Cavs slowly getting better
Groh says young team's gains showed in beating Maryland
Monday, Oct 06, 2008 - 12:07 AM

EAST CAROLINA AT VIRGINIA

Saturday:noon, WRLH-35
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Clint Sintim (51) and Antonio Appleby stopped Maryland's Dan Gronkowski on the way to the Cavaliers' 31-0 upset victory Saturday. U.Va. coach Al Groh says he was "appreciative" of the Scott Stadium crowd's energy in the Cavs' victory over Maryland on Saturday.

Where the heck did that come from?

That question -- or some variation -- was asked by all who watched the Virginia-Maryland football game Saturday night. The Cavaliers entered as 13½-point underdogs. They won 31-0 at Scott Stadium.

U.Va. coach Al Groh conceded last night that he didn't sense his team was poised for a blowout victory.

"It would be pulling everybody's leg to say that I was sitting in the room Friday night thinking, 'I think we can win this 31-0,'" Groh said. "But what we have been able to see -- in spurts and different looks -- progress, really, on a weekly basis.

"Sometimes that progress didn't carry over to Saturday, but we've been able to see different elements of the team or different individuals progress, and that hopefully is going to be the case throughout. Because with so many players that are still not very far into their career, they've got a long highway in front of them . . . to continue to improve."

Twelve freshmen, including four starters, played against the Terrapins. The game was Virginia's first at home in nearly a month, and it attracted a crowd of 50,727 -- the third-smallest since Scott Stadium's official capacity was expanded to 61,500 in 2000. But the fans were louder and rowdier than those at many U.Va. games that have been announced as sellouts.

"I guess you'd call all those people the true fans, and their support of the team, everybody was very aware of it and very appreciative of it," Groh said, "just that the fans would be there for us and have our back and continue to support, and we've very pleased we were able to give them a good product back."

As it heads into its non-conference game with East Carolina (3-2) at Scott Stadium this weekend, U.Va. (2-3) is in no position to boast about its statistical rankings. Still, they're not as ghastly as they were a week ago, when Virginia ranked last in the nation in scoring offense and near the bottom in scoring defense.

Of the 119 teams in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision, the Wahoos are now 117th in scoring offense and 67th in scoring defense. Against Maryland, the Cavaliers posted season highs in points and total offense (427 yards).

"We thought that since their record wasn't very good that they weren't going to play like they did a couple of years ago," Maryland offensive lineman Edwin Williams said. "U.Va. put forth their best effort, and we didn't."

Perhaps it was only coincidence, but the Cavaliers' most inspired effort of the year came in front of Chris Long, their inspirational leader last season. Now a rookie with the St. Louis Rams, who were off yesterday, Long wore a No. 51 Virginia jersey Saturday night at Scott Stadium in tribute to his close friend Clint Sintim.

Sintim, a four-year starter for U.Va., is tied for first among the nation's linebackers in sacks with five. He had one against Maryland, after which he saluted Long by forming an "L" with his arms.

"The 'L' was here tonight," a smiling Groh said afterward. "Whether he's in uniform or not, there always seems to be a special magic that comes along with Chris Long. We're glad he was here."

 

Virginia's play not total surprise
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia football coach Al Groh can't say he saw it coming.

But, maybe Ralph Friedgen did.

Friedgen coaches the Maryland Terrapins, who came to Scott Stadium as 14-point favorites Saturday night and emerged as 31-0 victims.

"You know, it's what I was worried about coming down here," Friedgen said. "We don't seem to be reaching these guys. I knew how Virginia would react, very similar to how we reacted after [losing to] Middle Tennessee.

"What's frustrating is, a lot of the things they were hurting us on, we had practiced. We did make an adjustment here or there, but it really wasn't about X's and O's. It was about who came to play and who didn't."

In early September, the Terrapins followed a 24-14 road loss to Middle Tennessee State with a 35-27 victory over then-No. 23 California.

Friedgen's reference was to Virginia's 31-3 loss to Duke on the final Saturday in September. The Cavaliers followed that with a near-flawless performance Saturday.

Groh thought the Cavaliers had practiced well in the days leading up to Maryland's visit, "but it would be pulling everybody's leg to say I was sitting in the room Friday night and thinking, 'Yeah, I think we can win 31-0,' " Groh said Sunday night.

"We've seen progress on a weekly basis. Sometimes, that progress wasn't carrying over till Saturday."

Maybe the biggest lift came from the decision to play fifth-year tailback Cedric Peerman, who had missed the Duke game with a knee injury.

Peerman started Saturday and carried 17 times for 110 yards, including a 9-yard touchdown run with 5:21 left in the third quarter that ended his night.

UVa fans will be happy to know that Peerman did not aggravate his injury.

"It was a stamina thing," Groh said. "Not only was he unable to play in the games, but he hasn't been able to practice. We knew there was a limit to how far he could go."

Indeed, Virginia had marched to the Maryland 9-yard line with Mikell Simpson at tailback, only to insert Peerman on fourth-and-1.

"There was a time during the Duke game -- the score was maybe 10-3 -- when Cedric came up to me and said, 'I'd like to do this; put me in, put me in,' " Groh related. "I said, 'No, this isn't the time. It's not worth it for you to go out there and not do what you're able to do.'

"We talked about it late Thursday evening and I told him what I saw and asked [whether] I was seeing what he felt. We agreed on that and I said, 'Well, we've got a deal, right?' He responded, 'We've got a deal.' "

Virginia controlled the ball for more than 35 minutes and had 75 offensive plays, compared to the Terrapins' 55. UVa had 26 first down, as opposed to 13 for the Terrapins.

"I said a lot at halftime and so did the other coaches," Friedgen said. "Some of the players said things, [but] they still had that distant stare. We got the crap kicked out of us."
 

A word to the wiseguy ... Hoo knew?
Mike Burke
Cumberland Times-News

As I found out, beginning Friday morning and lasting well into the chill Friday evening, there are a lot of University of Virginia fans out there. There are a lot of passionate and devoted Wahoos out there who read the Internet and who like to write to you to tell you what they think of you after you tell them what you think of them.

In case you missed it Friday morning, in anticipation of last night’s Maryland-Virginia game, which the Terps entered as 14-point favorites, I wrote a column imploring the Terps to cover the spread by much more than that so Maryland fans will be able to gloat over Virginia fans who have treated us as though we were put on this earth to park their cars. I also pointed out that since Virginia fans (not all, mind you) sometimes treat West Virginia fans as though they were put on this earth to help us park the Wahoos’ cars, I guessed that Mountaineer Nation would be squarely in Maryland’s corner last night.

I guessed right about that one as I received over a dozen e-mails from West Virginia fans that read, “Go Terps!” among other things that cannot be printed in a family newspaper, God love ’em. On the other hand, at last count, I received 36 e-mails from Virginia fans, some of whom were none to pleased my parents ever met, and some of whom expressed their views that my parents were never married.

I did my best to answer every e-mail and to try to have as much fun with them in the same spirit I intended to have in teasing Virginia in the first place.

What follows is a sampling of what took place Friday in this little corner of cyberspace:

The first e-mail of the day was slugged, “Nice article.” When I opened it, I read, “(Expletive) bag ... Hoos by 30!”

I responded, “You might be right, Skippy.”

To which Skippy responded, “Nice comeback. Great journalistic integrity. Sounds like an inferiority complex. You write drivel like that and expect Hoo nation to take you seriously ... Just proves that we are better than you ... Too funny.

“Please go burn a couch now!”

I was going to give Skippy the last word, but couldn’t resist and wrote, “That’s West Virginia who burns couches. When we win national championships at Maryland we burn down city blocks.”

For a moment I considered adding, “Where do you live?” But I opted not to as I would prefer to see my cousin Stan again at a family reunion rather than on official business. Stan is an FBI agent.

Next one.

Virginia fan: “Terps and Mountaineers are like bad zits that just won’t go away. Your journalism is putrid ... If you plan to make the trip down here tomorrow, I hope they revoke your credentials.”

Me: “Me too.”

Up next.

Virginia fan: “Regarding your column on the upcoming Virginia-Maryland game, I’m curious to know if you knew that Henry Jordan the Packers Hall of Famer (I had used Jordan’s famous Lombardi quote on Friday) played at Virginia. Was that irony you were looking for or just plain dumb luck? Henry played at Warick High School in Newport News, Va. and was also an NCAA wrestling champ while starring at Virginia before being drafted by the Packers.”

Me: “That was just dumb luck. I figured all of those Packers started playing football for the Packers as children. That’s pretty funny. I’ll have to use that as a follow-up, particularly if U-Va wins the game, which is usually what happens when I write something wiseguy like that. I am the kiss of death to the Terps.”

Same Virginia fan: “They had your column on TheSabre.com message board so you’ll be hearing from some HOOS. You should have seen the UVA Pep Band (a group I referred to for lampooning the state of West Virginia during halftime of a 2002 bowl game) do their thing at Byrd back in the ’70s when Maryland Gov. Marvin Mandel was going to jail. They had a guy dressed up in a convict outfit with a ball and chain. Now that caused some rancor as did the funeral they held for Elvis when Virginia played Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. They brought out a coffin at halftime and officially buried The King. Ha! The pre-PC good old days. The UVA Pep Band reeked havoc all over ACC land. Bottom line the kids had a ball. I think (Thomas Jefferson) called it the pursuit of happiness!”

Yes, Thomas Jefferson would certainly be proud of that zany U-Va Pep Band, pursuing their happiness in every state they offend.

Our next caller.

Virginia fan: “Is it supposed to be impressive that you are middle aged and could only get a job at the Cumberland Times? Don’t forget to burn your couch like all self-respecting people do.”

Me, taking a cue from the University of Virginia founder, then using an old standby: “No, see happiness and contentment are what’s important to me.

“And that’s West Virginia who burns the couches after big wins. When we win national championships at Maryland, we burn city blocks.”

So that was part of my day on Friday. Not bad for a middle-aged couch-burning (Expletive) bag, who has an inferiority complex, no journalistic integrity, is like bad zits that won’t go away, who spouts drivel and can’t understand why Hoo Nation doesn’t take him seriously.

My mother told me there would be days like this, and something tells me there will be at least one more. I’ll be facing constant insults from angry Wahoos, to quote one of my boyhood idols Maxwell Smart, “And ... loving it.”

How ’bout them Hoos!



 

Game notes
By DAVID TEEL | 247-4636
October 5, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE - — Two years ago, Austin Pasztor was a star defensive lineman in his native Canada. Last season, he was a little regarded offensive lineman at Fork Union Military Academy.

Saturday night, he started at left guard and helped Virginia rout Maryland 31-0.

Perhaps most remarkable, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound Pasztor is the Cavaliers' youngest player — he turns 18 on Nov. 26.

"He did something tonight he should be proud of and clearly we're proud of," Cavaliers coach Al Groh said.

Pasztor's rapid ascent speaks not only to his talents, but also to the Cavaliers' lack of depth. Of Virginia's reserves at the five offensive line spots, three are true freshmen, one's a redshirt freshman and the other is sophomore walk-on Isaac Cain from Hampton High.

Pasztor was listed as the backup to senior Zak Stair at left guard prior to the season opener against Southern California and started Saturday because of Stair's knee injury.

"Austin's a good young player," said Eugene Monroe, Virginia's most experienced and skilled lineman. "He's improving at a fast rate, and eventually he'll be a great player."

FORMER CAPTAIN
Maryland senior defensive end Dean Muhtadi began his college career at Christopher Newport in 2004 and '05. As a sophomore for the Captains, he appeared in eight games with 19 tackles and a sack.

Muhtadi, a graduate of T.C. Williams High in Alexandria, sat out the 2006 season per NCAA transfer rules and played in six games last year for the Terps. This year, he's started two of six games with 11 tackles and 11/2 sacks.

Muhtadi played as a reserve Saturday and was victimized on Virginia's second touchdown.

On third-and-2 from Maryland's 5, Cavaliers quarterback Marc Verica faked a handoff to Cedric Peerman and rolled to his right, only to confront Muhtadi at the 13-yard-line. Muhtadi whiffed on the tackle, and Verica sprinted to the right corner of the end zone.

YIN AND YANG
Saturday's game matched one of the ACC's oldest teams against one of the youngest.

Including kickers, Maryland started 16 of the 31 seniors on its roster. Virginia has only 16 seniors in its program, eight of whom started.

The Terps' experience was most prominent along the line of scrimmage. Nine of 10 starters along the defensive and offensive fronts, tight end included, were seniors. The exception was junior guard Phil Costa.

FORMER PHANTOMS
Sophomore fullback Haroon Brown, a 2007 Phoebus High graduate, has played in every Maryland game this season.

Brown, who appeared in five contests last season, has yet to log his first college carry. He caught a 20-yard pass in the Terps' victory over Delaware.

Brown's former high school teammate, redshirt freshman guard Maurice Hampton, has yet to see the field for Maryland. He missed most of 2008 spring practice with a knee injury and later underwent surgery.

PUNT PROTECTION
Maryland owns one of college football's most amazing and unheralded streaks: The Terps have not had a punt blocked since Nov. 13, 1999, against Florida State.

That's an NCAA-best 104 consecutive games. Danny Pearman, Maryland's new special teams coordinator, worked previously as an assistant to Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech.

ON DECK I
Vrginia plays the second of three straight home games next Saturday when its hosts East Carolina (3-2).

The Pirates were idle this week and have lost consecutive outings to North Carolina State and Houston after opening the season with impressive conquests of Virginia Tech, West Virginia and Tulane.

The game will be a homecoming of sorts for East Carolina athletic director Terry Holland, a former AD and head basketball coach at Virginia.


ON DECK II
Maryland is idle next week before hosting No. 25 Wake Forest on Oct. 18. The Terps have won four consecutive games against ranked opponents, Clemson and California this season, Rutgers and Boston College in 2007.

Terps lament mistakes
Coach says lack of focus to blame for 31-0 upset by Virginia
By Jeff Barker
October 6, 2008

COLLEGE PARK - Jeremy Navarre couldn't have been more insistent.

Maryland had been upset by Middle Tennessee State in Week 2, and the defensive tackle believed the team had absorbed a painful lesson.

"We're not going to fall in that trap again," Navarre said the following week, referring to the team's penchant for looking uninspired against weaker foes.

But despite their repentant words, the Terps went out Saturday night and did it again. Maryland was dominated by Virginia, a two-touchdown underdog.

The 31-0 loss left head coach Ralph Friedgen as puzzled as anyone as the Terps (4-2, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) headed into the bye week.

Friedgen told reporters yesterday that he had repeatedly reminded players that you can't ever afford to relax.

The coach acknowledged that he sometimes feels "inadequate" when the Terps don't respond to his warnings.

"I try to think what I could have done better to prepare ourselves for that situation," Friedgen said. "I don't know if it has to do with this team. It might even be a generational thing, I don't know."

Friedgen attributed the loss to a lack of focus. He said the offensive line alone made 14 mental errors.

There were plenty of parallels to the Middle Tennessee game. In both games, Maryland's opponent started quickly. Middle Tennessee began with an 80-yard touchdown drive. Virginia scored touchdowns on two of its first three possessions.

Friedgen said he wants to push the players harder in practice. But he also wants to remind them that they have six more games to redeem themselves. "We just made it harder for ourselves," he said. "But we're 4-2.

"Only one other team in our division [Wake Forest] is ahead of us right now."

Note:
Offensive lineman Dane Randolph suffered a high ankle sprain and linebacker Chase Bullock got a concussion Saturday night. Both will be evaluated.

Replay
Quarterback Chris Turner threw to Isaiah Williams, who pitched to Darrius Heyward-Bey, who lateraled to Da'Rel Scott. An enjoyable play to watch, but it ended on the Virginia 8 as the first half ended.

Erase
Desperate for a spark, Maryland began the second half with a 23-yard completion to tight end Dan Gronkowski. But he fumbled at the Virginia 39 and the Cavaliers recovered, leading to a touchdown drive.

Fast forward
After a bye week, the Terps face Wake Forest (3-1, 1-0 ACC) on Oct.18 at Byrd Stadium.
 

Friedgen seems puzzled
Fridge had a few explanations today for the Virginia loss. But on the bigger picture he's puzzled why his team didn't respond better.

He said the offensive line alone made 14 mental errors -- symptomatic of a loss he said was about a lack of focus.

“When you’re not blocking it doesn’t matter what plays you call. The main thing we’ve got to fix is getting people to block the right people and how you block the right people,” the coach said.

For the second straight game, Maryland’s running game was unproductive. The Terps had 79 yards rushing to Virginia’s 201.

But the coach seemed at a loss to explain why his players seemed so flat -- why they seemed to fall victim to the trap of letting down after the big win at Clemson a week earlier.

I'm going to repeat some of this in my story for tomorrow's paper, but I wanted to give it to you now. Inquiring minds want to know, right?

“I try to think what I could have done better to prepare ourselves for that situation,” Friedgen said. “I don’t know if it has to do with this team. It might even be a generational thing, I don’t know.”

Friedgen said he looks around college football and sees talented teams continually falling to more motivated underdogs. “I don’t think it’s unique to our team,” he said.

The Terps will return to practice Wednesday.

Notes:

Offensive lineman Dane Randolph suffered a high ankle sprain and linebacker Chase Bullock got a concussion Saturday night. Both will be evaluated. The team hopes defensive back Nolan Carroll (ankle) will return for Wake Forest.

Posted by Jeff Barker
 

Cavs leave Terrapins shell-shocked in victory
Cavalier offense, defense fire on all cylinders to shut out Maryland 31-0; Sintim pays tribute to former teammate Chris Long
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Monday, October 6 2008

Sophomore linebacker John- Kevin Dolce joins the rest of the team in celebrating their victory against the Terrapins at Scott Stadium. As Virginia senior outside linebacker Clint Sintim formed an “L” with his arms in honor of graduate Chris Long after he came up with a third-down sack late in the third quarter with Virginia leading 31-0, the crowd, Virginia coach Al Groh and the rest of the sideline echoed Sintim’s jubilation. Maryland had drawn its last breath; Virginia’s frustrations were over.
“That might have been one of my all-time favorite moments,” Sintim said. “I was just able to come free and make the play and threw up the ‘L’ for my homie Chris [Long].”
As 50,727 fans rocked Scott Stadium for a deafening night-game atmosphere, Virginia showed a passion unbecoming of a team distraught by blowout losses and personnel issues in its 31-0 victory. A week after one of the worst losses in the program’s history against Duke, Virginia easily toppled a Maryland squad that had already defeated two top-25 teams this season.
“We knew as a team that we weren’t nearly as bad as everybody said we were,” Sintim said. “We weren’t depleted in all areas of the game. I mean, everybody made it seem like we were the worst team in America.”
Statistically, Virginia was indeed the worst team in the country going into Saturday’s contest in at least one category; its 9.9 points per game was last among FBS schools. The difference in Virginia’s 31-point effort against Maryland, however, was senior running back Cedric Peerman. After struggling with a leg injury all season that put him out of the contest against Duke, Peerman rushed 17 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
“I knew I could have [played against Duke], but I knew I risked just messing myself up even more and then being out even longer,” Peerman said. “It was really hard to have to swallow my pride and everything that game and just wait. The waiting, the patience just paid off.”
Groh said at his weekly Tuesday press conference Peerman would return to the starting lineup when “he’s ready to be Cedric;” Saturday, he was Cedric and then some.
“He’s got a rare heart for competition, he’s got a rare heart for this team and for his teammates,” Groh said.
With a sound running game for support, sophomore quarterback Marc Verica also had a breakout offensive performance. After throwing four interceptions against Duke a week ago, Verica finished with 226 passing yards with two touchdowns, including a stellar first half in which he completed 17 throws on 20 attempts. Whether it was stepping up in the pocket and throwing the deep ball, using his mobility to evade pass rushers and even rush for a touchdown of his own, or simply playing a sound game with no turnovers after throwing four interceptions a week ago, Verica looked as comfortable under center as he has been all season.
“It wasn’t an easy week for [Verica],” Groh said. “What he was able to do and come out and play with that kind of confidence and energize this team — we hope is a positive sign for what might follow.”
A theme for Verica all season has been knowing when to look downfield versus when to settle for the underneath pass. Against Connecticut, Verica said he was too conservative; against Duke, he said he pressed the issue.
On Virginia’s first two scoring drives, however, Verica showed progress. On the Cavaliers’ third play of the first touchdown drive toward the end of the first quarter, Verica came off a play action to Peerman, stepped up in the pocket and delivered a strike to junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree beyond the secondary for a 51-yard score, Verica’s first touchdown pass of the year.
“That was awesome,” Verica said. “The offensive line gave me a ton of time, so all I had to do was throw it, and Kevin made a great catch and did an even better job of fighting to get in the end zone.”
On Virginia’s next drive, Verica complemented Peerman’s run attack with a series of quick hitters and screens. On a 2nd-and-7 from Virginia’s 32, Verica showed particular maturity; he rolled to his right, looked downfield and, when he saw nothing available, dumped the ball off to senior tight end John Phillips right at the first down marker.
Verica had “very good poise in those circumstances,” Groh said. “We had another circumstance down there before we kicked one of those field goals that we had to remind him when the pocket breaks down, you’re better off going short and whatnot, but he certainly showed more indications of that [maturity] here.”
On the Terrapins’ side, the second-half kickoff defined a night of futility for Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen. With the ball advanced to the 45 yard-line after an unsportsmanlike penalty on Sintim to end the first half, the Terps, down 21-0, tried to resuscitate themselves with an onside kick. Senior kicker Obi Egekeze’s kick, however, rolled just 4 yards from the tee before Virginia fell on the ball at the 49-yard line.
“I have some [golf shots] that don’t go that far,” Groh joked.
Virginia’s defense also deserved credit for shutting out a potent Terrapin offense that put up 71 points in its previous two games. Vital to Virginia’s chances Saturday were keeping junior wide receiver Darius Heyward-Bey and sophomore tailback Da’Rel Scott from eating up big chunks of yardage; the Cavaliers surpassed even this goal by shutting them down altogether. Heyward-Bey’s 17 total yards came on a lateral on a trick-play attempt at the end of the first half, and Scott ended with 36 yards rushing and 16 receiving.
“Those were two of the players that, if allowed to produce as they had in the previous games for Maryland, were going to make it very difficult,” Groh said. “The players really focused in on what we had to do in those two phases in dealing with those two players, and really all the credit goes to those guys.”
With the stark contrast between this week’s game and the embarrassment to Duke the week before, was Duke a step back and Maryland a step forward as much as the scores would indicate? At this point, Groh said, that is a fair assessment, but only time will tell.
“If we start and sputter, and go back and forth, then we’ll see that’s what it is,” Groh said. “We saw this as a season that would be in progress because of the transition and the number of positions and so many players out there for the first time. Hopefully this is a sign that we’re going down that road.”

Sway, sway, U.Va!
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Monday, October 6 2008

What a difference a week makes.
In Virginia’s 31-0 dismantling of Maryland Saturday, Cavalier fans cheered themselves hoarse, then scratched their heads trying to figure out what happened. Marc Verica was all of a sudden a veritable threat. The defense left Maryland defenseless. Cedric Peerman treated Scott Stadium to a running game that was fun and games. And, as for Maryland’s deep threat Darius Heyward-Bey — wayward he stayed.
Oh, and Mike Groh is no longer a foe.
The Cavs surely just leapfrogged out of the 119th spot of 119 Football Bowl Series schools in scoring offense. Now, Virginia fans will naturally try to answer the big question: Are Virginia’s early season troubles a hurricane or a monsoon? Did the Cavs just pass through the eye on their way to the other equally torrential side, or will the storm subside in favor of sunny skies?
I am a fan, and I’d love to say the former. As I try to grasp this positive outlook, however, a quote from Groh about how his secondary managed to hold playmaker Heyward-Bey and tailback Da’Rel Scott to 69 total yards strikes a chord and puts me in my place.
“Really all the credit goes to those guys [in the secondary],” he said. “They went out and made the tackles and beat the blocks.”
Of course, Groh did not mean to speak of his players in the context of what this game means for the rest of the season; he simply did what all coaches would have done, which is to give credit to his group for a positive effort after they were hammered by both opponents and the media in recent weeks.
And let me also add that Virginia showed a great deal of resilience Saturday. If you were like me, you came to Scott Stadium hoping the Cavs would make a game out of it against the surging Terrapins; winning by 31 points was such a fantasy it was laughable to think about.
Groh’s quote, however, is a reminder of Virginia’s rather sizeable Achilles’ heel: talent. You can have all the team chemistry, determination and heart in the world; the intangibles, however, don’t win football games in and of themselves. It’s not the work Groh does pacing the sidelines that matters so much as his visits to Ma and Pa of a four-star running back; quite a bit of that work over the last few years has been unraveled by unexpected departures, and Groh knows it.
“Our inventory is a little bit lower than what we expected at this time,” Groh said at his weekly press conference Sept. 16 following the team’s 45-10 loss to UConn. “If we had looked at some of these positions that were going to be stocked a year back and looked forward to this date, the inventory is not quite the same that we anticipated it was going to be, and when that happens, teams go through cycles, and we’re having to deal with those issues.”
So, when I look at the depleted Virginia roster, my optimism becomes equally depleted. I tend toward thinking that this game is a blip on the radar screen.
Let’s face it; as much as we would like to think Virginia deserves all the credit for raiding Ralph Friedgen’s “fridge,” it takes two to tango. Do you really think that the same Maryland team that won at Clemson a week ago and whipped California on national TV two weeks before that showed up to Scott Stadium Saturday? Don’t be blinded by your own loyalty to the Cavaliers.
But, I plead inwardly, what about momentum? Can the Cavs build off a throttling like this to get on a little streak of their own?
This point is even more ridiculous. If there’s anything that the last two games, and in fact the entire season, should teach us, it’s that momentum means zip. Reporters love to ask if Virginia can build confidence or momentum off a win or how the team will rebuild after a loss, and time and again, Groh responds rightly that regardless of last Saturday’s outcome, they simply move on to next Saturday with the same approach.
And why? A bad loss might deflate fans, but we learned Saturday that the players get just as pumped the following week. By the same token, an explosive win one week doesn’t mean the Cavs have righted the ship. Duke was the perfect storm. Maryland is the perfect rainbow that disappears all too soon.
“This is over pretty quick,” Groh said of the win. “By the time we get in our car, it’ll be time to fully commit to next week.”
Last week the Cavs were 1-3; this week 2-3. There’s not much more to it than that. They’ve still got the same deficiencies, the same flaws to try to overcome. This week, they got past those obstacles, but there are just too many “what-ifs” that Virginia has to satisfy on a weekly basis to put together a season that moves beyond mediocrity.
Every once in a while, Virginia will give fans a reason to cheer as the team did Saturday. But in sports, like in life, you get what you pay for; the talent that you put on the field reflects output. The performance pendulum may sway from game to game, but talent will bring this team and its fans back down to earth.

An emotional high
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Gameday Editor
Published: Monday, October 6 2008

It was fitting that Chris Long returned to Scott Stadium and hoisted the Power of Orange flag before the game.
The All-American, No. 2 overall draft pick and arguably Virginia’s first transcendent national player since running back Thomas Jones brought a sense of passion, heart and enthusiasm to the team and Scott Stadium that was absolutely infectious. Forget the offense and defense struggling before the Maryland game — Virginia has simply lacked those three elements this season, and that has been unacceptable.
Fortunately, in 60 minutes with Long present, the Cavaliers recaptured their spirit and caused Scott Stadium to go into an uproar.
Even more appropriate is the player who displayed the most heart and passion on the field against Maryland. Long wore senior linebacker Clint Sintim’s jersey as he hoisted the flag, and that honor was not lost on Sintim.
“He’s been a longtime friend,” Sintim said. “I guess just to show a little bit of appreciation for the type of relationship we had, he did that.”
I’m sure Long appreciated Clint’s performance out there Saturday. Sintim clearly showed the leadership, passion and ability that has him rated by ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. as the 25th best senior prospect in America. Sintim had 7 tackles and a sack, but doing Long’s trademark “L” with his arms was an example of the enthusiasm the team finally showed today.
“I told him if I got another sack I wouldn’t do it again, but it was a cool moment to represent him,” Sintim said.
It wasn’t just Sintim who displayed pure emotion against Maryland. On the last play of the second half, Maryland attempted a hook and ladder that was supposed to give the Terps a potential momentum-shifting touchdown, but senior safety Byron Glaspy hit Maryland running back DaRel Scott hard at the Virginia 8-yard line. That put the Virginia football team into a frenzy heading toward the tunnel, which resulted in Sintim being assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
But you know what? That was perfectly acceptable after what the team did before the half. A positive emotional outburst can rally a team to a win. The classic example of this is last year’s Georgia-Florida game: Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno scored a touchdown in the first quarter, and almost the entire team celebrated in the end zone and drew two personal foul penalties. After that, it seemed like there was no way Georgia was going to lose that game, and the way Virginia paraded into the tunnel before the half felt the same way.
There were several other examples all day of Virginia showing heart and passion throughout the game. The way Virginia responded by forcing a three-and-out after a roughing into the kicker penalty was critical. The defense flew around all game and made numerous hits that could have been featured in ESPN’s “Jacked-Up” segment. Senior running back Cedric Peerman made an amazing dive into the end zone on a fourth down to help cement the game. Even junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree’s unsportsmanlike conduct penalty — which in all honesty was a ticky-tack call — was perfectly acceptable in this game.
Besides the heart and passion the team showed, what can’t be forgotten was the performance by the fans. They knew how to rally the team and keep the athletes motivated. I’m sure the night game factor helped the crowd a lot, but you still had to be impressed by the enthusiasm level, considering there were over 10,000 empty seats. The loud standing ovation the crowd gave at the end of the first half was amazing. Students — who had every reason not to show up to the game considering the Lalich fiasco, the Duke loss and the sign controversy — came strong and stayed strong all four quarters. Don’t think for a moment that the athletes don’t acknowledge great support.
It’s hard to say what will happen next week: Virginia is still under .500 and will likely be an underdog against East Carolina, and the heart and passion might not be at Scott Stadium. It will be Fall Break, it’s a non-conference game and it’s a noon kickoff. The spirit needs to be there, though. Virginia could completely turn the season around with a victory against East Carolina, and everybody from the staff to the team to the fans needs to show up and perform the same way they did this past Saturday.
After all, the band did play “Don’t Stop Believing” at halftime, and if Virginia could come out and perform like it did against Maryland, there’s no reason not to believe.

Win fluffs Cavs' sails
October 6, 2008 12:16 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

University of Virginia fullback Rashawn Jackson may have gone a bit overboard in celebrating quarterback Marc Verica's 5-yard touchdown run in the Cavaliers' 31-0 victory over Maryland on Saturday, but one can understand why.

The Cavaliers (2-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) were the subject of ridicule for their inept offensive performance leading up to the surprising win.

That's why Jackson thought it was appropriate to carry Verica off the field following his scamper that gave Virginia a 14-0 second-quarter lead.

"We didn't mean any disrespect to Maryland. We weren't trying to show them up or anything," Verica said of the celebration. "It was just really emotional and exciting for everything to start clicking like that. It was fun."

Fun is something the Cavaliers weren't having much of before Saturday. They were coming off back-to-back losses to Connecticut and Duke by a combined score of 76-13 before the win over Maryland (4-2, 1-1).

They ranked at or near the bottom of the national statistics in several major categories. The job security of head coach Al Groh was questioned all week as supporters searched for answers to the program's woes.

"Honestly, I don't think too many people in this world thought we were going to win this game," Virginia senior linebacker Clint Sintim said following the Maryland win. "But that was fine with us. We knew as a team we weren't nearly as bad as everybody said we were. We weren't depleted in all areas of the game. I mean, everybody made it seem like we were the worst team in America."

They weren't far from it.

However, that all changed on Saturday as Verica threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his scoring run.

The sophomore was making just the third start of his career after replacing Peter Lalich, who was dismissed from the team for a probation violation.

Verica's superb performance caught the Terrapins off guard. Maryland cornerback Kevin Barnes said Verica "played like a veteran."

Center Edwin Williams said he and his teammates may have underestimated the Cavaliers because of their poor record heading into the contest.

But Terrapins head coach Ralph Friedgen said Virginia appeared motivated by the sight of its rival after an embarrassing loss to Duke.

"It really wasn't about Xs and Os. It was about who came to play and who didn't," Friedgen said. "You could have had the greatest plays in the world, and if the other team is playing at a different speed, there's nothing you can do."

Virginia senior running back Cedric Peerman was one Cavalier who played at an intense speed on Saturday. He sat out against Duke with a leg injury, but his bruising running style energized his teammates against Maryland.

Peerman finished with 110 yards and a touchdown before he exited the game in the third quarter because of a lack of stamina.

"Cedric, he's the toughest guy on our team," Verica said of the co-captain. "He's a leader. He's got tremendous passion for the game. He's extremely gritty."

The same could be said for the Cavaliers' defense which pitched its second shutout of the season.

Redshirt freshman Corey Mosley collected a fumble recovery, while Sintim picked up his fifth sack of the season. Groh said he was pleased with all facets of the game, including the play-calling of his beleaguered son and offensive coordinator Mike Groh.

"We took a little step forward," Al Groh said. "All four phases had a good evening: offense, defense, special teams, coaching staff."

Virginia will see if it can go on a winning streak when it hosts East Carolina on Saturday at noon.

 

Inconsistent Terrapins search for answers again COLLEGE FOOTBALL
October 6, 2008 12:16 am
BY STEVE DeSHAZO
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

Amid the looks of shock and disbelief, Chris Turner tried to put the best possible spin on a debacle.

Maryland had just been blanked 31-0 by a Virginia team that scored 36 points in its first four games combined. And because the Terrapins are off this week, they'll have two weeks to process the pain.

"It's the best time [for a bye]," Turner insisted. "We have two big home games, and more than any other time, we need for our fans to come out."

True, Saturday night's stunner didn't disqualify the Terps (4-2, 1-1) from the Atlantic Coast Conference's Atlantic Division title race. Among their division rivals, only Wake Forest doesn't have an ACC loss, and the Deacons (3-1, 1-0) visit Byrd Stadium on Oct. 18 (after hosting Clemson this Thursday).

More distressing than the loss to coach Ralph Friedgen, though, is his team's schizophrenic nature.

It rebounded from last month's dreadful loss at Middle Tennessee State with two upsets of ranked opponents (California and Clemson). But Saturday night's uninspired effort renews the questions.

"We didn't play very well," he said. "We made a lot of mental mistakes; we weren't very physical. You know, it's kind of what I was worried about coming down. We just don't seem to be reaching these guys."

Maryland's 102nd-ranked pass defense allowed Virginia (2-3) to throw its first two touchdown passes of the season. It allowed Virginia's Cedric Peerman to run for more yards (110) than he had in his first three games combined (96).

The ACC's leading rusher, Da'Rell Scott, managed just 36 yards on 11 carries before the Terps virtually abandoned the running game because of its big deficit. Maryland was shut out for the first time since 2004 (also at Virginia).

And star receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey failed to catch a pass for the second straight game, which Friedgen said was a collective failure--not just the result of Virginia's inspired defense.

"He's got to get open," Friedgen said. "We had a lot of passes called for him tonight. But you've got to [pass] protect, and you've got to throw the ball. It's not that easy."

It may not be that simple, either, for the Terps to rebound from a second drubbing--even though they play four of their next five games at home.

Friedgen said his original plan was to give his team yesterday and today off because of the break in the schedule. But that plan could change.

"We have to work a lot harder," senior center Edwin Williams said. "We have to do a lot of things better if we expect to win an ACC championship or be a contender."

 

The power of Peerman
By Liz Keller
Published: October 5, 2008

In the midst of a postgame interview Saturday night, Cedric Peerman paused in the middle of a sentence, nodded and smiled as he greeted a writer he had known since his days as a high school standout.
Ever cognizant of his surroundings, it was merely Peerman being Peerman.
The senior running back had every reason to snub those in his vicinity in a chest-pounding moment.
Peerman had, in fact, just returned to the field with his teammates in his truest form for the first time this season, using 17 carries to gain 110 yards, which included a game-sealing touchdown minutes after halftime. It marked the first third quarter touchdown for the Cavaliers since the 2007.
A week prior, Peerman stood on the sidelines at Duke out of commission, nursing a knee injury.
“I kinda knew that I
wasn’t probably going to be in there, but I still prepared throughout the week and
unfortunately I wasn’t able to be a part of the [Duke] game,” Peerman said. “I sat through six or seven of them last year so I was a little bit used to it, but at the same time I knew I could have gone, but risking further injury and being out more, was it really worth it?”
To Peerman’s credit, he approached Virginia coach Al Groh in the second half of the Duke game after the Cavaliers fell behind, practically begging to play.
“He said, ‘I can do this. Put me in. Put me in,’” Groh recounted.
The coach responded: “I was like, ‘This isn’t the time. It is not worth it for you to go out there and not be able to do what you can do. This is just what nature is and sometimes we have to let it run its course.’”
Peerman, who missed seven games in 2007 with a season-ending foot injury, did not argue.
“He understood the rationale behind it,” Groh said. “I understood his wanting to step up and do something of a tangible nature for the team, but he was acceptant of it and fortunately it worked out nicely for us.”
Yes, it did work out in what could be viewed as a season-salvaging 31-0 win over Maryland, which was required after losing
back-to-back road games at Connecticut and Duke.
Virginia (2-3, 1-1 ACC) can now return to .500 with a win Saturday at home against East Carolina, which is an early five-point favorite.
Accomplishing that feat should be easier with Peerman available as a viable offensive option.
“[Peerman] is one of our leaders, if not our best leader,” said Virginia right tackle Will Barker. “He’s going to run the ball, he’s going to run over people and he’s going to go as hard as he can every play. “Having him back, he carried the flag for us. He had a helluva game.”
Virginia wideout Kevin Ogletree, who had two touchdown receptions, said Peerman’s return to the field lifted the offense from the first play and helped buy time in some situations to free up quarterback Marc Verica to ultimately pass for 226 yards.
“Ced’s a hard-nosed guy. He runs as hard as anyone and you saw that,” Ogletree said. “It was good to see. He gave us some confidence, we started doing some things well and we were moving the ball — running it well and passing it well.”
Peerman, who often pointed to the sky after his runs to honor his religious faith, hoped his performance showcased his beliefs.
“Football is the way that God has blessed me to reach people that other people might not be able to reach,” he said. “There are a lot of kids out there that look up to athletes and look to them as role models.“I am trying to use football to be able to reach out to kids to show them a better way of living.”
It also helped Virginia leap out of the cellar in scoring offense — the Cavaliers passed two teams, now ranking No. 117 out of 119 programs.