Sewell may get QB nod
The Cavaliers look to the future with a redshirt freshman quarterback and another 2007 recruit
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

1. Score more than one touchdown | F

The Cavaliers scored only one touchdown, unless you count the touchdown that the UVa offense scored for Western Michigan. Virginia had 124 yards in total offense in the first quarter and 258 in the game.

2. Limit "hidden" yardage | D

Western Michigan had 58 yards on its two interception returns, one of which the Broncos returned for a touchdown and another that set up a score.

3. Get more than two sacks | B

Virginia sacked Western Michigan stopgap quarterback Thomas Peregrin only twice, but the Broncos only attempted 11 passes. Peregrin passed for a total of 40 yards.

Al Groh's comments on his regular Sunday teleconference left every impression that redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell has the inside track on the Cavaliers' quarterback job.

"We'll start the week in the order we finished the game," said Groh, whose team fell to visiting Western Michigan 17-10 on Saturday.

Fourth-year junior Kevin McCabe made his first start before yielding to fifth-year senior Christian Olsen for the last two series of the first half. Sewell played the entire second half and completed seven of 10 passes but did not produce any points.

If the players begin practice in the reverse order of their appearance, then Sewell would be No. 1, Olsen would be No. 2 and McCabe would be No. 3.

"That's what it means," Groh said.

Western Michigan intercepted two McCabe passes that the Broncos were able to turn into 14 points. Otherwise, McCabe did the best job of moving the team.

On the 28 plays that McCabe was in the game, Virginia averaged 5.1 yards per play. The Cavaliers averaged 3.9 yards on the nine plays that Olsen was in the game and 3.4 yards on 21 plays with Sewell.

Virginia got 17 of its 71 second-half yards on its final offensive play, a 17-yard run by Sewell on fourth-and-20.

Two of Western Michigan's three sacks came at Sewell's expense and he also took an 8-yard loss when he tripped on the Cavaliers' final series.

Groh pointed out Sunday that Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning was intercepted 28 times in his first season and Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady was inactive for 14 games as a rookie.

"Some things happened to [Sewell] the other night that will come to him a lot faster the next time," Groh said. "He's getting his opportunity now and we're willing to handle what goes along with that."

Groh has made reference to "operational issues" with McCabe and said they continued Saturday night. McCabe had called the wrong play at a critical point in the Cavaliers' 13-12 victory over Wyoming, although he did come back to throw the winning touchdown pass in overtime.

Opportunites to retake the job from Sewell will be limited because Virginia (1-2) has a short work week before visiting Georgia Tech (2-1) in a Thursday night game that ESPN will televise at 7:45.

Most coaches say it is difficult to get sufficient practice repetitions for more than two quarterbacks and Groh indicated Sunday that he'd "like to be able to focus in and concentrate" on a smaller pool.

Virginia's defense is allowing 309.7 yards per game, holding Western Michigan to 179 yards Saturday despite the absence of the Cavaliers' most distinguished defensive player, senior cornerback Marcus Hamilton.

Hamilton, who has enjoyed success in the past against preseason ACC player of the year Calvin Johnson of Georgia Tech, is listed as day-to-day with a shoulder injury suffered in practice prior to the Western Michigan game.

The only good news to come out of the weekend for Virginia was an oral commitment the Cavaliers received from Kris Burd, a 6-foot-2, 180-pound wide receiver from Matoaca High School in Chesterfield County.

Burd, who is the 16th senior to commit to the Cavaliers, was rated the No. 27 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times before the season. He comes from the same high school that produced former Virginia stars James Farrior and Byron Thweatt. Thweatt, who was a Matoaca assistant last season, now serves as a UVa graduate assistant.

Burd had 44 receptions as a junior and has caught 10 balls in two games this year, two for touchdowns.
 

Sewell will start against Ga. Tech
Groh says Virginia's offense will strive to make improvement
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Sep 18, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It's not unprecedented for a University of Virginia football team under Al Groh to start a season 1-2. That was the Cavaliers' record three games into the 2002 season, Groh's second as coach at his alma mater, and that team finished 9-5 after whipping West Virginia in the inaugural Continental Tire Bowl.

That U.Va. team, however, had quarterback Matt Schaub, the ACC player of the year in 2002. This U.Va. team -- now 1-2 after losing 17-10 to Western Michigan -- has no such threat on offense, especially at QB. What the Cavaliers have is a shockingly ineffective line and three unproven quarterbacks, none of whom distinguished himself Saturday at Scott Stadium.

"Certainly the quarterback is not the only issue," Groh said last night, "but this is a quarterback-driven game now, and you need big plays out of that position. . . . You need a lot of production out of that position, and clearly our production isn't what it has been in the past."

It all adds up to the worst U.Va. offense in memory, a group that's averaging only 225 yards and 12 points per game and does not seemed poised to break out.

"We'll stick together," Groh said after the game Saturday. "We'll keep forging forward. We'll do what we need to get better." The Cavs don't have the luxury of a full week to prepare for their next opponent. In the ACC opener for both teams, Virginia meets Georgia Tech (2-1) at Atlanta in ESPN's Thursday night showcase. Groh's offense can expect a dizzing array of blitzes and stunts from the swarming defense overseen by Jon Tenuta, a U.Va. graduate who's considered one of Division I-A's elite coordinators.

Against Western Michigan, Kevin McCabe started at quarterback for Virginia. McCabe completed 13 of 16 passes and led the Cavaliers on an 83-yard touchdown drive, but after the junior's second interception was run back for a TD, senior Christian Olsen replaced him. Redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell took over for Olsen at the break and played the entire second half.

Groh said last night that Sewell, a 6-2, 219-pound left-hander from Hermitage High, will start the week as the No. 1 quarterback, and the coaching staff "will see how it proceeds from that."

Sewell, who played one series late in the fourth quarter of the opener against Pittsburgh, didn't get off the bench in Virginia's second game, an overtime win over Wyoming. He completed 7 of 10 passes for 51 yards, with no interceptions, and was sacked twice Saturday.

"I was extremely excited," Sewell said. "I wasn't really nervous. The only thing that was going through my mind was to go out there and make something happen and try to get the win."

Virginia trailed 14-10 at halftime Saturday, and there "was a lot on the line when [Sewell] was in there," Groh said. "There were some things that happened that I'm sure the next time will come a lot faster to him. We understand that will be the case."

Groh isn't always the most patient coach, but he realizes that Sewell is likely to hit some rough spots this season.

"You got to start at the start of the race, and he's getting his opportunity now to get some playing time, and we expect that he'll progress along," Groh said. "We're willing to handle whatever goes along with that."


 

SEC shows strength as ACC falters
By TONY BARNHART
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/18/06

Yes, I know it's a long season. Yes, I know only three weeks' worth of games have been played. But we learned a lot on "Shakeout Saturday." Mostly what we learned is that we have an awful lot took forward to in October, November and December. Here are the top 10 things we learned from "Shakeout Saturday."

1. If I'm Auburn's Tommy Tuberville, Florida's Urban Meyer or Georgia's Mark Richt, I'm going to start dropping hints that if any team wins the SEC championship and is 13-0, they can not and should not be left out of the BCS championship game. After what we saw Saturday there is no longer any doubt that the SEC is the strongest conference in the country.

But if the BCS standings came out today it would probably be 1. Ohio State, 2. USC, 3. Auburn, 4. West Virginia and 5. Florida.

"We're not going to politic. Right now we're just happy to be where we are," Tuberville said Sunday after his team beat LSU 7-3 in a defensive slugfest. "We've got a lot of big games left, and we know we have a lot of room for improvement."

2. If you're keeping score at home, Ohio State's best chances (and probably only chances) to lose down the stretch are Sept. 30 at Iowa and Nov. 18 at home against Michigan. USC will be in cruise control until Nov. 11 when the Trojans begins a four-game finish – Oregon, California, Notre Dame and UCLA. Could Auburn, Florida or Georgia jump over USC to No. 2 even if USC ran the table? If you do the math, Florida has the best chance because of its schedule.

3. If the SEC is the best conference, then who has the worst conference in the BCS, you ask? It was an awful weekend for the ACC, as Maryland, Miami, Virginia and N.C. State all lost non-conference games, and North Carolina was taken to the wire by I-AA Furman, 45-42. It was just as bad for the Big 12 where Oklahoma, Kansas, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Baylor, Colorado and Nebraska lost non-conference games.

4. The ACC didn't have any coaching changes last season. That will not be the case at the end of this season. There were three ugly losses Saturday that signal some guys are in trouble. After a 17-10 loss to Western Michigan at home, Virginia is 1-2 and fading fast as they arrive at Georgia Tech on Thursday. Miami is 1-2 for the first time since 1997 after getting killed on the road at Louisville (31-7). Larry Coker is feeling the heat today because for the first time in seven years, the Hurricanes (1-2) are not ranked. N.C. State (1-2) was thoroughly embarrassed on the road at Southern Mississippi 37-17. Looks like coach Chuck Amato might be out of excuses.

5. Clemson, which was so devastated a week ago when it lost to Boston College, now has very real chance to win the ACC Atlantic. The Tigers (1-1 ACC) need for Boston College to lose twice, and the Eagles still have Virginia Tech, Florida State and Miami on the schedule. Clemson should be OK, with North Carolina, Louisiana Tech, Wake Forest and Temple in the next four games. But the Oct. 21 home game with Georgia Tech, followed by a short week before playing at Virginia Tech on Oct. 26 will tell the tale for the Tigers.

6. Given what we saw Saturday in the SEC, how big do these dates look? Oct. 7 —LSU at Florida, Tennessee at Georgia; Oct. 14 — Florida at Auburn; Oct. 28 — Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville); Nov. 4 — LSU at Tennessee; Nov. 11 — Georgia at Auburn.

7. It took three games for the weaknesses in Notre Dame's defense to be finally exposed. Georgia Tech and Reggie Ball couldn't do it. Penn State and Anthony Morelli couldn't do it. But Michigan and Chad Henne did, and now it's all on tape for the rest of the Irish's opponents to see. A team with a good quarterback and some speedy receivers will give Notre Dame trouble. Michigan State, which plays host to Notre Dame on Saturday, is such a team. So is USC.

"I've got concerns with every facet of the team right now," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said after the game. Indeed.

8. Some coaches, such as Boston College's Tom O'Brien, like instant replay. His team beat BYU 30-23 in double overtime when the replay official overruled a call on the field and awarded BC an interception. That play ended the game.

"It seems that they are reviewing a lot more plays this year, but I guess that's a good thing," O'Brien said Sunday. "It certainly was good for us."

Other coaches aren't so fond of instant replay today. Les Miles and LSU fans are going to be looking at that pass interference call/reversal against Auburn for a long, long time. The officials on the field ruled interference. The guy in the booth said no interference, which gave Auburn the ball.

Oklahoma fans will be arguing about Oregon's onside kick, which TV replays indicated was touched by an Oregon player before it went 10 yards. The replay official said no, Oregon got the ball went on to win 34-33.

9. TCU (3-0) is your leader in the clubhouse as the most likely non-BCS team to earn an at-large BCS bid. The Horned Frogs held Texas Tech without a touchdown for the first time in 79 games under Mike Leach and won 12-3. TCU needs to finish in the Top 12 of the BCS standings to get a bid. Sunday the Frogs were 15th and 16th in the polls. And now they have a little attitude.

"People have been underselling our kids for years. All everybody wants to talk about is the Big 12," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "I get tired of being like a stepchild in this state and in this town, and our kids do, too."

The toughest remaining game for TCU looks like an Oct. 5 trip to Utah.

10. Brady Quinn's chase for the Heisman Trophy is all but over after the numbers (three interceptions, one fumble) he put up against Michigan. Remember that both his subpar outings against Georgia Tech and Michigan were nationally televised. Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith is your new leader, and he is being chased by Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson, who had 211 yards rushing in a loss to Oregon. If Florida quarterback Chris Leak (three touchdown passes against Tennessee) keeps up his good play, he could join them.

 

Third string not the charm for Cavs
Quarterback controversy deepens as all three quarterbacks fail to adequately lead Cavalier offense in first-ever loss to MAC school
Sam Dreiman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

When Jameel Sewell's last-ditch fourth-down scramble was stopped just yards short of a first down in Saturday's 17-10 loss, the Cavaliers' immediate and long-term future both moved squarely under the microscope.

On paper, Virginia (1-2, 0-0 ACC) dominated the Broncos in terms of total yards (258 to 179), number of first downs (13 to 9), and third-down conversions (5-14 to 3-14). None of these statistical advantages was significant in changing the result of the game, though.

"Western Michigan knew exactly what kind of game they had to play, which was play a good, sound, solid game, see if Virginia would do enough to help them win," coach Al Groh said. "Obviously, we did everything necessary to help them win."

This was evident on the sixth play of Virginia's opening drive. With junior quarterback Kevin McCabe awarded the start after senior Christian Olsen's previous struggles, Virginia's offense looked promising. McCabe began to drive down the field, converting a 3rd-and-12 into a first down with a 15-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Kevin Ogletree. Two plays later, McCabe overthrew a pass that was intercepted by Western Michigan's safety Louis Delmas and returned to the Virginia 21-yard line.

With great field position, the Broncos utilized running back Mark Bonds six out of eight plays to reach the end zone, including successfully converting 4th-and-1 twice.

McCabe did show some progress, however, the following drive. After successfully executing on 4th-and-1, McCabe threw a brilliantly placed toss off his back foot while under pressure to junior tight end Tom Santi. Santi's over-the-shoulder catch put the cornerback behind him, giving him room to run for 34 yards to the Broncos' five-yard line. Senior tailback Jason Snelling tied the game at 7-7 with 5:14 left in the first quarter.

Virginia gave up the lead again later in the second quarter. Starting at Virginia's 11-yard line, McCabe started to take the team down the field when he threw a pass that was intended for junior wide receiver Mike Robertson but was instead tipped and picked out of the air by the Broncos' Desman Stephen. The 34-yard return by the safety gave the Broncos a 14-7 lead.

This was the last Cavalier fans would see of McCabe on the field.

"The coaches made the decision to pull me and I can't really dispute that," said McCabe. "But then when you just keep watching your team not putting points on the board, you want to just be there and pull them out of it because you got them into it. It was just hard to watch."

Olsen was put in to try and produce on Virginia's next drive. He entered with 7:30 left in the second quarter, and two drives by Olsen resulted in one 34-yard field goal by junior kicker Chris Gould, ending the half with Western Michigan on top, 14-10.

At the half, Groh decided to play freshman Jameel Sewell for the remainder of the game. But this change proved to be ineffective -- Sewell never advanced the ball further than Western Michigan's 14-yard line. Even that drive only resulted in a 41-yard field goal attempt by Gould that flew wide right.

"We were planning on doing whatever the situation during the course of the game indicated was necessary," Groh said on playing three quarterbacks. "What I saw out of the three quarterbacks was what I see everyday -- not enough production."

The successful running game was one of few good signs against the Broncos. Snelling recorded 77 yards on 14 carries, including runs of 15 and 18 yards.

"The line blocked well today and they opened up some holes," said Snelling on his day. "I was just trying to run downhill and just hit the holes, hit them hard, to try and wear them out. It worked well, but it just wasn't enough today."

In terms of preparation for Thursday's ACC opener against Georgia Tech, the offense clearly must make adjustments.

"Blitz pick-up," Sewell said. "Georgia Tech likes to bring a lot of blitzers, almost every down. So we are going to focus on the blitz pick-up."

Which quarterback is the one who will have to worry about the Yellow Jacket blitzers remains to be seen.

 

Groh pulls McCabe too early
Barney Breen-Portnoy, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Would somebody please wake me up? This had to have been only a nightmare. In the real world, there is no way that Virginia could lose at home to a middle-of-the-pack MAC team like Western Michigan.

But this situation, however, is what we've come to at this school in the sixth year of the Al Groh era. Saturday's travesty marked perhaps the lowest point in Virginia football history since before George Welsh arrived in 1982. It certainly was the worst loss under Groh.

Barely beating Wyoming was one thing. It was dissatisfying, but not a disaster. Falling to Western Michigan on Homecomings, however, was an entirely different story. The Virginia football program has fallen into a dark abyss and it is not entirely clear if there is hope of rescue any time soon.

Obviously, there were many players who did not make plays for the Cavaliers Saturday. But it is the coaching staff that deserves the lion's share of the blame for the nightmare that transpired.

An already muddled quarterback situation was made even more confusing by Groh's decision to bench junior Kevin McCabe in the second quarter. Despite throwing two costly interceptions in his quarter and a half of play, McCabe actually had the offense humming more effectively than it had all season.

The Cavaliers notched seven first downs in the first quarter, compared to 24 overall in the first two games. McCabe also led Virginia on its longest scoring drive of the year so far, a 10-play, 83-yard possession that resulted in a Jason Snelling touchdown run and tied the game 7-7 with 5:14 remaining in the first quarter.

After that touchdown, I jotted down in my notepad, "Ladies and gentlemen, that's what an offense looks like." It was the first time all year that the Cavaliers had been able to mount a sustained drive that ended with seven points being put on the board.

Interceptions happen, especially to inexperienced quarterbacks. It looks, however, that McCabe will not be given the chance to gain the experience he would need to be consistently effective. That's a shame, because the quarterbacks who followed McCabe performed worse than he did.

The offense looked alive with McCabe at the helm. When Olsen came in, it was as if Groh flipped a switch from the aggressive setting to the lethargic setting.

At the half, Groh pulled a desperate trick out of his bag. Rather than give McCabe a second shot or let Olsen continue his mediocrity, Groh gave the ball to sophomore Jameel Sewell. At first, it looked like a Hollywood moment. The crowd roared as Sewell hit Fontel Mines for an 18-yard reception on the first play of the series. Thoughts of "Steamin" Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx's character in "Any Given Sunday") flashed through my head.

Three plays later, however, Sewell was sacked, forcing Virginia to punt. The next two Virginia possessions were three-and-outs and the Cavaliers scored no points in the second half with Sewell running the show.

Sewell may have potential a year or two down the road. Note that I said "may," not will. If Groh was truly interested in winning a few games this year, McCabe would appear to be the best bet.

The most frustrating part of all this is that, with a serviceable offense, Virginia would have the chance to win a fair amount of games in the ACC this year. There is no truly dominant team in the conference this season and several teams look downright feeble (i.e. N.C. State, which has dropped two straight games to lesser out-of-conference foes. Groh may be feeling a good deal of pressure but it is nothing compared to what Chuck Amato is facing in Raleigh.).

Virginia now embarks on a three-game road swing through Georgia Tech, Duke and East Carolina. Based on their performance thus far, the Cavaliers will likely have a record no better than 2-5 when they return to Scott Stadium Oct. 14 to face Maryland. Will anybody even care by that point?

I am comforted by one fact. Basketball season starts in 55 days. Come to think of it, maybe Sean Singletary could play quarterback.

 

Groh leaning toward Sewell
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
September 17, 2006

Almost every Virginia football fan expected Jameel Sewell to get the chance to start at quarterback at some point this season.

Most, however, did not expect it to come in Virginia’s ACC opener on Thursday night against Georgia Tech (2-1).

That might just come to fruition.

Just one day after Sewell played the entire second half in a 17-10 loss to Western Michigan, UVa coach Al Groh said the redshirt freshman has an early advantage over fifth-year senior Chrtistian Olsen and junior Kevin McCabe.

“I think we will probably start the week in the order in which we finished the [Western Michigan] game and see how it progresses from there,” Groh said referring to the practice rotation during a teleconference Sunday.

Sewell came in relief of Olsen, a second quarter substition for McCabe, the starter.

In all, the unit completed 24 of 32 for 189 yards, but drew the wrath of Groh.

“It kind of looked pretty much like what the previous three or four months have looked like,” Groh said.

While the left-handed Sewell was 7 of 10 for 51 yards and did not get the Cavaliers’ offense on the scoreboard, Groh said the experience should pay off.

“There are some things that I am sure the next time it happens will come a lot faster,” Groh said. “We understand that will be the case with him.”

Long before the Western Michigan game and long before Groh knew Sewell would be rushed into action, the coach offered advice to the signal-caller.

“As I pointed out to him last week, I said ‘When your chance comes, I have a lot of confidence in [you] and I expect that you are going to do real well, but just to keep things in perspective, I think Peyton Manning threw 24 interceptions his first season and Tom Brady was inactive for 16 games,’” Groh recounted. “Even guys that are playing at that high level didn’t get off to a roaring start, but you have to start at the start of the race.

“[Sewell] is getting his opportunity now to get some playing time and we expect that he will progress along. We are willing to handle whatever goes along with that.”

Sewell said he was informed that he was going into the game at the start of halftime.

With the news came butterflies and disbelief.

“I thought Olsen was still going to get the nod going into the second half,” Sewell said. “I was thinking I was going to get the chance to go in, but I wasn’t sure it was going to be right at the start of the second half.”

Injury update

Groh said it was his “understanding” that cornerback Marcus Hamilton is listed as day-to-day.

Hamilton, a senior, was held out of the game against Western Michigan with a shoulder injury that he suffered last Wednesday in practice.

Also, Groh said he was feeling better on Sunday after a spill on the sidelines on one of Western Michigan’s offensive plays.

“I am going to be there,” Groh laughed. “Trust me on that one. My knee doesn’t make too much difference.”

Recruiting news

Kris Burd, a three-star wideout from Matoaca High in Chesterfield, gave Virginia’s coaching staff a verbal commitment on Sunday according to Rivals.com.

Burd, who stands at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, picked UVa over Maryland and Virginia Tech. He is the 16th commitment for the Class of 2007.