White: 'Dex is UVa Football'
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/07/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- All this fuss embarrasses Anthony Poindexter. He has a football game to coach in Saturday, after all, and untold details to deal with before kickoff.
Like it or not, however, the man known to his friends, his players and his colleagues as Dex will step into the spotlight at 3:13 p.m., about 20 minutes before the start of UVa's football game with Indiana at Scott Stadium.
On the field where his feats became the stuff of legend, Poindexter will be the 11th former Cavalier to have his jersey retired.
As a 6-1, 220-pound safety known for his crushing tackles -- "A linebacker playing safety," said Byron Thweatt -- Poindexter was a two-time All-American for UVa and the ACC's defensive MVP in 1998. He remains one of most beloved players in school history.
"Dex is UVa football," said Butch Jefferson, who followed him at Jefferson Forest High and at Virginia.
"You say Anthony Poindexter, and people think UVa football."
Has a decade really passed since No. 3 roamed the secondary for the Cavaliers? Has it been nearly 15 years since Poindexter and safety Adrian Burnim teamed to tackle Warrick Dunn inches from the goal line on the final play of UVa's 33-28 victory over heretofore invincible Florida State at Scott Stadium?
"Lord, help me," Poindexter, now the defensive backs coach at his alma mater, said with a smile in his McCue Center office Monday night. "I can remember those days like it was yesterday. Being able to coach here and being around it still, at this school, at this place, is special."
Six former UVa stars have had their numbers retired: Shawn Moore (12), Frank Quayle (24), Bill Dudley (35), Joe Palumbo (48), Jim Dombrowski (73) and Gene Edmonds (97).
Poindexter will join another group of former greats whose numbers are still active: Ronde Barber (19), Tiki Barber (21), Terry Kirby (42), Ray Savage (56), Tom Scott (65), Mark Dixon (66), Chris Slade (85), Herman Moore (87), John Papit (87) and Chris Long (91).
"I've often told people this," said Slade, who preceded Poindexter in then-coach George Welsh's program. "Out of all the great players who played before me and played after me at UVa, Anthony Poindexter is the one guy I wish I'd had the opportunity to play with.
"As a player, he was just ferocious. He was well-respected, and not just by his peers in college. When I was playing for the Patriots, I remember guys coming up to me and saying, 'Who's that guy playing safety for you guys? He's an animal. He's a beast.'"
A catastrophic knee injury ended his senior season prematurely -- costing him, in all likelihood, millions of NFL dollars -- but Poindexter still finished his college career with 342 tackles, a record for a UVa defensive back. He was named to the all-ACC first team three times, intercepted 12 passes and recovered a school-record seven fumbles.
Asked about Poindexter, Welsh -- a legend himself -- cited a famous comment by Joe Paterno about Penn State great Ted Kwalick.
"Paterno said, 'God created Kwalick to be a football player,' or something to that effect," Welsh recalled Wednesday. "Anthony Poindexter was created to be a great football player. He had size, speed and great instincts, and no concern for his body -- or anyone else's he hit.
"There is such a thing as no physical fear, and not many people have it. But he did."
Listen for hours, days, weeks, and you won't hear Poindexter, 33, say such things about himself.
"I don't like to be a braggart and be boastful about what I've done," he said. "I just try to let my play speak for itself. The guys I played with, those are the guys that know how I was and know how I played and know what I gave to them.
"For me, that's the biggest part. This is a tremendous honor for me, but as long as I got that with my teammates, and the special bond we have, that's enough for me."
Those teammates included Thweatt, a linebacker who was two years behind Poindexter at UVa. Thweatt is now an assistant at the University of Richmond under Mike London, whose brother, Paul, played with Poindexter at Virginia.
"It was amazing," Thweatt said of his time with Poindexter at UVa. "A guy like him, he's a true football player, in all aspects. He's a football player."
Before leaving for UR, Mike London coached with Poindexter at UVa. Long before that, though, London used to marvel at Poindexter's play in the Cavaliers' secondary.
"You'd see him play and say, 'Who's that dude at safety just knocking people out?'" London recalled. "He just played with a tremendous amount of passion and intensity."

* * * * *

A native of Lynchburg, Poindexter grew up in nearby Forest. His older brother, John, played football at Ferrum College and now coaches that sport at Northumberland High. The brothers got their work ethic from their parents, John Sr. and Lois.
"Just salt-of-the-earth people," former Jefferson Forest High coach Bob Christmas said of Mr. and Mrs. Poindexter.
In 1991, with John at quarterback, the Cavaliers advanced to the state Group AA, Division 3 final, where they lost to Nottoway. Anthony took over at quarterback in 1992 and, as a junior and a senior, led Jefferson Forest to state championships.
Each time, Jefferson Forest beat Matoaca, whose 1992 roster included one James Farrior, for the title. Thweatt was on the Matoaca teams Jefferson Forest faced in '92 and '92.
In 1993, Matoaca scored late in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead, leaving Christmas less-than-pleased with his players as he headed for the locker room.
"At halftime, I was getting ready to go in and blast them," Christmas recalled, "but by the time I got there, Anthony was already in there taking care of business.
"I never went in there. I stayed in my office and listened. He said all the things I would have said."
Now a high school coach in Georgia, Christmas still considers Poindexter his "all-time favorite player. Not because he turned into a great college player, but because he was full speed all the time.
"Didn't matter if it was practice or game. He loves the game, and he was just a great leader. When were in games and it looked like things were falling part, he would just take over."

* * * * *

When Poindexter was a boy -- and to this day -- his closest friends included Ryan Gilleland. They attended kindergarten together at New London Academy and remained classmates in middle school, high school and, finally, at UVa, where Gilleland played baseball.
"Everything from Ping Pong to tennis to street hockey to Wiffle Ball, we played it all growing up," said Gilleland, who now teaches and coaches at Jefferson Forest High.
"Anthony was always a very good athlete. He was probably smaller than the rest of us, honestly, till about the 10th grade. But he still hit harder than anybody else."
Poindexter, an outfielder, starred in baseball -- the Florida Marlins selected him in the 70th round of the 1994 major-league draft -- and played basketball at Jefferson Forest, too. Still, football was his best sport, his initial lack of size notwithstanding.
On the JV, Christmas said, "Anthony probably was 5-6 or 5-7 and about 145 pounds." By his sophomore year, though, Poindexter weighed about 175 pounds, and size never was an issue for him after that.
Neither was speed, though no track star was he.
"Not fast at all," Poindexter said. "I wasn't a 40 guy."
Christmas said Poindexter covered 40 yards in 4.7 or 4.8 seconds -- slow for a major-college defensive back -- but "when you watched him on film, he looked he was running a 4.4, because he played the game so hard and so fast.
"College coaches would come by and say, 'How fast is he?' I'd say, 'I don't know.' They'd say, 'He looks like he's about a 4.4,' and I wouldn't say anything. I didn't want to lie, but I didn't want to hurt him."
The recruiters kept coming, and Poindexter eventually narrowed the list of colleges he was considering to four: Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
He'd already toured the other three schools when he took his official visit to UVa. Shannon Taylor was on the same visit, and Gilleland already had signed to play baseball at Virginia.
"After the first night, Shannon and I were both like, 'We're coming here,'" Poindexter recalled. "It was just something special about this place. It was something about the guys that were on the team, and it was an hour and 15 minutes from my house."

* * * * *

He enrolled at UVa in 1994. Poindexter ended up redshirting that season after suffering a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery, but he made an impression long before he got hurt.
On the eve of the regular season, Welsh approached Art Markos, then Virginia's secondary coach, and asked which newcomers might be ready to contribute as true freshmen.
"Anthony had just made a play on a pass that made me feel comfortable, and I said, 'I think he's ready to go,'" Markos said Tuesday.
Welsh already had noted Poindexter's ability.
"George looked at me square in the eye and said, 'Art, just don't screw him up,'" Markos recalled with a laugh. "That was my mission for four years."
Poindexter started three games as a redshirt freshman in 1995 and split time at linebacker and safety that season. (He was at linebacker in the 33-28 win over FSU). He moved full time into the secondary in 1996 and quickly established himself as a force.
He made 19 tackles versus Virginia Tech that season. Two years later, he matched that total against Maryland.
"How does a safety have 19 tackles?" said Jefferson, now an academic coordinator in the UVa football program.
The answer: Poindexter was no average safety.
"He was a coach's dream to work with," said Markos, now assistant director of compliance at UVa. "He would just soak everything like a sponge, and whatever you said to do, he'd do it like you said it, and then put his own flair behind it.
"The way he played showed his personality. He had tremendous instinct and anticipation, attributes that all defensive backs should have. He just had a knack for getting a jump on the ball or knowing where the play was going."
He also had a knack for talking smack at practice, always with a smile on his face.
"He's so passionate," Markos said. "He was the consummate Welsh practice player. He'd go on the field and make practice fun for everybody.
"Anthony taught everybody how to have fun at practice. He trash-talked, but he'd never say anything demeaning."
Thweatt said: "He treated every guy great -- the guys who didn't play a lot, and the starters. He treated everybody the same. You couldn't help but look up to him. He's a wonderful human being."
Jefferson is a distant relative of Poindexter, and they grew up near each other in Forest.
"He's the ultimate teammate, the ultimate leader," Jefferson said. "He's vocal, and he leads by example."

* * * * *

In the final minutes of the seventh game of Poindexter's senior season, the path of his life changed. He suffered extensive ligament damage in his left knee, an injury from which he would never fully recover.
"I cried in the press box when they recognized him [at Scott Stadium] a few weeks later," Markos said. "It just broke my heart. He gave so much. It was just an injustice, and we all felt that way."
Had he left UVa after his junior season, Poindexter almost certainly would have been a first-round draft pick and might have made a fortune in the NFL. But he refused to indulge in self-pity after he got hurt, and his stance never has wavered.
"What helped me get over it was, I knew I had done it a certain way every day," Poindexter said. "So my career was over, but it wasn't like I wished I could get this play back or I could get that play, or that practice, or that day back.
"That's the one thing: I didn't have any regrets. Obviously, I wanted to do some things for my folks that I was unable to do, but it wasn't like they had their hands out waiting for me to become the savior anyway. My dad was going to work regardless of what kind of money I made."
The injury shattered his NFL stock, but the Baltimore Ravens gambled on Poindexter anyway, drafting him in the seventh round in 1999. He drew NFL paychecks for parts of three seasons -- the first two with the Ravens -- before his pro career ended in 2001.
In 2000, the season that ended with Baltimore's victory in the Super Bowl, Poindexter appeared in 12 games. He didn't play in the Super Bowl but saw time on special teams in the AFC championship game.
"It wasn't like I was the same player, but I got a chance to reach one of my goals, to play in the NFL," Poindexter said. "Obviously, I wasn't the same player that played at Virginia, but Art Modell and the Ravens gave me a chance, and I'm grateful for that."
That's Dex.
"The thing about Anthony, which is a testament to his character, is he never played the what-if game, he never felt sorry for himself," said Slade, now the sideline reporter for radio broadcasts of UVa games.
He has too much to be thankful for, Poindexter would tell you. He and his wife, Kimberly, have three children -- Morocca, Anthony Jr. and Chloe -- and he works at a place he loves.
Al Groh hired Poindexter as a graduate assistant in 2003, then promoted him running backs coach a year later. Poindexter moved to the secondary -- his home -- after the 2008 season. He sees Welsh regularly and is surrounded by friends and happy memories.
"I've had a blessed life," Poindexter said.
 

On Poindexter's 'work day' as assistant coach, U.Va. will retire his jersey Saturday
Football By Norm Wood
247-4642
October 8, 2009

When Anthony Poindexter crosses paths with Virginia football fans these days, it seems the conversation always comes around to U.Va.'s version of "The Play."

In 1995, during Poindexter's redshirt freshman season, he combined with teammate Adrian Burnim on a game-saving tackle of Warrick Dunn near the goal line to ensure a 33-28 win against Florida State, breaking FSU's 29-game winning streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference. It was a streak that started the moment FSU officially joined the conference in '92.

There's no doubt that's a sweet memory, but after U.Va.'s game Saturday against Indiana, Poindexter will have another conversation-starter. He'll have the No. 3 jersey he wore as perhaps U.Va.'s best-ever safety retired in a pregame ceremony at Scott Stadium. Since he's now U.Va.'s defensive backs coach, he won't be able to soak in much of the moment until after the game.

"It's going to be a great honor," said Poindexter, who added that Burnim, Wali Rainer and Ferguson High graduate Aaron Brooks will be among former U.Va. teammates that plan to be in Charlottesville for the retirement ceremony. "I think I'm going to enjoy it more after the game. It's still a work day for me."

Poindexter, a 33-year-old Lynchburg native, joined receiver Herman Moore as the only players in U.Va. history to earn All-American status twice. From '95-98, Poindexter finished with 342 tackles, still the most for a U.Va. defensive back.

In his '98 senior season, he tore two ligaments and cartilage in his left knee against North Carolina State, U.Va.'s seventh game. He missed the rest of the season but was still named the ACC's defensive player of the year.

He was chosen by the Baltimore Ravens in the seventh round of the '99 NFL draft, and spent that season on the injured reserve. He played primarily special teams in 2000, earning a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens. He was released after the '00 season and picked up by the Cleveland Browns, who let him go prior to the '01 season.

"As far as career-wise, I think I could've been a good player at the next level," said Poindexter, who spent five seasons as U.Va.'s running backs coach before moving to defensive backs coach prior to this season. "I don't wake up with (the injury) on my mind every day. I think it's an initial shock once it does happen to you.

"There was a point when I was laid up for about three months and really couldn't move too much that I said, 'Hey, man. I'm still living. I've got good health besides the knee. I'm going to be able to walk again, possibly play again. I've got to make a decision about whether I want to fight back or lay here and sulk about what could've been.' "
 

U.Va. notes: Cavs go old school
By Staff Reports
Published: October 8, 2009

Cavs go old school
Last week before the Hoos hit the practice field, they watched some tapes of workouts -- from previous years.

Coach Al Groh screened films of former teams going through practices to show good habits that he thought were necessary for a winning team.

"We haven't always had the most talented teams on the field," he said. "But we've often played at a very high energy level, with a very good ruggedness and a strong resilience."

The clips included former players Chris Long and Cedric Peerman going through workouts, as well as other players who had strong practice habits.

For the players, the message was that they needed to have a game-day level of urgency throughout the week.

"We watched a lot of old clips about how Virginia football used to be, and we want to get back to that mentality," safety Brandon Woods said.

Cornerback Chase Minnifield added that the team is working to have a more physical presence, and that the practice field was the place to start building those habits.

Sewell working to limit turnovers
When quarterback Jameel Sewell, a Hermitage grad, is handed the stat sheet after a game, his eyes head first to the turnovers column.

"I'm trying to limit those," he said. "I've had way too many."

Cutting down on them was one reason Virginia was able to win the time-of-possession battle against North Carolina -- as well as maintain several long drives.

It also didn't hurt that the offense took on multiple dimensions with a 100-yard game from Mikell Simpson and playmaking from the team's young receivers.

"I've got a lot more confidence," Sewell said last night after practice. "I've thrown up some crazy balls to those guys, and they've caught them, so that's exciting to me."

He said that adding a healthy Simpson to the backfield has helped split up defensive lines when the two players take off in different directions.

Scouting Indiana
Saturday marks the first time Indiana and Virginia will meet on the football field, meaning that the Cavs spent extra time in the film room this week scouting their unfamiliar opponent.

Linebacker Steve Greer is from the area, but said that he didn't know much about the program before the week began. He said that every week, the players take it on themselves to hit the computers and do some research into the players they'll face.

"We want to know everything," he said. "From the way they play to their girlfriend's name."

Several players also watched the Indiana-Michigan game, which took place during Virginia's bye week.

Poindexter's play still remembered
After a distinguished four-year career at Virginia, a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens and several years coaching at U.Va., there's still only one thing people want to talk about with Anthony Poindexter.

"That Florida State play," he said with a laugh.

As a freshman in 1995, he shut down Warrick Dunn on fourth down to preserve one of U.Va.'s biggest victories.

Saturday, the defensive back will have his No.3 retired in a pregame ceremony. Referring to Charlottesville, he said that "this place is home for me." He returned after injuries kept him from fulfilling his promise at the pro level.

"I think I could have been a great player at the next level, but I don't harp on it," he said. "I got a chance to reach one of my goals and play in the NFL."

Notes
After a strong game Saturday, Brandon Woods has earned the role as a starting safety. . . . Groh said that because of personnel availability, he's been more inclined to run a dime defense instead of a nickel on third-down passing situations. Dom Joseph is handling the linebacker role in that formation. . . . Virginia has 10 commitments early in this season's recruiting period. The team likely will finish with at least twice as many. . . . Kicker Robert Randolph has made kicks of 50-plus yards in practice, but Groh said his in-game range is about 47 yards. . . . Guard B.J. Cabbell was held out of Sunday and Monday's practices because of injury. -- Michael Phillips
 

Poindexter - “This place is home for me”
Michael Phillips
Oct 07, 2009

U.Va. star Anthony Poindexter will get his No. 3 jersey retired Saturday about 20 minutes prior to the game against Indiana. First, some brief background from the school:

Poindexter, who played for the Cavaliers from 1995-98, finished his career with 342 tackles, the most ever by a UVa defensive back and 10th most in UVa
history. He is one of just two two-time All-Americans in UVa history and was 1998 ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He graduated in 1999.

He’s back at the school as a defensive backs coach, and said that as soon as the ceremony was over, he’d be right back in the locker room getting his team ready to play.

Poindexter still calls Charlottesville home, saying that “this place is home for me.“ He’s got a 7-year-old who’s getting into football, but is trying to convince him that “maybe he can be the next Tiger Woods.“

After graduating he had a brief NFL career, including winning a Super Bowl ring with the Ravens, but had a career that was cut short due to injury.

“I think I could have been a great player at the next level, but I dont harp on it,“ he said. “There’s a point when I was laid up that I just told myself - Hey man, I’m still living, I’ve got good health. I’ve got to make a decsiosn - fight back or sulk and wonder what could have been. That’s how I try to live my life.“

He said that a number of his former teammates will return to Charlottesville for the ceremonies this weekend. He had a laugh about being the first U.Va. assistant coach who was allowed to talk to reporters during the season (though this year’s team was, of course, off-limits for discussion), and added that for him, being thought of highly by former teammates was the highest compliment.

“When we get together and tell old stories, and how they thought of me as a player and grown man, thats really the only thing that matters to me,“ he said. “I never really thought about getting my jersey retired.“
 

Indiana wants to turn up heat on Cavs
October 7, 2009 9:00 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Adam Rittenberg

Indiana's quest for a bowl bid reaches a crucial juncture Saturday against Virginia, and one statistic in the game strongly favors Bill Lynch's team.

Virginia's offense appears to be showing signs of life after a miserable start, but the Cavaliers still rank dead last nationally in sacks allowed (4.25 per game). Opponents have sacked Cavaliers quarterbacks 16 times in the last three games. TCU recorded a whopping eight sacks against Virginia in a Sept. 12 victory.

The trend is bound to bring smiles to the faces of Indiana senior defensive ends Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton.

Indiana's strength on defense remains a formidable pass rush led by Kirlew, who ranks second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss (9.5) and ties for second in sacks (3.5). Middleton is tied for fifth in the league with three sacks.

Needless to say, the Hoosiers will be leaning on the tandem in Charlottesville.

"That's the key thing in our defense," Lynch said. "We've got to be able to control the early downs and get them in third-and-long. That's when our pass-rushers really have the most success, when we do a great job against the run."

Lynch has seen Virginia adjust its protections since the first few weeks of the season, and Cavaliers quarterback Jameel Sewell is mobile enough to make plays when defenses sell out on blitzes. Sewell has rushed for three touchdowns and has more than twice as many rush attempts as any other Virginia player.

He's the third straight mobile quarterback Indiana will face, after Ohio State's Terrelle Pryor and Michigan's Tate Forcier. The Hoosiers recorded two sacks against Michigan and three against Ohio State, but both Pryor and Forcier made plays with their feet.

Kirlew and Middleton will need to be cognizant of Sewell's mobility as they look to bring him down.

"In each pass rush, you've got somebody responsible for contain and somebody responsible for up inside," Lynch said. "If they're on a stunt, they've got to know what their responsibility is. You can't get selfish and just do your own thing and try to get to the quarterback.

"You've got to have discipline about your rush."

 

Who are the Virginia Cavaliers?
by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Oct 6, 2009 10:05 PM EDT 1 comment

2009 record: 1-3 (1-0 in the ACC)

2008 record: 5-7 (3-5 ACC)

2008 Sagarin: 47

2009 Sagarin: 69

Coach: Al Groh (9th season, 57-47)

Series: First meeting

Video: 3:30 p.m., ESPN360 (no TV, Internet only)

On Saturday, Indiana and Virginia will meet on the football field for the first time. As the week continues, I'll discuss the 2009 Cavaliers, who after a rough 0-3 start that included a loss to I-AA William & Mary rebounded to upset North Carolina 16-3 on the road last weekend. Still, given the lack of history between the programs, it's worth a look at where Virginia stands as a program.

One of the most interesting aspects of UVa's recent history has been coaching longevity. Al Groh, the former coach of the New York Jets, left the NFL for Charlottesville in 2001 and is in his ninth year. He and Bill Lynch shared space on many a preseason "hot seat" list. Groh succeeded George Welsh, who spent 19 years at Virginia and won 60 percent of his games there. That means that Virginia has had only two coaches in the last 28 years. The only other major programs that come to mind with similar stability are Florida State (Bobby Bowden), Virginia Tech (Frank Beamer and Bill Dooley), Iowa (Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz), and Penn State (Joe Paterno).

While all of those programs have been more successful than Virginia, the Cavaliers were solid under Welsh, with 17 .500 or better seasons in 19 years. In 1990, Virginia spent three weeks ranked #1 in the nation before losing four of five games down the stretch. On the other hand, the Cavaliers have never finished the season ranked in the AP top 10 (for reference, IU has done so twice, in 1945 and 1967). Virginia has played in 17 bowl games, all since 1984. The Cavaliers' 23-22 loss to Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl following the 1990 season was Virginia's only appearance in what are now the BCS bowls. While Groh has not been as successful as Welsh, he has won eight or more games in four of his first eight seasons. On the other hand, he has produced two losing seasons of the last three and speculation suggests that he won't survive a third.

While IU and Virginia never have played in football, the two schools have played some memorable games in other sports:

1984 NCAA Basketball Tournament: IU's upset of top-ranked North Carolina in the 1984 NCAA Tournament has become the stuff of legend, the game in which Dan Dakich shut down, relatively, national player of the year Michael Jordan. Less remembered is the next game, the regional final, in which IU lost to the #7 seed Virginia, an improbable Final Four participant the year after losing Ralph Sampson to the NBA.

2002 Maui Invitational: The news isn't all bad. In 2002, just months after IU's own improbable run to the Final Four, the Hoosiers beat Virginia 70-63 in the championship game of the Maui Invitational. Of course, reading the recap of that game evokes memories of unfulfilled expectations:

Bracey Wright scored 21 points and his fellow freshman guard Marshall Strickland added 15 as No. 19 Indiana beat Virginia, 70-63, last night at Lahaina, Hawaii, to win the Maui Invitational for the first time.

Ah, how bright the future looked in November 2002.

1994 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship: in 1994, IU and Virginia squared off for the men's soccer NCAA title. The Cavaliers, then led by future US national coach Bruce Arena, were the three time defending NCAA champions and held off an excellent IU team led by Brian Maisonneuve and Todd Yeagley, 1-0. If it's any consolation, that was UVa's most recent title, but IU has won the NCAA Tournament four times since that loss.

Finally, to those of you who are going to this game, I am jealous. If you are young and unattached, hit the road. UVa is reputed to have a beautiful campus, Charlottesville is supposed to be a great college town, and the university itself, founded by Thomas Jefferson, is one of the most historically and architecturally significant of all American universities, public or private. I wish this game were coming at a time in my life when I could get away. For those of your who are so fortunate, enjoy.
 

Last Two Weeks Not Good Enough For IU, Lynch
Ray Fisher By John Decker
Publisher
Posted Oct 6, 2009

Bloomington – While Indiana fans reflect on the Hoosier football program’s current two-game slide, there’s something that seems to be easing the pain. After all, it WAS Michigan. And then it WAS Ohio State...

Bloomington – While Indiana fans reflect on the Hoosier football program’s current two-game slide, there’s something that seems to be easing the pain.

After all, it WAS Michigan. And then it WAS Ohio State.

What do you expect?

But that’s not good enough for Indiana Coach Bill Lynch, who’s not looking for moral victories from the near miss in Ann Arbor or the humbling-but-not-humiliating loss to Ohio State. He draws no comfort from those results, and he doesn’t want his players to do so, either.

“You want to get your program to the point that any loss hurts,” Lynch said Monday.

That’s what Lynch said he saw in the locker room after each game. There’s wasn’t any sense of “accomplishment” from the final scores. Instead, he saw the disappointment of losing, a realization that they could have played better, and a commitment to fix it before Saturday’s game in Charlottesville, Va., against Virginia.

“We know in life you win and you lose, and you pick yourself up and you move on,” Lynch said. “We’re going to do that. But from a football standpoint, you want to get yourself to the point where losing isn’t acceptable. You get 12 chances, and you’re going to do everything you can to win a football game.”

There also appears to be a sense among IU’s players that they have what it takes to compete with whatever opponent presents itself on any given Saturday on the schedule. The days of conceding they’re not big enough, strong enough or ultimately good enough to compete with the conference’s best teams are seemingly behind them.

“Watching the film of the last two losses, it’s all been fundamental stuff,” Justin Pagan said. “It’s stuff that can be corrected. It’s not drastic…these last two losses have been fundamental issues. If we get those straightened out, we’ll be fine.”

The task of getting things straightened out began Monday when the team turned the page from Ohio State and turned its attention to a Virginia team that is 1-3, but coming off an impressive 16-3 win Saturday over North Carolina. The Cavaliers head into the game looking for their 12th victory in 13 October games over the last three-plus years.

Indiana, meanwhile, heads into the game looking to complete a perfect non-conference slate and move within two wins of bowl eligibility. While the disappointment of the last two weeks is still there, Lynch thinks he’ll get a team that’s hungry to return to the winning side of the ledger.

“It will be a good challenge on the road, but our guys are looking forward to getting back at it,” Lynch said. “I like the look in our guys, how they went through practice yesterday. They’re not hanging their heads.

“They know we have to work to get better. Maybe we didn’t make that kind of improvement last week, so we have to do it this week before we go on the road.”
 

Back to the Nonconference Schedule
During the week leading up to Saturday’s win over North Carolina, Virginia’s players frequently reminded everyone that they were 0-0 in the ACC. They took the mentality that the nonconference schedule, in which the Cavaliers have gone 0-3, was merely a tuneup for ACC play.

The Cavaliers responded with a 16-3 victory – evidence that the approach worked.

This week, however, Virginia hosts another nonconference opponent when Indiana visits Scott Stadium. It means that the rallying cry from last week becomes irrelevant on Saturday. So, what is the message this week?

“There seems to be a real excitement about the challenge of playing a Big Ten team and seeing some of the things that we did the other day provide us, as I said after the game, provide us as an opportunity to use those things to move forward, but there is no guarantee to that opportunity,” Coach Al Groh said. “We've got to make sure we take advantage of that opportunity or else somebody else is going to, so I think for that reason we will have our eye on this target pretty good, too.”

The Cavaliers were in a similar situation last season when they hosted East Carolina two games into the ACC season. Virginia disposed of the Pirates, 35-20, the second victory of a four-game winning streak.

When this comparison was raised to Groh on Monday, he said it is somewhat difficult to compare because the Cavaliers had a history with East Carolina. The game did not present some of the unfamiliarity that marks a typical nonconference game, such as Saturday’s matchup with Indiana.

“We don't have any of that built-in information about the team,” Groh said. “How they tried to play us in the past, who the personnel is, we don't know anybody from recruiting and what his natural speed is so it's taken deeper research. It's a fun project to be on but it's very challenging and that makes [Monday] a very, very important today because everything that follows from today is based on what is discovered during the course of the day from the coaches.”

There is research for the players, too. They look up the opponents’ biographies online and study past performances. Linebacker Steven Greer joked that the coaches tell the players to learn the names of their opponent’s girlfriends – all in an effort to resemble some of the familiarity Virginia has with its conference rivals.

By Zach Berman
 

Sewell Stays at Quarterback, but Hall Stays Busy
By Zach Berman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 6, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Oct. 5 -- Early last week, Virginia senior captain Vic Hall approached Coach Al Groh in Groh's office and said he believed Jameel Sewell should remain the Cavaliers' quarterback.

Cavaliers Notebook: Sewell Stays at Quarterback, but Hall Stays Busy
Sewell became Virginia's starter after Hall injured his hip in a season-opening loss to William & Mary. Hall entered the season as the team's top quarterback, the focal point of the athletic department's marketing campaign whose move from defense was specifically made to bolster the offense.

Sewell improved in Hall's absence, creating a possible dilemma when Hall was medically cleared to play in last Saturday's game at North Carolina. However, any controversy ended when Hall came to Groh and insisted that his roommate and close friend remain Virginia's signal caller.

"That's the way Vic is. He's always been that way," said Groh, who wanted to keep the details of the meeting private. "Actually, he and I were on the same page. We had the same thought.

"He and I had talked on a number of occasions, and the phrase that was used was that the intent was for him to be as tired and as dirty as possible at the end of every game. And whatever that entails, he would just smile and say that's what I want. We wanted to make sure we held up our end of the bargain on that, but he was seeing it more for what's good for the team than what's good for him."

Virginia deployed Hall in a variety of ways in Saturday's 16-3 victory -- and they were roles that will continue through the rest of the season.

Hall played on offense, defense and special teams. He attempted a pass, was thrown a pass, ran the ball, played in the defensive secondary, rushed the opposing passer and held for kicks. Although it's possible that he could again become a punt returner, Groh said there is only so much the team can expect from Hall before he's overused.

Hall emphasized Saturday what he had said throughout his career: "It didn't matter what I did or what I'll do, I just wanted to be in there."

He has recovered from the hip injury and does not think there should be a quarterback rotation, so he expects to continue to play different roles while the coaching staff determines how best to use him.

"Whether it's play offense, defense, special teams, make his grades, be the captains, just whatever it is," Groh said Monday, "he's a 'can-do' guy."

Conrath, Randolph Honored

Virginia defensive end Matt Conrath was named co-defensive lineman of the week by the ACC after recording four tackles and knocking down three passes. Kicker Robert Randolph was co-special teams player of the week after connecting on all three of his field goal attempts. . . . The Oct. 17 game between Virginia and Maryland at Byrd Stadium will be played at 4 p.m. and televised on ESPNU, the ACC announced Monday.


 

Cavaliers’ Cook hits his stride
By Jay Jenkins
Published: October 8, 2009

Chris Cook called his shot.
In the waning minutes of Virginia’s first win of the season, the senior cornerback predicted a game-changing play.
“Before we went out for that last series I told them that I was closing this game out,” Cook recounted. “I told my teammates that I am closing it out.
“I don’t know … I just had that feeling that something good was going to happen.”
Cook, in fact, sealed the 16-3 victory as he played off his wide receiver deep enough to corral a pass intended for a different target from UNC quarterback T.J. Yates.
On television, it would have appeared Cook was in the incorrect coverage as his man was free to haul in a pass and get out of bounds with ease.
Cook was on point, however, based on the coverage that was called.
“That’s how I was supposed to play,” he said. “Unfortunately for [Yates], he made the wrong read and threw it right to me.
“I was in the perfect place and the right time to make sure we ended any threat.”
Despite missing the 2008 season and all but one play against Southern Mississippi with an injured groin, Cook has returned to an All-ACC form.
Earlier this week as he prepared for Saturday’s contest at home against Indiana (3-2), Virginia coach Al Groh was asked if Cook was one of the most improved players on the team from the opening training camp practice to date.
“I wouldn’t want to sit here and predict that would be the case but, yes, going into the season we can see that might be the case,” Groh said, referring to Cook’s time away from the sport. “Will we try to come out of the gate slowly? Clearly not, but we understand there might be mitigating factors in there that in some cases we would have preferred not to be there.
“But that was the reality of it and one of the things we believe in is reality as opposed to fantasy, it was a reality with some of those circumstances.”
It was easy to tell that Groh was referring to the return of quarterback Jameel Sewell, too. Virginia stumbled to a 5-7 record last year without Cook and Sewell in the fold.
Groh would not go as far as to use the rust that both players have shown or the implementation of new systems (offense and special teams) as an excuse.
“Did that reality make us drop some of the balls that we dropped or missed some of the calls that we should have had?” Groh asked. “No, it didn’t so that’s not a full explanation to it, but it probably is there as part of it.”
As for Cook, Groh called him one of the team’s “best” players following the clash with UNC.
“He was on his game very nicely,” the coach said, noting that there was “a measurable difference” in his play of late.
It was near impossible to pass to Cook’s side of the field, something that opposing teams have certainly noticed in scouting.
“That is the ultimate compliment, them not throwing my way,” Cook said. “I just try to prepare the same way and make plays when I can.”
There were scouts from three NFL teams at last week’s game against the Tar Heels. At this point, however, increasing his stock for April’s draft is the furthest thing from Cook’s mind.
“I just want to win games. That’s all that matters, you know,” he said. “It was really hard not playing last year, and now that I’m back, I just want to be there for my teammates.”
 

Virginia breathes sigh of relief after Tarheel upset
Andrew Seidman, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Featured / Football / Sports
October 8, 2009 0

Senior tailback Mikell Simpson returned to form against the Tarheels, rushing for 100 yards in 20 attempts. Photo by Jason O. Watson.
Chapel Hill, N.C. — Sometimes I like to think about what it would have been like to live in a different era. The Cuban Missile Crisis sounds exciting. They tell me gas used to cost $10 a tank. A dime for a movie. And they tell me the Virginia football team once won nine games.

Just when that started to seem like ancient history (courtesy of a seven-game losing streak dating back to last year), the Cavaliers hearkened back to their 2007 season Saturday against North Carolina with a 16-3 victory, their first win of the season. On the verge of utter futility, Virginia resisted the dagger of a potential 0-4 start.

“Maybe we’re kinda hard to stick a fork in,” coach Al Groh said.

Maybe.

Virginia’s performance wasn’t exactly convincing of a turnaround — a starting point, perhaps — but was a win nevertheless.

“We’re finally getting back to old school Virginia football — you know, hard-nosed, tough,” senior quarterback Jameel Sewell said. “My guys up front are being very physical; they’re taking care of business.”

Sewell didn’t have his best game. Often lined up in the shotgun, the senior was a sitting duck for North Carolina sophomore defensive end Robert Quinn, who unleashed his unremitting fury against the quarterback with three sacks. When the pocket collapsed and receivers couldn’t break free, Sewell elected to scramble backwards — rather than throw the ball away — and lost 43 yards rushing.

None of Sewell’s mishaps was a game-changing mistake, however, and he made up for them with timely passes. Leading only 6-3 with 5:04 left in the 3rd quarter, he marched the Cavaliers from their own 36-yard line to the North Carolina 26 with back-to-back downfield passes to sophomore Kris Burd and freshman Javaris Brown, each good enough for a first down. A 6-yard flick to senior fullback Rashawn Jackson put Virginia in range for sophomore Robert Randolph’s 43-yard field goal, which extended the lead to 6, giving the Cavaliers a bit of breathing room.

And for all the ineffective quarterback keepers that resulted in negative yardage, Sewell came through when it mattered most with one final burst that, for all intents and purposes, sealed the game. After completing a 9-yard pass to sophomore Jared Green on 3rd and 4 from the North Carolina 36-yard line, Sewell again delivered on the most pivotal third down play of the game. Facing 3rd and 3 on the Carolina 20-yard line with roughly six minutes to play, the senior found a hole and sprinted forward for a 12-yard gain.

“I finally read my blocks properly — that’s what that was,” Sewell said. “They were doing all they could. It just looked like how it’s handed out in practice — that play that we called — we hadn’t really called that play during the game.”

On the very next play, the drive appropriately culminated in an 8-yard touchdown run by senior Mikell Simpson. The tailback carried the ball 20 times for the first time since Virginia’s second game of the 2008 season against Richmond, and reached the 100-yard rushing mark for the first time since 2007.

“I felt good out there,” Simpson said. “I give a lot of credit to my offensive line. They kinda looked like ‘07 today, just opening their holes up and getting on their guys. And the receivers did a good job of getting on the corners and safeties, and I was just running.”

As if the team had some sort of premonition that Simpson would reemerge as a workhorse on the ground against North Carolina, prior to the game the players watched footage of Simpson’s finest game as a Cavalier – 2007’s matchup against Maryland at College Park, in which Simpson accumulated 271 total yards and two touchdowns on 29 offensive touches. And even though the Cavaliers ranked second-to-last in rushing offense in the ACC prior to Saturday’s game, Groh said it was not part of the game plan to necessarily increase Simpson’s touches.
“It was just because he was the tailback and he was running the ball pretty well and had a good sense for where the openings were,” Groh said. “It was that kind of game.”

Simpson was not spectacular in the sense of making individual game-changing plays or demonstrating unique agility and power carrying the ball. What he did do was find creases in the defense, follow his blockers, and run with conviction — something Virginia had yet to see out of its ground attack this season.

It was this kind of performance by Simpson — coupled with the Cavaliers’ best defensive effort all year, yielding just three points and 174 yards of total offense — that had many players drawing comparisons between the current squad and the 2007 team.

Indeed, the defense was swarming from the get-go. Redshirt freshman linebacker Steve Greer made back-to-back tackles for a loss on the Tar Heels’ first two plays from scrimmage, resulting in a quick three-and-out that set the tone for the game.

“As a defense, it definitely got us psyched and ready to go,” Greer said. “We talked all week about being a tough team, and I think those plays demonstrated that.”

The defense allowed fewer than 10 first downs for the first time this season. The front seven stifled North Carolina’s pathetic running game, holding the Tar Heels to a mere 39 yards rushing on 23 attempts. Even senior Vic Hall, who played on both sides of the ball Saturday, got in on the action early in the first quarter, hurrying junior quarterback T.J. Yates on a safety blitz that allowed senior defensive end Nate Collins to smother the quarterback in the backfield for a sack. On the following North Carolina possession, fifth-year senior safety Brandon Woods sent Yates crashing to the ground — a hit so devastating that Yates barely mustered the courage to return to his feet. If there was any doubt he’d have a permanent date with the grass, sophomore defensive end Zane Parr erased it with another Virginia sack six plays later.

“We had a new wrinkle in our defense and we did a couple new things,” Collins said. “Coach told us this week, ‘Just be too hard to handle, for everybody.’ I feel like we did that up front.”

Although Collins wouldn’t say precisely what changes the team made on defense, the results were evident in one particular play in the 4th quarter with Virginia leading 9-3 and 9:22 remaining in the game. Collins, sophomore defensive end Matt Conrath and sophomore nose tackle Nick Jenkins each hurried Yates, who rushed a pass, and sophomore cornerback Chase Minnifield came up with an interception in North Carolina territory. The ensuing drive for the Cavaliers resulted in a touchdown from which the Tar Heels never recovered.

The play was “very cool, we all got to do our jobs and get to the quarterback,” Conrath said.

Although Virginia’s defensive performance was praiseworthy, it should not be overlooked just how unspeakably atrocious the Tar Heels’ offense was. For all the offensive struggles the Cavaliers had heading into the game, North Carolina’s offensive effort was equally despicable Saturday.

Trust me — those three points didn’t come easily. Wondering how North Carolina scored 31 points against East Carolina is like trying to understand Dennis Rodman. There’s simply no explanation.

And it’s worth noting that the Tar Heels sported the second worst scoring and total offense in the ACC heading into the game. We all know who the worst was.

Thus, it remains unclear what to expect from the Cavaliers against Indiana this Saturday and for the rest of ACC play. I’m not quite sure what it means to say that Virginia has returned to its 2007 form. Chris Long is not walking through the door. But, for a day, Virginia is victorious. For a day, Virginia is undefeated.
 

ACC alters bowl pecking order - Teel Time/David Teel

The Orlando-based Champs Sports Bowl will replace the Gator Bowl as the No. 3 postseason destination for ACC football teams starting in 2010.

Announced today, the agreement runs from 2010-13 and gives the Champs the third choice of ACC squads after the Bowl Championship Series and the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The ACC's Orlando opponent will be the No. 2 choice from the Big East or Notre Dame.

Presently the Champs Bowl pairs the fourth ACC team -- behind the BCS, Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A and Jacksonville-based Gator -- against the No. 4 or 5 Big Ten representative.

An ACC team has played in 17 of the last 18 Gator Bowls but the game's future with the conference is uncertain. Orlando is viewed as a better fan destination than Jacksonville, hence the Champs Bowl's ascension.

This marks the ACC's second announced change for the 2010-13 postseason cycle. Previously the league signed with the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, and parted ways with the San Francisco-based Emerald Bowl.
 

ACC's Gator Bowl relationship in peril
BY KEN TYSIAC - Staff Writer

The Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando has been elevated to the third overall spot in the ACC's contracted bowl selection order for 2010 through 2013, conference officials announced Wednesday.

Slotted behind the Bowl Championship Series bid awarded to the league champion and the Chick-fil-A Bowl, the third pick previously had been reserved for the Gator Bowl, whose longstanding relationship with the ACC is in jeopardy.

ACC associate commissioner for football operations Michael Kelly said it appears now that the Gator Bowl, based in Jacksonville, Fla., will end its contractual tie with the ACC. Kelly said ACC officials had rejected a proposal by Gator Bowl officials to eliminate the "one-win rule" requiring bowls to choose an ACC team that's within one conference win of the best available, as determined by league record.

In other words, if a team with a 5-3 conference record is available to a bowl, it can select a team with a 4-4 record, but not a team with a 3-5 record in the ACC. Kelly said Gator Bowl officials wanted the freedom to select any bowl-eligible ACC team, however.

"That requirement was something we weren't prepared to live with," Kelly said.

The bowl has had a contractual agreement to take an ACC team since 1995 and still will get the third pick from available ACC teams this season for the Jan. 1, 2010 game.

In general, bowl executives like to have the flexibility to select teams that might sell more tickets over teams with stronger won-loss records that they perceive to have fewer fans willing to travel.

The Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, Fla., reported on its Web site Wednesday that the Gator Bowl now has an agreement with the SEC and is close to a deal that would have a team from that conference meet a Big Ten opponent.

Kelly said that with the third slot resolved, the ACC will begin working on the rest of the bowl selection order for 2010 to 2013. That order is expected to continue including Charlotte's Meineke Car Care Bowl.

 

Bowden lands support
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: October 8, 2009

Scattershooting around the ACC, while being appalled by the shoddy treatment that legendary Bobby Bowden has received this week by some Florida State football fans ...
It was great to see FSU president T.K. Wetherell come out in support of Bowden on Wednesday after the coach had come under fire earlier this week by a classless statement from board of trustees chair Jim Smith.
Smith had commented that “enough is enough” and wanted Bowden’s head to roll after the Seminoles’ loss at Boston College, dropping them to 2-3 overall, 0-2 in the ACC. The most tasteless part of Smith’s statement compared retiring Bowden to putting down your favorite dog.
Classless.
Did someone forget what Bowden has done for Florida State football, putting it on the map, building a dynasty that lasted for 14 years?
Bowden has 384 career wins, only three behind Joe Paterno, and most of those wins have come at FSU, which was hapless before his arrival there from West Virginia, which happened to run Bowden off.
Asked if he was satisfied with Weatherall’s statement that Bowden’s status would be reviewed after the season is completed, the 79-year-old coach gave a good answer.
“I’ll give you a one-word answer, ‘Yes,’” Bowden said during Wednesday’s ACC Coaches Teleconference. “I appreciate his support. I think he’s wise and I’m very thankful.”
Bowden said that Smith’s criticism has fired him up to try to get things turned around.
“It makes you want to do it better,” the coach said. “This dadgum team is so close to being 5-0. It ain’t like we’re getting crushed. Every game has come down to the fourth quarter.”
Bowden remembered the last time he came under fire like this, although he did get a little confused about where.
“Last time I was doing this I was in Blacksburg, West Virginia in 1974,” Bowden said (obviously he meant Morgantown…hey, give him a break, he’ll be 80 this season and clearly had a CRS moment). “The president and AD ccame to me and said ‘Bobby, we don’t care what (the fans) say, you are our guy.’ I was going through the same dadgum thing. They stuck with me. I wish it didn’t occur, but dadgummit, there’s only one answer, winning.”
It appears that FSU will give Bowden the option to remain as head coach through 2010 if he wants, but coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher, will be running the team and hiring or firing any assistant coaches he desires.
Quote of the week
Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen reacting to a question about if he felt job security pressure in his ninth year after the Terps got off to such a bad start (2-3, but 1-0 in the ACC after upsetting Clemson):
“I don’t feel pressure. If they don’t want me here, I’ll go somewhere else. I think I’m pretty well-respected in the profession. I had a bunch of Clemson coaches come up to me afterward and talked to me and wished me the best. So as long as I’ve got my kids, that’s all I’m worried about. I’ve been at this 41 years. It comes with the territory, know what I’m saying?”
Virginia book signing
Shameless plug (for the last time) on my book: The University of Virginia Football Vault, a history of the Cavaliers.
For all those fans who have purchased the book and want it signed or personalized, or want to buy the book, I will be signing this Saturday.
Because we missed all of last football season, the University Book Store (on Emmet Street above the parking garage next to Mem Gym), has graciously offered me a signing from noon until 2:30 p.m. on Saturday before the Indiana game. Fans can leave their books at the store and pick them up after the game.
U2?
N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien, former offensive coordinator for George Welsh at Virginia, is an Irish guy but wasn’t overly upset at missing the rock band U2’s concert at Carter-Finley Stadium last Saturday when OB’s Wolfpack visited and lost at Wake Forest.
O’Brien said he wasn’t exactly a devoted fan of the group.
“It reminds me of my son, when he was young and asked me if I was alive when The Steve Miller Band was still playing,” OB said as he couldn’t hold back a smile. “I told him, ‘No, I’m still brain dead. I haven’t been around since then.’”
Tar Heel blues
Can’t blame Carolina fans for being bummed about their Tar Heels dropping to 3-2 after a 3-0 start. UNC is 0-2 in the ACC despite having given up the fewest points of any team in the league to this point, 73, (who says defense wins championships?).
The blue bellies’ woes stem from an inept offense, not helped by a patchwork O-line.
In the past two games, including a 16-3 home loss to Virginia last week, UNC has scored 10 points and rushed for only 56 yards.
When George O’Leary had it going at Georgia Tech back in the ‘90s he once told me that if you have a great offensive line you can do anything you want and that’s why he scoured the country for the best O-linemen he could find every year.
In case you didn’t catch it in my column from Sunday’s game, Carolina’s three points against UVa was the lowest during the 30-game Butch Davis era.
Woeful Tigers
Still can’t believe Maryland beat Clemson last weekend, which has Tiger fans hopping mad. They make Carolina fans seem tame.
Clemson has two offensive touchdowns in the past 13 quarters.
Hey, maybe Tommy Bowden wasn’t so bad after all, eh?
C.J. Spiller, one of apparently only two offensive weapons Clemson possesses, was wearing a boot after the loss (injured toe).
The Tigers didn’t score a point on three trips inside the Terps’ 32-yard line in the final six minutes with the game up for grabs in an eventual 24-21 loss at College Park. On one four-possession stretch from late in the first half until early in the fourth quarter, Clemson had but 10 yards and one first down. Ouch!
Credit the Fridge
While Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen might be on the hot seat, he’s throwing caution to the wind.
In that upset over Clemson last Saturday, the Terps faced a fourth-and-inches at their own 30, leading by just a field goal during the latter stages of the game. Most coaches would punt and hope the defense held.
The Fridge called timeout and changed his mind several times before he ordered his team to go for it.
Quarterback Chris Turner sneaked it and didn’t make it (now we know why Al Groh doesn’t have the QB sneak in his playbook). Still Maryland’s defense held and forced Clemson to try a field goal, which missed.
“I remember Vince Lombardi said ‘If you can’t make six inches, you don’t deserve to win the game,” Friedgen said afterward. “We had four.”
The picks
Last week: 3-4 (Why can’t I pick N.C. State correctly?) To date: 31-14. This week: Wake 17 Maryland 14; N.C. State 27, Duke 14; North Carolina 34, Georgia Southern 10; Miami 42, Florida A&M 0; Georgia Tech 20, Florida State 17; Va. Tech 26, Boston College 20; Virginia 17, Indiana 10.
 

No. 13 Virginia Defeats Longwood, 2-0
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/07/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - No. 13 Virginia scored two early goals and shut out visiting Longwood to defeat the Lancers, 2-0, Wednesday night at Klöckner Stadium.

With the win, the Cavaliers improved to 7-3 on the year, while Longwood's record went to 2-7-2.

"Tonight we jumped on them early," UVa head coach George Gelnovatch said. "I thought from there we managed the game well."

Brian Ownby (Glen Allen, Va.) started his first game since Sept. 11 after returning from competing with the United States Under-20 Men's National Team at the FIFA World Cup in Suez, Egypt. The sophomore forward wasted no time making an impact, scoring the Cavaliers' first goal in the sixth minute. Fellow sophomore Chris Agorsor (Severn, Md.) threaded a through ball to Ownby, who was onsides and dribbled past the Longwood goalkeeper Joel Helmick. He finished with his left foot into an empty net.

For Ownby, it was his first goal of the 2009 season. Agorsor's assist was his second this year.

Agorsor made it 2-0 Virginia in the 11th minute, gathering a long ball from Hunter Jumper (Plano, Texas) and chipping it over the keeper's head from 15 yards out. It was Agorsor's second goal of the year.

Diego Restrepo (West Palm Beach, Fla.) played all 90 minutes in goal for Virginia and recorded his fourth shutout of the year.

Helmick finished with three saves in defeat for Longwood.

The Cavaliers out-shot the Lancers, 16-4, and held a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks. UVa improved to 5-0-1 all-time vs. Longwood and 4-2 at Klöckner Stadium this year.

The Cavaliers are back in action on Tuesday, Oct. 13, vs. Liberty. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
 

Courtney and Singer Advance to All-American Main Draw
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/07/2009

TULSA, Okla. – The Virginia men’s tennis team had two singles players and one doubles team advance to the main draw of the ITA All-American Championships during the final day of qualifying Wednesday on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The Cavaliers will have four singles players and two doubles teams competing in the main draw, which begins Thursday.

No. 8 seed Lee Singer (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) advanced from qualifying with a 6-3, 6-2 win over George Coupland of Mississippi State in the final round. Singer won all three of his qualifying matches in straight sets.

No. 32 seed Drew Courtney (Clifton, Va.) topped Marcel Thiemann of Ole Miss 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 in his final qualifying match.

Singer and Courtney join Sanam Singh (Chandigarh, India) and Michael Shabaz (Fairfax, Va.) in the main draw. Singh and Shabaz received direct entry into the main draw due to their preseason ranking.

In doubles qualifying, the team of Singer and Courtney advanced out of qualifying to reach the main draw. The duo topped No. 27 ranked Jason Jung and George Navas of Michigan Wednesday 8-4 in the final round of qualifying. The team of Milo Johnson (Tulsa, Okla.) and Santiago Villegas (Bogota, Colombia) lost 8-4 in their final qualifying round matchup to Duke’s Reid Carleton and Henrique Cunha.

Courtney and Singer will join the team of Shabaz and Houston Barrick (Brentwood, Tenn.) in the main draw. Barrick and Shabaz are teaming instead of the two Cavalier teams (Shabaz/Jarmere Jenkins and Singh/Barick) that received direct entry into the field.
 

Men's Lacrosse to Battle Alumni Squad Friday Night
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/07/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA- Head coach Dom Starsia's 2010 Cavaliers will be on display for the first time Friday night in a scrimmage against a talented squad of former Cavalier lacrosse standouts. The scrimmage is scheduled to face off at 9 p.m. and will be played at the UHall Turf Field. Admission is free.

"We all look forward to the alumni game every year," said Starsia. "It is truly an exercise in finding the balance between having some fun and getting some work done."

Starsia enters his 18th season at the helm of the program with 30 returning lettermen, including six starters, from a year ago.

Sophomore Steele Stanwick and junior Shamel Bratton return to spearhead the offense. Stanwick was named the ACC Freshman of the Year and is the leading returning scorer after tallying 36 goals and 58 points during his rookie campaign. Bratton earned All-American accolades after scoring 31 goals and 42 points, ranking second highest amongst returners.

Newly-named senior captain Brian Carroll returns in the middle after finishing 2009 ranked No. 5 on UVa's potent scoring attack, notching 29 goals at a .322 shooting success rate. Carroll added 10 assists for a total of 39 points on his way to earning third team All-American honors, as well as All-ACC accolades.

Junior Adam Ghitelman returns in the goal for the Cavaliers after posting a 14-3 record as a starter in 2009. He saved 157 shots, good for a .538 save rate.

On defense the Cavaliers return three-time All-American and senior captain Ken Clausen and Ryan Nizolek. Clausen was second on the team with 29 caused turnovers, while picking up 49 ground balls, good for fourth on the squad. Nizolek fielded 33 ground balls and caused 16 turnovers for the Cavaliers in 2009.

Various former alumni are scheduled to return for Friday's event. Highlights from last year's event included the participation of two Tewaaraton Award winners, Chris Rotelli and Matt Ward, as well as having all three Gill brothers (Brendan, Conor and Gavin) on the field at the same time.

"It is great to have the alums back in town," said Starsia. "It makes a strong statement to the present players about the history and commitment within the program. They begin to develop a sense of responsibility and discovery of being a part of a bigger picture."

Following the alumni game, UVa will continue its fall scrimmage schedule at Navy on Oct. 18. The Cavaliers will face Navy at 1 p.m., followed by a scrimmage against Team USA.
 

Starsia Announces Lacrosse Captains for 2010
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/07/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA-Virginia head men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia announced that midfielder Brian Carroll, defenseman Ken Clausen and midfielder Mike Thompson have been selected as team captains for the 2010 campaign.

"I am very proud to announce our captains for the upcoming 2010 season," said Starsia. "I have been blessed to have been associated throughout my career with young men who demonstrate unique leadership qualities. Brian, Ken and Mikey are strong choices by their teammates and reflect the characteristics of those who have come before."

Carroll, a senior from Towson, Md., has been a starter in the middle for the Cavaliers since he first stepped on Grounds as a freshman. In 2009, Carroll was fifth on UVa's potent scoring attack, notching 29 goals at a .322 shooting success rate. Carroll added 10 assists for a total of 39 points on his way to earning third team All-American honors, as well as All-ACC accolades.

Clausen, a senior from Downington, Pa., is another three-year starter who has been a staunch defender for Starsia's program the past few seasons. He was second on the team with 29 caused turnovers, while picking up 49 ground balls, good for fourth on the squad. Clausen was named a first team All-American for the second consecutive year in 2009.

Thompson, a senior from Richmond, Va., is a durable midfielder who has missed only three games in his career. He tallied two goals and four assists off the bench for the Cavaliers in 2009. Thompson also picked up 26 ground balls and caused seven turnovers.

"Bringing a college team together is a complicated exercise and the leadership from within is what truly sets the tone," said Starsia, the eight-time ACC Coach of the Year. "If the measure of our success this spring is determined by the selection of our captains, Virginia Lacrosse fans have every reason to be very excited about the opening face-off."
 

Orange Drills Blue in Second Game, 9-2
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/07/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Orange team's bats continued to sizzle on Tuesday night, racking up 15 hits in a 9-2 victory over the Blue in game two of the Orange and Blue World Series at Davenport Field. The Orange has won the first two games of the series after taking game one, 7-4 on Monday.
The teams will play game three of the series at 6 p.m. Thursday. That game will be the final of the first three-game series. Games 4-6 of the World Series also consist of a series, and there will be a Game 7 as well. Despite trailing the series 2-0, the Blue still could win the first series based on run differential. To do so, the Blue must win Game 3 by at least 11 runs.
Freshman Chris Taylor continued his strong series with a 3-for-5 night; he is 5-for-10 in the first two games. Dan Grovatt went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI. Stephen Bruno had a pair of doubles, while Keith Werman and Ryan Levine each went 2-for-4. Eight of the nine Orange starters recorded a hit.

For the Blue, Phil Gosselin, Corey Hunt and Rob Amaro each had two hits.
On the mound, Robert Morey stifled the Blue for 4.2 innings, allowing just a run, four hits and a walk while fanning five to earn the win. Shane Halley and Neal Davis combined to allow just a run and four hits over the final 4.1 innings.
Tyler Wilson took the loss for the Blue, giving up six runs (five earned) and nine hits over four innings. Whit Mayberry pitched the final four innings and allowed two earned runs.
The Orange wasted no time in taking control, scoring three runs in the first inning. The inning was punctuated by Grovatt's triple which short-hopped the center-field wall and scored two runs.
The Orange stretched its lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Grovatt. On the play, Grovatt went to second on the throw to the plate and then scored from second when catcher Franco Valdes threw the ball away at second.
The Orange tacked on a run in the fourth when Levine doubled and scored on a Taylor double. The Blue broke through in the fifth, as Rob Amaro led off with a double, advanced to third on a Colin Harrington single and scored when Tyler Cannon grounded into a double play.
The lead grew to 9-1 in the seventh on an RBI single by Grovatt, and RBI double by Bruno and fielding error which allowed Grovatt to score. The Blue team added its final run in the eighth on an RBI single by Amaro.
Orange & Blue World Series (all games are at 6 p.m.)
Game 1: Orange 7, Blue 4
Game 2: Orange 9, Blue 2
Game 3: Thursday, October 8
Game 4: Tuesday, October 13
Game 5: Thursday, October 15
Game 6: Friday, October 16
(Ring Ceremony/Celebration of 2009 Team/Youth Baseball Day)
Game 7: Tuesday, October 20

 

Cavaliers Open 2009-10 Season Friday Against Florida
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/07/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The Virginia men's and women's swimming and diving teams open the 2009-10 season at 1 p.m. Friday against Florida at the Aquatic and Fitness Center. Diving events are set to begin at noon and live results will be available through VirginiaSports.com.
Both the Cavalier squads are coming off their second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championship in 2009. The men went on to place ninth at the NCAA Championships, the best finish in school history, while the women earned a 12th-place showing.
The Florida men are coming off a fifth-place finish at NCAAs, while the women claimed the SEC title and went on to place seventh at the national meet.
"I like to open the season with a really tough opponent and have tried to do so for as long as I have been here," Virginia head coach Mark Bernardino said. "The simple reason is if an opponent as outstanding and strong as Florida doesn't get the attention of your athletes, then what will? It could potentially be a very long season. So I want to go into competition with as tough of a matchup as I can find to start the season."
The Cavaliers return 17 All-Americans this season, including nine women and eight men. The 2009 ACC Swimmer of the Year, senior Mei Christensen, is back to defend her conference titles in both the 100 and 200 backstroke, as is Claire Crippen in the 400 individual medley. All five Cavalier relays claimed first-place honors at ACCs and went on to garner All-America honors.
Juniors Matt McLean and Scot Robison return to defend their conference titles for the men. McLean, the 2009 Swimmer of the ACC Championships, claimed wins in the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle events, while Robison took the 100 freestyle title. Like the women, all five Virginia relay teams picked up All-America honors at the NCAA meet.
"This is the earliest we have ever started the season so what I am looking for is just to see how well people race," Bernardino continued. "I just want to see what they are willing to give of themselves within a race. If there is any place where we are lagging, Friday will serve as a wake-up call. It will be a powerful reminder for what we need to do better."
The Florida women claimed their 17th SEC crown and first since 2002 after edging out Auburn and Georgia in the last relay of the championships. The Gators sent 13 student-athletes to the NCAA meet and on the final day of competition, Gemma Spofforth, Teresa Crippen and Stephanie Proud went 1-2-3 in the 200-yard backstroke; Spofforth and Crippen both return for Florida. Spofforth, a 2008 Olympian for her native England, was tabbed the 2009 SEC Swimmer of the Year and has claimed five NCAA titles in her career, including three in the 200 back and two in the 100 back.
On the men's side, Florida sent 11 members to the NCAA Championships and came away with a fifth-place finish at NCAAs, including two individual titles for Shaune Fraser, who returns in 2009-10. Fraser is a two-time Olympian (2004, 2008) for his native Cayman Islands. The Gators finished second for the eighth-consecutive year to SEC Champion Auburn at the conference meet.
In the all-time series, Virginia has yet to defeat Florida in dual-meet competition. Both the UF men and women hold a 7-0 advantage over the Cavaliers. Last year in Gainesville, the Gator men defeated UVa 169-129 while the women suffered a 166-132 setback.
The match-up between the Cavaliers and Gators will also feature a pair of sisters competing against each other for the second time in the college ranks. Virginia junior Claire Crippen, a native of Conshohocken, Pa., will be swimming against her younger sister Teresa, a sophomore at UF. The Crippens' older sister Maddy swam at Villanova (1998-2002) while their older brother Fran swam under Bernardino at UVa (2002-06).
Because of construction near the Aquatic and Fitness Center, parking adjacent to the facility is limited and parking rules are being stringently enforced. Metered parking will be available at the Aquatic and Fitness Center and Slaughter Recreation Center (a five minute walk) for spectators. Please note your space number and pay the meter inside the facility. Spaces designated for those individuals in possession of a handicapped parking permit are located off Alderman Road on the west side of the Aquatic and Fitness Center.