White: Showdown With Jackets Looms for 'Hoos
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/18/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Will quarterback Jameel Sewell be available this weekend for UVa's Coastal Division clash with 11th-ranked Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium? Defensive end Matt Conrath? Tailback Mikell Simpson?
If Al Groh knows, which may well be the case, he didn't let on during his regular Sunday night teleconference with reporters. No surprise there, given Groh's longstanding practice of publicly disclosing as little medical information as possible.
Asked about Sewell, who left the game Saturday at Maryland with a sprained right ankle, Groh said, "He's like a lot of other guys that played last night. It was a pretty rugged game, and we got quite a few guys that are sore, and we'll just see how the week goes."
Conrath, who sprained an ankle in the final minute of the first half and didn't return Saturday, is "about the same as Jameel," Groh said.
Simpson, who rushed for four touchdowns Oct. 10 before suffering a neck injury against Indiana, didn't play in College Park. He was held out partly as a precaution and partly because of what evaluations of the injury revealed, according to Groh.
"Probably about equal measure of both," Groh said. "Clearly there are more important things in life than just football, especially with a young guy like that who's got everything in front of him. We're going to strictly go on whatever the medical people say, but at the same time, if forced to make any [decision] on it, we will certainly be on the cautious side."
Sewell's backup is junior Marc Verica. Conrath's is sophomore Zane Parr, and Simpson's is senior Rashawn Jackson, who rushed for a career-high 90 yards and one touchdown in Virginia's 20-9 win over Maryland.
Later that night, Georgia Tech upset then-No. 4 Virginia Tech 28-23 in Atlanta.
"Big win for them," Groh said of the Yellow Jackets, who already are bowl-eligible. "Puts them in a very positive position."
The same could be said of the Wahoos' victory in College Park. UVa (2-0, 3-3) took over the Coastal lead -- Georgia Tech (4-1, 6-1) is second -- and is the only ACC team without a conference loss.
The Jackets' win set off a frenzied celebration in Atlanta, and second-year coach Paul Johnson was asked Sunday how tough it will be to keep his players' minds in the present this week.
In a game Raycom will televise, Virginia hosts Georgia Tech at noon Saturday.
"I don't know if it'll be that difficult," Johnson said. "Virginia's leading our league, they're the only team that's undefeated in the league, and Georgia Tech hasn't won up there since Methuselah was a boy, so it should be easy."
The Jackets have lost eight straight in Charlottesville since upending then-No. 1 UVa at Scott Stadium in 1990.
Virginia has also won two of the teams' past three meetings in Atlanta, including last year's game. The 'Hoos shut down the 21st-ranked Jackets' vaunted option offense in the final three quarters and rallied to win 24-17 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.
This season, Georgia Tech ranks No. 2 nationally in rushing offense, at 286.1 yards per game. If the Cavaliers are to win Saturday, they'll probably need to keep the Jackets' quarterback, Josh Nesbitt, from running wild.
In his past two games, Nesbitt has totaled 262 yards and six touchdowns rushing.
Of preparing for Georgia Tech's offense, Groh said that "whenever you're dealing with something that's unique -- you just see it one time a year -- I don't think you can gather enough information in one week's time. You have to have a little bit of backlog with teams, and so we have tried to do our own research and analysis and talked to some people who've had their own experiences and see what they might have learned, to try to get us moving along a little faster than might otherwise be the case."
If Conrath can't play Saturday, the second-team defensive ends will be Brent Urban and Will Hill. Urban has yet to play this season.
MR. RELIABLE: UVa kicker Robert Randolph, who was 3 for 4 on field goals as a true freshman in 2008, is 9 for 9 this season.
Randolph, who's from Naples, Fla., was accurate in high school too, Groh said.
"His growth has not really had to be in the area of accuracy," Groh said. "His growth has been in the speed of the operation and how quickly he can get height on the ball.
"Both things usually are things that rookie kickers have to grow into, because clearly the intensity of the rush is much more so in college. There are taller guys trying to block it. There's been a much greater effort to get your field-goal-blocking teams prepared for such moments. So while the ball's the same and the uprights are the same, everything else is quite a big different.
"That's been the program we've been on, to try to improve those two areas."
Randolph connected from 32 and 31 yards against Maryland. He kicked a school-record 50-yarder for Naples High, but his long as a Cavalier is 43 yards.
On the UVa roster, the 5-10 Randolph is listed at 160 pounds, so "there's not a lot of muscle mass there," Groh said. But it's "not necessarily about how big they are, but how much whip they get in their leg and how much torque they have. Connor Hughes certainly wasn't a large individual, but he had very good range for us."
Ultimately, Groh said, the "most important thing with that position is definable accuracy. At what point can you count on the kicker to be accurate. And that's much more important than, 'What's his range?' If they're all over the place with the ball, then you don't really know how to set your game up."
ROAD WARRIORS: The Cavaliers are 1-2 at Scott Stadium this season and 2-1 away from Charlottesville.
"Frankly I don't think it makes a lot of difference to us where it us," said Groh, whose teams generally have struggled on the road during his tenure at UVa.
"The team understands very clearly that it's the 11 guys in the other uniforms who have to be dealt with. There's nobody who can come out of the stands to help you play better, and there's nobody who can come out of the stands to make you play worse. It's about what we do as a team."
 

White: Cavaliers Stay Focused on Future
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/19/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Over the past two decades, Scott Stadium has become the place where Georgia Tech's football team goes to lose.
That apparently was news to outside linebacker Denzel Burrell, a fifth-year senior at UVa. Informed Monday that Georgia Tech hasn't won in this town since 1990, Burrell looked amazed.
"Wow," he said. "The pressure's on."
The Cavaliers may not know much about The Streak, but they know they don't want it to end Saturday afternoon. That's when Virginia (2-0, 3-3) hosts 11th-ranked Georgia Tech (4-1, 6-1) in an ACC game whose winner will go to bed that night atop the Coastal Division.
In Atlanta, second-year coach Paul Johnson hasn't hesitated to bring up the Yellow Jackets' history of failure in Charlottesville.
"Anything we can we use to motivate the players," Johnson said Sunday night.
Asked if such a tactic works, Johnson said, "I don't know if it does or not. It's like you throw enough against the wall and see what sticks."
Don't expect Al Groh to spend much time, if any, talking to his players about the Wahoos' home winning streak -- eight games -- in this series.
"As we have said, there's a reason why God put eyes in the front of our heads and not in the back," Groh said Monday at John Paul Jones Arena. "So you can make progress by looking forward."
The Cavaliers are the only ACC team without a conference loss. As a result, they lead the Coastal, though Groh and Burrell said they haven't paid attention to the standings.
"Honestly, to me, it doesn't really matter at this point," Burrell said. "It really just matters how we finish the season, how we go from here on out. We still have a lot of season left, and a lot of opportunity [in the Coastal]. But there's a lot of opportunities for other people as well."
Injuries are part of college football, and the 'Hoos are dealing with several as they head into the second half of a 12-game regular season. Tailback Mikell Simpson didn't play this past weekend at Maryland, where UVa rallied to win 20-9, and neither quarterback Jameel Sewell nor defensive end Matt Conrath was able to finish the game.
Conrath's sprained ankle is more severe than that of Sewell, and the 6-7, 275-pound sophomore's return doesn't appear imminent. The Cavaliers' other starting defensive end, Nate Collins, acknowledged as much Monday.
"I just think as a whole we understand that Conrath, he's hurt, he might be out for a couple weeks, and everyone just has to pick up their game," Collins said. "Coach Groh always talks about the next-man-up mentality, and I think that's going to be big, to see our young guys, or a guy who hasn't really been in there a lot, do that."
Zane Parr, a 6-6, 275-pound sophomore, played the second half in Conrath's spot at Byrd Stadium and turned in another in a recent string of strong efforts.
"Conrath's a great player," Collins said. "There's no really replacing a 6-7 big guy who does a great job two-gapping. But I think as a whole we have enough confidence in our backups that they can step in and not really miss a beat. And I think that Zane did a great job with that in Maryland and is going to continue to do that this week."
Until Conrath got hurt, Parr had played primarily in passing situations. He has two sacks this season, as well as a quarterback hurry and a pass breakup.
"I think Zane overall is elevating his game every single week," said Collins, who called Parr "probably the best pure pass rusher on our team. He has a lot of speed. He sort of has the outside linebacker's mentality, so that makes pass-rushing come second nature to him."
Conrath, who has started 18 consecutive games, was injured in the final minute of the first half. What seemed a routine play -- Maryland quarterback Chris Turner took the snap and then kneeled -- ended with Conrath on the ground, writhing in pain.
"During the game, I know the whole defense, we thought that maybe he got cheap-shotted," Collins said. "But after watching tape, it wasn't a cheap shot. It was like a freak accident. He stepped on the tight end's foot, and it just rolled his ankle. He ended up just falling backwards, and his ankle twisted the wrong way."
Collins started at nose tackle last season in Virginia's 24-17 win over No. 21 Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium. He played superbly, making six tackles and recovering a fumble.
The 6-2, 290-pound senior has made a seamless transition to end in UVa's 3-4 defense. Against Maryland, Collins led the Cavaliers with nine tackles, including a crucial sack late in the game, and returned an interception 32 yards for his first TD as a Cavalier.
For that performance, he was named ACC defensive lineman of the week. Even better for Collins is his enhanced status with housemates Ras-I Dowling, Trey Womack, Dom Joseph and Dontrelle Inman.
Dowling, Womack and Joseph play in the secondary. Dowling and Joseph have one interception apiece this season. Their 290-pound roommate can match that.
"Now I can joke around with them and say I got the same amount of picks as them," Collins said. "And now I kind of have one up on them, because no one [else] in the house has a touchdown yet, so I can brag about that for a while."
Give inside linebacker Darren Childs an assist on Collins' interception. Childs leaped and deflected a Turner pass, and Collins was there waiting to catch the ball.
"I really didn't have to work too hard for the pick," Collins said. "The ball just found me, and when it found me, I just had to make sure I got in the end zone. My roommates wouldn't have let me live it down if I didn't score that. That's just how we are."
 

Tech moving past big win
Yellow Jackets focused on playing Virginia this week
By David Friedlander
Staff Writer

ATLANTA - It was perhaps the biggest win in Georgia Tech's football program in many seasons.

It was the first victory over a top-five opponent at home since 1962, moved Tech up eight spot in the Associated Press national rankings to No. 11 and gave it the No. 12 position in the first BCS rankings of the season.

Yet, despite all the national implications, not all the focus of coach Paul Johnson and the Yellow Jackets during the post-game media gatherings following their 28-23 win over then-No. 4 Virginia Tech was on the victory over the Hokies.

There was also plenty on another team from the Commonwealth of Virginia.

"There are still games left to play. All you focus on is Virginia. You've got to go up there and win the game," Johnson said of the Virginia Cavaliers, Tech's next opponent on Saturday. "We've still got a lot of football left. We've got to make sure we dial in next week to get ready to play Virginia.

"Whatever was ailing them (during a rough early-season stretch), they ... figured it out. They may be playing as well as any team in the (Atlantic Coast Conference) right now."

That doesn't mean the Jackets (6-1, 4-1 in the ACC) didn't enjoy the moment Saturday night, joining most of the 54,405 at Bobby Dodd Stadium - including the multitude of students who stormed the field - in celebration after the final seconds ticked off the clock.

They certainly understood the ramifications of the win. It not only kept them well in the hunt for the ACC's Coastal Division title and a spot in the ACC title game, it also earned them national respect.

Still, they know their conference goals likely won't be possible without beating Virginia this week at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Va., where Tech hasn't won since its national championship season in 1990.

"I think Virginia," Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt answered when asked if he knew which team currently leads the Coastal Division, correctly pointing out that the Cavaliers (3-3 overall) are 2-0 in conference play. "It just makes next week's game even bigger."

That's been a recurring theme Johnson has hammered home to his team since a 33-17 loss at Miami on Sept. 17.

Just keep winning and make the next game an even bigger one.

That approach has worked, especially in Tech's biggest game to date on Saturday, and certainly its most complete game of the season.

The Jackets displayed their usual success in the spread-option running game, particularly in the second half, when they put up 272 yards of their 309 rushing yards.

And as has been the case lately, it was Nesbitt leading the way. While Jonathan Dwyer and the rest of Tech's running backs have been solid this season, the junior quarterback has been the catalyst lately.

Saturday was his second straight 100-yard rushing game with 122 yards, and Nesbitt has 1,519 yards of total offense on the season.

However, the biggest key Saturday may have been the Tech defense.

After struggling in giving up 1,026 yards and 75 points in back-to-back wins over Mississippi State and Florida State, the Jacket defense was solid, if not spectacular, against Virginia Tech.

Despite giving up two late touchdowns with the team holding a two-score lead in the fourth quarter, the Tech defense held the Hokies and athletic quarterback Tyrod Taylor in check for the most part. The Hokies had 334 yards of total offense against a unit led by linebackers Sedric Griffin and Brad Jefferson with eight tackles each.

It was a particularly satisfying performance for a defense that has been looked upon - rightly or wrongly - as the team's weak link.

"The last two weeks, we got embarrassed," said junior defensive end Derrick Morgan, who added five tackles, including a sack, Saturday. "We kind of felt obligated. We owed it to the offense because they were taking care of business the last two weeks. The main focus was, 'We can't leave them out there to dry.'"
 

Why Georgia Tech Will Beat Virginia by Christopher Falvello

Who wins Saturday?

Georgia Tech UVA vote to see results Georgia Tech is a better team, plain and simple.

The Cavaliers are sitting pretty right now, and really why not? They’ve won three in a row, are undefeated in the ACC, and are leading the coastal division. But all of this distracts from the most important statistics in college football: overall record and level of opposition.

UVA is on a win streak, but let’s look a little closer. They’ve beaten a fading UNC, a less than average Indiana, and Maryland, who has somehow wrested the title of worst ACC team from Duke. Not to mention that UVA opened the season with a home loss to William and Mary and an away loss to Southern Mississippi. The one forgivable loss is to a now top 10 TCU.

Georgia Tech is on a win streak of their own, however, one that stands at four. It started by dominating that same UNC team UVA beat in a field goal dual. Then, GT controlled shootouts with Mississippi state and Florida State, finally taking down the No. 4 Hokies. All the while, the Jackets have been racking up huge numbers on offense while their defense has finally found itself.

One record speaks louder than the other.

But, just to indulge those who believe in overly conditional win streaks, what about the UVA home win streak against GT? Well, if you asked Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson, he’d probable say just that, what about it?

Coach Johnson is neither too concerned with loss streaks, nor is he superstitious. In less than two seasons as head coach, he’s already ended loss streaks against Georgia and Florida State. In both instances, he traveled to hostile stadiums and found ways to win. Not to mention that the win against VT on Saturday was Tech’s first win against a top five team in forty-seven years.

All streaks end.

Even Notre Dame’s legendary 63-year dominance over Navy came to an end in 2007. Oh wait, wasn’t Paul Johnson coaching Navy when they broke that one?

Today, college football is truly at a fever pitch. It gets so much coverage, pundits are always scrambling for something to talk about, everyone’s over-analyzing everything, and fans are so incredibly superstitious, that it isn’t surprising that the home win streak against Georgia Tech by UVA is getting some attention.

But at the end of the day, Georgia Tech is a very good team that is continuing to improve as the year goes on. Virginia has improved in recent weeks, but in reality they’re an OK team at best.

Besides, if the legendary Bobby Bowden couldn’t save his job against Tech at home, what makes anyone think Al Groh can?
 

What Tech fans need to know about VirginiaBy Doug Roberson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

.• Last week: Defeated Maryland 20-9 in College Park.

• Last time played Tech: Virginia won 24-17 in 2008 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

• Virginia on offense: As good as the Cavs have been defensively, they've been just as inept on offense. They gained just 201 yards against the Terps last week and rank in the bottom three in ACC scoring offense (24.2 ppg) and total offense (304.4 ypg). Things were so bad that four games ago, coach Al Groh scrapped the spread offense that the team had tried in favor of a traditional pro set. The Cavaliers do have weapons in QB Jameel Sewell and RB Mikell Simpson but haven't been able to get them going consistently.

• Virginia on defense: The Cavaliers didn't allow a touchdown in their first two conference games. In the past three, they've allowed a total of 19 points and an average of 237 yards. The Cavs have been tough on third down, holding opponents to a 29.3 conversion rate, best in the league. Overall, UVA is allowing an average 18.7 points per game, compared to Tech's 26.

• Virginia on special teams: The Cavaliers are averaging 17.2 yards per kick return, among the five worst in the country. They aren't much better in punt returns, averaging 6.32 (85th in the country). They are slightly better at punt coverage and kick coverage, which could be an issue considering Georgia Tech's prowess at returning punts (No. 1 in the country, 24.88 per return).

• What you need to know: The Cavs are 17-of-17 in red zone efficiency, best in the nation. They are also among the bottom-feeders in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score 16 out of 17 times.

• What you may not know: While the University was founded by Thomas Jefferson, it was actually built on land owned by another president, James Monroe.

• Coach: Al Groh is 59-47 in nine seasons at Virginia.
 

Fresh off big win over Virginia Tech, Johnson pays visit to Touchdown ClubBy Michael A. Lough - mlough@macon.com Sign up for daily e-mail news alerts
Jason Vorhees/The Telegraph Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson greets fans after speaking at the Macon Touchdown Club Monday night.

After all, the Yellow Jackets have a big ACC game Saturday at Virginia, and coaches usually make their Macon trip during an off week.

Not Johnson.

“One of the guys asked me, ‘Coach, you got something in your contract that says you’ve gotta do these things?’ ” Johnson said. “I said, ‘Well, no, I don’t really have anything in my contract. But I remember when I was coaching at Navy, one thing stuck in my mind when I came here is how they killed Chan Gailey because he wouldn’t come.’

“So I said, ‘If I ever get the job at Georgia Tech, I’m gonna make sure I go to Macon.’ ”

Johnson, who arrived a little late but spoke for 45 minutes, was in the good humor befitting a coach whose team still has its fan base buzzing about Saturday night’s 28-23 win over No. 4 Virginia Tech and a No. 11 ranking.

That win lifted the Yellow Jackets to 6-1, a level of success Johnson’s aforementioned predecessor had trouble reaching but one Johnson's Tech teams have done two straight years.

And Virginia was next on the schedule last season as it is this time around, and Johnson offered a stat to caution the Tech fans in the audience.

“Does anybody have any idea what the University of Virginia’s record is during the month of October since Al Groh has been the coach?” said Johnson, whose team hasn’t won in Charlottesville since 1990. “14-1. 14-1 in the month of October.

“We experienced that last year. I told our team (Monday) we were two-touchdown favorites at home against Virginia last year. They came in and hit us right in the mouth.”

Virginia won 24-17.

Johnson naturally poked fun at his in-state rivals to the east, but he also defended embattled Georgia head coach Mark Richt and defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, noting UGA’s top-ranked defense in 2007 and Richt’s winning percentage of 77 percent.

“All of a sudden (Richt) didn’t get stupid,” said Johnson, who has won 73.5 percent of his games and successfully avoided the hot seat. “I guess (Martinez) got hit in the head with a hammer.

“If you haven’t won in two weeks, you must be dumb.”

One impressive part of Tech’s 6-1 start is the schedule, and not just the games on Thursdays and Saturdays. Because of Tech’s school schedule and NCAA rules, the Yellow Jackets had an extra week of preseason practice and only a pair of two-a-days.

“Then once the first game came, we had three games in 12 days,” Johnson said. “We were fortunate enough to win the first two (Jacksonville State and Clemson). The third game, at Miami, we ran into a really good football team, and we didn’t play our best game.

“I probably didn’t do a good job getting us ready for that game.”

That hasn’t been a problem since, with Tech knocking off North Carolina, Mississippi State, Florida State and Virginia Tech.

A perception has been that returning ACC Player of the Year Jonathan Dwyer isn’t having that good a season.

“Ironically, before the last game, there was about 40 yards difference in where Jon is this year and where he was last year at this time,” Johnson said. “It just seems like (less), because he hasn’t been the leading rusher (as much).

“Coming into this year, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, people talking about him as a first-round (NFL) draft pick. So therefore when teams come in to play, you better believe they’re keying on him.”

And quarterback Josh Nesbitt has improved all facets of his game and has taken advantage. Nesbitt is 36th nationally in rushing yards per game, tied for 55th in total offense and tied for 40th in scoring.

“One thing I can say about Josh Nesbitt is that in all my years of coaching, I don’t know if I’ve ever coached a guy who wants to win more. That guy is competitive now. When the game is on the line, he’s been pretty good. He wants the ball.”

And Johnson hopes Nesbitt and Dwyer can lead Tech to a win that leads to a postgame locker room celebration that rivals last Saturday’s.

“It was wild,” Johnson said. “It was a lot of fun.”
 

UVa Insider: Will Groh Go?
ACCSports Staff ACCSports.com October 20, 2009 Al Groh has UVa’s defense playing at a very high level.

Nobody at Virginia is pulling for the Cavaliers to lose football games, but the more games that ninth-year coach Al Groh wins, the greater UVa’s dilemma becomes.

Season-ticket sales dropped more than 10 percent this year, attendance is down more than 8 percent, donations are down $3 million from last year (well over 10 percent). Although it would cost close to $4.5 million to buy out the final two years of Groh’s contract, at this rate Virginia almost can’t afford to keep him.

Unwilling donors tell Virginia that they won’t contribute — or increase their contributions — until Groh is gone, but how much of that is idle talk? Is Groh simply a convenient excuse during these economic down times?

It was a foregone conclusion that Virginia would make a coaching change after the Cavaliers began the year 0-3. Then UVa won at North Carolina, 16-3. The Cavaliers followed that up with a convincing 47-7 victory over an Indiana team that is 4-2. (The Hoosiers pummeled Illinois the week after getting trounced in Charlottesville.)

After a 20-9 victory at Maryland, which gave Virginia a 7-6 record in its last 13 road games, the Cavaliers had given up a total of one touchdown in three weeks. And that score came against reserves late in the Indiana game. Say what you want about Groh, the man can coach defense.

What’s more, his players don’t give up on him. Even when the Cavaliers lost the last four games of the 2008 season, they played hard till the end and had a decent chance to win any of them.

What continues to astound is Virginia’s remarkable record in October. The Cavaliers are 3-0 in October this year, they were 4-0 in October last year and they’re 12-1 in their last 13 October games dating back to 2006.

The schedule shouldn’t be appreciably easier in October than it is in September. In fact, it should be harder. But, the Cavaliers are 1-6 in August and September over the past two seasons. As far back as 2006, students painted “Groh Must Go” on Beta Bridge, a school landmark, after a season-opening 23-3 loss at Wyoming.

It’s almost as if Groh can’t coach unless his back’s against the wall.

Can UVa Maintain Its Momentum?

Now, after back-to-back ACC road wins, the Cavaliers return to Scott Stadium for a two-game homestand against Georgia Tech and Duke. It stands to reason that the Yellow Jackets have too much firepower for Virginia, but Georgia Tech hasn’t won at Scott Stadium since 1990, when UVa was ranked No. 1 in the country. The Cavaliers won last year in Atlanta 24-17 after making some early defensive adjustments to shut down Tech’s triple option.

The last Virginia home game attracted a crowd of just over 45,000 for Indiana and homecoming, easily the smallest crowd at Scott Stadium in 10 years. The fans were appreciative - it was hard not to be on a day when Virginia gained 536 yards - but they’ve been known to boo at the slightest provocation.

That’s not to say that Virginia hasn’t given its fans a reason to boo. Plus, Groh can be a hard person to love even in the best of times. He comes off as arrogant to people who don’t know him, and probably many who do know him. If he isn’t arrogant, he’s at least stubborn.

When Groh is criticized for using true freshmen in roles that could be filled almost as well by upperclassmen — that is, “burning” their red shirts — it almost seems to motivate him to send more of his young players into the fray. At last count he had used 12 of them, some of whom no longer travel with the team.

It’s as if Groh is thinking more about this season than the long-term well-being of the program. Maybe that’s how it should be. The Cavaliers (3-3 overall, 2-0 ACC) enter the fourth weekend of October as the only team with an unbeaten record in ACC play. Theoretically, they are a championship-game contender.

But realistically, whom can the Cavaliers expect to beat? At present, they would be the favorite in home games Oct. 31 against Duke and maybe Nov. 14 against Boston College. Certainly that would be the case if this was the old Virginia, the team that was great at home and terrible on the road. Recent performances would suggest that Duke and BC are capable of winning at Scott Stadium.

Odds are Virginia will have a tough time getting to 6-6 and bowl eligibility. That would give Groh a 6-3 record over his last nine games, which some might take as evidence that things are going in the right direction, particularly if the Cavaliers are invited to a bowl game and win it.

Littlepage Faces Tough Call

Even then, will Virginia want to go through its annual September soap opera again next year? And what about recruiting? Waynesville, N.C., quarterback Tyler Brosius already has decommitted from the Cavaliers, electing to cast his fate with an N.C. State team whose three-game losing streak coincides with UVa’s three-game winning streak.

When Virginia lost its first three games, there was considerable speculation that Groh might be replaced during the off week. That was never going to happen. However, it was reasonable to think that the Cavalier brass might come up with an exit plan whereby Groh would announce his retirement in early November and give Virginia a head start on attractive replacements.

Now, that isn’t going to happen either. The Cavaliers have to let the season play out. Once more the media could be awaiting word from athletic director Craig Littlepage, who must inform Groh by Nov. 30 whether he is going to exercise the rollover clause in the coach’s contract.

Littlepage didn’t give Groh an extra year following a 5-7 season in 2008, so if the AD makes the same decision this time, Groh, 65, will have only two years remaining on his contract. To give him another year would risk alienating the fans even more, but how is Groh supposed to recruit without a vote of confidence? He has enough trouble recruiting against Virginia Tech even during the best of times.

It’s enough to make somebody’s head spin but at least some of the ugliness has disappeared. It’s a team that’s easy to admire, with fifth-year journeymen like running back Rashawn Jackson and safety Brandon Woods taking their play to new highs. Heck, Woods, a Durham, N.C. product, got married during an open date in September, then had a vintage performance one week later at North Carolina.

If the fans don’t feel like embracing Groh, at least now they’ve got a team that’s worth following.
 

By not turning the ball over, Cavs are playing for keeps
By Michael Phillips
Published: October 20, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE Whether it's a blocking drill, watching film or doing a walk-through on the field, U.Va. football players are focused on the same thing -- turnovers.

Coach Al Groh has worked to instill it as a mentality, and after a rough start, it's paying off: The Wahoos have won the turnover battle handily in their past three games, all victories.

"We've realized in the last couple games how much those numbers matter," linebacker Denzel Burrell said. "Being able to have a plus margin in the turnover battle is a key to winning."

In case the team's running backs forget, there's always a linebacker ready to strip the ball during practice. During some drills, an extra tackler is sent for the sole purpose of punching at the football.

And if a player demonstrates a tendency to fumble, Groh won't hesitate to bench him.

"There are some players here in the past that have displayed a significant running skill but we couldn't afford to play Russian roulette with," he said. "We just couldn't afford to put them out there where they could do something that might cause us to lose."

The emphasis paid off on the scoreboard Saturday when defensive lineman Nate Collins took an interception back for a touchdown.

After falling in the hole with seven giveaways during the William and Mary game, the Cavs are back in the positives, ranking 37th nationally and averaging a half-turnover advantage per game. This week's opponent, Georgia Tech, is slightly ahead of that pace at 24th nationally.

Teaching turnovers involves more than just lip service to being aggressive. Groh peppers all his drills with emphasis on disrupting the game, even coaching his defenders on the proper technique for recovering fumbles.

"We have situations in practice about when you should scoop a fumble," Collins said. "I'm not going to get greedy -- if there's a pile of people, I'll jump on it. But if I'm in an open field, of course I'm going to scoop it up and try to score."

While the defense focuses on that, the offense is concentrating on not giving it away.

Saturday's rainy game provided a particular challenge on that front.

"My focus was really just to get the ball secure," quarterback Marc Verica said. "It was a messy game -- a lot of fumbles."

Groh noted yesterday that just focusing on turnovers won't make a team better overnight, but it allows the Hoos to cut down on potentially damaging plays.

"They don't compensate for not having talent," he said. "But they certainly enable you to maximize whatever talent you have on your team."

The Cavs are doing that right now, and they've used turnovers to help turn around their season.
 

Monday with the Cavs
Michael Phillips
Oct 19, 2009

Some notes from head coach Al Groh:

-The U.Va. vs. Duke game on Halloween will start at 3:30 p.m and be shown on ESPN360.com.

-Nate Collins is the ACC’s defensive player of the week.

-Groh said that Georgia Tech will provide “about as good a challenge as we could look for.“ He noted that last season the team had success against the Yellow Jackets option, but that since then their quarterback play has improved, and the team has more experience in the formation. Wide receiver Rico Smalls will be one of the players imitating the option during practice this week.

-The coach added that having played GT last year provides a jump-start on preparations: “It’s going to be a smoother week than it was last year.“

-Between series, Groh likes to chat with the players and get a feel for the flow of the game, to determine what adjustments need to be made.

-Rashawn Jackson was hampered by a training camp injury that made it hard to install plays for him in the preseason. Once he got rolling, Groh said he knew that he wanted Jackson to be a big part of the offense. The coach added that he saw Jackson do a 360-degree dunk while practicing hoops during high school.

-Virginia has gone with all-dime defenses this year on third downs, instead of nickel packages, because of personnel available.
 

Multi-sport athletes contributing at U.Va.
Michael Phillips
Oct 19, 2009

Notes from U.Va.‘s Monday media hour with the players:

-Nate Collins said that hoops was his first love growing up, including playing AAU ball during high school. He also played a little baseball. During football season, the current defensive end played eight different positions (it was a small team, as he went to a school with about 50 students), including a stint as quarterback, his personal favorite. He said he was a power forward during his hoops days.

-Kicker Robert Randolph, like so many other kickers, started as a soccer player. Sophomore year, the football coach at his school asked him to come kick for the team, since he had one of the strongest legs on the team. He stuck with football because there were more college opportunities available, though he can still be seen playing soccer around the Grounds. He said that the big difference is that in soccer, as the center-defender, he was always involved in the game, but in football he’s got to hang out and wait for one or two kicks.

-Finally, a true football player, Denzel Burrell, said that as a captain, he’s advising his teammates to stay focused, even as the team is on a three-game winning streak and first in the ACC Coastal Division. “We’ve got to stay medium,“ he said. “We’ve got nothing to boast about yet.“

Plenty more, of course, throughout the week.
 

Matt Conrath likely out Saturday.
Michael Phillips
Oct 19, 2009

Two more notes to pass along:

-It looks like defensive lineman Matt Conrath will likely miss this Saturday’s game against Georgia Tech. He injured his right ankle on a kneel-down play at the end of the first half against Maryland. His replacement would be Zane Parr.

-The final game of the year, between Virginia and Virginia Tech, has sold out.
 

UVa football notebook: Dim outlook for Conrath
Defensive end Matt Conrath is nursing an ankle injury.
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The most revealing statement on Virginia's injury situation came when co-captain Nate Collins was being interviewed Monday and said that fellow defensive end Matt Conrath "might be out for a couple of weeks."

To watch Conrath hobbling on crutches following a 20-9 UVa victory at Maryland, it was hard to project him at anywhere near 100 percent for the Cavaliers' game Saturday with 11th-ranked Georgia Tech (6-1 overall, 4-1 ACC).

Collins said the players' first impression was that Conrath had been cheap-shotted on a Maryland kneel-down play at the end of the first half, but replays showed otherwise. Conrath stepped on one of the feet of Maryland's tight end.

UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell also left the game prematurely after aggravating an old ankle injury. Coach Al Groh said not to expect any word on Sewell's availability until Thursday.

Fifth-year tailback Mikell Simpson, the Cavaliers' leading rusher for the season, was in uniform Saturday but did not play after taking a knee to the head one week earlier.

Groh said that the decision not to use Simpson on Saturday was partly precautionary.

"There are more important things in life than just football," Groh said, "especially with a young guy like that, who has everything in front of him. We're going to go on what the medical people say, but if asked to make a decision on it, we will certainly be on the cautious side."

Was it the hat?

When he went to the locker room Saturday with his team trailing Maryland 6-3, Groh took off the blue hat he had been wearing and switched to an orange hat, but don't chalk that up to superstition.

"Normally, they put multiple hats in the locker room," said Groh, who said he doesn't pack them himself. "One got wet, so I put on the other one."

Co-captain Denzell Burrell said Groh has a collection of hats that he frequently displays at practice.

"I've never questioned his hat choice," Burrell said.

On second thought

There was no malice intended when Virginia took possession at Maryland's 2-yard line with 1:47 remaining Saturday and proceeded to call a running play that resulted in the Cavaliers' final touchdown.

"If I had it to do again, I would have knelt twice, then maybe run the ball," UVa coach Al Groh said. "I was a little premature there. A case could be made for taking a knee three times there and running the clock. Certainly a case could be made for that, maybe a better case."

Still confused

Groh had little explanation for a second-quarter punt by Jimmy Howell that travelled minus-3 yards. It was first reported as a block in the Maryland press box, but replays indicated that nobody touched it.

UVa lined up in its usual "shield" formation and Howell ran to his right, as if he were going to punt the ball in the "rugby" fashion that the Cavaliers have been using. Then, it looked like he might run.

"Far be it from me to try and explain," Groh said. "It was our intention that he was going to punt the ball. Obviously, he saw some sort of aliens out there that none of us could see."

By the numbers

With five sacks allowed Saturday, Virginia dropped to 118th out of 120 Division I-A teams in sack avoidance. ... UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell had 33 yards in losses Saturday as the Cavaliers were outgained 284-201. That dropped UVa to 107th in the nation in total offense.

n Some of UVa's best statistical categories are pass-efficiency defense (seventh), third-down conversion defense (10th), pass defense (11th) and total defense (21st). After a rough start, the Cavaliers are up to 37th in turnover margin.

Short yardage

For possibly the first time this season, quarterback Jameel Sewell lined up behind center and ran a quarterback sneak on third-and-1 from the Maryland 2 in the second quarter.

Sewell picked up the first down -- "Lucky," observed Groh, hardly a sneak proponent -- and then the Terps stuffed him on another sneak attempt from the 1.

UVa was called for a false start on second-and-goal, after which Sewell was sacked for an 8-yard loss. For the season, the Cavaliers have been successful only twice in third- or fourth-and-1 situations.

Odds 'n' ends

Georgia Tech (6-1 overall, 4-1 ACC) has been installed as a four-point favorite for Saturday's game. ... Groh said that UVa will seek an extra season for injured linebacker Jared Detrick, who has never been redshirted. ... Virginia's Oct. 31 game at Duke will have a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. ... The season finale Nov. 28 against Virginia Tech is a sellout.
 

Collins Named ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/19/2009

Charlottesville, VA - The ACC announced today senior defensive end Nate Collins (Port Chester, N.Y.) has been named the Defensive Lineman of the Week following UVa's 20-9 victory at Maryland Saturday.
Collins sparked the Cavalier defense that did not allow a touchdown for the second time in its last three outings. UVa has allowed just 19 points during its current three-game winning streak.
Trailing 9-6 with just under two minutes to play in the third quarter, Collins grabbed a Maryland pass tipped by teammate Darren Childs and raced 32 yards for the go-ahead touchdown to give Virginia a 13-9 lead. Later in the fourth quarter on a third down-and-10 from the Maryland nine-yard line, Collins sacked Terrapin quarterback Chris Turner for a loss of seven yards to help set up the Cavaliers' final score. Collins finished the game with a team-high nine tackles, including two for losses, and a sack.
It marks the third consecutive week a UVa defensive player has been tabbed an ACC player of the week. Last week cornerback Ras-I Dowling was the defensive back of the week after UVa's 47-7 victory against Indiana. Defensive end Matt Conrath was the defensive lineman of the week following the Cavaliers' 16-3 win at North Carolina.
 

Who will fall first in the Coastal?
October 19, 2009 5:00 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Somebody is going to lose.

I don't know which team it will be, but there is enough fight left in this conference that nobody is going to roll over for Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Miami or Virginia. The prediction is that all this fuss over the three-way tiebreaker won't be necessary in November.

Here's a look at who has what left, and where the biggest potential upsets lie:

MIAMI

Conference opponents remaining: Clemson, at Wake Forest, Virginia, at North Carolina, Duke

Game most likely to lose: Clemson. Kevin Steele will be a match for Mark Whipple on Saturday, and the Tigers' front four will pressure Jacory Harris into mistakes. The question is whether the offense can repeat its success. Although it's a nonconference game, the South Florida finale might actually be the Canes' toughest opponent remaining. And while it won't affect the division standings, a loss to the Bulls would affect the BCS standings and could in turn hurt the Canes if the three-way tiebreaker were necessary.

GEORGIA TECH

Conference opponents remaining: at Virginia, Wake Forest, at Duke

Game most likely to lose: Virginia. History is on the Cavaliers' side, and so is their defense. It's Al Groh's strength, and the defense has played well all season. Plus, there's the fact that the Jackets haven't won at UVA since 1990. While Wake Forest has plenty of experience stopping the option because of its recent series with Navy, the defense is too young this year to slow Nesbitt and Co., especially in Atlanta. If the Jackets are going to stumble, it will be this weekend, otherwise they finish the season 11-1.

VIRGINIA TECH

Conference opponents remaining: North Carolina, at Maryland, NC State, at Virginia

Game most likely to lose: Virginia. The Hokies have the easiest path to Tampa remaining, but they need Georgia Tech to slip up. Virginia Tech isn't going to lose at home on a Thursday night to an unimpressive North Carolina offense, nor should it lose to Atlantic Division opponents Maryland and NC State, who have combined for a 1-5 conference record so far. That leaves the road trip rivalry game as the potential trap.

VIRGINIA

Conference opponents remaining: Georgia Tech, Duke, at Miami, Boston College, at Clemson, Virginia Tech

Game most likely to lose: Miami. The Jackets haven't won in Charlottesville since 1990, and the Cavaliers will do everything they can to avoid another loss to Duke. But a road trip against one of the country's top 10 teams seems like the most glaring stumbling block, especially considering the Canes will have their national ranking and ACC title hopes at stake. Let's be honest, though. The category here should be "game most likely to win." The Cavs still have to play half the ACC, and conceivably could lose every one of these games.

 

Taking ownership
By Norm Wood
247-4642
October 20, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Even before Virginia picked up its first win of the season three weeks ago at North Carolina, the attitude adjustment had begun — a sense of responsibility fostered in part from an inspirational videotape session and a general sick-and-tired feeling.

U.Va. heads in to Saturday's game against No. 11 Georgia Tech (6-1 overall, 4-1 ACC) riding a three-game winning streak that has helped it ascend to first place in the Coastal Division, an unlikely roost considering the putrid state of the program after the opening three weeks of the season. Though U.Va.'s 16-3 win at UNC showed the Cavaliers (3-3, 2-0) had a pulse, a change in their mental approach actually took place just before their last loss, a 37-34 setback at Southern Mississippi.

Players finally started taking ownership of the program, and the direction in which it was headed.

Enough was enough.

"I feel like that's a game we thought we should've won," said U.Va. defensive end Nate Collins, who earned ACC defensive-lineman-of-the-week honors after scoring on a 32-yard interception return in last Saturday's 20-9 win at Maryland.

"As a whole, I feel like everyone just got tired of losing and nobody was going to accept it."

U.Va. coach Al Groh has seen this kind of in-season transformation in previous years. His 2002 team started 0-2 before it won six in a row and finished 9-5. Two years ago, U.Va. opened with a loss at Wyoming, and responded with seven consecutive wins on its way to a 9-4 mark. This season, the turnaround has started a little bit later.

"Teams along the way … have been willing to embrace what was asked of them and buy into it and eventually take ownership of it," Groh said. "It comes at different stages with each team, but in any respect, it's vitally important.

"It doesn't mean everything's got to be perfect, but they just said, 'OK, this is the way it's going to be. We've had enough instruction, direction. We can see where the coaches want us to go.' Ultimately, the players have to take ownership. It's a collaborative thing out there, give them direction and take your form and articulate what the model is supposed to be, and eventually, they have to buy in."

During the off week before the UNC game, Groh flipped on a 90-minute video that displayed the intensity several former standout defensive players exhibited in practice while they were at U.Va. Collins said the video had a profound effect.

In its current three-game winning streak, U.Va. has given up an average of 6.3 points per game, including just one touchdown (Indiana scored it against U.Va.'s second-team defense). U.Va. is 11th in the nation in passing defense (162 yards per game), 21st in total defense (293.8 yards per game) and 29th in scoring defense (18.7 points per game).

Since switching before the Southern Miss game from a shotgun, no-huddle spread offense back to the pro-style offense Groh ran before this season, U.Va. has had a plus-nine turnover margin (three giveaways and 12 takeaways).

Now, U.Va. has a test against Georgia Tech that will give a good read on just how ready the Cavaliers are to truly contend in the ACC. Though Georgia Tech hasn't won in Charlottesville since 1990 (eight-game home winning streak for U.Va.), Groh is 1-8 in his nine seasons at U.Va. against teams ranked better than 15th in the Associated Press.

U.Va. has some banged up starters at key spots as it prepares for Georgia Tech. Quarterback Jameel Sewell (sprained right ankle), defensive end Matt Conrath (sprained right ankle) and running back Mikell Simpson (neck injury) will all be evaluated as the week progresses.

While being in first place in the division at this still-early stage is promising, Groh and a few of his players aren't letting on that it means that much right now. Groh contended he didn't know where U.Va. is in the ACC standings — neither did linebacker Denzel Burrell.

"To me, it really doesn't matter at this point," Burrell said. "It really just matters how we finish the season from here on out. We still have a lot of the season left and a lot of opportunity to gain our standing, but there's a lot of other opportunities for other people, as well."

When told about U.Va.'s home winning streak against Georgia Tech, Burrell acted even more stunned.

"Wow," Burrell said. "Pressure's on."

Can Cavaliers continue streak?
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: October 20, 2009

Denzel Burrell has been around Wahoo football for five years and even he didn’t know the answer when a sportswriter asked the linebacker on Monday if he knew the last time Georgia Tech won a game in Charlottesville.
No idea, Burrell answered.
When informed that the Yellow Jackets last won here in 1990, Burrell was blown away.
“Wow,” he said. “The pressure’s on.”
Indeed.
Heartbreaking loss
Want to ruin any Virginia football fan’s day? Just bring up
Nov. 3, 1990, the eighth game of the season that year. The Cavaliers were sitting on top of college football, ranked No. 1 in the national polls for the third straight week.
Led by quarterback Shawn Moore, wide receiver Herman Moore and running back Terry Kirby, it was the best offense most of us had ever seen. It was good enough to pile up 512 yards and 38 points on also unbeaten Georgia Tech that evening before 49,700 fans in Scott Stadium and a national television audience.
But it wasn’t enough.
The name Scott Sisson is still cursed by every living, breathing Wahoo to this day. He was the Georgia Tech kicker who made a
37-yard field goal (Ty Lewis still insists the kick wasn’t any good) with seven seconds remaining to crush Virginia’s dreams of a possible run at the national championship in a gut-wrenching,
41-38 defeat.
The Jackets went on to claim a share of a split national championship, winning the UPI title, but not the AP. Virginia went on to the Sugar Bowl, blew a sizeable lead to Tennessee and lost the game.
Memorable win
Oddly, Tech hasn’t won here since in eight tries, four against George Welsh, four against Al Groh. Four Tech teams have come in ranked and lost, particularly the 1999 Yellow Jackets that were ranked No. 7 in the nation and were upset
45-38.
Another memorable upset was in ‘01 when Mike Groh called a hook-and-ladder play that went for a touchdown to lift the Cavs past the
No. 20 Ramblin’ Wreck,
39-38.
Heck, maybe some Wahoo did put a curse on Georgia Tech that November night back in 1990.
Burrell might not have had a clue about the last Yellow Jackets win here, but Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson sure did, even though this is only his second season with the program.
“Georgia Tech hasn’t won up there since Methuselah was a boy,” Johnson quipped.
That brings us to this coming weekend’s visit by the Georgians. This time, Tech will pack the nation’s No. 11 ranking in its bags, fresh off an upset win over Virginia Tech last Saturday at Bobby Dodd Field.
Question is, can Al’s boys do it again? They’re on one of those patented Groh rolls that are born from disaster and usually play out well in the end. This one is HUGE. If Virginia, currently the only team without an ACC loss, can find a way to keep its streak over Georgia Tech alive, then the Cavaliers can take a giant step toward a Coastal Division title.
If Virginia can beat Georgia Tech, the Cavs can beat anybody in the league.
The only problem is that none of us know the status of quarterback Jameel Sewell, running back Mikell Simpson and defensive end Matt Conrath, arguably UVa’s top defensive player, for the contest. The ones who know, aren’t tellin’.
“This is about as good a challenge as we could look for this week,” Groh said Monday during his weekly press conference. “Sure could make a pretty strong argument that [Georgia Tech] is the hottest team in the ACC, and plays with a unique system in two of the three elements of their team.”
Groh was speaking of Tech’s option offense, something akin to Bear Bryant’s wishbone that he used to run in the 1970’s and ‘80’s, and some sophisticated schemes on special teams, both of which cause opponents painstakingly longer preparation time.
The Cavaliers had to face this yardage-chomping monster last season in Atlanta and after struggling the first couple of series, shut Tech’s offense down for the most part the rest of the day in an upset win. Few defenses had the success against the Jackets that Virginia enjoyed that day.
Groh said that Tech’s special teams have been ahead of the curve for the past two seasons and that’s no mistake.
“As a result, they frequently gain a big field position advantage in each one of the turnarounds, which then puts this ground-eating offense in a very advantageous position to start with,” Groh said. “It’s clear to see how they’ve tried to line the two of them up together and it’s worked very effectively. They’ll make it quite a bit of a different type of a week for us in many respects.”
Georgia Tech will bring the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense to town, averaging 281.57 yards per game, which is the chief reason the Jackets are also averaging 32.43 points per game.
It’s a grind-it-out, chop-blocking, milk-the-clock ground attack designed to control the ball, control the pace of the game.
Like Welsh said the other day, most people don’t know how to defend it properly.
Stop Tech’s run and you’ve got it made, even with the Jackets featuring big-time receiver Demaryius Thomas, who’s averaging 24.9 yards per catch and has already accumulated 671 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
The option lulls secondaries to sleep, then strikes with a big pass play.
It’s assignment football in its purest form: the cornerback must cover the outside receiver; the safety must support the run defense and normally covers the pitch back; the defensive end attacks the quarterback to force the pitch; and a defensive tackle or linebacker is assigned to tackle the fullback on the dive play every snap.
One mistake, one blown assignment and
quarterback Josh Nesbitt, a burly guy for a QB at 214 pounds (we think he’s heavier than that) or tailback Jonathan Dwyer (the 2008 ACC offensive player of the year) can go 60, 80 yards to paydirt.
Groh said Monday that Nesbitt’s maturity in the offense is evident, that his split-second decision-making is sharp. No wonder that the quarterback is Georgia Tech’s leading rusher this season.
The Jackets, however, aren’t flawless. Miami used its superior athleticism to shut down Johnson’s option. Virginia will have to use its smarts to do the same.
Even though Tech has already qualified for bowl status with a 6-1 record
(4-1 ACC) and is scoring lots of points, it is surrendering them at an alarming rate. Mississippi State got 31, Florida State hung 44 on the Jackets, and Clemson managed 27. Overall, they’re giving up 26 a game, quite a lot for a team ranked on the edge of the top 10.
Just for good measure, one of UVa’s best players from the 1990 team, All-ACC lineman Ray Roberts, will return to Scott Stadium to have his jersey retired.
This time around, Virginia’s going to need all the good luck it can get.
 

Collins back in end zone
By Jay Jenkins
Published: October 20, 2009

It marked the first time in four years that Nate Collins had been a part of a touchdown.
The play, a 32-yard interception return, helped make the defensive end the ACC defensive lineman of the week.
More importantly, it came in a victory, something that could not have been said when Collins helped account for a score in his final prep football game at King & Low-Heywood Thomas High in New York.
“I was playing quarterback and I feel like I threw a touchdown to a teammate in our last game, our rivalry game,” Collins said. “We ended up losing.”
Comically, the 290-pound senior quickly mapped out part of the reason for the setback.
“I threw five picks that game, too,” he quipped.
With just 50 kids in his graduating class, playing football meant playing on both sides of the field in games.
After a late-season injury, Collins was summoned to play quarterback, his favorite position.
“I was decent,” he said. “But I was just filling the spot for the team. I went to a small school … so sports wasn’t really a big
priority.”
Much will be asked of Collins on Saturday against No. 11 Georgia Tech (6-1, 4-1 ACC). The Yellow Jackets and their option-happy offense average 281 yards per game on the ground.
After watching Georgia Tech rattle off a pair of lengthy drives last year, Virginia managed to slow the Yellow Jackets attack and salvaged a 24-17 victory in Atlanta.
“Coach Groh told us from the start of the game that things probably weren’t going to go the way we wanted to right off the bat because it is an offense they were used to and that we aren’t used to seeing at all,” Collins said. “You play against it, that type of offense, maybe once, maybe twice a year, if that. “It is something that we have to practice and prepare for with the scout [offense] whereas they are doing that everyday.
“Coach [Al] Groh told everyone to stay calm [and] the first couple of drives weren’t going to go our way. He was absolutely right. Once we got the hang of it and we saw what was going to happen, everyone made the adjustments, followed together and we ended up stopping them for the rest of the game.”
Injury update
The status for three key contributors for Virginia remains up in the air.
When asked about the availability of quarterback Jameel Sewell, who left the Maryland game with an ankle injury, Groh balked.
“If I knew I probably wouldn’t tell you,” he said.
Sewell was not on crutches on Monday and was walking gingerly without a boot.
The chances for defensive end Matt Conrath (ankle) and tailback Mikell Simpson (neck) to play are also uncertain.
Simpson has practiced on the side but must be cleared by team doctors.
“Clearly there are more important things in life than just football, especially with a young guy like that who’s got everything in front of him,” Groh said. “We’re going to strictly go on whatever the medical people say, but at the same time, if forced to make [a decision] on it, we will certainly be on the cautious side.”
Should Conrath be unable to play, he would be replaced by sophomore Zane Parr.
Down the stretch
Virginia (3-3, 2-0) will be playing just its third league game on Saturday.
Georgia Tech had accomplished that feat on Sept. 26 and boasts just three league games remaining.
That was news to Groh, who claimed he has not studied the standings in the league.
“I didn’t know that,” said Groh upon learning Georgia Tech’s league mark. “I learned the value of [ignoring standings] from some people who used to be pretty successful.
“I didn’t even know they played that many games.”
Should Georgia Tech win on Saturday, Virginia would need the Yellow Jackets to lose at least one game to have any chance of winning the Coastal Division. The Yellow Jackets host Wake Forest on Nov. 7 and travel to Duke on Nov. 14.
Playing copy cat
With Jameel Sewell and Vic Hall set to complete their eligibility this fall, Riko Smalls is likely to climb the depth chart.
That is of little consequence this week.
Smalls has the important task of copying the Georgia Tech quarterback Nesbitt as the top scout team quarterback.
That process started in practice Sunday evening.
“Riko’s pretty good at it too,” Virginia linebacker Denzel Burrell said.
Sitting out for the year?
Virginia linebacker Jared Detrick has not traveled to a road game this season.
A special teams demon in the past, it seemed like an odd decision.
There is an explanation.
“We are probably going to redshirt him this year,” Groh said.
Detrick had surgery last year and was believed to have recovered well enough to play this season, but he suffered a setback in training camp and continues to rehab.
After playing the last two years in 20 total games, Detrick would have two years of eligibility remaining should he be redshirted.
He has made 13 career tackles.
Extra points …
Georgia Tech has not won at Scott Stadium since 1990, having lost eight straight. … Virginia’s contest with Duke on Oct. 31 will start at 3:30 p.m. It will not be televised, but will be available on espn360.com. … Steve Greer, the Cavaliers’ starting inside linebacker, has 17 tackles during the team’s current winning streak. Cornerback Ras-I Dowling ranks second during that span with 16.
 

Virginia to Play North Carolina in First Event at New Meadowlands
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/19/2009

UVa will play North Carolina in the first event to be held at the New Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J., on April 10.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - For the second straight year, the Virginia men's lacrosse team will face North Carolina in the second annual Konica Minolta Big City Classic, a college lacrosse tripleheader organized by Inside Lacrosse magazine. The second-year affair, previously held at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will serve as the first-ever event held at the New Meadowlands Stadium, next door to its predecessor. The tripleheader will be contested on April 10, opening the state-of-the-art facility.

The Cavaliers and Tar Heels are scheduled to faceoff at 4 p.m. in the day's second game, following Delaware/Hofstra at 1 p.m. The third game will feature Princeton against defending national champion Syracuse, set to face off at 6:30 p.m., as each matchup mirrors the inaugural event in April 2009, concluding a two-year commitment by all programs involved.

UVa, in the inaugural event, rode three goals each by Danny Glading and Shamel Bratton, as then No. 1 Virginia narrowly topped No. 10 North Carolina, 11-10, in the neutral site ACC matchup.

Last year, the inaugural Big City Classic broke the attendance record for a regular season, lacrosse-only event with 22,308 fans in Giants Stadium. The second year of the event will break new ground for the sport as the first event to ever be played at the New Meadowlands Stadium. This state-of-the-art facility will open its gates to lacrosse fans at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic before serving as the new home for the NFL's Giants and Jets. The Konica Minolta Big City Classic gives New York area sports fans the chance to get an early look at the much-anticipated stadium.

The six lacrosse teams involved are worthy of the big stage. Delaware, Hofstra, North Carolina, Princeton, Virginia and Syracuse have advanced to the NCAA Semifinals a combined 69 times. They have won 25 NCAA championships, including the back-to-back titles claimed by Syracuse during the last two seasons.

This is the fourth consecutive year the Cavaliers will participate in a major regular-season lacrosse event. Prior to last year's Big City Classic, UVa defeated Syracuse in the Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Classic at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium in back-to-back seasons (2007-08).

"The Big City Classic has quickly become one of the premier events of the college lacrosse regular season," said Virginia head coach Dom Starsia. "We are all very excited to be playing in the first athletic event in the new Meadowlands Stadium. For a college lacrosse fan, the combination of these match-ups, at this location and in this venue is a unique, "can't miss" opportunity. The Cavs and the Tar Heels in the "Big City" ... sounds pretty good!"

Bob Carpenter, publisher of Inside Lacrosse, is excited about the event. "The fact that a college lacrosse lineup will open up the New Meadowlands Stadium is simply an amazing opportunity," said Carpenter. "This allows us to raise the profile of lacrosse and continue attracting new fans to the sport."

Ticket packages go on sale Nov. 12, 2009, for the Konica Minolta Big City Classic. Ticket prices for the event range from $15 to $45. All seating locations for the event are reserved.

Virginia will release the remainder of its 2010 schedule in the near future.
 

No. 11 UVa Back In Action Tuesday Night at Klöckner
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 10/19/2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The 11th-ranked Virginia men's soccer team returns to action on Tuesday night when it hosts Howard at Klöckner Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., and live statistics will be available at VirginiaSports.com.

Virginia (8-3-1, 2-3 ACC) is coming off of a 3-1 win at league and in-state rival Virginia Tech Saturday night (Oct. 17). Freshman Will Bates (Chester, Va.) scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 57th minute, to lead UVa to a victory over the Hokies.

Bates has now scored four goals in 2009, which is tied for first among the Cavaliers. Senior Neil Barlow (Herndon, Va.) has also totaled four goals and had Virginia's first goal against Virginia Tech.

The 3-1 victory marked the Cavaliers' highest goal output since opening the season with a 3-0 victory at Portland.

The all-time series with Howard stands at 1-1. The teams met in the 1988 and 1997 seasons, with the Cavaliers prevailing 3-0 in 1997 and the Bison winning 3-2 in overtime in 1988. Both match-ups occurred at the NCAA Tournament.

Howard (2-9-2) is led by Phillip Borde with three goals and four assists, followed by Matt Marshall with two goals and one assist. Goalkeeper Victory Thomas has started nine out of Howard's 12 games and allowed 19 goals for a 1.68 goals-against average.

Following Tuesday's match, Virginia hosts Boston College on Sunday, Oct. 25 at Klöckner Stadium. Kick-off is 1 p.m.