It was in '95 that Virginia upset 'Noles
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 13, 2005

Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting the 1995 Virginia football team will be in town this weekend for a 10th anniversary reunion ...
Good timing because that’s the only Cavalier team to ever beat Florida State on the gridiron. Two members of that squad, quarterback Mike Groh, and safety Anthony Poindexter, are now on UVa’s coaching staff.
FSU coach Bobby Bowden said Wednesday during the ACC coaches teleconference that he well remembers that night when the Cavs handed the Seminoles their first loss in ACC play.
“Oh, gosh, I’ll never forget it,” Bowden said. “It was a great ball game, a game in which we nearly pulled it out.”
Hitchin’ and twitchin’
That was one of former UVa basketball coach Pete Gillen’s favorite remarks when describing the sometimes frantic pace his teams would play at during his first couple of seasons on the job.
Speaking of jobs, it was announced Wednesday that Gillen, who still resides in Charlottesville, has agreed to join College Sports Television (CSTV) as a basketball analyst for this rapidly approaching season. Gillen and former UMass coach, Steve Lappas, will provide commentary for games this coming season.
He will make his debut this Friday night during the network’s Latenight Madness, which will preview the season.
Rumor of the week
This week’s craziest rumor is that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will take a year off to coach the U.S. Olympic team.
Quote of the week
Florida State coach Bobby Bowden on Joe Paterno getting things turned around at Penn State:
“I am glad to see him win because I’m following right in his footsteps,” Bowden said. “He is kind of encouraging me. Hey, when I get as old as him, I might be able to do the same thing.”
Bowden, 75, is major college football’s all-time winningest coach with 356, ahead of Paterno, who is age 78.
Stat of the week
Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans ranks 15th all-time among ACC quarterbacks in career pass completion percentage at 61.5.
Healing Hoos?
Coach Al Groh indicated Wednesday that team doctors were going to test preseason All-American left offensive tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. It will be the first time since Ferguson, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury, has been tested.
Groh said earlier in the week that All-American linebacker Ahmad Brooks took some turns in Monday’s practice, but his status for the FSU game was questionable.
Florida State will be short-handed as well with senior
right guard Matt Meinrod suffering a possible season-ending injury after fracturing his fibula and dislocated his ankle. He will be replaced by John Frady, who was FSU’s starting center the last time the Seminoles played in Charlottesville.
Frady, who has played some center this season, believes FSU will have an advantage by playing two centers side-by-side against Virginia.
“It’s going to be nice having two guys that can read the defense,” Frady said. “That will allow us to do more than we could before. For instance, while Dave is looking at the base front and where the linebackers are, I can check the secondary.”

Personal foul. No wonder ACC coaches were so highly in favor of instant replay. After six weeks of play, 15 of the 30 plays reviewed by the replay booth technicians have been overturned.
That’s 50 percent, a much higher rate than in other leagues around the country that have similar replay systems.
Still, Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer gives ACC refs a check mark.
“I think the officiating in the ACC has been very good,” Beamer said Wednesday. “I’ve had a couple of those calls go against me. I’m all for instant replay. In the end, I think officials will try even harder to make sure it’s not 50 percent. I think they’re very serious about what they do.”

Cry wolf. N.C. State coach Chuck Amato cooled some of the criticism directed at his massive chest last week by beating Georgia Tech, but he still has a chip on his shoulder.
Amato believes some media members are taking pleasure in his team’s recent struggles and thusly when he walked into the interview area after beating the Jackets, his opening comment was, “Sorry to disappoint you.”
Amato was all business for the win, coaching without his trademark wraparound sunglasses and red shoes for the game.
He had been the target of a cartoon character named “Chuck Dynamite” on some Web sites. Asked Wednesday if he had seen the cartoon, Amato showed that he has kept his sense of humor.
“I saw it a month ago when it first came out,” the Wolfpack coach said. “I laughed. I like to have fun and enjoy life. If you’re going to laugh at other people, you have to laugh at yourself. I think it’s silly, but I laughed at it just like all you people laughed at me.”

True blue. North Carolina coach John Bunting said his team can use this week off to lick its wounds after a 69-14 pounding at Louisville.
“It would be nice to play to get rid of the Louisville game, but it was also nice to have some breathing room this week,” Bunting said. “I have to get rid of my own Louisville hangover right now.”
The Tar Heels, who play the nation’s toughest schedule according to one service, are counting on regrouping this week just as they did a year ago before a strong stretch run. Last season, UNC was walloped
46-16 at Utah, had a week off, then upset Miami at home and went on to earn a bowl trip.
Bunting is counting on the same thing as Carolina plays four of its next five games at home, starting next week with Virginia.

Short yardage. Four of UVa’s next five games are at Scott Stadium. ... With its win over UVa, Boston College jumped from No. 18 to No. 14 in the AP rankings, its highest since beating UVa in the 1994 Carquest Bowl, when the Eagles rose to 13th in the land. ... UNC receiver Jarwarski Pollock had arthroscopic knee surgery last Friday, but is expected to play against Virginia next week. ... Maryland linebacker D’Qwell Jackson missed the first game of his career at Temple although coach Ralph Friedgen expected him to play. ... Friedgen was overruled by the Maryland team doctors who thought that playing on a wet field in Philly might prove too much of a risk to Jackson’s leg injury. ... Keep your eye on Toney Baker “the touchdown maker” as the N.C. State freshman is establishing himself as the Wolfpack’s top tailback (22 carries for 68 yards last week against Georgia Tech). ... UVa’s Marcus Hamilton has three interceptions in his last three games and Wahoo tailback Michael Johnson is averaging 5.9 yards rushing for his career.

The picks. Last week: 6-1. To date: 33-13. This week: Clemson 27, N.C. State 24; Georgia Tech 42, Duke 10; Miami 55, Temple 3; Boston College 24, Wake Forest 21; Florida State 38, Virginia 20.

 

Butler block not done yet
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 13, 2005

While both Boston College coach Tom O’Brien and Virginia coach Al Groh both said Wednesday that they considered the Brad Butler chop block incident with Mathias Kiwanuka over and wanted to move on, the controversial play won’t go away.

After learning Tuesday that he suffered a sprained right medial collateral ligament in the Virginia game, an injury that will likely sideline him for Saturday’s home game against Wake Forest, Kiwanuka took a few shots of his own against UVa’s Butler, whose chop block against the BC player earned the Cavalier a one-game suspension and national criticism for his act.

The Boston College All-American defensive end told reporters he wasn’t clear if the injury was a direct result of Butler’s chop.

“I’m not sure,” Kiwanuka said. “I felt like a little bit of pain in both my ankle and my knee, after I went out of the game, so I put the knee brace on. But, obviously, after the hit, it hurt a little bit more, so I don’t know exactly where it came from. But it was somewhere between the two.”

The play in question came on Virginia’s first possession of the second half when the Cavaliers were driving for a touchdown that gave them a 14-7 lead in an eventual 28-17 loss to the Eagles.

Quarterback Marques Hagans threw an incomplete pass, during which Butler blindsided Kiwanuka with a chop block. As a result, BC defensive tackle Alvin Washington pounced on Butler with both teams receiving personal foul penalties. Washington was ejected from the game.

With six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Kiwanuka was ejected for landing a right cross to Butler’s chin during another pass play. Kiwanuka said it wasn’t a punch, but rather he was only trying to separate himself from Butler, who celebrated as the BC player was tossed from the contest.

While Groh and O’Brien said they had a long discussion about the situation on Monday and according to the Virginia coach “we were in agreement to appraise the two parties in how to get in touch with each other.”

A BC spokesman said Tuesday that the two players had talked, but according to O’Brien and Kiwanuka, that was not the case as of mid-day Wednesday.

“As far as I know, no one has contacted Mathias,” O’Brien said on the ACC teleconference.

Kiwanuka said he had not received an apology from Butler or anyone else from Virginia.

“No. At this point, it doesn’t matter,” the BC player said. “Any apology is going to be for media purposes, not just from him. If he calls, I’ll field the call. I’m not going to try to keep things going longer than they have to be. If that’s what he wants to do, if he wants to call and he wants to apologize, I’ll take his apology, but I’m not going to go out of my way to get in contact with him.”

Butler has not been available to media since UVa’s post-game interviews in Chestnut Hills.

Kiwanuka’s reaction to Butler’s suspension seemed to be less than what the BC player expected.

“I just feel there’s nothing that could’ve satisfied me with the way things came out,” Kiwanuka said. “Just looking at it, if this was a professional game, a lot stronger action would’ve been taken. But I’m just trying to put the rest of it behind me now. There’s nothing I can say or I can do that’s going to change the reaction to it, so it’s over in my opinion.”

The BC player said he didn’t realize “how blatant” the hit was until he saw a replay.

“Once I actually saw the film and how long after the play it was, it shocked me that someone would actually do that,” Kiwanuka said. “The fact that nothing happened [to Butler] during the game upset me, too. I’d feel like if it was a different situation and there was an exchange going between us and somebody got really emotional in the heat of a battle, in the heat of the game, then I could understand it.

“But the way the game was going, like nothing happened. I’d done nothing to him. He hadn’t even said maybe two words to me during the game,” Kiwanuka said. “So, for him to just fly off, I don’t buy the comment that he got over-emotional.”

Butler was also criticized by BC senior offensive tackle Jeremy Trueblood, a close friend of Kiwanuka’s, who indicated he thought a stiffer penalty for the Virginia player was in order.

“If you’re not going to play by the rules, I don’t think you should be able to play, truthfully, for however long the ACC, I guess, declares he should be out,” Trueblood said.

The BC tackle also said he believed Butler owed Kiwanuka an apology.

“Yeah, I guess if I was cheap enough to do that, I guess I’d want to be a man and say I’m sorry about it,” Trueblood said.

Butler will sit out this Saturday night’s home game against fourth-ranked Florida State.

 

From goalie to gridiron
Best battles cancer, adversity to fulfill dream
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 13, 2005

As a freshman at Virginia, Ryan Best tossed and turned in bed at night. His thoughts were on football. No, not futbol, the sport he was playing on full scholarship at UVa. Football.

He wanted to exchange his soccer equipment for a helmet and shoulder pads.

And Best wanted to play football so badly, he was willing to pay for it - physically and financially. His dream ultimately became a reality and when Virginia (3-2, 1-2 ACC) takes the field on Saturday night against Florida State (5-0, 3-0), Best will be on the field with the Cavaliers.

His journey from between the pipes to beneath the pads is one for the ages.

Discovered in soccer

In high school, Best spent the fall playing football for Williamstown High (N.J.), not soccer, which also plays in the fall in southern New Jersey.

As a senior, Best scored four touchdowns (three rushing, one of a kickoff return), kicked an extra point and a 25-yard field goal. His team, however, was not very good. They went 1-9 in his final year. In the only game they won, a 21-14 decision over Highland, Best rushed for 198 yards.

In the spring, he played soccer on travel squads. Best’s talent as a goalkeeper was so noticeable, he earned a spot on the U.S. Under-18 National Team.

The coach of that team, Virginia coach George Gelnovatch, liked what he saw from the keeper. He wasted little time in offering Best a full scholarship to play for the Cavaliers.

Best had other options. Boston College, Iowa and Rutgers had offered the New Jersey standout full scholarships to play football.

His parents, Al and Elaine, preferred Virginia. Why? Academics.

“Regardless of what division, what school it was, they wanted me to come here for academic reasons,” Best said. “It was sort of my parents decision to come to this school.”

Best opened the 2003 season as the starting goalkeeper for Gelnovatch. He played well, seeing action in eight games and recording three shutouts.

An injury ended the solid start to his career. His rookie season was cut short when he broke the scaphoid bone, which is located on the thumb side of the wrist. He had surgery and watched from the sidelines as his teammates captured the title at the 2003 ACC Tournament.

Playing soccer in the fall for the first time in years was hard for Best.

“I would always ask myself ‘Why am I doing this?’ This was not what I enjoyed doing,” Best admitted. “I would go out to practice and I just didn’t have the passion for it.”

Longing for football

With dreams of playing football, Best took every opportunity that presented itself to talk to UVa coach Al Groh.

“I didn’t think anything of it when it occurred, but there were a number of occasions a couple of years ago, where I’d be [in the McCue Center] working out, and maybe the soccer team would be in there, as a group, lifting,” Groh said. “And, this one kid, in kind of a shy manner would kind of say, ‘Hi, Coach.’”

After spring practice ended for the soccer team, Best let Gelnovatch and Groh know of his intentions.

To say the least, Gelnovatch was shocked since the upcoming season was just months away.

“He was cool with [my decision]. He wasn’t cool with the way that I did it,” Best said. “I sort of left him out to dry going into their next season.”

Gelnovatch still had his starting goalkeeper in Ryan Burke, who won the job with his play at the end of the 2003 season. But Best said the coach was not “expecting me to leave so they figured they had a solid back-up.

“I left them out there. He didn’t like that. That was the only thing that he didn’t like. He understood where I was coming from … that my passion wasn’t with soccer anymore and that I wanted to play football. He understood that, he just wasn’t really fond about the way I left the team.”

What about the scholarship?

Best went to see Groh and in Rudy-like fashion, he asked for a chance to play football.

“He explained his situation, being a recruited soccer player and we talked about all the ramifications,” Groh said. “He’s one of these guys that said, ‘Hey, my heart’s in football, and I’m willing to give up my soccer scholarship to play football.’”

Best had it all figured out. Since it was his decision, he didn’t want his parents to pay the tab. He was willing to give up his free education to sign up for student loans.

Having been recruited to play in the Big East and the Big Ten, Best liked his odds of working his way onto the field as a walk-on.

“I felt pretty confident about my chances because coming out of high school, I was right with these guys … being recruited by different schools,” Best said. “My talent level … I felt if I would keep working hard, I would potentially get on the field.”

Best was thrown into the mix at running back, a crowded position. That was fine and dandy.

“I am a patient person,” Best said, “so, the line [at tailback] didn’t really bother me.”

Best did not play, saving a year of eligibility, but he was part of the team he longed to join - the football team.

“After the first season with the football team, I really felt part of it,” Best said. “They don’t really push anybody away. Everybody that comes in is part of the family - right then and there.”

Fighting cancer

That football family became very important to Best after a lump, a lymph node, below his right ear was diagnosed as cancerous. Best had lived with the lump, but said he “always wanted to get it removed because it was bothersome.”

“I always picked at it. When I finally decided to get it removed, they checked it out and they found some cancerous cells in it. They checked it out more and found out it was lymphoma, a type of Hodgkin’s Disease.”

The disease, which is very rare, comprises less than one percent of all cancers diagnosed in America. Throughout the winter and spring months of 2005, Best underwent chemotherapy and radiation. He cut off his braids for fear that he would lose his hair. He lost 20 pounds, dropping from 220 to 200.

Best said the findings of local doctors “caught me off guard, but I wasn’t really ever scared of it. They made me feel comfortable about it the way the told me about it.

“The chemo got me … it would take me down about two days after I had the treatment.”

Yet through it all, Best did what any walk-on would do - he tried to practice.

“Right after the chemo, I felt good enough to practice,” Best said, “so, I practiced sometimes directly after. The effect wouldn’t take on until the next day.”

Those were bad days - very bad days. Many days he felt so bad he just wanted to stay in bed.

“I felt nauseous a lot but I never threw up,” Best said.

Football family’s support

Thanks to the support of his teammates, particularly Wali Lundy, Jon Stupar, Mark Miller, Jermaine Dias, Jon Copper, Connor Hughes and Jason Snelling, Best persevered.

“Actually, they were real supportive. This team is like a family to me,” Best said. “They were extremely supportive of me. They prayed … we had praying sessions.

“Football actually got me through it. It got me through the chemo and everything a lot better than I think it would have because activity I think helped me out. It just pushed me. Worrying more about wanting to play more than thinking about the chemo.”

It also helped Best to know that his spot on the roster was not safe.

“Being a walk-on, I think pushed me harder,” Best said. “I thought of it as I was losing valuable time to be noticed.”

He did just that. Groh said Best provided “inspiration” to the entire football program.

“It took a tremendous amount of courage on his part,” Groh said, “and it certainly confirmed to everybody what his resolve was to be a part of this.”

One more step

As training camp opened in August, Best finished his treatment. Groh promptly brought him some good news; he wanted Best to work at safety.

Groh said, “As you would expect from a guy who’s paid the prices that he has just to be a part of the team, he said, ‘Hey, whatever.’ So, he’s working himself into a nice role now.”

He has played 58 plays in four games, mainly with the Nickel and Dime packages; Best has two tackles. Now, with cornerback Chris Cook out for the season with a broken leg and safety Tony Franklin working some at corner again, Best should be in line to get more turns at safety.

For a guy that has battled through so much adversity, one shouldn’t doubt him when he claims that the best Best is yet to come.

 

Freshman passes every test, so far
FSU's Drew Weatherford has thrown for 1,158 yards and 10 TDs in the last four games.
By Mark Berman
981-3125
The Roanoke Times

The substitute starter is starting to make a good impression.

Redshirt freshman Drew Weatherford wasn't supposed to be Florida State's starting quarterback this year, but the school announced in July that incumbent Wyatt Sexton would miss the season because of Lyme disease.

"I felt really bad about what happened to him due to the fact that we're such good friends," said Weatherford, whose fourth-ranked Seminoles will visit Virginia at 7:45 p.m. Saturday. "But at the same time, I realized that my opportunity had finally arrived and I was ready to take full advantage of it."

Weatherford competed in preseason practice with fellow redshirt freshman Xavier Lee. Weatherford, who earned all-state honors at Land O' Lakes High School in suburban Tampa, was named starter for the season opener against Miami. But whether an unproven player could lead the offense of a team with high expectations was a major question.

"He had no experience and never even dreamed he'd be playing three months ago," said Weatherford's father, Bill Weatherford. "He was prepared as any freshman to start the season, which is not very prepared."

The Seminoles beat Miami 10-7, but Weatherford completed only seven of 24 passes for 67 yards with one interception.

Since then, Weatherford has improved. He has completed 62.9 percent of his passes in the past four games, throwing for 1,158 yards and 10 TDs with three interceptions for Atlantic Division-leading FSU (5-0, 3-0 ACC). He ranks fourth in the ACC in passing efficiency and passing yards.

"We as a team are starting to feel more comfortable and confident with one another, and our chemistry just continues to grow," said Weatherford, 20. "The feeling around here is that things will continue that way. Each game, we seem to be getting better."

FSU coach Bobby Bowden has been pleasantly surprised by Weatherford's play. He said teams have focused on stopping the running game and making Weatherford beat them, but Weatherford's surge could have future foes altering that strategy. Weatherford leads the nation's freshmen in passing yards (1,225), TD passes (10) and total offense (1,194 yards).

"It'll force teams to mix it [defensively] more because he's passed the test so far of the teams that have really blitzed him," Bowden said.

Weatherford is the fourth-oldest of nine children. He was home-schooled until the sixth grade. His mother, Cathy Weatherford, has taught her children through elementary or junior high school.

"I had a lot of time with them that way," she said. "I really enjoy getting to be with them and really knowing them well."

Weatherford's father and paternal grandfather were quarterbacks at Southern Methodist, but Weatherford moved with his family from Dallas to Florida when he was 4 years old. So he grew up an FSU fan, and is particularly excited to be starting for his favorite team.

"This is something I've been waiting for ever since I was a young kid," he said. "I've been a fan ever since I can remember -- probably 8 years old, watching Charlie Ward and Warrick Dunn and all those guys. I've been working really hard for this opportunity."

Lee, not Weatherford, was the more heralded quarterback in FSU's 2004 recruiting class. Lee also has seen action this fall, and Weatherford said the pressure will always be on him because of Lee's talent.

"I don't really ever think the competition's going to be over between us," Weatherford said. "If I don't go out there and perform, I've got to be ready for him to go in there and replace me for a series or two."

Lee is considered to be the more athletic of the two, but Weatherford said they are more similar than people realize.

"A lot of people think he's just the athletic guy, the guy that goes out there and kind of wings things and makes things happen, but he's very smart in the film room and he studies a lot," Weatherford said. "At the same time, a lot of people don't think I'm very athletic, but I can get things done on my feet as well."

Weatherford got things done last weekend in a 41-24 win over Wake Forest. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns and also scored on a 1-yard run.

"Every game, things seem to slow down," Weatherford said. "I'm doing a much better job of identifying defenses and putting our team in the best situation to be successful. ... We do a lot of checking off at the line, and I'm doing a much better job" at that.

Next up for Weatherford and company are the Cavaliers (3-2, 1-2).

"They really don't have much to lose right now," Weatherford said. "They've been in close ballgames and things haven't worked out for them, so ... they're going to be wanting to ruin our season."

If FSU finishes the regular season unbeaten, it could face Virginia Tech in the ACC title game.

"I've watched them several times and they look very, very impressive," Weatherford said. "Our goal is to continue to get better and if and when that time arrives, we'll be ready."

 

On-the-job training
Sophomore Eddie Pinigis could be UVa's most experienced offensive tackle when the Cavs host FSU.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Eddie Pinigis may not have been listening with the greatest anticipation before Virginia football coach Al Groh announced the staff's choice as the offensive player of the week for the Cavaliers against Boston College.

After making the second start of his college career, Pinigis had not reached a stage where he thought of himself as candidate for post-game honors.

"Not at all," said Pinigis, a sophomore offensive tackle from Jefferson Forest High School in Bedford County. "I didn't think I played as well as other people thought I did, but [the award] made me feel pretty good."

In all honesty, Virginia didn't have an abundance of offensive stars in a 28-17 loss at Boston College, but few faced as formidable a challenge as Pinigis, who frequently found himself lined up against preseason ACC player of the year Mathias Kiwanuka."There was a point in the game -- I think it was actually the last time I went up against him -- when he got pretty frustrated," Pinigis said. "He kind of threw me to the ground. I just got up and said, 'Keep it coming, keep it coming.' "

Pinigis isn't completely sure, but he thinks that happened on the play before UVa left tackle Brad Butler was seen cut-blocking Kiwanuka, sparking a confrontation that led to the ejections of Kiwanuka and Eagles' teammate Alvin Washington, and now the one-game suspension of Butler.

Butler, the Cavaliers' right tackle for most of his career, moved to the left side when preseason All-American D'Brickashaw Ferguson sustained a knee injury against Duke.

UVa's intention was to test Ferguson's knee Wednesday night in practice, but if he can't go, Pinigis will be the dean of the Cavaliers' offensive-tackle unit heading into Saturday night's 7:45 kickoff with fourth-ranked Florida State.

Pinigis' experience had been limited to mop-up duty when he was summoned to replace Ferguson in the second quarter Sept. 24 against Duke.

"It's been pretty crazy, starting with the Duke week," Pinigis said. "Brad was already injured, so I was getting most of the reps. I wasn't really expecting to go in for Brick, so when Brick got hurt, I was like, "Man, I better wake up right now.' "

Ferguson and Butler are seniors, so there was going to be playing time available next season. The injuries and suspension have enabled Pinigis (6-foot-7 and 290 pounds) to get a leg up on the competition, which could include prized recruits Branden Albert and Eugene Monroe.

If the Cavaliers know they can depend on Pinigis, there might be a temptation to leave Albert at left guard, where he has started five games as a true freshman.

Groh said Pinigis did not receive many challenges in his first start, at Maryland, "so there really weren't any issues over there," he said. "Because of the players that he went up against, he was challenged a little bit harder last week and held up just fine."

To be a UVa offensive lineman this week was to be in the line of fire concerning Butler's suspension.

Pinigis and fellow sophomore Jordy Lipsey were fielding non-stop questions at a Tuesday newsconference.

"I'm pretty close to Brad," said Pinigis of his fellow Lynchburg-area product. "These past two years, he's really helped me a lot. I feel pretty bad for him, with all he's gone through."

Pinigis said the rule of thumb for cut-blocks, sometimes referred to as chop-blocks, is that they're legal if the defensive player can see the blocker.

"I would say it happens a lot," Pinigis said. "I would say every offensive line is taught to chop-block. I don't really knows the rules that well."

Pinigis might want to check with his uncle, former Virginia Tech offensive lineman Calvert Jones, who has become a mentor to his sister's kid.

"He was going to come to BC -- just get in his car and drive up from Lynchburg -- but I told him I didn't know if I would start," Pinigis said. "He was telling me the other day that he feels like he doesn't know what's going on in the games because he's always watching me."

Jones committed to Virginia as a junior at E.C. Glass but changed his mind and signed with Pittsburgh, only to end up transferring to Virginia Tech.

"He's switched his season's tickets over from Virginia Tech to Virginia," Pinigis said, "but I don't know what will happen when I'm finished. I still think he's a Hokie at heart."

 

U.Va. makes no apologies for its 3-4 setup
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 13, 2005

Ryan McDonald had to admit that he played the game of his life.

The University of Maryland center “pancaked” four defenders in a 45-33 win over Virginia on Oct. 1, didn’t allow a sack and, according to his coaches, didn’t miss an assignment in 53 offensive plays.

McDonald, named ACC Offensive Linemen of the Week after that game, would have caused problems for any defense that day. But because he was facing Virginia, his performance was even more significant.

Why? Unlike nine out of 10 Division I-A teams, which use a 4-3 defensive alignment, Virginia employs a 3-4 — three linemen and four linebackers — as its primary defense.

Want to start a debate among Virginia fans? Just mention the 3-4 .

When it’s working well, the defense looks innovative, even cutting edge. When it’s not, some fans wonder why the Cavaliers can’t play the tried and true 4-3, like nearly everyone else.

In the NFL, the 3-4 is all the rage. The New England Patriots, winners of three of the last four Super Bowls, run it. Not surprisingly in the copy-cat league, other teams have turned to the defense. Eight of 32 teams now use it, up from one in the late 1990s.

In college, however, it has yet to catch on. According to data provided by college football analyst Phil Steele, only nine of 117 I-A teams regularly employ a pure 3-4, though a handful of teams play other types of three-man fronts. None of the 3-4 teams ranks higher than 43rd in total defense in this week’s NCAA statistics.

Proponents of the 3-4 say having an extra linebacker puts more speed on the field. They also say the defense is more versatile than the 4-3. At any time, eight players can drop into pass coverage. Teams can also switch to a 4-3 instantly by putting a linebacker into a 3-point stance. And, from play to play, offenses are left to guess which one or two of the four linebackers will blitz .

“It can be confusing as to who you’re supposed to pick up,” McDonald said.

“We think it’s the most versatile defense against today’s multiple offenses,” Virginia defensive coordinator Al Golden said before the season.

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said the 3-4 is all about creating mismatches.

“If the outside backers are 260 pounds or more, you’ve got some bad match-ups with your backs, ” Friedgen said. “Now, the question is, do you put a tackle on them?”

If, on subsequent downs, the linebackers drop into coverage, “then you’ve got your tackle blocking air,” he said.

But like any defense, the 3-4 is only as good as the players who man it. And at Virginia, some of the pitfalls of the defense have been highlighted the last two weeks, when teams rolled up 570 and 497 yards in successive games.

Maryland blew big holes in the Virginia defensive front, and much of it started with McDonald. He was matched on Kwakou Robinson, Keenan Carter and Ron Darden, who rotate at nose guard.

For the 3-4 to work, the nose guard must be a dynamic player, capable of creating havoc in the middle and occupying two blockers so the inside linebackers are free to make tackles. Because McDonald handled his man one-on-one most of the time, Maryland’s guards were able to block Virginia’s inside linebackers. The Terrapins were also able to exploit a match-up between 6-foot-9, 330-pound tackle Jared Gaither and sophomore defensive end Chris Long, and rushed for 250 yards.

McDonald also noted that he found the linebackers in Navy’s 3-4 were more aggressive than Virginia’s, more prone to fill gaps and try to “blow up” plays before they started.

Maryland also carved up Virginia for 320 passing yards. Boston College threw for 301 the next week. The performances spotlighted another vulnerability of the 3-4.

Because the defensive linemen are expected to occupy blockers and play the run, much of the pass rush in a 3-4 must be generated by linebackers, especially on the outside. Virginia sacked Sam Hollenbach of Maryland and Quinton Porter of Boston College just once each.

“Not enough,” U.Va. coach Al Groh said when asked about his team’s pass rush.

Last year, Darryl Blackstock and Dennis Haley were fixtures at outside linebacker. This year, the Cavaliers lack experience there. Freshman Clint Sintim starts on one side. Jermaine Dias, a sophomore, began the season on the other, but has missed the last two games with a foot injury. Ahmad Brooks, normally an inside linebacker, filled in against Maryland, but he missed last week’s game with an ankle injury. Mark Miller, who had been filling in for Brooks on the inside, started on the outside. Backups Aaron Clark and Olu Hall are true freshmen.

Breaking in new players is harder in the 3-4 than in the 4-3, defensive end Brennan Schmidt said.

“Experience is a big part of it,” he said. “Because, show me how many 3-4 high school defenses there are. On the defensive line, you’ve got to completely change your game around.”

In the 3-4, defensive linemen are each responsible for two gaps, the ones on either side of the player in front of them. Defensive ends in the 3-4 are generally bigger than those in the 4-3, who are more often pass rush specialists.

Running the defense well means recruiting specific types of players, with multiple skills. Nose tackles must be tough and durable and have lateral quickness. Outside linebackers have to be big enough to take on offensive tackles, yet quick enough to drop into pass coverage. Inside linebackers have to be big enough to stand up guards and shed their blocks.

Last year, when Virginia ranked 18th nationally in defense, the Cavs had several prototype players on the defense. Nose tackle Andrew Hoffman clogged the middle. Blackstock provided a consistent pass-rush threat. Inside linebackers Kai Parham and Brooks patrolled the middle. Before he suffered a season-ending injury, 6-7, 295-pound Chris Canty was a prototypical 3-4 defensive end.

Hoffman, Blackstock and Canty moved on to the NFL, and Brooks has been hurt most of the season. Their replacements have not matched the level of play of those they replaced.

But don’t expect Virginia to abandon the 3-4.

“This is Coach Groh and Coach Golden’s defense,” Sintim said. “They’ve been running it long before we got here. They recruit the personnel to play this way.”

If anything, the Cavaliers might have inspired more ACC teams to experiment with the defense, Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said.

“We run some three-man front, and Wake Forest ran three-man front the whole game last week,” Bowden said. “Virginia, I think, kind of got the jump on everybody.”

No matter the formation, it’s all about the players, more than the scheme, Bowden agreed.

“Whether you have 3-4 or 4-3, it’s still seven,” he said.

 

'Noles try to avoid '95 repeat
In prime time, Cavs gave FSU first ACC loss
By Jack Corcoran
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Florida State-Virginia was appointment television for Al Groh 10 years ago.

At the time, Groh was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the New England Patriots. But Groh worked to set time aside to watch his son and alma mater take on the Seminoles, who wound up losing their first Atlantic Coast Conference game in dramatic fashion.

"My plan was to start every day of the week a half-hour or 45 minutes earlier so that I could cumulatively move forward with my work to make sure that I was in front of a television screen when they kicked the ball off," said Groh, who's oldest son Mike was Virginia's quarterback in the epic 33-28 triumph over FSU. "Actually, I made it literally by about 30 seconds before the ball got kicked."

The FSU-Virginia series will be back in prime time on ESPN on Saturday. The Cavaliers (3-2, 1-2 ACC), battling injuries and controversy, will be going for another high-profile upset after back-to-back losses.

Virginia suspended offensive tackle Brad Butler for his infamous chop-block on Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka. Butler's absence creates additional headaches for an offensive line that has been without All-ACC left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson the past two games. Ferguson was expected to test his injured knee on Wednesday.

Center/guard Brian Barthelmes and guard Marshal Ausberry also have been hampered by injuries. The defense has been banged up, too.

All-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks (ankle) has played only once this season but returned to practice this week. Cornerback Chris Cook broke his right leg in the 28-17 loss to Boston College. Linebacker Jermaine Dias (foot) isn't expected back against FSU, either.

"We're not particularly pleased with how we're playing right now," Groh said. "Our emphasis has been on trying to get our team to play the way that it needs to play as much as on any specific opponent preparation."

Senior quarterback Marques Hagans has helped Virginia average 29.2 points. He's completing 59.2 percent of his passes.

"We have to shut their main threat down, which is their quarterback," FSU linebacker Ernie Sims said. "We can't have him roll out of the pocket and make big plays."

 

Moving on from the dirtiest exaggeration in sportswriting history
Sean McLernon, Columnist

Brad Butler is everywhere.

The once-anonymous offensive lineman became the talk of sports pundits across the country this week thanks to his late chop block on Mathias Kiwanuka's injured right leg. Stories about Butler's block or his subsequent one-game suspension ran in papers across the country, from St. Petersburg, Fla. to Austin, Texas to Seattle, Wash. The play was discussed on ESPN's Pardon the Interruption. The Charlotte Observer named Butler the "Cheap Shot Artist of the Year" and Sports Illustrated's Stewart Mandell referred to the block as "the dirtiest play in college football history."

I have a feeling Butler would like to go back to being an unknown.

The "Butler Block" has received so much attention in the media this week; it would be easy to forget about the fact that Virginia has a football game Saturday.

Or maybe Virginia fans want to forget about Virginia's football game Saturday, considering the Cavaliers' face the undefeated, No. 4-ranked Florida State Seminoles.

Butler got the suspension everybody and their mother had been calling for and the lineman dialed up Kiwanuka earlier this week and spoke to the BC standout on the phone about the play. As far as I'm concerned, it's ancient history. There's a football season going on right now that has captured most of my attention.

As far as calling the Butler Block the dirtiest play in college football history? That's more than just a gross exaggeration. That's moronic.

But as I was saying, we're in the middle of a football season right now. And there's kind of an important game happening this weekend in Charlottesville, when a Seminole team comes to town ready, willing and able to extend Virginia's losing streak to three games. With Butler suspended for the contest, linebacker Jermaine Dias and cornerback Chris Cook sidelined because of injuries and All-Americans Ahmad Brooks and D'Brickashaw Ferguson questionable at best for the game, the Cavaliers will be undermanned once again.

It gets worse. Three other offensive linemen in addition to Butler and Ferguson may be unable to play against the Seminoles. The status of Brian Barthelmes (sprained ankle), Ian Yates-Cunningham (knee) and Marshall Ausberry (unspecified) remains uncertain. Considering the strength of Florida State's defensive line (the Seminoles held Virginia to only three points in last season's game), the Cavaliers look like they're in for some serious trouble Saturday.

The deck is clearly stacked against the Cavaliers. Considering Virginia's recent play and looking at the match-ups between the two teams on paper, it doesn't seem like Virginia has much of a chance at all.

But luckily for the Cavaliers, college football games aren't played in a vacuum. This college football game happens to be played in Charlottesville, where Virginia has played particularly well, even against top-ranked teams. Two years ago, the Cavaliers took down a ranked Virginia Tech team, and have stayed close with Florida State (two years ago) and Miami (last year) into the fourth quarter. Since losing to Colorado State to open the 2002 season, Virginia has won 18 of its last 20 home games.

Home field advantage is one thing, but even more important is the Cavaliers' desperate mindset. It's been awhile since Virginia tasted victory, and the players and coaches have got to be as hungry as ever. Hunger alone can't win games, but when a team's talent level comes somewhere close to its opponent, as is the case with Virginia and Florida State, it can make all the difference.

Virginia was on the other end of this only two weeks ago, it traveled to College Park to face a mediocre Maryland team, who had dropped two early contests against West Virginia and Clemson. The Terrapins needed the win, and they played like a team with nothing to lose, dominating Virginia in the fourth quarter and securing a much-needed win.

When an undefeated Miami team lost to North Carolina last season, the game was in Chapel Hill and the Tar Heels had lost three of their last four games. Maryland had lost three straight ACC games before upsetting Florida State in College Park last October. Upsets like these happen in the ACC, and they are not infrequent. There's no reason why Virginia can't provide the next in the list.

Florida State probably will win the game this weekend. It is one of the top teams in the country this season and has beaten the Cavaliers the last nine games. The ingredients are all there for an upset, however. All Hagans and the Cavaliers have to do is prove they can cook.

 

Players, coaches, fans remember '95 upset
Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

As the University of Virginia football team lines up against No. 4 Florida State Saturday, another game will be fresh on the minds of many players, coaches and fans.

This year's match against FSU marks the 10-year anniversary of Virginia's greatest football victory -- Nov. 2, 1995, when the Cavaliers upset the then-No.2 Seminoles 33-28 in the first Thursday night game ever in Charlottesville.

Not only was FSU the highest ranked team to ever fall to the Cavaliers, it was the team's first ACC loss since joining the conference in 1992. The Seminoles proceeded to lose only two ACC games over the next six years.

The 1995 game featured such names as Warrick Dunn (now with the Atlanta Falcons) and Tiki Barber (current star running back of the New York Giants.) It also featured names like Mike Groh, son of head coach Al Groh, who passed for 302 yards, and Anthony Poindexter, who stopped Dunn on the 1-yard line with no time left in the 4th quarter to seal the Cavalier victory.

Both Mike Groh and Poindexter, now members of the coaching staff, look forward to Saturday's game like any other.

"If they were a little more into this one than [any other game], then I'd probably call them in and have a talk with them," Al Groh said. "We need to be the same for [all our games]."

With two losses in the last two weeks, the Cavaliers will need a new mentality. The game Saturday will be under the lights, broadcast nationally by ESPN at 7:45 p.m.

"We're certainly expecting that it will be a more positive atmosphere than it was [at Florida State] last year," Al Groh said. "Anyone who was at that game last year as a spectator should have a pretty accurate standard of measure of what a really dynamic night atmosphere is."

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, a positive atmosphere will not upset the undefeated Seminoles.

Since that night ten years ago, FSU has beaten Virginia nine consecutive times by an average of 24.2 points. This weekend will also be the 13th time the Seminoles have played Virginia while ranked in the top seven, and the seventh time they have been undefeated at the time of the match.

"We're well aware of [the game in 1995]," junior wide receiver Fontel Mines said. "But we have to go out there and play like we know we can play."

Although Al Groh emphasizes the fact that each game only counts once, whether it's a win or a loss, losing three games in a row in the middle of the season would be extremely costly, especially since the Cavaliers must gear up for a tough November when they play Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Miami.

"Wins put a bounce in all of our steps," Al Groh said.

Many feel that should be Virginia's mentality. Maybe Mike Groh and Poindexter can inspire the Cavaliers and show them how to play the same smash-mouth football of the '95 game. A win Saturday would be a turning point in the young season and a great tribute to the 1995 Cavaliers, who will be honored at halftime Saturday.

According to members of the marching band, the band will be playing the same music that helped curse the Seminoles a decade ago. So it's time for the Cavaliers to put on some throwbacks, get a little pumped before the game, and remember exactly what this team is capable of doing. Why not? The historic Virginia team that already upset the Seminoles will be right there to remind the current Cavs how it's done.