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Tuesday, Sep 09, 2008 - 12:07 AM
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Calhoun to speak at JPJ coaching clinic
Dave Leitao's mentor, Jim Calhoun, will be the among the speakers at a coaching clinic Virginia will host Sept. 26-27 at John Paul Jones Arena.

The clinic is open to high school and AAU coaches and anyone else who wants to attend. Leitao, U.Va.'s fourth-year coach, played for Calhoun at Northeastern. Leitao then was an assistant under Calhoun at Northeastern and Connecticut.

Calhoun, UConn's longtime coach, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame at Springfield, Mass., in September 2005.

Another former Calhoun assistant, George Washington coach Karl Hobbs, also will speak at the clinic. So will Leitao and one of his assistants, Steve Seymour.

The cost: $75 per person before Sept. 25, $85 at the clinic. For more information, contact U.Va. assistant Drew Diener at dpd2n@virginia.edu or (434) 982-5437.

Newcomer impressive
Virginia lacrosse fans will be happy to know that coach Dom Starsia loves what he's seen in fall practice from faceoff specialist Ryan Benincasa.

The Cavaliers' biggest weakness last season might have been faceoffs. In its double-overtime win over U.Va. in the NCAA semifinals, eventual champion Syracuse won 19 of 27 draws, and that helped the Orange rally after falling behind by five goals in the third quarter.

Benincasa, a freshman from Greenwich, Conn., should help immediately at the faceoff X. He missed the first two days of fall practice, but after finally taking the field "he won every faceoff in practice clean as a whistle. It was a revelation standing there," Starsia said. "I would say that we should withhold judgment a little more, but first impressions were eye-opening."

Also new at that position is graduate student Chad Gaudet, a transfer from Dartmouth. Gaudet made honorable-mention all-Ivy League last season.

"He gives us a nice other option," Starsia said. "He faces off with a long stick, and he's a brute of a kid. He can beat you up at the X."

Garett Ince and Brian McDermott took most of U.Va.'s draws last season, and both are back, as are two other players with faceoff skills: Nick Elsmo and Joe Dewey.

Duo likely to play
Two games into the season, Virginia football coach Al Groh has played only two true freshmen: punter Jimmy Howell and offensive guard Austin Pasztor. But it's still likely that two of their classmates -- inside linebacker Steve Greer and outside linebacker Cameron Johnson -- will play this year.

U.Va. hosted Richmond on Saturday, and Groh entered the game hoping to play both, especially Johnson. But the weather wasn't as humid as it can be in Central Virginia this time of year, so Groh didn't need to substitute as often. Plus, he said, "the game was real tight, and the guys out there were doing a good job."

New faces emerge
In passing situations, when U.Va. plays its nickel defense, starting ends Matt Conrath and Alex Field give way to redshirt freshman end Zane Parr and sophomore tackle John-Kevin Dolce.

Parr, who's listed at 6-6, 267 pounds, has "a little bit more juice off the edge" than Conrath and Field, Groh said. "Plus, that gives them a little relief, so they're not playing three downs every series, and that's kind of a way to substitute for them."

Against UR, Parr recorded the first sack of his college career, and the 6-2, 240-pound Dolce was in on two sacks.

As a redshirt freshman last season, Dolce played outside linebacker and did not appear in any games. He later moved to inside linebacker before finding a niche in the nickel.

"He loves football, and he loves this team, and he just wants to play," Groh said. "And when a player's got that type of energy and those attributes, then we owe it to him to try to find a place for him. We tried him at a couple spots, and he didn't seem to be natural at those spots, and so we kept looking where he might be able to make a contribution." -- Jeff White

 

Fourth-down attempts prompt multitude of questions
Normally conservative Al Groh decides to go for first down four times on fourth down Saturday, only converting one; much debate surrounds when to ‘go for it’

Blair Capps, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, September 9 2008



Jason O. Watson
Virginia vs. Richmond
Sophomore tight end Joe Torchia and the Cavaliers were 1-for-4 on fourth-down conversions against Richmond. The high number of attempts was uncharacteristic of Groh. To go or not to go? That is the question all football head coaches must ask themselves in fourth-down situations. Deciding whether to risk going for the conversion on fourth down can be a game-changing factor. If the play succeeds, the coach is a hero; if it fails, it could cost a team the win; if the team punts, there will always be that big “what if” hanging overhead.
It came as a surprise this past Saturday when Virginia coach Al Groh tried for the first down in several such situations. Groh is usually very conservative and rarely risks turning the ball over on downs; however, this weekend’s victory against Richmond saw the Cavaliers trying to convert many more fourth downs than usual. Overall, Virginia was 1-for-4 in fourth-down conversions Saturday. While five attempts may not seem like many, last season, Al Groh gave the nod on fourth down a total of 14 times in 13 games. All in all, last Saturday’s game seemed a bit out of character for Groh.
“Whatever Coach says, we do, and I’m always backing him on whatever he does. I feel like whatever decision he makes is right,” redshirt freshman wide receiver Jared Green said. “I love it, because like I said, I love the challenge. Fourth down, he says ‘Go for it,’ then we get juiced and we go for it. We looked good going for it [Saturday].”
No matter the situation, head coaches have tough decisions to make when that number four appears on the scoreboard. Sometimes, it is a no-brainer: fourth-and-goal with 10 seconds left against a team with a sizeable lead is such a situation. Generally, though, a coach must weigh the risks along with the reward.
“It depends on where the ball is at; it depends on how well my defense is playing against their offense; and it just depends on if you’re trying to send a mindset to your players,” Richmond coach Mike London said. “I’m quite sure [for Virginia] it was a mindset like, ‘We’re going to get this first down no matter where the ball is,’ and that’s the head coach’s call on that. Would I do the same thing? I don’t know. It just all depends on the criteria that I just set forth.”
One intangible to take into account is the team itself. Would a failed conversion attempt dishearten players? Are they feeling confident going into the attempt? One thing is certain: Once a decision is made, there is no going back.
“There’s an old saying that the time to worry is before you place the bet,” Groh said. “I’ll leave the second-guessers to everybody who’s not standing on the grass. There are plenty of those; why should I add to the number?”
Groh’s decisions Saturday, while out of character, did not throw his team off balance. Confidence in the coach’s decision can make or break the fourth-down try.
“He’s not [known for attempting the conversion], but I wasn’t surprised,” Green said. “I just felt like, ‘Let’s just go get this, man.’”
Groh’s stinginess on fourth down is legendary, so The Cavalier Daily asked if he had a system, superstition or method for deciding when it is the right time to go.
“I don’t know if we can actually say that we have a policy with [the fourth downs], but we are certainly interested in [going for it on fourth down],” Groh said. “Unique circumstances ... what we might need, how much is needed, those are all factors in making the decision. There are so many variables that there can’t be one certain pattern, but it would be nice if there was. It would make things a lot easier.”

A reflection of 2007?


Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Gameday Editor
Published: Tuesday, September 9 2008



Dan Tarjan
Men's Football
Mikell Simpson scores for Virginia against USC . Was the USC loss similar to the loss to Wyoming in 2007? There is an eerie feeling about the start of this football season: It you look at last year’s events, a lot matches up.
In 2007 and 2008, Virginia lost its season openers in humiliating fashion. The Cavaliers had no business losing to Wyoming in 2007, and while many people thought Virginia would lose to USC, losing 52-7 made Virginia a national laughingstock on ESPN and other media outlets this past week. The games following those losses both last year and this year would be seen as a chance for Virginia players to vent some frustration and easily defeat an overwhelmed opponent.
In both seasons, Virginia had a tougher game than it bargained for.
Virginia beat Duke 24-13 in 2007, but the Blue Devils hung in longer than they should have. In fact, at the end of the third quarter Virginia had only a 17-13 lead after Duke scored 11 points in the third quarter. Then sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell was struggling, and then-freshman Peter Lalich had to come in to save the day. After that game, there were many questions about the offense, about whether Virginia would miss a bowl game again like it did in 2006 and about Groh’s potential job status.
The same type of ugly game happened Saturday. Virginia had just a 3-0 lead at the half, which left Cavalier fans stunned. The third quarter wasn’t better either, as Virginia struggled making halftime adjustments. Just as Lalich provided a spark last year, senior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree provided that same spark as his eight receptions for 103 yards had Cavalier fans thinking back to his 2006 days, when Ogletree was Virginia’s go-to receiver.
Like last year, there are major concerns on offense. Last year it was about the passing game. This year, it’s about the running game. I don’t care who Virginia plays — there is no excuse for the Cavaliers to rush for less than 100 yards total, particularly against an out-of-conference opponent who isn’t even playing at the same level of football. While senior Cedric Peerman getting 60 yards on 10 carries was encouraging, junior Mikell Simpson was bottled up throughout the game, which is discouraging, considering Simpson’s homerun ability should have broken this game wide open. If Virginia is struggling to run the ball against Richmond, how will it fare against an ACC opponent?
Also like last year, the offensive line has to replace three starters with unproven players. While the offensive line eventually figured itself out and became a dominant unit, this year the line didn’t dominate like it should have against a smaller Richmond defensive line. Virginia coach Al Groh was disappointed with the line play against USC, and while the defensive line had a better game this past week, the offensive line still leaves a lot to be desired.
Fortunately, however, like last year, Virginia did find a way to win the second game of the year, thanks to Ogletree, senior Vic Hall’s interception return for a touchdown and a defensive line that played well, especially in the second half. A win is a win, and in both cases Virginia pulled though.
Most importantly, Virginia again faces a make-or-break road game on the third weekend of the schedule. Last year, Virginia had to go into Chapel Hill to face a North Carolina squad ready to prove itself, and thanks to a great effort from graduate Chris Long and five field goals from graduate Chris Gould, Virginia beat North Carolina 22-20 in a game that gave Virginia a lot of confidence and helped guide the Cavaliers to a nine-win season.
This Saturday can do the exact same thing for the Cavaliers. I understand this team doesn’t have the star power that last year’s team had, but with how down the ACC is this year, Virginia can still get some momentum and do damage in the league. Connecticut will be pumped for this game. It wants revenge from last year. It’s a primetime game, and the Huskies are looking for their own statement that 2007 wasn’t a fluke year. Call it any cliché you would like — Virginia needs to make a strong statement in this game and come out with a “W.”
Let’s hope history repeats itself. The Cavaliers seem to do well when their backs are up against the wall and they are underdogs; this is their chance to get the ball rolling. If the running game can get going and Lalich plays a smart game, there’s no reason why this game can’t be the start of something good in 2008.