Heads or tails?
Wondering who will start at QB for the Cavs? Consider it a toss-up
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 12, 2007

On Saturday and Sunday, all signs pointed to Jameel Sewell earning another start at quarterback against North Carolina.

On Tuesday, however, Virginia coach Al Groh opened the door slightly for the possibility for a different plan of attack against the Tar Heels (1-1) on Saturday.

With a revolving-door policy in place at quarterback, Groh said there was and will remain a chance that true freshman Peter Lalich will emerge from the first huddle in games.

“Because it is a rotational situation, it is not about who starts and who finishes and who is called what,” Groh said. “Whatever our gameplan calls for and how we decide to start and which particular set of package of plays that we choose to feature [determines the quarterback].”

Don’t look for a philosophical change on the horizon.

“That’s the honest answer for Week 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,” Groh said.

How Sewell and Lalich play in certain games, however, could land the other on the bench.

“If somebody has gone out there and he is 14 for 14, we are not going to do what the other team couldn’t do, which is to stop him,” Groh added.

Lalich, who saw his most extensive playing time last week against Duke, has completed 16 of 23 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown on the season. The rookie has also led Virginia to nine of 22 first downs and 10 of its 27 points.

Against Duke, Lalich appeared to show an uncanny level of poise, but Groh used the sample size to hold back ultimate praise.

“I think ‘remarkable’ is a little bit of a strong word for a player who has thrown 20 passes,” Groh said, “but he has done a nice job with those things that have been presented to him so far.”

On the season, Sewell is 20 of 37 passing for 147 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. His longest pass, a 17-yard completion, is only two yards shy of Lalich’s longest.

With no alternative, Sewell said he has embraced the platooning strategy and did not sound taken back by Groh’s decision to play Lalich against Duke.

“I really didn’t have a reaction,” Sewell said. “Whatever [Groh] says goes.

“I’m going to perform anyway - whatever I can do to help my team win. I am not worried about anything else.”

Sewell also confirmed that he did, in fact, leave the Duke game due to cramps and not an injury related to his surgically repaired throwing wrist. The doubt was created after Sewell emerged from the locker room after halftime with new athletic tape on his wrist.

“Nothing happened to my wrist,” he said. “I kind of banged up my thumb [on a helmet] so I had to get a different tape job on my whole hand.”

Sewell said he has seen steady improvement in his passing accuracy, something that plagued him in Week 1 against Wyoming.

“I just have to focus on the little things, getting back to the basics in mechanics and making sure the ball comes out right,” Sewell said. “That is all that is.”

He said he felt far better against Duke, even on his longer throws.

“I think I had a couple of good ones,” he added. “I had my chances to throw the deep ball. I am really not frustrated.

“We still went down the field and scored.”

Lalich, per a decision from Groh, was not available for interviews on Tuesday and will remain unavailable for the immediate future during game weeks.

A tough test

It was a case of deja vu.

As Groh scoured footage of North Carolina’s football team, his opponent on Saturday, one thing was apparent in flashback fashion.

“This is definitely the most explosive North Carolina team that we’ve been challenged by probably since the ’01 season,” Groh said.

In 2001, UNC beat Virginia, 30-24, in Chapel Hill, N.C., and won eight games, the last of which came in the Peach Bowl.

The talent has resurfaced, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Through a pair of games - UNC beat James Madison and lost at East Carolina - the Tar Heels have gained 750 yards of total offense and boast the ACC’s most efficient passer in redshirt freshman T.J. Yates.

“The quarterback has been excellent, very accurate,” Groh said. “His quarterback rating, I think, is 196. That’s an unreal number for any college quarterback to have.”

Yates, who leads the ACC in passing yards (281 ypg) and total offense (278 ypg), actually boasts a rating of 192.02, a shade below Groh’s estimation, but still imposing enough to rank sixth in the nation in the category.

The rookie has had help. North Carolina’s new offensive scheme, which was installed by first-year coach Butch Davis and offensive coordinator John Shoop, has utilized the team’s strengths at wide receiver.

“They have been very, very effective at taking full advantage of what obviously is a very strong position on their team, and I think their average yardage per catch is 16 yards per catch for the season, which is just unbelievable,” Groh said. “It’s very challenging. They have a very talented group there.

“They have done a very good job of putting together a plan that enables them to really feature those players.”

The two starting wideouts, Brandon Tate and Hakeem Nicks, have combined for 13 receptions, four touchdowns and 274 receiving yards. Brooks Foster has also added six catches for 116 yards and a score.

The trio, coupled with passes to players out of the backfield and speed on special teams, gives UNC big-play potential.

“They’ve had seven, eight plays this year over 50 yards already,” Groh pointed out. “A lot of it is off of some very intricate schemes and a lot of play-action to try to minimize the rush on the quarterback.”

Making progress

Virginia outside linebacker Jermaine Dias could be nearing a return to the starting lineup.

Dias, who suffered an ankle sprain against Wyoming, did not play against Duke.

Groh said it was a “little early,” to make a ruling for the UNC game, but added a positive prognosis.

“All we know is that he will practice as opposed to not practice,” Groh said. “To what degree and what efficiency he has and with the injury that he had, I think it is probably going to take us into Thursday or Friday to determine whether he can operate at an effective game speed.”

Tight end John Phillips, who took a hard hit on the opening kickoff against Duke and did not return, practiced on Monday.

Extra points

Virginia will gain the services of reserve offensive lineman Gordie Sammis this weekend. Due to an NCAA ruling based on his participation in one contest earlier in his career, Sammis was suspended from the first two games of the season but was granted a fifth-year of eligibility. “He can swing on both sides, so it’s almost like getting two players back,” Groh said.

… It appears that true freshman Danny Aiken will start at long snapper, but Groh said it is a “work in progress.” … Groh praised wideout Staton Jobe and center Ian-Yates Cunningham for their respective blocks on Cedric Peerman’s 58-yard touchdown run. Jobe, as the coach pointed out, was lined up on the opposite side of the field, but hustled downfield to back a late block.

… Cunningham, a fifth-year senior, will pull off a rare feat this weekend. “I think this is going to be my third time down [at UNC],” he said. Cunningham redshirted his second year in the program after offseason back surgery.

… Thanks in part to Vic Hall, Virginia leads the ACC in punt return average. The Cavaliers have returned four punts for 82 yards. … UVa ranks ahead of only Duke in total offense. … North Carolina is listed as a 3-point favorite over Virginia.

 

Cavs can't explain road woes
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 12, 2007

The Road.

It hasn’t been a happy place for Virginia football during the Al Groh era. The Cavaliers, who have won only two road games since 2004, and only 10 times in six-plus seasons, hope to find some answers to their dilemma this weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Former NBA general manager Pat Williams once said, “We can’t win at home. We can’t win on the road. I just can’t figure out where else to play.”

Solid at home

Well, Groh doesn’t have to worry about half that equation. His Virginia teams are 30-9 within the friendly confines of Scott Stadium (five of those losses were to ranked teams).

On the road, things have been quite different. The Cavaliers are 10-24.

Ten of those losses have been at the hands of ranked teams, along with an overtime loss at Clemson. Of the 10 road wins, only one has come against a ranked opponent, No. 19 Clemson in Death Valley back in 2001 on Billy McMullen’s clutch catch.

Finding an antidote

So, what is it about the road that throws Virginia football out of sync? Has the Wahoo thinktank been able to come up with a conclusion about why it struggles so in opponents’ stadiums?

“I can’t say that we’ve ever been able to come up with any specific conclusion into this,” said Groh, who explained that he and his coaching staff thoroughly analyze every game at the end of each season, looking for any reasons games are won or lost.

Winning on the road is usually difficult in any sport. There have been all kinds of psychological studies about why teams don’t perform the same on the road.

The results have ranged from athletes sleeping in a strange bed, a different environment, unfamiliarity with the opposing venue, getting booed or harassed by fans as opposed to hearing encouragement, to intimidation by the home team’s swagger.

There is even one study of a Canadian hockey team that reported players produced 30 percent more testosterone before home games than they did before away games, suggesting that athletes feel more comfortable playing at home. The research also concluded that athletes are more aggressive and more willing to take risks in home games than on the road.

Good teams will prevail away from home

Enough of the Freudian stuff already.

Groh, who has been around college and pro football for 40 years, drew a simpler conclusion.

“On this level of football, two important things to have are talent and experience,” the UVa coach said. “The really good teams win regardless of where you play the game.”

Wahoo fans don’t have to search far for evidence of that philosophy. During Hall of Famer George Welsh’s 19 years in his miraculous turnaround of Virginia football, his best teams posted impressive road records with one exception.

In 1984 (UVa’s first bowl season), the Cavs were 4-0-1 on the road (bowl games are neutral site games and do not count in road records). His ’89 and ’90 teams were each 4-1, his ’92 squad was 4-1, ’94 was 4-2, ’98 was 4-2, ’99 was 4-1. Welsh’s ’95 team was 3-3 on the road, but suffered last-minute losses at Michigan and Texas, robbing the Cavs of a 5-1 road record.

On Saturday, the Tar Heels will present a different challenge to Groh’s team as the South’s oldest rivalry renews for the 112th time. The Virginia coach has already labeled new Carolina coach Butch Davis’ team as the most explosive bunch of Heels that the Cavs have faced since the days of Julius Pepper and Ronald Curry.

If Virginia is to put up a winning season this year and return to a bowl game, then Saturday’s game is a crucial contest. It’s a “swing game” that the Cavs must have.

Certainly, UVa’s players are traveling to Kenan Stadium with the intent of winning, but even they seemed mystified by their lack of success when discussing the matter on Tuesday.

“I can’t put my finger on it,” said linebacker Jon Copper. “You can’t turn the ball over. You can’t have penalties, mental errors, or give up long balls. But it’s the same thing we emphasize every week, because those can compound your situation.”

Offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham, who has been around since the Matt Schaub days at UVa, said that a lot of it boils down to “execution.”

And we all know the story of former Tampa Bay Bucs coach John McKay, whom after another futile loss by his winless team was asked about his team’s execution, answered, “I’m highly in favor of it.”

But Cunningham said that the veteran players on the Virginia team do not have the “here we go again” mentality when things begin to unravel on the road.

Tight end Tom Santi said that, while it’s nice to play within the comfort of Scott Stadium, where the team receives a lot of love, he gets just as much gratification of making a big play in a hostile road environment to silence the opposing fans.

The coaches have talked to the team about the road in the past, and the players have talked amongst themselves. Loud speakers blare music during Virginia practices to simulate crowd noise in hopes that players can better focus on the task of winning and not distractions.

“Other than that, I’m not sure there’s a whole lot else you can do,” Copper said. “Coach Groh has emphasized that wherever the white lines are, we need to be able to perform.”

One veteran scribe suggested maybe it was the music Virginia was playing during practices, maybe too much Van Halen (one of Groh’s favorites).

With UVa hoping to break from its road slump, maybe the Van Halen song of the week on the Wahoo practice playlist should be one titled: “Intruder.”

 

A snap decision for U.Va.
Groh is mum on whether Sewell or Lalich will take them at North Carolina
Wednesday, Sep 12, 2007 - 12:05 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- He went into the season as the University of Virginia's starting quarterback, and there was ample reason to believe Jameel Sewell might establish himself as one of the ACC's best at this position this fall.

But a disastrous trip to Wyoming changed Sewell's role, and his prospects no longer seem as bright at U.Va. The former Hermitage High star split time with true freshman Peter Lalich in the Cavaliers' second game, and that apparently is coach Al Groh's plan for the coming weeks, too.

Sewell, a redshirt sophomore, has started Virginia's past 11 games. He said last night that he's taken most of the snaps with the first team in practice this week, but Sewell doesn't know if he'll start Saturday when U.Va. visits ACC rival North Carolina.

"They haven't said anything," Sewell said.

Don't expect an announcement. Groh, who last night declared Lalich off-limits to the media except after games, said yesterday that because "it's a rotational situation, it's not about who starts and who finishes and who's called what."

Not since Mike Eck, against Maryland on Nov. 21, 1981, has Virginia started a true freshman at quarterback.

"Whatever our game plan calls for and how we decide to start the game and whichever particular set of plays we decide to feature [will determine the starter]," Groh said. "That's the honest answer for week 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13."

In a 23-3 loss to Wyomong on Sept. 1, Sewell threw two interceptions and passed for only 87 yards before Lalich took over late in the game. Sewell improved last weekend in a win over Duke -- he rushed for 33 yards and completed 9 of 14 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown -- but the 6-3, 226-pound left-hander cramped up on a hot afternoon, and he wasn't as impressive as Lalich.

The 6-5, 235-pound right-hander took all the snaps for Virginia in the fourth quarter, looking more like a four-year starter than a kid a few months out of high school. Sewell watched from the sideline, cheering for his replacement.

"Of course I wanted to be out there," he said. "Anybody would want to be out there with their team. But I was excited when we did well."

Lalich, the first true freshman to play quarterback for U.Va. since Dan Ellis in 1997, finished 13 of 18 passing for 131 yards and one TD. Like Sewell, Lalich wasn't intercepted against Duke.

After his performance against Wyoming, Sewell said, he wasn't surprised when Groh told him of the plan to rotate two quarterbacks.

"I really didn't have a reaction," Sewell said. "Whatever he says, goes."

Groh said Sewell's attitude has "been great. Everybody's been great about it, the entire team. I think everybody understands that this has been a 'we-focused' and an 'us-focused' team from the start, and a team that's understood that we all have our roles to play, and they're all important roles towards winning."

Sewell said: "Right now, all we're doing is helping our team get better, both of us."

In 2006, Sewell rushed for four touchdowns, one of which was an 18-yarder in U.Va.'s 23-0 romp over North Carolina. His longest completion this season is 17 yards, but he showed last year that he can throw the deep ball. In each of his final six games, Sewell had a completion of at least 24 yards, with a long of 51.

"I just got to focus on little things and get my mechanics back and make sure the ball comes out right," he said.

 

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

Leitao and staff play waiting game
Virginia basketball coach Dave Leitao is hoping to get good news this week. The first player from the Class of 2008 to officially visit U.Va. was John Brandenburg, who was in Charlottesville with his parents last weekend.

Brandenburg is a 6-10, 235-pound center from DeSmet Jesuit High in St. Louis. His father, Jim Brandenburg, said yesterday that he expects his son to choose between U.Va. and Stanford by the end of the week.

John Brandenburg took an unofficial visit to Stanford early last month. As a result of that trip, Brandenburg probably favored Stanford before his visit to U.Va., but "I don't think that's true anymore after seeing everything Virginia has to offer," his father said.

Whether the Cavaliers have pulled ahead of the Cardinal, however, is not clear.

Jim Brandenburg said the family was impressed not only by Leitao and his staff but by the team's strength coach, Shaun Brown, and its academic coordinator, Angela Crock.

"The academic support is very, very good," the elder Brandenburg said.

Everett's injury brings to mind Cavs' close calls
Kevin Everett, then a tight end for the Miami Hurricanes, played at Scott Stadium in 2004. Everett had two catches for 15 yards in Miami's 31-21 win over U.Va.

Everett, now with the Buffalo Bills, suffered a catastrophic spinal cord injury Sunday vs. Denver while trying to make a tackle.

"It's a very sobering thing to see that happen to people that we play against," Virginia coach Al Groh said yesterday at his weekly news conference. "I remember him very well. It certainly has given us all pause to think."

Everett's injury, Groh said, brought back memories of frightening plays involving Virginia players. In September 2003, safety Willie Davis sustained a spinal-cord injury that ended his football career, though he retained use of all his limbs and is still a student at the university.

In November 2005, another U.Va. safety, Nate Lyles, hurt his neck making a tackle and missed the rest of the season. After an operation on his neck, Lyles rejoined the team in 2006 and starts in the secondary.

Groh wary of North Carolina
Butch Davis' first ACC game as North Carolina's coach is Saturday, and Virginia (1-0, 1-1) will provide the opposition in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels are 1-1 after losing last weekend at East Carolina.

"I think it's the most explosive offensive team and overall the most challenging team that we've played from North Carolina" since the 2001 team that included quarterback Ronald Curry and defensive end Julius Peppers, Groh said.

Curry, a Hampton High graduate, is among the many Virginians who have starred for UNC over the years. Three of the first-teamers on the Heels' depth chart for this weekend's game are from Virginia: offensive tackle Kyle Jolly (Powhatan), fullback Bobby Rome (Norfolk) and defensive end E.J. Wilson (Lawrenceville).

Jolly, a redshirt sophomore, was an All-Metro offensive tackle for Blessed Sacrament Huguenot.

Tar Heels' Davis sings praises of Long
Among ACC coaches, Groh may be Chris Long's biggest fan, but he's far from the only one.

Asked Monday about Long, UNC's Davis told reporters, "I obviously had the misfortune at times of coaching against his father, Howie, when he was with the Oakland Raiders, and you want to talk about a chip off the old block. This is a young man that plays absolutely lights out."

Long, a senior defensive end, has four sacks and six quarterback hurries this season.

"He represents everything the program stands for," Groh said on his radio show Monday. - Jeff White

 

QB pick a secret for Cavs
UVa coach Al Groh keeps Jameel Sewell atop the depth chart, but says that doesn't mean he'll start.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia is continuing to list Jameel Sewell as its No. 1 quarterback, which doesn't mean he will start Saturday against North Carolina.

UVa coach Al Groh has gotten progressively more evasive on that subject.

Following a 23-3 loss to Wyoming in the season's opener, Groh said of Sewell, "You don't have to wait for any changes. He's our guy."

True freshman Peter Lalich played the final series against Wyoming but saw considerably more action Saturday in a 23-14 victory over Duke.

Groh's post-Duke comments suggested that Sewell would keep his job, an assessment with which Groh didn't disagree.

When told that his post-game comments suggested that Sewell would remain the starter, Groh didn't disagree.

"I would expect that to be the case," he said Saturday.

Three days later, Groh was all over the place.

"Till the game unfolds, I don't know what the game situation is going to be," said Groh at his regular Tuesday news conference. "It's a rotational situation. It's not about who starts and who finishes."

Groh said the decision will come down to what package of offensive plays best suits the position in which Virginia finds itself and which quarterback is best equipped to execute it.

"That's the honest answer for Week 2, 3, 4, 5 ... " said Groh, who got all the way to Week 13, which must presume the Cavaliers will play in a bowl game but not the ACC championship game.

"There's all sorts of things that could come into play. It's a little bit early in the week to rule out anything."

Virginia scheduled a teleconference Tuesday night with its quarterbacks, but, after Sewell spoke for 10 minutes, reporters were told that Lalich would not be available. At Groh's behest, Lalich will speak only after games for the foreseeable future.

If the coaches have decided on a starter, they haven't told the QBs.

"They haven't said anything," Sewell said. "I've started most of the reps with the first group so far in practice."

The Cavaliers might have a pre-determined rotation, but that doesn't mean Groh has to stay with it.

"If somebody's gone out there and he's 14-for-14, we're not going to do what the other team couldn't do, which is to stop him," Groh said.

"One of the things we ask every week is, 'How many things does this team make us think about?' Clearly, the more things you can make an opponent think about -- issues to think about and decisions to make -- then the more burdensome it becomes."

Sewell had 95 rushing attempts in 2006 and is viewed as more of a running threat. Lalich has been the more accurate passer to date.

Copper milestone

An interception Saturday against Duke was the first of Jon Copper's college career and only his second going back to high school at Northside.

"Had one my senior year," he said.

"It was against Pulaski County. The ball got tipped up in the air and I caught it. I think the return was for a minus-2 yards."

Copper played the offensive and defensive lines exclusively for Northside but moved to linebacker at Fork Union Military Academy.

Copper had only one pass break-up last year, when he played more snaps than any other UVa defender, but Groh is higher on his coverage skills.

"He got two [interceptions] last week in practice," Groh said.

"It was a similar to a pattern that we drilled them on very hard last week."

Personnel

Groh said that junior tight end John Phillips from Bath County returned to practice Monday night. Phillips was left woozy by a collision on the opening kickoff against Duke and played only briefly thereafter.

n Fifth-year OLB Jermaine Dias (ankle) could return to practice this week but that doesn't guarantee his availability for Saturday, Groh reported.

n Fifth-year offensive lineman Gordie Sammis is back after serving a two-game NCAA suspension.

Sammis appealed for an extra year after briefly entering a 51-3 victory over Temple in what otherwise would have been a redshirt year in 2005.
 

U.Va. Report: Cavs intent on keeping ball in good hands
The Virginian-Pilot
© September 12, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

When someone asked Al Groh about Virginia's two fumbles Saturday against Duke, the U.Va. coach didn't say a word. Instead, he held up three fingers to indicate that the questioner had forgotten one.

Groh had not forgotten. In fact, he said that over the past 25 games, no Division I-A team had put the ball on the ground fewer times than Virginia. While that stat couldn't be verified Tuesday, the Cavaliers fumbled just 10 times last year, losing four, second-fewest in the nation.

Virginia lost half of last year's total on Saturday alone. Mikell Simpson lost one on a running play, and Andrew Pearman fumbled on a kickoff return. A fumble by Cedric Peerman was recovered by Tom Santi.

Groh said emphasizing ball security will be hammered home again this week.

"We have a new cast of characters now, and it's been emphasized pretty hard," he said. "We don't fumble the ball around here."

Offensive line praised

Whoever plays quarterback against North Carolina this week can only hope he gets the kind of protection Virginia's quarterbacks got against Duke. Neither Jameel Sewell nor Peter Lalich was sacked. In fact, they were barely touched.

Groh said offensive line coach Dave Borbely told him he couldn't remember a game in his 26-year college career in which the quarterbacks weren't hit, let alone sacked.

"Here in the early going we feel the pass protection's been pretty decent," Groh said, adding that credit goes to a veteran offensive line, as well as to Peerman, who excels at pass protection.

Quick hits...

Groh said it was too early to determine whether linebacker Jermaine Dias (ankle sprain) would be available Saturday. Denzel Burrell started in his place last week.... Kickoff for the Georgia Tech game Sept. 22 has been set for noon.

- Ed Miller

 

Groh says different skills factor into U.Va. rotation
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 12, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

It is not a competition, the Virginia Cavaliers insist.

It's a rotation.

For Virginia, playing two quarterbacks, and doing it successfully, is partly about how things are framed by the coaching staff and presented to the team. Also, it's about the players involved: Jameel Sewell and Peter Lalich.

Sewell, a sophomore, began the season as the starter but has been relieved in both of the Cavaliers' games by Lalich, a heralded true freshman. It is a development that would seem to provide kindling for a full-blown quarterback controversy, something that has happened before during the Al Groh era.

Everyone insists that's not that case. Groh said after last week's game, in which Sewell left with cramps and Lalich sparked the team to a 24-13 win over Duke, that he had planned all along to use both players. Tuesday, he re-emphasized his plans to go with a rotation that he said takes advantage of the different skills of both players. Sewell is a better runner. Lalich has been more accurate as a pocket passer.

So who goes in first Saturday at North Carolina? Groh declined to say Tuesday.

"It's not about who starts and who finishes and who's called what," he said. "It's about whatever our game plan calls for and how we decide to start the game and which particular package of plays we choose to feature."

That will be the plan for the remainder of the season, he said.

For their part, players say they are comfortable with a rotation. Though he admitted he doesn't lack for confidence, Lalich, rated one of the nation's top 10 quarterbacks by some scouts last year, nevertheless said he didn't expect to be playing this early.

Asked about his reaction to sharing the job, Sewell said he didn't really have a reaction.

"Whatever coach says goes, whatever they ask me to do to make sure the team wins."

Sewell said he views the arrangement as a collaboration.

"I don't know how anyone else sees it; that's how I see it."

Winning last week has made it easy for everyone to get on board. And, as many players pointed out, didn't Florida use a two-quarterback rotation last season on the way to a national title?

Virginia is not Florida, of course. With Sewell at the helm for the final two-thirds of last year, the Cavaliers finished 113th of 119 I-A teams in total offense. In a season-opening 23-3 loss to Wyoming, in which Sewell played all but the final series, Virginia managed just 100 total yards.

The Cavaliers rolled up a relatively robust 324 yards last week. Sewell and Lalich each threw a touchdown pass, Virginia's first in seven games.

Tight end Tom Santi said the team rotates tailbacks and tight ends. Why not quarterbacks? As long as coaches are up front about the situation, it shouldn't be a disruption, he said.

"If you have two guys competing for the job, or if you feel one guy'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 the not way those guys feel about it. They both know they can do things to help us win, and we know they will."

A football adage says that if you have two quarterbacks, you really don't have any quarterbacks. Groh, though, says playing two quarterbacks can make a team more difficult to prepare for.

Groh also said he would not get carried away with the rotation. If one quarterback is hot, he says he wouldn't be foolish and rotate another in just to stick with the rotation plan.

"If somebody's going out there and he's 14 for 14, we're not going to do what the other team couldn't do, which is to stop them," he said. Nothing controversial about that.

 

UVa looking for answer to 10-24 problem
By MELINDA WALDROP | mwaldrop@dailypress.com | 247-4634
3:09 PM EDT, September 11, 2007 

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- - The good feeling generated among the Virginia faithful after last weekend's victory against Duke was tempered because the Cavaliers had to overcome many mistakes two lost fumbles, a blocked field goal, bad snaps on punts to defeat Duke, the doormat of the ACC, 24-13.

That feeling may not last much longer as fans contemplate 10-24, U.Va.'s road record under coach Al Groh, in the face of Virginia's pending visit to North Carolina on Saturday.

The Cavs' road woes under Groh in his seventh season at U.Va. with an overall record of 43-34 are well-known in Charlottesville, although a solution has been more elusive.

"I can't put my finger on it," linebacker Jon Copper said. "I just know this week we need a good focus in practice (and) we need to cut down on mistakes. ... You can't have turnovers, you can't have penalties, you can't give up the long ball, you can't have mental mistakes. It's basically the same things we emphasize every week, but those mistakes on the road just compound your situation."

Virginia's last road victory was a 37-0 win at Duke on Sept. 30 last year. This season, the Cavs lost 23-3 at Wyoming in their season opener.

"I can't say that we've ever been able to come up with any specific conclusion as to this is what the circumstances are," Groh said. "Most games that teams win, you have more guys on your team step up and make more plays that change the game, and therefore you have more points, regardless of where you play the game."

The Cavs beat UNC 23-0 in Charlottesville last year, but will face a new, dangerous cast of characters in Chapel Hill. Redshirt freshman quarterback T.J. Yates is leading the ACC with 281 passing yards per game, and his completion percentage of 66 is third. Junior wide receiver Brandon Tate had 263 all-purpose yards last week in a loss to East Carolina, including a 51-yard touchdown catch and a 58-yard punt return. His 33.3 yards per kickoff return rank sixth nationally.

Groh sees the handiwork of John Shoop, in his first year as the Tar Heels' offensive coordinator after an NFL career that included a stint as Chicago's offensive coordinator from 2001-03.

"This is definitely the most explosive North Carolina team that we've been challenged by probably since the '01 season, when they had Ronald Curry and Julius Peppers and (Ryan) Sims," Groh said.

FRIGHTENING FLASHBACK

Footage of Buffalo tight end Kevin Everett suffering a serious spinal cord injury after ducking his head to make a tackle on Sunday reminded Groh of a scary moment for the Cavaliers, when safety Nate Lyles hurt his neck tackling Georgia Tech's P.J. Daniels in 2005.

Lyles was carted off the field, and the injury ended his season.

"He had his head up properly, but the force of the hit was just such that it pushed (his neck) way back," Groh said.

Lyles returned in 2006, making 46 tackles, and has 11 tackles so far this season.

Groh said he called friends on the Bills' coaching staff to ask about Everett, who was drafted in the third round out of Miami in 2003. He planned to remind his players in Tuesday's practice about fundamental tackling techniques.

"It's a very sobering thing to see that happen to people that we play against," Groh said. "That kid played (in the ACC) a couple of years ago. I remember him very well."

 

Losses to UVa can be costly
Frank Dascenzo : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Sep 12, 2007 : 12:33 am ET

CHAPEL HILL -- I am reasonably certain North Carolina football coach Butch Davis is busy today. I mean, it's the middle of the week and his next game is his biggest -- not necessarily because it's his next game but because it's against Virginia.

While Davis is trying to turn the Tar Heels into what their basketball program is -- a national title contender nearly every season -- he is likely to inform you that before you can run, you have to walk. And you know what comes before that? Before you walk, you have to crawl.

Not that beating the beatable Cavaliers (1-1) will guarantee Davis a trampoline to a BCS game -- there was that game-winning field goal at East Carolina last Saturday night that must have seemed like a warm knife going through a stick of butter to every Tar Heel fan who is digesting a 1-1 record -- but just pay attention, OK?

Dear Ol' Virginia is 15-5 vs. UNC since 1987. But four of the five times the Tar Heels have managed to beat the Cavs -- all at home, by the way -- good things have happened.

Now Butch, listen up.

The Heels beat the Cavs 27-7 in 1992, finished 9-3 and their final game was an impressive victory over Mississippi State in the Peach Bowl. The win over UVa was significant, mostly because it came a week after a 36-13 loss at Florida State and ignited a three-game winning streak.

You think the Rams Club would take a 9-3 season?

In 1995, UNC beat Virginia 22-17, finished 7-5 and beat Arkansas in the Carquest Bowl.

No, 7-5 won't impress most people, but it'll get a program jump-started and doesn't UNC need that now?

Two years later, one of the best UNC teams beat Virginia 48-20 and finished 11-1, crushing Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl.

Now Butch, you finish 11-1 and you're going to be up there -- in Roy Williams territory.

In 2001, the Heels brought in alum John Bunting, and he had somebody named Julius Peppers on the UNC defensive front. Timing was pretty good, too. The Heels beat Virginia 30-24, finished 8-5 and beat Auburn in the Peach Bowl.

You think the Rams Club would like to beat Auburn anywhere and anytime again?

In 2005, Virginia had just shocked No. 4 Florida State 26-21 in Charlottesville and swaggered into Kenan Stadium with a 4-2 record. You probably won't even believe this, but the Heels won 7-5 -- honest, they did -- and finished 5-6.

The Virginia-UNC rivalry changed drastically when George Welsh went to Thomas Jefferson's school in 1982. UNC's last win at Virginia was by three points in 1981.

Welsh was good, trust me. His 134 wins are more than any UVa football coach, and 85 were against ACC teams. He tortured the Big Four, going 58-17-1. His teams went 13-5-1 vs. UNC, 13-6 vs. N.C. State, 18-1 vs. Wake Forest and 14-5 vs. Duke.

Al Groh's Wake teams were 1-5 vs. UNC in the early 1980s, but his UVa teams are 4-2 vs. the Heels. The Cavs hardly were impressive a week ago in an expected win over Duke.

Yes, Virginia rekindles lots of memories. If I've been reminded once, I've been reminded at least a couple hundred times of Chris Keldorf's pass in the fourth quarter at Virginia in 1996. Butch, I don't know where you were on Nov. 16, 1996, but if no one has told you what happened, here goes.

UNC is 8-1 -- the loss was at Florida State -- and is leading the Cavs 17-3 with a first down inside the Virginia 10. Keldorf throws an interception that is returned for a touchdown, the Tar Heels blink once, then twice and lose the game 20-17 -- and also an invite to the Fiesta Bowl.

Plenty of cash was lost that night.

 

UNC kicking itself for miscues
Heels try to get in sync in time to face Cavs
Robbi Pickeral, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL - Snap. Hold. Kick.
"As fast as you say it," North Carolina senior place-kicker Connor Barth said, "the ball's on its way through the uprights or it isn't. That's it."

It sounds simple, but as the Tar Heels have shown via two missed extra points this season and a flubbed field goal attempt in the final minute of a loss at East Carolina, those 1.2 seconds can be beset with complications.

All of which need to be solved by the time UNC (1-1) faces Virginia (1-1) on Saturday.

"Any time the snap is off, it affects the holder; any time the hold is off, it affects the kicker," said long snapper Michael Murphy. "It's a chain reaction, and we just need to get back to being totally in sync."

Accomplishing that, though, is as much about inches as yards.

When Murphy snaps, he aims for a 2-by-2 inch square between holder Ryan Baucom's left elbow and and index finger -- which he points to the "spot" on the ground. Murphy, a senior, also tries to hike the ball so that Baucom catches it with the laces already positioned away from the kicker, allowing him to place the ball on the "spot" more quickly.

If that snap is a little high -- as Murphy said it was during UNC's blocked extra-point attempt against the Pirates -- it throws everyone's timing off. And thus, the accuracy of the kick.

The same holds true when the snap is perfect but the holder doesn't place the ball at the exact spot where he was pointing. Baucom took responsibility for that miscue after the Tar Heels missed an extra point against James Madison during their season-opener.

"When I practice, the ball's on a holder, so it's in the right place every time," Barth said. "And it's really important that [the holder] hits the same spot, because I start my steps almost as soon as the ball is snapped, so it's hard to adjust. An inch or two does make a difference."

Barth, who has made 13 straight field goals, insists it's still his responsibility to make the kick, even if the snap or spot is a little off.

The most frustrating thing for everyone, though, is when Barth's foot never connects with the ball at all.

With 55 seconds left and the score tied at ECU, Murphy snapped the ball on target, but Baucom bobbled it. He said it simply slipped out of his hands.

The senior picked up the ball before Barth could attempt the 52-yarder. UNC lost 12 yards on the play, and the Pirates drove down and kicked a game-winning field goal of their own.

"It was my mistake," said Baucom, who was the backup holder last season. "I just have to make sure I do everything I can not to make it again. Coach [Chuck] Pagano talked to me after the game, Coach [John] Shoop talked to me on Sunday, gave me some encouraging words. They believe in me, and the rest of the guys trust me. I've promised them I'll get the job done."

To that end, Baucom said he will wear a glove when he holds against the Cavaliers this weekend. During Tuesday's practice, head coach Butch Davis said, the Tar Heels also did "some live, full-speed type of rushes to put some heat on the snapper and the holder, and tried to create some competitive situations with some noise and distractions" to try to get the kicking process back in sync, and help prepare them for what's to come.

When dealing with a play that lasts 1.2 seconds, after all, every tenth counts.

"I just think all of this is a sign that there's going to be a bigger and better kick down the road, in a big game -- maybe against South Carolina or the ACC Championship game or a bowl game," Barth said. "Maybe it's just a sign that, hey, it will happen sooner or later ... and we just have to get better prepared for it."

 

Who's UVa's starting quarterback?
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 12, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Al Groh has two quarterbacks he will use at North Carolina and he's not tipping his hand as to which one he'll use first.
The Virginia coach said at his Tuesday press conference that he hasn't decided if Jameel Sewell or Peter Lalich will start at Chapel Hill this Saturday, backing off a statement made immediately after the Duke win that Sewell would still be the starter.

The Cavaliers plan to use whichever quarterback suits their needs given the situation.

"Competition is a good thing," Sewell said. "Right now, we're just helping our team get better. Both of us. Some things he's good at and some things I'm good at."

Sewell, who has over 200 career rushing yards and four touchdowns, gives UVa a threat on the ground. Lalich, though only two games into his career, has already shown a poise in the pocket unlike a true freshman.

"Every week we ask the question: how many things does this team make us think about?" Groh said. "And clearly the more things you can make the opponent think about ? then the more burdensome it becomes.

"One's right-handed. One's left-handed. One's shown his adeptness at (running). One is beginning to show some skill in the pocket. It adds to the number of issues to be dealt with. I know it certainly would if we were confronting that issue."

Sewell has been under center for two of Virginia's three touchdowns this year but has had little to do with them. One drive started at the 4-yard line after a 67-yard Vic Hall punt return. The second touchdown was all the work of tailback Cedric Peerman, who broke free for a 58-yard touchdown run.

Nevertheless, the sophomore has continued to be a threat with his legs. He ran four times for 33 yards against Duke, an 8.2-yard average.

His passing numbers are less impressive. Though he went 9 of 14 against Duke, only one completion was for more than 10 yards, prompting many to doubt whether he can be the quarterback in charge of Virginia's offense on a full-time basis.

"I couldn't care less what other people think, honestly," Sewell said.

Lalich, meanwhile, engineered UVa's longest drive of the year, a 15-play, 82-yard drive in the fourth quarter that put the Blue Devils away.

"If he's clueless, he's doing a pretty good job of not showing it," right guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said.

He is also fairly advanced for his age. Cunningham said during training camp that Lalich was quiet in the huddle, often not speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. It wasn't nerves. He wasn't used to it. His high school ran a no-huddle offense.

When asked about Lalich's side-arm throwing motion, which looks similar to that of former N.C. State and current San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, Groh said it wasn't a mechanical flaw.

The number of throws Lalich threw in high school have "given him a lot of different situations in which he's been exposed to adjusting to make the throw that needs to be made," Groh explained. "So he's got a good versatility with his delivery, whether it's throwing it down (sidearm) to get around a guy or throwing (more overhand) to get more distance on it."

Get used to the Sewell/Lalich question. It appears as though it will be around for the rest of the season. Groh is not committing one way or another and doesn't plan to.

"It's not about who starts and who finishes and who's called what," he said. "That's the honest answer for Week 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13."


 

UVa notes: Santi came up big at Duke
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 12, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Senior tight end Tom Santi was named ACC offensive lineman of the week after catching six passes for 54 yards and two touchdowns in Virginia's win against Duke.
It was Santi's most productive pass-catching day since Week 3 last year against Western Michigan, when he caught seven balls for 78 yards.

"It's always fun," Santi said. "Catching the ball is just one of the things a tight end gets to do. Saturday we were open in some spots and the quarterbacks did a nice job of hitting us."

It's a positive sign for a team that prides itself on its tight end production. Santi's catches dipped toward the end of last year when UVa's offense struggled. He caught five passes in the final four games.

But last year is a distant memory. On Saturday, he became UVa's first tight end to catch two touchdown passes in a game since Heath Miller did so against Akron in 2004.

"And he had to add something," Virginia head coach Al Groh said of Santi's catches. "It wasn't just catch and fall into the end zone on both. He had to adjust for the ball and fight his way in."

Super Stupar

Santi wasn't the only tight end with a solid game. Jonathan Stupar caught four passes for 40 yards and jumped on a fumble by Cedric Peerman the play before Peerman broke off a 58-yard touchdown run.

These weren't run-of-the mill catches, either. At least not for most tight ends. One was on a seam route that Peter Lalich slightly overthrew. Stupar dove and caught the ball with his body parallel to the ground for a first down.

"We've seen Jon make that exact same catch many times in practice," Virginia head coach Al Groh said. "I remember when it happened, I thought, 'Hey, I've seen this one before. Typical Jon on this catch.'"

Scouting Butch

North Carolina's Butch Davis hasn't coached a football team since the 2004 Cleveland Browns and hasn't headed a college team since the 2000 Miami Hurricanes. That presents a problem for Virginia in its efforts to learn anything from past game film.

"We'd like to have a little more book on them," Groh said. "Obviously they have six years worth of games to look at on us. We have two games to look at on them."

In addition to breaking down the Tar Heels' first two games, the Cavaliers have gone to their NFL archives to get a read on what Davis and UNC might be doing scheme-wise.

Injury update

Tight end John Phillips, who missed almost all of the Duke game after taking a hard hit on the opening kickoff, practiced Monday night.

The status of outside linebacker Jermaine Dias (ankle) will remain uncertain until later this week. Dias injured himself in the opener and did not play against Duke.

"I wish I knew," Groh said. "All we know is that he will practice as opposed to not practice."

Extra points

Senior Gordie Sammis, who won an appeal for a fifth year of eligibility after a brief appearance in one game in 2004, is back after sitting out the required two games. He is a backup offensive guard who can play on both sides. "It's really almost like getting two players back," Groh said. ? After true freshman long snapper Danny Aiken had three botched snaps against Duke, Groh didn't say whether he would make a switch this week to backup Crutcher Reiss, who handled the snaps on punts in the fourth quarter. "(It's) a work in progress," Groh said.


 

Sit down and shut up
Kyle O'Connor, Cavalier Daily Columnist

It is official policy at Scott Stadium that alcoholic beverages, coolers, bottled water, food, strollers and umbrellas must remain outside the gates. After Saturday's football game against Duke, First Amendment rights may as well be added to the list.

During the third quarter of Virginia's scorcher of a match against the Blue Devils, and after the Cavalier defense had just allowed one of the worst teams in the country to pull within four points of tying the game, third-year Engineering student David Becker silently stood up in the first row of the student section and held up a sign. In big letters, it read, "Fire Groh." No more, no less.

The sign itself echoed an opinion that has been floating around Grounds all year, one that was splashed across Beta Bridge, printed on T-shirts and screamed from the upper deck during some of Virginia's worst football moments in recent memory. Yet for some reason, Becker's message was one event staff were not prepared to tolerate.

Immediately after unfurling the sign, Becker was approached by a field staffer who confiscated it under orders from the athletic department. When Becker told him the sign had been approved by staff at the gate, the official gave no response. So Becker made another one using scraps of poster board and a marker. After that got taken away, he made another. That too was confiscated. Each sign Becker made was taken until police gave him an ultimatum: Keep the signs down or get out.

"I wanted to show my feelings and the feelings of others," Becker said. "I wasn't causing any problems. I love the team. I'm always the first one there for football and basketball games, but when you have a coach who's not performing up to expectations, you want people to know. You should be able to hold up a sign."

When asked to comment, Jason Bauman, associate director of athletics for facilities and operations, said the move was consistent with venue policy restricting "derogatory" signs.

As a student, a sportswriter and a fan, Becker's story is extremely disturbing to me for three reasons.

The first hinges on the kind of fan Becker was. He was dedicated, getting to the stadium early enough to secure a prime seat as he has for virtually every football game. He was not a troublemaker, refraining from taunting or otherwise disturbing players or other fans. He was also responsible, checking the sign's content with gate staff who told students that any non-vulgar messages about Groh were acceptable.

In short, Becker was the kind of fan the athletic department should embrace. Instead, the department refused to explain why he wasn't allowed to state his opinion the way thousands of fans do every year. (Think about Michigan fans who are currently suffering through their team's 0-2 start.) Dissent is healthy, as I'm sure Thomas Jefferson would tell you if he actually knew what a football looked like.

Secondly, this story highlights an instance in which the athletic department got its priorities woefully mixed up. In an era of television audiences, sky boxes, endorsement contracts and millionaire coaches, schools can lose sight of who games are really for: the students.

This can make student fans feel like second-class citizens on their own Grounds come game day. With their peers on the field bringing in truckloads of money for the athletic department, it's disappointing to see the University swoop down like Big Brother and crush student expression as if it's a minor irritant.

"I understand fans," Groh famously said last fall to the media. "I don't think fans understand coaches. I fly on a lot of airplanes. Just because I fly on airplanes doesn't qualify me to be a pilot."

Maybe students don't know how to fly the plane, Al, but they sure know what a crash landing feels like. The athletic department should be surprised students waited until the second game to pull out the "Fire Groh" signs.

Thirdly, it's not clear whether the athletic department had an actual reason for pulling the sign at all. Was it because it would have looked bad to have an anti-Groh sign in the front row of a televised game? I'd say most people familiar with Virginia football would think it was strange not to see at least one sign like that.

Was it because the department feared it would demoralize the team or offend Groh himself? I think it's a simple matter of opinion whether you feel players would be better off under a different coach. And as for Groh, he's shown over the years he couldn't care less about what students think.

In the end, Becker's experience wasn't just the result of a rogue event staffer overreacting. It was a deliberate effort by the athletic department to keep a certain sign with a certain message out of the stands. Though this would be fine if the sign was vulgar or otherwise tasteless, the fact remains that it wasn't.

Was the athletic department wrong in doing this? All I know is that by the time you read this, I'll be loading up on plenty of Sharpies and posterboard for Virginia's next home game against Georgia Tech.

 

Lalich, Sewell aim to keep opponents off-balance
Groh will use both quarterbacks in upcoming games, looks to take advantage of each player's skill set
Aaron Perryman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

After Virginia football coach Al Groh recently stated that he wants to use both sophomore Jameel Sewell and freshman Peter Lalich in a two-quarterback rotation system for the rest of the season, Cavalier fans may have visions of Chris Leak and Tim Tebow dancing in their heads.

The system that worked so well for the Florida Gators last season and produced a national championship has been cited often among Virginia's players and coaches.

"Florida benefited last year having Tim Tebow and Chris Leak," senior offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said. "So now we're able to benefit from some of the same things they brought to their offense [by bringing them] to our offense. Having two guys back there with different type of styles, they're fairly confident back there in the huddle and in the pocket. You wouldn't want it any other way."

At Florida, then-senior Leak was the pocket passer, while then-freshman Tebow ran the ball more. Each took advantage of his particular skill set. The Cavaliers hope to do the same with Sewell and Lalich.

"The national champions used two quarterbacks a lot," senior tight end Tom Santi said. "We know both guys are going to play, because both guys are capable of doing some good things for us. We're going to try to maximize both of their abilities."

Each quarterback is unique in his own way. Sewell, a southpaw, has a year of experience under his belt and is able to scramble out of the pocket and run for touchdowns. Last season, he rushed for 200 yards and 4 touchdowns. Against Duke this past weekend, Sewell rushed for 33 yards on just four carries. Lalich, a right-hander, is a traditional pocket passer who has shown more accuracy than Sewell so far this season. However, he is not as fast as Sewell.

"At times [rotating Sewell and Lalich in and out of a game] will be different," Santi said. "They each have their unique skill sets. One guy might do one thing better, and another guy might do another thing better. We practice those things so nothing comes as a surprise. We're ready."

The atmosphere exuding from the locker room is positive. Cunningham said there is no division among players when it comes to which quarterback should get more playing time.

"I'm sure from the outside looking in you would suspect [a division of the locker room] to happen," Cunningham said. "You have a guy who started last year, and you have the true freshman who is highly regarded and highly touted come in and, from the outside, [seemingly] take his position. But Jameel's one of those guys who understands that he'll do anything to help our team win. There's no 'I like Jameel more' or 'I like Peter more.' There's none of that going on in the locker room."

The quarterbacks themselves agreed that the team can benefit from their partnership.

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

Sewell agrees and is focusing on putting the team first, noting that even though he wanted to be out on the field with the offense on its final scoring drive against Duke, he was excited for the team.

"Whatever makes the team excel," Sewell said. "Competition is a good thing. We want to help our team get better ... For me I see it as a collaboration."

While Cavalier fans may not want to get too hasty in their comparison of Sewell and Lalich with Leak and Tebow, there could be something to look forward to this season if Virginia's tandem can produce anything close to what the two Gators did last year down in the Florida swamp.