U.VA. NOTES
Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007 - 12:06 AM Updated: 09:17 AM

Coach's wife wants wider victory margin
The Cardiac Cavs -- also known as the Virginia football team -- have tied the NCAA record held by Columbia for most wins by two points or fewer in a season.

In 1971, Columbia beat Princeton 22-20, Yale 15-14, Rutgers 17-16 and Dartmouth 31-29. (The Lions also lost 21-19 to Harvard that season.)

U.Va.'s seven victories include these four squeakers: 22-20 over North Carolina, 23-21 over Middle Tennessee, 17-16 over Connecticut and, most recently, 18-17 over Maryland. Virginia (4-0 ACC, 7-1 overall) has four regular-season games left, starting Saturday at N.C. State (0-3, 2-5).

Anne Groh, for one, has seen enough dramatic finishes for one season.

"I get advice every week from my wife," seventh-year coach Al Groh said yesterday, and she'd like to see U.Va. "make the margin a little bit wider. And as much as I try to accommodate her requests in most circumstances, I've been unable to take direction properly in this case."

Only once during its seven-game winning streak -- in a 44-14 rout of Pittsburgh -- has Virginia prevailed by more than 11 points.

"Look, we wish that they were all 30-10," Groh said. "We're not trying to keep it close, we're not trying to keep it down, we're not trying to do the things that make it that way. What the players have shown is a good ability to not become unnerved when it does become this type of game."

Hard work pays dividends for duo
In U.Va.'s 3-4 defense, juniors Antonio Appleby and Jon Copper play virtually every snap at inside linebacker. Copper, however, has made 66 tackles, to 39 for Appleby. That's not, Groh said, because Appleby has played poorly.

"I'm well-pleased with how he's playing," Groh said. "I think we have to say Jon, he's a tackle-maker. He's got just a wonderful sense for where the ball is going, and ends up with a lot of production that players playing well at his position wouldn't necessarily have amassed."

Senior defensive end Chris Long, with 50 tackles, is second on the team. Copper led the Wahoos last year, too.

"It's almost not possible for me to recount for you all the amount of hours he puts in over [at the McCue Center] studying," Groh said of Copper. "It comes from tremendous preparatin on his part . . . He's willing to do whatever it takes to maximize his production."

U.Va. has talented stable of backs
When Cedric Peerman returns from a foot injury, running backs coach Anthony Poindexter will have a wealth of attractive options. Peerman, the ACC's second-leading rusher, is one of five Virginia backs to have scored at least one touchdown this season. Peerman has scored five TDs, and fellow tailbacks Mikell Simpson, Andrew Pearman and Keith Payne have combined for five more. Fullback Rashawn Jackson has scored once.

Peerman and Pearman are juniors. Simpson and Jackson are sophomores, and Payne is a redshirt freshman.

"Anybody who goes into that running-back meeting room today . . . can look around and see more and more there's a lot of guys who are playing well at that position, and they're all going to be around here for awhile," Groh said.

Injured fullback is progressing well
Jackson hurt his hamstring on the first play from scrimmage Oct. 13 against Connecticut and sat out the Maryland game Saturday night. He might be back this weekend.

"I watched him run for a long time [Monday] night," Groh said, "and he certainly has progressed well beyond where he was last week. We'll just see what kind of load he can carry and then what kind of strength he has in there, so he doesn't go in there and run two or three plays and then [hurt his hamstring] all over again."

Long: no thanks
Groh has said several times times recently that if the Heisman Trophy is truly meant to honor the best player in college football, then Long should be a serious candidate. Groh understands that voters tend to pay more attention to running backs and quarterbacks with mind-boggling statistics, he said, but "it's hard to imagine that there are many players that are better than Chris Long is."

Long's response?

"It's humbling, and it's cool to hear from Coach Groh, because he's somebody we all look up to, but no." -- Jeff White

 

Cavs well-liked by computers
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 25, 2007

Most of Virginia’s players have no real idea how the Bowl Championship Series standings are tabulated.

“I can’t figure all that stuff out,” joked Virginia defensive end Chris Long. “It is way too complicated.”

Well, you toss in the coaches poll, which is composed of 60 current Division I-A program leaders. Then add the Harris Poll, which includes 114 panelists, some of whom have ties to the University of Virginia, such as former UVa coach Dick Bestwick, and Jim Copeland and Gene Corrigan, two former athletic directors at the school. And lastly, sprinkle in a dash of technology, as six computer rankings are factored in weekly.

Each counts for one-third of the final BCS formula, which is used to determine pairings for the National Championship game and four of the at-large selections for the sport’s most prestigious bowl games.

Virginia (7-1, 4-0 ACC) enters a road game on Saturday (4:30 p.m./ESPNU) at North Carolina State (2-5, 0-4 ACC) as the No. 15 team in the BCS.

How did UVa land that spot?

The Cavaliers are ranked 18th in the coaches poll and 20th in the Harris poll. With an average of 19, that leaves the computer polls, at least five of the six, needing to propel Virginia into the upper echelon.

Three of the computer-ranking providers, Kenneth Massey, Colley Matrix and Peter Wolfe, in fact, have the Cavaliers ranked as the nation’s sixth-best team. Anderson & Hester and Jeff Sagarin have them ranked No. 8.

And then comes Richard Billingsley, who publishes the Billingsley Report from his home in Hugo, Okla. His system has Virginia ranked 17th, drastically different from his counterparts. Luckily for Virginia fans, the BCS throws out the highest and lowest computer ranking each week, using the four in the middle for the final figure.

“The first thing that people have to recognize about my computer formula is that it is so dramatically different than the other five computers,” Billingsley told The Daily Progress. “The BCS looks at that as being a strength and not a weakness. There is no point in all of us coming from the same perspective.

Billingsley said his computer rankings, which he started doing in 1970, were designed to mirror the coaches poll and also the AP poll, currently a non-factor in the BCS formula.

“The way it does that … Jeff Sagarin and I are the only two computer pollsters that have a starting point for our teams,” Billingsley said. “And that sets us apart from the other four. Everyone else starts teams out equal and I don’t.”

Essentially, Virginia, which went 5-7 last year, started with an uphill battle in this computer system.

“Teams carry their rank from one season to another, and I know that’s a very controversial point, but the bottom line is that I don’t think that Ohio State and Utah State should start out being equal,” he said. “It doesn’t make sense to me. We know that Ohio State is a better team. If you make them equal at the beginning of the season it skews the strength of schedule. You never get an accurate strength of schedule.

“Now that’s just my personal opinion, and that’s what makes me different from the other guys.”

Billingsley also has his own criteria for determining strength of schedule.

“The other computer guys use wins and losses and I don’t. I use the rank of the opponent, not the opponent’s wins and losses,” he pointed out. “Here’s a perfect example: if Connecticut and Southern California have the same record - they are both 6-1 - the other computers will give Virginia the same credit for playing Connecticut as they do for playing Southern Cal.

“I don’t do that. I have Southern Cal ranked No. 4 and Connecticut ranked No. 41. So a team that plays Southern California in my system gets about three times as much credit for playing Southern Cal.

The differences don’t stop there. Billingsley uses what could be coined a “What have you done for me lately?” factor. That means Virginia’s 18-17 win over Maryland last week meant more than its victory over Georgia Tech in the third week of the season.

“In my system, the most recent game counts more,” Billingsley said. “And when all of those previous points I mentioned are taken into consideration, when my rankings come out they really look closer to the sportswriters and coaches polls than they do to the other computers.”

What happens to Virginia’s previous opponents, while it impacts several of the computer polls, has no bearing on Billingsley’s system, as well. Wins last weekend by UConn, Middle Tennessee State and Pittsburgh, for example, had no bearing in his world.

“What happens in the past is water under the bridge,” Billingsley said. “I think Oregon is a pretty good example of that this year. Oregon’s only loss was to California and it really made them look good because California was undefeated. Well, when California lost to Oregon State and then California lost again to UCLA, the other computers factor that in.

“I don’t penalize Oregon for that. The Ducks are not responsible for what happens to their opponents after they play them. I just don’t believe in that.”

Billingsley, who is “glued to the television” every Saturday from the start of College GameDay to the late Pac-10 game on his 6-foot big screen, said he did witness Virginia’s comeback against Maryland and noticed its impact in his poll the following day.

“In order for Virginia to really break into that top 25, they just had to beat some real quality opponent, and when they beat Connecticut it helped, and then when they beat Maryland it helped them even more,” he said. “That’s what really pushed them up in my system.”

How high can Virginia go in his poll?

Check back after the Cavaliers play Wake Forest, Miami and Virginia Tech, he said.

“They are going to have to get into that November schedule and beat all of those teams before they are really going to see any tremendous movement,” Billingsley said. “And it is strictly because of their schedule.”

 

Sewell superb in the clutch for UVa
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
October 25, 2007

Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting how efficient Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell has become in the clutch ...

According to UVa’s nifty sports information department, Sewell has put up some mind-blowing numbers during the Cavaliers’ three comeback wins the past three weekends.

The sophomore southpaw has completed 14 of 15 passes for 167 yards in those three game-winning drives, which means his efficiency rating in the clutch must be astronomical.

“In college football we have an efficiency rating, however it’s computed,” said UVa coach Al Groh. “I don’t know the formula, I just look at the numbers. In the NFL you can get a hold of statistics through different sports bureaus that break down a quarterback’s efficiency rating by third downs, by red zone, and by two-minute drills.

“Sometimes that tells a very different story about the quarterback than just that, which is printed in the Wednesday newspaper that lists them by their overall efficiency rating,” Groh said. “Those are some of the circumstances that clearly distinguish quarterbacks in critical situations. To compile 14 of 15 in those circumstances certainly speaks a lot about him stepping up at those moments.”

Hokies showdown

Tonight’s game in Blacksburg between No. 8 Virginia Tech and No. 2 Boston College is a huge one (ESPN, 7:40 p.m.).

Hokies coach Frank Beamer said during Wednesday’s ACC teleconference that he believed BC was the best team that has ever come to Lane Stadium during his career, but he thinks the home-field advantage will help his Hokies.

“It’s a great stadium and we’ve got the best fans,” Beamer said. “They know when to get loud and when not to. They help us win games. They’re part of it, that’s for sure.”

All week long, media asked BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski about playing at night in Lane Stadium, presumably because of Tech’s 13-2 record in Thursday night games.

“They’ve got lights there, right?” Jagodzinski said Wednesday, tongue-in-cheek.

“We should be OK playing at night then. Everybody’s bringing up playing Virginia Tech at night, so if they’ve got lights ... It’s the same dimensions of every other field we play on.”

The Eagles boast the nation’s No. 1 defense against the run, coached by former UVa defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani, now in his ninth season at BC.

Wednesday’s injury report listed Tech QB Tyrod Taylor (high ankle sprain) as a game-time decision. Otherwise, Sean Glennon will start.

Both teams have several injured players healthy for the game.

BC’s Matt Ryan is one of the nation’s leading Heisman Trophy candidates.

Stat of the week I

For the first time in his collegiate career (13 seasons), Virginia coach Al Groh owns an above-.500 winning percentage at 75-74.

With 75 wins, Groh leapfrogged Bobby Ross (Georgia Tech, Maryland) and Dick Crum (UNC) into ninth place among all-time ACC coaches on the victory list. Three more wins would move Groh, who also coached at Wake Forest for six years, past N.C. State’s Earle Edwards and Maryland’s Jerry Claiborne.

Stat of the week II

6-25 - Virginia Tech’s record against top 10 teams during coach Frank Beamer’s 21 seasons at the helm of the program. Tech is 2-6 against top 10 teams when the Hokies are also ranked in the top 10.

Shades of Joe Willie

Clemson running back James Davis, who broke out of his slump last weekend with 95 yards on 15 carries, did his best Joe Namath imitation this week when he flat out guaranteed a Tigers’ victory over Maryland.

The two teams meet in College Park, Md., this weekend.

“I don’t see us losing this game,” Davis said. “We’re going to win this game. We’re going to win. Guaranteed.”

Think that might make it onto the Terrapins’ bulletin board?

Surging Wolfies

If you know N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien, then you knew he wouldn’t let his team go down easily. They have bounced back from a 1-5 start, beating ECU last weekend and giving FSU a fight two weeks before.

UVa’s Groh said that the Wolfpack reminds him of his Cavaliers at a similar stage last season when they regrouped from a bad start and finished 3-2 down the stretch.

One thing’s for certain. If State quarterback Daniel Evans gets hot and isn’t harassed, then watch out. He passed for 335 yards against the Pirates with the Wolfies jumping out to a 21-0 lead, scoring all three touchdowns in less than 3 1/2 minutes.

It should be noted that State athletic director Lee Fowler was spotted on the sidelines lighting up a victory cigar in the waning seconds of the game.

Quote of the week

“I ain’t selling.”

That was Florida State’s legendary coach Bobby Bowden, the winningest major college coach of all-time, after being asked about finding a “For Sale” sign in his yard last Sunday morning after the Seminoles lost a close game to rival Miami.

Asked Wednesday if that was shocking, Bowden kind of chuckled.

“If you’ve never had it happen before it is. But when you’ve been hanged in effigy before it’s not,” the coach said. “I was amused, but I’d rather it not have been there.”

Bowden was once hanged in effigy during his next-to-last season as head coach at West Virginia before moving on to FSU.

Seminole struggles

Bowden said he’s not giving up, even though his team has fallen back the last couple of seasons.

“You don’t want to kiss away the year,” the 77-year-old coach said. “I still want to try to save this year if we can.”

Bowden and offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher decided one of the ways was to reinstate Drew Weatherford as FSU’s starting quarterback and benching Xavier Lee, who took over the job a few weeks ago after he came off the bench to beat Alabama.

Weatherford has been intercepted only once in 100 pass attempts this season, while Lee turned the ball over seven times in the past two games.

“Drew has beaten Duke, Virginia Tech and Boston College before,” Bowden said of FSU’s next three opponents.

Short yardage ...

Clemson’s entire defense only has 10 sacks, the same number that Virginia’s Chris Long has all by himself. ... Virginia Tech is fifth nationally in quarterback sacks. ... Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said he believes it is “about impossible” for running back Tashard Choice (knee surgery) to be back in time for next Thursday night’s home game against the Hokies, even though Choice thinks he will be ready. ... Virginia’s Groh said that with starting tight end Tom Santi out with a leg injury, he will insert redshirt freshman Joe Torchia into some of the Cavaliers’ three-tight end sets because it “has been a successful grouping for us.” ... Wahoo punter Ryan Weigand is third nationally in punting average (46.4).

The picks

Last week: 3-3. To date: 46-19. Tonight: Boston College 27, Virginia Tech 23. Saturday: Clemson 30, Maryland 20; Florida State 27, Duke 10; Wake Forest 28, UNC 27; Virginia 20, N.C. State 17.

 

Cavs put lengthy win streak on line at NC State
By Sports Network
The Sports Network

Tied for the second-longest winning streak in the nation entering this week, the 21st-ranked Virginia Cavaliers try to stay perfect in ACC play as they contend with the NC State Wolfpack on the road in Raleigh.

Since falling to Wyoming in the season opener, 23-3, the Cavaliers have reeled off seven consecutive victories, the most recent being an 18-17 nail-biter last Saturday night versus Maryland on the road. During the team's win streak this season, which has matched a school record previously accomplished in 1914, 1949 and 1990, five have come by five points or less.

As for the Wolfpack, they managed to post just their second win of 2007 last weekend in a 34-20 triumph over East Carolina. The win was the first on the road this season for NC State and its first against an opponent from the newly- renamed Football Bowl Subdivision. The squad, which is still 0-3 in league matchups, posted a 38-17 win over Wofford at home.

As far as the all-time series is concerned, NC State leads, 32-21-1, since the relationship began back in 1904. The Wolfpack is 15-8 at home in the series, but lost to Virginia on the road last season in a 26-20 decision.

After a couple of questionable calls by the officials in the waning moments of last week's tilt against Maryland, Mikell Simpson took matters into his own hands and scored the game-winning touchdown on a one-yard plunge with just 16 seconds remaining. Simpson finished the outing with 119 yards and two scores on the ground, while Jameel Sewell added 243 yards on 22-of-35 passing and survived three sacks. Filling the shoes left by an injured Cedric Peerman, Simpson surprised almost everyone with his effort in the triumph, especially since he's been used so sparingly the first seven games of the season. Sewell's production continues to fluctuate, despite matching his career-high for passing yards. Considering he threw for a combined 243 yards in the first three games alone, it's never clear which version of the quarterback is going to come out and play. However, what is clear is that the Cavs offense is still struggling, even with the lengthy win streak, placing 101st among the 119 FBS teams with an average is just 326.9 ypg of total offense.

The Virginia defense came alive when it needed to against the Terrapins last weekend, holding the home team to a mere 103 yards passing and 233 yards of offense overall. After giving up two touchdowns to Maryland on its first three possessions, the Cavs limited the Terps to just a field goal the rest of the way. Jon Cooper led Virginia with 12 tackles, of which two and a half came behind the line of scrimmage, but the real big hitter for the Cavs was Chris Long who logged 10 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and the only two sacks of the game for the visitors. Make no mistake, this team plays only as well as the defense allows, with the squad currently ranked third in the ACC and tied for 15th nationally with three sacks per outing. The run defense has limited opponents to just 113.3 ypg, which has brought the group's overall defense down to just 314.3 ypg. Long has been a beast for the Cavs, having made 13 of his 50 stops behind the line of scrimmage and already posting 10 sacks to lead the ACC and put him third in the nation in terms of sacks per game.

Daniel Evans connected on 29-of-44 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Wolfpack to their first win of the season over another member of the FBS. The team leaned heavily on Evans as the so-called rushing attack managed a mere 49 yards on 28 attempts. Evans has played marginally well under center this year, filling in for Harrison Beck who is out with a separated shoulder, completing 64.3 percent of his pass attempts. And while Evans averages just 113.3 ypg through the air, his seven touchdowns and six picks are still far better than the nine INTs to two TDs that Beck had produced before his injury. Running back Andre Brown has given the group some stability coming out of the backfield with his nearly five yards per carry and team-high five TDs, but the team is still ranked 11th in the conference and 109th in the nation with a mere 91.9 ypg rushing.

Defensively, the Wolfpack limited East Carolina to only 72 yards on the ground and less than four yards per play as they took part in 87 snaps on the road. Javon Walker and DaJuan Morgan both recorded double-digit tackles for the visitors with 11 and 10, respectively, while Markus Kuhn and Willie Young made much more noise as they recorded two of each of their three stops behind the line of scrimmage. Kuhn added a pair of forced fumbles and a sack, while Young had two sacks of his own. Morgan is currently second in tackles for the Pack with 52, posting a team-best 32 solo efforts. However, not one of the team's top seven tacklers has a single sack to this point in the campaign, which is why the Pack is ranked 10th in the conference in that department. Getting a strong push up front has been difficult for the group this year, currently ranking last in the ACC and 103rd in the nation in run defense with 204.4 ypg, despite what the team accomplished last weekend. Having the nation's worst turnover margin (minus-2.43 per game) doesn't help matters much.

 

Locating Long on the line a challenge
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Even when opponents know where he is, Virginia defensive end Chris Long is hard to contain.

Throw in the element of surprise and he's almost unstoppable.

In Long's final season, the Cavaliers have taken to moving him all over the line of scrimmage in hope of creating mismatches.

"You really have to do your homework to prepare for him," said Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, whose Terrapins were beaten by visiting Virginia 18-17 on Saturday.

And sometimes, game planning doesn't help.

When the Terps lost starting left guard Jaimie Thomas to injury, Friedgen moved right guard Phil Costa to the left side in hope of stopping Long.

Never mind. The Cavaliers shifted Long so he would be aimed at Costa's replacement, Jack Griffin.

"If you've got a weakest defensive lineman, you can pretty much count he's going to be on him," Friedgen said. "In that light, I feel they're fairly predictable, but it does make it difficult to find out where he is and where he's going to be. They do a good job and [defensive coordinator] Mike London, I think, is an excellent coach."

N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien, whose Wolfpack entertains UVa on Saturday, agrees.

"He has tremendous explosive power and plays with a great base," O'Brien said. "He's low in coming off the ball. Obviously, you can see a lot of the techniques he has, he's worked with his father. He looks like a miniature version of the way his dad [Howie] used to play.

"Basically, you know where he is on first and second down. They move him around in the third-down package and I guess we'll figure out who our worst pass protector is because that's where he'll line up."

Much has been made of Long's improved "finishing" ability, which has allowed him to surpass his three-year sack total (seven) in just eight games -- he has 10 sacks this year. He also had two of UVa's four pass breakups at Maryland and his eight overall makes him the only defensive lineman in the ACC's top 10 in that category.

'Tackle-maker'

Overshadowed by Long on Saturday was junior linebacker Jon Copper, who had a career-high 12 tackles, including 212 for loss and his third sack of the season. Copper, from Northside High School, has a team-high 66 tackles through eight games. Antonio Appleby, the Cavaliers' other inside linebacker, has 39.

"I'm well-pleased with [Appleby] but I think we'd have to say that Jon's a tackle-maker," Groh said. "He's got just a wonderful sense for where the ball is going. He ends up with a lot of production that players playing well at his position wouldn't necessarily have amassed.

"It's almost impossible for me to recount the number of hours he puts in studying it. It comes from tremendous preparation, whether it's coming in at night and watching practice tape on his own or being here in the morning to watch opponents' tape. He's willing to do whatever it takes to maximize his production."

'Coffin' corner

Ryan Weigand continues to lead the ACC in punting and his 46.4-yard average ranks among the Division I-A leaders, but it was fellow senior Chris Gould who attempted four of Virginia's five punts Saturday.

UVa uses Gould for punts in an opponent's end of the field and he responded Saturday with three punts that were downed inside the 10-yard line.

"Those were very significant plays," said Groh, noting that his staff had chosen Gould as UVa's special-teams player of the week. "He had a substantial impact on field position."

In Gould's career, 56 of his 140 punts have been downed inside the 20, including a school-record 29 last year.

By the numbers

Quarterback Jameel Sewell has completed 14 of 15 passes on game-winning Virginia drives the past three games. ... Senior Jon Stupar has taken over the team receiving lead from fellow tight end Tom Santi, 26-25. ... In his first three games as Virginia's principal punt returner, Vic Hall had seven returns for 163 yards, a 23.3-yard average that ranked first in Division I-A. In three subsequent games, he has 11 returns for 39 yards.

Odds 'n' ends

Virginia is the second team in Division I history and the first since Columbia in 1971 to win as many as four games by one or two points in the same season. The Cavaliers (7-1, 4-0 ACC) could have as many as six more games. ... Freshman Keith Payne became the third different tailback to start a game for Virginia this season and sophomore Mikell Simpson could make four. ... Former UVa cornerback Philip Brown, who has held out hope of rejoining the Cavaliers in 2008, has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and began chemotherapy this week in New York.
 

O'Brien remains 'happy'
By JACK DALY : The Herald-Sun
jdaly@heraldsun.com
Oct 25, 2007 : 12:39 am ET

RALEIGH -- While Tom O'Brien's new team celebrates its first win of consequence in more than a year, his old team is preparing for an ACC showdown against Virginia Tech.

Boston College enters tonight's game against the No. 8 Hokies (7:30 p.m., ESPN) with a 7-0 record and ranked No. 2 in the country.

Quarterback Matt Ryan is considered a Heisman trophy contender and likely top-10 pick in next April's NFL draft. And the Eagles' defense is the best in the country against the run.

Seems like a reasonable time to ask if O'Brien has had any second thoughts about leaving BC for N.C. State, no?

O'Brien welcomes the question: It gives him the chance to offer a definitive response.

"I'm really happy to be here," the Wolfpack coach said. "As I said before, this wasn't a one-year or a one-game deal. This is a five- or 10-year deal. Time will tell if I knew what I was doing."

One of the reasons O'Brien moved south was that he believed N.C. State offered a better chance to compete for a national championship. He even said at his introductory press conference that 10 wins in a season was the best one could hope for at BC.

Now the Eagles are undefeated, gunning for win No. 8 by the end of October and in position to play in a BCS game, even if their final five games all offer a significant challenge.

Is O'Brien surprised?

"Things have helped them get there," he said, referring to the rash of upsets in college football this season. "It doesn't surprise me they're undefeated. They've got a heck of a football team."

Aside from Ryan and the rush defense, one of the reasons the Eagles have been so successful is turnovers. BC ranks second in the country in turnover margin with a plus-1.57 ratio. That contrasts nicely with N.C. State, which is last in the country with a minus-2.43 margin.

More than once, O'Brien has pointed to the statistic as a major reason for the disparity between the two schools.

While O'Brien isn't shy about bringing up Boston College when talking with the media -- a press conference rarely goes by without Ryan's name being mentioned -- the source isn't regret.

He's proud of what his former players are accomplishing without him.

"I'm really happy for those kids," he said. "I think they deserve everything that they've attained. They've got a heck of a football team."

 

Simpson Is No Longer Unknown
Virginia Tailback Emerges in Win Over Maryland
By Adam Kilgore
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 24, 2007; Page E03

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Oct. 23 -- Mikell Simpson began Saturday night as an unknown, largely anonymous beyond the Virginia football team locker room. When he lined up at running back in the first quarter, Maryland defenders assumed he had been inserted only for trick plays. As the game wore on, the announcers on ESPN2 labeled him a freshman (he's a redshirt sophomore) and butchered his name, repeatedly calling him "Michael."

In the days to follow, Simpson discovered instant stardom. His cellphone flooded with voice mails and text messages. More than 100 Virginia fans requested to become his friend on Facebook.

The difference was a performance that nobody -- not Cavaliers Coach Al Groh, not Simpson himself -- saw coming. Simpson gained 271 total yards on 16 rushes and 13 receptions and scored the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left in Virginia's 18-17 victory over the Terrapins, a heroic game that came without warning.

Prior to Saturday, Simpson had lined up at wide receiver and running back, but seldom played. He had touched the ball on plays from scrimmage a total of six times, gaining 22 yards. Simpson hadn't carried the ball since a reception on Sept. 22 against Georgia Tech, nearly a full month.

"I'm still kind of in shock today," Simpson said Tuesday. "I didn't expect that day, and it's still overwhelming right now."

He's trying to stay humble as students notice him on campus and call out his name. Some pronounce it right; some don't.

"You say it, just 'Mike' and then 'Kell,' " Simpson said. "People just call me all types of different names, ever since I was a little kid. I'm used to it."

His teammates eliminate any hassle by calling him "Juice," a nickname he picked up during high school in Harrisburg, Pa. (Last name Simpson, get it?) He became a star there in track, football and basketball, displaying enough ability to become a top-15 running back recruit.

But he had never shown his talent in college, lost among Virginia's coterie of running backs. Late last season, Groh told Simpson his performance in practice had regressed. Simpson agreed: He knew he had allowed his frustration over not playing to undermine his practice habits.

He extricated himself with a strong spring practice, but could not rise all the way up the depth chart. In the opener against Wyoming, he ran the ball once, on a reverse for a 10-yard loss. At times this season, he questioned whether his opportunity would come.

"Whatever spark hit, it didn't really strike until the other night," Groh said.

Even Simpson had trouble explaining his breakout. Part of it, surely, was moving exclusively to running back. On Monday morning, running backs coach Anthony Poindexter told him he would be playing tailback. Simpson smiled immediately, because he would be at the position he had played "ever since I was a little kid."

"I just felt more comfortable Saturday night," Simpson said. "I guess the night game kind of did something to me, gave me the confidence. Then the game started off with me having good plays. It just kind of carried me through the game."

Simpson's emergence gives Virginia a logjam at running back. Cedric Peerman is not listed on the depth chart, an indication that he will not play this week against North Carolina State because of an ankle injury. But if he returns this season, it will give the Cavaliers four running backs who have contributed this season: Peerman, Simpson, Keith Payne and Andrew Pearman. Peerman and Pearman, both juniors, are the oldest.

"You begin to build up some talented depth, and you get that level of competition," Groh said. "We're in a period of time here now where anybody who goes into that running backs meeting room can look around and see more and more there's a lot of guys who are playing well at that position, and they're all going to be around here for a while."

For now, though, Simpson stands out, no longer unknown thanks to one unforgettable game.

"It was a great night," Simpson said. "It was something I've been waiting for. It was something I couldn't see coming, nor expected. It just happened."