Sewell making strides
Groh sees signal-caller gaining confidence after latest win
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 25, 2007

Duane “Dog” Chapman could have some competition.

Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell recently pulled out his first successful bounty hunt.

After being given a game ball from Virginia coach Al Groh after the team’s win earlier this month against Duke, Sewell was later told he needed to return the ball. Passing out game balls is an odd violation of NCAA rules.

There was a small problem - Sewell did not have the ball.

Perhaps as a sign of maturation, Sewell awarded his game ball to tight end Tom Santi. It was Santi that was on the receiving end of the quarterback’s first touchdown pass of the season.

“I gave it to Tom and [the coaching staff] didn’t know that I had given it to Tom, so I had to let him know that I had to bring it back,” Sewell said.

Game ball or not, the sophomore signal-caller has made his impact of late. After a dreadful day at Wyoming in the season opener, Sewell’s pass efficiency number was just over 62.

Since that forgettable experience, the Virginia native has completed 36 of 56 passes (64.3 percent) for 333 yards and three touchdowns. The progress has Sewell ranked ninth in the ACC in passing efficiency with a rating of 107.4.

More importantly, Sewell has contributed in three wins for the Cavaliers (3-1, 3-0 ACC), which includes the most recent victory, a 28-23 decision over Georgia Tech. Against the Yellow Jackets’ vaunted blitz-happy defense, Sewell passed for a 177 yards and guided the team on two lengthy touchdown drives.

Groh said the contest was “very positive” for Sewell’s confidence and praised his accurate passing. Sewell, who finished 16 for 25, completed his six of his last eight attempts, including a game-winning 26-yard strike to Staton Jobe in the fourth quarter.

“That’s right up there around 67 percent [completion percentage] again,” Groh said. “That’s certainly progressive and a big change from where things previously had been.

“Some of the throws he made were well-decisioned and accurately thrown.”

Groh said Sewell looked comfortable long before the left-hander arrived at Scott Stadium on Saturday.

“His practice week was a very positive week,” the coach said.

One of Sewell’s teammates added that it was “remarkable” how well the quarterback had remained a leader for the team. That was compounded by the cries from many for additional playing time for true freshman Peter Lalich, who struggled off the bench against Georgia Tech - he went 4 for 10 passing for 31 yards and threw a third-quarter interception at the Virginia 1.

Sewell also enjoyed the opportunity on Saturday to flash his new touchdown celebration.

After scoring on a 4-yard keeper in the first quarter, Sewell turned toward the student section and flashed a “diamond cutter” hand sign.

“Jay-Z, on one of his albums called the ‘Dynasty,’ threw up the rock,” Sewell said. “We are just trying to start a dynasty, that’s all.

“I was trying to let them know we are trying to start a dynasty.”

Extra points

Pittsburgh coach Dave Wannstedt announced that true freshman Pat Bostick will start at quarterback on Saturday at Virginia.

Bostick replaced redshirt freshman Kevan Smith during the Panthers’ loss to Connecticut on Saturday and passed for 230 yards. The rookie also threw three interceptions.

… Virginia is currently listed as a 7-point favorite over Pitt. … Ryan Weigand, Virginia’s senior punter, lost his lead nationally in punting Saturday. It was not for a lack of effort - Weigand averaged 47.4 yards on his eight attempts against Georgia Tech.

Weigand was surpassed, however, by Cincinnati junior Kevin Huber, who has the edge in average (49.6 ypp to 48.6 ypp) after booming three punts against Marshall on Saturday for a total of 179 yards.

 

Aiming to rise at U.Va.
Former NBA player begins on bottom rung in coaching
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2007 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE The affection in John Chaney's voice radiated through the phone line when the conversation turned to the University of Virginia's new director of basketball operations.

"That's my boy," said Chaney, the former Temple coach who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

After nearly a decade as an NBA journeyman, Rick Brunson is pursuing his dream of becoming a college coach. That doesn't surprise Chaney, for whom Brunson was a two-time captain.

"He was one of my top point guards, and people who played under me as point guards always become great coaches," Chaney said with a laugh.

Brunson, in fact, was one of three people Chaney recommended during the search for his successor at Temple. No matter that Brunson never had coached.

"He's a strong leader and one of the most dependable players I ever had," Chaney said. "His word is his bond."

In his new role, Brunson won't be able to do much hands-on coaching at U.Va. The NCAA restricts what those in his position can do during practice and in workouts, and many of Brunson's responsibilities will be administative.

"I had no problem starting at the bottom of the barrel and working my way up," Brunson said. "It builds character, and you never know what will evolve from this."

That work ethic is one reason Brunson, 35, appealed to U.Va. coach Dave Leitao.

"Nothing's been handed to him," Leitao said. "He understands what paying his dues is all about."

Brunson was a schoolboy star in Salem, Mass., when Leitao was an assistant at the University of Connecticut. Leitao tried to land Brunson, but Chaney won that battle. In four seasons as an Owl, Brunson totaled 1,493 points, 481 rebounds, 470 assists and 253 steals.

"He was never the best athlete or the quickest guy, but he always got the job done," Leitao said.

Brunson played for eight NBA teams before becoming a player-development coach for the Denver Nuggets in January. His year-round home, however, was in south New Jersey, and his heart was in the college game.

"I've always wanted to be a college coach, even in high school," Brunson said.

A spot on Leitao's staff opened in late May when assistant Rob Lanier left for the University of Florida. Leitao eventually promoted Drew Diener, Virginia's director of operations in 2005-06 and '06-07. That created an opportunity for Brunson, who should be an excellent resource for the Wahoos' guards in particular.

"I always keep a short list on my pocket, and he was on it," Leitao said.

The hiring of Brunson boosts the Philadelphia factor in Leitao's program. Virginia's 2007-08 roster includes three players from the Philly area: guards Jeff Jones, Sam Zeglinski and Sean Singletary. Even before he got to U.Va., Brunson knew Singletary and Jones.

Chaney has long been close with Virginia's athletic director, Craig Littlepage, a former basketball player and head coach at the University of Pennsylvania. With Brunson in Charlottesville, Chaney has another reason to follow U.Va. basketball.

"Virginia's got a rooter here now," Chaney said.

 

Ugly victories remain victories
Jeff Gilbert

Watching Virginia Tech and Virginia win football games this year hasn't been anything like waking up to a breathtaking view from a mountaintop.

Those experiences are saved for Southern Cal, LSU and Oklahoma fans. Lots of pretty drives ending in lots of pretty touchdowns.

Some winning teams live on the parkway. No bumps, just a pleasant ride to victory.

But Tech and UVa? They live on the crowded city streets, trying to dodge danger at every turn. This is how most winning teams live. They avoid just enough traffic and win, but sometimes they get flattened when they stray from home.

We know the only stat that matters is the final score, but as fans and media we obsess over all those other unattractive offensive numbers:

n Halftime score: Virginia Tech 10, East Carolina 7.

n Virginia Tech: 33 rushing yards vs. East Carolina.

n Virginia: Only seven second-half points vs. Duke.

n Halftime score: Virginia Tech 7, Ohio 7.

n Branden Ore: 25 yards rushing vs. William and Mary.

n Tyrod Taylor: 6-of-13 passing vs. William and Mary.

n Virginia Tech: 11 penalties vs. William and Mary.

n Virginia: Three turnovers vs. Georgia Tech.

n Virginia: Seven points in the final three quarters vs. Georgia Tech.

n Virginia: Two-quarterback system.

n Branden Ore: 205 rushing yards through four games.

n Virginia: Tight ends are the leading receivers.

Winning ugly is certainly better than the alternative. Remember how ugly Virginia's journey to Wyoming was? And the only thing pretty about Tech's trip to Baton Rouge ... well, if you think of anything pretty about Tech's Bayou bust let me know.

Need some pretty numbers? How about 3-0 for Virginia in the ACC. The Cavs have beaten two teams -- Duke and North Carolina -- that whoever wins the Coastal Division must beat. Then, they beat Georgia Tech, a team that is supposed to be a challenger for the ACC title.

So UVa is sitting pretty after a stretch of league games that could have ruined its season. Pretty good job of rebounding from the Wyoming loss, no matter what it's looked like.

Virginia Tech had the fortune of sprucing itself up for ACC play with three nonconference games that had the expected results, if not the expected final scores. The LSU loss was humbling and eye-opening. With Taylor in place at quarterback, fans will expect to see an offense you wouldn't be ashamed to be seen with.

Plenty of teams have won a lot of games and conference championships with an ugly tag. Florida got to the national championship game that way last year, then looked stunning against Ohio State. That was reminiscent of the 2002 Buckeyes, who were about the ugliest national champion you'll ever see.

Many questioned whether those two champions belonged in the title game. They just didn't look that good despite all those victories. What they had in common were great defenses and resourceful offenses.

Before we all get carried away, in no way am I purporting that Tech or Virginia can win a national championship. But both will challenge to be the Coastal Division representative in the ACC title game.

Both have the defenses to do it, and sometimes fans have to settle for the subtle beauty of making the opponents punt.

UVa has shown itself to be resourceful and opportunistic enough on offense. Tech has put Taylor on the field hoping he will be inventive enough to win some close games against the other contenders.

The Hokies and Cavaliers will also be beneficiaries of the fact that the ACC is the last BCS conference that anyone would ask to dance with this year.

If you're going to win ugly, it helps to keep ugly company.
 

Tight ends play key role in Groh's offensive plans
Santi, Stupar, Phillips take on extra responsibilities in Covington's absence
Aaron Perryman, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

The term "Tight end U" has become entrenched in the culture of Virginia football ever since Al Groh took over as head coach in 2001, and for good reason.

Groh and his coaching staff do not overlook the importance of tight ends when they put together their offensive schemes for Saturdays.

"We've always had a strong feeling about using [tight ends] as a major part of the gameplan," Groh said.

Tight ends have flourished in Groh's National Football League-style system. The epitome of the tight end position under Groh was the play of graduate and current Pittsburgh Steeler Heath Miller (2002-04), who caught 70 passes in 2003, the second most ever for a Cavalier receiver in a single season, and won the nation's Best Tight End Award in 2004. Additionally, he was a starter on Pittsburgh's Super Bowl-winning team of 2005-06.

The torch and pivotal role of the tight end position during Groh's regime has been passed on this season to three players -- seniors Tom Santi and Jonathan Stupar and junior John Phillips.

With the big question mark at the wide receiver position coming into this season and the recent loss of junior wide receiver Maurice Covington to injury, it was important for the tight ends to step up and fill the need for receivers in the Cavalier offense. They have done just that. In fact, they have more catches than the wide receivers.

The primary function of the tight ends in most offenses is to block for the running backs while wide receivers generally catch more passes. The opposite is true, however, for Virginia's 2007 offense. Of the 74 completions by the quarterbacks, sophomore Jameel Sewell and freshman Peter Lalich, 30 of them have been to the tight ends (40.5 percent). For the wide receivers, the numbers decrease to 24 receptions and 32.4 percent.

The experience of Santi, Stupar and Phillips has created a unique situation for the Cavaliers -- they know that if someone is having a down day, someone else will have a good day and pick up the slack. Such versatile use of the tight ends has been especially crucial to the success of the Cavaliers this season.

"We've got veteran players at the tight end position," Groh said. "We've got talented players at the tight end position ... If it's not one [making plays] it's the other."

When all three tight ends are clicking, the Cavalier offense is that much more dangerous. Each tight end caught at least one pass Saturday, aiding Virginia's upset win over Georgia Tech. Stupar had six receptions, Santi had four and Phillips had two, his first receptions of the season.

"I think this is the first time that we've all three caught a pass in a game," Santi said. "We were talking about that, and it's a lot of fun ... when each other does well."

Phillips said it is the style of Virginia's offense that makes the tight ends look good.

"They give us the best schemes and the best plays," Phillips said.

The tight ends do their share of leg work, though. For instance, during Saturday's game against the Yellow Jackets, they were able to find the open zones in the defense.

The tight ends "just found their spots for me," Sewell said. "When [Georgia Tech] blitzed they left a lot of open gaps, so whenever they blitzed I tried to look there and I just hit my big players."

There has been obvious growth of the entire Cavalier offense this season and Santi, Stupar and Phillips have been a major part of it. If Virginia is to prove that its last two close wins -- won by an average of 3.5 points per game -- were not flukes, the tight ends must keep putting up big numbers for the offense. Luckily, close games are bringing unity to the entire team.

"We're just a band of brothers out here trying to play," Phillips said. "Tight games, they just bring us closer together as a family."