U.Va. runs it up on ECU
No fluke: Peerman leads Cavs' surprise turnaround with two long touchdowns
Sunday, Oct 12, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
That 31-point victory over Maryland? No fluke. The University of
Virginia football team, despite some shaky moments, proved that yesterday at
Scott Stadium.
Against East Carolina, the Cavaliers turned the ball over twice early and fell
behind 6-0. But senior tailback Cedric Peerman shocked the Pirates with two long
touchdown runs, and by halftime Virginia led 28-6.
ECU pulled to 28-20 early in the fourth quarter, but U.Va. sent the home fans
home happy. A flawlessly executed fake field goal produced a touchdown for the
Cavaliers and carried them to a 35-20 victory before 52,398 on a spectacular
autumn afternoon.
And so an improbable turnaround continues for Virginia (3-3). The team that on
Sept. 27 fell 31-3 to Duke, which had lost its previous 25 ACC games, has won
two straight by a combined score of 66-20.
"We're into the tunnel," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "There's a long ways till we
get out and see the light, but we're making progress in that respect.
"Clearly our offensive coaches -- despite some opinions -- can put together a
fairly good game plan and call a fairly good game."
Offensive coordinator Mike Groh, the older of the head coach's two sons, saw his
charges total a season-high 430 yards. The Cavaliers gained 427 against Maryland
after entering that game ranked last in the nation in scoring offense.
"That was the challenge facing us this week," sophomore quarterback Marc Verica
said, "to show that that wasn't a one-week thing."
This marks the first time since late in the 2005 season that Virginia has gained
more than 400 yards in back-to-back games. The Cavaliers' latest outburst came
against an ECU team that opened the season with wins over Virginia Tech and West
Virginia.
"That just shows what type of offense we're capable of having," said U.Va.
linebacker Clint Sintim, who had two sacks and recovered a fumble yesterday.
"There's a lot of playmakers on the offense."
Yesterday, first and foremost, there was Peerman. Showing no ill effects of the
injury to his right knee that forced him to miss the Duke game, Peerman turned a
handoff from Verica, who was in the shotgun, into a 79-yard touchdown. Leaving
defenders in his wake, Peerman tightroped his way down the ECU sideline on the
final play of the first quarter.
"When I looked at the replay, I was like, 'Wow, I was out of bounds, wasn't I?'"
Peerman said. "But when I was out there running, it was so surreal, it didn't
seem like it was real at all. I just kept running, because I was trying to make
it to the end zone."
He wasn't through. Five minutes later, Peerman took another inside handoff from
Verica and broke free -- again along the Pirates' sideline -- for a 60-yard TD.
Peerman finished with 173 yards and two scores on 16 carries. He also set a
career high with eight receptions (for a modest 26 yards).
"Ced is the heart of this team," Verica said. "He plays with an unbelievable
amount of fire, and he's just such a tough warrior out there. I just get so
fired up watching him."
Verica threw an interception on the game's opening series, though it came on a
pass that fullback Rashawn Jackson should have caught. The ball bounced off
Jackson's hands and straight to ECU cornerback Jerek Hewett.
On the U.Va.'s third possession, Verica badly missed his intended receiver, a
mistake that resulted in another interception. But his rough start didn't deter
Verica. In his fourth start, he finished 25 of 32 passing for 216 yards and one
touchdown, a 30-yarder to junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree late in the second
quarter.
"I think I'm getting more comfortable as time goes on here," Verica said. "But
the offense is just improving. I'm not the only one improving out there. It's a
team game, and everyone's getting better. The execution's been great the last
two weeks, and the defense has been lights out."
The outcome was far from decided when ECU (3-3), trailing 28-20, stopped Peerman
on a fourth-down run with 9:42 left. But on the next play, defensive end Matt
Conrath, a redshirt freshman, sacked Pirates quarterback Patrick Pinkney,
forcing a fumble that U.Va.'s other starting defensive end, Alex Field,
recovered.
On a drive that started at the ECU 24, however, Virginia made it only to the 12.
And on fourth down, true freshman Robert Randolph the third kicker U.Va. used
yesterday came out to attempt a 30-yard field goal.
The Wahoos didn't want to settle for three points, and they didn't have to.
Tight end John Phillips lined up wide to the left. No Pirates followed him.
Holder Scott Deke, Virginia's No. 2 quarterback, took the snap and passed to
Phillips, who may never score an easier touchdown.
"That was awesome," Deke, a graduate student, said of the trick play that
produced his first career touchdown pass.
Homecoming is bittersweet for Holland
Sunday, Oct 12, 2008 - 12:07 AM
Homecoming is bittersweet for Holland
Al and Anne Groh's 39th anniversary was yesterday, and the happy couple had much
to celebrate.
The team that Al Groh coaches, Virginia, pounded East Carolina 35-20 at Scott
Stadium to continue a resurgence that started with a 31-0 win over Maryland last
weekend.
After the game, Terry Holland had just emerged from U.Va.'s locker room when he
spotted the Grohs in the hallway.
"That's the last anniversary gift I'm giving you, Al," Holland said with a
smile.
Holland, East Carolina's athletic director, was AD at U.Va. when Groh was hired
in December 2000. Holland, of course, also had a long and successful tenure as
men's basketball coach at Virginia.
Then there were five
Kicker Robert Randolph, a walk-on from Naples, Fla., yesterday became the fifth
true freshman to play for U.Va. this season.
Yannick Reyering was listed as questionable for yesterday's game because of a
leg injury, but he added the extra points on U.Va.'s four first-half touchdowns.
In the final seconds of the second quarter, however, Reyering missed a 38-yard
field-goal attempt, and he didn't play after intermission.
Redshirt freshman Chris Hinkebein handled all the kickoffs for Virginia, but
when a drive stalled at the ECU midway through the final quarter, Groh inserted
Randolph to attempt a 30-yard field goal.
Randolph didn't kick on that play -- Virginia scored a touchdown on a fake field
goal -- but he added the PAT. The other true freshmen to play for U.Va. this
year are offensive guard Austin Pasztor, punter Jimmy Howell, cornerback Rodney
McLeod and linebacker Cameron Johnson.
Tricky stuff
On the fake field goal, holder Scott Deke, the Cavaliers' second-string
quarterback, passed to a wide-open John Phillips for a 12-yard TD.
"I almost took a timeout," ECU coach Skip Holtz said. "I probably should have,
because [the Cavaliers] rushed it . . . They were running guys in, running guys
out, and it was real rush rush, and I should have smelled a rat and called a
timeout. That's not on the players."
Not since holder Matt Schaub, also the team's quarterback, completed a 10-yard
pass to tight end Heath Miller in a win over Virginia Tech in 2003 had U.Va.
thrown out of field-goal formation. Miller, incidentally, attended yesterday's
game at Scott Stadium. He now plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Climbing the charts
Clint Sintim, a four-year starter at outside linebacker, entered the ECU game
with 22 career sacks. That tied Sintim with his close friend Chris Long, now a
rookie with the St. Louis Rams, for seventh place on U.Va.'s all-time list.
Sintim had two sacks yesterday to move into a tie for fourth with Patrick Kerney
for fourth place.
Sweet revenge
Two seasons ago, East Carolina whipped Virginia 31-21 at Greenville, N.C.
"Redemption," Sintim said of yesterday's outcome. The Pirates "are a quality
opponent. Two years ago they really handed it to us, running down our throats,
giving us everything we could handle.
"We didn't handle it too well [in 2006], but to come out here and play the way
we did and fight . . . really means a lot to us."
Encore performance
For the second straight game, inside linebacker Antonio Appleby led Virginia in
tackles. He had a season-high 11 stops against ECU, seven of which were
unassisted. Appleby, a senior from Virginia Beach, also recorded his first sack
of the season.
Productive Pirate
East Carolina wide receiver Dwayne Harris caught six passes for a career-high
128 yards. Harris, a sophomore, rushed four times for 20 yards and also sparkled
on special teams, totaling 113 yards on four kickoff returns. -- Jeff White
Quick kicks: UVa vs. East Carolina
Sunday, Oct 12, 2008 - 12:07 AM
For starters: On two of its first three possessions, U.Va. turned the ball over,
giving ECU excellent field position. But the Pirates failed to capitalize,
turning those mistakes into a mere six points. Turning point: With one play -- a
79-yard touchdown run by senior tailback Cedric Peerman -- U.Va. stunned the
Pirates and energized the crowd. Yannick Reyering's PAT followed Peerman's TD
and made it 7-6. The Cavaliers never trailed again. Star of the game: Peerman. A
Group A state champion in the 100 meters at William Campbell High, Peerman has
been known more for his power than his speed at U.Va. But he followed his
79-yarder with a 60-yard TD run in the second quarter. That made Peerman only
the second player in school history to have two runs of at least 60 yards in a
game. John Papit scored on runs of 63 and 60 yards against Washington and Lee in
1948. Yesterday, Peerman finished with 173 yards and two TDs on 16 carries and
added 26 yards on a career-high eight receptions. The big picture: For the
second straight week, U.Va. made Las Vegas look bad by winning big as an
underdog. The Cavaliers crushed Maryland 31-0 at Scott Stadium on Oct. 4.
Quotable: "Clearly our offensive coaches -- despite some opinions -- can put
together a fairly good game plan and call a fairly good game." -- U.Va. coach Al
Groh, whose son Mike is the team's oft-criticized offensive coordinator.
Go figure: Five. That's how many players had at least one sack for Virginia
yesterday. Senior linebacker Clint Sintim, the ACC leader, led the way with two
sacks. Defensive ends Matt Conrath and Alex Field, defensive lineman John-Kevin
Dolce and linebacker Antonio Appleby had one apiece.
Next: Virginia (1-1, 3-3) returns to ACC play against Coastal Division foe North
Carolina (1-1, 5-1). The Cavaliers will host the Tar Heels at 3:30 p.m. Saturday
in a game that ABC will televise regionally. UNC hasn't won at Scott Stadium
since 1981.
UVa revival continues
Virginia seizes momentum with four consecutive TDs and defeats East Carolina for
its second straight win.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Cedric Peerman performed a high-wire act Saturday at Scott
Stadium, and he never had to leave the ground.
"Throughout my five-year career here, I've never had to do that before," said
Peerman, who had scoring runs of 79 and 60 on consecutive rushing attempts to
lead Virginia past favored East Carolina, 35-20.
Peerman appeared trapped along the sideline on both plays, even surprising
himself with his maneuverability.
"I can't remember one run when I've had to tightrope like that, much less two,"
Peerman said. "I didn't think I had stepped out of bounds, but when I looked up
at the 'Hoo Vision, even I couldn't say for sure."
Peerman's first touchdown gave Virginia a 7-6 lead and his second propelled the
Cavaliers to a 21-point, 213-yard second quarter that threatened to bury the
Pirates.
UVa's final score of the first half followed a fourth-and-3 conversion and came
in handy when East Carolina cut the deficit to 28-20 with a pair of second-half
touchdowns.
Nobody in a Scott Stadium crowd of 52,398 could feel safe until a series of
events that started when ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney fumbled the football
when he was sacked by UVa freshman Matt Conrath. Cavaliers senior Alex Field
recovered at the Pirates' 24-yard line with 9:24 remaining.
The Cavs advanced the ball to ECU's 12-yard line, then sent out true freshman
Robert Randolph for what would have been the first kick of his college career.
Holder Scott Deke took the snap from center but never placed the ball. Instead,
he raised up and threw the ball to uncovered tight end John Phillips, who had
been standing in the shadow of the UVa sideline.
"They were running guys in, running guys out and it was real rush, rush," East
Carolina coach Skip Holtz said. "I should've smelled a rat and called a timeout.
I should have called a timeout. That's not on the players."
Both teams went home with 3-3 records, East Carolina after its third straight
loss and UVa after its second straight victory. The Cavaliers had been ranked
119th out of 119 Division I-A teams in scoring offense before beating Maryland
31-0.
That was the first game of a three-game UVa homestand that continues next
Saturday with a visit from No. 22 North Carolina.
"Hopefully, we can make believers out of people," UVa linebacker Clint Sintim
said.
Head coach Al Groh and his players were pleased with the turnout for a noon
kickoff on a Saturday when many students had gone home for fall break.
Quarterback Marc Verica was intercepted on two of Virginia's first three series,
the first when a ball slipped through the hands of fullback Rashawn Jackson, and
the Cavaliers were fortunate to only be down 6-0 after ECU's Ben Hartman
converted two of three first-quarter field-goal attempts.
The Cavaliers had 36 yards in total offense to show for three-plus series when
Peerman went off tackle, cut to the sideline and streaked 79 yards on the final
play of the quarter.
It was the longest run of Peerman's career and his 60-yarder, with 10:04
remaining in the second quarter, was the second-longest. He became the first UVa
player since Johnny Papit in 1948 to have two runs of 60 yards or more in the
same game.
"It helps to have playmakers," said Groh, noting that Peerman is still wearing a
bulky brace on his right knee.
East Carolina held Peerman to 7 yards on eight second-half carries, but the
damage was done. He finished with 16 carries for 173 yards and added a
career-high eight receptions.
When it left the field at halftime, Virginia's defense had gone 10 quarters
without allowing a touchdown at home, but ECU had the Cavaliers on the ropes in
the third quarter. It didn't help Virginia that ECU's Dwayne Harris returned the
second-half kickoff 59 yards to the Virginia 41.
Harris finished the game with 261 all-purpose yards, including six receptions
for 128 yards.
Pinkney bothered Virginia with his scrambling, particularly on a 10-yard
touchdown pass to Brandon Simmons that made it 28-20 with 10:35 remaining in the
game, but it was not one of Pinkney's best days.
A 68.1-percent passer in East Carolina first five games, Pinkney was 3-of-15 in
the first half. He finished 12-of-28 for 196 yards but was sacked six times.
For the second game in a row, Virginia had more than 200 yards passing and 200
yards rushing. Verica was 25-of-32 for 216 yards and is 50-of-66 (75.7 percent)
in the last two games.
"Clearly, our offensive coaches, despite some opinions, can put together a
fairly good game plan and call a fairly good game," Groh said.
"Everybody's sticking together and seeing there's some light at the end. It's a
long way till we get out of the tunnel, but we're making good progress. The
message is being picked up."
Groh, Cavaliers show their resiliency again
Aaron McFarling
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Here comes Al again. Seriously. It's getting ridiculous. The
guy is winning with fake field goals now. Next week, it'll probably be the ol'
Statue of Liberty play on fourth-and-20 that gets it done.
Rest assured, though, he will get it done.
Why? Because Al Groh is like a musket in a museum: You can't fire him. You can't
even break through the glass case and TRY to fire him. Inside that orange
sweatshirt with rolled-up sleeves is one resilient dude, and he's holding a
midseason revival in Charlottesville for the second straight year.
Virginia beat East Carolina 35-20 on Saturday. Surprising? Maybe a little. After
all, the Pirates had knocked off Virginia Tech and West Virginia early in the
season, spent some time in the top 25 and entered the game as a six-point
favorite.
But Saturday's result couldn't have been too surprising. Not to anyone who saw
the Cavaliers trounce Maryland last week. THAT result was surprising, given how
bad the Cavs had been.
But it was also a sign.
Here comes Al again.
n n n
Fans wanted him gone after he lost to Wyoming in 2007. He promptly won seven
straight games and ACC coach of the year.
They wanted him gone after the meltdowns at Connecticut and Duke this season.
Suddenly, the nation's worst scoring offense became a legitimate threat, putting
up 66 points and more than 800 yards against two decent teams.
Maybe the UVa administrators are more cunning than we think. All this started
after they lifted the bans on signs. They even took it a step further than that,
eliminating the restrictions they once had on the content of signs carried into
the stadium.
Essentially, they told all of us to bring it on. Do your worst. Torch the coach
with your clever criticisms. Point your disgust at the cameras. As we've seen,
it's only going to make Groh better.
But why does this happen? Why does Groh have to throw his neck in a guillotine
before his team comes to the rescue and jerks him away?
"I have no clue," fullback Rashawn Jackson said. "No clue. He's really just been
the same. He doesn't really change. He's not a split-personality guy. What you
see is what you get. We trust him."
And maybe that's it: When faith erodes outside locker room, it grows inside this
locker room. His players swear by him, defend him, rally with him.
"Coach Groh is a great coach, regardless of what anybody says," linebacker Clint
Sintim said. "You hear people always saying he needs to go or whatever, but the
guy was ACC coach of the year last year. A lot of people forget that. He was ACC
coach of the year, and he's produced a lot of great players here.
"There's always going to be speculation on what needs to happen or what needs to
change. But what remains constant is that he's a good coach. He's the reason why
I feel like I am the player that I am."
When I asked Groh Saturday why he and his staff seem to perform their best when
the criticism is at its height, he paused for a second.
"We trust each other, which is all that counts," he said. "We stick together.
And we really don't listen to praise or criticism."
Good, then maybe he won't read this: He did one helluva job Saturday.
n n n
OK, so this isn't all about coaching pixie dust and clever baits-and-switches.
There are some tangible reasons outside of Groh that this resurgence happening
this year.
The biggest two are Cedric Peerman and Marc Verica. Peerman, whose knee injury
rendered him a nonfactor in the losses to UConn and Duke, gave the team a major
spike in his return against Maryland last week.
This week, he made history. He ran for touchdowns of 79 and 60 yards in the
first half Saturday. Think about that: Two touchdown runs of 60 yards or more.
That's only happened once before in this program. It was 60 years ago.
Peerman's presence has clearly made Verica a better quarterback. Thrust into a
difficult spot after the departure of Peter Lalich and playing with a suspect
running game, Verica initially did not look ready.
He does now. He followed his 226-yard passing performance against Maryland with
another solid effort against ECU, shrugging off two early interceptions to
complete 25 of 32 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown.
But the play of the game Saturday came after that touchdown, and it was simply a
product of good coaching. Clinging to an eight-point lead past the midway point
of the fourth quarter, Groh sent his field-goal unit on the field at the ECU 12.
Only it was a ruse. Tight end John Phillips lined up wide on the left side, and
he was the first option. If he was covered, then they'd call him into the
formation and kick the thing.
He wasn't covered. Holder Scott Deke took the snap, stood up and lofted the ball
toward the end zone.
Phillips was all alone to grab it.
Here comes Al again.
n n n
Now it's the other teams making the 1-yard punts, the other teams killing
themselves with penalties and turnovers and shoddy tackling, the other teams
trudging glumly to the postgame locker rooms.
Not Groh. He's the one pumping his fist as Mikell Simpson picks up a late first
down, the one joining the celebration after Peerman scores again, the one
congratulating his defenders for another big stop.
And when it was over Saturday, he was one out there granting an interview to the
broadcast folks as the band played the UVa fight song. Then he sprinted toward
the tunnel as a police officer and a television cameraman frantically tried to
keep up.
Forget it, guys. Can't catch him. Can't stop him. Can't fire him.
He's Teflon Al.
And here he comes again.
Deke's deke pays off for Cavs
KYLE GREEN The Roanoke Times
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- There are field-goal roars and then there are touchdown
roars.
Virginia linebacker Jon Copper had his back to the field when the Scott Stadium
crowd erupted with 7:07 remaining Saturday, "but I knew that was a touchdown
roar," he said. "There's a difference."
Emergency place-kicker Robert Randolph had set up for a 30-yard field goal but
the ball never touched his foot. As soon as he took the snap, holder Scott Deke
rose to his feet and threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to former Bath County
standout John Phillips.
Randolph's conversion provided the final margin in a 35-20 UVa victory. Virginia
had put in the trick play for a game with Maryland one week earlier, "but the
operation didn't run right," said Phillips, whose TD reception Saturday was his
first of the season.
Maybe it was a blessing that Virginia did not use the play against Maryland
because East Carolina was not prepared for it.
After a screen play toward the visitors' bench on third-and-goal, Phillips
pretended to run to the UVa sideline but never left the field.
"I was sitting on the bench but I asked around, 'Is it Polecat, Polecat,
Polecat?' UVa co-captain and linebacker Clint Sintim said. "I got the 'yes,' so
I got up and ran out to the field.
"I saw him wide open and I was just hoping they'd get the ball up before [the
Pirates] realized it. It was picture perfect. You couldn't draw a better diagram
out there."
It was the first touchdown pass for Deke, a fifth-year senior who had eight
attempts for his career, all in a 45-10 loss at Connecticut on Sept. 13..
"It meant a lot to me to have the feeling that I'd helped the team win," said
Deke, who said he felt no pressure in throwing to a receiver who was completely
open.
"It's just pitch and catch to me. We tease the coaching staff every day to let
us do it, just so we can score a touchdown. It's difficult for any [opposing]
player to notice those things. It's a well-schemed play."
Phillips finished the game with six receptions for 47 yards. He has 25
receptions in six games, eclipsing his previous high of 17 in 2007.
"That's one of those plays that you can't get off fast enough," said Phillips,
admitting that his 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame makes it difficult to remain
inconspicuous. "It's been something we've been looking forward to for a while."
n UVa's last touchdown pass from field-goal formation was in 2003, when Matt
Schaub connected with tight end Heath Miller. Miller now plays for the
Pittsburgh Steelers, who have an open date today, freeing Miller to return to
Charlottesville and raise UVa's "Power of Orange" flag before the game.
Musical kickers
Former All-ACC soccer player Yannick Reyering had attempted every field goal,
extra point and kickoff for Virginia before Saturday but Reyering has a leg
injury that left him questionable (50-50) on the injury report submitted by UVa
on Thursday.
Coach Al Groh saw enough from Reyering in pre-game warmups to use him on four
first-half point-after kicks, but Reyering missed a 38-yard field-goal attempt
before the half.
Redshirt freshman Chris Hinkebein did all of Virginia's kickoffs. His first
attempt was pulled out of bounds, resulting in East Carolina taking over at the
Virginia 35, but he fared decently after that point and had one touchback.
Randolph, a walk-on, became the fifth true freshman to play for the Cavaliers
this season. Although he never had the opportunity to try a field goal, he did
kick the extra point following Virginia's final touchdown.
Hot streak
Sintim, the ACC sack leader, had two sacks and a fumble recovery. He has eight
sacks this year and 24 for his career, good for fourth on UVa's all-time list
with Patrick Kerney, now with the Seattle Seahawks. Sintim had been tied with
ex-roommate Chris Long and said he planned to notify Long of the latest
developments.
Next week
Virginia (3-3 overall, 1-1 ACC) will play at Scott Stadium for the third
straight week and host a North Carolina team that is looking for its first
victory in Charlottesville since 1981. It will be the first trip to UVa for
second-year Tar Heels' coach Butch Davis.
Cavs and Groh send another loud rebuke to the naysayers
Posted to: Bob Molinaro Sports
Bob Molinaro
Virginian-Pilot columnist
Read Articles
CHARLOTTESVILLE
For another week, Virginia's football team turned the corner, the way Cedric
Peerman turned the corner on East Carolina's defense for two long touchdown runs
that swung the game in the Cavaliers' favor.
"Growth," said Al Groh when asked to explain his team's resurgence.
Resilience, too. After losing three games to Division I-A foes - scoring only 20
points and, worse, falling badly to Duke - U.Va. has wracked up 66 points in two
victories at Scott Stadium.
The Cavs, 35-20 winners Saturday, are getting well at home. Despite being
outplayed almost all of the opening quarter, they made up for their lapses with
a 28-point run to close the half.
"We had some sticky points in the game today," said Groh, who praised his
players' grit. "We got behind early, but they didn't give in."
With a second consecutive resounding victory, it's obvious that neither Groh nor
his players have given in to critics, either. Like last year, when U.Va. got off
to a discouraging start, is it possible Groh is pulling a rope-a-dope on media,
boosters and assorted other detractors?
At any rate, his worst critics should be arm weary by now, while Groh is still
standing, always eager for the fight.
Until the last few days, only Congress had a lower approval rating than Groh. He
has been pummeled in the papers and heckled on his weekly radio show. If this
sounds familiar, this is exactly what happened early last season before U.Va.
turned it around.
This season likely won't be as satisfying as 2007, when Groh emerged as ACC
Coach of the Year and U.Va. went to a bowl. B ut after hitting rock bottom
against Duke, U.Va. has bounced back. Anticipating next Saturday's visit from
rugged North Carolina, the Cavaliers are feeling good about themselves.
It's all about growth, Groh says.
And experience.
"We go to Connecticut and Duke, we've got a quarterback who's never been in a
game before," he said.
Now Marc Verica, the redshirt sophomore, has steadied himself. For the second
week in a row, he exhibited growth, shaking off a pair of first-quarter
interceptions to complete 25 of 32 passes - most of the short variety - but good
for 216 yards and a touchdown.
"Now Marc's been in four games," said Groh. "And we've had growth in a young
offensive line and now Cedric's back with us."
Until recently, a balky knee limited Peerman's effectiveness. Is he 100 percent?
Close enough, judging by his 79- and 60-yard touchdown sprints in the first half
while still wearing a knee brace. Both runs began as simple sweeps that Peerman
turned into game-changing moments.
"He is the heart of the team," said Verica. "He makes everything go. We had a
tough first quarter there and turned the ball over twice. But we were able to
come back and put a lead on them just because of him."
Verica's major contribution to U.Va.'s 28-6 halftime lead was a perfectly
weighted 30-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Ogletree. Amazing what a little
positive reinforcement can do for a quarterback's confidence.
How much better is Verica from two weeks ago?
"Significantly," said Groh. "He's got a good evenness about him."
Groh does, too, judging from his post-game demeanor. Asked how he and his
assistants handled the avalanche of abuse, he said, "We trust each other. We
stick together and we really don't listen to praise or criticism."
That's a dubious assertion, but Saturday, U.Va. coaxed a little more praise from
the skeptics. In back-to-back weeks against Maryland and ECU, the Cavaliers have
amassed more than 400 yards of offense.
In just a matter of days, U.Va. has gone from the team that can't play to the
team of big plays.
Sintim closes in on Long's record
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
October 12, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Last week, former Virginia defensive end Chris
Long informed U.Va. defensive end Clint Sintim there was no way Sintim was going
to surpass Long's single-season school record of 14 sacks. Long may have to
re-evaluate his statement if Sintim continues at his current pace. Sintim had
two sacks Saturday in U.Va.'s 35-20 win against East Carolina and has an
ACC-best seven sacks on the season.
"He's going to hear it," Sintim said regarding his intentions to call Long and
tell him his sacks record is in jeopardy.
Sintim has 24 sacks in his career, which puts him tied for fourth in school
history with Patrick Kerney. Sintim entered Saturday's game with more sacks than
any other current college linebacker in the nation. His total puts him second
all-time at U.Va. for sacks by a linebacker. Former U.Va. linebacker Darryl
Blackstock, a former Heritage High player, had 27 sacks from 2002-04.
RARE FAKE
Quarterback Scott Deke's 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Phillips in
the fourth quarter on a fake field goal was U.Va.'s first fake field goal since
the '03 season.
It was Deke's first touchdown pass. He has completed 4 of 9 passes in his
career.
"It feels unbelievable and well worth all of the wait," said Deke, a senior. "To
get the chance to come back and help the team out, I think that is what means
the most."
ECU coach Skip Holtz was upset at himself for not recognizing the fake.
"They were running guys in, running guys out and it was real rush-rush," Holtz
said. "I should've smelled a rat and called a timeout. I should've called a
timeout. That's not on the players."
Former U.Va. quarterback Matt Schaub completed the last fake field-goal pass in
'03 when he found tight end Heath Miller for a 10-yard touchdown to help U.Va.
on its way to a 35-21 win against Virginia Tech.
NOT ENOUGH WEAPONS
Holtz didn't try to sugarcoat why his team came up short. He indicated he
doesn't believe ECU, which was 6-of-16 on third-down conversions, has the
personnel to beat faster, stronger teams on a week-by-week basis.
"We don't execute on first down consistent enough," Holtz said. "We don't
execute on second down consistent enough. We don't do anything as consistent
enough as we need to, and we don't have the home run player we had a year ago
(graduated tailback Chris Johnson). We don't have a receiver who's going to run
by anybody. We don't have a tailback that's going to outrun everybody."
ODDS AND ENDS
U.Va.'s 202 rushing yards were a season-high, surpassing last weekend's total of
201 in a 31-0 win against Maryland. ... Kicker Yannick Reyering struggled with
tendonitis Saturday, and U.Va. ended up debuting two kickers. Redshirt freshman
Chris Hinkebein and true freshman Robert Randolph played for the first time,
becoming the 21st and 22nd U.Va. players to get playing time for the first time
this season. ... Linebacker Antonio Appleby led U.Va. with 11 tackles, including
a sack. ... U.Va. linebacker Jared Detrick, a Woodside High graduate, forced ECU
kickoff returner Dwayne Harris to fumble on a second-quarter return, but Harris
recovered it. ... RB Cedric Peerman became the first U.Va. player since John
Papit in 1948 to have two runs of 60-plus yards in a game. Peerman also was the
first Cavalier since Barry Word in '85 to have two runs of 50-plus yards in a
game. Peerman's 79-yard TD run was the longest run of his career.
Peerman recovery leads Cavs' surge
Virginia claws its way back to .500 with an impressive victory against East
Carolina.
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
October 12, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Even as running back Cedric Peerman discussed
his enormous rushing day Saturday after Virginia's 35-20 win against East
Carolina, there were moments he couldn't believe had really happened.
It may have taken a while for it to sink in, but Peerman's 173 rushing yards on
16 carries weren't a dream. U.Va.'s chances of turning what appeared to be a
lost season at one point into a respectable campaign are more than just wishful
thinking, too. After starting the season 1-3, which gave Al Groh an automatic
spot on everybody's short list of coaches on the hot seat, U.Va. (3-3 overall,
1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) has ripped off back-to-back wins to get back to
.500.
"We trust each other, which is all that counts," said Groh regarding his and his
team's ability to persevere. "We stick together and we really don't listen to
praise or criticism."
The reality of U.Va.'s recovery is that it couldn't have happened without
Peerman's own recovery. Peerman had a total of 283 rushing yards in wins against
Maryland and ECU (3-3). Those big numbers came after he had just two carries for
four yards and a touchdown in a loss at Connecticut due a bruised right knee,
and sat out U.Va.'s loss at Duke.
Playing with a brace on his knee against ECU, he showed no lingering effects
from the knee injury. ECU, which was held to 285 yards, took a 6-0 lead in the
first quarter on a pair of field goals by Ben Hartman before Peerman took
control.
He took a handoff from quarterback Marc Verica at U.Va.'s 21-yard line. After
bouncing right and toward ECU's sideline, he made three defenders miss and
tight-roped the sideline 79 yards for a touchdown to put U.Va. up 7-6 on the
last play of the quarter. Peerman was shocked by his good fortune on the run.
"When I looked at the replay, I was like 'Wow, I was out-of-bounds, wasn't I?' "
Peerman said. "When I was out there running, it was so surreal. It didn't seem
like it was real at all. I thought I had stepped out. I just kept running. I was
just trying to make it to the end zone."
Peerman's next breathtaking run came five minutes later when U.Va. took over at
its 40. He again scooted up ECU's sideline for a 60-yard touchdown run to extend
U.Va.'s advantage to 14-6 with 10:04 left in the second quarter.
ECU ran nine plays from scrimmage the rest of the half for just four yards. U.Va.
capitalized on good field position, as Mikell Simpson scored on a 5-yard run
with 5:57 left in the second quarter to boost the lead to 21-6.
Verica capped off U.Va.'s next drive with a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide
receiver Kevin Ogletree, who beat cornerback Travis Simmons to push the
Cavaliers' lead to 28-6 with 1:27 left in the quarter. U.Va., which converted a
fourth-and-3 via a 5-yard pass from Verica to tight end John Phillips on the
final touchdown drive of the second quarter, had 213 of its season-high 430
yards in the quarter.
Verica was relatively sharp for a second straight game, completing 25 of 32
passes for 216 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Despite his solid
effort, Verica realized whose day it was.
"Ced is the heart of the team," Verica said. "Through his tremendous toughness,
his grit and his leadership, it energized me and the rest of the offense. Just
for him to go out there and play the way he did — like a warrior — we just fed
off that."
ECU bounced back in the third quarter on the opening drive when quarterback
Patrick Pinkney, who was sacked six times by U.Va., pitched out on an option to
running back Jonathan Williams for a 1-yard touchdown to trim U.Va.'s lead to
28-13 with 9:16 left in the quarter.
Pinckney, who was only 12-of-28 passing for 196 yards and a touchdown, got hot
late in the third quarter and completed 4 of 5 passes for 69 yards in one drive.
His final completion on the drive went to Brandon Simmons for a 10-yard
touchdown to cut U.Va.'s advantage to 28-20 with 13:58 remaining in the game.
U.Va. effectively put the game out of reach after defensive end Matt Conrath
sacked Pinkney, who fumbled the ball away to defensive end Alex Field at ECU's
24 with 9:33 left. After U.Va.'s ensuing drive stalled, the Cavaliers lined up
for a 30-yard field-goal attempt, but holder Scott Deke instead took the snap
and found Phillips open for a 12-yard touchdown pass to give U.Va. a 35-20 lead
with 7:07 remaining.
U.Va. surrendered just 89 rushing yards in the game, while running for 202 of
its own. With a chance to get over .500 next week at home against North
Carolina, U.Va.'s Clint Sintim expects to be the underdog. He's getting used to
it.
"That's never anything new for us," said Sintim, who had two sacks and a fumble
recovery. "Since I've been here, we've always been the team that's never been
favored to win or whatever. I'm sure next week we won't be favored or whatever.
All of that is irrelevant."
Cavaliers' big plays plunder Pirates
Peerman's TDs turn momentum
A.J. Carr, Staff Writer Comment on this story
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. - The fall foliage is changing colors, and
Virginia's Cavaliers are undergoing a football facelift.
But East Carolina, which came to Scott Stadium on Saturday in hopes of turning a
new leaf, remained stuck in a state of demise.
Vexed by Virginia's big plays and a back-breaking trick play, plus its own
offensive inconsistency, the Pirates lost for the third straight time, 35-20,
after starting the season 3-0.
"It's an emotional roller coaster,'' said ECU's Dwayne Harris, who tried in vain
to stop the downward run with 261 all-purpose yards.
The Pirates led 6-0 after two interceptions and two Ben Hartman field goals,
then watched Virginia score 28 consecutive points.
With ECU seemingly dead, Harris revived his team with a 59-yard kickoff return
to start the second half. Patrick Pinkney and the offense then got on track to
cut the Cavs' advantage to 28-20 early in the fourth period.
Suspense and tension engulfed the sea of orange-clad UVa fans among the 52,398.
Minutes later they exhaled when Pinkney fumbled under pressure at the Pirates'
24-yard-line, setting up a "SportsCenter" highlight for the Cavs.
Lining up for an apparent field goal, UVa holder Scott Deke -- a backup
quarterback -- instead lobbed a pass to a wide-open John Phillips on the left
flank for a 12-yard TD. It was premature Halloween trickery and left the chasing
Pirates in a position of no return.
"When I saw them rushing players in and out, go to a hurry-up mode, I should
have called a timeout," said coach Skip Holtz, sensing Virginia's Al Groh might
have something up his orange-sweatshirt sleeve. "As players were going on and
off, he [Phillips] just stayed out there."
Groh credited special teams coach Bob Diaco with the idea for the fake field
goal.
Deception wasn't the only strategy employed by Virginia, which created solid
run-pass balance to gain 430 yards, win its second straight game and move to
3-3.
"It's about growth,'' said Groh, whose team looked like an ACC doormat just
three weeks ago. "We have young players gaining experience."
After ECU failed to capitalize on early touchdown opportunities following
interceptions by Jerek Hewitt and J.J. Millbrook, the Cavs started hitting home
runs.
Cedric Peerman scored on runs of 79 and 60 yards en route to a 173-yard rushing
day. Once he turned the corners, tightroped a short distance, then accelerated,
ECU defensive coordinator Greg Hudson couldn't have caught him on his
Harley-Davidson.
Those Peerman maneuvers came in the first half, when quarterback Marc Verica
also threw a 30-yard TD pass to Kevin Ogletree.
"Defensively, we can't give up the big plays," Holtz said. "Take those three
plays out and you take away 21 points. Offensively, we did some good things, but
we are not nearly efficient enough. Our biggest problem is we are just not
consistent enough."
Holtz lamented the fact his Pirates couldn't muster TDs following the first-half
interceptions, settling instead for the two field goals that stung, but didn't
stagger, Virginia.
As for ECU's "good things," Holtz lauded laboring Jonathan Williams, who ran
hard and gained 95 yards on 19 carries. Then there was Harris catching six
passes for 128 yards, plus rushing for 20 and returning for 113.
Pinkney also had his moments, throwing for 196 yards on 12-for-28 accuracy. But
he took six sacks from the attacking UVa defense and also lost two fumbles.
The Pirates had two weeks to recover from a loss to Houston and prepare for the
improving Cavaliers. Maybe they needed more time.
"Our players continued to fight," Holtz said. "I'm proud of how hard they
compete. Our comeback came up short."
It ended with Pinkney on his back, swarmed under and sacked one last time in the
final seconds.
Once more, Pinkney and his Pirates will try to get back up and get ready for a
Conference USA season that continues next week at home against Memphis.
Resurgent Cavaliers run past the Pirates
October 12, 2008 12:17 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--
The extreme makeover of the University of Virginia football team continues.
The Cavaliers, left for dead after three ugly losses in their first four games,
soundly defeated nonconference foe East Carolina 35-20 yesterday in front of an
energized crowd of 52,398 at Scott Stadium.
The Cavaliers' second straight win on a three-game homestand has them feeling
good about themselves after a humbling start.
"Everybody's sticking together and seeing that there's going to be some light at
the end," Virginia head coach Al Groh said. "We're into the tunnel. We've got a
long ways until we get out and see the light, but we're making good progress in
that respect."
That was evident yesterday.
Senior running back Cedric Peerman rushed for 173 yards, including touchdown
sprints of 79 and 60 yards.
The Cavaliers (3-3) built a 28-6 halftime lead and clinched the win on a 12-yard
pass from holder Scott Deke to tight end John Phillips on a well-timed fake
field goal with 7:07 left in the game.
East Carolina head coach Skip Holtz, whose team (3-3) has lost three straight
games after a 3-0 start, said he "should've smelled a rat and called a timeout"
on the play, but the Cavaliers rushed the snap and it proved to be the smart
decision.
"It's just pitch and catch with me and John," said Deke, the team's backup
quarterback. "We tease the coaching staff every day just to let us do it so we
can score a touchdown. It ended up being our day."
It was everybody's day, including a once-maligned coaching staff led by Groh.
The Cavaliers have outscored their past two opponents (Maryland and East
Carolina) by a combined 66-20.
"Clearly our offensive coaches, despite some opinions, can put together a fairly
good game plan and call a fairly good game," Groh said in defense of his son,
offensive coordinator Mike Groh.
Yesterday's game plan called for a balanced attack, led by a heavy dose of
Peerman. The usually bruising runner broke free for a 79-yard run down the right
sideline at the end of the first quarter to give the Cavaliers a 7-6 lead.
Peerman was so surprised he was in the clear that he had to peek at the play
unfolding atop the stadium scoreboard.
"I know [East Carolina] had incredible speed at all their positions," Peerman
said. "So I was just thankful I was able to take it all the way."
He showed the play wasn't a fluke when he escaped for a 60-yard jaunt that
increased the lead to 14-6 with 10:04 left in the second quarter.
Cavaliers quarterback Marc Verica said the hole opened by the offensive line on
that play was so big that "as soon as [Peerman] took the ball I knew it was
going to be six."
"I said it before and I'll say it again: He is the heart of the team," Verica
said of Peerman. "He makes everything go."
Verica wasn't too shabby himself. He bounced back from two first-quarter
interceptions to complete 25-of-32 passes for 216 yards and a touchdown in just
his fourth career start.
His 30-yard strike to junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree gave the Cavaliers a
28-6 lead with 1:27 left before halftime.
The Pirates finally got something going on their first possession of the third
quarter. After a 59-yard kickoff return from Dwayne Harris, they pulled within
28-13 on Jon Williams' 1-yard touchdown run at the end of a 10-play, 41-yard
drive.
The Pirates cut their deficit to 28-20 on Brandon Simmons' 10-yard scoring
reception from Patrick Pinkney with 13:58 left.
Moments later, they had just started a potential game-tying drive when Pinkney
was sacked by Virginia freshman defensive end Matt Conrath. The senior
quarterback fumbled and the ball was recovered by Cavaliers defensive end Alex
Field at ECU's 24.
On Virginia's ensuing possession, the Pirates thought they had made an important
stop after Peerman was tackled on a third-down screen pass.
But Phillips pretended he was headed to the bench as the field-goal unit stepped
onto the field. He hung out near the left sideline, and Deke saw him wide open
for the score that sealed the win.
It may have showed that Groh and his coaching staff still haven't run out of
ideas in a season that once appeared lost.
"We trust each other, which is all that counts," Groh said of his staff. "We
stick together and we really don't listen to praise or criticism."
Notes
The Cavaliers sacked Pinkney six times yesterday, led by two from senior outside
linebacker Clint Sintim. Conrath, John-Kevin Dolce, Antonio Appleby and Alex
Field registered a sack each.
Robert Randolph kicked the final extra point for the Cavaliers and Chris
Hinkebein handled kickoffs. Starting kicker Yannick Reyering is struggling with
a leg injury.
Captain Groh’s calm hand sinks Pirate ship
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: October 11, 2008
Down 6-0 late in the first quarter, things could have snowballed on Virginia’s
football team Saturday.
The situation presented a perfect opportunity for a Cavaliers meltdown. Visiting
East Carolina, a six-point favorite, was coming off consecutive losses and felt
it had a point to prove. Once ranked among the nation’s top 15 teams after
upsets over Virginia Tech and West Virginia in the first two weeks of the
season, the Pirates figured UVa was ripe for the picking.
Had the Cavaliers still been beating their chests over last week’s stunning
upset over Maryland, it might have been somewhat understandable. With many
students gone for fall break, Scott Stadium was at less than capacity and
volume, especially for a noon start, which historically hasn’t been a preferred
starting time for an athletic event around Hooville.
A team on a mission
Instead, Virginia battled back, owned a 22-point lead, fought off an ECU surge,
and went on to a 35-20 win, evening its record at 3-3 midway through the season.
Give coach Al Groh and his staff a slap on the back for inspiring the Cavs to
keep fighting after a 1-3 start, which at one point appeared disastrous.
With rumors swirling all week about Groh’s future with the program, he stuck to
his knitting in leading Virginia to a second straight upset win.
“I’m just happy for our players and that they’re able to experience afternoons
like this,” Groh said after one sportswriter asked if he felt any vindication
from the heavy criticism he faced. “It has pretty much always been the case and
always will — whatever feelings I have about anything other than the game and
our team are my feelings, and they’ll aways remain my feelings.”
Groh told everyone back in July that this would be an evolving team that should
get better as the season progressed. After a lopsided loss to then-No. 1
Southern California, then losing his starting quarterback the third week into
the season, the scenario around the program couldn’t have been much worse.
Never say die
Well, yes, they could have, actually. The coaches, Groh in particular, could
have lost faith. He could have lost the team. He could have seen the whole
season go down the tubes.
But that’s not Groh’s style.
“The reason why we’ve been able to bounce back the way we have is because of the
resolve of the coaching staff,” said sophomore quarterback Marc Verica, who has
benefited greatly from the positive outlook of Groh and the staff. “They don’t
get down on us, they don’t get discouraged. They just keep on supporting us and
encouraging us. They know we are better than what we were showing and we have
fed off of their energy.”
Verica is one of several perfect examples of why this team has turned the Good
Ship Wahoo around. After four interceptions in a close game that went awry in
the second half at Duke, Verica has been stone cold solid ever since.
Against Maryland and ECU, he completed 50 of 66 pass attempts for 442 yards and
three touchdowns and two interceptions, one of which wasn’t his fault.
Verica’s confidence could have been shot after the Duke landslide, but instead
his improved play has been part of the resurgence of Virginia’s offense, earlier
ranked the worst in the land.
Over the past two weeks, the Cavs have put up 66 points and assembled
back-to-back games of more than 400 yards of total offense, the latter a figure
no Cavalier team has matched since the end of the 2005 season. It has been
equally as long since a UVa quarterback completed 25 passes in a game, something
Verica has accomplished the last two outings.
A young offensive line, featuring two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior to go
along with standout senior Eugene Monroe, has gotten dramatically better
week-by-week, and star tailback Cedric Peerman has hit his stride.
“You look at Virginia’s playing really good football right now,” said ECU coach
Skip Holtz. “I think they’re a good football team.”
Certainly at home they are. Saturday’s win gave the Cavaliers 37 home wins since
2001 (the start of the Groh era), which equal the most wins at home by any ACC
team.
Against the Pirates, the Cavs did everything a good football team would be
expected to do.
They ran the ball successfully, 202 yards on the ground (6.1 yards per rush),
and they stopped the run (ECU had 89 yards rushing). Virginia scored both times
it reached the red zone, committed only three penalties for 20 yards, gambled
when necessary (converting two of three fourth-down dares) and sacked elusive
Pirates quarterback Patrick Pinkney six times.
When it came time for some trickeration, Groh pulled one out of the bag, a fake
field goal that resulted in a 12-yard touchdown pass from holder Scott Deke to
uncovered tight end John Phillips.
Perhaps there was a measure of revenge going back to Virginia’s 31-21 loss at
ECU two years ago.
“We practice that over and over again and wait for the right opportunity,” said
UVa linebacker Clint Sintim. “If you’ll recall a couple of years ago [ECU] ran a
fake field goal on us when they were up significantly. It was talked about all
week.”
Both elephants and coaches have long memories.
This isn’t the same football team that stunk up the joint at UConn and let
things spin out of control in the second half at Duke.
Those were learning experiences for Verica and his line. Peerman, who became
only the second player in UVa history to record two runs of 60 or more yards on
Saturday (79 and 60), wasn’t himself in Hartford and didn’t play at Duke.
“All we did was our job,” said Monroe, already projected as a first-round draft
choice next April. “We got everybody blocked up like we needed to and Cedric did
his thing.”
That hasn’t always been the case this season with a young line. Perhaps more
than any other unit on a football squad, the offensive line has to work with
precision and in cohesion, something that isn’t built over night. There’s a lot
of trust involved, and as former UVa All-America guard Elton Brown once said,
‘If you look over at the guy lined up beside you and you see fear in his eyes,
you know it’s going to be a long afternoon.”
That fear seems to have subsided and has been replaced by trust.
Verica’s progress is more noticeable to the untrained eye.
Groh used the word significant to describe his quarterback’s progress over the
past couple of weeks.
“The [adjustment to the] speed of the game is as much as anything,” Groh said of
Verica. “Even in scrimmages for the past three years he hasn’t seen defensive
players moving as fast as they do in a game. He’s adjusted to that nicely.”
Peerman’s deeds speak for themselves. The “Running Reverend” put up 110 on the
Terps and 173 on the Pirates.
All this has been accomplished in spite of 22 Cavaliers making their first
collegiate appearances.
However, all this progress may not account for much if Virginia can’t keep its
momentum against visiting North Carolina next Saturday.
One thing’s for sure. Groh and his coaches will remain positive.
“We trust each other, which is all that counts,” the embattled head coach said.
“We stick together and we really don’t listen to praise or criticism.”
As Sintim said of Groh after the game: “He’s a professional. He handles himself
as such. After the Duke game, obviously he wasn’t happy. At the same time, he
wasn’t yelling and screaming. He knows we’re giving our best effort. Coach Groh
puts us in position to capitalize on the positive things we do and tries to fix
the negative things we do. We follow him and we trust him.”
A third straight upset next weekend wouldn’t hurt things, either.
Fourth-quarter trickery pays off big time as UVa ices game
By Whitey Reid
Published: October 11, 2008
The players on the East Carolina field goal block team weren’t the only ones
completely fooled by Virginia’s game-clinching fake midway through the fourth
quarter.
Former UVa tight end Heath Miller, who scored on a similar play in 2003 in a win
over Virginia Tech, was equally stunned.
“They faked me out,” Miller said.
Miller, who was on the Virginia sidelines to lend his support — his Pittsburgh
Steelers have a bye this weekend — caught a 10-yard pass from former
quarterback/holder Matt Schaub that led to a touchdown run by Wali Lundy in
propelling the Cavaliers to a 35-21 win over the Hokies.
On Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium, it was a fake involving Virginia backup
quarterback/holder Scott Deke and tight end John Phillips that put the Pirates
away.
Deke hit a wide-open Phillips in the left corner of the end zone on a 12-yard
pass that put UVa up by 15 points with just over seven minutes remaining.
“All the credit goes to Bob Diaco and Scott Deke and John Phillips for the
execution,” said Virginia coach Al Groh. “The touchdown there was a lot more
valuable to us than having to kick the field goal.
“It was great execution and great work by the staff.”
The main gist of the fake involved Phillips pretending to jog off the field
after the previous play, only to run back on the field at the last second and
line up off the line of scrimmage. Virginia planned to run the play against
Maryland last Saturday, but the Terrapins didn’t bite and UVa wound up kicking
the field goal.
“We get lined up and [Phillips] goes out there,” Deke explained. If no one is
covering him, then it’s my job to throw it to him.
“We don’t line up that way for every field goal, and it’s a game-time decision
that can only be run in certain situations.”
Deke said it was exciting to see Phillips all by himself.
“You hope everyone gets set soon because you see him out there open and you just
want to get it to him,” he said. “It was very exciting and meant a lot to me —
just to get the chance to help the team win and feeling like I helped put points
up on the board and extend our lead.
“I just wanted them to snap the ball and throw it to me as fast as possible,”
added Phillips.
An interesting side note to the play was that Yannick Reyering, the team’s
regular place-kicker, was not on the field. Reyering, who had missed a 38-yard
field goal just before the half, had been replaced by walk-on freshman Robert
Randolph.
Reyering has been bothered by tendonitis in his left knee.
“Last weekend it was really hurting after the game,” Reyering said. “During the
week, I got a little rest and talked to the doctor and he said it was really bad
[tendonitis]. It was still feeling a little sore. We’ll see how it develops in
the next couple of weeks.”
Reyering said his injury was not to blame for the miss.
“I think I just misplanted,” he said.
Reyering, the former soccer star who is in his first year of playing football,
said he was not surprised that he was replaced by Randolph.
“That’s how the business works,” Reyering said. “You miss a field goal, and
[you] didn’t really practice that much during the week. Rob has always done a
good job, so it was fair to give him a chance.”
Off to the races
By Jay Jenkins
Published: October 11, 2008
By Jay Jenkins
jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
With the game hanging in the balance, Virginia captain Clint Sintim screamed at
the top of his lungs at his defensive counterparts.
The linebacker’s message came across loud and clear as the Cavaliers forced a
game-saving fumble, scored a touchdown five plays later on a fake field goal and
cruised to a 35-20 win over East Carolina at Scott Stadium.
“I was just trying to ignite my guys and let them know that it was time to go,”
Sintim said. “What [East Carolina] did was irrelevant. That’s in the past, we
have to play for now and let’s make plays — let’s be the ball-hawking defense we
have got to be.
“It doesn’t always work on the first play, but it showed up and worked. We got
the W.”
The late events helped improve Virginia to 3-3 overall and gave the program its
first winning streak since 2007.
It was not near as easy as the final 15-point margin would indicate.
After racing out to a 28-6 halftime advantage, the Pirates (3-3) mounted a
second-half charge, scoring touchdowns on two of their first three possessions.
The tide turned, however, on East Carolina’s fourth series of the final half.
After Sintim’s spirited plea, defensive end Matt Conrath collected the ankles of
East Carolina quarterback Patrick Pinkney, forcing a fumble that was recovered
by defensive end Alex Field at the ECU 24-yard line.
Virginia’s offensive drive stalled and the Cavaliers set up for a
redshirt-burning field-goal attempt with rookie placekicker Robert Randolph. As
the ball was about to be snapped, Virginia holder Scott Deke noticed tight end
John Phillips, who was flanked out left, was wide open and fired a 12-yard
touchdown pass.
It marked the first touchdown pass of Deke’s career.
“It feels unbelievable and well worth the wait,” Deke said. “To get the chance
to come back [as a fifth-year senior] and help the team out, I think that is
what means the most. I feel like I helped the team, and we all did a good job.”
The play almost never happened.
“I almost took a timeout,” said ECU coach Skip Holtz. “I probably should’ve
because they rushed it.
“They were running guys in, running guys out and it was real rush rush and I
should’ve smelled a rat and called a timeout. I should’ve called a timeout.
That’s not on the players.”
Virginia, which finished with 430 yards of total offense, set the stage with an
impressive performance defensively in the first quarter and offensively in the
second quarter.
Despite a pair of interceptions thrown by quarterback Marc Verica on two of the
Cavaliers’ first three possessions, they limited the Pirates early to a pair of
field goals by Ben Hartman.
That bought time for Virginia’s offense, notably running back Cedric Peerman.
On the final play of the first quarter, Peerman broke free for a 79-yard
touchdown run, the seventh-longest rush in program history.
With 10:04 left in the first half, Peerman turned the corner and scooted 60
yards for another touchdown run, giving Virginia a 14-6 lead.
“It was just a great job by the guys up front and the wide receivers were
blocking great downfield,” said Peerman, who finished with 173 rushing yards on
just 16 carries. “All I had to do was run.”
Virginia added to its lead with 5:57 left in the second quarter when Mikell
Simpson scored on a 5-yard run to cap a six-play, 61-yard drive that only 137
seconds.
After forcing one of East Carolina’s seven punts, Virginia scored again. This
time, however, the offense went to the air as Verica connected on a 30-yard
touchdown pass with wideout Kevin Ogletree.
“He beat his guy off the line and he was just wide open from there on,” said
Verica, who completed 25 of 32 passes for 216 yards. “The offensive line did a
great job protecting for me and all I had to do was not throw it behind him.
“I just put it up there and gave him a chance to make the play and he did.”
Virginia missed an opportunity to add to its halftime lead when Yannick Reyering
missed a 38-yard field goal two seconds prior to the end of the half.
ECU attempted to regroup at halftime, having been outgained offensively in
yardage 328-138 by Virginia.
“We wanted to score,” Holtz said. “We got to get the ball in the end zone. We’re
not going to get this thing done by kicking field goals. We’ve got to exhaust
everything we’ve got. Let’s throw everything at them, let’s not hold anything
back and let’s not say, ‘Well, what if we would’ve done this, that or the
other?’
“Let’s turn and exhaust every resource.”
The Pirates, who have lost three straight games, accomplished their goal as Jon
Williams scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 9:16 left in the third quarter
and Brandon Simmons caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Pinkney.
“I was really, really pleased with the way they continued to hang in there, the
way they continued to fight,” Holtz said. “They didn’t hang their heads.”
It was not enough after Virginia solved East Carolina’s defense and enjoyed
Deke’s heroics.
“The players have a lot of unity and a lot of commitment to each other and that
continues to develop right now,” Groh said. “I think we took another step
forward to forge our personality today.”
Virginia returns to action Saturday against North Carolina (5-1, 1-1 ACC). The
contest will be televised by ABC.
Virginia squashes second-half rally by Pirates
By Nathan Summers
The Daily Reflector
Saturday, October 11, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Both teams that competed inside Virginia’s Scott Stadium
Saturday left with matching 3-3 records, but one limped out while the other one
strutted.
Virginia added to last week’s 31-0 thumping of Maryland by dominating visiting
East Carolina early, weathering ECU’s rally attempt and successfully sitting on
its lead en route to a 35-20 win. The Pirates could not climb out of the hole
they began digging late in the first quarter, which by halftime proved too deep.
By then, the Cavaliers had already rolled up a 28-6 lead, and the same troubles
the Pirates tried to leave behind after losing to Houston two weeks ago were
still chasing them in front of UVa.’s crowd of 52,398.
Backed by two long touchdowns and 199 yards of total offense from Virginia
running back Cedric Peerman, the Cavaliers rode their early lead to the finish
line. They squashed a second half ECU rally by forcing a Patrick Pinkney fumble
in the fourth quarter and cashing in an insurance touchdown on a fake field
goal.
“They want to be good and they’re playing hard, but we just continue to make the
mistakes we can’t make,” ECU head coach Skip Holtz said of his players. “In the
fourth quarter, Virginia made the plays they had to make, came off the edge and
got to Patrick a couple times for a couple sacks. The tide started to turn a
little bit more and the comeback fell short. We didn’t get it done today.”
Pinkney, the Pirates’ senior passer, was hunted down by Virginia’s defense all
day. While amassing 196 yards passing — including a scrambling, high-arcing
touchdown pass to Brandon Simmons in the fourth quarter that pulled the Pirates’
deficit to 28-20 — he was sacked six times by unrelenting Cavs’ pressure.
In the fourth quarter, Matt Conrath’s sack on Pinkney jarred the ball loose and
it proved fatal. UVa. recovered and ultimately scored when, on fourth down, the
Cavs tricked their way into the end zone one last time.
Tight end John Phillips acted like he was running off the field for a
substitution before stopping, running into the end zone and catching the 12-yard
touchdown that stifled any further ECU comeback.
Sophomore Jonathan Williams, in his first day carrying the load for the Pirates,
led the offense with 95 rush yards and a third quarter touchdown on 19 carries.
Wide receiver Dwayne Harris, meanwhile, had a career day with six catches for
128 yards.
“They were very competitive,” Williams said of the Virginia defense. “We just
jumped on them too late. That’s what got us.”
The loss marked the third straight for East Carolina, which opened the season
3-0 and surged to No. 14 in the national rankings. With non-conference play
finished, the Pirates (3-3 overall, 1-1 Conference USA) now face the remainder
of their league slate, beginning next week with a home date against Memphis.
“Our goal is still to go 1-0 each week,” Pinkney said. “A conference
championship is still one of our goals, so we still have to take them one at a
time.”
Peerman ran roughshod over the Pirates during a decisive first half which saw
the Cavaliers respond with four unanswered touchdowns.
After ECU settled for Ben Hartman’s field goals of 45 and 35 yards to put the
Pirates in the lead, Peerman took control.
First, he charged around the right end on the last play of the first quarter,
eluded linebacker Nick Johnson and safeties Leon Best and Van Eskridge and
strolled 79 yards down the right sideline to put the Cavs in the lead, 7-6.
Two drives later, Peerman erupted again on the first play from scrimmage,
steering into open space past Eskridge and linebacker Pierre Bell for a 60-yard
score and a 14-6 lead.
With the Pirates reeling, UVa. struck for touchdowns on each of its next two
drives. Tailback Mikell Simpson capped a six-play, 61-yard drive when he rambled
in from five yards out, and quarterback Marc Verica (216 yds., TD) shook his two
early interceptions when he lofted a 30-yard touchdown pass to a streaking Kevin
Ogletree to make it 28-6.
“Virginia is playing really good football right now, and they showed that last
week when Maryland came into town,” Holtz said. “They really relied on their
offensive line and their running game, and tried to take the quarterback out and
make him invisible. They took the ball out of (Verica’s) hands and went to the
running game and we couldn’t stop them.”
In the second half, Williams capped the Pirates’ initial drive with a 1-yard
score, and after shaking an almost certain sack, Pinkney’s jump shot toward the
end zone found a waiting Simmons to pull the Pirates within eight points with
13:58 left in the game.
But the linebacker trio of Antonio Appleby, Jon Copper and Clint Sintim was
overpowering, accounting for 27 tackles and three sacks.
Peerman's long TD runs spark Cavs
By Nathan Summers
The Daily Reflector
Saturday, October 11, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Of all the agile runners East Carolina has faced this
season, Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman stood out the most to ECU's defenders
following the Cavaliers' 35-20 win Saturday.
That's probably because the Pirates had some great looks at the senior as he
sprinted into the end zone twice, once on a 79-yard run and again on a
60-yarder. Peerman's physical style illustrated UVa.'s complete effort and
helped add another layer of frustration to the ECU defense, which played well
despite Peerman's 173 rush yards.
“It's very frustrating when you come out and can't take care of a lot of the
little things and lose to teams you feel like you should compete a whole lot
better against,” said safety Van Eskridge, the Pirates' tackles leader with
nine.
Eskridge said there wasn't any one thing the ECU defense struggled to stop
outside of Peerman's pair of long touchdown blasts. Instead, the same
consistency the Pirates can't seem to find on offense hurt them on defense as
well.
“We just didn't tackle as well as we should have,” Eskridge said.
In fact, the junior from Shelby said he could have made a difference himself
against Virginia's late first half barrage.
Eskridge said he should have made better reads on Peerman's touchdown strolls.
“I had a line on him both times,” Eskridge said of Peerman, who he compared to
former college stars Kevin Smith of UCF, Matt Forte of Tulane and his own former
teammate Chris Johnson, all of whom now play in the National Football League.
“The first one, I tried to push him out of bounds and he did a great job of
keeping his feet, keeping his balance to tightrope the sideline, a great run by
him. The second time, I had a chance to make that tackle also, I just took a bad
angle.”
Eskridge said the Cavaliers responded to quarterback Marc Verica, who was picked
off twice early but rallied his offense back into the game.
But it was Peerman's 14-point outburst that truly made the difference.
“Peerman probably ran as hard as any running back we've faced this year,”
Eskridge said.
Williams' debut
ECU again could not find the end zone, or any offensive momentum, when it most
needed to while trailing in the fourth quarter. But the Pirates did see a burst
from the running game because of sophomore Jonathan Williams.
The former J.H. Rose High School star carried the ball 19 times for 95 yards and
scored his fourth touchdown of the season in the third quarter.
“I was just a piece of the puzzle,” Williams said of his big day.
Under pressure
ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney faced peril all afternoon from the Cavs'
defense.
It wasn't just the six sacks UVa. hammered into Pinkney. The Cavaliers also
broke up five of the senior's passes, making it a long day for the quarterback
despite his numerous successful escapes along the way.
Regardless, Pinkney praised the effort of his offensive line in trying to slow
the swarming Cavs.
“I think the linemen played pretty good, picking it up when they did come,”
Pinkney said after his numerous rough rides to the turf, including a sack in the
fourth quarter in which Pinkney fumbled the ball away to set up the Cavaliers'
final touchdown. “But every play isn't going to be perfect, and you've got to
stay positive and just do your job.”
Offense stuck in neutral
By Denny O'Brien
©2008 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — East Carolina and Virginia started the season on opposite
ends of the competitive spectrum. Saturday the two met somewhere in the middle,
then departed Scott Stadium on completely different paths.
For ECU, the pendulum has swung in a disturbing direction. The Cavaliers’ 35-20
win has totally flipped the Pirates’ season, one that once was the national
storyline to what now is in danger of becoming a regional punch line.
It was a scenario that few envisioned on the second week of September. After
hammering West Virginia and rocketing into the Top 15, many gave the Pirates a
shot to run the table and flirt with a bid to a Bowl Championship Series
postseason extravaganza.
Now you have to wonder if the Pirates will even compete for a Conference USA
title. That looked almost a certainty about a month ago, but now is a perplexing
question given some of ECU’s deficiencies, particularly on offense.
“It’s been a real emotional roller coaster,” Pirates receiver Dwayne Harris
said. “Going from beating West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Tulane, and then
losing three straight.
“I just think that, as a team, we’ve got to get back on the same page, get back
clicking the way we were the first couple of games and execute the plays. We’ve
just got to move the ball downfield and get into the end zone.”
That hasn’t been a common occurrence this season. Not even close. Midway through
the schedule, the Pirates have yet to break the 30-point barrier, and that’s
with scoring four touchdowns on defense and special teams.
What is most puzzling about Saturday’s offensive performance is that it occurred
after a bye week that didn’t arrive soon enough. After a five-week journey that
contained huge emotional swings, ECU desperately needed a reprieve to mend
itself both mentally and physically.
It also needed the week to better assess its offensive schemes and personnel
following the debacle against Houston. But for most of the Pirates’ loss to
Virginia, they looked as if neither was addressed during the week off.
There were more blocking breakdowns than with the national economy. Quarterback
Patrick Pinkney spent much of his afternoon trying to evade a Virginia front
seven that established camp in the ECU backfield.
“Offensively, I thought we did some pretty decent things,” Pirates coach Skip
Holtz said. “We just don’t do them consistently enough.
“We don’t do anything as consistent enough as you need to do it. We don’t have
the home run player that we had a year ago. We don’t have a receiver who is
going to run by anybody. We don’t have a tailback that is going to outrun
everybody. We’ve got to take the ball and move it methodically down the field.”
On the bright side, East Carolina at least found some semblance of an offense
during intermission. The Pirates put together a pair of impressive second half
scoring drives in which the offensive staff found new chapters in the playbook.
Pinkney executed the option to near perfection, especially on the pitch to
running back Jonathan Williams on a third-and-goal play that produced a
touchdown.
ECU also found creative ways to put the ball in Harris’ hands, be it with direct
snaps or on an end-around where he had the option to pass or run.
But after digging itself into a deep 28-6 crater, it proved much too late for
ECU to awaken from its offensive slumber. The Pirates had their chances to
convert earlier on their first three possessions, but three trips inside the
Virginia 35-yard line produced a paltry six points.
It’s become a disappointing theme for ECU, and perhaps the most telling reason
for its 3-3 record. Had the Pirates found pay dirt during one of their two trips
inside the N.C. State ten-yard line in the fourth quarter, they probably start
the season a perfect 4-0.
That sentiment can somewhat be echoed about the Virginia game. If ECU could have
mustered at least one touchdown out of its first three drives, perhaps it would
have provided momentum and a better working margin at intermission.
It would be tempting to examine the Pirates’ loss to the Wahoos and attribute
equal blame to the defense. It did, after all, surrender a trio of big plays and
at times during the second quarter resembled the bunch that was torched by
Houston.
But for most of Saturday afternoon, the defense performed well enough for ECU to
escape Charlottesville with a win. It produced a pair of turnovers and allowed
the Cavaliers to convert only three of their 14 third down opportunities.
That’s respectable. The offense was not.
Outside of two third quarter drives and nice individual performances by Harris
(six catches, 128 yards) and Williams (19 carries, 95 yards), there wasn’t too
much to celebrate. The offensive line struggled with pass protection, while
Pinkney again looked out of rhythm and committed two crippling turnovers.
It was enough to prompt Holtz to hint that a quarterback rotation could soon
return.
With a powerful Memphis offense visiting Greenville next week, many will
question whether or not the ECU defense can keep the Tigers grounded. Perhaps
the better question is whether or not the Pirates’ offense can keep up.
If not, it will be tough for East Carolina to salvage a season that began on
such a historic note.