9/3/06 - Pittiful

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A rough start to the season

UVa falls hard versus Pitt in opener

By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer

September 3, 2006

PITTSBURGH - Throughout the summer, much was made of the rule changes to speed up college football games.

It still wasn’t fast enough for the contingent of Virginia fans in attendance Saturday night.

Thanks to what head coach Al Groh called “four one-play touchdowns,” Pitt cruised to an easy win over Virginia, 38-13, at Heinz Field in the season opener for both teams.

Pitt (1-0) took advantage of a pair of long touchdown passes from quarterback Tyler Palko and two interception returns for scores to deliver Virginia (0-1) its first season-opening loss in four years.

“We were extremely disappointed and embarrassed in the outcome,” Groh said. “To allow four one-play touchdowns means it is probably impossible to do anything with the remaining 150 plays in the game to overcome that.”

Palko, a fifth-year senior, completed 17 of 22 passes for 283 yards and three scores, including two that went for more than 70 yards.

For the game, Virginia equaled Pitt with 13 first downs, but several drives stalled as the Cavaliers converted only three of their 14 third-down opportunities. Quarterback Christian Olsen, making his first career start, finished 17 for 34, but the completions totaled just 133 yards.

“Their stars played like stars … we had no stars,” Groh said. “That’s about the story.”

Despite Virginia’s sluggish start - the Cavaliers had just three first downs in the first quarter - the team used an opportunistic play to head into the locker room at halftime down only one score.

With about a minute left in the half and UVa trailing 17-3, Palko made one of the few Pitt mistakes of the game as he dropped back to pass and delivered a strike to Virginia safety Nate Lyles. The junior defensive back returned the interception 47 yards to the Pitt 13.

Four plays later, tailback Jason Snelling raced into the end zone from two yards out. It appeared at the time that the play gave Virginia momentum.

Groh disagreed.

“I don’t mean this in a derogatory way but those of us who are in the game feel momentum a lot less than people who talk about it,” Groh said. “But what it did do was put us in a positive position - we are playing on the road, we got the ball to start the second half and the game is right there. It is a playable game, 17-10.”

Olsen said he was confident that Virginia’s opening drive of the second half would amount to a game-tying score.

“Coming out of halftime, we were going to come down the first series and score,” Olsen said. “It just didn’t happen for us.”

In fact, UVa lost two yards on three plays and was forced to punt. The Cavaliers defense, however, held serve, but on the Panthers’ punt, Tony Franklin ran into teammate and punt returner Emmanuel Byers, which allowed Pitt to down the ball at the Virginia 2.

One play later, Olsen delivered a gift that sent many of the 46,758 fans into a wild frenzy. Virginia’s signal-caller took the snap on the first-down play, fired a bullet to the left in the direction of wideout Kevin Ogletree. Unfortunately for Olsen, Darrelle Revis was standing in the way and picked off the pass and raced 19 yards untouched into the end zone.

Groh said, “it was an overall poor play by Virginia,” and pointed out that the play had worked in past situations.

Olsen, who took the blame, called it a game-changer.

“It was obviously a huge play and swung the momentum,” Olsen said. “That was probably the worst thing that could have happened to our team at that time.”

After UVa kicker Chris Gould nailed his second field goal of the game, a 42-yarder, with 4:25 left in the third to trim the lead to 24-13, disaster struck again.

On the first play from scrimmage, Palko connected with Derek Kinder for a 78-yard pass as the wideout corralled a tipped ball by UVa cornerback Marcus Hamilton and raced into the end zone.

“The quarterback rolled out and my guy did a hook and he rolled up the field … I tried to catch up to him and I saw the ball and I turned around,” Hamilton said. “My body must have gotten out of position. I just didn’t get enough on it to deter the pass.”

Pitt added the final score of the game late in the fourth quarter as linebacker Clint Session intercepted a pass from UVa backup quarterback Kevin McCabe and outraced Tom Santi into the end zone, pushing the Panther lead to 25 points.

Luckily for Virginia, the Cavaliers get back-to-back home games at Scott Stadium to try to regroup. The Cavaliers play host to Wyoming on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and Western Michigan on Sept. 16.

That did little to ease the pain on Saturday with Virginia’s players.

“It’s very disappointing and frustrating, especially this one,” said Santi, who led UVa with seven receptions for just 31 yards. “I am personally embarrassed. I don’t think anybody on the team didn’t want to win. I think everybody wanted to win. I think everybody tried to win.

“Be that as it may, I am still embarrassed that we didn’t do much to help ourselves win and really didn’t show ourselves well. That’s not the type of team that we are, but it’s easy to say that. It is harder to prove it.”

When it all goes wrong on the road

By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor

September 3, 2006

PITTSBURGH -- Virginia came to the Steel City on Saturday night with a laundry list of questions about where its football team stood. The Cavaliers didn’t like the answers.

Criticized in the summer by one national radio sports talk show host for being a bunch of Zima-drinking softies, the Cavs didn’t do anything to dispel the notion in an embarrassing 38-13 loss to Pittsburgh.

So much for the odds

No, not the Steelers. Had that been the case, UVa coach Al Groh probably wouldn’t have been nearly as dismayed over his team’s putrid showing to kick-off the season. It was Pitt’s Panthers, a 3.5-point favorite that made it look like a mismatch.

Groh was clearly embarrassed when he addressed media after the game and didn’t make excuses.

The worst part of it in his mind was the unforgivable sin of allowing four - count ’em, four - one-play touchdowns.

“That means it’s impossible in the other plays in the game to overcome [the mistakes],” Groh said.

A wise strategy?

Looking toward the future two years ago, Groh’s braintrust of coaches decided that in the face of losing a number of experienced players in ’05, that it might be a good idea to schedule a tough opponent to open ’06 for a couple of reasons.

The formula worked in 2002 when an untested and inexperienced group of Wahoos opened with Colorado State, Florida State and South Carolina, lost two of the three, and reeled off six straight wins en route to a bowl season.

Whether that will be the case in the coming weeks and months remains to be seen.

Groh wanted to know where this team stood and he found out.

“There are no aberrations in competition,” he said of the outcome. “It is what it is.”

And that, my friends, was ugly.

The bad and the ugly

Let’s take a glance at exactly what went wrong at Heinz Field before 46,000 fans.

Start with the running game because without it, most teams, particularly this one, are playing with one hand tied behind their backs.

Virginia’s offensive line simply didn’t get the job done. As Groh has pointed out for five-plus years, all running backs run the same when there’s no hole. And that’s how it was Saturday night.

There were no holes, thusly the Cavaliers rushed 21 times for 52 yards and averaged only 2.5 yards per rush.

“Fifty-two total yards of rushing defense allowed - I know this, that you have no chance if you don’t run the ball and stop the run,” said Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt.

With Virginia’s running game shut down, Pitt had a field day in gambling to stop the pass, blitzing and becoming the first team since Duke in 1956 to return two interceptions for touchdowns against the Wahoos.

“Not much worked,” said Groh of Virginia’s running game.

Certainly the Cavs planned to run the ball. They had the backs, they thought they had the line. But do they?

Brandon Albert and Marshal Ausberry returned at the two guard spots, but Eugene Monroe didn’t log that much time at left tackle last season, Ian-Yates Cunningham was battling Jordy Lipsey for the center’s job until late in camp when he moved ahead of Ausberry at right guard. And right tackle Will Barker, who was clearly overwhelmed at times Saturday night, was thrust into the starter’s role at right tackle late in camp when Ed Pinigis quit the team over a playing time issue.

“It was hard to believe we didn’t make some of the plays that we had been making in camp,” said UVa tailback Jason Snelling, who rushed for 28 yards on nine carries and UVa’s only touchdown. “We were expecting [Pitt] to blitz because we have a new quarterback, but [Pitt] closed the gaps, shot the gaps and made plays.”

The players admitted they were embarrassed with their performance as well. They all talked about how they need to return to practice, correct their mistakes and get better.

Good intentions, but easier said than done.

“We didn’t give ourselves a chance to win,” said tight end Tom Santi, who caught seven passes for 31 of UVa’s 159 passing yards. He might have caught more, but new quarterback Chris Olsen was off-target much of the night, completing 50 percent of his 34 pass attempts, well below the norm of previous Cav passers in its West Coast offense.

“We weren’t able to stretch the field because we couldn’t control the line of scrimmage and that shuts down the passing game,” Santi said.

Anyone who knows a lick about football also knows that a team that can’t control the line of scrimmage doesn’t stand much of a chance.

Olsen overthrew several receivers and didn’t seem that comfortable against a steady Pitt pass rush.

“I won’t make any excuses,” Groh said of his quarterback, who was pulled with 6 minutes left for backup Kevin McCabe, who was then yanked for reserve Jameel Sewell. “We have to be strong down the middle and we weren’t.”

While that doesn’t mean that Olsen lost his starting job - “Let’s not go down that road ... we’ve played one game,” said Groh - it may mean that the competition for the job became a little closer.

Overall, it was not a good night to be a Cavalier. Groh struggled to find many silver linings outside of the pass rush, his kicker and a run defense that was helped somewhat by a sprained ankle that prevented starting Pitt tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling from playing in the second half after killing UVa on draw plays in the first.

“We need to get back on track right away,” said Groh, whose team plays host to Wyoming next Saturday. “If you’re a competitor, you’re ready to come back after a loss right away.”

Just so long as the rest of us don’t have to watch it right away. We all need a week off from what we saw Saturday night.

Gould does it all for Virginia

By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer

September 3, 2006

PITTSBURGH - One of the bigger questions heading into Virginia’s season opener at Pittsburgh on Saturday night revolved around special teams.

Right up to the opening kickoff, nobody really knew for sure who was going to handle the place-kicking or punting duties.

Well, the answer to the mystery was Chris Gould on all counts.

Gould received the nod from Virginia coach Al Groh to man all three phases of the kicking game - kickoffs, place-kicking and punting, beating out punter Ryan Weigand and kicker Noah Greenbaum. Gould, a 6-foot-1, 204-pound junior, became the first Virginia player since Russ Henderson in 1977 to handle all three jobs.

Gould did not disappoint. In fact, he was one of the few bright spots in Virginia’s 38-13 loss.

In the first half, he drilled a 48-yard field goal - with plenty of room to spare - for Virginia’s first points of the season. Remarkably, the kick was the longest by any college or NFL kicker in the history of Heinz Field. It was also the longest by any Virginia kicker on his first career attempt. The previous longest was a 47-yard boot by Connor Hughes in 2002.

“I hit it really good,” Gould said. “I don’t know whether it was the excitement. … I thought I might feel nervous, but I didn’t feel nervous. I went out there and was very calm and very comfortable. I felt that way the whole day.

“John Phillips and Tyrus Gardner had a great hold and a great snap, and that makes it easy when you go out there to kick.”

In the third quarter, Gould connected on a 42-yarder to cut Virginia’s deficit to 24-13.

At times, Gould was effective on his kickoffs, notching two touchbacks. However, his opening kickoff only made it to the Pittsburgh 4-yard-line. On that play, Gould tackled Panthers’ return man LaRod Stephens at the 31, just as it looked like Stephens was going to spring a long run.

“I set the team up in bad position, with a bad kickoff, and the guy broke through to nobody else’s fault except mine,” Gould said. “I didn’t have enough hang time on that kick, so I had to make a play.”

Gould’s punts were by no means reminiscent of Ray Guy, but he got the job done, averaging 39.1 yards on seven attempts, including two kicks that landed inside the Pittsburgh 20-yard-line.

Late in the second quarter he drew a roughing penalty that prolonged a Virginia drive.

“He did a good job with field goals,” Groh said. “His kickoffs were pretty erratic. Punting was average.”

Gould agreed he has a lot to work on.

“I hit two good kickoffs, but I shanked two,” he said. “That’s not going to help the team win. I need to really go back and correct those.

“Field-goal wise I think it was very good for my confidence. I was able to come into a hostile environment and tough kicking conditions and put the ball between the uprights.”

The best part about Gould’s performance?

Gould, who grew up in nearby Lock Haven, about three hours east of Pittsburgh, had 16 family members in attendance, including his parents, brother and grandmother.

“I was very excited that they could all come and watch me,” Gould said.

Snelling adjusts to tailback

By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer

September 3, 2006

In Virginia’s 38-13 loss to Pittsburgh, Cavalier running back Jason Snelling made the first start of his college career. The 5-foot-11, 232-pound senior finished with just 28 yards on nine carries.

“I just need to make bigger plays as a runner,” Snelling said. “We didn’t really run the ball that much tonight. There were opportunities and holes. I wish I could have broken a few more of them, but that’s the game. [Pittsburgh] played well.”

The highlight of Snelling’s night came when he scored on a 2-yard touchdown run late in the first half that pulled Virginia to 17-10.

In the first quarter, he caught a pass from Christian Olsen and scampered 18 yards to the Pittsburgh 31-yard-line. That play set up a 48-yard field goal by Chris Gould.

Snelling’s longest run of the night was an 11-yard effort.

For the game, Virginia had just 52 yards on the ground.

“We thought the running game would be better,” Snelling said, “but it wasn’t there and they made plays. That’s the way the game goes.”

If there was any positive to the evening, it was Snelling getting some experience as Virginia’s featured back.

“It felt good to start,” he said. “Any time you lose, it takes away [from individual things], but I was happy to be in a starting position. Now I have to be a leader. I need to come out next week, step up and make more plays.”

Snelling said the team needs to bounce back fast.

“You have to just have tunnel vision and get it out of your head,” he said. “This game’s over. It’s a long season.”

Load of rookies make the trip for Virginia

By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer

September 3, 2006

PITTSBURGH - Virginia’s travel roster included 14 freshmen, only one of which is a true freshman. Defensive lineman Nate Collins, the only member of the Class of 2006 to travel, made his debut in the first quarter on the Cavaliers’ goal line defense.

Collins becomes the 49th true freshman to play during coach Al Groh’s tenure at UVa. Collins is the 28th to play in the season opener.

Other players to make their debuts included: CB Vic Hall, S Brandon Woods, WR Simon Manka, LB Rashawn Jackson, LB Denzel Burrell, DE Jason Fuller, DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald, TB Cain Ringstaff, WR Andrew Pearman, OT Will Barker, OT Zak Stair, RB Mikell Simpson and QB Jameel Sewell.

Also, junior Ryan Weigand punted for the first time in a game. The punt, which came with less than two minutes left, went for 37 yards.

Catching on

Pearman, a sophomore, made the first catch of his college career. The transfer from Hawaii and younger brother of former Cavalier tailback Alvin Pearman made a 1-yard reception in the second quarter.

Due to NCAA rules, Pearman had to sit out last season.

Pearman was listed on the depth chart as the team’s punt returner, but junior Emmanuel Byers was given the duty on the first two punts.

Alvin Pearman, now with the Jacksonville Jaguars, was on the Cavaliers’ sidelines during the game.

Going deep

Pitt’s 72-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Palko to Oderick Turner in the second quarter was the longest scoring strike given up by the Cavaliers since 2003.

Former North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers connected on a 75-yard scoring strike with T.J. Williams in the third quarter of the contest in ’03. Virginia lost that game 51-37 in Raleigh, N.C.

Both plays were topped, however, in the third quarter when Palko hooked up with split end Derek Kinder for a 78-yard touchdown pass.

Taking his vitamins

A story line during Virginia’s training camp surrounded Zak Stair and his unusual practice jersey. The uniform said “1 a Day.” Groh said the concept was made to keep Stair aware of his problem drawing at least one penalty per day. The coach went as far as to say the sophomore did not take his “vitamin” following a penalty-free practice.

Stair, who subbed in at right tackle for starter Will Barker, was called for a false start in the second quarter. He got another in the third quarter.

Switch-a-roo

Simon Manka, a member of Virginia’s lacrosse team in 2004, made his debut on the opening kickoff. Manka became the first player from coach Dom Starsia’s lacrosse program to play in a football game since former defensive lineman Patrick Kerney (1995-98) made the switch.

Pick-off

The 47-yard interception return by safety Nate Lyles was the longest of the junior’s career and the longest by a Cavalier since Muffin Curry returned a 58-yarder against Virginia Tech during the 2003 season.

It was Lyles’ third career pick.

Carry the flag

Injured wide receiver Deyon Williams (stress fracture) was on the sidelines Saturday night but not in full uniform. Williams, a senior, carried the “team flag” out onto the field and held it throughout the contest.

Home sweet home

Backup quarterback Kevin McCabe entered the game in the fourth quarter for the Cavaliers with Pitt leading 31-13.

The return home for McCabe - he is from nearby Wexford - was quite sour. After moving Virginia down the field, the junior threw a pass intended for Tom Santi only to be intercepted by Pitt linebacker Clint Session and have it returned 77 yards for a touchdown.

It was the fifth appearance of McCabe’s career.

A princely beginning

The Ron Prince Era at Kansas State began on a winning note - barely.

The Wildcats held on to beat I-AA opponent Illinois State, 24-23, in their first game under Prince, the former UVa assistant who took over for Bill Snyder in the offseason.

Illinois State closed the gap to one point with about three minutes left, but the Redbirds were stopped short on a two-point conversion attempt.

K-State recovered the on-side kick to seal the win.

Cavaliers get some answers on depth chart

BY DARRYL SLATER

247-4641

September 3, 2006

PITTSBURGH -- Saturday night's season opener provided some answers for Virginia's depth chart.

Though Byron Glaspy and Jamaal Jackson were listed as the first-team safeties, Nate Lyles and Tony Franklin started. Lyles and Franklin started most of last season.

Lyles, long known as a hard hitter, announced his presence with 8:56 left in the first quarter. He popped Pittsburgh running back LaRod Stephens-Howling in the backfield for a 4-yard loss.

With 57 seconds left in the first half, Lyles picked off Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko's pass and ran it back 47 yards to the Virginia 13-yard line. Three plays later, tailback Jason Snelling ran for a 2-yard touchdown, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to 17-10. It was Virginia's longest interception return since Muffin Curry's 58-yarder in 2003.

There was uncertainty - at least in the public - about whether Chris Gould or Noah Greenbaum would be the placekicker, and about whether Gould or Ryan Weigand would punt. Virginia coach Al Groh had said Gould would handle kickoffs.

Turns out, Gould will perform all three kicking duties. He's the first Virginia player to do that since Russ Henderson in 1977. Gould, a junior, was the punter for part of 2004 and all of last season. His first career field-goal attempt came with 2:02 left in the first quarter Saturday. He nailed a 48-yarder to cut Pittsburgh's lead to 7-3. It was the longest first field goal for any kicker in Virginia history.

Though Andrew Pearman is listed as the first-team kickoff returner, Cedric Peerman and Michael Johnson were deep for the first kickoff return. Pearman also is listed as the first-team punt returner, though Emmanuel Byers returned the first punt.

JACKSON'S SWITCH

Rashawn Jackson arrived at Virginia last fall as a running back. He was a highly regarded fullback at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, N.J.

Groh may have secretly hoped Jackson would end up at another position.

"I've got an affinity for linebackers," said Groh, a former linebackers coach with two colleges and three NFL teams. "Truthfully, I've had my eye on him for a while."

So Groh didn't hesitate with moving Jackson to linebacker midway through last season when the Cavaliers were thin at the position. Jackson (6-foot-1, 254 pounds) redshirted last fall and missed spring practices after undergoing left-shoulder surgery.

He is now the backup to true sophomore Jon Copper at inside linebacker, a position where Virginia will use three players: Copper, Jackson and true sophomore starter Antonio Appleby. Denzell Burrell also saw action Saturday night at outside linebacker.

THIS AND THAT

Redshirt freshman nose tackle Kevin Crawford, who is not on the depth chart, did not make the trip. ... Saturday night was a homecoming for two Virginia players who grew up in the Pittsburgh area. Junior backup quarterback Kevin McCabe attended Pine-Richland High in Gibsonia. Junior nose tackle Allen Billyk went to New Castle High. ... Virginia recruited four quarterbacks for the Class of 2002, including Palko, Pittsburgh's fifth-year senior starter this season. Two others were Anthony Martinez (who came to Virginia but quit football to play baseball) and Christian Olsen (who went to Notre Dame, transferred to Virginia and is now the Cavaliers' starter). The fourth recruit? Marcus Vick, cut Saturday by the NFL's Miami Dolphins, by way of Warwick High and Virginia Tech. ... Virginia has established its positioning for assistant coaches during games. First-year offensive coordinator Mike Groh is in the press box with John Garrett (wide receivers), Bob Price (tight ends), Steve Bernstein (defensive backs) and Levern Belin (defensive line). As the assistant head coach for offense, Garrett has a hand in offensive scheming, though Mike Groh calls the plays. First-year defensive coordinator Mike London is on the field with Anthony Poindexter (running backs), Dave Borbely (offensive line) and Bob Diaco (linebackers). ... At halftime, Pittsburgh honored its 1976 national championship team. ... A pregame moment of silence was observed for Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O'Connor, who died Friday night of brain cancer at the age of 61. ... Virginia's opponent next week, Wyoming, snapped a six-game losing streak Saturday with a 38-7 victory over Utah State.

Pitt-fall shows U.Va. is team with needs

BOB LIPPER

TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Sep 3, 2006

PITTSBURGH This was not what you'd call an auspicious debut.

For the new quarterback.

For the reconstructed lines.

For the reconfigured staff.

For Virginia's Cavaliers.

You lose your QB, your tailback, your two best blockers, the guts of the defense's front seven, your top receiver and four assistant coaches from a squad that was no worldbeater in the first place -- and you open on the road against a legitimate opponent you maybe should not expect a bell-ringing liftoff.

But still.

Virginia's 38-13 clobbering at Pitt last night was a slap-in-the-kisser jolt for this team and program -- the most lopsided nonconference loss in Al Groh's five-plus years and a nasty way to begin what he's defined as a rebuilding season.

Wanted: several all-star carpenters and one howitzer arm. There's still plenty of time to get this season airborne, but the Cavs surely have some patchwork to do.

The defining moment of this outing -- and Cavs rooters can only pray it's not the defining moment of Christian Olsen's limited tenure as No. 1 quarterback -- came midway through the third quarter. That's when Olsen lofted a softball from his end zone that Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis snared at U.Va.'s 19 and returned for the touchdown that made it 24-10 and off to the races.

By the time the clock mercifully showed zeroes, Groh had pulled Olsen in favor of Kevin McCabe and Jameel Sewell. McCabe also threw an interception that was run back for a TD. Sewell took a sack. None hinted at the second coming of Matt Schaub or Marques Hagans.

Both the Cavs and Panthers (the latter coming off a 5-6 campaign -- they're not Texas, in other words) started fifth-year seniors at quarterback. That's all the common ground they shared. Pitt's Tyler Palko entered the game with 5,472 yards passing and 41 TDs. Olsen's comparable numbers: 159 and zero. Olsen attempted 23 passes total his first two seasons in C'ville. Palko completed 24 passes against West Virginia last year.

The disparities held on the field. Palko -- save for one errant throw was sharp and in command and good for 283 yards and three touchdowns. Olsen was off target and skittery and finished with 133 yards and that disastrous turnover.

A guy waits this long for his first college start, you'd hope for his sake it turns out better. Maybe better luck next time. He and Groh can only hope.

Truth is, Virginia coulda, shoulda and mighta been on the ropes of this mismatch by halftime but for one tilt-the-field pass. Palko threw it to a receiver who wasn't there. U.Va. safety Nate Lyles picked it off with nothing but air space between him and get-my-team-back-in-this-thing. A bunch of stomachs in the joint got a very sudden and queasy feeling.

Forty-seven yards and one saving tackle by Palko later, Virginia had a first and 10 at Pitt's 13 -- the setup for Jason Snelling's 2-yard TD run 31 seconds before intermission. That made it 17-10, and the Cavs maybe thought (erroneously) they were as alive as if Angelo Dundee had just waved smelling salts under their noses between rounds.

Until then, U.Va. was being outslugged, outpointed and outplayed. Its O-line couldn't open holes or protect Olsen. Its D-line couldn't get to Palko or squash 5-7 Pitt mini-back LaRod Stephens-Howling. Its secondary lost track of assignments. Its defense yielded conversions on seven of nine third- or fourth-down tries.

These were not promising trends, and Virginia couldn't reverse them after the break. They got a reprieve from Nate Lyles. They got nothing more. Now comes Wyoming, which dropped 38 points of its own on Utah State yesterday. Time to get out the nuts and bolts and go back to work.

Eye-opening loss

With first-year coordinators and a new QB, Virginia struggles in its opener at Pittsburgh.

BY DARRYL SLATER

247-4641

September 3 2006

PITTSBURGH -- The curtain rose at 7:06 p.m. Saturday on a new era of Virginia football. The Cavaliers' offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and quarterback - all making their debut performances.

Virginia's players lined the sideline, their jerseys neatly tucked, their ankles taped, their chin straps buckled. Place-kicker Chris Gould ran toward the football, kicked it off the tee and watched it tumble through the night sky.

Little else went right for the Cavaliers after that.

Their offense sputtered. Their defense stumbled. Their first-year starting quarterback looked like, well, a first-year starting quarterback.

Virginia never led, never really contended, losing 38-13 to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. It's certainly too early to define how this new era will be remembered. But the way it began Saturday is a moment the Cavaliers want to forget.

"This is a terrible way to start," tight end Tom Santi said.

Virginia gained 211 yards and allowed 390. Quarterback Christian Olsen produced a stat line sure to send shivers through Charlottesville and beyond: 17-of-34 passing for 133 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.

"We're extremely disappointed and embarrassed in the outcome," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "Their stars played like stars. We had no stars."

Olsen made his poorest decision of the evening with 8:58 left in the third quarter - on a curious call by first-year offensive coordinator Mike Groh, Al's son.

Pittsburgh led 17-10 as Virginia started a drive at its own 2-yard line. Olsen dropped back into the end zone and locked in on wide receiver Kevin Ogletree - despite Pittsburgh cornerback Darrelle Revis, the Panthers' best defensive back, tightly covering Ogletree. Olsen threw the ball to Ogletree, and Revis picked it off and waltzed his way to a touchdown.

"It was just a bad play on my part," Olsen said. "(Ogletree) ran something different than I thought he would.

"Never in our wildest imagination did we think we'd lose by 25 points."

First-year defensive coordinator Mike London's unit fared similarly to the offense. Defensive end Chris Long, expected to make a major impact this season, had one tackle - on the game's first play. Virginia allowed two 70-plus-yard touchdown passes by Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko - both on the first plays of drives.

The second, a 78-yarder to Derek Kinder with 3:51 left in the third quarter, put Pittsburgh (1-0) up 31-13 and essentially closed the curtain on opening night of Virginia's new era.

Palko completed 17 of 22 passes for 283 yards and three touchdowns.

After a lackluster first half, Virginia (0-1) got a break with 57 seconds left in the second quarter, when Cavaliers safety Nate Lyles picked off Palko and ran the ball back 47 yards to the Virginia 13.

It was a welcome-back moment for Lyles, who hadn't played since November, when he injured his neck and was carried off on a stretcher against Georgia Tech. He had offseason neck surgery and, at least for that moment Saturday, appeared better than ever.

From the press box, Mike Groh surely enjoyed watching the play. Groh's offense managed just 86 yards in the first half. Some context: Pittsburgh tailback LaRod Stephens-Howling had 95 total yards in the half.

So with Virginia down 17-3 after Lyles' interception, the Cavaliers needed all the help they could get. The Cavaliers took just three plays to cut the lead to 17-10, on tailback Jason Snelling's 2-yard touchdown run with 31 seconds remaining.

As for Virginia's defense, the game started poorly for a unit trying to recover from last season, when it ranked third-worst in the ACC with 375.8 yards allowed per game.

In the game's first drive, Pittsburgh marched 65 yards in 14 plays, with the Panthers embarrassing the Cavaliers on the 14th to take a 7-0 lead.

On the play, Palko ran a play-action from the Virginia 1, rolled left and had nothing but grass between himself and the end zone. But he chose to dump the ball to wide receiver Darrell Strong, who was standing a few yards in front of him in the end zone.

Pittsburgh's next touchdown looked even easier - implausible as that might seem. The Panthers lined up at their own 28 with 9:08 left in the second quarter. Another play-action, another red-faced moment for the Cavaliers.

Palko faked the handoff to Stephens-Howling and found wide-open receiver Oderick Turner slicing through the middle of Virginia's secondary. Palko hit him for a 72-yard touchdown - the longest pass play against Virginia since 2003, when North Carolina State quarterback Philip Rivers threw a 75-yard touchdown.

QB, secondary struggle as Pitt buries Virginia

By Andy Bitter

Lynchburg News & Advance

September 3, 2006

PITTSBURGH - The scouting report on Virginia heading into the season was that quarterback Christian Olsen wouldn't kill the Cavaliers with mistakes and the secondary was the best coach Al Groh has had in his time in Charlottesville.

After one game, some re-evaluation is required.

Olsen threw a back-breaking interception that was returned for a touchdown and the UVa secondary gave up two touchdown passes of more than 70 yards in Virginia's 38-13 loss to Pittsburgh at Heinz Field on Saturday.

"We're extremely disappointed and embarrassed in the outcome," Groh said.

"If what we showed tonight is how Virginia is going play, then we're in trouble," UVa cornerback Marcus Hamilton said. "We're in for a long season."

Olsen's first career start was unspectacular but mistake-free until the third quarter. Despite constant pressure from a speedy Pittsburgh offensive line that abused an overmatched Virginia offensive line, the fifth-year senior quarterback avoided being sacked. He dinked and dunked, throwing passes away when there was nothing there.

His first major gaffe as a starter was costly, though.

Virginia (0-1) had pulled within 17-10 at halftime after a Nate Lyles interception set up a Jason Snelling touchdown run.

The Cavaliers stopped Pittsburgh (1-0) on its first drive of the second half but were pinned deep in their own territory when Tony Franklin ran into punt returner Emmanuel Byers, allowing the ball to squirt to the 2-yard line before it was downed.

On the first play, Olsen dropped back, locked on to wide receiver Kevin Ogletree on the left sideline and floated a lazy pass in his direction. Panthers cornerback Darrelle Revis, a Big East first-teamer, had Ogletree blanketed. He snatched Olsen's pass out of the air, pivoted and waltzed into the end zone to give Pittsburgh a two-touchdown lead.

"It was just a bad play on my part," said Olsen, who was 17-for-34 for 133 yards in the game. "There was some miscommunication. ? I made a poor choice in throwing the ball. You can't have those things."

"Right there, that's two not-very-smart plays on our part, and it creates a one-play score," Virginia head coach Al Groh said. "Now we're right back to where we were before."

Cavaliers kicker Chris Gould responded with his second field goal to make it 24-13 when Pittsburgh went big for the second time in the game.

Quarterback Tyler Palko had already completed a 72-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, getting UVa to bite on a play-action fake before hitting Oderick Turner in stride for the longest touchdown reception against the Cavaliers in three years.

It took just over a quarter before it happened again. This time, Palko made things happen with his feet. He slipped out of some pressure and rolled to his left before firing deep to Derek Kinder, who was covered tightly by Hamilton.

But Hamilton mistimed his jump coming back for the underthrown ball, falling to the ground as Kinder caught the ball behind him and left Hamilton in his wake for a 78-yard touchdown. The score made it 31-14 Pittsburgh with 3:51 left in the third.

"I thought I was in position to get the pick," Hamilton said. "But I didn't make the play."

Palko finished the game 17 of 22 for 283 yards with three touchdown passes. Tailback LaRon Stephens-Howling had 95 combined rushing and receiving yards. And linebacker H.B. Blades made 13 tackles.

"Their stars played like stars," Groh said. "We had no stars. That's about the story."

The Panthers added another touchdown late when linebacker Clint Session returned a Kevin McCabe interception 77 yards.

"To allow four one-play touchdowns means it's probably impossible to do anything in the remaining 150 plays in the game to overcome that," Groh said.

Offensively, Virginia managed just 211 yards. The Cavaliers' two first-half scoring drives spanned a combined 31 yards and lasted a total of 88 seconds. UVa got just 52 yards on the ground. Jason Snelling was the leading rusher, with nine carries for 28 yards.

Was it an aberration? A matter of first-game jitters?

"There are no aberrations in competition," Groh said. "It is what it is."

Pitt dominates the Cavs 1 play at a time

The Panthers take advantage of one-play scoring drives twice, and add a pair of TDs on interception returns to leave UVa in the dust.

Doug Doughty

PITTSBURGH -- If Virginia felt secure about one area of its football team before Saturday night, it was a deep, experienced secondary.

Who knows when the Cavaliers' reputation there will be restored?

Pittsburgh quarterback Tyler Palko abused UVa's pass defense and the Panthers' secondary was scintillating in a 38-13 romp at Heinz Field.

"We're extremely disappointed and embarrassed in the outcome," said UVa coach Al Groh after the most lopsided nonconference loss in his six seasons.

Pitt's offense had two one-play touchdown drives of 70 yards or more and the Panthers also returned two interceptions for touchdowns, one each against Virginia quarterbacks Christian Olsen and Kevin McCabe.

"Four one-play touchdowns ... that probably set some sort of NCAA record," said Virginia nose tackle Allen Billyk, who is from nearby New Castle, Pa.

Before Saturday, it had been 50 years since a Virginia opponent scored two touchdowns on interception returns in the same game -- Duke was the culprit that day.

Olsen, a 23-year-old graduate student who was making his first career start, completed 17 of 34 passes for 133 yards as Virginia lost its 15th straight game as a road underdog.

Palko was 17-of-22 for 283 yards and three touchdowns.

"Their stars played like stars," Groh said. "We had no stars."

Pittsburgh, a 312-point favorite, outgained Virginia 256-86 in the first half, but the Cavaliers trailed only 17-10 after a late touchdown.

"Those of us who are in the game feel momentum a lot less than some other people do," Groh said, "but we had put ourselves in position. At 17-10, the game is right there."

UVa was trailing 17-3 before Palko tossed a pass into the waiting arms of Virginia safety Nate Lyles, who returned it 47 yards to the Pittsburgh 13.

The Cavaliers only needed 26 seconds to score on a 2-yard run by Jason Snelling, but that was nothing compared to Pittsburgh's quick strike offense.

After throwing a 72-yard touchdown pass to Oderick Turner in the first half, Palko tossed a 78-yard touchdown pass to Derek Kinder to make it 31-13 in the third quarter.

Pittsburgh's first touchdown of the second half came after the Panthers had downed an Adam Graessle punt at the UVa 2-yard line.

New Virginia offensive coordinator Mike Groh called a pass on first down and Olsen threw into double coverage, with Darrelle Revis making a leaping grab in front of would-be UVa receiver Kevin Ogletree and running untouched to the end zone.

Virginia responded with its best drive of the night, driving from its own 28-yard line to the Panthers' 24 before Chris Gould tacked on a 42-yard field goal to go with an earlier 49-yarder.

Any momentum the Cavaliers might have gained in cutting the deficit to 24-13 was blunted when Palko escaped a virtually non-existent Virginia pass rush and heaved a pass to Kinder, who was covered by UVa's most heralded defensive back, Marcus Hamilton.

The ball was overthrown and Hamilton got a hand on it -- just enough to tip the ball into the waiting arms of Kinder.

Virginia, which ranked 11th out of 12 ACC teams in sacks last year, got its only sack of the night on a safety blitz by Tony Franklin.

Pittsburgh basically shut its offense down after Palko's third touchdown of the night, but the Panthers couldn't help themselves.

McCabe, from the Pittsburgh suburb Wexford, Pa., entered the game with 6 minutes remaining and drove the Cavaliers to the Pitt 21 before he tossed a swing pass to tight end Tom Santi that was taken away by Clint Session, who returned it 78 yards for a TD.

It was not a memorable homecoming for McCabe, who was replaced by redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell on the next series of downs. His lone drive ended with a punt after Virginia dropped a pass -- one of numerous Cavalier drops -- on third down.

Virginia managed only 52 yards on the ground and had trouble all night picking up ground to the right side, where 6-7, 306-pound redshirt freshman Will Barker was making his first start at right tackle.

Barker had moved ahead of junior Eddie Pinigis late in the preseason, at which point Pinigis transferred to Division I-AA Liberty.

Junior Zak Stair replaced Barker for most of the second half Saturday night but was called for two penalties.

"We went in there at halftime after the turnover where they scored and I don't know what would have happened a year ago. Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said. "How you respond at halftime is a direct reflection on the seniors. I gave them all the credit. They refused to be beat today."

QBs were Groh recruiting targets

By Doug Doughty

981-3129

PITTSBURGH -- Virginia coach Al Groh noted earlier in the week that two of the four quarterbacks on Virginia's recruiting board in the summer of 2001 were the opposing quarterbacks Saturday night, Tyler Palko for Pittsburgh and Virginia's Christian Olsen, who began his career at Notre Dame.

The only quarterback of the four to sign with Virginia was Anthony Martinez, now playing professional baseball after an aborted football career. The fourth quarterback targeted by Virginia was Marcus Vick, last year's All-ACC quarterback at Virginia Tech.

n At various points in the 2002-2003 recruiting year, Virginia was listed as a leader for Miami, Fla., linebacker H.B. Blades, the son of former NFL defensive back Bennie Blades. Blades ended up signing with Pittsburgh and entered play Saturday with 286 tackles in three seasons.

Groh said earlier this week that Blades had let it be known that he would not make a decision until late in the process and the Cavaliers concentrated on players who would be making earlier commitments. In hindsight, Groh said, Virginia would have been well-advised to push harder for Blades.

Of course, at this point a year ago, Virginia had two inside linebackers with 2006 eligibility, Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham. Both were first-team All-ACC selections during their UVa careers.

What?

Viewers turning into ESPN's College GameDay program Saturday morning may have done a double take at some of the posters being held up by fans behind the set in Atlanta.

As host Chris Fowler discussed the upcoming Notre Dame-Georgia Tech game with analysts Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit, up popped a sign that read, "Christian Olsen for Heisman." Going into Saturday, Olsen, a 23-year-old graduate student, had attempted 22 passes in his college career.

Iron man

Groh had said that he was unlikely to have one player handle all of Virginia's kicking duties, but, by halftime Saturday night, junior Chris Gould had kicked off, punted, booted a 49-yard field goal and sustained a 15-yard roughing-the-kicker penalty. Gould (pronounced Gold) is the younger brother of Chicago Bears place-kicker Chris Gould.

Odds 'n' ends

A moment of silence was observed before the game in memory of Bob O'Connor, the Pittsburgh mayor for only eight months before he died Friday night of cancer. His successor, 26-year-old Luke Ravenstahl, is a former Washington and Jefferson place-kicker. ... Pittsburgh's 1976 national championship team was honored before the game.

Panthers pound Virginia in opener

By Kevin Gorman

TRIBUNE-REVIEW

Sunday, September 3, 2006

On a night when Pitt reached into its past to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its national champions, the Panthers set out to erase memories of last season.

Never mind the nostalgia, Pitt answered the questions that surrounded Dave Wannstedt's debut season and left the crowd of 46,758 at Heinz Field with another one: Just how good can these Panthers be?

With a 38-13 victory over Virginia on Saturday night in the season opener, Pitt showed that it may be a better team than last year, when it started with a 42-21 loss to Notre Dame.

"You're always trying to start the season off on a strong note, a win against a good opponent," Wannstedt said. "It's a good start. It sure beats last year."

Pitt (1-0) will play its Big East Conference opener at 8 p.m. Friday at Cincinnati (1-0), which beat Division I-AA Eastern Kentucky, 31-0.

The Panthers proved they could catch Tyler Palko's passes, as he completed his first seven attempts on the opening drive and finished 17 of 22 for 283 yards, with three touchdowns and an interception.

The Panthers proved they could run, whether it was with the shiftiness of sophomore LaRod Stephens-Howling (17 carries for 58 yards) or the bruising style of redshirt freshman Shane Brooks (nine for 43).

They proved they could stop the run, holding Virginia (0-1) to 52 rushing yards on 21 carries and pressuring senior quarterback Christian Olsen into 17-of-34 passing for 133 yards. And they turned two interceptions into touchdowns.

"I can't even tell you how good this feels to get a win, to win at home and to do it in style," Palko said. "Things didn't go right all the time, and we responded from adversity.

"That was the problem last year. We didn't respond from adversity."

With the exception of one mix-up, Palko was on the mark. He connected with Darrell Strong for 1 yard, Oderick Turner for a 72-yarder and Derek Kinder for 78 on Pitt's longest pass play ever at Heinz Field and one that essentially put the game away in the third quarter.

The fifth-year senior quarterback started strong by spreading the ball to six receivers on the Panthers' first possession -- a 14-play, 65-yard scoring drive.

Stephens-Howling also had a pivotal 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1 at the Virginia 32, and later, he slipped through the Cavaliers defense for 19 yards on a draw to the 1-yard line.

After Stephens-Howling was stopped short, Palko ran a naked bootleg to the left side before flicking a shovel pass to a wide-open Strong in the end zone.

Conor Lee's point-after kick gave Pitt a 7-0 lead with 7:35 left in the first quarter.

Virginia cut Pitt's lead to 7-3 on Chris Gould's 48-yard field goal with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter. The Panthers answered with a 38-yard field goal by Lee to increase their lead to 10-3 only 51 seconds into the second quarter.

After forcing a punt, Palko found Turner uncovered on a post pattern and hit him in stride for a 72-yard touchdown and a 17-3 lead with 8:45 remaining in the half.

The Panthers appeared on their way to extending that lead when Palko found Strong for a 26-yard pass play after Strong jumped over safety Nate Lyles to pull in the pass on the right sideline.

On the next play, however, Strong ran an inside curl but Palko threw to the outside. Lyles intercepted the pass and returned it 47 yards to the Pitt 13 with 57 seconds remaining.

"I made a poor decision and tried to get rid of the ball too quick," Palko said. "It was a choice route. He zigged, and I thought he was going to zag."

Four plays later, Virginia tailback Jason Snelling scored on a 2-yard run to cut the Panthers' lead to 17-10 with 31 seconds remaining in the half.

Pitt's response to the adversity prompted Wannstedt to give his seniors the game ball.

"The seniors on this team and the leadership on this team -- we went in there at halftime, after we had the turnover and they score -- I don't know what would have happened a year ago," Wannstedt said. "They kept this thing together, came out and made big plays. ... How you respond was a direct reflection on the seniors. I've got to give those guys credit. They refused to be beaten."

Pitt answered with a momentum-changing interception of its own early in the third quarter, after Adam Graessle's punt was downed by Tommie Campbell at the Virginia 2. Olsen's first-down pass was picked off by cornerback Darrelle Revis, who returned it 19 yards untouched for a touchdown and a 24-10 lead.

"We've got a bitterness in our mouths from last year, going 5-6," Revis said. "We take that to every team we play."

Virginia couldn't muster a comeback.

Gould added a 42-yard field goal to make the score 24-13, but Palko connected with Kinder on the 78-yarder to extend the Panthers' lead to 31-13 late in the third quarter.

Pitt's victory celebration started with 3:34 remaining, when linebacker Clint Session intercepted Virginia backup Kevin McCabe -- a Pine-Richland High School graduate --- and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown.

"We're going to enjoy this win because they're hard to come by," Palko said. "We found that out last year."