Virginia's in the mix for ACC crown
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
November 6, 2004

The hunt for the ACC championship is on and Virginia is right in the thick of things.

While it has been a while since the Cavaliers have been serious contenders for the league crown, they still feel that they’ve kind of been here before. Past lessons could prove invaluable experience for the Wahoos as they head down the stretch beginning this afternoon against Maryland.

“There are some similarities to where we have felt that we’ve been each of the last three years,” UVa coach Al Groh said. “The similarity being, at this point, what we did down the home stretch was going to write the story of the season.

“Even the first where we ended up winning two of the last three games ... then, the second year, we’re off to a good start, then we lose two in a row. Then we were 6-4, with three ranked teams in a row in front of us. So, clearly we had to be at our best at the end to finish strong. We ended up winning three out of four then.”

Last year the Cavs stood 5-5 and as Groh put it clearly had their backs against the wall and won three in a row over Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.

Switch to a higher gear

Groh believes that his players have become accustomed to being in the circumstance of realizing they have to take it up a notch in the final month of the season.

“Now, it’s a little bit different,” the coach said. “I guess you could say we’re playing for more of the higher rungs. We’re on a higher spot to start with, but I think in terms of the concentration that it’s going to take and the level of performance that it’s going to take, we’ve had good exposure to the seriousness of the games in November ... coming to the stadium ever time it was win or else. And I think we’re in much that circumstance now.”

Now that Maryland has increased the intensity in the rivalry between the border states, the Terps arrive in Charlottesville fresh off a stunning upset of Florida State, a team that had its way with the Wahoos in Tallahassee a few weeks ago. That alone got Virginia’s attention in a hurry.

Friedgen’s fortunes

For Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen that upset was an amazing upturn for his team after all the stress accompanied with a losing streak. Big Ralph admitted that the stress of that streak worked on everyone, including himself.

“I was looking at myself on FridgeTV and looking at myself at press conferences and I had bags under my eyes and looked 90 years old,” Friedgen said. “I’m not much to look at anyway, but when I think I look bad, that’s not good.”

There’s nothing that would send a message that Maryland is back than back-to-back upsets over ranked teams. Friedgen has placed a high bounty on the Cavaliers.

“This challenge might be bigger than the one we faced last week,” Fridge said. “We’re facing a team that’s of the same quality as Florida State. The fact that we’re playing them [in Charlottesville] makes it even a tougher challenge. I’m trying to get them focused on what they’re facing this weekend. As far as the defense, they’re going to face their toughest test yet.”

That’s what Groh is planning on. The Cavaliers are a more physical football team this time around as the running game has become a strength for UVa. The passing game isn’t bad either and then a healthy Marques Hagans is the kind of quarterback who can beat you in so many ways.

“We’re going to find out how much more character we have,” Friedgen said. “If we pull this one off it’s a sign of what kind of team we have a chance to be. Everything is there. It’s just a matter of how bad we want to go out and get it.”

For the Cavaliers, it is also a case of how bad they want it. Their only blemish was a putrid performance at Florida State. Nothing will erase that from memory, but if Virginia can bump off rival Maryland, it will set the stage for a HUGE game here next Saturday when Miami comes to town.

But as Groh and his followers constantly remind us, they’re taking this November thing one game at a time. Without a win over the Terps today, next week means nothing.

Groh’s teams have been tough in November, especially at Scott Stadium, where the Cavaliers have won 15 of their last 16 games. The only setback was a close loss here to FSU last season, a game that Virginia could have won.

“This game is more important than any game we’ve played this season,” UVa tailback Alvin Pearman said. “It’s going to be that way for a little while. We know that we have to keep our focus.”

Everything Virginia has worked for boils down to today. Win it and the hunt is still on.

Rested Cavaliers ready for Terrapins
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
November 6, 2004

It would be easy to forgive a Virginia fan for looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Miami.

Besides the Hurricanes lofty top 10 national ranking and their first-ever trip to Scott Stadium, they share one of the three spots in the ACC standings with the Cavaliers and Virginia Tech, but first things first.

Next week’s game will mean little if Virginia does not dispose of Maryland today at 3:30 p.m.

With a slow-pulse left on its chances at becoming bowl eligible, Maryland would love nothing than spoil Virginia’s chances for an ACC title.

Maryland (4-4, 2-3) enters the game on the heels of one of the biggest wins in school history. Last weekend, the Terps upset Florida State with a 20-17 win that sent fans spilling on the field at Byrd Stadium.

Virginia (6-1, 3-1) comes into the rivalry game fresh, which they can credit to an extra week of rest they received from an open date. The added time allowed the Cavaliers added time to rest a series of nagging injury that typically add up by the seventh game of the season.

The biggest winner may prove to be Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans. While UVa coach Al Groh said Hagans could have played last week if there was a game, the signal caller was given two full weeks to rest a bruised hip that he suffered on Oct. 16 against Florida State.

A healthy Hagans could prove critical against Maryland’s defense. Over the past four games, the Terps have given up only 60 points.

So far this season, Maryland has thrived by using a pressure-filled, zone-blitzing attack, which has created nightmares for opposing quarterbacks.

Groh said earlier this week that Maryland would provide a tough challenge for his offensive unit.

“They have a very sound approach to how they play,” Groh said. “They have a good talent level. All of the things that are integral to playing good, solid defense are very apparent and really have been there from the outset.”

Virginia can take pressure off Hagans if they can run the ball against Maryland, something they couldn’t do in its only loss of the season at Florida State.

The last time out, Virginia rushed for a season-high 348 yards, which was headlined by a 223-yard effort from senior tailback Alvin Pearman.

“They have some players on their [defense] that at their positions are some of the best that we’ve seen in the season thus far,” Pearman said. “We know what we have before us and it’s going to be a challenge.”

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen knows his defense will be tested by Virginia’s balanced attack, which posts the highest-ranked total offense in the ACC.

“As far as our defense is concerned, I think they’re going to face their toughest challenge yet,” Friedgen said. “I think Virginia’s offense is excellent, both the balance they have between the run and the pass, their lineman are very large and athletic, they have very good tight ends, excellent backs, their quarterback is much more mobile than the one they had last year and throws probably at a higher percentage, and he’ll throw deep as well as short, so a very formidable task that our defense has to face.”

Maryland also brings in a rejuvenated offense into today’s game.

Sophomore quarterback Joel Statham torched Florida State for 333 yards through the air.

Like many teams do, Maryland seems to live and die with the play of its quarterback.

In Maryland’s four wins, the Terps are averaging 294.5 passing yards per game. In their four losses, the Terps are putting up an average of just 79.2 yards through the air per contest.

Virginia’s defense will try to exploit Statham and, more importantly, try to win the field position game.

Maryland punter Adam Podlesh is one of the best punters in the country and would love nothing more than to pin Virginia’s offense inside its own 20.

Virginia slaps LC
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
November 6, 2004

The Virginia men’s basketball team trailed 4-0 after 47 seconds in its exhibition opener Friday night at University Hall. One could say the Cavaliers responded to that diversity quite well.

The Cavaliers reeled off a 56-6 run over the next 15 minutes, grabbed a 69-14 halftime advantage and ultimately downed overmatched Division III Lehman College by a 121-29 final.

Gray Forbes led seven players into double figures with 21 points on 9-for-9 shooting. Devin Smith had 17, Elton Brown chipped in with 14 points and 10 rebounds while Jason Clark and Jason Cain each had 13. Freshman Adrian Joseph, impressing the crowd with multiple high-flying dunks, had 11 and much-touted freshman point guard Sean Singletary had 10 points and seven assists.

“I thought it was a good showing and we did it with defense and by being very unselfish with the basketball,” said Virginia coach Pete Gillen.

While Gillen’s comments might have been understatements, they were no doubt accurate.

Virginia limited Lehman to just 17.9 percent shooting for the game while UVa shot 64.1 percent and dished out 32 assists. In the first half, the Cavaliers actually had 20 assists on their 27 first-half baskets.

This is the first season under new mandated NCAA rules that no longer allow Division I teams to play AAU, traveling or even foreign teams as in the past. Now, teams are limited to playing Division II or III teams such as Lehman College. Virginia will play Division III Marymount University in its final exhibition contest next Friday.

The NCAA issued the regulations to prohibit the games against those former traveling squads essentially to eliminate perceived recruiting improprieties.

“We don’t make the rules. The NCAA thought there was abuse. Pete Gillen doesn’t say there is abuse, that is the NCAA and those are the rules we follow,” Gillen said. “We do what they tell us and we play who we play. … I didn’t think we would win by this much honestly, but I just have to coach my team.”

The competition was certainly not at ACC level or anything comparable but that’s not to say that the Virginia players didn’t feel they gained something from this experience.

“I think we played together and shared the ball. We also played hard and were consistent throughout. There was not letdown,” Smith said.

Singletary, who originally committed to Virginia some 17 months ago, was the focus of many of the 1,511 in attendance.

Singletary impressed at times, especially on an ally-oop pass to Joseph in the first half. The 6-foot Philadelphia native also connected on both of his 3-point attempts.

“I thought Sean for his first time playing here did a great job. … He sees the floor well. He also pressured the ball well and he’s quick as a cat,” Gillen said.

Added Singletary: “It was nice to finally play in front of the home crowd. I think they gave us some energy tonight.”

Note. Sophomore forward Donte Minter did not play for precautionary reasons. Minter suffered a fracture kneecap about a month ago and was just cleared for practice last week.

Terps not a surprise to UVa
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

Here it is, the first Saturday in November, and Virginia still hasn't played a football game decided by fewer than 20 points.

When the time comes for UVa to be involved in a close game, coach Al Groh believes the Cavaliers will be prepared.

"For many of the players on this team over the last 3 1/2 years, in games they've won, essentially their whole career has been games like that," Groh said earlier this week. "There haven't been many where the issue wasn't determined until the very end."

Oddsmakers have made 12th-ranked Virginia (6-1, 3-1 ACC) a 14-point favorite over Maryland (4-4, 2-3), marking the seventh time in eight games that Virginia has been a double-digit favorite. Yet, given events of last weekend, nobody in the ACC is feeling too comfortable these days.

"In the last week, ACC football has become like the ACC basketball we have all known for years and years," said Gary Stokan, executive director of the Peach Bowl and a former North Carolina State basketball player.

The reference was to massive upsets pulled off by a pair of ACC teams with losing records, Maryland and North Carolina, against perennial powers Florida State and Miami.

"I think it surely gets their attention," said Groh of his players' reaction to Maryland's 20-17 victory over the Seminoles. "There's little that the coach has to say."

Only two weeks earlier, Florida State had pounded Virginia 36-3 in Tallahassee, Fla.

Now, the Cavaliers find themselves ahead of the Seminoles in one poll, tied with them in another and one-half game ahead of Florida State in the ACC standings.

Virginia is tied for first with Miami and Virginia Tech, but more than two months into the season, those teams have completed only half of their ACC schedules.

"Our goal has always been to get to Nov.1, and still be in the hunt," Groh said. "Now, our goal is to get to Nov.7, and still be in the hunt."

The Terrapins would like nothing better than to come into Scott Stadium and return a favor from 2002, when UVa blasted then-No.18 Maryland 48-13 and knocked the Terps out a possible Bowl Championship Series bid.

"I think we remember it, what a tough environment in which it was to play, and how good Virginia was and how poorly we played," Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. "We remember it very vividly. They're all bitter, but that was a tough one to take."

There has been much debate this week over the perceived bad blood between the programs ("I've heard rumors of it," Groh said) and its origination, but there were reports that Friedgen told the Terps before the 2002 Maryland-UVa game that they shouldn't lose to programs like Duke and Virginia.

"I don't know how they got up there, but I know that they were accurate," said Groh, speaking of material posted on the UVa bulletin board. "This wasn't one of those coach-made-'em-up situations."

Clearly, the Terps won't be saying anything inflammatory this year.

Maryland place-kicker and all-time ACC scoring leader Nick Novak admittedly senses the bad blood between the programs, "but I don't want to give you any dart-board material," he said.

"We could have gone to a major bowl. Especially to our senior class, we know how that felt. It was a horrible loss."

A close game today could come down to the kicking game, which might favor Maryland and its ACC punting leader, sophomore Adam Podlesh. The respective place-kickers, Novak and Virginia's Connor Hughes, were the first- and second-team All-ACC selections in 2003.

Both kickers already have missed more field-goal attempts this season - five for Novak and four for Hughes - than they missed all of last year.

Given the lopsided nature of the Virginia games, Hughes has had relatively few important kicks, but he's still over 70 percent at 10-for-14.

"In the Clemson and Duke games, games in which he had three field goals, at the time he kicked each field goal, it was important to the context of the game," Groh said. "He's got a competitive confidence about him."

Gone from Big East but not forgotten
Hargrave, Fork Union have annual battle
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

In my search for the derivation of the bad blood between Virginia and Maryland, I have been completely oblivious to another feud that has bubbled to the surface in the last week.

Unbeknownst to me, Rutgers and Virginia Tech have had a thing going on.

Actually, it’s been pretty one-sided, starting with an interview conducted by Rutgers student radio station WRSU with Scarlet Knights’ athletic director Bob Mulcahy.

Mulcahy was asked about a comment in which he had said that his goals for the Rutgers’ football program included a bowl game in 2005. If the Scarlet Knights can’t turn things around, he was asked, who will get the blame and will changes be made?

“People only look at the W’s and L’s,” Mulcahy responded. “You’ve got to look at the academics. I mean, why are we here? We’re basically here to have these young people, whether they’re young men or women in our athletic program, get a degree.

“And, you know, people forget about that. They think that we’re going to bring in a bunch of thugs, just to win. And that’s what Virginia Tech did to get over the hump. We’re tying to do this the right way, and you know what, it takes a little longer.”

The only reason that I became aware of Mulcahy’s quotes was an Internet reference to a story in last weekend’s Bergen Record that discussed Rutgers’ troubles in persuading some of the top players in New Jersey to stay in state.

That story, written by staff writer Dan Rosen, was not particularly controversial. It talked about the recruiting boost provided by an opening-game victory over Michigan State and then lost in a stunning upset by Division I-AA New Hampshire. In scrolling for that story, I was drawn to a column by Adrian Wojnarowski with the headline, “Rutgers is harming itself from within.”

Wojnarowski pointed out that Mulcahy had written a letter of apology to Virginia Tech that was posted on the Rutgers website, which can be found at the following link: scarletknights.com/apology.htm

Mulcahy said in the letter that he has the “greatest level of respect” for Tech, athletic director Jim Weaver and football coach Frank Beamer, but his outburst reflected a level of paranoia of which I was unaware.

Here was the lead to Wojnarowski’s column: “This had been a busy week in the Rutgers University Lecture Series called, ‘How to Have No Track Record of Success But Still Act Indignantly That Anyone Ever Questions Us.”

Wojnarowski also mentioned that a former Rutgers football recruit, Davon Clark, is facing trial on a murder charge. Certainly, the Virginia Tech football team has had its brushes with the law, but when did the Hokies start to get over the hump? Eleven years ago, when Tech went 9-3 and embarked on a string of 11 consecutive winning seasons? Who can remember back that far?

“This has been a model operation forever, so just leave it to a 12-31 career coach [Greg Schiano] and his career politician athletic director,” Wojnarowski wrote. “Here’s the most ironic part of all. No one did more damage to the credibility of Rutgers this past week than the rambling, destructive interview [Mulcahy] did with the campus radio station.”

WITH THE DIRECTION this column has taken in recent weeks, I would be remiss in not pointing out that Wednesday was National Sandwich Day. Did you know that Americans consumed 45 billion sandwiches last year?

That brings us to today’s [Friday’s] football game between Hargrave Military Academy and Fork Union at 1 p.m. in Chatham, located 64 miles from downtown Roanoke. Hargrave coach Robert Prunty, a chowhound of some renown, was quick to recommend a luncheon spot for the group that makes up the weekly SEC Roundtable.

“All right, listen to me,” Prunty said. “You’re coming in from Roanoke on [Route] 40, right? Right before you get to Gretna, stop at a place on the right called C&E’s on 40. It’s a soul-food restaurant.

“Virgil Goode and everybody eats there. It’s only $5.99 but it’s buffet. Fried chicken, baked chicken. It’s the best. I take all the college coaches there. You’ve got to go there. It’s been there since 1920-something.

“Phillip Fullmer always goes there. They make home-made scratch red velvet cake, carrot cake, chocolate cake. They’ve got chicken livers, pork chops … I get the baked chicken, the fried tomatoes and the green beans and mix them all together.”

Given Fullmer’s girth, I’m not surprised that he frequents C&E’s. As the Tennessee coach, his endorsement won’t wow the roundtable guys from Auburn and Mississippi.

Nor does Congressman Goode do much for me, although my buddy, Franklin County judge Dave Melesco, says he “can pick up the phone and call Virgil any time.” Now, I understand why Goode always sounds like he’s got cornbread in his mouth. He’s just gotten back from C&E’s.

PRUNTY WAS QUOTED in Thursday’s Virginia Insider as saying 6-7, 310-pound offensive tackle Brandon Albert, a 2004 UVa signee, is on the way to becoming the best player he’s ever coached, ahead of current Cavaliers’ linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

Today’s game features another Virginia recruit, linebacker Olu Hall, as well as three Tech recruits, fullback-linebacker Sam Wheeler from Blacksburg, offensive lineman Brandon Holland from Northside, and tight end William Wall from Washington, D.C.

“I tell you what, that doggone Sam Wheeler; he came here out of shape and overweight and now … wait till you see him,” Prunty said. “We play him at fullback. He looks beautiful.”

Fork Union is 6-2, compared to Hargrave’s 6-3 record, but coach John Shuman says Hargrave has played a tougher schedule, including road games with freshman teams from East Carolina, West Virginia and Navy.

Shuman has the sons of two ex-Virginia Tech players on his team, 6-4, 245-pound lineman Danny Beasley from Gate City and 5-9, 170-pound wide receiver Brandon Bunn from Virginia Beach. Bunn has played quarterback since Fork Union’s top three QBs were injured.

Bunn wants to go to JMU (“They’ve got to take him for all he’s done for us,” Shuman said), while Beasley has been offered by Ohio University and Kent State while continuing phone contact with Tech. “He’s a good Tech guy,” Shuman said.

VIRGINIA TECH, looking to add one more men’s basketball recruit to the early commitments it received from 6-9 Hyman Taylor and 6-8 Terrance Vinson, is trying to get involved with Kendrick Johnson, a 6-10 post player from Morton, Texas, who reopened his recruiting after committing to Texas Tech as a junior in November 2003.

The Hokies are also involved with Jesse Sapp, a 6-3 wing guard from National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md., the alma mater of Tech freshman Deron Washington. Virginia apparently is keeping an eye on Sapp, who had UVa near the top of his list before the Cavaliers took two other wing players.

Maryland's happy he changed mind
After selling himself with a home video, Derrick Fenner pays off at wide receiver for the Terps.
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published November 6, 2004

Derrick Fenner's obvious talents are getting open and sprinting away from cornerbacks. But he's also quite a performer, which is why he's a starting wide receiver at Maryland in the first place.

Flash back to the summer of 2001. Fenner was coming off a decent but unspectacular senior season at Hampton High. He had 222 receiving yards and two touchdowns, hardly the kind of stuff that had big-time college recruiters salivating. And to make matters worse, he hadn't qualified academically under NCAA guidelines. Some Division I-AA schools had offered, but that was it.

But in July, Maryland assistant Tom Brattan suggested to Fenner that he make a video of himself.

A friend of Fenner's father filmed him running pass routes, doing drills and - in what really piqued the Terrapins' interest - throwing down a 360-degree dunk. (He's 5-feet-11, by the way.) A star was born.

Maryland wanted him. Only problem was, Fenner had just committed to Connecticut.

"Coach Brattan called me and was like, 'We can offer you,'" he said. "I was confused because I had already given Connecticut my word that I would be there. And then coach (Ralph) Friedgen called and said, 'Are you in or are you out?'

"I just made up my mind right then I was going to go to Maryland."

Three years later, the Terps (4-4, 2-3) are glad to have him. Fenner is Maryland's co-leader in receptions with 20 and is second in yards with 280. His speed makes him dangerous, and his precise routes make him a valuable asset on third-down situations.

"Going into the year, we felt he would be our top receiver," Friedgen said. "What we're hoping he'll do is make some more plays for us."

Fenner is excited about today's trip to Scott Stadium.

He has several friends on Virginia's roster, including former Hampton High teammates Marques Hagans and right guard Elton Brown. He's also familiar with linebacker Darryl Blackstock and running back Michael Johnson, whose Heritage team ended the Crabbers' season in 2000 with a 41-0 victory in the playoffs.

Then again, he was excited last year when Virginia came to College Park. He was, that is, until he was rushed to the emergency room with a bursting appendix. He watched the game - the Terps won 27-17 - from the hospital.

A week ago, Fenner aggravated an ankle injury that has bothered him all season. He played little against FSU and earlier this week was considered questionable for today's game. But now, he's good to go.

"It'll be great to see those guys again," he said.

Old rivals rekindle their fire
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 6, 2004

Was it something somebody said?

Or the recruit who committed to one school, then signed with the other?

click here Or maybe that pregame shoving match last season?

All of the above?

Whatever the reasons, this much is clear: There’s an unusual amount of ill will between the football teams at Virginia and Maryland, who meet at 3:30 p.m. today at Scott Stadium.

“I hear some rumors of it,” Virginia coach Al Groh dead-panned at his news conference this week. Cavaliers senior safety Jermaine Hardy said there are more than rumors.

“There’s some bad blood between us,” Hardy said. It has surfaced in different ways over the past three seasons.

Two years ago, the teams finished tied for second in the ACC, with Virginia beating Maryland 48-13 in late November. Despite that, the Terrapins were selected for the Peach Bowl, while Virginia had to settle for a lesser bowl, the Continental Tire.

Maryland won two more games in the regular season that year, but against a softer schedule that included Division I-AA Wofford. That was a fact Groh not-so-subtly highlighted at the time.

“With all due respect to Wofford,” he said, “maybe we should get them on the schedule.”

Maryland partisans didn’t appreciate the remark.

Virginia fans didn’t like a statement attributed to Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen. In response to a question about the Virginia rivalry, Friedgen said that when he played at Maryland, in the late 1960s, the Terps expected to beat teams like Virginia and Duke.

Players and fans, perhaps with help from Virginia coaches, heard the statement as, “We always expect to beat teams like Virginia and Duke.”

Then there was the case of Robert Armstrong, a defensive lineman from Arlington who committed to Virginia in 2002. Armstrong did not qualify academically so he attended Fork Union Military Academy, with the expectation that he would enroll at Virginia in 2003.

Despite their agreement, Maryland continued to recruit Armstrong. When he attained a qualifying score on a standardized test, Armstrong left Fork Union in midseason and enrolled at Maryland.

Finally, there was the pregame fracas between the teams last year at Byrd Stadium. It began when Groh and a Maryland assistant coach, James Franklin, traded verbal jabs before the game. The disagreement spread to players, who squared off near midfield.

“You’ve got to back up your coach,” Hardy said. Groh said Virginia players considered Maryland a rival when he played, in the mid 1960s. But there’s no question feelings have intensified in recent years.

“We hate to lose to them,” Cavaliers tailback Alvin Pearman said.

Friedgen, on the job since 2001, has done his part to juice up the series, calling Virginia his team’s chief rival.

Unlike Virginia, the Terrapins don’t have a Division I-A rival in the state. Navy is the state’s only other I-A school, and the teams have not met since 1965, though they’ll play next season.

Maryland has a long-standing rivalry with West Virginia, but the teams are in separate conferences.

So Virginia it is.

The fact that the teams have traded wins over the past four seasons has helped ramp things up as well.

The Tech game is for state bragging rights, and is now a conference game as well. North Carolina is Virginia’s longest-standing rival, dating back to 1892.

Groh said Virginia “traditionalists” would probably split 50/50 on whether Tech or North Carolina is the Cavaliers’ biggest rival.

Is he a traditionalist?

“I like to think of myself as fairly progressive in my thinking,” he said.

Terps try again to prove Friedgen's belief system
Upset of No. 12 Virginia would boost bowl chances
By Kevin Van Valkenburg
Sun Staff
Originally published November 6, 2004

Maryland's "I believe" campaign lives on today when the football team travels to Charlottesville, Va., to face No. 12 Virginia. And by nightfall, the Terps will have a better idea if their bowl hopes live on as well.

A week ago, with his team running out of time and his players short on inspiration, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen printed up more than 100 T-shirts with the phrase "I believe" plastered on them. It was supposed to be just a one-game deal, but when Maryland knocked off fifth-ranked Florida State for the first time in school history, the wheels in Friedgen's head started turning. By late in the week, the theme seemed worth revisiting.

"I decided to keep it going this week," Friedgen said. "Why not?"

Technically, Maryland doesn't have to win today if it wants to play in a bowl game. The Terps could still win their final two regular-season games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, finish the year with six victories, and end up someplace like Orlando, Fla. (the Tangerine Bowl) or Boise, Idaho (the Humanitarian Bowl) in December.

Maryland (4-4, 2-3) could even get an at-large bid from another bowl without an Atlantic Coast Conference tie-in. Any of those options would be a considerable accomplishment after losing three straight games in midseason, but if the Terps could somehow upset Virginia (6-1, 4-1), winning in Charlottesville for the first time since 1990, then who knows what could happen?

"The Peach Bowl folks were telling me the other night, 'You win out, you'll probably end up in second place,'" Friedgen said. "They think everyone else is going to knock everybody off. It's crazy."

Friedgen said this week that after the Terps knocked off the Seminoles - defeating a team ranked in the Top 5 for the first time since 1983 - he wanted his team to consider it a new season. It's something that Maryland has had success with in the past. In the month of November under Friedgen, the Terps are 11-1 the past three years.

"The most important part of the season is definitely the end," said Maryland cornerback Domonique Foxworth. "We stress finishing in our program, and I think each year that carries some weight in the back of our minds."

Even without bowl implications factored in, there is always added incentive against Virginia every year. The Terps and Cavaliers aren't exactly archenemies, but they probably won't be exchanging Christmas cards, either.

"They're a physical team, just like us," said Maryland defensive end Shawne Merriman. "Any time you have two physical teams, I think it's natural to dislike each other all the way around. There's no love lost between us. You just go at it the whole game."

Both teams concede that it's become a rivalry game in recent years, in part because of what's happened off the field as much as on. Last year, Maryland President C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr., incensed numerous Virginia students by telling The Diamondback, Maryland's campus newspaper, that it was "ridiculous" Virginia was considered the top public school in the country - tied with his alma mater, California, Berkeley - in the national college rankings.

Numerous Virginia students and alumni responded with letters to the editor, one claiming Maryland was just "a safety school for underachievers" and "cowards who buckle under the weight of a challenge."

"They've always looked down on us, always tried to put us down," Friedgen said, adding that he felt that way even when he was a student at Maryland in the 1960s. "We're blue-collar guys. ... "

Social dynamics - however volatile - won't play a factor today, but defense certainly will. Maryland has to find a way to slow Virginia's running game, which is one of the nation's best. Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman have rushed for 18 touchdowns this year. Cavs quarterback Marques Hagans is mobile and accurate, and leads the league in passing efficiency.

"I think this is going to be the ultimate challenge for us," Friedgen said. "They're very balanced, very talented, and very well coached. It's important we get something going offensively, because if our defense is on the field the whole time, they'll wear us down."

Friedgen said he hopes the enthusiasm from Maryland's victory over Florida State will carry over to this week, but also stressed several times that it should be a beginning, not an end. His players seemed to agree.

"After the [Florida State] game, I had to have like 25 messages on my phone when I got back to my dorm," Merriman said. "It was an unbelievable experience. It was like a dream. I'm hopeful we can experience that again this week."

 

Cavs, Hokies wary of upstarts
U.Va. finally returns to friendly confines of Scott Stadium
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Nov 6, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The University of Virginia football team entered the final month of the regular season exactly where it wanted to be: in contention for the ACC title. The Cavaliers' next objective?

"Our goal now is to get to Nov. 7 and be in the hunt," fourth-year coach Al Groh said.

For that to happen, the Cavs need to win today at Scott Stadium, where they haven't played since Oct. 7. At 3:30 p.m., 12th-ranked Virginia (3-1, 6-1) meets Maryland (2-3, 4-4) in an ACC game that's critical for both teams.

U.Va., tied with Miami and Virginia Tech for the ACC lead, is seeking its first conference title since 1995. Maryland's goal is more modest. The Terrapins, who snapped a three-game losing streak by upsetting then-No. 5 Florida State last weekend, hope to qualify for a postseason appearance.

To do so, Maryland must win two of its final three regular-season games. Standing in the Terps' way today is the team they like least in the ACC.

"It's blue collar versus white collar," said Maryland nose tackle Rob Armstrong, a former U.Va. signee from Arlington. "That's the way we look at it. Virginia and us don't really get along. It's a border war."

The ill will between these teams has intensified in recent years, U.Va. players told reporters Monday. No one on either side has forgotten the heated exchange between Groh and Maryland assistant coach James Franklin before last year's game at Byrd Stadium.

"There's a lot of emotion in this rivalry," U.Va. senior tailback Alvin Pearman said. "When I first got here, I don't think the rivalry was as intense as it's become."

In the media's preseason poll, Virginia was picked third in the ACC. Take away one awful showing - a 36-3 loss at Florida State last month - and the Cavaliers have met or exceeded expectations. Not so Maryland, which was picked to finish fifth in the conference and won 10 or more games in each of its first three seasons under Ralph Friedgen.

The Terrapins, hurt by the inconsistency of their new quarterback, sophomore Joel Statham, lost consecutive games to Georgia Tech (20-7), N.C. State (13-3) and Clemson (10-7) to drop out of the ACC title race. Then came one of this season's shockers, the Terps' 20-17 victory last weekend at Byrd Stadium. Maryland never had beaten FSU in football.

"We had three very disappointing losses, particularly the one at Clemson," Friedgen said. "Our kids could have quit, could have written the season off, and I don't think we've done that."

The one constant for Maryland this season has been a stout defense led by junior linebackers D'Qwell Jackson and Shawne Merriman. Jackson leads the ACC in tackles, with 89, and Merriman, whom Groh called "relentless," is tied for second in tackles for loss, with 13.

Yes, the Terps are 1-3 over their past four games, but they surrendered only 60 points, to quality opponents, during that span.

"If you can do that during the course of the season, the odds are you're going to be a championship contender," Groh said. "Now, they have some circumstances that will prevent them from doing that this year, but that's what every team is striving for on defense."

Maryland last left Scott Stadium with a victory in 1990. Virginia, meanwhile, has won 15 of its past 16 home games. The Cavaliers are looking to avenge the loss they suffered in College Park last season. Virginia allowed Maryland tailback Josh Allen to rush for 257 yards and lost 27-17 on a cold, windy Thursday night.

"We did many of the things in the game that you can't do against that level of competition," Groh said.

The Cavaliers haven't played since Oct. 23, when they hammered Duke 37-16 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Perhaps no U.Va. player benefited more from the break than junior quarterback Marques Hagans, who struggled through the Duke game on a sore hip.

"I think I'm pretty close" to 100 percent, Hagans said Monday. "I really took advantage of it."

Rivalry Worth Shouting About
Cavs, Terps Reflect Their Coaches
By Mark Schlabach
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 6, 2004; Page D01

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- To get to the root of the growing animosity between the football programs at Maryland and Virginia, one must go back to the late 1960s, when Terrapins Coach Ralph Friedgen played guard for his alma mater, and shortly after Cavaliers Coach Al Groh played defensive end for his school.

"They always tried to put us down," Friedgen said. "They were too good for us. We were blue-collar kids."
Cavs Coach Al Groh, left, and Terps' Ralph Friedgen, right, go way back as rivals at their alma maters. "They always tried to put us down," Friedgen said. (Sara D. Davis/Toni L. Sandys - AP/The Washington Post)

_____20_____

Years since Maryland has beaten ranked opponents in consecutive games, beating No. 6 Miami, 42-40, and No. 23 Clemson, 41-23, in November 1984. Nov. 10 marks the 20th anniversary of the Miami game, in which quarterback Frank Reich led the Terps back from a 31-0 halftime deficit.

_____Maryland at Virginia_____

Angling for Allen

Maryland's Josh Allen embarrassed Virginia's defense last season, running for 257 yards, the 11th-best total in ACC history. The Terps added a new wrinkle for Allen last week against Florida State, when he caught a short pass from sophomore Joel Statham and ran 72 yards for a touchdown, Maryland's longest play of the season.
Thumbs Up to Fridge

Despite the teams' intense rivalry, Virginia Coach Al Groh this week commended Maryland Coach Ralph Friedgen for his patience with Statham. The quarterback struggled mightily, throwing nine interceptions and only seven touchdowns before leading the Terps to an improbable upset of then-No. 5 Florida State last week. "From what I could hear or see, there were lots of people who were trying to do Coach Ralph Friedgen's job for him, by picking his quarterback for a number of weeks," Groh said. "He had the patience and confidence in the player, and, obviously, made a very good decision in how he handled the situation."
Kick It Away

Virginia's Sean Johnson is averaging only 34.5 yards on 22 punts, and the Cavaliers rank last among 117 Division I-A teams in net punting with a 28.25-yard average. But whether by skill or good fortune, Johnson has actually done a good job of keeping his punts away from opponents, as teams have returned only nine punts for an average of 12.7 yards. He'll have to do a good job of angling his punts the next two weeks, as Maryland's Steve Suter is the ACC's career leading punt returner, and Miami's Devin Hester has returned three punts for touchdowns this season, the most in the nation.
Stopping the Run

Maryland's stout play on defense has been overshadowed by its ineffectiveness on offense. In the past eight weeks, the Terps have climbed from No. 46 to No. 21 in total defense in Division I-A. Virginia ran for 348 yards in its 37-16 win at Duke on Oct. 23, the highest total in the ACC this season. Since 1957, the Cavaliers have lost 15 consecutive games to Maryland when running for 100 yards or fewer; they've won nine games in a row when running for 150 yards or more.

-- Mark Schlabach

Today, as Maryland travels to sold-out Scott Stadium to play No. 12 Virginia, Friedgen and the Terrapins are still carrying that chip on their shoulders, and Groh and the Cavaliers are still looking down their noses -- and the ACC standings -- at Maryland. Virginia (6-1, 3-1) is tied with Miami and Virginia Tech for first place in the ACC; the Terrapins (4-4, 2-3) are trying to salvage their season and would like nothing more than to spoil the Cavaliers' championship hopes.

"We both hate to lose, and more importantly, we hate to lose to each other," Virginia tailback Alvin Pearman said. "All that adds up to a lot of emotion."

There has been a lot more emotion between the teams since Friedgen and Groh returned to their alma maters. Although the schools are separated by less than a three-hour drive, seemingly they are worlds apart. Maryland's campus in College Park sits outside the northern edge of the District, and the school is perhaps best known for its championship-caliber men's basketball program. Virginia's campus in Charlottesville sits at the foothills of the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, and some might have actually forgotten the Cavaliers still play basketball.

The schools' football coaches are as strikingly dissimilar. Friedgen is an offensive guru who worked 32 years as an assistant before finally getting his first head coaching job. His gruff appearance and personality embody the blue-collar qualities of the Terrapins.

Groh has earned the reputation of a defensive mastermind with his 3-4 scheme. He was on the NFL's fast track after working for Bill Parcells, coaching the New York Jets for one season before returning to Virginia in 2001. Although Groh prefers a sweatshirt and ballcap to a coat and tie, his vast vocabulary and eagerness to use it suit his wine-and-cheese constituents, who are as concerned about U.S. News & World Report rankings as any coaches' poll.

But for all their differences, from the sideline to the classroom, Maryland and Virginia find themselves at the same football crossroads -- on the cusp of winning big but still fighting to get to the top of the newly expanded ACC. Maryland has been to the top, winning the ACC in Friedgen's first season in 2001. Groh hasn't taken Virginia past the ACC's middle rung -- or the Continental Tire Bowl -- but the Cavaliers could take a big step today in getting there by beating the Terrapins.

"It's definitely become a serious rivalry in the ACC," Pearman said. "I think it's a combination of a lot of things. The proximity, we're relatively equal teams. I don't know if Coach Groh and Coach Friedgen had a misunderstanding back in the day, but that would make sense if they had. I don't know what happened between them in the past, but it definitely dictates how the game is played."

Until recently, the series had been one-sided. Virginia won nine consecutive games from 1992 to 2000; Maryland won 16 games in row from 1972 to 1987. But the schools have split the last four games, with the home team winning each season. And the intensity has grown exponentially each year.

"When I first got here, we always knew the rival was Virginia Tech," Cavaliers quarterback Marques Hagans said. "Somewhere down the line since we've been here, I think the rivalry [with Maryland] has grown. I think there's some bad blood."

The intensity nearly reached its boiling point before last season's game, won by the Terrapins, 27-17, in College Park. During pregame warmups, Groh had a heated exchange with Maryland assistant coach James Franklin, which nearly led to a pregame brawl between the teams.

"There's some bad blood between us," Virginia safety Jermaine Hardy said. "The coaches were out there disagreeing, and we had to back up our coach."

The Cavaliers are 14-point favorites today and haven't played since a 37-16 win at Duke on Oct. 23. The Terrapins stunned then-No. 5 Florida State, 20-17, last week, their first win over the Seminoles in 15 meetings. Florida State beat Virginia, 36-3, in Tallahassee on Oct. 16.

Maryland needs to win two of its last three games to avoid its first losing season under Friedgen. Virginia needs to keep winning to maintain pace with the Hurricanes and Hokies.

"I think it's a rivalry," Friedgen said. "It's been a rivalry for a long, long time. It stopped being a rivalry when they beat us 10 years in a row. But it's back on pretty good right now."