Hagans delivers for Virginia faithful
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 17, 2005

It was simply Hagans, simply Marques Hagans that is.

The critics had said that he was too short, too small and didn’t have a chance to win a big game. The numbers proved just that.

Yet, Hagans got the last laugh on Saturday as Virginia beat Florida State, 26-21, on a historic night that saw school officials and fans celebrate the only other win over the Seminoles, a 33-28 win in 1995.

On Saturday, despite facing one of the best defensive units in the country and the fourth-ranked team in the country, Hagans etched his name in the UVa record books as he found a way to complete 27 of 36 passes for 306 yards, both career best numbers.

During the marathon game, which lasted four hours and seven minutes, Hagans connected on TD passes to Jonathan Stupar and Wali Lundy and he did not throw an interception.

Some how, some way the senior found a way to deliver a win for the Scott Stadium faithful.

Virginia coach Al Groh and Florida State coach Bobby Bowden noticed that.

“There probably haven’t been too many games played by a Virginia quarterback too much better than that one,” Groh said.

Bowden went as far to compare Hagans’ play to that of former Virginia Tech QB Michael Vick and former Oklahoma QB J.C. Watts, both of which pestered Bowden in bowl games.

“We couldn’t stop number 18,” Bowden said referring to Hagans. “I’ve never seen a quarterback make as many one-man plays as he made.

“We couldn’t stop that dadgum number 18.”

Yet after the biggest win of his career, Hagans elected to dish off the attention elsewhere - just like he had done with the ball for 60 minutes.

“My hat goes off to my offensive line. They blocked and contained them,” Hagans said. “The only time I got sacked was when I was trying to make plays on my own. It wasn’t that the offensive line had let down.

“The receivers and running backs did a great job in the open-field of making plays.”

Those playmakers would have never gotten the ball if Hagans had not been able to scramble away from pressure from Florida State’s front seven. Thanks to that pressure, Hagans said, he had open targets.

“We like our chances with our receivers,” the signal-caller added. “I am sure that any coach would like one-on-one chances down the field.”

Hagans’ ability to lead his team did not go unnoticed by his teammates.

“He is the toughest guy I know and he is elusive,” said UVa defensive end Chris Long. “He has that quality of leadership. He can carry a team on his back. He can carry a stadium on his back. And he did that [against Florida State].”

With the win, Virginia regained a spot in the national rankings, jumping back in at No. 23. More importantly, the Cavaliers also saved a season that appeared headed south after back-to-back losses to Maryland and Boston College.

“The win was so big,” Hagans said. “Our season was on the line and just to get the win and get out of that losing streak, that’s a big thing for us.”

Virginia (4-2, 2-2 ACC) has little time to celebrate one of the biggest wins in school history. They must shift the focus to beating North Carolina on the road on Saturday if they want a shot to play their way into the first-ever conference title game.

“I think it’s a very, very good win for us. But as I’ve been saying throughout, it’s important for us to remember each week is its own week, each game is its own game,” Groh said. “And we’ve got another challenge coming up next week [in UNC]. If we’re not successful at that, all of a sudden this win will seem very hollow.”

As far as the historic win goes, Virginia offensive lineman Brian Barthelmes says it will get its celebration in due time, especially if things go as the Cavaliers plan.

“In 10 years, we’ll look back and be nostalgic,” Barthelmes said. “But, we’ll be more nostalgic if we win the rest of these games and play in Jacksonville.”

That would be in the ACC Championship game, something that remains an option for at least another week thanks to Hagans and his teammates.

 

Solid as stone
By Doug Doughty
981-3219
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Nine days after Mick Jagger pranced around the end zone at Scott Stadium, Virginia's football team provided a worthy encore.

To those who thought the Rolling Stones would be the best act to come through Charlottesville this fall, the Cavaliers gave reviewers another show to consider in a nationally televised matchup with undefeated and fourth-ranked Florida State.

"Please allow me to introduce myself," Jagger sang Oct. 6 in his opening to "Sympathy For the Devil." On Saturday night, the Cavaliers reintroduced themselves after dropping back-to-back road games at Maryland and Boston College.

"Virginia looked like a different ballclub," said Seminoles' coach Bobby Bowden after a 26-21 loss before a crowd of 63,106, second-largest in Scott history. "They were at a crossroads. They had lost those two games in a row and hadn't looked good and were having some problems."

That was a reference to the one-game suspension of Virginia offensive tackle Brad Butler following an incident in the Cavaliers' 28-17 loss at Boston College, but Bowden also figured that UVa's two preseason All-Americans, offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Ahmad Brooks, would be available for the Seminoles.

"I expressed last week, 'This game seems like a trap,' " Bowden said. "You'd seen them play against Maryland and Maryland beat 'em and beat 'em bad. But, there was one thing you noticed about Virginia, [the Cavaliers] always scored points.

"Now, you're going up there and you hear they're getting that big tackle back. They did lose a tackle but you hear the best one's going to be back. And, you hear Brooks is going to be back. Then, you know, he's [coach Al Groh] got something to rally around, 10 years after they beat us.

"They struggled against Western Michigan and they struggled against Syracuse. Last night, they looked like world champions."

By no stretch did Virginia (4-2, 2-2 ACC) dominate Florida State, not on a night when the Seminoles (5-1, 3-1) outgained the Cavaliers 472-326. But, Virginia intercepted three Drew Weatherford passes and had zero turnovers of its own.

Moreover, Florida State was penalized 13 times for 123 yards, including flags that nullified an apparent 23-yard touchdown run by Leon Washington and a would-be A.J. Nicholson interception that would have set up the Seminoles in Virginia territory to start the second half.

Bowden did not cite the penalties or Virginia's superior special teams until mentioning Marques Hagans, the Cavaliers' 5-foot-10, fifth-year quarterback who completed 27 of 36 passes for a career-high 307 yards.

Reports out of Florida State's midweek practices suggested that the Seminoles had come up with a scheme to keep Hagans in the pocket, but Hagans repeatedly bought extra time with his feet.

"I've never seen a quarterback make as many one-man plays as he made tonight," said Bowden, who compared Hagans to J.C. Watts, a former Oklahoma quarterback and later a U.S. congressman, who led the Sooners to an 18-17 victory over FSU in the 1980 Orange Bowl.

"I kept waiting for [Groh] to quit throwing," observed Bowden, who said he was thinking, " 'When's he going to quit throwing? When's he going to quit making that quarterback throw? When's he going to hand off the ball and somebody's going to run?' Al wouldn't do it because the kid was hot as a firecracker."

Virginia running backs Wali Lundy and Michael Johnson had a combined 16 carries for 28 yards, and the Cavaliers were credited with 20 rushing yards.

"You wouldn't think a team could rush for 20 yards and win," Bowden said.

The Cavaliers had two rushing attempts in the first quarter.

"Florida State's philosophy is to load up against the run, whoever you're playing and whatever day you're playing them," Groh said. "In fact, when you go to their clinics, their phraseology is, 'games are won up front and lost in the secondary.' "

Hagans, who had not thrown for more than 225 yards in 13 starts before this season, is averaging nearly 223 yards in 2005 and already has three games of 250 yards or more.

"He has done pretty good for a guy who's too short to play quarterback, huh?" Groh said. "How can you be playing a more dynamic game of quarterback than he's been playing for us?"

Groh was oblivious to a report by sideline reporter Holly Rowe, who said she had been told that Hagans had a hamstring injury.

"Television was talking about it more than I was," Groh said. "The only thing I knew was that the trainer came up to me one time and said, 'Marques has a little bit of a hamstring, but' -- and these were his words -- 'he's absolutely ready to go.'

"I was asked what I thought when I saw Marques back on the bench getting his hamstring manipulated and my response was, 'It was good for my morale that I didn't even know it was going on.' "

When asked after the game, Groh resisted the invitation to use Bowden's "crossroads" analogy. He also played down the connection to the 1995 UVa team that handed FSU its first ACC loss and was honored in halftime ceremonies Saturday. However, there was a full moon hanging over Scott Stadium.

"You hear that the '95 players are coming back and it makes you think," said Jon Stupar, a tight end who opened the scoring with the first touchdown reception of his UVa career. "All day long, you just had this weird feeling that something was about to happen."

Mount a pass rush | B

Florida State freshman quarterback Drew Weatherford was sacked only once and got off 59 attempts, but Seminoles' coach Bobby Bowden said Sunday that UVa's four-man rush contributed to three Cavalier interceptions.

Get production out of its backs | C+

UVa tailbacks Wali Lundy and Michael Johnson had a combined 16 carries for 28 yards. They did, however, contribute in other areas. Lundy and Johnson had a combined six catches, including a 16-yard touchdown reception by Lundy before the half, and freshman Cedric Peerman had 129 yards on kickoff returns.

Win the field-position battle | A

Virginia's average starting point on its 13 possessions was the Cavaliers' 33. Florida State's average starting point was the Seminoles' 23. All seven of Kurt Smith's kickoffs reached the end zone, five resulting in touchbacks, and Chris Gould's net punting average of 34.8 yards easily topped the Seminoles' 29.0.
 

Hagans passes pain on to Noles
Published October 17 2005

David Teel

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Flat on his back, surrounded by teammates, trainers and even a trio of uniformed policemen, Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans elevated his right leg for the most public and important massage of his young life.

Clearly, his right hamstring was hurting. Had been since Florida State's pass rush, the ACC's fiercest, had flushed him from the pocket and forced him out of bounds early in the second quarter.

Hagans played out that drive, and as Connor Hughes kicked a go-ahead field goal, trainers worked feverishly on Virginia's most valuable player. The Cavaliers needed Hagans' arm, needed his legs. Without either, their chances of upsetting the fourth-ranked Seminoles were nil.

Hagans never missed a snap. Florida State kept harassing. He kept eluding, a half-step slower than usual but a half-step ahead of the posse.

The Seminoles sacked him three times. Could have been 10.

Throwing on the run with uncanny accuracy, Hagans overcame a non-existent rushing attack, passed for a career-high 306 yards and guided Virginia to a 26-21 victory at delirious Scott Stadium on Saturday, the Cavaliers' first conquest of a top-five opponent since their upset of Florida State 10 years ago.

"I've never seen a quarterback ... beat us with a one-man show," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "The last time that's happened to us was Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl - J.C. Watts. Watts did it in about 30 minutes. This guy did it the whole game."

Watts, who torched the Seminoles in the Orange Bowls following the 1979 and '80 seasons, became a Republican congressman from his home state. We don't know if politics is Hagans' future, but we do know this was his finest football moment since he quarterbacked Hampton High to a fourth consecutive state championship in 1998.

Such drama seemed preordained. It was just that kind of day.

From South Bend to Ann Arbor to Morgantown, college football was replete with stirring finishes. And don't forget Oxford, Miss., Chestnut Hill, Mass., and Pullman, Wash.

Could Virginia add to the montage? Could the Cavaliers conjure memories of 1995, when they became the first team to defeat Florida State in ACC play?

Moreover, how would the extended halftime (half the stadium lights went dark) affect Hagans' leg? Not a lick. Hagans (27 of 36, two touchdowns and no interceptions) completed his first two passes of the third quarter and, after a bogus roughing-the-passer call overturned an interception, he escaped linebacker Ernie Sims' clutches and converted a third-and-13 with a 15-yard strike to Deyon Williams.

Hughes kicked his fourth field goal in as many attempts to punctuate the drive and extend Virginia's lead to 26-10. And when Gary Cismesia missed a field goal on Florida State's next series (how many national titles might the Seminoles have won with kickers as dependable as Hughes?), you just knew this was the Cavaliers' night.

As you may have noticed, 'twas a difficult week for the Cavaliers. Losing at Boston College last Saturday was hardly unexpected, but the Brad Butler cheap shot, suspension and fallout divided Virginia faithful as deeply as the Miers nomination did the right.

So any game, even against unbeaten Florida State, even without Butler protecting Hagans, was welcome. But really, did anyone expect this?

This wasn't Anthony Poindexter and Adrian Burnim stopping Warrick Dunn near the goal line as the clock expired. This was a game the Seminoles never led, a game the Cavaliers owned until the fourth quarter got hairy.

Two forgotten but indispensable plays from the final period: Center Brian Barthelmes recovering Hagans' fumble, and Hagans covering up Barthelmes' poor snap out of the shotgun. Lose either of those loose balls, and the Cavaliers present the Seminoles with a short field. This changes everything. This vaults Virginia (4-2, 2-2 ACC) back into the Top 25. This should fortify the Cavaliers as they head to North Carolina this week and contemplate subsequent games against Virginia Tech and Miami.

Heck, if the Cavs can whip Florida State here, who's to say they can't challenge the visiting Hokies? Especially if Ahmad Brooks is back.

This was the Brooks we remember, the ubiquitous inside linebacker capable of stuffing the run, rushing the passer or dropping into coverage. Hobbled by a bum knee since offseason surgery, he'd been a non-factor - until now.

He cracked Leon Washington on the game's first play from scrimmage. He tackled Washington on a screen pass despite an illegal block in the back by tight end Matt Henshaw that knocked Brooks on his backside, and he planted quarterback Drew Weatherford on a third-down pass that fell incomplete.

The Cavaliers' defensive dominance continued for much of the second half. Weatherford completed 14 of his first 16 passes, but only 21 of his final 43. Lorenzo Booker broke a 58-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but the Seminoles gained a meager 37 yards on their 20 other rushes.

Yet on this Saturday, a nationally televised prime-time blowout was unacceptable. The sport all but demanded a stiff nightcap.

That Virginia and Florida State delivered, and for the Cavs, it was quite intoxicating.
 

Magical night for Marques
Marques Hagans plays his best game. The defense finally buckles down. Combine those things with an aggressive game plan, and Virginia has an upset.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
October 17, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- A half-hour afterward, a dust cloud rose toward the lights at empty Scott Stadium - a reminder of the human avalanche that rushed down the hill behind the north end zone. It rolled toward midfield late Saturday night, full of blissful shock. Guys in ties, girls in orange T-shirts - hugging and grinning and gasping.

They had watched Virginia's biggest upset in 10 years, a 26-21 win over No. 4 Florida State. They had watched history: the Cavaliers' second victory against a top-five team and second against FSU, a team they last beat in 1995. Then they streamed out of the stadium, onto the streets and into the bars. And all that remained was dust and silence and the sleepy-eyed kid who played the game of his life.

"Party," Marques Hagans said. "P-A-R-T-Y."

Then he smiled and raised those eyes to the television cameras pointed at him.

The celebration would come later. But for now, he answered questions about how exactly this happened, how he dissected the Seminoles, completing 27 of 36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

Turns out where it started was just as important. Hagans approached defensive ends Chris Long and Brennan Schmidt on Oct. 8 during the charter flight back from Boston College. Virginia had just lost its second consecutive game - its second consecutive defensive debacle - and was 3-2 with Florida State next. "We have to win," Hagans told them.

"We're gonna win," they responded.

Long watched film early last week and noticed FSU quarterback Drew Weatherford held onto the ball too long. "We couldn't let Weatherford get time in the pocket," inside linebacker Ahmad Brooks said, "because he would just pick us apart."

Virginia coach Al Groh knew the Seminoles played well against the rush. The Cavs' best shot, he figured, was playing aggressively. Pass often. Take chances. "The whole week, starting Monday, the mentality was: We've gotta attack these guys from the start. We've gotta be ferocious," center Brian Barthelmes said.

While Long and the defense hounded Weatherford into three interceptions, Hagans danced around the pocket, sliding out of tackles, finding open receivers, FSU's defenders grumbling as he slipped away again.

But Hagans tweaked his right hamstring with 12:50 left in the second quarter. "There was no way I was coming out of the game," he said.

He missed no snaps. "Our season was on the line," he said.

"I've never seen a quarterback make as many one-man plays as he made tonight," FSU coach Bobby Bowden said.

Said Groh: "There probably haven't been many games played by a Virginia quarterback too much better than that one."

Safety Tony Franklin's interception with 50 seconds left iced the game. He shadowed slot receiver Chris Davis and pulled in Weatherford's pass at the FSU 45. "What more can you ask for out of a defense?" Hagans said.

The Cavs pulled the upset again, 10 years later, because that defense slowed the Seminoles, who had scored 35.8 points per game. Because Hagans was so elusive, so often.

Lovely, he called the whole experience. Well past midnight Sunday, he was the last player answering questions from people wondering about the magician's secrets.

Soon, he left, just like the rest. And he stepped out into the night, silent and perfect.

Lights flicker on FSU's season
A 26-21 defeat damages the Seminoles' hopes for a national title.
Emily Badger | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 16, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. Mickey Andrews, Bobby Bowden and Daryl Dickey probably needed the extra time in the locker room anyway, because how do you berate, frighten, then inspire a team as drastically underperforming as this one in just 15 minutes?

There was a lot to go over at halftime, a lot to raise voices about, a lot of adjustments to make. And then the lights went out over the field at Virginia's Scott Stadium, cueing any number of foreboding metaphors about Florida State's hopes for a national championship this season.

Even with the delay and extra 15 minutes in the locker room to regroup, the Seminoles were unable to do enough in the second half against the Cavs to overcome a dizzying first half marred by poor execution and self-inflicted wounds.

The 26-21 loss damaged the Seminoles' national-title hopes, knocked them from their selfish hold atop the ACC standings in the Atlantic division and possibly from the top 10 in the nation.

And just when everyone is anticipating the release of the first BCS poll Monday.

"There was never any doubt that we could win," FSU receiver Chris Davis said minutes after a fourth-quarter rally fell short. "We are Florida State. We expect to win. We thought we could get the ball and score that last time."

The last time FSU lost here, or anywhere to Virginia for that matter, was 10 years ago in an ESPN-televised classic upset frequently rehashed in this corner of the ACC. Fittingly, Virginia was honoring that 1995 Cavs team -- which went on to win a share of the conference title -- at halftime.

That, in dramatic fashion, was when the light standards flamed out. What looked at first like deferential mood lighting for the halftime ceremony turned out to be a mechanical malfunction that delayed the start of the second half until well after 10 p.m.

The Seminoles were, at the time, catching their breath following UVA's first-half push for a repeat upset. This FSU defense had vowed all week to be stingier after allowing 24 points to Wake Forest last week had allowed 23 in the first half alone to Virginia. Quarterback Drew Weatherford, who hadn't given up more than one interception in a game this season, gave up two before the break and was fortunate to have two more dropped by the UVA defense.

And then there were the penalties: Through two quarters, the Seminoles had had seven for a net loss of 74 yards. They finished with 13.

Offensive tackle Cory Niblock was tabbed for a holding penalty in the second quarter that negated a 23-yard touchdown run by Leon Washington. The Seminoles never scored on the drive.

On the first drive of the second half, A.J. Nicholson intercepted a tipped pass by UVA quarterback Marques Hagans and returned it about 15 yards for what looked like FSU's first break of the night. But a late-hit penalty by linebacker Ernie Sims turned the turnover into a gain and first down for UVA. The Cavs eventually scored on a 45-yard field goal.
 

Hagans and Cavaliers spoil the Seminoles' shot at a perfection

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Florida State continued its season-long domination of the fourth quarter - only this time it didn't matter.
Virginia's Tony Franklin made sure of that, halting the fifth-ranked Seminoles' comeback attempt by intercepting a Drew Weatherford pass at midfield with just 50 seconds remaining Saturday night
Cavaliers quarterback Marques Hagans put the finishing touches on a 26-21 upset by taking a knee. But Hagans had already done plenty of damage by then, throwing for 306 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
''It was just incredible play-making by Marques,'' Virginia coach Al Groh said.
Bobby Bowden seconded that notion.
''I've never seen a quarterback make as many one-man plays as he made tonight,'' said the FSU coach, who saw his team suffer its first loss of the season at the wrong time. The initial Bowl Championship Series ratings are released Monday.
''I don't have a lot to say,'' Bowden said. ''All I want to say, you can't print.''
When the fourth quarter began, FSU found itself in hole that proved to be a little too deep. The Seminoles trailed Virginia 26-10 before a sense of urgency kicked in.
''I made some bad throws and forced some things with people in my face,'' said Weatherford, who passed for 377 yards but was intercepted three times. ''I felt like I let my team down. ... It's a shame it took us so long to kind of wake up and then the penalties and my interceptions stopped us.''
The Seminoles surrendered 123 yards on 13 penalties - including three pass interference calls against corner back Tony Carter. Still, Chris Davis provided a glimmer of comeback hope with a spin move that set him free for a 22-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 12:31 remaining. Weatherford then connected with Greg Carr with a conversion pass to get the Seminoles (5-1, 3-1) back to within another eight points.
FSU got three on its next drive, having to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Gary Cismesia. Any hopes of an eighth undefeated season in the Atlantic Coast Conference essentially ended there.
The Seminoles didn't get closer to embracing their national championship dreams, either.
One more thing. This defeat - unlike the one a decade ago to the Cavs - left no room for debate.
Al Groh made sure of it, cornering the market for motivational speakers. He made sure Virginia took the opportunity to salute those 1995 Cavaliers, who won a share of the ACC title that season by upsetting FSU 33-28.
ACC assistant commissioner Mike Finn took part in the festivities by "re-presenting" the ACC trophy to former Virginia coach George Welsh. That ceremony gave Virginia fans one more opportunity to break the sound barrier, and they didn't disappoint when the scoreboard video screen showed former FSU tailback Warrick Dunn getting stopped at the goal line on the final play.
Was Dunn in? We may never know. But we do know that the 2005 Seminoles were done in by an inspired Virginia team.
''I made sure our players knew those players were here ... I told them that if they felt like playing their best tonight those players would be here to appreciate it,'' Groh said.
His players now have their own 5-point victory over FSU to savor.
Weatherford completed 35 of 59 passes in an effort to overcome FSU's slow start.
''We needed two scores, and you felt like we needed a big play somewhere along the line,'' Bowden said. ''We got it on one of those drives. We needed one more.''
Groh had put a NASCAR tag on FSU's offense earlier in the week - ''Gentlemen, start your engines'' - but this must have been one of those restrictor-plate nights. The Seminoles had plenty of speed, but not enough to take the lead.
A promising game-opening drive was short-circuited when Weatherford overthrew Davis and the pass fell into the arms of Virginia's Marcus Hamilton. The Cavaliers didn't waste any time taking advantage. They marched 71 yards in six plays Š plus, they got the added benefit of a pair of interference calls on Carter Š to jump into the scoring rotation first.
The Seminoles were a step behind Š literally and figuratively Š the rest of the night.
 

Cavs won't dwell
Groh, Hagans warn against letdown after upset of Florida St.
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 17, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Clemson upset Miami in overtime at the Orange Bowl last season, then lost at Duke a week later. The Tigers finished 6-5.

Maryland shocked Florida State last season, then lost two of its next three games. The Terrapins finished 5-6.

Rest assured, Virginia's football players are well-versed in recent ACC history. Their coach, Al Groh, made sure of that late Saturday night after U.Va.'s 26-21 win over then-No. 4 Florida State before 63,106 raucous fans at Scott Stadium.

"This game can't define our season," senior quarterback Marques Hagans said, "and Coach was real adamant about that in the locker room right after the game."

Only once in school history have the Cavaliers beaten a team with a higher ranking - in 1995, when they stunned No. 2 FSU 33-28 at Scott Stadium.

"We all understand that this was a good win for us," Groh said. "It wasn't a season-ending win. There are more games to come, and to make this really worthwhile we need to be ready to win again next week."

Next up for U.Va. (2-2, 4-2) is a Saturday afternoon date with North Carolina (1-1, 2-3) in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels were idle over the weekend.

Once Virginia dropped back-to-back games at Maryland and Boston College this month, the importance of the Carolina game grew dramatically. Had the Cavs lost to FSU, they'd have needed to win at UNC to avoid falling below .500. Now they have an opportunity to take a 5-2 record into November, in which they'll play three times at Scott Stadium. Virginia has won 19 of its past 21 home games.

Hagans, a team captain, sounded very much like a coach as he spoke with reporters early Sunday morning.

"It's good to enjoy it tonight," Hagans said, "but Monday we got to get ready for North Carolina, because if not we'll go out and get embarrassed if we carry this out all week."

U.Va. re-entered both polls yesterday. Were it not for the magic Hagans worked against FSU (3-1, 5-1), the No. 23 Cavaliers almost certainly would be outside the top 25 looking in.

"We couldn't stop that dadgum No. 18," Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden said. "I've never seen a quarterback make as many one-man plays as he made tonight . . . The last time that's happened us was Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl."

That was on Jan. 1, 1981, when J.C. Watts guided the Sooners to two second-half touchdowns in an 18-17 win over the 'Noles.

"Watts did it in about 30 minutes," Bowden said. "This guy did it the whole game."

Hagans connected on 27 of 36 passes for a career-high 306 yards and two touchdowns. He threw no interceptions.

"He's doing pretty well, isn't he, for a guy who's too short to play quarterback?" Groh said last night.

The 5-10 Hagans injured his right hamstring early in the second quarter. He needed treatment on the U.Va. sideline but didn't miss a snap.

"I knew I wasn't coming out of the game," Hagans said. "The only way I was coming out was if they carried me."

Hagans carried the Wahoos for much of the game, but he wasn't their only hero. Others included Connor Hughes, who booted four field goals; Kurt Smith, whose booming kickoffs helped quiet the Seminoles' return game; and Chris Gould, who had perhaps his finest game as U.Va.'s punter.

"They all had a lot of thunder in their legs," Groh said.

And then there was senior tailback Wali Lundy, who's been slowed by a foot injury most of the season. Lundy rushed for only 26 yards, but he scored his first touchdown of the season, teaming with Hagans on a pass play that covered 11 yards late in the first half.

"Finally," Lundy said. "Finally my season has started. I'm starting to feel like the old Wali, the old No. 33."

 

Cavs focus on following through
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 17, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Virginia doesn’t need to look hard for cautionary tales. It just needs to look at the ACC schedule over one two-week period at the end of last October.

On the same day that Maryland beat No. 5 Florida State, North Carolina knocked off No. 4 Miami, two upsets that were supposed to trumpet the arrival of the Terrapins and the Tar Heels as teams that finally had put it all together.

A clumsy foghorn sound might have been more appropriate.

Maryland was shut out by Virginia the next week and North Carolina threw away an upset chance against Virginia Tech.

So after Virginia’s stunning 26-21 win over No. 4 Florida State on Saturday night, the biggest win for the program in 10 years and the defining game of the Al Groh era, the Cavaliers (4-2, 2-2 ACC) are hoping not to repeat Maryland and North Carolina’s follies.

“Hopefully what we recognize is that was a job well done, but there’s another job that awaits us,” said Groh, whose Cavaliers travel next week to play North Carolina, which is coming off a bye.

“It’s not that big a deal if you don’t follow up on it.”

Try telling that to the UVa fans. The last time Virginia pulled off an upset of this magnitude was a 33-28 win over No. 2 Florida State in 1995, a game people still talk about as though it was yesterday. In fact, the 1995 team was honored at halftime of Saturday’s game.

“In 10 years we’ll look down the road and be nostalgic, but we’ll be more nostalgic if we can come out winning the rest of these games and win in Jacksonville,” said center Brian Barthelmes, referring to the site of this year’s ACC championship game. “That’s what we’re trying to do. It’s a nice win, but come Monday, that’s it.”

Say what you will about whether the Virginia football program turned a corner with Saturday’s win; it’s pretty clear that the Cavaliers turned a corner this season.

All the problems that plagued them in the first five weeks seem to be resolving themselves.

The offensive line, which has played musical chairs all year, should be back in tact next week. Left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Barthelmes returned to their usual spots up front after nursing injuries the last few weeks. Plus, right tackle Brad Butler will be back after serving a one-game suspension for a late chop block against Boston College.

The middle of the defense is buoyed by the presence of Ahmad Brooks, who is healthy again after offseason knee surgery and a sprained ankle kept him out of four of Virginia’s first five games. Brooks made four tackles Saturday and broke up one pass.

And despite the struggles of Virginia’s running game, on at least one play tailback Wali Lundy looked like his pre-foot sprain self, rumbling 16 yards after catching a dump-off pass from quarterback Marques Hagans for his first touchdown of the season.

By the end of the night, the Cavaliers looked a lot like the team people expected them to be at the start of the season.

“We didn’t surprise ourselves,” defensive end Chris Long said. “We just played to our potential and reaffirmed what we know we can do.”

 

Shocking the world only gets better with time
Walker Freer, Cavalier Daily Sports Columnist

As Wali Lundy made his way through the throngs of reporters gathered in the underbelly of Scott Stadium late Saturday night, he repeated one phrase, "We shocked the world, we shocked the world."

The world might have been shocked by Virginia's 26-21 win over No. 4 Florida State, but the win didn't seem to shock the Virginia players one bit.

Clutching tightly to a game ball with a broad smile etched across his face, Lundy talked about his sentiments about the results he feels the Virginia program has always been able to achieve and why it finally delivered Saturday night.

"The season hasn't gone the way I dreamed it would go, but just to come out here and beat a team like Florida State…" Lundy said. "The whole week, we just believed in ourselves -- all week when no one was standing behind us. We believed in ourselves, the coaches believed in us."

Four years since entering as a member of Al Groh's highly-ranked 2002 recruiting class, Lundy, along with his teammates, finally accomplished what they came to Virginia for: to go toe-to-toe with the best in college football and come out on top.

For Lundy, the win was especially meaningful in light of the hamstring injuries that have hampered his performance all year. Entering the season as one of the top running backs in the country, Lundy has hardly looked like his old self, rushing for only 131 yards prior to Saturday's game. He rushed for only 26 yards on nine attempts against the Seminoles, but when his quarterback and his school needed him the most, he delivered, catching a short touch pass from a distressed Marques Hagans and weaving 16 yards for Virginia's second touchdown of the game.

Buried deep in the heart of this 2005 team is a piece of the past -- a similar esprit de corps displayed by the 1995 team that buoyed the Cavaliers to a similarly-fashioned 33-28 upset.

Ten years ago, the '95 team effectively said, "The buck stops here." And 10 years later, reeling from two straight road conference losses, the 2005 team looked the undefeated Seminoles in the eyes and reiterated -- "The buck stops here."

In 1995, Virginia was the first ACC team to ever defeat Florida State, halting the Seminoles' 29-game conference winning streak. Now, despite the fact that Florida State hardly stands on the same pedestal they did in 1995, the Cavaliers are the first team to beat the Seminoles in 2005.

It's amazing what two games separated by 10 years can do for one University. In 1995, the Cavaliers' win over the Seminoles carried them to a share of the ACC title, a Peach Bowl victory against Georgia and an end-of-the-season top-25 ranking. Where this win will take Virginia remains to be seen, but it is clear that Saturday's victory only helped strengthen the tie these current players share with the '95 team. It's a link the '95 players proved is still powerful by returning this weekend 70 to 80 strong to congregate mid-field at halftime to hoist their ACC Championship trophy high into the air and emphasize the significance of the decade anniversary.

Because what the 1995 team did for the state of Virginia a decade ago, the 2005 Cavaliers did for all former Virginia players Saturday night. They made the impossible a reality and gave every student, fan and alum memories to toss around -- like a football in the backyard on an autumn afternoon -- until Virginia fells the Seminoles again, hopefully sometime long before 2015.

But make no mistake about it: Despite the presence of the '95 team or any destiny associated a decade later, this Virginia team did it on the field by themselves.

"I made sure the players knew those [former] players were here," Al Groh said. "We were pleased that the school brought them back to honor them, but unless any of them decided to play tonight, the fact that they were here was probably not going to have any impact on the game."

For the first time in years, Virginia exhibited the confidence, discipline and will necessary to defeat a top-tier team. In the process, the Cavaliers hopefully turned a corner that will carry them forward in this season and in many more to come.

Ten years ago, I sprinted giddily down the steps of my house the morning after to discover in bold headline print that Virginia had accomplished the unthinkable. Ten years later and just as giddy, I sprinted onto the field to discover that some things just get better with age -- and shocking the world is one of them.

 

Even With a Bad Wheel, Hagans Has Cavaliers Back on Fast Track
By Mark Schlabach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 17, 2005; Page E04

Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans said he wasn't leaving the field at Scott Stadium on Saturday night unless he was carried off. After his remarkable performance in the Cavaliers' stunning 26-21 upset of No. 4 Florida State, Virginia's students nearly carried him off the field on their shoulders before he made his way through a sea of blue and orange and on to his team's locker room.

Despite playing with a strained right hamstring, the senior from Hampton, Va., completed 27 of 36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns. Hagans was sacked three times, but eluded the Seminoles several times with crafty running.

"We couldn't stop number 18," Seminoles Coach Bobby Bowden said. "I've never seen a quarterback make as many one-man plays as he made tonight. We couldn't stop that dadgum number 18."

Bowden was so impressed with Hagans that he compared him to former Oklahoma quarterback and ex-congressman J.C. Watts. In the 1980 Orange Bowl, Watts ran 15 times for 127 yards in the Sooners' 24-7 victory over the Seminoles. But Watts threw only four times for 36 yards in that game; Hagans shredded the Seminoles' secondary.

"I've never seen a quarterback beat us with a one-man show," Bowden said. "The last time that's happened to us was Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl -- J.C. Watts. Watts did it for about 30 minutes; this guy did it the whole game."

That Hagans stayed in the game after straining his hamstring with 12 minutes 50 seconds left in the first half was just as remarkable. He came up limping after scrambling for no gain, but stayed in the game for six more plays, leading the Cavaliers to a 13-10 lead on Connor Hughes's 37-yard field goal.

While Hagans lay on his back on the sideline, a trainer elevated his right leg and stretched and massaged his hamstring. He never came out of the game and seemed to get faster in the second half as his hamstring loosened.

"It really did hurt at first," Hagans said. "But once I got to the side and they stretched it and massaged it, my adrenaline kicked in and I was okay. I knew I wasn't coming out of the game. The only way they were getting me out of the game was carrying me out."

Virginia Coach Al Groh, who beat a team ranked in the top 10 for the first time in his five seasons as coach of his alma mater, said he wasn't immediately aware his quarterback was hurt. Backup Christian Olsen, who has thrown only four passes this season and 12 last season, warmed up on the sideline while police and teammates surrounded Hagans.

"I didn't know he was doing that," Groh said, when asked if he saw Hagans getting his leg stretched, "and I'm glad I didn't know he was doing it."

The victory ended Virginia's nine-game losing streak to the Seminoles, who had beaten the Cavaliers by an average of 24 points during Virginia's drought. The win also propelled the Cavaliers back in the Associated Press top 25 at No. 23 and kept alive their hopes of playing in a fourth consecutive bowl game.

At 4-2 going into Saturday's game at North Carolina, the Cavaliers must win two of their last five games to finish with a winning record and qualify for a bowl bid. But only their Nov. 5 home game against Temple qualifies as an easy game.

Virginia plays home games against Georgia Tech and No. 3 Virginia Tech after the Temple game and closes the regular season at No. 6 Miami on Nov. 26.

"It's a good win for us, but it's important for us to remember that each week is its own week, and each game is its own game," Groh said. "We have another challenge coming up next week. If we're not successful with that, then all of a sudden this win will seem very hollow."