Cavaliers, Seminoles set for big showdown
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 10, 2004

For weeks now, Virginia fans have dared to think their beloved Cavaliers could be 5-0 going to Tallahassee. Now, it’s a reality.
Thursday’s 30-10 romp over Clemson, which was Virginia’s widest margin of victory ever against the Tigers, set the stage for next weekend’s showdown with Florida State. With at least three of the nation’s top 10 teams falling Saturday, the huge ACC showdown in Tallahassee will be the premier game in the nation.

Closing in on the top 5
As Georgia, Texas and California were tumbled on Saturday, the Cavaliers could jump as high as sixth in one poll and seventh in the other when the new rankings come out today.
All this points to one of the biggest games in Wahoo football history. It ranks up there with the Virginia meeting with No. 2 Florida State in Charlottesville back in 1995, when the Cavs pulled off the upset. In one respect it’s just as big as UVa’s home game against Georgia Tech in 1990.
While UVa was ranked No. 1 in the nation, Georgia Tech was ranked 16th before the unbeaten Yellow Jackets pulled out the thriller-diller and went on to share the national title.
This Saturday’s game between the Cavaliers and Seminoles will feature more hype than any Virginia game since that 1990 contest.

Big chance
It is an opportunity for coach Al Groh’s team to take a giant step toward what he envisioned when he returned to his alma mater in 2000. Groh has a burning desire to win the ACC championship and play for the national
championship.
Here is a chance to make a leap in that direction. How big a leap?
“Well, [Florida State] is the defending [ACC] champion,” Groh said Friday. “They are champions until some one knocks them off their throne. Anytime you go up against the champions, that’s what you’re measured against.”
Is it too much, too soon for the Cavaliers, who haven’t been serious contenders for the ACC crown for a while? Is it too big?
“Well, it’s not the BCS championship game,” Groh said. “They all count one. It’s one of 11.”
And what a big one it is. This is why Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham and Wali Lundy and Michael Johnson and some of Virginia’s more high profile recruits signed with the Cavaliers. They want to contend for the ACC
championship.
While this is supposed to be the year of the Seminoles or the Hurricanes, could it be the year of the Cavalier?
There have been subtle hints that there could be chinks in Florida State’s armor.
George Welsh’s statement prior to Thursday night’s win, wasn’t so subtle.
“I think they have very good teams and very good personnel, but I don’t think that Florida State, honestly, is as good as they were in the Charlie Ward days and when
they were winning 10 games a year,” said Welsh, the first ACC coach to beat the Seminoles in conference play.
“Last year up here, if that snap doesn’t go awry, who knows? We might beat ‘em,” Welsh said of Virginia’s narrow 19-14 loss to the Seminoles in Scott Stadium.
In that game, Virginia’s game plan abandoned the running game and exploited FSU’s inability to defend the pass as Matt Schaub threw 53 passes for 326 yards. UVa ran the ball only nine times in the game, the fewest rushing attempts by a Cavalier team since 1943.
Meanwhile, the passing game, featuring tight end Heath Miller (nine catches, 77 yards, one TD) and tailback Alvin Pearman (16 catches, 134 yards, 1 TD), drove the Seminoles crazy. Florida State’s coaches couldn’t believe how Schaub passed them dizzy.
Two plays killed Virginia in that game.
A Chris Rix pass to Craphonso Thorpe went 79 yards for a touchdown on FSU’s second possession when a Virginia defensive back blew coverage. Then, trailing 19-14 with less than eight minutes to play, Virginia faced a third-and-three on its own 42-yard line.
Set in shotgun formation, the long snap sailed over Schaub’s head for a 17-yard loss back to the UVa 25 and the Cavs punted the ball away with 6:19 to play. The Seminoles milked the clock with a 13-play drive ending with Rix taking a knee at the Virginia six as time expired.
Groh’s version of the “Flying Circus” pushed the Seminoles to their limits. But he had no choice.
This time he does. This time, Groh will travel to Tallahassee with a more lethal offense and a better defense.
In fact, Virginia headed into the Clemson game as one of only two teams in the nation to be ranked in the Top 10 in both total offense (seventh, 500.5 yards per game), and total defense (eighth, 258.0 per game).
This time, Groh will bring a more physical team that can run or pass. This time, he will have Lundy, who didn’t play in last season’s game. This time, he’ll still have the capability of throwing the ball to Miller and the UVa backs, who converted three screen passes into first downs against Clemson.
But there’s one more very big THIS TIME. This time, the game will be played in Tallahassee, where Florida State has a 48-1 record against ACC teams.
That’s not a typo.
Groh has dreamed of a showdown like this. Now he’s got it. As Brooks said after beating Clemson, “The fight’s on now.”

Cavaliers move up to No. 6 in football polls
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 11, 2004

Virginia has won its first five games in impressive fashion.

Entering a road contest on Saturday against defending ACC champion Florida State, the Cavaliers are ranked in the top 10 in the country in seven different categories.

From scoring offense to scoring defense and from total offense to total defense, the Cavaliers have been among the best.

It has not gone unnoticed to the pollsters.

Thanks to a 30-10 win on Thursday on national television, Virginia climbed to the No. 6 spot in the country in both the AP poll and the coaches’ poll.

It is the highest ranking for Virginia since the Cavaliers were the top-ranked team in the country in the 1990 season. In 1998, Virginia climbed to No. 7 in the AP poll but promptly lost 41-38 to Georgia Tech.

Both polls have the top seven teams ranked in identical fashion.

USC, Oklahoma, Miami, Auburn and Purdue are ranked from first-to-fifth, respectively, and Florida State, Virginia’s next foe, is ranked No. 7.

Last week, Florida State was ranked ahead of the Cavaliers, but UVa jumped over the Seminoles in both polls.

Florida State (4-1, 2-1) did not help its own cause in the polls with a 17-13 win over Syracuse on Saturday, a team that Virginia defeated 31-10 earlier in the season.

The Seminoles escaped with a road win as their defense stopped a final drive by the Orange in the final minute of play.

“We didn’t seem to have a focus [against Syracuse] like we needed to,” wide receiver Craphonso Thorpe told reporters after the win. “I don’t know if we were looking ahead [to Virginia], but we just were not sharp anywhere. The defense bailed us out and Leon Washington bailed us out.”

Florida State coach Bobby Bowden felt lucky to get the win over Syracuse.

“[Syracuse] should have won the game,” Bowden said. “They outfought us, outhustled us, and outexecuted us. I don’t know how we won the ball game. It was Murphy’s Law out there . . . everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.”

After the game, Bowden said quarterback Wyatt Sexton would start against Virginia.

Sexton, who started his second straight game in place of Chris Rix (sore ankle), completed 15 of 26 passes for 169 yards and one interception. On third down, Sexton converted just one of 10 chances.

Bowden said he had no option but to stick with Sexton.

“Ain’t got any more quarterbacks,” Bowden quipped. “Did you want me to put a cripple in there? Chris is getting better, but Wyatt will start [against Virginia].”

Extra points. Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans is ranked fourth in the country in passing efficiency with a rating of 171.22 and ranks 32nd in the country in total offense with a 232 yards per game average. … Despite not scoring against Clemson, running back Wali Lundy is ranked fourth in the country in scoring. The junior is averaging 12 points per game.

Cavaliers pull rank on Seminoles
No.6 Virginia will be the better-ranked team when it faces a Florida State squad that struggled to defeat Syracuse.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

As Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden and his players continued to question their focus Saturday against Syracuse, there was little question that Virginia would get their full attention.

When the Cavaliers visit Doak Campbell Stadium for a 7:45 p.m. Saturday game that will be televised by ESPN, it will be with a No.6 ranking - their highest ranking since the 1990 UVa team was ranked No.1 for three weeks.

No other Virginia football team had been ranked higher than No.7.

The Cavaliers, ranked 10th by The Associated Press last week, leapfrogged the Seminoles after No.8 Florida State slipped past Syracuse 17-13 in a game that was not decided until an end-zone interception with five seconds remaining.

"Syracuse should have won the ballgame," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden told media after the game. "We were lousy. I was thinking one thing: Murphy's Law. Anything that could go wrong, went wrong, and that's our fault."

The Seminoles, who had been ranked eighth, moved up to seventh on a weekend when the losers included No.3 Georgia, No.5 Texas and No.7 California.

Virginia defeated Clemson 30-10 on Thursday night after dispatching visiting Syracuse 31-10 in the Cavaliers' previous game.

While the Seminoles' game with Syracuse was much closer, it was held at the Carrier Dome, where crowd noise presented communication problems for Seminoles quarterback Wyatt Sexton, making his second career start.

Sexton was intercepted once and Florida State fumbled twice on a night when the Seminoles (4-1, 2-1 ACC) outgained the Orange 427-265.

"You go to New York to play a football game and the kids don't think you've got a game," Bowden said. "You see many little evidences of it - when you have a pregame meal, when they go on the bus to go to the stadium - that say, 'We're not thinking; we're not ready to play football.'"

Bowden said the only bright spot was the play of tailback Leon Washington, who rushed for a career-high 164 yards, coming one week after a 153-yard day against North Carolina.

"Number three [Washington] was all we had," Bowden said. "We wouldn't have won without him."

Bowden said that he would have replaced Sexton with former starter Chris Rix if Rix had been able to go. Rix practiced Thursday and went through warmups with his right ankle heavily taped.

"Chris is not ready," Bowden said. "I think he will be better next week. He could play, [but] I'm afraid he's going to hurt than ankle again. You're looking at only Wyatt Sexton right now."

Washington said Sunday that Bowden and quarterbacks coach Bobby Bowden had blasted the Seminoles after a first half that found them trailing 10-3.

"I think the main thing was, we were too lackadaisical," said Washington in a Sunday teleconference. "Quite naturally, I think a lot of the guys watched Virginia play against Clemson and we were heavily favored against Syracuse, so we were probably looking toward the Virginia game."

The Seminoles are an early three-point favorite over Virginia (5-0, 2-0) in the Cavaliers' first road game since Sept.4.

"I'm surprised that we're [lower] than Virginia," Washington said. "Once again, we're not getting the votes. The way we performed Saturday night, it really didn't show what we're capable of. We feel that we're one of the best teams in the country, but they're undefeated and we're not."

Brown helps U.Va. sweep on Canada trip
FROM STAFF, WIRE SERVICE REPORTS
Published October 11, 2004

The Virginia men's basketball team defeated McGill University 83-46 Sunday afternoon in the final game of its trip to Canada. The Cavaliers won all three of their exhibitions on the Canadian trip.

Freshman guard Sean Singletary led U.Va. with 16 points, five assists and five rebounds against McGill. Guard J.R. Reynolds scored 12 points, and senior post player Elton Brown of Newport News had 10 points.

On Saturday, Brown scored 23 points and 13 rebounds in an 88-76 victory over Concordia, giving the Cavaliers the championship of the Concordia Nike Tournament. Brown was named the tournament MVP.

FSU's special teams not up to par lately
Column by Steve Ellis
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

The breakdown of what went wrong in an unexpected 17-13 thriller won by Florida State over underdog Syracuse began over a plate of nachos. And by the time the Grand Slams had arrived, the three fans had slammed play-calling and lamented over the opponent's big play and their team's missed chances. But almost always, this early-morning lament in an East Syracuse Denny's returned to the special teams and one key fumble.

One fan was hoarse - the by-product of creating an environment in the Carrier Dome that affected not only Florida State's offense but, as Travis Johnson noted after the game, also the Seminoles' defense. These were Syracuse fans, but the same discussion could have been held in another section of the restaurant, where somber-looking FSU fans ate.

Five games into the season FSU fans are fussing about aspects of the Seminoles' game that should not be on the table to discuss. Most notably is a special-teams unit featuring a veteran kicker and the kind of speed that teams such as Syracuse dream about acquiring each recruiting season.

No doubt, offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden collected more detractors - if possible - and Wyatt Sexton will have a few after looking rattled in the early going of his first road trip. Sexton was fortunate to leave Syracuse with just one interception. Yet there will be few chants of "Bring Back Rix" this morning.

The defense gave up three plays of at least 30 yards and had another critical breakdown in the secondary. And Virginia's young playmaker, QB Marques Hagans, arrives at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday. But FSU's defense is realistically right on schedule and continues to make big plays as it did at the end of both halves Saturday. FSU also has been dominant against the run - a Cavaliers strength with Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman in the backfield.

"We thrive on shutting down the run ... and then go from there," Johnson said.

Special teams is a different matter. There are no excuses for a group that has found nearly every way possible to place the Seminoles in precarious situations this season. FSU opened the season with Miami blocking an FSU field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter. Against Clemson, the Seminoles gave up two kickoff returns for a touchdown and nearly were victims of a third by Justin Miller. The Seminoles rank last out of the 117 DivisionI-A teams in kickoff-return-yardage defense, allowing 32.58 yards per return. Xavier Beitia, who is 6 for 9 this season, missed two field-goal kicks against Syracuse in critical moments in the second half. Syracuse also missed two field-goal attempts.

This shouldn't be happening in a part of the game filled with veterans, talent and speed.

"We've got a lot more speed than those guys do," running back Leon Washington said in a matter-of-fact tone.

But one of the fastest Seminoles was not so quick on his feet Saturday night. Chris Davis bobbled a punt return with FSU ahead 17-10 and under 12 minutes remaining in the game. Instead of pouncing on the fumble, Davis twice tried to scoop it up, and Syracuse recovered the football on the FSU 18-yard line to set up its final score.

"Yeah, the special teams have really had their problems," coach Bobby Bowden said Sunday. "I can't tell you why a kid drops a punt. He don't drop them in practice. ... It's one of those nights when not one of them did it, all of them did it."

Bowden: Seminoles were too relaxed
By Randy Beard
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

By Sunday afternoon Bobby Bowden was feeling slightly better about a stressful 17-13 victory over Syracuse. He still isn't pleased with the effort, but at least he doesn't have to ponder the consequences of a second loss with an excellent Virginia team headed to Doak Campbell Stadium this weekend. The Florida State head coach said his mood began to improve the closer the team plane got to Tallahassee after he learned that teams such as N.C. State and Maryland in the ACC and Georgia, Florida and South Carolina in the SEC had been upset.

"Golly, we might have survived this doggone thing. It was our time to lose and we didn't lose," said Bowden. "I got happier as I got home."

But with the Cavaliers - who have moved one spot past FSU in both polls to No.6 - as the next challenge, Bowden said his players need to understand that they can't continue to repeat the blunders that were made against Syracuse.

The team has yet to put together a complete performance, and Saturday night was obviously the worst it has been in terms of your own aggravation. Is there anything you can put your finger on that has led to the problems and the lack of focus?

Bowden:

I think last night happens a lot of times. That might have been our Clemson game last year where we lost. I'm thinking back to North Carolina State in '98, you know. Same thing, but we lost. It's the first time we've played like that and won.

It's not that we played bad. We just made mistakes. We'd make a good 15- 20-yard run, but there's a penalty. We'd get a good 20-, 30-yard kickoff return but there are two clips. We'd get another kickoff return and there's another clip ... We didn't deserve to win it. We wouldn't have beat somebody else on our schedule (playing like that).

We are 4-1. It's a good sign (when) you are 4-1 and haven't put it together yet. When you put it together you have a chance to be pretty good.

The players said they hadn't quite ever seen you as angry as you were at halftime. They said it got their attention and that they needed to be given that wake-up call. Can you talk about showing that emotion because they say, win or lose, you are usually even keel?

Bowden:

That's the worst we've played in a half in a long time ... They needed it. They sure did need it. They got it, too.

What can you say about the quarterback situation this week?

Bowden:

Nothing. It's the same as it was. Wyatt Sexton is running No.1 right now, and Chris (Rix) is trying to get well. Until (Rix) is well, he won't start ... Just because he can move around out there without any contact and throw the ball doesn't mean he's well. I don't want to put him in a situation where he hurts that ankle and now we have to wait two or three more weeks for him to get well. He's making progress, but right now Wyatt's your quarterback.

You were disappointed in some of the play by Wyatt, but you had to be pleased with the poise he showed in a game that went down to the wire?

Bowden:

That's the greatest thing we saw. I never saw him panic. I never saw fear in his eyes. I never saw doubt in his eyes. Whereas many a player would have gotten into that position, being away from home ... an enemy crowd, and would have gone down, down, down, down. But instead it didn't seem like it fazed him. He just said, 'I'm going to try to do a little bit better.' And he did better. He responded the way you'd want him to respond.

How much better would you have felt about not only Wyatt's performance but also the team's performance if the pass he threw to Chauncey Stovall had been ruled a touchdown? Instead you had to settle for a field-goal attempt.

Bowden:

You would have said, 'He had it figured out.' I thought he had that doggone thing, too. All of those things would make you think, 'Much better.'

Xavier Beitia missed a couple of more field goals. Do you look to open up the competition at that position?

Bowden:

He's done pretty good up until missing those two last night. I think he just said, 'I'll play like everybody else.' That's the way we all played. We looked that way getting off the bus.

Offensively, Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker were the keys to your being able to hold off Syracuse. Last year against Virginia, you were able to do pretty much the same thing in terms of running down the clock behind the running of Greg Jones and Leon. How important is it for this team to have that kind of a running game?

Bowden:

Very important. It's very important they both stay healthy because they both complement each other. And they both can rest each other when they get tired, so it's very important.

'Noles readying for 6th-ranked Cavs
Players agree that they must play better than they did against Syracuse if they're to beat Virginia.
By Josh Robbins | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 11, 2004

TALLAHASSEE -- Florida State coaches and players say they cannot afford to play their next opponent, Virginia, with the same lack of focus as they showed against Syracuse.

The Seminoles nearly lost to the Orange because of their cavalcade of miscues and errors that included two muffed punt returns, personal-foul penalties, two missed field goals, a fumble, an interception and a blown coverage on defense.

"There's so much that's mental in this game," FSU Coach Bobby Bowden said Sunday. "If you are not mentally ready to play football, you're going to make an idiot of yourself."

Teams such as Virginia feast off sloppy play, and FSU coaches likely will emphasize that fact to their players before Saturday night's critical showdown at Doak Campbell Stadium.

It will be a huge game for both teams, a matchup of two teams ranked in the nation's top seven that will have significant national-title and Atlantic Coast Conference-title implications.

The Cavaliers (5-0 overall, 2-0 in the ACC) vaulted over FSU, to sixth, in both major polls and have won each of their games by at least 20 points. It's the highest ranking for the Cavs since 1990 when they were ranked No. 1 for the only time in their history.

The Seminoles (4-1, 2-1), now ranked seventh, are coming off a game in which only their running attack and run defense stood out.

"The way we performed Saturday night, it really didn't show what we're capable of," said sophomore tailback Leon Washington, who scored two touchdowns and gained a career-high 164 yards against Syracuse. "From here on out, if we win the rest of our games, which we have a real good chance of doing, we could be in the national-championship picture."

Bowden reiterated Sunday that sophomore Wyatt Sexton likely will start at quarterback against Virginia. Chris Rix, who started FSU's first three games this season, still is hobbled by a high-ankle sprain.

"You've got Chris trying to get well," Bowden said. "He won't start 'til I'm sure he's well. Now, just because he can move around out there without any contact and throw the ball, that doesn't mean he's well. I don't want to put him in a situation where he hurts that ankle."

Indeed, had Rix been completely healthy over the weekend, Bowden said he "probably" would have inserted Rix into the game midway through the second quarter to see if he could jump-start the offense.
 

Sports Focus: ACC Showdown
Seminoles getting serious After surviving scare in Syracuse, FSU not taking Virginia lightly
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Oct 11, 2004

To say Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden was displeased with his team's performance Saturday night at Syracuse would be an understatement.

The heavily favored Seminoles trailed 10-3 at halftime, and their deficit could have been worse. FSU finally prevailed 17-13, but its victory wasn't assured until linebacker Sam McGrew intercepted Syracuse quarterback Perry Patterson's pass in the end zone with 5 seconds to play.

"We just tried to commit suicide," Bowden told reporters on a teleconference yesterday.

Bowden said he sensed before the game that his players weren't taking the Orange seriously, and FSU quarterback Wyatt Sexton echoed those statements yesterday.

"We definitely underestimated Syracuse," Sexton said.

That won't be the case this weekend, he vowed. Seventh-ranked Florida State (2-1, 4-1) plays host Saturday to sixth-ranked Virginia (2-0, 5-0) in a much-anticipated ACC game at Doak Campbell Stadium.

"We're going to be ready to play those boys," Sexton said.

For the first time in a series that FSU leads 11-1, Virginia enters their annual meeting with the better national ranking. The Cavaliers leap-frogged the'Noles in both major polls yesterday. U.Va. rose four spots, from No.10, in The Associated Press poll, and three spots, from No.9, in the USA Today/ESPN coaches' poll. FSU moved up one spot in both polls.

"I'm surprised we're [behind] Virginia, but they're undefeated, and we're not, so I guess that's the way things go," said Seminoles tailback Leon Washington, who rushed for a career-high 164 yards and scored on second-half runs of 21 and 45 yards against Syracuse.

FSU's loss was to Miami in the season-opener. U.Va. and Florida State have three common opponents to date: Clemson, North Carolina and Syracuse. Virginia won 30-10 over Clemson, 56-24 over UNC and 31-10 over the'Cuse, all at Scott Stadium. The'Noles beat Clemson 41-22 and UNC 38-16 in Tallahassee.

As an ACC member, Florida State's first conference loss came at Scott Stadium, where U.Va. made history with a 33-28 upset of the second-ranked 'Noles on Nov. 2, 1995. The 'Noles are 49-1 in ACC games at Doak Campbell, the lone stumble coming against N.C. State on Nov. 10, 2001.

He's not worried about his players' focus this week, Bowden said, "because Virginia looks so doggone good."