10/3/03 - Big Money

By DOUG DOUGHTY
Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays

Virginia football coach Al Groh successfully managed to bite his tongue last spring when the ACC extended invitations to Virginia Tech and Miami, so some diplomacy was to be expected Thursday when he was asked for his impressions of the 2004-2005 ACC football schedules.
As usual, Groh got his point across.
"I'm pleased with our schedule," said Groh in his weekly Thursday teleconference. "We have a very exciting and challenging schedule. It’s a schedule that you should have anticipated getting when the concept of expansion came up. This is one of those deals [where] the time to worry is before you place the bet.".
UVa has games next year with three teams currently ranked in the top five -- Miami, Virginia Tech and Florida State.
"What I'm less pleased with," Groh said, "is the fact that there are some teams in the conference who have been given an easier road to the upper division and, perhaps, the championship."
Could Groh have been talking about his archrival, Virginia Tech, which does not have to play Florida State in its first two ACC seasons?
"I haven't even looked at what everybody's schedule is,” he said.
The key word there is "everybody's." You can bet Groh knows who the Hokies are playing.
“My advice [with the schedule] would have been, 'Don't do it for two years,' " Groh said. "Don't make it easier for some teams for two years and don't load some other teams up for two years."
Of course, the ACC could expand. Although commissioner John Swofford bristled every time he was asked about expansion Wednesday, Groh is a 12-team guy.
"By all means, yes," Groh said, "and that was the intent from the start, as it was explained to me."

THE GROUNDWORK FOR Virginia’s successful recruiting of men’s basketball prospect Adrian Joseph may have come last year, when the Cavaliers were unsuccessful in a late bid for Brewster Academy forward Mike Pilgrim.
Pilgrim signed with Cincinnati, but UVa recruiter Alexis Sherard established a relationship with Brewster Academy coach Jason Smith that had Smith calling Sherard when he learned that Joseph would be transferring to Brewster.
Smith may not have been aware that Sherard already had targeted Joseph when he was a junior at Bergen (N.J.) Catholic, where he averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds. Joseph was a good student at Bergen Catholic and has scored over 1,000 on the SAT, but he has turned 19 already and was too old to play in New Jersey this year.
Joseph, originally from Trinidad, reminded Sherard of a left-handed Adam Hall because of his athleticism.. Joseph is taller, however, and has the potential to be a better outside shooter. (Hall was a streaky shooter who did score more than 1,100 points in his career, including 89 3-point field goals).
Smith had offers from Penn State, Villanova, Pittsburgh, Georgia and Vanderbilt. Maryland was one of the other schools recruiting him.
"He's very unselfish and is a team player,” Smith said. “As a young man, Adrian is phenomenal. He’s received rave reviews from our faculty in regard to his character and citizenship."
Character and citizenship have become a heightened priority for Virginia, as it demonstrated with its first commitment, from Philadelphia point guard Sean Singletary.
A PLAY THAT RECEIVED too little attention after Virginia's 27-24 victory over Wake Forest occurred when UVa defensive back Jermaine Hardy from Roanoke was called for pass interference after Wake receiver Jason Anderson had streaked by him with the score 24-24.
"Players were coming up to me and saying it was the biggest play of my career,” Hardy said. “As soon as I bit on the [play] fake, I told myself there was no way he was scoring a touchdown on me. I interfered with him on purpose.”
The play started from the Wake Forest 31 and the Deacons got only as far as their 46 after the 15-yard penalty was marched off. Three plays later, Wake quiarterback Cory Randolph was intercepted by Jamaine Winborne, leading to UVa's go-ahead field goal.
"The college rules make it a good tradeoff,” said Groh, aware that, in the NFL, Wake would have gotten the ball at the spot of the foul. "When it’s an obvious play, it's a good rule, but not all of those calls are obvious."
WHO WAS MORE famous, Warren Zevon or Robert Palmer? That was a question I posed to Roanoke Times music reviewer and former sportswriter Ralph Berrier after our paper referred to Zevon as "revered," and I had given thought to making it the UVa Insider poll question this week.
That was before Connor Hughes kicked the game-tying and game-winning field goals in the final 1:51 as the Cavaliers beat Wake Forest 27-24. It made me wonder about the biggest field goals in UVa history. Somehow, I was reminded of a 12-10 UVa victory over Wake Forest in 1977 that featured four field goals by Russ Henderson, a two-time first-team All-ACC punter.
For those who would like to participate in this week’s UVa Insider poll, here are some of the clutch kicks I've witnessed that preceded Hughes' heroics Saturday:
1) Henderson's fourth field goal, a 34-yarder, came with five seconds left and provided the Cavaliers with their first victory after a 0-5-1 start in coach Dick Bestwick's second season. Henderson had never attempted a field goal in his career until that day.
2) Wayne Morrison's 36-yard field goal with 1:02 left, snapping a 3-3 tie with Navy in 1980.
3) Jeff Gaffney's 36-yard field goal with 1:00 left, lifting Virginia past Wake Forest 30-28 in 1986.
4) Mark Inderlied's 35-yard field goal with nine seconds left in a 17-16 victory over Georgia Tech in 1988.
5) Jake McInerney’s 37-yard field goal as time expired in a 16-15 UVa victory over Louisville in 1989.
6) Rafael Garcia's school record-tying 56 yarder with 3:12 left at Texas in 1995, giving the Cavaliers a 16-14 lead in a game they would lose 17-16.
7) Rafael Garcia's 32-yard field goal with 39 seconds left in a 20-17 victory over No. 6 North Carolina in 1996.
8) Todd Braverman's 30-yard field goal with 49 seconds left in a 20-18 victory over Clemson in 1998.
9) Braverman's 50-yard field goal with 27.4 seconds left to lift UVa past host North Carolina 27-24 in 1999.

AS I HAD EXPECTED, the 1996 quarterback controvery involving starter Tim Sherman and back-up Aaron Brooks was a landslide choice as the biggest in UVa football history.
That battle received 206 votes of 372 cast, or 55 percent. The second choice was surprising: the 1994 season, in which incumbent Symmion Willis was replaced by Mike Groh. Third was Matt Schaub vs. Bryson Spinner in 2001.
Venerable North Cross School coach Jim Muscaro said Thursday that it was correct to include the 1965 battle for playing time between Tom Hodges and Bob Davis. Muscaro, whose UVa career rivaled that of Al Groh in its overall excellence, said Davis was the Michael Vick of a day and Hodges a consummate team leader.

Whatever happened to Russ Henderson?
A reader writes:
Dear Mr. Doughty,
I have recently moved from Richmond to Salem and have enjoyed your coverage of the University of Virginia football team in The Roanoke Times. At the beginning of the season, you wrote an article trying to inject a dose of reality into the discussions of the Cavaliers and Hokies. Some of the “experts” had projected the Cavaliers and Hokies to play in BCS bowls and even in the National Championship. You correctly pointed out that neither school had yet proven worthy of such talk and projected records for the Hoos and Hokies of something like 8-5 and 10-3, respectively. I have been following your picks in the weekly “Fearless Forecasters” column. Congratulations on your success up to this point—you currently have the best record of anyone on the panel. One thing I was hoping that you would clear up for me—how do you explain your picks against UVa for every road game? I understand your emphasis on the home field advantage, but how can you justify your picks of Western Michigan and UNC over UVa? If UVa can’t beat either of these teams on the road, then surely they won’t beat Clemson, NC State or Maryland either. And I can’t imagine that you would pick UVa to beat either Florida State or Virginia Tech even though those games are at home. That leaves UVa with a record of 4-8, with their only wins over Duke, Wake, Troy State and Georgia Tech. I know Schaub was injured, but give me a break, UVa isn’t that bad, are they? I know they haven’t proven themselves on the road against a quality opponent yet, but I find the picks against UVa in the Western Michigan game and UNC game to be somewhat puzzling. If they can’t beat those teams, how did you ever arrive at your 8-5 prediction? Has that much really changed since the beginning of the season? Thanks for taking the time to listen to my rant. Even though this topic fires me up, I will continue to be a faithful reader of your columns.
I would have picked Virginia over North Carolina if the game were being played in Charlottesville. I picked South Carolina over UVa because of the uncertainty over the quarterbacks. I wasn't impressed by Martinez's play against Duke. UVa looked horrible against South Carolina. That's one reason I picked Western Michigan over the Cavaliers; however, if I had known Hagans would play, that might have changed my mind. I think Hagans is really good.

Blizzard happy to be back on playing field
10-3-03
By Larry Keech Staff Writer
News & Record

CHAPEL HILL -- The senior season for which North Carolina tight end Bobby Blizzard had waited six years has been a memorable one, just not in the way he had hoped.

Three weeks after Blizzard contracted a debilitating illness called viral meningitis, he's just glad to be back on the field and preparing for Saturday's home game against Virginia.

"It's been the worst experience I've ever had," Blizzard said this week. "I've had broken bones and concussions, but I've ever been through a health problem that severe."

On Aug. 31, Blizzard caught three passes for 29 yards in Carolina's 37-0 season-opening loss to Florida State. Once the illness struck three days later, the defeat no longer mattered.

Tired, weak and rapidly losing weight from his 6-foot-2, 260-pound frame, Blizzard consulted the Tar Heels' training staff. He was first treated for dehydration. Then, when his condition didn't improve, he was admitted to UNC hospitals, where his severe viral infection was diagnosed.

When Blizzard's parents arrived for the Sept. 6 against Syracuse, he was bedridden. Blizzard's head and body ached, and his loss of appetite lowered his weight by 20 pounds, further weakening him. Instead of returning home to Hampton, Va., LaVerne Blizzard decided to stay with her son.

"She waited on me and made sure I stayed in bed," Bobby said.

He checked out of the hospital, then back in, before returning to his Chapel Hill apartment.

Meanwhile, an open date followed Carolina's 49-47 overtime loss to Syracuse, and Blizzard was unable to make the trip to take part in another loss at Wisconsin.

"The doctors had told me it (the viral illness) might last for a week," he said. "Then a week went by, and I was still very sick. I didn't know what to think."

At one point, Blizzard's illness reached nightmarish proportions.

"They had told me my vision might be blurred," he said. "But once, when I woke up from a nap, I couldn't see anything. I panicked. It was a crisis."

Even though his vision soon returned to normal and he started to feel better, Blizzard had to accept the notion that this wasn't what he had in mind for the final season of a career in which he had spent three years at Kentucky before transferring to Carolina for three more.

"My teammates were great,'' he said. "They had to talk to me through the door because my condition was contagious. (Quarterback) Darian Durant pushed me to come back. He'd say, 'Get out the bed. You ain't sick.' ''

Despite the persistence of his headaches and overall weakness, Blizzard followed an abbreviated practice schedule and decided to play in last Saturday's game at N.C. State. But while he saw significant playing time, he caught just one pass for 7 yards.

"If I didn't love football, I wouldn't have played against N.C. State," Blizzard said. "My dad didn't want me to play, but my mom gave me her go-ahead.

"This is my last season in college football, and I'm still trying to go out with a bang. And (tight ends) Coach Ken Browning told me I played better against State than I did against Florida State."

By this week, Blizzard's wide, frequent smile had returned.

Despite his team's 0-4 record, the preseason All-ACC tight end is relieved that he still has a chance to close his college career with a bang, then launch a pro career in the NFL.

At Tight End, Miller Makes Name for Himself
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, October 3, 2003; Page D03

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When Virginia tight end Heath Miller calls teammate Elton Brown's cell phone, Brown's caller ID flashes a nickname: Baby Shockey.

Other Cavaliers prefer "Big Money," which Miller earned for seemingly always coming through in the clutch.

Brown, however, likes the comparison to the New York Giants' Jeremy Shockey, one of the NFL's most productive -- and outlandish -- tight ends, even though Miller, a soft-spoken redshirt sophomore, doesn't have Shockey's personality.

Eighteen games into Miller's college career, however, he is on track to someday join Shockey in the NFL.

"He is getting better and better. He's going to be an awesome player," said North Carolina Coach John Bunting, whose Tar Heels (0-4) will deal with Miller on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

The Cavaliers (3-1, 2-0 ACC) would argue Miller is already there. He has the best hands on the team, the quickness and athletic ability to escape linebackers, the size (6 feet 5, 254 pounds) to punish safeties and the instincts to find openings in zone coverages.

Miller leads the team with 18 receptions for 214 yards and is tied for the team lead with two touchdown catches. Despite playing nearly three full games this season without star quarterback Matt Schaub, he is third nationally among tight ends in catches per game.

And Miller, who played quarterback and free safety at Honaker (Va.) High, at the western edge of the state, has been a tight end for only about two years.

"I have the highest level of confidence in Heath," said Schaub, who returned from injury last weekend and helped Miller attain career highs of seven catches for 94 yards. "The type of plays that he's been able to make here now in a year and a half playing tight end are remarkable. . . . Being an ex-quarterback, he has the ball skills and the awareness on the field where I'm going to look for him."

As a redshirt freshman last season, Miller was thrown into a key role after starter Chris Luzar moved to the NFL. He began the year in a platoon with Patrick Estes, but soon his production -- 33 catches for 327 yards and nine touchdowns -- made it hard to keep him off the field. He was voted to the all-ACC second team.

This season, though Estes still gets regular playing time -- often in two tight-end sets as a run blocker -- Miller has succeeded former teammate Billy McMullen as Virginia's best receiver. He hasn't yet produced a highlight reel worthy of McMullen, currently playing for the Philadelphia Eagles, but he's getting there.

Miller made two outstanding catches in last weekend's 27-24 win against Wake Forest. On the first drive, he looked over his left shoulder and extended his right hand to pull in a 26-yard catch. In the fourth quarter, he adjusted his route and worked himself open in the corner of the end zone, then leaped in a crowd to grab a five-yard touchdown pass that helped fuel Virginia's comeback.

The catch also moved Miller within one of Virginia's career record for touchdown receptions by a tight end.

"Mark Bavaro could do that kind of stuff. Ben Coates could do that kind of stuff," said Cavaliers Coach Al Groh, who saw those Pro Bowl tight ends on a regular basis during his 13-year NFL coaching career. "And [Miller] does something like that on an ongoing basis."

Lest he portray Miller as a one-dimensional pass-catcher, Groh also made sure to mention that against Wake Forest, Miller submitted "the best blocking game that he's had here this season and most likely during the course of his career."

"Initially it was one of the harder areas for me to get used to, but that's something that I want to get better at every day," said Miller, who shifted to tight end during his redshirt year at Virginia. "Quarterback's not a very physical position, so I had to get used to that part of the game."

He's getting better in other areas as well.

"He talks a little on the field now," Brown said, laughing. "He's become more comfortable, I guess."

Occasional trash talk? Is Miller living up to the other half of his "Baby Shockey" nickname?

"I don't think I have the same personality that he does at all," Miller said with a smile.

BC faces dilemma
Athletically, a jump to ACC doesn't make sense
By Mark Blaudschun, Globe Staff, 10/3/2003

Boston College is once again at a crossroads in its athletic history. Will the Eagles bolt the Big East for the Atlantic Coast Conference? Will they even be asked? And will it be the right decision?

None of this is new. The same dance was performed by the ACC and Big East this spring and summer in a courtship that rivaled "The Bachelor." That drama ended with the Eagles left at the altar with a red face, partially from pain and partially from anger.

Why do this again?

Athletically, it makes no sense for the Eagles to leave the Big East. Last spring you could have argued that BC was merely trying to ride the same bus as the University of Miami. Without Miami, the prevailing wisdom went, the Big East was dead in the water, a conference that would wither and die (in football, at least).

Some people at The Heights even suggested that if the Eagles were left behind, the football program could be downgraded to the level of Holy Cross's. The Crusaders made a decision not to join the Big East when it was formed more than 20 years ago and then to eliminate athletic scholarships (a process that has gradually been reversed).

Playing in the ACC sounded like a reasonable alternative.

Now? Miami and Virginia Tech, the two strongest powers in the Big East, are gone. The Big East is set to reconfigure itself into an eight- or nine-team football league that won't have Miami and Virginia Tech, but will have Cincinnati and Louisville. And there is less and less talk of the Big East losing its Bowl Championship Series guarantee, especially with a growing sentiment that the BCS will add a fifth bowl to open more slots for other conferences.

The ACC will have Miami, Virginia Tech, and Florida State as its top-tier teams. On the second tier, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina State are gaining stature with each season. If BC joins the ACC as its 12th team, does anyone really think the Eagles will be close to the top level any time soon? BC hasn't beaten Miami since 1984. It hasn't beaten Virginia Tech since 1995.

Sure, the Eagles under coach Tom O'Brien, who has done a good job of rebuilding the program into a bowl-contending team, can maintain the status quo. Or try to excel in a larger pond with more sharks.

Right now, if BC stays in the Big East, the Eagles will be one of the sharks. A program that should be a contender every year for not only a bowl game, but a BCS slot.

But as some people at BC have pointed out over the past several weeks, this is not strictly an athletic decision. BC president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., is intrigued by the academic aspect of making a move to a conference that includes prestigious academic institutions such as Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest. There is talk of an academic consortium in the ACC that would share ideas and thoughts.

The academic side at BC thinks about that and smiles. It looks at the Big East and hears talk of Louisville, Cincinnati, and Central Florida, and no doubt asks, "Where are the common interests?"

The joke in some circles about BC is that the school wants to be Harvard during the week and Miami on weekends. BC's athletic success in football and basketball has been modest at best. Yet, there is almost an elitist attitude about the school that stems from its strong academic reputation.

There is nothing wrong with that. But BC is still a college, whose main purpose is education with athletics as part of that process.

The Eagles could end the speculation about their future tomorrow if they simply came out and said, "Folks, we're happy in the Big East, we have no intention of leaving."

They haven't done that. Which leads to an obvious conclusion: If the ACC calls and asks -- and that call could come tomorrow if the lawsuit against the ACC and Miami is dismissed in Connecticut -- the Eagles will say "yes." But the ACC must act quickly because if the offer doesn't come before the Big East takes care of its business, the Eagles probably will not be interested.

If the case goes to trial, the ACC probably still will ask the Eagles because it has no other viable candidate for the 12th team it desperately needs.

Academically, it might be the right move. Athletically? No way.

ACC won't delay to add a 12th
E-mail Tony Barnhart

Buckle up, college football fans, because in the coming weeks we are going to take a bumpy ride through the world of conference realignment.

Here is the latest.

The ACC put its football schedule for 2004 together Wednesday in Charlottesville, Va., and the 11-team league has determined what its divisions will look like should it get a championship game before adding a 12th team.

The Notre Dame option is off the table, and the ACC athletics directors want Boston College to be that 12th team. The ACC presidents are scheduled for another conference call, which could come next week. Out of that call could come an invitation to BC.

If Boston College is extended an invitation, it will very likely accept. Father William Leahy, the BC president, has conveyed that message to the rest of the Big East presidents.

There is a sense of urgency here on several fronts.

During their meetings in Charlottesville, the ACC athletics directors looked at the dollar figures for the 2004-2005 academic year and will once again tell their presidents that the league can't make it financially without the $10 million or more that a conference championship game can generate.

Also, Leahy has told the Big East presidents that he will not wait more than two weeks for the ACC to extend the invitation. That's because the Big East Conference is getting ready to change its bylaws so that teams trying to leave could be forced to pay a fine of as much as $5 million.

If the ACC and Boston College are thinking about a marriage, they'd better get to the altar soon because the price is getting ready to go up. That decision will come no later than Nov. 4, when the Big East's presidents are scheduled to meet.

Finally, there is the lawsuit filed by five Big East teams against the ACC and Miami. Preliminary hearings were held Monday in Hartford, Conn., and a judge will rule in about a week on whether the case will go to trial. If the case gets thrown out, look for the ACC to go full speed ahead toward BC. If it goes to trial, the ACC will have to act more gingerly. If Boston College leaves, it could become a defendant in that lawsuit.

The Big East will extend invitations to Louisville and Cincinnati of Conference USA, which would replace former members Virginia Tech and Miami, which will join the ACC in 2004. If BC leaves, the Big East will also talk to South Florida and Central Florida.

But didn't the ACC come up a vote short (of the necessary seven) the last time the presidents voted on BC? That is correct, but there is a good feeling in the league that given the financial realities of the situation, one of the three previous no votes (Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State) on BC will change to a yes. Don't be surprised if it's Duke.

REBOUNDING
Tight end Blizzard is trying to bounce back for North Carolina after a lengthy illness
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER

Bobby Blizzard was so sick in early September that he wondered if he would ever play football at North Carolina again - or even attend another class.

Blizzard was in and out of the hospital for several days, then confined to his apartment. He lost his appetite and grew weak, and he lost 25 pounds. He had headaches that persist to this day.

Last week, he said that he had contracted viral meningitis. His mother, LaVerne, who traveled to Chapel Hill from Hampton, Va., to take care of him, also said that he had viral meningitis. The school's only explanation was that he had a viral infection.

'I've never been through anything like this,' Blizzard said. 'I've had broken bones, concussions, all that stuff, but this right here just takes the cake. I wouldn't wish this on anybody.'

Blizzard is back with the Tar Heels, as a senior tight end. He played last week in a loss at N.C. State that dropped UNC to 0-4. He will play again Saturday against Virginia in a game that means much to him personally.

'I'm still trying to put some weight back on,' Blizzard said. 'I'm still feeling weak. (Tuesday) was my second day of lifting weights in four weeks.

'That's the main thing, trying to get back to full strength and get my speed back and my stamina, all that. It's rough trying to get back to the way I was at the beginning of the season. I feel like I'm in training camp again.'

Blizzard's problems began Sept. 2, the Tuesday before North Carolina was scheduled to play Syracuse at home. He lost 15 pounds during that day's practice, but he thought little of it. He had lost 15 pounds before in practices and always put the weight back on by drinking fluids.

'At first we thought I was dehydrated so that's how we treated it,' he said. 'After I pumped fluids back in my body I was still feeling pretty bad. I didn't know what was going on. I told them it had to be something else.'

Blizzard's parents were coming down for the game. Blizzard visited doctors on Thursday and was treated for dehydration and released but went back into the hospital on the Friday. His stayed around until he got better. She slept on an air mattress in his apartment.

Doctors told Blizzard that he might feel bad for a week. He expected to be back at practice the next week, but his condition didn't improve and he began to worry.

'I just didn't know what was going on,' he said. 'Plus I wasn't eating. It was a bad experience -- probably the worst thing I've ever been through.'

Blizzard's mother stayed almost three weeks, and he was in bed most of that time.

'I remember one time I woke up, and I couldn't see,' he said. 'It was like blurred vision for hours. Like you could have been sitting right beside me, and I couldn't see your face. At first I panicked but they told me to relax and calm down. It's a part of it, and it'll go away.'

Slowly, he improved. He attended class Sept. 19, the first time since Sept. 1. Blizzard needs only two classes to graduate, so the academic damage of missing 18 days of classes wasn't great. He felt well enough two weeks ago to attend practice as a spectator.

He practiced only lightly last Tuesday, catching a few passes. He went in full pads last Wednesday to take some hits to see how he would respond. Everything went well, and he wanted to play at N.C. State.

'It's just headaches and not having an appetite,' Blizzard said of his remaining symptoms. 'The headaches are not even close to as bad as they used to be. I used to have the thumping in my head. It's not like that now. The worst part of the day is the morning. After that it just lingers around for the rest of the day.'

Blizzard played against the Wolfpack. He caught one pass for 5 yards. Team trainers paid special attention to him - he had a personal water bottle waiting every time he came off the field to keep him hydrated.

Blizzard thought he played better against the Wolfpack than he had in the Tar Heels' opener against Florida State. He said he could tell that he had been away from football for a long time, however.

'I was exhausted,' he said. 'I had the headaches. But overall, even though we lost, I was proud of myself for even competing out there when nobody thought I could. Some of the N.C. State players told me, 'We didn't think you were going to play.' Just to push myself though all of that, I was proud of myself.'

Hunches serving U.Va., Butler well
Sophomore lineman force for Cavaliers
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 3, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE Brad Butler didn't begin playing organized football until his sophomore year at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg. Two years later, he committed to the University of Virginia.

The Cavaliers didn't have much competition for Butler, whose father played football at Liberty University. Asked how many other scholarship offers he had in September 2001, when he chose U.Va., the 6-8, 290-pound sophomore smiled.

"Zero," Butler said. "Obviously, I wasn't as highly touted as Ahmad Brooks and Michael Johnson and all those guys, but that's fine."

Brooks and Johnson, two of Butler's teammates at U.Va., were Parade All-Americans in high school. Butler was happy to make the all-Group AAA team as a senior at Glass. But the Cavaliers' coaching staff loved his big frame and the athleticism he showed on the basketball court, and he hasn't disappointed in Charlottesville.

Four games into his sophomore season, Butler looks like one of the prizes of the class that entered Virginia in 2002, a group that included Wali Lundy, Darryl Blackstock, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Kai Parham.

Butler also looks like a guy who, if he stays healthy, could finish his college career with some 35 starts at offensive tackle. He's up to five heading into tomorrow's game at ACC foe North Carolina.

"Sometimes, I have to check myself a little bit in thinking about Brad in that I [view] him as a little bit of a veteran player," U.Va. coach Al Groh said.

"He's really in the start-up stage, and I have to be careful about how I evaluate his progress because I think he can be a really, really good player, and sometimes I evaluate him against what my vision of him for the future is rather than what the reality now is."

As a freshman, Butler appeared in 12 games. Not until late in the season, though, did he play significant minutes. His role grew in the Cavaliers' final three regular-season games, and Butler started at right tackle in place of the injured Mike Mullins at the Continental Tire Bowl.

U.Va. whipped West Virginia in that game, and Butler acquitted himself well. Still, he played at about 260 pounds last season, and he knew he needed more muscle mass to thrive in Division I-A. When Butler reported to training camp in August, he was around 290.

"Last year, I got pushed around a little bit on some plays where this year I've been a little stronger, more powerful . . . especially on run blocking," he said. "But I've still got a lot of strength to gain."

Butler, who turned 20 last month, is a harsh self-critic, and his coaches say his expectations for himself can be unrealistic.

"Sometimes those players who hold themselves to the highest standard and have the most ambition, that's a very positive thing to say about the player," Groh said. "But the player has to make sure that it works for him in the positive. There are some of those guys who care the most that can be so severe on themselves that they don't allow themselves to have the amount of confidence that they've really earned.

"I want to make sure that he understands what he's accomplished in the short amount of games that he's started - five, to be exact. He's got a lot more football in front of him. . . . Whether he's dominating yet or not, he's certainly got a pretty good amount of time to get to that level."

Butler said his parents "work very hard, and they're both hard on themselves. I think I got that from them."

The offensive lineman whom nobody but U.Va. wanted has turned out to be a keeper. Guess he's proved some people wrong, huh?

"Yes, sir," Butler said.

Groh questions 2-year advantage