Penalties too light after Canes' melee
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 17, 2006

Scattershooting around the ACC, while still disgusted over the Miami brawl against FIU on Saturday ...

It was good to learn Monday that ACC Commissioner John Swofford and Miami AD Paul Dee had decided to take some stiffer penalties against the Hurricane players involved, yet it’s still not enough.

The two announced that after they had slept on the 13 one-game suspensions, they agreed that additional measures had to be taken, which led to the indefinite suspension of Anthony Reddick for swinging his helmet at FIU players.

Translation: Swofford and Dee probably were surprised at the national backlash that Miami was getting from radio talk shows and other media bashings, thus the additional penalties.

But let’s get serious here. Reddick was rightfully suspended indefinitely and so should have been teammate Brandon Meriweather, for repeatedly stomping a FIU player on the ground during the melee.

And what of the other 11 Hurricanes suspended for one game? They’re probably laughing it up because all they’re going to miss is the Duke game. Miami probably believes its second team can beat Duke.

It leaves the sports world wondering aloud about the leadership at the “U.”

ACC fans were concerned when Miami came into the league that this sort of thuggery might continue to occur. If you didn’t know about the brawl on Sunday morning and were asked to pick one college team that might have been involved in such a spectacle, you probably would have guessed, you betcha, the Hurricanes.

They have a long history, 25 years in fact, of absurd behavior on the football field.

So, instead of more serious suspensions, instead of the AD or head coach Larry Coker getting fired or at least suspended, or instead of taking away a potential bowl game (as Clemson and South Carolina did a couple of years ago), Miami only went through the motion of what it called swift and severe punishment.

Miami president Donna Shalala essentially sent out a message to the rest of the ACC and to the nation that things aren’t going to change.

“The ACC maintains rigorous behavioral and academic standards for student-athletes,” Shalala wrote in an e-mail to Miami’s university community on Sunday. “We are satisfied with their decision.”

Really? That’s it? End of story? Go ahead, ACC, send out some suspensions and we’re fine with that.

What about taking some responsibility for your own university and the shady reputation of your football team, which has been considered outlaws by the rest of Division I-A for the past quarter century?

Butch Davis cleaned it up, but now its back to the same form as the pre-Davis days.

“It was disgraceful,” Coker said. “We can’t tolerate that type of action. That’s not college football, and now what we represent at the University of Miami.”

Oh, contraire, Coach. That’s exactly what Miami represents and apparently condones.

Dee said that he apologized for the Hurricanes’ outlandish behavior against LSU in the Peach Bowl, another embarrassing altercation, but here we go again.

“In the two [incidents] we’ve reacted,” said Dee, referring to LSU and FIU starting the episodes. “I wish we hadn’t reacted in the way that we did, but I believe they were reactions. A lot of things happen in the flash of the moment. It’s not an excuse. It shouldn’t have occurred.”

The sad thing is that the only person who is going to lose their job out of this mess is Miami’s TV analyst Lamar Thomas, who by the way, has a very impressive criminal record, for his comments defending the players reactions.

He should go, but he shouldn’t go alone.

Hearing the Turtle

That’s what Virginia players did after Saturday night’s gut-wrenching loss to Maryland. The concrete walls that separate the two teams’ locker rooms weren’t thick enough to block out the Terrapins’ victory celebration after coming back from 20-0 down and winning 28-26 at Scott Stadium.

The celebration featured Terps coach Ralph Friedgen dancing all over the Maryland dressing room, hugging and kissing players, and head-butting anyone he bumped into during the wild scene.

His team chanted “Hoo-hoo-hoo” during the postgame celebration, obviously in reference to the conquered Wahoos.

“I’m going to tell you the locker room was euphoric,” the Fridge said. “I was going nuts, the coaches were going nuts, the kids were going nuts. It was such a release.”

Horns & Halos

l Horns to Virginia Tech’s Aaron Rouse and Vince Hall for arguing on the sidelines of the game in a lopsided loss to Boston College. And horns to Hokie Brenden Hill for dancing to “Sweet Caroline” during a timeout in the latter stages of the game ... while he was out on the field!

- While we’re at it, horns to you Chris Ellis, yet another Hokie, for forcing Tech coach Frank Beamer to have a second sit-down heart-to-heart conversation about on-field behavior. It’s time for these guys to grow up and show some class.

l Halos to Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe, who is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever run into, for a 6-1 start. With any luck, the Deacs would be 7-0.

Stat of the Week

- Virginia is second in the ACC and 13th nationally in quarterback sacks (3.3 per game) and in tackles for loss (7.4 per game).

- Need any more proof of parity in Division I-A football? How about the fact that Wake Forest and Rutgers are ranked in the Top 25, while Florida State and Virginia Tech are not.

Quote of the Week I

When reminded that predicted temperatures in Tallahassee this weekend will be around 80 degrees, kind of hot for the all-black uniforms that host Florida State will don for this huge Atlantic Division game, Boston Coach Tom O’Brien had this to say:

“We’re not worried about the uniforms. We’re worried about the guys in the uniforms.”

Quote of the Week II

Boston College rookie kicker Steve Aponavicius (nicknamed “Sid Vicious,” after the famed punk rocker, by his teammates) is getting all kinds of recognition after helping the Eagles hammer Virginia Tech last Thursday night in what was his college football debut. He’s gotten more than 300 emails and is instantly recognized all over campus, leaving him to say:

“It’s unbelievable to think that two weeks ago, no one had any idea who I was. I could walk around campus naked and no one would still notice me.”

The Big Game

Clemson fans are all fired up about ESPN’s GameDay coming to Tiger Town for this Saturday’s game with Georgia Tech, in what could be a preview of the ACC Championship Game in December.

It’s being called the biggest game at Death Valley in 18 years, when then-No. 10 Florida State beat No. 3 Clemson with the storied “Puntrooskie” play.

Tigers coach Tommy Bowden sees the GameDay experience being a good thing for Clemson recruiting.

“There will be a lot of people watching,” said Bowden. “All them kids will wake up on Saturday morning and turn that on, so that’s a pretty big deal.”

UVa hoops recruiting

Virginia’s coaching staff has decided to end its attempt to land former commit Eric Wallace, a 6-foot-7, 195-pound forward from Kernersville, N.C., but are working hard to secure an official visit from 7-foot, 235-pound center Tomasz Kwiatkowski, a Polish native who is enrolled at Lee Academy in Maine.

Kwiatkowski is tentatively scheduled to visit UVa on the Nov. 11 weekend, with the Cavaliers hosting Arizona in John Paul Jones Arena on the 12th. The Polish big man is being courted by Georgetown, Tennessee, Indiana, St. John’s, George Washington and Baylor, but at this point has only firm plans to visit Baylor and UVa.

Meanwhile, Cavalier coaches told Wallace, now at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, last weekend that they have dropped their recruitment of him. Wallace committed to UVa back in the summer, but decommitted recently and now has plans to visit Ohio State.

You’ve been Swanked

That must have been how N.C. State felt after watching Wake Forest kicker Sam Swank tie an NCAA record by booting three field goals from beyond 50 yards in the mild upset over the Wolfpack.

Swank connected from 51, 53 and 53 in the 25-23 win, but he said it wasn’t his dream game.

“I don’t know how it can be a dream game when you bounce one off the upright,” Swank said.

Oh yeah, there was a 49-yarder that looked good until the final second, then plonked the upright and bounced back onto the field.

He’s also the punter and had a big 54-yarder at a crucial moment that helped preserve the win.

“He’s a special player,” Grobe said. “We were worried at the beginning of the year because he had to punt and kick field goals, but he has turned out to be a good punter and a special field-goal kicker, no question.

“I told him on a couple of those field goals that we needed a big kick from him and he just shrugged and said, ‘OK coach.’ And he goes out and makes those big kicks, so I guess that is great coaching on my part.”

UVa football recruiting

Don’t be surprised if your Wahoos soon offer up a scholarship to Larry Asante, a 6-2, 225-pound (4.4 speed) linebacker and safety from Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.

Asante is a native Virginian who would like to get back closer to home. He is scheduled to visit Nebraska and Kansas State, but also has offers from Arkansas and Iowa State.

After talking with UVa defensive coordinator Mike London on the phone over the weekend, Asante said he wants to schedule a visit to UVa. He could play either outside linebacker or safety in London’s 3-4 defense.

The speedy juco, who will have three years of eligibility remaining, has a 3.7 GPA at Coffeyville and is a member of the honor society.

Short yardage ...

... Former ACC Commissioner Gene Corrigan has put together a fun evening at the Omni on Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. ESPN’s Thursday Night Football guys, Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler will be on hand for a Q&A session with fans as a warm-up for the following night’s Virginia game against rival North Carolina. There will be light hors d’oeuvres supplied by the Charlottesville chapter of the National Football Foundation and all fans are invited to attend.

... Whether or not you liked the look of UVa’s all-blue uniforms last weekend, one of the players the Cavaliers are trying hard to recruit sure did. Corey Mosley, a corner/wide receiver from Henrico told CavsCorner.com: “I know it has little to do with overall decisions of recruits, but style does play a factor. I loved the all-blue look and hope they do it again.” ... In seven weeks there have been 70 first-year freshmen that have played in the ACC, although only one of them is from UVa. ... I’m feeling much better now about my preseason prediction that Clemson would win the ACC championship and that Tigers’ tailback James Davis, who leads the league in rushing and leads the nation in rushing TDs, would be the league’s MVP. ... Florida State, by the way, will play five of its next six games at home. ... Virginia Tech’s Brandon Pace has made 11 straight field goals. ... Duke’s John Talley has 15 interceptions (one more than UVa’s Marcus Hamilton) and is second in the nation in picks. ... Duke, by the way, has lost 13 ACC games in a row. ... Wake Forest is off to its best start since 1979, is ranked for the first time since 2003 and is bowl eligible for the third time in coach Jim Grobe’s six years in Winston-Salem.

The picks

Last week: 5-2. To date: 42-14. This week: Virginia Tech 34, Southern Miss 17; N.C. State 28, Maryland 17; Miami 24, Duke 17; Florida State 33, Boston College 27; Virginia 30, UNC 21. Last, but not least: ACC Championship game preview: Clemson 27, Georgia Tech 23.

 

U.Va.'s offense low but improving
Though Cavaliers lost to Maryland, Sewell's effort was impressive
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 17, 2006
UNC AT U.VA.
THURSDAY: 7:45 p.m. TV: ESPN TICKETS: $40

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The University of Virginia offense's body of work doesn't impress. Of the 119 football teams in Division I-A, U.Va. ranks 93rd in passing offense, 97th in scoring offense (18.1 ppg), 100th in rushing offense and 109th in total offense.

The low point came Sept. 21 in redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell's first start at quarterback. Virginia totaled only 166 yards -- its lowest output in six seasons under coach Al Groh -- and lost 24-7 at Georgia Tech.

Since that nationally televised debacle, however, the Cavaliers' attack slowly has awakened from its early-season slumber. Virginia gained 253 yards in a 37-0 win over Duke, 298 in a 31-21 setback at East Carolina and a season-high 424 in a 28-26 loss to Maryland on Saturday.

Against the Terrapins, U.Va. posted season highs in rushing (181) and passing (243) yards, and allowed only one sack. Sophomore wide receiver Kevin Ogletree caught three passes for a career-high 133 yards and two touchdowns.

Save one major mistake -- an underthrown pass that Maryland's Erin Henderson intercepted and returned for a TD Sewell dazzled. The Hermitage High graduate, who passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 92 yards and another TD.

Sewell's total offense of 335 yards was a record for a U.Va. freshman, as was his passing yardage.

Emotions were mixed among the Virginia players who met with reporters Saturday night at Scott Stadium. None was happy about the game's outcome, not after U.Va. blew a 20-point halftime lead. Yet the offensive players were excited about their unit's potential.

"They saw themselves able to do things that have been done around here before -- running the ball and passing the ball -- but hadn't shown up yet this year," Groh said.

"Obviously, they feel positive about it, but by the same token we had a couple significant scoring opportunities where didn't perform as well as we could."

On the final series of the opening half, U.Va. drove to the Maryland 4 but ended up settling for a field goal. Early in the third quarter, the Cavaliers stalled inside the Terrapins' 35 and came away with no points. In the fourth quarter, trailing 28-20, they drove to the Maryland 21 before turning the ball over on downs.

So work remains for offensive coordinator Mike Groh as U.Va. (1-2, 2-5) heads into its Thursday night game against ACC rival North Carolina (0-3, 1-5) at Scott Stadium. But the Cavaliers, who began the season with senior Christian Olsen at quarterback and then turned to junior Kevin McCabe, seem to be rallying behind Sewell. They're also benefiting from the steady improvement of a line that includes no seniors.

"They're progressing," tailback Jason Snelling, who rushed for 81 yards against Maryland, said of Virginia's linemen. "They struggled a little bit [early], but they're good players."

Junior guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said: "I think that everybody's starting to get comfortable with one another . . . Unfortunately we didn't get that ultimate satisfaction with the 'W' [on Saturday], but that will come in time."

EXTRA POINTS: Virginia's Oct. 28 game against N.C. State at Scott Stadium will start at noon and be televised by Lincoln Financial Sports/Raycom.

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit will talk about college football tomorrow from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Omni Hotel in Charlottesville. The cost is $20 per person. A cash bar and hors d'oeuvres will be available. Proceeds from the forum will benefit the National Football Foundation's scholarship fund for high school students. For information, call Paul Muhlberger at (434) 882-1633.

 

Double dose of depression in Division I-A
BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Oct 17, 2006

Well, that was a pleasant 2006 football season while it lasted, wasn't it? The leaves have barely turned, but the Hokies already are dragging, the Cavs are gagging, and fat cats springing for two on the 50 don't feel so hot themselves.

By the time these two squads gather on the same field the Saturday after Thanksgiving, their matchup could be the real turkey of the weekend.

Granted, football in our fair dominion isn't a total writeoff. James Madison, Richmond and Hampton have kicked fannies on the I-AA level, and Bridgewater, Christopher Newport and Washington and Lee are doing quite nicely in Division III. Virginia Union is having a little bit of a revival in Division II.

It's just that Virginia Tech and Virginia, our presumptive major leaguers, are playing like Class A. One has a coach who says all the right things while his squad splinters around him. The other has a coach who says all the wrong things while his product becomes as huggable as a porcupine.

Start with the Hokies, coming off a wretched 22-3 flop at Boston College that followed an equally dismal collapse at home against Georgia Tech. Worse even than the losses - and both were spoiled-fruit-in-July rotten - was the behavioral excess that accompanied them.

Frank Beamer probably thought he'd crossed a threshold when the shenanigans of 2003 were replaced by the Bryan Randall/Jim Davis good-guys tour for Tech's ACC debut of 2004. Then came the Marcus Vick/Jimmy Williams/12 major-fouls-in the-last-two-games unraveling of 2005, and Beamer was moved to announce (sigh) one more hard-line policy to curb mischief-making.

'Tain't working. So far this year, Beamer has issued single-game suspensions to four players for practice-field or police-blotter excesses. His troops have acted like flag-per-minute marauders - twice, for instance, being whistled for roughing-the-quarterback majors against a Duke team so combative, it ought to be playing two-hand touch. At BC, the Hokies were called for four personal fouls, three on face-mask takedowns.


Memo to Frankie B.: Your fellas aren't viewed through the same image-shattering prism as Miami - but they're working on it. Take heed.

Virginia, on the other hand, is emerging from a meltdown against Maryland that followed a beatdown at East Carolina. Groh was Mr. Tactful on Saturday, but seldom does his filter allow for diplomacy.

Several weeks ago, for instance, when he made Jameel Sewell the starter at quarterback, Groh remarked, "Frankly, we knew well back in time that this is what it was going to come to . . . " - words that surely warmed the hearts of rejects Christian Olsen and Kevin McCabe and their parents.

Groh also endears himself to constituents by telling them they lack the expertise to (God forbid) question his strategy or business model. He even took a swipe at predecessor George Welsh when someone named Bobby called his radio show to suggest Groh's program was deteriorating.

"I might remind Bobby that in the two years before we got here, the other team had something like 110 points in bowl games, and Virginia had 30," was Groh's retort.

Factually, Groh was close to right. Spiritually, he was a boob to knock the guy who built football from scratch in C'ville and made it matter.

Oh, and I might remind Chairman Al that in the two years before he arrived, George Welsh signed or lined up Matt Schaub, Heath Miller, Billy McMullen, Chris Canty, Alvin Pearman, Elton Brown and Marques Hagans - key players who got Groh off to an acceptable start before he dipped south in early 2005.

Now Groh gets a decrepit North Carolina entry at home Thursday, and Beamer's guys entertain Southern Mississippi two nights later. U.Va. and Tech haven't both finished sub-.500 in the same year since 1978. If both stumble this week, the run will be in jeopardy.

 

Behavior disappoints Beamer
Tech coach Frank Beamer says he met with Chris Ellis and Brenden Hill on Monday.
By Randy King
981-3126

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer refused to criticize Kirk Herbstreit when asked Monday about his reaction to the ESPN college football analyst's pointed commentary on the Hokies' on-field demeanor in last Thursday night's 22-3 loss at Boston College.

Herbstreit, who has been a guest speaker at Beamer's football clinic for women the past two summers, spent most of the latter half of the fourth quarter of the national telecast berating the unraveling Hokies for how they conducted themselves during the game. Tech was whistled for four personal fouls and racked up a season-high 88 yards in penalties.

Herbstreit criticized the Hokies for their lack of unity and leadership. His rant in the game's final seven minutes was fueled by a sideline tirade between linebacker Vince Hall and strong safety Aaron Rouse following BC's last touchdown; a blatant late hit from behind by defensive end Chris Ellis; and a video clip caught during a commercial timeout that showed linebacker Brenden Hill dancing on the field as the BC band played.

"The reason this frustrates me in watching Virginia Tech is this is something we've seen for the last ... two or three years, is frustration and talking a little bit too much and not playing enough -- and uncharacteristic of Frank Beamer's teams," Herbstreit said. "When you see that, it's unacceptable and it needs to be addressed, and we keep seeing it from Frank Beamer and the Hokies.

"You can't have late hits. You can't talk trash every play. You cannot do that. ... The problem is more than just you're losing a game. There's issues. There's issues on the team."

When asked about Herbstreit's comments during his weekly Monday teleconference, Beamer paused a for couple seconds to collect his thoughts before responding.

"Well, I thought it was disappointing ... some of the things that happened there at the very end," Beamer said. "I think emotions were high. I think disappointment was high, but that doesn't excuse some of it.

"And I'll stand by what I've told people for a long time ... what we're going to do is work like heck to make people proud of how we play on the field and how we are off the field. And I don't back away from that at all."

Herbstreit's late-game comments began when linebacker Vince Hall and strong safety Aaron Rouse were caught on camera finger-pointing and yelling at each other on the sideline after an obviously blown coverage allowed BC receiver Kevin Challenger to slip wide open and catch an 18-yard touchdown pass that put BC ahead 20-3.

"I think there was a lot of frustration there, disappointment," Beamer said. "I think probably there's a better way to handle it than screaming at each other."

With 5:03 left on the clock, a charging Ellis struck BC tight end Ryan Purvis in the back and pushed him to the ground with both hands. It was Ellis' second personal foul of the game. The fourth-year junior defensive end was immediately pulled from the game by Beamer.

Ellis, back on the field after serving a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules, was called into Beamer's office Monday morning.

"I have had a talk with Chris Ellis," Beamer said. "That went fine."

When asked what that meant, Beamer said: "I think the conversation between Chris and I is between Chris and I. But I think we understand each other very well."

With 4:57 left on the clock, ESPN came back from a commercial break. Before play resumed, a video clip showed Hill dancing to the BC's band rendition of "Sweet Caroline."

"What's he doing?" an incredulous Herbstreit asked, his voice rising. "Boy, he's upset. Look at him -- he's down 20-3. There he is, there he's having a good time. That's what I'm talking about with Virginia Tech."

Beamer said he met with Hill on Monday morning.

"My impression was probably what most people's impression was," Beamer said. "I know Brenden didn't intend it that way, or at least that were his comments to me, but I think it came across that way."

Through six games, Tech has drawn 44 penalties for 364 yards. The Hokies' 60.6 yards-per-game average ranks behind only Miami (65.5 ypg) and Florida State (61.2) in the 12-team ACC. The Hokies have been called for 12 personal fouls. They had 23 last season in 13 games and led the league in penalty yards.

Beamer has had to suspend four different players -- defensive end William Wall, split end Josh Hyman, flanker Josh Morgan and Ellis -- for one game this season because of misconduct and off-the-field problems. Wall was dismissed from the team Monday.

When asked if the new get-tough policy he implemented before the season in regards to blatant personal fouls and player behavior is working, Beamer said the jury is still out.

"I think we'll look at it as we go through [the season]," Beamer said. "Halfway through last year we were the least penalized [team in the ACC].

"I will say there were three [15-yard] face-mask penalties [against BC], and sometimes those things just happen ... sometimes those are deals are you're just playing hard and it's part of the game. Penalties get after you. We're just going to continue to work at it."
 

Faith in action
Jon Copper might not be an athletic upgrade from his inside-linebacker predecessor, Ahmad Brooks, but Copper's strong faith and studious habits have helped him become Virginia's leading tackler.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
October 17 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The minister is talking about making a two-sided list. Write down positive things about yourself, he tells the football players on the eve of their game. And the negative things.

"If you like pornography, put it on the list," the Rev. Dr. Bruce Beard says. "If you have strong feelings for another dude, and even if nobody knows about it, put it on the list."

His message centers on discovering the best of who you are. "The fact is, who you are is gonna impact what you do - no matter what you do," he says. "Because if you're the best at who you are, you're gonna be the best at what you do."

Jon Copper listens as he sits in the back of this conference room at the Omni Charlottesville Hotel. He cradles a few grapes in one hand and a pocket version of the New Testament in the other. Copper, Virginia's starting inside linebacker, is a regular at these informal chapel services, which the team holds the night before every game at its hotel.

On this evening, hours before the Cavaliers play Western Michigan, he's joined by about 20 teammates and wide receivers coach John Garrett. The chapel speaker changes every week. For this service, it's Beard, a local minister.

The best at who you are, he says. Then the best at what you do. Remember the order, the priority. Because for Copper, that order is everything.

But let's flip it for a moment, examine the first thing 60,000 fans will see Thursday, when Virginia plays North Carolina at Scott Stadium.

The best at what he does? Copper? Well, he's not the best linebacker in Virginia history. He is among the best defenders on this team. He played essentially every snap in the first seven games. He leads the Cavaliers with 55 tackles (18 more than any other Virginia player), including six for a loss and three sacks. Two years ago, he arrived at Virginia as a recruited walk-on - slow and a tad small (6 feet, 230 pounds) for Virginia's 3-4 defense. Now he's filling the spot vacated by Ahmad Brooks, who at least looked like the perfect linebacker.

The best at who he is? Copper is not there yet, either. It's a process, he says. A lifelong Christian, Copper last year focused on extending his faith to others. He hosted a weekly Bible study at his apartment. He spoke to local middle school students involved in Young Life, a Christian ministry for teenagers. He preached behind the pulpit at two Sunday church services. He encouraged teammates to meet with Chris Porter, the school's director of Athletes in Action, a sports-centered ministry.

"I think he knows that in a couple years, he'll be done with his career here at U.Va.," Porter says. "And what's gonna stand?"

When Copper was about 12 years old, he went to a Christian youth rally called Acquire the Fire, run by Ron Luce. He came home with Luce's book, "10 Challenges of a World Changer," and a lofty goal.

He told his parents he was going to change the world. This, from a kid who was rebelling at home. "If you're gonna change the world, the first place you've gotta start is in your family," his father, Jeff, told him.

Jeff saw swift changes. Copper started helping out around the house, started treating his brothers and sister with more respect. He always attended Cornerstone Church in Roanoke, an interdenominational church at which his father was an assistant pastor.

But the rally and its results sparked something inside him. "That was a point where I guess I really started to understand more about what I believe in," Copper says.

He grew physically, too. As a 16-year-old, he could squat 560 pounds, dead-lift 540 and bench- press 325. He excelled as a defensive lineman at Roanoke's Northside High. But no school offered him a scholarship. Virginia asked him to walk on. So did Navy and some Patriot League schools.

He went to Fork Union Military Academy to learn the linebacker position. When he came to Virginia in 2004, the Cavaliers' inside linebacker spot was filled, quite literally, by Brooks and Kai Parham, both about 4 inches taller and 20 pounds heavier than Copper.

Copper redshirted in '04 and played mostly special teams last season. During the offseason, Parham left a year early for the NFL and Brooks was kicked off the team. Like that, Copper cracked the starting lineup. Change shook his spiritual life, too. Mickey Toll, a Chesapeake resident whom Copper met through Fellowship of Christian Athletes, encouraged him to spread his faith.

So there was Copper, arranging meetings between Porter, the Athletes in Action director, and some of Virginia's true freshmen. Guys like Maurice Covington and Alex Field sat down with Porter, listened to his pointed questions: "If you die today, how certain are you, from zero to 100, that you're going to heaven?"

There was Copper, meeting a freshman named Holly Dixon, asking her soon thereafter not if she wanted to go to dinner, not if she wanted to catch a movie - but if she'd like to go to church with him that Sunday. They've been dating for eight months now.

There was Copper this spring, standing in front of 60 worshipers at a Roanoke church that invited him to speak at a Friday youth conference - then asked him to stick around for the Sunday service. He talked about faith being a way to live, not just a ticket to heaven when you die. Copper, a religious- studies major, has considered attending seminary after college to become a minister.

"He's got a real humble attitude that you can't tell everyone you're a Christian and then run around campus and sleep with every girl that week," his dad says.

Copper's faith follows him everywhere. To the bathroom, where he keeps a Bible next to his toilet. To class, where he writes Bible verses in the margins of his textbooks.

"I guess I see football in a much bigger picture because of my faith," Copper says.

Still, football must consume much of his days. He tells teammates that he knows he's not as athletic or fast as Brooks, and that's why he spends extra time in the film room, where he scrawls down a list of 15 to 20 things to improve.

"There's a lot of guys who are supposedly more talented, more gifted," cornerback Mike Brown says. "He just produces."

Says defensive end Chris Long: "He just makes his reads so fast, he doesn't have to be as big or strong as an Ahmad Brooks."

After the Friday night chapel at the team hotel, Copper woke up Saturday and played poorly in Virginia's 17-10 loss to Western Michigan. As he planned to do before the game, he went afterward to the McCue Center and, for a half-hour, watched footage of himself from the game.

"I'd say that's unusual even for the professional level," Virginia coach Al Groh says.

Yet teammates often find Copper in the film room on Mondays, before 6:45 a.m. team meetings. Or during the afternoon, eating his lunch while studying his tendencies. Or at night, squeezing in a few more clips.

And when he drives home in his Ford Taurus, he glances at the Bible verses he tapes to the dashboard. Galatians 5:16 is up there now: So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

Bunting's days are numbered
Truthfully, such wipeout performances have plagued his teams the past five seasons
CAULTON TUDOR
News & Observer

John Bunting could not have saved his football coaching job Saturday, but he could have lost it. Chances are, he did.

North Carolina's staggering 37-20 loss to South Florida in Kenan Stadium left the sixth-year Tar Heels coach in such a dire position that only a minor miracle could bring Bunting back for 2007.

At 1-5 overall, Bunting's team looks a lot more likely to go 1-5 than 5-1 or 4-2 over the second half.

Nothing about the situation is pretty, least of all the agonizing appearance of the dedicated, likable Bunting struggling in vain to restore a winning edge to the program in which he once played and still dearly loves.

But Bunting's perseverance aside, so much is broken with the team that a wholesale makeover is the only logical step to take next.

Almost nothing is working.

The Heels are trapped in an offensive system that requires flawless execution, which is far from what they are prepared to mentally or physically deliver.

The defense, which should be competitive at worst, has slipped into a state of near-collapse. South Florida (5-2), behind redshirt freshman quarterback Matt Grothe, piled up 417 yards. The Bulls went to a bowl game last season but didn't have a football team until the mid '90s.

Carolina's confidence hasn't been high all season, but now concentration and discipline are fading. There were 10 penalties for 87 yards, two interceptions by quarterback Cam Sexton, a few dropped passes and so many busted defensive assignments that the players lost track.

"We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot," running back Ronnie McGill said. "It's like we can't stop."

But in truth, such mistakes and wipeout performances have plagued Bunting's teams the past five seasons. A 2-10 finish, marked by many one-sided outcomes, almost sent him packing after the 2003 season. After some internal debate, athletics director Dick Baddour and UNC's administration decided to stand by the man Baddour hired upon the firing of Carl Torbush after the 2000 season.

Bunting responded by leading the 2004 team to a 6-6 record and a bowl bid, followed by a competitive 5-6 mark last season.

Now, it's 2003 all over again, and the mood in Kenan has returned to the dark despair. The preseason motto -- "New Blue" -- Saturday was more like the "New Boo." Many of the 44,000 fans left when the Heels were down 20-10 at the half. Some who went the distance chastised Bunting and his assistant coaches as they left the field. Several were shouting at him to resign immediately.

The coach -- 25-41 overall, 16-27 vs. the ACC -- attempted to show a positive face and sidestepped a question about his future.

"Here's what I am concerned about: I'm concerned about this football team getting back in here tomorrow, being healthy to play and getting ready to play the Cavaliers," Bunting said.

Carolina goes to Virginia on Thursday. It's another game the Tar Heels should have a chance to win, but a couple wins can't significantly improve Bunting's status.

Neither Baddour nor school chancellor James Moeser has said anything to suggest a coaching change is in the offing. Then again, some things don't have to be said.

Bunting has tried his best, but it just hasn't worked. His background as an NFL defensive assistant didn't work in his favor from the start. He had to make big adjustments to hiring staffs, recruiting players and communicating with nonprofessionals. When he seemed to make progress in one area, something went wrong in another.

The 2006 season, Bunting thought, finally would be the turning point. No more than a five- or six-win season was widely expected, but there was reason to believe UNC would play opponents evenly inside and outside the ACC. With six games to go, they still don't have a win over a Division I-A foe, and their last four losses have been by a total of 117 points.

The football expectations at Carolina aren't unrealistic, and there's no question that the fans and the school have been patient. Bunting has been given every chance to get the program going. Where it has gone is back to three years ago.

Unless a miracle occurs in the next six games, there's no valid argument for staying the course.

 

Wonder if UNC-UVa is worthy of ESPN?
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
Oct 17, 2006 : 12:10 am ET

I can only imagine that ESPN's staff is gushing all over the Bristol, Conn., studios about Thursday night's North Carolina at Virginia football game at Scott Stadium.

These two ACC underachievers will strut onto the field with a combined 3-10, 1-5 ACC record. That numero uno ACC conquest belongs to the Cavaliers, who beat Duke 37-0 and never allowed the Blue Devils past the Virginia 41-yard line. Who said the Wahoos don't play defense?

The other two Ws? Well, Virginia beat Wyoming by a point in overtime and UNC surrendered 42 points but still beat Furman. Who said the Tar Heels don't score enough?

You know history as well as I do, right? UNC never wanted expansion in the ACC, and Virginia? Well, once the politicians got involved, the Cavs were right there figuring out what a good idea it would be, after all, if Virginia Tech were admitted into the ACC along with Miami and Boston College.

John Swofford, who once counted tickets for Gene Corri-gan at Virginia and succeeded him as commissioner of the ACC after serving as athletics director at UNC, ought to be concerned about all this.

It was 10 years ago when Swofford went jogging by the Rotunda the morning of the UNC at Virginia game. Such a crisp, invigorating morning it was, too. The orange, purple and yellow leaves made for a marvelous photo opportunity in cozy Charlottesville as the sun crept over Thomas Jefferson's university.

The Tar Heels were 8-1 and coached by Mack Brown. The Cavs were 6-3 and coached by George Welsh. Fiesta Bowl scouts were at the Black Angus the night before, listening to piano music while fans of both teams were sipping merlot.

Stakes were extremely high for the Tar Heels. A win that weekend and another in the finale at Duke the next week, and UNC was all but assured of a bowl week in Tempe, Ariz.

For much of the game, Swofford may as well have been counting the millions the Heels would earn with the Fiesta invite. UNC led 17-3 early in the fourth quarter, and its offense had the ball inside the Virginia 10-yard line. But a Chris Keldorf pass was intercepted by Antwan Harris and returned for a school-record 95 yards and a touchdown.

It was as if a jackknife had slithered into the back of every UNC fan from Bald Head Island to Grandfather Mountain.

Virginians, by the hundreds, rushed back to their seats to see an amazing comeback.

The quivering Heels collapsed and lost 20-17, not to mention the millions Swofford would have liked to have had earned at the Fiesta Bowl.

Ten years later, not only are the coaches not the same, neither is the value of this game.

Swofford knows about the state of affairs and how sometimes things can get out of hand, like they really are at Virginia and at UNC. The Cavs, who have lost home games to Western Michigan and Maryland, gave up 31 in a loss at East Carolina the week before Tulsa swaggered into Greenville and beat the Pirates.

And the Tar Heels haven't held anybody under 21 points since falling in the opener to Rutgers.

John Bunting and Al Groh have much in common. Together, they are 0-3 vs. Big East teams. By now, Bunting must be wondering what it'd be like to have a defense that could stop somebody -- well, anybody. And Groh can't have Duke every week on the schedule.

Somebody ought to tell ESPN that if it weren't for the Blue Devils, then this storyline would be matching the two worst teams in the ACC.

Oh by the way, the Tar Heels haven't won in Charlottesville since 1981.