U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Sep 26, 2006

ON THE RISE: Three true freshmen were in uniform Thursday night for Virginia's football game against Georgia Tech: Nate Collins, Darnell Carter and Sean Gottschalk, a former standout at Deep Run High in western Henrico County.

Collins is in the rotation at nose tackle and on special teams. Neither Carter nor Gottschalk has played this season.

Carter, an inside linebacker, was added to the travel squad as a reward for his scout-team play in practice. Gottschalk, a 6-4, 262-pound defensive end, was in Atlanta as insurance.

"We want to make sure that we don't ever find ourselves in a circumstance where we don't have enough linemen at the game," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "Sean's done a real nice job in practice. We're very impressed with his upside. We don't have any immediate plans to use him right now, but we want to make sure we're covered at every game."

U.Va. (0-1, 1-3) plays Saturday at Coastal Division rival Duke (0-2, 0-3). Lincoln Financial Sports will televise the noon game.

TURNING POINT: Late in the second quarter Thursday night, U.Va. hoped to run out the clock and go into halftime trailing 10-0. On third and 10 from Virginia's 22, senior tailback Jason Snelling ran 19 yards for an apparent first down. After Yellow Jackets coach Chan Gailey challenged the call, however, the replay official reviewed the play and ruled that Snelling's knee had touched the ground early in his run.

The ball was moved back to the 24. U.Va. had to punt, and Georgia Tech capitalized. Reggie Ball's 58-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson on first down sent the Jackets into the break with a 17-0 lead.

Groh said he had "no complaints" with the ruling. "That's what the system is for, and if the system works, then I'm all for it."

IMPACT PLAYER: Defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, a redshirt freshman from Hermitage High, has been as impressive as any U.Va. defender this season. Against Georgia Tech, Fitzgerald had three tackles for loss, giving him eight in four games.

"It was a very good night for Jeffrey," Groh said. "He was very active, very prominent. Every game so far has been a forward-moving game for Jeffrey."

HOOP IT UP: U.Va.'s three men's basketball recruits for 2007-08 are ranked among the top 100 prospects in the Class of 2007 by SI.com. Jeff Jones, a shooting guard from the Philadelphia area, is No. 54. Sam Zeglinski, a point guard from Philly, is No. 81, and Eric Wallace, a swingman from the Winston-Salem, N.C., area who now attends Hargrave Military Academy, is No. 95.

Virginia is among the finalists for two undecided players in the top 100: No. 12 Patrick Patterson, a big man from Huntington, W.Va., and No. 61 Solomon Alabi, a 7-1 Nigerian who attends a private school in Florida.

Jones, who committed to U.Va. in August, is no stranger to the Old Dominion. He has an aunt and uncle --Allison and Clint Frye and cousins in Chester whom he has visited often.

Jones' cousin, Alyssa, is a freshman at Thomas Dale High and a talented basketball player herself.

ON THE DIAMOND: From a team that set a school record for victories, advanced to the NCAA tournament and finished 47-15, U.Va. baseball coach Brian O'Connor returns most of his starters, including ACC player of the year Sean Doolittle. Still, look for several freshmen to earn playing time for Virginia in 2007.

The Cavaliers are about 10 days into fall practice. O'Connor said yesterday that he believes he's added "three left-handed pitchers that are going to come in and make an impact" -- freshmen Neal Davis, Jeff Lorick and Matt Packer.

O'Connor said he's also been impressed with freshmen infielders Corey Hunt and Tyler Cannon. Hunt is a graduate of nearby Monticello High.

IN THE CREASE: Fall ball is also under way for the reigning NCAA men's lacrosse champion. Virginia coach Dom Starsia said yesterday that if the season started this week, his first midfield would consist of senior Drew Thompson, junior Jack Riley and freshman Brian Carroll. Also working at midfielder, Starsia said, are sophomore Gavin Gill and freshman George Huguely, both of whom play attack, too.

Two other midfielders who'll be in the rotation, senior Foster Gilbert and sophomore Max Pomper, are recovering from injuries and haven't practiced since classes started at U.Va. this semester.

Sophomore Steve Giannone has been working as a defensive midfielder, Starsia said. The starting attackmen are junior Ben Rubeor and sophomores Danny Glading and Garrett Billings. --Jeff White
 

Cavs playing low-grade ball
Things can't get much worse for Virginia's offense. The good news for the Cavaliers: They face Duke next week.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
September 23, 2006

ATLANTA -- First, the good news: Virginia plays at Duke next Saturday and at East Carolina the following week.

The bad news? Well, pretty much everything else in Cavalier Nation.

Virginia appeared overmatched and overwhelmed Thursday night in a 24-7 loss at Georgia Tech. The offense fizzled - again. The defense flopped in big spots - albeit against a future NFL receiver.

Can things improve for the Cavaliers? Sure.

Their best way out of this mess seems to be the next two games. Only a dunce would favor the Cavaliers on the road - Virginia is now 9-20 in away games under sixth-year coach Al Groh - but Duke and East Carolina are teams they should beat. Duke is 0-3, East Carolina 1-2.

Should beat. Just like Western Michigan, right?

Groh is prepared to ride out this storm of a season with redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell at quarterback. On Thursday, in his first start, he was 15-of-31 passing for 115 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His throws were unsteady, his presence in the huddle, he admitted, needs work.

BUT YOU HAVE TO FIGURE SEWELL'S MOXIE WITH INCREASE AS HE MASTERS THE OFFENSE - SOMETHING HE'S STILL TRYING TO DO. OFFENSE

IF VIRGINIA'S OFFENSE WERE A STUDENT-ATHLETE, IT WOULD BE ACADEMICALLY INELIGIBLE BY NOW. FOUR FS IN FOUR WEEKS. THROUGH FOUR GAMES - AVERAGING 10.75 POINTS PER CONTEST - THIS OFFENSE HAS MOVED SLOWER THAN A SLOTH. GROH WAS ASKED AFTER THURSDAY'S GAME: WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE OFFENSE? HE, IN TURN, ASKED THE REPORTER IF HE HAD A WEEKEND TO SPARE. "THEN MAYBE I COULD ADEQUATELY ANSWER YOUR QUESTION," HE SAID. DEFENSE

GEORGIA TECH WIDE RECEIVER CALVIN JOHNSON LOOKED LIKE HE COULD GO PRO RIGHT NOW. HE TORE UP VIRGINIA'S SECONDARY FOR SIX CATCHES, 165 YARDS AND TWO TOUCHDOWNS - A 58-YARDER AND A 66-YARDER. VIRGINIA CORNERBACK MARCUS HAMILTON LIMITED JOHNSON LAST SEASON - FOUR CATCHES, 41 YARDS - BUT JOHNSON GOT THE BETTER OF HIM THIS TIME. SPECIAL TEAMS

Senior kicker Noah Greenbaum attempted his second college field goal, missing from 47 yards with 1:48 left in the third quarter. It was Virginia's only field goal try. Junior Chris Gould had handled all field-goal duties so far this season. Gould, also the punter, came into Thursday's game averaging 43.3 yards per kick. He punted eight times for an average of 39.5 yards.

COACHING

Groh said earlier this week that every player has to take responsibility for his own penalties. But three players had false-start penalties Thursday: right guard Ian-Yates Cunningham, left tackle Zak Stair and tight end Tom Santi. Virginia's offense was whistled for five false starts last Saturday against Western Michigan. Staying still before the snap count - a pretty basic part of football. Might want to emphasize that one in practice this week. «

OVERALL VS.

GEORGIA TECH: D-

SEASON AVERAGE: D-
 

Virginia looks to bounce back from Georgia Tech
To turn their season around Cavaliers will have to tighten up offensive line, reduce number of false starts, pick up running game
Barney Breen-Portnoy, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Sophomore wide receiver Kevin Ogletree stated the obvious during the post-game interviews following Virginia's 24-7 loss at Georgia Tech Thursday evening.

"There are a lot of things that we've got to fix," Ogletree said. "We're ready to get back and work on those things that we need to get better at."

Having lost three of its first four games, Virginia's list of areas that need improvement is about as long as the Empire State building is high. But the No. 1 priority on the list has to be the offensive line.

Because of the line's inability to pass protect or run block, redshirt freshman quarterback Jameel Sewell was frequently hurried or hit while Virginia's running backs averaged a mere 2.2 yards per rushing attempt.

To add to the offensive line's woes, three different linemen were called for false start penalties.

"It was pretty hostile and loud at times," junior center Jordy Lipsey said. "That might have had something to do with it."

That explanation, however, fails to explain the five false start penalties committed by Virginia's offense at home during the 17-10 loss to Western Michigan.

"We have who we have," Virginia coach Al Groh said of his offensive line. "It's going to be up to some of them to step up. We can only use the 'I'm inexperienced' tag for so long."

In an effort to shake things up a bit, sophomore Zak Stair started at left tackle against Georgia Tech in place of a struggling Eugene Monroe.

Virginia's running game has struggled immensely thus far. While senior Jason Snelling has posted utilitarian numbers (42.7 yards per game, 3.7 yards per carry), sophomore Cedric Peerman (14.2 ypg, 1.9 ypc, zero TDs) has so far failed to live up to the promise he showed during his freshman campaign.

"We're certainly not getting the kind of push on the run that would enable us to take some of the burden off the quarterback," Groh said.

All of this has left Virginia's quarterbacks in a tight spot. Overall, Sewell, Olsen and McCabe have posted mediocre numbers, completing 78 of 135 pass attempts with two TDs and seven interceptions.

Despite Thursday's loss, Groh was impressed with Sewell's poise during his first career start.

"Quarterbacks have to have a short memory," Groh said. Sewell "came back and played his best as the game evolved. There are quite a few things for him to learn, but he is not going to learn those lurking over there on the bench."

Sewell's performance was marked by an inconsistent passing game. Several times, he badly missed wide-open receivers.

"Just from the consistency factor, sometimes he's low, sometimes he's high, sometimes he's right on the mark," Groh said. "Like some of those guys they bring up in the Major Leagues, they've got a good fastball, but, until they mature a little bit, they're not all strikes."

Groh added that the lack of consistency didn't convince the coaching staff to pull Sewell, as they "were just determined we were going to give him a chance to play through it and he did a nice job."

Groh also recognizes that, because of the state of the offensive line, anyone who lines up under center for the Cavaliers will be forced to use his feet.

Sewell "showed a little bit of elusiveness in the pocket, which certainly a quarterback on this team right now needs to have," he said.

Not all of Virginia's problems are on the offensive side of the ball, though. The defensive secondary gave up two long touchdown passes to Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson. In total, the Cavaliers have surrendered four touchdown passes of 58 yards or more this season. Virginia ranks seventh in the ACC in the total defense statistical category.

"We still see some of the same things reoccurring," Groh said. "That is, we give up deep balls in the secondary that dramatically change the game, unnecessary before-the-snap penalties and the failure to step up and make some plays. The script continues to remain the same. There's got to be some guys that make the change. We can't go on the waver wire."

 

2 Va. Tech athletes are arrested
Football team members Josh Morgan and Chris Ellis won't play in this weekend's home game.
By Shawna Morrison and Randy King
381-1665 randy.king@roanoke.com 981-3126

Two Virginia Tech football players were arrested early Sunday and have been suspended from Saturday's home game against Georgia Tech.

Starting split end Josh Morgan and starting defensive end Chris Ellis were suspended for violating team policy, according to a statement released by Virginia Tech on Monday.

According to Blacksburg police, Morgan was charged with disorderly conduct and obstructing justice and Ellis was charged with obstructing justice, all misdemeanors.

Police responded to the 100 block of Blacksburg's Draper Road, a stretch of bars and restaurants, about 1:50 a.m. Sunday after getting a report that a large crowd had gathered and a fight may have been about to start, said Blacksburg police Lt. Joe Davis.

An officer saw Morgan run into the road and punch at the glass on the driver's side door of a passing truck, according to a police report. He then opened the truck's door as if he was going to assault the driver, police said.

Police told Morgan he was under arrest. Morgan, however, began to back up into the crowd and refused to submit to the arrest, Davis said.

Police used a single burst of pepper spray to subdue Morgan and then took him into custody, Davis said.

Ellis began to get involved at that point and tried to get others involved as well, Davis said. According to a police report, Ellis acted as the leader of a crowd that was challenging police.

Officers told Ellis to stay back and stop inciting the crowd but he refused, Davis said. He, too, was then arrested.

Morgan and Ellis were released on unsecured, personal recognizance bonds. Neither had to go to jail.

An arraignment for both men is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Oct. 5 in the Blacksburg division of Montgomery County General District Court.

Davis said it's unclear if anyone else in the crowd was arrested, but noted that only Ellis and Morgan are listed in the police report.

In the news release from Tech and 25 minutes later during his weekly Monday media teleconference, Tech head football coach Frank Beamer declined further comment on the situation.

On the field, the loss of Morgan and Ellis could be pivotal for 11th-ranked Tech, which faces its toughest game of the year so far when No. 24 Georgia Tech visits Lane Stadium on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

The news release from Tech said replacement starters have not been determined.

Morgan, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound junior, started the season's first four games and is the Hokies' second-leading receiver with 10 receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

The 21-year-old native of Washington, D.C., also has blocked a team-high two punts this season, one at North Carolina and one on Saturday against Cincinnati.

Justin Harper and Josh Hyman, both of whom have a lot of experience, figure to get most of the split-end work Saturday in Morgan's absence.

Harper, a 6-foot-4 junior who has never started a college game, has caught seven passes for 129 yards, including a 47-yard touchdown pass from Sean Glennon in Saturday's 29-13 win over Cincinnati.

Hyman, a 5-foot-11 fourth-year junior, has seven receptions for 44 yards this season. He has 13 career starts at Tech.

Ellis, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound, 21-year old junior from Hampton, has started all four games this season at Tech's "stud" defensive end spot.

Slowed by a right shoulder sprain he suffered on Tech's first defensive snap at UNC on Sept. 9, Ellis has recorded 12 tackles, including a sack, and four quarterback hurries.

Orion Martin, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound sophomore, has backed up Ellis all season and is expected to get the call for his first college start Saturday.