Virginia football notes
Published: September 11, 2009

Hall listed as 'doubtful' for Cavs' date with TCU
Senior Vic Hall, one of three players that Virginia has been alternating at the quarterbackposition, is listed as "doubtful" with a hip injury for tomorrow's game with No. 16-ranked Texas Christian, meaning he likely will not play.

Hall injured himself in the first half of last week's game, but continued playing as a punt returner. Coach Al Groh said earlier in the week that Hall was bruised, but not beyond what other players were feeling.

If Hall doesn't play, Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica will get the playing time.

Cavs place emphasis on running crisp routes
The learning curve for Virginia's young receivers grows even steeper this week.

TCU visits Charlottesville, and the Horned Frogs often play in a formation that puts five defensive backs on the field at the same time.

That puts even more pressure on the U.Va. receivers to run sharp routes, something that was lacking last Saturday.

"Clearly we could have been better, the receiving corps, I feel like we left some plays out there," Kris Burd said. "We're just getting back to the fundamentals and staying on blocks, staying on the same page as the quarterbacks."

Burd, a sophomore from Matoaca, is currently seeing time as the team's No. 4 receiver -- a position that takes the field fairly often in the Cavs' new spread offense.

In addition to learning the defensive habits of each week's opponent, receivers are also having to adjust to the team's three quarterbacks -- Hall, Sewell and Verica.

Burd said that the only real difference among the three is that Sewell is a lefty, so he produces a different spin on the ball.

Deep Run walk-on gets early introduction
Deep Run grad Billy Skrobacz knew he'd be a walk-on with the team, but he thought it was going to be after the semester started.

That's why it surprised him a few weeks ago to get a call from the coaching office, asking him to swing by immediately so he could get pads and a helmet.

Injuries allowed him to be added to the roster early, though he will redshirt during his first year as a student. In addition to adjusting to the tempo of the college game, he's moving from linebacker to fullback.

"It's confusing at first because everything's so fast-paced. They blow the horn and you have to be ready to go," he said. "But I've started to catch on."

Skrobacz is joined on the team by high school teammates Matt and Jake Snyder.

Extra points

•U.Va. is a combined 2-3 against Mountain West Conference teams.

•Groh said that the team would continue to mix in some rugby-style punts as part of its special teams formations.
-- Michael Phillips
 

The other Deep Run players
Michael Phillips
Sep 10, 2009

Today’s story is about walk-on receiver Matt Snyder, a Deep Run grad. As briefly mentioned in the story, there are two other Wildcats currently on the roster - Matt’s brother Jake, a freshman defensive end, and Billy Skrobacz, a freshman fullback who is also a walk-on.

I chatted briefly with Skrobacz last night, and we’ll have some of that in tomorrow’s T-D. He was supposed to have to wait until school started to join the team, because of roster restrictions, but got to join early after injuries to the squad.

He will be redshirthing this year while he catches up to the other players.

“It’s confusing at first because everything’s so fast-paced. They blow the horn and you have to be ready to go,“ he said. “But I’ve started to catch on.“

Skrobacz was a linebacker in high school, but has moved to fullback at U.Va.
 

The burden of playing well
Michael Phillips
Sep 10, 2009

U.Va. lost to William and Mary on Saturday, which was not a high point in coach Al Groh’s tenure. But not everybody on the Hoos had a bad game. Some players, like freshman Steve Greer on defense or kicker Robert Randolph, can hold their heads up high.

So coach Al Groh made an effort to give out some “positive reinforcement” this week where it was deserved, to show the team that good play would be noticed regardless of the context.

“I thought there were a lot of positives and clearly there were a lot of positives in what the defense did. ... That should give them a pretty good sense of confidence,“ he said. “One of the important things after every game is that there’s an overall reading that the team takes on the result of the game, but there’s also an individual reading that players take.

“For example, a team can win, and a particular player not play very well, and he can feel very good about the fact that his team won, but not necessarily very confident in his performance the next week. And it goes the other way around, too. There’s a great deal of disappointment when a player’s team doesn’t win.

“By the same token, if a player has played very well in the game, and you’re not just trying to throw him a fish or give him a silver lining…. There’s a lot of players on that unit who played very well, and their individual confidence should be up.“

Groh’s point is well taken, and players like Greer acknowledged that the coaching staff gave them a pat on the back. At the same time, there’s no doubt that any of them would trade their individual accolades for a win. Football is, after all, a team sport, and these guys have completely bought into that concept.

And it’s important to keep in mind that honesty is also a part of the Groh evaluations. There was no player of the week chosen on offense.
 

The numbers don’t lie
Michael Phillips
Sep 10, 2009

During his press conference, coach Al Groh was ticking off the various accolades of the Horned Frogs…No. 1 in scoring defense, No. 1 in time of possession, etc. Bottom line, this is a good team with a point to prove to BCS voters. And that’s dangerous.

They’re also playing on national TV (ESPNU), a rarity for the school. As a side note, U.Va. returns the trip to Ft. Worth in three years, which was a big selling point for TCU - they struggle to get home-and-home series arrangements.

Here are some portions of an Associated Press story out of Ft. Worth showing just what lengths the team is going to to make itself a championship contender….

————-

While scoring a school-record 56 touchdowns last season, TCU again led the nation in total defense.

Yet, one of the things that stood out was the inability to score when the Frogs really needed to in some of their most important games.

“In the Utah game where we had the ball last and couldn’t get it down where we could get a field goal,” coach Gary Patterson said this week, before the Frogs open their season Saturday at Virginia (0-1).

A 13-10 loss last November cost the Frogs the Mountain West Conference title and a shot at getting into the Bowl Championship Series. Instead, Utah got to do it again and TCU had to settle for its fourth 11-win season in six years.

So after the highest-scoring season in school history, TCU revamped how it will call passing formations. The plays really haven’t changed, but the way they are called was simplified to provide flexibility and better utilize potential big-play receivers like Jimmy Young and Jeremy Kerley.

“I don’t know if we’ll throw it better,” Patterson said. “We want to be more efficient, and feel like we can attack people.”

Or, better translated: score when needed, not just score a lot.

“We still feel like the staple of our offense is still run the football and play-action. But I always felt like when we really truly had to throw the football in the dropback game that we were not ready to do that,” Patterson said.

With 220 yards rushing per game last season (12th nationally), the Frogs had their best season on the ground since L.T. was a senior in 2000, the same year Patterson was promoted to head coach before the bowl game.

What really excites Patterson is having a third-year starter in junior quarterback Andy Dalton.

Dalton has already won 19 games and been the MVP of two bowl games, including the Poinsettia Bowl victory over Boise State that helped boost TCU to No. 7 in the AP poll, their highest final ranking since 1959. He threw only five interceptions in 307 attempts last season.

Plus, Dalton is more comfortable taking on a leadership role.

“He’s definitely made an impression on all of us,” said senior Marshall Newhouse, who has started all 26 games at left tackle the past two seasons. “He’s always been a competitor, but you see a difference in the way he approaches everything and making it his own, making sure he controls things.”

Cornerback Rafael Priest, who has started all 39 games of his career, chuckled when asked about the offense suddenly getting so much attention.

“That’s great. The five years I’ve been here, it’s always been talk about the defense,” Priest said. “They’ve broken all types of records, put all types of points up. Maybe this could be both sides of the ball get clicking. Then you never know what might happen.”
 

U.Va. QB Vic Hall “doubtful” for Saturday
Michael Phillips
Sep 10, 2009

Here’s this week’s injury report from U.Va. Note quarterback Vic Hall on the “doubtful” list, freeing up time for Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica.

Out
Mike Parker (hand)
Bobby Smith (knee)

Doubtful
Vic Hall (hip)
Dontrelle Inman (hand)
Lamar Milstead (ankle)
Bill Schautz (knee)

Questionable
none

Probable
Nate Collins (shoulder)
Patch Duda (shoulder)
Nick Jenkins (leg)
Jameel Sewell (wrist)
Matt Snyder (shoulder)
Joe Torchia (shoulder)
 

UVa Insider, The column
For all the spectacular plays that were sprinkled throughout Monday night’s football opener between Miami and Florida State, the one that caught my attention was easily overlooked.

Facing a second-and-goal from the Florida State 1-yard line, Hurricanes’ quarterback Jacory Harris stepped behind center, took a snap and bulled over the goal line for the touchdown that, coupled with an extra-point kick, gave Miami a 24-23 lead in the third quarter.

Ah, the quarterback sneak.

“It’s your favorite play,” is the way Virginia coach Al Groh described it at his Monday news conference.

“Yeah, it is my favorite play,” I told him.

At a key point in UVa’s game with William and Mary this past Saturday, Virginia faced a third-and-1 from its 49-yard line. Quarterback Marc Verica took a shotgun snap and failed to gain a first-down on third down; then, on fourth down, he took a shotgun snap again and was thrown for a loss.

In each case, Virginia needed to pick up less than a yard. It might have been a foot. It seemed that Verica got a bad spot on his first attempt, when he clearly seemed to have the ball over the midfield stripe. But, he was stuffed on fourth down, when tailback Mikell Simpson was his lead blocker.

On an earlier instance, Virginia had faced a third-and-1 from its 34 in the second quarter. Jameel Sewell, listed at 6 foot 3 and 225 pounds, was the Cavaliers’ quarterback at the time. Of the three quarterbacks that UVa uses, Sewell has the best size and is the most powerful runner.

To me, that would have been a good spot for a quarterback sneak. Instead, Sewell (much bulkier than Miami's 6-4, 190-pound Harris) threw an incomplete pass and the drive ended.

“I’ve always felt that runners run, passers pass [and] catchers catch,” Groh said Monday. “This is one of the most critical plays in the game when you do it, and [with] all of the teams I’ve been associated with, it’s the least practiced play?

“When the game is on the line and you have a critical fourth-down play, I’ve always been reluctant to run a play that gets less practice turns or less full-speed practice turns than all of our other plays.”

Sorry, coach, but I can’t buy that.

The obvious follow-up was, “Why don’t you practice it?”

Groh touched on that issue without me asking.

“Perhaps I’m influenced by the fact that I can remember two times in games I was involved with as a defensive coach and our team had the ball and called time out before a critical short-yardage play,” he said.

“After all of that time to think about it, [we] decided to run the quarterback sneak and, in each particular case, the quarterback was snuffed out and in each particular case, we had a running back on our team who will eventually be voted into the Hall of Fame.

“Those particular kinds of experiences color our thinking.”

The reference was to Curtis Martin, a running back for the New England Patriots and the New York Jets when Groh was with both of those teams.

If Groh had a Curtis Martin or even some of UVa’s “power” backs, most notably Terry Kirby or Thomas Jones, that might be preferable to a quarterback sneak.

But, he doesn’t. Besides, I’m not sure where a power back fits into Virginia’s current spread offense. That had to be one of the reasons behind Keith Payne’s decision to leave the team. Rashawn Jackson, listed as UVa’s starting fullback, has played in some one-back sets during his career and he didn’t even play against William and Mary.

Jackson had some knee issues during the preseason that might have accounted for his inactivity. True freshman running back Dominique Wallace got some carries against the Tribe and it appears the staff likes him, but physically he more closely resembles Payne and Jackson than he does Simpson and redshirt Torry Mack, the first two UVa running backs to get in the game Saturday.

If UVa isn’t going to use the quarterback sneak, I’m sure some fans would like to have the quarterback in an I-formation with a tailback behind a fullback-blocking back. However, as Groh has pointed out in the past, why take three step backwards and hand the ball to the tailback when you can give it to him directly out of the shotgun?

I still don’t like the shotgun in that situation but I can follow Groh’s explanation. To me, there’s no good case against the quarterback sneak.

SPEAKING OF THE SHOTGUN, problems arise when the center has trouble with the snap, as happened twice in the UVa-William and Mary game.

On Sewell’s first play at quarterback, Jack Shields’ snap eluded him and the Cavaliers were saddled with a 9-yard loss.

“Could the ball have been caught?” Groh said Monday. “Yes. Should the ball have been in the bullseye? Absolutely. That’s the center job: Put the ball in the bullseye. It’s only going 5 yards.”

Before halftime, one of Shields’ snaps never got to quarterback Vic Hall. In the ensuing scramble, William and Mary recovered at the UVa 46 with 47.8 seconds remaining in the first half and was able to kick a field goal to trim UVa’s lead to 14-13.

To me, it looked on replay as if Shields’ snap had hit his right knee.

Groh said the ball “never really got off the gound. How could that happen? It was as befuddling to me as it was to you.”

“It’s not as if we are under center sometimes and under shotgun other times. We have been in shotgun since March the 27th. The ball never became airborne.

“I was like, ‘Holy smoke, what happened here?’ And, when I got a chance to study it … the ball, it was like it was stuck to the ground.”

Maybe that’s why he didn’t want his quarterback running behind the center.
 

Vic Hall's hip injury could cause a shake-up at quarterback and punt returner against TCU - Doug Doughty

During a teleconference last Sunday night, U.Va. coach Al Groh was asked how quarterback Vic Hall was feeling after the 26-14 loss to William & Mary that saw Hall suffer a hip injury late in the first half and play sparingly in the second half.

Groh, who comes from the Bill Parcells/Bill Belichick school of not discussing injuries (among other things), said there were probably a lot of guys dealing with some bumps and bruises from the game.

The end...that was the end of that portion of the conversation.

Well, it turns out Hall's hip injury is serious enough for U.Va. to list him as doubtful for this Saturday's game against TCU. U.Va. lists "doubtful" as meaning there's "at least 75 percent chance will not play."

That's bad news for a team about to play a team that was first in the nation last season in total defense (218 yards per game) and rushing defense (47 yards per game). Last week, Hall was U.Va.'s leading rusher with eight carries for 54 yards, including a 34-yard touchdown.

I can already hear what some of you are saying as you read this post: "Oh, Norm...c'mon. TCU posted those defensive numbers against a bunch of Mountain West flyboys that avoid running the ball like the plague."

Think again.

Yes, TCU did stifle the running games of teams like San Diego State (minus-13 yards rushing against TCU) and Southern Methodist (minus-eight rushing yards against TCU), which owned two of three worst rushing offenses in the nation last season. On the other hand, TCU held Air Force (sixth in the nation last season with an average of 267 rushing yards per game) to 107 yards less than its game average last season. TCU also shut down Oklahoma's running game (25 yards for a team that was 20th in the nation in rushing offense with 199 yards per game) and Stanford's ground efforts (71 yards for a unit that was 19th in the nation in rushing offense with 200 yards per game).

Though TCU has just four returning starters from that defense, this 4-2-5 scheme from defensive coordinator Dick Bumpas (who is in his sixth season as TCU's DC) is serious business.

If Hall's injury limits him, or keeps him out of the game, it puts more pressure on U.Va. running backs Mikell Simpson and Torrey Mack. They combined to have eight carries for just 39 yards against W&M. Quarterback Jameel Sewell will also have to improve upon his rushing effort against the Tribe (13 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown) because he could be on the run quite a bit. If Hall can't go, U.Va.'s quarterback rotation will be reduced to Sewell and Marc Verica. All three quarterbacks played against W&M.

Sewell completed 9 of 17 passes for 80 yards and three interceptions against W&M, while Verica completed 7 of 11 passes for 50 yards. Hall was just 2 of 5 passing for seven yards. U.Va. generated just 268 yards of offense against Football Championship Subdivision W&M, and had 13 non-scoring offensive possessions that went five plays or less.

Also, if Hall is indeed hobbled to the point where he can't go 100 percent, U.Va. will have to find a new punt returner. He returned three punts for 14 yards against W&M, and a kickoff for five yards. One of the returns was absolutely calamitous. In the third quarter, he inexplicably corraled a punt at U.Va.'s 5 instead of letting it go in to the end zone, fumbled it and W&M recovered at U.Va.'s 9. The fumble led to a W&M field goal.

Javaris Brown, who had a punt return for one yard against the Tribe, would seem to be the top candidate to return punts if Hall can't do it. In late August, Groh mentioned Hall, Brown, Javanti Sparrow and Tim Smith as the guys he was looking at for the punt returner spot. Mack, Chris Cook and Corey Mosley could also be getting looks.

Of course, it's fair to wonder if Hall's unusual double-duty at quarterback and punt returner may have actually contributed to the hip injury. Maybe, maybe not...but that's a lot of stress on a 5-foot-9, 185-pound frame. It'll be interesting to see if a healthy Hall continues returning punts.

Posted by Norman Wood on September 10, 2009 10:17 PM
 

Football gold in them thar hills
Saturday's Virginia-Texas Christian game marks the first of three encounters this football season between the ACC and Mountain West Conference.

Recent history suggests the ACC should beware.

Founded in 1999 as an offshoot of the Western Athletic Conference, the nine-team Mountain West has quickly become a thorn to the six leagues that control the Bowl Championship Series.

Case in point last week, when Brigham Young upset No. 3 Oklahoma 14-13, and Colorado State defeated Colorado 23-17.

Since 2007, Mountain West teams are 21-18 against opponents from the Big 12, ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Pacific 10 and Southeastern Conference. Conversely, the ACC is 30-34.

TCU has been even better. The Horned Frogs are 11-3 in their last 14 contests against BCS conference foes.

Last season Mountain West champion Utah ran the table and dusted Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. Back in 2004, the Utes qualified for the BCS and crushed Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl.

TCU, the conference's preseason favorite, is among three Mountain West teams ranked in this week's Associated Press poll. The Frogs are 16th, BYU ninth and Utah 17th.

The ACC-Mountain West series continues next week when Florida State heads to BYU. TCU returns east to face Clemson on Sept. 26.


Posted by David Teel on Thursday, September 10, 2009 at 03:32 PM
 

No-Huddle Forces Band To Follow New Script
Sept. 10, 2009
6:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia's new no-huddle offense has yet to wreak havoc on opposing defenses, but it's made the Cavalier Marching Band alter its routine during football games.

In past seasons, when UVa had the ball at Scott Stadium, the band played before every snap. When the Cavaliers were on defense, the band played before every down except third, when recorded music was piped in over the stadium's sound system.

In college football, the band is supposed to stop playing by the time the offense breaks the huddle. Trouble is, UVa no longer huddles on offense. After a play ends, the players head directly back to the line of scrimmage.

"Sometimes they do run the [play] clock down, but they're standing up there," Bill Pease, director of the Cavalier Marching Band, said Thursday afternoon. "At any time they could hike the ball. That's designed so the defense can't sub. I know sometimes they don't hike the ball for 25 seconds, but I don't know when [that will happen]."

And so, in Virginia's opener against William and Mary last weekend, Pease kept his band quiet for long stretches.

"I don't want to say it's taken us out of it, but it's very hard," Pease said. "It really limits you from playing. We try to do it after a big play, because it takes the players time to the get to the line of scrimmage, but sometimes they run right up there.

"What we don't want to do is take away from what the [team is] trying to do ... I'd rather for us to win and the band not to play as much. [Victory is] really what we're all looking for."

Pease said he's called band directors at other schools whose teams run the no-huddle, to see how often they play during games.

The Cavalier Marching Band has more than 280 members, Pease said, and "to get them to stop on a dime is pretty tough ... We're trying to come up with really, really short things to play, but they would have to be three or four seconds. It's hard, and for four seconds, I don't know if it's really worth it.

"I'm not upset about it at all. I just hope people understand that's the way it is."

-- Jeff White







Youth Movement Not Over For 'Hoos
Sept. 10, 2009
5:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Four true freshmen -- wide receivers Tim Smith and Quintin Hunter, tailback Dominique Wallace and defensive end Will Hill -- played for UVa's football team last weekend in its season-opening loss to William and Mary.

More names might be added to that list Saturday, when Virginia hosts No. 16 TCU at Scott Stadium. But even if it doesn't happen this weekend, Al Groh said Thursday morning, he expects to play more true freshmen this season.

"The game will have something to do with it," Groh said, "but our feeling -- actually with every freshman class, but in particular this one, and the '02 class was kind of that way -- is that there's the potential for them to have an impact on the team here during the course of the season very significantly.

"It may not be early. It may take a few more weeks of development on the part of some players. When that's the case, we think that those players will certainly add to the overall strength of the roster."

Groh declined to say who might be next to play, but in preseason he listed Perry Jones and Javani Sparrow among the candidates in the first-year class. In 2002, 14 true freshmen played for the Cavaliers.


Other topics covered on Groh's weekly Thursday teleconference with reporters included H1N1 flu, more commonly known as swine flu. So far, Groh said, no member of the team has been affected.

"We've discussed it, and we've discussed some of the things that players can do to try to minimize the danger that just the overall environment places them in, and the impact it would have on the team should it affect our team the way it has at other places," Groh said.

"And we are waiting for the vaccine to get here and will be taking advantage of that as well as our normal fall flu vaccine."

-- Jeff White

 

Virginia seeks redemption against No. 16 Texas Christian University
Cavaliers hope to upset Horned Frogs, address problems that plagued team in disappointing loss to William & Mary
Meryem Karad, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer
Featured / Football / Sports
September 11, 2009 0

Sophomore wide receiver Kris Burd, who only had 65 yards on seven catches in all of last season, caught five passes for a team high 46 yards in last weekends game. Photo by Bennett Sorbo.
Coming off its highest final ranking in nearly 50 years, No. 16 Texas Christian University opens its season against the Cavaliers in Charlottesville. While Virginia suffered a highly disappointing 26-14 loss to William & Mary last Saturday, TCU capitalized on the first week of college football season by squeezing in a few extra practices.

“We’re limited by the amount of practices we can have on the game because our focus didn’t really turn towards this game [until this week],” coach Al Groh said.

TCU coach Gary Patterson has built a very impressive program that finished 11-2 in 2008 and was No. 7 in the final AP poll.

“We expect intensity — a faster pace and level,” Virginia senior nose tackle Nate Collins said. “It’s a brand new system and after last week [against William & Mary], having [had] a chance to run it, we’re more prepared.”

Unlike Virginia, which has not won a season opener in the last four years, the Horned Frogs have won their last six — the past four by an average of 17.5 points — and have not given up a touchdown in their last two. Last season, TCU allowed only 18 total touchdowns, the third-fewest in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The team led the FBS with 217.8 scrimmage yards allowed per game, an impressive statistic that could be partially credited to All-American end Jerry Hughes. The Cavaliers should expect the 6-foot-3, 257-pound Hughes to return this season with the same level of talent that allowed him to lead the nation with 15 sacks and six forced fumbles last year.

This equation does not bode well for the Cavaliers, who finished near the bottom of the FBS with 16.1 points per game in 2008 and struggled with a new spread offense last Saturday.

Mistakes, such as the seven turnovers Virginia committed last weekend, will prove detrimental against the Horned Frogs, who led the FBS in time of possession and had a turnover margin of plus-13 in 2008. Virginia also attempted to use all three of its quarterbacks last Saturday, but none proved effective as the team totaled only 268 yards. And, with senior Vic Hall listed as doubtful after suffering an injury, the Cavaliers are still struggling to find their starting quarterback for Saturday’s game. TCU’s junior quarterback, Andy Dalton, on the other hand, enters his third year as a starter.

“When they get [the football] — they keep it — and they end up scoring with it,” Groh said, “When the other team’s got it, they take it away pretty quickly, and don’t give away many points.”

This impressive ball control has helped TCU improve to an 11-3 record in its last 14 games played against BCS teams.

For now, however, Groh intends to focus his team on the opportunities that lay before it.

“There were approximately 40 passes called — that’s up to the receivers to get open,” he said. “The quarterbacks had plenty of chances to run and pass with it — I certainly don’t think they were inhibited from their opportunity to make plays. Did they execute their options well enough? Clearly had we done so, we would’ve scored more points.”

Whatever advantage was to be gained from a film session dissecting last week’s showing against William & Mary, Virginia fans hope it was absorbed.

“The morale’s is high,” Collins said. “We’re just trying to win our first game.”

These teams’ only previous meeting was a 20-10 Virginia victory in the 1994 Independence Bowl. TCU will be playing its first game ever in the commonwealth and its first game in an ACC stadium since 1994 at UNC.

Kick-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Scott Stadium, where Virginia’s reputation will be on the line.

“It’s been a while since we got a W for some of the guys coming back from last year so this is a big game for us,” Collins said. “We’re just trying to get that first win and get this ball rolling.”
 

TCU vs. UVa: Nowhere to go but up
Dan Stalcup, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Football / Sports
September 11, 2009 0

This article accompanies “High-octane attack” by Travis Brown, TCU ‘Daily Skiff’ Sports editor.

No one in his or her right mind would predict that the Cavaliers beat the Horned Frogs tomorrow. After that humiliating defeat to William & Mary, it seems Virginia’s offense consists of an incoherent hodgepodge being passed off as a spread formation. The quarterback carousel spins right round, baby, right round. The team has no identity — no discernible plan.

The defense, on the other hand, is composed of a secondary that can’t remember that its job is to cover receivers. Defensive ends get knocked over by flabby linemen, and a bunch of linebackers scratch their head in confusion.

You’d have to be nuts to pick Virginia against No. 16 TCU. I, however, am one step beyond insane. I’m optimistic.

First, the loss to Football Championship Subdivision team William & Mary was not quite as bad as it seemed. Virginia would have crushed the Tribe if it weren’t for its seven turnovers. William & Mary scored 19 points off turnovers. Nineteen!

There’s no way the Cavaliers will lose the ball seven times again. Something like that doesn’t happen twice in a row. It doesn’t even happen twice in a decade.

Virginia is at rock bottom. Humiliated and ready to prove that they’re not failures, the Cavaliers have nowhere to go but up whereas the Horned Frogs have nowhere to go but down. This is when upsets happen. Think Stanford toppling USC in October 2007. No matter how badly the odds are against the Cavaliers, they could still pull out a victory.

You get a long run by senior tailback Mikell Simpson in there, a 40-yard scramble by senior quarterback Vic Hall, a deep bomb from senior quarterback Jameel Sewell to sophomore receiver Jared Green and you have a game.

Any team can win this Saturday, but I have a gut feeling TCU will be the thunderstruck team this week the same way Virginia was last week.

This week, the key Cavalier number won’t be seven, as in turnovers, or 23, as in the number of years since a loss to a lower-division team. It will be one ­— the number of points by which it wins.

21-20. You heard it here first.
 

TCU vs. UVa: High-octane attack
Travis Brown, TCU 'Daily Skiff' Sports Editor
Football / Sports
September 11, 2009 0

This article accompanies ‘Nowhere to go but up‘ by Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor Dan Stalcup.

Everyone who is around the Horned Frogs football program knows that the team will be ready for the Cavaliers on Saturday. But the Cavaliers will be prepared for the Frogs as well and looking for some revenge.

The Frogs are definitely not William & Mary, but Virginia just let a little game against what they thought was a little team fall through the cracks. Virginia is prepared for the Horned Frogs; they were prepared for the Frogs last week. They’ll be waiting to bring the pain of a bad loss down on the Frogs.

Despite this, Virginia doesn’t have the tools to beat an even better prepared Frog football team. In rotating three different quarterbacks, the Cavaliers will not be able to find any sort of rhythm. Even if they stick with one snap caller, the offense will not have the same level of chemistry a top collegiate team should have at this point.

As Frog fans have seen in the past, any attempt to run the ball against the Frogs is futile, as will be the case this year with All-American Jerry Hughes and linebacker Daryl Washington supporting TCU’s defensive cast. To wit, coach Gary Patterson said Washington is the most athletic linebacker he has recruited.

And even if raw talent isn’t enough to push the Frogs to a victory, something is brewing in the Horned Frog camp. Patterson has been very hesitant to reveal anything about his game plan or starting lineups for the Virginia matchup and even closed practices for the past week to NFL scouts. The Frogs unveiled the “Wild Frog” formation last year and found great success. Could there be a new surprise in 2009?

Be ready for a high-octane offense this Saturday ready to move the ball with power on the ground and speed through the air — and put up an abundance of points that will leave a confused Cavalier defense wondering what just hit it.

Travis Brown is the Sports Editor at the Texas Christian University Daily Skiff.
 

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
September 11, 2009 12:36 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

The football skills of Dominique Wallace and Quintin Hunter couldn't be much more different.

Wallace was a bruising fullback in Chancellor High School's option offense that rarely passed the ball.

Hunter was the star quarterback at Orange, which operated from the pass-heavy spread formation.

Still, the careers of Wallace and Hunter have paralleled.

Both were four-year high school starters, who were recruited heavily by major college programs.

And in February, the former Free Lance-Star All-Area performers signed with the University of Virginia.

Now that Hunter and Wallace are Cavaliers, their careers continue to follow the same path.

The roommates and former rivals both saw action in Virginia's 26-14 season-opening loss to William & Mary, which means they won't redshirt in their initial season of college football.

"I think it's good that we're roommates and we're both playing," Wallace said. "That's just building our bond even more."

Wallace and Hunter got to know each other well in high school because Chancellor and Orange played all four of their years, splitting the meetings 2-2.

Their friendship grew tighter on recruiting visits to Virginia.

Wallace orally committed to the Cavaliers in February 2008 and Hunter soon followed.

"After we committed, we said right then we were going to be roommates," Hunter said. "So knowing each other through high school, it's kind of continued in college."

Wallace and Hunter are hoping their success continues as well. They were both thrilled to learn last week that they would play against the Tribe.

Wallace (6-foot, 220 pounds) is playing running back behind Mikell Simpson and Torrey Mack.

He's dropped 10 pounds from his playing days at Chancellor. He carried the ball just twice for seven yards against William & Mary, but said he feels much sharper than he was in high school.

"I feel like I've improved drastically since then because I lost a lot of the weight I had," Wallace said. "I have a lot more moves now."

Wallace said junior running back Keith Payne's recent decision to leave the team isn't what opened the door for playing time. He said that opportunity was already available.

Virginia head coach Al Groh said Wallace "had 29 practices, and he took advantage of every one of those opportunities."

"He reminds me a lot of myself when I got here," Virginia senior fullback Rashawn Jackson said. "He's quiet. He's sitting back and observing a lot. But eventually he's going to be one of the leaders of this team."

Hunter could be, too.

He's playing wide receiver for Virginia.

Groh said Hunter (6-1, 185 pounds) must develop quickly because the team has a need at the position. Virginia lost its top five pass-catchers from a year ago, and the receiving corps struggled to get open against the Tribe.

"We are hoping that [Hunter and true freshman Tim Smith] are able to challenge for playing time soon," Groh said. "We are hoping they would enable us to do some things that frankly in the past would've been ill-advised. I'm very anxious for those things."

Hunter said he welcomes the challenge from Groh to produce right away. His teammates were impressed during fall practice.

"He's a very competitive player," Cavaliers' senior quarterback Vic Hall said. "You would've thought he [always] played receiver in high school with the way he came on."

Hunter said his biggest adjustment to college has been getting his legs back in shape for all the running that receivers do. Wallace said he's working on pass-blocking.

Both hope to see more playing time when the Cavaliers host Texas Christian tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.

"I just want to do what's best for the team. It's not what's best for me," Hunter said. "If the team needs me to come in and play, that's what I'll do."

 

What’s wrong with the spread?
By Jay Jenkins
Published: September 11, 2009

There was hope. There was hype.

Unfortunately, Virginia’s newly-installed spread offense did not live up to the label attached during spring practice and training camp.

Stumbling out of the gate, the Cavaliers (0-1) were plagued by seven turnovers and an inability to move the ball down the field with proficiency.

On its way to a 26-14 loss to William & Mary, Virginia’s spread and the three quarterbacks entrusted to operate it managed to move the chains just 12 times.

The Cavaliers, who host No. 16 Texas Christian (0-0) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., also had just three offensive drives that lasted over five plays, a flaw that must be corrected in the up-tempo offense.

While the amount of turnovers caught Virginia coach Al Groh off guard, the “learning curve” with the spread offense was expected.

“I know that a lot of the teams that are majoring in this system are Big 12 teams. This style of offense has prolificated throughout high school football — lots of teams are running it,” Groh said. “Texas is an area where it’s very abundant — in fact, the coaches there at North Texas achieved tremendous success in high school in it, and went directly to the job at North Texas.

“Many of the quarterbacks who are playing in the Big 12 in these systems have been in this system now literally for eight, nine years, because it’s what they played in high school. Then they came and redshirted for a year, and now at Kansas and Missouri, for example, the three previous three or four years, both those teams had great success after switching to this offense.”

Todd Reesing, the signal-caller at Kansas, ranks No. 16 in passing efficiency and the Jayhawks are 11th in total offense. Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert is No. 14 in passing efficiency after one game as the heir apparent to Chase Daniel.

“Those quarterbacks chose their schools and were recruited by those schools principally because they knew this offense almost before the coaches did,” Groh said. “I think that probably the learning curve is probably a little bit more significant or a little bit more extreme for [Virginia’s] players than if they were players that had a long-term background in it.”

Groh noted in the preseason that different teams operate the spread with different desired plans of attacks.

Some teams run. Some teams pass. Some teams offer a combination.

Virginia fell into the latter category against William & Mary, whether it was by design or based on the numbers shining on the brand-new scoreboard.

The Cavaliers finished with 39 carries for just 131 net yards, a number that was skewed by the loss of 20 yards, respectively, by quarterbacks Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica.

Through the air, Virginia’s trio attempted 36 passes and completed just 18 for a woeful figure of 137 yards. The operation finished with an average of just 4.2 per pass.

Sewell threw three interceptions, but led the quarterbacks with 80 yards passing as he completed 9 of 17 attempts.

Verica, the third to play in the rotation, had 50 yards through the air on 7-for-11 passing.

Vic Hall, the starter in the opener, managed just seven yards passing and completed just two attempts.

On the ground, a majority of Virginia’s runs came from the quarterbacks as Sewell carried 13 times and Hall managed eight rushes before a hip injury limited him offensively.

“We certainly didn’t anticipate that, and I didn’t have a full sense of that during the course of the game, although clearly it was apparent that the quarterbacks had quite a few carries and were fairly effective in doing it,” Groh said. “The fact that both touchdowns came on excellent runs by the quarterbacks does point out their capability of doing such, but we don’t want it to evolve into where they’re the primary runners, no.”
 

Losses put Groh, Cutcliffe in spotlight
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: September 11, 2009

Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting that Virginia’s coaching staff wasn’t the only one fuming after last weekend’s shoddy performance ...

Duke coach David Cutcliffe was more than irritated after the Blue Devils faced Colonial Athletic Association member Richmond and came away with a 26-14 home loss to the 2008 FCS national champions.

“I don’t think it sunk in how well we were going to have to play and how fierce we were going to have to compete,” Cutcliffe said of the loss. “I’ve got their attention right now, but being mad’s not going to accomplish anything. We’ve got work to do.”

The second-year Duke coach said he saw confidence from his team heading into the Richmond game, but could that have been over-confidence? After all, Cutcliffe said in the preseason that he expected a winning season and bowl game appearance from his Blue Devils.

“We seemed confident and I haven’t been with a Duke team maybe that was confident,” the coach said. “I was kind of hoping that we could play with a little confidence, that it might decrease the jitters and the drops and the misses. We’ve been haunted by poor execution at times. I thought that this (confidence) was a good thing. As it turned out, it wasn’t a good thing.”

About Groh’s hot seat

Our spies indicated that there has been some discussion at Virginia concerning pulling the plug on Al Groh if the Cavaliers start the season 0-3, and that the school now has the financial resources to do so.

However, Jon Oliver, executive associate director of athletics at UVa, said on Jay James’ “Best Seat in the House,” on Wednesday night that he’s personally not in favor of such a tactic. Clemson fired coach Tommy Bowden early last season after the preseason No. 9 Tigers got off to a disastrous start.

Clemson replaced Bowden with assistant Dabo Swinney, who remained the Tigers’ head coach. Should UVa choose to pull the plug on Groh, it is likely that assistant Ron Prince or Gregg Brandon would be elevated to interim head coach. Most observers agree that Virginia would likely pursue Richmond head coach Mike London unless one of those assistant coaches had resounding success.

Oliver said though that he isn’t too keen on the idea of making a coaching switch during the season.

“We’re not even talking about the middle of a season,” Oliver said. “We’re talking about the beginning of a season. You don’t know yet what this team’s capable of. I think it’s very premature to talk about trying to make changes in the middle of a season.”

Some of Groh’s best teams at Virginia have gotten off to rocky starts only to pull themselves together for strong finishes.

“Personally, I don’t believe in doing that anyway,” Oliver said on the midseason transitions of coaches. “It’s not fair to people. It’s not fair to the kids that are in the program who have sacrificed and who are trying to work hard to support a coach and to win football games. I think many times you can create more dysfunction by doing something like that, so, personally I’m against that type of thing.”

After losing to visiting William & Mary last Saturday in an error-filled game, Groh dissenters have called for a change. Oliver defended the school’s head coach and called last weekend a hiccup that perhaps derived from a new offensive system and new assistant coaches adjusting to the team.

“Nobody has worked harder than coach Groh,” Oliver said. “Nobody has been more loyal than coach Groh to this program. I think he deserves the opportunity to try to get through this season and try to turn this thing around and make the best of it. But, again, that’s my personal opinion.”

Oliver’s outlook may not be shared by others who are more inclined to make such a call, such as Director of Athletics Craig Littlepage or UVa president John Casteen with the blessing of the Board of Visitors.

Stat of the week

After dropping two passes and not hauling in a third just off his fingers, Clemson wide receiver Jacoby Ford, was booed by Tigers fans, and chewed out on the sidelines by Coach Dabo Swinney.

But the Fork Union graduate responded with a punt return for a touchdown and a 43-yard touchdown catch.

Perhaps even more impressive was Ford’s 21-yard catch down the seam late in the half when he was hit in stride and hammered by the Middle Tennessee safety, but still held on.

Quote of the week

Maryland senior Phil Costa might have been California dreaming after the Terps were crushed by the Golden Bears, 52-13 last Saturday.

“This is only the first game,” Costa said after the loss to 12th-ranked Cal. “We have 11 games left to play. We can go 11-1.”

The touchdown maker

We tagged Toney Baker with that nickname when he set state scoring records in North Carolina during his high school career. Baker came close to coming to UVa, but chose N.C. State instead.

After an injury-plagued career, he returned to the Wolfpack’s backfield for the opener last Saturday against South Carolilna. But it wasn’t a triumphant return.

Baker fumbled on his first carry and N.C. State’s first offensive play of the game. The Gamecocks recovered at the Wolfpack 15-yard line and scored four plays later for the game’s only touchdown and the eventual win.

“It’s not what I had in mind for my first play,” Baker said. “After that first carry I feel like I did my job all right.”

He carried eight times for 24 yards, but didn’t seem to show the same confidence and power running style of his former self.

Baker had not played since Sept. 2, 2007 because of two surgeries to his right knee, missing 24 straight games.

The picks

Last week: 8-3. This week: Georgia Tech 24, Clemson 21 (picked Thursday afternoon, honest); Wake Forest 27, Stanford 21; North Carolina 30, UConn 14; Duke 19, Army 10; Virginia Tech 42, Marshall 13; Boston College 33, Kent State 17; Florida State 40, Jacksonville State 7; N.C. State 28, Murray State 7; TCU 33, Virginia 13; UPSET SPECIAL: JMU 24, Maryland 17.
 

Virginia doubles down on soccer
By Whitey Reid
Published: September 11, 2009

The West Coast was kind to the Virginia men’s and women’s soccer teams. Now both squads are hoping for similar success on this side of the country.

Back in Charlottesville, they’ll do battle tonight at Klockner Stadium as part of a tripleheader.

The No. 16 Virginia women (3-1-1) play host to No. 15 West Virginia (2-1-2) at 6 p.m., while the No. 16 men (2-0) open their home and ACC seasons against No. 19 Duke (5-0) in the nightcap. In other women’s action, Seton Hall (3-1) takes on Dartmouth (1-1) at 3 p.m.

Last weekend in Oregon, the Virginia men won both their games in the Portland Nike Soccer Classic. UVa, behind two goals from sophomore Tony Tchani, soundly defeated Portland, 3-0. Two days later, the Wahoos beat Washington, 2-1, on a Neil Barlow goal in overtime.

“We got Brian Ownby back [from injury],” said Virginia coach George Gelnovatch, “and even though he didn’t score, he caused a lot of problems.”

Gelnovatch also elected to abandon the new-look offensive formation that his team had practiced throughout the preseason. Gelnovatch liked certain aspects of the attacking system — one in which the middle backs bombed forward — but the bottom line was that Virginia didn’t win any of the games.

“We went back to the drawing board and decided to line up exactly how we did last year,” Gelnovatch said. “Our guys are more comfortable with it and I think it suits our guys like Tony [Tchani] a little better. They’re just more comfortable with it and I think that was part of our success over the weekend.”

Meanwhile, in the Sun Devil Classic in Tempe, Ariz., the Virginia women easily handled Arizona, 4-1, before playing Arizona State to a 1-1 tie. Five different players scored for the Cavaliers on the trip.

Virginia and West Virginia are no strangers. The Cavaliers beat the Mountaineers in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season.
 

White: Behind The Scenes With ... Jesse Pritchard
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/10/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Starting this month, VirginiaSports.com will regularly look at members of the UVa athletics department who, unlike student-athletes and coaches, generally operate outside of the public eye.
Today's guest is Jesse Pritchard, whose office is in the basement of University Hall. Pritchard makes sure UVa's athletic fields look their best.
Title: Sports turf manager
Age: 30
Education: Bachelor's degree in ornamental horticulture and landscape design, with emphasis on turf management, University of Tennessee, 2001.
Family: Married to the former Amy Fielder. They have a son, Cooper, who turns 2 in January.
Started at UVa: July 2005. Pritchard formerly worked for Sports Turf Management, an Atlanta-based company that took care of athletic fields for colleges and high schools. In his hometown of Knoxville, Tenn., he was a lad of 9 when he started getting paid for cutting grass.
Job description: Pritchard and his staff -- assistant sports turf managers Tracy Burge and Henry Shifflett, plus sports turf technician Jeff Lawson -- are responsible for the upkeep of 15 acres of natural grass and seven acres of artificial turf at the University. You'll see them working at Scott Stadium (football), Davenport Field (baseball), Klöckner Stadium (soccer and lacrosse), The Park (softball), Lannigan Field (track and field), University Hall Turf Field (field hockey) and several practice fields.
On the clock: Pritchard and Co. are scheduled to work from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each weekday. "That doesn't mean I leave at 3:30," he says with a smile. "On the day of a baseball game, it could be 7 [a.m.] to midnight." At a home football game, all four will work. Three are at every home baseball game and two at every home softball game. "We're working 60 to 70 hours a week in the spring," Pritchard says.
Little of this, little of that: Pritchard says he likes being involved with the athletics department and, especially, the "variety of the jobs we do. It would be tough for me to take a professional job where I worked on the same three acres of a baseball field for the rest of my life. It's a perfect job. There's always inside work and there's always outside work. It's great. I could be here for a long time."
Biggest professional challenge: "In the spring, when there's so much going on, keeping everything at the highest level we can keep it," Pritchard says. "That's the hardest thing."
When Bono comes to town: The U2 concert at Scott Stadium is Oct. 1. The band is contractually obligated to have its massive stage and all of its equipment off the field by 6 p.m. on Oct 4, Pritchard says. Then, over a three-day period, the playing surface will be stripped and thick-cut sod installed. UVa hosts Indiana at Scott Stadium on Oct. 10.
Condition of Pritchard's own lawn? "Not as good as all the fields here," he says with a laugh.

 

After storming Portland, experienced footballers take on rivals
Cavaliers face off against No. 19 Blue Devils at home with hope of continuing early season success
Nick Eilerson, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Men's Soccer / Sports
September 11, 2009 0

Senior midfielder Ross LaBauex, who came out of a preseason game because of injury, has played in both regular season victories and hopes to lead his team to a third in the team’s home season opener this weekend. Photo by Iram Shaikh.
The No. 16 Virginia men’s soccer team will open ACC play when it squares off against No. 19 Duke Friday at Klöckner Stadium.

The squad will look to add to last weekend’s success, when it captured the round-robin Portland Nike Invitational in Portland, Ore. The tournament included a decisive 3-0 win against Portland and a hard-fought 2-1 overtime triumph against Washington ­— two squads that Virginia coach George Gelnovatch described as “playoff caliber.”

Shining brightly in the tournament was re-invigorated sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani, whose two goals in the first 15 minutes of the Portland game more than made up for his lackluster performance in the preseason’s three exhibition matches. His impressive performance in the weekend’s two games earned him the tournament’s offensive MVP honors, as well as being named to Soccer America’s Men’s Team of the Week. Meanwhile, senior captain Ross LaBauex embodied the team’s talented defensive efforts, as he was named the tournament’s defensive MVP.

In addition to shaking the mediocrity that followed Virginia throughout preseason, the weekend’s success produced a 2-0 regular season record and moved the team significantly up in the national rankings. It also gave the Cavaliers momentum heading into a challenging match against ACC rival Duke.

“It’s always good to start out winning,” Gelnovatch said. “Just having that under your belt is good, especially coming out of the preseason where we really didn’t come up with any results. I thought we saw a lot of contributions from a lot of different people, two completely different teams style-wise that we played.”

Duke enters the match riding momentum of its own. The Blue Devils boast a 3-0 record after wins against Columbia and Denver this past weekend in the Duke/Nike Classic. Junior midfielder Cole Grossman — last week’s ACC Player of the Week — has emerged as the Blue Devils’ leader to this point in the season. He has scored three goals — including two game winners — and tallied two assists so far, contributing five of the team’s six points.

“It’s an ACC game, it’s always a battle,” Gelnovatch said. “Last time we played them, I know they probably have that fresh in their minds a little bit, when we eliminated them from the ACC Tournament. So we expect a pretty good soccer game.”

Virginia emerged victorious in the teams’ previous meeting, last season’s ACC quarterfinal, by a score of 4-2. Earlier in the season, the Blue Devils defeated the Cavaliers, 1-0, in Durham, N.C. With the quarterfinal loss still easily remembered — as well as a disappointing 2008 season record of 10-8-2 — the Blue Devils will look to exact revenge on Virginia’s experienced squad.

“We’re told they’re direct, like the team we played in Portland — Washington,” sophomore forward Brian Ownby said. “They were just direct and big. So we’ve had a tune-up I guess for them because of Washington. We feel we have a good chance against them, and it’s the ACC home opener so we’re gonna have a huge crowd. We’re just gonna come out strong like we did in Portland.”

Against Duke, Virginia leads its series that dates back to 1946, 37-35-7, and hopes to extend that slim margin this weekend.
 

Team faces off against defending national champions this weekend
After ending season with loss to Duke in last year’s NCAA tournament, Cavs prepare for rematch in Williamsburg
Chloe Newschwander, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Women's Tennis
September 11, 2009 0

Senior Jennifer Stevens finished last season ranked No. 92 nationally, and hopes to continue moving up the rankings as the season progresses. Photo by Bennett Sorbo.
The Virginia women’s tennis team ended its 2008-09 season with a 4-1 NCAA match play loss to eventual national champion Duke, recording a 14-10 final record. A summer removed from that disappointing finish, the Cavaliers will seek revenge this weekend on the Blue Devils’ home turf.

Duke is led by senior Amanda Granson, who had a winning singles record last fall, going 17-10. Granson also brings experience in the doubles arena, having earned an at-large doubles bid in the NCAA tournament last year.

Especially dominant against conference foes, the Blue Devils also performed well on the road, with a 7-2 record in away matches.

“The team understands that we were pretty strong at the end of the year but it’s asking a lot to try to beat the national champions at their place,” coach Mark Guilbeau said. “If we can just have a little bit more progress and a little bit of a head start to that same level, we would be in a much better position at the end of the year to maybe be a favorite instead of having to play a team like that.”

Led by then-seniors Amanda Rales and Maggie Yahner, the Cavaliers reached the NCAA tournament last year for the 10th time in program history. Both athletes were essential individual competitors on the singles court as well as a challenging doubles pair.

Although the squad has lost two of its most experienced players, this year’s roster features promising amounts of talent. Four freshmen — Riley Blanks, Maria Fuccillo, Hana Tomljanovic and Erin Vierra — will be officially added to the lineup this weekend at the William and Mary Invitational. The four athletes were heavily sought-after as recruits, and the team hopes they will make significant contributions this year.

After this weekend, senior Jennifer Stevens, junior Neela Vaez and sophomres Lindsey Hardenbergh and Emily Fraser hope to find comfortable positions on the ladder with the newcomers.

“We’ve been playing matches against each other a lot — we played two sets of doubles against each other yesterday — and we’re just figuring out some teams and stuff for this weekend,” Stevens said.

Fraser is entering the season ranked No. 54 out of 125 in the ITA Preseason Rankings. Stevens follows closely behind at No. 73.

Guilbeau hopes to see the players maintain their rankings and improve throughout the season.

“The reality is that we have a number of players that can be ranked, so hopefully that’s another step for our program,” Guilbeau said. “That is part of the focus … of course, you always want the team to be first in your focus, but we need to have the individual results and accomplishments to make that happen.”

An initial test of this individual persistence will reveal itself this weekend, and the coaches see it as a learning opportunity for both themselves and the players.

“You have new players each year and it takes some time to learn the whole process and that’s completely understandable,” Guilbeau said. “We’re really excited about what the team took from [NCAAs], what they showed through the summer and what they’ve shown so far, and that includes the new players.”
 

Men's Tennis Hosts UVa Classic This Weekend
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/10/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The Virginia men's tennis team opens its 2009 fall schedule this weekend as it hosts the eighth annual UVa Classic. Seventeen teams are competing in the event that features six singles draws and three doubles draws.
Among the players competing in the event are 12 ranked singles players and three ranked doubles teams.
The teams competing this weekend include the host Cavaliers along with Binghamton, Columbia, Davidson, East Tennessee State, Eastern Kentucky, Elon, George Washington, James Madison, Liberty, NC State, Nebraska, Radford, South Florida, VCU, Wake Forest and William & Mary.
Play will begin Friday at 10 a.m. at the Snyder Tennis Center with play on Saturday and Sunday set to begin at 9 a.m. Admission is free.
Complete draws are available by clicking the link above.

 

Cavaliers Continue Road Trip with Two Games in Ohio
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/10/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The sixth-ranked Virginia field hockey team (4-0, 0-0 ACC) continues its five-game road swing with a trip to Ohio this weekend. The Cavaliers will face Kent State (2-3) at 1 p.m. Friday before heading south to battle the Bobcats of Ohio (1-3) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both teams are receiving votes in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA poll.
Virginia is coming off a 1-0 victory with in-state foe Old Dominion on the road on Labor Day. Sophomore Inga Stöckel scored the lone goal of the game with just 5:22 remaining on the clock. UVa embarked on its five-game road swing with a trip to Providence, R.I., where the Orange and Blue came away with a 2-1 win over the Friars last Friday. Freshman Tara Puffenberger scored both goals against Providence, including the first of her college career.
Virginia has outscored opponents 11-1 in four games this season. Providence has been the only team to record a score against the UVa defense. The Cavaliers are also outshooting opponents 69-19 and have a 25-14 advantage on penalty corners. Inga Stöckel, Tara Puffenberger and Floor Vogels lead Virginia in scoring thus far. All three have two goals and an assist for five points.
Kent State is 2-3 on the season and receiving votes in the latest Kookaburra/NFHCA Coaches Poll, released Tuesday. The Golden Flashes are coming off a three-game west coast trip in which they went 1-2, with a win over Pacific (3-1) and losses to California (2-0) and Stanford (7-1). To open the season, Kent State beat Saint Louis 7-0 before falling to then-No. 12 James Madison 3-2 at home. New Zealand native Debbie Bell leads Kent State with five goals and two assists for 12 points. Bell also has had both game-winning goals and leads the team with 35 shots.
Kent State senior Laurie Wilkins has contributed three goals while juniors Nicole Leach and Rachel Miller each have scored twice. Junior Carolina Suitch has started all five games in the cage and has 22 saves. Virginia leads the all-time series with Kent State, 2-0. The two teams played in Charlottesville last season, with the Cavaliers earning a 4-2 victory at the U-Hall Turf Field. Lauren Elstein, Paige Selenski and Traci Ragukas each tallied scores in the win a year ago.
Ohio is 1-3 on the season and will play at Ohio State Friday afternoon before facing the Cavaliers on Sunday. OU played a pair of Big Ten foes last weekend, defeating Indiana 1-0 in overtime on Friday before falling to Michigan State 5-2 on Sunday. The Bobcats opened the season with a 3-0 loss to Maryland followed by a 3-2 overtime loss to Northwestern in the Wildcat Classic.
OU's Marcy Dull and Charlottesville native Katherine Ballard currently pace the Ohio offense with two goals this season. Teammates Katelyn Shelley and Brittany Zorn also each have two assists. Junior Courtney Selders, who sat out the 2008 season after transferring from Old Dominion, and sophomore Jen McGill have split time at goalkeeper for the Bobcats. They both have 16 saves apiece thus far.
Virginia leads the all-time series with the Bobcats, 4-0. Ohio and UVa played in Charlottesville a year ago with the Cavaliers taking a 2-1 nail biter in overtime.Traci Ragukas and Paige Selenski each scored against OU last season, with Selenski's score being the game-winner.
 

World Championships Recap: Three With UVa Ties Find Success
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 09/10/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Former All-American rower and Charlottesville native Lindsay Shoop won her fourth-consecutive gold medal at the 2009 World Championships in Poznan, Poland, last month. Rowing with the United States women's eight, Shoop and the crew successfully defended their Olympic title.

Shoop has now won four-straight gold medals for the United States at the 2006 World Championships, the 2007 World Championships, the 2008 Olympics and the 2009 World Championships.

"Being a part of four-straight titles is an incredible honor that has resulted in international recognition," Shoop said. "Commentators have begun to consider my teammates and I names you should recognize. It is certainly flattering as I remember watching World Championships and Olympic footage in the past and being in awe of the 'big names.' To have even one person feel about what my teammates and I have accomplished the same way I felt when I was a spectator is still not something I have fully wrapped my head around."

In addition to Shoop, current UVa rowers Lauren Hutchins (North Vancouver, Canada) and Katrin Reinert (Stuttgart, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) also competed at the World Championships.

Hutchins, a senior captain and member of last year's NCAA silver medalist Varsity Eight, rowed for her home country of Canada in the women's eight. That crew made the 'A' final and finished sixth.

The competition in Poland was Hutchins' second World Championships of the summer, as she also rowed in the women's eight at the Under-23 World Championships in Racice, Czech Republic in July.

"It's pretty amazing that Lauren did both," head coach Kevin Sauer said. "And Lindsay Shoop, to win a fourth gold medal in a row, what she has done is just amazing. Her consistency over the years is amazing."

"It was such a great experience to spend almost a month with the national team," Hutchins said. "Being around Olympic athletes and competing at that level is very exciting. It's also neat to know that other UVa athletes were there. Lindsay Shoop is an incredible athlete and an Olympic champion and she is a real role model in our program."

Reinert, meanwhile, is a junior transfer from Germany. Rowing with the German women's eight, Reinert and the German crew finished fourth in the 'A' final. Reinert represented Germany at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.