After season of suspension, Sewell and Cook back in gear for Cavs
By Michael Phillips
Published: October 14, 2009

CHARLOTTSVILLE Jameel Sewell is used to slow starts, but this one was even more agonizing than usual.

The U.Va. quarterback, a Hermitage graduate, hadn't won a football game since 2007 before breaking through against North Carolina and Indiana in the past two weeks.

Now, along with defensive teammate Chris Cook, the two seniors are again starting to get back in the groove they left behind when they were suspended academically for the 2008 season. Sewell is the first to admit that returning to the game wasn't as easy as just picking up the football and flinging it to receivers.

"I came back and played pretty poorly," he said. "We had three losses, and that was hard for me to deal with, since I tend to take a lot of things to heart."

The first month of the season was a frustrating time for Sewell and Cook -- they'd spent all year waiting for game day, then the team fell flat.

Cook has switched to jersey No. 2 for the season, representing his "second chance" at the game of football.

Both players agreed it was too hard to come to the stadium on game days when they weren't playing, but that didn't diminish their love for the game.

"I just watched football," Cook said. "I had some old tapes of our games that I watched. I watched NFL games -- whatever was on."

He found his way back to a playmaking role first and has started all five games at cornerback, recording 13 tackles this year. He's also the only Cavs player with two interceptions.

"Cook came back and looked like he hadn't lost anything, came out on top of the game," Sewell said.

For the quarterback, it was a longer journey. When Vic Hall injured his hip during the first game, the job was Sewell's to take over. After a rough game against TCU, he finally took off during the loss to Southern Mississippi.

He's now averaging 215 yards of offense per game, combining his passing skills and his running ability.

"In previous years, Jameel's season started a little slow, and it took a little while for him to get the rhythm of the game," coach Al Groh said. "With a year's absence on top of that, that was the case this year.

"But he's had three positive outings, and he's been able to find that rhythm that he found when we went on a roll in '07."

Repeating the success of that season -- when an embarrassing loss to Wyoming was followed by seven straight wins -- is the goal, with linebacker Aaron Clark saying fans were asking if the team was going to go on another "Virginia streak."

Whether that happens will depend largely on Cook and Sewell continuing their production. Sewell has been practicing so far this week without running back Mikell Simpson, a big part of the offense in the two victories.

But the quarterback said that such hurdles now look small after he finally returned to form following a year away from the game.

"You always know you can win, but when you do it, it's easier to follow through in the next game in a positive manner," he said. "That does a lot. It does everything, really."
 

About-face
Virginia's football fortunes have abruptly turned since starting the season 0-3.
Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- People wondering what has happened to Virginia's football team haven't been inside the Cavaliers' locker room.

Emotion has played a big part in UVa's modest two-game winning streak, if you can believe co-captain Aaron Clark.

"I'm sure all of you guys would have liked to be a fly on the wall before this [past] game," said Clark two days after a 47-7 victory over Indiana.

"It was incredible. It went from two or three of us screaming and yelling and trying to get everybody jacked up to the entire locker room out of their chairs, jumping around. It was something to see."

The Cavaliers were coming off a 16-3 victory at North Carolina, where previously winless UVa was a 12 12-point underdog.

"That was a big turning point for us," said Clark, a fifth-year senior from Rockbridge County. "We decided we needed to refocus the locker room and get our energy to a different level.

"Some of the older guys who have been through ups and downs really stepped up and made the team understand that this was personal, that we had to do something to establish ourselves as a team."

The Cavaliers (2-3 , 1-0 ACC) visit Maryland (2-4, 1-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday in College Park, Md.

"You would like to say we're going to pull off one of those Virginia streaks right now," Clark said, "but I don't think I can say it enough, 'It's a week-to-week challenge.' You can't assume anything."

It helped this past Saturday that the Cavaliers got some instant gratification.

After Indiana took the opening kickoff and picked up two quick first downs, cornerback Ras-I Dowling stripped the ball from the Hoosiers' Tandon Doss and UVa safety Rodney McLeod returned it 32 yards to the Indiana 38.

"Things like that really set the tone," Clark said. "You can go out there jacked up to the moon, but, if you get beat on the first couple of plays, that energy's going to deflate really fast. You've got to go out there and make plays."

At North Carolina, where the Tar Heels had the ball first, inside linebacker Steve Greer had tackles for loss on each of the first two plays.

Clark, who started at right outside linebacker in UVa's first two games, now splits time on the left side with fellow co-captain Denzer Burrell.

In a film clip on virginiasportstv.com, Burrell can be seen exhorting his teammates in the locker room Saturday.

"The first couple of games, we didn't feel [the energy] was what it used to be," said Clark in an accompanying sound bite. "In the past here, it's been a real loud, boisterous locker room. So, we knew we needed to get back to that."

There was no ultimatum from coach Al Groh and no players-only meetings.

"The funny thing is, [the captains] haven't met anymore," Clark said. "I think everybody made the decisions within themselves at the same time that 'enough's enough and we need to turn it around.'

"We've tried to change the energy of the team during practice and make them understand that you've got to practice [well] in order to win.

"You've got to get out there and compete against your teammates to even give you a chance to compete against other opponents."

The Cavaliers had a four-game winning streak last year, preceded by a seven-game winning streak in 2007. The last game during that run was at Maryland, where Virginia rallied from a 17-3 deficit and won 18-17.

In the closing minutes, officials twice looked at replays before upholding calls that kept alive UVa's go-ahead touchdown drive.

"The energy in that stadium was one of the surreal experiences I've experienced in my life," he said. "It's something I'll remember my whole life."

Groh has come under fire at various stages of his tenure but has shown a knack for holding his team together during trying times.

"One of Coach's sayings that I love is, 'The bull doesn't care what you did last week,' " Clark said.

"When a cowboy is riding a bull, the bull doesn't know who's on his back. He doesn't know if you rode the last 100 bulls before him. All he knows is, he's trying to get you off his back.' "

"That's kind of the way we approach games. The bull doesn't care if you won the previous week or not. That other team's trying to beat you. It's Coach's way of saying, 'You can't be complacent.' "
 

Simpson making better decisions
By Norm Wood
247-4642
October 14, 2009

When Virginia coach Al Groh analyzes the way running back Mikell Simpson is running the ball this season, Groh has a simple explanation for why Simpson is back to being a productive back after more than a year of struggling.

Simpson is making solid decisions on when and where to cut when the ball in his hands, according to Groh. There's no sign of hesitation. Simpson's status for Saturday's game at Maryland still is undetermined after he left the field last weekend in U.Va.'s 47-7 win against Indiana on a stretcher with a neck injury.

After 100 rushing yards and 45 receiving yards against North Carolina, and following it up with 83 rushing yards and four touchdowns to go along with 66 receiving yards against Indiana, there's no doubt U.Va. (2-3 overall, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) would like to have him on the field for Maryland.

In 2007, he ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns and had 152 receiving yards in U.Va.'s 18-17 win at Maryland.

"When he makes good, quick decisions, that's when he runs in the fashion in which he has been running," Groh said.

"He got away from that type of definitive cutting last year, but when he played that way — in '07 and the way he's been playing this year — he's more definitive with it."

Last season, Simpson gained 298 rushing yards and averaged just 3 yards per carry as Cedric Peerman's backup.

Groh said if Simpson can play this weekend, he'd like Simpson to practice enough to familiarize himself with blocking responsibilities against Maryland (2-4, 1-1).

"The runs are going to be pretty much the same," Groh said. "Maryland does bring a variety of different-looking schemes which will be challenging, not only to the offensive line, but particularly to the backs."

Storylines
NOT WASTING TIME

Though U.Va. is tied with North Carolina for the fewest number of scoring drives (22) in the ACC this season, it hasn't taken the Cavaliers long to find the end zone when they have scored. It has taken them less than 2 minutes, 30 seconds to score in 12 of the 22 drives, including five drives shorter than a minute.

GETTING BETTER

One of U.Va.'s biggest improvements in the last two weeks has come in rush defense, but it has come against weak running teams. The Cavaliers have given up a combined 121 rushing yards in their last two games, but the Tar Heels are 102nd in the nation in rushing offense (111 yards per game) and the Hoosiers are 89th (123 per game). U.Va. surrendered 125 or more rushing yards, including 214 against Southern Mississippi and 203 against Texas Christian, in each of its first three games.

CLIMBING LIST

With 4,474 passing yards, Jameel Sewell is sixth on U.Va.'s career list. He has a good shot to climb as high as third on the list, as he's only 744 yards behind third-place Scott Gardner, who had 5,218 career yards.

BIG NUMBER

.917U.Va.'s winning percentage in October in its last 12 games (11 wins dating back to 2006). U.Va.'s last loss in October came Oct. 27, 2007, when it lost 29-24 at North Carolina State.
 

Maryland's Friedgen still optimistic about team's chances
With wide-open ACC, Terps coach has high hopes for second half of the season
By Sandra McKee | sandra.mckee@baltsun.com
10:22 p.m. EDT, October 13, 2009

COLLEGE PARK - Some might have expected Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen to be pessimistic after his team's 42-32 loss at Wake Forest on Saturday. After all, his defense gave up six big plays in that game and his battered offensive line continued to have trouble opening holes for the running backs and pass-blocking for its quarterback.

But Tuesday afternoon at Friedgen's weekly news conference, the coach saw a glass half full, not half empty.

"As strange as things are ... here we are at 2-4," he said of the Terps, who are 1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "Obviously if we had won last week we'd be in a very good situation. But the way [the Atlantic Division] is, everybody but Wake and Maryland has [at least] two losses. Wake plays Clemson this week in a big game. We're right in this thing if we could just get going."

To get going, the Terps will have to play a strong homecoming game against ACC rival Virginia, which is coming into Saturday's game fresh off two confidence-building victories over North Carolina and Indiana. That fact isn't lost on Friedgen or his players, who view last year's game against the Cavaliers, a 31-0 loss, as the worst game of their season.

"This is a big game," Friedgen said. "We've got to focus on one game at a time, but to me, every goal that our kids have with the exception of beating California is still there. I'm working as hard as I possibly can so we can punch through and win a game and keep the momentum going and get better."

Though the Terps will need to go 4-2 in its last six games to qualify for a bowl game, Friedgen is not discounting the possibility.

"If there's any strength I draw from our players, it's the fact that it was 35-10 [at halftime vs. Wake] and everything was going wrong and we had some injuries and yet we played a lot better in the second half," he said. "That game could [have] come down to an onside kick with us three points down.

"I draw strength from that because of the type of players we have, [and] that they hung in there. I've been in other situations where that wasn't necessarily the case. I still have a lot of optimism about this season and I'm hoping we can get a win this weekend and then see where we are health-wise by the stretch run at the end. I haven't changed in the way I feel about these guys. We have some guys that are nicked up and I'm trying to take it easy on them a little bit so they can get well. And yet they still want to go, which is a thing I appreciate."

Friedgen said he didn't know why the Atlantic Division appears to have so much parity this season and didn't seem to care.

"I don't know," he said. "But we still have a chance. We're still in it as far as I'm concerned."

Friedgen's players are in agreement. "We know we have a chance," said senior center Phil Costa.

Hartsfield's status unclear

Redshirt freshman linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield, who had a career-high 10 tackles against Clemson and another five against Wake Forest on Saturday, broke his hand against the Demon Deacons and didn't practice Monday.

"What the doctors tell me is, he can probably play in this game and then will have to be operated on," Friedgen said. "And then we'll get him back in three weeks. What I'm trying to determine is how effective he will be this week. He can't do any more damage. What I'm concerned about is if we delay it then he won't be ready for the N.C. State game. I'd kind of like to get a feeling on that today or tomorrow. It was pretty swollen [Monday] night, so I don't know where he's at right now."

Meanwhile, offensive tackle Bruce Campbell (knee) practiced Monday and judging by the smile that lit up quarterback Chris Turner's face Tuesday, Campbell could be in the lineup for Virginia.

"My play doesn't change because of one person, but collectively, there have been some problems," Turner said. "So I do speed things up a little bit. I make my drops a little quicker, go through my progression a little quicker. And deciding to run maybe a little quicker than I should.

"But as far as thinking about Bruce, I don't change anything specific, but that doesn't mean it won't be a little more comforting knowing Big Bruce will be there on my left side."

Punter Travis Baltz (ankle) is not expected to play Saturday.

Designated for improvement

Friedgen was pleased with the progress his team has made in cutting down penalties and turnovers, and is now turning his eyes toward the young, injury-weakened offensive line.

"The next area where we have to get better is in stopping the sacks," he said. "I think we have 23 sacks right now. Part of that is that we keep changing lineups every week. We don't have Campbell. We have Lamar Young, a young kid in there. Young kids will make mistakes, but the bottom line is we've got to get better."

Coach as cheerleader

Friedgen said he had a talk with sophomore cornerback Cameron Chism, who replaced fifth-year senior Nolan Carroll (broken leg) in the starting lineup.

On Saturday, Chism slipped on one play that resulted in a touchdown and was beaten on another touchdown pass.

"I don't want him to lose his aggressiveness or confidence," Friedgen said. "He fell on one play and was beaten in the corner, but he was only a step away from having that covered. The biggest thing is I don't want him to get tentative. He's a young kid. I patted him on the shoulder and let him know I haven't lost confidence in him."

Notes: Friedgen said he will continue using his young running backs, doing "whatever's necessary to win." That includes the possibility of scrapping a potential redshirt year for freshman running back D.J. Adams. ... The Terps seem particularly inspired by Virginia coming to town. Said junior linebacker Alex Wujciak, "They're not one of my favorite teams. We're two different schools, two different atmospheres, two different types of kids. There are no shirts and ties and khakis in College Park. None of us want to wear that type of stuff."

Why Do You Hate Me, Al Groh? by Ben Gibson
Ben Gibson Columnist, Featured Columnist

Dear Coach Groh,

How are you?

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ben, a loyal Wahoo. Both my father and grandfather went to UVA and I became a third-generation Cavalier while you were coach of the Virginia Cavaliers from 2003-2007.

I shook hands with you once in 2004 at Alumni Hall after a special class celebration; it was quite the intimidating experience. After all, here was a former NFL coach and the face of the program shaking my hand. Let’s face it, orange is your color.

However, I must ask you a simple question. Why do you hate me?

I wanted you to succeed so badly at Virginia. You had NFL experience, you were a Virginia alum, and you gave answers to the media that required a doctorate in BS to decipher. You came in and talked about how you would change the culture and make Virginia a power in the ACC and in the country.

I believed.

I let you get rid of the pep band. I let you stuff the “Sea of Orange” t-shirts down our throats as you replaced those gorgeous sundresses with bland uniformity. I did my part to make Scott Stadium an intimidating atmosphere and not one to be ridiculed by Cavalier Daily columnists.

In return, what have I gotten?

A team that always breaks my heart.

Oh, we have had some good times Al. The 2002 season where your team overachieved and went 9-5 was really exciting. I liked the part when we knocked out nationally-ranked opponents Maryland and N.C. State in consecutive weeks.

I thought things were changing for the better.

They weren’t.

You see, each and every year I had faith that Virginia football would reach the “next level” and just like Charlie Brown using Lucy to hold the football, I ended up flat on my back staring up to the sky in a sense of sheer sorrow.

So often, I wanted to yell and scream at you just like Charlie Brown undoubtedly wanted to do to Lucy. However, this season I came to the realization that the fault is mine.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

The problem isn’t you lifting the football, it is me trusting you to hold it.

So after a loss to William & Mary and putrid performance against Texas Christian University, I had moved on. I was done with you Al Groh and I was simply counting down the days until we had a fresh, young face that could turn the program around that you had sent crashing into the ground.

I thought we had an understanding!

However, here you go again trying to get me to hope. With Virginia on life support, the Cavaliers shock the North Carolina Tar Heels and follow it up with a complete massacre of the Indiana Hoosiers.

All of the sudden, Virginia could pass the ball with amazing efficiency. The defense was making big plays. The special teams unit actually learned how to field a punt. I did not recognize the team I was watching.

You were doing the exact same thing and getting a completely different result, which meant you were driving me insane!

Groh, you’re acting like an abusive boyfriend. You break my heart and then try to make amends with gifts and apologies.

So I must really ask, why? Why do you keep trying to act like you can coach? Why must you keep trying to save your job only to let me down again next season?

Everyone else can see that you’re bad for me. Virginia Tech fans hail you as a God. Wake Forest fans thank you for going to Virginia instead of Jim Grobe. The other ACC teams actually feel sorry for us!

However, the worst part is yet to come. I know how this script ends Al. You will keep winning just enough to let me get my hopes up. Despite every instinct in my body, I will reach a point where I believe Virginia can get the job done.

Maybe Virginia will actually get to a bowl game?

Maybe Virginia will actually beat the Hokies in an epic BCS-buster finale?

Then reality kicks in.

Groh, your team follows no rhyme or reason. You are just as likely to beat Maryland by 30 as you are to lose to the Terrapins by 50. Your team shows me what it can achieve and constantly falls short of that mark each and every year.

So I am writing this letter to tell you that I have to break it off. I have to end this coaching relationship before I get attached to this team again and start to believe. I simply cannot go through another heartbreak in November again.

I cannot endure having to watch the Hokies hoist the ACC trophy every single year while we are stuck trying to explain losses to Wyoming, Western Michigan, Southern Mississippi, and William & Mary to our friends and family.

Let me be clear about this though. It’s not me, it’s you.

You did this to yourself. I know you’re a pretty good guy and you cannot physically go out there and execute the plays for your players, but come on. When your team is this consistently inconsistent, that says something about leadership.

Sure, the team deserves credit for keeping hope alive, but they should never be in these desperate situations to begin with.

Thank you for your time, coach. I will be waiting for your response and will be waiting to see how this team progresses the rest of the season. If only I didn’t already know the answer.

Sincerely,
The Virginia Fans
 

October harvest is not a surprise for Virginia
By Patrick Stevens

CHARLOTTESVILLE | The slow start followed with an early autumn flourish isn't necessarily the best approach to chasing a conference title - let alone a bowl berth.

There's angst, consternation and more often than not a mob figuratively calling for a coach's head. Then comes the turnaround, accompanied by glee and even greater befuddlement at a team's striking dichotomy.

Virginia knows this all too well. So after digging an imposing 0-3 hole, the Cavaliers (2-3, 1-0) have rattled off consecutive victories and remain one of two unbeaten teams in ACC play entering Saturday's visit to Maryland (2-4, 1-1).

"You would like to think that we're going to pull off another one of those Virginia streaks right now, but you have to take it week to week," linebacker Aaron Clark said Monday. "I know in the past those streaks have been fun. ... You'd like to think you could do something like that, but we have to keep grinding."

Uncorking an October surprise shouldn't be considered much of a shock for a program with a history of waiting a few weeks before making midseason runs to pacify fans disgruntled with coach Al Groh's job performance.

In 2006, the Cavaliers rattled off three wins in four games before missing out on bowl eligibility with a season-ending loss at Virginia Tech. The next year, Virginia followed an opening loss at Wyoming with a seven-game winning streak. Then last fall, it produced a spotless October (4-0) before collapsing in the final month.

Clearly, Groh and the Cavaliers have done a vastly better job of channeling Reggie Jackson (won 11 of the last 12 October games) than Derek Jeter (lost nine of 12 in November). But for the moment, the most significant development is they no longer look like the inept outfit of September.

Virginia committed seven turnovers in a shocking loss to William & Mary and followed with setbacks against Texas Christian and Southern Mississippi. Then came a bye week, and the Cavaliers scrapped some of the tenets of the spread offense new coordinator Gregg Brandon installed in the offseason.

The results? Progress from quarterback Jameel Sewell, back-to-back defeats of North Carolina and Indiana and the sense the Cavaliers still could salvage a solid season in the ever-wacky ACC.

"They've got eyes and ears, and they can see; they don't always need the coach to tell them," Groh said. "When a player can see that he can do things better than he could do them before, that makes everybody feel better, whatever we're doing."

The resurrection isn't complete. The Cavaliers haven't been over .500 since halfway through last year's November collapse, and they still easily could miss the postseason for the third time in four years.

That might not auger well for Groh, who has two years left on his contract and was the subject of much fan discontent early this season. Some of it was audible from grouchy fans, but the announced crowd Saturday at Scott Stadium was only at three-quarters capacity and could prove louder than any message-board discord.

Still, Virginia appears markedly more stable than earlier in the season after regrouping during a bye week. The Cavaliers are committed to one quarterback (Sewell) rather than rotating three. Vic Hall returned from a hip injury and flourished as a receiver. And the defense, torched at times in September, has held consecutive opponents to less than 300 yards.

"The way we started, the bye week was very needed," Clark said. "It came at a crucial point in our season, and I think it was what the doctor ordered. We needed to pull the reins back in and refocus our team."

Whatever the case, the revamped Cavaliers no longer are the punching bags they appeared to be a few weeks ago. Now it's just a matter of extending their October magic through the end of the month - and perhaps even further than that.

"We seem to be getting our legs underneath us," Groh said. "It's a long way to go yet, but the key thing now is for us to establish for ourselves what level of consistency of performance we're going to get. To have done it a few times doesn't necessarily lock it in, so I think we feel significantly challenged to try to step up and do that."

Notes - The ACC announced game times for Oct. 24. Virginia will host Georgia Tech at noon in a game televised by Raycom. Maryland will visit Duke at 1:30, with ESPN360 providing an online broadcast. ...

Maryland kick returner Torrey Smith (specialist), Virginia cornerback Ras-I Dowling (defensive back) and Virginia Tech tailback Ryan Williams (rookie) were among the ACC's players of the week.
 

Terrapins' Smith continues to make plays
By Matt Zenitz, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Flat out, wide receiver Torrey Smith is a playmaker.

Many skeptics expected a drop-off in offensive production from Maryland after Darrius Heyward-Bey left for the NFL, but that hasn’t been the case.

Actually, it’s been completely the opposite. The passing game has managed to improve, even without Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in April’s draft.

While Maryland has gotten off to a slow start as a team, third-year starting quarterback Chris Turner is on pace to set career highs in passing yards and touchdowns, mostly because of the talented Smith. The 6-foot-1, 200-pound sophomore is ranked second in the ACC, averaging just under 90 yards per game receiving.

Over the last five games, Smith has racked up 491 yards and six touchdowns (one rushing, one kick return). In comparison, Heyward-Bey had 602 yards and six touchdowns (one rushing) all of last season.

“He’s a competitor,” Terps receiver coach Lee Hull said. “He’ll go get the football and he’ll fight for the ball.

“He’s a very good deep ball threat. People have been trying to press him and he’s been beating them off the jam and been able to use his speed.”

Smith may not be blessed with Heyward-Bey’s 4.30 speed in the 40-yard dash, but he has actually proven to be even more of a big-play threat than Heyward-Bey. Smith is averaging 17 yards per catch, while Heyward-Bey averaged a modest 14.5 during his final season in College Park. To be fair, not too many people are blessed with Heyward-Bey’s speed, and Smith isn’t exactly slow — timing as fast as 4.36 in the 40.

While his speed allows him to separate downfield, his strength allows him to beat the press as well as break tackles in the open field. Smith owns the record among receivers for the top power clean in school history, and has the second best mark with a 550-pound squat.

He is also a dynamic kick returner and became the first player in the country this season to top 1,000 all-purpose yards.

“I bring a good balance,” Smith said. “I’m not just a speed guy or a guy that can make you miss. I bring a good balance in size and strength.”

It’s almost funny at this point to think that Smith’s goals coming into the season were to eclipse 600 yards and five touchdowns. With his hot start, Smith has reassessed, and is now shooting for 1,000 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.

However, it may be difficult for him to reach those numbers.

As he has emerged, teams have begun shading their coverage towards his side and double-teaming him. Hull sees that as a positive, as it has opened things up for other receivers such as Adrian Cannon and Ronnie Tyler.

Cannon had two touchdowns against Wake Forest and has at least four catches in all but one game this season. Tyler had five catches and a touchdown in Maryland’s 20-17 win over Clemson.

Even without Heyward-Bey, the Terrapins are averaging almost 60 yards per game more through the air than they were at this same point last season.

“As Torrey gets more and more publicity and teams know that he’s probably the guy we’re going to if we need a big catch, we’ll need other guys to step up,” Hull said. “People can start keying on Torrey, but we have other guys that can also make plays and can hurt them.”

 

Terps a shell of their former selves
By Patrick Stevens

Just a couple of games into the season, Ralph Friedgen could see the beginning signs of looming parallels between his current outfit and the injury-beset 2007 Maryland team.

The common theme only has grown stronger in the weeks since.

Three Terrapins players - linebackers Demetrius Hartsfield and Adrian Moten and left guard Lamar Young - departed Saturday's 42-32 loss to Wake Forest early, another incremental addition to injury woes Maryland (2-4, 1-1 ACC) can scarcely afford entering this week's date with suddenly resurgent Virginia (2-3, 1-0).

"Obviously, we learned two years ago when injuries pile up, it's not good," linebacker Alex Wujciak said. "I think the guys right now who have injuries, they're going to play. Moten, he's going to play. I guarantee that. ... Obviously, playing football you're going to get bumps and bruises. But we'll be full-go for Virginia."

Wujciak should know considering he missed that 2007 season with a torn ACL. Friedgen said Sunday that Hartsfield has two broken bones in his hand and will undergo surgery in the next two weeks. It's an injury similar to the one Moten suffered last year and probably will cost the redshirt freshman three weeks.

Meanwhile, Friedgen said Young (shoulder) is questionable for this week, while Moten (thigh contusion) is probable.

Maryland's problem is these injuries aren't the first problems encountered this year. Cornerback Nolan Carroll is long since done for the season with a broken right tibia. Left tackle Bruce Campbell, one of the offensive line's few sure things each week, has missed three games. The latest was Saturday after a left MCL injury prevented him from practicing last week.

Then there's Da'Rel Scott (left radius), who is out until at least the regular season's penultimate game. Punter Travis Baltz (ankle) has missed the last two games. Both Baltz and Campbell are questionable for Virginia.

"I don't want to use it as an excuse," Friedgen said. "When you lose your best corner, best running back, your punter, your best left tackle, it stretches you. It really does. You have a young team to start with, and all those guys are veterans."

The succession of injuries is part of why the Terps have used eight true freshmen, a full third of the class that arrived in College Park in August. Tailback Caleb Porzel is the latest to debut, taking three carries for minus-2 yards Saturday. Friedgen said D.J. Adams still could play this season if that's what is needed to win.

Moten's replacement in the second half was true freshman Darin Drakeford. And with Young potentially sidelined, Friedgen said the Terps will take an extended look at massive guard Pete White in practice.

For those who avoid the growing swath of injuries, there is little gained from dwelling on the problems. After all, the Terps still have a half-dozen games left to salvage something from this season.

"I just try not to think about it," quarterback Chris Turner said. "It is something [where] we have to make adjustments and we have to fill guys in, and it kind messes us up a little bit in things we want to be doing. But it's just the way it is. I don't think about it much. I just go out and do what they tell me to do."

The Terps' 2007 incarnation also pulled a bowl berth out of an improbable situation, winning two of its last three despite its ailments to reach the six-win plateau. With the ACC's Atlantic Division a muddled mess, Friedgen remains hopeful there might be more than one postseason game in Maryland's future.

"I don't think we're out of it," Friedgen said. "Florida State has three losses, and everybody but us and Wake Forest has two losses. Wake Forest plays Clemson at Clemson this week. Who knows what will happen? We have to take care of our business and find a way to start winning again."
 

The Hartsfield quandary By Patrick Stevens on Oct. 13, 2009 into D1SCOURSE

Football coaches, by their nature, have a remarkable aversion to playing for the future.

Much of it has to do with the need to winrightnow. Or something like that.

Which is why questions about using guys in modest roles now usually gets met with answers about trying to succeed in the present.

But there's a curious case in College Park where the future is not next year, but next month. And Ralph Friedgen is trying to figure out just how to maximize Demetrius Hartsfield in 2009.

Hartsfield has a broken hand. He was going to undergo surgery either this week or next, Friedgen said Sunday.

Nearly 48 hours later, though, the when is still up in the air.

"We're still trying to evaluate that," Friedgen said. "He didn't practice last night. What the doctors tell me is he'll probably play this game and then has to get operated on. We would get him back in three weeks. What I'm trying to determine is how effective he'll be this week. Last night, he didn't practice, so it's tough to tell."

In short, the Terps will be without Hartsfield for two games. That combo will either be Virginia and Duke or Duke and N.C. State. There's a bye wedged between the Duke and N.C. State trips, providing something of a buffer and something of a strategic headache.

Perhaps the worst-case scenario is surgery late this week. That knocks out the next two games, and imperils Hartsfield's chances of playing in his personal homecoming game in Raleigh.

Friedgen, understandably, would like to make a decision soon.

"There's a certain time period you have to operate on, and it's probably from what they tell me a week to 10 days," Friedgen said. "Then it affects the healing process. He can't do any more damage if he plays with a cast. What I'm trying to ascertain is how well can he play."

From a purely rational standpoint, this comes down to a question of playing shorthanded (and with Ben Pooler as a starter) against Virginia or N.C. State. Pooler played well in the second half at Wake Forest, and that factors into Friedgen's thinking as well. The longer the decision drags out, the greater the chance the Terps lose Hartsfield for a game more than needed.

There's no way of knowing if taking a hit in the present (Virginia) or the future (N.C. State) is the better decision. But clearly, making a decision on Hartsfield will be of utmost importance in the next 24 hours.

--- Patrick Stevens
 

Friedgen Optimistic Terrapins Can Turn It AroundDAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) ― Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen is convinced his players haven't quit trying to win, so he won't give up on trying to make it happen.

The Terrapins (2-4, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) have lost three of four and need to go 4-2 the rest of the way to become bowl eligible. It's a daunting task, especially for a young team that has been outscored 216-151.

A 24-21 upset of Clemson two weeks ago was a move in the right direction, but Maryland took another step backward last Saturday in a 42-32 loss at Wake Forest. Down 35-10 at halftime, the Terrapins managed to make a game of it over the final 30 minutes.

That made the defeat a bit more palatable for Friedgen as he prepares for Saturday's homecoming game against Virginia.

"If there's any strength I draw from our players, it's the fact that it was 35-10 and everything was going wrong and we had some injuries and yet we played a lot better in the second half," Friedgen said Tuesday. "They hung in there. I've been in other situations where that wasn't necessarily the case. I still have a lot of optimism about this season. I'm hoping we can get a win this weekend, then see where we are health-wise by the stretch run at the end."

Injuries have been a factor in Maryland's poor start. Cornerback Nolan Carroll (broken leg) is lost for the season; running back Da'Rel Scott (wrist) will miss at least a month; left tackle Bruce Campbell (knee) has been in and out of the lineup; and punter Travis Baltz (ankle) probably will miss a third straight game Saturday.

Also, linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield (broken hand) needs surgery and will miss three weeks, but Friedgen is considering putting off the operation until after the Virginia game, depending on how effective he feels Hartsfield will be Saturday.

"What I'm concerned about is, if we delay it then he won't be ready for the N.C. State game (on Nov. 7)", Friedgen said.

Campbell practiced Monday, Hartsfield is willing to play with a broken hand and several others are playing in pain to help the team salvage the season.

"I haven't changed in the way I feel about these guys," Friedgen said. "We have some guys that are nicked up and I'm trying to take it easy on them a little bit so they can get well. And yet they still want to go, which is a thing I appreciate."

Maryland's biggest problem has been its own mistakes. The Terrapins have lost 10 fumbles, thrown 10 interceptions and their minus-10 turnover differential ranks 111th of 120 teams in the Bowl Division.

"The talent is there," quarterback Chris Turner said. "It's about eliminating the mistakes and executing the way we can. If we can play for four quarters, we can play with anybody. When we don't, that's when we get in a little bit of trouble."

Despite their 2-4 record, Maryland is tied with Wake Forest for fewest losses in the league's Atlantic Division.

"We're right in this thing if we could just get going," Friedgen said. "Every goal that our kids have — with the exception of beating California — is still there. I'm working as hard as I possibly can so we can punch through and win a game and keep the momentum going and get better."
 

Struggling line hurting Terp offense
Max protection scheme has left Terps with few receiving options
By Adi Joseph
Updated: Wednesday, October 14, 2009

There is a persistent domino effect rippling through the Terrapin football team in its games this season. Each week, the areas of concern change. The style of the game changes. The final result, in some way, is different.

Yet each week, Terp coach Ralph Friedgen is questioned about the offensive line. It’s been the obvious weak spot for the 2009 Terps since Dec. 31, 2008, the day after the Terps’ 42-35 win against Nevada in the Humanitarian Bowl. Five of the team’s top seven linemen graduated and moved on, several to professional careers. As a result, the Terps were left with a core group short on both experience and depth.

The tribulations of the line have been diligently reported. Quarterback Chris Turner has been sacked 22 times this season, more than any other quarterback in FBS (formerly Division 1-A). The running game has averaged just 2.7 yards per carry, as opposed to 4.3 last season. And the unit has yet to settle into any real roles, with eight players making starts and center Phil Costa, a converted guard, the only lineman to start in the same position for all six games this year.

But those numbers uncover only the top layer of the Terps’ issues. As a result of protection issues, Turner has been forced to get rid of the ball more quickly. To compensate, the Terps have kept tight ends and running backs, often viable receiving options, in to assist the line with pass blocking, giving Turner fewer options.

Offensive coordinator James Franklin often references the importance of every piece of the offense working together as a unit. The line’s struggles, then, have presented a number of challenges to the offense, particularly with the need for extra blockers.

“We’re doing some of those things to give us a chance,” Franklin said. “You don’t want to do that all the time, but we’re doing that in certain situations more than we normally have. ... It gives you less options.”

In addition, this season, those options have changed. Since All-American tight end Vernon Davis first started for the Terps in 2004, Friedgen has earned a reputation for his use of tight ends. In the five years prior to this season, tight ends were responsible for 24 percent of Terp receptions.

This season, that number has dropped to just 14 percent. Certainly, those numbers reflect the losses of three high-caliber tight ends — Joey Haynos and Jason Goode in 2007, and Dan Gronkowski last season. But the statistics also measure the increased amount of pass protection demanded of the tight ends, as well as running backs and fullbacks, this season.

The effects are clear. Turner has been forced to scramble this season far more than in the past: If wide receivers struggle to get open, Turner has no choice but to tuck the ball and run or take a sack.

“When they stay in to protect, we’ve got to do our job,” wide receiver Torrey Smith said. “So it puts a lot of pressure on us.”

Smith said the Terps have also run more wide receiver screens than in the past. The insurance is necessary. On at least four of Turner’s six interceptions, the Terp quarterback was being hit while releasing the ball or hurried to the point where he could not set his feet.

Friedgen said poor pass protection is “ravaging” his offense. And while he was not soft on his tight ends, a young group aside from senior starter Tommy Galt who has 11 catches on the season, the ninth-year head coach and renowned former offensive coordinator said he has worked hard with assistant coaches to figure out how to fix the major issue in the trenches.

The matter is only made more difficult without star left tackle Bruce Campbell, the line’s most dominant force, who may miss Saturday’s game against Virginia with an MCL injury, which would be his fourth absence of the year. That leaves Friedgen, Franklin and veteran offensive line coach Tom Brattan with more continuity issues, and less experience and overall talent. If the line continues to struggle, there will also be more questions.

“My job all year is to try to make the offense successful with the personnel that we have,” Franklin said. “You can have the greatest plays in the world, but if they don’t play on your strengths and hide your weaknesses, it doesn’t matter.”
 

Terps find gains with Turner's legsRate this story
By Patrick Stevens

It's understood that Chris Turner, so long as he's playing, will lead Maryland in passing each week.

But rushing?

With injured tailback Da'Rel Scott out until late next month, a makeshift line and a dire need to make progress, the senior is increasingly vital to the Terrapins' running game.

"I still feel goofy. I do," Turner said after leading Maryland with 27 rushing yards in Saturday's 42-32 loss at Wake Forest. "But it's something that's working, and that's why we stick with it.

Certainly, it's not an ideal situation for the Terps (2-4, 1-1 ACC), who play host to Virginia (2-3, 1-0) on Saturday. In the past, the sight of Turner taking off was precipitated either by extreme pressure on the pocket or as a rare change of pace to catch opponents napping.

Not now. The quarterback draw was used frequently in the season opener at California and resurfaced as a significant call the last two weeks as the Terps struggled to edge out yards on the ground.

Excluding sacks, which are used in official rushing statistics, Turner is averaging 3.5 yards a carry. That's better than Gary Douglas (3.2) and Davin Meggett (3.1), the Terps' top two available tailbacks.

"I think it adds a dimension to his game," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "Not only is Chris doing a good job of that, but I think he's taking the runs when he can. I don't think in the past he would do that. It's critical that he's doing that."

Turner's early-career rushing highlight reel started - and effectively ended - with a 41-yard scamper to set up a touchdown in the 2007 finale at N.C. State. He was removed for a play or two at a time last season for Josh Portis, who usually took off in an attempt to exploit his athleticism.

It wasn't surprising. Portis was elusive and quick. Turner was a pocket passer unaccustomed to bolting into open space.

Yet with the Terps desperate for any credible rushing attack - at 96.5 yards a game, Maryland ranks 105th nationally and next-to-last in the ACC - they're regularly calling for Turner to dive ahead for a few yards.

He had 17 carries (three sacks) against Clemson, setting up a second-quarter touchdown with a series of runs. Saturday, he had 12 actual rushes in addition to four sacks; tailbacks Meggett, Douglas and Caleb Porzel combined for 12 carries on the night.

"I'm getting a little more comfortable," Turner said. "It's not a natural thing for me to go out and make reads off the blockers. I just try to hold on to the ball and get the yards that I can."

For now, it's one of the few ways for Maryland to balance its offense. The Terps have not cracked 100 yards in any of their past three games, and their tailbacks have managed only 110 yards combined in that stretch.

Still, Turner provides something to ponder for Virginia, which held its last two opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground.

"He's been effective at that and has opened up some things," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "Certainly when a player has shown at that position - just as we do with our players sometimes - those one-back formations are actually two-back formations. You can't consider the quarterback just to be the quarterback."

When Turner took off regularly in the opener, an obvious concern was the risk of losing the team's only experienced quarterback. That hasn't changed, but the Terps still need something effective on the ground to avoid obvious passing situations later in a series.

"I worry about it a little bit," Friedgen said. "But it's probably been one of our more effective plays."

Notes - Friedgen said it has yet to be determined when linebacker Demetrius Hartsfield (broken hand), who did not practice Monday, will undergo surgery. The redshirt freshman will miss three weeks after his operation, and Friedgen said he is hopeful a decision will be made by Wednesday. ...

Friedgen said left tackle Bruce Campbell (left MCL) returned to practice Monday, while punter Travis Baltz (ankle) is expected to miss another week.
 

Smith overlooked? Not any more
By Jay Jenkins
Published: October 14, 2009

Tyrod Taylor picked Virginia Tech. Virginia landed Pete Lalich. West Virginia swooped into Central Virginia for Orange County standout Bradley Starks.

Lost in the shuffle during the recruiting wars for signal callers in 2007 was quarterback Torrey Smith.

Rated as the No. 28 prospect in the state after a stellar career at Stafford High School, Smith was all but ignored by the in-state schools (and WVU) as they leaned on their early verbal commitments.

Virginia (2-3, 1-0 ACC) could pay the ultimate price Saturday as it travels to Maryland (2-4, 1-1). The contest starts at 4 p.m.

Smith, lucky with numerous return opportunities due to high-scoring games, enters the game leading the country in all-purpose yardage. His total of 1,420 yards is nearly 400 more than second-place Darius Marshall of Marshall.

“Clearly, if we foresaw him being the type of player that he is now, he would be returning kicks for Virginia,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “We’re not above admitting that there is a player that certainly has turned out to be superior to what many people thought, including ourselves. “Regardless of what the circumstance was in the past, he’s a superior college football player.”

With veteran Chris Turner in place at quarterback, Smith was slotted at wideout, but provides most his magic on special teams.

Blessed with great speed, Smith has helped move the ball for Turner, as he is currently on pace for 60-plus catch season and over 1,000 yards.

“He’s one of the really exciting dynamic players in the Atlantic Coast Conference and he’s one of those versatile players of which we speak,” Groh added. “He has run reverses, he’s caught the ball, he’s returned kicks. He does a variety of things.

“He’s not just a receiver, but he’s got good elusiveness, he’s got good vertical speed. Early in his career I think he’s around fourth or fifth in the history of the ACC in kickoff return yardage.”

For Maryland’s coaching staff it goes deeper than the production on the field in regards to Smith.

“The type of individual he is, I would be proud to have him as my son,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. “He’s just a great human being. He’s very popular on the team. He’s a very caring person.

“Last week in the locker room, in the second half and also after the game, he just refused to quit. He’s very special to me.”
 

Bennett: Virginia basketball has 'some ground to cover'
By David Teel
| 247-4636
October 13, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - First-year Virginia basketball coach Tony Bennett approaches the opening of preseason drills Friday with no illusions.

Evaluating a roster of 11 returnees and three freshmen, he sees no low-post scorer, lights-out shooter or lock-down defender. Not surprising for a program that finished 11th in the ACC last season, fired its coach and has one NCAA tournament victory in the last 14 years.

"I'm realistic," Bennett said Monday during a news conference at John Paul Jones Arena. "There's some ground to cover. … But I'm always hopeful."

The Cavaliers were 10-18 last season, 4-12 in the ACC and exited the conference tournament in the first round. Soon thereafter, Dave Leitao's four-year tenure as coach was terminated.

Bennett arrives from Washington State, where he forged a reputation for disciplined offense and aggressive, half-court, man-to-man defense. Ingraining those values will take time.

"Focus first on qualitative versus quantitative," Bennett said, adding that his vision "is for the long haul."

Short-term, Bennett inherits the reigning ACC rookie of the year in Sylven Landesberg and a gimpy senior point guard in Calvin Baker.

A Woodside High graduate, Baker underwent two offseason surgeries. The first addressed the stress fracture in his left foot that hobbled him throughout 2008-09; the second, previously undisclosed, was an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee in August.

Baker said he damaged the knee while compensating for his weakened left foot.

"I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things," he said. "I haven't been doing all the (preseason) conditioning things."

Baker did not miss a game last season and started 22 of 28 contests, averaging 8.4 points and 24.9 minutes.

The team leader in both categories was Landesberg, a 6-foot-6 guard from New York City. He averaged 16.6 points and 34.2 minutes.

"My challenge to Sylven would be this. … Let's see you have a great year. But let's (also) see you elevate your teammates," Bennett said. "His knack for getting into the lane, his craftiness, certainly that's impressive. Clearly he will be a marked man."

Landesberg sounded willing to accept the responsibility.

"I'm trying to help them build more confidence in themselves and their games," he said of his teammates. "I can definitely be a better player this year and have my scoring average go down."

The emergence of a consistent scorer to complement Landesberg would ease Bennett's transition immeasurably. The question is, who?

Five veterans averaged between 6.5 and 10.3 points last season, and freshman guard Jontel Evans flashed scoring potential at Bethel High.

"There is some parity on this team," Bennett said. "That makes it challenging (to determine playing time) … To start building habits on a daily basis will be crucial, especially as a new coach."

The Cavaliers open their season Nov. 13 at home against Longwood.
 

Early Returns in Recruiting Please Bennett
Oct. 13, 2009
9:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- NCAA rules prohibit Tony Bennett from publicly discussing his 2010-11 basketball recruits before they sign letters of intent with UVa next month.

Bennett, however, spoke in general terms Monday about the challenges he faced in assembling his first recruiting class. Many members of the Class of 2010 had already committed to other schools by the time he started at UVa in early April.

"Always, when you get a job, you're behind in terms of recruiting," Bennett said at John Paul Jones Arena. "In essence, you're fighting to catch up on [Class of 2011 prospects] now. Recruiting is so far out in advance. But there's always those kids that either slip through the cracks or you can get involved with, and we were fortunate to do that. And a lot of that has to do with the University of Virginia.

"Obviously I can't comment on the commitments or the class, but yeah, I feel very fortunate to be in the spot we're in."

What helped Bennett and his assistants have immediate success in recruiting, he said, are "the facilities, the academic reputation, the conference, the community. And I even think sometimes when a new coach comes in, [the chance] to be part of a coach's first recruiting class, those are things that can be a positive, too, in trying to sell a vision to young men. The opportunity is big, and it's provided us access to a good group of guys."

Bennett spent six seasons at Washington State, the final three as head coach, before coming to Virginia. But he grew up in Wisconsin, attended college and later coached there, and played for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. So the transition to the East Coast hasn't been as difficult for him as some predicted.

"Even when you're in the Pac-10 or on the West Coast, you're at a lot of events nationally that are on the East Coast," said Bennett, and he had a network of contacts in this part of the country before he came to UVa.

"Recruiting is so much about the relationships you build with the high school coaches, with the AAU coaches and then, ultimately, with the players and the important people in their decision-making process," Bennett said. "That's really what it comes down to. Do they fit what you're looking for, and can they get excited about playing for you, and for what the University represents? And that's a good thing to sell here, certainly."

-- Jeff White

 

Cavs fail to top Flames for first time in 18 games
Cavaliers outshoot Flames 29-6 in last night’s overtime tie
Nick Eilerson, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
Featured / Men's Soccer / Sports
October 14, 2009 0

Freshman forward Will Bates managed a team-leading seven shots in last night’s two overtime match against Liberty. Photo by Mallory Noe-Payne.
Despite outshooting Liberty 29-6, the No. 13 Virginia men’s soccer team managed only a 1-1 tie in their double overtime nail-biter at Klöckner Stadium last night. The record between the Flames and the Cavaliers is now 17-0-1.

“It’s frustrating that we didn’t win, but I thought we played very, very well,” Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. “We clearly did enough to win the game, one goal should have been enough to win it.”

The Cavaliers (7-3-1) came out of the gates on the attack, firing 10 shots in the first half to the Flames’ two. None of them, however, found the back of the net, and the score remained knotted at zero at halftime.

Sophomore forward Brian Ownby and freshman forward Will Bates contributed the most on offense, finding several ways to counter defenders and take shots time after time. A particularly opportune scoring opportunity came in the 27th minute when Bates burned a defender down the right side of the box, cut back to beat another and unleashed a hard shot to the near post. Junior goalkeeper Andrew Madero’s save deflected to the top of the box, where senior midfielder Jonathan Villanueva rocketed a shot off the cross bar.

After several more scoring chances, a goal finally seemed at hand when Ownby received a touch pass down the left side of the box and found some daylight toward the goal. His left-footed shot from 8 yards out zoomed over the keeper’s head and clanged off the cross bar, allowing Liberty to once again breathe a sigh of relief. It was one of Ownby’s five shots of the half, four of which were on goal.

The scoring finally got underway in the 77th minute. Bates slipped a nice ball to Ownby, whose shot from 6 yards out bounced off a defender and rolled slowly into the far post. Defenders scrambled to clear the loose ball, but not before an alert Bates raced in to blast the rebound into the net for the match’s first goal.

“I saw Brian making a nice run through,” Bates said. “So I slipped it to him and he hit a shot that got deflected and I just picked up the rebound.”

The celebration did not last long, however, as the Flames responded with a goal about a minute later. Virginia failed to clear senior midfielder Juan Guzman’s low corner kick, which bounced to sophomore forward Darren Amoo. Amoo then drove a low bullet past Restrepo to tie up the score and tally his eighth goal of the year. The goal set off raucous cheers from the enthusiastic Liberty fans and prompted a suddenly frenzied pace during the remaining 10 minutes of regulation.

Players from both sides attacked each other’s goals in hopes of notching the game-winner. At the end of 90 minutes, though, the match remained tied and the Cavaliers entered their sixth overtime contest of the season.

After a scoreless first overtime period, the Cavaliers approached the final 10 minutes with new energy. One minute into the period, sophomore midfielder Tony Tchani, off a free kick from the top of the box, curled a low free kick around the wall. Madero was there, however, to come up with the diving save and preserve the tie.

The performance continued a discouraging trend for the Cavaliers, who have struggled to find the back of the net this season, scoring only 13 goals in 11 games — compared to 25 goals at the same stage last season. Despite the lack of offensive production, however, Gelnovatch insists that his team is doing all the right things.

“The work rate, the attitude, everything’s good,” Gelnovatch said. “There’s not much I would change. We’re just gonna stay the course and keep going.”

The Cavaliers resume ACC play Saturday when they travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.
 

Miller's in the 'Money'
By: Mike Bires - Beaver County Times
Tuesday October 13, 2009 12:10 AM

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller scores on a 15-yard touchdown-reception against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter of an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Several Steelers have catchy nicknames, but none more fitting than Heath Miller’s.

Ben Roethlisberger is “Big Ben.”

James Harrison is “Deebo.”

Brett Keisel is “Diesel.”

Casey Hampton is “Big Snack.”

But when Miller’s teammates at the University of Virginia started calling him “Big Money,” they gave him a very appropriate nickname.

When he played for the Cavaliers, Miller was a pass-catching machine with 71 receptions as a junior and 41 as a senior when he won the Mackey Award as the best tight end in the country.

Since coming to Pittsburgh as a first-round pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, the Steelers have long regarded him as one of the most complete tight ends in the league.

Through his first four pro seasons, Miller has posted respectable pass-catching numbers while excelling as a blocker. This year, Miller has been outstanding in both areas.

Since signing a lucrative contract extension right before the start of training camp, Miller has indeed been “Big Money.”

With 29 catches, he ranks seventh in the NFL. He also leads the Steelers with three touchdown catches.

He is proving the Steelers right for signing him to a six-year extension worth $35.3 million, a $12.5 million signing bonus included.

After signing his new deal, the soft-spoken Miller was asked if he would demand that more passes be thrown in his direction.

“No,” said Miller, who’s caught 39, 34, 47 and 49 passes, respectively, the past four years. “But I did negotiate for less media time.”

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With the way he’s playing, Miller will likely get more press.

Right now, the only tight end in the league with more catches is Indianapolis’ Dallas Clark with 35. San Diego’s Antonio Gates isn’t far behind with 24, and the Chargers didn’t play this past weekend.

Still, this could be the year Miller finally makes it to the Pro Bowl.

“I’ve always felt he’s the best tight end in the AFC,” Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said.

“When he’s blocking, he’s like another lineman, and when he’s out in pass patterns he’s another receiver,” Roethlisberger said. “We’ve been throwing the ball a lot, and he’s been a focal point of this offense. He’s been getting open.”

At his current pace, Miller would finish with 93 catches. That would shatter the Steelers’ record for a tight end set in by Eric Green when he caught 63 passes in 1993.

While that projection of 93 is 44 more than he caught last year, the Steelers have become a passing team. Roethlisberger is second in the league in passing yards, first in completion percentage and he’s spreading the ball around to wide receivers Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace, and to Miller.

“To tell you the truth, I haven’t even thought about the Pro Bowl,” Miller said. “That’s too far down the line. If it happens, that would be great. But I’m more concerned about helping this team win and helping us get back to the Super Bowl.

“The way I look at it, when you get your opportunities, you make the most of them.”

So far, “Big Money” is doing just that.
 

White: Behind the Scenes with ... Rob Skinner
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/13/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- VirginiaSports.com regularly checks in with members of the UVa athletics department who play vital roles but generally operate outside of the public eye.
Rob Skinner, UVa's director of sports nutrition, fits that description, and he stopped by 247-B in University Hall the other day to talk about his work with student-athletes in 25 sports.
Hometown: Born and raised in the Atlanta area. Growing up, Skinner says, "I was always pretty much the chubby kid," though he played high school football and lifted weights.
Family: Skinner is married to the former Barbara Zomberg, who's from Rockland, Maine. She's an HR software consultant.
Education: Bachelor's degree in education and recreation from the University of Georgia, 1991; bachelor's in nutrition from Georgia State, 1997; master's in exercise science, with a concentration in exercise physiology, from Georgia State, 2001.
Started at UVa: September 2007. The first football game he attended as a Wahoo, as fate would have it, was against Georgia Tech, his former employer. The 'Hoos beat the Yellow Jackets 28-23 at Scott Stadium.
Professional experience: After tearing an ACL in the early '90s, Skinner gained weight while rehabbing his knee. He started researching ways to drop pounds, and his methods proved successful. "People started coming up to me and asking me how I was losing weight, and I really liked that," says Skinner, a U.S. Army veteran. So he decided to become a registered dietician. Before coming to UVa, he spent 10 years in sports nutrition at Georgia Tech, including six as director of the school's Homer Rice Center for Sports Performance. Skinner also has worked as a sports nutrition consultant for the NFL's Falcons and a part-time nutrition instructor at Georgia State.
Northbound: Skinner wasn't looking to leave Atlanta, but Jon Oliver, Virginia's executive associate director of athletics, convinced him of the University's commitment to sports nutrition. Skinner says he also was intrigued by "the opportunity to create a new program. There are less than two dozen schools with full-time dieticians working with the student-athletes." In 1997, he says, there were only three: Penn State, Nebraska and Georgia Tech. He also wanted to work with a more varied group of student-athletes. "I'd never worked with lacrosse, wrestling, soccer or field hockey," Skinner says.
Job description: Skinner meets with student-athletes individually and in groups to advise them on matters relating to diet and nutrition. This summer, for example, Mike Curtis, the strength-and-conditioning coach for men's basketball, had him take the team's players to the grocery store "and walk them around and show them how to buy food," Skinner says. He also works with Tim Saul, executive chef at the John Paul Jones Arena dining room, to create the menus for the training-table meals from which student-athletes can choose five nights a week. "Attendance has tripled since I started," Skinner says. "It was 125 to 150 [student-athletes] a night. We're up to around 400 a night."
On the clock: Skinner, 40, has two offices: one in the McCue Center weight room and the other off the JPJ dining room. He's usually at the McCue Center from about 8:15 am. to 5 p.m. and at the arena from 5 to 8 p.m.
Practically speaking: "I believe in education, not deprivation," Skinner says. "I'm not going to slap food off their plates. If they choose to go off my advice or just had a bad day and need some ice cream, that's OK.
"It's not about ignoring your hunger, it's about managing your hunger. Instead of going with a cheeseburger late at night, I might recommend that smaller athletes have yogurt and fruit, or cottage cheese and fruit. For the bigger guys, maybe a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich or even a turkey sandwich."
"The biggest challenge is you're fighting 18 years -- or more -- of habits. We reach for things out of comfort level and habit, rather than nutritional value.
"The training table is my lab, and I have the opportunity to teach while they have the subject matter in front of them, which is dinner. I can suggest to them, 'Why not add some fruit or a quality carbohydrate like sweet potatoes?
"Good nutrition may be common sense, but it's not common practice, and this is something you have to practice. The training tables give us five opportunities a week to practice."
Start early: Skinner works with student-athletes from 25 teams, and they come in all shapes and sizes. The most common mistake they make, no matter their sport? Skipping breakfast. "I think in general for all student-athletes, their schedules are the toughest thing to deal with," Skinner says. "A student-athlete will choose sleep over breakfast 60 percent of the time. Doing that, you're cutting a minimum of one-third of your energy out ... To consistently get better, you have to practice consistently well, and if you're not fueling properly, you can't practice consistently well." Skinner always eats breakfast, he says. Most mornings it consists of oatmeal with raisins and a scoop of peanut butter.
High job satisfaction: Skinner tells everyone who asks that he's "living the dream" at UVa. "The support I've gotten not just from the administration -- I expected that -- but from the coaches, the strength coaches and athletic trainers, everybody, has been great. This was obviously a gap that needed to be filled, and it's going very well. Obviously, we can do better, and we're working on ways to make it better."
Information about Skinner and his program can be found here.
-- Jeff White