Cavs not ready to panic yet
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 29, 2007

The panic button in Virginia’s McCue Center was not pressed into action Sunday.

While that does little to ease the pain of a 29-24 loss to North Carolina State, it was the approach taken by Virginia coach Al Groh. Perhaps it was understandable given the nature in which the Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1 ACC) rattled off a seven-game winning streak - three of Virginia’s victories required game-winning drives.

“We are very disappointed that we lost the game, but it was not like the score was 40-10, and we were very close to winning the game,” Groh said Sunday during his weekly teleconference. “We did some things that weren’t as positive as some of the other games we had played.

“We lost the game and we’re very upset about that, but we are not in a demoralized or what-are-we-going-to-do-now type of state. We just do the same thing we did after those wins and put this game behind us and focus on what it’s going to take to beat [Wake Forest].”

Most notably, N.C. State (3-5, 1-3 ACC) thrived off big plays and momentum-changing moments in quick fashion. The Wolfpack had 10 plays that stretched at least 20 yards and scored 10 points off a pair of first-half interceptions thrown by Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell.

“Frankly, [N.C. State] made some plays that some of the other teams that we have played didn’t make,” Groh said.

Those teams, of course, did not boast wide receiver Donald Bowens, a sophomore that flew under the radar with just 253 receiving yards in the first seven games of the season. Bowens, who was matched up most of the game against UVa cornerback Ras-I Dowling, a true freshman, thrilled a noisy Homecoming crowd at Carter-Finley Stadium, catching 11 passes from quarterback Daniel Evans for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

“Really, Bowens makes three or four awesome catches,” Groh said. “The quarterback just kind of throws the ball in the general area and [Bowens] goes up and gets it.

“To make one of those in an evening would be a pretty spectacular evening and he had a career night, and we give him a lot of credit for it, but it wasn’t like the guy ran past [Dowling] and caught the ball 20 yards behind him.”

Dowling, a bright spot at times for Virginia’s defense, was thrust into action after starting cornerback Mike Parker gave up the game’s first touchdown and looked unfit to play with an ankle injury.

The loss, as Groh pointed out, does not rest solely on Dowling’s shoulders.

“Ras-I batted five balls down and made an interception and that’s a pretty good night’s work for any corner,” Groh said. “I am sure those are regrettable plays for the team and we would all like to have them back, but for all things considered, Ras-I was very competitive in the game.”

The rest of the defense, a unit that allowed a season-worst 29 points and 5.7 yards per play, took the blame, defensive end Chris Long said.

“We are not going to point fingers, but I will take responsibility for [the loss],” the senior captain said. “We will take responsibility for that on our side of the ball. There is no excuse for us giving up 29 points - that’s just inexcusable.”

Virginia remains a fixture in the ACC title race and controls its own destiny. Wins over Wake Forest, Miami and Virginia Tech would secure the program’s first berth in the ACC Championship game as the Coastal Division title winner.

“Right now the guys are heartbroken,” Long said after the game. “They put everything into this and to lose a football game means a lot. It means more to lose a football game than it does to lose in any other sport. It can tear your heart out.

“For about 24 hours here we will be pretty upset with ourselves, but we are going to watch the tape and then we move forward. You have to have a short memory.”

Avoiding close scenarios, Virginia M.O. of late, would be a start, Long said.

“We were right there at the end. I thought we could win it,” he added. “A lot of things happened but we have to stop putting ourselves in bad positions.

“As much as we feel confident in those positions, I think we have to eliminate those mistakes to get us in those situations where we have to be the only ones in the stadium that believe we can win the game.”

Injury update

Virginia’s traveling party included cornerback Chris Cook, fullback Rashawn Jackson and tight end Tom Santi, but the three players were not used in the game.

They were available, Groh said, but it would have required a number of drastic events.

“The criteria was if we really had an emergency would the player be able to function and enable us to finish the game, and that’s about the state that they were in last night,” Groh said. “If we run into a real bind, could the player function to enable us to finish the game?”

The fact that three players dressed is not an indicator that their availability for Saturday’s home game with Wake Forest.

“I don’t think we could take a reading on that,” Groh said. “It depends upon what type of continued progress they make in their rehab.

“If they come to a stall between here and next Saturday then they won’t be any more ready to take on a full-time role than they were last night.”

Sewell, who left the game with severe cramps in his leg with 7:09 remaining after passing for a career-best 260 yards, was “feeling pretty good” on Sunday, Groh said.

Although cramping has plagued Sewell previously this season, namely against Duke, Groh said it was a best case scenario for the signal caller.

“I guess that is a good category to put it in,” the coach said. “Usually when a player can’t finish the game it means he is in jeopardy for the next week, but cramps is the one thing that doesn’t fall into that category.”

Left tackle Eugene Monroe also missed most of the fourth quarter after injuring his right knee.

“It was kind of an ugly situation that he was caught in,” Groh said. “I didn’t see it at the game but I could certainly see it on the tape.”

Monroe, a junior, will not have an MRI, a great sign for potential prognosis.

“He seems to feel pretty decent about it,” Groh said.

Extra points ...

Wake Forest opened as a one-point favorite over Virginia ... The Demon Deacons (6-2, 4-1 ACC) crushed North Carolina, 37-10, on Saturday. It was the biggest margin of victory this season for Wake Forest, which opened its campaign with losses to Boston College (38-28) and Nebraska (20-17) ... Virginia dropped out of the AP and coaches poll, but remains in the BCS standings at No. 23, one spot ahead of Wake Forest.

 

Cavaliers' Dowling meets the challenge
October 29, 2007 12:36 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

RALEIGH, N.C.--Ras-I Dowling found himself in a much bigger role than he anticipated this past Saturday.

And like most true freshmen, the Virginia cornerback had a roller-coaster evening.

Dowling tied a school-record with five pass break-ups and he intercepted the first pass of his career in the Cavaliers' 29-24 Atlantic Coast Conference loss to North Carolina State.

"That's a pretty good night's work for any corner," Virginia head coach Al Groh said.

But the other side of Dowling's up-and-down game was that he was often victimized by Wolfpack wide receiver Donald Bowens, who finished with 11 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

Bowens scored the go-ahead touchdown over Dowling midway through the fourth quarter, but the play was one of many in which the 6-foot-3 sophomore made an acrobatic grab while Dowling was in perfect position.

That's why Groh came away from the game very pleased with Dowling's performance in the most significant action he's seen in his short career.

Groh said Bowens, whom he recruited out of high school in Florida, made "three or four awesome catches."

"It wasn't like the guy ran past [Dowling] and caught the ball 20 yards behind him," Groh said. "He was right there with him. Those are regrettable plays for the team and we'd all like to have them back, but for all things considered Ras-I was very competitive in the game."

Dowling said all he could do was congratulate Bowens for making so many tough catches. The two talked briefly after the game.

"I told him, 'Good game,'" Dowling said. "He's a good player. I can't take nothing from him. The quarterback made good throws. They played a heck of a game."

The same could be said for Dowling despite the big plays he gave up.

The Chesapeake native joined the Cavaliers this season after spending one year at Hargrave Military Academy.

He has excelled on special teams, and was mostly used as a third or fourth cornerback until Saturday.

But junior starter Chris Cook missed his third consecutive game with a sprained left knee. Redshirt freshman Mike Parker started in Cook's place, but was still suffering from an ankle injury he sustained in practice last week.

Parker played just one possession, leaving the Cavaliers with the 6-foot-2, 180-pound Dowling working opposite sophomore Vic Hall.

Dowling said he wasn't surprised so much action came his way.

"They knew I was coming in new," he said. "So I guessed they would come at me."

Groh said Dowling has a lot of "upside." His confidence in Dowling was evident in the way the Cavaliers failed to give him any safety help, leaving him one-on-one with the Wolfpack's receivers.

Groh said after reviewing tape yesterday, there was just one play he felt the Cavaliers should've helped Dowling with a safety.

He said all the action Dowling saw was a result of the Wolfpack's game plan. He said if the Cavaliers had chosen to help Dowling with a safety, the middle of the field would've been left open, and the Wolfpack would've taken advantage.

"An awful lot was directed toward him," Groh said. "He didn't get any relief. There weren't many balls going to the other side."

Notes

The Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1 ACC) fell out of the USA Today and Associated Press top 25 polls with their loss to the Wolfpack (3-5, 1-3). They host No. 21 Wake Forest (6-2, 4-1) on Saturday at noon.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell left the game with severe cramps in the fourth quarter and didn't return. Groh said Sewell has a tendency to suffer from cramps. Sewell won't miss any action.

Starting left tackle Eugene Monroe left the game at the end of the third quarter with a knee injury. He didn't return. Groh said Monroe, "seems to feel pretty decent," about the injury. It's the same one that caused him to miss two games earlier this season. Groh said it won't require an MRI.

 

Childs copes with fires back home
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
October 29, 2007

San Diego native Darren Childs had more than just a football game on his mind when Virginia played at N.C. State on Saturday night.

The UVa linebacker, who teammates affectionately refer to as “Cali,” still wasn’t sure how badly family members back home were being affected by the fires.

“My cousin had to evacuate,” said Childs, following Virginia’s 29-24 loss to N.C. State. “And my mom said she could walk outside and actually see the fires coming near and the ash falling from the sky.”

What made the situation even scarier for Childs was his memory of the 2003 fires that ravaged Southern California.

“You go outside and it looks like it’s snowing, but it’s just ash,” he said. “You really can’t breathe when you go outside. There will be ash all over your car and you have to use your windshield wipers. You can’t see the sky, and if you do, it’s just like an orange glare. Even the people who aren’t directly affected are affected. It’s just crazy.

“But this time it was much worse. That’s why I was real concerned. It was so windy that they couldn’t even get the helicopters to try and put [the fires] down.”

Childs said trying to stay focused in practice heading into Saturday’s game was tough.

“I didn’t know if they were safe,” said the 6-foot-1 244-pound junior, who starred at San Diego’s Mission Bay High. “It was hard for me. I wanted to be out there for them, but I feel better about it now.”

 

Too few ups meant one big downer
Sunday, Oct 28, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 08:50 AM
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

RALEIGH, N.C. You are Ras-I Dowling - Virginia true freshman cornerback by way of Chesapeake and close-order drill at Hargrave Military - and this is your life in the microcosm of Saturday-night lights at Carter-Finley Stadium.

You are pushed front and center in the lineup by injuries. Your coverage is tight enough to break up five passes and intercept another. You have a couple other near-picks. You do enough nice things out there for your coach to call you a player "that has a lot of upside." So far, so good.

But you also are beset by some downside. Your team - having just scored to take its only lead of a game it will lose 29-24 - recovers a fumbled N.C. State kickoff, but the turnover is negated because you are offside on the play. You also are seemingly targeted and beaten on a number of pass plays.

And on the decisive drive that ends your squad's seven-game winning streak, you are outleaped on back-to-back deep balls - the sort of spotlighted moments of doom that have been tormenting cornerbacks since Night Train Lane was in diapers.

Afterward, you are asked about your interception.

"It was a good play," you say. "It helped the team out. But I made a lot of bad plays, too."

Live by the paring knife, die by the paring knife.

For weeks, the Cavs had been cutting it close. A two-point win at North Carolina. Field goals at the wire to beat Middle Tennessee - Middle Tennessee! - and UConn. A last-gasp TD at Maryland with 16 ticks left. Victories in their past three starts by the grand total of four points.

So maybe this was law-of-averages stuff. Instead of holding up on the kickoff, Dowling is a teensy bit in front of Chris Gould's boot. Instead of getting a hand on the winning pass - and the coverage itself was sticky enough - Dowling is beaten to the ball by State wideout Donald Bowens. Instead of responding with a dramatic rally as in previous weeks, U.Va.'s closing three possessions end with two punts and an exclamation-point sack.

"We were right there at the end," said U.Va. defensive end Chris Long. "I thought we could win it. We've got to stop putting ourselves in that position."

The truth is that Virginia is no juggernaut. It's been resilient. It's been opportunistic. It remains first in the ACC's Coastal Division. But it was no better than an even match against a State outfit that was 2-5 and had lost nine straight times to ACC rivals. The Wolfpack lost its two best runners early in the season. Bowens is a backup to injured ace wideout John Dunlap. QB Daniel Evans lost his job some weeks ago, then regained it when the other guy got hurt.

The Pack entered this outing last in the ACC in rushing defense and turnover margin, 11th in total defense and points allowed and 10th in offense and time of possession.

It is not, in other words, going places.

So it made perfect sense for Virginia to get in a shootout with this bunch. Nothing comes easy for the Cavs. They specialize in tight squeezes, remember. And they went out of their way as yesterday afternoon turned into evening to make a lackluster team look acceptable and keep it in the running. Bowens (11 catches) was terrific. Ditto Evans. Jamelle Eugene burrowed for 112 yards. True freshman tackle Jake Vermiglio kept Long from going on a rampage. The Pack piled up 431 yards.

And Virginia lost. Its quarterback Jameel Sewell, fumbled snaps and threw two interceptions that led to 10 State points. He also passed for 165 yards and two TDs in the second period alone. He had some upside and some downside, which is about what you can say for Ras-I Dowling and the rest of the Cavs. You live on the edge, sometimes it tilts the other way.

 

Beaten but not broken
Wahoos encouraged by wideouts' effort in loss to N.C. State
Monday, Oct 29, 2007 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Their winning streak is history, their lead in the Coastal Division race has shrunk to a half-game, and they're no longer in The Associated Press Top 25.

But if the Virginia Cavaliers are down after losing Saturday at N.C. State, they're not, they say, out.

"Our feeling is, we're very disappointed we lost the game," U.Va. coach Al Groh said last night. "But it's not like the score was 40-10. And we were very close to winning the game."

During its seven-game winning streak, Virginia prevailed by more than five points only twice. It lost by five to the Wolfpack, which got an extraordinary performance from sophomore wide receiver Donald Bowens in its 29-24 victory at Carter-Finley Stadium.

"We did some things in that game that weren't as positive as we'd done in some other games," Groh said, "and frankly, the other team made some plays that other teams hadn't made. But we're not in a demoralized or what-are-we-going-to-do-now kind of state."

With defending ACC champion Wake Forest (4-1, 6-2) coming to town this weekend, the Wahoos (4-1, 7-2) can't afford to engage in self-pity. The Demon Deacons, who replaced U.Va. at No. 21 in the latest AP poll, have won six consecutive since a Sept. 8 loss to Nebraska. Wake and U.Va. haven't met since 2003.

"For us, it's almost like a non-conference game, it's been so long since we've played them," Groh said. "It's like a starting-from-scratch deal with them. I hope that maybe we're posing some of the same problems for them."

U.Va.'s biggest problem in Raleigh, N.C., was trying to stop the pass-and-catch duo of quarterback Daniel Evans and Bowens. Evans, a junior, passed for 347 yards and three touchdowns. Bowens, a one-time Virginia recruiting target, finished with 11 catches for 202 yards and two TDs, all career highs, and made several spectacular receptions.

The Evans and Bowens Show overshadowed a strong effort by quarterback Jameel Sewell and U.Va.'s oft-maligned wide receivers.

Sewell wasn't perfect. He was picked off twice in the first 20 minutes on passes that were "not the best of choices and not the best of throws," Groh said. But in little more than three-and-a-half quarters -- the sophomore left-hander sat out the final 7:09 with severe cramps -- Sewell passed for a career-best 260 yards and two TDs.

A week earlier, he'd thrown for 243 yards against Maryland. In that game, though, only five of the Cavaliers' 23 completions were to wideouts. Against N.C. State, U.Va.'s receivers combined for 141 yards on 11 catches. Juniors Maurice Covington and Cary Koch had three receptions apiece, and Koch, a transfer from Tulane, scored his first TD as a Cavalier, on a 7-yard pass from Sewell.

Virginia's corps of wideouts "certainly has come a long ways from where we started," Groh said, "and really it's a collective thing. Several guys have stepped up and had their moments."

Cramps have been a recurring issue with Sewell, but Groh said the former Hermitage High star "was feeling pretty good" yesterday. The outlook for Eugene Monroe, Virginia's starter at left offensive tackle, appears positive too.

Monroe, who missed Virginia's games with Pittsburgh and Middle Tennessee with a knee injury, re-injured the same knee on the last play of the third quarter Saturday. But Groh said no MRI is scheduled for Monroe, who "seems to feel pretty decent about" his knee.

 

Deacons require studying by Cavs
ACC opponents Virginia and Wake Forest haven't played each other since 2003.
Doug Doughty

Virginia coach Al Groh can be excused if he has lost track of the football program he once headed at Wake Forest.

Placed in different divisions in the aftermath of ACC expansion, the Cavaliers and Deacons have not met since 2003.

Maybe the schedule-makers were waiting for a game that would mean something.

Wake Forest, which trails undefeated Boston College by one-half game in the ACC's Atlantic Division, comes to Scott Stadium for a noon kickoff Saturday against a Virginia team that holds a one-half game lead in the Coastal Division.

Not unlike the Cavaliers, who won seven games in a row after dropping their opener, the Deacons (6-2, 4-1 ACC) have won six straight games after an 0-2 start.

Wake made its season's debut in The Associated Press poll at No. 21 and is an early 1 12-point favorite against a Cavaliers' squad that is 4-0 at home.

"It's like a non-conference game," said Groh, who was the head coach at Wake from 1981-86. "We have to familiarize ourselves with their players and schemes. It's like starting from scratch."

The first thing that Groh noticed Sunday was that the Deacons have scored nine non-offensive touchdowns, including a pair Saturday in a 37-10 victory over visiting North Carolina.

"That tells the story of why they've won six in a row," Groh said. "When we were winning seven in a row, we did it the hard way."

Virginia (7-2, 4-1) has won four games in which the lead changed hands in the fourth quarter, with two of the wins coming in the final 20 seconds.

The Cavaliers had put themselves in position for a third straight one-point win Saturday before North Carolina State rallied from a 24-23 deficit to win 29-24.

"Look, we're very disappointed we lost the game," said Groh, whose Cavaliers dropped out of the AP Top 25 after a one-week stay, "but it's not like we lost 40-10. We were very close to winning the game. Frankly, the [Wolfpack] team made some plays that some of the other teams didn't make."

Sophomore wide receiver Donald Bowens had receptions of 40, 35, 30, 28 and 20 yards for the Wolfpack, most at the expense of true freshman Ras-I Dowling.

Bowens beat redshirt freshman Mike Parker on 40-yard reception for State's first touchdown and the Cavaliers quickly shifted to Dowling. Parker had been injured in practice earlier in the week.

"Bowens makes three or four awesome catches," said Groh, noting that Dowling intercepted a pass and tied a school record with five break-ups. "Those are regrettable plays, but Ras-I was very competitive."

Groh knew all about Bowens, who took a recruiting visit to Virginia in January 2006.

"I remember watching his tape and I remember the individual visit he and I had on the Sunday morning before he departed," Groh said. "We'd got the feeling that State was a big leader early in the process, but we were very encouraged after his visit about our chances. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way."

The Cavaliers de-emphasized Florida recruiting during the first part of Groh's tenure but, in the same class in which they failed to land Bowens, from St. Petersburg, Fla., they got Parker out of Orlando, Fla.

Virginia has had a makeshift crew of wide receivers since 2006 receptions leader Kevin Ogletree suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in the spring, but quarterback Jameel Sewell has had career days with 243 and 260 passing yards in the last two games.

On the other hand, Sewell continued to demonstrate the inconsistency that occasionally has been his downfall. Two interceptions yielded by Sewell in the first half led to 10 Wolfpack points.

"Not the best of choices, not the best of throws," Groh said Sunday.

Nevertheless, the Cavaliers breathed a sigh of relief when it was learned that Sewell was suffering from cramps when he collapsed at the end of a fourth-quarter play.

"Usually, when a player can't finish a game, it means he's in jeopardy for the next week," Groh said.

"Cramps is the one thing that doesn't fall in that category."
 

U.Va. tries to recover from streak's end
The Cavaliers' winning streak is over, but they still have plenty left to accomplish.
By MELINDA WALDROP | mwaldrop@dailypress.com | 247-4634
4:07 PM EDT, October 28, 2007
 

RALEIGH, N.C. - The streak finally ended. But what else does Virginia's 29-24 loss Saturday night at N.C. State mean?

The Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1 ACC) still lead Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-1) atop the Coastal Division. They will play for the ACC championship if they win out, beating Wake Forest at home, Miami on the road and the Hokies in the Nov. 24 regular-season finale in Charlottesville. They're guaranteed a bowl bid that more wins will only improve.

But that's not the main motivation driving U.Va. to bounce back from its first loss in seven weeks.

"That's such a crazy deal and there's so many things that can happen, you really can't worry about anyone but yourself," Cavs senior defensive end Chris Long said.

And as Saturday night vividly illustrated, Virginia has enough in-house concerns to keep it busy.

The Cavs gave up 431 yards of offense, including 347 through the air to Wolfpack quarterback Daniel Evans, a player benched earlier in the season because of poor performance. Offensive struggles -- including an interception on U.Va.'s first series that led to an N.C. State touchdown -- saw to it that the Cavs played from behind for most of the night. And a crucial special-teams penalty kept Virginia from coming up with a huge fumble recovery on a kickoff after it took its only lead of the game in the fourth quarter.

"We could've coached better," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "We could've played special teams better. We could've played offense better. We could have played defense better. But we didn't. ... If there's any finger-pointing -- and there out to be a lot -- it ought to be each one of us pointing our finger at ourselves and saying, 'If I had done better, then maybe the result would have been different.' "

But the reality was the Cavs' first loss since a season-opening 23-3 drubbing at Wyoming. U.Va. had a chance for its first 5-0 ACC start in school history, but the crunch-time heroics that had lifted the Cavs to three straight fourth-quarter victories dissipated behind starting quarterback Jameel Sewell's cramps and a Wolfpack pass rush that refused to give backup Peter Lalich time to settle in.

The Cavs put themselves in the position to need another last-ditch drive with mistakes and poor execution. Sewell's two interceptions took some of the luster off his career-high 260 passing yards, and Virginia failed all night to stop Evans and sophomore wideout Donald Bowens, who racked up 202 yards and two of Evans' three TD passes on 11 catches.

"There's no excuse for us giving up (29) points. That's just inexcusable," Long said. " ... For about 24 hours here, we'll be a little upset with ourselves, and then we'll watch the tape and we'll have to move forward. You have to have a short memory."

And a grasp of the goals that are still well within reach.

"We're definitely a good team," Lalich said. "This game doesn't mean that we're not a good team."