UVa struggles with halftime adjustments
By Jay Jenkins
Published: October 29, 2009
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As Georgia Tech’s field goal split the uprights at the end of the first half, Virginia’s players sluggishly jogged to the locker room at Scott Stadium.
At the same moment, a handful of coaches departed their perch in the press box, jumped on an elevator and headed for the same spot.
The groups would meet in mere minutes with Virginia trailing by seven points.
What would be in store? What corrections could be made? How could the errors that lead to numerous first downs be fixed?
Virginia (3-4, 2-1 ACC) seemed to fail in that respect as the Yellow Jackets outscored the Cavs 21-3 in the final two quarters en route to a 34-9 victory that essentially left Virginia searching for a bowl berth to salvage another season.
Having been outscored by 84 points the past three years in the second half, it leads one to think what truly goes on after the intermission.
“There are certainly some [adjustments] that there is the opportunity there to be made, but there is a lot … very frequently what happens at halftime is whatever adjustments were made during the course of the first half are just confirmed and more clearly defined for the players,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “Frequently those adjustments have to be made on the run, often during the course of the series when you don’t have a chance to talk to the players. But you change your play selection.
“That’s more the case on defense than it is offense. Okay, here’s something that just a lot of offenses do, is they’ll package their plays by series. Okay, in this in a lot of game plan will look literally like a box.
They’ll have boxes on the sheet; okay. Just like a package. And in box A ... okay, these are the players that are going to run during this series. And in box B, these are the plays they’re going to run during that series. And the intent of that is to stay one move ahead of the defensive team.”
As the head coach and the defensive coordinator of the team, Groh must maximize his time during a contest. That leads to quick adjustments on the fly.
“Once you see by a series on the sideline, what’s going on, sometimes you have to change the whole style of calls that you’re making on defense,” Groh said. “And then come off and tell the players why you did it, and the next time this happens, this is what we’re going to do.
“So, obviously, that takes some adaptability on the part period of the players to have that happen during the course of the series. And if not, then it occurs on the sidelines there.”
While avoiding from citing the current team as a proper example, Groh said some of the former teams picked things up well on the fly.
“We’ve had some teams that were particularly good at that,” he admitted. “I remember citing some examples with the team in ‘07 and there were two or three circumstances where we put some things in on the bench that we hadn’t put in yet that year that we had added in previous seasons.
“And that group [heard] ‘Look, fellas, this will take care of this situation for us. Can we do this? And can we do this? We can do this. Or I’m not comfortable with that. Or I’m not comfortable with that.’”
Groh said he demanded merely an “honest answer” from his players.
Virginia’s coach could be staring at his players again at halftime this week should Duke’s passing attack create problems in a game that the Cavaliers are favored to win by seven points.
“Coach Groh has always made great changes during games,” Virginia linebacker Denzel Burrell said. “He just knows the game and he knows the opponent. It is on us to execute what we are given.”
 

Duke’s offense set for showdown with UVa
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: October 29, 2009
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Scattershooting a round the ACC, while noting that the ACC is the only conference in the nation to have three QBs ranked among the top 10 in pass efficiency, but perhaps the ACC’s most dangerous isn’t one of them ...
Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis is on the minds of Virginia’s defense for this Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium. Lewis, who has thrown for nearly 9,000 yards in his career, isn’t one of the three ACC quarterbacks ranked among the elite in the nation right now. Those honors go to Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor, Miami’s Jacory Harris, and Florida State’s Christian Ponder.
Heck, even Wake’s Riley Skinner is ranked in the top 20 nationally and Georgia Tech’s run-happy Josh Nesbitt would be No. 21 if he had enough attempts to qualify.
But where’s Lewis?
I’m guessing the two passing quarterbacks in this league teams would least like to face are Lewis and FSU’s Ponder. Both can light it up.
“Those 14 touchdowns are pretty impressive,” UVa coach Al Groh said Wednesday about the Duke quarterback’s numbers. “Not to mention just three interceptions.”
Groh’s pass defense, ranked fifth nationally, will be taking on Duke’s passing offense, ranked sixth nationally in a classic showdown.
What a strange contrast for Virginia, going from one Saturday where it faced the nation’s No. 2 rushing offense in Georgia Tech, to this Saturday against the country’s sixth-ranked passing offense.
Complimentary Cutcliffe
Duke coach David Cutcliffe had plenty of nice things to say about Virginia’s football team on Wednesday.
“This is going to be a very difficult match-up for us,” the Blue Devils coach said. “With Virginia, the more they play, the better they seem to get. They’re the most physical team we’ve played by far.
“Virginia is one of the better looking teams you’ll see in uniform, and they’re playing well on the field, too,” Cutcliffe said. “Last week’s game in the rain against a wishbone team, the odds were stacked against them. That game was better than the score (34-9) indicated. I don’t think last week was anything to set them back at all.”
Frankly, my dear ...
Frank Beamer said he called Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson to clarify his statements about some Yellow Jackets’ blocking tactics that the Virginia Tech coach wasn’t real happy with in the loss in Atlanta two Saturday’s ago.
Beamer said he had that Georgia Tech’s low block, which infuriated the Hokies’ coach, didn’t come on the last touchdown as he had stated previously, but rather earlier in the game.
“I apologized for that,” Beamer said. “I don’t like giving out wrong information. It shouldn’t have happened. It’s not about Georgia Tech. It’s about some things that happened within that game that I think are just wrong in general and I think they’re dangerous.”
Beamer said he didn’t have a problem with a cut block as long as a player can see it coming in front of him and not from the side or behind, which apparently happened in the game.
Which leads us to ...
Quote of the week
Virginia Tech’s Frank Beamer on his complaining to the league office about some of Georgia Tech’s cut blocks, which the Hokies’ coach didn’t think were executed properly and left some of his players vulnerable to injury:
“That’s the only reason this is coming around, is I want to do what I think is right for the game,” Beamer said. “And this is what’s right for the game. It’s not sour grapes. It’s not that Georgia Tech beat us. It’s not that. It’s just some situations came up that I think put guys in dangerous situations. So that’s all of that.”
Stat of the week
It’s never happened in the history of Duke football: four wide receivers with 25 or more pass receptions in a single season.
That’s what Virginia must deal with on Saturday when Austin Kelly (39), Donovan Varner (35), Conner Vernon (31), and Johnny Williams (26) come to Scott Stadium. We would have thought that this might have happened
during the Steve Spurrier days at Duke, but nope, there was only three with 25 or more catches.
Duke coach David Cutcliffe said what has been impressive to him is his receivers’ “yards after catch” numbers, something the Cavaliers must pay special attention toward.
Carolina Blues
Boos were heard in Kenan Stadium last week when the Tar Heels blew a 24-6 lead and lost to Florida State.
Most of those boos were directed toward UNC coach Butch Davis, especially after he decided to punt on fourth down at the FSU 44 with less than five minutes to play and trailing 30-27.
“A lot of these lessons that you learn are bitter,” said Davis, who called the loss one of the most disappointing of his career. “They’re painful and they’re not fun to go through, but sometimes you have to go through them.”
Carolina must now win three of its final five games to qualify for bowl eligibility, starting tonight against Virginia Tech. Then there’s games against Duke, Boston College and N.C. State.
Not in the club
Boston College tri-captain Rich Gunnell won’t be applying for membership in the Jimmy Clausen fan club.
TV cameras caught the BC player ignoring Clausen, Notre Dame’s quarterback, trying to shake hands after the Irish broke a six-game losing streak against the Eagles last Saturday. Gunnell said he wasn’t being a bad sport, that it wasn’t about sour grapes, but rather Clausen’s antics before the game that caused the snub.
“At the beginning of the game, we were warming up and running out on the field and [Clausen] was out there chirping, talking trash,” Gunnell said. “And then he went up and pushed (BC receiver) Justin Jarvis for no reason. I just looked at him and said, ‘What are you doing? Who do you think you are?’ And he’s still sitting there talking.
“Afterwards, he’s trying to be all friendly and I didn’t want to hear that,” Gunnell said of Clausen’s advances. “It just rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t like what he did and it just seemed like he was a little fake toward the end of the game, just because they won. I know if it was the other end of the stick, he’s probably be saying the same thing as me.”
The picks
Last week: 3-3. To date: 37-19. Tonight: Virginia Tech 27, North Carolina 14. Saturday: Boston College 33, Central Michigan 17; Clemson 42, Coastal Carolina 13; Florida State 40, N.C. State 19; Georgia Tech 44, Vanderbilt 13; Miami 30, Wake Forest 20; Virginia 24, Duke 21.
 

Increased Role Likely for Schautz
Oct. 28, 2009
12:38 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Aaron Clark's latest knee injury isn't nearly as serious as the one he suffered in Virginia's 2008 season-opener.
Still, don't expect to see the 6-5, 245-pound outside linebacker play Saturday against Duke at Scott Stadium. Clark, who tore an ACL in the opener against Southern California last year and missed the rest of the season, sprained his knee versus Georgia Tech last weekend.
His replacement on the depth chart is Billy Schautz, who's also been banged-up this season.
In August, Schautz was working with the second team in UVa's base defense and was part of the rotation for the nickel and dime packages. Schautz hurt his knee during training camp, however, and that's slowed his progress.
In limited playing time, the 6-4, 240-pound redshirt freshman has made one tackle in his four games.
For most of the season, Virginia's defensive coordinator, head coach Al Groh, has rotated three players at outside linebacker: fifth-year seniors Clark and Denzel Burrell and sophomore Cameron Johnson.
"It has worked to everybody's benefit by being able to get into this rotation," Groh said Wednesday on the ACC coaches' teleconference.
"If Aaron doesn't make it back -- and that's problematic at this point here -- we'd like to be able to get some plays out of Billy in that respect. But clearly as a second-year player, compared to a fifth-year player, it'd be asking a lot of him to try to give us the same that Aaron Clark has given us."
UVa (2-1, 3-4) hosts ACC foe Duke (2-1, 4-3) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
-- Jeff White
 

Position switch turned on Cavs’ Collins
By Michael Phillips
Published: October 29, 2009

CHARLOTTESVILLE Playing at a small high school in suburban New York, Nate Collins changed positions so often that he wasn't even issued a number. Instead, he was given a handful of penny jerseys he could slip on, depending on his position.

Things haven't been as chaotic at Virginia, but last week, Collins slid from defensive end to nose tackle and delivered 16 tackles against Georgia Tech.

"I don't want to say we expected it, but we kind of knew Nate would have a big game," linebacker Steve Greer said. "It seemed like he was in on every tackle. Sometimes I was trying to get a tackle, and he was there way before me."

Collins was only the latest defensive end to swap positions this season for Virginia, a position at which coach Al Groh has managed to magnify depth by having players who can fill multiple roles.

The week before, it was Zane Parr moving from the left side of the line to the right side with an injury to Matt Conrath.

"Anytime a player can go from side to side, whether it's right guard to left or left end to right, that really gives us the equivalent of two players," Groh said. "We're impressed with his versatility, his adaptability to be able to do that."

This week against Duke, the changes figure to continue as Collins moves back to his end position, which allows Nick Jenkins to return as the nose tackle.

Moving to the bench likely will be John-Kevin Dolce, who saw his first extended action of the season against Georgia Tech. He moved from his role as backup nose tackle to start at defensive end.

"That was my first time playing the role of defensive end," he said. "It wasn't too big of an adjustment."

Virginia's 3-4 scheme makes things slightly easier as players are swapped in and out. All three players are lined up between the tackles, making their roles similar.

The changes often come down to little things like hand position -- Parr was used to positioning his hand so he could charge from the left side. He continued to use that position when moved to the right, because it felt more comfortable to him. Groh was fine with that.

Duke is busy preparing for the challenges Virginia's defense will offer. The 3-4 is used very rarely in colleges, meaning it's a different look for most teams when they see it. Coach David Cutcliffe said he was specifically concerned about the group's athleticism.

"I think Nate Collins is terrific -- I think he's a heck of a pro prospect and one of the most productive defensive linemen in our league right now," he said.

Groh compared Collins to Alvin Pearman, a college player who had a strong senior season to put himself on the NFL radar.

He might be the latest player to draw the NFL's interest, but the whole line has grabbed the ACC's attention -- no matter what combination they mix and match on a weekly basis.

Baker's surgery could affect Evans

Three thoughts on Virginia guard Calvin Baker's arthroscopic knee surgery yesterday:

* Baker, a fifth-year senior from Woodside High, can't catch a break. This marks his third surgery since March, one to repair the stress fracture in his left foot that hobbled him last season, two on the right knee he damaged compensating for the weakened foot.

* After starting 30 games and averaging more than 25 minutes the past two seasons, Baker may be forced into a much more limited role this season -- coaches expect him to miss at least two weeks of practice.

* Absent Baker's minutes, the Cavaliers will lean even more on freshman guard Jontel Evans of Bethel High.

While new coach Tony Bennett envisioned the 6-foot-2 Baker as a combination guard, he sees the 5-11 Evans (correctly) as strictly a point guard whose strength and quickness could make him a defensive stopper, probably as an oft-used backup to projected starter Sammy Zeglinski.

Virginia's roster lists Evans at 185 pounds, not far off his football-playing weight at Bethel, where he was an outstanding tailback. But Bennett said a summer and fall dedicated solely to basketball conditioning has re-proportioned Evans and prepared him for the ACC's rigors.

Bennett and his players give rave reviews to Mike Curtis, the program's new strength and conditioning coach. Curtis, who played at Virginia and was a co-captain in 1998, previously served as director of strength and conditoning for the University of Michgan's athletic department, and as head strength coach for the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies.

One final thought on Evans: Most consider perimeter shooting his glaring weakness. But we've seen Evans make enough jumpers at Bethel and with Boo Williams' AAU team to suspect he'll be more productive than expected.

Posted by David Teel

Breaking the rules
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Columnist
Sports
October 29, 2009 0

The day after the Virginia football team was clobbered by Georgia Tech, I made the trip to Greensboro, N.C. for the men’s basketball ACC media day. Prior to team interviews, I attended the annual Commissioner’s Forum, where this year’s rule changes were announced by John Clougherty, ACC coordinator of basketball officials.

Usually, such changes, passed down by the NCAA Rules Committee, from year to year are minor. But not this time around.

Rule change: The “Imaginary Box”

The NBA implemented a no-charge zone under the basket a few years ago, and the NCAA is now following suit — sort of. New this year is an imaginary box under the basket where, if a defender attempts to take a charge, the call will automatically be a blocking foul. The area will be a box, the dimensions of which are the width of the backboard (24 inches) and the distance from the backboard to the rim (18 inches). There are no lines on the court denoting this region, though — officials will simply determine if a defender is in the zone.

The most humorous part of this rule for me was that many players didn’t know about it. Clougherty said Sunday that the ACC had only visited six of the 12 schools to explain the new rule changes at that point. Miami was one such school — here is one exchange I had with Malcolm Grant and James Dews of the Hurricanes.

Me: “I guess you probably know what the rule changes are.”

Grant: “I’ve heard something about celebration.”

Me: “Well, the big one is that they have a box for where you can’t take a charge.”

Dews: “Oh, really?”

I took out a pen and paper, drew a diagram of the basket, drew in the box and explained what it meant. They looked at me, dumbfounded.

“Wow,” Dews said. “That’s gonna be tough.”

By the time I had finished interviewing players, I had drawn out this no-charge area three times. The season starts in fewer than three weeks. Does anyone else see something wrong with that?
That aside, I’ll group my reaction with that of the players and coaches because they are the same: Good idea, but why no line?

Clougherty said the rule must be in place for two years before a line can be painted in, mostly because of budgetary reasons. Other than that, the idea is good. The rule has worked in the NBA — it forces defenders to step up and take a charge early, rather than defenders (like Greg Paulus) stepping in under the basket and taking a charge at the last minute.

Point of emphasis: Unsportsmanlike conduct

Have you noticed how often excessive celebration is flagged in football? The same is going to happen in basketball.

Clougherty said any celebration of a good play that “embarrasses your opponent” will result in a technical foul. Such actions include (but are not limited to): pointing a finger at an opposing player, taunting, obscene gestures, standing over somebody after dunking and “muscling up” after a dunk.

Again, my reaction and that of the players are the same: Let them play, for goodness sake. Some of the excessive celebration penalties that are being called in football these days are absurd — Jameel Sewell got one for pointing to the sky. As one fan aptly called it, it’s the “What-would-Tim-Duncan-do rule.” The only problem is that not everyone is as demure as Duncan.

“When somebody gets dunked on, are you just gonna keep your emotions in?” Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez said. “People aren’t supposed to say anything? It’s going to be silly.”

Point of emphasis: Distracting the free-throw shooter

Apparently, this has always been a rule but it’s never been enforced.

After a free-throw shooter gets the ball from the referee, players and coaches will not be allowed to distract the shooter in any way. If a player’s hands are down, they must stay down; if they’re up, they must stay up. No more yelling, “Box out!” as a player shoots or having the point guard yell out plays from the three-point line. Do any of that and it’s the equivalent of a lane violation — on a miss, the shooter gets another shot.

This rule has a good intent but there is some gray area. If Virginia coach Tony Bennett happens to be occupied when the opposing team lines up for free throws, what is he supposed to do if he honestly wants to call out instructions? Act it out on the sideline? During the shooting motion, I understand, but Clougherty said that it’s as the player gets ready to shoot — i.e., after he gets the ball. I think that’s taking it a bit far.

“You’ve got to understand, people have been playing this way for 50, 60 years,” N.C. State guard Farnold Degand said. “It’s going to take a while to get used to.”

Rule change: If a player is awarded free throws on a “common foul” (i.e., not flagrant or intentional) but is unable to shoot free throws because he was hurt on the play, then the opposing coach will choose the shooter from the remaining four players on the floor. The rule used to be that the coach of the injured player would choose any other player on the floor or on the bench, which will still apply to flagrant and intentional fouls.

The overall verdict? Rules that directly influence game play — i.e., box under the basket, emphasis on three seconds — are good ideas if they pan out, though I’m not so sure that an imaginary box will do less harm than good. The crackdown on sportsmanship though, is absurd. Don’t muscle up after a dunk? Give me a break.

We’ve seen what is happening in football; players are getting flagged for small celebrations. Now, the NCAA is trying to do the same thing with basketball, and the players know it.

D’Andre Bell of Georgia Tech had the best response when I asked him about these rules.

“If it’s not broken,” he said, “don’t break it.”

That pretty much summed up every player’s reaction to rule changes that relate more to the image of the game than to the substance of it. After all, you can only clean up the image of the game so much before it has no image at all.

“That kind of stuff is what helps college basketball,” Virginia Tech guard Malcolm Delaney said. “If you change that, that’s basically taking away one of the aspects of the game.”

Cavaliers mature into new roles
Experience has been valuable for tourney-placer Ben Kohles
Ashley Robertson, Cavalier Daily Senior Writer
Featured / Men's Golf / Sports
October 29, 2009 0

Junior Amory Davis has performed well thus far this season. Davis won the Bridgestone Invitational Oct. 24-25. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.

Junior Amory Davis has performed well thus far this season. Davis won the Bridgestone Invitational Oct. 24-25. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.

The buzz word for the Cavalier men’s golf team this season is “maturity.”

This fall, Virginia golfers have experienced personal growth that has already translated into team success. The past two years, the Cavaliers have garnered NCAA Tournament bids, and promising results this fall suggest a three-peat appearance could be on the horizon.

“I think most of it has been maturity,” coach Bowen Sergant said. “A preponderance of the team has been freshman and sophomores. Now these guys are becoming juniors and seniors, so I think that just through natural maturation these guys have gotten better.”

“Better” may be an understatement. The Cavalier team entered the fall season outside the nation’s top 50. After strong performances in each of its five tournaments, however, Virginia has a chance of finishing the fall ranked within the top 25.

The Cavaliers opened their season with a fourth place finish at the Maryland Intercollegiate, highlighted by an individual win from sophomore Ben Kohles. With a three-day total score of 7-under 206, Kohles tied for first with North Carolina junior Henry Zaytoun and topped a field that included last year’s NCAA champion and Male Golfer of the Year, N.C. State junior Matt Hill.

Kohles remained steady throughout the season, finishing in the top 10 at all tournaments except for one. He also led the Cavaliers with a scoring average of 70.8. Although these strong individual stats factored heavily into Virginia’s overall fall success, Kohles still defers the credit to his teammates.
Junior Ben Kohles has performed well thus far this season. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.

Junior Ben Kohles has performed well thus far this season. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.

“This fall, we came together more as a team in the tournaments,” Kohles said. “I think the key is that we have a lot of good chemistry with the team this year and we have a lot of experience.”

This experience propelled the team to medals in each of its final four tournaments. The team placed second at the VCU Shootout, followed by a pair of third-place finishes at the Gary Koch Intercollegiate and the Bank of Tennessee’s Intercollegiate at The Ridge. Behind starters Kohles, junior Amory Davis, senior Kyle Stough, junior Will Collins and sophomore Bruce Woodall, Virginia finished its fall season by placing second at the UNCG Bridgestone Invitational.

“The past few tournaments we have not had any freshman playing,” Davis said. “Everyone has been there before. They have gotten more mature and their games have been getting better, and they are focused on what they want to do.”

Davis is one player who has capitalized on an improved game and added focus. At the Bridgestone Invitational, the junior tied a program scoring record while winning the individual tournament. Davis navigated Forest Oaks Country Club in only 205 strokes during three rounds, tying the course record with his 11-under par performance.

Davis’ dominance carried Virginia to a second-place finish and infused the team with confidence as it tunes up for the spring season.

“Golf is almost all confidence, all the time,” Stough said. “Right now, this team as a whole has a ton of confidence. Going into every tournament, we feel like we are going to win.” The team hopes to carry this attitude into their spring season, when it will continue its hunt for a NCAA entry.

“The whole season works in an entirety, even though it is like two separate seasons,” Sergant explained. “It would be almost like taking a break in the middle of football season, playing four games, taking a three-month break and playing the last four. These tournaments we played count toward NCAAs just like the ones in the spring.”

The Cavaliers’ fall success places the team in national championship contention earlier in the year than during previous seasons.

“This fall has actually been really different than any of the previous fall seasons we have had,” Stough said. “In the past, we have always put ourselves behind the eight ball … having to work extremely hard during the winter to get ourselves in a good spot to get to NCAAs.”

Sitting in this comfortable position, the team now has a chance to relax.

“Having a really good fall helps us,” Kohles added. “We know we can play well and we won’t have the pressure of having to play well.”

Although a great fall improves team morale, that does not mean the players will throw their clubs in the closet this winter.

“I think that everyone just needs to work hard over the winter,” Davis said. “I think everyone wants to win. We haven’t won a tournament yet and we will be going into the first tournament in the spring just wanting to win. I think we can get it.”