UVa's Robinson ready for role
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 6, 2004

His first name translates to “born on Wednesday.”

His biggest career start comes on Thursday.

His only concern is being undefeated on Friday.

It didn’t happen how or when Kwakou Robinson had planned, but the junior defensive end is back in the Cavaliers’ starting lineup.

With a major knee injury sidelining senior Chris Canty for the remainder of his college career, Robinson gets the starting nod for the first time since his rookie season when No. 10 Virginia (4-0, 1-0) clashes with Clemson (1-3, 1-2) on Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN.

Robinson has filled in for Canty before.

During his freshman year in 2002, Robinson started the first five games of the season while Canty recovered from a broken leg he suffered the previous spring.

A lot has happened since then.

As a rookie Robinson was out of his element. Despite being a four-star recruit and the No. 17 defensive lineman in the country in his class by Rivals.com, Robinson knew he was in above his head.

He is quick to admit that he was too slow, too young and not strong enough to play college football when he debuted in a Cavalier uniform in the 2002 season opener against Colorado State.

“We looked at that game a couple of weeks ago, my roommates and I, and if I’d have known the things then that I do now, I would have been so

much better. My hands were crazy. My feet were out of place,” Robinson said. “It was great to look at that and judge myself. All I could say was, ‘Hey, you sucked.’ I didn’t really know anything.”

Three years later and 15 pounds lighter, Robinson hopes to help fill the void left with Canty’s departure. But he is quick to point out that he is not the same player that Canty was for UVa.

“I want people to judge me by Kwakou Robinson, not the guy who’s backing up Chris Canty,” Robinson said. “I just want to be judged on what I do, and not by what Chris has done.”

It doesn’t help Robinson that Canty has done a lot.

Canty, who was twice named to the All-ACC second team, entered the season as an All-American candidate and backed it up with his play on the field. Through the first four games, Canty averaged 7.5 tackles per game and had seven tackles for a loss.

Regardless of those lofty numbers, Robinson is confident that he can help the team win and with Canty’s injury on his mind he knows that nothing is guaranteed in football.

“I’m ready to play any given second. You’re always one play away from somebody getting hurt, from you getting hurt, or from you starting. And now we see that,” Robinson said. “I’m definitely excited to get some more plays and see what I can do at the starting level. It’s a challenge for me to see if I can really do it. You have to be ready, and I’m ready.”

“Kwakou is definitely up to the challenge. The more reps he’s been getting, it has been giving him the opportunity to get more experience at the position,” said fellow defensive end Brennan Schmidt. “He’s a go-getter. He sees his opportunity now and he’s going after it.”

Virginia coach Al Groh has been rather tight-lipped about Robinson except to say that his knowledge of the defense is “adequate,” and that he merely needs “solid play” from the New York native.

Robinson expects more from himself.

“I want to be better than solid,” Robinson said. “I feel like I bring a good run-stopping mentality. I’m working on my pass rush. It’s doing well. I feel I can chase people from sideline to sideline a little bit. Within 10 yards, I’m going to get you. You don’t worry about it.”

Walk the walk. The Virginia football team will take the “Wahoo Walk” at 6 p.m. on Thursday before it faces Clemson.

The team will be dropped off in buses at Engineer’s Way on McCormick Road and will then walk down Engineer’s Way toward the stadium.

Virginia officials are asking fans to line the sidewalks along the route, while keeping the roads clear for the players and traffic.

Virginia's 'O' statistically impressive
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 6, 2004

Scattershooting round the ACC, while suggesting that Virginia get Boyd Tinsley for a future halftime show, backed up of course, by the Cavaliers’ new marching band ...
It has been a long time since a Wahoo offense put up these kinds of numbers. Virginia leads the ACC in four major offensive categories and is ranked in the nation’s top 10 in all of them:
· Scoring offense (fourth nationally) 45.5 points per game.
· Rushing offense (fifth nationally) 284 yards per game.
· Total offense (seventh nationally) 500.5 yards per game.
· And, passing efficiency (fifth nationally)
Now, that’s impressive. There hasn’t been anything like that around these parts since 1990 when the Cavaliers were ranked No. 1 in the nation for three weeks with the star combination of Moore-to-Moore (quarterback Shawn Moore and wide receiver Herman Moore) along with running back Terry Kirby.
Former Wahoos coach George Welsh, who led that bunch along with current UNC offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill, said that was one of the top two college offenses he saw during his coaching days. The other was at Penn State when Welsh was the backfield coach there and had Lenny Moore and Franco Harris in the same backfield.
Other interesting Virginia facts and figures: the Cavs have won 14 of their last 15 homes games (the lone loss was a 19-14 setback against seventh-ranked Florida State here last season). ... UVa’s seven-game winning streak is tied for fifth-longest in Division I-A. ... Junior quarterback Marques “Biscuit” Hagans leads the nation in per play average with 10.6 yards per play. ... Hagans won’t reveal how he got his nickname. “Only two people know and they ain’t telling,” Hagans said. ... Our crystal ball says to watch out for sophomore Michael Johnson in Thursday night’s game, just a hunch.
Taking the blame
With Chris Rix injured and third-teamer Drew Weatherford having sprained his ankle on his first college play, a naked bootleg against North Carolina, Florida State is down to one quarterback. Well, sort of.
Wyatt Sexton is the starter. But what if he gets hurt against Syracuse? Who goes in for the Seminoles? True freshman Xavier Lee, a player FSU hoped to redshirt?
“No. You know why?” coach Bobby Bowden said. “Because Tommy Keane ain’t bad.”
Keane is a walk-on who has impressed Bowden in practice.
Meanwhile, Bowden took the blame for Weatherford’s injury. Well, sort of, again.
“He’s a pretty good runner and I thought he might pop out for a big gain,” Bowden said of the bootleg call. “But I should have known ... I called it. I called the darn thing. I made them run it. It didn’t work. But he still didn’t have to sprain his ankle. I didn’t put that in there.”
Berlin is better
Miami coach Larry Coker was quick to criticize his starting quarterback’s passing after the Houston game two
Thursday’s ago, but praised him for improvement in last week’s win over Georgia Tech.
Brock Berlin was 10 for 20 for 200 yards and a career-high three TDs against the Yellow Jackets.
“He played a good game, but he’ll play better,” Coker said. “There are some passes I think he’ll make and some we missed. Do I think he’ll be consistent? I think he’ll be consistently better than he was Saturday.”
Coker said he felt better about the Hurricanes’ passing game other than the protection.

The M*A*S*H report. As the season progresses, the injury report mounts. Virginia isn’t the only team to lose an important player, defensive end Chris Canty, for the season.
Miami has lost star offensive lineman Eric Winston to a knee injury. The junior left tackle is finished for the season.
Meanwhile, UNC hopes to get tailback Ronnie McGill back for this weekend’s game against N.C. State. The Tar Heels managed a mere 100 yards rushing against Florida State and only 77 the week before against Louisville.
Duke, which doesn’t play again until Oct. 16 at Georgia Tech, is using the time off to heal. At least six starters have been slowed by injury, including starting tailback Cedric Dargan, who hadn’t played since the first game because of a calf injury, but played through it against The Citadel.

T.A. is back. The often-injured T.A. McLendon was the source of much skepticism as his N.C. State team hosted Wake Forest last week. Fans thought McLendon might never be healthy again.
Wrong.
T.A., as rugged as they come and hard to tackle, bulled his way to 139 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime against the Deacs. He toted the mail 30 times.
After Wake missed a field goal in overtime, T.A. settled the issue. He had remembered his own kicker, State’s John Deraney, missing a field goal that would have won the game in regulation and said enough was enough.
“I said, ‘A field goal is out - we’re trying for six,’” McLendon said.
His bruising, eight-yard run for a TD sealed the win, the seventh overtime in 55 games under coach Chuck Amato.
Afterward, McLendon kept his sense of humor after he was mobbed by his happy teammates.
“They just jumped on me,” T.A. said. “They knocked my helmet off. It was the hardest hit I took all day.”
By the way, of State’s 37 wins under Amato, 18 of ‘em have been of the come-from-behind variety.

Up in Beantown. Beware of future ACC member Boston College, off to a 4-1 start. Coach Tom O’Brien, former offensive coordinator under George Welsh at Virginia, may have discovered the Eagles’ new running back in last weekend’s rout over I-AA UMass.
A.J. Brooks, a freshman from Orlando, Fla., rushed for 160 yards and two TDs on 23 carries in the game. It was his first start, taking the place of injured redshirt freshman L.V. Whitworth, who injured his knee against Ball State. Whitworth is a much bigger back at 6-0, 222, as compared to Brooks, 5-11, 195. Whitworth is back now and healthy, which means both runners should be around for several years in ACC play.

Short yardage ... Our pal and resident national recruiting guru, Mike Farrell, who is an analyst for both ESPN and Rivals, said the latter will begin ranking current football recruiting classes this month and that if those rankings started today, Virginia would be No. 1 nationally in both the quality and quantity categories. However, Farrell said that he expects by the end (February), the Cavaliers will finish somewhere in either the Top 10 or Top 15.
... UNC coach John Bunting fared much better against N.C. State when he played for the Tar Heels (2-1 record) than he has in coaching against the Wolfpack (1-2). ... Wake Forest coaches must feel weird playing new ACC entry Virginia Tech this weekend. Two years ago, the Deacons’ coaching staff hosted the Hokies’ offensive coaches and shared a few secrets, not suspecting they would host Tech a couple of years down the road. Hokies coach Frank Beamer said his team is using some of the stuff it learned from the Wake coaches, then deadpanned, “It was our offensive staff that visited ... we should have sent the defensive staff.”
... Freshman Eddie Royal leads Virginia Tech in receiving with 12 catches for 178 yards. ... Virginia’s offensive line has given up only one sack in its
4-0 start. ... For the first time in its history, the ACC has three teams ranked in the AP’s Top 10: Miami (4), FSU (8), UVa (9).

The picks. Last week: 5-0. To date: 27-9. This week: Virginia 27, Clemson 20; Florida State 52, Syracuse 17; Maryland 20, Georgia Tech 17; N.C. State 34, UNC 14; Wake Forest 24, Virginia Tech 21.

Blue Ridge's Kendall commits to UVa
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
October 6, 2004

Fulfilling a lifelong dream in many ways, Stephen Kendall, a Charlottesville native and a 6-foot-4 junior guard at the Blue Ridge School, committed Tuesday to play basketball at Virginia.
Kendall is the second member of the Blue Ridge program to commit to Virginia in the past six months. Laurynas Mikalauskas, a 6-8 senior forward, committed to the Cavaliers this past April.
Kendall’s parents, David and Sharon, are both UVa graduates and Kendall has been a Virginia fan for as long as he can remember.
“I’ve been going to Virginia games for a long time and have certainly been a fan of the team and the school. My parents were certainly excited but they allowed this to be my decision all along. I just felt it was the best play for me and a good fit,” Kendall said on Tuesday night.
Kendall’s commitment, in essence, ends Virginia’s recruiting efforts for both this year and the next. Virginia has already garnered four commitments for its 2005 class and had one scholarship remaining to be used either this year or for the 2006 class. NCAA guidelines allow a program to carry 13 players on scholarship.
While familiarity certainly played a significant role in Kendall’s decision, he also cited a strong relationship with UVa assistant coach Alexis Sherard and the entire coaching staff. Kendall said he was also aware of the scholarship situation and that was a factor.
“At first I was going to take my time with the whole process but then I thought about the scholarship situation and I knew Virginia was the right fit,” Kendall said. “Having made the decision I think is definitely a load off now.”
A gifted outside shooter, Kendall averaged 11 points and five rebounds per game for the Barons last season in his first year at the school. Kendall played at Albemarle High School for one season before transferring to Blue Ridge last fall. He repeated his sophomore year at Blue Ridge.
Kendall has made tremendous progression as a player over the last year according to Blue Ridge coach Bill Ramsey.
“Stephen came to us as a great shooter and has developed into a great player. He has grown two inches and is now a legit
6-4. He has become much more aggressive on the court in terms of taking the ball to the basket. He has also become a much better defender,” Ramsey said. “He has a great work ethic and has put in the time in the weight room to improve himself as a player.”
Ramsey said Kendall had received initial interest from Stanford, N.C. State, Indiana and Purdue before picking the local favorite. Kendall’s stock rose during the summer after strong performances in the several AAU tournaments and camps.
Kendall would be the first Charlottesville area player to play for Virginia since former Charlottesville High School standout Tom Calloway in the early 1980s. Former Western Albemarle star Marcus Martin was a walk-on for UVa coach Pete Gillen’s first team in 1998-99.
Virginia’s four commitments for this recruiting year are 6-5 Mamadi Diane of DeMatha High School in Maryland, 6-10 Sam Warren of Cherry Creek High School outside Denver, 6-4 Brian Moten of Cincinnati Christian Center Academy and Mikalauskas.

Captains named. Seniors Elton Brown, Jason Clark and Devin Smith have been selected as tri-captains for the 2004-05 season.
Brown, a 6-9 forward-center from Newport News, was an honorable mention All-ACC selection last season. He led Virginia in scoring (14.8 ppg.) and rebounding (6.3 rpg.).
Clark, a 6-8 forward from Virginia Beach, averaged 4.5 points and tied for second on the team with an average of 5.1 rebounds a game last season.
Smith, a 6-5 forward from New Castle, Del., was an honorable mention All-ACC selection last season and received the team’s Bill Gibson Cavalier of the Year Award. Smith, who was a tri-captain last season, led the Cavs in free-throw percentage (.800, 60-75) and steals (37), was second on the team in scoring (12.2 ppg.) and tied for second with an average of 5.1 rebounds a game despite being hampered by a back injury.
The Virginia men’s basketball team takes a preseason trip to Montreal, Canada, for three exhibition games later this week. The Cavaliers play Royal Military College on Friday and Concordia University on Saturday in the Concordia Nike Tournament. On Sunday, UVa plays McGill University.

Men’s soccer. The No. 17 Virginia men’s soccer team hosts Liberty tonight at 7 p.m. at Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers are coming off a 2-1 victory over N.C. State on Saturday that improved their record to 7-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.
Virginia will conclude its week hosting Davidson on Saturday night. That game will be the second game of a Virginia soccer doubleheader at Klockner as the UVa women, who tied Maryland 0-0 on Tuesday night, will host Duke at 5 p.m.

Fall lacrosse. The Virginia men’s lacrosse team defeated Navy, last season’s NCAA runner-up, 11-10 in a scrimmage last Friday night in Virginia Beach.
A crowd of over 5,000 attended the contest at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex and over $60,000 was raised for the families of Navy pilots killed in a training exercise last year. The catalyst for the event was the loss of Commander Kevin Bianchi, who played lacrosse at the Naval Academy. Bianchi had been stationed in Hampton Roads. His brother, Bobby, who also played at Navy, predeceased Bianchi. Bobby was killed in a similar helicopter accident in 1987. The game was a tribute to all four of Bianchi’s crew killed July 15, 2003 in Italy. All the funds collected went to the pilots’ children’s college fund.
Mark Kelly of the Hampton Roads Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse spearheaded the event. Kelly is the father of UVa freshman midfielder Ryan Kelly.
Navy and Virginia traditionally face each other in a fall scrimmage with the schools alternating hosting duties. This fall, Navy graciously agreed to play the game in Virginia Beach for the event.
“It was a wonderful and unprecedented night for fall lacrosse. It truly was a great event to be involved with,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia. “The whole thing was a lot of fun and we played pretty well.”
Virginia led 7-3 at halftime and 8-3 midway through the third quarter and then held on for the victory. The game-winning goal was scored by UVa freshman Ben Rubeor.
Virginia, which needs to replace All-American Tillman Johnson in the cage, started sophomore Kip Turner who played the entire game. Starsia had planned to start redshirt freshman Bud Petit but Petit was hit in the chest during pre-game warm-ups and sat for the game.
Virginia’s final scrimmage will be Oct. 16 when it hosts Ohio State.

QB tries to get it started again
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst's expectations were to sit on the bench for two years - and maybe three - before grabbing the starting job for his final two years at Clemson.

On Thursday night, Whitehurst will be returning to the spot where those expectations started to change.

Whitehurst, then a redshirt freshman, had played in only one of Clemson's first six games before he was summoned from the bench late in the Tigers' 22-17 loss to Virginia.

Clemson was trailing 22-10 when Whitehurst replaced starter Willie Simmons with 2:48 remaining and proceeded to complete 7 of 7 passes as the Tigers drove 92 yards in 91 seconds.

"I think unanimously, as a staff, we felt, 'Oh, boy, this guy's going to be a real one,'" UVa coach Al Groh said Monday.

It wasn't until three weeks later that Whitehurst made his first start, when he passed for a Clemson-record 420 yards and four touchdowns in a 34-31 victory at Duke. No other Clemson quarterback has been within 75 yards of that.

Given Whitehurst's pedigree, maybe it wasn't surprising. His father, David, was a quarterback in the NFL for seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers, passing for more than 2,000 yards in each of the 1978 and 1979 seasons.

David Whitehurst, an eighth-round pick from Furman, came from a relatively modest background and so has his son.

"I wasn't a blue-chipper by any stretch," said Charlie Whitehurst, who suffered a separated shoulder and a broken thumb in his senior year at Chattahoochee High School, where he played six games in 2000. "I didn't get to showcase what I could do because of my injuries."

In Whitehurst's freshman year at Clemson, located 45 minutes from his father's alma mater in Greenville, S.C., Whitehurst watched All-ACC quarterback Woodrow Dantzler direct the Tigers' offense. All along, Simmons, with two years of eligibility remaining, was considered the heir apparent.

"I was just kind of along for the ride," Whitehurst, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder, said. "I got on the field quicker than I thought. It just kind of sneaks up on you."

By the following spring, Simmons was gone, having transferred to The Citadel for his fifth year. Whitehurst had his ups and downs over the first half of the 2003 season, but he was in the middle of a late-season resurgence in which the Tigers won their last four games and may have saved coach Tommy Bowden's job.

The low point came at Wake Forest, where the Tigers fell behind 45-0 in the third quarter and lost 45-17, dropping to 5-4 for the season.

"After Wake Forest, we heard rumors that 'yeah, he's going to be gone,'" Whitehurst said. "There was a time when I thought, 'How can the guy take it any more?' I was thinking, 'Man, I don't blame him if he just takes off.' He dealt with a lot.

"You know, when a coach gets fired, it's hell for the players, too. Some of us might not be playing right now."

If he was talking about himself, Whitehurst was just being humble, but the Tigers' experience last year makes it easier to deal with a three-game losing streak this year. If not for a double-overtime victory over Wake Forest in the season's first week, Clemson would be winless.

One statistic tells it all. Clemson ranks 117th out of 117 Division I-A teams in turnover margin, with 14 lost and two gained.

"I haven't played well at all," said Whitehurst, who has been intercepted 10 times in 143 attempts this year, compared to 13 in 465 attempts last year. "Expectations were high for us. We haven't got the job done and I'm definitely part of that.

"The turnovers are pretty glaring. If you subtract those, I don't think I've played all that bad, just average. There's been too many bad decisions and I think the ball hasn't gone our way a couple of times."

The poor start has quieted talk of Whitehurst passing up his final season of college eligibility and turning pro and he no longer gets many questions about the Heisman Trophy, not that the Heisman has been a distraction.

"I hope it hasn't," said Whitehurst following practice Monday. "I think it would be pretty embarrassing if that was the case. We're still optimistic that we can turn this thing around."

In the stadium where it all started, Whitehurst can't think of a better time or place for a jump-start.

Thursday spotlight to shine on Tigers
Clemson is 0-5 on Thursday nights under Bowden
By JON SOLOMON
Staff Writer

CLEMSON — It’s college football’s version of “Monday Night Football,” a prime-time, national audience for maximum exposure. Just subtract the extravagant NFL ratings and add a few academic headaches.

What started as an experiment 12 years ago has become a major event. ESPN’s Thursday night broadcast, which this week features Clemson at No. 10 Virginia, brings a big-time feel to the game and produces the network’s highest rated time slot for college football.

“The more the audience, usually the harder somebody plays or the more plays they’ll try to make,” Clemson defensive end Moe Fountain said. “It’s definitely a motivation.”

For many players, Thursday games are the only ones they can view in their entirety. Friends and relatives across the country have no problem seeing their loved ones play that night.

Coaches can catch part of the game and learn a thing or two from their peers. And recruits have an opportunity to view their potential college through a one-game prism with ESPN analyst Lee Corso shouting, “Not so fast!”

“One a year, I don’t mind,” Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. “National TV, if you play well, it’s a nice recruiting tool.”

The Tigers are 0-5 on Thursday night broadcasts, including 0-4 under Bowden. Clemson has been outscored by an average of 17.8 points in his Thursday games, including a 38-6 home loss to N.C. State in 2002 that resulted in Bowden beginning his postgame news conference by apologizing to fans.

“We’ll try to change that this time,” Fountain said. “You’ve got to go out and not play tentative. Just play your best like you would any game.”

But Thursdays are hardly any other game. The host school must juggle parking spaces between students who need them for classes and tens of thousands of football fans who want them to tailgate before the game.

At Virginia on Thursday, permit holders must remove their cars from 17 parking lots around the stadium by 4 p.m. Some schools have canceled classes when hosting Thursday games.

Players from visiting schools miss more class time than on a normal game week. Clemson will leave for Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday and won’t return until around 3 or 4 a.m. Friday.

“That will be hard,” Bowden said. “I don’t know many professors that teach here that would come in at 3 in the morning and go to an 8 o’clock class.”

Wide receiver Curtis Baham said his understanding is Clemson players are excused from morning classes Friday. Baham and cornerback Tye Hill laughed when asked if they would bring homework with them on what Baham calls “a business trip.”

“I’ll study my playbook,” Baham said.

Thursday night football is all about business. This Thursday, there won’t be just one game on the tube. If Clemson-Virginia doesn’t catch someone’s fancy, a fan can flip to Houston-Southern Mississippi on ESPN2 beginning at 7 p.m.

The Thursday trend actually began in 1986 with ESPN showing prime-time Division I-AA games. Former Holy Cross star Gordie Lockbaum’s Heisman Trophy campaign received a significant boost by playing Thursday games.

Now, many major Division I programs take advantage of the exposure, although the matchups aren’t quite what the NFL produces most Mondays. At this point, ESPN’s only Thursday game between two ranked teams this season will be No. 20 Louisville at No. 4 Miami on Oct. 14.

The ACC plays on six of the 13 Thursday broadcasts on ESPN. The conference’s new television package with ABC and ESPN added three more Thursday games per year.

Clemson has opposed playing Thursday home games because of campus disruption, but is fine playing on the road. The expansion of the ACC makes it more likely Clemson would not be required to play host on a Thursday night.

The Thursday game opened the door for college football every day of the week, raising questions whether college football could become overexposed with minor games.

“That question has come up, but it seems like there continues to be an appetite,” Bowden said.

Holding their breath and pocketing the financial windfall, universities continue to take the plunge on Thursday nights. That gives players a miniature version of what a few will find on Monday nights in the NFL.

Thursday night games averaged a 2.1 rating and 1,814,000 households in 2003. The highest rated Thursday game in ESPN history, Houston at Miami in 1991, drew a 6.5 rating and 3,819,000 households and led to the weekly package beginning in 1992.

“You gotta love the spotlight,” Baham said. “You play to be on this stage.”

Cavaliers about to find out what kind of prize this guy is
Virginia doesn't expect Kwakou Robinson to be another Chris Canty. But the Cavaliers do need him to step up.
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published October 5, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Looking back, you need reminding that Kwakou Robinson was one of the headliners in Virginia's blockbuster recruiting class of 2002 and started the first five games of his freshman season. Lately, he's been living the quiet life of a seldom-used reserve who stands out only because of his mammoth size.

But Robinson's life is about to change. Chris Canty done for the season with a knee injury, so Robinson will make his first start in nearly two seasons at defensive end on Thursday against Clemson. When the nation's 10th-ranked team loses a valuable cog, it's headline news. At the team's weekly media day, Robinson drew a bigger crowd than did quarterback Marques Hagans.

Robinson understands the interest, and knows Virginia's season may hinge on how well he does. But he's determined, however unrealistically, to keep things simple.

"It's the same mindset, the same mentality I have for every game," Robinson said. "I'm ready to play any given second. You're always one play away from somebody getting hurt, from you getting hurt, or from you starting. And now we see that.

"I'm definitely excited to get some more plays and see what I can do at the starting level. It's a challenge for me to see if I can really do it. You have to be ready, and I'm ready."

Robinson was one of the bigger names in Al Groh's first recruiting class, which included tailback Wali Lundy and tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson. Robinson chose Virginia over a who's-who list of football powers that included Ohio State, Miami and Southern California. Sure, everybody liked his name - Kwakou means "male child born on Wednesday" in one of Ghana's languages. But they loved his potential.

By the time the 2002 season began, Canty had not recovered from a broken leg sustained during the offseason. So Robinson, a 325-pound rookie less than three months removed from his graduation at Poly Prep in Brooklyn, got the start. He had six tackles, one resulting in a 17-yard loss. He had six tackles the following week in a loss at Florida State.

Canty returned for the third game, and by Week Six had regained his starting spot. Robinson's playing time faded, and he missed the final three games of the regular season with an illness. During Canty's breakthrough junior season in 2003, Robinson averaged 14 plays a game. In his past 17 games, he has 29 tackles.

"It wasn't discouraging," Robinson said of the scaled-back playing time. "I knew I wasn't really ready at that time. I knew I didn't have all the tools that Chris had at that time, and I knew that once he came back he'd probably take it back. But now, I feel that I'm on the same level as Chris."

Groh looks at it another way. In using a baseball analogy, Groh said he is losing a .320 hitter and plugging in a .275 hitter.

"We're not trying to replace Chris," Groh said. "Whether through injury or graduation, when a player leaves the lineup it's unrealistic and unfair to say 'We're going to replace that player.' We're going to put a different player in there with different skills and a whole different persona to him."

Canty's skills allowed him to make 30 tackles, seven behind the line of scrimmage, in four games. His persona led his teammates to elect him a co-captain. He provided relentless pressure along the edge and sang during pregame stretching. Not an easy package to replace.

"I want people to judge me by Kwakou Robinson, not the guy who's backing up Chris Canty," Robinson said. "I just want to be judged on what I do, and not by what Chris has done."

Though he weighs about the same as he did two years ago, Robinson says he's in better shape. His body fat percentage has dropped from 25 to 17, which gives him more strength and endurance. He'll need whatever edge he can get. Robinson has been in for 56 plays so far this season. That probably will match, give or take, his total Thursday night.

"Kwakou is definitely up to the challenge," defensive end Brennan Schmidt said. "The more reps he's been getting, it's been giving him the opportunity to get more experience at the position. He's a go-getter. He sees his opportunity now and he's going after it."

Virginia QB dazzles with his arm, feet
By JON SOLOMON
Staff Writer

CLEMSON — Clemson defensive end Moe Fountain instantly can recall the run by Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans, his good friend and former roommate at Fork Union Military Academy in 2000.

“We’re playing Montgomery Junior College, backed up on our own 15,” Fountain said. “Four or five guys had a hand on him in the backfield — one guy was pulling down his shirt — and Marques scrambles up the middle for 85 to the end zone.”

Through four games, Hagans is replicating some of those plays at Virginia while answering questions as Matt Schaub’s successor.

Hagans’ pass efficiency rating of 182.93 ranks fourth in the country, and his 76.1 completion percentage leads the ACC. He averages 192.5 passing yards and 34.8 rushing yards per game, including a long run of 59 yards.

This from a 5-foot-10 player who still receives questions about whether he is tall enough to play quarterback. Hagans began last season at wide receiver until Schaub, the 2002 ACC player of the year, was injured in the third game — and even then Hagans didn’t start at quarterback.

“Marques’ velocity on the ball, his quickness as a runner, his elusiveness were things we could see right away,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “It’s his refinement with the system (that has improved), and where the decisions a quarterback has to make become reactive things for him rather than a thought process.”

In addition to being at quarterback last season, Hagans was Virginia’s sixth-leading receiver, third-leading rusher and leading punt returner. But quarterback was where he always wanted to play.

“Once I saw Joe Hamilton, I always thought there was a chance. I watched Antwaan Randle El,” Hagans told reporters in Virginia, referring to short college quarterbacks who succeeded. “I just knew if I had an opportunity I could do the same thing. There was never a doubt in my mind.”

The story might sound familiar to Clemson fans. Watching film of Hagans, Tigers cornerback Tye Hill said he was reminded of former Clemson quarterback Woodrow Dantzler, who was the first Division I-A player to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season.

“I’ve seen him do a lot of crazy things since I’ve known him,” said Clemson defensive tackle Eric Coleman, a teammate of Hagans at Fork Union. “I’ve seen him throw a football like 80 yards standing flat-footed, no step, no nothing. He’s just an amazing athlete.”

Mobile quarterbacks have given Clemson fits this season. Georgia Tech’s Reggie Ball finished with zero net yards against the Tigers. But take away his six sacks totaling 56 yards and he would have rushed for 57 yards.

A week later, Texas A&M’s Reggie McNeal rushed for 129 yards on 17 carries against Clemson. Both quarterbacks used quarterback draws and rolling out on the edges, which are specialties of Hagans.

“I love running the bootleg,” Hagans said. “We want to be one of the best bootleg teams in the nation, and it’s fun to get out on the edge and try to make something happen.”

And when plays break down? “It gets a lot funner,” he said.

Hagans often moves from the pocket not necessarily to run, but to find a better passing lane. His offensive linemen’s average height is 6-6.

“He’s got great open-field moves, but the thing is he can also throw,” Fountain said. “He’s got surprisingly big hands for a QB. We used to play pickup basketball at Fork Union and he could palm a basketball real easily.”

Fountain and Hagans remain good friends. Because the drive home to Camden would take seven hours, Fountain often stayed with Hagans’ family in Hampton, Va., where his friend grew up following high school quarterbacks that included Aaron Brooks, Michael Vick, Ronald Curry and Allen Iverson.

Fountain and Hagans usually wish each other good luck every game day. The tradition will continue this week, except Fountain is no longer afforded the luxury of just watching Hagans’ exploits.

“He’s very competitive,” Fountain said. “I told him I’m going to come and get him. He said I couldn’t get him. That’s how it’s been between us.”

Athletics director defends program

CLEMSON — Clemson athletics director Terry Don Phillips used his new weekly Internet column to criticize some fans for harsh comments about the football team on computer chat rooms and talk radio.

He warned the dialogue sometimes creates “a tremendous disservice” to Clemson, particularly in recruiting.

“Yet, whenever there are some who speculate and conjecture about the demise of a particular coach and coaching staff, it creates an environment of ill will and uncertainty,” Phillips wrote Monday. “As such, this perpetuation of doubt in the public domain can serve to break down confidence that high school coaches and prospects must have in our program. In turn, this affects recruiting.”

Clemson coach Tommy Bowden received a three-year contract extension last season with an initial buyout of $4 million. The Tigers are on a three-game losing streak, one shy of equaling their longest since 1970 and ’71, and must finish 5-2 to become bowl eligible.

“We must send a clear and unequivocal message to counter this type of environment: Clemson has a stable program and one that will achieve,” Phillips wrote on clemsontigers.com.

Phillips said “forward thinking” is needed “even in today’s time where the thinking is often ‘win and win quick.’• ” He referred to the west end zone project at Memorial Stadium, estimated to cost $54 million, as a necessity to catch up with other schools’ facilities.

Phillips was out of town Tuesday and unavailable to comment about the column.

“I know the fans are disappointed. I’m disappointed,” said Bowden, who has received some critical phone calls on his radio show. “But no one’s more disappointed than the players, who are working hard and investing their time, and the coaches.”

Bowden joked: “If I stop and smell the roses, I’ll be pushing them up.”

Richardson feels justified. Freshman left tackle Barry Richardson, who makes his first start Thursday, said he feels justified leaving high school early. Richardson was held back in the sixth grade and accelerated his course work to graduate from Wando High School in three years.

“Everybody was telling me not to go, I wouldn’t be ready for it,” Richardson said. “It’s like saying, ‘You were wrong. I am ready to do this.’• ”

Richardson admitted hearing from family and friends has made him nervous this week. “When I first came in the summer, I was just hoping to make travel squad, to tell you the truth, and probably be third string,” he said.

How good is Virginia? Even coach Al Groh is trying to answer that question about the Cavaliers, who are ranked 10th in the Associated Press poll and ninth by the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll.

“I’d put us somewhere between 12 and 30. That’s how much I think we know right now,” Groh said. “We might be the sixth-best team in the country; we might be the 35th best team in the country.”

The Cavaliers (4-0) have won by a combined margin of 184-48, and the closest victory was 21 points. But the four opponents were Syracuse, North Carolina, Temple and Akron, who have a combined record of 7-13.

Whitehurst dodges injury. History nearly repeated itself for Charlie Whitehurst, who thought he injured his throwing shoulder on a designed run against Florida State. Whitehurst missed six games as a high school senior with a separated shoulder on a similar run trying for extra yards.

“I said, ‘Oh, my gosh, that’s the same thing. Didn’t learn from it,’• ” said Whitehurst, adding the shoulder feels fine.

They said it. It’s hard convincing Whitehurst he is accepting too much burden for Clemson’s problems, as Bowden suggests. “I think if I can play well, we can win,” Whitehurst said. “If that’s affected my game, so be it. That’s how I’m going to approach it.”

Clarification. Clemson players are not excused from classes Friday morning, as wide receiver Curtis Baham stated in Tuesday’s paper he thought was the case. Baham has been excused from his class and incorrectly interpreted that was the situation for all players, sports information director Tim Bourret said.

Extra points. The Tigers are 16½-point underdogs against Virginia. “Based on the last four games, it’s probably accurate,” Bowden said. ... Bowden has told players this is a “new season” and to believe they are 0-0. “It seems like the team’s had more fun in practice this week,” defensive end Bobby Williamson said. ... Chansi Stuckey has replaced Justin Miller on most punt returns to give Miller time to rest.

— Jon Solomon

Cavaliers trying to avoid top-10 jinx
By Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Virginia wants to avoid what happened the last time it was ranked in the Associated Press' top10. The Cavaliers were ranked seventh in the AP in 1998 when they blew a 21-point lead to Georgia Tech and lost the game.

A 4-0 start vaulted Virginia into the top10 without playing a game over the weekend. The Cavaliers have faced only one team with a winning record, Syracuse. Collectively, Virginia's opponents are 7-13. Next up for the Cavaliers is Clemson, another team with a losing record.

But Virginia coach Al Groh warns his team to not take Clemson lightly - despite quarterback Charlie Whitehurst's 14 turnovers.

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

Virginia has won 14 of its last 15 games at home with the only loss coming to FSU a year ago.

Cavaliers' nose tackle excels in sacrificial role
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Oct 6, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE He started out as an engineering major at the University of Virginia, but trying to juggle that curriculum with the demands of major-college football proved overwhelming to Andrew Hoffman. So he switched to environmental sciences, a natural choice for a Loudoun County resident who loves the outdoors.

When he's through with football, Hoffman said, he'd like to get into agriculture and soil analysis. Maybe, it was suggested, he should have attended the land-grant university down the road in Blacksburg.

"I have heard that once or twice," Hoffman said with a laugh.

U.Va. football fans are delighted that the former Park View High star chose to spend his college days in Charlottesville. Hoffman, a fifth-year sen- ior, is one of the pillars of a defense that has steadily improved during Al Groh's tenure as the Cavaliers' coach.
Building Quality Homes

A three-year starter at nose tackle in U.Va.'s 3-4 scheme, Hoffman has become noticeably more disruptive this season. He recorded 56 tackles (in 14 games) as a sophomore and 56 (in 13 games) again last season. Only two of those tackles, however, were for loss, and neither was a sack.

In four games this season, Hoffman has 20 tackles. Three were for loss, including his first career sack. In a meeting last spring, defensive-line coach Mike London told him he needed to become "more dominant at my position," Hoffman recalled, and he's done so.

"It's knowing what's required of me and taking it to the next level and being more active," Hoffman said.

What's required at nose tackle among other things, is the ability to battle two blockers on most plays. It may be the most thankless position in the 3-4.

"It's a different world," said junior end Brennan Schmidt, who's taken some turns at nose in practice. "There's a lot of sacrifice. You're getting double-teamed by the guards and center a lot, and it's real tough. Hoff is incredible at it, and I commend him all the time for it."

Hoffman said: "There's not a whole lot of glory in it. It's a position you have to know how to play and what your role is . . . I've had [Schmidt] over there at nose a few times, and he just comes out and says, 'I don't know how you do it.' "

Size and strength aren't the only qualities a nose tackle needs to thrive in a 3-4, Groh said. Also required is tenacity, which No. 60 has in abundance. NFL scouts who visited Virginia recently watched videotape of Hoffman, Groh said, "and they remarked about his effort and his hustle level."

If the 6-4 Hoffman seems to be moving better this season, there's a reason. A lean 245-pounder when he arrived in 2000 to play for George Welsh, Groh's predecessor, Hoffman had bulked up to about 295 by the summer of 2002. He's playing at about 280 this season.

"I definitely feel a lot quicker and a lot more agile," Hoffman said. "My body feels like I have more endurance to keep up that pace."

The 10th-ranked Cavaliers (1-0, 4-0), who entertain ACC rival Clemson (1-2, 1-3) tomorrow night, will need Hoffman to play at quicker pace the rest of the way. Virginia lost its best defensive lineman, senior end Chris Canty, to a season-ending knee injury Sept. 25. Like Hoffman and Schmidt, Canty was in his third year as a starter.

"Drew and I have to pick up where he left off," Schmidt said.

 

Groh adjusting his batting order
Virginia coach forced to shuffle lineup with Canty injury
In the Huddle
Jim Laise

Virginia coach Al Groh, whose team is 4-0 and ranked ninth in the USA Today/ESPN and 10th in the AP polls, was filled with baseball analogies Sunday as he met with the media for his weekly press conference.

Groh, a Red Sox fan, who admittedly spends little time "on sports or anything outside of sports this time of year," reflected on Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs, who during the Watergate controversy in the '70s was asked his opinion on the break-in.

Gibbs responded he was unaware any such thing had occurred in his Washington, D.C., neighborhood.

However, one thing is certain - both Groh, whose team was ranked 12th in both polls last week, and Gibbs, who has returned to the 'Skins - are certain about their own teams.

In that vein, Groh used baseball terminology metaphorically to explain the change at defensive end this week, as his team faces Atlantic Coast Conference rival Clemson Thursday night on ESPN. The 61,500-seat Scott Stadium is expected to be nearing a sellout for the game. UVa. officials remind those attending the event that parking lots and garages will open at 5:30 p.m. for the 7:45 p.m. kickoff.

"It's like in baseball when you take a .320 hitter and put in a .275 hitter to replace him," Groh said of substituting junior Kwakou Robinson into the starting lineup for senior Chris Canty, out for the remainder of the season following Thursday's knee surgery.

Canty was the team's leading tackler (7.5 average per game) at the time of his injury. He is the reigning two-time tackle champ among all defensive linemen in the ACC.

Into his place comes Robinson, 6-foot-4, 327, who though Groh says he has improved his conditioning since his first year, obviously cannot replace one of the team's best defenders.

"Anytime, whether you lose a player to injury or graduation, it's unfair to say the next guy is replacing him," Groh said at the University Hall confab. "It's unfair to the player. He comes in and takes his place."

Going back to baseball, the coach said: "You might replace that .320 hitter with another solid bat. But you're probably not going to get as good an on-base percentage, maybe less RBIs.

"You just have to juggle your lineup around. Maybe you had that .320 hitter hitting in the fifth spot, but maybe now you move him around and insert the .275 guy into the eighth spot of the lineup."

Baseball notwithstanding, Groh will likely have to adjust his defense because he will fail to have a player of Canty's big-play ability to face a Clemson team that no-huddles and likes to throw the ball. The Tigers average 211 yards per game in the air; meantime their run game is ranked dead-last in the league at 103 yards per game.

"I'm sure it will affect some of the things we do defensively, but basically you've just gotta go ahead and keep playing," instructed Groh, who called Robinson "a solid player."

Canty was among team leaders in tackles for loss (1.1 per game) and was certainly a leader. One thing the Cavs can continue with, however, is senior guidance.

In terms of all positions, the coach said the defensive line is among the most experienced on the squad, what with co-captain Brennan Schmidt at the other end and senior noseguard Andrew Hoffman.

Still, the coach said in terms of "running," defensive ends Chris Long and Chris Johnson, both freshmen, were the fastest Cavalier down linemen after Canty.

However, when a press conference focuses on the loss of one player - no matter how talented he may be - you know the remainder of the team is doing something right.

The Cavalier team and/or players lead the conference or stand second in 19 categories heading into their nationally televised game.

Quarterback Marques Hagans stands second in total offense (227.2 yards per game) and first in passing efficiency (182.9). All-around back Alvin Pearman stands second in all-purpose yards (129.2), Marquis Weeks is second in kick-return yards (204 yards), tailback Wali Lundy is No. 1 in ACC scoring (15 points per game).

Linebacker Ahmad Brooks is the second-leading league sacker (1.1).

Teamwise, UVa. shows up first in total offense (an average of 500.5 yards per game), rushing offense (284), scoring (45.5), passing efficiency (172.9), kickoff returns (33.5) and sacks allowed (1). It ranks second in rushing defense (95.5), scoring defense (12 points per game), turnover margin (1.25 better than the opposition per game) and punt returns (13.4).

Of course those gaudy numbers have come at the expense of relatively week competition - Temple, which gave up 70 points Saturday to Bowling Green; stumbling North Carolina; Akron of the Mid-American Conference; and an average Syracuse Big East team.

The Cavaliers enter now into their "second phase" of scheduling, according to Groh, in one major aspect: "Heretofore, we were playing (aside from Carolina) nonconference opponents who, if they lost to us, could still play for the same goals in terms of league championships. Now we're facing teams with similar goals as us. That is, to win the championship or jockey for positioning in the league standings in order to qualify for bowls at the end of the season. It's a little tough now."

The Wahoos are 1-0 in the league with Clemson, a visit to nationally ranked Florida State, a game at Duke, and then a tough stretch of November games - Maryland, Miami, at Georgia Tech and at Virginia Tech.

Again, going to the bullpen, Groh said: "It's like we've been playing in AA baseball and now we're going up to AAA or the majors. We'll see how we do against major-league pitching."

Clemson and Virginia have slugged it out in three previous games. Clemson won 30-27 in overtime last season on its home turf, while the Cavaliers came from behind to nip the Tigers 22-17 two years ago at Scott. The Cavaliers won the 2001 meeting on Billy McMullen's touchdown catch with one second left.

This series once rested solely in Clemson's possession - the first 29 meetings belonged to the Tigers. Since a 20-7 victory in Charlottesville in 1990, the series has swayed Virginia's way - 7-6-1.

The Thursday night ESPN team of Mike Tirico, Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit and Jill Arrington will be on hand at the stadium to make the television call.

The Virginia Sports Network will as always handle the radio pre-game, play-by-play and post-game duties.

 

Understudy Is Man on the Spot
Cavs' Robinson Steps In for Injured Canty at Defensive End
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Tuesday, October 5, 2004; Page D03

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Oct. 4 -- Virginia defensive end Kwakou Robinson was watching game film a few weeks ago when he came across footage of his first college game, the 2002 season opener against Colorado State. He was shocked by how bad he looked.

Thrust into the starting lineup that night because of an injury to Chris Canty, Robinson was a mess from a technical standpoint. He tired too quickly, and it was obvious he still had a lot to learn about his responsibilities in the team's 3-4 defense.

"It was crazy looking at it," Robinson said with a laugh. "Just judging myself like, 'Wow, you [stunk].' "

Thursday night against Clemson, Robinson will get a chance to show a national television audience how far he has come. Now a 6-foot-4, 315-pound junior, he again will step in for Canty, a star senior whose season ended last week because of a serious knee injury.

"He's been called upon," senior co-captain Elton Brown said.

"I'm sure he's been waiting for this moment for a long time," added Brennan Schmidt, Virginia's starting left end. "I'm just kind of waiting to see how he does on Thursday night. I have great confidence that he's going to do well."

Yet the 10th-ranked Cavaliers (4-0, 1-0 ACC) caution against talk of Robinson "replacing" Canty, who leads ACC defensive linemen with 30 tackles, including a team-high seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

"That's definitely the way I look at it," Robinson said. "I just want to be judged on what I do and not what Chris has done."

In a sense, one need only glance at the players to know they have significantly different styles. Canty is exceptionally athletic for a 6-7, 295-pound end, while Robinson has been mostly a run stopper in two-plus seasons as the third defensive end. Defensive packages that played to Canty's strengths might not work as well for his successor.

"We had structured certain things toward taking advantage of some of the things that [Canty] brought to it," Coach Al Groh said. "Now we might move away from those things. . . . 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, logically, is going to drop off."

Virginia will look elsewhere for its big defensive plays, especially to linebackers Ahmad Brooks, Darryl Blackstock, Kai Parham and Dennis Haley.

What it needs from Robinson, Groh said, is simply "solid play."

"He understands what he has to do," Brown said. "Go out and do what you've been doing. Just play ball."

Perhaps the biggest change for Robinson, a high school all-American at Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y., will be playing 50 or 60 plays a game. He has been in for just 56 plays all season, making five tackles.

Since coming to Virginia he has lost at least 15 pounds, dropping his body fat percentage from 25 to 17. He admits he probably won't ever chase ball carriers 20 yards down the field, "but within 10 yards, I'm going to get you. Don't worry about it.

"I'm definitely excited to get a little more plays and see what I can really do at this level, at a starting level, and see if I can really take 60 plays and I'm up to the task."

Robinson will play mostly on the right side of Virginia's defensive line, which will put him up against Clemson's biggest offensive linemen, tackle Barry Richardson (6-7, 350) and guard Cedric Johnson (6-4, 335). Johnson, a fifth-year senior, is one of the best guards in the ACC, while Richardson is about to become the first non-redshirt freshman offensive lineman to start for the Tigers (1-3, 1-2) since 1986.

Clemson's running game should also get a boost from junior tailback Duane Coleman, who played sparingly the past two games in his first action since missing nearly two months with a broken foot. The Tigers are last in the ACC at 103 rushing yards per game, though last season they rushed for 194 yards against Virginia in a 30-27 overtime win.

Robinson, though, is adamant about his inability to replace Canty in one crucial area: entertaining the team with impromptu R&B songs during pre-practice stretching.

"Uh, no," Robinson said. "That's where me and Chris Canty differ. I don't sing. I may scream in the locker room a lot, try to get guys hyped, but no, I don't really sing, I don't really dance."

In this, too, Robinson's teammates are ready to help out.

"I will take on that role," Brown said, keeping a straight face momentarily before breaking out into a hearty laugh.

Cavaliers Note: Less than 300 tickets for Thursday's game were available as of Monday afternoon. University parking lots will open to fans at 5:30 p.m.