UVa prepares for Tech, waits on bid
By John Galinsky / Daily Progress staff write
November 24, 2003

The Virginia football team still doesn’t know if it will be planting its flag in Orlando, Charlotte or Boise for a bowl game. For now, coach Al Groh says, all the Cavaliers are concerning themselves with is Virginia Tech.
“We have a pretty significant game right here this week,” Groh said.
UVa (6-5) closes the regular season at home Saturday against the reeling Hokies
(8-3), who have slipped from No. 3 to No. 21 in the Associated Press poll. The 85th installment of the state’s mega-rivalry will start at 1 p.m. and be televised by ABC.
Before that, the Cavaliers probably will know their bowl destination. While they are hoping for a bid to the Dec. 22 Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Fla., other possibilities include the Dec. 27 Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C., and the Jan. 3 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
While Groh indicated after last Saturday’s 29-17 victory over Georgia Tech that he preferred the Tangerine, he said Sunday that the Continental Tire also is an attractive option. Virginia stomped West Virginia, 48-22, in last year’s inaugural game.
“We had a great experience there, so we’d be very happy to go back there also,” Groh said.
Many of UVa’s players said they would be pleased to go anywhere after losing four of five games following a 4-1 start. They had dropped four in a row against ACC opponents, all by close margins, but they limited their errors against the Yellow Jackets and became eligible for a bowl game.
“We were losing games that we felt we really needed to win. Winning this game really changed our fortunes,” said sophomore tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson. “The problem wasn’t so much about the other teams beating us, it was that we were doing enough of the wrong things to beat ourselves. We had to freshen up our game and we came out inspired this week.”
The Cavaliers apparently bought into Groh’s latest motivational ploy. He brought an orange and blue Virginia flag to practice last week and challenged his players to carry the flag, literally and figuratively, in an effort to salvage the season.
Different players waved the flag on the sideline during the game as UVa turned in one of its best overall performances of the season.
“Tuesday I thought we had our most spirited practice of the year,” Groh said. “The challenge then was to hold onto that. … Whatever ‘it’ is in sports, it is hard to get, and then it is hard to hold. Since Tuesday they’ve had ‘it’. If they can hold onto ‘it’ for a while here, we’ve got a chance to win some more games.”



 

Cavaliers may not know bowl fate until weekend
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
November 24, 2003

You might want to put those Disney tickets on hold because the Tangerine Bowl’s plans to invite an ACC team to it’s game in Orlando could be delayed until after this weekend’s games.

While Tangerine Bowl representative Dylan Thomas indicated during Virginia’s win over Georgia last Saturday that his game hoped to invite a team today, apparently things changed the ACC’s overall bowl picture later that night. Clemson’s lopsided rout of South Carolina made an impact on how the pecking order may change.

“Clemson’s impressive win complicates things,” UVa athletics director Craig Littlepage said Sunday night. “The bowl representatives want to see this weekend’s games before they make their decisions.”

Clemson capped off its regular season with a huge win over rival South Carolina to give the Tigers an 8-4 record, which is a better overall mark than N.C. State (7-5). The Wolfpack lost to Maryland (8-3).

The Terrapins still must play at Wake Forest (5-6) on Saturday, while Virginia (6-5) hosts Virginia Tech, and Georgia Tech (6-5) hosts Georgia. Should Maryland lose, the Terps and Tigers would be tied for second place in the ACC and have identical overall records and could make Clemson a more attractive pick for the Gator Bowl.

Apparently, the Gator is holding up the entire process. Thomas said Saturday that as soon as the ACC and the Gator and Peach bowls began to release teams not in consideration for their games, then the rest of the pecking order - the Tangerine Bowl, Continental Tire Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl - could officially make their invitations.

Thomas also indicated that Virginia was strong in the Tangerine’s mix.

Had Clemson lost to South Carolina and had Virginia Tech beaten Boston College, Littlepage said he would have felt confident that much of the ACC’s bowl picture would have been resolved Sunday and that the Cavaliers would have had a chance to have been on their way to Orlando to face Kansas of the Big 12 Conference.

Now, everything is back up in the air.

“Clemson’s win was of such a magnitude that some of the bowls felt they might have a different group of teams available to them,” Littlepage said. “The ACC office indicated it wants to wait for the outcome of the Maryland-Wake Forest game.”

Littlepage talked with ACC officials and with representatives of the Tangerine and Continental Tire Bowl games.

“The realist inside me tells me we’re not headed to the Gator or the Peach,” Littlepage said.

The Gator, which has first choice in the matter, decided to delay the process, probably in case the Terps should happen to lose to Wake. That would give the Jacksonville bowl an option of taking Clemson or even N.C. State.

None of the other bowls on the ACC’s tie-in list can make an invitation until after the Gator’s work is done.

Littlepage said that after discussions with Ken Haines of the Continental Tire Bowl that the Charlotte-based game had no problems inviting the Cavaliers back for a second straight year, but that Virginia Tech’s upset loss to Boston College complicated that issue as well.

Tech might have been headed to the Gator Bowl had the Hokies beaten BC, but now may be a candidate for the Continental Tire Bowl, which would practically rule out any possibility of a rematch between Tech and UVa.

“Ken said he would love to have Virginia there again and even joked about Virginia vs. West Virginia, Round II,” Littlepage said. “But the Tech loss complicates things on the Big East side.”

While the Gator has asked for another week to decide, skeptics wonder if the bowl will wait that long to pick its ACC representative.

“I remember a year ago at this time being in Hawaii and being told that the Gator and Peach would wait until the following weekend games to pick teams and about three hours later the Gator took N.C. State,” Littlepage said.

The Mazda Tangerine Bowl will be played on Dec. 22, while the Continental Tire Bowl is scheduled for Dec. 27, and the Humanitarian Bowl has moved its game to Jan. 3 in Boise, Idaho.

 

Virginia wins opener
Freshman Forbes has 21 points
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writher
November 24, 2003

Virginia coach Pete Gillen, among other references, sometimes makes comparisons to artists such as Picasso and Monet.

His team’s 80-71 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Sunday night at University Hall would fall a little short of those men’s works. Just ask Gillen himself.

“First games are always unpredictable and it certainly wasn’t pretty. … We’re playing with a lot of young guys, so it’s going to be erratic, but any win is a good win,” Gillen said.

Freshman Gary Forbes led Virginia with 21 points and nine rebounds while Todd Billet added 13. Freshman Donte Minter finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in 18 minutes and Derrick Byars, exiting early after fouling out with 9:11 left, had 11 and Elton Brown had 10.

Forbes’ 21 points was the most by a UVa freshman in an opener since Harold Deane scored 10 against Connecticut on Nov. 29, 1993.

Virginia played without junior Devin Smith, who was in street clothes and nursing a bad back. Gillen said Smith, who also missed UVa’s final exhibition contest Tuesday, is expected to see a specialist today concerning the back.

Erratic and not pretty were certainly proper descriptions of the game as Virginia struggled from both the stripe and the 3-point line. Virginia was 29 of 45 from the line and just 3 of 15 from behind the arc.

“Hopefully we can do better. I think we’re better than that. I think we can shoot better than that. … The free-throw shooting is very disappointing. We’re working on that. That’s pressing and it’s mental. We have a lot of work ahead of us,” Gillen said.

The Cavaliers opened the game looking quite crisp against the Mountaineers (0-4), who were coming off an overtime loss to Delaware on Friday.

Virginia led 13-4 just a little over four minutes into the contest as the quicker, running-and-pressing style Gillen had promised for this season was quite effective.

“That’s how we want to play. We don’t have a lot of bodies but we want to trap and run and be aggressive. We have to do that because we can’t just play a halfcourt game,” Gillen said.

Virginia led by as many as 12 on four different occasions but was unable to extend the lead beyond on that as it struggled a little to find shots against the Mount’s triangle-and-two defense that certainly limited Billet’s looks in the opening half.

Billet, the Cavaliers’ second-leading scorer last season, was 0 for 1 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

“It stagnates the game a little because it denies some of the things you want to do and some of the plays you want to run,” Billet said.

Virginia ultimately took a 39-32 lead at intermission.

Virginia continued to struggle to pull away from the Mountaineers in the second half as the cushion teetered between six-to-eight points for the first 10 minutes.

Then the two freshman -Forbes and Minter - helped Virginia finally extend the lead.

The duo at one point combined to score 19 straight points and when Minter converted a layup in the lane, UVa had a 66-52 advantage with 8:45 left.

“We came here and Coach Gillen has already told us that he doesn’t want us to play like freshmen. We’re only freshmen by class. When we get on that court, we’re veterans and we know how to play the game of basketball,” Forbes said.

With 3:38 left, a pair of free throws by Forbes pushed the lead to sixteen, 72-56, but the drama was not totally removed from the game.

Mount St. Mary’s preceded to go on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes. The Mountaineers got as close as six, 74-68, with 1:04 left but the Cavaliers hit six of the final eight attempts from the line to finally secure the win in the opener.

“A win is a win, but we’re a little disappointed that we didn’t advance the lead higher and close the game out. We just have to turn the page, focus on what we didn’t do well and improve,” Byars said.
 

Freshmen spearhead Cavaliers victory
Freshman Gary Forbes scores 21, and J.R. Reynolds and Donte Minter also contribute. Virginia 80 Mount St.Mary's 71 NEXT GAME Virginia Tech at Virginia Friday 8 p.m., CSN
By Doug Doughty
doug.doughty@roanoke.com
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE - When notorious worrywart Pete Gillen waited more than 11 1/2 minutes before calling his first timeout Sunday night, his Virginia men's basketball team might have gotten a false sense of security.

Winless Mount St.Mary's trimmed a 12-point first-half deficit to three early in the second half before the Cavaliers pulled away for their sixth opening-game victory in Gillen's six seasons as head coach, 80-71.

The Mount dropped to 1-12 against ACC opposition but not before it threatened to pull off an upset to rank with its 71-69 triumph over then-No.21 Georgia Tech in 1995. Although the Mountaineers had lost their first three games of the season, they had gone to overtime twice before arriving at University Hall.

The Cavaliers were without the services of junior forward Devin Smith, a game-time scratch because of back spasms, but that didn't prevent them from jumping to a 10-2 lead, fueled by two buckets by freshman Gary Forbes in the first 24 seconds of the game.

Forbes was joined in the starting lineup by another freshman, Roanoke's J.R. Reynolds, who connected on a 3-pointer on the first field-goal attempt of his career.

Forbes had 21 points.

Sophomore forward Derrick Byars, who was 19-of-23 from the field in two preseason games, made his first five shots from the field but got in early foul trouble. Byars picked up his fourth foul on a player-control call with 15:13 left and Forbes followed him to the bench after picking up his fourth personal with 12:08 left.

Byars had barely returned before picking up his fifth foul with 9:11 left, but by then a third freshman had made his presence felt. When the Cavaliers were trying to put the Mountaineers away, they got 19 straight points from freshmen, nine by 6-7 1/2 , 244-pound Donte Minter.

Starting post man Elton Brown struggled, making only two of his first eight shots from the floor, and top returning scorer Todd Billet had one field goal in the first 36-plus minutes.

It was the first meeting between Mount St.Mary's and Virginia, which missed the opportunity to play against legendary Mountaineers coach Jim Phelan by one year. Phelan retired last spring after 49 seasons as The Mount's coach, most of it below the Division I level. He was succeeded by former assistant Milan Brown.

Mount St.Mary's, with approximately 1,400 students, is the fourth-smallest school in Division I behind Centenary, VMI and Wofford. The Cavaliers visit VMI on Dec.5 - one of their two road games before Christmas - and played Wofford last year.

The road doesn't get much easier for the Mountaineers, who go to Notre Dame on Saturday. Virginia is off until Friday, when the Cavaliers host Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. in a game that will be televised by Comcast SportsNet.
 

Forbes lives a dream in first game
Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
November 24, 2003

Sunday night, Gary Forbes dreamed the dream of every college freshman basketball player. The rookie led his team in scoring and rebounding in his collegiate debut.
Toughened by the city leagues of Brooklyn, the young New Yorker showed his aggressive side as he knocked down 21 points and came within a hairbreadth of starting his career with a double-double by grabbing nine rebounds in Virginia’s 80-71 season-opening win over Mount St. Mary’s.
Extra large guard
At 6-foot-6, 210 pounds, Forbes is a bigger guard than UVa fans are accustomed to and isn’t afraid to use his body. Eight of his rebounds came on the defensive boards.
“He got some tough defensive rebounds,” said Virginia coach Pete Gillen. “I knew he was a good athlete but I didn’t expect him to get eight defensive rebounds.”
Forbes admitted he was a little nervous when he took the court at University Hall. He had played two exhibition games in the building and had a star-struck day when his Benjamin Banneker Academy defeated Blue Ridge School on the Cavaliers’ court last February.
But this was different.
“Once I got that first bucket all the jitters just went away,” Forbes said with a smile. “Elton Brown calls me the sparkplug of the team ... he calls me ‘Little Kobe’ because I bring a lot of energy to the team.”
That was certainly the case from the outset. Forbes scored the first of eight baskets in the first 10 seconds of the game, then had a steal and dunk. He was so fired up, he was slapping his palms on the floor as if to say to the visiting Mountaineers, “bring it on.”
Impressive drive
His aggressive play was vital, particularly when The Mount threw a triangle-and-two defense at UVa’s jump-shot artists Todd Billet and Derrick Byars. Forbes took it upon himself to drive it into the teeth of the defense and ended up with an 8-for-13 shooting performance. Four of his five misses were from beyond the 3-point arch.
“He’s a scorer rather than a shooter,” said Gillen of Forbes, who said that the freshman is still better at making the long shots than was evident in the opener.
Teammate Billet, one of the leaders of the team, said that Forbes doesn’t play like a typical freshman but still is learning the college game.
“He’s a super-talented player and he got off to a good start,” Billet said. “He still has to concentrate on defense and keeping guys in front of him. That’s something I try to work with him on.”
When Gillen introduced his team to fans a couple of weeks ago, he said he didn’t expect the freshmen to play like freshmen. So far, Forbes has gotten the message.
 

Cavs have difficulty in opener, but win
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published November 24, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For those ripping Virginia coach Pete Gillen for scheduling so softly this season, consider the alternative.

Mount St. Mary's, a program that has won 30 games over the past four-plus seasons, pushed the Cavaliers to the brink of humiliation Sunday night before falling 80-71 in University Hall.

Virginia never trailed, but was never able to turn it into one of those nights where the walk-ons close it out.

"First games are always unpredictable," Gillen said. "It certainly wasn't pretty, but we're playing a lot of young guys - three and four young guys on the court. So it's going to be erratic. Any win's a good win. Obviously, we've got a lot of work ahead of us."

The Cavaliers shot 52 percent from the floor and held the Mountaineers (0-4) to 38 percent, two figures Gillen will take just about any night. But Virginia was 3-of-15 from the 3-point arc, 29-of-45 from the foul line. Mount St. Mary's also outrebounded U.Va. 41-36. True, the Cavs were without forward Devin Smith, who has a back injury. But should they need him that much?

Virginia led by 12 with 4:39 left in the first half, but the Mountaineers closed the gap to seven at the break. Landy Thompson's 3-pointer made it 47-44 with 16:53 remaining, and the announced crowd of 6,437, half of which came disguised as empty seats, grew nervous.

Virginia gradually pulled away but could never shake Mount St. Mary's. Freshman Gary Forbes' free throws with 3:38 left gave the Cavaliers their biggest lead at 72-56, but the Mountaineers cut it to six twice in the final 78 seconds.

"We made 'em work," Mountaineers coach Milan Brown said. "Any time you push an ACC-caliber team that far into the game, I have to give credit to the players and coaching staff."

Mount St. Mary's came out in a triangle-and-two that shadowed guard Todd Billet and forward Derrick Byars. Byars hit his first five shots but never got another attempt after his dunk with 9:11 left in the first half. Billet got only four shots from the floor, scoring eight of his 13 points from the line.

The unquestioned bright spot was the play of Forbes and fellow rookie Donte Minter. Forbes finished with 21 points and nine rebounds, becoming the first freshman since Harold Deane 10 years ago to lead Virginia in scoring in his debut. Minter had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting and seven rebounds in 18 minutes.

"I feel I can be a great scorer," Forbes said. "That's why Virginia recruited me. When somebody leaves me open, they're making a big mistake."

All in all, it was an opening night that left Gillen with more questions than answers. He hopes to find them quickly: The Cavs host Virginia Tech on Friday night. And if you think the Hokies will be a pushover, consider this: New Hampshire beat Mount St. Mary's last week by 26 points. And Tech beat New Hampshire Saturday night by 30.

"It's a good thing we've got four days," Gillen said.

Groh won't elaborate, but Cavaliers dreaming of Tangerine
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published November 24, 2003

On Saturday, Virginia coach Al Groh spoke brazenly of a particular bowl game "we have our eye on." On Sunday, after another crazy weekend had made the postseason picture even tougher to read, he said it's now "one or two we're most interested in."

No. 1 on the Cavaliers' list is the Tangerine, which is played Dec. 22 in Orlando against a Big 12 opponent. But Groh wouldn't mind returning to the Continental Tire in Charlotte five days later.

"We had a great experience there," said Groh, whose team dismantled West Virginia 48-22 last December in Ericsson Stadium. "We'd be very happy to go back there, also."

Then again ...

"I haven't been thinking about any opponent except the one we have Saturday," he said.

That would be Virginia Tech, which comes to Scott Stadium for a 1 p.m. kickoff in what will be the final game between these two rivals as non-conference opponents. The Hokies join the ACC next fall.

The bowl dominoes were expected to begin falling Sunday, yet the day was relatively calm. The Gator Bowl has the first pick among ACC teams not in the BCS, followed in order by the Peach, Tangerine, Continental Tire and Humanitarian.

"After a couple of false starts, I was told around 6 tonight by the ACC office that the bowls with which we have tie-ins will wait until Saturday's games before doing anything," Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said. "Any moves will be triggered by the Gator Bowl, and everything will fall into place after that."

The Gator appears to have three teams on its radar: Maryland (8-3, 5-2), Clemson (8-4, 5-3) and N.C. State (7-5, 4-4). If the Terrapins beat Wake Forest on Saturday, they would be guaranteed a spot in either the Gator or Peach. Though the Gator is not compelled to take the second-place team, it cannot select an alternative that has two fewer conference wins. It could, however, take the Tigers in that scenario.

Virginia's 29-17 win over Georgia Tech Saturday appeared to make the Cavaliers a safe bet for the Tangerine, but Clemson's 63-17 thrashing of South Carolina that night shook things up. If the Tigers end up in either the Gator or Peach, which at this point seems likely, Virginia could face stiff competition from N.C. State for the Tangerine. And with a victory over U.Va. on Nov. 1 and Philip Rivers playing his final collegiate game, the Pack might be hard to pass up.

The Tire Bowl has the fifth pick, and Virginia's hopes for a return trip to Charlotte might come down to who the Big East representative is. If it's Virginia Tech, forget it - bowls hate rematches. If not, the Tire Bowl might be willing to ask the Cavs back.

"I spoke with Ken (Haines, the Tire Bowl's executive director), and he said he'd love to have the University of Virginia back," Littlepage said.

Tech (8-3) has lost three of five since a 6-0 start. Asked his thoughts on Tech's slide, Groh noted a nemesis that has been too familiar with his own team this season.

"Each circumstance has been a bit different," Groh said. "As has been the circumstance with us, they have been the victim of more big plays than they were earlier in the year. That's probably been the biggest change."

It won't be Gator for Pack
BY AL FEATHERSTON : The Herald-Sun
afeatherston@heraldsun.com
Nov 24, 2003 : 12:13 am ET

N.C. State still was clinging to slender hopes of earning a Peach Bowl bid Sunday, although it appears more likely that the Wolfpack will be making its second trip in three years to Orlando for the Tangerine Bowl.

Saturday's 26-24 loss to Maryland left N.C. State 7-5 (4-4 ACC) on the season and out of the race for the Gator Bowl.

The Jacksonville bowl committee met Sunday but failed to make a choice between Maryland (8-3, 5-2) and Clemson (8-4, 5-3), which finished its regular season by thrashing South Carolina. The committee will meet again today and is likely to pick Maryland after getting assurances that the Terrapins would not have a problem with a potential rematch with West Virginia.

Gator Bowl president Rick Catlett said Sunday that N.C. State was released for consideration by other bowls.

The Peach Bowl, which has the next choice of ACC teams, has a meeting of its selection committee set for tonight. Bowl president Gary Stokan said Sunday that his bowl is prepared to act if the Gator makes its choice this morning.

Stokan said there still is a chance that his committee might select N.C. State, despite Clemson's superior overall and ACC record.

"I have about 30 criteria that I go through," Stokan said. "You look at it, and N.C. State, certainly their travel is tremendous. They've got a national story in Philip Rivers, who will be one of the players up in New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. You've got a high-powered offense. And State has beaten Clemson on the field of play, which means an awful lot to us."

"So, yeah, N.C. State is always [attractive]. They've been to the Peach Bowl more than any other team, and they've always given us very competitive games."

But he pointed out that Clemson is No. 2 in Peach Bowl trips and also would bring lots of fans to Atlanta. Plus, the Tigers finished up far stronger than the Pack, beating Florida State, Duke and South Carolina to close the season.

Stokan warned that the Gator might wait for Saturday's Maryland-at-Wake Forest game before making a decision between the Terps and Tigers. If that happens, his bowl is likely to wait, as well.

That situation could cause problems for the Tangerine Bowl, which needs to make an early choice because of the date of its bowl, Dec. 22. The Orlando bowl has a unique selection process -- 150 dues-paying members get to vote on the invitation, and majority rules.

There seems to be little doubt that N.C. State would be the choice ahead of 6-5 Virginia (facing another game with Virginia Tech) and 6-5 Georgia Tech (facing a finale against Georgia). But the Tangerine can't vote on the Pack until the team is released by the Peach Bowl.

If N.C. State goes to Orlando, it would be matched against a Big 12 team, probably Colorado, if the Buffaloes beat Nebraska this week, or Kansas.

Matchups appear to be driving the other ACC bowl selections. The Gator Bowl was hoping to announce its lineup Sunday, but Boston College's upset of Virginia Tech spoiled those plans. Now the Big East representative will be West Virginia, provided the Mountaineers beat Temple this week, or Saturday's Miami-Pittsburgh loser.

The Gator staff delayed to find out if Maryland, which routed West Virginia in September, would object to a rematch with the Mountaineers.

"We don't necessarily have a problem with that," Catlett said. "But it's a question we have to ask. We would also have to ask Maryland if that's a problem with them or West Virginia if it's a problem for them."

Stokan didn't deny that the Peach Bowl has dreamed of an N.C. State-Ole Miss matchup pitting Heisman candidates Rivers and Eli Manning. He said Sunday that if Georgia wins out and LSU beats Arkansas this week, his bowl expects to wind up with either Ole Miss or Florida.

The ACC contract gives the Peach Bowl a one-game leeway in the standings -- meaning Stokan's bowl could take 4-4 N.C. State over 5-3 Clemson.

One factor could help the Pack. Stokan said that Peach Bowl officials were wary of rumors about Coach Tommy Bowden's job status at Clemson.

"If Tommy were not to be there or if there were any doubt, we don't want anything to detract from our bowl game," Stokan said. "We've asked that question, and we've been told he's OK. We'll ask the question again [today], but as it stands, what we've been told is that he's fine."

As long as the Gator waits, the Peach must wait. And the Tangerine must wait on the Peach. So N.C. State could learn its bowl fate in the next two days, or possibly not until next weekend.

 

Bowl keeps Cavs on hold
Virginia had hoped Tangerine invitation would come quickly
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 23, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE - University of Virginia officials woke yesterday hoping a Tangerine Bowl bid would be forthcoming by nightfall. By early afternoon, it became apparent an invitation wasn't imminent.

"It's definitely not going to be today, and I would say it's probably not going to be tomorrow, either," Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said at 2 p.m., about 90 minutes after he'd spoken to a representative of the Tangerine.

Coach Al Groh's team could still end up in Orlando, Fla., for a Dec. 22 game against a Big 12 foe. That no longer seems as likely, however, as it did Saturday afternoon, when Tangerine official Dylan Thomas mingled with U.Va. players, coaches and officials after the Cavaliers' 29-17 win over Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium.

Asked last night about the Tangerine, Groh said, "I think that's one of the two [bowls] we'd be most interested in."

The other is the Dec. 27 Continental Tire Bowl at Charlotte, N.C., where the Cavaliers ended the 2002 season in impressive fashion. In last year's inaugural Continental Tire, Virginia hammered West Virginia 48-22.

"We had a great experience there, so we'd be happy to go back," Groh said.

If neither the Tangerine nor the Continental Tire selects them, the Cavaliers (6-5) would probably play in the Jan. 3 Humanitarian Bowl at Boise, Idaho. Virginia closes the regular season at home Saturday against Virginia Tech. U.Va.'s postseason destination might remain uncertain until next weekend.

The "Tangerine Bowl still likes the University of Virginia a great deal," Littlepage said yesterday, but that bowl might not be willing to pass on N.C. State and its star quarterback, Philip Rivers, if the Wolfpack (4-4, 7-5) is available.

Florida State will represent the ACC in the Bowl Championship Series. The Gator, which has first pick of the ACC's other bowl-eligible teams, is expected to choose between Clemson and Maryland, with the Peach likely to take the other one. The Tangerine chooses third, followed by the Continental Tire and, finally, the Humanitarian.

Clemson (5-3, 8-4) embarrassed South Carolina on Saturday night. Maryland (5-2, 8-3) edged N.C. State and can finish alone in second place by winning at Wake Forest this weekend.

A year ago, Virginia accepted an invitation to the Continental Tire after being passed over by the Gator, Peach and Tangerine in favor of N.C. State, Maryland and Clemson, respectively. The Cavaliers had beaten each of those teams during the regular season.

"As we experienced last year, anything can happen" in the bowl-selection process, Littlepage said. "Whatever happens, we're going to be pleased in accepting the bid, and we're going to play our hearts out."

And if the Cavaliers should end up in Boise?

"I'm not going to be disappointed," Littlepage said.

The Continental Tire remains a possibility for U.Va., whose fans turned out in force for last year's bowl, but officials in Charlotte would prefer another team from the ACC. Moreover, Virginia Tech is among the Big East teams the Continental Tire is considering, and Tech's presence in the game would rule out a return trip to Charlotte for U.Va.

Groh said last night that he's not concerned about where the Cavaliers will end up or the opponent they'll face. The Hokies are coming to town, and "I've got a pretty big concern about that," he said.
 

Fading late is a trend
Again, Tech is losing steam as the season winds down to a close
BY MIKE HARRIS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 24, 2003

BLACKSBURG - Random thoughts, musings and opinions as Virginia Tech once again stumbles toward the end of another regular season:

Common denominator? This marks the third straight season the Hokies have floundered late after flourishing early. Saturday's 34-27 loss at home to Boston College was their third in five games after a 6-0 start. Tech closes this Saturday at Virginia (1 p.m.), where it will try to avoid losing its regular season finale for the third straight year.
What gives? Is it one thing that has made this a regular occurrence?

Some might say a soft early schedule is a reason, but an argument can also be made that Tech has lost to worse teams late in the season than it beat earlier. Last season, it beat three ranked teams in a row early in the year.

Conditioning could be a factor. Tech doesn't appear to be as strong late in the season as it is early in the season. But that isn't terribly uncommon. Many teams show signs of wear during a season.

So how about adjustments?

Perhaps Tech doesn't "change up" enough as a season progresses. Teams that play the Hokies later in the season have a storehouse of information about what to expect, and Tech seems to give those foes exactly what they expect. A team has to adjust - during a game and during a season. It doesn't appear to be one of the Hokies' strong suits.

"There's really no answer," Tech quarterback Bryan Randall said. "I'm not going to say we're overrated. I don't think so. I think it's just a matter of not getting the job done. We have the players. Team chemistry, we got it. Sometimes we're not going out and getting it done.

"I'm totally confident that the coaches prepare us the best way they can possible. If they feel adjustments need to be made, they do so."

Use him while you have him: Junior tailback Kevin Jones, who is most likely gone after this season, may be the best back in the nation. Giving him the ball 24 times is not enough. BC's Derrick Knight rushed 38 times against Tech and he looked plenty fresh when he ran for 62 yards late in the game.
Jones averages 21.8 carries a game and 5.9 yards per carry. Going to him 38 times a game may be a bit much. Going to him 30 times is not. You do the math. With his average, it's about 50 more yards per game. He's in shape. He's strong as a bull. Give him the ball.

What's in the tank? Tech insists closing against archrival Virginia, and trying to extend its streak over the Cavaliers to five games is plenty of incentive. It indeed should be. But finishing 7-0 at home, which Tech could have done by beating BC, should have been as well. Going to the Gator Bowl, which Tech could have done with a victory over BC, should have been as well.
Bowl stuff: All this is just a guess. Pittsburgh and Miami play Saturday at Pitt. The winner gets the BCS bid. West Virginia appears locked to the Gator Bowl, Boston College is going to San Francisco.
That leaves either the Continental Tire Bowl (Dec. 27 in Charlotte) or the Insight Bowl (Dec. 26 in Phoenix) for Tech. Since Pitt went to the Insight last year, Tech will go this year if Pitt loses to Miami. If Pitt wins, Miami heads to Phoenix and Tech gets Charlotte - which it would greatly prefer because of location and date of game.

As for the Mountaineers: It is too bad their rough start (1-4 with losses to Wisconsin, Maryland, Miami and Cincinnati) will keep them out of the BCS slot. West Virginia is clearly the best team in the Big East right now, and anyone who disagrees hasn't been paying attention. If Rich Rodriguez isn't coach of the year, someone ought to investigate.