Cavs pull out a hellish win
Overcoming several errors, Virginia holds off Blue Devils
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 9, 2007

Luckily for Virginia coach Al Groh, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

In what was a sloppy, error-filled contest, Virginia managed to make just enough plays to extend Duke’s dreadful losing streak with a 24-13 victory at Scott Stadium.

Forced to battle the Blue Devils (0-2, 0-1 ACC) the entire game, a rarity in recent history, the Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0 ACC) needed a 15-play, 82-yard touchdown drive and the heroics of true freshman quarterback Peter Lalich in the fourth quarter to secure the 600th win in program history.

The victory, at least temporarily, eased the pain associated with the season-opening loss at Wyoming.

“Sometimes people underestimate the difficulty of winning,” said Virginia defensive end Chris Long. “As a player, I am not lying to you when I say it is tough to win every week.

“We just feel great to get a ‘W,’ but there’s a lot that we can correct … we kind of won in spite of ourselves in some areas.”

In the process of sending Duke to its 22nd straight loss, Virginia lost a pair of fumbles, had a field goal blocked and gave up points and field position with woeful snapping to the punter.

Yet, after a tumultuous week, Groh was content to see improvement.

“We’re real pleased about [the result]. We were better than we were last week,” said Groh, who improved to 30-9 at Scott Stadium. “We’re not as good as we need to be for next week, but that’s for tomorrow. For today, we are real pleased for the players.

“They are the guys who stepped up and did it.”

Lalich, who finished 13 of 18 passing for 131 yards, would certainly fall into that category.

After a 21-yard field goal from Duke’s Joe Surgan trimmed Virginia’s lead to 17-13 with 1:04 left in the third quarter, Lalich replaced starter Jameel Sewell.

The rookie, who had played briefly at the end of the first half as Sewell battled cramps, led Virginia’s offense on a methodical touchdown drive that lasted a little more than six minutes.

Lalich completed the drive by hitting tight end Tom Santi on 4-yard floater over a defender into the left corner of the end zone.

“It was [our mentality] that we needed to score or else we were probably going to lose,” said Lalich, who had 90 of his passing yards in the second half. “The receivers made great plays, the line blocked and the rest is history.”

Groh praised Lalich for converting three times during the possession on third down.

“That was a real good drive,” Groh said. “It’s been awhile since we saw one of those. We did it with some good passes. We did it with some real tough running.

“Then, obviously, Pete and Tom hooked up real well on the touchdown score. That was very positive, and it certainly gives us good hope here.”

Trailing 24-13, Duke tried to respond, but a 47-yard drive was spoiled when Surgan pushed a 40-yard field-goal attempt to the right.

“On fourth-and-6, I thought our chances were better of making the field goal and getting it down to a one-possession game than going for the first down,” said Duke coach Ted Roof. “I thought we had better odds of doing that than converting it on fourth-and-long.

“But we couldn’t kick it through the sticks.”

The fact that Duke was in the contest in the fourth quarter seemed unlikely midway through the first quarter.

Virginia’s offense, a unit that had failed to score a touchdown in its previous 10 quarters, reached the end zone twice in the game’s first 7 minutes.

The first score came with some help from Vic Hall. The sophomore fielded a 41-yard punt from Duke’s Kevin Jones and sprinted to his left and down the sideline 67 yards to the Blue Devils’ 4-yard line.

“We set up a nice wall,” Groh said, “and Vic did a real nice job of taking it home.”

Two plays later, Sewell connected on a 7-yard touchdown pass to Santi, marking the southpaw’s first score through the air in 24 quarters.

After another Duke punt, Virginia scored again as running back Cedric Peerman broke a 58-yard touchdown run, giving UVa a 14-0 lead.

“Obviously, [the quick start] let us get the initiative on the game, and it was pretty apparent that Duke played the game offensively the way we thought they would try to play it,” Groh said. “What we anticipated, given the fact we had nine sacks last year [against Duke] and that we had numerous hits on the quarterback last week, we kind of anticipated that the plan would be, ‘Just make sure our quarterback doesn’t get destroyed today.’

“To be off to a lead of 14-0 like that tended to be able to negate that strategy a little bit.”

Duke scored its first points on a safety with 2:18 left in the first quarter after Virginia long snapper Danny Aiken, a true freshman, sent the ball over punter Ryan Weigand’s head.

The Blue Devils, after trailing 17-2 at halftime, raced back into the game late in the third quarter.

Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, who was 14-of-30 passing for 137 yards, provided the biggest play - the signal-caller connected with wideout Jomar Wright for a 16-yard touchdown on a drive that started after another bad snap from Aiken.

Duke quickly regained possession and added a 21-yard field goal from Surgan following a fumble from Andrew Pearman on the ensuing kickoff at the Cavaliers’ 19.

The events of the third quarter led Groh to re-insert Lalich back into the contest, but insisted after the game that Sewell is the team’s starting quarterback.

“We were going to play both players in the game today,” Groh said. “I think both players bring some significant skills to the team.

“We didn’t have a plan for it other than we were going to play both players. I think that will be the plan from here on in. It’s not a competition - it’s utilizing all the weapons that we have.”

Virginia finished with 324 yards of total offense, a figure that was crushed by the loss of 57 yards rushing, 55 of which came as a result of Aiken’s miscues.

Peerman led the charge with 137 yards rushing on 19 attempts, an average of 7.2 yards per carry.

The Cavaliers’ defense, despite being on the field for 69 plays, allowed only 229 yards of total offense.

“[The game] was like a great story with a lot of misspelled words,” Groh said. “Those 24 points, they belong to everybody. They’re not defensive points or offensive points or special teams points. They were Virginia points.

“And the 13 points that got scored on us, they belong to everybody.”

For now, a perfect record in league play also belongs to the players.

Virginia plays Saturday at North Carolina at noon. Duke continues its four-game road trip with a contest at Northwestern on Saturday at 8 p.m.

 

Despite win, UVa fans skeptical
By Brian McNeill / bmcneill@dailyprogress.com | 978-7266
September 9, 2007

Despite the University of Virginia Cavaliers’ 24-13 win over Duke University on Saturday, the frustration among thousands of diehard UVa football fans was palpable.

“[Head coach] Al Groh has got to go,” said Samuel T. “Kingpin” Cox, a Charlottesville-area resident who has been coming to UVa games since the 1960s. “I gave him a chance. He didn’t do real good.”

Out of two dozen interviews with tailgaters Saturday, only Stefan Michalski, a Darden Graduate School of Business Administration student, had anything nice to say about UVa football.

“I’m always optimistic until four games in,” he said. “I’m the only one of my friends who bet on them today.”

Michalski’s friend, Nathan Burlingame, a 2001 UVa grad, sank a winning beer pong shot and explained why he was wearing the traditional game day orange and blue tie, rather than Groh’s preferred “orange crush” UVa T-shirt.

“I’m dressing up to protest Groh,” he said. “He needs to concentrate on getting the team together rather than worrying about what the fans are wearing.”

Irritation over the Cavaliers’ performance on the field wasn’t the only thing that ticked off some fans. Many longtime season ticket holders complained about the Virginia Athletics Foundation’s new ticketing policy that assigns seats to UVa donors. The new rules, which go into effect next year, will require many season ticket holders to contribute more money to the foundation if they want to keep the seats they have held for years.

“The reason that I contribute and buy season tickets year after year after year is that I have a sense of community with the people we tailgate with and that we sit with,” said John Wright, who said he has purchased season tickets for 12 years and contributed thousands of dollars. “They are dissolving that sense of community. That means I’ll have less of a reason to come here.”

Wright said he is considering either not donating to UVa athletics anymore or simply giving the bare minimum and sitting with his friends in the cheaper seats.

“The smartest thing they could do is publicly announce that they made a mistake and keep things the way they are,” he said. “The wisest thing they could do is fire the guy who thought of it in the first place.”

During the game, in Section 122 of Scott Stadium, moments of excitement rippled through the crowd as the Cavaliers scored two early touchdowns. As the game progressed, however, that excitement soured significantly.

“This is pitiful,” said one fan.

“It’s the worst offense ever,” said another.

“This is like a high school game. Except they aren’t even playing up to that level,” said a third.

Following the Cavs’ win, those same fans sighed in relief.

“Groh’s still a bum,” muttered one.

 

Lalich gives UVa a spark off the bench
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 9, 2007

The great southern football coach General Bob Neyland said several decades ago that there’s no defense for a perfectly thrown football.

On Saturday, Peter Lalich proved that old adage still holds true as he and Jameel Sewell split time at quarterback and led Virginia to a 24-13 win over Duke.

Utilizing a two-quarterback system, something coach Al Groh took from his discussions with Florida coach Urban Meyer, the Cavaliers’ offense finally showed some life. Virginia put up 324 yards, ended a 10-quarter touchdown drought, stopped a 26-quarter streak without a TD pass, and had a running back (Cedric Peerman) post the most rushing yards (137) of any Wahoo since 2004.

While all that was a welcomed relief to the 58,554 fans in sun-baked Scott Stadium, most of the buzz was about true freshman Lalich.

The 6-foot-5, 235-pound pocket passer from West Springfield High School in Northern Virginia, Lalich was 13 of 18 for 131 yards and a touchdown, a very important touchdown.

After Duke had cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 17-13 just before the fourth quarter started, Groh exhibited strong faith in the rookie Lalich, sending him in to win the game.

It wouldn’t be easy. Virginia had the ball at its own 18 and Duke, hoping to end a 21-game losing streak, had gained the momentum by scoring a touchdown, a two-point conversion and a field goal via Cavalier miscues.

If Lalich was nervous, he disguised it well. He certainly didn’t play like a freshman.

“I love it when the coach puts the ball in my hand,” Lalich said. “I feel like I can get it to everybody and everybody can make a play.”

That’s exactly what happened.

“I told the guys [in the huddle] that this was the biggest series of the game and that we needed to score and put [Duke] away,” Lalich said. “I guess they listened.”

What followed was a textbook, 15-play, 82-yard march that ended on a 4-yard rollout touchdown pass to tight end Tom Santi that did put the Devils away. On that drive, Lalich was 8 of 10, including four completions to his tight ends.

On the day, UVa’s tight ends, considered an untapped source of offense the past two seasons, caught 10 passes for 94 yards and two scores.

The only snafu Lalich experienced in that winning drive was that he failed to spot a wide-open Staton Jobe when the team lined up at the 4. There wasn’t a Duke defender within 20 yards of the wide receiver, but Lalich, who said he was focusing on just blowing Duke off the line, never saw him.

“Well, maybe Peter was looking for the tight ends after all,” Santi laughed.

That’s about the only thing that Lalich missed all day as he showed that he had all the skill that Virginia fans had heard about long before he stepped foot on campus.

“He had that poise and presence from the start,” Groh said. “He sees the field very well.”

What Lalich doesn’t have, at least for now, is the starting job. Groh said he intends to use both quarterbacks from now on because they each bring different skills to the table. Lalich is the classic, drop-back passer. Sewell, who was 9 of 14 for 60 yards and a score and rushed four times for 33 yards, is a dual threat.

“That will be the plan from here on in,” Groh declared. “It’s not a competition. It’s utilizing all the weapons we have and using all the players in their best capacity.”

Sewell, who looked shaky at best in last week’s lopsided loss at Wyoming, got off to a strong start against Duke but gave way to Lalich late in the first half due to dehydration in the 95-degree heat. Sewell came back and played the third quarter before Lalich finished off the frustrated Devils, losing their eighth straight to Virginia.

“They both bring some significant things to the team and give us two sets of weapons,” Groh said. “The players themselves, the team, everybody is in consort with it.”

Didn’t matter one bit to Lalich, who said that playing at all his freshman season exceeded his wildest dreams.

The rookie said that getting in for the last series of the game at Wyoming last week helped him but admitted he was still nervous against Duke.

If that was true, only Lalich knew.

“In terms of the way that he’s played, I don’t think he’s too terribly nervous, and if he is, he’s dealing with it well,” Santi said.

Sitting in an interview room after the game, clutching one of the game balls to his chest, Lalich chuckled over questions about his comfort level.

“I don’t know what you guys are talking about me being comfortable,” the quarterback said. “I felt nervous the whole time.”

Groh had informed both QBs that they would play, depending on the situation where he needed them. That’s the way the coach introduced it to the team and they all embraced the idea.

Lalich was golden all game long, even when Duke attempted to shake up the freshman with pressure. Throwing what he called his favorite pass of the day, he had read a Blue Devil blitz off the edge and threw it hot to Santi for a 9-yard gain. He attributed his success to being well-prepared by offensive coordinator Mike Groh, whom Lalich has a close relationship with, and from watching lots of film of Duke’s defense.

The rookie, who passed for more than 5,500 yards his final two years of high school, didn’t play like one. Accuracy has never been a problem.

Roger Thedar, the former head coach at California, has been a Lalich guru for years and said that the Virginian was one of the best he had ever worked with.

“His accuracy is amazing, right on the money,” Thedar told this columnist. “The No. 1 thing I try to teach is a quick release, and Peter has always been able to do that. When you have those two things and size, no wonder so many schools were interested in him.”

Florida State, Miami, Southern Cal, you name it. All the football factories wanted this kid.

He’s not your ordinary rookie.

“The one thing that Peter has had that most high school quarterbacks don’t have is that he’s come from an offensive system in high school where he was throwing 45 to 50 times [a game],” Groh said. “That puts him way ahead of what some kids have to learn.

“On top of that, when a quarterback is throwing the ball that many times in the game, you know how many times he’s throwing it in practice. That puts him many thousands of throws ahead of some other kids coming into college. That has enabled him to get off to a pretty positive start.”

Lalich said he threw more than 60 passes in two games and close to 200 balls every day in practice.

“That’s a lot of reps,” Lalich smiled.

It shows.

 

Peerman carries the load for Cavs
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 9, 2007

Virginia coach Al Groh’s affection for running back Cedric Peerman was obvious in the wake of his team’s 24-13 win over Duke on Saturday.

“I love Cedric,” Groh said. “[He] isn’t going to win the Heisman Trophy, but there are certain backs who have to carry the flag,” Groh said. “They do that with their heart as much as with their skill - and that’s what Cedric does for our team. He carried the flag for us today.”

On an afternoon when Virginia was far from perfect, Peerman helped make sure Duke left Scott Stadium with a 22nd-straight loss.

The junior from Gladys rushed for a career-high 137 yards on 19 carries. It was the highest total by a Virginia rusher since Alvin Pearman’s 147 yard-performance against Virginia Tech in 2004.

“It was the most yards I’ve ever rushed for,” said Peerman, whose previous best was a 69-yard effort against Western Michigan in 2005, “but I’m just happy we got the win.

“The offensive line came to life and the tight ends and wide receivers were blocking great downfield. It was just a great overall effort by everyone.”

The performance by Peerman - even though it came against moribund Duke - has to be considered a positive sign. Last season, Virginia only had two games in which a player rushed for 100 yards or more. Former running back Jason Snelling did it both times.

In the first half, Peerman gave Virginia a 13-0 lead when he took a handoff and raced 58 yards to the end zone. It was the UVa’s longest run from scrimmage since Michael Johnson’s 70-yard scamper at Syracuse in 2005.

“I followed Ian-Yates [Cunningham] around and he got a cut-back from a guy on the inside and I just proceeded down the field,” Peerman said. “Staton Jobe had a great block that sprung me even more, and I was able to out-run the rest of the defense into the end zone.”

Peerman also had runs of 15, 17 and 21 yards.

“The toughness and motivation that he showed on those [runs] was significant,” Groh said.

As a team, the final stats only had Virginia rushing for 133 yards - but that was due to miscues in the punting game that accounted for negative yardage. Overall, the team’s ground attack was a far cry from the performance in Wyoming last week when it had minus-3 yards.

“I think we just came together and were a lot more intense this week,” Peerman said. “It showed in practice. We’re just trying to get better each week and I think it showed today.”

Peerman said the victory relieves a lot of pressure.

“It’s hard to win a college football game,” he said. “Now we’re just looking forward to the next one.”

 

Bevy of special teams miscues nearly cost Cavs
By Drew Hansen / dhansen@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 9, 2007

After two early, momentum-grabbing touchdowns, Virginia was unable to put Saturday’s game out of Duke’s reach until very late largely due to errors in snapping - an oft-overlooked yet integral part of the game.

Freshman long snapper Danny Aiken had a Scott Stadium debut he’d like to soon forget. The Roanoke native was off the mark with several of his snaps, something he said had to do with nerves and errors in his mechanics.

“There was one wet ball, but for the most part it was just a bad day on my part,” Aiken said. “I’ll probably take a few more reps. I don’t like to see [what happened today]. Probably just a few mechanics to fix for next week.”

With about four minutes remaining in the opening quarter, Aiken sent a snap over punter Ryan Weigand’s head, resulting in a safety. It marked the first 2-pointer the Cavs had surrendered since a 36-3 loss to Florida State in 2004, when the Seminoles blocked a first-quarter punt out of the end zone.

“I was just thinking, ‘Make sure it gets out of the end zone,’” Weigand said. “I didn’t even jump for it. I just turned around and made sure it got out.”

In the second quarter, Aiken sent a snap short to holder Vic Hall on an attempted field goal. The short snap slowed the arrival of kicker Chris Gould to the ball and the kick was subsequently blocked.

In the third quarter, Aiken sent another snap over Weigand’s head. The punter chased the ball down and almost managed to get a pooch punt off while running toward the sideline. The play, however, resulted in a loss of 30 yards and set up the Blue Devils’ lone touchdown.

“They were three bad snaps that kept us from really thoroughly grasping the initiative of the game,” said UVa coach Al Groh. “If those three snaps were eliminated from the game, then probably we’re in a better position.”

The miscues on special teams weren’t limited to just Aiken.

Andrew Pearman fumbled on a third-quarter kickoff return and the Blue Devils recovered on the UVa 19-yard line, setting up Joe Sturgan’s 21-yard field goal to pull the Devils to 17-14.

In the fourth quarter, Weigand had another punt partially blocked. However, the block appeared to happen due to poor protection.

Happy returns for Hall

Hall’s first punt return of his Virginia career was a dandy.

After the Blue Devils went three-and-out on their first possession, Hall lined up to receive Kevin Jones’ punt.

Hall fielded the kick on the left sideline, then raced across the field to the right sideline behind a well-built wall for a 67-yard return that took the ball down to the Devils’ 4-yard line.

“It’s a wall we turn to the right,” Groh said. “We were playing with twin safeties on that just because the tapes had shown the Duke punter had his troubles last week and was pretty erratic. What we didn’t want was an erratic kick hitting the ground and rolling and becoming unmanageable.

“The two [safeties] communicated well and set up a nice wall. Vic did a real good job taking it home.”

Hall ran out of steam and was taken down Patrick Bailey. One play later, quarterback Jameel Sewell found tight end Tom Santi for the Cavs’ first score.

“We knew it was going to be a big play for us and everybody got to where they were supposed to be,” Hall said. “They did a great job on the gunners and then it just opened up and made a great play. … We set a tone for the game with that play.”

Hall’s return was the longest by a Cavalier since Alvin Pearman ran a punt back 70 yards for a touchdown against Temple in 2004.

It was also the 14th longest in UVa history and the fourth-longest non-scoring punt return.

Extra points

Virginia freshman Ras-I Dowling became the fourth true freshman to play for the Cavs this season. He started on special teams Saturday and was credited with four tackles. “He’s demonstrated readiness,” Groh said. “He’s one of those promising young players whose game seems to be moving along. Looks like he’s ready for us. He was in the game and performed nicely for us.” … Tight end John Phillips took a big hit on the game’s opening kickoff and was forced to miss much of the action on Saturday. … Virginia game balls went to Hall, Sewell, quarterback Peter Lalich and defensive end Chris Long. … Long and fellow end Jeffrey Fitzgerald tied for the team lead with eight tackles apiece. Long recorded two sacks. … Linebackers Jermaine Dias and Darnell Carter did not dress for the game.

 

Lalich offers hope as U.Va. avoids upset
Freshman QB helps Cavaliers turn back Devils' challenge
Sunday, Sep 09, 2007 - 12:10 AM Updated: 12:53 AM
VIRGINIA 24, DUKE 13
Grading the three keys
B- Give the defense opportunities to rest. Virginia's offense wasn't great, but it improved significantly on its opening-day showing at Wyoming. The Cavaliers picked up 17 first downs and were 5 of 14 on third-down conversions.
A Take control early. Thanks to some stout defense on Duke's first two possessions, a 67-yard punt return by Vic Hall and a 58-yard touchdown run by Cedric Peerman, Virginia led 14-0 fewer than 7 minutes into the game.
B- Get the running game untracked. The holes weren't as big for Peerman in the second half, but the junior still finished with a career-high 137 yards on 19 carries. Starting quarterback Jameel Sewell ran well, too, gaining 33 yards on four carries.
-- Jeff White
 

By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The fans who endured the blazing sun and stuck around Scott Stadium until the fourth quarter yesterday left abuzz about No.7.

A top-shelf quarterback named Matt Schaub wore that jersey for the University of Virginia football team a few years back. Schaub would have appreciated the current user's performance yesterday.

Peter Lalich played one series in U.Va.'s opening-day loss at Wyoming last weekend. As expected, Lalich got more time yesterday, and his poise and accuracy helped Virginia hold off hapless Duke 24-13 before a crowd of 58,554 that thinned appreciatively as the game wore on.

On an afternoon when starter Jameel Sewell battled cramps in the first half, Lalich played six series, including the one that effectively sealed the victory for the Wahoos. The 6-5, 235-pound right-hander was 13 for 18 passing for 131 yards and one touchdown, and he wasn't picked off.

"The things that he does as a true freshman are remarkable," senior tight end Tom Santi said, "and we've got a lot of faith in him, as you can see."

Virginia (1-0, 1-1) led 17-2 at halftime, but Duke (0-1, 0-2) scored a touchdown, added the two-point conversion and booted a field goal to pull to 17-13 late in the third quarter. Lalich's first action of the second half came on a possession that started on the Wahoos' 18-yard line with 57 seconds left in the third.

Will the series that followed be remembered in U.Va. lore as The Drive? Probably not. The opponent was Duke, after all, and Ted Roof's club now has lost 22 consecutive games. Still, this was impressive stuff from a guy who had graduated from West Springfield High only a few months earlier.

When he got in the huddle, Lalich said after the game, "I told all the guys that this is the biggest series of the game. We needed to score and put [Duke] away, and I guess they listened. They blocked and they caught it, and we won."

Lalich coolly connected on 8 of 10 passes for 77 yards on the drive. His completions included a 19-yarder to senior tight end Jon Stupar, a 16-yarder to freshman wide receiver Staton Jobe, a 14-yarder to slotback Mikell Simpson and, finally, a 4-yard toss to Santi for the Cavaliers' final TD.

"It's been awhile since we saw one of those," Virginia coach Al Groh said of the drive, "and we did it with third-down conversions, we did it with some good passes, we did it with some real tough running, and obviously Pete and Tom hooked up real well on that touchdown."

Lalich is the first true freshman Groh has used at quarterback in his seven seasons as coach at U.Va.

"I always expect big things of myself," Lalich said, "but I didn't expect in my wildest dreams to be in as a true freshman."

Sewell, coming off the worst performance of his college career, played much better yesterday. On a two-play possession set up by Vic Hall's 67-yard punt return, Sewell tossed a 7-yard pass to Santi to put U.Va. ahead to stay barely three minutes into the game. The TD pass was Sewell's first since Virginia's seventh game last season.

With about seven minutes left in the first half, Sewell started cramping up, and he headed to the locker room early for an IV. The sophomore left-hander from Hermitage High finished 9 of 14 passing for 60 yards and one TD, and he carried four times for 33 yards.

And next weekend at North Carolina? Both quarterbacks will play, Groh said.

"I think that will be the plan from here on in. It's not a competition," he said. "It's utilizing all the weapons that we have and using all their players in their best capacity,"

Asked if Sewell would start against UNC, Groh said, "I would expect that to be the case, but we'll see how the game goes and how we decide to open the game."

Lalich said: "I think we both bring different things to the table, and I think we can win with both of us."

Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or jwhite@timesdispatch.com

Final score: Virginia 24, Duke 13
For starters: By the 8:13 mark of the first quarter, U.Va. led 14-0. The Cavaliers sputtered for much of the final 52 minutes, but that early lead cheered the surprisingly large crowd of 58,554 and gave coordinator Mike Groh's offense much-needed confidence. Virginia should have led by more than 17-2 at halftime, but special-teams blunders proved costly.
Turning point: Momentum had shifted dramatically in favor of Duke, which had rallied for 11 consecutive points to pull to 17-13, when U.Va. took over with 57 seconds left in the third quarter. True freshman quarterback Peter Lalich played almost flawlessly on the drive that followed. In 15 plays, the Cavaliers covered 82 yards, the final 4 coming on a third-down touchdown pass from Lalich to senior tight end Tom Santi. Chris Gould's PAT gave U.Va. a 24-13 lead, and Duke's window of oppportunity had closed.
Star of the game: Lalich, who at this time last year was starring for West Springfield High, didn't start yesterday, but he played the entire fourth quarter and left U.Va. fans buzzing. The 6-5, 235-pound right-hander completed 13 of 18 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown.
The big picture: The victory was Virginia's 10th consecutive over Duke. The loss was the Blue Devils' 22nd consecutive overall. U.Va. has won its past four ACC openers.
Quotable : "I don't think he played like a freshman today," Santi said of Lalich.
Go figure: 67 - That's how many yards sophomore Vic Hall gained on the first punt return of his college career. Not since Alvin Pearman, who went 70 yards for a touchdown against Temple in the 2004 opener, has a Cavalier had a punt return that long. Hall, who starts at cornerback, slipped away for a 13-yard gain on his second return yesterday.
Next : U.Va. (1-0, 1-1) plays Saturday at North Carolina in a game that Lincoln Financial/Raycom will televise. This game will be the Tar Heels' ACC opener. UNC, which opened with a win over Division I-AA James Madison last weekend, played at East Carolina last night.
- Jeff White
 

Cavs' case for progress unconvincing despite win
Sunday, Sep 09, 2007 - 12:06 AM
By JOHN MARKON
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

CHARLOTTESVILLE From a Virginia football fan's standpoint, watching the Cavaliers' 24-13 conquest of Duke yesterday had to be a little like visiting the doctor's office and being asked whether you want the bad news or the really bad news.

The bad news: The Cavs may not be quite as good as they looked in that 23-3 opening loss at Wyoming.

The really bad news: They don't get to play Duke again until 2008.

"We were better than we were last week," insisted U.Va. coach Al Groh, who understandably preferred a win to a loss, "and not as good as we'll need to be next week."

No one would have argued the second half of Groh's analysis. If the Cavs don't make some quick and quantum improvements, they may not be able to stage another victory party until next year's Duke game.

As for the first part of Groh's statement, it's always dicey to draw any conclusions after a win over Duke, currently hard at work on a 22-game losing streak. Last year's Cavaliers, a 5-7 flop, were able to roll into Durham and walk out with a 37-0 win. On offense, they were opportunistic. On defense, they dominated.

Yesterday's game was nothing like that and probably not because Duke's gotten a lot better. The Devils lost their opener 45-14 at home vs. Connecticut last week.

"This was a conference game, so you can forget all that," insisted Virginia halfback Cedric Peerman.

He was less than persuasive. Duke's last conference win has a sell-by date of November 2004.

A baked-out Scott Stadium crowd of 58,000 made its own value judgment. The stands started emptying before halftime, and 30 to 40 percent of the spectators were elsewhere by the start of the fourth quarter, which began with Virginia holding a 17-13 lead.

The early departures missed some impressive work by heralded freshman quarterback Peter Lalich, who jumped up off the bench to generate an 82-yard scoring drive that enabled the Cavaliers to achieve upset avoidance.

Lalich appears to be a drop-back, pro-style passer with excellent touch on his short throws, somewhat in the Matt Schaub mold. What the Cavs need to help him is some receivers in the "I can get open deep" mold. None were observed yesterday.

If Lalich didn't exist, Groh would have been tempted to invent him. This could be another year where Groh winds up selling hope and patience in lieu of victories. If nothing else, Lalich represents considerable hope.

It was just a year ago, of course, that Groh said he was "playing this year's schedule with next year's players," a line any coach ought not be permitted to drop more than once a decade.

The real tipoff on the state of Groh's confidence came in the third period, when Virginia (leading 14-2) was faced with a fourth-and-1 on its 30-yard line. Daringly (recklessly? desperately?), Groh kept his offense on the field and went for the first down.

By the time everyone realized exactly how much Groh was risking on one turn of the big wheel, fullback Rashawn Jackson had punched out a 3-yard gain.

Much has been made of the "softness" of Virginia's upcoming schedule, but yesterday was as soft as it's going to get all year and the Cavs were far less than convincing.

"We'll build on this," said Chris Long, the senior defensive end. "This was a nice step forward from the Wyoming game, but we won't stop here."

If they do, their win total could very well stop at one.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Sunday, Sep 09, 2007 - 12:06 AM

Peerman powers Cavs' ground game
Through his first two seasons at Virginia, tailback Cedric Peerman never rushed for more than 69 yards in a game. By the end of the first quarter yesterday, he'd surpassed that mark.

Peerman, a junior from William Campbell High, finished with 137 yards and one touchdown on 19 carries.

On his third carry, Peerman got excellent open-field blocks from guard Ian-Yates Cunningham and wide receiver Staton Jobe and raced 58 yards for his first touchdown since 2005.

The longest run by a U.Va. running back last season was a 29-yarder by Jason Snelling. Peerman's 137 yards rushing were the most by a Cavalier since Alvin Pearman ran for 147 against Virginia Tech in 2004.

"I love Cedric," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "Maybe Cedric isn't going to win the Heisman Trophy, but there's certain backs that have to carry the flag for their team, and they do that with their heart as much as with their skill. And that's the great value that Cedric has for our team. When he's carrying the ball, he's carrying the flag for the team, too."

A game to forget for long-snapper
The Cavaliers' new long-snapper, true freshman Danny Aiken, made an excellent debut against Wyoming last weekend. He had a game to forget against Duke.

Aiken had three bad snaps yesterday. On the first, he snapped the ball over punter Ryan Weigand's head and out of the end zone for a safety late in the first quarter.

Midway through the second quarter, U.Va.'s Chris Gould lined up to attempt a 22-yard field goal. Aiken's snap was low, and the operation broke down. Gould's kick was blocked, and Duke's Rodney Ezzard picked up the ball and returned it 61 yards to the Virginia 34.

Finally, late in the third quarter, Aiken's snapped another ball over Weigand's head. Weigand was able to turn around and catch the ball one the bounce, but his attempt at an Australian Rules kick -- with his off foot -- failed, and Duke took over at U.Va.'s 16. Three plays later, the Blue Devils scored a touchdown to pull to 17-10.

"I feel like let the team down," Aiken said, "but the only thing I can do is come back next week."

Aiken hasn't had those problems in practice, Groh said, "but those obviously were pretty impactful on the game. That's something we'll really have to keep a handle on here."

Lalich, Sewell, Hall, Long given game balls
Groh awarded game balls to Peter Lalich, Jameel Sewell, Vic Hall and Chris Long. Lalich and Sewell combined to complete 22 of 32 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns. Hall, who starts at cornerback, had two punt returns for 80 yards, with a long of 67.

Long, a senior defensive end, had two sacks for the second straight week.

U.Va.'s players had to deal with the altitude of Laramie, Wyo., which is 7,200 feet above sea level. Yesterday, it was the summer heat of Charlottesville.

"If you start thinking about things like that, you start to give yourself excuses mentally," Long said. "And when you start making excuses for yourself in your head, you start to break down. I just go out and play and have fun. It's football."

Cavaliers receive Devils' assistance
Duke, being Duke, gave U.Va. plenty of help. Blue Devils kicker Joe Surgan was only 1 for 4 on field goals, missing from 45, 26 and 40 yards.

Virginia wasn't much sharper. Aiken's poor snaps weren't the only issue. The Cavaliers lost two fumbles and were penalized five times for 44 yards.

With about four minutes, a U.Va. punt was blocked.

Dowling delivers special effort in debut
Ras-I Dowling, in his college debut, made four tackles yesterday, all on special teams. Dowling, a cornerback from Chesapeake, became the fourth true freshman to play for U.Va. this season, joining Lalich, Aiken and wide receiver Dontrelle Inman.

Also yesterday, Rashawn Jackson got his first work as a U.Va. ballcarrier. A sophomore who switched from linebacker to fullback in the offseason, Jackson did not carry against Wyoming. He rushed four times for 13 yards yesterday. -- Jeff White
 

UVa good enough for Duke
The Cavaliers' first win comes with the help of Peter Lalich.
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Forget that Virginia had trouble putting away a Duke football team that now has lost 22 games in a row.

All anybody wanted to talk about Saturday was the home debut of freshman quarterback Peter Lalich.

"I'll sing his praises all day long," said teammate Chris Long after the Cavaliers' 24-13 victory at Scott Stadium.

"I was so clueless when I was his age."

Virginia (1-1, 1-0 ACC) required only five offensive plays to take a 14-0 first-quarter lead, but kicking-game woes found the Cavaliers clinging to a 17-13 lead after three quarters.

Head coach Al Groh inserted Lalich with 57 seconds remaining in the third period and Lalich took the Cavaliers on a 15-play, 82-yard touchdown drive that included three third-down conversions.

"I don't know how everybody says I looked comfortable," said Lalich, a 6-foot-5, 235-pounder from Springfield. "I felt nervous the whole time."

Lalich completed 9 of 14 attempts for 131 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tom Santi with 9:39 remaining.

"The things that he's doing as a true freshman are remarkable," Santi said. "We've got a lot of faith in him, as you can see. I don't think he played like a freshman today."

Lalich received one of four game balls awarded by the UVa staff, as did Sewell, who finished 9-of-14 for 60 yards and threw a touchdown pass for the first time in seven games.

"Both quarterbacks' lines were good," said Groh, who was evasive on the subject of a starter for next Saturday's visit to North Carolina. "We were up around 67 percent today. It's been a while since we've seen 67 percent."

The Cavaliers also got a career-high 137 yards from junior tailback Cedric Peerman on an afternoon when they outgained the Blue Devils 324-229, but special-teams miscues almost became UVa's undoing.

Freshman long snapper Danny Aiken from Cave Spring twice sailed the ball over the head of punter Ryan Weigand and Duke (0-2, 0-1) came away with 10 points on a safety and touchdown, which was followed by a two-point conversion.

Aiken was nearly perfect one week earlier on 11 snaps at Wyoming and had not experienced any problems in practice, "but those were pretty impactful today," Groh said.

UVa also had a field goal blocked after a low snap by Aiken, and the Blue Devils also blocked a Weigand punt when Crutcher Reiss was subbing as the UVa snapper.

After Duke cut the deficit to 17-10, things got really dicey when Andrew Pearman fumbled the ensuing kickoff, giving possession back to the Blue Devils at the UVa 19.

A 12-yard run by Tielor Robinson took the Blue Devils to the UVa 7, but Duke had to settle for Joe Surgan's 26-yard field goal with 1:37 left in the third quarter.

Surgan missed field-goal attempts of 45, 26 and 40 yards on an afternoon when both teams had to cover their eyes in kicking situations.

"The missed opportunities just ripped our guts out," said Duke coach Ted Roof, whose team has the longest active losing streak in Division I-A.

UVa owed its early lead to a special-teams play, Vic Hall's 67-yard punt return to the Duke 4. It was the first college punt return for Hall, who joined Pearman in a double-safety arrangement stemming from Duke's short punts in its opener.

Virginia followed its first, two-play touchdown drive with a three-play, 82-yard drive that was capped by a 58-yard Peerman touchdown run. With 8:13 left in the first quarter, UVa led 14-0.

The Cavaliers subsequently lost two fumbles and were called for five holding penalties, one of which the Blue Devils declined.

"Upsetting," was Groh's one-word reaction to the penalties. "We've got some veteran players in there."

He also had some veteran players on a defense that allowed 471 yards in a 23-3 loss at Wyoming but kept the heat on Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.

Duke quarterbacks were sacked nine times in a 37-0 home loss to Virginia in 2006, so Lewis was taking three-step drops and throwing short most of the time Saturday.

That didn't prevent Virginia from sacking him five times, including two by Long, whose four sacks in two games leaves him just a half sack behind last year's season total.

During one late-game series, Long sacked Lewis on second down, forced a holding penalty that was declined on third down and then sacked Lewis again on fourth down.

"Chris Long, again, was outstanding," Groh said.

In general, it was not an outstanding performance by the Cavaliers, who entered the game as 16-point favorites.

"It was like a great story with a lot of misspelled words," Groh said. "We're real pleased about [the outcome]. We were better than we were last week. We're not as good as we need to be this week, but that's for tomorrow."

Compile at least 300 yards in total offense -- B: The Cavaliers finished with 324 yards, a vast improvement over their total of 110 at Wyoming, but only 128 of that came in the second half, 82 on one drive. The offense wasn't great.


Don't give up any cheap touchdowns-- D: The Blue Devils scored their lone touchdown after a 30-yard UVa loss on a botched punt and added a quick field goal after a fumbled kickoff. If it weren't for cheap scores, Duke might not have scored at all.


Get off to a quick start -- A: You can't ask for much more than two touchdowns in the first seven minutes. Virginia has now scored on its first possession on eight of its last 18 games with Duke.
 

Groh vague on Sewell
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia football coach Al Groh left the impression Saturday that sophomore Jameel Sewell would remain the Cavaliers' starting quarterback, but as sometimes happens, Groh's wording was ambiguous.

"I would expect that to be the case," Groh said, "but we'll see how the game goes and how we decide to open the game."

What?

Sewell and true freshman quarterback Peter Lalich both received game balls after the Cavaliers' 24-13 victory over Duke, but Lalich was in the game for the final quarter.

"We're going to use both players and they both bring some significant things to the team," Groh said. "They give us two sets of weapons. The players themselves, the team, everybody's in consort with it."

There was reason to believe the Cavaliers were prepared to use Lalich, no longer free to take a redshirt year after playing the final series in UVa's opener at Wyoming. He entered the game with 5:58 remaining in the first half.

"The trainer came up with about seven minutes to go in the first half and said, 'Jameel is starting to cramp; what do you want us to do?' " Groh said. "I said, 'Make sure it doesn't explode into a full-blown cramping issue,' and with two minutes to go, I told him to 'take him in right now and start the IV.' "

Sewell had taken the Cavaliers down the field on the previous drive, which stalled as the result of one of five UVa holding penalties. However, when Lalich made his first appearance of the second half, the Cavaliers were clearly struggling.

On a third-and-14 pass from the UVa 42, Sewell completed a 5-yard pass to Jon Stupar and there were boos as the offense left the field. Sewell did not play again.

Virginia clearly needed a spark at that time and Lalich (pronounced LAH-lick) provided it, although Groh chose his words carefully.

"We were hoping to switch into just a little different style of play," Groh said. "We didn't have a plan for it, other than to play both players."

Head held high

True freshman Danny Aiken from Roanoke was the first player to meet with the media on an afternoon when he twice snapped the ball over the head of punter Ryan Weigand and bounced a snap to holder Vic Hall on a field-goal attempt that was blocked.

"There was one wet ball, but, for the most part, it was just a bad day on my part," said Aiken, a quarterback at Cave Spring High School before taking a postgraduate year at Fork Union.

"You don't like to see that. It was poor mechanics, something I should be able to fix. The first bad [snap], it was a little depressing. I bounced back, but then I came up high again.

"I did great last week [at Wyoming]. I had jitters last week but I was more excited today. For the most part, I didn't keep my butt down. That's usually what happens on my high snaps."

Walk-on Crutcher Reiss replaced Aiken on punt snaps during the fourth quarter, but Aiken did the snapping for UVa's final point-after kick.

Milestone

A third-quarter interception by junior linebacker Jon Copper (Northside) was the first of his college career. Copper, credited with a 6-yard interception, also had his fifth career sack.

n Defensive back Ras-I Dowling became the fourth true freshman to play for Virginia in the first two games. The final stats showed Dowling with one solo tackle and three assists on special teams.

Injury

Junior tight end John Phillips from Bath County was knocked woozy on the opening kickoff and returned only briefly before his dizziness returned and "that was him for the day," Groh said.

Two other UVa tight ends, Tom Santi and Jon Stupar, accounted for 10 of UVa's 22 receptions.

Virginia next weekend

The Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0 ACC) will visit North Carolina for a noon kickoff (WDBJ). It will be the first time Virginia has faced Butch Davis as the Tar Heels' coach, although Davis coached against UVa in the 1996 Carquest Bowl, won by Miami 31-21. Virginia defeated Carolina last year in Charlottesville, 23-0 but was a 7-5 loser in its last trip to Chapel Hill in 2005.
 

Cavs overcome mistakes, hand Devils their 22nd straight loss
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 9, 2007 | Last updated 10:46 PM Sep. 8
CHARLOTTESVILLE

It was an improvement. Then again, it was Duke.

Virginia's 24-13 win Saturday comes with the big asterisk that any victory over the Blue Devils, who have now dropped 22 straight games, has to carry.

It also came with mistakes that would have cost the Cavaliers against virtually any other team. And, since it just wouldn't be an early-season Virginia game without some intrigue at the quarterback position, it had a dose of that, too.

Still, given their anemic performance in a 23-3 loss at Wyoming last week, the Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0 ACC) were happy to file this one in the "We'll take it" category, and look ahead to North Carolina on Saturday.

"We were better than we were last week," coach Al Groh said. "We're not as good as we need to be next week."

That summed up an afternoon in which long snapper Danny Aiken sailed two balls over punter Ryan Weigand's head, one resulting in a Duke safety. A third errant snap, this one low, resulted in a field goal being blocked and returned 61 yards to the Cavaliers' 34. Weigand also had a punt blocked.

Virginia also lost two fumbles in its own territory. Not that Duke (0-2, 0-1) was able to take advantage. The Blue Devils missed three field goals and had another scoring chance snuffed out by an interception.

"The missed opportunities just ripped our guts out," Duke coach Ted Roof said.

Particularly after Duke bounced back resiliently from an early 14-0 deficit, the result of a couple of big U.Va. plays: a 67-yard punt return by Vic Hall and a 58-yard touchdown run by Cedric Peerman.

Peerman's run alone represented more than half of Virginia's entire offensive production last week, when it managed just 100 yards total against Wyoming. The figure was given last week as 110, but a mid-week change in the stats means it will forever stand as 100.

No matter the number, no one needed to tell the Cavaliers that they needed a drastically better offensive performance.

"We wanted to prove to ourselves and to everybody else that we could move the ball," tight end Tom Santi said.

Virginia did, with two quarterbacks. Sophomore Jameel Sewell started, but once again, true freshman Peter Lalich finished.

Groh planned to play both, and got an opportunity when Sewell began cramping on the sideline with seven minutes left in the first half.

Lalich finished the half and led a drive that resulted in a field goal that made it 17-2. Sewell started the second half and played three series that ended punt, fumble, punt.

The 6-foot-5 Lalich returned to a 17-13 game and closed out both it and Duke. Standing patiently in the pocket, holding the ball until receivers cleared, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 131 yards and a game-clinching 4-yard touchdown toss to Santi with 9:39 left.

"He's got very good poise and very good presence," Groh said. "He sees the field very well."

Sewell played better than a week ago, but was not as sharp as Lalich. Groh said he expects Sewell to start next week, but for both players to play throughout the season.

It's not a competition, he said, but a way of utilizing the differing skills of each.

Groh pointed out that Sewell and Lalich combined to complete 67 percent of their passes, a figure Virginia hadn't reached since last October. It had also been seven games since the Cavaliers had thrown a touchdown pass. Sewell and Lalich each threw one Saturday.

Modest improvement, to be sure, but enough to set off emotions the players had not felt in a while.

After Santi's touchdown catch, defensive end Chris Long, who led the team with eight tackles and two sacks, was feeling particularly excited, he said.

"I told Tom I loved him about six times after he caught the ball," Long said, laughing. "And I meant it, at that point."

 

U.Va. Report: Long snapper's home debut sails far off course
By ED MILLER , The Virginian-Pilot
© September 9, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

When you're the long snapper, nobody knows your name unless you screw up.

Everyone in Scott Stadium knew Danny Aiken's name on Saturday.

The true freshman from Roanoke had a nightmarish second college game, sending two snaps sailing over punter Ryan Weigand's head, one resulting in a safety.

Aiken also skidded a snap to holder Vic Hall that resulted in a Chris Gould field-goal attempt being blocked.

All of this came after a flawless debut against Wyoming last Saturday.

Aiken, who was recruited and awarded a scholarship just to be the long snapper, blamed poor mechanics, possibly the result of nerves, he said.

"I kept my butt too high," he said. "That's what happens on my high snaps."

Aiken's first punt snap, from the Virginia 25, sailed into the end zone for a safety.

His next one was fine, but the one after that also sailed high. In between, he missed low on the field-goal snap.

"Those were obviously pretty impactful on the game," coach Al Groh said.

So much that sophomore Crutcher Reiss replaced Aiken for two fourth-quarter snaps.

Aiken said he'll need a little time, but he expects to bounce back.

"I did great last week," Aiken said. "I'll be fine."

Peerman runs for career-best 137 yards

Tailback Cedric Peerman ran for 58 yards the third time he touched the ball, on his way to a career-high 137 yards, the most by a Virginia player since Alvin Pearman rushed for 147 against Virginia Tech in 2004.

After rushing for minus-3 yards last week, Virginia was credited with 133 Saturday. The actual total gained was 190, but the Cavaliers lost 57 on two bad punt snaps.

Peerman ran more aggressively than a week ago, bouncing off tackles and getting many of his yards after contact.

The soft-spoken Peerman credited his offensive line, which had a good day in pass protection also, not allowing a sack. Still, Virginia was called for four holding penalties and had a fifth declined.

"Upsetting," Groh said. "We've got some veteran players in there."

Deep Creek's Dowling makes his debut

True freshman Ras-I Dowling from Deep Creek made his U.Va. debut on Saturday, becoming the fourth first-year player to see action.

Dowling was credited with four tackles on special teams, one solo.

"He's one of those progressing young players whose game seems to be moving along," Groh said.

Groh said Dowling, who prepped at Hargrave Military Academy last year, is just one slot away from getting into the rotation at cornerback.
 

Lalich sparks UVa. over Duke
QB Peter Lalich turns in a performance beyond his years as U.Va. holds on for win over Duke.
By MELINDA WALDROP
Daily Press
CHARLOTTESVILLE

The politically correct line holds that the quarterback job at the University of Virginia is a two-party position.

But with many more drives like the one that saved Saturday's game and possibly the Cavaliers' season, freshman Peter Lalich won't be sharing the spotlight for long.

With Duke within four points in the fourth quarter and eyeing an end to its 21-game losing streak, Lalich stepped into the huddle on first-and-10 at Virginia's own 18.

"I told all our guys that this was the biggest series of the game," Lalich said. "We needed to score, and we were gonna put them away."

Eighty-two yards, 15 plays and 6:18 later, Lalich did just that with a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tom Santi that gave the Cavaliers a 24-13 victory in their ACC opener at Scott Stadium.

Lalich threw for 131 yards and a touchdown, completing 13 of his 18 pass attempts after making his first appearance on Virginia's second possession of the second quarter. Starting quarterback Jameel Sewell was 9-of-14 for 60 yards and threw his first TD pass since last Oct. 14 against Maryland.

U.Va. coach Al Groh said Sewell, a sophomore, was limited by cramps in the first half, but also made it clear that the two-QB rotation is here to stay.

"We didn't have a plan for (Saturday) other than we were gonna play both players, and I think that would be the plan from here on in," Groh said. "It's not a competition. It's utilizing all the weapons that we have and using all the players in their best capacity."

Lalich came to U.Va. after throwing for 3,134 yards and 33 touchdowns -- completing 208 of 307 pass attempts -- as a senior at West Springfield High. He was ranked the No. 10 quarterback in the nation by SuperPrep and rated the country's No. 5 pro-style quarterback by Rivals.com.

"When a quarterback's throwing the ball that many times in the game, you know how many times he's throwing it in practice," Groh said. "So it probably puts him many thousands of throws ahead of where some other kids come into college."

As a high school junior, Lalich -- who played wide receiver as a sophomore -- completed 192 of his 332 pass attempts for 2,671 yards and 22 touchdowns, giving him an even 400 completions on 639 attempts in two seasons. "I always expect big things of myself, but I didn't expect in my wildest dreams to be (playing) as a true freshman," Lalich said.

His performance on Saturday eased some of pain of the Cavs' 23-3 season-opening loss to Wyoming and the pressure on Groh and his coaching staff, coming off a 5-7 season and under fire after last weekend's lackluster effort. U.Va. (1-1, 1-0 ACC) had 324 yards of offense against Duke (0-2, 0-1 ACC), 224 more than it managed at Wyoming.

Two hundred and two of those came on the ground, a week after a belatedly computed sack reduced the Cavs' team rushing total to negative-3 yards.

There was still plenty of cause for concern, though.

A high snap on a punt resulted in a Duke safety with 2:18 to play in the first quarter, and another led to Thaddeus Lewis' 16-yard TD pass to Jomar Wright as the Blue Devils closed within 17-10 with 2:51 left in the third.

Then, Andrew Pearman fumbled the ensuing kickoff, leading to a Blue Devil field goal. It was one of two fumbles lost by the Cavs, who also saw a field goal attempt blocked because of a low snap and had a punt blocked.

But that's when Lalich took over. On the first play of the fourth quarter, he completed a 6-yard pass to fellow true freshman Dontrelle Inman.

On third-and-4, he hit tailback Keith Payne on a short slant that Payne turned into a first down.

Three plays later, facing another third-and-4, Lalich found tight end Jonathan Stupar over the middle at the first-down marker.

He then completed a 9-yard pass to Santi and a 16-yard pass to Staton Jobe before a 14-yard, cross-field throw to Mikell Simpson set up first-and-goal from the 1.

Then, on third-and-goal from the 4, Lalich floated a pass to Santi in the left corner of the end zone for some much-needed breathing room with 9:39 left in the game.

"That's a big-time drive," said Santi, a senior who also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Sewell early in the first quarter to double his TD total from last season. "He orchestrated it. He did well under pressure, had a lot of poise. It's exciting. He knows when it's time to play."

For Lalich, that time may be now.

 

UVa. notes: Cavs will stick with two-quarterback system
By MELINDA WALDROP | Daily Press
10:13 PM EDT, September 8, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Virginia's two-quarterback look is apparently not a passing fad.

In Saturday's 24-13 win against Duke, Virginia sophomore Jameel Sewell and true freshman Peter Lalich split time behind center, with Sewell starting and Lalich coming in in the second quarter in a pattern U.Va. coach Al Groh said is likely to repeat itself next week at North Carolina.

Groh's players seem to have no problem with that.

"Both of the guys, I can't say enough about them," said defensive end Chris Long, lauding Sewell's ability to make plays with his feet and Lalich's poise in the pocket. " .... With (Sewell), you've got the legs, and with Pete, you've got a young guy who really is just ahead of the curve with picking up defenses and stuff. I don't know enough about quarterback to really break it down, but I know when I play two guys like that, you have to prepare differently." But couldn't that also be said of an offense having to follow two signal-callers?

"I really don't notice a difference. ... They're both very calm," tailback Cedric Peerman said. "Jameel's a little bit louder. He'll talk to you a little bit more."

Earlier this week, Groh likened the attack he envisions with Sewell and Lalich to the two-headed QB system used to national championship effect by Florida last season with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow. While the Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0 ACC) may be a ways from title contention, Peerman and tight end Tom Santi, who caught a touchdown pass from each quarterback on Saturday, repeated the Gator comparison on Saturday.

"It all depends on how the team accepts it," Santi said. "If you have two guys competing for the job, or you feel like one guy's getting slighted, then that's gonna be disruptive to the team. We don't feel that way. That's not the way it's been presented to us, and that's not the way those guys feel about it. They both know that they can do things to help us win, and we know they will."

GETTING UNTRACKED

Peerman, limited to just 18 yards in Virginia's season-opening 23-3 loss at Wyoming last weekend, reeled off 137 yards on 19 carries -- the most yards by a Cavalier back since Alvin Pearman had 147 against Virginia Tech in 2004. Peerman, who had 120 yards at halftime, also broke a 58-yard run for a touchdown that put Virginia up 14-0 with 8:13 to play in the first quarter, the longest run U.Va. run from scrimmage since Michael Johnson's 70-yard TD at Syracuse in the second game of the 2005 season.

"It feels great," Peerman said. "It's a great confidence-booster for our team."

Peerman's preferred style on Saturday was a straight-ahead bull rush, as he often bounced off would-be tacklers or dragged them for extra yardage.

"Maybe Cedric isn't gonna win the Heisman Trophy, but there's certain backs that have to carry the flag for your team, and they do that with their heart as much as with their skill," Groh said. "That's the great value that Cedric has for our team."

POSTIVE PLAYMAKING

Expectations were high entering the season for sophomore wide receiver-running back hybrid Mikell Simpson. But Simpson's only touch against Wyoming resulted in a 10-yard loss on a reverse, and on Saturday, he fumbled after catching a 9-yard pass in the third quarter.

Simpson was bailed out by junior linebacker Jon Copper, who came up with the first interception of his career to derail the Blue Devils' drive, then redeemed himself in the fourth quarter with a 14-yard catch on second-and-10 from the 15 that gave U.Va. first-and-goal. He nearly scored on the play, appearing to spin into the end zone, but the officials ruled he stepped out of bounds.

"That's really his first significant play here," Groh said. "Now he's got something to be proud of and something to build off of."

ODDS AND ENDS

Duke's effort to avoid extending the nation's longest losing streak to 22 games wasn't helped by its kicking game, as the Blue Devils' Joe Surgan missed field goals of 45, 26 and 40 yards. ... The win was the 600th in the history of Virginia football. The Cavaliers, now 600-521-48, join Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Virginia Tech as ACC schools with 600 victories. ... Vic Hall's first career punt return went 67 yards in the first quarter and set up U.Va.'s first TD. It was the longest Cavs return since Alvin Pearman's 70-yarder for a touchdown against Temple in 2004.

 

Devils better, but not enough
By BRYAN STRICKLAND : The Herald-Sun
bstrickland@heraldsun.com
Sep 8, 2007 : 11:48 pm ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- After playing the second half of their season opener on the wrong side of midfield, the Duke Blue Devils flipped the field on Virginia.

But at the end of the day, the Blue Devils weren't doing any backflips.

Special teams miscues by Virginia and breakthroughs by Duke put the Blue Devils in prime position to end their long losing streak, but the Devils didn't turn improved field position into improved production on the scoreboard and came up short 24-13 at Scott Stadium on Saturday.

A week after losing a halftime lead to Connecticut in part by losing the battle of field position in lopsided fashion, the Devils found themselves with the momentum on their side and with the ball on Virginia's side of midfield repeatedly down the stretch.

But a pair of bad snaps on Virginia punts, a lost fumble on a Virginia kickoff return and a blocked field goal and a blocked punt weren't enough to help Duke overcome its mental block for winning.

"When you do things like that, you're supposed to win the football game," said Duke coach Ted Roof, whose Blue Devils (0-2, 0-1 ACC) dropped their 22nd consecutive game. "The field position in the second half was about the opposite of what it was last week, but when you don't come away with points and you don't convert those opportunities, it ends up costing you.

"The missed opportunities just rip your guts out."

The special teams efforts and a strong defensive effort following a slow start earned the Devils six possessions that started from their own 44-yard line and in _ including four drives that started on Virginia's side of midfield. Duke did get a safety, a field goal and a touchdown out of the opportunities, but the Devils also missed three field goals and turned it over on another occasion.

"We got a lot of turnovers; we've just to do something with them next time," Duke senior safety Chris Davis said. "For the young guys it's something to be encouraged about, but for the older guys, we've been there before and this game was too close to let slip away.

"We've got to find a way, somehow."

Virginia (1-1, 1-0 ACC) had a comfortable cushion at halftime, ahead 17-2, but the Blue Devils took them out of their comfort zone.

Virginia punter Ryan Weigand led the nation in punting after one week and Duke punter Kevin Jones ranked near the bottom, but Jones averaged nearly 43 yards Saturday while Weigand was in reverse -- literally. Midway through the third quarter, Weigand had to chase down a second airmailed snap (one in the first half resulted in a safety), setting Duke up at the 16-yard line.

Duke quarterback Thad Lewis hit Jomar Wright across the middle for a 16-yard score, one that brought Duke within 17-10 after Lewis hit fullback Tielor Robinson on a two-point conversion.

On the kickoff, Duke true freshman Adam Banks tracked down returner Andrew Pearman, stripped the ball and recovered it, putting Duke within 19 yards of tying the score. The Blue Devils drove to the 4 but no farther, settling for a 21-yard field goal from Joe Surgan to make it 17-13 late in the third quarter.

But for Surgan -- and for the offense -- that was as good as it got. Virginia answered with a 15-play, 82-yard march directed by backup quarterback Peter Lalich that ate up more than six minutes. The Cavaliers converted a trio of third downs on the drive, including Lalich's 4-yard TD pass to tight end Tom Santi.

The Devils tried to bounce back, but their determined drive to get back within one score stalled and then soured when Surgan missed a 40-yard field goal with seven minutes to play.

The misfire was Surgan's third of the day to go with misses from 45 and 26 yards in the first half that were set up by good field position following the safety and following Vincent Rey's block of a 22-yard field goal that Rodney Ezzard had returned 61 yards to the Virginia 34.

"I had a great week, a great preseason and a great off-season. So to come in here and not be able to help your team win, it's real gut-wrenching and upsetting," Surgan said. "I came up here today to win a football game, and to not be to help the team do that and to feel like I was a major reason why it happened, it's not a great feeling."

The Devils would have been in better shape if Surgan had been attempting extra points rather than field goals -- like Virginia's kicker. The Cavs claimed a 14-0 lead when Vince Hall returned Jones' first punt 67 yards down to the Duke 4, setting up a 7-yard touchdown pass from starting quarterback Jameel Seward to Santi.

On Virginia's next possession, tailback Cedric Peerman -- who accounted for 138 of the team's 324 yards -- got loose for a 58-yard touchdown.

Duke answered, but rarely with touchdowns. The Devils were marginally better on offense than in their opener, grinding out 229 yards, but they weren't good enough even with field position on their side.

"It's very disappointing being on the offense and having 11 guys coming back -- we've got to be able to perform better under pressure and execute when our chance comes," said Wright, who blocked a punt in addition to his TD reception. "As a whole group, everybody has got to come back this week and do better.

"We keep saying that each week, but something's got to change because we're not winning games and we should be."


 

Duke's bright spots snuffed out
Second-half rally falls short, wide
Luciana Chavez, Staff Writer

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - It's a peculiar thing, specific to Duke football, that the still-winless Blue Devils could get beat 24-13 by Virginia at Scott Stadium on Saturday and walk away both encouraged and disgusted.
Those are the emotions the Blue Devils (0-2, 0-1 ACC) have to carry whenever they give up a big early 14-0 lead, then clamp down on defense and special teams to get back in the game.

They felt those raw emotions when their offense, the one that couldn't get past midfield in the second half last week, took three trips inside Virginia's 20-yard line in the third quarter.

The Devils squeezed the Cavaliers hard when they trailed by four and needed a stop, but saw Virginia freshman quarterback Peter Lalich lead the Cavs on a 15-play, 86-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter to snuff out Duke's threat.

"There's a fine line between winning and losing and we go back to looking at the chances we had to [win]," said Duke coach Ted Roof, now 5-36 in his tenure. "For whatever reason, it didn't happen. Whatever happens you've got to play through it."

Duke again had trouble with the kicking game. Kicker Joe Surgan missed three of his four field-goal attempts, one short, two wide.

Surgan needn't shoulder all of the blame. Two of those attempts, both in the second quarter, were forced because the Devils' offense stumbled on third-and-short on back-to-back possessions.

On third-and-4, quarterback Thaddeus Lewis underthrew a screen pass to Ronnie Drummer. On third-and-1 on the next possession, Lewis was sacked.

"I had a great week, a great preseason and a whole great offseason," Surgan said. "I thought to come in here and not be able to help [my] team win is gut-wrenching and upsetting."

Duke's special teams keyed the comeback from a 17-2 deficit.

First, redshirt freshman punter Kevin Jones, shaky at best against Connecticut, averaged 42.8 yards per kick against Virginia.

In the second quarter, sophomore linebacker Vincent Rey boosted the Devils when he blocked a field-goal attempt and senior special-teamer Rodney Ezzard returned the ball 61 yards.

The frustrating moments and the bright spots spilled over for Duke in the third quarter.

Early in the third, Duke linebacker Michael Tauiliili, making his first start since his one-game suspension, forced a fumble that teammate Marcus Jones recovered. That drive ended when Lewis threw an interception.

Later in the third, Virginia long snapper Danny Aiken sent the ball over punter Ryan Weigand's head. Wright and Glenn Williams chased Weigand and the ball down to the Virginia 16.

Three plays later, Wright crossed the field and hauled in a 16-yard touchdown pass from Lewis on third down for the score. Fullback Tielor Robinson ran in the conversion to make it 17-10.

When Duke kicked off, special-teamer Adam Banks stripped kick returner Andy Pearman and fell on the ball at the Virginia 19.

This time, Duke couldn't punch it in, failing to convert on third-and-goal from the Virginia 7.

So how do the Devils stop the streak at 22 losses when it goes to Northwestern?

"We have to execute, we have to protect, we have to catch the ball, we have to run blocks from all positions ... the quarterback has to do better with the line," Wright said.

"We keep saying it each week but something has got to change because we are not winning games and we should be."

KEY PLAY

Duke (0-2, 0-1 ACC) trailed 17-13 before Virginia got the ball back at the end of the third quarter. Twice during that early fourth-quarter drive, Duke faced third-and-4. Twice the Devils had the ballcarrier stopped short of a first down. Twice Virginia squeaked by for 5 yards. Those Duke misses keyed a 15-play, 82-yard scoring drive that sealed a win for the Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0).

WHY VIRGINIA WON

Because it jumped on Duke early. When Vic Hall ran back the game's first punt 67 yards to set up an easy score, and then Cedric Peerman went on a 58-yard scoring run the next series, Duke had to scramble.

KEY STAT

5

Virginia sacked Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis five times, several times with tight coverage in the secondary on Duke's receivers. Lewis has been sacked nine times in two games, even though Duke's entire starting offensive line returned.

 

UVa downs Duke with a two-quarterback attack
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 9, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - For the record, it's not a competition. It's a rotation.
Virginia coach Al Groh picks his words very carefully when it comes to his quarterbacks. He intended to use both Jameel Sewell and Peter Lalich in Saturday's 24-13 win over Duke and was true to his word.

But when the game was on the line, when Virginia needed to put together a sustained drive that could eat some clock, put points on the board and give the Cavaliers some breathing room, it was Lalich who led the way.

He didn't look overwhelmed. The true freshman was in charge of Virginia's best drive of the season, a 15-play, 82-yard clock-killer that ate up over six minutes and ended with Lalich finding Tom Santi for his first career touchdown pass.

"It's a big-time drive," said Santi, who had 54 receiving yards and two touchdowns Saturday, double his total of last season. "He orchestrated it. He did well under pressure. He had a lot of poise."

Santi added one more thing, a foreign concept to the Cavaliers' offense of late: "It's exciting."

Lalich went 13-for-18 for 131 yards and a touchdown in his second career appearance, helping Virginia (1-1, 1-0 ACC) salvage an ugly win that featured special teams meltdowns in all facets.

"We kind of won in spite of ourselves," defensive end Chris Long said.

Normally, an 11-point win against a Blue Devils team that has now lost 22 straight wouldn't be anything to get worked up about. Not after the opening week debacle at Wyoming.

"Any step forward is a great step for us," cornerback Vic Hall said. "Next week we've got to take an even bigger step."

Lalich appeared to take a giant leap. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound freshman played the final two drives of the first half when Sewell went to the locker room with cramps, leading UVa to a field goal as time expired to make it 17-2 at halftime.

Sewell made way for Lalich in the second half for a different reason - ineffectiveness. Sewell was in on three drives after the break that totaled 43 yards, two first downs and zero points.

"We were just looking for a different style of play," Groh said.

Lalich supplied it. The majority of Sewell's throws were short. Despite a 9-for-14 afternoon, his longest completion was seven yards. Lalich completed five passes that went for 10 yards or more.

Duke (0-2, 0-1 ACC) pulled within 17-13 in the third quarter, scoring 11 points as a result of a pair of costly UVa special teams miscues - Danny Aiken's botched snap on a punt and Andrew Pearman's fumble on a kickoff return.

That's when Groh went to Lalich for a second time. Lalich didn't buckle. In moving the Cavaliers 82 yards, he completed 8 of 10 for 77 yards, twice converting third downs to keep the drive alive.

"From the first play he stepped in the huddle he was composed," said tailback Cedric Peerman, who ran for a career-high 137 yards. "He never really seemed nervous about anything."

"If he is, he's dealing with it well," Santi said.

Lalich's only oversight was failing to see a wide open Staton Jobe, who lined up with no Duke defender covering him on the goal line. No matter. On the next play, Lalich rolled left and hit Santi for a 4-yard touchdown.

"He's smart and has ? a great savvy about him," said Hall, who has some knowledge of the quarterback position, considering he set the state high school total yardage mark at Gretna High. "He knows the offense and it shows on the field."

Lalich's best throw was one that didn't even lead to points. He correctly read a Duke blitz and hit Santi for a third-down conversion late in the fourth, standing in the pocket and taking a good lick in the process.

"I had trouble with the protection in practice but I got it right in the game," he said.

His performance will inevitably lead to questions about who Virginia's starting quarterback will be at North Carolina next Saturday. Groh said for now it will be Sewell, unless things change in the next week. Regardless, both will play.

A quarterback controversy can fracture a team as quickly as anything. The Cavaliers insist that's not the case here.

"If you've got one guy who's getting slighted, that's going to be disruptive to the team," Santi said. "We don't feel that way. That's not the way it's been presented to us and that's not the way those guys feel about it."


 

Cavaliers find hope inunconvincing win
September 9, 2007 12:35 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

CHARLOTTESVILLE--It was just one drive against a perennial laughingstock, but the University of Virginia football team is looking for any positive sign that its 2007 season isn't already a lost cause.

The 15-play, 82-yard march was led by Cavaliers true freshman quarterback Peter Lalich in the fourth quarter of Virginia's home opener against Duke.

Lalich capped the drive with a 4-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Tom Santi to help put away the Blue Devils, 24-13, in front of a crowd of 58,554 in Scott Stadium.

"That was a real good drive," Virginia head coach Al Groh said. "It's been awhile since we saw one of those. That was very positive. It gives us good hope here."

Hope for the future is what the Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) walked away with after yesterday's victory--the 22nd consecutive loss for Duke (0-2, 0-1).

The optimism is mostly because of Lalich, who is officially in a two-quarterback rotation with redshirt sophomore Jameel Sewell.

Lalich was sharp and efficient yesterday in his second collegiate game. He was awarded a game ball afterward.

"He just brings a lot of composure," Cavaliers junior running back Cedric Peerman said. "He's a very confident player in himself and his abilities. He is very poised back there. He did a good job for us today."

Peerman rushed for 137 yards, including a nifty 58-yard touchdown run. Sophomore cornerback Vic Hall set up the first of two Santi touchdown catches with a 67-yard punt return on Duke's first punt of the game.

But the headlines yesterday belonged to Lalich, who was 13-of-18 for 131 yards and a touchdown.

He coolly directed the game-clinching drive as the Cavaliers were clinging to a 17-13 lead.

He was 8-of-10 on the march, converting three third-down passes, including the touchdown to Santi with 6:18 remaining.

"I told the guys that this is the biggest series of the game," Lalich said. "[I said], 'We need a score and it's going to put them away.' I guess they listened. They blocked and caught and we won."

Sewell, who suffered leg cramps in the second quarter, but started the second half, was 9-of-14 for 60 yards and a scoring pass to Santi.

Groh said Sewell is likely to remain the starter, with Lalich playing plenty of snaps as well.

The Virginia coach compared the quarterback situation to the one Florida used last year with Chris Leak and Tim Tebow en route to the national championship.

"It's not a competition," Groh said. "It's utilizing all the weapons that we have and using all the players in their best capacity."

The Cavaliers were far from pretty yesterday as they tried to bounce back from a disheartening 23-3 season-opening loss to Wyoming.

Duke fell behind 14-0 before rallying to 17-13 on Jomar Wright's 16-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Thaddeus Lewis in the third quarter.

But defense wasn't the problem for Virginia. Perhaps the most troubling aspect of the game for Groh was special teams. There were three bad snaps by true freshman long-snapper Danny Aiken, who said he may have been battling a case of nerves in his first home start.

Two of Aiken's snaps went over the head of Cavaliers punter Ryan Weigand (one for a safety) and a low snap on a field goal attempt caused Chris Gould's kick to be blocked.

Groh said Aiken's three miscues "kept us from really thoroughly grasping the initiative of the game."

"It's not just the wins, but it's the purity of the game that's enjoyable to see," he said. "It's like a great story with a lot of misspelled words."

Aiken wasn't alone in contributing to Virginia's sloppiness. Cavaliers sophomore running back/wide receiver Mikell Simpson lost a fumble on a third-quarter reception, while Andrew Pearman did the same on a kickoff return. The Cavaliers also had a punt blocked.

The Blue Devils failed to capitalize on the mistakes, prompting head coach Ted Roof to say the missed opportunities "just rip your guts out."

Groh said his team will need to eliminate those miscues if it wants to win at North Carolina next Saturday.

"We were better than we were last week," Groh said. "[But] we're not as good as we need to be next week."

Note
Yesterday marked the 600th victory in Virginia football history. The Cavaliers are now 600-521-48 all-time. They are the 29th Division I-A school to reach 600 wins.
 

UVa impresses big man Brandenburg
St. Louis star leaning toward Cavs
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 9, 2007

The Virginia men’s basketball team may finally have the post player that it has been desperately seeking.

John Brandenburg, a 6-foot-10 big man out of St. Louis, says he had a great visit to Charlottesville this weekend and may commit to UVa by the end of this week.

Stanford is the only other school that Brandenburg - rated as a 4-out-of-5-star recruit by Rivals.com - is considering.

“Before my visit, I was kind of leaning toward [Stanford],” said Brandenburg, who will be a senior at De Smet Jesuit this season. “Now that I’m here, I’m kind of leaning toward [Virginia]. I think picking a school is going to be a lot harder than I thought.

“I’ve really enjoyed it here. I’ve met a ton of good guys. When I visited Stanford, there weren’t a lot of people there because they weren’t in session, so I didn’t really get a good sense of the atmosphere.”

One of the main things Virginia can offer Brandenburg is immediate playing time. UVa will lose Tunji Soroye and Ryan Pettinella to graduation after this season. The Cavaliers only other low-post players are Lars Mikalauskas, Jerome Meyinsse and Mike Scott.

At Stanford, Brandenburg would have twins Brook and Robin Lopez in front of him - unless they departed early for the NBA. In addition, Brandenburg would have to compete for minutes with Miles Plumlee, a high school senior from Indiana that Virginia was once very interested in.

Brandenburg, who was hosted by incoming freshman Sam Zeglinski during his official visit, says he was most impressed by the McIntire School of Commerce.

“Stanford doesn’t even compare,” Brandenburg said. “If I want to go into that, which I’m kind of leaning toward, this would definitely be a huge plus for that.

“I had no idea how good the business school is.”

Dunks

The Virginia women’s team had a few guests of its own - official and unofficial.

Chelsea Shine, a 6-3 post player from Berwyn, Pa., paid an official visit. Unofficial visits were made by guard Lexie Gerson (Fort Washington, Pa.); guard Arianna Moorer (Woodbridge); and forward Jazmine Pitts (Richmond). Shine (2009), Moorer (’08) and Pitts (’10) have already verbally committed.