Moving on up: Cavs in top 10
New Jersey RB Jackson commits to play at Virginia
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 4, 2004

There is ample reason for excitement around the Virginia football program.

Not only do the Cavaliers have an upcoming game on national TV and another commitment, but they have a new national ranking.

Thanks to the usual weekly shakedown that comes in college football, Virginia (4-0, 1-0) moved up to the No. 10 spot in the AP poll and the No. 9 spot in the coaches’ poll despite being idle on Saturday.

It marks the first time the program has been among the top 10 teams in the country since midway through the 1998 season.

While the two lofty rankings certainly adds to the hype of Thursday night’s nationally televised showdown with ACC rival Clemson (1-3, 1-1), don’t expect anyone in the program to tell you that.

“We haven’t discussed rankings in any way to this point and I don’t really see that having great relevance to us right now,” Virginia coach Al Groh said on Sunday. “The Clemson situation is threat enough to us. The whole thing is to get to Nov. 1st and still be in the hunt.”

Virginia offensive lineman Elton Brown agreed.

“It means nothing right now. If we’re in the top 10 at the end of November, then it means something,” Brown said. “Right now, the rankings don’t matter to us, we’re just trying to play ball and stay undefeated and take it week by week, game by game.”

Even the newest member of the starting lineup, defensive end Kwakou Robinson, knows that the rankings mean little at this point in the season if they do not back it up on the field.

“We don’t care. We want to be the best team that we can be and we’re driven to be the best team we can be,” Robinson said. “Once you start looking at the ratings and the stats, you get wrapped up in it and that takes away from your team and that takes away from you as an individual, as a player. So we don’t get wrapped up in that stuff. We just play every game for every game and just know that we can beat a lot of teams and know that we can go a long way this season.”

Going a long way this season starts with shutting down Clemson’s talented quarterback Charlie Whitehurst.

In order to do so, Groh thinks his team will need to pressure the signal caller and keep him from getting comfortable.

“When the integrity of the pocket isn’t as sound, then usually [a quarterback will] make more mistakes and that’s been the case here in the early games,” Groh said of Whitehurst’s performance in Clemson’s first four games.

Virginia defensive end Brennan Schmidt knows that starts with the pressure that he and his fellow linemen produce.

“We’ve got to make Whitehurst not feel comfortable in the pocket,” Schmidt said. “[We have to] disrupt his timing on the ball and disrupt his whole operation.”

Jackson makes his decision. Rashawn Jackson, a

6-foot-2, 250-pound running back from Jersey City, N.J., committed to the Cavaliers on Friday, according to Mike Farrell of rivals.com.

“I committed to Virginia on Friday. I feel it’s an up-and-coming program that has a chance to play in a lot of bowls and I really liked the coaches and the area,” Jackson told Rivals.

Jackson picked UVa over offers from Florida, Nebraska, Rutgers, Tennessee and others, and becomes the fifth commitment for the Class of 2005 from New Jersey.

According to Rivals, Jackson is the No. 12 player in New Jersey and No. 31 running back in the upcoming class.

Groh not sure of rankings
UVa football
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Al Groh isn't voting this year on the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. If he were, he'd be as mystified by Virginia as anybody else.

"I'd put us somewhere between [No.] 12 and 30," Groh said last week, when his Virginia team was ranked 12th in the coaches' poll and The Associated Press poll. "That's how much I think we know right now. "We might be the sixth-best team in the country; we might be the 35th-best team. All we're trying to do is get to November 1 and still be in the hunt. Twelfth, 15th, 43rd, it's really inconsequential."

After spending two weeks at No.12, the Cavaliers were idle this past weekend and moved up to No.10 in the AP poll and No.9 in the coaches' poll when No.6 Ohio State, No.7 West Virginia and No.9 Tennessee lost.

"Rankings this time of year, in the case of most teams, have limited reality," Groh said. "Records can be imposing or not so impressive based on scheduling."

At 4-0, Virginia has not beaten a ranked team and that's not going to change when Clemson (1-3) comes to Scott Stadium for a Thursday night game on ESPN. The Cavaliers, who have an average winning margin of more than 33 points, are a 12-point favorite over the Tigers.

While he questions the validity of a top-10 ranking, "it's nice," Groh said. "If you're not a candidate for that, it means you're 2-2 or 1-3."

Commitment

Rashawn Jackson, the leading rusher and tackler for undefeated St. Peter's Prep of Jersey City, N.J., has become the fifth player from the Garden State to make a football commitment to the Cavaliers for 2005.

Jackson, a 6-foot-1, 250-pound running back and inside linebacker, will join St. Peter's teammate Mike Brown in Charlottesville. Jackson reportedly had been offered by Florida, Nebraska, Tennessee and Rutgers.

Jackson is the 24th player to commit to Virginia, a list that includes two 2004 signees now at Hargrave Military Academy, Olu Hall and Brandon Albert. No more than 25 scholarship players may enroll in one season, but there is no limit on commitments or signees.

Empathy

In considering an early move to the NFL, offensive guard Elton Brown went through many of the same thought processes as co-captain Chris Canty, who underwent season-ending knee surgery Thursday.

Brown said, before the season, he took out an insurance policy in case of a catastrophic injury that would prevent him from playing professionally. He said Canty, a defensive end, took the same step.

Brown, winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 2003 as the ACC's top offensive lineman, said he gave thought to possible injury before deciding to return to college but hadn't allowed it to affect his game preparation.

"Before the situation happened, you never think like that," Brown said. "I got to spend a whole lot of time around Chris this summer, going different places, and I just feel so bad for him right now."

Stepping up

On a lighter note, Groh said that he will miss Canty's presence in pregame stretching, when Canty routinely would burst into song.

"I will fill that role," Brown informed the media Sunday. "I've got to call Chris and get his playlist."

Odds and ends

The Thursday night ESPN appearance will be the first for the Cavaliers at home since 1998, when they beat Auburn 19-0. ... Virginia is looking for its eighth straight victory over two seasons, which would be its longest winning streak since it won 10 in a row between 1951-52. ... Virginia is 4-0 to start a season for the sixth time since 1990. The Cavaliers were 5-0 in 1990, 1992, 1993 and 1998. ... Junior running back Wali Lundy, with 2,154 rushing yards in his career, needs 54 yards to move into 10th place on UVa's all-time list. Directly in front of him are Kevin Brooks (2,171) and Antwoine Womack (2,207).

New rankings mean little to Groh
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published October 4, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For the first time since 1998, when Aaron Brooks was its starting quarterback and Al Groh was the New York Jets' linebackers coach, Virginia is a top-10 team. Losses over the weekend by Ohio State, Tennessee and West Virginia allowed the Cavaliers to move up two spots in the Associated Press poll to No. 10 - without even playing a game.

Virginia is ranked No. 9 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll, which matches the second-highest position the Cavaliers have held since 1990, when they made it all the way to No. 1 before falling apart in November. But since the polls are essentially meaningless until the first week of December, Virginia isn't placing much stock into a top-10 ranking in the first week of October.

"I dismiss it," Groh said. "I mean, it's nice. If you're not even a candidate for that, it probably means you're 2-2 or 1-3. So there is a positive side to it. But it doesn't have any real meaning."

Good evidence, in fact, would be Virginia's '98 season. The Cavs were 5-0 and seventh in the polls going into an Oct. 17 game at Georgia Tech. Virginia blew a 21-point lead in the second half and ended up 18th in the final Associated Press poll. Another example would be the '92 season, in which the Cavs were 10th after five weeks but unranked by the first poll in November.

After winning easily against Temple, North Carolina, Akron and Syracuse, Virginia faces a tougher stretch beginning Thursday night against Clemson (1-3, 1-2).

"We're in a different phase of the season in two respects," Groh said. "One, the competition is going to get more and more intense. And the other thing that's different is, the majority of the teams we're playing from this point on all have the same objective that we do."

THURSDAY NIGHT

It throws off your routine a bit, and it makes it tougher for your out-of-town fans to be there. But every so often, Groh likes playing these Thursday night ESPN games.

"Yeah, I think they're fun," Groh said. "The Thursday night game kind of officially kicks off the football weekend and Monday night kind of ends it. I know how much teams in the NFL look forward to being on Monday night, so I'm sure this is the same thing. It's certainly a powerful way to get exposure for your school.

"There are some teams that when the Thursday night games first started coming on, they'd play anybody anyplace to get exposure. I don't think you want to do it too often because while it's great for the at-home fan, it obviously causes some inconvenience for your regular fan base."

Virginia is 3-4 in Thursday night ESPN games. Among the wins: The Cavs' 33-28 shocker of Florida State in 1995. Virginia lost last year at Maryland.

TIGERS DOWN?

Predicted to finish among the top four teams in the conference, Clemson has lost three consecutive games - the last two by a combined margin of 40 points. But if anything, Virginia offensive guard Elton Brown expects that to make the Tigers even hungrier Thursday night.

"When you lose three in a row, you're kind of against a wall," Brown said. "It's a dangerous game. Those guys, they're coming in here needing a win. But we need a win, too. It should be two physical teams going at it."

SHORTS

Wide receiver Deyon Williams, who missed the Cavaliers' last game with a bruised shoulder, is expected to start Thursday night. Alvin Pearman, who moved to wideout for Virginia's 31-10 win over Syracuse on Sept. 25, is back at running back. ... Groh said defensive end Chris Canty, who is out for the season with a knee injury, underwent surgery on Thursday. ... Because the game is scheduled for a weeknight, parking lots on campus will not open until 5:30 on Thursday afternoon - only 2 hours and 15 minutes before kickoff. ... A victory would give Virginia an eight-game winning streak dating back to last season, its longest since a 10-game stretch during 1951-52.

No part of offense avoids painful fall
Clemson remains upbeat, but the time to salvage the season grows short
By JON SOLOMON
Staff Writer

CLEMSON — Well before Clemson’s turnovers soared to the most in college football and the touchdowns disappeared, Tommy Bowden’s offense revealed glitches.

There was quarterback Charlie Whitehurst constantly avoiding pressure at the spring game behind two new tackles. There was tailback Duane Coleman breaking his foot, an absence offensive coordinator Mike O’Cain compared to losing wide receiver Derrick Hamilton. And there was Whitehurst struggling during summer scrimmages while adjusting to new wide receivers.

More than a third of the way through the 2004 season, Clemson’s offense still has not clicked for a variety of reasons.

The Tigers average 22.3 points per game, on pace to be Bowden’s lowest average in eight seasons. Without two safeties and three touchdowns from the special teams, Clemson’s offense averages 16.3 points, and has two touchdowns and nine turnovers in the past 27 possessions.

This season’s longest drive was the first one, a 4-minute, 51-second possession that yielded a missed field goal. Only two others out of 56 possessions have lasted longer than 3:33. One produced a touchdown, the other an interception.

“I know it sounds crazy, but we’re not that far away from being a really good offensive football team,” O’Cain said.

The offense has a head coach synonymous with scoring points; two assistants who once were head coaches; a highly regarded quarterback; the leading receiver in the ACC; a valuable tailback back from injury; an offensive line that plays two former walk-ons, a freshman and a sophomore ... and minimal time left before 2004 becomes a lost season.

“This is the time you circle the wagons,” said ABC analyst Terry Bowden, Tommy’s brother. “You look every assistant in the eye and every player in the eye and say, ‘Everyone’s got to pull this together if we’re going to get out of this funk.’ ”

OFFENSIVE LINE

First-year offensive line coach Brad Scott has one simple goal for his players. “Mostly, I think I’m just trying to make it important to them,” he said.

Clemson sacrificed continuity to find the best players. Left tackles Barry Richardson and Jesse Pickens, who never had played in a college game until this season, have split time. Right guards Nathan Bennett and Roman Fry are rotating, too, and Fry was the starting left tackle until August.

Former Clemson offensive lineman Will Merritt said, in retrospect, Gregory Walker was undervalued last season after moving from guard to tackle as a senior.

“People might need to recognize you’ve got really, really, really young guys playing offensive tackle,” said Merritt, the analyst on radio broadcasts. “They’re really talented, but they’re really inexperienced.”

Merritt said the learning curve means accepting criticism and being lumped together as a unit.

“It’s a very fickle process, but that’s the way it is,” Merritt said. “I’m of the belief that if one guy plays bad, the offensive line plays bad. You’ve got to keep that attitude, or you’re going to have problems.”

RECEIVERS

The 2004 season started so well. Chansi Stuckey and Airese Currie totaled 264 receiving yards, Kelvin Grant grabbed the game-tying 2-point conversion, and no receiver dropped a pass.

Bowden even said Hamilton, a third-round draft pick, made the right choice by leaving for the NFL because of Stuckey’s performance.

“Now anything that can go wrong has gone wrong,” wide receivers coach Dabo Swinney said. “We can be wide open and get a bad throw. We can be wide open and protection breaks down. We can be wide open and get a perfect throw, and we drop it.”

The Tigers figured there would be learning curves at receiver after losing Hamilton, Kevin Youngblood and Tony Elliott, who accounted for 155 catches, 2,209 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2003. The receivers have dropped 12 passes in the past three games, on pace to surpass last year’s 28 drops.

Currie leads the ACC with 23 catches for 325 yards, but he has four drops, two more than last season. Clemson’s three worst games last season totaled 11 drops, but they were separated on the schedule and did not hurt the confidence as much as this stretch.

RUNNING BACKS

Coleman wasn’t even hit when he broke his right foot on the first day of full-pads practice. Just like that, Clemson’s offense became much less versatile.

“He was the most complete back we had in terms of blocking, running, experience, pass catching ability,” O’Cain said.

The Tigers are on pace for their lowest rushing average per game in school history (103 yards per game). Clemson has 24 more pass attempts than runs, nearly matching its 26 more passes than runs in 2003.

Reggie Merriweather and Kyle Browning average 7.9 yards per carry between them, but they run only 8.6 times a game combined.

Take away two long touchdown runs, and they average 4.7 yards a carry.

“I don’t think defenses respect our run,” Merriweather said. “That’s why they play us with the corners back and, like, six in the box. They think we’re going to pass it all the time.”

Coleman has regained the starting spot for this week after playing briefly since Sept. 18.

“I don’t know if I’ve seen the great running back there that they need to have,” Terry Bowden said.

QUARTERBACK

Whitehurst’s numbers are staggering: five touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 49-percent completion rate. He entered 2004 with career numbers of 31 touchdowns, 19 interceptions and a 61-percent completion mark.

“His numbers are not nearly what we thought they would be,” O’Cain said. “I’ve never had a guy throw 10 interceptions in four games. But it’s just a handful of bad plays every game.”

O’Cain graded Whitehurst at 85 percent for his five-turnover performance at Florida State. O’Cain credited three of the turnovers to his quarterback but was pleased with Whitehurst’s mechanics after a poor throwing performance at Texas A&M.

“He made only one throw he shouldn’t have,” O’Cain said. “The others, the ball was a little low, a little high, a little behind. You live with that and just keep working.”

O’Cain remains positive with Whitehurst, fearful that he will become tentative. That feeling persists throughout the offense while staring at a 1-3 record during the bye week.

“It’s kind of good we’ve got this break,” O’Cain said. “It’s a chance to take a deep breath and start over.”

Sports Focus: Virginia Football
Cavs' great unknown Thursday date could help answer questions for highly ranked team
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Oct 4, 2004
CLEMSON AT U.VA.
THURSDAY: 7:30 p.m. ON THE AIR: WRVA (1140), 7 p.m. TICKETS: Sold out

CHARLOTTESVILLE The University of Virginia football team moved into a new neighborhood yesterday: the top 10. The unbeaten Cavaliers, who were idle Saturday, rose three spots in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll, to No.9, and two spots in The Assocated Press rankings, to No.10.

Not since 1998 has U.Va. been in such upscale surroundings.

Asked Friday about the national rankings, fourth-year coach Al Groh said: "I'd put us somewhere between 12 and 30. That's how much I think we know right now. We might be the sixth-best team in the country; we might be the 35th. All we're trying to do is get to November 1 and still be in the hunt."

Offensive guard Elton Brown voiced similar sentiments yesterday.

"Whatever the date is October whatever it is it means nothing right now," Brown said. "If we're in the top 10 at the end of November, then that's when it means something. . . . We're just trying to play ball and stay undefeated and take it week by week, game by game."

U.Va. (1-0, 4-0) returns to action Thursday night when ACC foe Clemson (1-2, 1-3) visits Scott Stadium for a nationally televised game. The Tigers, picked to finish fourth in the ACC, have dropped three straight, largely because they've turned over the ball 14 times the most of any team in the league. Virginia, by contrast, has only one turnover.

Does Groh consider the Tigers more dangerous than their record would suggest?

"Very definitely," he said. "This is the same very talented Clemson team that finished the season in a whirlwind last year, and as is so often documented by coaches, the impact of turnovers or the lack of such has a tremendous bearing on all that execution."

Thursday's game will be the Cavaliers' first since losing all-ACC defensive end Chris Canty to a season-ending knee injury. Taking over for Canty is Kwakou Robinson, a 6-4, 327-pound junior who's played 56 snaps this season. Canty recorded a team-high seven tackles for loss in Virginia's first four games.

"We had an exceptional college playmaker who we don't have anymore, so we have to find the plays from other players or from alterations in the scheme, or else the production is logically going to drop off," Groh said.

"It's like if you have a baseball lineup. If you take a .320 hitter out and you put a good, solid .275 hitter in . . . you don't have an automatic out; you've got an adequate hitter. But you'll have a lower on-base percentage and probably less RBIs if you take a producer out. That's the big challenge to us here."

Of U.Va.'s victims this season, only Syracuse (3-2) has a winning record, and the Orange's victories haven't been impressive. North Carolina is 2-3, Temple is 1-4 and Akron is 1-4. Florida State follows Clemson on Virginia's schedule.

"I'd say we're moving from Double-A and Triple-A to the majors," Groh said. "We'll see how well we hit major-league pitching."