Cavs focused on MTSU's new offense
Raiders pouring on the points with freshman Dasher at QB
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 6, 2007

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Oddly enough, Al Groh used Florida International to drive home a teaching point.

Florida International, a winless program that boasts the nation’s worst offense, proved something to Virginia’s coach in a six-degrees-of-separation sorta way that would bring a smile to Kevin Bacon’s face.

The Golden Panthers, as Groh pointed out, limited Maryland and Miami offensively in contests earlier this season.

Those figures were cast into a different light in a matter of 29 minutes last weekend - Middle Tennessee Sate exploded against FIU.

“Miami and Maryland both played Florida International,” Groh said. “In the whole game, Miami got 23 points and Maryland got 26. In the only half that Middle played their first-team players [against FIU], they got 47.

“Clearly, those are the kind of things that get our attention.”

Groh will find out what that really means today at 7 p.m. inside the snug confines of Floyd Stadium when Virginia (4-1) meets Middle Tennessee State (1-4) in a first-ever meeting between the two schools.

The Blue Raiders, who won the Sun Belt Conference title last year, salvaged their season last weekend, blasting FIU, 47-6.

The victory, which came on the heels of losses to Florida Atlantic, LSU, Louisville and Western Kentucky, showcased the Blue Raiders’ new-look offense.

Dwight Dasher, a true freshman, sizzled in his second career start, passing for 240 yards and three touchdowns and elusively rushing for another 58 yards on nine carries.

“To me, he’s only going to get better,” said Middle Tennessee State coach Rick Stockstill. “I think we’re just getting to the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, with Dwight.

“We did more [against FIU] than we did last week, obviously, because he had a whole week to prepare. We can build on this week for next, but obviously we’ll be playing a different animal [in Virginia]. But he hasn’t given us any reason to think that he can’t do it and that he can’t do even more.”

Virginia enjoyed an offensive explosion in its own right last week. The Cavaliers, who ranked 109th in total offense entering the game, scored 27 points in the first quarter against Pittsburgh en route to a 44-14 victory.

The Cavaliers also enjoyed a turnover-free contest.

“Their confidence level is growing as their performance does,” Groh said about his offensive players. “You have to re-create that on a weekly basis. It doesn’t come back to you. It’s not like throwing a ball against the wall and it just bounces back to you. You’ve got to go and re-create it again every week.

“As a team or as a player, you’ve got to do a lot of things right to win a game; you don’t have to do very many things wrong to lose one. You can have a lot of good plays in a game and you do a few things wrong and you’re going to be in trouble.”

 

Cavs need to give the ball to Hall
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
October 6, 2007

Here’s a vote for “Hall Ball,” or finding more ways to get the football in Vic Hall’s hands.

In case you’ve spent the last week in a space station, Hall is Virginia’s multi-talented cornerback/punt returner/holder. While he’s been OK as a defensive back, he has been outstanding at his other assignments, which gives him a chance to do what he has always done best: advance the pigskin.

While leading Gretna to a 28-game winning streak and back-to-back state titles, the 5-foot-9, 180-pound football wizard broke about a dozen state high school records, many of which belonged to Hampton’s Ronald Curry.

Mind-boggling numbers

Let’s see, there was the career total offense mark of 13,770 yards, which at the time was the fifth-highest mark in the history of high school football anywhere in the nation. Oh, yeah, there were 170 touchdowns. That’s not a typo.

We could go on, but you get the point.

We’ve heard all the arguments. Hey, at 5-9, it’s hard for a guy his size to play quarterback in college because his vision is blocked by the big uglies.

But that doesn’t mean the guy can’t line up as a slot receiver and give Virginia what it desperately needs, which is a wide receiver who can actually make plays, can break games open. It’s not like other schools haven’t used a guy like him at various spots, offensively and defensively in games.

Hmmm. Isn’t that how Charles Woodson won the Heisman Trophy in 1997 for Michigan?

The magic touch

All I know is that when Hall touches the football, usually good things happen. Yeah, I know he muffed a punt last week against Pitt and another the week before against Georgia Tech.

Part of that was mechanics because he didn’t have his feet set, a correctable error, and part of it because he’s an aggressive punt returner who hates to call a fair catch.

His returns of 45 and 22 yards last weekend were exhilarating because it appeared that he had a chance to break both of them. His four returns for 86 yards against Pitt, which happened to be the 10th-most punt return yards in a game in Wahoo recorded history, made him the nation’s leading punt returner this week and garnered him ACC Specialist of the Week plaudits.

“That’s the mentality I have every time I get the chance, but on defense you don’t get a chance to touch the ball a lot,” Hall said this week. “So, when you do have the chance, you have to have the mentality to score.”

No wonder his eyes lit up when he talked about UVa’s fake field-goal attempt late in the game, when Hall recognized a pre-determined call to take the snap as the holder and scoot around left end for paydirt.

It had been a long time since he had visited the end zone and he savored every second of it.

He’s a humble kid, who doesn’t like talking about his exploits. Seems like bragging to him, although we realize it’s not.

Long ago he accepted the move from quarterback to cornerback in order to help the team and to help himself get on the field. He’s been adequate at corner, where he has 20 tackles in five games and one pass break-up.

We understand what Virginia’s coaches are trying to accomplish here. Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and put some of your best athletes on defense.

“One of the reasons we’re able to play pretty decent defense is that we have a number of developing, competent corners,” Groh pointed out. “That’s how you play good defense, that you’re able to take players like [Hall] and play them on defense.

“You might pay a price over on the other side, but the return for it is pretty significant,” Groh added. “Otherwise you end up being one of those teams that has to wind up scoring 42 points every week to win.”

That being said and understood, maybe all we can expect for now is for Hall to develop into a lethal threat as a return man with the potential for running or even throwing from his holder position on kicks.

But wouldn’t it be fun to see him line-up as a slot receiver? Seems like he could be the answer to UVa’s problems in that respect and do magical things with the ball in the fashion of Marques Hagans or Alvin Pearman or Terrance Wilkins.

After all, there are only so many times you can fool opponents on fake kicks in a season. Groh mentioned the other day that the fake against Pitt will likely soften the rush a little from future opponents.

Maybe all those responsibilities would be asking too much of Hall, only a sophomore, this early in his career. Maybe once Virginia develops some depth at corner, the Cavs can think about expanding his role.

Until then, we’ll have to be satisfied with watching him return punts. Heck, maybe he will intercept a pass and dazzle opponents with his elusive jukes.

Even Groh agreed this week that there’s something special about Hall.

“Those weren’t easy runs he made the other day,” the coach said. “He had to do something to get started. A couple of them he was bounced, jostled, contacted right after he caught the ball, and shortly thereafter. He got some real good blocking, but a lot of that was just on Vic. He gets all the credit for that.”

As Hall dashed through the Pittsburgh punt coverage, it must have reminded those (this columnist included) of his days at Gretna, when he sliced and diced opponents on a weekly basis while compiling staggering, head-turning numbers.

Just before he left the interview area in John Paul Jones Arena last Tuesday afternoon, one scribe asked Hall if he felt like he was ever on the field too much.

The answer was an emphatic “no.”

Now, if you know Hall, he is a man of few words. However, he gets his point across, often as quickly as he can cover 10 yards with a ball tucked under his arm.

So, do you think you’re going to break one of these punts?

“Yeah,” Hall said with a wide smile. “That’s the plan.”

Hall Ball. Perhaps the fun is just beginning.

 

Dowling on track after detour
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 6, 2007

Ras-I Dowling never thought about another option.

Despite failing to gain admission to Virginia out of high school, as did seven other members of the 2006 recruiting class, Dowling took the long road to Charlottesville.

A year at Hargrave Military Academy as a postgraduate player, while beneficial, was not what Dowling had in mind.

“It was hard adapting to it and military life at first, but Hargrave was my second chance at getting here,” Dowling said. “I just worked hard to get here. I knew that I really wanted to go to Virginia.”

Patience paid off for the cornerback - Dowling is one of five true freshmen that have played for the Cavaliers this season.

His impact, while limited originally to special teams work, has been substantial and growing at a rapid pace.

After witnessing troubling signs on special teams in a loss at Wyoming, a game in which Dowling did not play, Virginia coach Al Groh held impromptu tryouts for spots on the coverage units.

It was music to Dowling’s ears.

“He just said he was going to try a couple of new players out and he tried me at a couple of positions on the special teams,” said Dowling, who stands at 6-foot-2. “I was happy when he said that, so I just tried to take advantage of it.

“Now, I go hard every day to make sure nobody takes my spot. I have tried to prove that I will do whatever it takes to help the team out.”

In the past four games, Dowling has made 12 tackles, forced a fumble and broken up a pass while auditioning for a greater role on the nickel and dime packages.

“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,” Groh said. “He is one of those players who seems to be outgrowing his freshman year at a good pace.”

Dowling, who also played wide receiver in high school at Deep Creek and during his stint at Hargrave, said he is trying to model his game after Virginia cornerback Chris Cook.

“He teaches me a lot in practice and I really look up to him,” Dowling said.

Dowling learned a vital lesson from Cook, a junior, two weeks ago when Virginia faced Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets went after Cook early, beating him for a 56-yard touchdown five plays into the contest.

“There are not too many people that are going to beat Chris Cook in the nation,” Dowling said. “He is one of the best, and when he came back to the sidelines he told me not to worry about that play.

“He said, ‘I am going to get one back for you.’”

Cook earned his redemption, breaking up two passes later in the game while playing near flawless football in the Cavaliers’ five-point win.

“I don’t think there is a better player for me to try to be like, and that proved it.” Dowling said. “He is making me a better player.”

 

UVA FOOTBALL: The reasons
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com
October 6, 2007

WHY VIRGINIA WILL WIN

The Cavaliers have a swagger

Winning has a weird way of curing what ails a football team.

Left for dead after an ugly season-opening loss at Wyoming, Virginia has salvaged the season and given reason for optimism with a four-game winning streak that pushed the Cavaliers (4-1, 3-0 ACC) into sole possession of first place in the league’s Coastal Division.

“The team has demonstrated a very strong resolve and focus throughout,” said Virginia coach Al Groh.

Defensive end Chris Long said it is apparent that the Cavaliers are playing at a newfound high level.

“We knew we had talent on this team,” Long said. “We just needed to prove that we could do it on a consistent basis. I think we have proven that thus far.”

A savvy Sewell

For whatever reason, Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell is emerging into a steady offensive leader.

In each of the past four games, Sewell has guided Virginia to scoring drives on its first possession.

More importantly, the signal-caller is showing drastic improvements in regards to turnovers. Sewell has thrown 82 straight passes without an interception.

“I feel like I’ve got a lot more fight in me now,” Sewell said. “I don’t want to be the reason my team fails. I think this team can really do something big and because

I’ve got my hands on the ball a lot, I don’t want to be the reason we don’t reach our potential.”

The great talent divide

It has been said before other contests this season, including the road game at Wyoming, but Virginia should have the advantage at almost every spot on the field.

The Cavaliers boast countless NFL prospects, and a recent rash of injuries have only made matters worse for Middle Tennessee State.

The Blue Raiders lost defensive lineman Jonathan Presley, a junior, earlier this week for the season with an injury to his Achilles’ tendon. Defensive tackle Brandon Perry, also a junior, is out for the season with a broken foot. Wideout Desmond Gee (ankle) and defensive end Erik Walden (toe) are listed as questionable.

WHY MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE WILL WIN

The Reindeer factor

Three weeks ago, Middle Tennessee State appeared set at quarterback.

Joe Craddock, a junior, had just passed for 290 yards in a shootout against Louisville.

But a back injury to Craddock opened the door for Dwight Dasher to ignite hope into the Blue Raider fan base.

The true freshman, a definite dual threat, emerged as a viable option late in a loss to Western Kentucky, despite running essentially the same play, and took greater steps forward last week against Florida International. Dasher passed for a career-best 240 yards and three touchdowns, while avoiding a turnover.

Groh took ample opportunity this week to praise the rookie, even throwing out comparisons to former Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans and former Clemson star Woodrow Dantzler.

“You can just see on the tape, he’s got that little presence about him,” Groh said. “In trying to paint a picture for the players, he’s a Marques Hagans-style quarterback.

“He’s gained a lot of his yards as he’s escaped from pressure, change of direction, stop-start runs, those kind of things that are very electrifying to those people who are cheering for his team, but not much fun for the other side.”

This is Middle Tennessee’s Super Bowl

For the first in Middle Tennessee’s history, the program will host an ACC opponent and just the second BCS program ever (Temple, which is no longer a BCS program, played at MTSU while it was in the Big East).

“Having an ACC school on the schedule is very exciting,” Murfreesboro, Tenn., Mayor Tommy Bragg said in a press release. “Last year we went to play Maryland and it just shows that the athletic department is understanding of what it is the fans are looking for.”

Setting an attendance record at Floyd Stadium seems likely - the cozy venue holds only 30,788 and the largest crowd in program history was in 1998 when 27,568 poured in.

Does Wyoming ring a bell?

What could go wrong at Wyoming, well, you remember. The Cavaliers’ traveling party even experienced literal road woes - a bus broke down the day before the contest.

In the game itself, Virginia appeared lost on offense and tired on defense. The end result was the team’s third straight road loss against a non-league opponent.

Groh has reminded his team of the lackluster performance throughout the week.

“This is a pretty big challenge for our team - one of the bigger challenges so far this year - because we really haven’t handled this type of circumstance very well the last two times we’ve been out,” Groh said.

 

Will this road lead to a win?
Groh realizes U.Va. has fallen short on nonconference trips
Saturday, Oct 06, 2007 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

The voice of the University of Virginia football program belongs to coach Al Groh, and he's never seemed enthusiastic about discussing his team's road woes.

It came as a surprise, then, when Groh opened his weekly news conference Tuesday by noting, before the first question had been asked, some of the Cavaliers' recent struggles.

U.Va. (4-1) plays at Middle Tennessee State (1-4) tonight, and it's "one of the bigger challenges so far this year," Groh said, "because we really haven't handled this type of circumstance very well the last two times we've been out: That is, a nonconference game on the road."

Virginia actually has flopped in each of its past three road games against opponents outside the ACC. The Cavaliers opened last season with a 38-13 loss at Pittsburgh and five weeks later fell 31-21 at East Carolina.

U.Va. began this season on a low note in the high elevation of Laramie, Wyo., where Wyoming's Cowboys romped 23-3.

Overall, the Wahoos are 11-24 in road games in seven seasons under Groh, though their last trip went well. Virginia edged North Carolina 22-20 in Chapel Hill on Sept. 15.

U.Va. will carry a four-game winning streak into tonight's game in Murfreesboro, Tenn. It hasn't won five straight since 2004.

Groh said his players "are well aware of what's at stake here, and that if we're going to keep this thing going . . . then there are a number of things that, 1, we're aiming to improve at in our own performance and 2, to prepare ourselves for this team that we're playing. . . . That is clearly a different team in the last two games than what it was early in the season."

The Blue Raiders' improvement has coincided with Dwight Dasher's ascension to a starting role. The 5-10, 198-pound freshman is a dual-threat quarterback who passed for 240 yards and three touchdowns in a rout of Sun Belt Conference rival Florida International last weekend. Dasher also rushed for 58 yards and two TDs against FIU.

The Cavaliers don't necessarily want to flush Dasher out of the pocket. Instead, sophomore defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald said they want a "controlled rush where he doesn't have that many escape lanes."

Groh doesn't buy the theory that the Blue Raiders, with an opportunity to "put themselves on the map" by beating a team from a BCS conference, have more to play for tonight.

"There's still plenty of progress to be made in terms of getting our team on the map," Groh said. "We have a lot on the line in this particular game."

Left offensive tackle Eugene Monroe may be back in the starting lineup tonight. Monroe, who hurt his right knee late in Virginia's Sept. 22 win over Georgia Tech, suited up last weekend but didn't play against Pittsburgh. Groh said Thursday that Monroe, a 6-6, 310-pound junior, had "made good progress" in practice this week.

With a win tonight, U.Va. would match its victory total from a disappointing 2006.

"There's definitely a big difference this year compared to last year," tight end Tom Santi said. "Football's a lot of work. I'm not sure everyone realizes how much goes into it, and to be honest, it's not that much fun when you're not winning."

 

UVa back on the road
The streaking Cavs are looking to keep their winning ways but must reverse recent road woes.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

Virginia football coach Al Groh has spent most of the week building a case for the Cavaliers' upcoming opponent, Middle Tennessee State.

Now, he'd like to tear it down.

The Cavaliers (4-1) won't be the first team from a Bowl Championship Series conference to visit 30,788 Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium, but the team that holds that distinction, Temple, no longer plays in a BCS league.

Middle Tennessee (1-4) has had a Division I-A program since 1999 and was in the midst of a seven-game losing streak at this time a week ago, but Groh doesn't want to hear about that.

"This is a pretty big challenge for our team -- one of the bigger challenges so far this year -- because we haven't handled this type of circumstance very well the last two times we've been out," Groh said.

Groh was referring to road games against nonconference opposition. The Cavaliers were 31-21 losers at East Carolina last year, then dropped their 2007 season opener, 23-3, at Wyoming.

Subsequently, Virginia ended a 1-11 road swoon by winning at North Carolina, 22-20, but the Cavaliers squandered most of a 19-0 lead before batting down a two-point pass that would have sent the game into overtime.

The Cavaliers are a 10-point favorite heading into today's 7 p.m. kickoff, but it's not as if UVa and Middle Tennessee have had many common opponents.

Virginia's only other game against Sun Belt Conference opposition was a 24-0 victory over Troy State in 2003.

That game was played in Charlottesville, as are most of UVa's game against teams from non-BCS conferences. The Cavaliers agreed to play this game in exchange for four home games against teams from the Mid-American Conference.

Those four teams had games with Middle Tennessee that needed to be dropped after Temple dropped the MAC.

The Blue Raiders didn't appear to be particularly formidable until they entertained Florida International last Saturday and scored 47 first-half points in a 47-6 romp.

"Miami and Maryland both played Florida International," Groh said. "In the whole game, Miami got 23 points and Maryland got 29. In the only half that Middle played their first team players, they got 47."

On the other hand, Florida International has now lost 17 games in a row.

In an earlier game, Middle Tennessee trailed then-No. 8 Louisville 38-35 at the half before losing 58-42.

"Clearly those are the kind of things that get our attention," Groh said.

The Blue Raiders had 555 yards in total offense against Louisville, including 341 from redshirt junior quarterback Joe Craddock.

Craddock was injured two weeks later in a 44-0 road loss to then-No. 2 LSU, but all that did was create an opening for freshman QB Dwight Dasher.

Dasher accounted for 291 yards in little more than a half against Florida International and has been compared to former Clemson star Woodrow Dantzler, the All-ACC quarterback when Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill was a Tigers' assistant in 2001.

Although Middle Tennessee has had difficulty attracting upper-echelon opposition to Murfreesboro, the Blue Raiders have not been reluctant to travel and, in 2001, took a 35-mile trip to Nashville and knocked off Vanderbilt 37-28.

Since then, Middle Tennessee has faced the likes of Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia, and, in upcoming years, the Blue Raiders will entertain Maryland, Memphis and Georgia Tech.

Groh was uncharacteristically open this week about his team's problems on the road and has come to the conclusion that UVa is not alone.

"Oklahoma had a little struggle on the road last week," he said. "USC had a little struggle on the road last week. Penn State had a little struggle on the road last week. It's a challenging circumstance. It's not a virus that suddenly came to Charlottesville and rested here."

It even happens in the professional game.

"You see some unbelievable things," Groh said.

"Philadelphia scores 56 points one week and gets sacked 12 times [at New York] the next. I'm sure that presents a lot of fodder for people to write about all week long, but think about it from the coaches' standpoint.

"You know those Philadelphia coaches wondering, 'What in the world happened?' It's the same guys. That's the screwy part of it."
 

Middle Tennessee QB is out of the Hagans mold
Lynchburg News & Advance
October 6, 2007

For most Virginia players, comparing Middle Tennessee quarterback Dwight Dasher to Woody Dantzler doesn't mean a whole lot.
It's an apt comparison. Blue Raiders coach Rick Stockstill was an assistant on the Rich Rodriguez-designed, Dantzler-run Clemson offenses of the late-'90s and early-2000s. And Dasher, an appropriate surname if ever there was one, has the same dual-threat capabilities as Dantzler, the first quarterback in NCAA history to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 in the same season.

For the purposes of tonight's 7 o'clock game, which pits Virginia (4-1) against Middle Tennessee (1-4), the UVa coaching staff might want to try a more contemporary example: Marques Hagans.

"You can just see on the tape, he's got that little presence about him," Groh said of Dasher, a true freshman who got his first action in a loss to LSU two weeks ago and has since seized the starting job.

"He's gained a lot of his yards as he's escaped pressure, changes direction, (does those) stop/start runs - those kind of things that are very electrifying to those people who are cheering for his team but are not much fun for the other side."

Hagans had a solid two-year run as the Cavaliers' starting quarterback. Some of his most memorable games - the 2005 upset of No. 4 Florida State comes to mind - featured a handful plays where he made things happen with his ability to escape.

Dasher appears to have the same skills. In a 47-6 win over Florida International last week, he threw for 240 yards, ran for 58 and accounted for five touchdowns.

"Their team has really changed dramatically with his presence and his style of play," Groh said.

The last quarterback Virginia faced with this kind of mobility was Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball, over a year ago. UVa largely contained Ball, but lost 24-7.

"We just have to be conscious of our pass (rush) lanes," UVa defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald said. "We're still going to focus on getting to the quarterback. That's a big part of our game. We're not going to slack off of that."

On the surface, Middle Tennessee appears to be an easy mark. Despite their recent offensive awakening, the Blue Raiders rank 106th nationally in rushing defense, allowing 209.6 yards a game. UVa, which has won four straight for the first time since 2004, has tailback Cedric Peerman, who leads the ACC with 113.2 yards per game.

But the Middle Tennessee program is no pushover. The Blue Raiders won the Sun Belt Conference last year and went to the Motor City Bowl, their first bowl game since turning Division I-A in 1999.

They should be primed for the game. Virginia is just the second BCS conference team to visit Murfreesboro's Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium. Temple did so in 2003 while still in the Big East.

"It's one of these games where it's going to be a big deal for us to come into town," reserve left guard Gordie Sammis said. 'They've played a lot of good teams before and I know they're not intimidated by us."

Sound familiar? Virginia got ambushed in a similar game at Wyoming, losing 23-3 to open the season. In fact, the Cavaliers have lost their last two road games against non-BCS conference teams (East Carolina was the other) and their last three overall (Western Michigan).

"This is a pretty big challenge for our team," Groh said, "one of the bigger challenges so far this year because we really haven't handled this type of circumstance very well the last two times we've been out."
 

Cavaliers take show on road
October 6, 2007 12:35 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

The University of Virginia football team cleared one major hurdle with a victory at North Carolina three weeks ago. It was just the Cavaliers' third Atlantic Coast Conference road win in their last 11 tries.

But tonight presents another scenario that has troubled the Cavaliers: the nonconference road game.

They're just 3-7 in such games in head coach Al Groh's seven-year tenure. They were beaten thoroughly in their past two contests at non-BCS opponents: a 23-3 season-opening loss to Wyoming and a 31-21 setback to East Carolina last year.

The Cavaliers (4-1) visit Middle Tennessee State (1-4) tonight at 7 p.m. in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

They're riding a four-game winning streak following last Saturday's 44-14 win over Pittsburgh, but Groh is wary of the Blue Raiders mostly because of his team's inability to handle nonconference opponents away from home.

The Cavaliers are also looking to win back-to-back road games for the first time since 2004.

"This is a pretty big challenge for our team-one of the bigger challenges so far this year," Groh said. "We really haven't handled this type of circumstance very well the last two times we have been out. We definitely feel very challenged to prove ourselves under this set of circumstances."

While Groh is concerned about how his team will react on the road, Blue Raiders head coach Rick Stockstill is excited that a BCS opponent will visit Floyd Stadium.

It's just the second time that's happened with the other BCS guest being lowly Temple, a member of the Big East when it visited in 2003.

Stockstill was an assistant coach at Clemson from 1989-2002, so he knows it's not very often that an ACC team visits a non-BCS school.

"It's a great opportunity for our football team and for our university," Stockstill said. "This is the first one from one of the major conferences, and it won't be the last. It's a tribute to a lot of people to get a team like Virginia here."

The Blue Raiders were Sun Belt Conference champions last year. This season, they're led by dynamic true freshman quarterback Dwight Dasher, who will be making just the third start of his career. He replaced junior Joe Craddock, who suffered a back injury against LSU, and has been hard to corral ever since.

Dasher leads the Sun Belt in passing efficiency. He accounted for five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) in the Blue Raiders' 47-6 victory over Florida International last week. He's yet to commit a turnover.

Groh compared Dasher to former Virginia standout quarterback Marques Hagans and former Clemson star Woody Dantzler, who was one of Stockstill's pupils. Groh added that Dasher is living up to his name.

"He's just that. He's a dasher," Groh said. "You can see it on tape. He's got that little presence about him."

Virginia has steadily improved since its season-opening loss to Wyoming, although the national statistics may not indicate it.

The Cavaliers are ranked 109th in total offense. They boast the ACC's leading rusher in Cedric Peerman (113.2 yards per game), but rank 83rd in the nation in rushing offense (124.2 yards per game). Their scoring defense (18.6 points per game) is ranked 24th and the Cavaliers are 32nd against the run (114.2 yards per game).

The Blue Raiders were impressive offensively when they hung with Louisville in a 58-42 loss. Their season-high 47 points against Florida International caught Groh's eye because Maryland scored just 26 on FIU and Miami put up only 23 against the same opponent.

That's another reason why Groh has reiterated to his players not to take the Blue Raiders lightly.

"We're going to be going into a situation where it's a big game for them with us coming to town," Virginia senior center Jordy Lipsey said. "They've played a lot of big teams before, so they're not intimidated by us. We can't lose focus."

Virginia starting left tackle Eugene Monroe is questionable for tonight's game with a knee injury. If he can't play, the Cavaliers likely will move left guard Branden Albert to Monroe's spot and replace Albert with senior Gordie Sammis, who started last week against Pittsburgh.

 

MTSU greets an ACC visitor for first time
Virginia is best program to visit Murfreesboro
By ADAM SPARKS
Gannett Tennessee

MURFREESBORO — MTSU's football team seems to have spent the last week in a cocoon.

Players claim not to recognize the hoopla surrounding tonight's home game against Virginia.

But tonight's game is a significant event in the program's history, nonetheless.

The Blue Raiders play host to Atlantic Coast Conference foe Virginia, the second major conference member to visit MTSU's Floyd Stadium and, by far, the most accomplished. Temple, then a Big East member, came to Murfreesboro in 2003 and left with its lone win of that season.

"This is a historic moment for us because it's a school from an elite conference playing here," MTSU athletics director Chris Massaro said. "This is the reason why this institution decided to play Division I-A 10 years ago."

To the Blue Raiders, tonight's game is merely the last of four non-conference contests and a chance to build on their first win of the season, last week's 47-6 rout of Florida International.

Or at least that's their intent.

"I know they're a great team and they're from the ACC, but we just see them as another team on our journey this season," MTSU defensive end Tavares Jones said.

Not a normal game

Signs beyond the field still point to tonight's significance.

Nearly 1,200 tickets have been sold to Virginia fans, the most in recent memory for a Floyd Stadium visitor. The press box will be flooded by 125 media members, the largest single-game press contingent ever at the on-campus facility.

But normalcy is what MTSU players and coaches crave to contend for what would be the most significant win in program history.

"The point is, how does the importance of the game change your preparation?" MTSU defensive coordinator Manny Diaz said. "It's important to our fans, and we recognize that fact. ... But the worst thing we can do with our players is put an added emphasis on this game, and then maybe something bad happens early and they freak out. Now that we have a resounding victory (over FIU), what it takes to win hasn't changed."

Since moving to Division I-A in 1999, MTSU has played 27 games against teams that were members of college football's six major conferences. The Blue Raiders are 3-24 in those games, with all three wins coming against Vanderbilt.

Only two of those 27 meetings were home games, including Temple in 2003 and last season's designated home game versus Louisville (Big East) at Nashville's LP Field. But tonight, Virginia will start a trend of major conference foes entering Floyd Stadium.

ACC members Maryland (2008) and Georgia Tech (2011) will follow Virginia to Murfreesboro. Memphis, a member of Conference USA, will also visit Floyd Stadium in 2009 and 2011.

"That makes a difference because you'd always like to be in your own house than somebody else's house, and this is no different," MTSU offensive tackle Franklin Dunbar said. "We're glad to be playing this game at home, but I don't even know if all these young guys have been here long enough to realize what this means. Maybe that's a good thing because we just want another win to add to the last one."

Protect the ball

MTSU Coach Rick Stockstill said the turnover count would determine whether his Blue Raiders (1-4) can compete against the ACC-leading Cavaliers (4-1). He even cites two other Sun Belt teams' upsets of major conference foes this season to support his premise. Troy beat Oklahoma State 41-23 on Sept. 14, and Florida Atlantic defeated Minnesota 42-39 on Sept. 15. Both were wins for the home team.

"Look at every team in the Sun Belt that has beaten a BCS-type school," Stockstill said. "They have protected the football and the other team has turned it over. On paper, they are better than us. If we go out and play with the type of passion we played with last Saturday ... and eliminate turnovers, then we have a chance."

In those two Sun Belt wins, the victor won the turnover battle by a combined margin of 12-2. MTSU will vie for a similar ratio tonight.

Meanwhile, Troy coach Larry Blakeney, who's squad has defeated numerous major conference opponents — including Mississippi State (SEC) and Oklahoma State (Big 12) — offered some advice on slaying a college football giant.

"The formula is to line up and play real fundamental football, nothing too fancy about it," Blakeney said. "And if you can get it at home, then you hope your crowd is excited about it and gives you an edge. I'll bet there are a lot of positives surrounding this game for Middle. It's a big deal, and it should be for players, coaches and students. That's what college football is all about."

MTSU vs. 'Big Boys'

(Records against major conference opponents as I-A member since 1999)

Conference Record

ACC 0-3

Big 10 0-1

Big East 0-3

Big 12 0-2

Pac 10 0-1

SEC 3-14*

Total 3-24

* Three wins at Vanderbilt •