Jackets eager to take field again
Bell says Cavaliers will face his team at the wrong time
Saturday, Sep 22, 2007 - 12:07 AM

Georgia Tech at Virginia

Where: Scott Stadium (cap. 61,500), Charlottesville
When: Noon
On the air: TV - ESPNU; radio - WRVA (1140), 11 a.m.; XM satellite Ch. 191, noon
Line: Georgia Tech by 3½
Records: Virginia 2-0 ACC, 2-1; Georgia Tech 0-1, 2-1
Players to watch: Georgia Tech - TB Tashard Choice 52 carries, 337 yards, 4 TD; Durant Brooks 46-yard average on 15 punts; QB Taylor Bennett 39-71 passing, 410 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT. Virginia - TB Cedric Peerman 56 carries, 341 yards, 2 TD; PK Chris Gould 7 for 8 on field goals; DE Chris Long 5 sacks, 9 QB hurries, 1 INT.
Outlook: In a series that's tied 14-14-1, Virginia has won seven straight over Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium. U.Va. can increase its early lead in the ACC's Coastal Division with a victory today. The Yellow Jackets are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start in ACC play since 2003. Like the Cavaliers' Al Groh, the Jackets' Chan Gailey is a former NFL coach.

3 keys for Virginia

1. Win - or at least tie - the turnover battle. Georgia Tech is the only team in Division I-A with no turnovers. Virginia, meanwhile, has thrown two interceptions and lost two fumbles. Among ACC teams, the Yellow Jackets lead in turnover margin, and the Cavaliers are fifth.
2. Protect the quarterback. The Jackets' defensive coordinator, U.Va. alumnus Jon Tenuta, calls for blitzes on most plays. With 13 sacks, Georgia Tech leads the ACC. Virginia, which returned all of its starting offensive linemen from 2006, has allowed seven sacks.
3. Limit the Jackets' running game. Georgia Tech has scored 13 touchdowns this season, and all have come on the ground. Senior tailback Tashard Choice, the ACC's leading rusher in 2006, is second this season, close behind U.Va. junior Cedric Peerman. Choice has been dealing with a hamstring injury, but his backups are talented, too.
- Jeff White
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- University of Virginia football players aren't known for providing bulletin-board material, and they were true to form this week, resisting any temptation they might have had to talk trash.

Georgia Tech's Travis Bell wasn't so tight-lipped. In an Associated Press story, the senior kicker said the Yellow Jackets were frustrated by their performance in a 24-10 loss to visiting Boston College last weekend.

"Unfortunately, Virginia is going to be the team we take that out on," Bell said.

For Bell's prediction to come true, the Jackets must do something they haven't done since 1990: beat ACC foe U.Va. at Scott Stadium. Georgia Tech has dropped seven straight games in Charlottesville, a mystifying streak for a program that has won at such schools as Auburn, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Notre Dame in six seasons under coach Chan Gailey.

The Cavaliers (2-0, 2-1) meet the Jackets (0-1, 2-1) today at noon.

"Our guys have played well on the road," Gailey said. "They appreciate and respect each stadium and each crowd and each situation, but they're not in awe of them."

U.Va., which collected a rare road victory last weekend at North Carolina, is 30-9 at Scott Stadium during Al Groh's tenure as coach.

"There's no place like playing at Scott Stadium, but at the same time we can't fall into that comfort zone," Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman said. "Just because we're at home doesn't mean the other team is going to play worse."

Under Gailey, the Jackets traditionally have emphasized the running game. That hasn't changed, but Tech has a new offensive coordinator, John Bond.

Groh and Co. are more familiar with the work of U.Va. alumnus Jon Tenuta, defensive coordinator at North Carolina in 2001 and at Georgia Tech since '02. The Cavaliers know that Tenuta's defenses blitz, blitz and then blitz some more. The Jackets lead the ACC in sacks with 13.

"Pressures are coming on every down," Groh said. "At least we do have a little bit of history with that."

Against Tenuta-led defenses, U.Va. is 3-3.

"In those games when we've had some success against this defense," Groh said, "it's because we've been able to strike a good balance and have diversity in what we've done."

Georgia Tech has allowed an average of only 1.6 yards per carry this season, but U.Va. has the ACC's leading rusher in Peerman.

Virginia's offense, however, has been anything but balanced. The Cavaliers, who rotate sophomore Jameel Sewell and true freshman Peter Lalich at quarterback, rank 10th among ACC teams in passing offense.

First in the league is Boston College, whose quarterback, senior Matt Ryan, threw for 435 yards against Georgia Tech last weekend.

"Not many teams -- maybe nobody -- are going to get those kind of throws that [BC] got out of [Ryan]," Groh said. "If nobody else has a player like that, they're not going to get those kind of plays, and you're right back at the starting line."

Another key for Virginia today will be red-zone execution. Against UNC, 15 of the Cavs' 22 points came on Chris Gould field goals.

"That could have been a different ballgame if we'd turned those field goals into touchdowns," senior center Jordy Lipsey said. "It could have been a blowout."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Friday, Sep 21, 2007 - 12:06 AM Updated: 09:17 AM

Covington likely out against Ga. Tech
Virginia wide receiver Maurice Covington has an undisclosed injury, apparently to his hand or wrist, and is likely to miss tomorrow's game against Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium. Covington, a junior from Durham, N.C., has nine catches -- the most of any U.Va. wideout -- for 65 yards this season.

The Cavaliers (2-0, 2-1) host the Yellow Jackets (0-1, 2-1) at noon.

In Covington's absence, wideouts Chris Gorham and Cary Koch may play larger roles. Gorham, a senior, is a converted defensive back who has one catch for 4 yards in limited action this season.

On a teleconference with reporters yesterday, Virginia coach Al Groh didn't mention Covington's injury, but he said Gorham has "had a pretty positive couple of days" in practice this week.

Koch suffered a knee injury during training camp last month and missed U.Va.'s first three games. After transferring from Tulane, where he caught 23 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns in 2005, he had one reception for 4 yards as a Cavalier last year.

A junior from Baton Rouge, La., Koch is healthy again, and "that's been a positive, too," Groh said.

Covington's uncle Thomas Covington played for Georgia Tech in the 1990 game against then-No. 1 Virginia at Scott Stadium. The Yellow Jackets prevailed that day but haven't won in Charlottesville since.

Leitao continues search for recruits
The start of the early signing period for men's basketball is fewer than two months away, and Virginia has yet to land its first recruit for 2008-09.

Word could come any day, however, from John Brandenburg, a 6-10 center from St. Louis whose finalists are U.Va. and Stanford. Another of Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao's targets -- Sylven Landesberg, a 6-5 guard from New York City -- is expected to announce his college choice Thursday. Landesberg is down to Virginia, Georgia Tech and St. John's.

In Charlottesville for official visits this weekend are Elliot Williams, a 6-4 guard from Memphis, Tenn., and Lance Goulbourne, a 6-7 forward from The Hun School in Princeton, N.J.

In the latest Rivals.com rankings, Williams is No. 16 in the Class of 2008, and he's also considering Duke, Memphis and Tennessee. Rivals has Landesberg at No. 55, Brandenburg at No. 70, and Goulbourne at No. 90.

Scheduled to visit U.Va. next weekend is a rapidly improving prospect from South Kent School in Connecticut -- 7-0 center Assane Sene, a native of Senegal. Connecticut is among the other schools pursuing Sene.

Palumbo among ACC football legends
The ACC announced its 2007 class of football legends this week, and Virginia's representative is Joe Palumbo.

A Charlottesville resident, Palumbo is one of only six football players to have had his jersey number (48) retired at U.Va. He was a three-year starter at defensive end (1949-51), and the Cavaliers went 23-5 in his career. He was elected to the college football hall of fame in 1999.

Palumbo and the rest of the 2007 class will be honored in Jacksonville, Fla., on the weekend of the ACC championship game.

Cavs' baseball squad plays exhibition game
Want an early look at U.Va.'s baseball team? Stop by Davenport Field today. At 5 p.m., Virginia will entertain the Ontario Blue Jays in an exhibition game that's free and open to the public.

The Cavaliers, who opened fall practice Tuesday, are "looking forward to competing against a team in a different uniform," fifth-year coach Brian O'Connor said. "This will be our only opportunity to do it, and it will give our new players a chance to compete at this level."

Virginia went 45-16 last season and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive year. -- Jeff White

 

Cavs put perfect ACC start on the line
Virginia tries to move to 3-0 in league play with Georgia Tech visiting
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 22, 2007

When Virginia’s players boarded a collection of buses three weeks ago in Wyoming, it appeared the Cavaliers were in for a long season.

At or around the same time, Georgia Tech’s players celebrated a 30-point win over vaunted Notre Dame.

Virginia defensive end Chris Long promised better results, pointing out it was a 12-game season.

How right he was.

After winning back-to-back ACC games in a somewhat sloppy style, Virginia (2-1, 2-0) sits firmly in first place in the league’s Coastal Division. Today’s opponent, Georgia Tech (2-1, 0-1), is in the league’s cellar after being picked apart by Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and suddenly faces a must-win situation to salvage hopes of returning the league’s championship game (the noon game at Scott Stadium will be televised on ESPNU).

“Any ACC win is huge. Our focus is just to be 3-0,” Long said. “To get there is going to be a great challenge and a big test for us.”

History is on Virginia’s side - Georgia Tech has not won at Scott Stadium since 1990, losing seven straight in Charlottesville.

“I may mention [the streak], but we won’t make a big deal about it,” said Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey. “Every place you go, you have to play well. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve won there in a while or not. That’s not the issue.

“It’s two new teams, a totally different situation, a different mindset, hopefully.”

Virginia has certainly evolved into a different team since its season-opening loss.

After stumbling for just 100 yards of total offense against the Cowboys, the Cavaliers have rebounded to gain 674 total yards in wins over Duke and North Carolina.

During that resurgence, Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman gained 323 yards on the ground on 49 carries and took over as the ACC’s leading rusher.

He has also served as a spark plug for the Cavaliers emotionally.

“His runs speak for themselves,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “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.”

Georgia Tech has a special weapon in its backfield, too. Running back Tashard Choice, who Gailey said would start today despite a tweaked hamstring, has 337 yards rushing in three games and has not lost a fumble in his past 294 carries.

“He never gives it away and he gains a lot of yards and he keeps grinding it out for them,” Groh said. “Everything passes through him. You’re going to have a good day by him and those people who pave the way for him or else you are going to have a lot of difficulty.”

The Yellow Jackets also boast a blitz-happy defense that is allowing an ACC-best 13.9 points per game. Georgia Tech’s defense has registered 48 sacks in its last 17 games, which included a pair in a 24-7 win over Virginia last year in Atlanta.

“The scheme on defense is the same, and many of those players are the same,” Groh said. “[Linebacker Philip] Wheeler’s been a tackling machine for them and he continues to be such. The two defensive ends are very difficult to handle, provide a lot of pressure from the outside and have a lot of - not just athletic ability off the edge - but they are long guys with long arms and a lot of range.”

While Groh has been pleased with the progression of his team over the past two weeks, he stressed the importance of avoiding a letdown against a program that has been to 10 straight bowl games.

“You can see throughout college football, and throughout football on every level, that if you don’t have something to prove and you’re not on your best game every week, you’ve got a real good chance to get beat,” he said. “If you don’t feel challenged and you’re not properly focused every week, then that’s the situation that you’re going to find yourself in. It’s going to take everything, especially with our team, if we’re going to have to fight it out.

“There might not be any TKOs for us, but if you win on a split decision, you’re still the winner.”

Another positive result of that kind would leave Virginia in first place until it returns to conference play on Oct. 20 at Maryland - the Cavaliers play three straight non-conference foes starting next week at home against Pittsburgh.

Few outside of Virginia’s locker room expected such a scenario.

“We never lost faith. I just think we have that mentality that we are playing for the guy next to you,” said Virginia nose tackle Allen Billyk. “We are playing for the guys that we spend so much time with. We are playing for the guys that we woke up at 5 in the morning with all winter for workouts.

“Those guys are the guys that know what you are capable of and know what you can do. Other people outside may not know what is going on. They might just see a game and see something, but I think everyone on the team knows what each other is capable of. We have another chance to prove that.”
 

Monroe up to the challenge
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 22, 2007

You would think that a guy who had just won his first ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week award would get some kind of cool prize. Maybe a steak dinner. A fancy plaque or something.

Instead, all that Virginia’s barrel-chested left tackle Eugene Monroe gets is perhaps the toughest assignment of the season by facing Georgia Tech’s blitzing defense all afternoon long.

The Yellow Jackets serve up a relentless dish of varied blitzes off defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta’s menu. They bring pressure all game long, attempting to clog running lanes and to get their mitts on the opposing quarterback as much as possible.

Big Gene the Blocking Machine’s job is particularly stressful in that he’s essentially the quarterback’s personal body guard. Normally the left tackle literally has the quarterback’s back because he keeps pressure off the quarterback’s blindside and usually draws the opposition’s best pass rushing threat.

In this case, because UVa starter Jameel Sewell is left-handed, his blindside can be reversed, although the Cavs sometimes will roll Sewell to his right.

But never fear. This ain’t Monroe’s first rodeo.

The daily grind

Every day, the mountainous Monroe gets the best practice he can imagine by going up against defensive end Chris Long, an All-American candidate. Long, who ranks second in the nation in sacks, braces the big tackle for whatever might loom ahead.

The daily challenge has an interesting history in that Long credits much of his development to having faced All-America offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson daily for two years. That forced the younger Long to hone his techniques just in order to survive against Ferguson’s fierce blocks.

In turn, Long has exposed Monroe to that type of daily battle, and it has made both of them better.

“I think Chris is probably the best defensive player around, and practicing against him every day, I go into games feeling that the guy I’m going against can’t be better than Chris. So I’m pretty confident all the time,” Monroe said. “It’s hard to block Chris Long, as evidenced by looking at his sacks and tackles.”

Monroe said that his tango with Long has helped him keep his feet alive and made him quicker.

All-American comparison

Long pointed out that his daily physical tete-a-tete with the burly tackle from Plainfield, N.J., and left guard Branden Albert isn’t much different than it was facing off against Ferguson, who was a first-round draft choice of the New York Jets in 2006.

All that training will come in handy today against the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech’s defense ranks No. 1 in the ACC in sacks with 13, which fits in with its goal of knocking down quarterbacks with regularity. Monroe has been around long enough to know that his brute strength is only part of his mission. The other part is brain, not brawn.

“Being able to pick up that pressure is going to determine how well we execute our plays and how well we move the ball,” Monroe said. “The level of alertness has to be higher.”

What may help is the familiarity that Virginia’s offensive line has with one another. All five played side-by-side a year ago and took their lumps together. Now, they’ve seen it all and feel better-equipped to handle the load.

Monroe (6-foot-6, 310 pounds) and Albert (6-7, 320), which could be mistaken for a new mountain range sprouting out of the Scott Stadium turf, have earned each other’s trust. They roomed together for a year, have played together for a couple, and pretty much know what the other is thinking.

“Branden is like my brother out there on the field,” Monroe said. “There’s a lot of cohesiveness. We always know what each other is going to do and where each other is at all times. But that’s pretty much true all along the offensive line.”

It has been a big week for the O-line. The big uglies proudly have opened up enough holes the past two weekends to make Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman the ACC’s leading rusher. The fact that Monroe was cited for his blocking in the weekly ACC awards was a bonus.

“Branden texted me and said congratulations. I was surprised by the award,” Monroe said. “I felt like I played better than I have been playing and that I’m improving each week.”

Part of that is because he’s healthy for the first time in a long time. He was thrust into action as a true freshman because Virginia’s system believes that if a player is probably going to start his second year, then he had better get acclimated his first.

Monroe played some at left guard that season because nobody was going to take playing time away from Ferguson. But when the left tackle went down for a week or two with an injury, Monroe slipped into the spot and became The Brick’s backup for the rest of the season.

Last year, Big Gene suffered a dislocated kneecap early in spring drills and, even though he was medically cleared to play the 2006 season, he was never quite right.

He was constantly hindered by pain and wears a big scar to prove it.

“It was frustrating because I wasn’t able to do things I felt I could have done otherwise,” Monroe said. “But now, I feel good ... almost like nothing ever happened.”

All that clearly took a toll on the big tackle, who was rated the No. 1 lineman in the nation, and in some corners the No. 1 overall prospect, coming out of high school.

“It was difficult for him because he’s a very prideful player and things weren’t going well,” said coach Al Groh. “If you had a picture in your mind of what his stance looked like last year, his stance is considerably different this year just because he had trouble bending his knee just to get into the type of leverage stance that would give him an advantage.”

Still, Monroe never complained, never made excuses when outsiders would question ‘What’s wrong with Monroe?’ ‘Wasn’t he supposed to be the best tackle in America?’

Now coaches are starting to see that quality in the junior, who only has eight starts under his belt. They don’t have to sweat trying to build his confidence any more. It’s there on its own.

“As long as we play like we should, we can run the ball on anybody,” Monroe said.

Today will be his and the line’s biggest test so far. If Monroe and his fellow wide bodies get the job done, they will all deserve steaks.

UVA FOOTBALL: Who will win?
September 22, 2007

WHY VIRGINIA WILL WIN

Great Scott!
For all the struggles that Virginia coach Al Groh has had on the road, playing at Scott Stadium has had the opposite effect. In fact, Groh boasts a 30-9 record in Charlottesville and is perfect against Georgia Tech at home.
Scott Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Yellow Jackets. Since upsetting the Cavaliers in 1990 on a memorable field goal from Scott Sisson, Georgia Tech has lost seven in a row and has not had a lead during a game in Charlottesville since 2001.
“There is just something about playing at home that works for us,” said Virginia defensive end Chris Long.
A newfound level of confidence
Winning cures all that ails. Winning on the road in a close game goes even further.
Just three weeks after sitting in a rocky emotional state, Virginia has regained its swagger.
Winning tight games, even if it was against Duke and North Carolina, built character, according to nose tackle Allen Billyk.
“I think winning close games is one of those things that you can really build off of,” Billyk said. “I think it shows a lot of character when you can fight through it, where if jump on a team early, you get a little lackadaisical and things like that.
“If you have to fight and keep getting better as the game goes on, I think it can go a long way towards building towards the rest of the season.”
Rocking the rotation
UVa is likely going to start quarterback Jameel Sewell under center. How long that lasts will be answered with the team’s play early.
Sewell has experience on his side - he said he learned a lot facing Georgia Tech on the road last year. That came in Atlanta with a hostile crowd breathing down his neck.
Should Sewell struggle or if offensive coordinator Mike Groh wants to change things up, true freshman Peter Lalich can be summoned. While Lalich has not faced a defense anywhere near the caliber of Georgia Tech’s and is not nearly as good as Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, his strength is finding targets quickly, namely the tight ends.
That might force the Yellow Jackets to sink into coverage more than they would like.

WHY GEORGIA TECH WILL WIN

The ability to avoid the miscue
Georgia Tech is the only team in the country that has not committed a turnover this season.
“I think our coaches do a great job of emphasizing it and working drills to get that done,” said Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey. “That’s not only on offense but special teams, as well.”
Tashard Choice, the Yellow Jackets’ talented tailback, has a streak of 294 consecutive carries without a fumble. Quarterback Taylor Bennett has thrown 73 straight interception-free passes, which dates back to the Gator Bowl,
“If you don’t give it to the other team, then you’re a leg up in the passing game,” Gailey said. “Even the great ones throw an interception every now and then. The fact that he hasn’t done that yet, it is a real positive.”
The popular ‘Choice’
Virginia has shown positive signs this season against the run. That said, the Cavaliers have not faced a running back with a proven track record like Choice.
Last year, Choice led the ACC in rushing and ranks second in the league today despite seeing limited time in routs over Notre Dame and Samford.
Choice has help - Georgia Tech runs counter plays with the fullback leading the way and has four offensive linemen that have started 26 or more games.
Choice was listed as questionable for today’s game after tweaking his hamstring last week against Boston College. Gailey has said he will still start Choice.
If he is slowed, the Yellow Jackets have plenty of able bodies to back him up.
Bring the kitchen sink
There’s no question as to whether the Yellow Jackets will bring pressure. The question centers on how many players blitz. Georgia Tech and its defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta have a special system in place to rattle opposing quarterbacks.
“If your quarterback is constantly under harassment, you’re going to get some bad decisions, you’re going to get some bad throws, you’re going to have problems with the ball,” Groh said. “This is going to be a game that’s about a lot more than effort.”
Remarkably, Georgia Tech finds a way to remain tough against the run in the process. In fact, the Yellow Jackets finished 20th in the country in rushing defense last season and currently sit seventh in the nation.


 

Scott not great place for Jackets
Georgia Tech has lost its last seven contests at Virginia, a stretch dating back to the early 1990s.
Doug Doughty

In the past two seasons, Georgia Tech has won football games in such hostile -- or at least storied -- environments as Notre Dame Stadium, Lane Stadium and the Orange Bowl.

During the 2006 season alone, the Yellow Jackets won ACC road games at Virginia Tech, North Carolina and N.C. State.

So, what could be so tough about winning in Charlottesville?

The Yellow Jackets handed then-No. 1 Virginia one of its most crushing defeats in a 1990 thriller at Scott, but Tech is winless in seven subsequent trips to UVa.

Coach Chan Gailey's team comes north for today's noon kickoff as a 312-point favorite, but the Yellow Jackets have been favorites at Scott Stadium before.

Unranked Virginia teams beat ranked Georgia Tech teams in Charlottesville in 1999, 2001 and 2005. In 2001, the Cavaliers were a 1412-point underdog.

"First of all, you don't make a big deal about it," said Gailey, referring to the Yellow Jackets' overall success on the road. "It's going to be loud, it's going to be a tough situation to play in wherever you go. If you're playing tough football teams, it's a tough place to play.

"We've done some good things and our guys are not in awe. They appreciate and respect each stadium and each crowd and each situation, but they're not in awe of it. They realize, if they go play, that's the bottom line."

Rarely have the Yellow Jackets come to Charlottesville and been blown out. In 2001, it took a trick play -- a hook-and-ladder featuring Alvin Pearman -- for the Cavaliers to prevail 39-38.

"You have to get your guys to understand that all those teams that haven't won previously or haven't done this or haven't done that previously, that's a no-factor," Gailey said.

"This is a new year, new teams, new situation and we have the opportunity to win if we go play our game.

"Get all the other junk, so to speak, out of the way. Don't let that enter your mind and go play your game.

The key is to execute, not to worry about where you're playing, [but] what you're doing."

If he believed in superstitions, which he apparently doesn't, Gailey might take pause at the sight of Pearman's younger brother, Andrew, or the Pearmans' homonym, ACC rushing leader Cedric Peerman.

Peerman, coming off back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, has a slight lead over defending ACC rushing champion Tashard Choice at the top of this year's rushing statistics.

Choice carried 15 times for 31 yards last Saturday before he strained a hamstring in the Yellow Jackets' 24-10 home loss to Boston College.

Georgia Tech has not updated Choice's status, but the flagship station on the Yellow Jackets' network, WQXI-790 AM, reported Friday that Choice will start against the Cavaliers.

It's not as if the Yellow Jackets are hurting behind Choice, who began his career as Adrian Peterson's understudy at Oklahoma.

Fellow fifth-year senior Rashaun Grant had 100 all-purpose yards against UVa in 2004 and true freshman Jonathan Dwyer is averaging 7.9 yards per carry.

While Georgia Tech's offense has been formidable, the biggest task for Virginia will be getting offensive production against a blitz-happy Yellow Jackets defense that is coordinated by one-time UVa safety Jon Tenuta.

UVa coach Al Groh said Thursday that he has seen statistics that show Georgia Tech blitzes in some fashion on 84 percent of its defensive snaps.

"The first element of having a sound passing game every week is, don't get your quarterback hit," Groh said.

"If your quarterback is constantly under harassment, then you're going to get some bad decisions, you're going to get some bad throws, you're going to have problems with the ball."

After a 24-13 victory over Duke in Week 2, assistant Dave Borbely noted that UVa quarterbacks were not hit once, a first in his 20-plus seasons as an offensive line coach.

Then, last week, UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell was sacked four times.

"One point of emphasis for the quarterback is: 'Never be surprised by the blitz,'" Groh said.

"Nothing can do more harm in a hurry, to you physically or to the operation of the team. The alarm is always on for the quarterback. In this particular case, that's simplified for him because he knows that every play there's going to be a blitz."
 

Post player Davila a good 'get' for Hokies
Gibbons likes Virginia’s chances
By Doug Doughty

When given an opportunity to attend the NBA Top 100 Camp earlier this summer in Charlottesville, Victor Davila elected instead to play for the Puerto Rican National Team.

Good thing for Virginia Tech that he did.

Davila, a 6-foot-9, 245-pounder from Starmount High School in Boonville, N.C., committed to the Hokies earlier this week. He has been ranked as high as No. 86 among the nation’s top senior prospects by PrepStars, which did not list him with the Hokies in its most recent publication.

“He spent the summer [in Puerto Rico] so he didn’t get a lot of publicity or evaluations,” said longtime recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons, who estimates that he has seen Davila play on 5-6 occasions.

“What impresses me, [is] he has a big body, but he moves well. You would think he would be a plodder but he isn’t, particularly when he gets the ball in the post. He’s got just an excellent array of post moves, [including] a very effective jump hook with either hand.

“He’s a true post player but he can shoot facing the basket. He catches everything. He’s not a great elevator in terms of leaping but he uses his body. When they get him in a conditioning program at Virginia Tech, he can easily add 10 more pounds of muscle.”

Gibbons admits that he didn’t know Tech was in such good shape with Davila, who essentially picked the Hokies over Clemson.

“The host family he lives with has strong ties to Wake Forest,” Gibbons said. “I think it just kind of fell into place for Virginia Tech because [Wake] got Ty Walker and the Tony Brooks kid and Al-Farouq Aminu.

“They got three frontcourt players and that was Skip Prosser’s legacy. They had no more scholarships. On top of Virginia Tech not being too far from Boonville, which is between Winston-Salem and Mount Airy, and an ACC school, I think Seth did a good job recruiting him.”

Getting Davila or a post player of his caliber was crucial after the loss of Gus Gilchrist, a fall 2007 Tech signee who asked for a release after the shootings of April 16. Gilchrist eventually got the release and has re-opened the recruiting process.

“Davila’s got a much bigger body [and] a lot more skill,” Gibbons said. “I saw [Gilchrist] play against Oak Hill and he’s not at all like Davila. He’s [Gilchrist] more athletic but not as strong or as skilled.”

Gibbons also feels there will be fewer issues with Davila than with Gilchrist. There have been questions about whether schools tampered with Gilchrist after his November signing, but Gibbons wonders if academics might have come into play, given Gilchrist’s stops at multiple high schools.

VIRGINIA FANS WILL be happy to hear that Gibbons thinks the Cavaliers will get a commitment from 6-11 John Brandenburg from St. Louis, but Gibbons gave no indication that he has any inside information.

Brandenburg was expected to announce his choice of Virginia or Stanford in the week following his Sept. 7-9 visit to Charlottesville, but two weeks have elapsed and there’s still no word.

Virginia has guard Elliott Williams and forward Lance Goulbourne on campus this weekend, and there are reports that earlier visitor Sylven Landesberg will announce Thursday which of three finalists – UVa, Georgia Tech and St. John’s – will get his signature.

The Cavaliers didn’t sign anybody in the spring, when they probably faced an uphill battle for Patrick Patterson, and they had another disappointment earlier this summer with the announcement that 6-8 Ed Davis from Richmond’s Benedictine High School had chosen North Carolina.

“That really shocked me,” Gibbons said. “I really thought he was going [to Virginia] but I think his dad, Terry, who hadn’t been that big a factor, got involved and changed it."

Williams is a national Top 25 player whose first visit was to Duke, a program that Virginia rarely bests in recruiting. Gibbons has Brandenburg and Landesberg in the 60-70 range.

“I think they’ll get Brandenburg,” Gibbons said. “Landesberg, that’s tough to read. He came in and stayed virtually a week. I think Virginia’s got a good shot. Brandenburg and Landesberg are good, solid, four-year guys and that’s what Dave [Leitao] needs.”
 

Cavaliers' Peerman strove hard to earn his place in the sun
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 22, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

When you are the leading rusher in the ACC and you grew up on a tobacco farm, people have questions. More questions, certainly, than if you'd been raised on a suburban cul-de-sac.

That's how Cedric Peerman came to be standing in a hallway in the press room at John Paul Jones Arena on Tuesday, holding his hand about an inch from the floor. Peerman was demonstrating the height of tobacco plants when they're first put in the ground. He then stood to his full 5-foot-10 and put his hand at the top of his head to show how tall the plants are three months later.

To get that tall, the plants must be painstakingly tended. The real back-breaking labor comes at harvest time, which for Peerman, Virginia's starting tailback, coincided with high school football season. Leading little William Campbell High School to victory Friday night didn't exempt him from a wake-up call early Saturday morning, no matter how bruised or weary he might have been.

"That's a hard life to come up by, and we did it for a very long time," said Stanley Peerman, Cedric's father. "Cedric, from Day One, after I taught him how to pull tobacco, just took it from there. Sometimes he'd been in the field by himself. He was the type of guy who wouldn't stop until the job was done."

Still is.

Last Saturday, Peerman's legs didn't stop churning until after his 30th carry, after he had bounced off a couple of would-be tacklers and picked up a final first down that clinched Virginia's 22-20 win against North Carolina, picking up the last of his career-high 186 yards.

Peerman will face the nation's No. 7 rushing defense today when Virginia hosts Georgia Tech. If the yards are a little harder to come by, well, Peerman has never shied away from a little hard work.

Peerman drove a tractor at age 8 and helped hoist 150-pound sacks into a pickup truck not much later. But by the time he graduated from high school in 2004, the way of life his family had known for decades in Gladys - a tiny town about 30 minutes south of Lynchburg - was coming to an end. Nearby tobacco markets were closing, hired help was too expensive and hard to find, and Peerman's late grandfather Samuel, the farm's owner and family patriarch, was in failing health.

The Peermans quit farming, letting their five acres go to grass.

Though it's no longer a working farm, the land left its mark on Peerman. You can see it physically in his bulging arms and shoulders. Mentally, it reveals itself in his patient approach to his football career and his attention to detail in everything he does.

Around the U.Va. team, Peerman is acknowledged as one of the team's strongest players, pound for pound, and is known for his conscientious approach to everything from his schoolwork to his wardrobe. He'll earn his degree in sociology in December, a semester early.

With Peerman, everything has to be just so. Stanley Peerman thinks of his middle son each time he sees a set of firehouse doors at the Georgia-Pacific plant in Gladys. Stanley Peerman works there as a maintenance mechanic. A couple of summers back, Cedric worked there, too, painting those doors.

"Every one of them, they were painted flawlessly," Stanley Peerman said.

That's Cedric, whose idea of winding down after high school track practice in the spring was to pull a weighted sled his father had built for him. Pulling the sled helped him develop 10.6 speed in the 100 meters, enough to win two Group A state titles.

Virginia doesn't recruit many players from the state's smallest high school classification. Tight end John Phillips, from Bath County, is the only other Group A product on scholarship.

Peerman, who scored 112 career touchdowns against small-school competition, had enough confidence to believe he could make it at Virginia. After all, didn't Thomas Jones, the school's all-time leading rusher, come from tiny Big Stone Gap?

Peerman kept the faith for three years while waiting for playing time behind tailbacks Alvin Pearman, Wali Lundy and Jason Snelling - all now in the NFL. He entered practice last spring as the favorite to win the starting job, but with a career average of just 3.6 yards a carry, there were questions about whether he was up to the task.

As a runner, Peerman seemed to have lost his identity. In high school, he had employed a decisive, "one cut" style. At U.Va., he seemed to dance too much. In addition, all his work as a weight-room warrior had made his muscles tight.

To regain flexibility, Peerman ran track last spring, running on Virginia's 400-meter relay team. It had the intended effect, he said. He feels quicker on the field, where he has returned to that cut-and-go style.

The 208-pound Peerman began the season with an 18-yard effort against Wyoming but followed it with 137 against Duke and 186 at North Carolina.

Getting Peerman to talk about his production is about as difficult as bringing him down with an arm tackle. With the media and his teammates, Peerman has a reputation as a man of few words.

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

Imagine the surprise, then, when Peerman spoke up at halftime of last week's game, with Virginia leading 16-7. His message: This game is far from over.

"He was fired up," center Jordy Lipsey said. "Those quiet guys, when they speak, you really pay attention to what they say."

Peerman has come out of his shell a bit outside the huddle as well. On Tuesdays, he's usually the first player to show up at the weekly news conference, donning the orange polo shirt the school's media relations department gives him and sitting politely and patiently in front of cameras and microphones.

Getting him to utter more than a few sentences takes some work. Last week, one inquisitor wanted to know whether running over tacklers gets him "jacked up" or thinking "that dude can't stop me."

Peerman smiled.

"That dude probably can stop me," he said. "I just try to be humble about things because you never know when somebody's going to come in and just level you."

The way Peerman has been running lately, it might take a couple of somebodies to do that.

 

Cavs seek third ACC win
Virginia to face challenge of slowing down strong Georgia Tech running game
Aaron Perryman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Ankle-breaking cuts, bone-jarring battles in the trenches and tough, hard-nosed football will likely be the story Saturday when Georgia Tech visits Scott Stadium to face Virginia as both teams show off their solid running game.

Although Georgia Tech (2-1, 0-1 ACC) ranks first in the ACC in rushing yardage with 237 yards per game and Virginia (2-1, 2-0 ACC) ranks ninth in the ACC in rushing yardage with 109 yards per game this season, both teams' running games are centered around equally impressive running backs. Senior Tashard Choice will lead the way for the Yellow Jackets while junior Cedric Peerman will carry the ball for the Cavaliers.

Choice, a candidate for the nation's top running back and player of the year awards, currently boasts a 112.3 rushing yards per game average, good enough for second in the ACC behind Peerman's 113.7 yards per game. He has also rushed for four touchdowns this season.

Choice is "a terrific back, certainly the equal of any back in this conference," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "He can really hit the crease, he finds the smallest of slivers and he's through it quickly. He's very elusive in the open field and he's obviously a very durable player. He had more carries than any back in the country last year."

Choice stumbled on some problems last weekend though. His streak of nine consecutive games of at least 100 yards rushing ended at the hands of Boston College, who defeated the Yellow Jackets soundly in Atlanta 24-10. Additionally, he came out of that game with a hamstring injury and is questionable for Saturday.

Still, Groh is preparing for the game as if Choice will start.

"We are just going forward with full expectation that he is going to play," Groh said. "All our preparations are with that in mind."

If Choice does not play, do not expect the Jackets to shy away from their running game. They have three capable running backs prepared to back up Choice if he does not play.

"[Senior] Rashaun Grant, [sophomore] Jamaal Evans and [freshman] Jonathan Dwyer have all been successful in games," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey wrote on the school's athletic Web site.

Dwyer holds a notable rushing average of 7.9 yards per carry and actually has five touchdowns, one more than Choice.

"We've had backups torch us before," senior defensive end Chris Long said. "There are some great players in sports that back up even greater players. That's nothing to discredit [Dwyer], that he's taking the back seat to some degree there. You're backing up the best running back in the ACC."

Virginia's running game, on the other hand, seems also to be in solid hands. Peerman's ascension into a solid and reliable running back has been on display over the last two games for the Cavaliers as he has broken the 100-yard mark in both games.

"It's been great watching Cedric come into his own these past couple weeks," Long said. "He gets up after big runs and looks at the sideline. It just energizes guys."

Peerman and the offensive line that paves paths for him will be up against their greatest challenge of the year so far in Georgia Tech's defense, which only allows 56 rushing yards per game (2nd in the ACC).

"[Senior linebacker Philip] Wheeler's been a tackling machine for them," Groh said. "The two defensive ends are very difficult to handle [and they] provide a lot of pressure from the outside and have a lot ... of range."

The Georgia Tech passing game, however, has not been forgotten after the departure of current National Football League wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Junior quarterback Taylor Bennett has been solid thus far this season, completing 39 of 71 passes (54.9 percent) for 410 yards. He has no touchdowns, but he has also limited his mistakes and has no turnovers.

Virginia, however, seems to have Georgia Tech's number at home as the Cavaliers have not lost to Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium since 1990. It will be challenging, however, for the Cavaliers to extend their winning streak in Charlottesville to eight games Saturday against a strong Yellow Jacket squad.

"We're playing the defending divisional champion," Groh said. "So that certainly sets the bar at the highest level of competition that we've faced so far this year."

 

Stopping Georgia Tech's blitz package is a tough task
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 22, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The Cavaliers know what's in store for them today at Scott Stadium. Georgia Tech's blitzers come in droves, from all angles and at all times, on 84 percent of the plays, according to Virginia coach Al Groh's charts.
So what makes the Yellow Jackets' defense so hard to deal with - the sheer number of blitzers they send, when they send them or where they send them from?

"All of the above," Groh said. "Those were some of my favorite tests. If they all sounded pretty close, I'd go with all of the above all the time."

Virginia (2-1, 2-0 ACC) will have plenty to be concerned about up front when it hosts Georgia Tech (2-1, 0-1 ACC) at noon. The Yellow Jackets' defense, under the direction of former UVa cornerback and 1980 graduate Jon Tenuta, has ranked in the top 30 nationally in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and pass efficiency in each of the last three seasons.

This year, Georgia Tech is giving up 13.7 points per game (14th nationally) and has recorded 13 sacks, tops in the ACC and the fourth most in the nation.

"Their schemes and their blitzes and the way their D-line moves around, it's tough to handle," UVa center Jordy Lipsey said. "It's a lot to learn in one week."

The Cavaliers know from experience. Last season in Atlanta, the Yellow Jackets did a number on Virginia's offense, giving up just 166 yards in a 24-7 win. Quarterback Jameel Sewell, making his first career start, was sacked only once but took a beating nonetheless, getting knocked around by Georgia Tech's endless stream of blitzers.

The Yellow Jackets will undoubtedly send the house again today, especially with freshman quarterback Peter Lalich, who is three games into his career, expected to get on the field in some capacity.

"The first element of having a sound passing game every week is don't have your quarterback hit," Groh said. "If your quarterback is constantly under harassment, then you're going to get some bad decisions. ? Plus, your quarterback takes a beating and that affects how he plays."

Both teams might be content to let their running games take over. The game features the top two rushers in the ACC, Virginia's Cedric Peerman (341 yards) and Georgia Tech's Tashard Choice (337).

Choice strained his right hamstring in the Yellow Jackets' 24-10 loss to Boston College last week. He was held out of contact drills on Tuesday and Wednesday but is expected to start.

Though Calvin Johnson and Reggie Ball got most of the attention last year, it was Choice who was the team's workhorse. His 297 carries were fifth most in the country and his 1,473 rushing yards quietly led the ACC.

"I personally believe Tashard Choice is the best running back in the league," UVa defensive end Chris Long said.

Even if Choice is limited, the Yellow Jackets have plenty of options. Though he's listed fourth on the depth chart, 6-foot, 197-pound true freshman Jonathan Dwyer has been impressive so far. He has 23 carries for 181 yards, a 7.9-yard average, to go with five touchdowns.

As a team, Georgia Tech has averaged 237 yards per game on the ground, tops in the ACC by over 60 yards a game.

Critics have questioned the strength of Virginia's victories against Duke and North Carolina, two of the ACC's bottom feeders. Georgia Tech certainly doesn't fit in that category.

"We're playing the defending divisional champion," Groh said. "That certainly sets the bar at the highest level of competition that we've faced so far this year."


 

Jackets' defensewill test Cavaliers
Date published: 9/22/2007
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

The University of Virginia football team found the perfect tonic for its early-season malaise: games with Duke and North Carolina.

The Cavaliers rebounded from their season-opening 23-3 loss to Wyoming to pick up consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference victories over the Blue Devils and Tar Heels.

Today at noon, the Cavaliers (2-1, 2-0 ACC) host Georgia Tech, arguably the toughest opponent they've faced to date.

The Cavaliers, who sit alone in first place in the ACC's Coastal Division, have a chance to get off to a 3-0 start in the conference for the first time since 2003.

"We're playing the defending [Coastal Division] champion," Cavaliers head coach Al Groh said. "So that certainly sets the bar at the highest level of competition that we've faced so far this year."

Georgia Tech (2-1, 0-1) is coming off a 24-10 home loss to Boston College that dropped it out of the Top 25. The Yellow Jackets haven't won in Charlottesville since 1990 when they upset then-N0. 1 Virginia 41-38 en route to a share of the national championship.

"All the history of us losing up there, it's nothing we can do about that," Georgia Tech sophomore wide receiver Greg Smith said. "Just go up there with a clear mind and beat them. That's all we can do, not worry about the past."

In the present, the Yellow Jackets have to worry about the health of leading rusher Tashard Choice, who suffered a strained hamstring against Boston College.

Choice, the ACC's second-leading rusher behind Virginia junior Cedric Peerman, is expected to start today, but he may be limited.

The Yellow Jackets have depth at running back with freshman backup Jonathan Dwyer, who is 10th in the ACC in rushing (60.3 yards per game) and third in scoring (five touchdowns).

Despite their recent success, the Cavaliers still haven't figured out their offensive woes.

They're ranked 106th in the nation in scoring (16.3 points per game) and passing offense (149 yards per game) and 110th in total offense (258 yards per game).

On top of that, they'll have to deal with Georgia Tech defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta's blitz-happy schemes today.

The Cavaliers are expected to go again with the two-quarterback system that was successful against Duke and North Carolina.

Redshirt sophomore Jameel Sewell is listed as the starter, but Groh has said true freshman Peter Lalich could start depending on the game plan.