward for a young Cavaliers defense still playing without star linebacker Ahmad Brooks? Sure.

But it was against Duke. How much can you read into that?

“We’ll see. There is a long time for this story to be written,” Virginia head coach Al Groh said. “I’m certainly not starting the wheels on the bandwagon to roll right now, but for what they had to deal with today, they did a nice job.”

Particularly with ball disruption. After forcing two turnovers in their first two games, the Cavaliers forced four Saturday. They had three interceptions for the first time since the Western Michigan game in 2003.

Turnovers were an emphasis for Virginia during the offseason after the Cavaliers forced just 16 in 2004, a total well below the three teams that finished ahead of them in the conference standings (Virginia Tech forced 32, Florida State 29 and Miami 27). Last week against Syracuse, Virginia had none.

“That was the focus of this game coming into it was to force turnovers,” said cornerback Marcus Hamilton, who had two interceptions, one of which he nearly returned for a touchdown. “We set the bar high and wanted to go out and make some plays. And I feel like we did.”

Those turnovers proved to be even more critical considering Virginia’s offensive struggles in the first half. The Cavaliers wasted good field position with penalties and dropped passes and had to adjust when two of their best offensive linemen left the game with injuries. They led just 10-0 at halftime.

It didn’t matter. The Blue Devils crossed the 50-yard line once in the half and that was on a 17-yard pass against soft coverage as time expired.

Virginia’s offense exploded for 28 second-half points, but that was incidental. The defense had already set the tone.

“You want to be a defense that can win games by itself,” said defensive end Chris Long, who had 1½ tackles for a loss.

It did Saturday. Whether it can do the same against teams of a stronger caliber than Duke remains to be seen.

NOTES: Groh did not give a full injury update on preseason All-American left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who left Saturday’s game in the second quarter with what was reported as a left knee sprain. But he did say Sunday that it was probably not as severe as the season-ending leg injury defensive end Chris Canty suffered last season. … Virginia moved to 19th in the AP poll.

 

Giving the Little Giants the credit they deserve
Bayless Parsley, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Seeing as 95 percent of the headlines from the Syracuse game referenced Al Groh's infamous "Risky Business" quote, our football coach may now be under the illusion that he could pose as the next Hollywood hunk.

I guess I'll have to be the one who bursts his bubble, because Tom Cruise, Sr. won't be coming out with his own line of salad dressing anytime soon.

Al Groh is more Rick Moranis than "Last Samurai" -- and you'd have to have your "eyes wide shut" to not see that. After all, some of the biggest contributions this season have come from a group of players I like to call the "Little Giants."

First up is the leader of the pack, the quarterback. Arm strength has never been the issue for Marques Hagans -- nor has athleticism. (He has more than enough of each.)

Hagans' value as a quarterback has always rested upon a very simple question: Can he see over the line well enough to be effective, or will he automatically cut and run out of the pocket the second he feels the heat?

His performance in the third quarter alone against Duke has evened the balance in that debate. After a dismal start to the season, Hagans had as many interceptions (five) through two games as he threw all of last year. But check out his final stats in Virginia's ACC opener: 13-for-21, 174 yards passing and four touchdowns... with no picks.

He even rushed for a net of zero yards yet left everyone singing his praises.

"It doesn't matter if [Hagans] is 5-foot-8," offensive lineman Brad Butler said. "He's become a great leader. That's who he is now."

Now that is a quarterback -- even if Hagans really is two inches shorter than his listed 5 feet 10 inches.

There's another Little Giant -- also named Marcus -- who is a leader on the other side of the ball. Setting the tone for the secondary, this junior cornerback plays like there are five minutes left in recess. He may spell his name a tad differently than Hagans, but Marcus Hamilton had a game Saturday that was equally impressive.

He picked off two passes against the Blue Devils, one from each quarterback who took snaps on Saturday. After a penalty nullified a touchdown return on Hamilton's first interception, his second pick off of freshman quarterback Zack Asack set his teammates up on the Duke 12-yard line.

The 5-foot-11 Hamilton is one of my favorite Little Giants because I'm jealous -- I want to play football at recess again, too.

"It's just the game of football, so we need to have fun as a team," Hamilton said. "If you're not having fun, you're not doing it the right way."

The third Little Giant is the feistiest of them all. Listed as 5-feet-9 inches tall, tailback/return man Michael Johnson has developed some incredibly thick skin over the years. Do so much as breathe on him wrong after he's been tackled and you're going to see his miniature frame all up in your face before you can even start your celebration dance.

"We don't need any of that extra stuff," Johnson said in an incredibly irritated tone of being hit after the whistle. "They think because I'm 5-foot-9, 200 pounds they can push me around. Just play the game, man."

"Kind of like a Napoleonic complex?" I asked.

"Yeah, like that. You're not gonna push me around, man."

I love it.

Rick Moranis would, too, by the way. Forget the Icebox -- Marques, Marcus and Michael alone would have walked all over the Cowboys.

Speaking of the Moranis connection again -- honey, have you seen Keenan Carter's before-and-after picture? Groh definitely shrank that kid.

A mammoth nose tackle listed at 6-foot-1, 324 pounds, Carter insists he's trimmed down to 306 since the 2005 Virginia media guide was printed -- this coming from a man who claims to have weighed 386 a few years back.

"I always ate healthy, but I was probably taking in too much healthy food," Carter said. "Now I eat in smaller portions."

A decrease of 80 pounds by eating less healthy food? All thanks must go to Coach Groh's Own New Fat-Free Ranch.

Or it could have been that Moranis lent Groh some kind of crazy high-tech laser from his attic...

Either way, you're not going to push these Little Giants around -- even if the teachers aren't looking during recess.

 

UM faces test No. 2 against UVa. offense
With Wake down, UM shifts focus to UVa.'s rush offense
By Heather A. Dinich
sun Reporter
Originally published September 26, 2005

It's one down, No. 2 to go for Maryland's defense.

The Terps kept the Atlantic Coast Conference's No. 1 rushing offense in check during Saturday's 22-12 win at Wake Forest, holding the Demon Deacons to a season-low 111 yards rushing.

Next, Maryland will face the ACC's No. 2 rushing offense. Undefeated rival Virginia will visit Byrd Stadium on Saturday for a noon kickoff before a homecoming crowd and bring with it nearly 200 rushing yards a game. The Cavaliers also rank third in the ACC in total offense and scoring offense - ahead of Wake Forest in both categories.

"It's just one game," nose tackle Conrad Boltson said of the defense's performance against Wake Forest. "We've got Virginia next week. Hopefully, we'll make a statement there."

There's no question the Terps' defense began to make its point. In four quarters, Maryland managed to close the statistical gap between its run defense, which remains last in the ACC, and Wake Forest, which was eighth nationally out of 117 Division I-A teams in running the ball.

Chris Barclay, the school's career leader in rushing touchdowns, had 86 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. And sophomore Micah Andrews, who entered the game as the top running back in the ACC, was held to 130 yards under his average.

"I like the way we're going to the ball and swarming it," Friedgen said. "I thought it was a very good day for the defense."

It's going to need another one this Saturday. The Cavaliers are averaging 32 points and nearly 400 total yards per game. Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans can rush for more than 100 yards, as he did in a win against Syracuse, or he can throw four touchdown passes, as he did in Saturday's 38-7 win against Duke.

If Hagans chooses to pass against the Terps, he'll be throwing into the ACC's top pass defense and the third-best in the country right now. The Terps are holding opponents to 123 yards per game.

Hagans also has the option of handing off to freshman running back Cedric Peerman, who is averaging 60 yards per game, or junior running back Michael Johnson, who is averaging 7 yards per carry.

Maryland is also likely to see Virginia senior tailback Wali Lundy, who rushed for more than 800 yards in each of his first three seasons. Lundy rushed for 20 yards on 10 carries against Duke in his first action since spraining his left foot in the season opener against Western Michigan.

"Defensively, we have to continue to work on going to the ball, strip the ball, tackling," Friedgen said yesterday. "It's hard to strip a guy if you're the only guy tackling him."

Instead of getting stuck on blocks Saturday or simply not giving enough effort to escape them, Maryland was able to push off and get to the ball. Wake Forest fumbled four times, losing two.

"We worked on that pretty darn hard this week," Friedgen said. "I think it was a point of emphasis. I also think it's the reason we started getting fumbles, too. I think we could've had a lot more. We got the guy held up and they're not blowing the whistle, we ought to be stripping the ball."

Friedgen said the difference was partly because the team did a better job of pursuing the football, so there where more defenders close by to compensate when somebody missed a tackle.

"Barclay's not easy to tackle," Friedgen said. "But when you get everybody going on the ball, all of a sudden a guy misses a tackle but there are three more guys right there and all of a sudden it doesn't become that big of a deal."

It was only a week ago that players on Maryland's offense were fielding questions from reporters about their frustrations with the Terps' bend-but-don't-break-until-the-fourth-quarter defense.

Maryland watched a 10-point lead disappear in the fourth quarter two weeks ago against Clemson, and it couldn't make critical stops in the final period that led to a 31-19 loss to West Virginia.

Virginia has outscored Maryland 81-40 in their past three meetings and won two of them. The Terps enter this game with a newfound confidence, though, in their defense.

"The pride is back," said wide receiver Danny Melendez. "Defense played a heck of a game, a full 60 minutes of football. I'm very proud of the defense."

Note // Friedgen said sophomore running back Keon Lattimore could work his way into the starting lineup this week. Lattimore led the Terps with 76 yards on 15 carries Saturday.