Sewell makes a connection with Ogletree
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 18, 2006

When the South’s oldest rivalry resumes at Scott Stadium before a national television audience on Thursday night, Virginia’s chances may be riding on one of the youngest passing combinations in the ACC.

A chemistry has been building between redshirt freshman quarterback Jameel Sewell and sophomore wide receiver Kevin Ogletree since spring practice, but now their connection appears on the verge of becoming lethal.

The two Wahoos hooked up three times in last Saturday’s gut-wrenching loss to Maryland for 133 yards, including scoring strikes of 38 and 44 yards, and another pass for 51 yards that set up a field goal.

A pass-happy past, future

While UVa attempts to reverse its fortunes down the home stretch of this season, the Sewell-to-Ogletree play call may become quite familiar to Cavalier fans for the future just as Shawn Moore to Herman Moore and Matt Schaub to Billy McMullen once did.

“It’s a good feeling that we’re going to be together for a long time,” Ogletree said on Tuesday. “Every day we try to work on something different that will help us in the future.”

That’s the immediate future, which means against crusty old rival North Carolina, which comes to town with all sorts of baggage. The Tar Heels haven’t smelled victory at Scott Stadium since 1981 (that’s 12 straight in Hooville for those who are counting) and drag a 1-5 record into town with the nation’s 100th ranked defense (out of 119).

Hard work paying off

Such minutia is not on Ogletree’s nor Sewell’s checklist of game readiness. The two have worked hard to improve week by week, and last weekend it was evident that the Cavaliers’ offense derived the benefits.

Sewell, whose first start was Sept. 21 in a Thursday night debacle at Georgia Tech, will tonight become the first Virginia freshman quarterback to start five consecutive games since Bryan Shumock in 1977.

In that span, Sewell has sent Cavalier record-keepers reaching for the White Out.

He has broken practically every UVa freshman passing record and with his first completion tonight will likely break the others.

A breakout performance

Coach Al Groh sensed in practice last week that Sewell was close to a breakthrough and the Richmond rookie delivered with a 13-for-21 night, a career-high 243 passing yards and two TDs.

For the first time all season, he didn’t hesitate to rush when things broke down and used his great athletic ability to account for 92 more yards and a score.

In fact, his 335 yards of total offense against the Terps was the third-highest total by any ACC player this season.

It was as if Sewell’s light came on.

“It’s not one big light,” smiled Groh. “It’s more like a string of Christmas tree lights ... and for them to really glow, there’s a lot of lights that still have to come on. But certainly, he demonstrated that a number of them did.”

Meanwhile, Ogletree has been Sewell’s go-to-guy, hauling in 31 passes for 382 yards and four TDs. The New Yorker, who had several offers and was likely headed to Syracuse had he not visited and fell in love with Virginia’s campus, leads all Cavalier receivers and ranks third in the ACC in catches (4.43 per game), second in yards (54.6 per game).

The chemistry became more of a forced thing in August training camp when the team’s leading receiver, fifth-year Deyon Williams, suffered a stress fracture. Sewell began looking for Ogletree and another fifth-year, Fontel Mines, who currently owns a streak of 18 games with at least one catch.

Now that Sewell is becoming more comfortable and the game has begun to slow down for him gradually, he’s finding more targets, including Williams, who returned a couple of weeks ago, Ogletree, Mines and a stable of capable tight ends.

With Williams at the X and Ogletree in the slot when Virginia goes three-wide, it gives the passing game the most firepower it’s had all season and creates a dilemma for the defense.

Perhaps for the first time all season, Ogletree’s athletic prowess was put on display against the Terps with the deep passing game. Until then, much of his damage had been nickel and dime stuff. But now it’s easy to see a little swagger in the operation between Sewell and his receivers.

“[Ogletree] just makes things happen,” Sewell said. “Kevin against a safety is definitely a mismatch. Kevin Ogletree versus most people is a mismatch.”

Sewell, who admits he’s still nervous before games, not because of the opponents but about making mistakes, can hardly believe how far he’s come in such a short period. But as little as 10 days ago, Groh came to him and stressed how he badly the quarterback needed to do little but important things such as knowing where the safeties were going to be before the ball was snapped.

“That’s one of the things that Coach Groh talked to me about after the ECU game,” Sewell said. “He said that you have to be like a detective at the crime scene.”

All part of the maturation process of a rookie quarterback, feeling his way through the maze of responsibilities.

While fans are tempted to look beyond this season in terms of the potential between Sewell and Ogletree, the two insist they’re not playing for the future. The future is now as far as they’re concerned.

“It can’t be our scapegoat to say, ‘Oh man, we’re young, we’ve got time,’” Sewell said. “We’ve got to do it right now, and that’s what we’re working on doing.”

 

Big plays turned into big points
UVa's Groh believes Maryland loss hinged on 4 plays
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 18, 2006

Many weeks, the chatter around Central Virginia water-coolers entails a number of plays from the previous UVa game.

From big runs or placement kicks to diving catches and quarterback sacks, the list could go on and on.

Not so, Virginia coach Al Groh said, for last weekend’s heartbreaking loss to Maryland.

Groh, engrossed in his preparation for Virginia’s (2-5, 1-2 ACC) game on Thursday with North Carolina (1-5, 0-3 ACC), said the game-changing plays could be counted on one hand.

“From our perspective at least, it really basically only had the four plays,” Groh said on Tuesday at his weekly press conference. “Eliminate any one of the four plays and it probably changes the whole thing.”

Those plays - a muffed punt return, a lousy punt, a lengthy run and an interception return - all went Maryland’s way and essentially determined Virginia’s fate in a game it led 20-0 at halftime. UVa lost 28-26.

Groh admits that innocent bystanders watching sports tickers would not have gotten the full story.

“Certainly, I would think if I was just watching the score come across … if a team had given up no points in the first half and then I saw the final score come in, I’d think ‘Wow, they really broke down on defense in the second half,’” Groh said. “When the reality is that there were maybe two or three bad plays on defense the whole half and yet the scoreboard reflected 28 points.”

One of the worst plays, Maryland’s 56-yard run, was not excusable, Groh said, but explainable.

“The famous answer - I hate to use it, but sometimes it is true, it is not a cop-out - miscommunication,” Groh said. “The linebacker often in that defense makes a call to the defensive end to either change his alignment or his technique. In this particular case, he was making the call in the same direction to the inside linebacker.

“The defensive end heard the call coming that direction, thought he was making the technique change when, in fact, he was talking to another player. So we ended up with two players in the same gap and nobody in the gap to which the ball was run.”

Outside linebacker Clint Sintim took the blame for the miscue after the game.

Learning to slide

In addition to playing football, Jameel Sewell played basketball at Hermitage High School.

One of his teammates there, UVa defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, also dabbled in baseball.

“He was a monster,” Sewell said.

Fitzgerald might be called upon soon to teach his signal-caller a basic baseball play.

“I really don’t know how to slide yet,” Sewell said. “I think I have to do some sliding one-on-one. I don’t know the proper technique.”

That was evident on a number of Sewell’s runs against Maryland when he took extra contact from defenders.

Left guard Branden Albert has barked into Sewell’s ear about knowing the importance of saving his body from the extra licks.

“As a matter of fact, the last game at East Carolina, B.A. told me to go out of bounds,” Sewell recalled. “He was angry at me, like, ‘Go out of bounds. You don’t need to take unnecessary hits.’”

Scouting out success

In the past month, Sewell has seen his quarterback rating slowly climb.

Players have talked about how the redshirt freshman has poise. Groh has talked about the experience factor.

Sewell, who is 64 for 144 passing for 637 yards, points at another area: the scout team defense.

“They have done a great job of getting me prepared for games,” Sewell said of the unit that is comprised mainly of first-year players that will likely redshirt.

Sewell even singled out linebackers John-Kevin Dolce and Darnell Carter and defensive back Trey Womack.

Groh said there is a great deal of validity with the signal-caller’s comments.

“I think that is both his experience, what he has to go against, but it’s easy for him to say too because he hears the coaches say that to that particular group everyday, as well as some of the offensive players,” Groh said. “It’s a group that is really fun to watch work. They have a lot of energy.

“They’ve got that kind of little sense about them they project that they’ve had history of being good football players. There’s no doubt in their mind that they are going to be good players and they really like football.”

Keeping rookies motivated is a continual challenge when playing time isn’t being offered as a reward. Not with this group, the coach added.

“OK, so they are not playing in games this year, but that does not dull their enthusiasm,” Groh said. “It’s a Tuesday afternoon and they get to put their stuff on and play football and they like that.

“That kind of energy and feeling for the game is very infectious on a team.”

Groh also singled out two freshmen on the offensive scout team.

Running backs Raynard Horne and Keith Payne have impressed and given UVa’s defense “game-like” conditions in practice, the coach said.

Horne, a 6-foot, 203-pounder from Baltimore, also played defense in high school, but Groh said he is strictly working as a tailback.

“I like him,” the coach said. “He is aggressive with the ball. He has good feet.”

Injury update

Sophomore Andrew Pearman (knee) returned to practice on Monday, Groh said.

The wideout and punt returner was injured against Georgia Tech and has not played since undergoing minor knee surgery.

“He was on the side working [Monday], but it was the first day he had been out there really to try to open up his gate and run,” Groh said. “I haven’t asked for or gotten a timeframe on him, but clearly it is not going to be this week.”

Nose tackle Allen Billyk (ankle) remains questionable. Tuesday’s practice, Groh said, would help establish “a feeling where he is going to go.

“We put him in for three plays the other day, probably hoping more than anything,” Groh added, “and it was pretty apparent that he couldn’t generate any power.”

Billyk, who has 18 tackles on the season, remains listed No. 1 on the depth chart ahead of true freshman Nate Collins and junior Keenan Carter.

Emmanuel Byers suffered a separated shoulder on his muffed punt in the third quarter, but Groh said the junior was expected to play.

Groh said he would remain “mute” on whether it was Byers’ throwing arm. The wideout has thrown two touchdown passes this season on trick plays.

Just for kicks

Don’t be shocked if junior Ryan Weigand gets a look at punter on Thursday in favor of Chris Gould.

On Tuesday, Groh didn’t say which way it would go but it remains a strong possibility.

“We have one more day to kick it here, Groh said referring to Tuesday’s practice, “but we are taking a good look at it.”

Gould has punted 44 times for a net average of 36.6 yards per kick and has made 8 of 13 field-goal attempts. Gould ranks 54th nationally in punting (39.8 yards per kick).

“From the outset, it had been my hope that the jobs would be separated,” Groh said. “The punt numbers, while the numbers have been good, the balls didn’t look good.”

Speaking of punters, Virginia has seen its fair share of talented punters this year.

Four of the teams that Virginia has played boast punters ranked in the top 30 in punting average (No. 12 Maryland, No. 13 Wyoming, No 16 Georgia Tech and No. 29 Pittsburgh). Also, East Carolina’s Ryan Dougherty (44.3 yards per punt) would rank 11th if he had enough punts to qualify to being among the national leaders.

“It brings up feelings of envy,” Groh said, while also raving about Wake Forest’s dual-specialist, Sam Swank. “Those kind of things can make your season.”

Blue Man Group, Part II?

The decision to wear an all-blue uniform against Maryland was Groh’s decision.

Will it happen again?

“That was my idea last week, but I think we will ask the players what they want to wear this week,” Groh answered.

A reporter quizzed Groh about how his wife, Anne, felt about the change.

“Strangely, of all the things that has come up,” Groh said, “she hasn’t said anything about them.”

But she would have something to say one way or the other about it, right?

“Absolutely,” Groh smiled.

The players, while avoiding going on the record, had mixed opinions.

Cornerback Marcus Hamilton was even asked about adding an orange jersey to the mix. Virginia’s starters on defense wear “Orange Crush” jerseys in practice, a policy that remains a big hit among the players.

“You tell Coach Groh that,” Hamilton laughed.

 

Cavs see selves in Cardinals' collapse
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 18, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When the Arizona Cardinals' Neil Rackers kicked a 28-yard field goal to end the first half, the significance wasn't lost on University of Virginia football players watching the Monday night game on various TV sets around town.

At Chris Gould's place, his fellow viewers included Scott Deke, Josh Zidenberg, Cedric Peerman and Patch Duda.

"We were like, 'This looks all too familiar right now,'" Gould recalled yesterday.

U.Va. fans no doubt had the same reaction.

Gould's 25-yard field goal on the final play of the second quarter Saturday afternoon had sent Virginia into the break with a 20-0 lead over Maryland.

Rackers' 28-yarder gave Arizona a 20-0 lead over Chicago.

At Scott Stadium, the Terrapins stunned the home fans by rallying to beat the Cavaliers 28-26.

At University of Phoenix Stadium, the Bears shocked the crowd by storming back to defeat the Cardinals 24-23. Gould's brother, Robbie, kicked three extra points and a field goal for the winners.

"It was kind of familiar," U.Va. wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said of Arizona's collapse."That just shows that things happen in a game. You can be playing great, and the littlest thing will turn a game around.

"All credit goes to the Bears. They did basically what Maryland did. Whenever they got a chance to put themselves back in the game, they did so."

Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell said: "I watched some of it, and I was thinking about us, too, the same way. It happens to everybody. It's not something that you want to happen, but it does happen."

For the Cavaliers, the challenge is to put the Maryland game behind them -- and quickly. U.Va. (1-2, 2-5) hosts ACC rival North Carolina (0-3, 1-5) tomorrow night in a game that ESPN will televise nationally.

The final score notwithstanding, the Wahoos' performance Saturday was in many ways their best of the season. Sewell and Ogletree sparkled, and the offensive line continued its recent improvement. U.Va.'s defense allowed only one touchdown drive of more than 31 yards.

"There's a lot of things we did good in the game that we can take from that and try to build upon that," senior cornerback Marcus Hamilton said, "and hopefully we'll be able to put a complete game together [tomorrow night]."

This will be Virginia's second appearance on ESPN's Thursday night showcase this season. The Cavaliers didn't distinguish themselves in the first one, losing 24-7 to Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Sept. 21.

Coastal Division foes U.Va. and UNC are light years from the Top 25, and ESPN officials must be dreading the ratings that tomorrow night's game will earn. That doesn't lessen the importance of the game to Virginia.

"It means a lot," Hamilton said, "because the last time we were the only game in town, we didn't put on a good showing. So we have another chance to kind of redeem ourselves and get on the right foot."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 18, 2006

WHAT STREAK? The University of Virginia football team's 10 defeats in 1981 included a 17-14 loss to ACC rival North Carolina at Scott Stadium.

That was Dick Bestwick's final season as the Cavaliers' coach. The next time UNC visited Charlottesville, in '83, George Welsh was in charge, and his Cavaliers upset the Tar Heels 17-14. Thus started a run of U.Va. home wins over Carolina that stands at 12 heading into tomorrow night's game in Charlottesville.

Welsh's successor, Al Groh, is 2-0 against UNC at Scott Stadium. Groh said that doesn't count for anything this week.

"People have asked me about how many games in a row Virginia has won in Charlottesville," he said. "First of all, Coach Welsh won all those games, I didn't, so give all the credit to him. Secondly, none of us were around for any of them players, coaches or whatnot -- so it really has no carryover whatsoever, other than if you're trying to whip up some kind of cause for your team."

Until last weekend, when they rallied for a 28-26 victory, the Maryland Terrapins hadn't won at Scott Stadium in 16 years.

INJURY REPORT: Junior Emmanuel Byers, who dislocated a shoulder while trying in vain to recover the punt he muffed in the third quarter against Maryland, practiced Monday and is expected to play tomorrow night.

Another of the Cavaliers' wideouts and punt returners, sophomore Andrew Pearman, hasn't played since having arthroscopic knee surgery Oct. 2.

"He was on the side working [during practice Monday]," Groh said, "but it was the first day that he'd been out there really trying to open up his gait and run. I haven't asked for or gotten a time frame on [his return], but clearly it's not going to be this week."

FOOT-BRAWL: The fight that broke out between Miami and Florida International players Saturday at the Orange Bowl has been a topic of discussion at U.Va.

"It was crazy," senior cornerback Marcus Hamilton said. "I didn't think we'd see something like that."

Groh never wants to see his players involved in such a melee, and he said he reminded them Sunday night about the importance of behaving properly, no matter what happens on the field.

TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY: Will Harris turned 20 this summer, as did Solomon Tat, another freshman on U.Va.'s basketball team. Their classmates include Jerome Meyinsse, who started kindergarten at age 4 and won't turn 18 until December.

Meyinsse, a brilliant student from Baton Rouge, La., is 6-8, 230 pounds. U.Va. has veteran post players in Jason Cain, Tunji Soroye, Laurynas Mikalauskas and Ryan Pettinella, and Harris (6-6, 230) also operates well around the basket. Don't be shocked if Meyinsse redshirts this season.

Coach Dave Leitao said he'll consider not only Meyinsse's progress in the preseason but the play of Virginia's other big men.

"If there are other guys more ready to play, and there are just not going to be the minutes available, and the minutes that he would play wouldn't be quality minutes. . . . then it may be in his best interest to redshirt."

ON THE DIAMOND: U.Va.'s baseball team has most of its position players back from last season, so newcomers may not get much action in 2007. But expect fourth-year coach Brian O'Connor to find a place for Tyler Cannon.

Cannon, a 6-0, 175-pound freshman from Sevierville, Tenn., is competing for the starting job at third base but could play any position, O'Connor said.

"He's got arm strength, and he's athletic," O'Connor said yesterday. "If you have those two things, you're not limited where you can play."

Sophomore Jeremy Farrell started at third base for most of last season, but he may play first base in 2007 when Sean Doolittle pitches.

Cannon is "not Ryan Zimmerman," O'Connor said. "He's not as tall. But he can run, and he's got great baseball instincts. He's just an all-around very good baseball player."

IN THE CREASE: His team isn't close to a finished product, but men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia believes the Cavaliers have the potential to contend for a second straight NCAA title.

U.Va. recently concluded fall practice, and Starsia has few concerns about his attack, defense or goalkeeping. Replacing the scoring and leadership provided by midfielders Matt Poskay and Kyle Dixon, however, won't be easy.

"To be honest, you come away from the fall thinking we're a little light in the midfield," Starsia said, though the return of Foster Gilbert and Max Gilbert, both recovering from injuries, should help on that front.

Starsia said his team's most improved player this fall probably was sophomore Gavin Gill, who's working in the midfield. Starsia also singled out junior midfielder Jack Riley. -- Jeff White
 

Goulds experience highs, lows of rallies
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- At various locations around Virginia's campus, groups of football players gathered Monday to watch the NFL game between Chicago and Arizona, none with greater interest than Chris Gould.

Gould's older brother, Robbie, is the place-kicker for the Bears, who went into halftime down 20-0 to host Arizona.

"We were like, 'This looks all too familiar right here,' " said Chris Gould, who handles a multitude of kicking duties for the Cavaliers. "It's just so happens that my brother and his team were lucky to come out on top."

Two days earlier, Virginia had carried a 20-0 lead into halftime against visiting Maryland, only to lose 28-26.

On Monday night, the Bears rallied for a 24-23 victory over the Cardinals.

"We were sitting there saying, 'Wow,' " the younger Gould said. "It was the same situation as the Maryland game."

It was particularly eerie when the Bears called a timeout with two seconds left in the first half in an effort to "ice" Cardinals' kicker Neil Rackers.

Rackers converted the field goal, as did Gould, who had to wait out two Maryland timeouts with four seconds left before booting his second field goal, a 25-yarder.

n The Bears' open date Sunday has enabled Virginia to schedule a special recognition of Chicago running back Thomas Jones, the Cavaliers' all-time rushing leader.

Jones is expected to announce a gift to UVa, as his former Cavalier teammates, Tiki and Ronde Barber, did earlier this month. Of the seven children in Jones' family, six have gone to college, including three to Virginia, and the seventh is a senior at Powell Valley High School.

More from the pros

Groh said that former Virginia linebacker Dennis Haley from Salem visited UVa practice Monday after being released by the Baltimore Ravens.

Haley was activated by the Ravens and played Sunday against Carolina, but he had to go through waivers before Baltimore could return him to the practice squad, which is their plan.

n One of Haley's former partners at linebacker, Ahmad Brooks, started for Cincinnati in the place of injured middle linebacker Brian Simmons and had a team-high 10 solo tackles and one assist in the Bengals' 14-13 loss at Tampa Bay.

"No surprise there," said Groh, who had hoped to have Brooks this season until off-field issues caused Brooks to make himself available for the NFL's supplemental draft.

Injury report

North Carolina (1-5, 0-3 ACC) will come to Virginia (2-5, 1-2) without the services of leading tackler Larry Edwards, a 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker who has a fractured collarbone.

Edwards apparently sustained the injury during warm-ups prior to Carolina's game Saturday with South Florida, a 37-20 winner at Kenan Stadium, but played most of the game and was credited with nine tackles.

n Virginia coach Al Groh said on his radio show Monday that Emmanuel Byers suffered a dislocated shoulder on the same play where his fumble on a punt led to Maryland's first touchdown. However, Groh said Tuesday that Byers had participated in practice Monday night.

What Groh would not disclose was which of Byers' shoulders had been injured, an important consideration given the three touchdown passes Byers has thrown on option plays. "I think I'll be mute on that," Groh said.

Contract status

The contract signed by Groh before the 2005 season contained a rollover clause that Virginia chose not to exercise after the Cavaliers went 7-5.

Athletic director Craig Littlepage said the decision was not a reflection of the team's performance but, rather, a clarification of the original terms.

Although it was announced originally that Groh was getting a new five-year contract, it was not scheduled to expire until Dec. 31, 2010. That actually left him with six seasons.

Since the intent of the rollover was for Groh always to have five years on his pact, no extension was needed after last season.

Odds 'n' ends

Sophomore linebacker Jon Copper, a walk-on from Northside High School, ranks fourth in the ACC in tackles with 7.9 per game. ... Jameel Sewell, a starter in only four of the Cavaliers' first seven games, already has set UVa freshman records for TD passes (5) and completions (64). His 335 yards in total offense Saturday was the third highest total in the ACC this season. ... Virginia's five-day turnaround for a Thursday night game is its second of the season. Before this year, UVa had not played on five days' rest since 1993. ... Thursday's UVa-UNC game will mark the first time in 28 years that the teams have met when both had losing records.
 

Groh reaffirms his confidence in his son
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
October 18 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Mike Groh talked Saturday in the press box. Loudly.

No, he didn't speak to the media. Virginia coach Al Groh forbids his assistants from doing that during the season.

But Mike, in his first year coordinating the Cavaliers' struggling offense, could be heard shouting into his headsets from his press-box perch.

Fittingly, it seems as though Virginia's coaches are finally getting some of their messages through to the players. In Saturday's 28-26 loss to Maryland, the Cavaliers gained 424 yards - 192 more than their average.

But because of previous woes, the Cavaliers are ranked 109th of 119 Division I-A teams, with 259.4 yards per game.

Despite this, and Virginia's 2-5 record, Mike hasn't faced a media firestorm like the one surrounding Florida State offensive coordinator Jeff Bowden, whose dad, Bobby, also happens to be the head coach. That's in part because Mike isn't allowed to speak to the media, so he doesn't face the same questions Jeff does.

Before the season, Al talked with his son about Virginia's uncertain offense, which included an inexperienced offensive line and a shaky quarterback situation that would eventually lead to the Cavaliers starting three quarterbacks in the first four games.

"I told him that I recognized the circumstances (and) that he was moving into that type of position in a lot more challenging set of circumstances than many people are," Al said. "And I recognized those facts at the outset, and that it might be a little bumpy on a couple of occasions. But he had my support all the way through.

"He's hard to shake. You weren't gonna knock the legs out from underneath him, just because things didn't go perfectly."

On Virginia's second-to-last possession Saturday, the Cavaliers faced fourth down and 4 at Maryland's 15-yard line. Mike called a pass play that required wide receiver Deyon Williams to curl toward the left side of the end zone. Facing pressure, Jameel Sewell threw over Williams' head.

After the game, Al didn't second-guess what some perceived to be a low-percentage play and said the coaches just tried to take advantage of their most proven receiver.

"We don't make the throws," he said. "If you ask about the matchup, the quarterback makes the throws. But I don't have any problem with the play."

PUNTING CHANGE?

Displeased with Chris Gould's punting, Al Groh said he'd give junior Ryan Weigand a chance to win the job this week. Weigand transferred before last season from Pasadena (Calif.) City College, a junior college, and punted once in this season's opener.

Gould's 16-yard shanked punt in the third quarter Saturday helped set up Maryland's second touchdown. Gould, a junior, came to Virginia as a place-kicker but was forced to punt after Sean Johnson was ineffective.

"I came here not thinking I was ever gonna punt," Gould said. "It really wouldn't hurt my pride if they put Weigand in there to punt."

Gould has punted 44 times this season for an average of 39.8 yards. Groh said that while Gould got decent distance on some punts, they didn't necessarily look good. Groh hoped Weigand would win the job and spare Gould of shouldering all three kicking duties.

Gould said Weigand has struggled with handling the ball when he catches it and with getting the ball off in less than two seconds - which is ideal.

"Standing there without pressure, he punts the ball very well," he said. "But as soon as you get that pressure, it seems as though he gets a little nervous or a little skittish."

Said Groh: "The overall kicking has been spotty."

Gould is 8-of-13 on field goals but 2-of-7 from beyond 40 yards. He has 14 touchbacks on 27 kickoffs. "I've been inconsistent every week at one of the three," Gould said.

When Groh went for it on fourth and 4 at Maryland's 15, three drives after Gould's shanked punt, he didn't have enough confidence in Gould to let him try a 32-yarder.

INJURY UPDATE

Sophomore wide receiver Andrew Pearman, formerly Virginia's punt returner, will miss his fourth consecutive game after having arthroscopic knee surgery. He began light jogging Monday.

Junior Allen Billyk, the starting nose tackle, hurt his ankle at East Carolina and played just four plays against Maryland. He practiced Monday but his status for Thursday is uncertain, Groh said.

Junior wide receiver Emmanuel Byers dislocated his shoulder when he dropped his only punt return against Maryland - which set up a 1-yard Terrapins touchdown drive. He practiced Monday.

MAKING NICE?

In the opening statement of his postgame press conference Saturday, Groh praised Virginia's fans, saying, "We know it's tough circumstances for them, as well as it is for the players." Last Tuesday, Groh responded to questions about his critics by saying he knows what it's like to be a fan, but most fans don't know what it's like to be a coach - then supported his point with metaphors about airplane pilots and stock brokers.

THIS AND THAT

A stat line that surely caught Virginia fans' eyes from Sunday: Cincinnati Bengals middle linebacker Ahmad Brooks - team-high 11 tackles, one broken-up pass. Brooks - the most heralded defensive recruit in school history - would've been a senior this season but Groh dismissed him before spring practices. ... In less-lucky linebacker news: North Carolina's Larry Edwards likely will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his collarbone Saturday against South Florida. ... Virginia has won 12 consecutive home games against North Carolina. The Tar Heels last won in Charlottesville in 1981, when Dick Bestwick coached Virginia. That was about two years before Virginia's oldest player, 24-year-old offensive lineman Jeff Schrad, was born.

Bunting defends Tar Heels program
JOEDY McCREARY
Associated Press

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - John Bunting understands why North Carolina's fans are upset with the team's play but insisted Tuesday that the Tar Heels' future is bright.

"Should they be frustrated? Yeah," the embattled Tar Heels coach said. "Frustrated to the point where things aren't going right? No. ... The program's going in the right direction."

The Tar Heels (1-5, 0-3 ACC) haven't beaten a Division I-A team this season, and history suggests that won't change during Thursday's game at Virginia (2-5, 1-2). North Carolina, which ranks among the nation's worst offenses and defenses, hasn't won in Charlottesville, Va., since 1981.

Kicker Connor Barth said a win against the Cavaliers "would turn our program around tremendously."

Bunting said at his weekly news conference that his team is making progress in ways that aren't necessarily apparent on game day, through intangibles like recruiting, developing young players and instilling discipline.

"I'm frustrated with myself, frustrated with what's going on, but I look to the future with what we're doing with the program," Bunting said. "We're doing well in some areas of having retention in the program. ... That gives you a chance to be good.

"These losses have been tough on the players," he added. "They've been tough on the coaches. But you've got to move on. I focus on the opportunity we have Thursday night."

Bunting is imploring his team to improve in two key areas - rushing the football and stopping the run.

The Tar Heels are 80th in the nation, averaging nearly 120 yards rushing, and have been abysmal at stopping their opponents from running.

Only six I-A teams in the country are worse against the run; North Carolina allows nearly 208 yards per game on the ground.

"It's because of a lack of consistency that we have not run the ball as effectively as I would like to," Bunting said. "And the other side, it's about stopping the run and running the football better."

The challenge facing North Carolina is quickly moving past its third straight defeat, a 37-20 loss to South Florida, and providing some type of a spark, Bunting said.

"We've got a short turnaround week that also marks the beginning of the second half of the season," Bunting said. "Everyone associated with the program is unhappy, frustrated, you name it, with the first half. We can't do anything about that at this point, and we're looking forward to the second half, playing better, playing with a lot more consistency."

 

Bunting to Heels:Let's have fun
UNC will play Thursday night game at Virginia, where it hasn't won since '81
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER

This is the shortest week of the football season at North Carolina.

UNC has only one more day, and has had only four days total, to get ready for Thursday's game at Virginia. In short order, Coach John Bunting must patch up an already stressed defense, reinforce his team's sagging confidence after five losses in six games, and come up with a plan that will deliver the Tar Heels' first victory in Scott Stadium since 1981.

"Confidence or no confidence, we've got to play," Bunting said. "Play the game. The game's a lot of fun. That's the emphasis in this very short week. Let's get up there and have some fun. Let's get excited about playing on national television.

"I've done this before, in this program. Quit looking at the scoreboard. Quit worrying about the last play. Don't be thinking about the fourth quarter. Play the play. Play this play. You do things right, you do as you're told, and it will work out."

The game will be UNC's first without Larry Edwards, a senior linebacker who was the leading tackler and the defense's field leader. Edwards is likely out for the rest of the season because of a broken left collarbone, suffered last week. Either Martel Thatch or Garrett White will make his first start against Virginia.

Thatch and White were to have a full day of preparation yesterday, depending upon how much work could be completed in a daylong rain. UNC will have a much lighter practice today before leaving for Charlottesville tonight. The Tar Heels had two light days of preparation Sunday and Monday in an effort to be fresh on Thursday, only five days after a 37-20 loss to South Florida at home.

Bunting is confident that both Thatch and White can do the job against Virginia. White has scant experience as a sophomore, but Bunting said that he is one of the team's more promising young players.

"I'll try to explain to them as much as possible," Edwards said. "I'll try to make the game that much easier for them. I'll try not to complicate things, but break things down for them. Maybe show them a thing or two that Coach Bunting or Coach Thigpen (Tommy, the linebackers coach) may have shown me or told me."

Bunting had another idea to help the defense, which has not allowed fewer than 21 points in a game this season. He was going to practice yesterday and today with 12 defenders on the field.

The 12th man in practice will be Cooter Arnold, a sophomore safety from Mocksville. D.J. Walker, the starting strong safety, is recovering from an injury that knocked him out of much of Saturday's game. If Walker cannot play or is injured again, Bunting wants Arnold ready to take over the position.

Arnold had 12 tackles, most on the team and all unassisted, against South Florida. Kareen Taylor, the free safety, said that Arnold and Walker both play the strong-safety position in practice when UNC uses 12 men and both react to the play at the same time.

"They stand right behind each other," Taylor said. "The reason for that is so Cooter won't miss a beat. He'll get reps and mental reps at the same time. They both react to what they see so if D.J. messes up or Cooter messes up, Cooter will know. That's a big deal, and Cooter is working to improve."

 

Bunting relates to fans' misery
Frustrated with the Heels' 1-5 record, the UNC coach still points to progress
J.P. Giglio, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL - John Bunting feels your pain, North Carolina football supporters.
At 1-5 and winless against Division I-A opponents this season, the Tar Heels coach is just as frustrated as many in the fan base.

However, the sixth-year coach isn't ready to throw in the towel as the Heels prepare for Thursday night's ESPN showcase game at Virginia. Bunting, 25-41 overall and 16-27 in the ACC, said Tuesday he still thinks the program is headed in the right direction.

"I'm frustrated with myself," Bunting said. "I'm frustrated with what's going on. I look to the future as to what we're doing with the program. I look at all the good things with this program: not very many discipline problems, doing well in some other areas of having retention in the program, doing a great job with recruiting, redshirting 22 of the 25 players. That gives you a chance to be good. That really does.

"Should [fans] be frustrated? Yeah. Frustrated to the point where they're thinking that the program's not going in the right direction? No, the program's going in the right direction."

Turning that frustration into production will take a streak-breaking effort by the Heels on Thursday in Charlottesville. No one on UNC's roster was alive -- and Bunting still was playing linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles -- the last time the Heels won in Charlottesville. That was back in 1981, a span of 12 straight losses.

Bunting coached two of those games, a 56-24 wipeout in 2004 and a 37-27 loss in 2002 and he has been reminded several times that this is the 10th anniversary of the infamous "Almost Fiesta Bowl" loss.

In 1996, an 8-1 Carolina team coached by Mack Brown led 17-3 in the fourth quarter and had a chance to put the Cavaliers away, and all but secure a bid to the Fiesta Bowl. A 95-yard interception return by former Ravenscroft star Antwan Harris sparked a Virginia comeback and a memorable 20-17 win.

"I don't look back on things," Bunting said. "I want to look forward. This is a different team, this a different time and a different opportunity."

The circumstances at UNC have changed dramatically since then. Instead of vying to play in major bowls, the Tar Heels and Cavaliers are battling to escape the nether region of the ACC's the Coastal Division.

Al Groh's program also is struggling in his sixth season. After going to four straight bowl games, Virginia is 2-5 and reeling after a 28-26 home loss to Maryland on Saturday.

The Cavaliers led 20-0 at the half and eventually lost after failing on a 2-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter.

Although Carolina hasn't had success at Virginia, it did beat the Cavs last season, 7-5 at Kenan Stadium. A reprise of that defensive struggle seems unlikely.

The Heels, who rank last in the ACC in run defense and 113th in the country, will be without senior outside linebacker Larry Edwards, who cracked his left collarbone in Saturday's 37-20 loss to South Florida. Edwards, who leads the team with 41 tackles, hopes to return for the Duke game on Nov. 25, but is likely out for the remaining six games.

UNC will inset untested junior Martel Thatch and sophomore Garrett White in Edwards' spot. Neither has started a college game. Thatch has no tackles this season and White has five, in mop-up duty at Clemson.

"They want to learn -- sometimes they try to learn too much at once -- but they want to fill Larry's shoes and they want to play," senior safety Kareen Taylor said of Thatch and White.

 

UVa Notebook: Ogletree elevates his game
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 18, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - In the early morning hours the Monday following a loss to East Carolina, Virginia coach Al Groh called his wide receivers together and showed them video clips of big plays that just missed against the Pirates.
"This is how close we are to the big plays," Groh told them. "Let's make them."

Kevin Ogletree took it to heart. The sophomore had three catches that went for 38, 51 and 44 yards against Maryland on Saturday. He scored on two of them and nearly plunged into the end zone on the other one, barely stepping out of bounds at the 4-yard line.

"I always looked at myself as being a big play-maker on offense," Ogletree said. "You kind of saw spurts of that in the first couple games, but not really the explosive game or the one everyone was looking for."

Against ECU, Ogletree had three catches for 13 yards, his lowest output this season. But now that senior Deyon Williams is nearly back to full strength, defenses have more to worry about.

Ogletree's last two catches on Saturday came out of three-wide receiver packages, with Ogletree lined up in the slot. That's a favorable matchup for UVa, since it usually pairs him against a safety.

"Kevin against a safety is especially a mismatch," quarterback Jameel Sewell said. "Pretty much, Kevin Ogletree against anybody is a mismatch."

"I think the team will benefit," said Ogletree, who leads UVa's receivers with 31 catches for 382 yards and four touchdowns. "It will keep the defense on its toes."

Pulling rank

When he first moved to guard last season, all Branden Albert ever heard about was Elton Brown, a two-time winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the ACC's top lineman who had graduated the year before his arrival.

Now Albert's drawing comparisons. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound Albert is coming into his own in his second season at left guard. A tackle during his year of post-grad work at Hargrave Military Academy, Albert was more of a polished pass blocker when he arrived at UVa.

Now, he's making strides as a run blocker. That means pulling and giving a lead block on the perimeter, a Brown specialty.

"Everybody was like, 'Elton did this,' and 'Elton did that,'" Albert said. "So I went back to see how he worked on the line, how did he pull, and I noticed he's a great football player. He overwhelmed people when he pulled. He's a big, athletic guy who when he got out in space, would just devour people."

Albert has shown glimpses of doing the same on the perimeter. Against Duke, he pulled on one play and took out two defenders to spring a big run.

Despite being UVa's most tenured lineman with 19 career starts, he's still only a sophomore, meaning the best is yet to come.

"What I sense in him is that he's become more confident in himself, in his play and just overall," Groh said.

Slide, Sewell, slide

Sewell is not a speedster by any means, but he can run with the ball, as he showed by running 10 times for 92 yards and a touchdown against Maryland. Only two or three of those plays were designed.

"I think he understands he's got the ability to (run)," Groh said, "but I think it's a very positive sign for a quarterback who has the ability to run at this early stage in his career that he's not so quick to do it that he doesn't use all his passing options."

He has not yet mastered the quarterback slide, however. A football and basketball player at Hermitage High, he never played baseball. After taking a particularly solid lick from an East Carolina defender two weeks ago, Albert got in his ear.

"He was angry at me," Sewell said. "He was like, 'Go out of bounds. You don't need to take unnecessary hits.'"

Extra points

Despite dislocating his shoulder on Saturday trying to recover a punt he muffed inside the 5-yard line, Emmanuel Byers practiced Monday. ? Wide receiver Andrew Pearman resumed light workouts on the sideline during practice on Monday. The sophomore had clean-up surgery in his knee a week and a half ago. He won't play on Thursday. ? Defensive tackle Allen Billyk is still recovering from an ankle injury suffered last week that all but kept him out of the Maryland game. "We put him for three plays, probably hoping more than anything," Groh said. "It was pretty apparent he couldn't generate any power."


 

Assistants, players succeed after U.Va.
Former Virginia head coach, athletic director Terry Holland has compiled impressive list of prominent understudies
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

With Midnight Madness ceremonies taking place across the country last weekend, college basketball season is officially upon us. There is considerable excitement being generated by this season's Virginia basketball team and the new John Paul Jones Arena.

Cavalier basketball fans are even starting to reminisce about the Virginia men's basketball squads of the 1980s and 1990s, when Virginia was a force to be reckoned with in the ACC and across the country. Arguably the greatest four-season run of Cavalier basketball occurred from 1980-1984, when Virginia won three regular season ACC Championships and appeared in two Final Fours. Many of the players and coaches involved during that time are now leaders on and off the court.

The man responsible for bringing Virginia basketball to levels not seen before was Terry Holland. Holland came to Virginia in 1974 after serving as a head coach at Davidson University. In Holland's 16 years in Charlottesville, he became the winningest coach in Virginia history and led the Cavaliers to Final Fours in 1981 and 1984. Since retiring, he has served as Athletic Director at Davidson, Virginia and, currently, East Carolina.

Several of Holland's former players and assistant coaches went on to be coaches. The most notable of this past year is Jim Larranaga. Larranaga served under Holland as an assistant coach at Davidson and Virginia. While Larranaga had success as head coach at Bowling Green, his current job at George Mason made him a familiar face to much of the nation. His Patriots advanced to the Final Four last season as a No. 11 seed, knocking off Michigan State, North Carolina, Wichita State and Connecticut along the way.

Another one of Holland's assistants went on to be an outstanding head coach as well. Dave Odom served as an assistant under Holland from 1982-1989. He parlayed that into a head coaching job at Wake Forest, where he turned the Demon Deacons into one of the premier ACC teams in the 1990s. In only his second year, Odom led the Demon Deacons to the first of seven straight NCAA Tournament appearances, also earning ACC titles in 1995 and 1996. Currently Odom is the head coach at South Carolina, where his Gamecocks are the two-time defending NIT champions.

The man who replaced Holland as head coach at Virginia is still coaching today. Jeff Jones, who played and was an assistant for Holland, took over the head coaching job at Virginia at the age of 29. In his eight seasons in Charlottesville, he took the Cavaliers to five NCAA appearances and won the NIT in 1992. In 1995, Jones guided Virginia to a 25-9 record, an Elite Eight appearance and their highest final ranking since 1983. Jones is currently the head coach at American University.

Former players of Terry Holland have also gone on be collegiate coaches. One such example is Ricky Stokes. Stokes played under Holland from 1980-1984, where he was part of the 1981 Final Four team and co-captain of the 1984 team that made a Cinderella run to the Final Four. Stokes has reunited with Holland at East Carolina University, where he is serving as head coach.

 

TECH NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 18, 2006

WALL OFF THE TEAM: Promising backup defensive end William Wall won't have a chance to reach his potential with the Hokies.

Tech head coach Frank Beamer kicked him off the team.

"That's over not any one thing, but a group of things," Beamer said.

Wall, a 6-3 redshirt freshman from Washington, D.C., led the team with three sacks. He was suspended for a game earlier in the season for arguing with an assistant coach in practice.

His departure leaves the Hokies with only three defensive ends -- Chris Ellis, Noland Burchette and Orion Martin -- with any extensive playing time at the position. True freshman Nekos Brown is listed as Burchette's backup on Tech's depth chart.

BELL BACK: Sophomore tailback George Bell returned to practice Monday, and he says he's back with the Hokies to stay.

The former blue chip recruit sat out the last month to give his ailing knees a rest. He looked fast in practice and didn't appear to limp.

Bell sat out most of his senior high school season after tearing the ligaments in his left knee. He said that knee is fine. It's the right knee that he injured during spring practice that was giving him problems before he took his break.

"It's real fresh out there [now]," Bell said after practice.

His teammates are happy to see him back.

"I don't know anybody who doesn't like George," Tech quarterback Sean Glennon said. "It's always nice to see a hard-working kid like that out here, and we need somebody out there who can give Branden [Ore, Tech's starting tailback] a breather, and hopefully George's knee is going to hold up and he's going to be that guy."

PLAYERS RESPOND TO HERBIE: ESPN color analyst Kirk Herbstreit expressed strong opinions about the direction of Virginia Tech's football program during Thursday's national telecast.

The Hokies players had a chance to watch clips of the game and hear those comments during their Monday film session.

"Bottom line is some guy out there in the broadcast booth has six minutes to fill in a one-sided game. . . . If I was a broadcaster, I would have probably talked about how good Boston College was, not how big of thugs we were. It's just disrespectful in a sense because he doesn't know us as people," said Tech senior center Danny McGrath.

Herbstreit, usually a strong Hokies supporter, said the team was getting away from its blue-collar style of play in favor of a more individualistic attitude.

He also chided Tech linebacker Brenden Hill for dancing to "Sweet Caroline," during an extended commercial break in the fourth quarter when the Hokies were down 20-3.

"We all just saw what happened with Brenden and how he got ripped nationally throughout the entire ESPN broadcast, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense when we're playing our butts off," McGrath said. "We just weren't getting things done. That doesn't make us thugs out there on the field."

HILL ANSWERS FOR ACTIONS: Hill said his fourth-quarter dancing wasn't a show of carelessness. He was trying to pump up his teammates during one of the game's many long television timeouts.

Just minutes before ESPN showed Hill bobbing up and down, the network captured linebacker Xavier Adibi and rover Aaron Rouse jawing at each other on the sideline. Hill said he was trying to break up the tension.

"My intentions were to keep the guys around me loose, keep them excited and keep them from being so tense, because of the situation that happened on the sideline before and that we were losing," Hill said.

Hill apologized to his teammates on Monday anyway.

"I realize that perception is reality and the way they perceived it is the way it's going to be. There's nothing I can do about that," he said.

-- Nathan Warters/Media General News Service
 

Tech rooters react
Arrests. Personal fouls. Attitude on the field and sidelines. Problems Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer promised would be addressed in 2006 have lingered, and fans are reacting. A sampling of the dozens of letters received:

An open letter to the university
Wayne VanDyck
Roanoke -- Class of 1975

As a Virginia Tech alumnus I, along with my family, have followed the school's sports teams with great delight for many years, including holding season tickets to men's and women's basketball -- and of course football. Half of the family wardrobe is either maroon, orange or the beautiful combination, and our home is covered with more of the same.


While attendance at the sports events provides us a great outlet to enjoy return trips to the campus and relive the many fine moments spent there, they are not the overriding source of my love. From early high school years I yearned to attend VPI, and loved every minute of the five years I spent there. Like thousands of other alumni, I am very proud to be a graduate of the school, and any successes we've had in athletics have little to do with that pride.

It is thus with a strong sense of remorse that I write this letter, knowing that if published, I will be publicly chastising the institution that I love. Nevertheless, now is clearly the right time to express my great disdain for the behavior of some of our athletes. Like many I've talked to in the hours following the Boston College game, I am embarrassed and ashamed to be associated with Virginia Tech.

The sportscasters and newspapers have done a good job of highlighting for all of us the despicable behavior of several members of our team. I thank them for that, because I have to believe that by so doing, change will take place. There is no need for me to offer my own take on their actions, or to cite specific examples. While I do not know Frank Beamer personally, I feel that I do, and I do not envy the situation he faces.

I know Frank is a good and honorable man, and I respect what he has tried to do as head coach. Unfortunately, after seeing the body language of Chris Ellis when Frank spoke to him after his late-game, uncalled-for personal foul, I fear that Frank is no longer in control of the team.

By this letter, I petition the school administrators and Board of Visitors to restore the institution to its proper, long-standing, respected place in the community. I ask that they take whatever action is necessary to accomplish this. I ask that they put aside the short-sighted, money-grubbing habits of recent years and make restoring the school's reputation their only priority. I ask that they take severe and permanent actions to end this embarrassment.

In closing, I offer this final observation: When I was a kid growing up in Portsmouth, Va., a local benefactor provided a community center for the neighborhood's kids. We were there year-round in the gym, in the pool, playing pingpong, horseshoes, football, softball and just hanging out. Inside the main entrance, very prominently displayed on a wall near the entrance, were the words that Grantland Rice made famous. All of us who recreated there lived by those words, and they certainly seem appropriate now.

"For when the One Great Scorer comes -- To write against your name, He marks -- not that you won or lost -- But how you played the game."

Virginia Tech fans everywhere, and particularly proud Virginia Tech alumni, believe that these words must control our athletic programs, and unless something is done soon to that end, everything we've stood for since 1872 will be lost.

Tom Kirchner
Roanoke

I'm a college football fan who adopted Virginia Tech as "my team" when I moved to Roanoke 11 years ago. Through the years, I've had season tickets and have enjoyed the many victories supplied by the Hokies.

However, over the past two years I've been disappointed that Frank Beamer and his assistant coaches seem to be more interested in victories than in developing character in young men.

I've watched in amazement when the coaching staff continues to play troublemakers and hot heads. Please start sitting those players who display poor sportsmanship -- even if it costs us a victory now and then.

Ultimately, that will make this member of the Hokie Nation prouder of the team, coaches and the school than a few extra victories by the hooligans who are currently disgracing Virginia Tech.

Hopeful that Beamer will make changes

Jack Collins
Rocky Mount -- Class of 1954

Many thanks to Aaron McFarling of The Roanoke Times and Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN for telling it like it is regarding the football team at Virginia Tech. As an alumnus, I am not ashamed of the team losing, but I am ashamed and embarrassed about the manner in which several of the players conduct themselves, both on and off the field.

Perhaps criticism from respected observers will motivate Coach Beamer to begin corrective action.

Disappointed in the Hokies and their coaches
 

Herbstreit defends rant
By Randy King
981-3126

ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit said Tuesday that his fiery commentary concerning Virginia Tech's on-field antics in Thursday's game at Boston College was fueled by his respect for Hokies coach Frank Beamer and his staff, and the Tech program.

Herbstreit's rant in the final seven minutes of Tech's 22-3 meltdown was ignited by an animated sideline tirade between linebacker Vince Hall and strong safety Aaron Rouse; a blatant cheap shot hit by defensive end Chris Ellis; and linebacker Brenden Hill's on-field dancing to music played by the BC band during a television commercial break.

"After hearing about all the reaction down there in [The Roanoke Times], I felt bad because the only reason I reacted on-air the way I did is because I've really gotten to know Frank Beamer as a person over the years. If he's not my favorite coach, he's 1A and 1B." said Herbstreit, who talked with Beamer on Tuesday afternoon.

"People who don't know me and how I feel about Coach [Beamer], they might take it and think, 'Boy, he's really piling on,' and that really was not my intention at all. It was more just frustration with where Frank is trying to take the program and a few individuals kind of holding him back from doing that.

"If it were any other coach and any other program, you may not have heard that same kind of passion. But because I care so much about him, and because I care about what he's trying to do with his team, it became pretty passionate."

Herbstreit, in his 12th year with ESPN, said Thursday's diatribe was "as emotional as I've ever been on the air."

"The reason I got heated is because I know how hard [Beamer] and [defensive coordinator] Bud Foster and [offensive coordinator] Bryan Stinespring and the rest of that staff, how hard collectively they've worked on that very subject for the last three or four years, and what an effort they've made to try and filter all of that out of the program.

"And when I saw that -- it wasn't so much the fighting on the sideline, I mean that's going to happen -- it was just the nonsense, the trash-talking, the dancing on the field when they were down ... just things that are very uncharacteristic of a program we've all come to love in Virginia Tech. The reason I reacted why I did was out of frustration at the kids, and them evidently not getting the message that there's a right way and a wrong way to conduct yourself as Hokie football player."

Sunday, Beamer showed his players the ESPN copy of the game video that included Herbstreit's pointed commentary.

"My hope is that after some of the antics that went on last Thursday night that some of these players see who they're representing, and the legacy and the players who have come before them," Herbstreit said.

Herbstreit and the ESPN's cameras will be in Blacksburg on Oct. 26 when Clemson visits Lane Stadium.

"I'm hoping by the time we see [the Hokies] for Clemson, they'll be flying around and playing the way they're supposed to. That what I would love to see."