Reaping What He Sowed
Cavs' Peerman Learned Work Ethic on Father's Farm
By Adam Kilgore
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 19, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Sept. 18 -- There is a patch of land in Gladys, Va., that was once a tobacco farm, before all the nearby markets shut down, before Samuel Peerman had his stroke six years ago and then, last summer, died. Only grass grows there now.

Cedric Peerman, Samuel's grandson, grew up on that farm in Gladys. He rode tractors when he was 8 and harvested tobacco through high school. The farm is fallow now, but its lessons remain with Peerman.

"If it wasn't for that, I probably wouldn't be here," Peerman said. "It disciplined me."

Peerman has come a long way from Gladys, a rural town in southern Virginia with a population of roughly 4,100. After waiting for three years, Peerman has asserted himself as Virginia's featured running back while providing an identity to an offense that desperately needed one. Against North Carolina last Saturday, Peerman rushed 30 times for 186 yards, becoming the Atlantic Coast Conference's leading rusher at 113.7 yards per game.

"He really just decided, 'I'm going to take control of this offense,' " defensive end Chris Long said. "He's really just brought a new level of energy. After a big run, he looks at the sideline and just energizes guys."

Peerman, a junior, had never carried the ball 30 times before, not even in high school. Still, when he woke up on Sunday, he said, "I could have played that day if I had to."

Of course he could have. There was always work to do growing up for Peerman, and football never changed that. His family harvested tobacco during the fall, in the middle of the football season. Peerman would play his games at William Campbell High, starting on offense and defense for four seasons, on Friday nights. Then he would wake up Saturday at dawn and load 150-pound tobacco sacks onto a Ford pickup truck.

From his childhood, Peerman always wanted to help lift the sacks, because that's what the adults did. "I always wanted to do jobs that were bigger," Peerman said. So he would grab on the 150-pound bag and yank as hard as he could.

The muscle he packed on then shows today on his 5-foot-10, 208-pound frame, in his bulging shoulders and his punishing running style. He finished most of his runs Saturday with his legs churning and several North Carolina tacklers clinging to his body.

Peerman expected to do this from the moment he arrived here. He is one of only two scholarship players (tight end John Phillips is the other) at Virginia who played high school football in Class A, the smallest classification in Virginia. That never mattered to Peerman.

"I felt like I had enough ability to be able to play and actually do well," Peerman said. "I've always had that confidence in myself."

But Peerman had to watch as a procession of running backs, from Wali Lundy to Jason Snelling, received their turn. During his freshman and sophomore years, he returned kickoffs and averaged 26.5 yards. He carried the ball at running back 116 times in his first two seasons.

He ran track in the offseason while biding his time, and he continues to do so. (A track star at William Campbell, he once ran the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds.) He admitted he became frustrated at times, but he never vented. Back on the farm, Peerman marveled at how the plants could start an inch above the soil and grow to be taller than six feet. All you needed was time.

"I knew I needed to be patient, and I knew that my time would come soon enough," Peerman said.

Now that it has, Peerman has quickly become a team leader. He surprises Virginia Coach Al Groh at times with how mature and interesting his questions and comments are. He chooses his daily wardrobe with care, never putting on clothes without purpose.

"There's no nonsense about Cedric in anything that he does," Groh said. "There's a plan in everything he does."

He rarely speaks at practice or during games. But he stood before the team at halftime in North Carolina, the Cavaliers leading 16-7, and screamed, "This isn't good enough!"

"When Cedric talks, people listen," Virginia center Jordy Lipsey said.

During offseasons, Peerman returns to Gladys. He's becoming more well known at Virginia, his No. 37 jerseys popping up at Scott Stadium on game days more and more. That doesn't matter in Gladys, on the farm, which is how Peerman wants it.

"One of the things I love about being home, everyone treats me like I'm a normal person," Peerman said. "That's the way it should be. I'm a regular person. I'm just like everybody else, and I don't feel like I should be treated any differently."

 

Cavs know Tech will bring it
Jackets' tenacious defense will try to fluster Sewell, UVa again
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 20, 2007

Jameel Sewell had dreamt of this night.

Last August, Sewell drew the first start of his career at quarterback.

The game at Georgia Tech was on Thursday night with a national audience watching. Yes, even ESPN’s Erin Andrews was in attendance.

The experience was anything but memorable for Sewell and his teammates.

Sewell’s first pass was well over its target. The second skipped in the dirt. The punt party was on early.

Later in the game, the “real” pressure came, that wild pressure that a blitz-happy team such as Georgia Tech can only provide. It wrecked Sewell’s statline - he finished 15-of-31 passing for 115 yards and tossed two passes to the opponent. It was, at the time at least, the worst offensive showing in Virginia coach Al Groh’s tenure (it has since been replaced).

Jordy Lipsey, the player responsible for snapping the ball to Sewell that night, said it was a blur watching the Yellow Jackets attack Sewell and the Cavaliers’ inexperienced offensive line.

“That was probably the fastest game I played in last year,” Lipsey said. “It was a Thursday night game and we expected good things, and they were ready for us.

“It was loud out there and their D-line was moving very fast.”

The same could have been said for Georgia Tech’s linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties.

And believe it or not, Sewell and UVa got off easy. The Yellow Jackets, who finished with 36 sacks on the season, tackled Sewell behind the line of scrimmage only once (Note: Georgia Tech’s records indicate two sacks).

Regardless, that pressure will return Saturday at Scott Stadium at noon (ESPNU). Whether Sewell or true freshman Peter Lalich lines up at quarterback, the Yellow Jackets plan to blitz, and that comes just a week after they were torched for 435 passing yards in a 24-10 loss to Boston College.

“I’ve been in the situation before where someone meddles, and I don’t want to meddle with something that’s been successful over a long period of time,” said Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey. “They’ll talk about, and I might ask the question, but [defensive coordinator] Jon Tenuta’s been too successful for too long for me to go in there and start making suggestions about defense.”

Knowing that endorsement was coming, Groh pointed out ways to combat the pressure.

“Quick recognition and on-the-move decisions on the part of the players hopefully negates some of those things,” Groh said. “The pressures are coming on every down - we have seen it before. At least we do have a little bit of history with that, which is a little bit different than what we have with the Georgia Tech offense [and new offensive coordinator John Bond].”

On defense, Georgia Tech (2-1 , 0-1 ACC) has an identity, an icon of sorts. Tenuta, who graduated from UVa in 1982, has controlled the program’s defense for six years.

Since 2004, the Yellow Jackets have finished each season ranked in the top 30 in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and pass efficiency defense.

What makes Georgia Tech’s system unique? Is it the number of players that attack? Is it how they elect to pressure signal-callers? Perhaps it is the combination of players used?

“All of the above,” Groh answered. “Those were some of my favorite tests. If they all sounded pretty close, then I would just go with ‘all of the above’ all of the time.”

Groh, a linebacker-loving coach, has a true appreciation for programs that can pull it off.

“There is a lot of assignment learning on the part of the players,” Groh said. “One, you just have to have a full commitment to it and the teaching of all those assignments and the challenge that brings to players to get that and avoid the mental errors that create openings in the scheme that otherwise might not be there in a more basic alignment.”

With the Yellow Jackets’ commitment in place, added pressure falls on Lipsey’s shoulders - it is the center’s job in Virginia offense to make calls at the line.

That, of course, is a non-factor if Virginia’s offense does not get the play in the huddle and get to the line of scrimmage with time left on the play clock. That is compounded after TV timeouts when the play clock lasts only 15 seconds.

Groh expressed some disgust in the delayed reactions to get to the line against North Carolina. Lipsey understands why.

“Sometimes we run checks at the line of scrimmage. With this new play clock, it doesn’t give you the opportunity to have too much time for that,” Lipsey said. “They wanted us to hurry up so it would give us the opportunity to run these checks.”

Lipsey, after saying the line calls were “very important,” tried to downplay the impact of facing a defense as unique as Georgia Tech’s.

“Every week we’ll study a defense and figure out the best way to attack it,” he said. “This week will be no different. They do a few more things than some other defenses might do, so that will just add to our operation … that will just add to our preparation.”

If only it was that simple.

 

Redshirting just one part of Wake's success
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 20, 2007

Scattershooting around the ACC, while wondering if Jim Grobe’s redshirting philosophy would work at any conference school ...

Wake Forest has played only seven true freshman during the combined last six seasons, by far the fewest in the ACC. Grobe, a University of Virginia graduate, said he picked up that idea while at Ohio University, more as a necessity, and carried it over to Wake.

Last year it paid huge dividends as the Deacons won the ACC title, something most fans of the conference would have deemed near impossible. Redshirting certainly made a big difference because Wake fielded a team of more-matured players.

“We really don’t mind playing a true freshman,” Grobe told this columnist. “That’s not a problem for us. We just don’t want to waste a year of eligibility. We haven’t had too many true freshmen that we felt were capable of going out and playing really good right away.

“Consequently, we’re having some guys who are going out and playing their best football in their fourth and fifth years,” Grobe said. “What helped us win an ACC Championship is that some of the guys who didn’t play as well when they were younger, played really well when they were older.”

Grobe said he believed the cycle is now where, every year Wake is going to have a solid fifth-year class, backed up by a solid fourth-year class.

“That’s been a big part of our success, having more veteran players on the field, especially at crunch time in the fourth quarter when it counts,” the coach said.

However, the Deacs’ success can’t be solely attributed to its redshirting tactics. Grobe and his coaches have done a pretty impressive job of finding and developing talent, players that in many cases don’t have the flashy credentials as some of Wake’s competitors.

“We’re looking for really good football players,” Grobe said. “What people don’t understand is, even though our recruiting pool - because of academics and because some of the ways we look at character - gets shrunk pretty good, we only have to come up with 15 to 18 kids a year. If you can’t go find 15 to 18 really good football players a year, you’re not doing a very good job because they’re out there.”

It would be appropriate to point out here that between 2003 and 2006, rival North Carolina signed 16 prospects that were rated either four- or five-star players. During that same stretch, Wake Forest signed exactly .... uh, zero, yet won the ACC title, while Carolina fired its coaching staff.

“You’ve got to find a kid that you can develop over the time he’s in school,” Grobe said. “There are a lot of five-star players out there that aren’t five-star kids. What you want to do is find a five-star kid that’s a pretty good player and he might be a five-star player by the time he leaves your program. That’s kind of what we’re after.”

Top Choice

The ACC’s leading active career rusher, Georgia Tech’s Tashard Choice, had his nine-game streak of 100 yards or more rushing snapped last Saturday against Boston College.

Choice, who has more than 2,300 career rushing yards and who has gained more than 100 on the ground in 11 of his last 13 games, was held to 31 yards on 15 carries against BC before leaving the game with a hamstring injury.

The telling sign may have been that Choice was thrown for a loss in the first quarter, marking the first time this season he had negative yardage on a play.

Tech coach Chan Gailey said Wednesday on the ACC teleconference that Choice’s status for this weekend’s game at Virginia remained up in the air.

“We don’t know right now,” Gailey said. “He still is questionable for this week. We’re going to see what he can do today and the rest of the week in practice and then make a decision closer to the ball game.”

Gailey said that Tech has other capable tailbacks that he will not be reluctant to use, especially Jonathan Dwyer, who rushed for 138 yards against hapless Samford.

“We’re going to try to run the football,” Gailey said emphatically. “We’re not all of a sudden going to become pass-happy.”

Stat of the Week

3 - The number of points that Virginia has scored in the third quarter in its first three games combined, the lowest third-quarter scoring output of any team in the ACC thus far. It’s a horrible trend, too, because UVa only scored a mere 20 points in the third quarter in 12 games last season.

Karaoke Wolfpack

It is tradition at N.C. State for the players to remain on the field and sing the school alma mater after a win. Finally snapping a nine-game losing streak last Saturday with a win over Wofford, new Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien said he would like the tune to become second nature. Right now, it’s not.

“We’ve got to put the words up on the scoreboard so we can learn them,” O’Brien quipped.

With Clemson and Louisville coming to Raleigh the next two weekends, and then road trips to Florida State and East Carolina, the ’Pack might not get much of a chance to sing.

Holy Moley

When Maryland meets Wake Forest this weekend, kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m., which just happens to hit in the middle of Yom Kippur, a holy day on the Jewish calendar.

Ralph Friedgen didn’t miss the opportunity to inject a little humor into the issue when asked if any of his players might be affected by the timing.

“It’s OK to play after sundown?” Fridge said. “Think Grobe’s behind this? They are a Baptist school, aren’t they?”

The Terps’ coach said that when he was an assistant to Bobby Ross back in the 1980s the holy date did impact a game.

“I know in the past that’s been a very holy weekend for kids of the Jewish faith and I understand that,” Friedgen said. “When I was here I recruited two Jewish kids out of New York, Bruce Meaner and Neal Sampson. Both were starting defensive linemen and they didn’t play against Penn State and we lost the game by two points. They were upset. The parents were vehemently against it. Coach Ross understood.”

Quote of the Week

New Florida State offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher didn’t hold back after the Seminoles’ offense delivered a mediocre performance in a win over Colorado last weekend. Fisher apologized to FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews for putting that unit in a bind.

“That’s the most inept, ridiculous demonstration of football I’ve been around in my life,” Fisher said of the performance. “If I’m an offensive player, I’m embarrassed. It’s ridiculous the mistakes we keep making, and it’s my fault. It starts with me. If you ain’t coaching, you’re letting it happen, and I’m not letting it happen anymore.”

FSU gets the week off from playing, but Fisher said he’s going to find out who wants to play in practice. Asked if the bye week came at a good time, he said:

“You’re dadgum right. We might need nine off weeks.”

Family reunion

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer will kind of be hosting family this weekend when Jimmye Laycock’s William & Mary team comes to Blacksburg.

Beamer, Laycock and Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen go way back and remain close friends today.

“It’s never an easy thing to play one of your friends,” said Friedgen during Wednesday’s ACC teleconference. Big Ralph’s Terps played William & Mary last season. “We all started out together.”

The group coached at The Citadel under Bobby Ross before Laycock went on to Memphis as an assistant, while Beamer stayed in Charleston for six seasons, Friedgen seven. The Fridge went to work for Laycock at William & Mary, then joined Beamer at Murray State.

“Our families were close. We socialized together and hung out together,” Friedgen said of those times. “I think all three of us were highly motivated and wanted to become head coaches. They got their opportunities long before I did.”

Laycock has had plenty of opportunities to move on but has remained in Williamsburg.

Can’t hide talent

UNC coach Butch Davis said he isn’t surprised at the success of South Florida and Central Florida in football because of all the talent available in that state.

Davis, who coached at Miami for several years, said those programs are doing a good job of keeping the talent in the Sunshine State.

“Prior to the inception of those programs, you could see a lot of those type players on rosters all across the Big 10, Penn State, Notre Dame, and at some ACC schools,” Davis said. “It’s a tribute to those programs keeping those players home.”

Meanwhile, Davis’ Heels will face South Florida, which is ranked in the top 25.

“They remind me of some of the defenses we had at Miami,” Davis said. “They have the two best corners we’ve played against this year.”

Short yardage ...

... Up until Duke’s win at Northwestern last weekend, the Devils had not won a game since Sept. 15, 2005, when they beat VMI, and had not beaten a Division I-A team since Nov. 13, 2004 (Clemson ... yes, that’s not a typo). ... Duke’s last win on the road was Nov. 22, 2003 at rival UNC. ... Now, the Dookies have another losing streak to stop. They have lost 18 straight to ACC opponents. ... FSU defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews came back from a bout with pneumonia and coached in the Colorado game from the press box (he’s normally on the sidelines), but said he liked the view from up top so much that he’s considering staying up there. ... Furman held Clemson’s heralded tailbacks’ rushing totals down, yielding James Davis to only 58 yards on nine carries, and C.J. Spiller to minus-1 yard on nine rushes. ... Meanwhile, QB Cullen Harper picked the Paladins apart, with 16-of-19 passing for 266 yards and three touchdowns .... Oddly, the Tigers gave up 503 yards to Louisiana-Monroe two weeks ago and struggled to stop Furman’s passing game. The Paladins completed 20 of their first 23 passes against the Tigers’ soft zone coverage.

The Picks

Last week: 7-3. To date: 23-7. This week: Texas A&M 27, Miami 24; Boston College 42, Army 10; Clemson 35, N.C. State 13; Duke 20, Navy 17 (Break up the Blue Devils); Wake Forest 24, Maryland 21; South Florida 27, North Carolina 17; Virginia Tech 30, William & Mary 17; Georgia Tech 24, Virginia 19.
 

Shields taking it all in
Third-string center gleaning plenty of knowledge while on the sideline
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 20, 2007

Jack Shields has found a happy home.

Once considered a tight end, the redshirt freshman has become the “center” of attention for the future as the heir apparent to Jordy Lipsey.

“I think this is the position that I will play the rest of my career,” Shields said Tuesday.

How he landed at center and in a set position, something he never did at Boston College High in Duxbury, Mass., is a story in itself.

“I was at tight end all through camp last year and maybe through the second or third game. I was practicing with the tight ends and [former graduate assistant] Zac Yarbrough said they were thinking about moving me to center,” Shields recounted. “I really didn’t mind it because in high school I always moved around to do what was best for the team.”

Yarbrough, who left his post to start a recruiting service, knew exactly what Shields was in store for.

“He did the exact same thing at Virginia,” Shields said. “Zac came in as a tight end and then he moved to center.”

Shields also took a look at the depth chart at tight end - a spot that is continually laden with talent at Virginia - to help him make the decision.

“There was a lot more depth there than at center,” he admitted. “That was one of the biggest things that made me want to move. Sure, it helped the team out, but every year UVa has two to four good tight ends and they had three that were going to be starting for the next two years.

“I am real happy that I took the new position.”

For now, Shields admits he is a work in progress. He pounds Lipsey with countless questions. He has also enlisted the services of a private tutor, something he plans to do throughout the remainder of the season.

“I am just trying to work at it and put it all together right now,” Shields said. “I have been working with [graduate assistant] Jim Jones after practices recently. Every day after practice we have been spending like five or 10 minutes together.

“That will help me out a lot because you don’t get to do 1-on-1 in practice much to work on fundamentals. That will help, and paying attention to what everyone else on the offensive line is doing, especially Jordy, helps the most.”

With a larger frame than Lipsey - the protege is two inches taller - gaining weight should follow with ease.

“He can be big,” Lipsey said. “He might be a little bit bigger than I was at that time. He can be a big guy. I don’t think there is anything holding him back from that.”

Other improvements in Shields’ game have been noticeable to his teammates, too.

“He is looking a lot better,” said Virginia nose tackle Allen Billyk. “Last year, he really didn’t know what he was doing. This year, he is getting his techniques down a little bit.

“He is still a little light, but when he puts on a little bit more weight he will be really good.”

Billyk should know. At nose tackle, Billyk draws a center on almost every practice play.

“His first thing is to snap the ball,” Shields said. “My first thing is to hit him in the chest.

“Jack is moving along, but it is a process with those guys. It is just like defense - it takes a long time to master your technique, to get good at it so it comes naturally. I think throughout this year and through spring ball, Jack will get to that level.”

Barring a rash of injuries, Shields has earmarked spring practice on his timeline. At that point, he wants to control his position, hopefully standing to the right of Eugene Monroe and Branden Albert and to the left of Will Barker.

“I know I have a long ways to go, but I still have a lot of time to get there,” Shields said. “Every day I am just trying to get better. I learned from last year that seasons just fly by. All of a sudden you realize it’s spring ball and then summer and before you know it, training camp starts.

“I want to be the No. 1 next year, but I have to watch [Lipsey] to see what it is going to take to be the No. 1.”

With that patient approach leading the way, Shields longs for a great career.

“I would love to play tomorrow but at the same time, Jordy is a great center,” Shields said. “He is doing really well right now and I know he is better than me.

“I still want to play, but it is what is best for the team and right now if you watch Jordy, everything he does is pretty much perfect. The way he moves and the way that he blocks people … he just knows what he is supposed to do. It’s almost better for me right now because I get to watch him during the game and pick up on stuff that I would have had to pick up on the run if I was out there now.”

 

Reyering, Cavs eke out a win
By Drew Hansen / dhansen@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 20, 2007

Yannick Reyering certainly proved his worth Wednesday night.

The big German forward for the Cavaliers came on as a second-half sub against Campbell and immediately ignited the UVa offense before ultimately netting the game-winning goal in a come-from-behind 2-1 victory.

UVa coach George Gelnovatch opted to give his younger players a good, long look in a tune-up game before the third-ranked Cavs (5-1-0) open ACC play on Saturday. The coach started seven underclassmen against the Fighting Camels (3-2-0), three of whom were starting for the first time this season.

Ultimately, however, Gelnovatch turned to his regulars to pull out the win.

“It was definitely a different experience watching the game from the bench,” Reyering said. “The guys did a great job in the first half, although we went down 1-0. They deserved a goal and we deserved a goal in the first half. They were pushing hard and we got a lot of chances.”

Campbell got on the board first on a goal from freshman Khalil Johnson in the 12th minute. The Jamaican forward used a nifty flick to finish a rebound after teammate Josh Elliot’s chip shot glanced off the crossbar.

Virginia keeper Dan Louisignau, a true freshman making his first appearance for the Cavs, came off his line in an attempt to halt Elliot’s charge and left an open net for Johnson’s score.

The Cavaliers created a few early chances in the game, but the Camels dictated the pace for a good part of the first half.

In no way, however, did Gelnovatch believe his team came out flat.

“You gotta remember that’s a lot of different players out there that aren’t quite used to playing with each other at the same time like our first unit is,” Gelnovatch said. “So that’s a little tough.

“And also, give credit to Campbell - a solid team who had a game plan out here and were decent.”

The Cavs got on board in the 26th minute when a Jeremy Barlow corner kick created an opportunity for Matt Ayotte after a melee for the ball. The senior forward’s deflected shot landed at the feet of midfielder Neil Barlow, who turned and delivered a clinical finish from 10 yards out to tie the game.

“It was crowded in the box and everyone was just battling for the ball and finally it just popped out and I just saw it,” Barlow said. “Everyone just told me to shoot it and I did the best I could with it.”

At halftime, Gelnovatch inserted regular attacking players Jonathan Villanueva and Chris Tierney.

Seventeen minutes later, it was Yannick Time and the junior entered the game to great applause from the 1,010 in attendance.

The offense then immediately took flight. The Cavs outshot the Camels, 10-0, and drew eight corner kicks in the second half.

“Obviously the dials got cranked up a little bit in the second half as we got into the middle of the second half,” Gelovatch said. “And we got a lot of very good chances. I don’t have any problems with how we took our chances. The keeper made a couple big plays, the ball took a weird bounce here and there.

“I really thought it was just a matter of time. If we didn’t get it in regulation, I thought we were going to get it in overtime.”

Fortunately for the Cavs, Reyering got it done in regulation, scoring on a penalty kick in the 83rd minute to wrap up the win.

Reyering initially missed a header in front of the goal, but an attempted clear from a Campbell defender drew a handball in the box. The referee then called a penalty, which Reyering calmly drilled past Campbell goalie Aaron Johnson after offering a stutter step while running toward the ball.

“I always do the stutter step and wait for the goalie and see which way he goes,” said Reyering, who recorded his team-leading fourth goal of the season. “I saw that he was diving to the right side and then I just put it in the left.”

Throw-ins

Virginia opens ACC play on Saturday at N.C. State (3-2-1, 0-1 ACC), which dropped its conference opener against North Carolina. … Louisignau, Ayotte and Chase Neinken made their first starts of the season. The starting nods for Louisignau and Neinken were the firsts of their Virginia careers. … Louisignau didn’t record a save, but came off his line to grab the ball in a one-on-one situation against midfielder Richard Jata late in the second half. “He’s a very good goalkeeper,” Gelnovatch said. “He’s lacking some experience like Mike Giallombardo was last year. So we gave Mike a couple games last year. God forbid anything ever happens to Mike, but right now [Louisignau is] our second goalkeeper.” … Campbell, a Baptist university in Buies Creek, N.C., has five Virginia natives on roster, including midfielder Justin Madrid and defenders Ronnie Hinton, Jeremy Kroft, Michael Hutchison and Josh Kimball.

 

NOTES
Thursday, Sep 20, 2007 - 12:07 AM
 
Officials violated simple mechanics
Doug Rhoads would have preferred the officials who worked the North Carolina-Virginia game to have gotten the call right the first time. But at least they got it right in the end, with the help of a video review.

"It worked out," Rhoads, the ACC's coordinator of football officials, said by phone yesterday. "Fortunately, we have replay, and we're able to come in and fix it."

And for that the conference is grateful. Had U.Va. senior Chris Gould's 48-yard field goal, which barely cleared the crossbar, not counted, the game's outcome might have been different.

Gould's kick pushed the Cavaliers' lead to 19-7 in the third quarter and helped them capture a 22-20 victory in Chapel Hill, N.C., last weekend.

Rhoads didn't mention them by name yesterday, but the officials who initially ruled Gould's kick a miss were back judge Virgil Valdez, who ducked as the football approached the crossbar, and field judge Frank Overcash.

"I will say this, the issue is that it was an error in mechanics by the officials, plain and simple. And I will address that [internally]," said Rhoads, who was at Kenan Stadium for the first half Saturday, then left for the Wake Forest-Army game in Winston-Salem.

"There's a rating system for every game. Because they failed to properly communicate on the play, it was a violation of our mechanics."

What happened last weekend "was an aberration," Rhoads said. "Those officials involved with that were veteran officials, and [Valdez] basically moved out of the way to avoid getting hit by the ball."

Blue Devils savoring thrill of victory
With games against Navy, Miami, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech looming, Duke may be about to embark on another substantial losing streak. But the Blue Devils secured a rare victory last weekend, and they loved the feeling.

Duke ended a 22-game losing streak Saturday night, holding off Northwestern 20-14 in Evanston, Ill.

"In the locker room it was wonderful," Blue Devils coach Ted Roof said yesterday. "A lot of happy kids who played their hearts out."

Seminoles looking up at South Florida
How times have changed in college football. The University of South Florida, a Division I-A member for less than a decade, is No.23 in the latest Associated Press poll. Perennial power Florida State (2-1) isn't ranked.

"Looks funny, doesn't it?" Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden said. "They deserve it. Our goal is to get back up there."

USF (2-0) hosts North Carolina (1-2) at noon Saturday. UNC's Butch Davis, who formerly coached the Miami Hurricanes, said the Bulls' rise to prominence speaks to "the amount of talent that high schools in the state of Florida produce."

Ga. Tech's Choice could miss U. Va. game
Georgia Tech tailback Tashard Choice, who led the ACC in rushing in 2006, is second this season at 112.3 yards per game, behind Virginia's Cedric Peerman (113.7). Whether they'll both play Saturday in Charlottesville is uncertain.

Peerman is healthy. Choice injured a hamstring against Boston College last weekend, and he's questionable for Saturday.

"We're going to see what he can do today and the rest of the week in practice," Yellow Jackets coach Chan Gailey said yesterday. "If he can't go, we're fortunate to have some other guys who can run the ball."

Georgia Tech's other tailbacks include senior Rashaun Grant, sophomore Jamal Evans and true freshman Jonathan Dwyer, who's averaging 7.9 yards per carry.

Even if Choice can't play against U.Va., the Jackets are "still going to run the football," Gailey said. "We're not going to all of the sudden become pass-happy."

Clemson's Harper faces pressure to throw
Stop tailbacks James Davis and C.J. Spiller. That's the primary goal of most defenses that Clemson faces, which puts pressure on quarterback Cullen Harper.

"We've definitely seen that," Tigers coach Tommy Bowden said. "You can teach a daggone reporter in 10 minutes how to hand the ball off. That's the easiest thing to do. The hardest thing to do is make the quarterback go back there and throw." - Jeff White

 

Interceptions, knock downs lift up D-line
Virginia's D-line presents unique threat to opposing quarterbacks
Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Virginia's defensive line doesn't try to attract attention. It just comes naturally.

"I don't think of myself as the sexy player," senior defensive end Chris Long said.

Things just seem to fall into place for the men up front -- especially footballs. The defensive line has reinvented the wheel for defensive strategy. Renaissance men of the gridiron, these defenders are more than capable of rushing quarterbacks and taking the ball out of the air all at once. If they get lucky, the ball lands right in their hands for an interception. On a better-than-average day, they carry the ball halfway down the field -- if not the whole way.

But as complicated as it might sound to play the line and secondary at the same time, it all starts with a simple focus -- keeping your hands up.

"It's not one of those things [where] there's a skill level and you can jump up and actually snag the ball two feet from the quarterback," senior nose tackle Allen Billyk said. "It just comes down to being aware -- being in the right place at the right time."

So far, Virginia's defensive line has been as lucky as leprechauns, because the ball seems to be finding them, instead of the reverse.

Three games into the season, the defensive line already has two interceptions, compared to the one grabbed by the rest of the entire secondary.

The ball found sophomore defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald in the season opener against Wyoming when Fitzgerald snagged his third career interception.

In the second half against North Carolina last week, Long picked up his first career interception and then carried the ball 25 yards before being tripped up by UNC freshman quarterback T.J. Yates.

Long wasn't trying to look sexy, it was just a normal day on the job.

"As much as it was surprising to a lot of people in the stands, people like Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald do that every week in practice," sophomore defensive end Nate Collins said. "It wasn't that big of a shock to us on the sideline."

Collins said the real shock was the ball Long knocked down in the first half -- and consequently dropped.

With the game on the line and the clock running out, Virginia's defensive line made the stop to save the game.

This time it was Collins, who played the role of jack-of-all-trades defender, stepping up for Virginia.

Down by two points with two minutes remaining in the game, Yates attempted a two-point conversion to even the score. But Collins stood directly in his way.

"Our coaches are always teaching us to read the quarterback's eyes, and I knew to put my hands up when he got the long-arm separation," Collins said. "[Yates] turned his head and was scanning the right side of the field, and I realized that the ball was coming there. Once he took his front hand off [the ball] and got long-arm separation, I made a point to put my hands up, and he threw right to where I was."

Collins settled for the knockdown and the game-saving play, even though he couldn't intercept the ball -- let alone return it for 25 yards.

While the Cavalier defensive line has grown out of their traditional role, they haven't forgotten their roots. Long happens to lead the ACC with five sacks this season.

"We talk about the D-line as being the foundation of the defense," Billyk said. "We try to set a precedent in ourselves."

For a group that has to defend itself from looking sexy, the game plan is pretty simple: Don't stop fighting and make sure to keep the four-leaf clover tight in your pocket.

 

Former William Campbell star becomes UVa's strong, quiet leader
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 19, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Rarely does Cedric Peerman speak without thinking. His words are calculated and precise, lacking in hyperbole and never in excess, especially on the football field.
So when Virginia's reticent tailback spoke up last weekend at halftime of the Cavaliers' game at North Carolina, his team leading 16-7 at the time, it raised some eyebrows.

Let's go! We've got to keep pushing! We've got to get more!

"When Cedric talks," UVa center Jordy Lipsey said, "people listen."

Peerman wasn't all talk. Thanks to his career-high 186 rushing yards, Virginia held on for a 22-20 win, and, more importantly, found an offensive identity. With a rotating quarterback situation and inexperience at wide receiver, Peerman has become UVa's rock.

The junior's 341 rushing yards lead the ACC. His 30 carries last week set a career high, even counting his record-setting career at William Campbell High. And his final run last Saturday, a tough, three-yard push into the heart of the UNC line when the Cavaliers needed exactly that many yards to put the game away, said more about the 5-foot-10, 208-yard tailback than words could.

"His runs speak for themselves," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "They illustrate what we're talking about.

"Emmitt Smith was that type of back. Curtis Martin was that type of back. Walter Payton was that type of back.

"They just didn't gain yards for their team. They energized their whole team through their toughness, through their effort, through their heart, through their production."

Many had questioned whether Peerman was the man for the job. After making an instant impact as a redshirt freshman in 2005 filling in for an injured Wali Lundy, his role was cut back last year. Backing up a healthy Jason Snelling, Peerman had just 46 carries for 153 yards, a 3.3-yard average.

Brad Bradley, Peerman's coach at William Campbell, spoke with him on the phone regularly. He sensed some frustration from his former player, who helped the Generals win their first football state championship in 2002 and ran for over 2,000 yards in becoming the 2003 Group A state player of the year.

His advice? Keep working.

"They've got to notice you," Bradley said.

"I knew I had to be patient," Peerman said. "I knew my time would come soon enough."

He was diligent in his offseason preparation, as he is in everything, whether its academically, where he's on pace to graduate with a sociology degree in 3 1/2 years, or just everyday life.

"There's no nonsense about Cedric in anything he does," Groh said. "You'll seldom see Cedric where he just threw something on to go some place."

Rewarded with the starting job coming out of the spring, Peerman has responded by stepping up in a leadership role. The words are still rare, but his play speaks volumes.

"You don't have to say much when you drag three tacklers for a first down," defensive end Chris Long said.

It's always been that way, even at William Campbell, where he barely uttered a word, content to lead by example. Bradley remembered one particular instance when that wasn't the case. The Generals had lost some seniors from their offensive line in 2003, the year after their state championship. Peerman, observing what he perceived to be some lackadaisical play, voiced his frustration.

"We went back, huddled up and had a lot better practice from that point on," Bradley said. "He spoke when it was time to speak."

The Cavaliers will continue to lean on Peerman. Despite getting 30 carries at UNC, the most by a Virginia tailback in three years, Peerman wasn't overwhelmed, as evidenced by his final run.

"He had more carries left in him the other day," Groh said.

And despite his success, his demeanor hasn't changed. At William Campbell, he regularly deflected praise to his teammates. When he talked to Bradley on the phone Sunday, his first words were typical: "Coach, how could you not run for that many yards when you've got those big holes?"

"He has no ego," Bradley said.

Even when he's home in Gladys, he remains humble, just Cedric being Cedric, quietly going about his business.

"Everybody treats me like I'm a normal person," Peerman said. "I feel that is the way it should be. ? I don't feel like I should be treated any differently."


 

When called, Jackets' Dwyer ready
By MIKE KNOBLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/20/07

Jonathan Dwyer didn't ask to wear No. 21. It reveals nothing about his ego. He wasn't some cocky freshman laying claim to being the next Calvin Johnson.

Dwyer asked for his high school number, 12, and wound up with 21 instead.

So far, though, the jersey fits.

No. 21 once again leads Georgia Tech in touchdowns. Dwyer has scored five, including at least one in each of the first three games of his college career.

Johnson first showed he was something special with an eight-catch, three-touchdown performance at Clemson in his first ACC road game. Saturday at Virginia, Dwyer might get a chance to do something special in his first ACC road game, too.

If Tashard Choice's hamstring injury limits his carries or keeps him from playing, Tech could turn to the freshman from Kell High School in Marietta. Dwyer said he is prepared for whatever role Tech needs him to fill, including starter.

"It's just a dream that every freshman has," he said. "I don't know if I'm going to start or how many carries I'll get. Nothing is guaranteed. I just have to be ready to play."

He has a history of stepping up when needed. He started at free safety in the first game of his freshman year at Kell, then started at running back in the second game after injuries sidelined the team's top two players at that position. Dwyer ran for more than 100 yards.

"The most underrated thing about him is his competitiveness," said Irv Sigler, Kell's coach for Dwyer's final two seasons. "You can see it in his eyes and in his body language."

Sigler said he has no doubt Dwyer will be up to the task on Saturday if Choice can't play.

"I don't think there's any question he's more than capable of doing it," Sigler said. "From an emotional standpoint, from a physical standpoint, he's way beyond his years."

Dwyer took over when Choice got hurt against Boston College, but Tech has other options at the position. Senior Rashaun Grant ran for 23 yards on three carries against Boston College and ran for 122 yards three years ago at N.C. State. Sophomore Jamaal Evans was Choice's top backup against Notre Dame, though no playing time against BC suggests he has dropped to fourth on the depth chart.

Dwyer might be Tech's speediest player. He was runner-up in the Class AAAAA state championship 100 meters as a high school junior, and he showed off that speed on a 40-yard reverse play against Samford. He's strong, too, as he showed while breaking tackles on a 65-yard run later in that game.

What he has shown so far might just hint at what he can accomplish at Tech.

"Right now, he's playing on pure physical talent and instincts more than he is knowledge of the blocking schemes and getting a feel for where things should be," Tech coach Chan Gailey said. "He will get better at that as time goes on."

He needs to work on his blocking and on holding onto the ball. (He fumbled, and recovered, in his first carry last Saturday night.) He also can improve as a runner by learning where to cut and when to wait for a block.

"I always make mistakes," Dwyer said. "I'm still getting the hang of it. But as the season goes on, each game I get to play in I understand it a little bit more. This is what I need to do: follow my blockers, follow my keys and follow [fullback] Mike Cox.

"I learned a lot [from the first three games]. I learned how good a player I am and how good everybody else is."

One clue to how good a player Dwyer is: Only two Jackets straight out of high school have run for more yards in a game than Dwyer's 138 against Samford. That would be Robert Lavette and Jerry Mays, who went on to become Tech's career rushing leaders. It takes special qualities for a player to succeed as soon as he steps on campus.

"Probably first and foremost, confidence," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "There are certain players that come into camp every year, they just have that look and that air about them that I'm here to play. ... The way he plays on tape says right from the start he was one of those players who say, 'I'm here to play.'"

Gailey must have seen that even before practice began.

He's the guy who assigned Dwyer No. 21.

 

After Peerman opens up, Cavs speak volumes
Peerman beginning to emerge for the Cavaliers
Date published: 9/19/2007
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

CHARLOTTESVILLE--Senior defensive end Chris Long is the University of Virginia football team's unquestioned leader on his side of the ball.

In the past two seasons, the Cavaliers have lacked that type of influence offensively, but junior running back Cedric Peerman is changing that.

Peerman (341 rushing yards, two touchdowns) is leading the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing yards through three games.

However, it isn't statistics that have his teammates believing in him.

Long and Cavaliers head coach Al Groh said Peerman energizes the team with a combination of hard work in practice, intensity on the field and humbleness off of it.

Peerman will help lead the Cavaliers (2-1, 2-0 ACC) into a noon home contest against Georgia Tech (2-1, 0-1) on Saturday in Scott Stadium.

"It's been great watching Ced just kind of come into his own these past couple of weeks," Long said. "I don't know if there was a day he decided that he was just going to start carrying this offense on his back from an energy perspective, but he's just brought a whole new level of energy. He gets up after a big run and looks at the guys, and it just energizes the sidelines."

The soft-spoken Peerman has set career-highs in rushing the past two weeks. He rushed for 131 yards and a touchdown in Virginia's 24-13 win over Duke Sept. 8.

On Saturday, he topped that with 186 yards and a score in the Cavaliers' 22-20 victory over North Carolina.

"You don't hear from him much, but he leads by example," Long said. "You don't have to say much when you drag three tacklers for a first down."

Peerman broke free from his quiet demeanor with a fiery halftime speech to his teammates against the Tar Heels.

Frustrated that the Cavaliers could muster just one touchdown and three field goals despite dominating the first half offensively, Peerman made sure his teammates didn't let up from the third quarter on.

"He doesn't speak much, so when he does speak it's worthwhile to hear," Cavaliers' sophomore cornerback Vic Hall said. "It's going to be something that's going to boost the morale of the team."

Peerman once needed a morale boost, too.

The former William Campbell High School star admitted to being frustrated because he wasn't playing much as a freshman and sophomore.

He totaled just 146 carries in his first two seasons, and he saw the numbers drop from 70 as a redshirt freshman in 2005 to 46 last year while serving as Jason Snelling's backup.

"It was a matter of being able to understand the situation," Peerman said. "I had guys that were in front of me, guys that had more experience. I knew I had to be patient. I knew that my time would come soon enough."

Peerman wasn't playing up to par his first two seasons, partly because the avid weightlifter may have been too strong.

Groh said he was a stiff runner, so Peerman tried to change that in the offseason by working more on flexibility and less on upper body strength.

He also returned to what Groh calls a "one cut" style of running. Peerman said he feels "overall better" on the field.

Groh noticed in spring and fall practice that Peerman could be poised for a breakout season.

"This is what he has put into it since the last week of March," Groh said. "So from that respect, it's just coming true on the main stage what we had seen developing in the practice area."

 

Chancellor grad played key role in Cavs' win
Virginia notebook
Date published: 9/19/2007
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

Heidi Schubel wasn't much of a football fan while attending Chancellor High School.

But when Schubel's guidance counselor at the Spotsylvania County school advised her about an opportunity to become an equipment manager for the University of Virginia football team, she jumped at the chance.

Schubel, a former Chancellor tennis player, has been one of the Cavaliers' equipment managers for the past two years.

While the Virginia sophomore usually performs such ordinary tasks as checking the stickers on the Cavaliers' helmets, on Saturday she became involved in what she calls, "a once-in-a-lifetime manager experience."

Schubel and fellow manager Michelle Quiroga spotted Virginia kicker Chris Gould's 48-yard field goal attempt barely cross the uprights in the Cavaliers' 22-20 road victory over North Carolina.

Gould's kick was ruled no good by back judge Virgil Valdez, but Schubel and Quiroga alerted Groh and Gould that the kick was a successful one.

"It was a real close kick," Schubel said. "But it did go in."

Groh used a coach's challenge based on the managers' advice, and the call was overturned.

"For a second, we were shocked and we didn't know what to do," Schubel said. "So we ran back to Coach Groh and Chris Gould. We just kept telling them, 'It was good. It was good.' They ended up challenging the play and we got the points."

Schubel said she received a high-five from Groh on the sidelines and she's been receiving thanks from Virginia players ever since.

She said she was located directly behind the goal post and in position to retrieve the ball. She and Quiroga noticed Valdez duck before signaling that the field goal was missed.

"It came in right in the left-hand corner and I was like right behind it," Schubel said. "We were watching replays on TV, and you can see me on the shot. The ref moved his head out of the way. He couldn't see [the kick], but we did."

Schubel said she and Quiroga had enough confidence in what they saw to convince Groh to use a challenge.

"I'm no referee," Schubel said. "But we knew it was in and those points ended up winning us the game."

Schubel said after the kick was overturned, she and Quiroga, "were jumping up and down, hugging each other."

"It was a really exciting moment," she said. "At first, it was kind of scary because we were getting them to call a timeout and use an official challenge. But we ended up winning. It's not very often two girls get points for a football team."

Groh said Schubel and Quiroga "clearly" earned their letters for this season.

Gould was thankful, too.

"They told me I owe them some cookies this week," he said. "I've got to get on that."

On the mend

Kevin Ogletree, Virginia's honorable mention all-Atlantic Coast Conference wide receiver, is working hard rehabilitating the torn ACL he suffered early in spring practice.

Groh said Ogletree is working out like he wants to play this year, but the coach remains cautious.

He said Ogletree picked up his pace last week, running individual routes on the side and catching balls "at a relaxed pace."

Groh doesn't want Ogletree to rush back.

"The way he's training would lead you to believe that he's got [returning this year] in mind," Groh said. "But I don't think it's fair to hold out unsubstantiated hope to a player until we get closer to that even being a possibility. We'll just let him train hard and see where those things go."