Virginia quarterback enrolling at OSU Monday
QB Peter Lalich By DAN NORZ
BF.C Associate Editor
Posted Sep 23, 2008

THERE WERE THREE ROSTER MOVES announced on Tuesday -- Qqarterback Peter Lalich (pronounced lah-LICK), who was dismissed from the University of Virginia's football team a week ago for underage drinking, will enroll at Oregon State and start classes Monday. Meanwhile, two players on the current roster are reportedly no longer with the team.

Quarterback Peter Lalich (pronounced lah-LICK), who was dismissed from the University of Virginia's football team a week ago for underage drinking, will enroll at Oregon State and start classes Monday.

Lalich started two games for UV in 2008 completing 39 of 74 (52%) for 359 yards, zero touchdowns and three interceptions. In his first career start against USC this year he completed 18 of 35 passes for 155 yards and one interception.

The official University of Virginia website calls Lalich, "a poised and accurate passer in the pocket."

Last season the 6-foot-5, 235-pounder became the first true freshman in Virginia history to play since 1997. He played in the first four games of the year and then in four of the last nine completing 35 of 61 (57%) attempts for 321 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

His 61 attempts and 35 completions are both second in school history by a true freshman while his 321 yards in third.

Lalich, who watched OSU's practice Monday, also considered UCLA and Cincinnati before deciding on Oregon State. He will have to sit out the remainder of this year.

In a recent court appearance this month he admitted to drinking alcohol during his one-year probation. The judge did not revoke Lalich's probation, which expires in July.

As a senior at West Springfield High he completed 208 of 307 passes for 3,134 yards and 33 touchdowns in route to earning second team all-state honors. In one game he threw eight touchdown passes, the second highest total in state history.

Following his senior year he was named a PrepStar All-American, a four star recruit by Scout.com and one of the top two recruits in the state of Virginia by several publications.

He is named after basketball standout Pete Maravich and his father played basketball at Florida and Ohio.

Lalich must complete one academic year of residence, excluding summer terms, at Oregon State before becoming eligible for competition.

NOTABLE:
DE Carl Sommer has left the program and OL Una Smiley has been removed from the team for an unspecified violation of team policy, The Gazette Times reported.

Lalich reveals transfer options
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
September 24, 2008

Peter Lalich, a quarterback who was dismissed last week from Virginia's football team, told the Daily Press on Tuesday night he hasn't decided where he's transferring, but he's considering Oregon State, Auburn, UCLA and Cincinnati.

Lalich, a 6-foot-5, 225-pound sophomore, said Tuesday night he was visiting Oregon State. He hopes to enroll by Monday at a school. He was dismissed from U.Va. last week after being charged with underage possession of alcohol in July and admitting last Thursday in Charlottesville General District Court he had violated terms of his probation by consuming alcohol. He allegedly also had consumed marijuana while on probation, but denied that allegation to reporters and in court.

"I'm kind of upset that I can't stay at U.Va.," Lalich told the Daily Press on Tuesday. "That's where I wanted to be and where I wanted to graduate from. I'm going to be OK. I just really wanted to be with all my friends at U.Va."

Lalich said he's considering schools that are on the quarter system instead of the semester system because his understanding is he won't have to sit out a year if he transfers to a quarter-system school, many of which haven't yet started fall classes. Lalich wants to use a redshirt year this season and play next season.

A message was left Tuesday night with the NCAA to try to confirm Lalich's assertion, but the message wasn't returned.

This season, Lalich got his first two collegiate starts in a loss to Southern California and a victory over Richmond. He completed 39 of 74 passes for 359 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.




 

Danger: Duke ahead
Al Groh's future may ride on a game versus a team that wants to quit losing.
David Teel
September 24, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Vegas had better be wrong. For Al Groh's sake, and for the sake of Virginia football.

The bookmakers prowling the Nevada desert have made the Cavaliers 61/2-point underdogs at Duke on Saturday. Talk about insulting.

The Blue Devils have lost 25 consecutive ACC games, 61 of 64 this decade. From 1999-2003, they lost 30 straight conference outings. They haven't had a winning season since 1994 and haven't beaten Virginia since 1999.

According to my trusted gambling source, Professor Nappy, this marks the first time Duke has been favored against a conference opponent since the 2002 season finale against North Carolina, a game the Blue Devils lost.

"Being an underdog doesn't surprise me," Virginia receiver Kevin Ogletree said Tuesday.

Fine. But it should outrage him. It should outrage all associated with the program that so little is thought of them, because like it or not, perception matters — to donors, fans and recruits.

And the perception is that entering their ACC opener, the Cavaliers (1-2) are headed for a wreckage that could cost Groh his job.

In Groh's seven-plus seasons, Virginia has played in five bowls and for a Coastal Division title. But Saturday's outcome may be more important to his security than any of those bright-lights games.

Granted, we've been here before.

After last season's abysmal opening loss at Wyoming, many quick triggers toe-tagged the Groh era. By mid-December he was ACC Coach of the Year and Virginia was headed to the Gator Bowl.

But this year feels different.

The Cavaliers have offered three uninspired performances rather than one. Moreover, the turmoil enveloping the program extends to a revolving-door roster that grew smaller with last week's dismissal of starting quarterback Peter Lalich for a probation violation.

"Our inventory's a little bit lower than what we expected," Groh understated.

Translation: This team isn't nearly as skilled as the bunch that recovered from the Wyoming stumble and defeated Duke to start a seven-game winning streak.

In blowout losses to Southern California and Connecticut, Virginia's offensive line and entire defense were exposed. Even a victory over Division I-AA Richmond was tepid.

All of which means trouble, even against the once-dormant Devils.

Duke's early schedule — wins over James Madison and Navy, and a loss to Northwestern — has been soft, but under new head coach David Cutcliffe, the offense is more imaginative, the defense more sound. Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is a three-year starter, and receiver Eron Riley is among the ACC's best.

"Nobody's trying to lose out there," U.Va. backup quarterback Scott Deke said. "Everyone's putting their heart and soul into winning. … The season can totally be changed right now. This is where it starts for us."

Or ends. For no matter how improved Duke may be, losing Saturday would be a dagger.

Player confidence, staff morale, fan support. All could erode significantly.

Following the Duke trip, Virginia plays consecutive home games against Maryland, East Carolina and North Carolina. None is a can't-miss attraction, and if the Cavaliers are reeling from a defeat in Durham, how many empty seats might we see at Scott Stadium?

Empty seats don't look good on television or the balance sheet. And when the balance sheet doesn't look good, university presidents and athletic directors get hives.

Groh and his players said all the right things Tuesday about how they used last week's open date to rebound from the 45-10 loss at Connecticut. There was even a dose of sage philosophy.

"You never expect to lose," linebacker Jon Copper said. "You never expect to lose poorly. You move on. It's kind of like life, I guess."

Will Groh remind his team of how well last season's team responded to adversity?

"They certainly proved last year there's a lot of tough-minded kids in this group … and you don't want your team to have amnesia to that," he said. "(But) history doesn't make you a tough-minded team. You've got to go do it again."

Virginia has spent the last week-and-a-half establishing Marc Verica as the starting quarterback, revisiting defensive fundamentals and healing the likes of injured tailback Cedric Peerman.

Groh likes what he's seen, but cautioned: "We'll find out whether that growth is reality or fantasy football."

Doesn't sound like a coach brimming with confidence.

 

Virginia to start two redshirt freshmen
By Norm Wood
12:15 AM EDT, September 24, 2008

Virginia's football depth chart Tuesday showed new starters at nose tackle and safety, both redshirt freshmen.

Nick Jenkins moved ahead of junior Nate Collins at nose, while Corey Mosley jumped junior Brandon Woods at safety. Collins and Jenkins had been splitting game snaps almost evenly, but the safety switch is a significant change.

"Without talking down (Woods) … certainly we're looking for more than we've been getting," U.Va. coach Al Groh said.

Mosley brings a reputation as a solid, punishing tackler, an area where Woods and many of his defensive teammates have fallen short.

"Clearly the real test (for Mosley) is what happens in a real game," Groh said.

In two games against Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) competition, U.Va. has yielded a staggering 600 rushing yards, many on long runs. Connecticut, for instance, broke two 63-yarders in its 45-10 thumping of the Cavaliers.

"When you have a long run like that it's a breakdown all over," said linebacker Jon Copper, the team's leading tackler. "It's usually not one guy missing one tackle or one gap not being filled. Usually, you have two, three, or four of those things compounded. We had several plays like that."

VERICA'S GRADE
U.Va. quarterback Marc Verica called his first collegiate start, at UConn, "pretty decent."

"I felt pretty comfortable out there," Verica said. "The speed wasn't overwhelming."

Verica, a redshirt sophomore, completed 22 of 30 passes for 158 yards with one interception. He inherited the starting position from Peter Lalich, who last week was dismissed from the team for a probation violation.

Verica said offensive coordinator Mike Groh, himself a former U.Va. quarterback, told him: "Don't look over your shoulder. This is your team now."

DUKE'S OFFENSE
Early-season stats can mislead, but the Duke attack U.Va. must defend Saturday appears much improved.

Junior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis leads the ACC in total offense at 273.7 per game and dating to last season has thrown 206 passes without an interception. Receiver Eron Riley boasts a league-best five touchdown receptions, three last week against Navy, and his career 19.3-yards-per-catch average is fifth all-time in the ACC.

Neither Lewis nor Riley hurt the Cavaliers last year in U.Va.'s 24-13 victory in Charlottesville. Riley caught four passes for 25 yards; Lewis was 14 of 30 for 137 yards with an interception. U.Va. sacked him five times.
 

U.Va.'s Verica experienced surprising rise
QB went from last on depth chart to to top in 10 months
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008 - 12:07 AM
VIRGINIA AT DUKE
ACC football
Saturday:noon
On the air:TV --ESPNU; radio -- WRVA (1140), 11 a.m.; XM Ch. 192, noon.
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE He showed off his chops in the days leading up to the Gator Bowl, tinkling the piano keys in the lobby of the Omni in Jacksonville, Fla., sometimes with teammates singing along. Hotel guests might not have recognized the young man at the piano, but they appreciated his musical ability.

Ten months ago, Marc Verica's profile on the University of Virginia football team -- at least to those outside the program -- could not have been much lower. He was the fourth-string quarterback. He didn't play in the Gator Bowl, just as he hadn't played in the regular season.

Today, Verica is Virginia's starter.

"It's almost surreal in a sense," he said yesterday at John Paul Jones Arena.

U.Va.'s depth chart at quarterback looked like this in 2007: Jameel Sewell was No. 1, Peter Lalich was No. 2, Scott Deke was No. 3, and Verica was No. 4. Moreover, each came out of the season with eligibility remaining.

In January, however, Sewell was placed on academic suspension for two semesters. Lalich started the Cavaliers' first two games this season, but off-the-field problems caught up with him, and he was dismissed from the team last week.

That left Verica and Deke. Coach Al Groh chose Verica to start Sept. 13 against Connecticut, and the redshirt sophomore from near Philadelphia responded by completing 22 of 30 passes for 158 yards in a 45-10 loss. Verica will start again for Virginia (1-2) on Saturday at Duke (2-1).

"You never really want to wish any unfortunate things to happen to a person, and it's unfortunate for Pete, with his situation," Verica said. "But I was thrust into this role, and now it's just my job to embrace it and lead this team to where it needs to go."

That Verica would grow up to play football seems natural. His father, Mark, starred in that sport at Cardinal O'Hara High in Philadelphia and then played at Kutztown State. But Verica's mother, Christine, worried that her son would get hurt playing American football.

"My wife is from South America, so football to her is soccer," Mark Verica recalled with a laugh yesterday.

And soccer is what Marc played for years. "Finally, when he was in the seventh grade, I won out," Mark Verica said.

His son's position? That's easy.

"I don't know it was nature versus nurture, but my dad was a quarterback, and I guess it was inevitable for me to be the same," Marc Verica said. "I always used to play catch with him in the driveway."

At Monsignor Bonner High, Verica was thrust into a starting role on the eve of his junior season when the team's returning quarterback suffered a minor injury. He never relinquished the job. Verica realizes that such twists are part of life, so he didn't despair early in his college career when he found himself buried on the depth chart. Nor he did consider transferring.

When he assessed his place in the program, Verica recalled, "I just said to myself, 'I've got to just keep getting better. I can't get caught up in if I'm No. 2, No. 3, No. 4 or No. 1, I've just got to get better, and maybe those things will take care of themselves.' And that's what happened here."

An economics major, Verica inherited more than athleticism from his father. Both are talented artists with a flair for drawing. These days, however, the younger Verica's off-the-field passion is music. He taught himself to play guitar and piano, and it's not uncommon to find him at an on-campus keyboard between classes at U.Va. His tastes range from Pink Floyd to Marvin Gaye.

"It's relaxing, it's fun," Verica said. "It's definitely therapeutic in a sense."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2008 - 12:07 AM

Deke says Cavs will miss Lalich
Yesterday, for the first time since quarterback Peter Lalich was dismissed from the Virginia football team last week, his teammates fielded questions about his abrupt departure.

"Obviously the team was disappointed and felt for him," said backup quarterback Scott Deke, a graduate student. He said there is never a situation in which he wants to see a teammate and friend having difficulties like Lalich's. "We will miss him very much I know I will, he's a good friend of mine and we all wish the best for him."

With Lalich gone, sophomore Marc Verica is now the Cavaliers' No. 1 quarterback, and Deke is No. 2. Among the team's scholarship quarterbacks, true freshman Riko Smalls moves up to No. 3.

Verica said Lalich's "situation kind of brought to light how fragile a circumstance like this can be. It can all be taken away from you if you get caught up and distracted from what your job is. My approach is to take it seriously not too seriously but just be a leader for this team, and there's definitely a lot to be learned from his situation."

Coach Al Groh would prefer to redshirt Smalls but said that "really for this year we've got to do what we've got to do."

In the ACC opener for both teams, Virginia (1-2) plays at Duke (2-1) on Saturday. ESPNU will televise the noon game.

Green group
The second-team offensive line listed on the depth chart for the Duke game is remarkable for its inexperience. It consists of three true freshmen (right tackle Matt Mihalik, left guard Austin Pasztor and center Mike Price), a walk-on (sophomore right guard Isaac Cain) and a redshirt freshman (left tackle Landon Bradley).

Price and Mihalik replaced redshirt freshmen Anthony Mihota and Lamar Milstead on the two-deep, respectively.

Recurring problem
Long runs have become common against the Cavaliers' defense this season. In the opener, Southern California's C.J. Gable and Joe McKnight had runs of 33 and 23 yards, respectively. Richmond's Josh Vaughan had a 21-yard gain against U.Va., and UConn's Donald Brown had two 63-yard carries.

"When you have a long run like that, it's a breakdown all over," senior linebacker Jon Copper said yesterday. "It's usually not one guy missing one tackle or one gap not being filled. Usually, you have two or three or four of those compounded."

Murderers' row
The teams Virginia has played so far -- USC, UR and UConn -- are a combined 9-1. USC is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision, and UR is No. 1 in one Football Championship Subdivision poll.

Duke coach David Cutcliffe said he believes the Cavaliers are "really a talented team. They've just played a vicious schedule. Virginia's a whole lot better football team than a lot of people give them credit for, and I think they know that."

Return not imminent
Redshirt sophomore Sean Gottschalk, expected to be in the rotation at defensive end this season, remains on a leave of absence for undisclosed personal and health reasons.

Gottschalk, a graduate of Deep Run High, hopes to resume his football career, but it's not clear if he'll play this season. Even if Gottschalk were to return to practice today -- and that's not expected to happen -- he would need three or four weeks of training before he's ready to play again, Groh said. -- Jeff White

 

New tune for UVa
Marc Verica lives a bit of a Renaissance man lifestyle when he's not quarterbacking the Cavaliers.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- During breaks in his class schedule, Marc Verica has been known to stop at random pianos around Virginia's grounds and pass the time by tapping out a melody.

"I'll stop for maybe 20 minutes, just to stay fresh with my piano skills," Verica said.

"There might be some people in there, eating lunch or studying. I'll try and be polite and ask them: 'Do you mind if I play?'"

Would it make any difference if they knew he was Virginia's starting quarterback?

Verica has taught himself to play the piano and guitar, and he also has demonstrated some ability as a cartoonist, interests that he hasn't been able to pursue with as much anonymity with a sudden upgrade in his football status.

Less than a year ago, Verica was the Cavaliers' No. 4 quarterback, looking at a situation where all three of the quarterbacks in front of him had remaining eligibility. Even when 2007 starter Jameel Sewell was declared academically ineligible, there was no reason to think Verica would rise above No. 3.

Even at that point, Verica said he never considered transferring, "because I'm the kind of guy who thinks you ought to stick it out no matter what."

Verica and Scott Deke were listed as co-No. 2s behind Peter Lalich this year until it was announced Sept. 10 that Lalich would not be joining the Cavaliers for a trip to Connecticut. Verica was designated the starter that evening and apparently will remain in that role until further notice.

Lalich was dismissed from the team Sept. 18, after acknowledging in Charlottesville General District Court that he had violated probation on a July alcohol charge.

"It's almost surreal in a sense," said Verica, a third-year sophomore from the Philadelphia suburb of Lansdowne, Pa. "I've always just tried to focus on my game and what I needed to do improve and eventually become a factor on this team.

"I didn't just want to sit my whole career. It's unfortunate for Pete with his situation, but I was thrust into this role and now it's just my job to embrace it and lead this team to where they need to go."

Verica joins a line of eastern Pennsylvanians who have started at quarterback for UVa -- including Dan Ellis and Matt Schaub -- in the past 10 years. Indeed, UVa was recruiting two Pennsylvania QBs in the summer of 2005, Verica and Pat Devlin.

Devlin was the more highly rated of the two, but Devlin committed to Miami before eventually de-committing to the Hurricanes and signing with his parents' alma mater, Penn State. With Devlin off the table, Virginia stepped up its pursuit of Verica, subsequently described by UVa coach Al Groh as a "work in progress."

Verica was not his team's starting quarterback going into his junior year at Monsignor Bonner, but the returning starter, a senior, was injured in a preseason practice. Verica started the opener, the team won, and the senior was moved to another skill position.

Before he went to UVa's football camp in 2005, Verica's only offer was from Wisconsin.

He was very familiar with Virginia, however, having watched the football team on TV. He liked everything about the program.

"It was just a really good fit for me," Verica said. "It was my goal that day at camp to play well enough to earn that offer. That's what happened and I committed on the spot."

Verica said he has never met Schaub, who holds the UVa career passing record and now plays for the Houston Texans, but they had the same quarterback coach in high school, Ernie Forchetti, who also coached Verica's father, Chris-Marc.

Verica's dad played at Kutztown (Pa.) State and, as the story goes, was being recruited by Notre Dame as a senior at Cardinal O'Hara in Springfield, Pa. Irish interest cooled when he suffered a broken leg in a game against Monsignor Bonner, his son's future school.

They played catch in the driveway for years and it was only recently that the younger Verica surpassed his father in arm strength, no small feat. At 6-3 and 206 pounds, the younger Verica has a quality right arm to go with his size and quick feet.

"I like to think of myself as a multi-dimensional athlete," Verica said. "I definitely [look to] pass first, but I think I have enough athleticism to buy time or elude the rush or pick up a first down."

Verica, who had taken three snaps in Virginia's opening game against Southern Cal but not attempted a pass, went 22-of-30 for 158 yards in a 45-10 loss at UConn.

"Obviously, if a guy [completes 73.3 percent] for a whole career, he's going to have a pretty good career," Groh said.

"He's kind of unflappable. I've heard coaches say of some quarterbacks, 'The good thing is that nothing bothers him, and the bad thing is that nothing bothers him.' That seems to be somewhat the case here."

There was no question about Verica's commitment in his first full-scale interview Tuesday. He said all the right things and it didn't seem to be an act.

"Any time thing aren't going as you would hope, you kind of look in the mirror and say, 'What am I going to do? Where is this going to go?' " Verica said.

"I said to myself, 'I've just got to keep getting better.' That's what happened here."
 

Cutcliffe eager to start ACC schedule
Duke will play at home Saturday at noon against struggling Virginia team
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: September 24, 2008
DURHAM

Duke's "exhibition" season is over, according to Coach David Cutcliffe, and now it's time for the games that he calls "the real deal."

Duke will begin ACC play on Saturday at noon, a home game against Virginia. It will be Cutcliffe's first ACC game as Duke's coach, and it will be the program's first opportunity this season to end a 25-game conference losing streak.

Cutcliffe bears no responsibility for the losing streak, but he said he wants to see it end this season so he can continue building the program.

"I think it's a big issue," Cutcliffe said. "We made the statement -- and we're serious -- we've got to join the ACC first. We've got to get in games.

"Somebody asked me if I bring those things up. I try to talk truthfully to the players. The fact of the matter is our seniors are 0-24 in their three years of playing in the ACC. We've got a few redshirts and they're 1-31."

Duke last won an ACC game Nov. 13, 2004, a 16-13 home win over Clemson. Only seven players who are now in the program even saw that game. All were freshmen at the time, were redshirted and didn't play.

The 25-game streak is approaching the ACC record of 30, set by the Blue Devils from 1999 through 2003.

"There's an old saying: If you don't like what you're getting, then change what you're doing," Cutcliffe said. "We can't guarantee a win but we can guarantee we give ourselves the best chance that we can by preparing like an ACC team."

Safety Adrian Aye-Darko, one of the seven fifth-year seniors, said that the issue of the losing streak has been talked about in the past two weeks.

"The coaches bring it up every now and then," he said. "Basically they say, ‘This is the new Duke and it's time to break that streak and it starts with the first ACC game.'

"It's definitely a big deal. It's the first ACC game of the year so the heat's definitely turned up in practice. The intensity is turned up. The coaches are honest and everything's more detailed because we're beginning ACC play."

The Blue Devils were off last week and had the benefit of an extra week to prepare for the Cavs. They won't have an advantage, however, because the Cavs were also off last week.

Duke is 2-1 and one holding penalty away from being unbeaten. Virginia is 1-2 and will be without quarterback Peter Lalich, dismissed from the team by Coach Al Groh last week because of legal problems. But Cutcliffe said that Virginia will have at least one distinct advantage.

"They will provide a huge challenge for us because they're such a mismatch from a physical-size standpoint," Cutcliffe said. "They're one of the biggest and best-looking football teams I've seen."

Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis said he doesn't worry about Duke's ACC losing streak. He said he's confident that Saturday will present the best chance of ending the streak in his career, now in its third season, because of the manner in which Cutcliffe has prepared the team.

"I would say we expect to win," Lewis said. "We don't go out there with the mind-set, ‘Oh, we could win this game.' You have to go out with the mind-set of expecting to win every week no matter who the opponent is. And that's what Coach has been telling us week in and week out.

"You have to go out there and make plays and make smart decisions, but Coach always says, ‘Expect to win. Don't go out there second-guessing yourself.' When you expect to win, things happen for you."

QB Verica eases into leadership position
September 24, 2008 12:15 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

The beginning of Marc Verica's career as a starting college quarterback has a familiar feel for the University of Virginia sophomore.

When Verica was a junior at Monsignor Bonner High School in Lansdowne, Pa., he started the first game of his career after Andrew Case suffered a knee injury in practice a few days before the first game.

Verica never relinquished the position, and Case, who is now a wide receiver at Temple, switched positions.

"I started the first game and we won," Verica said. "I never looked back from there."

Five years later, Verica's initial start for the Cavaliers came in their 45-10 loss to Connecticut after starting quarterback Peter Lalich was left at home to take care of legal matters.

Lalich has since been dismissed from the Cavaliers' program after he admitted to consuming alcohol while on probation for underage drinking in Charlottesville General District Court last week, and Verica is the beneficiary.

Just last year, he was the team's fourth-string quarterback, whose only road trip was to the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., but now he's preparing to start the second game of his career for Virginia (1-2) at noon on Saturday at Duke (2-1) in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams.

"I think it's almost surreal in a sense," Verica said of his rapid rise that was aided by the dismissals of two starting quarterbacks. "I think I've come a long way in the past couple of years. I've always tried to focus on my game and what I need to do to improve and eventually become a factor on this team."

Verica is now more than just a factor.

Virginia offensive coordinator Mike Groh recently told him that the Cavaliers are his team.

Verica said it's "unfortunate" his chance came at the expense of Lalich, and that the former starter's dismissal "shows just how fragile a circumstance like this can be."

"It can all be taken away from you if you get caught up and distracted from what your job is," Verica said. "My approach is to take it seriously--not too seriously--but just to be a leader for this team."

Verica completed 22-of-30 passes for 158 yards and an interception against Connecticut, but his calm demeanor was equally important to Cavaliers head coach Al Groh.

Al Groh described Verica as "unflappable," but acknowledged that can be both a good and bad thing.

"I think that's good in the early stages that he can shake off those things and get on with the next shot," Al Groh said.

Verica has football in his blood. His father, Mark Verica, was the starting quarterback for Kutztown (Pa.) University.

Art and music are also interests for Verica, who often entertains classmates by randomly playing the piano in different buildings around campus.

He said music is "therapeutic" but he's hoping he doesn't need it to escape from lousy performances on the field.

"I don't want to resort to piano as therapy if I'm not playing well," Verica said. "So hopefully I'm playing for leisure and not to cope."

UNLIKELY UNDERDOGS

The struggling Cavaliers are 6-point underdogs to Duke, who has lost 25 straight ACC games. The Blue Devils have only been favored in 13 games since 1998 and in none of their past 40 ACC contests.

UNHAPPY HOMECOMING

Virginia junior safety Brandon Woods is a native of Durham, N.C., the home of Duke. But after starting the first three games, Woods has been surpassed on the depth chart by redshirt freshman Corey Mosley, who is slated to make his first career start on Saturday.

Also, junior nose tackle Nate Collins has lost his starting job to redshirt freshman Nick Jenkins.

Massaponax High School graduate Anthony Mihota has been eclipsed by true freshman Mike Price as the Cavaliers' backup center.

 

Virginia aims to get back on track
By Jay Jenkins
Published: September 23, 2008

The last time Virginia lost on the road to Duke in 1994, Kevin Ogletree was a 7-year-old elementary school student living in Queens, N.Y.

Now, 14 years later, Virginia’s top wide receiver finds his team slated for a return trip to Durham, N.C., as a one-touchdown underdog.

“I don’t think it is odd,” Ogletree said. “Being the underdog didn’t surprise me.”

Based on the opening month of the season, it probably should not surprise anyone.

Virginia (1-2), trying to recover from a circus-like atmosphere following the forced exit of quarterback Pete Lalich, is coming off a 45-10 loss at Connecticut. The Cavaliers have the ACC’s worst scoring offense and defense.

Duke (2-1) recorded a 31-7 win over James Madison and outlasted Navy, 41-31, during its current four-game homestand. The Blue Devils, who lost to Northwestern, lead the ACC in passing offense and time of possession and rank second in total offense and pass defense.

“They are playing inspired,” Ogletree said of the Blue Devils. “I am sure they don’t want to lose at home. It is an ACC game so I am sure they will be pumped up and ready to play.”

Duke, under first-year coach David Cutcliffe, has extra motivation. That, at least in ACC circles, is merely known as The Streak.

“What streak?” Ogletree asked.

The Blue Devils have lost 25 straight games against ACC opponents, a stretch that dates back to the end of the 2004 season.

“I didn’t even know that, so it doesn’t matter to us,” Ogletree added. “It might matter to them. It should.”

The game itself, at least according to the players, does matter to Virginia.

“Nobody’s trying to lose out there,” reserve quarterback Scott Deke said. “Everyone is putting their heart and soul into winning.

“The season can totally be changed right now. This is where it starts for us.”

The alternative could be crippling. In fact, every team that Virginia will play the remainder of the season currently has a winning record.

For now, Virginia coach Al Groh remains pleased with what he has seen in practice.

“It’s been good. There’s been a lot of positive energy,” Groh said. “Practices have been intense, upbeat.”

The Cavaliers responded in similar fashion to their first road loss last year. After being whipped at Wyoming, the Cavaliers won seven straight games, the first of which was against Duke.

“They certainly proved last year, there’s a lot of tough-minded kids in this group, and there are a lot of determined kids in this group,” Groh said. “And there are a lot of very positive kids in this group.”

Virginia’s issues, the coach pointed out, are not in relation to “want-to, or effort, or toughness.”

“Some of the issues that we have ... our inventory is a little bit lower than what we expected at this time,” he pointed out, referring to eight players missing from program for varying reasons that were originally expected to be on the two-deep depth chart.

“If we looked at how some of these positions were going to be stocked a year back and looked forward to this date, the inventory is not quite the same that we had anticipated that it was going to be,” Groh said. “But if it’s not looking as good we’re accustomed to and what we want it to, it’s not because the players don’t have their full hearts in it. They certainly do.”

Shuffling it up

Virginia’s two-deep has a new look, although Groh warned that was merely what it looked like as of Tuesday.

For now, redshirt freshman Corey Mosley is listed as the starting safety alongside Byron Glaspy and redshirt freshman Nick Jenkins has leapfrogged junior Nate Collins at nose tackle.

A pair of true freshman — Mike Price and Matt Mihalik — also made their debuts on the two-deep. Price replaced Anthony Mihota as the top reserve at center, and Mihalik has bypassed Lamar Milstead.

“The depth chart we hand out every Tuesday, is based on what it is that day,” Groh said. “The events of that week prove that somebody else has done the work to outperform the guy in front of him, then that could change. But as of the work of last week, that’s where that stands.”

To date, sophomore Ras-I Dowling has not regained his starting status at cornerback. He is listed behind sophomore Mike Parker.

The third option

It remains unclear what Virginia would do if newly-appointed quarterback Marc Verica and Deke were unable to play in a contest.

One option, Groh confirmed, would be playing true freshman Riko Smalls. The Texas native has been “involved in the competition,” for the third spot. A host of walk-on quarterbacks are also in the mix.

If Smalls was not used, he would still possess four years of eligibility.

“That would be nice, but really for this year, we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do,” Groh said. “We have had a number of these developmental scrimmages here during this time frame so we’ve had a chance to look at quite a few of them doing it. I would say that situation remains undecided.”
 

Groh hopes for sweet music from new starter
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: September 23, 2008

A year ago, Marc Verica was buried on Virginia’s quarterback depth chart. He was fourth behind then-starter Jameel Sewell, true freshman backup Peter Lalich and senior Scott Deke.

That’s not an envious position for one who harbors dreams of making his mark.

Verica, then a redshirt freshman from Lansdowne, Pa., didn’t give up, didn’t look into transferring or switching positions.

“I’m the kind of guy who thinks you should stick it out no matter what,” Verica said Tuesday. “I made a commitment to this place and there’s going to be competition anywhere you go. You can’t back down.”

An easy decision

After all, Virginia is where he wanted to be. He rooted for the Cavaliers growing up and UVa was the top school on his list. He loves the school, its academics. He loves Al Groh and Mike Groh.

When he came to Groh’s summer camp, he only had one scholarship offer (from Wisconsin) but was hoping to earn an offer from Virginia with his performances. He did, and he committed on the spot.

Fast-forward from 2005 and it is almost mind-boggling to think of what has transpired with his career. He was redshirted in ‘06 and didn’t get into a game in ‘07.

Since then, Sewell ran into academic problems and is sitting out this year on a suspension. Lalich experienced legal issues, was booted from the team last week and is in the process of transferring to another school. Verica surpassed Deke in the spring and found himself as Virginia’s starting quarterback two weeks ago in his college debut at Connecticut.

For a first-timer, he

wasn’t too shabby, completing 22 of 30 passes (73 percent, albeit 10 of the completions were for five yards or less), for 158 yards and one interception in a lopsided 45-10 loss.

‘Kind of unflappable’

“He’s kind of unflappable,” Al Groh said of his new starting quarterback. “I’ve heard coaches before say about their quarterbacks that the good thing about them is nothing bothers them ... and the bad thing about them is nothing bothers them.”

For now, Groh will take that as a good sign that his QB is able to shake things off and move on. Otherwise, Verica seems to bring a decent amount of skill to the table.

“He sees the field nicely, he just needs to keep building up his looks,” Groh said. “The ball gets out of there pretty good and he’s got a good velocity on the ball.”

A mobile guy, Verica can move in the pocket and run when the situation dictates.

Verica wasn’t too critical of his performance at UConn, noting that there were some plays and passes he would like to have back.

“For the most part I was pretty accurate,” he said. “Obviously, I threw a lot of short, underneath routes. But it was pretty decent for my first start. The speed [of the game] wasn’t overwhelming. Hopefully, I will become more comfortable.”

He admits that his unexpected rise on the depth chart is almost surreal and that while he didn’t want to sit for his entire career, he didn’t wish any misfortune on those ahead of him either.

“It’s unfortunate what happened to Pete,” said Verica. “I was thrust into this role and it’s my job to embrace and lead this team where it needs to go.”

Oddly, this isn’t the first time Verica has been thrust into a starting role under uncommon circumstances. As a junior at Monsignor Bonner High School, the starter twisted a knee in practice only a few days before the season opener, opening the door for Verica, who started, played well and never looked back. He started for the next two seasons and passed for more than 2,400 yards.

The other guy, Andrew Case, moved to wide receiver and is now playing that position at Temple.

Perhaps those images stirred last year when he said he looked in the mirror one day and wondered what he was going to do, where was his career going.

“I said to myself that I just had to keep getting better,” Verica said. “I can’t get caught up in whether I was No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, or No. 1. I just gotta get better and maybe those things will take care of themselves.”

While he has been No. 1 for a couple of weeks now, his life off the field hasn’t changed much. He goes about his business somewhat unnoticed by his fellow students on campus. That will likely change.

“I’m pretty low-key,” Verica said. “I’m not the flashiest guy.”

Some of that he gets from his dad, Mark, a quarterback good enough to have been recruited by Notre Dame until a broken leg ended that dream his senior year. The elder Verica starred at Kutztown State, had a cup of coffee flirtation with the NFL, but settled for a normal life and playing catch with his son in the driveway.

“He was definitely a good player. He still has a strong arm, but not as strong as mine,” the youngest Verica said. “He can still bring it, though.”

Marc also inherited some artistic skills from his dad, but he has pretty much put his sketching on the shelf for now and focused more on music. He plays piano and guitar and often entertains fellow students at various spots on campus where a piano is handy.

So much for the low-key, unnoticed thing.

“I like to stop if I’m between classes or going to lunch, and play for 20 minutes just to stay fresh with my piano skills,” he said.

Of course, he always asks those around him if his playing will bother their studies. So far, no one has objected, which means he must be pretty good as he keys tunes anywhere from Pink Floyd to Marvin Gaye to Coldplay.

There was even a rumor floating around at the team hotel during last year’s Gator Bowl that front desk personnel at the Omni Hotel wanted to hire him to entertain. No tip cups, please.

“Rather than staying in my room and watching TV, I would sit at the piano in the lobby and play, mess around with my teammates,” Verica said. “Some of my teammates would come around and start singing with me. We made songs and it was ridiculous.”

Now, if he can only compose a win over Duke on Saturday, all the Cavaliers will have something to sing about.




 

Craig for a day
Dan Stalcup
Published: Wednesday, September 24 2008

I just got an e-mail from Craig Littlepage. He unfortunately is stuck with cleaning duty at Scott Stadium all day — something about the janitorial staff refusing to pick up so many large pieces of white paper — so he’s appointed me Virginia’s athletic director until he’s done. Pay attention, I’m rolling in some changes.
First off, that ridiculous sign ban at Virginia events is history. Signs are now encouraged, and we’ll be working with our corporate sponsors to try and get free signs handed out to everyone who sits in the student section. Also, a giant banner reading “Signs Welcome” will be hung a little bit beneath the scoreboard for the rest of the year as the athletic department’s admission that the ban was wrong.
Next, Al Groh is fired. Sorry bud, this ain’t 2007. Chris Long and Jameel Sewell aren’t here to bail you out. Winning a lot of games with a bad team might get you the ACC Coach of the Year award, but it still leaves you with a bad team, which is not what we here at Virginia are looking for.
In trying to fill the vacancy, our first choice is the NFL legend and parent of a current Virginia football player, Darrell Green. It makes sense: He’s in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, so obviously he knows what it takes to make it on the next level, something good recruits look for. Next, he’s a beacon of good character and good decisions, something our football program could use right now. Green also is loyal, committed and patient. He stuck with one pro team for his whole 20 years, through good seasons and bad. Plus, he’s Darrell Green. Everybody likes him. We’d out-recruit most teams in the ACC every year.
I also mentioned Chris Long. The Virginia athletic department henceforth bans him from appearing in any TV commercials for Cavalier sporting events after that embarrassing “Power of Orange” performance from the beginning of this football season.
Next on the agenda is that mission statement and list of goals of the athletic department, which can be found on Virginia’s sports Web site. Right now, it totals 283 words of hogwash and buzzwords. It is hereby replaced with this slightly simpler mantra: “Beat the Hokies.”
My next move as athletic director is to make the rule that any fan who attends an away game for which they have to buy a ticket can get an automatic upgrade in seating at the next home game. All they have to do is present a receipt and a ticket stub. The good, loyal fans need to be rewarded.
But that’s not the only fan incentive I’m putting into place. From now on, any fan who wears orange body paint to a game gets a free T-shirt and half off concessions for the game.
The next item on my agenda is to officially retire the No. 44 men’s basketball jersey in honor of Sean Singletary, like it should have been at the end of last season.
By decree, “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi is now the official rally song of the Cavaliers and must be played at any sporting event when Virginia needs to pull a quick turnaround in order to win. In dire circumstances, “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey should also be used.
Signs reading in large font, “The game’s not over until the buzzer sounds and you hear the ‘Good Ol’ Song’” will soon be placed above every exit of every University of Virginia venue. Especially Scott Stadium. I’m tired of seeing people file to the exits halfway through the third quarter.
Student-athletes who graduate with at least a 3.5 GPA while making their sport’s all-conference team at least once gets free food from Mellow Mushroom, courtesy of the Virginia Athletics Foundation, for the rest of their lives. They earned it.
It is henceforth decided that no football season ticket holders will have to give up their seats ever again. Donors are no longer allowed to buy their way toward the first row on the 50-yard line. The Stalcup Regime of Virginia athletics judges loyalty based on commitment and time and cheering decibels, not number of digits on a check to the Athletic Foundation.
Every Virginia sports team shall be required to show the movie “Hoosiers” before the first practice of every season.
The Snyder Tennis Center is hereby renamed the Somdev Devvarman Tennis Center.
My next act as a commissioner is to form a committee to find musicians who wish to perform the national anthem at sporting events. I’m tired of hearing the same recording of the marching band at every non-televised event. I’m sure we have enough musical talent around Grounds to hear someone new every game.
And while we’re talking about the national anthem, anybody who shouts “HOOS!” at the line “Whose broad stripes...” will be ejected from the game. That’s tacky and unpatriotic and ripped from a Baltimore Orioles tradition. Three bad things.
My next act is to take the $16 million donated to the Virginia Athletics Foundation so far this year and buy a large pizza with two toppings from Pizza Hut for each of my friends, along with a 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper and a side order of... oh, hi, Mr. Littlepage, good to see you made it back so quickly. No, no, nothing too much happened while you were gone. I’ll let you take over from here.

Schaub remains starting QB for Texans
Kubiak says no single player is to blame for loss
By JOHN MCCLAIN Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle
Sept. 22, 2008, 9:22PM

Matt Schaub will be the starting quarterback when the Texans visit Jacksonville on Sunday and try to avoid an 0-3 start for the third time in four seasons.

After he watched tape of Sunday’s 31-12 loss at Tennessee, coach Gary Kubiak said he wasn’t going to replace Schaub with Sage Rosenfels because no one player was responsible for the defeat.

“Nothing’s changed,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, when you’re with players, the whole time you’ve been spending with them comes into account. You know what a player’s made of, what he’s capable of.

“Each week, you evaluate what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. Every person, whether player or coach, if they’re not doing their job, there’s a chance they could be replaced. That’s part of this business.

“When I look at the big picture, if I felt like one player was the reason we were not succeeding, then that’s easy. I don’t see it that way. I see a lot of reasons we’re not succeeding.”

Red-zone blues
Even though the Texans rushed for 146 yards and averaged 5.2 per carry against the NFL’s No. 1 defense — earning rookie Steve Slaton a promotion to full-time starter — they lost because the offense was 1-for-6 in the red zone, 3-for-15 on third down and 2-for-6 on fourth down.

Kubiak wasn’t about to blame all the breakdowns on Schaub, who has one touchdown pass, five interceptions and a 50.3 rating after two games. He’s also been sacked eight times.

“There were a lot of mistakes; it’s not one guy,” Kubiak said. “I made some calls I’m disappointed in.

“I thought he made some tremendous plays early in the game. He had his mistakes, but he also did some good things that would have given us a chance to win the game.”

Receiver Andre Johnson should have caught two touchdown passes from Schaub. Johnson had two catches for 29 yards. Kevin Walter, the other starting receiver, had four receptions for 15 yards.

Average per attempt falls
“As a group, we have to produce better in the passing game,” Kubiak said. “We’re not very good right now on average yards (5.57) per attempt compared to last year (7.42).”

A lot of fans are demanding Schaub be benched and replaced with Rosenfels.

“That’s part of playing the position,” Kubiak said. “You have to battle through it. Matt understands that. He definitely has to play better, but a lot of us have to do better. We’re looking at the whole team and not just one individual.

“We’ve got to play a lot better real fast.”

Some of Schaub’s teammates came to his defense Monday.

“I guess that’s (demanding a change at quarterback) expected in, I guess, the situation where Matt hasn’t played up to his ability,” said tight end Owen Daniels, who has seven catches for 104 yards. “I think he’d be the first to tell you that (but), that’s our guy. That’s all we really have to say about it.

“He’s going to play a lot better. We’re going to protect better for him ”

The Texans trailed 24-12 and faced fourth down at the Tennessee 11 in the fourth quarter. End Kyle Vanden Bosch beat rookie tackle Duane Brown and hit Schaub as he released the ball. It was intercepted and returned 99 yards for a touchdown by cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

“Matt took a lot of hits,” Daniels said. “It’s tough enough for him to stand back there and read the defense and make plays without a rush, let alone having guys hanging on him. So, we need to do a better job of protecting.”

Left guard Chester Pitts, who had to block defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, agreed with Daniels .

No controversy here
“There’s no controversy, and Matt’s going to be fine,” Pitts said. “The biggest thing I do is look at the mirror and see what I can do to help Matt.

“The people doing all the clamoring tend to not know football as well as the people that are making (that) decision. I don’t want to be rude or anything, but the guys at home watching TV need to let the guys who know what they’re doing do their jobs.”
 

Items related to Vick’s child sold to pay his bills
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The contents of a storage unit belonging to Michael Vick, which included baby items, were sold after the imprisoned Falcons quarterback failed to pay his bill, according to a Virginia television station.

WTKR Channel 3 reported Tuesday that employees at the Iron Bound Mini Storage in Williamsburg informed Edward Howard that he had bid on a unit rented to Vick.

Inside boxes, Howard found pictures of Vick and his son. He also found a football signed by Vick to the child. Howard told the station that other boxes were packed with baby clothes, baby furniture and other items that he believes are memories of Vick’s first-born boy.

Vick has three children, a son and two younger daughters.

Howard said he hopes to meet Vick when he gets out of prison, where he is serving a 23-month prison term on federal charges related to dog fighting.

“I’d say ‘Hey man here’s your football back that you signed for your boy.’ Seeing that it was their first boy you know that’s probably got a lot of sentimental value to it I’m sure,” Howard told the station.

A storage facility employee told the station that the unit was rented by a Michael Vick and that it was put on auction because the bill hadn’t been paid in the very long time.

In July, Vick filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The case, which has revealed the quarterback’s tangled finances, continues in federal court in Virginia.