A passing nod on frosh QBs
David Teel
8:40 PM EDT, September 12, 2007 

As a second-year head coach, Kansas State's Ron Prince does not pretend to advise the likes of Al Groh and Frank Beamer. But as these old-schoolers tiptoe the minefield of playing a true freshman quarterback, Prince offers nothing but encouragement.

"You gotta do it," he said by phone Wednesday from the real Manhattan. "As long as each program knows what's going to make them happy in a quarterback, when you see that, and that talent is there, it's just a matter of how quickly you can get it on the field."

Virginia's offensive coordinator from 2003-05, Prince is well aware that rookies -- Peter Lalich for Groh at U.Va. and Tyrod Taylor for Beamer at Virginia Tech -- have quickly emerged as the best quarterbacks on their respective teams.

Lalich has played in both of the Cavaliers' games, and no one should be surprised if he starts Saturday at North Carolina; Taylor is set to make his first college start this week against Ohio.

The circumstances take Prince back to last season, when as a head-coaching novice he asked a true freshman quarterback to save Kansas State's season. And the kid did just that.

His name is Josh Freeman, and Prince tried to recruit him to Virginia. But as a Kansas City, Mo., product, Freeman was loath to leave the Midwest.

He first committed to Nebraska, but when Kansas State hired Prince, he took another look at the Wildcats.

"I told Josh I would give him every opportunity to truly compete," Prince said. "I just knew what I was looking for, and I was looking for Matt Schaub. I wanted a kid who had some size to him, who had some poise, who had great leadership and who had a background that suggested in tough times he could lead your team. I was very spoiled by that experience with Matt."

Schaub quarterbacked the Cavaliers from 2001-03 and set school records for career passing yards and touchdown passes, and at 6-foot-6 and 225 pounds coming out of high school, Freeman reminded Prince of Schaub. He was a pocket passer with smarts and was capable of ducking a rush.

But Freeman was a longshot to see the field last season. The Wildcats returned four quarterbacks, three with starting experience.

Then Freeman graduated high school early, enrolled at Kansas State and participated in spring practice -- neither Lalich nor Taylor took that route.

"It was clear on the very first day of (spring) practice that he was our most talented quarterback," Prince said. "What was unclear was, would he have the maturity to handle the volume of offense, the big stadiums, the situations, the two-minute drills?

"That's where (young) quarterbacks get in trouble. ... There's so many things going through their mind about the coverage they're seeing and the progressions they might have, that sometimes the very act of throwing the ball is the last thing that becomes natural."

Freeman's rapid progress during spring drills prompted three of Kansas State's veteran quarterbacks to transfer, leaving Prince with Freeman and senior Dylan Meier, a 2004 starter who missed the '05 season with a bum throwing shoulder. Prince started Meier for the first five games last year, but when the Wildcats lost 17-3 at Big 12 doormat Baylor -- "the unthinkable," Prince said -- he turned to Freeman.

"So many coaches, they coach scared and not smart," Prince said, stressing that he didn't mean Groh or Beamer. "The old coaching adage that you lose a game for every freshman you start is unfounded because you have so many teams passing the ball in high school, the coaching is better, they're going to camps and clinics around the country. The (quarterbacks) are better prepared today than they've ever been.

"We've never looked back. Now has (Josh) had his challenges? Absolutely. We've had some turnovers. ? But really, the major issue is, he's been able to go win us some games with his feet, with his head, with his heart, with his arm, and we were able to attract some exciting young players to come play with him."

Freeman started Kansas State's final eight games, including a Houston Bowl loss to Rutgers. The Wildcats were 4-4 in those games, and Freeman threw 15 interceptions and only six touchdown passes.

But in his first start, Freeman engineered fourth-quarter touchdown drives of 92 and 58 yards to defeat Oklahoma State -- he ran 21 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:11 remaining. Most notable, he passed for 269 yards and three touchdowns, and ran for another score, in a 46-42 upset of fourth-ranked and defending national champion Texas.

This season Kansas State and Freeman are 1-1 after a loss at Auburn and victory over San Jose State. Can Lalich and/or Taylor produce equal or superior results? Prince suggests patience.

"There's going to be ups and downs," he said, "but I've never thought for a second that this kid wasn't our guy." If you saw Lalich guide Virginia 82 yards for the clinching touchdown against Duke, or Taylor weave through LSU's fierce defense, it's easy to imagine similar sentiments from Groh and Beamer.

 

ON THE NUMBER
Peter Lalich reminds some of a former No. 7 -- Matt Schaub.
Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Peter Lalich projected an image of disbelief as he sat and clutched one of the game balls distributed by coach Al Groh following Virginia's 24-13 victory over Duke.

"It's a lot more than I thought it would be this year," said Lalich, who entered the game with the Cavaliers clinging to a 17-13 lead and played the entire fourth quarter.

Lalich threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tom Santi, the first TD pass by a UVa true freshman since Dan Ellis in 1997.

Neither Ellis nor Todd Kirtley, who threw two touchdown passes in 1978, played enough to letter.

UVa's last true freshman quarterback to accomplish that feat was Scott Gardner in 1972.

It's not a bad thing to be mentioned in the same breath as Gardner, who was the first Virginia quarterback to throw for 5,000 yards in a career and still ranks third on the Cavaliers' all-time passing list.

That's not the only comparison people are making with Lalich, who wears No. 7 on his jersey, just as Matt Schaub did when he was setting UVa's career passing record between 2000-2003.

One of Lalich's blockers, fifth-year offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham, also played with Schaub.

"A long, long time ago," Cunningham said Tuesday. "Schaub knew the offense inside and out. You can't expect that from Peter right now, but Peter will get there one day. He has that ability. He has the same kind of ability that Schaub does.

"Just watching him, his mind goes further now than any other freshman I've ever seen or even from me when I was a freshman."

Defensive end Chris Long made similar comments after Saturday's game, describing himself as "clueless" when he was a true freshman.

"Peter, if he's clueless, he's doing a pretty good job of not showing that he's clueless," Cunningham said. "I think he can follow in the same footsteps as Matt Schaub."

Lalich came to Virginia with a reputation as a thrower, having passed for 3,104 yards and 33 touchdowns, but the big question was how quickly he could pick up the offense.

True freshmen have started at quarterback for other Division I-A programs, but, in many of those cases, it was players who graduated from high school in December and were able to enroll in college for the spring semester and participate in spring practice.

Lalich attended as many spring practices as he could but only as an observer, because he had not graduated from high school.

"The carryover was in hearing words that are used in the language of the offense," Groh said. "The words weren't foreign to him, but a lot of that started when he got here.

"He's got a very strong appetite for football. As a result, he's around a lot to watch tape or ask questions. He's intrigued by it."

Groh credited West Springfield coach Bill Renner, a one-time Virginia Tech punter who is known for developing kickers, for installing a sophisticated pass offense that made Lalich comfortable in a variety of formations.

At 6-foot-5 and 235 pounds, Lalich is slightly shorter than Schaub and demonstrated a sidearm delivery that was somewhat reminiscent of one of Schaub's contemporaries, Philip Rivers.

Lalich threw more than 300 passes in each of his final two seasons in high school, "so he's been in a lot of different situations where he's had to adjust his throws," Groh said.

"He's got good versatility with his delivery, whether he's got to get it around a guy or throw it over him. On occasion, it's going to like look like [Lalich is throwing sidearm] but it's not an all-the-time thing as it was with Philip Rivers."

Lalich's longest completion in two games is for 19 yards, but "his long balls are right on the money," Cunningham said. "I'm not a quarterback. All I do is block for quarterbacks. But, from what it looks like to me, he throws a pretty good ball."

Lalich has played in each of Virginia's first two games but has been on the field for fewer than 40 snaps, barely the equivalent of one-half game.

He has completed 16 of 23 passes for 147 yards, offering an alternative to sophomore Jameel Sewell.

Groh has not announced a starter for the Cavaliers' game Saturday at North Carolina and put Lalich off limits to the media during the week, not that Lalich was about to reveal any inner secrets.

Lalich couldn't have been more careful in his post-Duke comments, particularly when asked how it felt to have a win under his belt.

"It was our win," Lalich said. "I don't know about my belt. Maybe under Coach Groh's belt. ... I'm glad they called my number. I definitely wasn't expecting to go in."

Not that he couldn't get used to the experience of throwing touchdown passes at Scott Stadium.

"That was awesome," he said. "I want to do more of it."
 

Signs lead to trouble
Game day commentary spurs speech debate
By Brian McNeill / bmcneill@dailyprogress.com | 978-7266
September 13, 2007

Frustrated by the performance of University of Virginia head football coach Al Groh, UVa student David Becker brought along a sign to Saturday’s home game against Duke University that read: “Fire Groh.”

What followed is raising questions of freedom of expression and whether UVa football fans should be allowed to use signs to criticize the Cavaliers from the stands of Scott Stadium.

“UVa fans are upset with the team and the way things are going,” said Becker, a 19-year-old biomedical engineering student from Woodbridge.

So Becker held up his homemade sign in the front row of the student section of Scott Stadium until a stadium official arrived and took it out of his hands.

Becker made another one and held it up. The stadium official confiscated Becker’s second sign.

So he made a third.

“Maybe I’m a little thickheaded,” Becker said.

Upon seeing Becker’s final anti-Groh sign, the stadium official returned once again, this time with two police officers in tow.

“He threatened to have the police escort me and all my friends out of the stadium if we didn’t take down the sign,” Becker said. “I wasn’t being obscene. I wasn’t acting inappropriate. I was just holding a sign and expressing an opinion.”

Yet UVa officials assert that Becker’s sign violated its policy on banners, flags and signs.

“It violated our athletics facility policy,” said Jason Bauman, athletics director for facilities and operations. “We see something like that and we try to manage it. I was actually involved in this. I had seen the sign and we worked to have it removed.”

According to the athletics department’s policy, fans are permitted to display banners in the stadium during games provided that it does not “contain derogatory comments, profanity, impede another guest’s view of the field or cover any stadium signage.”

Furthermore, the policy states, athletics event management officials have the right to remove any sign or banner.

Becker, however, said that he was told by a supervisor at the stadium’s gate that a “Fire Groh” sign would not be considered derogatory. Becker added that many people wore “Fire Groh” T-shirts to Saturday’s game, having bought and made them in the wake of UVa’s loss to Wyoming a week earlier.

“How about anybody who was yelling ‘Fire Groh’ on Saturday? You could say that was derogatory too,” he said.

Robert M. O’Neil, president of the nonprofit Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, said Becker’s case is not the first time freedom of speech issues have arisen at collegiate sporting events.

Several years ago at University of Mississippi football games, fans were waving so many Confederate flags that it became a distraction. As a solution, the school banned sticks, making it trickier to wave a flag, said O’Neil, a former UVa president. Similarly, college football and basketball stadiums have banned racial epithets, he added.

“Regulation of expressive activity at athletic events is different from regulation of speech generally,” he said, stipulating that he was not familiar with the details of Becker’s case.

UVa will face the University of North Carolina Tar Heels at noon Saturday in Chapel Hill.

“If we lose this weekend, just imagine the signs that’ll be coming out,” Becker said.



 

Cavs latest challenge for Davis
Thursday, Sep 13, 2007 - 12:05 AM 
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

The coach who stands as a roadblock between Al Groh and a down payment on job security is no stranger to dicey propositions himself.

He took one on at Miami in 1995.

He took one on with the Browns in 2001.

Now Butch Davis has turned his restorative powers to North Carolina. Many before him have tried. Few achieved much more than window dressing.

True, the Tar Heels aren't a grimy, probation-stained mess like the Miami program Davis inherited in '95. They're not an expansion-franchise toddler like the NFL Brownies he was placed in charge of six years later.

But UNC doesn't have national and world championships in its time capsule, either. It's not that kind of place.

Here's the lowdown: The Tar Heels haven't finished atop the ACC standings since 1980. They haven't appeared in a major bowl since Choo Choo Justice was frolicking at Kenan Stadium in the late '40s. They haven't lasted longer than one week in an AP poll in 10 years. They've never produced a quarterback with NFL staying power.

They were 3-9 last season, their fifth straight at .500 or below. They're 1-1 this year -- a win over I-AA James Madison, a last-second loss at East Carolina -- heading into Saturday's home encounter with Virginia. They're young and the coaches are new, and everyone is sort of getting acquainted with one another. The future? That's up for grabs.

"There's always the growing pains the first couple of years to right the ship," Davis said a couple of days ago. "If you don't understand that -- if you're thinking you're going to snap your fingers and correct all the things that went wrong the past 15 years -- you're kidding yourself. It takes time. You have to be patient."

Patience, though, is a diminishing commodity around Charlottesville, where Groh is in his seventh season of unsatisfying returns and needs to beat UNC to spur hopes for a winning campaign and keep the boosters defanged.

At least Groh was bequeathed a reasonably solid foundation by George Welsh. Davis was given nine holdover starters, an incumbent quarterback he quickly switched to receiver and the ACC's weakest defense this side of Duke. Lucky for him, he expected nothing more.

"I think it is rare and unique when a coach walks into a a ready-made opportunity," Davis said. "It happens from time to time. But most of the time, a job is open for a reason."

The UNC job was available because John Bunting -- an otherwise admired alum who came cheap and without previous head-coaching experience above the Division III level -- steered the ship from Peach Bowl to rocky shoal during a six-year voyage that prompted change and the search for a big-timer.

Enter Davis. He's the guy who cleansed Miami, recruited scads of future pros for the 'Canes and left the makings of the team that snared a national title in 2001. He concedes UNC lacks such historic benchmarks, but he finds encouragement in Mack Brown, who three times recorded double-digit wins for the Tar Heels but never could beat Florida State and finally bailed in 1997 for Texas, a football school.

"What might've happened had he stayed?" Davis said. "You can say the same thing about a lot of programs. What would Carolina basketball have looked like if Dean Smith left after six years?"

Hard to say. What we know for sure is that UNC has won four NCAA basketball championships and a handful of Gator Bowls since Choo Choo Justice. Is Butch Davis the guy to raise the bar? For now, he'd just like to get through Saturday.

 

Groh getting some heat
Win over Duke doesn't quiet the critics after opening loss
Lorenzo Perez, Staff Writer

Virginia coach Al Groh did not have to log on to TheSabre.com's message boards or dial in to Jerry Miller's sports talk radio show to gauge the grumblings back in Charlottesville, Va.
The signs of discontent proved as obvious as a freshly slapped coat of neon orange paint after Virginia opened the season with a 23-3 loss at Wyoming.

Shortly after the shellacking, disgruntled fans migrated to UVa's Beta Bridge and painted their plea on the campus landmark: "Groh Must Go!"

A 5-7 record in 2006 during what Groh called a rebuilding year, followed by Virginia's decision in November not to extend his contract beyond 2010 signaled a growing impatience with the seventh-year coach.

A 24-13 home win Saturday over woeful Duke has done little to curb fans' criticism, but Groh's recent decision to split his quarterback playing time between presumed sophomore starter Jameel Sewell and highly touted freshman Peter Lalich has emerged as another hot topic heading into Saturday's game against North Carolina.

"The phone lines, without question, they've been bleeding," said Miller, an assistant sports editor at The Daily Progress and host of "Sports-Rap," a five-day-a-week sports radio show in Charlottesville. "A lot of people are concerned with, like I am, the direction the program's heading into. We got a guy that started his career here at the University of Virginia with a lot of hype.

"He did really good the first few years ... but every year, you've kind of seen a slow trickle downward."

Groh's decision last season to entrust his son Mike Groh, a former UVa quarterback, as offensive coordinator has also invited scrutiny for a Cavaliers offense that currently ranks next-to-last in the ACC with a meager 212 yards a game.

The Cavaliers appeared to enter the season set at quarterback with Sewell, a redshirt sophomore who started the final nine of games of last season and set school freshman passing records with 143 completions, 1,342 yards and five touchdowns.

A shaky outing for the mobile Sewell at Wyoming (two INTs, 87 yards passing) led Groh to bring in Lalich late. Sewell showed signs of improvement against Duke, rushing for 33 yards and completing 9 of 14 passes for 60 yards and a touchdown. But Sewell left the game suffering from cramps on the hot afternoon, and it was Lalich, a 6-5, 235-pound drop-back passer, who led the Cavaliers' 82-yard, game-winning drive and took all the fourth-quarter snaps.

Asked Wednesday how he would divide Saturday's snaps between Sewell and Lalich against North Carolina, Groh said he would rotate them in "as the game situation presents itself."

Beyond that, Virginia players maintain they haven't had time to hear the grumblings from outside the program.

"It's not something that we're ever going to hear," Virginia senior tight end Jonathan Stupar said, "while we're in here watching film and getting ready for our game."

 

Battle for Beta Bridge
Kevin Zdancewicz, Cavalier Daily Columnist

By now, most of you know the message that started it all: "$1.7 Million: Groh Must Go!" That simple phrase painted on Beta Bridge almost two weeks ago has created a buzz around Grounds that continues this week. At the time, the quote pretty much summed up the feeling of many Wahoo fans following Virginia's 23-3 loss to Wyoming and I'm not sure much has changed since then.

For the past two weeks, there has been a war of words via slogans questioning many University students' admiration for their school ("Have pride or transfer!"), supporting the beleaguered coach ("Groh stuck with us; stick with him") and insulting Virginia football supporters in general ("Hoo would want to play for fans like you?").

Though that last message was answered on the bridge a night later ("Hoo would want to play for a coach like you?"), I felt like I needed to address the ones that have not yet had responses.

Let's start with the bombshell "Have pride or transfer!" This one really got to me. First off, whoever wrote this is certainly entitled to his or her free speech, but so is someone who doesn't believe Al Groh should be the football coach anymore. That, in essence, is what I am trying to say: There is a difference between our right as fans to criticize those directing our team and blatantly attacking those with another opinion. If you like Groh, defend him, but don't scold others for speaking their minds and hide behind the veil of "being a good fan."

For a peer to say you don't have the right to root for your team just because you believe the team would have better success with another coach is out of line. But to tell a classmate he does not belong within the University community for the same reason is outrageous, unfounded and ignorant.

If you were in a class with a professor who was treating students unfairly, would you transfer from the University? Or would you send some anonymous feedback, speak to your dean or talk to the department chair about what is bothering you?

If you didn't like the food in the cafeteria, would you write a comment to U.Va. Dining? Or would you get a Corner meal plan or make food at home? Or would you transfer?

There are tons of examples. In each of these situations, transferring makes little sense. You would be throwing away the 999 wonderful things you have at the University for the one that maybe ticks you off a little bit.

Sure, I am taking the quote a little too literally to make a point. I'm sure the "super fan" who wrote it doesn't really expect everyone who dislikes Groh to transfer, but the pretension of his or her comments is no doubt apparent in what was written.

Maybe whoever wrote it was just trying to rally support for our outstanding football team, but the fact that someone would call into question our right as fans to criticize a person who is getting a lot of money from our school and to voice our opinion about an underachieving football team really got to me this past weekend.

I don't even know what to say about "Groh stuck with us, stick with him." When exactly did Groh stick with us? Was it when we were throwing piles of money at him despite not winning any ACC titles or earning any BCS bowl bids? Was it when we handed him the keys to his dream job right after upgrading Scott Stadium? Was it when tons of students abandoned traditional gameday attire (at his request) or when hordes of fans continued to pack the stands to watch his team march to prestigious Continental Tire Bowl wins?

You're right -- we really need to thank Groh for sticking with us. It's not every day that one of the top public universities and overall athletic programs in the nation has the privilege of employing a coach with a career 63-66 record at all levels and only has to give him $1.7 million annually.

The fact of the matter is I don't think Groh is a terrible coach, but I can't honestly say he's helping players reach their potential anymore.

The reason to replace a coach is not always about wins and losses. A coach with little to work with cannot be expected to develop a competitive college football team. But that is just not the case here. Groh has the talent and the resources to put a better product on the field and generate better results. Such a situation is definitely grounds for change.

Despite the last few paragraphs, this column is less about whether Al Groh should remain coach and more about the argument itself. If you like Groh, support him. But refrain from bashing people who don't share your opinion. And stop acting like you are a superior fan because you're "defending" the coach; other diehard fans want him out because it will, in their minds, make the team better.

There were two other quotes still featured on Beta Bridge as of Tuesday: "Support your team!!!" and "We believe [in] Virginia football." Just because someone wants a new coach for the 'Hoos doesn't mean he or she isn't abiding by those two maxims. Hopefully there will soon be peace talks and everyone can get back to being a Wahoo football fan again despite their differences.

 

Policy questions arise after sign confiscation
Becker claims First Amendment rights violated; University official stands behind venue policy of no derogatory signs
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Officials confiscated a University student's sign that read "Fire Groh" at Saturday's football game, prompting some questions regarding the athletic department's policy on signs at sporting events.

The student, third-year Engineering student David Becker, said he was initially given permission to hold up the sign when he asked a member of the event staff at the gates of Scott Stadium. Later in the game, another member of the staff instructed Becker to put the sign down.

"I didn't have a problem until the third quarter," Becker said. "The head of event staff of the field -- he took it [the sign] from me."

According to the athletics Web site, Virginiasports.com, signs, flags and banners may not "contain derogatory comments, profanity, impede another guest's view of the field or cover any stadium signage."

Jason Bauman, associate athletics director for facilities and operations, affirmed that the sign violated the policy.

"That sign does not fall within our policy," Bauman said. "It didn't contain any profanity. It just violated venue policy."

Becker said the event staff at the game did not give a specific reason for confiscating the sign.

"I tried to ask them why he took it and [I] didn't get an answer," Becker said. "He just walked away, folded it up and threw it on the ground."

According to Becker, after his first sign was taken away, he promptly made a new one that also read "Fire Groh", but was smaller, in case it violated the rule stating that a sign may not "impede another guest's view." Again, however, he said the event staff confiscated it without a word. After the third sign, the staff member said if Becker made another sign, he would be asked to leave, according to Becker.

"The whole reason I kept making more was because I wanted an explanation," Becker said. "If nobody would talk to me when I would try to ask them if I could get an explanation, I was going to keep trying to do something to get them to come over."

Though the athletic department continues to stand fast by its statement that the sign violated venue policy, Becker said he sees this censoring as a violation of his right to free speech.

"They're obviously saying that if I'm not in support of the coach, then I shouldn't be voicing my opinion," Becker said. "I just find that a little absurd."

After the game, Becker said he spoke to the head of the event staff at the gate, who informed Becker that he also saw no reason why the sign should be prohibited. Bauman, however, said there should have been no reason for confusion.

"The instructions to the staff were that this kind of signage violates venue policy," Bauman said. "I don't know who was at the gate."

While the specific reason as to why the sign was not allowed remains unclear, the removal of signs like Becker's does have a precedent.

"It's not inconsistent with what we've done," Bauman said. "When [former Virginia basketball] coach [Pete] Gillen was here, there were signs that said 'Fire Gillen', and we didn't allow those to be displayed."

Becker, however, is determined to pursue the matter until he gets a more specific reason as to why the sign was against the policy.

"If they can show me where a 'Fire Groh' sign is against the rules, then maybe I'll drop it," Becker said. "It wasn't obscene, it wasn't an inappropriate sign, and I just held it up."

 

Different QB approaches at UVa, Tech
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 13, 2007

Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering how effective Virginia’s two-quarterback system will be in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Saturday ...

If nothing else, North Carolina must spend extra time preparing for two styles of quarterback.

Jameel Sewell is more athletic, thus more of a threat to break a run. He is an effective rollout passer and is left-handed, yet can bootleg to either side. Peter Lalich is right-handed, but is more of a classic pocket passer and prefers to operate out of the shotgun.

Tar Heels coach Butch Davis said he can understand why Virginia coach Al Groh hasn’t tipped his hand about who will start for the Cavaliers.

“Most coaches don’t want to reveal injuries or uncertainty about who might start, particularly in different styles,” Davis said Wednesday. “I would be dramatically surprised if we don’t see both of them. If one emerges and plays 75 percent and the other plays 25 percent, you’ve still got to be prepared for both of them.”

Groh, who has an extensive defensive background, said if he and his staff were confronting that situation, it would require extra preparation.

“A prime thing that we start with on both sides of the ball is we ask the question, ‘How many things does this team make us think about?’” Groh said. “Clearly, the more things you can make the opponent think about and issues to deal with and decisions to make, then the more burdensome it becomes for the opponent.

“One of our quarterbacks has shown his adeptness and has two touchdown runs of over 40 yards, and one is beginning to show some skill in the pocket,” Groh said. “It probably adds to the number of issues that have to be dealt with.”

Meanwhile, in Blacksburg, Virginia Tech starter Sean Glennon isn’t happy about being unseated by true freshman Tyrod Taylor and is thinking about transferring.

“I’d love to stay here, but if they only plan on letting me call signals, obviously I’m going to have to reevaluate things,” Glennon said. “I feel like I’m too good to be standing on the sideline.”

Glennon said he had the impression that Tech’s coaching staff had planned to play Taylor all along and that he didn’t feel as if he had been given a fair shot to keep his job.

It’s interesting to note that after only two weeks, the redshirt has been taken off three of the top QB prospects in the country that landed in the ACC: Lalich, Taylor and Willy Korn, who is backing up Cullen Harper at Clemson.

Tech trouble

Who would have ever believed heading into the season that Virginia Tech fans would be in an uproar over the Hokies’ offensive efforts?

After last weekend’s blowout loss at LSU, it was strange hearing callers to Frank Beamer’s radio show questioning the Tech offense and asking about potential changes with the offensive coordinator. Groh got the same kind of questions hurled his way on his radio show.

Who would have thought that UVa’s offense would be ranked ahead of Tech’s in virtually every major category after the first two weeks of the season.

Scoring offense: UVa 71st (nationally), VT 112th.

Rushing offense: UVa No. 76, VT No. 107.

Passing offense: UVa 87th, VT 98th.

Total offense: UVa No. 92, VT No. 111.

Speed kills

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said the toughest thing in trying to prepare for tonight’s game against West Virginia (7:45, ESPN) is the Mountaineers’ speed.

“It’s tough to simulate both the speed in which they run their offense and the speed that they actually have in personnel,” the Fridge said. “We have tried to mimic it in practice, but it’s tough to simulate that kind of speed.”

The Terps have held three straight opponents (dating back to last season’s win over Purdue in a bowl game) to less than 100 yards rushing (in fact, they’ve given up an impressive total of only 114 combined rushing yards in those three games).

That streak will likely end tonight against WVU. Either Steve Slaton or Pat White have rushed for at least 100 yards in 19 of West Virginia’s last 22 games and had a field day against the Terps last season.

Ramblin’ Wreck

If anything was wrecked at last week’s Georgia Tech rout of Samford, it was Samford, although the Tech students worked on the school’s old jalopy that drives out onto the field with the team all night in order to get it up and running.

Tech’s offense had no such problem.

The Yellow Jackets pulled their starters with more than 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter and still managed to score 45 points in the first half. In fact, Tech only had 10 players on the field (all backups) with three minutes showing in the first half and Jamaal Evans still raced 6 yards for a score.

The 1930 Model A Ford coupe, which was actually “wrecked” during a trip to a wedding during the summer, wasn’t ready to roll until 4 a.m. the day of the game (1:32 p.m. kickoff). Students worked on it all night long.

Boo birds

N.C. State head coach Tom O’Brien was booed heartily by the student section when he returned to Boston College for the Wolfpack’s meeting with the Eagles last Saturday. O’Brien, who was BC’s coach for 10 years and turned the program around, was making his first return to the stadium since leaving Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take the State job after last season.

O’Brien handled it well, even throwing up his hands as he exited the field after his new team lost to his old team.

“That was, ‘Hey, see ya. I’ll be back. I’ll see you in three years,’” chuckled O’Brien, whose team returns to BC in 2009. “This wasn’t a one-year move. It wasn’t a one-game move. It was a five- to 10-year move.”

The coach said he took the booing in stride. He said the reception he received from many others that he met over a decade at the school outweighed the negatives by 50-1.

Stat of the Week

So far this season 17 plays have been reviewed in ACC games and only three were overturned. The average length of those replays has been 1 minute, 38 seconds.

Getting his kicks

After playing two football games in six days, Clemson kicker Mark Bucholz couldn’t get enough. The Tiger played four games in six days, including three days in a row.

Bucholz played in both Clemson football games versus Florida State and Louisiana-Monroe and also played Friday and Sunday for the Tigers’ soccer team in a three-day tournament in Blacksburg. He played 107 minutes in Clemson’s 2-1 overtime loss to Virginia Tech on Friday, hopped on a university plane to fly back to Clemson for Saturday’s football game, then flew back to Blacksburg later that night to play in a 1-0 soccer win over VCU on Sunday.

And, oh, yeah. He was back at football practice on Monday.

Injury report

Wake Forest has lost starting fullback Rich Belton for the season with a torn ACL.

Meanwhile, the injuries continue to mount for N.C. State. The Wolfpack lost starting defensive tackle DeMario Pressley for the season last week when the he suffered a knee injury during a non-contact drill in practice. He is the third State player to be lost for the season due to a knee injury this season, including senior tight end Anthony Hill and running back Toney Baker.

Short yardage …

… When Boston College plays at Georgia Tech, it could be a preview of the ACC Championship game in Jacksonville, Fla., although it’s still too early to count out Clemson in the Atlantic and Virginia Tech in the Coastal. BC will be the first team since Florida State in 2003 to open up with three straight ACC opponents. … Speaking of Georgia Tech, the Yellow Jackets are ranked in the nation’s top 10 in 10 different statistical categories. … Saturday’s Miami-Florida International meeting will be only the second time the two schools have played against one another, although the two campuses are only 9 miles apart. … Virginia’s Al Groh said he has limited true freshman quarterback Peter Lalich’s exposure to media because he doesn’t want the rookie to become overwhelmed. “He’s only in his second week of college classes (in addition to the football responsibilities), so we felt it was in his best interest to try to keep his world as small and as organized as possible,” Groh said.

… Groh called last week’s game by senior defensive end Chris Long “an All-American performance,” and he won’t get much argument on that one. Long, who leads the nation in sacks (2.0 per game), also impressed Duke coach Ted Roof. Roof said Tuesday that he sought out Long after the game to let him know. “I thought [Long] was fantastic,” Roof said. “I think he played every snap for them on defense and some on special teams. I have a lot of respect for that kid, but the best thing about him is his motor. I went and found him after the game to let him know that.” … Miami coach Randy Shannon will be coaching against his son in Saturday’s game against FIU. Xavier Shannon is FIU’s starting left tackle, but the elder Shannon said, “It’s going to be just another game for everybody.” … Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews missed last week’s game due to a bout with pneumonia.

The picks

Last week: 10-0. This year: 16-4. This week: West Virginia 34, Maryland 17; Florida State 24, Colorado 21; Northwestern 21, Duke 17; Georgia Tech 28, Boston College 21; N.C. State 40, Wofford 10; Wake Forest 36, Army 13; Miami 33, Florida International 17; Clemson 35, Furman 19; Virginia Tech 27, Ohio U. 14; North Carolina 24, Virginia 17 (The Cavs have to prove they can win on the road … this would be a good place to start).

 

Everett's injury hits close to home
Former Miami TE's situation dredges up tough memories for UVa's Lyles
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 13, 2007

The horrifying feeling returned in Nate Lyles’ stomach Sunday.

It has happened before. Unfortunately, he knows it will happen again.

With his own personal experience to reflect upon, Lyles watched replays in disbelief.

On Sunday, Kevin Everett, a tight end for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, suffered a catastrophic injury to his spinal column while making a tackle on kickoff coverage. Images of Everett lying motionless on the field instantly rehashed Lyles’ painful memories.

In 2005, Lyles was injured while trying to tackle Georgia Tech running back P.J. Daniels. At least temporarily, Lyles lost feeling in his extremities. Virginia’s hard-hitting safety was placed on a spine board and carted out of Scott Stadium.

Initially, it was unclear if Lyles would ever play football again.

“I guess I know a little bit about how [Everett] feels,” Lyles said. “I can truly sympathize with the guy.”

After missing the final three games in 2005, Lyles was cleared to play last season and continues to play his senior season without any ill effects.

It appears that Everett will not be as fortunate, but doctors remain optimistic that he could walk again.

In 2003, as a member of Miami’s football team, Everett played at Scott Stadium. He made a pair of receptions for 15 yards in the Hurricanes’ 31-21 win, a game that was played a month before Lyles’ official recruiting visit.

“It’s a very sobering thing to see that happen to people that we play against. I remember him very well,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “It certainly gave us pause to think for a few minutes, too, about the situation with Nate a couple of years ago.

“At the time that it happened it was scary and we are very fortunate that we got the positive result that came of it.”

On the play against Georgia Tech, Groh pointed out, Lyles was fundamentally sound.

“Fortunately, Nate’s injury came with his head fully up so he wasn’t vulnerable to that particular type of injury,” Groh said. “[Lyles and Daniels] took each other on in the same way.

“[Lyles] had his head up properly, but the force of the hit was such that it pushed [his head] way back, but at least it happened that way and not down.”

Everett’s injury reminded Groh of the brutal nature of the sport.

“Players are just trying to compete,” Groh said. “Players appreciate their vulnerability and that of their opponents.

“[New York Jets quarterback] Chad Pennington got hurt the other night, and people were cheering when he got hurt. Maybe three or four plays later he could be subject to the same thing that happened to the Everett kid. It is just not right.”

Groh spoke with members of the Bills’ organization about Everett’s situation and addressed his findings with the team on Tuesday to put an “exclamation mark” on teaching points and to “emphasize some of the things from a fundamental standpoint that we always bring about.”

Lyles was certainly listening.

“It definitely makes you sit back and realize how important things are and how important just being out there is,” Lyles said. “I don’t take anything for granted.”

 

White edges to top of UNC running-back rotation
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER
CHAPEL HILL

Johnny White knows the names of all the top running backs in North Carolina’s history.

He has studied some and followed others, knows what they did and what they meant to their teams.

His career at UNC is all of two games old, but he knows where he wants it to go. He would like to be considered among the school’s best backs by the time he is finished running in Kenan Stadium.

“I want to be part of that,” White said. “I want to be part of this family we’ve got here at Carolina and represent my home state.”

White will play his first ACC game against Virginia at home on Saturday, and he expects the yards to come tougher against a conference team.

White is a 5-10, 190-pound redshirt freshman, part of what Coach Butch Davis calls a running-back-by-committee rotation. He is sharing the position with Anthony Elzy, also a redshirt freshman, and Richie Rich, a sophomore.

White is UNC’s leading rusher with 92 yards and is averaging 4.4 yards a carry. He ran more effectively against East Carolina last Saturday in his second game than he did against James Madison in the season opener. He helped the Tar Heels move into position to win in the last 55 seconds.

The score was tied 31-31 when UNC took possession at its 20-yard line with 3:03 left. White caught a pass from quarterback T.J. Yates on the first play for an 18-yard gain.

He then burst free for a 21-yard run. He carried again for seven more yards, putting UNC at the ECU 34. Davis had said that he would stick with any back that caught fire, and White thought then that he was at least getting warm.

“I felt I had a couple of pretty good runs,” White said. “I was feeling OK.”

The drive stalled at the 35 and ended when an attempted field goal broke down because of a dropped snap. UNC surrendered a field goal on the game’s last play and suffered its first defeat of the season.

Davis said that White is beginning to pull ahead of the other tailbacks ever so slightly.

“We were impressed with how hard he ran the other day,” Davis said. “He caught the ball well out of the backfield. He did a nice job on his (pass) protections. He did some nice things.”

White is pain-free for the first time in at least two seasons, and that is helping him run better. He underwent surgery last spring on his right ankle to repair damage caused in high school in Asheville. Calcium deposits were removed.

White sprained the ankle in spring practice, and the injury held him back and forced him to a limited role in the spring game.

“When I had a simple sprain, it would take a long time to heal,” White said. “They went in and got those calcium deposits out so if I did catch another sprain it would heal regularly. “

Even with the bum ankle, White was one of the top high-school running backs in the state at Asheville High School. In only two seasons as a starter, he rushed for 5,133 yards. He broke a school record that stood for 63 years, one set by Charlie “Choo Choo” Justice, who went on to be generally recognized as the greatest player in UNC history.

White scored 31 touchdowns as a senior and helped Asheville finish 15-0 and win the Class 3-A state championship for its first state title since 1922.

He was redshirted last season, but he said he did not mind sitting out the season and believes that it helped prepare him for this season.

“It was a good experience because it gave me time to sit back and get used to college life, not only just football but getting used to time management with classes,” White said. “I became stronger and faster and more of a student of the game.

“I learned simple things, like different defenses, and certain things about offense, certain keys and stuff like that. They were little things that you pick up over time.”

Elzy and Rich will play against Virginia, but if UNC needs White it, he is confident that he can run 20-25 times.

“I get stronger as the game goes on,” White said.

 

UVa walk-on sprinting to success
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 13, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Staton Jobe heard the roar of the crowd before he saw the play develop. They weren't cheering for him. Cedric Peerman had the makings of a big run and Jobe, the receiver lined up on the opposite side of the field, knew if the tailback got far enough downfield, he would have to take out the last defensive back.
Sure enough, Peerman kept going, sprung by right guard Ian-Yates Cunningham's lead block. After sprinting 50 yards across the field, Jobe provided the coup de gr?ce, a solid block on the final obstacle between Peerman and a 58-yard touchdown run.

"He's a hard-working player," Virginia coach Al Groh said of Jobe. "Had he not been down there working that hard and then effectively making the block (instead of) just running down there, maybe the result wouldn't have been quite the same."

Hard work has gotten the under-the-radar Jobe to where he's at now - one of Virginia's starting wide receivers. The redshirt freshman was not a highly sought-after recruit, is not very big (6-foot-1, 181 pounds) and is hardly imposing on a football field despite his track-star speed.

But he gives the Cavaliers and Groh exactly what they want: effort and dependability.

"He's a go-getter," Peerman said. "He's going to do whatever it takes. I'm glad he's on my side of the ball."

Jobe, a native of Austin, Texas, wanted to go to Virginia after attending the Cavaliers' football camp his senior year of high school. UVa wanted the speedster, too. Sort of.

Groh offered Jobe a chance as a preferred walk-on. Was it disappointing?

"It was probably more disappointing for my dad," joked Jobe, referring to UVa's steep tuition.

Jobe's father, Jeff, knows a thing or two about the process. Jeff was a top recruit coming out of high school, choosing Texas Tech, where he became an academic All-American and three-time letterman as a wide receiver from 1972-74.

Staton's brother, Taylor, also played at Texas Tech, as a walk-on, lettering for the Red Raiders in 2003.

Jobe had a few football choices. He could have taken a scholarship to one of the service academies that were recruiting him. He could have walked on at Texas Tech, where the spread offense is a wide receiver's dream. Or he could try his hand with the Cavaliers.

He chose the latter.

"They were always kind of my No. 1," Jobe said.

Virginia has had a history of wide receiver walk-on successes, most notably former NFLer Patrick Jeffers, who played from 1992-95 and is sixth on the school's career receiving yards list (1,785) and ninth in receptions (108).

Even the Cavaliers' current roster is flush with former walk-ons. Linebacker Jon Copper and safety Byron Glaspy, both defensive starters, earned scholarships after walking on. So did special teams maven Josh Zidenberg.

"I guess what it says is there's equal opportunity once a player gets here," Groh said. "It doesn't matter to us what path he took."

Jobe seized the opportunity. After working mostly in the background on the scout team last year, he took a more prominent role when Kevin Ogletree blew out his knee in the spring. Groh lauded Jobe's play in the offseason and rewarded him with the starting spot once preseason practice began.

"It's been a little bit of a surprise," Jobe said of his rapid ascension.

Still, Jobe, who is not on scholarship yet, often gets overlooked in Virginia's group of wideouts. He doesn't have Maurice Covington's size. He doesn't have Dontrelle Inman's flair. And he doesn't have Jared Green's pedigree.

Jobe even gets lost in the shuffle in his own stadium. Despite catching three passes for 29 yards against Duke, tops among UVa's receivers, it was the pass he didn't have thrown his way that got the most attention.

As the Cavaliers lined up for a goal-line play, nobody from the Blue Devils matched up with of Jobe, who was split out wide. He futilely waved his arms, trying to get quarterback Peter Lalich's attention. Lalich never saw him and took the snap, handing it off on a play that lost yardage.

"I was just hoping he'd see me," Jobe said.

It's the story of his college football career. Just now are people taking notice.

Virginia, Clemson giving backup QBs a chance, too
E-MAIL Print Comment 0
Posted: September 12, 2007
BY HANK KURZ Jr.

Virginia coach Al Groh doesn't see much choice.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell has been largely ineffective in the first two games and could see his string of starts end at 11 this week at North Carolina.

It doesn't help his chances at all that freshman Peter Lalich has played well in two appearances, even leading a game-clinching 15-play touchdown drive last week against Duke. He was 8-for-10 on the drive and capped it with a touchdown pass.

"Just however game situations and our plan of attack calls for it," Groh said when asked if Sewell would start Saturday. "It's not about who starts and who finishes."

So far, the left-handed Sewell has handled having to share the job well.

"We're just both trying to help our team get better," he said following practice Tuesday night. "Some of the things he's good at and some of the things I'm good at."

Lalich's play in a short time has impressed his teammates.

"Being able to come in there and kind of control your huddle and be poised and be confident in his ability and to be able to put the ball in places to get it to the receivers, you can't ask for anything better than that, especially as a true freshman," right guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said.

Cunningham said earlier in the year, he had to encourage Lalich to speak up in huddles. Then he found out that Lalich's team ran a no-huddle offense in high school.

"Now you don't have to ask him "What was that again?"' Cunningham said. "He's more comfortable with the offense, more comfortable with his abilities, more comfortable in the position that he's in to be able to have a bigger presence in the huddle."

At Clemson, coach Tommy Bowden won't rule out finding more playing time for his backup quarterback, freshman Willy Korn, even after junior Cullen Harper threw a school-record five touchdown passes in a 49-26 win over Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday.

Korn was one of the country's top high school quarterbacks at James F. Byrnes High, about an hour from Clemson's campus. He got his first collegiate action Saturday, completing 6 of 8 passes for 49 yards and rushing for a late 1-yard touchdown.

Korn is already a local favorite, and Bowden said Korn's performance last week earned him more attention -- and might eventually earn him a regular role similar to the one Florida's Tim Tebow filled during the Gators' national championship season.

"That's something we could possibly have happen as we go on into the year," Bowden said. "It's not something we would rule out this early in the year."

Still, it might be hard to sit a productive starter in Harper, who was named the ACC's offensive back of the week for his huge performance against the Warhawks.

Harper has completed 68 percent of his throws with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in Clemson's 2-0 start. The first victory came against Florida State.

"We just happen to have another very talented guy who looks like he could possibly continue to improve and could merit" more playing time, Bowden said. "It hasn't been that way since I've been here. ... That's good for us that we're in that position."

At Virginia Tech, freshman Tyrod Taylor will replace Sean Glennon as the starting quarterback when the Hokies play Ohio University at Lane Stadium.


 

Cavs return as marked men
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 13, 2007

Last spring, Somdev Devvarman led Virginia to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Shortly after, competing as an individual, he won the NCAA singles championship.

At that point, some people figured Devvarman would be long gone. They believed that with not much else to gain, he would forgo his senior season at UVa and pursue a pro career.

They were wrong.

“It definitely crossed my mind,” said Devv-arman, before practice on Wednesday, “but very, very briefly. I just looked back and saw what I had. I have the best friends in the world and the best coaches in the world - nothing more than a collegiate tennis player could ask for … I’m having the time of my life.”

On Friday, Virginia kicks of the 2007-08 season when it hosts its annual UVa Classic at the Snyder Tennis Center. The tournament, featuring players from 27 schools, runs through Sunday and is open to the public.

The field will include 19 of the top 125 singles players in the nation, and 10 of the top 60 doubles teams.

“I think it’s a great opportunity to just get out there and compete again,” said Virginia coach Brian Boland.

Devvarman, the preseason No. 1 player in the country, has won the tournament the last three years. In addition to defending his singles title, the Chennai, India, native will team with fellow Virginia captain Treat Huey in doubles. They are the nation’s No. 1-ranked duo.

This season, there is little doubt that Devvarman, the reigning NCAA champion, will be a marked man. He knows he’ll be seeing most opponents’ A-game.

“I think it’s a good thing,” said the 22-year-old sociology major. “It will keep me on my toes and make me feel the pressure of getting better every day. It’s an opportunity to prove [myself] over and over again and be dominant in college tennis. Hopefully my team and I can do that this year.

“Even though last year was great, we’re hoping that this year can be even better for everybody.”

With two highly touted recruits on board in Sanam Singh and Michael Shabaz, that seems like a good possibility - especially with Devvarman showing the youngsters the way.

Boland says he wasn’t surprised at all when Devvarman elected to return for his senior year.

“Somdev is a special young man and has represented the university as well as any student-athlete we’ve ever had,” Boland said. “He’s committed to the university, loves his teammates and wants to finish his last year of eligibility. He loves being here and is a great leader for us.”

After graduation, Devvarman says he will definitely give the pros a shot.

“Hopefully I’ll have a couple teammates with me,” he said. “I hope Virginia tennis builds a foundation that recruits players who always want to go pro when they’re done, because that’s the kind of players we need in our program.”

One would think that Devvarman would be able to make some noise as a pro.

Consider this: Last season, he defeated Georgia’s John Isner twice within a one-week span. Last month, Isner, who has since turned pro, made it to the third round of the U.S. Open. He was defeated by Roger Federer, but not before taking a set off of the No. 1 player in the world.

Yeah, Virginia tennis fans should be pretty happy that Devvarman is back in the fold.