Cavaliers, Wolfpack renew acquaintances
Teams haven't met since Rivers, Schaub staged epic duel in 2003
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 28, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - For football teams that are ostensibly conference rivals, Virginia and N.C. State haven't seen much of each other lately.

Such is life is in the ACC since the league expanded to 12 schools by adding Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004 and Boston College last year.

U.Va. and Boston College, for example, played last season in Chestnut Hill, Mass., but won't meet again until 2009.

Today at Scott Stadium, the Cavaliers and the Wolfpack collide for the first time since their epic shootout Nov. 1, 2003, in Raleigh, N.C. In a game that was tied 37-37 with one minute left, N.C. State's Philip Rivers passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns. Matt Schaub countered with 393 yards, a U.Va. record, and four TDs passing. State prevailed 51-37.

Only a handful of Cavaliers remain from that 2002 team. For most of his other players, U.Va. coach Al Groh said this week, the Wolfpack is similar to "a non-conference opponent. They don't have any background with [State]."

Forgive Groh's counterpart, Chuck Amato, if he needs directions from the team hotel to Scott Stadium. N.C. State hasn't played in this town since Nov. 16, 2002, when Virginia upset the 20th-ranked Pack 14-9 on a rainy day.

Since then, of course, the ACC has split its football teams into two divisions. N.C. State (2-2, 3-4) is fifth in the Atlantic, ahead of only Florida State (2-3, 4-3). U.Va. (2-2, 3-5) is fourth in the Coastal, ahead of North Carolina (0-4, 1-6) and Duke (0-5, 0-7).

The Cavaliers' struggles notwithstanding, a strong finish could vault them past some or all of the teams they trail in the Coastal: Georgia Tech (3-1, 5-2), Miami (2-1, 5-2) and Virginia Tech (3-2, 6-2).

"It's a wild year in the ACC," Virginia defensive end Chris Long said.

Since losing 31-21 at East Carolina on Oct. 7, U.Va. has markedly improved, especially on offense. The Wahoos lost a game they should have won Oct. 14 when they blew a 20-0 halftime lead against Maryland, but they bounced back five days later to blank UNC 23-0.

"A couple weeks ago, if we'd told you all the season's not over, I think a lot of people would have smirked at us," Long said. "It's not, and I feel like we've finally reached a point where we can say that, and I think people are starting to listen. I'm not saying we've done anything groundbreaking, but we've won a couple games now and we're starting to feel like we have that identity a little more."

N.C. State has lost two consecutive games, to Wake Forest and Maryland, since upsetting Florida State 27-17 in Raleigh. But the Pack has two outstanding tailbacks in Andre Brown and Toney Baker - each a former recruiting target of U.Va. - and a swift group of wide receivers.

"They're just so talented at a lot of skill positions," Long said.

At the most important skill position, quarterback, U.Va. redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell has progressed steadily since struggling in his first start, a 24-7 loss at Georgia Tech on Sept. 21. Virginia, which has scored 107 points in its past four games, totaled only 43 in its first four.

"I think we're a different team than we were then," Long said. "But I also think a lot of teams we're playing now who've had troubles are different teams than they've been, so we're not unique in that respect. But we believe that we can end this season on a positive note."

 

Long breaks from slump
The UVa defensive end was not making many tackles early in the year, but things have changed.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE--On a team that was starved for name players, Virginia defensive end Chris Long had such an undistinguished first month that it was almost time to remove his name from the Cavaliers' marquee.

Nobody had to tell Long that he had as many tackles after the first two games as another Chris, UVa kicking specialist Chris Gould.

"You can be disruptive without having big numbers." Long said. "But, at the end of the day, you want to see yourself getting better. If I fall on three or four piles in the [Georgia] Tech game and I have five tackles, everybody's like, 'Chris Long's OK.'"

But, he wasn't OK. Virginia's fourth game was against Georgia Tech. Long wasn't OK that week and, in his eyes, he wasn't OK the next week, when the Cavaliers blanked Duke 37-0.

"The thing is, I didn't feel like I played that well in that game," said Long, oldest of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long's three sons. "I didn't feel I was moving forward. At that point, I took a step back and said, 'You know what? That's pretty unacceptable.'"

Apparently, the pep talk worked. While he doesn't judge himself by statistics, they have been hard to ignore over the past three games.

After five games, Long had 18 tackles, including two tackles for loss and zero sacks.

In the last three games alone, Long has had 22 tackles, including seven for loss and 312 sacks.

"You don't always want to think about how you can be better," Long, a junior, said. "You want to think about how the defense can get better. But sometimes, you getting better helps the defense get better."

Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) recorded its second shutout of the season last Saturday in a 23-0 victory over North Carolina, but the Tar Heels haven't beaten a Division I-A team this season.

The competition will be stiffer today at noon, when the Cavaliers face a North Carolina State team (3-4, 2-2) that already has beaten Boston College and Florida State.

It marks the 21st consecutive start for Long, a 6-foot-4, 284-pounder who blames poor practice habits for his slow start this season.

"You can practice very hard without practicing smart," Long said. "Especially on this team, it's a very technical thing playing the 3-4 [defense]. You're playing against a lot bigger guys and you're doing a difficult thing. If you let your technique get away, you're nothing."

Rest assured, nobody was questioning Long's work ethic.

"He's wired pretty hot," coach Al Groh said. "He's a total effort player in all phases of things -- training, practice, games. When he first started practicing here, he was like a dog chasing cars, just all effort, but he's learned how to direct and focus that effort. He's got a plan now: 'Here's what I need to get better at today.'"

Long knew that he needed to get better as a finisher after a 2005 season in which he had 26 quarterback pressures, but only two sacks. He has had more sacks in the last three games than he had in the first 23 games of his college career.

Long had a simple answer when asked before the season how he could turn the pressures into sacks.

"Just remember how to tackle," he said.

In other words, Long would get so excited when he got a quarterback in his sights that he would forget to execute.

Long could ask for tips from his famous father, who serves as an analyst on Fox's NFL studio show, but critiques do not come unsolicited.

"He's not going to offer anything," Chris said. "That's the way we've operated since I was in high school and started taking sports seriously."

At first, football did not take precedence but it was hard to develop at a normal rate.

Said Long: "The opposing teams would be like, 'Wait a second. This guy's dad is in the Hall of Fame? He's not anything like that?"

On top of everything, they played the same position. Howie Long had 84 career sacks and was an eight-time Pro Bowler in 13 seasons with the Oakland Raiders (1981-1993).

"I could play safety and I think people would find comparisons," Chris said. "Obviously, there are similarities. Comparisons will always come and, at this point, I'm very proud of that. Before, I was like, 'Whatever! Don't tell me about that.' Now, I don't shy away from it."

There is one area in which they will not be compared. Chris had his hair in corn rows for a recent game but he's let it grow out in a fashion not unlike thousands of his fellow male students. He's not about to adopt the style his father favors on television.

"No flat top," he said, then repeated for emphasis. "No flat top."
 

Clemson over Tech a sucker pick
UVa pick a bad omen for Cavalier fans
Doug Doughty

You’d think, after 32 years of covering sports in southwest Virginia, that I would have learned a few lessons.

Maybe I should write it down 100 times to help me remember:

Never pick against Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium on Thursday night.

While I’m at it, I need to remember never to pick Clemson on Thursday night, whatever the venue.

Clemson is 1-7 all-time in Thursday night appearances on ESPN, including 1-6 under Tommy Bowden.

Tech is 13-2 in Thursday night ESPN games, including 8-1 at Lane Stadium. If I’m doing my math correctly, Tech was 12-1 in Thursday night ESPN telecasts before losing at Boston College earlier this month.

Usually, Nappy King, Tech football reporter for The Roanoke Times, is on top of those things. Why he would have picked against the Hokies, I don’t know.

Of course, it made perfect sense that the Tigers would come into Lane Stadium and beat the Hokies, having destroyed Georgia Tech one week earlier, 31-7. That’s the same Georgia Tech team that throttled the Hokies 38-27 at Lane.

That’s where it hurts to have a short memory.

In early October, while my XM radio was still functioning, most of my drive to East Carolina was spent listening to the Wake Forest-Clemson game.

Clemson ended up winning that game 27-17, thanks to a terrific fourth-quarter comeback, but Wake dominated the Tigers for three quarters and had a 17-3 lead early in the fourth.

In fact, Wake was lining up for a field goal by Sam Swank before the holder bobbled the snap, Clemson’s Gaines Adams grabbed the ball out of the area and took it 66 yards for a touchdown.

One week later, Swank kicked three field goals of 50 yards or more at N.C. State, so, if the Deacons had gotten the snap down, presumably he would have converted and Wake would have had a virtually insurmountable lead at 20-3. Instead, it was 17-10.

If the Tigers could be dominated for three quarters at Wake’s Groves Stadium, maybe the least intimidating venue in the ACC, then there certainly was a possibility that they could be had at Lane.

BESIDES, CLEMSON HAD run the ball so successfully for most of the season that the Tigers’ passing game was an afterthought. If there has been one thing Tech has been able to do over the years, it’s to stop the run.

Whatever it’s called now, Tech’s defensive philosophy is based on the old wide-tackle 6 defense employed by Jerry Claiborne when he was coaching the Hokies and Frank Beamer was a Tech defensive back. Claiborne later took the wide-tackle 6 to Maryland, where the Terps would become the scourge of the ACC.

Ex-Virginia coach George Welsh, who had a fair degree of success against Beamer during the early stages of Beamer’s rebuilding efforts, always said that it was impossible to beat Tech without attempting to throw the long ball.

Even if the passes fell incomplete, Welsh reasoned, it was necessary to take every step to back Tech’s safeties off the line of scrimmage.

Fifth-year Clemson quarterback Will Proctor wasn’t about to throw the long ball Thursday. Heck, he couldn’t even throw the short ball. If you want to know why Georgia Tech was successful against Tech and Clemson wasn’t, that’s it. The Yellow Jackets always had the threat of Calvin Johnson.

I MIGHT HAVE guessed that I would hear Friday morning from an unnamed media gadfly and notorious second-guesser who wanted to know what I had to say now about Clemson’s Chris McDuffie, subject of an item in Thursday’s print edition of The Roanoke Times.

McDuffie, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound offensive guard from Danville, made his first college start Thursday night in place of injured Outland Trophy candidate Roman Fry. While White clearly has an eye for such things, I can only assume that McDuffie did not have a great game since Clemson had 166 yards in total offense.

I’ll stick with my point, which was, given the offensive-line problems that Tech and Virginia have had this season, how does a player like McDuffie not even rate a look from Tech and UVa? McDuffie was not a qualifier coming out of George Washington High School but neither were some of his teammates at Hargrave Military Academy and they wound up at Tech or UVa.

The difference, and this is what frosts the Fork Union and Hargrave coaches, is that while Tech and UVa don’t mind “placing” signees in the two postgraduate programs, they show very little interest in the uncommitted players at those programs, players like ex-Cave Spring lineman Robbie Powell, now starting at center for Purdue.

THAT SAID, I’M not sure the commentators Thursday night directed enough praise at the Tech offensive line, particularly Brandon Gore, who was listed on the pregame depth chart as a back-up at right guard but replaced Ryan Shuman at left guard after Shuman suffered a knee injury.

At 6 foot 5 and 330 pounds, Gore has plenty of size and some impressive credentials, but he has started one game in five years, which should tell you something. He’s not a great pass blocker but the Hokies weren’t doing much passing Thursday night.

The word at the SEC Roundtable on Friday was that Shuman, scheduled to undergo an MRI this afternoon, may have suffered a torn ACL. If so, he’s probably out for the season, which means Gore should be starting some more games.

Here’s a team that hadn’t rushed for as many as 150 yards in any of its first six games; in fact, the Hokies rushed for 42 yards against Georgia Tech and 33 at Boston College, and they’ve now proceeded to rush for 284 yards and 224 yards in two games over a six-day span.

As noted previously, the SEC Roundtable is not entirely devoted to the SEC and has some expert Tech analysts, most notably former Hokie grappler Ellsworth Snyder, who was at Tech when it was known as VPI and wrestlers were known as grapplers.

While Tech would win a three-way tie for first in the ACC’s Coastal Division if it had a higher BCS rating, Snyder says his sources say that Tech might be better served not to win the Coastal Division if it could finish the regular season at 10-2.

Bowl officials have told Snyder that Tech at 10-2 might be more attractive for an at-large BCS bid than the loser of the ACC championship game, especially if that team has fewer than 10 wins.

Let’s say that Georgia Tech beats visiting Miami on Saturday and remains ahead of the Hokies or even tied with them. Georgia Tech would win a two-team tie-breaker based on head-to-head matchup, but if the Yellow Jackets then lost the championship game, it would not be nearly as attractive as an at-large BCS team because of fan following.

IF THERE ARE any Virginia fans still reading, they’re probably ticked off at the absence of UVa commentary until this point and I’m not going to blame them.

The bad news for them is, I picked the Cavaliers this week. During one recent stretch, I picked UVa’s game incorrectly three times in a four-week span and probably should have gotten the fourth game wrong (Maryland over UVa).

North Carolina State represents the third conference opponent to come to Scott Stadium in as many weeks and I submit that the Wolfpack is the most talented of the three. Some of the guys at the Roundtable were saying that they couldn’t see how UVa could contain State’s big backs, Andrew Brown and Toney Baker.

(By the way, North Carolinians Brown and Baker both indicated at some point during their recruiting that they were leaning toward UVa. There are a few N.C. State players that the Cavaliers would have wanted, including redshirt freshman wide receiver Kyle Newell).

How is UVa against the run? Not bad, I’d say. The Cavaliers are ninth among 12 ACC teams in rushing defense, but they’re giving up only 3.3 yards per carry. Of course, some of those stats were compiled against two teams that remain winless in Division I-A, Duke and North Carolina.

With State, you have to count on the Wolfpack beating themselves, which has happened a few times, and you have to wonder if the bloom is off the rose for sophomore quarterback Daniel Evans, but, mostly I’m picking the Cavaliers because they’re at home.

Too bad I didn’t realize that about the Hokies.
 

Beating N.C. State would aid Cavaliers' dim bowl dreams
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 28, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - They are two games south of .500 with four difficult games left to play, three wins shy of qualifying for the most modest of bowl bids.

That's one way of looking at it.

Not surprisingly, the Virginia Cavaliers don't choose to look at things that way. Though they say they don't pay much attention to the standings, the Cavaliers know that at 2-2, they're a game out of first place in the ACC Coastal Division, tied in the loss column with Virginia Tech and a game behind Miami and Georgia Tech.

Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) plays host to N.C. State (3-4, 2-2) today at Scott Stadium.

"A couple weeks ago, when we said, 'The season's not over,' a lot of people smirked at us," Cavaliers defensive end Chris Long said. "It's not. We've finally reached the point where we can say that and I think people are starting to listen."

With Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech waiting next month, however, it would take an incredible finish for the Cavaliers to reach a bowl game, a borderline miracle for them to win their division. The climb is not quite so steep for the Wolfpack, which has five games to pick up the three wins needed to get bowl-eligible and is also a game back in the Atlantic Division.

The hunger factor should be high today for two teams that can't afford another loss if they want to keep faint division hopes alive.

"It's a big time, especially for us," U.Va. tackle Will Barker said.

For the Wolfpack, too. After a slow start, N.C. State bounced back with wins over Boston College and Florida State, but has lost its past two, to Wake Forest and Maryland by a combined eight points. Turnovers and penalties hurt the Wolfpack in both losses.

"It is impossible in this league or any other to have mistakes in bad positions and at untimely times," N.C. State coach Chuck Amato said. "Nobody can overcome those things."

Certainly not an N.C. State team that, like Virginia, is breaking in a young quarterback. The Wolfpack's Daniel Evans, a sophomore, will be making his fifth start; Virginia's Jameel Sewell, a redshirt freshman, is making his sixth. It's a far cry from the last time the teams met, in 2003, when seniors Philip Rivers of N.C. State and Matt Schaub put on a show in a 51-37 Wolfpack victory. Rivers threw for 410 yards, Schaub 393.

Neither young quarterback has approached those kinds of numbers and isn't likely to today. But each team's offense has been more productive since a new quarterback took over.

Sewell's breakout game came against Maryland on Oct. 14, when he threw for 243 yards and rushed for 92. The Cavaliers led 20-0 at halftime, but lost 28-26.

It's a loss that looks more costly in retrospect. If Virginia had held on, the Cavaliers would be 3-1 in the conference, and two wins shy of the magic six-win mark. Even so, in a conference without a dominant team, they remain nominally in the hunt.

"It's one of the things that's a great benefit of how the conference is lined up right now," coach Al Groh said.

Virginia's improved play of late has already sparked talk of next season, when most of the team returns. The Cavaliers start just three seniors, and five play regularly.

"We've had seasons where we've played nine or 10 freshmen and were actually a more veteran team," Groh said.

Barker, a redshirt freshma n, admitted the future looks bright.

"But we don't want to just give up and call it a building year," he said.

Not in a conference in which a couple of sub-.500 teams can keep hope alive, at least for another week.

"It's going to be like the playoffs," N.C. State defensive end DeMarcus "Tank" Tyler said. "Whoever wins this game advances on."

 

Will Harris Has Ankle Surgery
Virginia freshman expected to return to action in 3-4 weeks.
Oct. 27, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Will Harris, a freshman forward/guard on the Virginia men's basketball team, had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle on Friday (Oct. 27) to remove bone spurs that were aggravated during the first week of practice.

Harris is expected to return to action in 3-4 weeks, but a definite date for his return is uncertain.

"We look forward to having Will back in action with us," Virginia head coach Dave Leitao said. "It was important for him to have this taken care of so he can begin the rehabilitation process."

The 6-6 Harris is from Corona, N.Y.

 

N.C. State tandem poses test for U.Va.
The Cavaliers need big contributions from nose tackle Nate Collins and their front seven today.
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
October 28, 2006

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Fear froze him for a moment. His coaches just shouted out a code word for a play, and he had no earthly idea what it meant. A freshman's nightmare.

He calmed himself as he assumed his position at nose tackle. He did what any uncertain kid would do: He pretended to know the play.

When the center snapped the ball, he rushed the wrong way but still penetrated the offensive line. The coaches probably rolled their eyes, but, hey, at least those eyes noticed him.

"Once again, Nate, you're going the wrong way," he remembered them saying. "But because of your effort, you still made the play."

Nate Collins smiled as he recalled those moments from preseason practices. He is as pleasantly surprised as anyone that he's playing this season as a true freshman.

He is Virginia's nose tackle in nickel situations and likely will be the Cavaliers' only true freshman to play this fall. He and the rest of Virginia's front seven face their most challenging running back tandem of the season at noon today, when North Carolina State's Andre Brown and Toney Baker come to Scott Stadium.

How unexpected is it to see Collins at nose? He rarely played the position at his small private high school. To him, Virginia's 3-4 defense seemed like Aramaic. Virginia was the only Division I-A school who offered him a scholarship. New Hampshire and Delaware, of Division I-AA, also offered. He showed up in Charlottesville this summer, thinking he would redshirt. Of the Cavaliers' 16 true freshmen, he seemed one of the unlikeliest to play. "I came here ready to learn," he said. "Before this year, I didn't really know a lot about football."

Collins began preseason practices at nose tackle, then moved to defensive end, then back to nose. His practice repetitions increased as junior nose tackles Allen Billyk and Keenan Carter battled ankle injuries.

That's when Collins accounted for his lacking knowledge with extra intensity.

He mapped out his logic: "(Before a play), I would be like, 'I'm gonna go this way, but I've gotta make sure I'm either close to making the play or making the play. So that, yeah, they're gonna yell at me, but I'd always (think), 'Well, I still made the play.'

"You get in a lot less trouble if you go the wrong way and make a play than if you go the wrong way and don't make a play."

Billyk has started for most of the season, but Collins has played 111 plays and made 10 tackles, including four for a loss and one sack. Remarkable still, considering Collins graduated in a class of 56 and played against sub-par competition at King & Low-Heywood Thomas High in Stamford, Conn., located 15 minutes from his home in Port Chester, N.Y.

He mostly played fullback and defensive end in his school's 4-3 system, but also substituted at quarterback as a senior. Former Virginia assistant Mark D'Onofrio discovered him.

Collins, now 6-feet-2 and 281 pounds, became accustomed in high school to bull-rushing past smaller offensive linemen - a habit Virginia coaches now try to squash. Power alone can't sustain a lineman in the 3-4 because the three linemen take on five offensive linemen.

Collins could play end at Virginia, said Cavaliers coach Al Groh, who admitted that Billyk's and Carter's ankle injuries have altered the nose tackle spot. "It has affected kind of how we view that position and some of the things we're trying to do," he said.

Collins hopes to contend for the starting job in the spring. But for now, he's just trying to work through the season - even if that means, as he admitted, that he's still guessing sometimes.

"You have to," he said with a grin.
 

Today's game crucial for Pack's bowl hopes
By JACK DALY : The Herald-Sun
jdaly@heraldsun.com
Oct 27, 2006 : 11:20 pm ET

RALEIGH -- Virginia would make four.

With North Carolina and East Carolina on the schedule in November,

N.C. State (3-4, 2-2) then would have a good chance to get to six wins and bowl eligibility. The season would be a success by Coach Chuck Amato's standards.

A loss to the Cavaliers and the Wolfpack stays at three.

If that were the case, N.C. State would have to win three of its last four for the privilege of playing in Boise or Orlando or San Francisco or Charlotte. Either a victory at home against No. 21 Georgia Tech or on the road against No. 10 Clemson would become mandatory.

So for the Wolfpack, there's more to today's game at Scott Stadium (noon, WRAL) than a simple math equation: 4>3.

"Everybody knows we've got to get to six," quarterback Daniel Evans said. "Where we stand right now -- it's not just this game, but every game's pretty much a must-win from here on out. I think everybody knows where we stand."

N.C. State wiggled its way into the Meineke Car Care Bowl last season when it won four of its last five regular-season games, so there's a precedent even if the Wolfpack loses to Virginia (3-5, 2-2).

Then again, there are more ominous precedents ahead: N.C. State is 3-10 against UNC in recent years; 2-9 vs. Georgia Tech and 4-7 against Clemson.

That's why N.C. State's players are pretending today's game is Week 1 of the ACC playoffs.

"Whoever wins this game advances on," defensive tackle Tank Tyler said. "We're going to take this very serious and go out there and play hard like we're going to the ACC Championship."

The Wolfpack is in an undesirable bowl situation because of its inconsistent play in the last month. N.C. State handed Boston College its only ACC loss of the season and sacked Florida State before self-destructing against Wake Forest and Maryland. In both those defeats, the Wolfpack committed fatal turnovers that led to its demise.

Andre Brown's fumble right before halftime against Wake Forest led to a safety and a touchdown, and Daniel Evans threw a game-clinching interception on the Wolfpack's final drive.

Brown and Evans then had a fumble and an interception on the Wolfpack's first two offensive plays of the second half against Maryland, miscues that led to 14 Terrapin points and a 20-0 Maryland lead.

Considering how evenly matched N.C. State and Virginia appear to be -- the Cavaliers are even breaking in a new quarterback in Jameel Sewell, just like N.C. State with Evans -- a small improvement in turnover margin could lift the Wolfpack.

"It's going to be one of those games that it's going to come down to mistakes, whether they're timely or untimely ?," Amato said. "It's impossible in this league or any other to have mistakes in bad positions and at untimely times -- the end of the first half, the end of the second half -- nobody can overcome those."

 

QB is key
Wolfpack, Cavaliers flash inexperience at game's most important position
Chip Alexander, Staff Writer

RALEIGH - N.C. State's Daniel Evans stood in the post-practice chill this week, talking about the demands of being a starting quarterback in the ACC and all that it entails. "You've got to be a good game manager," the redshirt sophomore said. "It's not just dropping back and reading the coverage and throwing the ball like a lot of people would like to think."
When last State and Virginia played, late in the 2003 season, the quarterbacks were seniors, two of the ACC's all-time best game "managers." The Pack's Philip Rivers passed for 410 yards and four touchdowns and the Cavaliers' Matt Schaub for 393 yards and four scores as State won 51-37 at Carter-Finley Stadium.

"How about that one?" NCSU coach Chuck Amato said.

Today, when the Wolfpack and Wahoos face off at Scott Stadium, Evans will be making his fifth career start. Jameel Sewell, a redshirt freshman, will be starting his sixth game for Virginia.

How about that? In what could be a season-pivoting game for both schools, the outcome may rest in the hands of two of the most inexperienced players on the field. Talk about making a coach's stomach churn.

In the 2003 game, Rivers and Schaub ranked 1-2 in the nation in passing percentage and were among the Division I-A leaders in quarterback efficiency. Evans ranks ninth and Sewell 10th -- in the ACC -- in efficiency.

Amato has been in college coaching more than 30 years, much of it as a defensive assistant trying to confound and confuse the other team's quarterback. But he said the game has evolved to the point that the quarterback position, more than ever before, determines games.

"Football, no matter what you run offensively, has turned into almost a one-position game," Amato said. "If ours is better than yours, we've got a little better chance. If they're both even, you can have a fling out there like we did against Virginia three years ago. We wore the grass out."

Defenses, Amato said, have become ever complex. Computerized scouting, breaking down a team's offensive tendencies, makes the job even tougher.

A quarterback must be able to digest so much, so quickly, in game preparation. Then, of course, execute in the game.

"The amount put on them, it's amazing," Amato said. "If you have one, you've got a chance. If you've got a pitcher in baseball, you've got a chance. In basketball, if you don't have a point guard ... you can go on and on."

Virginia coach Al Groh succinctly put it another way. "The quarterback," he said, "has to be on every week."

For all the gnashing of teeth over why the ACC, a superconference, isn't so super in football, one reason is obvious: erratic quarterback play at several places.

Virginia, to name one. The Cavs (3-5, 2-2 ACC) opened the season with Christian Olsen, a senior, starting for the first time. After two games, Olsen was out and junior Kevin McCabe became the starter. McCabe lasted one game and it was Sewell's turn.

Sewell's first start was at Georgia Tech. The Cavs lost 24-7, rebounded to smash Duke, then lost to East Carolina and Maryland.

But Sewell was learning, getting a feel of what he could do. In the Cavs' 23-0 win over North Carolina last week, he was 17-of-25 passing for 166 yards. In the past two games, he was 30-for-46 for 409 yards, with two TDs and one interception.

"He's got a cannon for an arm," Amato said.

And quick feet. Elusive at 6 feet 2 and 213 pounds, Sewell ran for 92 yards against Maryland. He's the Cavs' second-leading rusher with 143 yards this season.

"Every game is a new experience for him," Amato said. "He's settling down. The game probably is not as fast for him as it was in the first game."

The same is true for Evans, who replaced starter Marcus Stone after State (3-4, 2-2) lost two of its first three games. After leading the Pack past Boston College and Florida State, Evans has had some rough spots in losses to Wake Forest and Maryland.

"I feel like I've steadily improved," he said. "Last week I made some bonehead decisions and everything, but that's part of it. Hopefully, I can take my mistakes and turn them into positives and learn from them."

Evans had two passes intercepted by the Terrapins, including his first throw of the second half -- a turnover Maryland turned into a TD and 20-0 lead.

"He's only played four full games," offensive coordinator Marc Trestman said. "Last week with his first [start] on the road and it was different, people yelling at him, under some heat.

"He's made some mistakes and made some very good plays. It is very much a growing process."

For Evans, that also means all the skull work, the practice preparation. It means watching game film on his personal time.

"It's having the pressure of being a Division I starting quarterback on you all week," he said.
 

N.C. State first of difficult series
A win against ACC rival N.C. State would help Virginia's effort to salvage their sinking season
Barney Breen-Portnoy, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) will look to win its second straight conference game as the Cavaliers welcome N.C. State (3-4, 2-2 ACC) to Scott Stadium tomorrow at noon.

N.C. State's fortunes this season have fluctuated significantly. N.C. State coach Chuck Amato was on the hot seat after the Wolfpack lost consecutive non-conference games to Akron and Southern Mississippi. Then, however, N.C. State reeled off two home wins over Boston College and Florida State and there was talk in Raleigh of reaching the ACC Championship game. But now, after two straight losses to Wake Forest and Maryland, the Wolfpack is just hoping to attain bowl eligibility and Amato is once again hearing whispers about his job security.

N.C. State's main problem has been turnovers. Wolfpack quarterbacks-- Marcus Stone for the first three games and Daniel Evans for the past five -- have thrown nine interceptions and the team has lost six fumbles.

N.C. State's strength is its backfield. Sophomore halfback Andre Brown and sophomore fullback Toney Baker have combined for 876 yards and eight touchdowns thus far this season.

"Offensively, this is certainly the best two-back stable of runners that we've faced," Virginia coach Al Groh said. Brown "is a size back, but he's really a make-them-miss back. If he were a baseball pitcher, he'd be throwing a lot of curveballs and sliders. Toney Baker just comes at you fast and furious."

A win over the Wolfpack would keep Virginia alive in the ACC Coastal Division race. The Cavaliers currently stand in third place, one game behind Georgia Tech in the division standings. Miami and Virginia Tech are also in the mix at the top of the division.

Parity has been the name of the game this year in the ACC. Aside from Clemson, which established itself as the favorite to win the ACC title by beating Georgia Tech 31-7 last weekend, there is not a team in the league this year that could truly be considered among the nation's elite.

While Virginia likely will not be favored going into any of its remaining games, all of its upcoming opponents -- N.C. State, Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech -- appear vulnerable in different ways. With a win over the Wolfpack tomorrow and a bit of luck down the stretch, the Cavaliers could make things interesting.

"It's one of the things that is a great benefit of how the conference is lined up right now," Groh said. "The whole emphasis is on winning your division. Regardless of what precedes it, if you can win your division, you're in the final game. And if you're in the final game, whether you're 5-6 or 6-5 or 7-4 or whatever it is, if you're in the championship game and you can win it, then you're in the [BCS]."

Groh is excited about what this means both for those on the field and others in the stands.

"It certainly adds a lot to it and keeps things interesting for teams and for fans," he said. "It certainly should be motivating for teams."

 

N.C. State, UVa two teams of the same ilk
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 28, 2006

Al Groh started his Tuesday press conference the way he normally does, running through a list of what impresses him about Virginia's opponent.
He started listing N.C. State's attributes and didn't stop for a while. He touted the Wolfpack's talented running back duo, quartet of fast receivers, out-of-this world special teams, unmovable defensive tackles and speedy rush ends.

The next question was obvious: with all this talent, why isn't N.C. State a Top 25 team?

"Take a guess," Groh said. "The same answers that apply to all teams."

In this case it would be turnovers, penalties and an unsettled quarterback situation. The Wolfpack (3-4, 2-2 ACC), who travel to Scott Stadium for a noon game today, is tied for 114th nationally in turnover margin and has had a knack for getting untimely penalties throughout coach Chuck Amato's tenure.

N.C. State's offense floundered until Amato handed the reigns to sophomore quarterback Daniel Evans in the fourth game of the season. Since then, the Wolfpack is 2-2 and has averaged over 20 points a game.

Sound familiar, Virginia fans?

"I think we're in similar stages where we're trying to get over the hump and do something with our seasons," UVa defensive end Chris Long said. "I think they've got so much talent and I think they realize that. Last week they let one get away from them. We've been there."

The biggest concern Groh has was N.C. State's explosiveness, a valid concern for a coach whose team was stung by big, game-changing plays in losses to Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Maryland.

Tailbacks Andre Brown and Toney Baker have the ability to go the distance on any play. Groh called the Wolfpack's wide receiving group the fastest UVa has played this season and Evans has proven to be a playmaker since taking over at quarterback.

N.C. State's defense has a history of being opportunistic and its return game is one of the best thanks to Darrell Blackman, who ranks in the league's top five in both kickoff and punt returns and had a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown last week at Maryland.

"It's a big challenge for our team," Groh said. "Certainly from a focus standpoint, every player on every unit on every play has got to be on his game."

Like the Woflpack, the Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2) are a different team from the start of the season. Their 2-2 record over the last four games doesn't suggest it, but there's a new air of confidence in Charlottesville these days.

UVa has found its quarterback of the future, Jameel Sewell. The offense is finally clicking, averaging 26.8 points in the last four games. And the defense has shutouts in two of the last four games, albeit against a pair of teams on the lower end of the Division I totem poll.

"A couple weeks ago if we were to have told you all that the season's not over, I think a lot of you would have smirked at us. It's not," Long said.

"And I feel like we've finally reached a point where we can say that and I think people are starting to listen."

Virginia still faces long odds at getting to the requisite six wins for bowl eligibility, having to win three of its last four to get there. But games that looked like certain losses at the beginning of the season - at Florida State, vs. Miami - suddenly look like they'll be a lot more competitive.

While the Cavaliers appear to have built a solid foundation for the future (only five seniors currently get significant playing time), they're tired of talking about it. They still want to make something out of this season.

"We don't want to sit through a year where you just lose and that's the mindset. Nobody has that mindset," Long said. "I feel like where we're at right now, we're still optimistic of what we can do."


 

High-noon start has significance for the Wolfpack
By John Delong
JOURNAL REPORTER

N.C. State will play at Virginia today in a high-noon showdown of teams desperately needing a victory.

The starting time may carry more significance than usual for a college football game.

The Wolfpack, 3-4 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, is 0-3 in noon games this season - losing to Akron, Wake Forest and Maryland.

Even if that's a coincidence, it's a bad one. And if State leaves Charlottesville late this afternoon 0-4 in noon games, it will be out of the ACC Atlantic Division title race with an uphill battle to become bowl-eligible ahead.

State players refuse to buy into the notion that they're jinxed by a noon kickoff.

But they are fully aware of the stakes today, and the importance of coming ready to play from the start.

"Every win from here on out is important, but Virginia is the most important right now," defensive tackle Tank Tyler said. "They're 2-2 in the ACC, too. So it's going to be like the playoffs. Whoever wins advances on. So we're going to take this game very seriously and play our hardest like we're going to the ACC championship."

Virginia, 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the ACC, mirrors State in some ways and has been on a roller-coaster ride similar to State's. One difference: the Cavaliers have had just one noon start in their first seven games, and played perhaps their best game, beating Duke 37-0.

Granted, that's a small and tainted sample. Regardless, State needs to buck some trends.

Coach Chuck Amato has focused on State's need to cut down on the mistakes, penalties and turnovers that have cost it dearly in losses to Wake Forest and Maryland the past two weeks. But he has noticed the trend of starting slowly throughout the course of the season, and he knows all about the 0-3 record in noon games.

"I would absolutely love to move it back to 7:30, between 7:30 and 8 o'clock, at Carter-Finley Stadium," Amato said. "Absolutely. But guess what, sorry."

State's two best performances - wins over Boston College and Florida State - were home games played at night.

Amato said he has already tried to find ways to get his team more focused and ready to play at noon.

"We've tried everything," Amato said. "The Wake Forest noon game, we didn't have school on Thursday and Friday (fall break), so we got them up, we made them come over here and have breakfast at 8 o'clock like we were having a pregame breakfast. We practiced at noon, and we tried everything in between like it would be on game day. We didn't take a bus ride or do the Walk of Champions or that stuff, but we tried everything else."

That leads him to believe that perhaps State is just destined to play games that go down to the last minute, no matter what time the game starts. Five of State's seven games have still been in doubt in the final minute.

"We're one of those teams that wants to pass out nitroglycerine tablets to take at the end of the game, I guess," Amato said.

Amato is right to talk about the importance of eliminating mistakes. State had limited itself to 13 penalties and five turnovers combined in its three wins, and has committed 34 penalties and 10 turnovers over the course of four losses. A fumble and an interception in the opening minutes of the second half led to two Maryland touchdowns last week in a 26-20 loss, and nine penalties worth 80 yards kept State reeling all afternoon.

And the reality is, mistakes can happen at noon or any other time of day.

"Mistakes happen in football, so we just have to learn from it and move on and correct our mistakes and try to eliminate the penalties and things that cause us to lose games," Tyler said. "We're in a very similar situation to earlier in the year. After we lost to Akron and Southern Miss we kind of ironed out our mistakes and lowered our penalties and that helped us out against Florida State and Boston College. So we have to do the same thing now and move on."