Late-game heroics lift Cavs again
Defense leads the way as UVa earns 6th consecutive victory
October 13, 2007
By Jay Jenkins
jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250

There was still 2 minutes, 15 seconds left in the game, but Mike London raced away from his players and crouched 43 yards from the football in anticipation.
With the expected signal from the referee, Virginia’s defensive coordinator sprung into the air with his hands extended in jubilation. On this day, it was certainly a symbolic gesture.
Virginia’s defense, while minimizing third-down success and limiting scoring in red-zone opportunities, passed its first, and possibly last, test against an undefeated opponent.
Thanks to the defense and Virginia’s third fourth-quarter comeback of the season, the Cavaliers collected a 17-16 win over Connecticut in front of a sold-out crowd at Scott Stadium.
The non-league win vaulted Virginia to 6-1 overall and should push the program back into the national rankings for the first time since 2005. With the loss, UConn (5-1) fell from the ranks of the unbeaten.
“That was two real gutty teams that went to center of the ring and punched it out all night long,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “All you need is a split decision in that situation, and we’re happy to come out with one more point.
“We’re not interested in who we’re impressing. We’re just interested in winning games.”
Groh was accurate - the fashion in which his team won was far from graceful. The Cavaliers had three turnovers, which led to 13 points for Connecticut, and made the contest closer than many of the 60,004 would have preferred during a Homecoming weekend.
It was not until Connecticut self-destructed in getting the ball from its center to the quarterback in the fourth quarter that Virginia secured the win.
In fact, UConn botched a pair of snaps on back-to-back plays with less than three minutes left, the last of which came on a second-and-36 at the Huskies 30 and resulted in a lost fumble that allowed Virginia to milk much of the remaining clock.
“We were working the silent count,” said UConn coach Randy Edsall. “I don’t know if the ball was snapped a little bit early, but it’s unfortunate because it gets magnified there at the end of the game.
“It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t find a way to make one more play at the end after we had a pretty good drive going.”
Virginia still managed to open the door for what would have been a miraculous comeback for Connecticut - Cavalier placekicker Chris Gould, who nailed what proved to be the game-winning field goal with 3:20 remaining, missed a 35-yard attempt wide right with 27 seconds left.
Connecticut, which took over on its own 20, could not move the football on its last four plays.
But a mini-celebration broke out on the field as Virginia had survived another scare, a recurring pattern for this program.
“These players have demonstrated that they’re a tough-minded group, and they’re not going to crack,” Groh said. “They’ve got a lot of confidence in each other. They’ve got a good level of humility.
“They have a hunger for more success, and they work hard to prepare for each game.”
Virginia was certainly tested early.
On the first possession of the game, UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell threw a pass intended for wide receiver Chris Gorham that bounced up into the air and into the chest of UConn safety Dahna Deleston, who returned it 20 yards to the Huskies’ 46.
Six plays and 26 yards later, Connecticut opened the game’s scoring with a 45-yard field goal from Tony Ciaravino.
The Huskies were given another gift moments later when Virginia junior Andrew Pearman fumbled on the ensuing kickoff at the UVa 13. Yet again, the Cavaliers’ defense bent, allowing 9 yards, but did not break. UConn settled for a 21-yard field goal with 9:07 left in the opening quarter.
“It could have been [14-0],” said Virginia linebacker Jon Copper. “We got in some unfortunate situations, but fortunately we were able to make plays when we needed to.”
After the teams exchanged punts, redshirt freshman Keith Payne entered the game and Virginia got its offense on track.
The Cavaliers marched 59 yards on 11 plays on the scoring drive, which was highlighted by a 16-yard pass from Sewell to Payne that sent the bruising back into a tailspin at the UVa 2. After a penalty on UConn, Payne scored his first career touchdown on a 1-yard carry.
“I knew what I had to do to get into the end zone,” said Payne, who helped fill the void in the absence of running back Cedric Peerman, who did not play with a foot injury. “I’ve been working hard for this, and this is just the beginning.”
The Cavaliers took their first lead in the second quarter - Sewell connected with John Phillips for an 8-yard touchdown pass. That play, however, seemed meaningless in comparison to the crowd-pleaser that moved the ball deep into UConn territory.
Vic Hall, who starts at cornerback, snuck onto the field, lined up in the backfield and floated a 35-yard pass to Gorham.
“It felt good,” Hall said with a smile. “We worked on that play a little bit during the week and we knew it could be a big play for us.”
In the third quarter, Sewell, who finished 14-of-24 passing for 149 yards, threw another interception. This miscue, which appeared intended for UConn safety Robert Vaughn, led to the Huskies’ first TD and trimmed the Cavaliers advantage to one point, at 14-13.
UConn, which was coming off a bye week, took another lead in the fourth quarter, kicking a 25-yard field goal with 8:06 left.
Virginia answered again - the Cavaliers marched 79 yards in 11 plays, before settling for a 19-yard field goal from Gould. The drive was highlighted by a 30-yard completion from Sewell to Gorham, who finished with 76 receiving yards.
For the game, Virginia posted 332 yards of total offense with a balanced attack, which proved to be enough for a defensive unit that, despite playing without cornerback Chris Cook, stopped UConn on 12 of its 13 third-down attempts.
“We have the type of defense that just doesn’t crack,” said Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim. “We never gave in. We came out with a big win just like last week.”
Virginia, having completed its non-league portion of the schedule, returns to action on Saturday at Maryland (4-2, 1-1 ACC). The game will kickoff at 8 p.m. and be aired on ESPN2.
The stakes are certainly big for the Cavaliers. Since taking over at Virginia in 2001, a Groh-coached team has not finished better than .500 in the final six games of the regular season.
 

Cavs do whatever it takes to earn a win
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
October 14, 2007

Hall of Famer George Welsh used to talk extensively about how teams had to learn how to win.

Virginia’s current team of footballers has taken that expression to another level.

Six straight wins, six different methods of doing so as the Cavaliers discovered yet another way on Saturday night in another come-from-behind, Cheat the Reaper performance.

For the second week in a row, quarterback Jameel Sewell had to march Virginia nearly the length of the gridiron to stage a comeback.

After last week’s miracle, in which he had to go 80 yards in 86 seconds with no timeouts, last night’s drive must have seemed like a stroll in the park. This time, Sewell had to go 80, but had the luxury of 8 minutes on the clock and a pocketful of timeouts.

Both winning drives ended on successful Chris Gould field goals. Last week, Gould was golden from 34 yards out with 8 seconds to go for a 23-21 win at Middle Tennessee State.

This week it was a 19-yarder by Gould after UVa’s drive stopped at Connecticut’s 1-yard line with 3:20 to play.

This time, the Cavs had to hang on, giving UConn a chance to self-destruct on two gut-wrenching bad snaps to thwart one threat, and then played strong pass coverage to stop the Huskies’ desperate deep throws on another.

Each week, when Virginia needs a hero, a different one seems to emerge.

In the 17-16 win over UConn, heroes were plentiful on both sides of the ball. Like Sewell rushing a career-high 16 times for a team-leading 66 yards. Or cornerback Vic Hall lining up at tailback and throwing a 35-yard halfback option pass to unheralded Chris Gorham (a former defensive back) to set up a go-ahead touchdown in the first half.

Reserve running backs Keith Payne and Andrew Pearman making plays, tight ends hauling in precious, keep-drives-alive short passes, Jamal Jackson falling on a UConn fumble at the UVa 4-yard line with less than a minute left in the first half, a Jon Copper sack on the last play, a heads-up Jeffrey Fitzgerald recovery when it counted most.

Some way, some how, this resilient, bend-but-don’t-break bunch of Cavaliers, finds a way to win.

It’s not always pretty. Coach Al Groh often likens his team’s 6-1 record (3-0 ACC) to that of a boxer, taking punches, but dishing out enough in return to earn split-decisions.

“It’s the kind of team that we set out to fashion,” Groh said. “We kind of knew what we were going to be. We could see that we weren’t going to be a flashy team. If you come to these games and want to see us win 51-10, you’re going to be disappointed. But if you want to be happy at the end of the night, you’ve got a chance.”

The season’s largest crowd, 60,004 showed up for homecoming and left happy Saturday night. Happy, but also probably concerned.

Virginia enters the meat of its schedule this week, traveling to Maryland (4-2) and the feeling is that if the Cavaliers fail to raise their level of play, their winning streak will sink into the Potomac.

“We’ve got to get a little bit better because one of these days the string is going to run out,” Groh said.

It nearly did Saturday, after Sewell engineered the 11-play, 79-yard drive that resulted in Gould’s go-ahead kick.

UConn, which entered the day as one of the nation’s 11 undefeated teams, was fighting for respect. In light of a less-than-spectacular list of victims, the 5-0 Huskies had been snubbed by pollsters and believed a win at Virginia would prove their point.

Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen’s pair of 11-yard scrambles to the Virginia 44 with less than 3 minutes to play, might have led to an exclamation point on the day had it not been for a pair of unfortuitous snaps, one that sailed past him in the shotgun formation for a 29-yard loss, and another two plays later, resulting in a fumble that was secured in Fitzgerald’s mitts at UConn’s 25.

The Cavaliers, who, should they win at Maryland this week, would tie UVa’s all-time record for consecutive wins at seven, keep finding ways to win.

Many of the survivors of last year’s 5-7 calamity, believe the various Reaper Cheater’s (UVa has come from behind three times in the fourth quarter to win this season), are a derivative of last season’s lessons.

“There’s a lot to be said for just understanding how to win in each situation,” said senior All-American defensive end candidate Chris Long, who recorded his eighth sack of the season. “Last year’s mentality of the team, we wouldn’t have been able to win some of these games.

“It’s a lot of the same players, but different mentalities,” Long said. “I think we just didn’t understand how to win games. It’s very hard to win a football game. That’s not an understatement or a cop out to say that.”

Groh is in agreement with that analysis.

“I don’t know if it was so much that we found ways to lose [in 2006] as much as it was the team just wasn’t grown up enough to win,” the Virginia coach said. “That was all part of the process that brought us to this point.”

Last year’s young team started to “get it” in the second half of the season, winning three of its last five. Combine that with the current record and that’s a 9-3 mark.

This Virginia defense buckled down last week when it had to and again this week, yielding UConn only one first down on 13 third-down conversion attempts. This defense has a ball-hawking nature to it, thanks in part to aggressive play with its unpredictable nickel package that allows Long and Fitzgerald to just go sic ’em.

There’re more playmakers around: Pearman, Hall, Sewell, Payne, the tight ends, and Cedric Peerman, who’s on the mend.

The Cavs are in control of their own destiny, tied with Virginia Tech for the Coastal Division lead at 3-0 as Miami, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Duke have essentially been eliminated from contention.

While some critics say that Virginia’s the most unimpressive 6-1 team in America, Groh and the Wahoos will take that, especially if they go to 7-1 at College Park come Saturday night.

“We’re not interested in who we’re impressing,” Groh said. “We’re just interested in winning games.”

As the great poet, Al Davis once authored: “Just win, baby.”

In the end, that’s all that matters.

 

Pearman overcomes mistakes
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 14, 2007

On the eve of his first career start at tailback, Virginia’s Andrew Pearman said he didn’t sleep very well.

Just imagine how the junior would have slept if UVa hadn’t held on for a 17-16 win at Scott Stadium on Saturday.

Pearman had a workman-like 47 yards on 17 carries, but coughed the ball up twice. His first fumble, which occurred on a kickoff return, led to a Connecticut field goal.

“I just didn’t secure the ball,” Pearman said. “That was all my fault.”

On Virginia’s next offensive series, Pearman fumbled again - on the UVa 21-yard-line. Luckily, it was recovered by Eugene Monroe.

Many young players may have lost confidence after two consecutive fumbles, but Pearman seemed to put his mishaps behind him quickly.

“I try and have a short memory, like every football player should,” Pearman said. “The most important play is the next play.”

Fellow running back Keith Payne said nobody gave up on Pearman.

“We always stick together,” Payne said, “and he kept his mental game and stayed positive, which helped him out.”

Virginia coach Al Groh said he never lost faith in Pearman.

“He’s got a very upbeat personality and is always very positive about things,” Groh said. “Sometimes you have to realize that yelling at people and making them feel bad doesn’t make them perform better.

“He was our guy and we were going to go with him tonight, so the thing to do was keep him positive and he did a good job for us.”

Groh’s belief in Pearman was obvious on the team’s final offensive drive. Trying to nurse a one-point lead and eat clock, Virginia handed the ball to Pearman three consecutive times.

“I appreciate the coaches having faith in me,” Pearman said. “I held on tight to the ball at the end.”

Pearman’s 17 carries matched his combined total from the preceding six games. Pearman and Payne, filling in for injured starter Cedric Peerman, combined for 85 yards on 27 carries.

“We just went out and had fun,” Pearman said. “We practiced hard all week and took advantage of the situations that we were given.”

 

UVa finds another way to use versatile Hall
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 14, 2007

Al Groh is always talking about how much he values versatility in his players.

Well, welcome to Mr. Versatility: Vic Hall.

A one-time record-setting quarterback at state champion Gretna High School, Hall had quietly bided his time as a cornerback up until a few weeks ago. While he remains an ever-improving starter at the corner for Virginia’s defense, he is starting to make noise in other ways for the Wahoos.

Saturday evening, Hall showed more of his magical touch when he made the first pass attempt of his collegiate career.

With UVa leading, 7-6, midway through the second quarter, the 5-foot-9 sophomore slipped quietly into the game after the Cavs had converted a first down at the Connecticut 44.

On the next play, Hall lined up at tailback, took the ball and rolled to his right, catching UConn’s defense by surprise. Hall threw to ball 35 yards downfield to a wide open Chris Gorham for a first down at the Huskies’ 9-yard line. Two plays later, the Cavaliers scored to go up, 14-6, en route to a 17-16 victory.

It was just another way that Virginia keeps inventing to get Hall’s hands on the pigskin.

He has already proven to be a dynamic punt returner, briefly leading the nation in returns. Last week, at Middle Tennessee State, he brought a punt all the way back for a score that was negated by an illegal blocking penalty.

Two weeks ago, Hall, who is UVa’s holder for extra-point and field-goal attempts, took the snap and rolled around left corner for a late touchdown against Pittsburgh in the Cavs’ lopsided win over another Big East opponent.

“I didn’t quite see myself doing all this, but saw myself doing whatever it would take to get on the field and help my team,” Hall said of his ever-increasing role.

Hall said the Cavaliers didn’t put the halfback option pass play into the offense until this week and practiced it only a couple of times one day.

“We thought that based on some of the things we had shown up to his point that it might have a chance,” Groh said of the option pass play. “It was a perfect call at the time. That play was all about Mike [Groh, UVa’s offensive coordinator] and Vic. It was called at the right time and then Vic had to step up and make the play. It was typical Vic Hall on that.”

Typical Vic Hall translates into reliability and excitement, which is exactly what he brings to every phase of the game.

Hall was one of the few people in Scott Stadium that didn’t see the end result of his pass. He was hit and on the ground. But he heard the roar of the crowd.

“I can throw a much prettier pass,” Hall said in critiquing a ball that hung up in the air for a while. “It was very exciting. Coach believed in me to execute that play and to know that I helped my team out, that’s the best feeling you can have on a football field.”

Groh said the execution was maybe better than Hall gave himself credit for.

“For a halfback pass, you see a lot of those down on the goal line, where the guy has to shot-put it 8 yards or so into the end zone,” the coach said. “But this one was a relatively long pass for that type of play.”

UConn coach Randy Edsall said that his cover man should have stayed back on Gorham.

“We gave up some yardage on defense on a cheap play,” Edsall said. “You know, it was a good call on their part, on the halfback pass where we just needed to make sure that somebody did their job.”

Hall said that the play had not been saved for UConn, that it wasn’t in the Cavs’ offense until this week.

With Hall at the trigger, it may just stay in the playbook.

 

Payne Train keeps rumbling onward
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 14, 2007

For the first time in his Virginia career, Keith Payne scored a touchdown.

The redshirt freshman, who finished with 42 yards rushing on 11 carries, dove into the end zone on a 1-yard carry with 38 seconds left in the first quarter.

The celebration was wild - Payne appeared to mimic the Incredible Hulk.

“He has a lot of energy,” said Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell. “That’s what I would expect from him.”

Payne, who added a 16-yard reception to help set up his score, got off to a slow start as the Cavaliers’ coaching staff gave the starting nod to junior tailback Andrew Pearman in place of the injured Cedric Peerman.

On the season, Payne has 33 carries for 124 yards.

Phillips has done it again

For the second straight week, Virginia tight end John Phillips caught a touchdown pass.

The junior, who entered the game with only seven receptions, hauled in an 8-yard pass from Sewell with 5:19 left in the second quarter and plunged into the end zone.

Last week, Phillips caught a first-half touchdown pass from Sewell against Middle Tennessee State, which snapped a lengthy scoring drought. Phillips’ only previous TD came against Duke in 2005.

Getting honored

The coin toss prior to Saturday’s game was quite memorable.

Rich Hursh, a former serviceman in the Army, was honored through a joint partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. Hursh, who currently resides in Norfolk, was deployed to Mosul, Iraq, in March 2004. Nine months into his stint, Hursh was injured during a suicide bomb attack and lost his right thumb and had serious damage to his right shoulder. Hursh spent eight months recovering in Walter Reed Medical Center, but works now at Lockheed Martin and is pursuing a mechanical engineering degree from Old Dominion.

Virginia also honored the men’s tennis team during the game.

A sack party

Virginia defensive end Chris Long registered his 16th career sack during the fourth quarter.

The senior has recorded eight sacks in Virginia’s seven games this season.

With the sack, which also caused a fumble, Long moved into a tie with former linebacker Wali Rainer for ninth place on UVa’s all-time list.

A career day

Chris Gorham, who had just two career receptions entering Saturday’s game, finished with 76 receiving yards and three catches.

The senior, who started his career at cornerback, was on the receiving end of Vic Hall’s first career pass, a 35-yarder. The catch was the longest catch for a Cavalier wideout this season.

In the house

A number of former Virginia players were in attendance on Saturday.

The contingent, which stood together on the field for most of the game, included Michael Johnson, Wali Lundy, Alvin Pearman, Kwakou Robinson, Marquis Weeks and Chris Williams.

Pearman, who plays for the Seattle Seahawks, was on crutches and sporting a massive brace on his knee. The running back tore his ACL earlier this season.

Injury update

Speaking of injuries, several Virginia players were unable to dress for the game against UConn.

The group included cornerback Chris Cook, who sprained his knee against Middle Tennessee, wideout Maurice Covington (hand) and Peerman.

Groh was unable to give an update on the players after the game other than to say that the injuries will be monitored on a daily basis.

Fullback Rashawn Jackson, who caught a 9-yard pass on Virginia’s first offensive play, tweaked his hamstring during the first drive and did not return, but remains probable for Saturday’s game at Maryland.

Wins keep piling up

With the 17-16 win on Saturday over Connecticut, Virginia extended its current winning streak to six games.

It marks the first time since 2002 that the Cavs have had a six-game winning streak.

A win next week would tie the longest winning streak in Virginia’s history.

With the win, Virginia improved to 6-1 overall, which has not happened since starting the 2004 campaign in that fashion.

Also, Virginia continued its success of late in Homecoming games - the Cavaliers have won 15 of the last 16 contests on Homecoming.

 

Gould golden again
UVa's place-kicker kicks the winning FG for the second straight week.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- By the time Connecticut visited Scott Stadium on Saturday, Virginia's football team already had won games by two, two and five points this season.

Clearly, it was time for a one-pointer.

"We're not interested in who we're impressing; we're just interested in winning games," said UVa coach Al Groh, whose Cavaliers extended their winning streak to six games with a 17-16 victory over previously unbeaten Connecticut.

"That was two really gutty teams who went to the center of the ring and punched it out all night long. In those kind of things, all you need is a split decision."

The Cavaliers (6-1) trailed 16-14 before senior place-kicker Chris Gould kicked a 19-yard field goal with 3:20 remaining.

It was the second game-winning field goal in as many weeks for Gould, whose 34-yarder with eight seconds left lifted the Cavaliers past Middle Tennessee State, 23-21, in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

There was a little more time remaining following Gould's kick Saturday and Connecticut (5-1) worked its way into field-goal range following a pair of 11-yard scrambles by quarterback Tyler Lorenzen.

The Huskies were looking at a first-and-10 from the Virginia 44 when center Keith Gray's snap went whizzing past the ear of an unsuspecting Lorenzen.

Lorenzen eventually recovered the ball but it resulted in a 21-yard loss. Then, two plays later, Lorenzen was caught unaware by another Gray snap and this time the Cavaliers recovered.

"I'd have to go back in the archives to tell you if I've ever seen that before," UVa linebacker Clint Sintim said, "but, hey, there were no complaints from our end."

With the kind of games Virginia has been playing, spectators have become less eager to leave their seats early, and that may have been a factor Saturday.

"We work [on[ crowd noise all week," Connecticut coach Randy Edsall said. "We didn't have any problems in the beginning of the game, but it's unfortunate because it gets magnified there at the end of the game."

Jeffrey Fitzgerald's fumble recovery enabled the Cavaliers to take possession for the last time with 2:15 left, but, even then, the Cavaliers couldn't breathe easy.

Gould missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt that enabled the Huskies to take possession with 27 seconds left.

After two incompletions, Virginia linebacker Jon Copper sacked Lorenzen for a 7-yard loss on third down. The game ended when a desperation, fourth-and-17 heave went incomplete.

"You get one handed to you that way," Groh said, "and you take it any way you can get it."

Virginia outgained the visitors 332-254 but was victimized by three turnovers that led to 13 points by the Huskies.

The most critical was a interception that Connecticut defensive back Robert Vaughn returned 32 yards to the Cavaliers' 6-yard line with 11:12 remaining in the third quarter.

Lorenzen connected with tight end Steve Brouse two plays later for a touchdown that enabled Connecticut to cut the deficit to 14-13.

"It was just a bad read," UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell said. "If John Phillips had gone where I thought he was going, maybe it would have been a good throw, but he made the right read and I made the wrong one."

Sewell completed 14 of 24 passes for 149 yards but underthrew several receivers and also had some overthrows.

"It wasn't good," said Sewell, whose 66 rushing yards led all ground-gainers.

Sewell was intercepted on Virginia's first series of the game on a ball that went through the arms of Chris Gorhan. Then, following a 45-yard Tony Ciaravino field goal, the Huskies forced an Andrew Pearman fumble on the ensuing kickoff.

Connecticut recovered at the Cavaliers' 13-yard line, but Virginia stopped the Huskies for no gains on back-to-back attempts from the 4 and out trotted Ciavarino for a 21-yarder.

"It could have been 14-0," Groh said. "It was a lot different game at 6-0."

That became apparent when Virginia finally got field position on a 13-yard Vic Hall punt return to the Cavaliers' 41. That was the starting point for an 11-play drive capped by a Keith Payne 1-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

That gave the Cavaliers a 7-6 lead that they stretched to 14-6 on Sewell's 8-yard touchdown pass to Phillips with 5:19 remaining to halftime.

That score was set up by a piece of trickery, a 35-yard pass from Hall to Gorham on first-and-10 from the Huskies' 44.

Hall holds Virginia High School League records for passing yardage and total offense, but the only playing time he has received on offense has been as the Cavaliers' holder for field goals and extra points.

Hall scored a touchdown against Pittsburgh when the Cavaliers faked a field goal, but he lined up as a running back Saturday and took a handoff from Sewell.

"You have to credit Mike and Vic," said Groh, giving a nod to his son, Mike, the Cavaliers' offensive coordinator. "That was a perfect call at the time."

Groh also gave credit to Lorenzen, who was sacked four times but avoided numerous other dangerous situations.

With the victory, the Cavaliers surpassed their win total from a 5-7 season in 2006 and made themselves eligible for bowl consideration. They aren't leading the nation in victory margin, but that doesn't seem to bother anybody.

Said Copper: "We couldn't script these games any better than they've worked out."
 

Hall displays his versatility
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As he tried to slip into Virginia's offensive backfield as inconspicuously as possible, Vic Hall thought he heard a voice from the Connecticut bench yelling, "Receiver in the backfield, receiver in the backfield."

Hall has been a lot of things during a celebrated career that started at Gretna High School. Just about the only thing he hasn't done is catch passes.

That may be coming.

Hall, who scored a touchdown on a fake field goal against Pittsburgh, completed a 35-yard pass to Chris Gorham that set up Virginia's second touchdown in a 17-16 victory over Connecticut.

"I think [the Huskies] knew I was in the game," Hall said. "The plan is to run up to the line of scrimmage as quickly as possible, before they can do anything."

Gorham was wide open and Hall didn't wait long before stopping and lofting a pass to Gorham, who had to stop and wait on the ball and was tackled almost as soon as he caught it.

"It wasn't the best pass, to be honest," said Hall, who holds the Virginia High School League record for career passing yardage and total offense.

Head coach Al Groh defended Hall by saying it was a "long pass," longer than most non-quarterbacks throw on option plays.

Hall probably has higher standards than most option passers, but his teammates weren't about to dock him any style points.

"Vic knows how to throw it -- possibly better than me," said UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell, who was intercepted twice. "I'm not going to tell him anything."

Personnel

Virginia junior Cedric Peerman, the ACC's leading rusher before he was injured at Middle Tennessee on Oct. 6, was on crutches when he arrived for pregame warmups and was wearing a boot on his injured right foot.

Andrew Pearman made his first start at tailback for the Cavaliers under the watchful eyes of his older brother, Alvin, who has been placed on injured reserve by the Seattle Seahawks after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament that soon will be reconstructed.

Andrew Pearman fumbled on the kickoff following UConn's first field goal, with the Huskies taking over at the UVa 13. He later had a second fumble, from scrimmage, that was recovered by teammate Eugene Monroe. Monroe started at left tackle after missing two games with a knee injury and was agile enough to record a tackle on an interception return by the Huskies' Robert Vaughn, although UConn needed only two plays to score a touchdown from the UVa 6.

n Making his first start for the Cavaliers was Mike Parker, a redshirt freshman cornerback who replaced Chris Cook. Cook also showed up for pregame warmups in a protective boot but did not require crutches.

n Fullback Rashawn Jackson caught a screen pass on Virginia's first offensive play that he turned into a 9-yard gain, but not before he pulled a hamstring that kept him out of action for the rest of the night. Walk-on Josh Zidenberg took his place.

Odds and ends

Schools are not allowed to give game balls to players, but Groh awarded a ball to former serviceman Rich Hursh, honored before the game as part of the Wounded Warrior Project. ... Sewell's 16 rushing attempts tied a career high. ... Defensive end Chris Long had his ACC-leading eighth sack of the season. ... Bath County-bred tight end John Phillips, who went nearly two years without a touchdown reception, scored his second TD in two games. ... Redshirt freshman tailback Keith Payne scored the first touchdown of his career on a 1-yard run in the first quarter.

UVa next week

The Cavs (6-1, 3-0 ACC) learned shortly after Saturday's game that kickoff for next Saturday's showdown with Maryland (4-2, 1-1) will be at 8 p.m. (ESPN2).

The Terps (4 -2, 1-1) had an open date Saturday.

Virginia will be looking for its seventh straight victory, which would tie a school record.
 

Escape artists
Gould's leg again lifts Cavaliers, who are bowl-eligible
Sunday, Oct 14, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 03:30 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In its year of living dangerously, the University of Virginia football team continues to find ways to win.

For the second straight week, the Cavaliers rallied in the fourth quarter and won on a Chris Gould field goal.

Yesterday, Gould's 19-yarder with 3:20 remaining against Connecticut gave U.Va. a 17-16 lead. That turned out to be the final score, as the previously unbeaten Huskies self-destructed on a drive that initially looked as if it would end with a field goal attempt.

"In every game one team's going to crack," said Virginia junior Andrew Pearman, who started at tailback for the injured Cedric Peerman. "We're all tired out there. It all depends on who's going to crack first. They did, and we didn't."

The victory was the sixth straight for Virginia (6-1), which has come from behind in the final quarter to win three times.

Give an assist on the Cavaliers' latest triumph to the homecoming crowd of 60,004 at Scott Stadium. After Gould's field goal, UConn had parlayed a 27-yard kickoff return and back-to-back 11-yard runs by quarterback Tyler Lorenzen into a first down at the Virginia 44. But with the home fans roaring, communication between quarterback and center broke down. Keith Gray's shotgun sailed past the unsuspecting Lorenzen, who was fortunate to fall on the ball for a 21-yard loss.

The Huskies' implosion wasn't over. A false-start penalty left UConn facing second and 34 from its 30. Then another errant shotgun snap -- this one low -- got away from Lorenzen, and sophomore defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald recovered the fumble with 2:15 left.

"Obviously, we'll take it any way we can get it," said U.Va. coach Al Groh, whose team is now bowl-eligible.

Gould missed a 35-yard field-goal attempt with 27 seconds remaining, but UConn went nowhere on its final possession, and the Cavaliers had their longest winning streak since 2002. Of U.Va.'s six victories, four have come by fewer than six points. Another was by 11. A season ago, Virginia went 5-7.

"There's a lot to be said for just understanding how to win in each situation," said senior defensive end Chris Long, who recorded his eighth sack of the season yesterday. "I think last year, with the mentality of the team, we wouldn't have been able to win some of these games."

Virginia overcame three turnovers, the first two of which came in the first five minutes. Both gave the Huskies (5-1) excellent field possession, but they had to settle for a Tony Ciaravino field goal after each one.

The Cavaliers' defensive stand after the second turnover -- a fumble by Pearman on a kickoff return -- was especially significant. UConn took over at the Virginia 13, and a first-down run gained 9 yards. But U.Va. stopped the Huskies for no gain on second and again on third down, and out came Ciaravino.

"It could have been 14-0, but instead it was 6-0," Groh said.

For the game, UConn converted only 1 of 13 third-down opportunities. Lorenzen played well -- he passed for 176 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions -- but the Huskies' inability to execute in crucial situations would haunt them.

"Field goals are great, but touchdowns are better," Lorenzen said.

As he had a week earlier, sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell mixed moments of brilliance with costly mistakes yesterday. With Virginia leading 14-6 yesterday early in the third quarter, Sewell threw a pass directly to UConn safety Robert Vaughn, who returned it 32 yards to the 6. Two plays later, the Huskies had their first TD, and the extra point made it 14-13.

"It's extremely frustrating for me as a person who's supposed to lead this team," said Sewell, who passed for 149 yards but was picked off twice.

But Sewell redeemed himself against UConn, just as he had against Middle Tennessee. On what proved to the game-winning drive, Sewell had completions of 14 (to senior tight Jonathan Stupar), 30 (to senior wideout Chris Gorham) and 8 yards (to senior tight end Tom Santi) to set up a chip-shot field goal for Gould.

"We just knew we could do it," Sewell said. "That's how the whole team feels. No matter what happens, we're going to pull it out."

 

Cavaliers get cozy, finish off UConn
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 14, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Virginia coach Al Groh said last week that his team is comfortable playing close games.

In that case, the Cavaliers had to be front-porch, rocking-chair comfy with eight minutes left in Saturday's game with Connecticut.

Yes, Virginia trailed the unbeaten Huskies by two points, and no, the Cavaliers hadn't mounted much in the way of offense the entire half. But, increasingly, it's beginning to look like the Cavaliers savor these types of late-game situations.

After winning on a field goal at Middle Tennessee last week, the Cavaliers needed more late dramatics to finish previously-unbeaten Connecticut 17-16 at Scott Stadium.

The win was Virginia's sixth straight and its fourth by five points or less. At 6-1, the Cavaliers have one more win than all of last season, with five games left to play.

"We're not interested in who we're impressing," Groh said. "We're just interested in winning games."

It took a Jameel Sewell-led drive, a Chris Gould field goal, and a late-game implosion from the Huskies to win this one.

With Virginia down 16-14, Sewell shook off two interceptions and another scattershot passing performance to move Virginia 79 yards to the Connecticut 1 with 3:20 left. Gould's 19-yard field goal put the Cavaliers up 17-16.

Game over? Not yet. Connecticut took over at its 34 and moved the ball to the Virginia 44 on a couple of scrambles by quarterback Tyler Lorenzen.

The Huskies were on the march. Virginia looked to be on its heels. Then, suddenly, Connecticut self-destructed. A shotgun snap from center Keith Gray flew past Lorenzen and rolled back into Connecticut territory. As Lorenzen dashed back to fall on it, defensive end Clint Sintim couldn't believe what was happening.

"If you could have seen my eyes, they could have popped out of my head," he said.

The Huskies lost 21 yards on the play. A false start penalty put them 26 yards in the hole. Then came the final mistake, another bad snap that landed at Lorenzen's ankles. Defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald pounced on it and Virginia got the ball at the Connecticut 25.

Game over? Not yet. Virginia moved to the 17 but Gould's 35-yard field goal attempt missed wide left.

Connecticut had a final chance, from its 20 with 27 seconds left. Not until three Lorenzen incompletions and a Jon Copper sack could the crowd of 60,004 exhale.

The Cavaliers? They said the outcome was never in doubt. There was a discernable theme in their post-game remarks.

"We pride ourselves in not cracking," tailback Andrew Pearman said.

"One of our main slogans is, 'We can't crack,' " nose tackle Nate Collins said.

"These players have demonstrated that they're a tough-minded group, and they're not going to crack," chimed in Groh.

The defense demonstrated the no-crack mentality first, forcing the Huskies to settle for two early field goals after a Sewell interception and a Pearman fumble on a kickoff set up Connecticut nicely on its first two possessions.

Virginia could have easily trailed 14-0. Instead, it was just 6-0, a deficit the Cavaliers made up on a late first-quarter drive.

Up 14-6, Virginia also turned the Huskies away late in the half, forcing a fumble on first-and-goal from the 9.

Another Sewell interception set up Connecticut's second touchdown. A couple of pass interference penalties helped set up the Huskies' go-ahead field goal.

Down two points, Sewell and the offense awoke when needed. As for the defense, "We just kept coming and we hoped that eventually they would make mistakes," end Chris Long said.

The Huskies made some costly ones. Virginia picked up a win that could land it in the top 25. After all, 6-1 is 6-1, no matter the method.

"The game is about who's going to crack first," Pearman said. "Obviously they did, and we didn't."

 

Cavs cool in the clutch, again
For the second straight week, Jameel Sewell rallies Virginia to a win in the closing minutes.
By MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
October 14, 2007
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Jameel Sewell has been here before. Seven days ago, in fact.

For the second straight game, Sewell and the Virginia offense got the ball back late in the game, needing to put together a scoring drive to pull out a comeback victory. And for the second straight game, they responded.

Virginia held off Connecticut 17-16 on Saturday in front of a homecoming crowd of 60,004 at sold-out Scott Stadium as Sewell, U.Va.'s sophomore quarterback, led the Cavaliers on an 11-play, 79-yard, fourth-quarter drive. Chris Gould's 19-yard field goal with 3:20 to play allowed U.Va. to win six straight games for the first time since 2002 and narrowly avoid a non-conference loss for the second consecutive week.

Gould kicked a 34-yard field goal with eight seconds left as Virginia rallied to beat Middle Tennessee 23-21 on Oct. 6.

"I try not to let it get to me," said Sewell, who completed 14 of 24 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown and overcame two interceptions, including a near-disastrous one that set up UConn's only touchdown in the third quarter. "I try to stay calm and try to make sure my team knows that I'm just gonna be there for them, whatever goes on. My team is there for me. I can see it in their eyes every time I look at them — the offensive line and the rest of the people in the huddle."

On the game-winning drive, Sewell completed first-down passes of 14 and 30 yards to get Virginia into UConn territory. Then, after five rushes by Andrew Pearman moved the ball to the 7, Sewell — who lead U.Va. with 66 yards on 16 carries — got to the 1 on third-and-goal.

The Cavs then turned to Gould to take the lead with 3:20 to play.

Virginia coach Al Groh didn't seriously consider going for a touchdown.

"The other team is gonna have to make a lot more plays to beat you" after the field goal, he said.

And the Huskies nearly did.

Quarterback Tyler Lorenzen reeled off back-to-back 11-yard scrambles to get to the Virginia 44. But then UConn crumbled after a bad snap squirted past Lorenzen and rolled 21 yards, back to the Huskies' 35.

Then came a false start to make it second-and-36, and then Lorenzen, trying to escape Virginia's rush, fumbled. Jeffrey Fitzgerald recovered for U.Va. with 2:15 left, effectively ending UConn's chances.

"I guess the nerves got to them," said junior tailback Andrew Pearman, who had 40 yards on 17 carries as part of Virginia's backfield-by-committee rushing game with Cedric Peerman out with a foot injury. "Every game's about who's gonna crack first, and obviously that showed that they did."

Sewell didn't, not even after he misread the Huskies' coverage and threw an interception right into the arms of free safety Robert Vaughn, who returned UConn's 13th pick of the season to the Cavalier 6-yard line. A play later, Lorenzen hit Steve Brouse in the right corner of the end zone to pull the Huskies within 14-13 with 10:31 to play in the third quarter.

"It probably would have bothered me a whole lot, honestly, last year," Sewell said. "I've grown a lot, and what's helped me grow is just the confidence my team has in me. ... I think about it for a little bit, but after 15 seconds or so, it's just out of my head, because I have to bounce back and try to help the team go down the field again and get some points somehow, some way."

After another quarter, four straight Virginia punts and Tony Ciaravino's 25-yard field goal to give UConn a 16-14 lead, Sewell finally did just that.

The Huskies got the ball back with 27 seconds to play after Gould missed a 35-yard field goal, but Lorenzen threw two incompletions and was sacked by Jon Copper before his final pass attempt fell short.

"We were happy to have one more point," Groh said. "We're not interested in who we're impressing. We're just interested in winning games."