UNC seeks payback as rivalry renews
Facing Heels, UVa tries to solve road problems
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 15, 2007
It has the ultimate irony.
Last year, Virginia’s football team helped deliver the walking papers to former
North Carolina coach John Bunting with an ugly rout on national television.
North Carolina, in a way, can help return the favor today inside Kenan Stadium -
the Tar Heels (1-1, 0-0) welcome Virginia (1-1, 1-0) to Chapel Hill, N.C., at
noon in the latest installment of the South’s oldest rivalry.
Saddled with a disturbing and declining 10-24 record on the road, Virginia coach
Al Groh is in a precarious situation and running out of time to find answers as
to how or why his program struggles outside Scott Stadium.
“After every season, we go back and dissect each game, home and away, what the
plan was, what the preparation was, and how that came to bear on the results,”
Groh said. “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.’
“Most games that teams win, you have more guys on your team that step up and
make good plays that change the game.”
Recent success against UNC - UVa has won 16 of the last 22 in the series - and
an upcoming clash with No. 15 Georgia Tech (2-0) only adds to the importance.
The Tar Heels, however, do not mirror the team that gained only 182 yards of
total offense in a 23-0 loss at Virginia last year.
First-year coach Butch Davis and offensive coordinator John Shoop have created
excitement in Chapel Hill with a pass-happy offense capable of moving the ball.
The Tar Heels lead the ACC in pass efficiency (191.7), rank second in passing
yardage (285.5 ypg) and fourth in scoring (34 ppg).
Quarterback T.J. Yates, a redshirt freshman, also leads the league in total
offense and has enjoyed success throwing to multiple targets.
“I wish I could say that I’m genius and that I knew he was going to do that, but
to be honest with you, I think he has certainly exceeded everybody on our
staff’s expectations at this particular point,” Davis said. “He has shown an
awful lot of maturity, a lot of poise, a lot of hard work.
“The thing as a coach that you really like about T.J. is the fact that he’s kind
of unflappable.”
Davis witnessed that from Yates during a drive last weekend against East
Carolina when the game was tied 31-31. Yates moved the Tar Heels into position
for a game-winning field-goal attempt, which, after a miscue, eventually led to
the Pirates’ 34-31 win.
“[Yates] acted as if he had been in those situations the whole time,” Davis
said.
Virginia’s situation at quarterback is far more complicated. For now, Groh has
only said that both sophomore Jameel Sewell and true freshman Peter Lalich will
play against UNC.
“Until the game unfolds, I don’t know what the situation’s gonna be,” Groh said.
Sewell has started under center the past 11 games, which led to five wins for
the Cavaliers, but the offense has not scored a touchdown under his direction in
the past three road contests.
Lalich, despite seeing limited time, has completed 16 of 23 passes for 147 yards
and one touchdown, a score that gave the Cavaliers fourth-quarter separation
against Duke last weekend.
Davis said he expects his team to see Sewell and Lalich.
“I would be dramatically surprised if you don’t see both of them,” he said. “If
you do, you’ve got to be ready for both quarterbacks. If one emerges and plays
75 percent of the time and the other is 25, you’ve still got to be prepared for
both of them.”
Davis said his pressing concern, however, remains with his own players.
“This is a huge challenge. Not only does it take on implications from the fact
that it’s the first ACC game, but Virginia presents a real severe challenge,”
Davis said. “They’re the best football team that we will have played this year.
Their defense is playing extremely well. They’re big, they’re physical, they’re
very athletic.”
A lot riding on this one for Virginia
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 15, 2007
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- There are lots of storylines in today’s noon kickoff
between Virginia and North Carolina.
For instance, it’s the fifth-oldest football rivalry in the country. Also, this
will mark only the second time in ACC history that two former NFL head coaches
will match wits.
What it basically boils down to though is Butch Davis trying to wake a sleeping
giant and Al Groh trying to keep his program from being put to sleep.
Davis, who recruited the likes of Ray Lewis, Edgerrin James, Santana Moss,
Willis McGahee, and Antrel Rolle, just to name a few, to Miami’s program before
giving the Cleveland Browns his best shot, is hoping to restore Carolina
football to the status once built by Mack Brown. Groh, whose Virginia program
took a dramatic slip last season and ended a four-year bowl string, is hoping to
solve the Cavaliers’ puzzling road woes (10-24 in the past six-plus seasons).
Clearly, this is an important swing game for both teams that could go either
way. The winner could profit immeasurably in confidence, while the loser could
be sent spiraling into another losing season.
Neither coach can afford that to happen, although it wouldn’t have as much
impact on Davis’ goals as it would Groh’s. Virginia is already struggling in
recruiting its own state and has drawn the ire of fans.
A lopsided season-opening loss at Wyoming, piggy-backed by a lackluster win over
hapless Duke, didn’t do much to sway support for the Cavaliers’ veteran coach. A
loss this afternoon in Chapel Hill, N.C., where Virginia teams haven’t performed
well in the past decade, and things could get ugly in Charlottesville.
The Tar Heels come into today’s game with a quarterback that has loads of
potential and the usual struggles at running back. Still, UVa’s defense will
have to prove that it’s as good as advertised by preventing big plays and long
drives.
Carolina’s defense appears vulnerable, but unless UVa’s two-headed monster at
quarterback - Jameel Sewell and Peter Lalich - can assemble some impressive
numbers today, it could be a long day for the Wahoos. UNC has been extremely
vulnerable to the run in recent seasons, so it would be timely if the Cavaliers
could finally mount the type of ground attack that its faithful anticipated.
Groh has described this first edition of Davis’ Tar Heels as the most explosive
Carolina team since 2001. Temper that statement in remembering that the UNC
teams since then have been less than impressive.
Davis may not have inherited a lot of talent, but he has a good coaching staff
and some somewhat unfamiliar schemes that Virginia must deal with.
Perhaps the best thing the Cavaliers can do today is keep it simple, line up and
play physical football. In the past that has been enough to beat Carolina on
most days.
It’s worth a try.
Milstead preparing for future
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 15, 2007
Lamar Milstead said it remains just another game.
Considering his route to Virginia, however, it would appear that today’s game at
North Carolina is anything but that.
Originally, Milstead verbally committed to UNC instead of UVa. It wasn’t until
after an 11th-hour decision following his official visit to North Carolina that
the offensive lineman had a change of heart.
“When I went on my official visit to North Carolina, to tell you the truth, it
didn’t fit me,” Milstead said on Tuesday. “It is a great school and a nice area,
but it didn’t fit me. The coaches are great, but it didn’t fit me.”
On the trip home from Chapel Hill, N.C., Milstead called Virginia defensive
coordinator Mike London hoping that a spot remained for his services.
“I went in as humble as I could and asked to be back in the team’s plans,”
Milstead said. “I tried to do it as humbly as I could, and if it wasn’t there, I
would have had to move on.”
London and Virginia coach Al Groh happily took Milstead, a four-star recruit
from Ballou High in Washington, D.C.
“I am so glad the opportunity was there,” Milstead said. “I look back and I
really wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Virginia is a great school, a
great program and we have a great group of guys.”
Virginia also boasts some talented offensive linemen, which has helped to ensure
a redshirt season for Milstead.
Groh said Milstead needed to gain strength on his 6-foot-5 frame. Milstead
agrees.
“To tell you the truth, at first I was down about not playing, but then I
realized the game at this level is no joke,” said Milstead, who is not on the
travel roster. “Being redshirted is the best thing for me right now. I really
need that redshirt year. “Plus, the guys in front of me are experienced
athletes, they are strong and they know what is going on. I am trying to get to
that level.”
Milstead’s high school will be represented in today’s game. Defensive lineman
Marvin Austin, who played with Milstead last year, is slated to start for the
Tar Heels.
“I love him like a brother, but he is an enemy now because he goes to another
school,” Milstead said. “It is another game now.”
Facing Austin, one of the nation’s top recruits, in practice did have its
advantages.
“He is a great athlete,” Milstead said. “I respect his game as a football
player. It wasn’t even, but I held my own.
“If you break it down into fractions, I won a third of the time and he won
two-thirds.”
Milstead hopes that as he progresses this season he will earn the opportunity to
face Virginia’s starting defensive linemen.
“Right now, I don’t even go against them and I am still getting beat. I couldn’t
tell you how good they are,” Milstead said. “I know I am getting beat by the
second string, so I know I have a long ways to go.
“I am going to be working on my game this weekend here in the weight room,”
Milstead said, “and our team is going to go down to North Carolina and do what
we did last week and get this win.”
Road wears on Cavs
Coaches grasp at straws for why trips are taxing to U.Va.
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 01:12 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
It's hard to say who's more tired of the questions, the
reporters who ask them or the players and coaches who have to answer them.
Until the University of Virginia football team proves it can win consistently
away from Charlottesville, however, these questions will persist:
Why don't the Cavaliers play better on the road?
Why is there such a discrepancy between U.Va.'s home record (30-9) and road
record (10-24) in Al Groh's seven seasons as coach?
"It's a reality, and to stick our head in the sand and not analyze it and look
at different issues" would be foolish, Groh said Tuesday.
After every season, Groh said, he and his assistants "dissect every game, home
and away, and what the plan was, what the preparation was, and how that had all
come to bear on the results."
And?
"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,'" said Groh, whose team has been
outscored 73-3 in its past three road games. "Most games that teams win, you
have more guys on your team that make good plays that change the game, therefore
you end up with more points, regardless of where you play the game."
Virginia has played once on the road this season, stumbling through a 23-3 loss
at Wyoming. After beating Duke at Scott Stadium last weekend, the Cavaliers (1-0
ACC, 1-1) are back on the road today for another game. This one is against North
Carolina (1-1), which has yet to face an ACC foe this season.
U.Va.'s players don't need to be reminded of the significance of today's game at
Kenan Stadium.
"It's important for us to win on the road," said senior tight end Tom Santi.
"Good teams win at home and on the road, and we need to do that."
Santi loves hearing the roar of fans at Scott Stadium but says it's "equally
gratifying when you make a big play and hear the deathly silence of the fans at
a road game."
The other major storyline for U.Va. today concerns the quarterbacks. Carolina
will start redshirt freshman T.J. Yates, whom Groh called a "significant
upgrade" from the UNC quarterbacks Virginia has faced in recent years.
Yates has passed for 562 yards and six touchdowns, with only two interceptions.
"I think maybe he's so young and inexperienced, he doesn't know he's supposed to
be nervous," said Butch Davis, the Tar Heels' new coach.
For the Wahoos, Groh has said that both sophomore Jameel Sewell and true
freshman Peter Lalich will play today. But Groh has declined to publicly say
which would take the first snap for Virginia.
Sewell, a Hermitage High graduate, has started the past 11 games. A season ago,
in a Thursday night game on ESPN, Sewell celebrated his 19th birthday by guiding
U.Va. to a 23-0 win over North Carolina at Scott Stadium.
He ran nine times for 40 yards and a TD. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 166
yards and wasn't intercepted.
"He really sparked us with some significant plays," Groh said this week. "It was
the first really big moment that he had."
PREVIEW: Virginia at North Carolina
Saturday, Sep 15, 2007 - 12:07 AM
Virginia at North Carolina
Where: Kenan Stadium (cap. 60,000), Chapel Hill, N.C.
When: Noon
TV: WRLH (CR11, CC11), noon
Radio: WRVA (1140), 11 a.m.; XM Channel 191, noon.
Line: North Carolina by 3
Records: U.Va. 1-1, 1-0; UNC 1-1, 0-0
Players to watch: U.Va. -- DE Chris Long 4 sacks and 6 QB hurries; TB Cedric
Peerman 26 carries, 155 yards, 1 TD; TE Tom Santi 8 catches, 58 yards, 2 TD. UNC
-- WR Brandon Tate 5 catches, 176 yards, 2 TD; QB T.J. Yates 33-50 passing, 562
yards, 6 TD, 2 INT; WR Brooks Foster 6 catches, 117 yards, 2 TD.
Outlook: In what's billed as the South's oldest rivalry -- it dates to 1892 --
Virginia has won seven of the past nine games to cut North Carolina's series
lead to 56-51-4. U.Va., however, is 10-24 in road games in Al Groh's seven
seasons as coach, The Cavaliers haven't beaten an ACC team other than Duke away
from Scott Stadium since Nov. 20, 2004, when they won 30-10 at Georgia Tech.
3 keys for Virginia
1. Get production at quarterback . Whether it's sophomore Jameel Sewell or true
freshman Peter Lalich -- or both -- U.Va. needs someone to pass the ball
effectively enough to keep Carolina from loading up against the run.
2. Improve on special teams . Bad snaps and other breakdowns in the kicking game
marred Virginia's win over Duke last weekend. Vic Hall had a career day
returning punts, but in general, the Cavaliers' performance on special teams was
shoddy.
3. Contain Brandon Tate . The 6-1, 195-pound junior is UNC's top playmaker. He's
averaging 35.2 yards per reception, 33.3 per kickoff return and 13.3 per punt
return and has scored four touchdowns this season.
-- Jeff White
Cavaliers aim for a little bit of offense
Virginia's biggest issue when playing on the road the past several years is
scoring TDs.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
If Virginia's football team is looking for a way to snap out of its road
doldrums, it could start by scoring a touchdown.
The Cavaliers, who venture to North Carolina for a noon kickoff, have been
outscored 73-3 in their last three road games dating back to last season.
Virginia has lost 10 of its last 11 road games dating back to the 2005 season
and none of the games has been close -- not even the lone victory, a 37-0 romp
last year at Duke.
Of the 10 road losses, the closest was a 25-17 setback at Miami in 2006, when
the Cavaliers scored their final touchdown with 27 seconds left.
"It's a reality," said seventh-year head coach Al Groh, whose team has lost 18
straight games as a road underdog. "To stick our head in the sand and not
analyze it and look at different issues [would be a mistake].
"After every season, we go back and look at each game, home and away, and [go
over] what the plan was and what the preparation was. Win or lose, home or away,
we're vulnerable to reading some things in there that aren't there. I can't say
that we've ever been able to come up with any specific conclusion."
Clearly, offense in general and scoring in particular, have been a major issue.
In its last 10 road losses, Virginia has scored seven points or fewer on five
occasions, the most recent in a 23-3 loss at Wyoming in this year's opening
game.
Groh had thought that UVa's road fortunes might improve this year, explaining
before the Wyoming trip that "defense travels."
The Cavaliers' defense did a lot of traveling in Laramie, Wyo., mostly in
reverse. The Cowboys had 471 yards in total offense, surpassing the high against
Virginia during the entire 2006 season.
Duke had 229 yards in a 24-13 loss at Virginia, which was much closer to last
year's yield of 289.5 yards per game.
The Cavaliers handled Carolina easily last year, 23-0, and the Tar Heels have
scored only one touchdown in their last two games with UVa, including a 7-5 UNC
victory at Kenan Stadium in 2005.
That game came one week after the Cavaliers had beaten then-No. 4 Florida State
in Charlottesville, 26-21.
"Marques [Hagans] was not only fantastic but very courageous in finishing the
Florida State game," said Groh of the Cavaliers' quarterback in 2005.
"I didn't realize the severity of his hamstring injury until, frankly, the next
day. He didn't practice all week long."
UVa's starting quarterback for the past 11 games has been sophomore Jameel
Sewell, but, in each of the past two games, Groh has used true freshman Peter
Lalich, who has completed 69.6 percent of his attempts. Groh plans to use both
quarterbacks today but has not identified a starter.
John Bunting, hired by Carolina in the same season as Groh came to Virginia in
2001, was notified that he would not be returning with one month to go in a 3-9
season in 2006.
His successor, Butch Davis, most recently had been the head coach of the
Cleveland Browns and brought in ex-Chicago Bears offensive coordinator John
Shupe to handle the Tar Heels' offense.
The Tar Heels (1-1 overall, 0-0 ACC) have scored 37 and 31 points in their first
two games of the season.
"This is definitely the most explosive offensive North Carolina team and overall
the most challenging team that we've played from North Carolina in the last five
or six years," Groh said.
The Tar Heels have a first-year starting quarterback in redshirt freshman T.J.
Yates, who ranks first in the ACC and sixth in Division I-A in passing
efficiency.
Sewell is 12th in the ACC and not ranked among the top 100 nationally.
Maybe Groh's most astute observation on the subject was when he said prior to
the Wyoming game, "The best teams tend to win every place."
The Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0) could be a good team that underachieves on the road, or
maybe they're a mediocre team that overachieves at home.
"I can only speak for myself," senior co-captain Tom Santi said, "but I don't
have a different mindset away than I do at home. It's nice to play in front of
the home crowd and hear the fans cheer for you, but it's equally gratifying when
you make a play and you hear deathly silence.
"I don't know what our problem has been on the road, but, in order to make the
next step to be a really good team, we've got to fix that problem.
Virginia at UNC: Game breakdown
OFFENSE
After finishing 113th out of 119 I-A teams in total offense last year, UVa
stands 111th after two games this year. UNC has scored more than 30 points in
each of its first two games and has featured big plays under coordinator John
Shoop, previously with four NFL teams.
EDGE TAR HEELS
DEFENSE
The Cavs return 10 starters from a unit that held the Tar Heels to 182 yards
last year. New UNC coach Butch Davis has a background on defense but the Tar
Heels allowed 470 yards last week in a 34-31 loss at East Carolina. Of course,
Virginia gave up 471 yards to Wyoming in the first week.
EDGE CAVALIERS
SPECIAL TEAMS
UNC's Brandon Tate has tied Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice's UNC record of returns
for TDs in a career with five. UVa boasts the nation's No. 2 punter in Ryan
Weigand, but punts were a disaster last week against Duke.
EDGE TAR HEELS
INTANGIBLES
Virginia has lost 10 of its last 11 road games, including a 7-5 setback in its
last trip to Chapel Hill, N.C., in 2005. UVa has lost 18 straight as a road
underdog, a position in which they find themselves against UNC, a 3 ½-point
choice as of Friday.
EDGE TAR HEELS
PREDICTION
NORTH CAROLINA 24, VIRGINIA 13
Still an unknown quantity, Cavaliers visit the Tar Heels
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 15, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE
Two games in, we don’t know a lot more about the Virginia football team than we
did before the season.
The Cavaliers faced uncertainty at quarterback through the preseason. They still
do.
They were looking for playmakers at receiver. They’ve yet to find them.
Then there’s the question of whether Virginia can win on the road. The Cavaliers
failed their first test in a big way, at Wyoming. They get another shot today at
North Carolina.
The “South’s Oldest Rivalry” has represented a low point for the loser each of
the past two years.
In 2005, a week after beating No. 4 Florida State at home, Virginia flopped in
Chapel Hill, falling 7-5 in one of the ugliest games of the Al Groh era.
Last year, the Tar Heels fell 23-0 in a nationally televised Thursday night
game. Three days later, the school announced that coach John Bunting would be
replaced after the season.
While the game marked an end for Bunting, it seemed to be a beginning for
Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell, who completed 17 of 25 passes for 166 yards
on his 19th birthday. Sewell also ran for 40 yards, including an 18-yard
touchdown.
Sewell finished the season as the starter and looked like Virginia’s quarterback
of the future. But offseason wrist surgery raised the question of whether he’d
be ready as the season approached. His failure to move the offense in the first
two weeks opened the door for true freshman Peter Lalich, who finished both the
Wyoming and Duke games.
Groh plans to rotate quarterbacks for the immediate future, unless one grabs the
job and doesn’t let go.
“Right now, all we’re doing is helping our team get better, both of us,” Sewell
said this week.
North Carolina has no such uncertainty at quarterback. New coach Butch Davis
handed redshirt freshman T.J. Yates the controls of a sophisticated passing
attack that has produced impressive numbers – 68 points and 575 yards – in two
games.
“They’ve had seven or eight plays this year over 50 yards already,” Groh said.
Virginia’s secondary was prone to giving up big plays last year and was beaten
deep once by Wyoming. Putting pressure on Yates could prevent that from
happening today, and U.Va. has nine sacks already. Defensive end Chris Long has
four.
“This is a young man that plays absolutely lights-out football,” Davis said of
Long. “He is flying to the football.”
Long played with his customary intensity at Wyoming, but he was one of the few.
As they’ve done frequently in recent seasons, the Cavaliers looked flat and
tentative on the road. Virginia is just 2-10 away from Scott Stadium since 2004,
with victories over a one-win Syracuse team in 2005 and a winless Duke team last
year.
Groh said the team has prepared for road games by playing loud music at practice
to simulate crowd noise. The staff has analyzed possible reasons for the
struggles but has reached “no firm conclusions,” he said.
Players say they prepare mentally the same way, home or away.
“I don’t know what the problem has been,” tight end Tom Santi said. “Good teams
win at home and on the road. So it’s important for us to do that.”
UNC ready for ACC opener: Cavs will try to keep Heels off
balance by alternating quarterbacks
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER
Butch Davis wasn’t at North Carolina when it played Virginia last season, but
Mark Paschal was.
The Thursday night game does not have a place in the scrapbook of Paschal’s
college career.
A 23-0 shellacking in Charlottesville was the low point in a bad year for UNC.
The uninspired and lifeless performance cost Coach John Bunting his job three
days later, although he stayed to finish the season.
UNC will play Virginia again today, this time in Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill at
noon in its ACC opener. Paschal, a junior linebacker, wouldn’t mind delivering
payback, but he’s more interested in helping UNC keep building in its first
season under Davis.
“What’s done is done, and we can’t go change the past,” Paschal said. “It’s
going to be a dog fight, like any game we have here. We pride ourselves on
playing tough and playing hard, and that’s what our goal is for Virginia.”
Both teams are 1-1 overall, and Virginia is 1-0 in the ACC after its 24-13
victory over Duke last week. UNC has lost six straight ACC openers.
Davis doesn’t have a feel yet for one of the South’s oldest rivalries, which
Virginia has dominated lately in winning 14 of the last 19 games. However, UNC’s
34-31 loss at East Carolina last week gave him some insight when hundreds of
fans flooded the field after a game-winning field goal.
“Everybody seems to be in everybody’s backyard,” Davis said. “I lived in kind of
an isolated world in Miami. You almost are outside the United States.
“Florida State was a (Miami) rival, but Florida State’s 13 hours away. There’s
nobody here that’s 13 hours away. They’re 13 minutes away.”
UNC and Virginia were forced to make adjustments this week because of recent
changes by the other team.
North Carolina has played only two games under Davis, which limited Virginia’s
scouting. Coach Al Groh of Virginia said the offense that coordinator John Shoop
of UNC is running reminds him of the offense that Shoop ran when he was the
offensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears.
Groh sought out old NFL tapes to provide valuable clues. He considers this UNC
team the most explosive he has seen since the 2001 season because of T.J. Yates
and Brandon Tate. Yates, a redshirt freshman quarterback, has passed for 562
yards and six touchdowns. Tate, a receiver and return specialist, has scored
four touchdowns in two games.
Groh, trying to give Virginia an advantage, says he’ll use two quarterbacks for
the rest of the season, starting today. Starter Jameel Sewell and backup Peter
Lalich are totally different in ability and how they play the position. Sewell
is left-handed and is often most dangerous when he is forced to run. Lalich is a
tall right-hander and mostly a pocket passer.
Groh decided to play both because Sewell, the returning starter, struggled in
Virginia’s first two games. Lalich, a freshman, came off the bench against Duke
to play most of the second half and completed 13 of 18 passes for 131 yards and
a touchdown. He wasn’t sacked or intercepted.
“It’s not a competition,” Groh said. “It’s utilizing all the weapons we have and
using all the players in their best capacity.
“They both bring some significant things to the team and give us two sets of
weapons. The players themselves, the team, everybody is in consort with it.”
“It probably adds to the number of issues that have to be dealt with,” Groh
added. “I know it certainly would if we were confronting that situation.”
Last week in Greenville, one quarterback was too much for UNC to handle. Patrick
Pinkney passed for 406 yards and three touchdowns in his first college start.
Davis saw his young defensive players break down and make mistakes and said that
UNC can’t afford the same mistakes today.
Davis wants UNC to keep Sewell in the pocket, where he can do the least damage.
When Lalich takes over, Davis wants a big rush that will force quick throws and
prevent completions to dangerous tight ends.
“My expectation as a coach is that hopefully every single week these kids will
get better,” Davis said. “Just from practices and game experiences they’re going
to learn so much. Whether we win or don’t win, they’re going to learn by going
through the game.
“There are areas of improvement for every single player on this football team.
No one’s got it figured out. Nobody’s got it mastered in running (pass) routes
or walking down the field or playing without the ball.”
UVa's revolving quarterbacks to meet the new-look Tar Heels
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 15, 2007
One of Virginia's most decisive wins last year was against North Carolina, a
23-0 Thursday night romp at Scott Stadium. The Tar Heels had less than 200 yards
of offense and quarterback Jameel Sewell, on his 19th birthday, deftly led the
Cavaliers with both his arm and legs.
A lot has changed since then.
For one, Sewell isn't the only quarterback in Virginia's plans anymore. And two,
Butch Davis has UNC on the rise again.
"Last year doesn't count for much," tailback Cedric Peerman said. "They have a
whole new system, a whole new coaching staff. Last year doesn't mean anything.
It's about what you do now."
Virginia (1-1, 1-0 ACC) will unveil its two-quarterback rotation with Sewell and
true freshman Peter Lalich at today's noon game in Chapel Hill, N.C. The
Cavaliers were thrust into the dual-QB situation last week when Sewell started
cramping.
Coach Al Groh wouldn't name a starter, and presumably won't for the rest of the
year, saying Virginia will play whichever quarterback suits its needs at the
time.
"I don't know how it's going to work," said Sewell, who noted that he took most
of the snaps with the first team in practice on Tuesday.
Groh hopes to shuttle the quarterbacks into the game, much like national
champion Florida did last year with Chris Leak, a pocket passer, and Tim Tebow,
who brought a different dimension with his legs.
Lalich would be UVa's pocket passer in the mold of Leak. Through two games into
his career, he has completed 16 of his 23 passes, nearly 70 percent. Sewell,
meanwhile, would play the Tebow role. He ran nine times for 40 yards, including
an 18-yard keeper for a touchdown against North Carolina last year.
"To me, I see it as a collaboration," Sewell said. "I don't know how anybody
else sees it, but that's how I see it."
The Tar Heels (1-1, 0-0 ACC), who went 3-9 last season in John Bunting's final
year, look re-energized under Davis, the architect of Miami's resurgence in the
late '90s after the Hurricanes came out of their NCAA-sanctioned purgatory.
Davis signed a consensus top-20 recruiting class in his first offseason and has
taken advantage of a North Carolina cupboard that was not bare.
"This is definitely the most explosive North Carolina team we've been challenged
by since the '01 season," Groh said, referring to a UNC team that had NFL
players Ronald Curry, Julius Peppers and Ryan Sims.
The Tar Heels have six touchdowns this season of 28 yards or longer and three
that have gone for more than 50 yards, an alarming stat for a UVa secondary
prone to giving up big plays the last two years.
Wide receiver Brandon Tate is averaging 35.2 yards per reception and has already
returned a punt for a score, the fifth special teams touchdown of his career.
Redshirt freshman quarterback T.J. Yates leads the ACC in passing yards per game
(281) and passing efficiency (192.0).
"That's an unreal number for any college quarterback to have," Groh said.
Virginia is also facing its road demons. The Cavaliers are 2-10 on the road
since 2005 and 10-24 in Groh's six-plus years, numbers that have left both
players and coaches perplexed.
"I can't put my finger on it," linebacker Jon Copper said when asked for a
reason on the home/road disparity. "One thing coach Groh has emphasized is
wherever the white lines are, we need to be able to perform."
Cavs aim to stifle Yates' passing attack
Cavaliers look to ride momentum from win over Duke into tomorrow's game against
UNC, improve to 2-0 in conference
Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Virginia coach Al Groh isn't known as a man of few words, but when it comes to
the North Carolina offense, he's nearly speechless.
UNC freshman quarterback T.J. Yates enters Saturday's game with a 192.0 pass
efficiency rating, the sixth best in the country.
"That's an unreal number," Groh said.
An efficiency rating that high means not only that Yates completes a high
percentage of his passes, but that he throws the ball deep downfield. The Tar
Heel wide receivers average 16.8 yards per catch.
All Groh could utter was, "Just unbelievable."
What has made Groh and the rest of the world so surprised by the Tar Heels (1-1)
isn't that they're doing so well -- it's that they're doing well at all.
UNC returns only five starters on offense and features a redshirt freshman
quarterback with no game experience previous to the 2007 season.
But that hasn't kept the Tar Heels from averaging 375 yards and 34 points per
game.
And that's exactly why UNC hired former NFL coach Butch Davis: to make changes
that would improve the team now and build the team to be a championship
contender later.
Featuring a big-play offense, Davis has already begun to surprise critics.
"They've done a very good job at putting together a plan that features [the
quarterback and wide receivers]," Groh said.
The Cavaliers (1-1, 1-0 ACC) represent the toughest defense and the biggest
challenge for UNC to date after a Tar Heels' victory over James Madison and a
last-second field goal loss to East Carolina,
Virginia already has nine sacks on the season, second best in the ACC, but the
secondary is where Groh expressed concerns.
"We can't afford to give up one play touchdowns," Groh said, adding that the
passing game "allows them the opportunity to score points from far out."
If the Tar Heels capitalize quickly on big plays like the Cavaliers did last
week, UNC can take advantage of the home field and the crowd at Kenan Stadium.
As is the case for Virginia's road games, the team tends to stall. Yet the
Cavaliers look for consistent play everywhere, despite having lost 10 of their
last 11 road games.
"We have to execute better at home; we have to execute better on the road,"
senior guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said.
In 2005, Virginia upset No. 4 Florida State at home, only to lose to UNC on the
road the following week, 7-5.
"We never have that 'here we go again' mentality," Cunningham said. "It's one of
those things we have to fight through. You're going to fight adversity every
day, every week."
Completing 69 percent of his passes last week, freshman quarterback Peter Lalich
has seen little adversity in his short career at Virginia.
Though Groh has stayed mum as to whether Lalich or sophomore Jameel Sewell will
start Saturday, one thing Groh did make clear was that both players would see
action.
"You have two great quarterbacks back there," Cunningham said. "Why not put them
on the field at the same time?"
The success of the tandem this week could determine what direction the team
takes for the rest of the season as Virginia will play much more difficult teams
in Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh in the following two weeks.
Cavaliers aren't kings of the road
Virginia at North Carolina preview
Date published: 9/15/2007
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
The University of Virginia football team doesn't pretend to have any answers for
its road woes.
The Cavaliers are 10-24 as visitors in head coach Al Groh's seven-year tenure.
They've lost 10 of their past 11 road games and have scored a combined three
points in their last three.
They've been outscored 248-113 in the 10 losses. Virginia's lone road win in
that span was a over Duke, loser of 22 games in a row.
Groh said on Tuesday that he'd have to have his "head in the sand" not to
realize something needs to be done about the Cavaliers' problems away from Scott
Stadium.
But as Virginia (1-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) prepares to visit North
Carolina (1-1) today at noon, Groh is still searching for the right combination
to produce a road victory.
"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. Therefore, you have more points, regardless of where you play the game."
It hasn't been that simple for the Cavaliers.
Before the win over Duke, their last road victory came on Sept. 17, 2005, over a
Syracuse team that finished 1-10 that year.
That leaves their 30-10 win over Georgia Tech in 2004 as their last significant
road victory.
"I can't put my finger on it," starting inside linebacker Jon Copper said. "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."
Today, they visit Keenan Stadium, where North Carolina will host new head coach
Butch Davis' first ACC game.
Groh said this year's North Carolina team is the most "explosive" since NFL
standouts Julius Peppers and Ronald Curry played for the Tar Heels in 2001.
The last time Virginia visited North Carolina, it suffered perhaps the most
difficult loss of Groh's career: a 7-5 setback one week after a 26-21 home upset
of then-No. 4 Florida State.
The Cavaliers' defense may have a difficult time holding North Carolina to seven
points today. The Tar Heels have averaged 34 points per game in their first two
contests, against James Madison and East Carolina.
Freshman quarterback T.J. Yates leads the ACC and is second in the nation in
passing efficiency. Junior wide receiver Brandon Tate had three touchdown
receptions in the Tar Heels' 34-31 loss at ECU last week.
"I think it's the most explosive offensive team and overall the most challenging
team that we've played from North Carolina in the past five or six years," Groh
said.