UVa defense stout before ex-aide
Richmond, coached by former Virginia defensive coordinator Mike London, is held to 194 yards.
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- One year ago, Mike London would have been delighted with Virginia's defensive performance against Richmond.

On Saturday, he could only admire it.

London, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator for the past two seasons, was on the losing end as UVa blanked his first Spiders' team 16-0 at Scott Stadium.

"I think he was proud of what he left behind," UVa linebacker Clint Sintim said, "but I know he was wishing for a different outcome."

Virginia struggled offensively for most of the afternoon and nursed a 3-0 lead until late in the fourth quarter, when Mikell Simpson finally gave the Cavaliers some breathing room on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:25 remaining.

Richmond (1-1) subsequently drove to Virginia's 5-yard line, but an end zone interception by redshirt freshman Chase Minniefield ended the threat.

Vic Hall ended the scoring with a 60-yard interception return with 2:08 left.

"We saw this as a significant challenge," said UVa coach Al Groh, whose troops were coming off a 52-7 home loss to Southern California in their season opener.

"There were quite a few people in the county who saw us as the underdog."

Groh did not produce a list of names, but the Spiders are ranked third in Division I-AA and returned 16 starters from a team that won 11 games in 2007.

UVa outgained Richmond 295-194, but the Spiders did not lack for chances.

Richmond had eight possessions on which it got to UVa's 40 or deeper, including two that resulted in 29-yard field-goal tries, but the Cavaliers would not break.

Virginia blocked one of Andrew Howard's field-goal attempts and deflected the other, but there was no cause for rejoicing until Minniefield's interception with 4:10 left.

The Cavaliers led 10-0 at the time, but Richmond had responded with its best drive of the day, marching from its 26 to the Virginia 5, where it had second-and-goal.

Richmond quarterback Eric Ward appeared headed for the end zone until he was met at the 2 by UVa linebacker Jon Copper, whose hit caused Ward to fumble.

The ball rolled into the end zone, where it was recovered by the Spiders' Jordan Mitchell for what would have been a touchdown if not for a flag behind the play.

An illegal procedure penalty nullified the Spiders' apparent score, but UVa wasn't home safely. Richmond was sent back to the 10 for a repeat of second down, but the Cavaliers caught a break.

Ward was shaken up on Copper's hit and required medical attention, which meant he had to leave the game. He was replaced for one play by back-up Will Healey, whose second-and-goal pass hit the upright.

When Ward returned for third down, he was flushed out of the pocket and was victimized by Minniefield, whose interception took a field goal out of the equation.

"Two things you have to be able to do are run the ball in the fourth quarter and rush the passer," Groh said.

The Cavaliers had six sacks, including 1 12 by redshirt freshman Matt Conrath, and 10 tackles for loss. How well they were able to run the ball in the fourth quarter is open to debate.

The touchdown that made it 10-0 followed a 21-yard Richmond punt that gave Virginia possession at its 46.

Cedric Peerman opened the drive with a 9-yard run and Simpson added a 9-yard run to the Richmond 7, but it took five more rushing attempts before UVa could reach the end zone.

Virginia has based its 2008 promotional efforts on the slogan, "Power of Orange," but it was more like an orange power outage on a day that UVa recognized its 1989 team, one of the school's all-time offensive juggernauts.

Peerman ran for 17 yards on UVa's first offensive play and added a second 17-yard run later in the drive. He injured a hip with 11 minutes remaining in the first quarter and played sparingly the rest of the day. He finished with 10 carries for 60 yards.

"Every time he takes the field, you get that type of tough performance," Groh said. "He took a very substantial hit early in the game, but he will never lay the flag down easily."

The first drive summed up Virginia's day. A pass to Kevin Ogletree gave the Cavaliers a first-and-goal at the Richmond 1, but Simpson lost yardage on back-to-back running plays before Peter Lalich threw an incompletion.

Simpson, who had four carries for minus yardage on the first drive alone, finished with 23 carries for 36 yards. Lalich was 21-of-39 for 204 yards but was intercepted twice.

On the first, Jordan Shoop picked off a fourth-and-2 pass at the Spiders' 13 and returned it 63 yards before he was tackled by UVa wide receiver Cary Koch. A touchdown there would have given Richmond tremendous momentum going into halftime.

"If you're competitive and you want to win games, then somewhere along the line, you have to make your chances come to fruition," London said. "If the spider has eight legs, I think we shot ourselves all eight times."
 

Lalich questions persist
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia coach Al Groh came out swinging Saturday when asked about the possible distractions caused by Peter Lalich's appearance on a police blotter earlier this week.

Papers were filed in Charlottesville General District Court on Thursday, charging Lalich with violation of the probation to which he agreed after a July summons for underage alcohol possession.

The Charlottesville Daily Progress cited court documents in its Friday report that Lalich had told his probation officer that he had used marijuana and consumed alcohol during his probation. However, two other reporters were told the documents were unavailable after stopping by the courthouse.

"We're here to talk about football," said Groh following the Cavaliers' 16-0 victory over Richmond on Saturday. "It's unfortunate that some people have chosen to misrepresent the player without knowing all the facts. Those people should examine themselves."

When asked if he been distracted by late-week events, Lalich said he had not. He completed eight of his first 10 passes, often finding receivers in tight places, but was intercepted in each half and finished 21-of-39 for a career-high 204 yards.

"I'm just glad we won," Lalich said.

Groh said that Lalich was "probably a little inconsistent" but attributed some of that to penalties. UVa was penalized nine times for 103 yards, one of the rare occasions under Groh when it has been over 100.

On Virginia's second drive of the game, Lalich connected with Kevin Ogletree on an apparent 25-yard completion to Richmond's 35, but offensive tackle Will Barker was called for holding.

Barker was called for two holding penalties, Chase Minniefield and Mike Parker each were called for an interference penalty, and the Cavaliers were called for three other holding penalties -- two on kick returns.

Newest retirees

The 1989 team that provided Virginia with a share of the ACC championship, its first, was recognized at halftime. Also, five members of that team had their jerseys retired -- wide receiver Herman Moore, running back Terry Kirby, defensive end Chris Slade, offensive guard Mark Dixon and linebacker Ray Savage.

All of those players will be recognized in a Legends Walk behind the scoreboard. So will offensive tackle Ray Roberts, who will have his jersey retired at the next Virginia game he can attend in person.

Odds and ends

Vic Hall's 60-yard interception return for a touchdown was the longest by the Cavaliers since a game-turning 95-yard interception return by Antwan Harris against North Carolina in 1996. ... Kevin Ogletree, who missed the 2007 season after reconstructive knee surgery, had eight receptions for 103 yards.

Virginia next week

The Cavaliers (1-1) visit Connecticut (2-0) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Huskies, 17-16 losers at Scott Stadium last year, defeated host Temple 12-9 in overtime Saturday.
 

Simply D-lightful
Cavs' long dry spell ends as stout defensive effort stymies Spiders
Sunday, Sep 07, 2008 - 12:07 AM Updated: 01:02 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

For the first time in nearly 10 months, the Virginia Cavaliers walked off the football field victorious.

U.Va. beat the University of Richmond 16-0 yesterday, spoiling Mike London's return to the school where he worked for six seasons. But the win didn't come easily for Virginia, which had dropped three straight since mauling ACC rival Miami 48-0 last November.

Against the No. 3-ranked team in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision, the Cavaliers had a mere three points on the board when they got the ball with 12:49 remaining.

The Spiders, of course, had zero, and U.Va.'s defense showed no signs of breaking. Still, Virginia's offense felt pressure to produce as the crowd of 51,007 at Scott Stadium watched anxiously.

"Our job is to score points," U.Va. wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said. "Obviously we're going to be a little bit frustrated. But we never got down, never looked for excuses or blamed anyone. We knew we were going to have to score some points to win the game, because three wasn't going to be enough to beat anyone."

As it turned out, Yannick Reyering's first-quarter field goal might have been enough against UR (1-1) yesterday. But Virginia (1-1), its offensive line finally creating holes for the tailbacks, drove 54 yards for a touchdown that made it a 10-point game, a substantial lead given how well the Wahoos' defense played all day.

First-year coordinator Bob Pruett's charges sacked Richmond quarterback Eric Ward six times, forced three turnovers and scored the game's final points on junior cornerback Vic Hall's 60-yard interception return for a TD with 2:08 left.

Defensive standouts included several players with whom most U.Va. fans aren't familiar: redshirt freshman end Matt Conrath, redshirt freshman nose tackle Nick Jenkins, sophomore lineman John-Kevin Dolce and redshirt freshman cornerback Chase Minnifield.

"It's a team effort," Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim said. "Some days the offense may not be as good. Some days the defense may not be as good. Our job as defenders is to help the offense any way we can."

London, whose second stint on Virginia coach Al Groh's staff was as defensive coordinator, probably felt a measure of happiness for the players he'd coached before leaving for UR. But the Spiders' first-year coach rued the opportunities his team squandered yesterday.

UR kicker Andrew Howard missed two field-goal attempts one was deflected by Conrath, the other batted down by Jenkins and Ward turned the ball over three times in the fourth quarter.

"We kept getting the ball on the other side of the 50 and just couldn't get any points," London said. "So if the spider has eight legs, I think we shot ourselves all eight times."

In his second start at quarterback for U.Va., sophomore Peter Lalich grew shakier as the game went on. In the second half, Lalich completed only 5 of 12 passes. Overall, he was 21 for 39 for 204 yards and had two passes intercepted.

If not for the hustle of U.Va. wideout Cary Koch, who chased down UR linebacker Jordan Shoop, Lalich's second pick might have been returned for a TD in the final minute of the first half.

Senior tailback Cedric Peerman rushed 10 times for 60 yards against a stout UR defense. Junior tailback Mikell Simpson, who had minus-10 yards rushing at halftime, ran for 46 and a TD after intermission. Ogletree (eight catches, 103 yards) was as effective for U.Va. as L.C. Bird High product Kevin Grayson (eight catches, 111 yards) was for UR.

"Obviously, it was good enough to win, so we're happy about that," Lalich said of the offense's effort. "Obviously, there were plays left on the field still. We need to work on that, and we're going to."

Groh expected UR to be a tough foe, he said, so "we're real pleased with the win and proud of our team for how we hung in there time after time again. That's what teams have to do to put wins together. We were able to do that quite a bit last year, but that type of mentality has to be re-established and solidified again with each particular team. It doesn't just grow back."

 

UR-U.VA. NOTES
Sunday, Sep 07, 2008 - 12:07 AM

Five jerseys retired to expand list to eight
The number of former football greats who have their jerseys retired at U.Va. grew to eight with the addition yesterday of tailback Terry Kirby, wide receiver Herman Moore, offensive guard Mark Dixon and defensive ends Chris Slade and Ray Savage. All were at Scott Stadium for Virginia's game with Richmond.

Previously, defensive end Chris Long, tailback Tiki Barber and his twin, cornerback Ronde Barber, had been so honored at U.Va.

Though their jerseys have been retired, the players' numbers will remain active, which means current Cavaliers can still wear them.

Staff, family ties
The most obvious connections between Virginia and Richmond involve Richmond's coaching staff. In addition to UR head coach Mike London, who spent six years on U.Va.'s staff, the Spiders' list of assistants includes Byron Thweatt, who played and coached at Virginia, Vincent Brown, who coached at Virginia, and Bill Polin, who coached at Virginia.

Another connection involves the Bischoff family. William Bischoff is a junior tight end for the Spiders who graduated from Douglas Freeman High School. His father, Bobby Bischoff, played football at U.Va. during 1967-71.

Also, UR back-up punter Brett Weigand is the brother of former U.Va. punter Ryan Weigand, UR true freshman DB Darryl Hamilton is the brother of former U.Va. DB Marcus Hamilton (now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Virginia aide Wayne Lineburg is a former UR assistant.

Dowling back
Sophomore Ras-I Dowling, who was expected to start at cornerback this season, made his 2008 debut for Virginia yesterday. Dowling, who missed the opener against Southern California with a leg injury, made a tackle on the opening kickoff against UR.

Sign of the times
For the second straight Saturday, signs were officially not allowed at Scott Stadium. That, of course, is because the university recently banned signs at all of its athletic events.

U.Va. student David Becker nearly got ejected from a football game at Scott Stadium last year for displaying a "Fire Groh" sign.

The target of that sign, football coach Al Groh, said Thursday that he didn't learn of the new policy until somebody asked him about it Tuesday afternoon.

Asked what he thought about the ban on signs, Groh said, "No feelings whatsoever. I didn't read them when they were up, so I won't miss them when they're down."

Groh said the signs had no effect on him.

"I've got enough things to deal with than what's on the signs and how many signs are up there," Groh said. "So really, it's an irrelevant matter to me. I don't know the pros and cons to [the new policy], and I don't know the reaction to it. I'm not a good person to ask an opinion of."

Fond memories
Groh's first victory as U.Va.'s coach came Sept. 1, 2001, at Scott Stadium. Virginia bolted to a 17-0 lead, then held on for a 17-16 win over Richmond, which missed an extra-point attempt with 8:50 left.

Also that day, Groh's first grandchild, a boy named Cameron, was born to his daughter Ashley Anne.

"Fourteen days early," Groh told reporters after the game. "That's the best thing that happened all day."

Bonus games for FCS
Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Tom Yeager views games vs. FBS competition as "bonus games," gravy in addition to FCS competition, for FCS programs. "Kids want to play them," Yeager said.

That perspective was echoed by UR linebacker Collin McConaghy, a 6-0, 223-pound junior and preseason all-CAA choice from Madison Heights: "Your goal as a high school player when you want to play college football is to get that [FBS] offer. If you don't reach that goal, it's nothing to get upset about, but obviously you look forward to it when that [FBS] game comes around."

A matter of money
Yeager, additionally, noted there is a "a revenue component" to FCS-at-FBS matchups. The Spiders picked up a $235,000 guarantee for yesterday's game at Virginia. For an FCS program, scheduling a nearby FBS program is excellent for regional exposure and also a sound choice when considering the "revenue component" that Yeager mentioned.

"You don't have to spend your guarantee on an airplane," he said.

Consolation signing
London woke up today knowing he has a son playing in the NFL. Brandon London, a Fork Union Military Academy and University of Massachusetts alumnus, last week was signed by the Miami Dolphins after he was waived by the New York Giants.

Former UR assistant Bill Baker, a Dolphins scout, was among those who recommended that Miami sign Brandon London, according to Mike London. Former UR coach Jim Reid is in his first season as a defensive assistant with the Dolphins. Brandon London spent last season on the Giants' practice squad.

Points paucity
Play Virginia, struggle to score. That's been the story for Richmond over the years. Before yesterday's meeting with the Cavaliers, the Spiders had lost three times in Charlottesville since 1997. UR was defeated 26-7, 34-6 and 17-16 in those games. -- John O'Connor and Jeff White

 

Making their way on 'D'
Virginia's defense creates three turnovers to beat former aide Mike London's Spiders.
The associated press
September 7, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Richmond coach Mike London might be wishing he hadn't done such a good job schooling Virginia's defensive players the past two years.

With the Cavaliers' offense struggling with poor field position and inconsistency, the defense stepped up Saturday with two interceptions in the final 4:10, including one that Vic Hall returned 60 yards for the final points in Virginia's 16-0 victory.

The other interception at the goal line by Chase Minnifield, a redshirt freshman who struggled in the season-opening 52-7 loss to Southern California, turned back Richmond's last serious threat and preserved the shutout of a team coached by the Cavaliers' former defensive coordinator.

Richmond played much of the game on Virginia's end of the field but was repeatedly stymied by sacks, batted-down passes and missed field goals, including one that was blocked by Nick Jenkins.

"I'm proud of our team for hanging in there time after time," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "That's what teams have to do in order to put wins together. We were able to do that quite a bit last year, but that type of mentality has to be re-established and solidified with each particular team. It doesn't just grow back."

Hall said another aspect of the Virginia defense's mentality is to score points, and that was going through his mind when he picked off Eric Ward's pass with a little over two minutes left. Hall stretched his 5-foot-9 frame to corral the ball and headed down the right sideline, stiff-arming his way past Ward en route to his second career touchdown.

"We always stress to our defense that when you get the ball, you turn into an offensive player, so I did what I had to do to get away from him," Hall said.

While the Virginia defense excelled, the offense couldn't get much going against the opponent from the second-tier Football Championship Subdivision. The Cavaliers (1-1) managed only 91 yards on 38 carries and relied heavily on the arm of Peter Lalich, who was 21-for-39 for 204 yards but threw two interceptions.

One of those picks came late in the first half deep in Spiders territory — one of three fourth-down gambles that backfired on the Cavaliers. Richmond's Jordan Shoop returned the interception 63 yards to the Virginia 24 before being caught from behind.

Three plays later, Andrew Howard missed a 29-yard field-goal attempt, leaving the score 3-0 at the half.

Virginia's other fourth-down blunders were an incomplete pass from the Richmond 31 and a stuffed quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 from the Cavaliers' 29 on the first possession of the second half. Even with that excellent starting position, Richmond (1-1) couldn't score after Ward was sacked on third down.

"We kept getting chances," said London, a Bethel High graduate. "If you're competitive and you want to win games, then you have to, somewhere along the line, make your chances come to fruition.

"You've got to be able to capitalize on it. If you don't capitalize, you always have a taste of, 'If I would've, could've, should've.' "

 

UVa defense pitches a shutout
By Andy Bitter
Published: September 7, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Its pride wounded by a Southern California offense that stormed Scott Stadium last week and had its way, piling up yards and points at an alarming rate, the Virginia defense felt it had to redeem itself against Richmond on Saturday.
It did, rebuffing a never-ending string of Spiders scoring opportunities time after time in a 16-0 win.
“That unit stepped up and did what had to be done today,” Virginia coach Al Groh said.
Richmond (1-1) advanced the ball into Virginia territory nine times on the afternoon, getting inside the 30-yard line on five occasions. It produced nothing.
The Cavaliers (1-1) held the Spiders to 194 total yards and came up with a handful of disruptive plays, registering six sacks, forcing three turnovers and blocking two field goals.
Cornerback Vic Hall added the finishing touch, intercepting an Eric Ward pass in the fourth quarter and returning it 60 yards for his first defensive touchdown.
“Obviously our pride was hurt (last week),” UVa linebacker Clint Sintim said. “It was a demoralizing loss. We didn’t come to play like we did today. Our defense really came to play. I’m proud of the other 10 guys on the field out there.”
It was Virginia’s first shutout in nearly 10 months — it blanked Miami 48-0 in the Orange Bowl finale last November — which also happened to be the last time it won a game.
The win resembled several from last season — lacking style points and, at times, too close for comfort against the third-ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA), which was coached by former UVa defensive coordinator Mike London.
Virginia had 103 penalty yards, averaged a mere 2.4 yards per carry and got an erratic performance by quarterback Peter Lalich, who was 21-for-39 for 204 yards and two interceptions after being in the news all week when reports circulated that he violated his probation from an underage drinking charge over the summer.
He had great chemistry with wideout Kevin Ogletree, who caught eight passes for 103 yards, but his mistakes mounted in the second half, when he completed just five passes.
“Obviously there were plays left on the field still,” Lalich said. “We need to work on that and we’re going to.”
Virginia got a 26-yard field goal by Yannick Reyering on its first drive that could only be classified as disappointing after the team had first-and-goal six inches from the goal line.
That would be all the scoring for a while. The Cavaliers were primed for points before the half but Lalich telegraphed a fourth-down pass in the flat to Cary Koch. Spiders linebacker Jordan Shoop jumped the route and picked it off, finally getting chased down at the UVa 24 by Koch and tight end John Phillips after a 63-yard return.
Koch and Phillips’ hustle proved crucial. Richmond ran two plays before Andrew Howard attempted a 29-yard field goal with five seconds left. UVa lineman Matt Conrath got a piece of it and the kick sailed wide, preserving the Cavaliers’ 3-0 lead heading into the locker room.
It was the beginning of a trend. The Spiders threatened on four more possessions in the second half but got nothing to show for it.
A 14-yard sack by Sintim and John-Kevin Dolce pushed Richmond out of field goal range on one drive. Defensive tackle Nick Jenkins blocked another 29-yard field goal attempt on another before the Spiders went three-and-out after picking off Lalich at the UVa 43.
Richmond was 1-for-12 on third down conversions.
While the Cavaliers didn’t run the ball well, they moved the chains when they needed to, getting 38 of their 91 rushing yards in the fourth quarter.
Though hobbled on the first drive, Cedric Peerman ran 10 times for 60 yards in the game. Mikell Simpson was the go-to back when Virginia finally put the game out of reach, carrying the ball six times on a 12-play, 54-yard drive that ended when he darted into the end zone from 1 yard out to make it 10-0 with 7:25 to play.
“Two things you have to be able to do to win games is run the ball in the fourth quarter and rush the passer,” Groh said. “And we had success there when we had to.”
Virginia forced three turnovers from there on out. Cornerback Chase Minnifield intercepted a Ward pass in the end zone that killed Richmond’s last real chance. Ward, the reigning CAA offensive player of the week, was 16-for-33 for 175 yards and two interceptions. The dual threat quarterback finished with minus-36 yards rushing.
A pretty victory? No. But after 10 months — and last week’s disastrous effort — Virginia is glad just to get back in the win column.
Said Sintim: “It has been a while.”


 

UVa notes
By Andy Bitter
Published: September 7, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Vic Hall had waited for an opportunity to score on defense ever since he switched to cornerback. So the Virginia junior wasn’t about to let a quarterback drag him down on the way to the end zone.
With that in mind, Hall repelled Richmond’s Eric Ward after a fourth-quarter interception, stiff-arming the quarterback into the turf as he galloped into the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown to seal Virginia’s 16-0 win on Saturday.
“You always dream of scoring on defense,” said Hall, a former Gretna star.
Hall had a solid day all around. He made two tackles and defended several passes — including a deep ball in the second quarter — in UVa’s shutout effort. The interception return for a score was just the icing.
“I was just happy for him,” said Virginia coach Al Groh, who nearly went down to the end zone himself to congratulate Hall after his touchdown. “He’s just such a great kid, does everything we ask of him, had done a fine job throughout the game. It just really shows his general maturation as a corner.”
Hall, who was the team’s holder last year, scored on a fake field goal against Pittsburgh last year. Against Middle Tennessee, he had a punt return for a touchdown that was negated by a block in the back.
His stiff arm assured he wouldn’t be denied this time. It looked familiar to tailback Cedric Peerman, a William Campbell graduate who faced the former Gretna quarterback in high school several times.
“He taught me that,” Peerman said with a smile. “I got hit by that a couple times in high school, if I remember.”
Bittersweet homecoming
Mike London’s return to Scott Stadium was a difficult one. The Richmond coach, who spent the previous two years as defensive coordinator for the Cavaliers and had coached six total years in Charlottesville, tried to separate the competition from the camaraderie he had with the Virginia players he used to coach.
“I’m disappointed we lost the game, but at the same time, I have established relationships with those players and coaches that are life-long relationships, and you can’t shorten that off,” London said.
London is the fourth Virginia assistant in the last three years to get a head coaching gig. Groh predicted success for his former coordinator.
“In general, it was exactly what we expected from a Mike London-coached team,” Groh said. “Hard-nosed and well-prepared. He’s got a real good team and he ought to be in position to win a lot of games this year.”
Man in the middle
Richmond middle linebacker Collin McConaghy, a 2005 graduate of Amherst County High, led the way for the Spiders defensively, finishing with a team-best nine tackles, seven of which were solo tackles. The junior also had a tackle for a loss, pushing tailback Mikell Simpson out of bounds for a loss of two in the first quarter.
Ban this
A large number of students protested Scott Stadium’s “no-sign” policy by bringing in blank sheets of paper and holding them up in unison at various points during the game. ESPN the Magazine columnist Rick Reilly suggested such an idea in his national column this week, challenging the school to define what exactly constitutes a sign.
Virginia instituted the sign ban at all athletic events beginning in the middle of August, a decision that has drawn criticism for infringing on the fans’ freedom of expression.
Retro recognition
The Cavaliers donned orange throwback jerseys with white helmets to honor the George Welsh-coached teams from 1984-93. Welsh and several players were on hand from the 1989 team, the first in school history to win a share of the ACC title and still the only UVa team to win 10 games.
The school used the opportunity to retire the jerseys of five Cavalier greats: Ray Savage (56), Herman Moore (87), Terry Kirby (42), Chris Slade (85) and Mark Dixon (66).
Extra points
Cornerback Ras-I Dowling (leg) played on the kickoff coverage unit and made a tackle early in the game. Groh intended to use him later in the game but was informed Dowling could not go. … Mike Parker started in Dowling’s place and finished with seven tackles, tied with DE Matt Conrath for the most on the team. … Linebacker John-Kevin Dolce played as a pass rusher in UVa’s nickel defense and registered 1½ sacks.


 

Cavs relish first win in 'awhile'
September 7, 2008 12:16 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

When University of Virginia cornerback Vic Hall raced to the end zone after an interception in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers' 16-0 nonconference victory over Richmond yesterday, he and his teammates could finally exhale.

Hall's 60-yard return with 2:08 left in the game sealed the Cavaliers' first victory since a 48-0 triumph over Miami last Nov. 10.

That's part of the reason why senior linebacker Clint Sintim and other Cavaliers swarmed Hall in the end zone, celebrating the second touchdown of the junior's career.

"It's been awhile," a relieved Sintim said of finally collecting another victory. "Sometimes you forget because you have that long offseason and workouts. The last time we had this feeling was the Miami game, and that was a shutout, too."

Since the win over the Hurricanes, the Cavaliers (1-1) dropped a hard-fought 2007 season finale to Virginia Tech, gave up a fourth-quarter lead in the Gator Bowl against Texas Tech and were annihilated 52-7 by Southern California last week.

Yesterday, their offense was unspectacular in front of a crowd of 51,007 in Scott Stadium. However, their defense carried them.

It collected six sacks, forced three turnovers and held the Spiders (1-1) to 19 yards rushing. It thwarted Richmond nine times in their territory, including five Spiders trips inside Virginia's 30-yard line.

The most frustrating of those visits for Richmond first-year head coach Mike London may have been when quarterback Eric Ward threw his first interception of the game--three plays after his team had first-and-goal from Virginia's 5. The Spiders trailed 10-0 with 4:10 left in the game when redshirt freshman cornerback Chase Minniefield picked off Ward on the left sideline.

"If you're competitive and you want to win games, then you have to, somewhere along the line, make your chances come to fruition," said London, Virginia's former defensive coordinator. "You have to be able to capitalize on it. If you don't capitalize, you always have a taste of would've, could've, should've."

The Spiders, the No. 3 ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision, certainly have a right to feel that way. They had a viable opportunity to pull off the upset.

They trailed just 3-0 until Virginia junior running back Mikell Simpson scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:25 left in the game.

Ward hooked up with wide receiver Kevin Grayson eight times for 111 yards, but the Cavaliers' defense constantly came up with key stops, oftentimes from first-year players like freshman defensive end Matt Conrath (two sacks) and first-year linebacker John-Kevin Dolce (11/2 sacks).

"We had some young players play a substantial amount of time and they turned in positive performances," Cavaliers head coach Al Groh said. "We're really pleased with the way they moved forward."

The same couldn't be said for Virginia's offensive players. The running game picked up just 91 yards.

Sophomore quarterback Peter Lalich threw two interceptions, and he completed just 5-of-12 passes for 46 yards in the second half.

"No quarterback is going to be perfect," said junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, the offense's lone bright spots with 103 yards receiving. "Peter did a good job in my eyes Richmond wasn't going to come in here and give us a win."

Lalich's first interception was thrown to Spiders' sophomore linebacker Jordan Shoop with the Cavaliers threatening to score at the end of the second quarter.

Shoop returned the interception 63 yards to Virginia's 24-yard line, but Richmond junior kicker Andrew Howard missed the first of two 29-yard field goal attempts. The second attempt was blocked by Cavaliers' defensive lineman Nick Jenkins.

Those stops helped secure the Cavaliers' 20th all-time shutout over Richmond in 29 meetings, but it was far from easy.

"We got pretty much what we expected from Richmond," Groh said. "They were a well-prepared, hard-playing team. I'm proud of our team for hanging in there time after time. That's what teams have to do in order to put wins together."

 

Escaping the storm
By Jay Jenkins
Published: September 6, 2008

It seemed quite fitting that Al Groh tore a page out of Richmond coach Mike London’s celebration playbook on “Retro Day.”

With 2:08 left in the game and the contest hanging in the balance, Virginia’s coach sprinted towards the end zone to congratulate cornerback Vic Hall on a 60-yard touchdown return in London-like fashion.

Groh promptly paused at the 5-yard line, well out of the coaches’ box, and clapped with fervor. Virginia was en route to a 16-0 victory in front of a sparse crowd at sun-drenched Scott Stadium.

“I remembered the visit from the supervisor this year and the video that they showed us, which was basically ‘Don’t have any fun,’” Groh recounted. “Frankly, I remembered that and thought I better wait for Vic to come to the sidelines.”

The widespread hoopla that unfolded on Virginia’s sidelines told a bigger story: the Cavaliers had survived a nail-biting experience.

In fact, it took a pair of blocked field goals and two late touchdowns to finish off the Spiders, who entered the game ranked No. 3 in the Championship Subdivision, formerly known as NCAA Division I-AA.

“I’m proud of our team for hanging in there time after time,” Groh said, obviously relieved to have upended London, Virginia’s high-spirited defensive coordinator the past two seasons. “That is what teams have to do in order to put wins together.”

The victory also brought back memories to Virginia’s unconventional ways of winning in 2007. The Cavaliers won six games a year ago by six points or fewer.

“We were able to [hang in there] quite a bit last year, but that type of mentality has to be re-established and solidified with each particular team,” Groh said. “It doesn’t just grow back.”

Saturday’s game appeared headed in the same direction until the fourth quarter.

Leading 3-0 with 12:49 left, Virginia (1-1) put together its most complete offensive possession of the game. The 12-play, 54-yard drive included nine running plays, the last of which came from tailback Mikell Simpson.

After struggling to get past the line of scrimmage the entire game, Simpson followed several blockers into the end zone from 1 yard out with 7:17 left on a pivotal 3rd-and-goal play, making the score 10-0.

“That was a pretty significant play,” Groh said. “It was going to put us in a tough position if we didn’t get that one in to decide what to do.

“It made it a lot easier for me.”

Richmond attempted to counter on its ensuing drive and appeared to have its first touchdown of the game just two minutes later. On 2nd-and-goal from the Virginia 5, Spider quarterback Eric Ward scrambled his way to the 1-yard line before a massive collision forced the ball loose and eventually into the hands of his teammate, Jordan Mitchell, in the middle of the end zone.

The play, however, was negated after Richmond was penalized for illegal procedure. Two plays later and after Ward was sidelined for one snap with an injury, Virginia cornerback Chase Minnifield collected an errant pass for the first interception of his career.

It was one of three turnovers for Richmond, which was also plagued by seven penalties.

“If the spider has eight legs, I think we shot ourselves all eight times,” London said. “It was just so close and it’s a shame the outcome was what it was, but it was a learning experience, and these guys will learn from it and I’m really proud of them.

“[Virginia is a] BCS school and we’re an FCS school and everybody thought we’d get clobbered and, for a really long time, we really held on.”

Minnifield returned the Spiders’ miscue 28 yards, but Virginia punted for the fifth time after failing to convert a first down.

Once again, Ward made a costly mistake. Hall stepped in front of the pass at the Virginia 40 and sped towards the end zone, needing only to beat one defender, which happened with ease from one simple juke move.

“At the start, a nickeback’s job is to keep the wide receiver from getting too far downfield,” Hall said. “As I was standing there, I looked back towards the quarterback and the ball was there. I was in the right place at the right time.

“We always stress to our defense that when you get the ball you turn into an offensive player, so I did what I had to do to get away from [the defender].”

Groh, typically reserved, let his emotions take over.

“I was just happy for [Hall],” Groh said. “He is such a great kid. He does everything that we ask of him. He had done a fine job throughout the game and it really shows his maturation as a corner there to step up and do that.”

Virginia could have erased the doubt in the game’s outcome much earlier, but its first scoring drive stumbled after reaching the Richmond 1. Instead, the Cavaliers were forced to settle for a 26-yard field from Yannick Reyering.

“We really wanted to come up with a score on the first possession,” Groh said. “More particularly, we wanted to be first on the board. We chose the more prudent way to go on the field goal.”

Richmond (1-1) had two chances to tie the game, but a pair of Andrew Howard’s field-goal attempts from 29-yards out were blocked by two of Virginia’s redshirt freshmen. The first was tipped by redshirt freshman Matt Conrath and the latter was batted to the ground by Nick Jenkins.

“Coach [Bob Diaco] just called field-goal block and we lined up for it,” Jenkins said. “Antonio Appleby and I were on the guy and I just got free I guess.

“Clearly, I can’t jump that high so I didn’t get too high off the ground. The guy just kicked the ball [low] I guess.”

Virginia finished the contest with 295 yards of offense, 204 of which came through the air by quarterback Pete Lalich. The sophomore finished 21 of 39 passing and had a pair of interceptions.

Richmond, managed 17 first downs, but amassed only 194 yards of total offense, and allowed Virginia to register its fifth shutout in three seasons.

“To have a shutout and play the way that we did on both sides of the ball in key situations was big,” Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim said. “The offense had some problems, but they came in the fourth quarter and ran the ball well, and they stepped up and made a lot of big plays.”

Virginia returns to action Saturday at Connecticut (2-0) at 7:30 p.m.

 

Peerman carries UVa despite pain
By Bart Isley
Published: September 6, 2008

There was very little chance that Cedric Peerman wasn’t coming back in against Richmond. Flak jacket, whatever — he was coming back.

“I wasn’t going to sit this one out as close as the ballgame was,” Peerman said. “I wasn’t going to sit this one out.”

Peerman got banged up in the first quarter when he “twisted the wrong way” and was quickly fitted with a flak jacket by the Virginia equipment staff and ran the ball twice in the second quarter.

“I think Chase Minnifield said it looked like I put on 30 pounds mid-game,” Peerman said. “He was kind of joking around with me about that.”

Peerman came back in at the start of the Cavaliers’ touchdown drive in the fourth quarter after carrying the ball just one time in the third quarter for a

3-yard gain. He promptly ripped off a 9-yard gain, then plunged ahead for two yards on the ensuing play for a first down.

Three plays later, he hauled in a catch for seven yards, helping kickstart a drive that put the game away for Virginia.

“Every time Cedric goes on the field, you’re going to get that kind of effort,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “He’s never going to lay the flag down, that’s for sure.”

Peerman piled up 60 yards on just 10 carries, and if he hadn’t gotten banged up on the early carry, he’d have surely gotten about twice as many touches. The Cavaliers clearly wanted to establish the run early after a dismal performance on the ground against Southern California, when Virginia adopted a more wide open passing attack from the start.

Against Richmond, four of the first five carries went to Peerman — a 17-yard gain, two runs for a total of one yard, and then, after a 19-yard completion by Peter Lalich to Maurice Covington, a 15-yard jaunt.

Peerman had half as many carries in the first five plays against the Spiders as he did in four quarters against Southern California (8 carries, 32 yards).

The senior captain’s toughness certainly impressed Virginia sophomore guard B.J. Cabbell, who played against Peerman in the Dogwood District when Cabbell was at Nelson County and Peerman suited up for William Campbell. According to Cabbell, little has changed in five years.

“It’s unspeakable how tough he is,” Cabbell said. “I played [against] him in high school and he had a lot of toughness then, he’s just showing it on this level.”

Peerman said being a little banged up won’t keep him out for any time, and if he can find a way not to be forced to add equipment midway through a contest, Virginia could find out how much they can get out of him this season in a full game. It’s clear after the Richmond win — they’ll get all he can possibly muster.

 

UVa heroes get recognition
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: September 6, 2008

Instead of retiring jerseys, Virginia coach Al Groh would probably have preferred to activate some from returning members of the 1989 Cavaliers on Saturday.

The only UVa team to win 10 games in a season and the squad that won the school’s first ACC football championship was celebrated at Scott Stadium as part of the retro weekend. Virginia recognized a decade of Wahoo gridiron exploits from 1984-1993, but singled out the ‘89 team for the day.

Hall of Fame coach George Welsh welcomed back several members of that team, which went

10-3, losing only to No. 2 Notre Dame, to No. 15 Clemson, and to the Big Ten’s Illinois team in the Citrus Bowl.

Among those players returning, five of them had their jerseys retired, a practice that Virginia started last year. Rather than retiring a number that can never be worn again, the Cavaliers instead retire a player’s jersey to honor his deeds.

The five players from the aforementioned era that were honored Saturday were a collection of standout Wahoos: wide receiver Herman Moore, defensive end Chris Slade, offensive guard Mark Dixon, running back Terry Kirby and linebacker Ray Savage.

All five played integral roles in raising the bar for Virginia football.

One of the players who returned that doubles as one of six Cavaliers to have had their number retired, quarterback Shawn Moore (12) was delighted to see his teammates honored. So was Welsh, who called Moore the “perfect quarterback.”

“I know there are three quarterbacks who were perfect college quarterbacks: Shawn Moore, John Hufnagel [of Penn State] and Aaron Brooks,” Welsh said. “They were the perfect quarterbacks for college football because they could run, they could throw the ball, they could break tackles, they had speed, and they were all very clever with the football.”

Welsh said he would hesitate to say who the best of the three was in his opinion, but did say that landing Moore was a big part of turning Virginia football around.

“Shawn Moore came around at the right time for us,” Welsh said. “What helped is that he had Herman [Moore], a big-league offensive line, and Kirby. That all blended well.”

Moore and Brooks — who led UVa’s biggest comeback ever at the time in a win at Virginia Tech in 1998 — have a special place in Welsh’s memory.

“I would take a quarterback like that even in this day and age as opposed to somebody else who’s going to be back throwing the ball 40 times a game,” Welsh said.

 

Retro theme draws raves from UVa players
By Bart Isley
Published: September 6, 2008

From the orange jerseys with no names on the back and the white helmets with a simple blue and orange stripe, Virginia’s athletic department stayed committed to the game’s retro theme throughout Saturday’s proceedings.

The theme had at least one huge fan — Virginia wide receiver Jared Green who made sure he’ll get to hold on to his bright orange jersey.

“That was sweet,” Green said. “I actually bought mine so that will definitely be at the house.”

And if Virginia ever decides to trot out the idea again during Green’s time at Virginia?

“They are going to have to make another one,” Green said.

Virginia’s band kept with the theme too, by trotting out a halftime show filled with 1980s hits and movie themes, including the theme from “Back to the Future” and “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson. Of course, the halftime show had to be performed from the stands in order to “preserve the game field’s condition.”

Big day for Conrath, UVa special teams

Defensive end Matt Conrath, a redshirt freshman, recorded his first career sack and field goal block against Richmond.

Conrath was strong throughout the contest, with seven total tackles (six solo), two sacks, a pass knockdown and three tackles for a loss.

Nick Jenkins also had a field goal block for Virginia in the third quarter.

“Those were point erasers,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “That’s why I put such an emphasis on it in practice this week, we went live two days on our field goal block.”

The two-block night was Virginia’s first since the Cavaliers matchup with North Carolina in 2000, when Monsanto Pope and Evan Routzahn had a block each against the Tar Heels.

Hall flashes playmaking ability

Junior cornerback Vic Hall yanked down an interception with 2:08 to play against Richmond and sprinted 60 yards for an insurance touchdown that gave Virginia a 16-point lead and all but secured a shutout for Virginia.

The pick was the second of Hall’s career — he hauled an interception in against Miami last year — and it was also the second touchdown of his career. His first came against Pittsburgh in 2007 when he scored on a fake field goal.

Hall had two solo tackles against Richmond as well.

 

Defense saves UVa from loss
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: September 6, 2008

When Virginia designated Saturday’s football date with Richmond as its “retro game,” the Cavaliers weren’t counting on having to rely on winning in the same fashion as last year.

Just as in 2007, when Virginia set an NCAA record for winning close calls (five wins by two or fewer points), the Cavaliers survived by finding a way to win down the stretch. Locked in a 3-0 struggle heading into the fourth quarter, the Cavs did everything necessary to pull out a dramatic 16-0 win over the upset-minded Spiders.

The defense came up big time and again, blocking a pair of Richmond field goal attempts, stopped one late UR drive with a Chase Minnifield interception in the end zone, then sealed the deal on Vic Hall’s 60-yard interception return for a touchdown with 2:08 remaining.

Along the way, the Cavaliers recorded six sacks, held the Spiders to 19 yards on the ground (the lowest by a UVa opponent since Duke’s minus-21 in ’06), and pitched a shutout, the first since last year’s 48-0 plundering of Miami to close the Orange Bowl.

Down to the wire

The Wahoos needed every bit of that and more to thwart the pesky Spiders, not your ordinary FCS team. UR returned 16 starters from a team that won 11 games and averaged 34.9 points last season before the dream ended in the national semifinals to eventual champion Appalachian State.

This year’s Spiders came to Scott Stadium ranked No. 3 nationally in the FCS (formerly Division I-AA) polls. The thought of upsetting Virginia was particularly appealing to the Spiders, a warm gesture for their new head coach Mike London, who just so happened to be the Cavaliers’ defensive coordinator the previous two years.

Virginia, wearing orange jerseys to honor the 1989 team, had found itself in this gut-wrenching, close-game predicament more than it would have preferred a year ago and learned its lessons well.

“That’s our motto ... never crack,” said Hall, whose interception return was the longest since Antwoine Harris slew No. 6 North Carolina with a 95-yard game-breaker in 1996. “We fought the whole game and took it at the end.

“Obviously last year we won a lot of close games and we’ve played in those type of games so much and that showed out there today ... that experience really helped,” Hall said.

Veteran leadership

The defense’s veterans thrived on that mentality, which rubbed off on several newcomers to the squad such as Zane Parr, Denzel Burrell, Nick Jenkins, J.K. Dolce and others.

Virginia’s offense contributed to some of its defensive woes, putting the Cavalier defense in some sticky situations that it managed to pull itself out of time and again.

Richmond linebacker Jordan Shoop picked off a Pete Lalich pass deep in Spiders’ territory late in the first half and returned it 63 yards to the UVa 23. However, the Cavaliers defense stiffened and blocked a 29-yard field goal attempt to protect the slim 3-0 lead at halftime.

When Groh gambled on a fourth-and-one at his own 29 and failed early in the third quarter, the defense’s collective backs were against the wall once again. They responded, with a 5-yard tackle-for-loss and a sack, forcing UR to punt.

On Richmond’s ensuing possession, Nick Jenkins blocked yet another 29-yard field goal attempt as the Cavaliers continued to dodge bullets.

From that point on, UVa’s defense breathed a little easier as Lalich mounted a 54-yard scoring drive to take a 10-0 lead at the 7:25 mark. Still, they had to fight off two more Richmond drives, both ending with the pickoffs by rookie Minnifield and the veteran Hall, who scored the second touchdown of his college career.

“[The defensive] unit stepped up and did what had to be done today,” Groh said afterward. “They were challenged significantly by field position and by certain schemes, but they were able to feel the game as it went along.

“Our veterans stepped up but we also had some young players play a substantial amount of time and they turned in positive performances,” Groh said. “We’re really pleased with the way they moved forward today.”

Virginia’s ability to pull out the win under adverse circumstances had to remind Groh of last year’s thriller-diller season, but apparently that experience carried over.

“I’m proud of our team for hanging in there time after time,” Groh said of pulling out the close win over Richmond after having been pummeled 52-7 by No. 1 Southern California only a week before in the same stadium. “Hanging in there is what teams have to do in order to put wins together. We were able to do that quite a bit last year, but that type of mentality has to be re-established and solidified with each particular team. It doesn’t just grow back.”