Santi's focus is simply on winning
Senior tight end lining up all over the place for Cavs
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 5, 2007

Tom Santi clearly knows the difference in a premier bowl game, a date in Boise, Idaho, and the unfriendly feeling holding a TV remote as an outsider to the process.

Currently sitting with four wins, just two from the necessary requirement to become eligible for the postseason, Santi has tried to relay that message to some of his understudies.

The driving force to play on a grander stage in December or even January, the team captain said, is all the motivation Virginia (4-1) should need Saturday night at Middle Tennessee State (1-4) at 7 p.m.

“It is a huge difference,” Santi said. “Football is only fun when you win. Obviously, the more wins you get, the more fun you are having.

“I will take as many wins as I can get.”

Entering this weekend’s collection of games, eight ACC programs boast winning records with at least three wins and another, Wake Forest (2-2), is a week behind schedule, having enjoyed an early bye week.

The ACC has eight bowl tie-ins, but simple logic and the wide-ranging scale of payouts explain the difference in a trip to Idaho or San Francisco and a date in a Peach Bowl-type game.

Santi was reminded of the cruel process this week during preparations to travel to Tennessee. The last time the tight end suited up in his home state came in the Nashville-based Music City Bowl against Minnesota in 2005.

That season, the ACC’s bowl lineup confused, even irritated many. Boston College, after going 8-3 in the regular season, was skipped over by the Music City Bowl for Virginia and the Meineke Car Care Bowl for North Carolina State (both teams won six regular-season games).

“Nothing is guaranteed,” Santi said. “You have to take care of your own business and let that stuff take care of itself.”

A win Saturday in Santi’s backyard would go a long way in that process.

“It’s certainly exciting to go back toward Nashville a little bit, and I am sure there are going to be a bunch of people there, but when it boils down to it, it is really just the next game,” he said. “I think we have done a good job the past couple of weeks of taking every game as they come one at a time, and we are doing the same thing with this one.”

Santi is part of the reason why.

The senior has a team-best 17 receptions for 194 yards, and remains on pace to make 40 catches in the regular season, which would easily top his previous accomplishments.

Virginia coach Al Groh went as far as to proclaim Santi as the top tight end in the ACC earlier this week.

“We would have seen him as one of the top players in terms of his skills [entering the season] and he has had some highly productive games,” Groh said. “But each one of his three touchdown catches were not routine.

“Maybe some other players at that position might not have been able to make the play.”

Two of Santi’s scoring receptions came against the Duke. The other helped highlight Virginia’s head-turning first quarter during last weekend’s 30-point win over Pittsburgh.

“He has got really good body control. He can turn on the ball well. He has a good sense of when to jump,” Groh pointed out. “All of those factors were necessary in each one of those three touchdown catches.”

As one might expect, Santi has benefited from a longer leash in Virginia’s offense. At points in his career, Santi was even forced into lining up at fullback.

“In the earlier seasons he was blocked into some specific roles,” Groh said. “[Now,] he’s on the line. He’s in motion. He’s separated from the line. He’s an inside receiver. He’s a moving blocker. He’s a stationary blocker.

“He fulfills a lot of roles for us.”

Santi, however, said he would trade all the individual successes for the shot to play for an ACC Championship. And for now, with his team playing as well as they have during his career, the tight end is riding an emotional high.

“I couldn’t have predicted - one way or the other - where we would be right now,” Santi said. “I knew with the type of talent that we had that there was a lot of potential there.

“This year, at least to this point, we have kind of come together a little bit and realized that potential. We must continue to do that.”

 

Another happy homecoming?
Santi would enjoy repeat performance from'05 bowl game
Friday, Oct 05, 2007 - 12:06 AM
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
CHARLOTTESVILLE What are the odds that a kid who leaves Nashville, Tenn. - SEC country - to attend the University of Virginia will get to play in or near his hometown twice during his college football career?

Slim. At best.

"I didn't come here expecting to do that," U.Va. tight end Tom Santi said, "but obviously it's going to be a lot of fun heading back to Nashville."

The Cavaliers' next game actually is in Murfreesboro, where they'll meet Middle Tennessee State tomorrow night. But Murfreesboro is only about 30 miles from Nashville, where Santi attended Montgomery Bell Academy, and the 6-5, 242-pound senior will have a large cheering section at 30,788-seat Floyd Stadium.

Santi's first hometown appearance as a Cavalier went spectacularly well. In the 2005 Music City Bowl - U.Va.'s first football game in Nashville in 30 years - he caught five passes for a career-high 128 yards in a 34-31 comeback win over Minnesota.

"That was a great day," Santi said.

On their 2005 visit to Tennessee, the Cavaliers spent a week in Nashville, and Santi had ample opportunity to get together with family and friends. The itinerary is more rigid this time. The team will stay at a Nashville hotel tonight, but Santi won't get to see his parents until after the game.

"As much as I'd like to hang out in Nashville, it's all business," he said. "It's a business trip for us."

This is a critical game for seventh-year coach Al Groh's team, even though Middle Tennessee is 1-4. Virginia (4-1) wants to prove that its win in Chapel Hill, N.C., last month was no aberration. Before beating North Carolina, U.Va. was 10-24 in road games during Groh's tenure.

"That victory showed that we can win on the road," said Santi, a team captain.

In his third year as a starter, Santi is having his best season. He leads U.Va. in catches (17), receiving yards (194) and touchdown receptions (three). That he struggled last season, uncharacteristically dropping routine catches, makes Santi appreciate his success this year more.

His problems in 2006 were mainly the result of "being in too big a hurry and taking my eye off the ball," Santi said, and he worked throughout the offseason to correct those flaws.

"Repetition and focus is really all it boils down to," he said. "You can either catch the ball or you can't. Fortunately I was blessed with the ability to do that. I had to go to work on focusing on the football and not worry about what was around me."

In U.Va.'s 44-14 rout of Pittsburgh last weekend, Santi had an 18-yard touchdown that, in Groh's opinion, cemented No. 86's status as the ACC's top receiving tight end. Near the far sideline, Santi outleaped a Pitt defender for Jameel Sewell's pass, kept his balance and strolled into the end zone.

"Maybe some other players at that position, not necessarily on our team, but around college football, might not have been able to make the play," Groh said. "He's got really good body control. He can turn on the ball well. He's got a good sense of when to jump, and all of those factors were necessary on each one of [Santi's] three touchdown catches" this season.

The son of a doctor, Santi opted not to follow his father into medicine. He's a sociology major, though he admitted that he doubts he'll "do much field work" in that area after graduation.

"That's the great thing about going to this school, though," Santi said. "If you got a Virginia degree, that's a good thing to have in the business world. I've met some great people here, and I'm sure there are going to be some opportunities."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Friday, Oct 05, 2007 - 12:06 AM

Two lacrosse scrimmages set
The first of two fall scrimmages for the Virginia men's lacrosse team is tonight. At 7, U.Va. meets Navy at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex, and proceeds from the scrimmage will benefit the Semper Fi Fund, which provides financial assistance to wounded Marines and their families.

In U.Va.'s final scrimmage - Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. vs. Georgetown at the University Hall Turf Field - its starters are likely to play together for long stretches. Coach Dom Starsia expects to experiment more tonight.

"We'll go out with a quote-unquote starting group, but that doesn't mean all the decisions have been made," Starsia said.

Former Collegiate star Bud Petit will start in goal tonight and play the first half. Petit, a graduate student, is competing with freshman Adam Ghitelman and sophomore Mark Wade for the starting job. Wade has an injured heel and might not play tonight.

Starsia said the goalies' battle probably won't be decided until February, but coming "out and playing well in this scrimmage and then having a good final week of practice is going to make a difference."

Injured midfielder Steve Giannone (foot) won't play tonight. Starsia said he's been using senior Jack Riley and sophomores Brian Carroll and George Huguely in one midfield group, and senior Peter Lamade (a transfer from Duke) and touted freshmen Shamel and Rhamel Bratton in another.

Starsia declined to say which he considers his No. 1 midfield but acknowledged that the Bratton twins "have been very good." Another candidate for the first midfield is sophomore Max Pomper, who's also an option at defensive middie.

Virginia's captains for 2008 will be defensive midfielder Will Barrow, attackman Ben Rubeor and long-stick middie Mike Timms.

Touchdown was a long time coming
As a high school senior in 2004, Rashawn Jackson scored 25 touchdowns. At U.Va., he redshirted in 2005 and played inside linebacker in '06. Jackson moved to fullback in the offseason, and he scored his first touchdown as a Cavalier, on a 5-yard pass from quarterback Jameel Sewell, last weekend against Pittsburgh.

"It's been awhile," Jackson said with a smile.

Thoughts flooded his head when he reached the end zone, Jackson said. "I wanted to thank God for one, because I'm blessed to be in this situation," he said. "But I also thought about my grandfather, who passed away Dec. 5 last year, and I had a feeling that his presence was somewhere around here. That kind of was my driving factor."

Jackson has caught five passes for 33 yards and one TD this season. He's carried five times for 17 yards. - Jeff White

 

Sewell the ‘X’ factor for Saturday and beyond
Dowling, Mosley catch Groh’s eye
By Doug Doughty

Every time I’m tempted to pick Virginia to lose to an undistinguished opponent, media gadfly Jeff White is quick to remind me of some of the horrendous picks I’ve made in the past.

The most memorable was my pick of Western Michigan to beat Virginia in their 2003 meeting in Kalamazoo, Mich. Virginia had looked awful one week earlier in a 31-7 loss at South Carolina, so awful that I picked the Cavaliers to lose in Kalamazoo, Mich..

What I really meant to say was that Virginia would lose to Western Michigan at home in 2006.

In 2003, Virginia smashed Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, 59-16.

(The Cavaliers did everything but steal the Broncos’ band director. Oh, wait, they did that, too).

If I had known that Marques Hagans would start at quarterback that fateful afternoon in Kalamazoo, maybe I would have picked the Cavaliers, but I couldn’t see them going anywhere with Anthony Martinez subbing for an injured Matt Schaub. And they didn’t.

If Marques Hagans were still the Virginia quarterback, I wouldn’t have picked the Cavaliers to lose to Middle Tennessee this week. With Jameel Sewell as the Cavaliers’ quarterback, MT is probably still a bad pick, but I can’t get UVa’s season-opening Wyoming debacle out of my mind.

Like a bad Western re-run, I thought I saw some of the Wyoming Sewell in the third quarter against Pittsburgh. That's when he missed all four of his pass attempts, at least one of them badly underthrown, and the Cavaliers had three consecutive three-and-outs.

Even Coach Al Groh acknowledged this week that Sewell is prone to streakiness. How else do you account for a 13-for-17 start Saturday, followed by a 3-for-14 finish?

“Neither Jameel nor the staff want to say, ‘That’s great, we’ll just take a stretch in there where we miss five or six in a row,’ “ Groh said Tuesday. “We’d like to hit 12 or 15 in a row, but, staffwise, we understand, it is what it is. This is who the player is.

“On the plus side, he is one of those players who can get very hot and give you seven or eight in a row like he does.”

Sewell says his problems are mechanical, which is better than if they were mental or psychological. Footwork can be fixed. Posture can be fixed.

“A couple of the throws that were off the mark the other day, he had himself in a body position or a mechanical position where it was going to be difficult to complete the ball,” Groh said.

Many of the UVa beat reporters received an e-mail critical of Groh for not using true freshman Peter Lalich against Pittsburgh, but there wasn’t a good time to remove Sewell, especially after the Panthers cut the deficit to 30-14 with 14:54 left.

Greater deficits have been overcome in less time.

“Things had gone so positively for him,” Groh said. “In the early going, he made some real big-time plays. Unless a guy’s having one of those hall-of-fame games, hardly any of them hit every pass. He hit his first eight or nine in a row, then it kind of went the other way a little bit.

“He had a good eye for the game [Saturday] and it wasn’t really causing us any undue concern. Obviously, we would have liked to have completed some of those balls. He would have, too. But, we didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, geez, this is going south.’ We felt he’d get back in his rhythm and he did. That’s kind of the way we wanted him to be able to finish.”

It would be helpful if Sewell’s wide receivers were more experienced, but that is what it is, too.

I’m still not convinced that wide receiver Kevin Ogletree won’t return this season, despite Groh’s statement that “anybody who thinks he’s going to play any time soon probably has about seven fantasy football teams. … I don’t see any signs of it right now.”

That made for a clever sound byte, but Groh left himself an out:

“He’s at a stage right now where sometimes players can get enough work and develop enough strength to where their circumstance can change dramatically over the course of a few weeks,” Groh said, “but right now, it’s not something that is imminent.”

Virginia had a better receiving corps last year but the offensive line is much improved, and that makes up for a lot of deficiencies. The most improved offensive lineman over this time a year ago is sophomore right tackle Will Barker, who was abused in a 38-13 loss in the 2006 season opener at Pittsburgh.

When the Cavaliers faced the Panthers again Saturday, Barker had responsibility for one of Pittsburgh’s most accomplished defensive linemen, Joe Clermond. Clermond, who led the Big East Conference in tackles for loss last season, had zero total tackles and two assists against Virginia.

“Will did a really good job,” Groh said. “Clearly, you can see the progress.”

The ability of Gordie Sammis to start at left offensive guard demonstrates that the Cavaliers’ O-line has some depth that was not previously obvious. Look for Branden Albert to return to left guard as soon as left tackle Eugene Monroe is cleared to play, but the only back-up with any experience before Saturday was tackle Zak Stair.

Sammis can also play right guard, which would cover the Cavaliers in the event of an injury to right guard Ian-Yates Cunningham or to center Jordy Lipsey, whose replacement would be Cunningham.

IN LAST WEEK’S Insider, which dealt with the UVa safeties, it was noted that recruit Chase Minniefield was getting practice time at wide receiver. That doesn’t preclude the possibility that Minnfield could fill a vacant safety spot next year, but an equally strong possibility would be another 2007 signee, Corey Mosley.

“We think he’s going to have a good future there,” Groh said. “He’s fast, he’s tough, he’s got a punch to him.”

Another true freshman who has been quick to get the attention of the coaches is Ras-I Dowling, a cornerback from Deep Creek in Chesapeake who spent the 2006 season at Hargrave Military Academy.

Unlike Mosley, who is being redshirted, Dowling made his debut on special teams in UVa’s second game. Since then, he has been responsible for 12 tackles (seven solo, five assisted) in 72 plays.

“Those guys who have shown the knack of being able to step up when the opportunity is presented them, we’re always anxious to see if they can expand that,” Groh said. “He got a few more plays on defense last week.

“We like very much what he is doing and we look forward to him being able to give us some production in the second half. He’s one of those players who seems to be outgrowing his freshman year at a good pace.”
 

Tech hoops class starting to take shape
Talent scout gives lowdown on Landesberg
By Doug Doughty

“Hmmm” was my reaction when I came across the name of one-time Virginia Tech basketball signee Tyrone Appleton on a recruiting list that had him listed as a Hokies’ commitment for 2008-2009.

That was worth a phone call, during which it was confirmed that the Hokies no longer are in the picture for Appleton, who is a sophomore at Midland College, a two-year basketball program in Texas.

So, there’s nothing going on with Appleton, but some investigation has led me to believe that Tech is going to the wire on three uncommitted high-school seniors: 6-foot-9 Frank Ben-Eze from Bishop O’Connell in Arlington; 6-3 Tyshawn Taylor from St. Anthony’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J., and 6-2 Shaquille “Shack” Johnson from Lee High School in Jacksonville, Fla.

Tech earlier had taken an oral commitment from Victor Davila, a 6-9 Puerto Rican who is in his fourth year at Starmount High School in Boonville, N.C. Old-time Hokies may remember Starmount as the alma mater of Howard Pardue, an All-Southern Conference selection three years in a row during the early 1960s and a 1992 inductee into the Tech sports hall of fame.

I had been hearing that Ben-Eze, a native of Nigeria, might select Harvard, now coached by Tommy Amaker, who was fired by Michigan at the end of the 2006-2007 season. Amaker, a standout point guard at Duke during his college career, played at W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax.

Now, it seems more likely that Ben-Eze will go to Tech or Marquette. Virginia had been mentioned as a possible destination for Ben-Eze, but it appears that the Cavaliers would have a better chance of getting another of the big men on their list, Josh Brandenburg or Assane Sene.

THE CAVALIERS took an oral commitment last week from Sylven Landesberg, a 6-6 perimeter player from Holy Cross High School in Flushing, N.Y., the alma mater of former Virginia basketball co-captain Willie Dersch, as well as current UVa football player Kevin Ogletree.

Venerable New York talent scout Tom Konchalski notes that the Holy Cross connection started with former UVa assistant basketball coach Dennis Wolff. Wolff, who coached under Jeff Jones from 1990-1994, is a Holy Cross graduate who laid the groundwork for the Dersch recruiting.

Dersch, a McDonald’s and Parade All-American, had offers from North Carolina and Virginia and represented one of UVa’s biggest recruiting coups. He played in 118 games during his UVa career, frequently as a starter, but averaged only 5.9 points per game.

As opposed to Dersch, who was a consensus national top-40 prospect, Landesberg has been rated the No. 38 prospect in the country by Prep Stars but is no higher than the mid-50s on most other lists.

“He’s the incumbent player of the year in the CHSAA,” said Konchalski, referring to the New York Catholic League. “That says it all. This guy had a great junior season. He was the leading scorer in the Catholic League as a sophomore and junior. During the summer, he had a lot of nagging injuries and he didn’t look very impressive.

“I don’t know if it was bad enough to keep him out of action, but it impacted his performance. That’s why he’s not as highly regarded. Clark Francis [publisher of the Hoop Scoop] this spring had him rated the eighth best player in the rising senior class. That might have been too high, but he’s probably a much better player than people regard him right now.”

Konchalski said Landesberg reminds him of former North Carolina State star Julius Hodge because of his ability to play point guard.

“Everybody thinks [Landesberg] is a great outside shooter,” Konchalski said. “He’s not. What he’s got to do is, he’s got to get his legs into his shot. He needs to get stronger. Guys who are prolific scorers are not the guys who make all the difficult shots. They’re the guys who make the easy shots.

“He’s a very good finisher going to the basket and he makes free throws. I saw him last year have a 15-for-16 free-throw game. The more open-court basketball they play, the more effective they’ll be. He doesn’t have explosive quickness, but, you know what he does? He covers the court well. He runs well.”

Konchalski thinks Landesberg still has some growing to do because he won’t turn 18 until April 10, meaning he’ll play most of his senior year as a 17-year-old. In an age when many players are held back or take a postgraduate season, the average age for a Division I freshman basketball player is much closer to 19 than 18.

KONCHALSKI SAID THAT overnight reports that Landesberg would announce Virginia as his choice may have been premature.

“I had no idea,” Konchalski said. “There were all sorts of rumors that he wanted to go to Georgia Tech but that his dad wanted him to go to Virginia and his mom wanted him to go to St. John’s.

“The mother said she thought, the night before, that he was going to St. John’s,” Konchalski said. “That morning, before he left for school, she thought he was going to Georgia Tech.

“Both he and his mother claimed that, the night before, he wasn’t sure where he was going.”
 

Virginia aims to pick up road win
Cavaliers seek first first road non-ACC win in nearly two seasons
Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Al Groh doesn't like to clump his opponents into categories. He takes each game for what it's worth. But even he can see how this week's trip to Middle Tennessee has some troubling parallels.

"We haven't really handled this type of circumstance very well the last two times we've been out," Groh said. "That is, non-conference games on the road."

Along with its 23-3 loss to Wyoming to kick off the 2007 season, Virginia (4-1) lost 31-21 at East Carolina and 38-13 to Pittsburgh in 2006. Virginia's last non-conference road victory dates back to Sept. 2005 when Virginia eked out a 27-24 victory over Syracuse.

The Virginia Cavaliers and Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (1-4) meet for the first time this weekend, and the Cavaliers will look to translate their improvement over the last month into a type of victory they have not seen in more than two years.

Sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell completed approximately 52 percent of his passes last week, and for the first time all season, freshman quarterback Peter Lalich did not see any action. Sewell had a 129 efficiency rating, second only to his 136 mark the week before against Georgia Tech.

Sewell's ability to roll out of the pocket and hit tight ends on mid-range passes has proven to be the most effective way to move the offense in the air.

"I just want to make sure I'm not the reason my team fails because it can get that way really easily," Sewell said. "I touch the ball every play and I don't want to cause too many issues."

Despite Sewell's growing success since a sloppy start at Wyoming, Groh does not anticipate a change in the system.

"The utilization of the quarterbacks is going to be based on game situations and what particular style that particular game situation might call for," Groh said.

Along with Sewell's growing success, junior tailback Cedric Peerman has averaged 113.2 yards per game.

With a potent offense, Virginia has won its last four games. The Blue Raiders, however, come into the game having snagged their first victory of the season last week, a 47-6 rout of Florida International.

After losing its first game of the season, Middle Tennessee put up 42 points against then-No.8 Louisville but lost the game 58-42. The offensive surge led people to wonder what the Blue Raiders could do the next week against No. 2 LSU. Middle Tennessee lost the game, however, 44-0, in a complete reversal from its performance the previous week.

Middle Tennessee coach Rick Stockstill inserted freshman quarterback Dwight Dasher late in the game when starter Joe Craddock injured himself in the game. Dasher has been the team's quarterback ever since.

 

Hall of Famer's son an obstacle for MTSU linemen
By ADAM SPARKS
Gannett Tennessee

MURFREESBORO — MTSU Coach Rick Stockstill appreciates an exceptional football player, regardless of his jersey color.

That's why he didn't hesitate to point out excellence among the opposition for the Blue Raiders' home game against Virginia on Saturday.

"(Virginia defensive end) Chris Long is really, really good. You guys make sure you watch him play, No. 91," Stockstill told media members and fans at MTSU's weekly press luncheon this week. "He plays extremely hard. He's physical. He can run. He's exactly what you look for in a football player. He's fun to watch."

Stockstill's description of the Cavalier defensive end is strikingly similar to the skill set of Long's father, former Oakland/Los Angeles defensive end Howie Long.

Long, who is asked about his Hall of Fame father on a daily basis, said he shrugs off comparisons in order to focus on the present.

"I guess it's just natural that everybody ask questions about my Pops," Long said. "They compare us, too, and I guess that's because we play the same position. He's a great role model for me as far as the mental part of things and work ethic but I don't focus on the comparisons. I've got a job to do right now with this team, in the present."

The Blue Raiders also care little about Long's lineage for Saturday's game and more about the problems that No. 91 presents.

"I heard something about that he was (Long's) son but that doesn't matter to us," MTSU offensive tackle Franklin Dunbar said. "I just know that he's a real good player and he's got an unbelievable motor."

Long, a surefire first-round NFL draft pick, leads all current Cavalier defenders in career tackles, sacks and tackles for loss. He is Virginia's No. 2 tackler this season but hardly the only concern for MTSU's offensive line.

Lining up opposite Long is fellow defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, a freshman All-American last season. Like Long, Fitzgerald also has 31 tackles and seven tackles for loss, forcing some decisions in MTSU's blocking scheme.

"Both (defensive ends) are very good and their inside guys are good, too," Stockstill said. "We're not at a point where we can (double-team) this guy and (double-team) this guy because then you can't get anybody out of pass protection. We'll have to single-up some and then double on (Long) some. But they are just so talented that it makes it hard for offenses to block their guys. You can't just key on one guy."

Long and Fitzgerald have a combined nine sacks this season and stand as the only ACC defensive end duo each averaging more than six tackles per game.

"I've never been in an o-line meeting room, but I would think they probably have to pay attention to both of us," Long said. "We both just try to stay active and maybe one good play on one side takes attention away from the guy on the other side. We benefit from each other."