Early fireworks carry Cavaliers
UVa explodes for 27 points in 1st quarter to pound Pitt
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 30, 2007

A half-filled Scott Stadium with four minutes to play means one of two things.

The late-game reaction of Virginia’s players, some that coincided with handshakes, hugs and high-fives, proved the reasoning without forcing a fan to peek into the night toward the stadium’s scoreboard.

Of course, many of those seats were still vacant when Virginia raced out to an insurmountable lead during the first 14 minutes of the game.

The quick start – Virginia scored 27 in the first quarter – coupled with a fourth-quarter resurgence, lifted the Cavaliers to an expected win over Pittsburgh by an improbable margin, 44-14, in front of a season-best crowd of 60,888.

With the lopsided victory, Virginia (4-1) pushed its winning streak to four games and exacted revenge for a telling, season-opening loss at Pitt (2-3) that started a postseason-less 2006 campaign.

“They were ready to jump in with both feet. This isn’t a stick-your-toe-in-the-water team,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “They were very ready to go tonight.”

Oddly enough for a team that entered with three wins by a total of 18 points, Virginia found itself trying to remain focused just seconds into fourth quarter after Pitt scored a touchdown on a 2-yard pass from quarterback Pat Bostick to wide receiver Oderick Turner to trim the Cavaliers’ lead to 30-14.

Luckily for Groh, he heard and saw everything he needed from his players over the game’s final 14 minutes.

“We have had some struggles here of late and we haven’t found ourselves in circumstance like that here in a long time, so we were certainly in new territory [up 16 points], but this team has demonstrated a very strong resolve and focus throughout,” Groh said. “Hearing what they were saying to each other, it was apparent that nothing needed to be said from the coaching staff. They were really reminding each other of that and about ‘One play at a time and don’t try to win the game, try to win the next play and that type of mentality.’

“We were pleased how they took leadership themselves and recognized the situation and kind of gathered themselves up.”

Credit quarterback Jameel Sewell and Cedric Peerman – the two combined for 67 yards rushing in the fourth quarter, which led to a pair of touchdowns.

Peerman capped a 6-play, 59-yard scoring drive with a 13-yard touchdown with 12:06 left in the game, pushing Virginia’s lead to 37-14. All of the yardage on the drive came on the ground from Peerman or Sewell.

“We responded [on that drive],” Groh said. “To the credit of the offensive line and the tight ends in that particular case, we told them that, ‘That’s the kind of drive it is going to be … and it’s up to you guys.’”

With just over five minutes left in the game and following an interception from safety Jamaal Jackson, Virginia holder Vic Hall scampered around the left side of the line to score a 4-yard touchdown on a fake field goal.

The score came after Sewell kept the drive alive with a quarterback sneak on fourth down and Virginia received a pair of pass-interference penalties against Pitt.

Running a fake field goal with the game all but over had more to do with the placement of the ball, Groh said.

“We had gone into the game feeling that the first field goal in a certain field position that we were going to call it,” the coach said after improving to 32-9 at Scott Stadium. “That was the first field goal in a certain field position and so we went with the plan that we had. It was not just towards the goal line, but hash-mark relative.”

Virginia’s quick start came as four different players scored in the first quarter.

After Pitt unsuccessfully tried to open the game with an onside kick, the Cavaliers marched 39 yards on four plays. Jonathan Stupar opened the game’s scoring with a 2-yard catch from Sewell just 83 seconds into the game. The extra-point attempt was blocked, giving the Cavaliers a 6-0 advantage.

After forcing one of seven Pittsburgh punts, Virginia scored again with 9:06 left in the quarter when tight end Tom Santi stole a jump ball on a 18-yard touchdown pass out the night air from Sewell.

“I expected the DB to play more over the top,” Sewell said, “but with all the confidence that I have in Tom Santi, I kinda figured he would come down with it.”

With 6:52 left in the opening session, fullback Rashawn Jackson scored his first career touchdown on a 5-yard pass from Sewell, which gave the signal caller a career high in scoring passes in a game.

“We have been working on that play a lot,” said Sewell, who finished 16 of 31 passing for 169 yards. “That just showed that [Jackson] wanted to get in the end zone.

“He has that fight in him like we need from everybody to get in that end zone and help us win.”

Virginia added another score 82 seconds before the first quarter ended when Peerman capped a 21-yard drive with a touchdown run from a yard out. The 27-0 lead proved more than enough for the Cavaliers.

“It was a great start for us,” Groh said of the program’s best scoring quarter since dropping 30 against North Carolina State in 1999. “The first quarter was once again the story of what field position does during the course of the game. Once it is there, then the players have to go out and take advantage of it and they very good job of that.

“We were very sharp in the beginning.”

For the game, Virginia’s balanced attack finished with 342 yards of total offense. The Panthers mustered 288 yards, including 129 on the ground, but failed to convert 11 of their 16 chances on third down.

Peerman finished with 87 yards rushing on 24 carries and added 44 receiving yards.

 

Sewell in control for Cavs
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 30, 2007

One of coach Al Groh’s favorite ways of complimenting a player is by saying he’s the same guy every day.

Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the player delivers the same type of performance every day. What it means is there’s a consistency in effort, accountability, character.

Jameel Sewell is that kind of guy. He’s a Groh guy.

Five weeks ago, when Sewell made his 2007 debut out in Laramie, Wyo., and pretty much stunk up the joint much to the delight of a bunch of delirious Cowboys, guess what? Sewell was a stand-up guy.

He showed up to face the music from media curios about how he could have possibly played so poorly.

Sewell, a redshirt sophomore, who was then making the 10th start of his young career, offered up no excuses. It was his worst day as a quarterback and nobody felt worse about the thumping Virginia’s football team had just taken than him.

Last year, half-jokingly, he was referred to by Groh as Mr. Wax Paper because, as a rookie quarterback, he was practically playing blind. He hadn’t been around long enough to see everything that a mature quarterback would. It was as if he was playing with wax paper in front of his mug.

Everyone, Sewell included, believed that wax paper was gone after training camp. Nobody called him that name anymore. His vision was clear.

Everything went wacky in Wyoming, enough so that Virginia inserted true freshman sensation Peter Lalich late in the game and used him in every game since - except Saturday night when Sewell was THE MAN in leading UVa to a 44-14 pasting of visiting Pittsburgh, only a touchdown underdog.

Sewell, who essentially took all but a half-dozen reps with the first team during practice leading up to the Pitt game, was on fire in scorching Pitt’s secondary early in the game. He completed his first nine passes in a row and tossed three first-quarter touchdown passes.

Virginia was up 27-0 before Pitt’s Panthers knew what hit ’em.

“This was very positive tonight,” Groh said of his starting quarterback. “He was pretty sharp with some of those throws in the early going ... I mean real sharp.”

In the first quarter alone, Sewell was 7 for 7 for 73 yards and three scores. He finished the night 16 of 31 for 169 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and no sacks.

More importantly, Sewell helped lead the Cavaliers to their fourth straight win since that Laramie landslide, and helped Groh beat three straight former NFL head coaches in UNC’s Butch Davis (Browns), Georgia Tech’s Chan Gailey (Cowboys), and Pitt’s Dave Wannstedt (Bears, Dolphins).

Sewell did it not only with his arm, but with his legs, rushing a dozen times for 64 yards (5.3 yards a run for the mathematically challenged).

During this winning streak, Sewell’s numbers have improved as rapidly and as impressively as his poise and command of the offense.

In that four-game span, he has completed 52 of 87 passes, 59.8 percent. As impressive as that may look, it would have been even higher if not for, shall we say, a less-than-spectacular third quarter Saturday evening when he was 0 for 4 and couldn’t get anything clicking.

What is it about the third quarter for Virginia’s offense? The Cavs have scored only three points in the third quarter all season long, by far the worst in the ACC.

Still, Sewell refocused and finished off the Panthers in style. He hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 87 pass attempts, the longest such streak of his career. He hasn’t been sacked the last two weeks, and during the four-game winning streak, he’s thrown for 452 yards and five touchdowns.

So, what’s the difference?

“I feel like I’ve got a lot more fight in me now,” Sewell said after the game. “I don’t want to be the reason my team fails. I think this team can really do something big and because I’ve got my hands on the ball a lot, I don’t want to be the reason we don’t reach our potential.”

That’s a lot of pressure on a young quarterback, but it’s something Sewell seems to accept willingly.

“I just feel real comfortable out there now,” he said. “When a quarterback is real comfortable, he’s hard to deal with.”

Yeah, just ask Pittsburgh.

“He’s a great athlete,” Wannstedt complimented Sewell. “He is playing with a lot of confidence now. A year ago at this time, he probably didn’t look like he did tonight. With confidence and experience, which he has now, he is making some plays.”

UVa junior tailback Cedric Peerman, who rushed 24 times for 87 yards and two touchdowns, plus picked up 44 additional yards on four catches, totally agreed with Wannstedt’s assessment.

“Jameel was phenomenal tonight,” the ACC’s leading rusher said. “He was on point with his passes. He did a great job on the play calls and we are just blessed to have that guy as our quarterback.”

But it’s more than just feeling comfortable that allowed him to slice and dice Pitt’s defense. There’s a lot of hard work going into the making of this quarterback.

Every day, offensive coordinator Mike Groh coaches his fanny off to make both Sewell and Lalich better. Ask Sewell about it and he’ll explain to you about how his mechanics were so bad out in Wyoming that it is painful to watch tape of that performance.

He’ll also explain how Mike Groh, or as the players call him, Coach Mike, works hard with him every practice on footwork, technique, mechanics. That has not only helped Sewell’s accuracy, but his confidence, his comfort level, and his overall knowledge of the position.

“He was into the flow of the game, not just in terms of passing, but some of the checks we were making at the line of scrimmage,” pointed out Al Groh. “He was getting us into the right play, and that’s as big of a part of that position as the throwing part.”

That’s one huge reason that Virginia is riding a four-game winning streak, which could make it the surprise team of the ACC.

And, no, the winning streak has not come wrapped in wax paper.

 

Hall leaves his mark on Cavaliers' big win
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 30, 2007

There’s no doubting that when Vic Hall gets his hands on the ball, exciting stuff usually happens.

However, so far this season, that has proven both good and bad.

On Saturday night at Scott Stadium, it was mostly good.

Hall, a quarterback turned cornerback, made his mark on special teams.

The sophomore from Gretna returned four punts for 86 yards and also scored his first career touchdown off a fake field goal.

“We want to be great on special teams because it has a great impact on the outcome of the game,” Hall said. “We put a big emphasis on it and we executed well tonight.”

Early in the first quarter, Hall returned a Pitt punt 22 yards to midfield. Later in the quarter, he returned one all the way down to the Panthers’ 21-yard line.

Virginia converted the good field position into touchdowns both times.

“Special teams is a huge part of the game,” said Virginia tight end Jonathan Stupar. “Every week we always talk about all the hidden yardage in the special teams game. Being able to have guys who can make plays for us and give us advantageous field position during the game was a tremendous [plus].”

What made Hall’s first two returns impressive was the fact that he chose to return them at all. Both punts had extremely long hang time. Most players probably would have called for a fair catch.

“I don’t like fair catches,” Hall said, with a laugh.

But Hall’s night wasn’t a complete success. Just before halftime, he fumbled a punt return that led to Pittsburgh’s only score of the half.

“Vic has assured us that he has learned his lesson on that particular running [kind of catch],” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “Vic has a lot of whatever you want to call it - confidence - but he also shows very good judgment. We have a lot of confidence in him back there.”

Hall, who fumbled against Georgia Tech last week, said having confidence in himself is key.

“You have to have confidence at any position you play, but especially punt returner,” he said. “You can muff one or two, but you have to keep your head in the game and be able to play the next play.”

Hall said poor fundamentals caused the muff.

“[Groh] always emphasizes to get your feet set,” he said, “and I failed to do that on that particular play, and you saw what happened.”

Hall, however, was able to end his night on a great note - his first college score. Hall, who holds for Chris Gould, scampered into the end zone from 4 yards out to give Virginia its commanding final margin.

“We went into the game feeling that the first field goal, in a certain field position, we were going to call [the fake],” Groh explained. “We went with the plan that we had.”

Hall had a big smile on his face when asked about the play.

“It felt great,” he said. “It always feels great to score.”

 

A stellar start for Virginia
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 30, 2007

Virginia took off like a rocket ship in the first quarter.

Not only did the Cavaliers score on their first two drives for the fourth straight game, but the offense provided two more touchdowns for a total of 27 points.

It marked the first time since 1999 that Virginia had scored that many points in a quarter. The Cavaliers, behind quarterback Dan Ellis, scored 30 point in ’99 on the road against North Carolina State.

Jackson reaches the end zone

Virginia fullback Rashawn Jackson, who is a redshirt freshman, caught the first touchdown pass of his career during the first quarter. The 5-yard pass from Jameel Sewell put the Cavaliers up, 20-0.

Jackson, who was initially slotted at linebacker in 2006, entered the contest with four receptions for 28 yards.

Another troubling third quarter

Virginia failed to score a touchdown in the third quarter for the ninth straight game.

It has become a troubling trend for the Cavaliers. Since the start of the 2006 season, UVa has been outscored, 80-23, in the third frame.

Santi climbs the ladder

With two catches, Virginia tight end Tom Santi moved into a tie with former Cavalier Bob Bischoff for fourth place in program history in receptions made by a tight end. Santi, a senior, entered the game with 76 receptions.

Santi also scored the sixth touchdown of his career in the game’s first quarter when he caught an 18-yard pass from Sewell. He totaled 32 yards on his two catches.

Seeing a start in a new spot

Virginia left tackle Eugene Monroe was in uniform for the contest, but was held out of action as he recovers from a knee injury suffered in the final minutes of Virginia’s win over Georgia Tech.

In his stead, Branden Albert shifted to left tackle from his typical starting spot at left guard. Albert, a junior, had made 28 straight starts at guard before the move.

Gordie Sammis, who was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA, made his first career start in Albert’s natural position.

Extra points …

... With the win, Virginia extended its winning streak to four games. It marks the first four-game winning streak since the program opened 5-0 in 2004. … Pitt still leads the series, 3-2, but Virginia claimed its first regular-season win over the Panthers. The only previous win in the series for the Cavaliers came in the Continental Tire Bowl in 2003. … Virginia coach Al Groh is now 12-3 at home against non-conference opponents. Groh also improved to 32-9 at home. … The announced attendance was 60,888, which was the largest Scott Stadium crowd this season.

... Virginia wide receiver Maurice Covington did not dress for the contest, but the junior was able to shed the large sling that he wore to protect the broken bone in his wrist the week prior against Georgia Tech. ... Due to a conflict, two of Virginia’s targeted recruits - linebacker Shayne Hale and tailback/athlete Cameron Saddler - were unable to attend the contest.

 

Cavs cruise to their 4th straight victory
UVa scores four TDs before Pittsburgh even gets a first down in a dominating win.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Saturday night's main attraction at Scott Stadium pitted a lightly regarded Virginia offense against a Pittsburgh defense ranked among the Top 25 nationally in seven defensive categories.

Talk about mismatches!

Virginia scored four touchdowns before Pittsburgh recorded a first down and rolled to its fourth straight victory, 44-14, before a season-high home crowd of 60,888.

Pittsburgh had defeated the Cavaliers in the 2006 season opener, 38-13, but the Panthers (2-3) were never in this one.

"I probably had about 50 people at the game up there and it left a sour taste in my mouth all year," said Allen Billyk, a fifth-year UVa nose tackle from New Castle, Pa., approximately 50 miles from Pittsburgh. "I was confident we'd flip the switch and I was able to get 25 of them to give us another chance."

Turnover-prone Pittsburgh only had one fumble in the first half, but that was far from the Panthers' only mistake. They opened the game with an onside kick, but touched the ball before it had travelled the required 10 yards, giving possession to UVa at the Pitt 39.

The Cavaliers (4-1) needed only four plays and 1:23 to go ahead on the first of three first-quarter touchdown passes by sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell.

Sewell, who had been sharing time with true freshman Peter Lalich, played the entire first half and was 13-of-19 for 131 yards. Sewell completed his first nine passes.

"He was into the flow of the game, not just in terms of passing but some of the checks we were making," UVa coach Al Groh said. "He was getting us into the right play, and that's as big a part of that position as the throwing part."

True freshman Pat Bostick made his first start at quarterback for Pittsburgh, but the Panthers spent much of the first half in a "wildcat" formation in which freshman tailback LeSean McCoy took a direct snap out of a one-back set.

McCoy and Rod Stephens-Howling had several nice gains, but Pitt did not come close to scoring until UVa's Vic Hall fumbled a punt that the Panthers recovered at the UVa 22-yard line.

It was the second fumbled punt in as many weeks for Hall, whose earlier punt returns for 24 and 45 yards had set up Virginia's second and fourth touchdowns.

"Vic has assured us that he won't do that again," Groh said.

Virginia wasn't sharp when it came out for the second half and did not have a first down in three third-quarter possessions. However, the Panthers were unable to capitalize until Bostick connected with Oderick Turner on a 42-yard pass on a fourth-and-2 from the UVa 49.

Pitt cut the deficit to 30-14 on a 2-yard pass from Bostick to Turner with 14:54 remaining, but that only seemed to awaken the Cavaliers. Sewell and Cedric Peerman each had runs of 17 yards before Peerman scored his second touchdown on a 13-yard run that made it 37-14 with 12:06 left.

Peerman had given Virginia good field possession to start the drive with a 32-yard kickoff return to the UVa 41.

Sewell's first-half accuracy gave way to a case of the underthrows before he notched his first completion of the second half with 9:07 remaining.

The Cavaliers tacked on a final touchdown when Hall ran 4 yards on a fake field-goal attempt with 5:25 remaining. Hall earlier had limped off the field with an apparent ankle injury but was able to break a tackle at the line of scrimmage before falling into the end zone.

It was the first time UVa has used a fake since Hall took over as the holder on extra points and field goals to start the season. Hall, a starter at cornerback, set Virginia High School League records for total offense and passing yardage while at Gretna High School.

"I was just hoping we'd get the right look," said Hall after his first collegiate touchdown. "If you don't get the right look, then you have to kick it."

Hall's touchdown meant the end of the night for most of Virginia's skill players, including Sewell, who finished with 233 yards in total offense, including 12 carries for a season-high 64 yards.

Peerman's string of 100-yard rushing games ended at three with a 24-carry, 87-yard effort but he finished with 174 all-purpose yards.

Lalich never did enter the game. After a defensive stand enabled the Cavaliers to take over on downs with 1:42 left, redshirt junior Scott Deke took over as Virginia's quarterback.

It was the first career appearance by Deke, a Californian who briefly made his home in Roanoke after high school.
 

Sammis not rusty in 1st start
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Judging from the fact that he was in uniform and had participated in pregame drills, Eugene Monroe probably would have been available in an emergency Saturday night.

Virginia's early offensive blitz against Pittsburgh gave Monroe the luxury of resting his injured left knee for one more week.

It also gave an opportunity to Gordie Sammis, a seldom-used fifth-year senior who made his first start.

Left guard Branden Albert moved to Monroe's customary spot at left tackle and Sammis started at left guard.

It was thought that Sammis had used up his eligibility following the 2006 season, when he lettered for the first time, but the Cavaliers were successful in getting him an extra season of eligibility through an appeal to the NCAA.

Sammis' only playing time during the 2004 season came late in a 51-0 win over Akron in the third week of the season. Sammis, who had never been redshirted, was told he could play this season after sitting out the first two games.

Odds 'n' ends

Kick coverage was an emphasis for Virginia in practice all week and the extra attention paid dividends. Pittsburgh averaged 20.4 yards on five first-half kickoff returns, with none longer than 26 yards.

The Cavaliers' kickoff unit also forced a fumble that led to the Cavaliers' second touchdown. One week earlier, Georgia Tech had victimized Virginia for 183 yards in a 28-23 victory by the Cavaliers.

n Cornerback Vic Hall limped off the field prior to a third-quarter Pittsbrugh punt, giving Andrew Pearman a shot at his old job as return specialist. Hall had three returns for 76 yards, including a 45-yarder, but also fumbled a punt that was recovered by the opposition for the second week in a row.

n Place-kicker Chris Gould punted twice for the Cavaliers before the nation's second-leading punter, Ryan Weigand, got his first attempt. The Cavaliers use Gould when they are close to midfield or inside the opposition's territory.

n A fourth-quarter interception by fifth-year senior safety Jamaal Jackson was the first of his college career. It helped atone for a 42-yard completion over Jackson on Pittsburgh's second touchdown drive.

By the numbers

Pittsburgh had converted only four of 29 third downs in its previous two games and was 0-for-5 Saturday before getting 2 yards on a third-and-2 in the third quarter. The Panthers were 0-for-12 on third downs in a 17-13 loss at Michigan State. Pitt's second TD was set up by a 42-yard fourth-and-2 pass after the Panthers had been stuffed on third-and-3. ... Virginia is 12-3 in nonconference home games during Al Groh's seven-year coaching tenure and 32-9 in all games at Scott Stadium under Groh.

NFL connection

Virginia's victory was its fourth in a row and Groh's third in a row over fellow former NFL coaches. Groh, who coached the New York Jets in 2000, has consecutive victories over Butch Davis (North Carolina/Cleveland Browns), Chan Gailey (Georgia Tech/Dallas Cowboys) and Dave Wannstedt (Pittsburgh/Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins).

Virginia next week

The Cavaliers travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., for a 7 p.m. game with first-time opponent Middle Tennessee State. In its only previous game against a team from the Sun Belt Conference, Virginia defeated visiting Troy State 24-0 in 2003. Virginia agreed to play at Middle Tennessee State as part of a scheduling agreement with Temple that eventually will bring Virginia four games against Mid-American Conference opposition.
 

U.Va rips Pitt
Sunday, Sep 30, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 01:13 AM
• UVA NOTES
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Pittsburgh gambled on the opening kickoff against Virginia last night and lost, botching its attempt at an onside kick.

The Cavaliers capitalized by moving 39 yards in four plays for their first touchdown. It wouldn't be their last, as things got worse for Pitt in its first visit to Scott Stadium in 54 years.

By halftime, U.Va. led 30-7 to the delight of the near-capacity crowd of 60,888. Virginia didn't produce as many highlights after intermission, but it didn't need to.

The final was 44-14 as the Wahoos (4-1) stretched their winning streak to four games. They also avenged the embarrassing loss they'd suffered at Pitt on opening day last year.

The Panthers won that game 38-13, but they were the ones humbled last night. With 5:25 left, sophomore Vic Hall, the holder for kicker Chris Gould, ran 4 yards for a touchdown on a fake field goal, which Virginia coach Al Groh said the team had entered the game intending to run if an opportunity arose.

U.Va. sophomore Jameel Sewell played brilliantly in the first half, completing 13 of 19 passes for 131 yards and a career-best three touchdowns. All of those TD passes came in the first 8:09.

For the game, Sewell finished 16 of 31 for 169 yards and three TDs, and he wasn't intercepted. He also ran for 64 yards.

"Jameel was phenomenal," Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman said.

Sewell, a Hermitage High graduate, looked nothing like the quarterback who struggled through U.Va.'s season-opening loss at Wyoming. Not coincidentally, perhaps, the Cavaliers look nothing like the team that bombed in Laramie, especially on offense.

"Everything is just starting to click now. It's fun to see," said senior tight end Jonathan Stupar, who caught one of Sewell's TD passes last night.

Peerman entered as the ACC's leading rusher and had run for at least 137 yards in each of the previous three games. Peerman met with more resistance last night, but he still rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns.

After a third quarter in which Sewell was 0 for 4 passing and Virginia failed to pick up a first down, the score remained 30-7. But the Panthers got their second TD on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull to 30-14.

Virginia countered immediately. A 32-yard kickoff return by Peerman allowed the Cavaliers to start at their 41. The remaining 59 yards came on six straight runs: two by Sewell and four by Peerman, who capped the drive by weaving through the Panthers' defense for 13 yards and his second TD.

The game got away from the Panthers (2-3) quickly. After Sewell's 2-yard pass to Stupar made it 6-0 -- Gould's extra-point attempt was blocked -- Pitt went three and out. Hall's 24-yard punt return gave the Cavaliers the ball near midfield, and they needed only four plays to cover 51 yards, the final 18 coming on Sewell's TD pass to senior tight end Tom Santi.

Virginia forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and linebacker Denzell Burrell recovered at the Panthers' 26. Another TD drive followed, this one capped by Sewell's 5-yard pass to sophomore fullback Rashawn Jackson, and Gould's PAT made it 20-0 with 6:51 left in the first quarter.

"The first quarter was a story of what field position does during the course of the game," Groh said.

By the time the Panthers finally got a break, they trailed 30-0. Hall, who'd totaled 67 yards on his first two punt returns, muffed a soaring kick, and Pitt recovered at the Cavaliers' 22. Three plays later, freshman tailback LeSean McCoy scored on a 1-yard run, and Conor Lee's PAT made it 30-7 with 1:06 left in the half.

In the previous three games, Groh had rotated Sewell and true freshman Peter Lalich at quarterback. But there was no reason to take Sewell out last night, and Lalich stayed on the sideline.

"Jameel was really sharp and into the game," Groh said.

 

Quarterly report: U.Va. has strong openings
Sunday, Sep 30, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 03:51 AM
By JOHN MARKON
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

CHARLOTTESVILLE Quick strikes can be destructive without being decisive. For historical reference, see "Pearl Harbor, Battle of."

For a counterexample, con sider this year's University of Virginia football team.

While all college teams may like to brag about how they "own" the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers are just as happy to own the first quarter. It's been theirs all year, but never more tellingly than in last night's 44-14 clocking of Pittsburgh at Scott Stadium, a victory that advanced U.Va.'s record to 4-1.

After 15 minutes, Virginia led 27-0. The rest of the game may have lacked a certain elegance and urgency, but complaints should be minimal. As we all know, nothing gets the bourbon flowing in the alumni parking lot quite like a four-touchdown lead.

Through five games, the Cavs are outscoring opponents by a stunning 72-12 in the first quarter. A number of possible reasons could be advanced as explanations, and all of them might surprise Virginia fans who've become disenchanted with coach Al Groh.

What would account for first-quarter dominance? Preparation? Excellent scouting? Sharply scripted play-calling? Don't they all sound a little like synonyms for "good coaching?"

"We are well-prepared," said Jordy Lipsey, the Cavaliers' starting center, "but I really don't know why we've been able to start so well. We're really excited at the start of a game, but I think the teams we're playing are excited, too.

"What it really boils down to is that I don't know why we do it, but that it's nice and I like it."

Virginia couldn't have accomplished what it did in last night's opening quarter without some serious help from the visitors, who began the game by botching an onside kick, giving Virginia an advantage in field position it seemed to enjoy until the final gun.

"We got it in some pretty good spots," admitted Groh, "but, once you get it, your players still have to execute the plays that let you take advantage."

Quarterback Jameel Sewell was last night's chief executive. Through 15 minutes, he was 7 for 7 passing, good for 73 and three touchdowns. Sewell's previous high for TD passes in an entire game was two.

"I think we're coming out hot because Jameel is coming out with more confidence," said tight end Jonathan Stupar, who caught Sewell's opening TD pass. "Jameel's seeing the field better and sensing what he needs to do in the passing game.

"In the past, I think the coaches have felt we needed to 'ease into' the passing game. Now, we're ready to go from the first play."

The Cavs can thus rely a little less on leading rusher Cedric Peerman, who nevertheless punched out 99 yards against a defense geared to stop him. Any fake handoff to Peerman was all but guaranteed to sucker half the Pitt defense, setting up a lot of Sewell's passing yards.

On other days against other opponents, Virginia has faded after a quick start. Last week, the Cavaliers took a 21-7 first-quarter lead vs. Georgia Tech and needed to rally to post a 28-23 win.

"This one was more satisfying," Lipsey said. "We could just play the game out without worrying about that 'win or lose' thing."

Groh's next project might be to turn his attention to Quarters 2-4, where the Cavs are being outscored 81-49. He cut into the differential last night, waiving any claims to this year's ACC Sportsmanship Trophy when he called for a (successful) fake field goal with 5:25 remaining and Virginia leading by 23 points.

"I'm not sure why we're starting so well," Groh said. "If I had to come up with an answer, I'd say our guys prepare very hard. They focus. They know what needs to be done. They jump in with both feet."

Last night, the Panthers were covered with footprints.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Sunday, Sep 30, 2007 - 12:07 AM

Virginia has enjoyed bright beginnings
Few football teams in Division I-A have been as dominant as Virginia in the first quarter this season.

The first 15 minutes ended at Scott Stadium last night with U.Va. leading Pittsburgh 27-0. In five games this season, the Cavaliers have outscored their opponents 72-12 in the first quarter.

The 27 points were the most in a quarter by Virginia since Oct. 16, 1999. The Wahoos scored 30 in the third against N.C. State that day in Raleigh.

Second quarters haven't been as productive for the Cavaliers this year. They've been outscored 31-15.

Sewell is sharp in his 14th start
In his 14th start at quarterback for Virginia, sophomore Jameel Sewell got off to a spectacular start. With 8:09 left in the first period, Sewell threw his third touchdown pass, surpassing his career high set against Maryland last season.

The first went to senior tight end Jonathan Stupar; the second, to senior tight end Tom Santi; the third, to sophomore fullback Rashawn Jackson. Stupar hadn't caught a TD pass since the 2005 season. The TD was Jackson's first as a Cavalier.

Sewell, a former Hermitage High star, completed his first nine passes last night. By halftime, he was 13 for 19 passing for 131 yards and three TDs, and Virginia led 30-7.

Monroe warms up, stays on sideline
Eugene Monroe, who started Virginia's first four games at left offensive tackle, was in uniform last night and went through warmups with his teammates. But the 6-6, 310-pound junior was on the sideline when the game began.

Monroe suffered a knee injury in the final minutes of U.Va.'s win over Georgia Tech last weekend.

Branden Albert, a junior best known as the Cavaliers' No. 1 left guard, moved over one spot and made his first start at left tackle. Fifth-year senior Gordie Sammis, who'd never started a game in college, took over at left guard.

Pitt-U.Va. series not scheduled to continue
The Pitt-U.Va. series started in 1953, and the teams met again two years later. Their next encounter, however, didn't come until 2003, when the Cavaliers beat the Panthers in the Continental Tire Bowl.

They met in Pittsburgh last season and in Charlottesville last night. No other games between the teams are scheduled, but U.Va. coach Al Groh sounded Tuesday as if he wouldn't mind seeing the series continue.

"It's a program of great tradition," he said. "It's one that's not on the other side of the world. Should be good for fans of both teams."

Of the Cavaliers who played against Pitt in the Tire Bowl, only two are still in the program: guards Sammis and Ian-Yates Cunningham.

U.Va. roster shows links to Pennsylvania
Tight end Andrew Devlin, a true freshman, is the only Virginia player from Pittsburgh, but nose tackle Allen Billyk, who's playing as a graduate student this season, grew up in New Castle, Pa., about a 45-drive from the Steel City.

Pennsylvania is prime recruiting territory for U.Va. Other Cavaliers from the state are cornerback Trey Womack (Springfield), wide receiver Mikell Simpson (Harrisburg), quarterback Marc Verica (Lansdowne), kicker Chris Gould (Lock Haven), cornerback Dom Joseph (Philadelphia), wideout Chris Gorham (Pottstown), tight end Mark Ambrose (Aristes), tight end Jonathan Stupar (State College) and defensive end Zane Parr (Williamsport).

Leitao on the job in pursuit of player
About a half-hour before kickoff, Dave Leitao began a slow lap around the field at Scott Stadium, stopping along the way to exchange greetings with fans. Leitao wasn't alone. Among those accompanying the Cavaliers' third-year basketball coach was Assane Sene, a 6-11, 220-pound center in town for an official visit.

Sene, who's from Senegal, attend South Kent School in Connecticut. The Cavaliers are hoping to add him to their recruiting class for 2008-09. -- Jeff White

 

Hungry Cavaliers barbecue Pitt
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 30, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

This is going to mess up the script.

Just as Virginia was establishing an identity as a plucky, opportunistic team with a popgun offense that was going to need a full 60 minutes to put anyone away, the Cavaliers unloaded on the Pittsburgh Panthers on Saturday night.

In a case of a surging team meeting a reeling one, Virginia hung four early touchdowns on Pittsburgh and coasted to a 44-14 win, the Cavaliers’ fourth straight, at Scott Stadium.

As nonconference games go, this one was personal for Virginia. The Cavaliers were out to prove Saturday night that they are a better team than the one that was embarrassed 38-13 in the season opener at Pittsburgh last season.

It took Virginia (4-1) all of about six minutes to do that. It took just a few more to finish the Panthers.

A team that supposedly lacked knockout power led 27-0 before the first quarter was through. The Cavaliers had not scored more than 28 points in a game this season.

“We were certainly in new territory,” coach Al Groh said.

The statistics said 110 Division I-A football teams wield more potent offenses than the one Virginia put on the field Saturday night.

The Panthers may have begged to differ, down 30-0 with 8:52 of the first half yet to play.

“Those first four drives, no matter what play was called, it was working,” tight end Jonathan Stupar said.

That was a change. For Pittsburgh, which has had offensive troubles of its own, the night offered more of the same. The Panthers (2-3) turned their offense over to true freshman quarterback Pat Bostick last week. Determined to get off to a quick start, Pittsburgh attempted an onside kick on the game’s first play.

The move backfired. A Pittsburgh player touched the ball before it traveled the required 10 yards. Virginia took over at the Panthers’ 39 and needed just four plays to score, on a 2-yard pass from Jameel Sewell to Stupar.

After a Pittsburgh three-and-out, the energized Cavaliers moved 51 yards in five plays to make it 13-0. Deep Creek High graduate Ras-I Dowling forced a fumble on the kickoff, and a little more than two minutes later, it was 20-0.

“They made some mistakes at the beginning of the game,” U.Va. guard Branden Albert said. “We just pounced on them.”

So much for winning close. Virginia, which came in averaging 16 first downs per game, had nine by the end of the quarter alone. Sewell, who had two touchdown passes in the first four games, threw three in the quarter.

Pittsburgh (2-3) helped Virginia along by committing seven first-quarter penalties. The Panthers’ attempts at creativity – several direct snaps to tailback LeSean McCoy – produced next to nothing.

Virginia, meanwhile, showed more offensive spark and efficiency that it has all year. Even without left tackle Eugene Monroe, who injured a knee against Georgia Tech last week, the offensive line opened big holes for tailback Cedric Peerman, who ran for 87 yards.

Albert slid over to tackle and reserve Gordie Sammis replaced him at left guard. Sewell completed his first nine passes, though he cooled considerably afterward. He also ran for 64 yards, on 12 carries.

After jumping to such a huge lead, Virginia’s biggest challenge was to maintain its intensity. After Pittsburgh cut the margin it to 30-14, Virginia responded with a 59-yard drive, and, in a final flourish, a 4-yard touchdown run by Vic Hall on a fake field goal.

The Cavaliers were another week, and another win, removed from a discouraging 2007 season opener against Wyoming, and also purged the memory of last year’s Pittsburgh game.

”We knew what we were capable of,” Sewell said. “We had to come out and do it.”

 

Alive and well, Cavaliers’ vital signs improving

CHARLOTTESVILLE

So how does Al Groh look now?

After five games, what’s the prognosis for him and his Virginia football team?

What’s that you say: Too soon to tell, even after Saturday night’s 44-14 punchout of porous Pittsburgh?

C’mon now. That would be the reasonable answer, but if we know anything about boosters, critics and anyone within reach of a computer keyboard, nobody who follows college football preaches sober reflection.

Did anybody say “wait and see” after U.Va. was lassoed by the Wyoming Cowboys the first week?

What critics were saying then was, “Groh Must Go.” They were saying that if Al wanted a friend, he should buy a dog.

Groh had lost his way, everyone agreed. His program was spiraling out of control. Not to mention that U.Va. badly needed a quarterback.

And so on and so forth.

Even after a less-then-convincing victory over Duke, it looked to many as if U.Va. would be lucky to win half its games.

Perhaps a four-game winning streak will change perceptions and temporarily pacify a fickle fan base, even if you take into account that the Cavaliers haven’t exactly faced a Murderer’s Row of opposition.

U.Va., still led by Groh last time we checked, is 4-1. After Wyoming, who would have predicted this?

So what is it then? Did everybody rush to judgment on Groh? Or is U.Va. still a flawed and largely untested bunch that has proven to be just good enough to make the best of a forgiving first-half schedule?

Pliable Pitt did its best to render those questions all but moot. So inept were the Panthers in the first half, the visitors gave away the ball as easily as they gave in to U.Va.’s offense.

Against Pitt, Jameel Sewell, who was so clueless against Wyoming, looked like a left-handed Vince Young, standing poised in the pocket and adroitly moving around rushers to carry the ball on foot.

Is Sewell a better quarterback than he was in early September? He’d almost have to be. As he goes, so go the Cavaliers. Stay tuned.

U.Va. struck early and with confidence behind Sewell’s three first-quarter touchdown passes – one more than he had thrown all season up to that point. Sewell displayed a nice touch with his throws, which should come as a revelation to his detractors. Though he never did find the same rhythm or success after the opening period, by then U.Va. was ahead 27-0, soon to be 30-zip lead in the second quarter.

That U.Va. didn’t hesitate to let Sewell wing it was a reflection on the opponent, which gave up 34 points to middling UConn, a team U.Va. plays in two weeks. The Cavaliers’ schedule – jamming three consecutive low-wattage nonconference games into the season’s midsection – is an odd departure from league play.

Naturally, U.Va. hopes to pad its win total before finishing with five conference scrums, though next Saturday’s trip to Middle Tennessee State is a potential banana peel, especially when you consider Groh’s anemic road record.

At home Saturday night, though, U.Va. looked relaxed and certain of itself. Pitt was a patsy, but who knew the Cavaliers had it in them to take advantage?

In the fourth quarter, Groh felt cheeky enough to pass up an almost-certain field goal; holder Vic Hall surprised Pitt by taking the snap and running for U.Va.’s final touchdown.

As the scoreboard lit up for the Cavaliers, Groh’s approval rating climbed, one presumes. It’s only fair, after all. For another week, he should get the benefit of the doubt from a fan base that, like any other, takes the temperature of its team each week.

Here’s a suggested prognosis for Groh’s program: It’s not a clean bill of health, but the patient’s vital signs appear to be getting stronger.

 

Cavaliers crush Panthers
By Melinda Waldrop | 247-4634
September 29, 2007
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - After eight minutes and nine seconds, Virginia had 20 points and total control.

The Cavaliers recovered Pittsburgh's opening onsides kick and didn't look back, rolling up four first-quarter touchdowns on their way to a 44-14 victory on Saturday night at Scott Stadium.

The win avenged last year's season-opening 38-13 loss at Pitt and was the fourth in a row for U.Va. (4-1, 3-0 ACC), which opened a three-game string of non-conference games.

Virginia's first TD came after Pitt attempted on onsides kick to begin the game, but the Cavs recovered on the Pittsburgh 39. Tailback Cedric Peerman sandwiched a 15-yard reception around two 11-yard runs before Jameel Sewell hit tight end Jonathan Stupar on a 2-yard play-action TD pass.

Then, after U.Va. forced a Panthers punt and took over at its 49, Sewell found another of his favorite targets, tight end Tom Santi, for an 18-yard touchdown pass.

Pitt (2-3, 0-1 Big East) fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and six plays later, the Cavs were in the end zone again when Sewell hit fullback Rashawn Jackson for a 5-yard score and a 20-0 lead with 6:51 left in the first quarter.

The three TDs a career-high in one game for Sewell, a sophomore - marked the first time Virginia had three passing touchdowns in one game since 2005.

Pittsburgh contributed mightily to its own struggles. A holding penalty negated a kickoff return to midfield after Virginia's third score, and Pitt punted again after another holding call and a false start part of its six first-quarter penalties - stymied that possession.

Vic Hall returned that punt 45 yards to the Pitt 21. After a generous pass interference call on Pittsburgh corner Mike Phillips as Sewell tried to find Santi again in the end zone, Peerman scored from a yard out for a 27-0 lead with 1:22 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers got their initial first down with 1:03 left in the first period on a 10-yard completion from Pat Bostick to LaRod Stephens-Howling.

Pittsburgh's defense ranked 11th in the country coming into the game, allowing opponents just 250 yards per game. Virginia had 122 in the first quarter and 221 by halftime.

In the second period, the Cavs capped a 13-play, 70-yard drive with Chris Gould's 30-yard field goal to go up 30-0 with 8:52 remaining before halftime.

Pitt pulled to within 30-7 with five minutes left in the second quarter after recovering Hall's fumbled punt at the Virginia 22. Before that, Pitt had gotten no further than its own 48.

That was the end of the scoring and the fireworks for the next 15 minutes, as the teams practiced punting in the third quarter. The crowd of 60,888 entertained itself by doing the wave during U.Va.'s third straight three-and-out in the third period.

Pitt awoke from the offensive doldrums first, as Bostick completed a 42-yard pass to Oderick Turner on fourth-and-2 from the Virginia 49. Two plays later, Bostick hooked up with Oderick again for a 3-yard TD pass in the left corner of the end zone. Oderick made a leaping catch and dragged one foot inbounds as the Panthers cut U.Va.'s lead to 30-14 six seconds into the fourth quarter.

But Virginia answered on its first drive of the final period, which started with Sewell's 17-yard keeper. Peerman added a 17-yard run through a big hole in the middle of the line before taking a handoff on third-and-2 from the 13. He started left, cut back and zipped untouched into the end zone for his second TD and a 37-14 lead with 12:06 left in the game.

The Cavs' final points came in dramatic fashion on a fake field goal with 5:25 to play. Hall, the holder, took the snap as Gould lined up for the 21-yard kick, then scampered four yards for his first college touchdown.

 

Cavaliers should accept this one with a smile
Dave Fairbank
12:38 AM EDT, September 30, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE
 

Sometimes you don't ask questions or explore too deeply. You simply take what the football gods and a generous opponent provide and say, "Gracias."

Virginia had one of those nights. How else to explain a game in which the Cavaliers essentially delivered the knockout blow before the first north end zone, hillside human tumbleweed.

To be sure, there were a few anxious moments in the second half of the Cavaliers' 44-14 victory against Pittsburgh. After all, this is Virginia we're talking about, not Southern Cal or LSU.

And U.Va. coach Al Groh's decision to execute a fake field goal for a touchdown with less than six minutes remaining in a 23-point game sure didn't appear professionally courteous, especially for a couple of ex-NFL paisans. But we'll leave that for Chairman Al and Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt to hash out behind the snack bar.

The Cavs returned the favor against a Pitt team that big-played and pick-sixed them into submission last year. Only they did so more quickly and efficiently against a limited Panthers offense that couldn't have caught them if they played until Tuesday.

Virginia notched 20 points before Pittsburgh's second possession, 27 points before the Panthers recorded a first down.

The two teams matched scores for the final 2½ quarters, but that's the kind of spin you hear from coaches grasping at silver linings as they emerge from a six-car pileup.

Virginia has won four straight since that opening stink-bomb in Wyoming. The Cavs certainly could come crashing back to earth in the coming weeks, but the schedule has set up nicely for them of late.

They took advantage of current ACC bottom feeders Duke and North Carolina to gain their footing. Then they found a way to prevail against a talented Georgia Tech team that always seems to play just well enough to lose in Charlottesville.

And there was no better circumstance under which to play Pittsburgh than Saturday. The Panthers have been their own worst enemy in the past two weeks, committing penalties and turnovers at alarming rates, and continued that trend versus the Cavaliers out of the chute. Consider, too, that the Panthers started a true freshman quarterback, with all of the attendant shortcomings that entails.

Here's some detail from the first quarter, which really is all you need: Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell completed his first seven passes for 73 yards and three touchdowns. (Just to be comprehensive, he completed 10 of his first 12, but only six of his final 19.)

The longest of Virginia's four touchdown drives covered 51 yards. The other three were no longer than 40 yards.

Pitt's miscues included a botched onside kick attempt on the opening kickoff, a fumbled kickoff and seven penalties for 55 yards.

When the Panthers committed back-to-back illegal motion penalties at the end of the period, Wannstedt looked like he had just guzzled motor oil.

The two programs are headed in opposite directions at the moment. Virginia has won seven of its last 10 games, dating back to last season.

Pitt, meanwhile, has lost eight of its last 10 games -- eight of nine versus I-A competition. That's the program's worst stretch since 2000-01, when the Panthers lost nine of 12 (10 of 12, if you count a 7-0 win against former Big East punching bag Temple).

Strangely enough, the Panthers went to bowl games both years -- a compelling argument for a reduction in the number of bowls, if ever there was one.

A bowl game doesn't appear to be in the cards for Pitt this year, not the way it's playing and not with a season-ending gauntlet of Rutgers, South Florida and West Virginia.

Bowl discussion might be premature for the Cavaliers, since we haven't even hit October. Though in the improved, football-centric ACC, the gauntlets appear to be more navigable than in some other leagues.

What will matter is where the Cavaliers finish, not how they arrived there. If the schedule is favorable and the opponents are accommodating, as it happened Saturday night, so much the better.

 

Quick start for Cavs
BY MELINDA WALDROP | Daily Press
12:51 AM EDT, September 30, 2007
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia wasted little time asserting itself against one of the country's top defenses, statistically speaking.

The Cavs' 27-point first quarter was their highest-scoring since their 30-point fourth quarter against N.C. State in 1999. Jameel Sewell's career-high three touchdown passes -- a 2-yarder to tight end Jonathan Stupar, an 18-yarder to tight end Tom Santi and a 5-yarder to fullback Rashwan Jackson -- marked the first time U.Va. had three TD passes in a quarter since Sept. 24, 2005, against Duke.

"That felt awesome. That felt great," said Sewell, who began his first three drives on the Pittsburgh 39 (after a failed onsides kick and an illegal touching penalty on the Panthers), the Virginia 49 and the Pitt 26 (after a fumbled kickoff return). "Just that field position was awesome, to work with a short field."

Pittsburgh came into the game with the nation's 11th-stingiest defense, allowing opponents 250 yards per game. That included averages of 154 passing yards and 96 on the ground. Virginia had 221 by halftime, scoring on the first five of its six first-half possessions, and finished with 342 yards -- 169 passing and 173 on the ground.

STEADY SEWELL

Sewell was 13-of-19 for 131 yards and three TDs in the first two quarters, completing his first nine passes and not throwing an incompletion until the 10:58 mark of the second period.

Sewell cooled off in the second half, finishing the game 16 of 31 for 169 yards. But his capable performance kept him in the game for every U.Va. offensive series except the last of the game, when Scott Deke came in to run out the clock. True freshman QB Peter Lalich, who has split time with Sewell this season, did not make an appearance.

"(Sewell) was pretty sharp out there," Virginia coach Al Groh said. " ... He was into the flow of the game. Things were going pretty well and we didn't want to break the continuity of it."

Sewell continued to rely heavily on his tight ends, with Stupar and Santi combining for 65 yards on five catches. Freshman wide receiver Dontrelle Inman contributed two first-half catches for 18 yards, while junior tailback Cedric Peerman finished with 131 yards -- 87 on 24 carries and 44 on four catches.

HAND IT TO HALL

For the second straight game, Vic Hall's fumbled punt return gave renewed life to an opponent on the ropes. With Virginia up 30-0, Pitt recovered Hall's fumble at the U.Va. 22, and three plays later, LeSean McCoy's 1-yard run cut the Cavs' lead to 30-7 with five minutes to play in the second quarter.

Hall also fumbled a punt against Georgia Tech last Saturday that led to a Yellow Jackets score after Virginia had built a 21-7 advantage. But he made up for the gaffe with 5:25 left in the game. Hall, the holder on the Cavs' field goal tries, took the snap as U.Va. lined up for a 21-yard kick -- and ran it four yards into the end zone for his first college TD.

Hall piled up 13,770 career yards of offense as a quarterback at Gretna High, breaking ex-Hampton High star Ronald Curry's state record.

He passed for a state-record 104 touchdowns and rushed for 66 more, but was converted to cornerback in 2006, his first season at Virginia.

ODDS AND ENDS

McCoy, who came into the game third in the Big East with 104 rushing yards per game, was held to 86 on 19 carries. ... Pitt now holds a 3-2 advantage in the Virginia series, which was first played in 1953. ...

Saturday's game was Pitt's first against an ACC opponent on the road since 1992. ... The loss was the Panthers' third in a row, following setbacks to Michigan State (17-13) and UConn (34-13).

 

Virginia 4 downs
BY MELINDA WALDROP | Daily Press
12:55 AM EDT, September 30, 2007
 

PLAY OF THE GAME

Vic Hall put up plenty of points in high school. But his college career has taken place mainly on defense, as a cornerback, with added duties this season of punt returns. Hall found the end zone again, though, with 5:25 to play in the fourth quarter when the Cavaliers faked a field goal from the 4-yard line. Hall, the holder on kicks, took the snap and scurried into the end zone for his first college touchdown.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

Sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell completed his first nine pass attempts and threw four first-quarter touchdown passes to spearhead Virginia's hot start. Sewell finished the game 16-of-31 for 169 yards after cooling off in a ho-hum third quarter, but wasn't sacked and didn't throw an interception. He also kept freshman QB Peter Lalich, with whom he's split time this season, on the bench.

WHAT WE LEARNED That good field position can translate into points -- quickly. The Cavs scored on their first five possessions, the first three of which began on the Pitt 39, the Virginia 49 and the Pitt 21. A botched onsides kick and a fumbled kickoff helped Virginia enjoy such favorable fields, but the Cavs capitalized on what the Panthers gave them. U.Va. also scored in the first half after starting from its own 21 and its own 24.

WHAT THEY NEED TO WORK ON

Concentration. The Cavaliers didn't pick up a first down in the third quarter, going three-and-out on all three of their possessions. Pittsburgh couldn't do much offensively either, but did put together a six-play, 57-yard, 2:52 drive that spanned the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth to pull within two scores six seconds into the final period. That score seemed to wake up the Cavs.

 

Cavs hammer Pitt-iful Panthers
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
September 30, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - There was no sweating it out for Virginia on Saturday night. No gnawed fingernails. No fourth quarter gut checks. Just pure, unadulterated domination.
Virginia crushed Pittsburgh 44-14 at Scott Stadium for its fourth straight victory, the Cavaliers' longest winning streak since starting the 2004 season 5-0.

UVa (4-1) scored 27 unanswered first-quarter points to quickly turn the game into a rout. The blowout effectively returned the favor from last season's 38-13 season-opening shellacking at Pittsburgh.

"(This team is) ready to jump in with both feet," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "This isn't a stick-your-toe-in-the-water team. They were ready to go tonight."

The Cavaliers needed some fourth quarter work to pull out their first three wins against Duke, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.

Not Saturday. Pittsburgh (2-3) routinely gave Virginia short fields to work with in the first quarter and UVa responded with touchdowns on its first four possessions.

"They made crucial mistakes," said Branden Albert, who moved to left tackle in place of the injured Eugene Monroe. "We just pounced on them."

The Panthers tried to catch the Cavaliers by surprise with an onside kick to start the game, but a Pittsburgh player touched the ball before it went 10 yards, giving Virginia possession at the Panthers' 39. It was all downhill from there.

Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell threw touchdown passes on the Cavaliers' first three drives, spreading it around to tight ends Jonathan Stupar and Tom Santi and fullback Rashawn Jackson. It was the latest step forward for the sophomore, who had five passing touchdowns all of last season.

"He showed that flair he has, that confidence he has throwing the ball," Albert said.

Sewell completed his first nine passes for 86 yards. The only time the ball hit the ground was when a Pittsburgh was flagged for pass interference on a pass to Santi near the goal line. Two plays later, Cedric Peerman scored on a 1-yard run to make it 27-0 with 1:22 left in the first quarter.

It was the most points the Cavaliers had scored in a quarter since putting 30 on N.C. State in the third quarter of a 47-26 win in Raleigh in 1999.

UVa ran 19 plays in the quarter and moved the ball 122 yards against a Pittsburgh defense that ranked 11th nationally entering the game, giving up 250 yards a game.

The Scott Stadium crowd of 60,888 gave the Cavaliers a standing ovation at the quarter break.

"Those first four drives, it was like no matter what play was called, it was working," said Stupar, who caught three passes for 27 yards. "It was fun to be out there."

A 23-yard Chris Gould field goal gave Virginia a 30-0 lead before Pittsburgh finally got on the board. The Panthers took advantage of a muffed punt by Vic Hall to get a 1-yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy, who ran for 86 yards in the game, often taking the direct snap out of the shot gun.

Oderick Turner hauled in a 2-yard jump ball from Pat Bostick in the end zone on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut UVa's lead to 30-14.

The Cavaliers' red-hot offense had stagnated in the third quarter. Sewell didn't complete a pass and the team didn't have a first down. So on its first drive of the fourth, Virginia went back to the ground, grinding out a six-play, 59-yard drive on all runs. Peerman capped it off with a 13-yard touchdown run.

Peerman had 24 carries for 87 yards and two scores. He also caught a team-high four passes for 44 yards. Sewell ran effectively, too, with 12 carries for 64 yards.

UVa capped off its scoring with a fake field goal. Hall, the holder, showed off his ball-carrying skills, running an option keeper to the left side and finding the end zone on a 4-yard run to put Virginia up by 30. It was his first career touchdown.

Virginia's 44 points were the most the team has scored since hanging 51 on Temple in 2005. The Panthers entered the game 18th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 16 points per game.

"(It showed) we've got a fight in our heart," Sewell said. "We're playing with a chip on our shoulders. We're really not giving in to nobody."


 

Virginia Notebook - Shifty offensive line
By Andy Bitter
abitter@newsadvance.com
September 30, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Virginia left tackle Eugene Monroe dressed but did not play against Pittsburgh on Saturday because of knee injury. That is not surprising.
What is, is that fifth-year senior Gordie Sammis was the lineman who played in his place.

Virginia shifted left guard Branden Albert to left tackle for the first time in his career and gave Sammis his first career start at left guard. It was assumed that if Monroe couldn't play, that junior Zak Stair, the backup at both tackle positions, would start.

Instead it was Sammis, who lettered for the first time last year after appearing in every game, primarily on the field goal unit.

Virginia had to petition the NCAA to get a fifth year for Sammis. The Cavaliers had a mental lapse in 2004, Sammis' sophomore year, letting him play in the final minutes of a win over Akron. The NCAA granted the request but forced Sammis to sit out the first two games this season.

Monroe's injury is to his right knee, not the left one that he had surgery on in the spring of 2006 when he dislocated his knee cap. He said he could have played Saturday if the team needed him to. He remains day-to-day this week.

High risk-reward

Sophomore Vic Hall (Gretna) has proven to be a handful on punt returns. That is, when he secures the ball.

The cornerback was both good and bad on his returns Saturday night. He caught the first two in traffic, once ignoring a Pittsburgh player who hit him before he caught it.

Hall's first return went 22 yards. His second went 45 before a Panther defender dragged him down from behind. Both returns set up Virginia touchdowns.

Hall had a gaffe on his third return, though, signaling for a fair catch but failing to get under the ball. He muffed it and Pittsburgh's Tyler Tkach recovered at the UVa 26, setting up the Panthers' only touchdown of the first half.

Hall had no trouble with his first return in the second half, taking it back 19 yards.

He injured his left ankle with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter but had it re-taped and went back in the game. He scored his first career touchdown on a 4-yard option keeper when UVa faked a field goal with 5:25 left in the fourth quarter.

Turn back the clock

This is the third week in a row Virginia head coach Al Groh has gone up against a former NFL head coach. The Cavaliers' last three opponents have been North Carolina (Butch Davis), Georgia Tech (Chan Gailey) and Pittsburgh (Dave Wannstedt).

Groh and Wannstedt have a history of facing each other. They were on opposite sidelines in 2000 - Groh with the Jets and Wannstedt with the Dolphins - when the teams played an epic Monday night game.

Dubbed the "Miracle at the Meadowlands," the Jets trailed 30-7 after three quarters, only to rally back for a 40-37 overtime victory. ESPN ranked it the No. 1 Monday Night Football game of all time. In fact, the network sent Groh a video tape of the game when the list was announced. He hasn't watched it yet.

"I'm kind of saving that memory," Groh said. "I anticipate some day when I put my walker aside and take the time to look at it."

Extra points

Virginia wore all blue uniforms for the first time since last year's Miami game. The Cavaliers had worn blue uniforms with white pants in their first two home games. ? Groh is now 7-3 in night games with Virginia. ? The Cavaliers have won their last five night games at home. ? UVa safety Jamaal Jackson notched his first career interception in the fourth quarter.
 

Virginia romps by Pitt
Panthers victims of 44-14 blowout
Sunday, September 30, 2007
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- When Pitt hired coach Dave Wannstedt after the 2004 season, he promised to take the Panthers back to the Johnny Majors Era. So far, it looks as if he has delivered on that promise.

The only problem is these Panthers are starting to look a lot more like the 1990s' version during Majors' second stint as Pitt's head coach than the team that won the national championship in 1976.

That's not a good thing as that second Majors stint marked one of the darkest periods in the university's 117-year football history..

But for the second consecutive game, the Panthers (2-3) did their best imitation of those dead-teams walking and were soundly thrashed by Virginia, 44-14, in front of 60,888 at Scott Stadium last night. Pitt fell behind, 27-0, by the end of the first quarter, trailed 30-7 at the half and never seriously threatened the Cavaliers (4-1).

"I don't believe, and I know judging by the way that we played tonight, this does not mesh with or make sense, but I just don't believe we are as bad of a football team as we have showed out there the last two weeks," Wannstedt said after the game.

"But, and there is a big but, we are what we are right now. We haven't even given ourselves a chance, in my opinion, to show what type of team we are or what type of team we could be.

"I have been on one-win teams in college and in the NFL and I've been on undefeated teams in college and Super Bowl teams and we are doing everything in practice and in preparation that championship teams do and our kids are working as hard as any team I've been associated with. When we get into the game, particularly early on, we just have not been able to keep it together, and I wish I could give you a reason."

Pitt, which had seven penalties and a fumble in the first quarter, attempted an onside kick to open the game, but failed to get it and gave the Cavaliers a short field to work with on their first possession. Four plays later, Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell hit tight end Jonathan Stupar with a 2-yard touchdown pass for a 6-0 lead.

Joe Clermond blocked the extra point, but that was about the only thing that went right for the Panthers in the first quarter.

The Panthers quickly were forced to punt, and the Cavaliers took possession at their 49. They needed five plays to drive 51 yards and take a 13-0 lead on an 18-yard pass from Sewell to his other tight end, Tom Santi.

Pitt kick-returner Lowell Robinson fumbled the ensuing kickoff and, six plays later, the route was on as Sewell hit Rashawn Jackson with a 5-yard touchdown pass. After another Pitt punt, Virginia took a 27-0 lead when Cedric Peerman rushed in from the 1 with 1:22 left in the first quarter.

Virginia extended its lead to 30-0 when Chris Gould converted a 23-yard field goal with 8:52 to play in the half. The Panthers caught their first break midway through the second quarter when Tyler Tkach recovered a fumble from Virginia punt-returner Vic Hall at the Cavaliers' 22.

Three plays later, LeSean McCoy scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to pull the Panthers to within 30-7. The half ended that way.

Freshman quarterback Pat Bostick finished 18 of 31 for 180 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first start. He led the Panthers on a six-play, 57-yard drive that ended on a 2-yard touchdown pass to Oderick Turner early in the fourth quarter.

The Cavaliers, however, quickly snuffed any thoughts of a Pitt rally as they took the ensuing kickoff and drove 59 yards on six plays and pushed their lead to 37-14 on Peerman's 13-yard run.

The Cavaliers' final score came with 5:25 left, when, despite having the game well in hand, they lined up to kick a 21-yard field goal. Instead, Hall, the holder, faked it and ran for a 4-yard touchdown.

 

Virginia scores 27 first-quarter points in win over Pitt
By Kevin Gorman
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, September 30, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Before Dave Wannstedt could commit his first act of desperation by turning Pitt's offense over to true freshmen at quarterback and tailback, the Panthers coach attempted another.
Wannstedt tried an unsuccessful onside kick on the opening kickoff that gave Virginia its first of several drives starting in Pitt territory.

The Panthers surrendered 27 first-quarter points in a 44-14 loss at Virginia Saturday night before 60,888 at Scott Stadium.

"I thought it would be a way for us to steal a possession," Wannstedt said. "With Pat (Bostick making his first start at quarterback) and being a little bit young there, we're going to struggle to score a lot of points, but I felt like this was a way because of the opportunity and how well we do it."

Just when its 20-point loss to visiting Connecticut last week appeared to be a low for the Pitt football program, the Panthers (2-3) plummeted even further with its third consecutive loss and second in embarrassing fashion.
"The way we played does not mesh with how I feel, but I don't believe we're as bad a football team as what we've showed in the last two weeks," Wannstedt said. "But - and that's a big but - we are where we are right now. We haven't given ourselves a chance, in my opinion, to show what type of team we are or what type of team we can be.

"I have been on one-win teams in college and the National Football League. I have been on undefeated teams in college and Super Bowl teams. We are doing everything in practice and preparation that championship teams do. Our kids are working as hard as any team I've been on."

It wasn't Wannstedt's worst margin of defeat - West Virginia owns that distinction with a 45-13 victory in 2005 - but it came against an opponent the Panthers manhandled last year in a 38-13 season-opening victory at Heinz Field.

This one wasn't about being overmatched. Pitt was simply sloppy, committing costly turnovers and 11 penalties for 139 yards, which has become a recurring theme this year.

Worse, the Cavaliers (4-1) came in allowing more points (19.8) than they were scoring (19.2), but managed to score four touchdowns in the first 21:08 on drives consisting of only 39, 51 and 26 yards.

That rendered the debut of quarterback Pat Bostick and tailback LeSean McCoy in same starting backfield essentially meaningless. Virginia led 27-0 before Bostick, making his first career start, even attempted his first pass.

Bostick completed 18 of 31 passes for 181 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and McCoy led the Panthers with 86 yards rushing and a touchdown on 19 carries as Pitt accounted for 288 yards total offense.

Virginia ran up 342 yards on 73 plays, as Jameel Sewell completed 16 of 31 passes for 169 yards with three touchdowns and Cedric Peerman ran for 87 on 24 carries with two touchdowns.

On the opening kickoff, Pitt attempted an onside kick by Cody Sawhill, but the ball was recovered by Virginia, and the Panthers were penalized 10 yards because Michael Toerper touched the ball at the Pitt 39.

"It's one of the best things we do," Wannstedt said. "I haven't seen a team in a long time that sets up their return team 15 yards off the ball. If there was ever a time to make that play, it was tonight. We discussed it all week, worked on it all week. The players were excited about doing it."

Virginia needed only four plays to score, as Peerman ran for 11 yards and had a 15-yard reception and quarterback Sewell ran for 11 to the Pitt 2. Sewell then found tight end Jonathan Stupar for a touchdown and 6-0 lead. Defensive end Joe Clermond blocked Chris Gould's point-after kick, the first by a Pitt player since J.J. Horne did so against Rutgers in Oct. 18, 2003.

After Pitt went three-and-out, Virginia used another short field to increase its lead. The Cavaliers started on their 49 and used pass plays of 16 and 12 yards followed by a Peerman 10-yard run to set up Sewell's 18-yard scoring pass to tight end Tom Santi for a 13-0 advantage with 9:06 remaining in the first quarter.

Lowell Robinson fumbled the ensuing kickoff at Pitt's 26, setting up Virginia's next scoring drive. The Cavaliers needed six plays before Sewell threw a rollout pass to Rashawn Jackson for a 20-0 lead with 6:51 left. It was the first time since 2005 that Virginia had passed for three touchdowns in the first quarter.

Virginia accounted for 116 yards on 15 plays in its first three drives. A 45-yard punt return gave the Cavaliers the ball at Pitt's 21, and they took advantage of a pass interference penalty against Mike Phillips at the goal line to score on Peerman's 1-yard run for a 27-0 lead. Virginia took a 30-0 lead on Chris Gould's 26-yard field goal with 8:52 remaining in the first half.

The Panthers finally got a break when Tyler Tkach recovered a fumbled punt at the 22. The Panthers needed only three plays to score, as Bostick's 19-yard pass to Oderick Turner set up McCoy's 1-yard touchdown run with 5:00 remaining in the first half.

Pitt added a 3-yard scoring pass from Bostick to Turner to cut it to 30-14 at 14:54 of the fourth quarter, but Peerman scored on a 13-yard run to make it 37-14. Virginia added another touchdown on a fake field goal, when holder Vic Hall ran untouched for a 44-14 lead with 5:25 left.

"One of these weeks, I'd really like to find out what type of team we have," Wannstedt said. "We didn't give ourselves a chance."



 

Long journey from player to coach
Ex-Cav Iavaroni preparing for first season with Grizzlies
Sunday, Sep 30, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 01:41 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
 

During his playing days at the University of Virginia, Marc Iavaroni probably would not have been his teammates' choice for this superlative: Most Likely To Become An NBA Head Coach.

Iavaroni, a 6-9 forward from Long Island, N.Y., was too intense, too emotional, too much of a perfectionist.

"I like him a lot more now than I did then," former U.Va. center Otis Fulton said with a laugh.

"He was a pain in the [rear] to have as a teammate. He was in everybody's face, but he was harder on himself. It was just kind of a relief to everybody when he graduated. . . . But looking back at how hard he worked, it doesn't surprise me now. I'm really happy for him."

After a decade as an NBA assistant -- most recently with the Phoenix Suns -- Iavaroni, 50, finally is seated in the big chair. He's the new coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, who opened training camp yesterday.

"I just think he worked his butt off," said Fulton, a Thomas Jefferson High graduate who still lives in Richmond. "I'm sure he puts in the extra time, like he did as a player, and it's paid off for him."

Before landing in Memphis, Iavaroni had been linked to several other NBA vacancies. Two in particular -- he declined to name the teams -- stand out.

"One I came away saying, 'I got the job,'" Iavaroni recalled. "The second, I knew I would get the job if another candidate decided not to go for it."

Iavaroni, who has two degrees from U.Va., acknowledged there were times he wondered if he'd ever get a head coaching job.

"My wife talked me down on those things," he said, "but for the most part, I committed myself to becoming so immersed in what I was doing that it would have become an exercise in narcissism to keep worrying about me."

At U.Va., which won its first -- and still only -- ACC title in 1975-76, Iavaroni's second season, Terry Holland was his coach. Holland's assistants for Iavaroni's final two seasons included Craig Littlepage, now Virginia's AD.

Iavaroni's emotions occasionally boiled over on the court, recalled Holland, now athletic director at East Carolina University, but "he was a student of the game. I guess you could call him a self-made player."

His professional career comprised five seasons overseas and seven in the NBA. Iavaroni started as a rookie on the 76ers team that won the NBA title in 1983.

Littlepage had two stints as an assistant under Holland. During the second, Littlepage worked alongside Iavaroni, who had returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant.

"I wouldn't have said when he was playing that this guy was definitely going to get into coaching," Littlepage said. "It didn't jump out at me right away. It was something I started to notice over time, how much he had committed himself to the game."

After Pete Gillen stepped down as the Cavaliers' coach in March 2005, Littlepage contacted Iavaroni. Littlepage wanted to hear Iavaroni's thoughts on the state of the U.Va. program, but that wasn't his only motive. He also wanted to gauge Iavaroni's interest in the job.

In the end, both agreed that Iavaroni should stay in the pros -- "He was too close to being an NBA coach to potentially sidetrack that dream," said Littlepage -- and U.Va. ultimately hired Dave Leitao.

"I spoke with Dave a couple weeks ago," Iavaroni said. "He's done a great job. He was the perfect person for that job."

Iavaroni's coaching mentors include Holland, Pat Riley, Mike Fratello, Mike D'Antoni and Pete Newell. As an instructor in the'90s at Newell's famed camp for big men, Iavaroni first recognized his passion for teaching.

"It was pretty amazing," he said. "I look back on it and go, 'I must have loved it, because it was nonstop work.'"

Iavaroni's challenge now is to turn around a Memphis team that went 22-60 last season. He's not the only Wahoo in the organization. The Grizzlies' strength coach is former U.Va. guard Mike Curtis, a Manchester High graduate whom Iavaroni has known for more than a decade.

To a roster whose centerpiece was Pau Gasol, Memphis added rookie point guard Mike Conley and free-agent big man Darko Milicic, among others, in the offseason. Iavaroni, not surprisingly, is optimistic.

"If we're healthy, we're going to be right off the bat much better," he said.