Landesberg says UVa is his choice
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 28, 2007

Virginia coach Dave Leitao still doesn’t have the skilled big man that his program craves, but he sure is stockpiling some talented guards.

On Thursday, Leitao and staff took a verbal commitment from Sylven Landesberg, a 6-foot-6 combo guard out of Holy Cross High in Queens, N.Y.

Landesberg, who announced his decision at a New York City press conference, chose Virginia over Georgia Tech and hometown St. John’s.

Rated as a 4-out-of-5-star recruit by Rivals.com, Landesberg led the New York Catholic League - arguably one of the most competitive high school leagues in the country - in scoring, averaging 27 points per game.

“He’s a big guard. He has great size for a two-guard,” said New York-based recruiting guru Franklin Harris. “The thing that you love most about his game is that he can stroke it. He can really shoot it, which is an art that people don’t have anymore. He’s a pure shooter.”

Landesberg, who also averaged 12 rebounds and 4 assists, is expected to break the Holy Cross all-time scoring record this season. Coincidentally, it’s currently held by former Virginia captain Willie Dersch (1997-2000).

Landesberg’s addition speaks to Leitao’s skills as a recruiter. According to a report in the New York Daily News, St. John’s made a late push for the guard that included a sales pitch from Hall-of-Famer Lou Carnesseca, the former Red Storm coach. However, Landesberg, who had a great visit to Charlottesville earlier this month, apparently had his heart set on Virginia.

Just how Landesberg fits into Leitao’s system remains to be seen. UVa already has combo guards Jeff Jones, Mustapha Farrakhan and Calvin Baker. Mamadi Diane, Solomon Tat, Will Harris and Jamil Tucker also play the wing.

While Landesberg has played some point guard at Holy Cross, most insiders feel as though he doesn’t have the ball-handling ability to play the position in college. Some also wonder whether he is athletic enough to be a force in the ACC.

What nobody seems to doubt, however, is his shooting and competitiveness - two traits any college program could use.

Dunks

Landesberg is rated as the 55th-best high school senior in the nation by Rivals.com ... Virginia still has two scholarships available for its 2008 class. The Cavaliers continue to await word from 6-foot-10 center John Bradenburg. The St. Louis native is deciding between UVa and Stanford.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Friday, Sep 28, 2007 - 12:06 AM

N.Y. basketball star decides on Cavaliers
For a basketball star in Queens, N.Y., turning down the hometown university isn't easy.

"There was a lot of pressure," Sylven Landesberg told The Times-Dispatch yesterday by phone from Holy Cross High in Flushing, where he's a senior. "Everybody in New York City wants me to stay home. They want to see St. John's win. I just had to stick to what my heart was."

Landesberg announced yesterday that he had chosen Virginia over St. John's and Georgia Tech. Texas and Kentucky were among the other schools he considered.

A 6-6, 200-pound guard who can play the point as well as on the wing, Landesberg is the Cavaliers' first recruit for 2008-09. Rivals.com ranks him No.55 in the nation's Class of 2008.

"He's just going to continue to get better because he's a very, very hard worker, and he's determined to get the best out of his ability," Holy Cross' longtime coach, Paul Gilvary, said yesterday.

The early signing period for basketball opens Nov. 14. U.Va. also is pursuing 6-4 Elliot Williams, 7-0 Assane Sene, 6-10 John Brandenburg and 6-7 Lance Goulbourne in the Class of '08. Sene is in Charlottesville for an official visit this weekend.

"I hope my decision helps get the other guys," Landesberg said.

Landesberg, an excellent student, won't be the first athlete from Holy Cross to enroll at U.Va. Willie Dersch played basketball at Virginia, and Kevin Ogletree is a wide receiver on the football team. Ogletree, who also starred in hoops, was a senior at Holy Cross in 2004-05 when Landesberg was a freshman.

Holy Cross plays in New York City's rugged Catholic High School Athletic Association. Landesberg was the league's player of the year last season after averaging 25.7 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists.

"He'd get more assists if he could pass to himself," Gilvary said.

From a team that finished 20-9 last season, Landesberg is one of five returning starters.

"He does a little bit of everything for us," Gilvary said. "Offensively, there's nothing he can't do. I don't think he's a point guard in the old-school version of the point guard. He's not going to dribble up, pass the ball and go set a pick. But he can create with the ball, and he's a good passer."

Monroe's status still 'day-to-day'
Football coach Al Groh said yesterday that he hopes offensive tackle Eugene Monroe will be in uniform for tomorrow night's game against Pittsburgh at Scott Stadium, but it's too early to say if that will happen.

Monroe, a 6-6, 310-pound junior who starts at left tackle, suffered a knee injury late in the Cavs' 28-23 win over Georgia Tech last weekend.

"He's been making progress throughout the course of the week," Groh said. "We'll continue on a day-to-day basis."

If Monroe isn't available, junior Zak Stair will take his place in the lineup. Stair started seven games last season.

Groh bagging tradition of awarding game balls
Concerned that the NCAA might consider game balls an "extra benefit" not available to the average student -- and thus an infraction -- U.Va.'s compliance office recently asked Groh to discontinue the time-honored practice of awarding them in the locker room.

"We didn't think we were doing anything wrong," Groh said Wednesday. "It's a tradition in football. I can remember my high school coach giving out game balls. I guess my high school wasn't in the NCAA."

If he'd been able to hand out game balls last weekend, Groh said, they'd have gone to quarterback Jameel Sewell, special-teams standout Trey Womack, tailback Cedric Peerman, safety Nate Lyles or safety Byron Glaspy, and "anybody on that offensive line would be deserving. Obviously, we'd have to bring a whole ball bag in." -- Jeff White

U.Va. gets first basketball recruit
By Melinda Waldrop | Daily Press
4:20 PM EDT, September 27, 2007 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - It came down to comfort for him.

Sylven Landesberg, a 6-foot-6, 195-pound combination point and shooting guard at Holy Cross High School in Flushing, N.Y., committed to Virginia on Thursday.

Landesberg, 17, who averaged 27 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as a junior, is U.Va.'s first commitment from the class of 2008. He chose Virginia after also receiving scholarship offers from Texas, Florida, Georgia Tech, St. John's and Rutgers.

"I felt the most comfortable there when I was on my visit," said Landesburg, who visited Charlottesville on Sept. 1. "I felt comfortable with the guys on and off the court."

Landesberg announced his choice at a press conference at his high school.

"I'm so happy," he said. "I think I made a great choice. (Now) I can relax and play basketball."

Landesberg is rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, which ranks him the No. 55 overall player in the class of 2008.

"He very badly wants to be a great player and works every day to get better at something," said Holy Cross coach Paul Gilvary. " ... He's a tremendously talented player, and he's easy to deal with. I kind of characterize kids as high-maintenance or low-maintenance. He's definitely low-maintenance."

Gilvary also said Landesberg should be able to handle Virginia's academics. He scored a 1020 on the SAT from Holy Cross, a private Catholic school.

Gilvary said Landesberg also was impressed with U.Va.'s scenic location and its team, which made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2001 last season in its second year under Dave Leitao, the 2007 ACC coach of the year.

"(Leitao) was very polite," Landesberg said. "My mother and my father loved him. There was really nothing bad to say about Virginia. ... They did very well last year, but they're not satisfied with that."

Landesberg could be an immediate antidote to the absence of Sean Singletary, a first-team all-ACC point guard who is a senior this season. Landesberg said the U.Va. coaches have told him he'll play primarily at point, and he hope he can contribute right away.

"He's just a special player and a special kid, and Virginia is lucky to have him," Gilvary said.


 

Teams aren't picking on Vic Hall, Groh says
Cavs' secondary situation has seldom looked brighter
By Doug Doughty

Virginia High School League record-holder Vic Hall hasn’t had the opportunity to play quarterback at Virginia, but nobody can say he hasn’t been involved.

He may have been a little too involved last Saturday.

Hall’s fumble on a second-quarter punt helped Georgia Tech get back in the game and there is a perception that opponents are picking on Hall in his first year as a starting cornerback.

Part of that may be Hall’s size. He’s listed at 5 foot 9 and 181 pounds.

“It’s been intriguing to me, some of the commentary here all of a sudden, [that] Vic Hall is the target now,” said UVa coach Al Groh in his Tuesday news conference.

“Is he ready for the Kodak All-America team yet? No, probably not quite yet. Are there some things he’s experiencing at corner as a first-time starter? There are.

“But, I certainly wouldn’t say Vic has been a problem for us.”

Hall had his first pass break-up of the season Saturday in a 28-23 victory over Georgia Tech and his 19 tackles for the season are only two behind Chris Cook, the other starting cornerback. Both have 11 solo tackles.

A young player who is raising eyebrows is the Cavaliers’ No. 3 corner, redshirt freshman Mike Parker, a 6-2, 195-pounder from Orlando, Fla., who frequently comes on the field in nickel situations.

A late hit against Parker came at a bad time two weeks ago against North Carolina, but Groh applauded Parker’s aggressiveness on the play and didn’t question his judgment.

Parker recovered fumbles against Duke and North Carolina, broke up a pass against Georgia Tech and was stride-for-stride with a Yellow Jackets’ wide receiver who was called for offensive pass interference on Tech’s last offensive play.

Virginia’s cornerback corps looks better all the time. Redshirt freshman Trey Womack, increasingly in evidence on special teams, had two tackles and a fumble recovery against Georgia Tech.

“We got him some new slots,” Groh said. “As we’ve done with a number of these [special-teams] units during the season, we’re making a switch here and there to get the best production that we can.

“He’s found himself now in a couple of slots that he wasn’t in earlier. He’s a high-effort player, he runs well, he’s got good toughness. He fits the special-teams mold.”

Another would-be cornerback who has distinguished himself on special teams is true freshman Ras-I Dowling, who made his debut in Week 2 against Duke and now has nine tackles in 35 plays (four solo, five assists).

Virginia has missed injured Mike Brown more than I would have imagined on special teams, where he blossomed as a return man in 2006 and also was the Cavaliers’ best “gunner” on punt coverage. Brown underwent surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament during the summer but has a redshirt year at his disposal and will have two more years beginning with the 2008 season.

Consider who the Cavaliers will have available at corner next season: Cook, who will be a senior; Hall, who will be a junior; Brown, who will be a junior; Parker, who will be a sophomore; Womack, who will be a sophomore; Dowling, who will be a sophomore; and Dom Joseph, a true freshman this year who was considered for early playing time but still has a redshirt year pending.

Then, consider the safety candidates: Byron Glaspy, who will be a senior, then who?

Glaspy is one of three safeties who has been on the field for more than 200 plays in UVa’s first four games, but the other two, Nate Lyles and Jamaal Jackson are seniors. Sophomore Brandon Woods made an appearance at North Carolina but did not play from scrimmage against Georgia Tech.

Groh acknowledges that there is considerable separation between the No. 3 safety and the No. 4 safety, presumably Woods, although redshirt freshman Rico Bell also has played in a game.

The obvious conclusion is that UVa might be well-served to move one of its corners to safety (a lot of people would like to see Hall moved to slot receiver, if not quarterback) but Groh thinks that he has two promising safety candidates in true freshman Chase Minniefield and Corey Mosley. Minniefield underwent winter ACL surgery but has been active since the start of preseason practice.

Minniefield has gotten some practice repetitions at wide receiver in recent weeks and that’s certainly an area of concern, but if UVa could come up with some safeties, even if it had to raid its cornerback compliment, the Cavaliers could be set in the secondary for years.
 

Cavs looking for receiving help
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 28, 2007

The John Madden curse and the Sports Illustrated cover jinx have been well documented for their respective abilities to bring bad luck to athletes and teams.

Nobody could argue if the wide receivers at Virginia, both past and present, feel a similar superstition creating comparable troubling misfortunes.

Michael McGrew broke his leg in training camp in 2003. Ottowa Anderson ended up academically ineligible, postponing his eventual senior season by a year. Theirrien “Bud” Davis left the program last August after being arrested. Deyon Williams suffered a stress fracture in his foot last August, squashing any chance of a fine farewell.

The lengthy list goes on and on and clearly explains how 14 different players have started at wide receiver for Virginia since 2003.

The dreadful directory also includes current Cavaliers facing similar adverse circumstances.

Kevin Ogletree, the team’s leading pass-catcher in 2006, tore his anterior cruciate ligament during spring practice and remains sidelined.

Cary Koch, a junior, sprained his medial collateral ligament during training camp and is gradually getting up to speed.

Maurice Covington, after catching nine passes in the first three games, broke a bone in his hand against North Carolina and is out indefinitely.

With odds stacked against him, Virginia coach Al Groh has been forced to appreciate any and every positive play his wide receivers contribute. The depth chart entering Saturday’s game with Pitt (2-2) includes a walk-on (Staton Jobe), a converted cornerback (Chris Gorham), a transfer (Koch) and a true freshman (Dontrelle Inman).

“We certainly would welcome any production or any firepower that we could get there,” Groh said. “We can’t do much more other than have doubleheaders [at practice] every afternoon.

“We can’t do much more than what we are doing right now to work at that particular aspect of things.”

Groh is well aware of the importance of a play-making wideout. He saw it first hand in the fourth quarter against Georgia Tech when Jobe, a player without a scholarship, caught a game-winning 26-yard touchdown pass.

“Obviously the play that Staton came up with highlights what that can do for a team,” Groh said.

Jobe said the wide receivers, a unit that accounted for 69 yards and four catches against the Yellow Jackets, remain aware that their production is needed to help boost an offense that ranks as the worst in the ACC in total and scoring offense.

“The team counts on us to step up and makes plays,” Jobe said. “We would love to have Maurice there - he is a great receiver and player there - but Chris Gorham is doing a great job of stepping up and taking his place.

“We are all just going to work really hard and try to step up our performance.”

The game-winning touchdown reception certainly helped, even if it was a baby step.

“It was real important for me. I wasn’t real happy with my performance overall throughout the game,” he said. “There were some balls that I should have had earlier on. Having that touchdown definitely helped me out confidence wise.”

Additional plays of the same ilk could also help Virginia’s running game and limit opposing teams from stacking the box.

“I knew that I was one of the primary options on that play depending on what coverage Georgia Tech jumped into,” Jobe said. “As the play developed they went to the exact coverage that we practiced against and I knew I was probably getting the ball once I made the cut.

“I saw the safety come down and the corner that was over me drop back, so I knew there would be that little seam in between the opposite safety. I knew Jameel [Sewell] would probably see that and get me the ball.”

Without a timetable or knowledge if Covington will return - he is eligible for a medical redshirt - and uncertainty regarding a potential return for Ogletree, Jobe pointed at Koch as potential playmaker to keep an eye on.

“He has the want to [contribute] and he is real precise with his fundamentals. He has great hands,” Jobe said. “He is someone that you can be confident about.”

Koch, who was in for about 20 plays against Georgia Tech, is progressing faster than anyone would have guessed during training camp when the injury occurred.

“We were all kind of real down about it when it first happened because we knew how much he wanted to play, and when it first happened everyone thought it was worse than it ended up being, which we were all thankful for,” Jobe said. “When we found out it was just a sprain on his MCL, we knew he would be back soon.

“I knew he wanted to be in those first few games but we are glad to have him back. He is working real hard now and he is playing really well in practice. He can give us a huge lift.”

Extra points

Groh did not rule out having left tackle Eugene Monroe (knee) in uniform on Saturday. If Monroe, who was injured late in the contest against Georgia Tech, is unavailable, Groh said junior Zak Stair would earn the start. ... Byron Glaspy and Nate Lyles, a pair of safeties, were praised by Groh for their play in the fourth quarter against the Yellow Jackets.

 

Beginning of the End
Fitzgerald has become a stalwart on Virginia's defensive line in just 16 games
Friday, Sep 28, 2007 - 12:10 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE Top that!" Chris Long could have challenged Jeffrey Fitzgerald after Virginia's win over North Carolina on Sept. 15.

"Top this!" Fitzgerald could have responded after the Cavaliers' victory over Georgia Tech a week later.

The starting defensive ends for U.Va.'s football team are making the spectacular seem routine this season.

Against the Tar Heels, Long leaped near the line of scrimmage to intercept a pass and then returned it 25 yards, setting up a Virginia field goal.

Against the Yellow Jackets, Fitzgerald plucked a thrice-deflected ball out of the air -- Long had started the pinball game by batting a Taylor Bennett pass -- and ran 25 yards for his second career touchdown.

"I had no clue where the ball was at until it just popped out of there," Fitzgerald said Tuesday.

Long's next chance to one-up his close friend will come tomorrow night when U.Va. (3-1) hosts Pittsburgh (2-2) at Scott Stadium. Fitzgerald, a 6-3, 280-pound redshirt sophomore from Hermitage High, has two interceptions and six tackles for loss this season. Long, a 6-4, 279-pound senior, has one pick, four pass break-ups and seven tackles for loss, including six sacks.

"I'm looking for him to come back and do something else," Fitzgerald said.

That Long has become one of the nation's premier players is no shock. He played as a true freshman, though a bout with mono limited his participation, and his father, of course, is Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long.

Fitzgerald has been more of a revelation. He suffered two major knee injuries in high school, first as a sophomore and then on the eve of his senior season. He had been a force for Hermitage as an 11th-grader, but Fitzgerald redshirted at U.Va. in 2005, and nobody knew exactly what to expect when he finally took the field in 2006.

He played like a four-year starter, not a redshirt freshman thrust into a defense -- the 3-4 -- he hadn't played in high school. Fitzgerald started all 12 games, recorded 12 tackles for loss and was named a first-team Freshman All-American in 2006. Against Duke, he returned a fumble 23 yards for a TD.

At various times during his high school years, Fitzgerald stood out in basketball, football, baseball and track, so perhaps his feats at U.Va. should not come as a surprise.

"We're talking about a pretty special athlete," Hermitage football coach Patrick Kane said.

Equally impressive as his physical skills is Fitzgerald's capacity for learning.

"He's like a sponge," Kane said. "He wants to get any advantage he can."

In that regard, Fitzgerald is like several players who preceded him in Al Groh's program, including Heath Miller, Matt Schaub, Wali Lundy and Brad Butler. Tell them something once, Groh said, and that's enough.

"Some players, you gotta go over it over and over and over again before it sticks," Groh said.

In the offseason, Fitzgerald plays pickup hoops with U.Va. basketball players, and his hand-eye coordination is part of what distinguishes him as a football player. Sixteen games into his college career, Fitzgerald has four career interceptions, tying the school record for a defensive lineman set by Butch Powers (1973-76), who, coincidentally, also played at Hermitage.

By comparison, Virginia's top three safeties this season -- seniors Jamaal Jackson and Nate Lyles and junior Byron Glaspy -- have three career interceptions among them.

"It's kind of hard to explain, I guess," Fitzgerald said of his knack for picking off passes. "I guess it's a blessing."

Ask the guy at the other end of the defensive line, and he'll tell you it's a blessing to play with Fitzgerald.

"What a great guy," Long said. "What a great leader. What a great teammate."

 

Peerman, Virginia gaining ground in ACC title chase
By Jorge Milian
Special to ESPN.com

Branden Ore? James Davis? Tashard Choice?

Try Cedric Peerman, the powerfully built junior tailback who has led Virginia (3-1, 3-0 ACC) on a surprising three-game win streak and to the top of the ACC's Coastal Division heading into Saturday's nonconference game against Pittsburgh in Charlottesville (ESPNU, 7 p.m. ET).

Peerman and his teammates have turned around a season that appeared headed for disaster after an embarrassing 23-3 season-opening loss to Wyoming.

The loss so annoyed some fickle Virginia fans that they painted the words "Groh Must Go," in reference to coach Al Groh, on a landmark bridge near UVa's campus.

But instead of folding, the Cavaliers bounced back to beat Duke and North Carolina, following those performances with last week's 28-23 victory against Georgia Tech that marked the first time Virginia has won its first three conference games since 1998.

Suffice it to say that the haters have gone away.

For that, the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Peerman deserves much of the credit. After being held to 18 yards on seven carries by Wyoming, Peerman has rushed for 153.3 yards per game during Virginia's win streak and shot up to the top of the ACC rushing leaders with 479 yards (119.8 YPG).

Peerman began his run with 137 yards against Duke, then posted a career-best 186 yards at North Carolina, and gained 138 yards last week against a Georgia Tech run defense that was ranked seventh nationally.

"In the last three games, when he gets the ball, it's almost like he takes over and finds a way to get the first down every time," Virginia tight end Jonathan Stupar said.

Peerman, a native of Gladys, Va., doesn't have much to say about his personal success except to credit his offensive linemen and teammates.

The grandson and son of tobacco farmers, Peerman is as humble as he is proficient with a football in his hands.

"Anybody on the team will tell you that I really don't talk that much," Peerman said.

Peerman didn't have much to say before this season. He spent his first two years at Virginia primarily returning kickoffs and as a little-used backup to Wali Lundy as a freshman and to Jason Snelling last season.

"I knew the guys in front of me with just a ton of experience were going to play," said Peerman, who had two career starts prior to this season and a combined rushing total of 390 yards. "That's the way it should be. Sure, at times, I got frustrated, but I knew I needed to stick with it and have a little bit of faith."

Virginia's fans had trouble keeping the faith after watching the Cavaliers get drubbed on Sept. 1 by Wyoming, a Mountain West Conference opponent. Virginia was held to 100 yards of total offense and gave up 452 yards to the Cowboys.

"We obviously weren't ready for them," Stupar said. "That's on us. But we're moving on. We're not looking back."

Virginia, which ranks last in the ACC in total offense, has struggled moving the ball except when Peerman has it in his hands.

Peerman's strengths are his power and durability. His thick build makes him a tough mark for any tackler and he's shown the ability to flourish with a heavy workload. Peerman has 84 rushes this season, second in the ACC to Maryland's Keon Lattimore, who has two more carries than Peerman, but 70 fewer yards.

"He's a tough guy to tackle," Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said. "You can't tackle him low and you can't tackle him high and that's the mark of a good back."

Peerman said he's taken no special satisfaction from proving his team's detractors wrong.

"We feel like we can be a lot better," Peerman said. "We're not worried about trying to prove anybody wrong. It doesn't matter who is respecting you or who is dissing you."

Nobody is disrespecting Virginia now. The Cavaliers play three consecutive nonconference games -- Pittsburgh, Middle Tennessee State and Connecticut -- and could be 6-1 and possibly ranked by the time they return to ACC play against Maryland on Oct. 20.

"We might be a little better than most people gave us credit for," Groh said after last week's victory against Georgia Tech.

Following his last three games, the same can be said for Peerman.

Schaub moves on with Texans
By STEVE HUMMER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/26/07

Houston — Coming back to Atlanta means some very specific things to Matt Schaub:

His parents, whom he left behind in Marietta after his ripe-for-debate trade to Houston, won't have to put their toiletries in a Ziploc bag and take their shoes off at the airport just to see him play.

"It will be good for them because they don't have to get on an airplane and travel. They can drive 20 minutes and they're there," Schaub deadpanned during a Monday briefing.

It means his new team, the Texans, will take another micro-slice off the season and attempt to continue inching toward respectability at the Falcons' expense.

"It's going to be the same [as any other game]. It's another opponent, that's the way we're approaching it," he said. "It's obviously a place I've been. I know the guys well there. It's going to be exciting to go back there and play, but again, we've got to keep it in perspective. It's just one part of the season."

And if it means he catches DeAngelo Hall on double-secret probation, he probably won't complain.

Other than that, Schaub is not placing a lot of sweeping significance in Sunday's game against his old firm. He continues the irksome habit of being way too pragmatic to make for good headlines.

So, when asked what kind of reception he was expecting at the Georgia Dome, he just replied, "I don't know. Haven't thought too much about it."

Well, does it matter to you one way or the other? "No."

Looks like they're not going to recreate MacArthur's return to the Philippines on Sunday after all.

Shaub's departure was a classic Falcons scenario: A three-year apprentice to Mike Vick, he helps grease the wheels to a trade just ahead of the Vick dogfighting scandal. The Falcons cancel their insurance policy about the time their drapes catch fire.

There is plenty to worry about from the 2-1 Texans' perspective entering the close of the season's first month. They will come to Atlanta with a busted up offense: Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson and leading runner Ahman Green knee-sore, receiver Jacoby Jones in a sling, center Steve McKinney out for the year.

One thing they don't seem concerned about is Schaub being blinded by a need to prove to Atlanta what it's missing.

"He'll handle it like a pro, like he handles everything else," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "I don't see that kind of kid. I don't see him going down there trying to prove a point by any means. He'll be going down there to try to play his position and give us the best chance to win."

"For him," seconded Schaub's father, Dale, "he's just playing another team on the schedule. He's not coming here seeking revenge or anything like that."

Not that there is any real cause for a spiteful return. Schaub was sitting behind the NFL's highest-paid player, the owner's bosom buddy. Absent the premonition that the feds were going to start digging up Vick's property, Schaub had to consider a change of scenery.

Even after the Vick indictment and plea, why would Schaub want any part of following that? "I was glad he got a fresh start with a new team, and wasn't trying to take over someone else's team," his father said. Dale and Debbie Schaub have lived in Marietta since the time Matt began his college career at Virginia, brought there as a director of customer operations for Norfolk Southern Railroad.

Heck, the most difficult thing about leaving Atlanta for Schaub was convincing his fiancée to abandon a great job in finance. But it turns out there is money to be made in Houston, too. "I'm loving Houston and being here," he said.

Sunday's game won't decide whether the Schaub deal should live in Falcons infamy. That is a long-haul load. You could go a little crazy playing compare-the-QBs on a weekly basis. While both lost on Sunday, the Falcons' Joey Harrington actually had the statistical edge over Schaub — whose two interceptions were like free gasoline to Indianapolis on Sunday. For the season, Harrington has thrown for more yards (760-688) but has a slightly lower completion percentage (68.8-75.9) and quarterback rating (90.6-100.9).

Two glaring differences between the them: Schaub's Texans are 2-1 while the Falcons sit 0-3, and Harrington has suffered 14 sacks to Schaub's five.

And there is the difference in perception. While the Falcons brought in Byron Leftwich to compete for the job, the Texans have anointed Schaub their cornerstone.

"He was tested Sunday," Kubiak said. "He had some guys running in and out of the huddle who haven't been in there very much, and, boy, he handled them well.

"I think this kid is only going to get better. He was 27-of-33 Sunday. He made some great plays taking some shots. Yeah, he made some mistakes, but he gave us a chance to win. He keeps doing the things he's doing, our team is going to get better also."

Back in Houston Monday, Schaub was enjoying a preview of a skit song that will debut on Houston sports talk radio later this week. To the tune of Jimmy Dean's 1961 release "Big Bad John," the new Houston hit titled "Big Bad Schaub" begins:

"Ev'ry Sunday on the field you could see him arrive

He weighed 237,

stood 6-foot-5

Kinda broad at the shoulder and narrow at the hip

And everybody knew ya didn't give no lip

to Big Schaub.

Big Bad Schaub."

One sure measurement of the relationship between an athlete and a community is the amount of silliness that surrounds both.

Meanwhile, back in Atlanta, the amount of regret that flows over the Schaub trade varies by neighborhood. Around certain parts of Marietta, for instance, there is real angst.

"I get that from some neighbors and co-workers — 'We wish Matt was still here' — but that's just a part of playing in this league. You never know where you'll end up," Dale Schaub said.

His natural inclination toward the Falcons will be put on hold Sunday when he and the family (Matt's mother and his sister, in from Pennsylvania) arrive at the Dome. They'll be entering quietly.

"I don't wear jerseys. Maybe a golf shirt with a Texan emblem on it. I like to keep it low-key," Dale Schaub said.

It's a family trait.

 

FSU president unsure about sanctions in testing scandal
The Associated Press
Published on: 09/27/07

Tallahassee, Fla. — Florida State University's president said Thursday the school doesn't know all the details of an academic cheating scandal that has already resulted in two employees being terminated.

President T.K. Wetherell reported the findings in a letter to the NCAA this week that a six-month investigation by the school revealed that at least 23 Florida State University athletes were implicated in cheating on tests.

"I don't like what we saw," Wetherell said during a break at Thursday's Board of Governors quarterly meeting. "It bothers us obviously that faculty or athletic staff people would have done what they did."

Provost Larry Abele explained that a part-time tutor gave students answers while they were taking tests. He said a full-time athletic department employee filled in answers on quizzes and typed papers for students, in some cases students who weren't even there.

"My real concern is what I don't know at this point," Wetherell said.

The improprieties came to the school's attention when some of the athletes complained.

"Some students from the 2007 semester indicated that it was common knowledge among the student athletes that the tutor would help with the exams in the class," the university's report said.

Senior Joslin Shaw, a wide receiver on the football team, said he was one of the players involved in the investigation. Shaw was suspended before the season for an undisclosed reason. Shaw said he's hopefully he'll play this season.

"People were saying I was going to be cleared, but I really don't know the details on the whole situation," Shaw said. "It's like day-to-day."

Shaw said he wasn't sure if he was waiting on the NCAA or Florida State.

"It's very frustrating," he said. "I just press on as if I were going to play on Saturday."

Coach Bobby Bowden was hopeful that the Shaw would soon be cleared.

"It could be tomorrow," Bowden said. "I don't know."

Shane Lyons, the ACC's associate commissioner for compliance and governance, said the player situation should be addressed by the school.

Wetherell, who played football for the Seminoles in the mid-1960s, said the school has kept the Atlantic Coast Conference and NCAA updated on its investigation since spring.

And there's been a ripple effect on the school's athletic department.

Wetherell notified athletic director David Hart Jr. in late May that his contract would not be renewed shortly after two assistant athletic directors announced their resignations. The No. 2 person in the academic support program, Brenda Monk, resigned in July.

Although Hart's contract runs until January 2009, he's expected to leave late this year.

The NCAA has investigated similar allegations at a number of schools over the past decade that resulted in some harsh penalties at Baylor, California, Fresno State, Georgia, Howard, Kentucky, Marshall, Miami, Minnesota, New Mexico State, San Diego State, Southern Cal, and Texas Southern.

An NCAA spokesman said it planned to make a statement on Florida State's case later Thursday.

The school, meanwhile, is being assisted in its effort by the ACC.

"We work with the institution through the process, advising and addressing questions they may have," Lyons said, describing the league's role as "'largely advisory."

Florida State has had a pair of brushes with the NCAA in recent years, escaping serious sanctions both times.

The NCAA found no major violations or lack of institutional control after a yearlong investigation that centered around a November 1993 after-hours shopping spree at a local mall where several players received about $6,000 worth of tennis shoes, sweats and other sports gear paid for by prospective sports agents.

And two years ago, Wetherell threatened to sue the NCAA if it didn't back off its attempt to force the school to drops its "Seminoles" nickname. He prevailed.

And he hopes he does again.

 

Toughness is mark of Virginia's defense
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 28, 2007

In October of 1995, George Gelnovatch was an assistant coach on Bruce Arena’s staff when Virginia gave up five goals in a win over Navy.

The following season, Gelnovatch took over as head coach when Arena left to run D.C. United of Major League Soccer.

In the 11-plus seasons since, no UVa team had allowed more than four goals in a game. That is, until the Cavaliers’ trip to Texas three weeks ago.

Virginia had looked great in its first two games of the season - both wins - but got hammered by SMU, 5-1.

“Our line was too high and we were trying to play guys offsides as a means to defend, almost as if we were playing some sort of offsides trap, which we never taught,” Gelnovatch said. “I think the first couple of games we got away with it. Then we paid the price.”

Even though the defeat was only the team’s first of the season, Virginia defender Matt Williams called it a turning point.

“It was a reality check that we weren’t impenetrable,” said the senior. “It kind of jolted everyone’s senses.

“You never want to concede five goals in one game.”

Virginia’s defense bounced back fast. Two days later, the Cavaliers defeated Tulsa, 2-0. No. 4 UVa (6-1-1, 0-0-1) has allowed just three goals in its last five games.

Tonight, the unit will face one of its toughest tests when No. 12 Virginia Tech (6-1-1) visits Klockner Stadium.

The Hokies are riding a seven-game unbeaten streak and feature a dangerous forward in junior Patrick Nyarko.

“This is the best team, in my opinion, that Virginia Tech has ever had,” Gelnovatch said. “They’re a good team with one of the top strikers in the country.”

It figured that it would take some time for Virginia’s defense to come together. In the offseason, the Cavs lost goalie Ryan Burke (to graduation) and center back Bakary Soumare (to MLS).

Initially, Gelnovatch started freshman T.J. Cyrus in place of Soumare before electing to slide Zola Short into the position and move sophomore Neil Barlow to the back.

The unit now features Short and Poole in the middle and Barlow and Williams on the outside.

“Things have been pretty good,” said Short, a senior. “We all know each other really well.

“Neil has fit in well on the right side and the guys coming in [off the bench] have done a great job.”

Short said the team has had to dig deep within themselves to replace the 6-foot-4 Soumare, a prototypical center back.

“Baki was obviously a big, physical presence,” Short said. “He was really good with the intimidation factor.

“We’ve just had to play a little more physical ourselves, be a little more aggressive, tackle a little harder.”

Ironically, Short spearheads a unit that is on the diminutive side. Short and Poole are generously listed at 5-10, Barlow at 5-7 and Williams at 5-6.

“Typically, I guess we’re a little short for center backs,” Poole said, “but it hasn’t been an issue so far.”

Gelnovatch concurred.

“Zola makes up for it athletically,” he said. “He jumps higher than anybody. He runs faster and tackles as hard as anybody. Matt Poole is strong and a hard tackler. Matt Williams is as tough as nails - as strong as anyone on the team, and Neil is not one of the tallest, but one of the toughest.

“I’d like to have some more height back there, but we make up for it with skill, toughness and experience.”

Throw-ins

Virginia came back to win last season’s meeting in Blacksburg, 3-1, thanks to a hat trick by Adam Cristman. … Virginia Tech’s seven-game unbeaten streak is the second longest in school history.