One step forward, two steps back
As running back Wali Lundy makes his way back into the lineup, two starters on the offensive line battle injuries.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
September 27, 2005

D'Brickashaw Ferguson stood on the sideline late Saturday afternoon, smiling and joking with his fellow offensive linemen. Brian Barthelmes rode a stationary bike a few feet away, occasionally joining the conversation.

Virginia was already on its way to a 38-7 pounding of Duke at Scott Stadium, so the Cavaliers had plenty of reasons to be happy - even with two starting offensive linemen sidelined with injuries.

Ferguson, a left tackle, sprained his left knee in the first quarter. Barthelmes, a center, hurt his left ankle in the second.

Their replacements struggled at first, committing three consecutive false-start penalties on U.Va.'s first second-half drive. Then they settled in as Virginia's lead ballooned from 10-0 to 31-0 by the end of the third quarter.

Ferguson's and Barthelmes' status for Saturday's noon game at Maryland won't be known until coach Al Groh's press conference today.

Even then, Groh likely will tab both with the ambiguous "day-to-day" label, as he's done for injured inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

But one thing is certain: The No. 19 Cavs will need Ferguson and Barthelmes more against Maryland than they did against doormat Duke.

CAN THE OFFENSIVE LINE SURVIVE WITH FERGUSON AND BARTHELMES BATTLING INJURIES?

Maybe the two make full recoveries this week. Maybe they play dinged up. Maybe they don't play. Regardless, Maryland ranks last in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing defense and 10th of 12 teams in sacks.

Brad Butler on Saturday moved from right tackle to left tackle. Moving from left tackle to right tackle is more common than the switch Butler made, Groh said.

Redshirt freshman Zak Stair is listed as Ferguson's backup, but Butler has practiced as the No. 2 left tackle for two years. Sophomore Eddie Pinigis, the No. 2 right tackle, replaced Butler. Sophomore Jordy Lipsey, the No. 2 center, replaced Barthelmes.

Pinigis played in five games last season as Butler's backup.

Lipsey was the nation's top center coming out of high school, so he has some positional experience on Barthelmes, who had never snapped a ball before moving from left guard in preseason practice.

But the 6-foot-3, 266-pound Lipsey is undersized for a center, something Groh said Lipsey can't completely overcome. "Not within the rules of the NCAA," Groh said.

HOW CLOSE IS WALI LUNDY TO 100 PERCENT?

He wasn't close on Saturday.

Groh saw Lundy on Sunday and talked with him about returning from a sprained left foot that he suffered in the season opener against Western Michigan. Lundy told Groh he felt better. He rushed 10 times for 20 yards on Saturday - all in the first half.

"It was a little bit more apparent looking at the tape (Sunday) that he didn't have his full game with him (Saturday)," Groh said. "He wasn't his real self. But he was as good as he could be."

As Lundy continues to recover this week, reference above stat on Maryland's rushing defense.

HAS KWAKOU ROBINSON FOUND A HOME AT N. TACKLE?

Groh seems to think so.

The senior is in a three-man rotation with Ron Darden and Keenan Carter.

Robinson struggled last season with replacing the injured Chris Canty at defensive end. Robinson has played nose tackle and end this season. He has four tackles and a fumble recovery.

ANY MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT MARQUES HAGANS' ACCURACY?

Not for now.

Hagans had five interceptions heading into the Duke game - one fewer than his previous career total. He threw four touchdowns and no interceptions against the Blue Devils.

"I think as far as last week (three interceptions at Syracuse), I made good decisions," Hagans said. "I just had some badly thrown balls."

WHICH MARYLAND PLAYER IS WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON?

Senior linebacker D'Qwell Jackson. Though tackle statistics are subjective - and, thus, often suspicious - he leads the ACC with 14.5 per game. Last season, he had 11.2 per game - first in the ACC and 11th in the nation. He also finished second in voting for the league's Defensive Player of the Year.

Leitao lands Zeglinski for 2007-08 class
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
September 27, 2005

On Saturday, Sam Zeglinski watched the University of Virginia football team dominate Duke in front of a sea of orange fans. Evidently, the idea of doing the same thing to the Blue Devils on the basketball court got Zeglinski’s juices flowing.

Zeglinski, a 6-foot junior point guard out of William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia, verbally committed to play for UVa following his unofficial weekend visit.

Zeglinski is Dave Leitao’s first recruit - and part of the Cavaliers’ all-important 2007-08 recruiting class. (The Cavs have four additional scholarships at their disposal that year.)

“It’s exciting,” said Zeglinski, who stood on the sidelines during the football game. “I felt like I connected with the coaching staff. I feel like it’s a real good fit and good situation.”

Zeglinski was a high school teammate of Cavs sophomore point guard Sean Singletary.

“The chance to play as a freshman, and with an old teammate - it just felt like the right choice,” Zeglinski said.

The opportunity to play in the ACC also played a big factor in his decision, Zeglinski added.

Zeglinski, who weighs 175 pounds, said he’ll be looking to improve his strength before he arrives on campus. Growing up in Philadelphia, Zeglinski has always been a huge 76ers fan. His favorite player - not a shocker - is Allen Iverson.

“I just like his flash, and his quickness and toughness,” Zeglinski said.

How would Zeglinski compare himself to Iverson?

“He’s more of a scorer. I try and make other people better,” Zeglinski said.

Zeglinski was one of four recruits scheduled to visit campus over the weekend. The others were New York big men Jon Mitchell and Brad Sheehan, along with Austin Freeman, a shooting guard from Maryland.

 

Williams emerges as go-to receiver for Cavs
Despite return of senior Anderson after one-year absence, junior Williams leads Virginia with 16 catches, 189 yards
Bayless Parsley, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

In Al Groh's eyes, a player usually doesn't start to come into his own until his third year. Two years as a newcomer breed familiarity; two years of breeding familiarity builds the confidence that Groh needs to see out of a veteran player.

As last semester's spring practice turned to training camp, and training camp turned to the season opener, the question of which Virginia receiver was going to be Marques Hagans' go-to guy was about as certain as the status of Ahmad Brooks' knee.

Of the three main receivers being tracked on radar as the Western Michigan game approached, only senior Ottowa Anderson had tallied more than 60 career receptions -- and he had spent the entirety of 2004 selling La-Z-Boys in Norfolk.

Fontel Mines showed promise as a big body receiver in the prior season, but had that big body taken out of commission early. After injuring his collarbone in the first game against Temple, Mines missed the next five games, coming back in time to catch just five more balls in the final six games of the year.

Then there was Deyon (pronounced Day-on) Williams. With 27 career receptions, he trailed only Anderson among returning wideouts. His 13.7 yards per catch in 2004 missed beating out Alvin Pearman for the team lead by less than half a yard. And as an incoming junior, Williams was on pace with that three-year plan that Groh lives by.

Though slightly smaller than Mines, a 6-foot-3-inch, 188-pound body still fit the mold of a big receiver. But it was Williams' work ethic that gave teammates an early indication of what he could do.

"Deyon has developed a tremendous work ethic this summer," Mines said before the opening game. "He's been taking that leadership role as the go-to receiver. We need that attitude from a lot of people."

The hard work has propelled Williams into the No. 1 slot so far this season. After three games, the junior has 16 catches -- twice the number of grabs pulled in by Jason Snelling, who is next in line for total catches with eight. Williams has averaged a solid 11.8 yards per catch for a total of 189 yards, which is tops on the team by over 65 yards.

Hagans must have been taking note that a go-to receiver was emerging heading into the Duke game. On Williams' 20th birthday, his quarterback splurged on the best present a football player could ask for: a pair of touchdown passes. Against the Blue Devils, Hagans connected with Williams on two of his career-high four touchdown throws -- one for each decade of his wideout's life.

As the season's opening month comes to a close, Williams has quietly inserted himself near the top of most ACC categories for receivers. While he comes nowhere near the numbers of Georgia Tech's Calvin Johnson (94.5 yards per game) or Maryland's Vernon Davis (88 ypg), Williams' 63 ypg holds a slim lead over the rest of the conference. And along with N.C. State's Tramain Hall, he has caught more balls per game than anyone else in the ACC, including Johnson.

Williams knows he is not yet at the top, but he also knows that as he continues to put in the work, the light at the end of the tunnel will only get brighter.

"I just come out here every week and work hard," Williams said. "Wherever I rank [among ACC receivers] is for everyone else to decide. But I do feel that because of how hard I work, one of these days I'm going be one of the top receivers in the conference."

At this rate, the end of that tunnel is getting nearer every day.

 

Career hasn't always been a snap
With an injury providing the opening, Lipsey has moved front and center for U.Va.
BYJEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 27, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - He turned down scholarship offers from such schools as Miami (Fla.), Tennessee and Florida State to become a Cavalier.

For most of his football career at the University of Virginia, center Jordy Lipsey has failed to show why he was such a celebrated recruit. But when thrust into duty with the Cavaliers' first-team offense, the redshirt sophomore from Longwood, Fla., acquitted himself well.

"Obviously our production with Jordy in there was good," U.Va. coach Al Groh said.

With starting center Brian Barthelmes hobbled by a hurt left ankle, Lipsey played part of the second quarter and all of the second half Saturday at Scott Stadium. Virginia scored 28 second-half points in its 38-7 romp over Duke.

"It felt great," said Lipsey, who has two brothers who played football at Washington and Lee. "I've been looking forward to this time for a long time. The game slowed down a lot, and the nerves weren't as bad as I thought they'd be, so everything was good."

Lipsey played in four games as Zac Yarbrough's backup last season. Training camp opened at U.Va. last month with two centers - Lipsey and classmate Ian-Yates Cunningham - battling for the starting job. Cunningham, however, has been slowed by back problems, and Virginia's coaching staff wasn't comfortable casting Lipsey in a leading role. So Barthelmes, the starter at left guard last year, moved one spot to his right and became the No. 1 center.

Size is an issue for the 6-3 Lipsey. He's gotten as heavy as 280 pounds at Virginia, only to lose weight during training camp. He's now around 265, and that's light for a Division I-A center.

"Jordy's not going to make up in bulk and power what some other centers are going to bring to the position," Groh said.

To compensate, Lipsey's technique must be impeccable, and that hasn't always been the case for him at U.Va.

"When I first came here, my pass blocking really wasn't where it should have been," he said, "because I came from an offense [at Lake Brantley High] that ran the triple-option. Learning the pro-style offense was definitely a difficult thing to do. It's taken a lot of time, because they've had to teach me so much, but I think it's starting to show a little bit."

The status of Barthelmes, a graduate student, is uncertain for Saturday's game between 19th-ranked Virginia (1-0, 3-0) and ACC foe Maryland (1-1, 2-2) at Byrd Stadium.

GAME TIME: Virginia's Oct. 8 football game against Boston College will be shown regionally on ABC. The game will start at 1 p.m. at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass.