Cavs lose linebacker
Knee injury suffered against Trojans has Clark out for season
Tuesday, Sep 02, 2008 - 12:07 AM

The University of Virginia football team has lost one of its starting linebackers to a season-ending knee injury.

Aaron Clark, a 6-5, 250-pound senior, made the first start of his college career Satur
9/01/08 5:05 PM
on inRich.com day against Southern California at Scott Stadium. He recorded five tackles, including one for a 5-yard loss, before hurting his right knee early in the third quarter.

U.Va., in the first of its two weekly injury reports, announced yesterday that Clark has a "knee sprain" that will require season-ending surgery.

A graduate of Rockbridge County High, Clark has not redshirted at U.Va., which means he could return and play in 2009.

Denzel Burrell, a 6-4, 230-pound junior, will take Clark's place at one of the outside spots in Virginia's 3-4 defense. Burrell, who redshirted in 2005, missed the final 10 games of the '06 season with a knee injury. He was a reserve last season.

U.Va. (0-1) hosts Richmond (1-0) at 3:45 p.m. Saturday. Tickets for the game, which ESPNU will televise, are $16 apiece. -- Jeff White

 

Clark out for year
By Jay Jenkins
Published: September 1, 2008

Each of the past two seasons, Virginia coach Al Groh was asked about the idea of giving outside linebacker Aaron Clark a mid-career redshirt.
Apparently that will come to fruition. It did not come, however, in conventional fashion.
With 12:20 left in the third quarter on Saturday, Clark tried to blitz Southern California quarterback Mark Sanchez by racing to the right of Trojan left tackle Charles Brown.
Moments later, Clark was sprawled out on the ground inside of Scott Stadium holding his right knee in obvious pain.
On Monday, Virginia officials announced that Clark had been lost for the season. The senior linebacker has a “knee sprain” and will undergo season-ending surgery. The procedure, the injury report stated, is “to be scheduled.”
“It is unfortunate,” linebacker Clint Sintim said after the game.
Clark, listed at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, made his first career start against USC and recorded five tackles. One of the stops was made behind the line of scrimmage for a 5-yard loss.
Having played limited snaps in each of his first three seasons, the Virginia native is eligible for a redshirt and could return to the program for the 2009 season as a fifth-year
senior.
Clark’s loss leaves junior Denzel Burrell as the obvious favorite to start alongside senior Clint Sintim. Burell, a junior, battled Clark in training camp before the coaching staff settled on Friday with Clark as the starter.
Virginia (0-1) plays the University of Richmond (1-0) on Saturday at 3:45 p.m.

 

Looking on the bright side
By Jay Jenkins
Published: September 1, 2008

They were certainly in the minority.
Yet for varying reasons, three Virginia football players found the ability to flash smiles after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Southern California.
Jared Green had emerged. Jimmy Howell had survived. Denzel Burrell was
merely being Denzel Burrell.
During a contest filled with failure, the three Cavaliers offered reason for excitement.
Green, a redshirt freshman, caught three passes in his Cavalier debut, covering a total of 40 yards.
Howell, a true freshman, punted eight times for an average of 38.2 yards per attempt.
Burrell, a junior, was in on a pair of tackles and broke up a pass while seeing extended action at outside linebacker.
It was known that Burrell and Howell would see action, but Green’s emergence as a viable pass-catching option surprised many.
In fact, Virginia coach Al Groh said Green caught his attention just “seven or eight days” before the USC game.
“He started to show some of the things that showed up today,” Groh said. “What he’s starting to do is use his speed more. He is one of the faster players that we’ve had here, but if he doesn’t have the pedal to the floor, then he doesn’t play faster than other guys do.
“He’s starting to understand the value of his speed and definitely used it on a couple of those plays.”
Green explained that discovery.
“I feel like I just learned how to run,” he chuckled. “I just started to feel comfortable and go out there and have fun. Once you do that, your real talent starts to show.”
During his redshirt season, Green was sidelined for several weeks with a broken finger and struggled remaining consistent in catching passes. But on the first pass his way in the third quarter from quarterback Pete Lalich, Green squeezed the ball and gained 16 yards.
“A lot of people say, ‘Are you nervous?’ People ask you that all the way up until game time,” Green said. “I was kind of just praying for peace before the game and it just relaxed me. I was ready to go, but you can’t be nervous with a group like this.
“We are a family and all the guys are rallying around so you will be picked up soon if you are down.”
While Green emerged from beyond the depth chart, Howell knew coming into the game that he was Virginia’s top — and practically only — option at punter. The rookie from South Carolina also entered the contest expecting to see ample work.
History supported that claim — it marked the third straight game that Virginia punted eight times.
“Coach [Bob] Diaco told me that I would average about that many times, so I came in here knowing that,” Howell said. “Obviously, [USC] is a good team.”
With ample time created by a near flawless protection plan, Howell said he was allowed to focus on fundamentals.
“Every time after I would punt, the guys would come up and ask me if that was a good protection,” he said. “I could have eaten a sandwich back there. I had so much time. They did a fantastic job.”
Groh echoed Howell’s thoughts.
“I wish I felt as relaxed as he did that I would have had time to eat a sandwich, but the protection was good,” Groh said. “The punt team did a good job with the protection.”
There were concerns with the punt coverage unit. USC returned four of the punts for 42 yards, including a 17-yard return by Joe McKnight on Howell’s first attempt.
“Any time you give up a 16-yard return, I don’t care if it is Batman or Superman returning it, we expect better than that,” Groh said. “They would have had the ball on the 26-yard line, basically a 75-yard drive. By the time the ball was returned it was pretty close to a 50-yard drive, which was one of essentially six drives in the game that were 50 yards or less.
“That is something — no matter who it occurs against — that is harmful to the end result.”
Burrell, after a month-long battle with Aaron Clark, opened the contest as a reserve, but knew that the pair would split play. That rotation continued until the third quarter when Clark injured his knee and was helped from the field.
“It is bittersweet. Clark and I were battling all throughout camp and when I found out Clark was starting and we would split snaps, I was very happy,” Burrell said. “I didn’t feel like coach would go with one guy because of our performance in camp.
“At the same time, it is bitter because I don’t want to win a starting job because Aaron Clark is hurt. I just wanted it to be a dogfight between us throughout the season with our performance. It just sucks that he went down, but it doesn’t look that serious right now and I hope it isn’t that serious. I hope he can bounce back next week because I don’t want it to be this way.”
Burrell’s worst fears were recognized Monday. Virginia announced that the MRI on Clark’s knee discovered a sprain. He is slated to have season-ending surgery, according to the team’s injury report.
“I am definitely going to be in his ear because I have been hurt before,” Burrell said. “It was just like his, early in the season. I am going to be in his ear to tell him to be strong just like he was in mine when he was saying, ‘Get after those USC Trojans.’ Unfortunately, we just couldn’t get it done.”

 

ACC wastes shot at respect
Dave Fairbank
September 2, 2008

Give John Swofford credit. If the Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner and his henchmen hadn't secured the status of the house football product several years back, they might be summoned to the U.N. or The Hague or Beano Cook's house to justify their place among the power elite.

One talking point during preseason was that ACC football had to win games outside the conference, particularly against quality teams, to prove that it's more than just intramurals with a TV package.

Consider the topic alive and well.

One week into the season, the ACC (motto: The Mountain West, only with better basketball) remains in the dunking booth in conversations about Bowl Championship Series leagues.

Since ACC expansion in 2004, the league is 2-18 versus top-10 competition and 9-33 versus the Top 25, by far the worst marks among the six BCS leagues.

Wake Forest and Boston College at least held up their end of the deal with victories over Baylor and Kent State, respectively. They and everyone else have much work ahead to convince themselves and others that the league is relevant beyond the respective fan bases.

The Commonwealth contributed a pair of losses to the cause — one expected, the other not so much.

Clemson, the prohibitive favorite, came up pitifully short against an Alabama team that most observers think is still a year or two away from being part of the national discussion.

A North Carolina State team expected to struggle displayed minus ability to move the ball in a shutout loss to a South Carolina squad considered no better than mid-level in the Southeastern Conference.

North Carolina and Maryland needed big individual performances simply to hold off Football Championship Subdivision opponents.

If UNC's Brandon Tate doesn't channel Chicago Bears All-Pro Devin Hester, the Tar Heels likely lose to McNeese State — whose home, by the way, Lake Charles, La., is getting smacked by Hurricane Gustav — on a peculiar evening that included a nearly two-hour weather delay, a five-minute halftime and a stadium that was mostly empty by game's conclusion.

Maryland running back Da'Rel Scott was one of the few bright spots as the Terps offense cracked the Delaware red zone exactly twice in a 14-7 win.

Granted, Delaware and McNeese State are traditional FCS (formerly Division I-AA) powers whose rosters are dotted with former I-A players. But one-score victories against programs with three-quarters of your scholarships and a fraction of your operating budget don't do much for a team's, and a league's, reputation.

Speaking of reputations, Clemson was supposed to carry the torch for the conference this season. Fat contract extension for coach Tommy Bowden, top-10 ranking, upperclass-heavy, playmakers galore on both sides of the ball.

Then came zero net rushing yards and 400-plus yards by Alabama in a game that was all but over at halftime.

For a segment of the Tiger faithful that's seen this movie too many times in recent years, there's a new meaning for the school's fund-raising arm, IPTAY: I Pray Tommy Abdicates, Y'all.

Which brings us back to the state's two entries.

Virginia wasn't going to beat Southern Cal. The Trojans are national championship-caliber, while the Cavs field what looks like a second-tier ACC team.

The disheartening part for coach Al Groh and the troops was the way Virginia lost. They were mistake-prone, understandable in an opening game, and sluggish, which is less excusable. They all but admitted that they offered little resistance in a 52-7 history lesson.

The Cavs' schedule is more manageable in the coming weeks, but is back-heavy, beginning with the Oct. 11 home game against East Carolina — suddenly, another opportunity for the ACC to register a quality non-conference win.

Virginia Tech couldn't manage the feat. Though ECU's 27-22 victory can provide a boost to the program for years to come, the immediate significance won't be apparent until both teams assemble a body of work this season.

Though Tech offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring and quarterback Sean Glennon are the pinatas du jour — just to mix languages — the Hokies have several areas of concern.: the offensive line and defensive secondary, particularly without cornerback Macho Harris and his injured foot, to name two.

The Hokies' next chance for a notch on the league's belt comes at the end of the month against Nebraska. Before then, there are dangerous intramural — pardon, conference — games against Georgia Tech and Carolina.

Eight percent of the season doesn't qualify as a trend. However, it certainly can contribute to one.

Only 69 days until basketball season.

 

ACC bigger, but certainly not better
David Steele
September 1, 2008

One week into the college football season might be a little early to remind everybody of what a disaster the big expansion was for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Or maybe not.

Another year, another lone guaranteed spot in a Bowl Championship Series game for the not-so-new, not-so-super conference. On the first day of September, of course, there's no guarantee that the rest of the season will follow the path of the opening weekend. But it would take the rest of the country's plunging back to the ACC pack to get more than one team playing on or around New Year's Day.

It has been said before, and it has to be said again: It wasn't supposed to be like this. But never mind, for a second, the grand vision the conference had five years ago when it greedily gutted the Big East - er, expanded to match the growth of its megaconference brethren. The expectations for this season were scaled down but still ambitious. Were.

Clemson and Virginia Tech were overwhelming favorites to win their divisions, create a high-profile conference championship game matchup at its new site in Tampa, Fla., and even put both at least somewhere in the national championship conversation. Clemson began the season ranked ninth in the country, Virginia Tech 17th.

Then, on Saturday: East Carolina 27, Virginia Tech 22. Splat!

And later that night: Alabama 34, Clemson 10. Plop!

Both losses took place in front of national television audiences. As did North Carolina State's 31-0 loss to South Carolina on Thursday and Virginia's 52-7 throttling by Southern California on Saturday, although both are expected to be bottom-feeders.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Gustav helped put Maryland into a schedule vacancy and onto the national TV stage - and, wow, what a show the Terps put on against Delaware. And this is with no Joe Flacco in uniform for the Blue Hens anymore. Of course, some would say that Maryland played without a quarterback, too.

Brief digression: There was a little more clarity yesterday on the Thumb of Mystery. Jordan Steffy's digit is hurt enough to have undergone X-rays. There was less clarity on whether he keeps his job. When asked whether Steffy would start at Middle Tennessee State if he is healthy, Ralph Friedgen said he hadn't decided. Yikes. The rest of the campus is on the semester system; Friedgen appears to be grading every quarter.

Now, back to the ACC face-cracking.

Everywhere you looked last weekend, the conference was absorbing abuse on the field and ridicule off. Some showcase for a conference on the bounce-back. High hopes, exposed as high hype.

Only Wake Forest, the third of the three ranked ACC teams, did what it was supposed to do, handling Baylor, 41-13, on the road Thursday. The readjusted ambitions now focus on Wake and Florida State, which avoided shame by not playing over the weekend. Of course, there's always Miami, which won its scrimmage against Charleston Southern. Remember when the ACC brain trust saw Florida State-Miami in an annual dream championship game matchup, grabbing eyeballs and printing money and making the Southeastern Conference and Big 12 title games look like intramurals?

You might not remember. It was a long time ago.

How this is all so much better than it used to be isn't clear. Once upon a time, ACC football was a fun way to occupy students before heading to the arena for Midnight Madness. Now that the ACC is a football-mad monster conference ... uh, what day does basketball practice start?

 

Virginia's Groh disappointed in everyone, including his QB
August 30, 2008 9:55 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Virginia quarterback Peter Lalich sat slouched in his chair and avoided eye contact with just about everyone. He spoke slowly and cautiously, being careful to say the right thing.

When asked what might have been his easiest question -- "When did you find out you were starting today?" -- Lalich looked at the floor.

"Um, that's ... I'm not allowed to talk about that," he said.

Whether it was five minutes before the start of the game or five weeks ago, it's irrelevant now.

"Our quarterback turned the ball over too many times today," coach Al Groh said.

For a guy who was so secretive about Lalich for almost six months, it sure didn't take long to call him out.

Lalich completed 18-of-35 passes for 155 yards and was sacked twice, but the rookie line in front of him couldn't hold off the pressure barreling down from USC. Even standout left tackle Eugene Monroe made a few mistakes. Lalich said the time his line gave him was "adequate."

"A lot of times it seems like it might be the linemen's fault, sometimes it's the quarterback's fault," he said. "We have different types of protection. Sometimes it's five men blocking, sometimes it's six men blocking."

Lalich's 155-yard performance is the most by a UVA quarterback in his first start since David Rivers threw for 228 yards against Georgia Tech in 1999.

Still, Groh said, "It wouldn't be right for me or anybody to say that anybody played well today."

Groh knew what he was getting the Cavaliers into when he scheduled them to play the No. 3 team in the nation.

He expected more, though, from his own team, despite the fact that there were 11 Cavaliers who made their first start today against a team contending for the national title.

Virginia was held to 32 rushing yards. It was 2-of-12 on third-down conversions. The Cavaliers fumbled four times, and lost the ball three times. USC punted twice. The numbers go on and on ...

"We knew it was going to take a lot on our part to be able to pull this off," Groh said. "To play as poorly as we played and to have lost is not acceptable. ... Our attitude about our team is it's not OK to play like that."

He can change the attitude. But Groh is going to be hard-pressed to find a better quarterback right now. And after Saturday, it's no secret.




 

Test of trip satisfied Leitao
U.Va. basketball team went 2-1 in Montreal exhibitions
Tuesday, Sep 02, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

It was nearly midnight by the time the University of Virginia men's basketball team checked into its hotel in Montreal on Friday.

By the time the Cavaliers arrived back at school Sunday, it was past 10 p.m. In between, they played three exhibition games against college teams from Canada in a span of about 24 hours.

"It was a challenging trip, all three days," Virginia coach Dave Leitao said last night, and that was fine with him.

"I purposely wanted [the players] to deal with some levels of adversity and see how they would respond," said Leitao, whose roster for the trip included only one senior, center Tunji Soroye.

Missing its top returning scorer from 2007-08 -- senior swingman Mamadi Diane, who's recovering from foot surgery -- and two other players (freshman center Assane Sene and junior swingman Solomon Tat), U.Va. went 2-1 in Montreal. The Wahoos beat St. Lawrence 107-60 and Concordia 85-70 on Saturday, then lost 88-83 to McGill University on Sunday.

McGill, which had lost by five points Saturday night to defending NCAA champion Kansas, outscored U.Va. 13-3 in the final 3:02. The victory was McGill's first over an NCAA Division I team in nearly 23 years, and the school's Web site trumpeted the Redmen's feat. But Leitao didn't sound despondent over the loss last night.

"The last minute of the game I was trying to win," he said, "but if it were about winning, I'd have played different lineups to start and finish the game."

Virginia's leading scorer in Montreal was junior guard Calvin Baker, who averaged 16 points and shot 19 of 35 from the floor. Freshman guard Sylven Landesberg averaged 17 points and 11.5 rebounds in the first two games, but his production plummeted after he sprained an ankle early against McGill. Landesberg finished that game with two points and one board.

Sophomore guard Jeff Jones shot poorly (13 for 34) but was second on the team in scoring (13.7 ppg) on the trip. Sophomore power forward Mike Scott averaged 10.7 points and 7 rebounds and junior center Jerome Meyinsse 8 and 7 in the the three games.

"He played physical," Leitao said of Meyinsse. "He got a number of traffic rebounds and was a little bit more steady defensively than I remembered."

The latter was also true for the team, which ranked among the ACC's worst in defense last season.

"We talked about it from day one . . . that we had to focus in defensively and become better at it," Leitao said. "Over the course of three days, we did it. It waned a little bit Sunday, but I attributed a lot of that to fatigue."

Sene, a 7-footer from Senegal who has been in the United States about 16 months, didn't accompany the team to Montreal "due to pending clarification of his initial eligibility status," U.Va. announced Friday. But Leitao said such delays are "very typical" for the NCAA Clearinghouse, which must approve the transcripts of incoming freshmen, and he expects Sene to be eligible this year.