Cavaliers counting on success
U.Va. can set the tone for its stretch drive by snaring a win in Raleigh
Saturday, Oct 27, 2007 - 12:05 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Eight games into the football season, the Virginia Cavaliers are at the midway point.

His math may be suspect, but that's the way U.Va.'s coach sees it. Al Groh's team has only four regular-season games left, but they're all against ACC opponents. And those games will determine whether Virginia advances to the ACC championship game Dec. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.

U.Va. (4-0, 7-1) leads the Coastal Division, a game ahead of Virginia Tech (3-1, 6-2). Every other team in the Coastal has at least two conference losses.

"We've played two-thirds of the games on our schedule, so it would seem as if, boy, we've been doing this for a long time," Groh said. "We've only played four of our eight conference games, so we're really just getting started in terms of how this thing is going to turn out."

From 1914 to '15, and again from 1951 to '52, Virginia won 10 straight games. Never, however, have the Cavaliers won eight in a row in the same season. They can achieve that feat with a victory today over N.C. State (0-3, 2-5) in Raleigh, N.C.

"I think we're progressing," Groh said. "I think there's a lot more that we can do better, and I think there's a lot more we need to do better. We're all very cognizant of that fact, at every level.

"I think there's a lot of things that the head coach can do better, I think there's a lot of things that the staff can do better, I think there's a lot of things that we can at each position do better."

The Wolfpack, in its first season under former Boston College coach Tom O'Brien, isn't likely to play for any championships this year. But a victory today over a ranked foe -- Virginia is No. 21 in The Associated Press poll -- might accelerate O'Brien's rebuilding campaign.

Groh said he's spoken to his players about "the fact that the teams that we're playing, their perception of us is going to be different than it was before, and that just ought to serve as another source for helping us elevate our game."

In a season marked by close wins, U.Va. is coming off its most dramatic yet: an 18-17 victory over Maryland last Saturday night. A sellout crowd at Byrd Stadium and a national television audience watched the Wahoos rally behind senior defensive end Chris Long -- no surprise there -- and sophomore tailback Mikell Simpson, who was all but anonymous before totaling 271 all-purpose yards against the Terrapins.

"A lot of people talked about [Maryland] as a game where we had a lot to prove," said Long, whose 10 tackles included two sacks. "Certainly that doesn't mean we've proven everything, but I think being on ESPN2 and having a chance to get the spotlight for a minute and show that we're capable of doing some things, especially on the road, that was big for us."

N.C. State, which was off Oct. 13, played at East Carolina a week later. The result was a 34-20 victory for the Wolfpack, which hadn't beaten a major-college opponent in more than a year.

"The first six games you wouldn't say that we did a great job implementing what we wanted to do, but we used the off week wisely," said O'Brien, who spent 15 years as a U.Va. assistant under George Welsh before taking the head job at Boston College. "It was clear the players had a better understanding of what we were trying to accomplish."

What the Cavaliers are trying to accomplish -- a trip to Jacksonville -- is tantalizingly close, but obstacles remain.

"We're just getting started," Groh said on his radio show Monday night. "If we're going to do anything really good this year, it starts [in Raleigh]."


 

Oblivious-to-pressure Cavs making habit of pulling out close games
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© October 27, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Chris Long was a wreck. With his team trailing Maryland by five, time winding down and the offense on the field, Virginia's star defensive end was reduced to being another nervous Cavalier fan sweating through yet another wild finish.

Long paced the sidelines last Saturday night with his usual manic energy. Everywhere he went, though, he heard something that calmed him. They were the same words he had heard the week before against Connecticut - and the week before that against Middle Tennessee.


"Guys are walking around the sidelines saying, 'We're not going to lose this game,'" he said.

They were right.

Again.

For the third straight week, Virginia didn't flinch and put together a game-winning drive. It was the Cavaliers' seventh straight victory, their third in a row by two points or fewer. At 7-1 overall and 4-0 in the ACC, Virginia will try today to keep its streak alive, traveling to play N.C. State (2-5, 0-3).

One last-minute win in a long season isn't unusual and two in a row could be dismissed as a coincidence. Three wins of two points or fewer in as many weeks? That's a trend.

Add Virginia's 22-20 win against North Carolina on Sept. 15 and you've got something historic. Only Columbia, in 1971, has won as many games by two points or fewer in a season.

No one would be surprised if Virginia added to that total. Its players believe the tense late moments that decide games belong to them. Coach Al Groh sees something in this team too. He said winning close is "a skill that certain teams have.

"Just like anything that happens repetitively," he said, "After a while, it's not just an accident."

How have the Cavaliers pulled it off? Like many things in football, it's a combination of attitude and execution, preparation and poise. A dash of luck hasn't hurt.

For starters, Virginia expected to be playing games like this. With an offense lacking big-play threats, the Cavs knew they wouldn't be winning games by 30 - their 44-14 win against Pittsburgh notwithstanding. They prepared for long, tense afternoons.

"We knew if we wanted to do the things we wanted to do collectively, we were going to have to win close games," guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said.

"So that's how we approached it."

It's a mind-set that's easier for a veteran team to adopt. Virginia returned 18 starters, many of whom were involved in tight games that didn't go their way a year ago. The extra year of experience has made a huge difference, Long said.

"This is the same team

personnel-wise as last year," he said. "The record's much different. That's a testament to guys understanding how to win ball games. That's a skill. You can't describe it. You just have to be a part of it."

No one has seemed to grasp that understanding more than quarterback Jameel Sewell, the architect of three straight fourth-quarter drives. Although Sewell had his ups and downs in each game, he was locked in during the deciding drives, completing 14 of 15 passes for 167 yards. He went 6 of 6 for 50 yards on the final drive against Maryland, setting up Mikell Simpson's

1-yard touchdown dive.

"That certainly speaks a lot about him stepping up in those moments," Groh said.

Sewell wasn't the only one to step up - or step in. Simpson, who had 271 combined rushing and receiving yards, was filling in for the injured Andrew Pearman, who was subbing for the injured Cedric Peerman.

He was just the latest "Next Man Up" - the slogan Virginia has adopted in a season plagued by offensive injuries. A few weeks before, offensive lineman Gordie Sammis, a fifth-year senior who had played just a few snaps his entire career, stepped in for the injured Eugene Monroe. Receivers Staton Jobe and Chris Gorham filled in for Kevin Ogletree and Maurice Covington. Last week, tight ends Jonathan Stupar and John Phillips stepped in when Tom Santi was injured on the game's first play.

In each case, the backups played well, Groh calling it a reflection of Virginia's increased depth. In years past, second-stringers were usually younger players. This year, "The next player moving up, in position to play, has been with us for quite some time," he said.

Mix in a defense that keeps things close and a few fortunate breaks - two bad snaps by Connecticut, a fourth-down lunge for a first down by Simpson last week that was upheld only after a replay, a batted pass on a potential tying two-point conversion attempt by North Carolina - and you have a team that never seems to run out of ways to win in dramatic fashion.

"I know that there are people out there that wish we were able to blow teams out," Cunningham said.

There are. Groh said his wife has asked him if the team could make its margins a little wider.

So far, he has been unable to accommodate her request. And with the toughest part of the schedule remaining, he may not be able to appease her anytime soon.

So the Cavaliers are girding themselves for more close calls. It doesn't mean they'll win them all. Groh cautioned that each game-ending scenario is different.

What worked one week might not work the next.

Still, given his team's record to this point, he likes its chances when things get tight.

"What it does give a team," he said, "is the confidence that, whatever does come up, they'll have the poise and the wherewithal to cope with it."

 

Seven reasons for Cavs' seven wins
By MELINDA WALDROP
247-4634
12:07 AM EDT, October 27, 2007

The fact: Virginia has won seven consecutive games for just the fourth time in its 118-season history and can set a record with its eight consecutive win if it beats N.C. State today in Raleigh, N.C.

The question: How has this happened?

Answers aren't easy. The Cavaliers, who lost their season opener 23-3 at Wyoming, have squeaked out back-to-back one-point wins and needed a last-second field goal to beat Middle Tennessee by two on Oct. 6. Five of their seven wins have been by six points or fewer – the most games decided by such a slim margin in the country. The Cavs are being outplayed in the passing game, the kick return game and turnover margin.

But there are seven clear reasons why U.Va. hasn't lost in as many weeks.

1. Chris Long.

Long, a senior defensive end, is leading the ACC with 10 sacks this season, and his average of 1.25 sacks per game ranks third in the nation. His 50 tackles trail only linebacker Jon Copper's 66 on the team, and a team-best 15 of Long's stops have been for loss. He leads U.Va. with 16 quarterback pressures and seven pass breakups, and his resume also includes an interception and a blocked field goal.

In the most recent display of his athletic ability and will, Long had two sacks, including one in the end zone for a safety, against Maryland, and had five tackles for loss, the most by a Cavalier in 11 years.

"It's hard for him to get his mind off the game," Virginia head coach Al Groh said. "... Football is on his mind all the time. His performance is on his mind all the time. He's preparing for it six days a week."

2 Luck.

There's no shame in taking advantage of the breaks, and the Cavs have had their share. Middle Tennessee had the ball and a one-point lead before coming up six inches short of a first down that would have clinched an upset. Connecticut had the ball and the momentum in the fourth quarter before a bad snap derailed the Huskies' drive and broke their spirit. And before Mikell Simpson dove into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown against Maryland with 16 seconds to play, he got a generous spot on fourth-and-4 from the Terrapin 14.

"The last couple of weeks, we've been in situations where (the outcome) has been in question, but guys are walking around the sideline saying, 'We're not gonna lose this game. We're not gonna lose this game,' " Long said. "I don't know how many times people say that on the sidelines, and they believe that."

3 Calm, collected QB.

Jameel Sewell isn't setting the world on fire, but he is keeping it from crumbling. Sewell has completed 121 of his 206 pass attempts for 1,204 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions, and he's added 137 yards on 72 rushing attempts. But his true value has been best measured in crunch time.

After his interception allowed Middle Tennessee to take a 21-20 lead, Sewell composed himself in time to direct an eight-play, 63-yard drive that took 1:18 of the game's final minute and 26 seconds and was capped by Chris Gould's winning field goal. Against UConn, Sewell and the Cavs got the ball down by two with 3:22 left, and 11 plays later, Sewell once again put Gould in position for the game-winner.

Last week, Maryland led 17-12 when U.Va. got the ball at its own 10-yard line with 7:42 to play. Sewell directed a 15-play, 90-yard drive, interrupted by his brief loss of consciousness after being tackled at the Maryland 30. But he returned after two plays and completed two key passes to Simpson – a 4-yarder on fourth-and-4 from the Terps' 14 and a 9-yarder that set up Simpson's 1-yard TD plunge.

"While they weren't 50-yard passes Jameel had to throw, they were right on target," Groh said. " ... Those are some of the circumstances that clearly distinguish players."

4 Tight end connection.

Jonathan Stupar had three catches for 34 yards against Maryland as Virginia's tight ends continued to play a critical part in the Cavs' success. Stupar leads U.Va. with 25 catches, one more than Tom Santi, who sprained his ankle early against the Terps.

The two tight ends have combined for 508 of the Cavs' 1,504 receiving yards and four of their eight TD catches on 49 of their 150 receptions. And fellow TE John Phillips has nine catches for 79 yards and two touchdowns.

The tight ends' productivity has helped the Cavs cloak their weakness at wide receiver. U.Va. took a big blow in spring practice when Kevin Ogletree, its leading returning wide receiver, severely injured his knee. Maurice Covington, expected to help pick up the slack created by that injury, has missed sizable time with a broken hand. That's left true freshman Dontrelle Inman as Virginia's leading wideout. Inman has 13 catches for 142 yards.

Stupar credited Virginia's offensive line with playing well and giving Sewell time to find his tight ends.

"It keeps growing each week, every game," Stupar said. "To have that kind of strong point just opens up a lot of different things for the offense."

5 A determined defense.

Virginia is allowing just 18.4 points per game, the 21st-stingiest total in the country, and is outgaining its opponents 327 yards to 314. What's harder to see on the stat sheet is the way the defense has bowed its back when most necessary.

Against UConn, the Cavs twice held the Huskies to field goals from deep inside Virginia territory after back-to-back U.Va. turnovers. UConn's resulting 6-0 lead then disappeared on Keith Payne's 1-yard touchdown.

In Sept. 15's 22-20 win at North Carolina, the Cavs gave up a late TD drive to the Tar Heels, but Nate Collins batted down a two-point pass attempt to preserve Virginia's victory. And after Maryland went ahead 14-3 early in the second quarter, the Cavs' defense forced back-to-back punts to keep the game close and allow Virginia to pull within 14-10 on Simpson's touchdown.

"Last year, I think we were doing some things on defense that would lead one to believe that we were headed in the right direction," Long said. "I just wanted to couple that with winning some games this year."

6 Next man up.

Virginia got its first four wins largely because of junior tailback Cedric Peerman, who produced 100-yard games against Duke, North Carolina and Georgia Tech. But after Peerman hurt his foot at Middle Tennessee, Andrew Pearman stepped in to score two touchdowns, while Payne had a team-best 70 rushing yards. Then, with Pearman bothered by a sore back against Maryland, Simpson came out of nowhere to rack up 271 yards.

When left tackle Eugene Monroe missed two games with a knee injury, guard Branden Albert slid into his spot and senior Gordie Sammis got the first two starts of his career in Albert's place. And with the Cavs' receiving corps battling injuries, cornerback-turned-wideout Chris Gorham has produced, making six catches for 92 yards.

"That just says that's how we approach the game. That's how we approach each week," said guard Ian-Yates Cunningham. "We look for somebody new to step up, and that's why everybody came here, because they want to be that person. They want to be that person to step up."

7 Keeping the faith.

It's become almost a running joke – spend any time around the Virginia coaches or players, and you will probably hear a few phrases repeated. Like, "We have to be the same team every week," or "We pride ourselves in not cracking," or some boxing metaphor "going toe-to-toe," "slugging it out in the center of the ring," that usually ends in a reference to determined brawler Joe Frazier, who made up in effort what he lacked in grace.

"Everybody knows who Joe Frazier is," Albert said. "He's a tough guy. If you hit him, and keep hitting him, he's going to keep coming after you. These last couple of games, we've proven that. We took some big blows and came back and fought to the end."

Even if the cliches produce an eye roll or two, they also illustrate a point. The Cavaliers have stuck together, even while calls for Groh's dismissal were being painted on bridges after the Cavs' Sept. 1 thrashing at Wyoming. And they've proven they can win on the road, where they've struggled in Groh's tenure.

The team's unity has been strengthened by Virginia's litany of close calls, and the Cavs think it can carry them to goals beyond a school-record winning streak.

"The best is yet to come in a few senses," Long said. "I feel like our game has yet to progress where we can't get any better. I think we can get a lot better, and I think the competition's gonna get a lot better. So if there was any time to get better as a team, I think it would have to be now."

 

N.C. State will have hands full with Virginia
By AARON BEARD : Associated Press
Oct 27, 2007 : 12:54 am ET

RALEIGH -- Week after week, Virginia has appeared to find itself in to-the-final-minute fights. And the Cavaliers have kept winning, whether at Scott Stadium or on the road.

"That's a skill that certain teams have," coach Al Groh said. "It's like anything that happens repetitively after a while; it's not just an accident."

That formula has worked well enough for No. 21 Virginia so far, taking a team that looked awful in its season opener to seven straight wins. Now the Cavaliers -- after Virginia Tech's loss on Thursday night -- find themselves atop their division in the ACC heading into Saturday's game at N.C. State.

Virginia (7-1, 4-0 ACC) hasn't lost since a 23-3 loss at Wyoming on Sept. 1, when the Cavaliers finished with 110 total yards. In the weeks since, the Cavaliers have seemed to find a way to win no matter who they played.

They beat North Carolina thanks in part to a 48-yard field goal that was initially ruled no good before replays correctly overturned the call. They beat Middle Tennessee on a field goal with 8 seconds left, then beat Connecticut on a field goal with about 3 minutes to play.

Last week, they beat Maryland when a reserve running back with six touches all season ran for the winning score with 16 seconds left to cap a dazzling individual performance.

The Cavaliers won those four games -- three on the road -- by a combined six points. That, along with Boston College's comeback win against the Hokies, has Virginia sitting alone atop the Coastal Division.

"Wherever they set the pylons up, that's the ballgame," Groh said. "I think mature teams understand that there is nobody that can do it but ourselves, whether they are home fans, visiting fans. ... I think that's a competitive maturity that you're aiming for with each particular team."

The Cavaliers will face another road test with the trip to N.C. State (2-5, 0-3), which has had little success in Tom O'Brien's first season, yet is coming off its best performance of the year. The Wolfpack beat East Carolina 34-20 last weekend for its first win against a Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) opponent in more than a year.

In that game, N.C. State got a steady passing performance from Daniel Evans (career-best 335 yards and three touchdowns), two forced turnovers and a blocked punt return for a touchdown.

O'Brien considered it the first win in a new season that began with the bye week, which had allowed his team to work on fundamentals and further grasping the new system O'Brien and his staff brought here from Boston College. He's hoping his team has gained enough confidence to end a nine-game ACC losing streak.

"They're not world-beaters right now," said O'Brien, who was an assistant at Virginia under George Welsh from 1982-96. "They're just a 1-0 football team trying to get to 2-0. It's about, let's concentrate on the task at hand and get ready to play a better game this week against Virginia."

KEYS TO THE GAME

1. How will the Wolfpack contain Chris Long? N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien calls Chris Long one of the best defensive linemen in the country. The trouble for the Wolfpack is that it will be without two of its offensive linemen -- guard Curtis Crouch is out with an ankle sprain and tackle Julian Williams is out with a knee sprain.

2. Can Daniel Evans make it two in a row? The Wolfpack quarterback came up with what was probably the best game of his career against the Pirates, throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

3. Is UVa really one of the best 25 teams in the country? Sure, the Cavaliers have won seven in a row since getting walloped, but it's been quantity, not quality: Virginia's best win was last week at Maryland. The Cavaliers also have close wins over Duke, North Carolina and Middle Tennessee State.

THE PICK

N.C. State 21, Virginia 17

 

Pack still hunting for ACC win
By Chip Alexander, Staff Writer

SPECIAL FOR O'BRIEN

For all the talk about Tom O'Brien's affinity for Boston College, the N.C. State coach put in 15 years at Virginia as an assistant under former coach George Welsh, working to build a program while raising a family and finding a home in Charlottesville, Va.

When O'Brien was hired by BC in December 1996, his youngest daughter, Bridget, locked herself in her room. Truth was, it was hard for all the O'Briens to leave UVa.

The lessons learned at UVa under Welsh, O'Brien said, helped make him successful at BC. "He always had a plan and always had a system in place," O'Brien said. "He kept his staff intact, and that allowed him to do the things he did."

Welsh built the Cavaliers into winners. O'Brien believes his plan and his staff will do the same for the Wolfpack.

WHEN NCSU HAS THE BALL

Daniel Evans won't have much time to find receivers against the Cavs' relentless pass rush. The Pack may take a conservative, move-the-chains approach.

Edge: Virginia

WHEN UVA HAS THE BALL

Quarterback Jameel Sewell has been at his best in the Cavs' winning streak. UVa will look to run behind its big, experienced offensive line and wear down the Pack.

Edge: Virginia

SPECIAL TEAMS

Virginia punter Ryan Weigand is third nationally (46.4 yards) and has nine kicks of 50 or more yards. Then again, State's Darrell Blackman may return a few.

Edge: Virginia

INTANGIBLES

Virginia has the winning touch and can suddenly do no wrong. The Pack is at home and confident it can go 2-0 in the season's "second half."

Edge: NCSU

DESTINED FOR YOUTUBE

Jake Vermiglio, State's freshman offensive tackle, may often be matched against UVa star Chris Long. Should be an experience.

CAULTON TUDOR'S TAKE

Al Groh has to be the most protein-deprived individual on the planet. For the better part of two months, he has survived on a daily menu of salads comprised entirely of four-leaf clovers and horseshoe croutons. If there's ever been a guy who should quit coaching and spend time picking lottery numbers, it's Al the Owl.

The downside is that the Wahoo team that got embarrassed at Wyoming in the season opener is a dead ringer to resurface at some point, which easily could be today.

And heck, it's not a ton of fun unless you try to find an upset somewhere. Make it Pack 17, Hoos 14.

 

Growing target
Virginia is now in sole possession of the Coastal Division's top spot
By Andy Bitter
abitter@newsadvance.com
October 27, 2007

The second the Cavaliers pulled out the latest in their string of close victories at Maryland last weekend, they knew eve-rything had changed.
Virginia (7-1) is more than just a fiery upstart, finding a way to win close games in every conceivable way. With a 4-0 mark at the halfway point of the conference season, the Cavaliers are legitimate ACC Coastal Division contenders, espe-cially with preseason favorite Virginia Tech now a game back in the loss column.

They can expect everyone's best from here on out.

"We have addressed with them the fact that the teams that we're playing, their perception of us is going to be different than it was before," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "That ought to serve as another source helping us elevate our game."

N.C. State (2-4, 0-3 ACC) gets the next crack at Virginia at Carter-Finley Stadium today at 4:30 p.m.

Normally, merely playing on the road would be a daunting task for the Cavaliers. But they seem to have put that hang-up behind them, going 3-1 on the road so far this year, including last week's win at a stadium that historically has given them trouble.

"A lot of people talked about that as a game we had a lot to prove," UVa defensive end Chris Long said. "Certainly (win-ning) doesn't mean everything, but being on ESPN2 and having a chance to get the spotlight for a minute and show that we're capable of doing some things, especially on the road, I think that was big for us."

UVa wouldn't have won if not for tailback Mikell Simpson, who turned in one of the best single-game performances in school history, gaining 271 yards and scoring two touchdowns. With Cedric Peerman (foot) out for the third straight game, Simpson and freshman Keith Payne should split carries in the backfield.

The question remains: Will Simpson be a one-week wonder?

"If I could tell you that, I'd certainly be a lot more comfortable," Groh said. "I think that's something we're all waiting to see. Perhaps Mikell is, too, a little bit.

"But he's got good ability and a good attitude and he's a bright player. There's certainly no reason to think that he's not going to continue to have positive success. Although getting 271 yards a game probably isn't a strong likelihood."

N.C. State has struggled in Tom O'Brien's first year as coach, but the Wolfpack got its first victory over a Division I-A op-ponent last week, beating East Carolina on the road, 34-20.

Quarterback Daniel Evans, who lost his starting job early in the year to Harrison Beck, threw for 335 yards and three touchdowns.

Though the Wolfpack lost tailbacks Toney Baker and Andre Brown to season-ending injuries, sophomore Jamelle Eugene has stepped in and rushed for 164 yards in 1 1/2 games as the featured back.

"They're playing better ball than what they were at the beginning of the season," UVa right guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said. "It kind of reminds us of how we were last year."

Virginia hasn't had expectations this big since 2004, the last time it started 7-1. The Cavaliers lost three of four to finish the regular season and ended up in Boise, Idaho, for their bowl game.

"At this time of the year, it really is not about what your record is," Groh said. "There are some teams who have pretty good numbers right now, but really aren't playing any better and they're probably going to disappear before all of this is over. There are some teams that nobody's watching very closely, but they're playing some of their best ball right now and by the time this is all over with they'll be there. ?

"We've only played four of our eight conference games, so we're really just getting started in terms of how this thing is going to turn out."
 

Cavaliers look to stay perfect in ACC against Wolfpack
Virginia takes seven-win record on road this weekend as it tries to knock off Wolfpack for fourth road win of season, wary of underestimating N.C. State
Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

"At this time of the year, it's not about what you're record is," Virginia coach Al Groh said.

Simple as that.

This is the dilemma a seemingly weak N.C. State (2-5, 0-3 ACC) presents for No. 21 Virginia (7-1, 4-0 ACC) this weekend in Raleigh. Despite losing running backs Tony Baker and Andre Brown to injury and falling to the bottom of the ACC's Coastal Division, the Wolfpack has performed well in its last two games, putting N.C. State on Groh's radar.

"There are teams that maybe nobody's watching very closely," Groh said. "But they're playing some of their best ball right now."

Oct. 6, N.C. State held a first-quarter lead at Florida State, then went into half time tied 10-10. The Wolfpack lost that game 27-10. But Groh still liked what he saw.

"You can really begin to see the difference against Florida State," Groh said. "They played very well early, got out to a good lead. They looked much more explosive offensively ... This is a developing trend we've been able to see. It's been impressive how their team has improved."

After using a bye week to build on its first-half performance against FSU, the Wolfpack went to East Carolina and ravaged the Pirates, passing for 335 yards and sacking ECU six times en route to a 34-20 victory.

Senior wide receiver/returner Darrell Blackman, perhaps N.C. State's greatest threat, made little impact on the outcome of that game. Nevertheless, Blackman has the second-highest kickoff return rate in the history of the ACC at 27.3 yards per return.

"Just right on the surface there are three elements of great concern to us," Groh said of passing, sacks and kick returns. "All of those are areas that can change the game on one play ... It's a much more challenging concern than if it were a grind-it-out circumstance."

While N.C. State may currently be playing above its record, the Cavaliers understand that the most important games are still ahead of them, no matter what their record.

"We definitely have to have a surge [this week]," sophomore Mikell Simpson said. "It's a road game, which is always tough, and it's an ACC opponent, which counts for an ACC win or loss."

Known as the Cardiac Cavs for their late-game heroics, Virginia has now won five games by five points or less while amassing a seven-game winning streak. If the Cavaliers can make it eight tomorrow, they will have their longest winning streak in program history.

Coming off its most dramatic win of the season last week, Virginia defeated Maryland 18-17, riding Simpson's unprecedented success. He picked up 271 total yards and scored both of Virginia's touchdowns of the night.

Both Simpson and senior defensive end Chris Long were named ACC Players of the Week. Long picked up 10 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks and a safety Saturday night.

The victory has ranked Virginia in every poll and put the Cavaliers on the national scene. Consequently, Virginia's final four games just got harder.

"It's more now than 'just your natural rivals,'" Groh said. "It really didn't change 'til Saturday night. The teams that we're playing, their perception of us is going to be different than it was before ... We've only played four of our eight conference games. We're really just getting started as to how this is going to turn out."

 

'Pack resembles spoiler Cavalier team from '06
October 27, 2007 12:36 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

Eight games are in the books for the University of Virginia football team, but the Cavaliers said they're just getting started.

They sit alone in first-place in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division as the only unbeaten team after Virginia Tech lost 14-10 to Boston College Thursday night.

They're ranked No. 21 in The Associated Press poll and 15th in the Bowl Championship Series standings.

The Cavaliers (7-1, 4-0 ACC) visit North Carolina State (2-5, 0-3) today. They're wary of a letdown after three straight emotional victories by a combined four points, but the thrill of controlling their own destiny for a trip to the conference title game Dec. 1 in Jacksonville should be enough to keep them going.

"This is the time that individually and collectively we need a surge of energy, enthusiasm and interest, not a wearing-out of it," Cavaliers head coach Al Groh said. "As challenging and exciting as some of the previous games and weeks have been, it would be more so now."

The Cavaliers have risen to the top of the Coastal Division standings by winning close games. They've tied a school record with seven wins in a row. They're the only team in the country with as many as four wins by six points or fewer.

Their past two victories have come by one point each.

That's why senior defensive end Chris Long said the Cavaliers still need to improve despite their winning streak.

"If there's any time to get better as a team, it would have to be now," Long said. "Coming down the stretch run teams are playing their best ball. So we need to understand the fact that other teams are improving as well. We need to stay with the curve."

In N.C. State, the Cavaliers see themselves from a year ago.

The Wolfpack's 2-5 record after seven games is identical to where the 2006 Cavaliers stood entering a Thursday night home contest against North Carolina. The Cavaliers won that game 23-0.

"They kind of remind us of what we were last year offensively," Cavaliers senior right guard Ian-Yates Cunningham said. "We weren't playing great football, but toward the middle, toward the end, we started picking it up. That's what they're doing right now."

There are two major differences between the Wolfpack and the Cavaliers of a year ago: N.C. State is breaking in a new head coach in Tom O'Brien, and it isn't playing a team as feeble as North Carolina was entering Virginia last year.

However, the Wolfpack are coming off their most impressive performance of the season, a 34-20 road victory over East Carolina. It was their first win over a Division I-A team since they beat Florida State Oct. 5, 2006.

"It's a different ball game against Virginia this week," said O'Brien, who was an assistant coach at Virginia from 1982-96 and offensive coordinator from 1991-96. "So we'll see what strides we've really made."

The victory over East Carolina came after a bye week in which O'Brien said the team decided to start anew. They made a few personnel changes, but the biggest difference was the play of Daniel Evans, who replaced the injured Harrison Beck in the starting lineup at ECU.

Evans responded with 335 passing yards and three touchdowns.

The performance was a major improvement for the Wolfpack, who rank 10th of 12 teams in the ACC in total offense (326 yards per game), 11th in rushing offense (91.9 yards per game) and 12th in scoring offense (21.7 points per game).

They're also 11th in total defense (405.4 yards per game) and 12th against the run (204.4 yards per game). They're last in the nation in turnover margin (-2.43).

The Cavaliers have steadily improved offensively, and are coming off their best total output of the season--439 yards in an 18-17 victory over Maryland.

But the Cavaliers' primary strength remains their defense. They're fourth in the conference in total defense (314.2 yards per game), fifth in rushing defense (113.2 yards per game), fifth against the pass (201 yards per game) and fourth in points allowed (18.4 per game).

Notes

Cavaliers' senior tight end Tom Santi (sprained ankle) is expected to make the trip to N.C. State, but it's not clear if he'll play.

Sophomore fullback Rashawn Jackson (hamstring) and junior cornerback Chris Cook (sprained knee) are also expected to make the trip. Junior running back Cedric Peerman (foot) will remain in Charlottesville.

 

Cavs set to find next hero in Raleigh?
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 27, 2007

With a revolving door of heroes likely to make NBC jealous, Virginia has raced out to its best start since 2004.

During that campaign, however, a late-season tailspin that led to losses in three of the final four games left the Cavaliers outside of the national spotlight.

Virginia, ranked No. 21 and boasting the nation’s fourth-longest winning streak, tries to avoid starting a nightmarish sequel today at 4:30 p.m. at North Carolina State (2-5, 0-3), a program suddenly riding a previously unseen emotional high.

The Wolfpack won last weekend, 34-20, at East Carolina, snapping a lengthy 12-game slide against Division I-A opponents.

“I think it was a great monkey off their back,” N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien said. “There were all kind of streaks going on. [There was a] great sense of relief on the sideline, a great sense of joy that they accomplished something.”

Virginia (7-1, 4-0 ACC) has experienced a similar lift, winning its last three games by a total of four points in classic cheat-the-reaper fashion. The Cavaliers also benefited from a monumental collapse by Virginia Tech on Thursday - Boston College scored all 14 of its points in the final 131 seconds, leaving UVa with a one-game lead in the Coastal Division.

It’s not feasible, however, to think that Virginia coach Al Groh is scoreboard watching with four contests remaining and the toughest part of its schedule remaining.

“This is the time that individually and collectively we need a surge of energy and enthusiasm and interest, not a wearing-out of it,” Groh said. “As challenging and exciting as some of the previous games and weeks have been, it will be more so now. That stimulus, hopefully, will be part of the overall progression of the team, so that we’re one of the teams that continues to improve our performance in those areas.

“What we see every Saturday, despite the results, and one of the things that competition clearly points out is where your flaws are and what you need to work on.”

Virginia could stand to show improvements in special teams - the Cavaliers rank 11th in the ACC in kickoff returns and coverage units have been spotty. N.C. State hopes to take advantage of that with senior Darrell Blackman, who ranks eighth among active players with an impressive 27.3-yard per return average for his career.

Offensively and defensively, Virginia appears to have a distinct advantage over N.C. State. The Cavaliers, who are a four-point favorite, rank higher than the Wolfpack in almost every statistical category except passing offense and passing defense.

Part of those advantages, as O’Brien pointed out, do not truly gauge how vital Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell has been.

“Sewell is the wild card,” said O’Brien, who coached at Virginia under George Welsh from 1982-96. “He’s very athletic. He’s very dangerous if he gets out of the pocket and gets into the open field.

“They devise a nice game plan for him where he can use his talents.”

Last weekend, running back Mikell Simpson, a previous unknown in the offense, upstaged Sewell. Simpson, in fact, became only the fifth player in league history to compile 100 receiving and rushing yards in a single game.

With top running back Cedric Peerman out for another game with a foot injury, Groh faces a healthy choice of picking between redshirt freshman Keith Payne, junior Andrew Pearman and Simpson. Rashawn Jackson, a fullback, is also expected to play today, adding another dynamic to a team getting consistent play from its offensive line.

“A lot of those kids on the offensive line played against us at BC a couple years ago when they were freshman and sophomores, so they’re three- and four-year players up front and they’re big and they’re physical and … they are smash-mouth football,” O’Brien said. “We better be ready to defend the run and the play-action pass.”

O’Brien’s concern for Virginia’s balanced offense is not likely comparable to his concern for Virginia’s defense and, most notably, its star defensive player.

Virginia senior defensive end Chris Long ranks third in the country in sacks.

“I guess we’ll see who they think our worst pass protector is because that’s where [Virginia] will line [Long] up in third-down situations,” O’Brien said. “He’s a great player and he’s done a great job.”

Long, who has helped Virginia climb to fourth in the ACC in total defense, has played so well that Groh even hinted of Heisman Trophy contention.

“If it’s for the best player in college football, it’s hard to imagine that anybody’s been playing his position better than Chris Long is,” Groh said. “He had 10 tackles [against Maryland] -that’s pretty terrific. Whether it’s for that award or some others that are position specific … certainly he would have to be in the top finalists for any of those awards.”
 

UVa's Long shies away from praise
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com
October 27, 2007

Two years ago, about this time of year, Virginia defensive end Brennan Schmidt quietly said that Chris Long would become an All-American before he was through.

When that prediction was made, Long was a mere sophomore and only beginning to emerge into a force at defensive end in the Cavaliers’ 3-4 scheme. Fast forward to today’s UVa game at N.C. State where Long and his teammates are going for their eighth straight victory. Most everyone would agree that Schmidt had it right a long time ago.

Virginia coach Al Groh will take Long’s case a few steps further. He believes his senior sack leader is the best player in the land, period.

“It’s hard to imagine there being a better player at any position than Chris Long,” Groh said. “A guy would have to be one of the Transformers to be better than Chris. If they’re ever going to invite a defensive player to New York in December, it’s hard to imagine it would be anyone other than Chris Long.”

Time for a change?

More than a decade has passed since a defensive lineman has finished among the top five vote getters in the Heisman Trophy race, but Groh believes it’s time to break that trend with Long.

The coach makes a good point. Long, already a semifinalist for the coveted Lombardi Award, is third in the nation in quarterback sacks with 10 (as many as the entire Clemson defense), second in the nation in passes broken up (because he has batted down several at the line of scrimmage).

He’s also fifth in the nation among defensive linemen in tackles per game average (6.3), and sixth nationally in tackles for loss with 15, even though he faces double-team blocking on the majority of snaps.

He is on the watch list for numerous other honors, including the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Award, and the Ted Hendricks Award, not to mention Schmidt’s forecast of All-American.

Deflecting praise

Mention any of this stuff to Long and he’ll come as close to blushing as a defensive lineman can, then humbly blow off any attention toward himself.

“I just wanted to help win some games this year,” said the 6-foot-4, 290-pound tackling machine. “Last year we weren’t winning. To make plays and to win has been awesome.”

When a sportswriter attempted to ask about the Heisman earlier this week, Long cut the question off in mid-sentence, obviously wanting to shift the topic elsewhere.

“It’s humbling, and it’s cool to hear from Coach Groh because he’s somebody we all look up to, but no,” Long said.

Groh said he wanted to promote Long and hoped that last Saturday night’s win over Maryland, which appeared in primetime on ESPN2 might give national viewers a little more idea of what Long was about.

The game was like a personal highlight film of Long’s ability, including a career-high 10 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks, including one bone-rattling hit on Terps’ QB Chris Turner in the end zone for a key safety.

While maybe fans and some Heisman and All-American voters around the country haven’t noticed Long’s numbers, opposing coaches certainly have, including N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien.

“No one has contained Chris Long,” O’Brien said. “That will be a real challenge for our offense. He has tremendous power and plays from a great base in that he’s always low coming off the ball. He has worked with his father, and that’s no discredit to anyone coaching at Virginia. Chris just looks like a miniature version of his father.”

For those unknowing, Long’s father is Pro Football Hall of Famer Howie Long, formerly a star defensive end for the Oakland Raiders.

O’Brien has been around long enough to have coached against both Longs and had an interesting evaluation of the father and son.

“I coached against Howie when I was at Navy and he was at Villanova,” O’Brien said. “Obviously, Chris is a much more disciplined player than Howie was. Plus, they played different schemes. We trapped [Howie] every play. He ran up the field and we just trapped him because we couldn’t block him. Chris, in his scheme, is a two-gap player, which is just entirely different. Howie still thinks I cheated because we trapped him all the time as an offensive line coach.”

At one point last season, Virginia’s coaching staff wisely began moving Long around in various gaps, so that opposing offenses couldn’t always plan on double-teaming him, a point that O’Brien has noted.

“I guess we’ll see who they think our worst pass protector is because that’s where [Virginia] will line [Long] up in third-down situations,” O’Brien said. “In passing situations or long yardage, we have to be aware.”

That’s something that Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen pointed out about last week’s battle against Long.

“They try to find your weakest defensive lineman and put him over that lineman,” Friedgen pointed out. “Yeah, it does make it difficult to find out where he is and where he’s going to be. We anticipated him being over one guard, lost a starting guard, so then they moved him back over there. You have to do your homework to prepare for him.”

Long loves that Virginia’s coaches have given him the freedom to move around, keeping opposing offenses off balance.

“It’s fun moving around,” he said. “As a defensive lineman, some people think we just sit and catch blocks in the 3-4. But we’ve got so many packages and so many things we can do. I’ve lined up in the 9, and 5, and 7, and 3, a shade and in the bubble this year. It has been fun to be a defensive lineman here.”

In other words, Long has lined up in a number of gaps throughout the season as previously mentioned, which keeps opposing linemen and quarterbacks on their toes. They have to know where he is located before the ball is snapped or pay the price.

You’ll never catch Long bragging, unless it’s in jest. He’s almost embarrassed when someone points out his big plays, like last week’s jarring sack for a safety.

Asked if he watched the hit on tape and Long just grinned and said, “Yeah.”

Razzed about watching wild animals on the Discovery Channel, someone asked if watching his safety was as exciting. Again a smile and short reply: “Similar,” Long said.

No wonder Groh raves about the guy every chance he gets.

A sportswriter outside the area asked Groh this week if he had ever coached a player with the unrelenting drive of Long and the Virginia coach quickly responded.

“I’ve coached one once before who was in that category, a player who found a way to overcome whatever opponents tried to do to stop him,” Groh said. “You may have heard of him ... Lawrence Taylor.”

 

Historic streak on line for Cavaliers
UVa is favored by four points on Saturday, but Al Groh will take a 1-point win over the Wolfpack.
By Doug Doughty

When it comes to one- and two-point victories, Virginia football coach Al Groh is no glass-half-empty kind of guy.

The Cavaliers have won their last two games by scores of 17-16 and 18-17 "and we'd be really happy to get on the bus after a 19-18 victory Saturday," Groh said on his radio show earlier this week.

If so, the Cavaliers (7-1 overall, 4-0 ACC) would own the longest winning streak in the UVa football program's history, a possibility that nobody was considering after a 23-3 loss at Wyoming in the season opener.

"Outside of this building," said Groh, speaking from the McCue Center, "there weren't very many positive people at that time."

Virginia football teams in 1914, 1949 and 1990 won seven straight games, with the 1990 team earning a No. 1 ranking before losing to eventual national co-champion Georgia Tech 41-38.

This Virginia team entered the Associated Press poll for the first time this week. The Cavaliers, ranked 21st, were a four-point favorite heading to Raleigh, N.C., for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff today against North Carolina State (2-5, 0-3).

It will be the teams' first meeting at Carter-Finley Stadium since 2003 and only the second time they have met since the ACC expanded prior to the 2004 season.

Virginia defeated the Wolfpack last year in Charlottesville, 14-7, on a 17-yard run by Jason Snelling with 1:31 remaining.

That was the third of seven straight losses for State to end the 2006 season, a development that contributed to the dismissal of head coach and alumnus Chuck Amato.

Tom O'Brien made a rare jump between ACC programs, moving to State after 10 seasons at Boston College. He saw the Wolfpack's losing streak reach nine games before State defeated Division I-AA Wofford in the third week of the season, 38-17.

State's losing streak against Division I-A opposition reached 12 games prior to a 34-20 victory last Saturday at East Carolina.

The Wolfpack had an open date prior to its trip to East Carolina and O'Brien was able to sell his team on a starting-over approach.

"We're looking at a team that's very reminiscent of ourselves," Groh said. "It was about this time last year that we started to see the first signs of the team that we have this year."

After a 2-5 start in 2006, the Cavaliers beat North Carolina, N.C. State and Miami over a four-game stretch.

Virginia has clinched a winning season, its fifth in six years. The Cavaliers also have become bowl eligible and are the only team in the ACC's Coastal Division that does not have a loss in conference play.

"We've been at this since August," Groh said. "That's nearly three months. We've played eight games; that's two-thirds of our schedule, but we're only halfway through our conference schedule.

"For everything that's transpired, we're really only getting started."

It seems like a lifetime since junior Cedric Peerman was rushing for more than 100 yards in three straight games and taking over the ACC rushing lead. Peerman won't play again today as the result of a foot injury suffered Oct. 6 at Middle Tennessee.

The Cavaliers have started three different tailbacks -- Peerman, junior Andrew Pearman and redshirt freshman Keith Payne -- in the past three games. Sophomore Mikell Simpson, if the Cavaliers choose to go that direction, could be the fourth in as many weeks.

Simpson had 271 all-purpose yards and scored both UVa touchdowns at Maryland, where he became the fifth player in ACC history to have at least 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game.

Nobody knows if Simpson is a one-shot wonder or a future star in the making.

"If I could tell you that, I'd certainly be a lot more comfortable, too," Groh said. "I think that's something we're all waiting to see. Perhaps, Mikell is, too, a little bit. I don't know.

"He's got good ability and he's got good attitude and he's a bright player. There's certainly no reason to think that he isn't going to have success, although gaining 271 yards per game probably isn't a strong likelihood."

From a predictability standpoint, Simpson is a little bit like his team at this point.

"It's been a long season," Groh said. "A lot of interesting things have occurred in college football up to this point [with] big upsets and the whole topsy-turvy ratings system. But, in terms of ACC play, it's a little early for either a coronation or a death sentence."
 

Virginia's early recruiting confirms Leitao's reputation
'Twin towers' a first since mid-1980s
By Doug Doughty

Almost 2 ½ years into his Virginia coaching career, the jury was out on Dave Leitao.

Not as a coach, certainly. Leitao was last year’s ACC coach of the year and directed the Cavaliers to a regular-season, co-ACC championship and their first NCAA Tournament trip in six years.

And, really, not even as a recruiter. Leitao’s reputation as a recruiter dates back to his two stints on Jim Calhoun’s staff at Connecticut.

If the jury was out, it was on Leitao’s potential to attract the kind of recruits who could make Virginia a consistent, first-division ACC program.

Leitao’s first full recruiting class at Virginia yielded some players who were able to contribute last season, but, even now, players recruited by predecessor Pete Gillen form the nucleus of the Cavaliers’ team.

That won’t be the case when point guard Sean Singletary is gone, along with four-year teammate Adrian Joseph. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the only two Gillen recruits on Virginia’s 2008-2009 team will be Mamadi Diane and Lauris Mikalauskas.

Leitao could have made a major splash last year when one of the nation’s top frontcourt prospects, 6-8 Patrick Patterson from Huntington, W.Va., had the Cavaliers in his list of finalists. But, nobody ever saw the Cavaliers as a favorite for Patterson, who eventually cast his lot with close-by Kentucky and its new head coach, Billy Gillispie.

To me, the big test was 6-8 Ed Davis from Richmond’s Benedictine High School. Like Al Groh across the street in UVa’s football office, Leitao can only go so far without getting a share of the top in-state prospects.

When Davis revealed at mid-summer that he was committing to North Carolina, it seemed like the old order wasn’t going to change. North Carolina and Duke have been coming into Virginia for more than 25 years and getting whoever they’ve wanted.

Who knows when that will change, but one thing did change this fall. Virginia needed a big man and got one. Got two, in fact. In just over a week’s time, the Cavaliers took commitments from 6-11 John Brandenburg from St. Louis and 6-11 Assane Sene from Senegal by way of South Kent (Conn.) Prep.

Signing two 6-11 players in the same class doesn’t guarantee big-time success for one or both of them. I don’t think that anybody would say fellow 1984 signees John Dyslin and Tim Martin took the program to new heights, although they were two pretty tall fellows.

Terry Holland’s first recruiting class in 1975 included a pair of 6-10 signees, Otis Fulton and Steve Castellan. All they did as freshmen was help lead Virginia to its first – and still its only – ACC championship.

In addition to Brandenburg and Sene, Virginia has a third recruit, 6-6 Sylven Landesberg from Flushing, N.Y., who is rated higher than either of the UVa-bound big men.

“When I look at recruiting classes a lot of times, I look at who people beat for these players,” said Dave Telep of scout.com. “Every now and then, you get a diamond in the rough, a guy who turns out to be better than you thought he was.

“That’s all well and good, but, at the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re beating people for recruits. And, in John Brandenburg, you had a guy who was identified as a major-league academic kid, who narrowed it down to two basketball schools with high academics.

“When you look at Sylven Landesberg, his recruitment spanned three conferences and good teams from each one of those leagues. And, then, Assane Sene was everybody’s hot-ticket item coming out of August, when everyone was looking to beef up with size. So, you had a lot of programs trying to get involved with him.”

A lot of teams would take this class.

“No question,” Telep said. “It’s a legitimate high-major collection of guys. At the end of the day, there were a lot of people recruiting them – at Virginia’s level or higher.”

There is one senior remaining on Virginia’s list, 6-4 guard Elliot Williams from St. George’s School in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tenn. Williams has narrowed his choices to Duke, Virginia, Tennessee and Memphis, and has said he will announce a decision next Friday, Nov. 2.

“Elliot Williams would give them that marquee [name] to put on the sign outside the arena,” Telep said. “If I were at Virginia, my biggest fear would be the unlikelihood of Duke missing out on its top two targets. Going oh-for-2 at Duke is rare.”

Greg Monroe, a 6-10 frontcourt player from Harvey, La., saddened the Blue Devils when he picked Georgetown after attending the Hoyas’ midnight madness.

“From my perspective, I think Virginia has a better chance with Elliot Williams than Patrick Patterson,” Telep said. “I just didn’t see [the Cavaliers] getting Patrick Patterson. There’s still some time on this Elliot Williams thing. He hasn’t made a decision yet. He hasn’t put the final nail in anybody’s coffin.”
 

Replays support officials 80 percent of the time
Tech recruits moonlight as QBs
By Doug Doughty

Virginia and Maryland may not have seen eye to eye on several close calls Saturday night in College Park, Md., but Terrapins’ coach Ralph Friedgen made a statement after the game that nobody was challenging.

“You really don’t see anyone overrule too many calls anymore,” Fridegen said.

Anybody who watched Thursday night’s game between Virginia Tech and Boston College would have to agree.

There were replays following two of the three touchdowns in the Tech-Boston College game and the call on the field was upheld in both cases.

On Tech’s first touchdown, the ESPN broadcasting crew thought that wide receiver Eddie Royal did not have complete possession of the ball until he was out of bounds, but after five or six replays, it was hard to say there was “irrefutable evidence.”

A review also upheld a sideline interception by the Hokies’ Brandon Flowers.

Through the eighth week of ACC games, play had been stopped 87 times for reviews, supervisor of football officials Doug Rhoads said earlier this week. Those reviews, which lasted an average of 1:40, resulted in 18 reversals (20.7 percent).

“Over half of them are catch-no catch,” Rhoads said. “And, this doesn’t count all the booth reviews when you don’t stop the game.”

If the replay booth doesn’t stop play, the coaches have the option of making a challenge at the cost of a timeout if the challenge is not upheld. There have been 17 coaches’ challenges and three reversals.

One of the reversals was in the North Carolina-Virginia game, where a 48-yard Chris Gould field goal was ruled no good, then reversed upon review. Rhoads has said that he had no knowledge of a field goal or extra points being reversed previously.

Reviews played a big part in the Maryland-Virginia game, won by the Cavaliers 18-17. The first review came on the spot following a fourth-and-4 pass from UVa’s Jameel Sewell to Mikell Simpson. The second was on Simpson’s 1-yard plunge for the winning touchdown.

The spotting of the ball, an overlooked aspect of most games, has been critical in two Virginia wins. The first was at Middle Tennessee, where the Blue Raiders’ final third-down play came up inches shy of the first-down marker and caused MTSU to punt.

If either spot had favored Virginia’s opponent, given the unlikehood of calls being reversed, the Cavaliers probably would have lost both of those games.

“Either supervisors or officials in general forget the impact of what [the spot] is,” Rhoads said. “The point of emphasis on spots is, you do that every time. That’s 175 times per game.”

If the officials are off by an average of 2 inches per spot, that’s 10 yards per game. If they’re off by 6 inches per spot, that’s more than 30 yards per game.

Rhoads thinks officials have gotten better at spotting the ball “because of the scrutiny of TV,” he said.

“In the old days, you’d be sitting in a room, looking at 16 mm films and you’d go click-click-click-click-click and think, ‘They missed the spot,’ he said. “But you could miss it by a yard and it wouldn’t show up.

“Even the digitized lines that the networks put on there, they’re not 100 percent accurate, but they sure help us. We’re more right than wrong, but I still show it to them on the weekly video.”

Rhoads said he had watched the final five minutes of the UVa-Maryland game as many as 100 times.

“They’re five plays on that final drive where officiating plays a role and there was no video evidence to indicate that any of those calls are incorrect,” Rhoads said. “I think they were a little hesitant on the touchdown and a few seconds run off but it was not excessive.”

On the sideline play where Mikell Simpson stretched out for a first down, there were four TV camera angles provided by ESPN and two provided by the school,

“The one view that is never able to be established is down the Virginia sideline,” Rhoads said, “but I see two officials and that head linesman right there, right where he’s supposed to be, and his eyes focused on the ball. And the side judge is down the sideline, right where they’re supposed to be.

“I can sell a lot of stuff if they’re where they were supposed to be.”

IT WAS INTERESTING to see Virginia Tech take a commitment this week from Edison High School wide receiver Ben Barber, who has moved to quarterback, because that’s also been the case with Jeron Gouveia from Stone Bridge.

Gouveia, who committed to Tech during the summer, has played a variety of positions at Stone Bridge but is viewed as a defensive back by the Hokies. Gouveia had seen time at running back, wide receiver and safety before regular Stone Bridge quarterback Patrick Thompson suffered a thumb injury.

Gouveia rushed for 68 yards, passed for 67 yards, had 44 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns in a 27-7 victory over previously unbeaten Madison. Gouveia’s younger brother, Kyle, is a ninth-grader who is listed as a quarterback.

Patrick Thompson, a junior, is the son of Stone Bridge coach Mickey Thompson, a one-time UVa lineman. Patrick Thompson’s twin brother and classmate, Zach, had two sacks against Madison.

THESE THOMPSON TWINS are not to be confused with the 1980s British rock band of the same name who scored a hit with the 1984 single, “Doctor! Doctor!” That’s not to be confused with the Robert Palmer hit, “Bad Case of Loving You,” which featured the refrain, “Doctor, doctor, gimme the news.”

Robert Palmer is best known for the video that accompanied the song, “Simply Irresistible,” and featured chorus lines of female dancers dressed and made up identically. Palmer died in Paris in 2003.

Presumably, both sets of Thompson twins are thriving.