Cavaliers fail to solidify top 10 status
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
November 14, 2004

For most of the season, Virginia’s football team has been knocking on the Top 10’s door, trying to prove that it really belonged. Saturday night, the Cavaliers proved that they don’t.
Twice this fall the Wahoos have bull-rushed their way into the nation’s Top 10 rankings where only the elite of the game dwell. The Southern Cal’s, Oklahoma’s, Auburn’s of the world. It’s where Miami and Florida State have spent most of the past dozen years.
The 10th-ranked Cavaliers’ hopes of staying there sailed off the tracks at roughly
7 p.m. on Saturday night when a number of colossal breakdowns resulted in a 31-21 Miami victory.

Big disappointment
A record crowd of 63,701 squeezed into every nook and cranny of Scott Stadium in hopes that this would be the glorious night that UVa gained membership in college football’s most haughty fraternity.
Instead, what they got was a classic case of Satan’s Joy Buzzer getting squeezed every time the Cavaliers got tantalizing close to overtaking the 18th-ranked Hurricanes.
Knotted at 7-all late in the first half, Miami’s legendary speed came into play. So did Virginia’s ineptitude in the punting game. Instructed not to kick the ball directly to speedy return man Roscoe Parrish, UVa’s Sean Johnson didn’t angle it to the sidelines, but rather punted it exactly where the Miami speedster wanted it and paid dearly.
Parrish, who broke open the Boston College game with a
90-yarder last season, raced
45 yards with the punt to the Virginia 47. From there, bruising tailback Frank Gore got loose around UVa’s right end and bulled 44 yards to the 3. Two plays later, Miami 14-7.

Rally falls short
The Cavaliers rebounded in the second half on the strength of a Marques Hagans’ bootleg pass to Big Money, tight end Heath Miller, for 30 yards. Two carries later, UVa tailback Alvin Pearman darted through a gaping hole and scored from 34 yards out to deadlock it at 14-14.
Miami answered with a field goal on the next drive, then Parrish struck again with a
62-yard punt return after Johnson’s line drive set him up for stardom. Gone. Touchdown. 24-14.
Virginia wasn’t dead. Hagans, who came into the game planning to bootleg outside Miami’s defense all night, found 47 yards of daylight down the right sidelines to the Canes’ 3 and soon it was 24-21 with 3:19 to play.
What it really came down to was a third-and-five for Miami at its own 35. Virginia called the right defense, expecting a pass in the flat.
Fullback Talib Humphrey hadn’t caught a pass in his career coming into the night. But he drifted into the flat, hauled in Brock Berlin’s short pass and took it 34 yards to the UVa 31 with 2:03 to play.
Miami milked the clock, grinding it out as the Cavs burned their time outs until coach Larry Coker put
Virginia out of its misery with a 25-yard pass to who else - Parrish, who turned rookie defender Philip Brown around en route to the end zone for the death blow.
“A good lesson from the game is that if you play against the top teams, when you lay everything on the line, give it your very best, and put your heart and soul into it, it gives you a chance,” UVa coach Al Groh said. “There are certain things, whether we win or lose, that will either make you win or cause you to lose. There were too many things in the cause-you-to-lose column today.”
Several of Virginia’s soft spots were exposed against the Hurricanes, who showed no mercy. There is no mercy at the top.
The most obvious was the punting game. Virginia ranked dead last in the nation in net punting coming into the contest and solidified its cellar-dwelling position with this performance.
Even though the Cavaliers had spent extra time working on the punting game in preparation for Miami’s lethal return game, Virginia averaged a putrid 16.9 yards net per punt. Miami averaged 33.5 per return.
“We’ve kind of been dancing around those problems for two years,” Groh said afterward.
Those problems aren’t likely to go away over the next two weeks, games at Georgia Tech (where UVa never plays well) and at Virginia Tech. Groh described those as the toughest two games his team will play this season, presenting the ultimate challenge to his players.
The passing game, which has been out of kilter since UVa’s lopsided loss at Florida State a month ago, was rarely effective against the Hurricanes. In fact, over the last two games, Virginia wide receivers have only caught four passes (three vs. Maryland and one vs. Miami).
“That’s a good way to say it,” Groh responded to a question about what’s gone wrong with the passing game. “Heath [Miller] stepped up and made a couple of plays. Other than that, nobody else stepped up.”
Mental breakdowns, like the one on third-and-five, when a combination coverage was called and half the combo didn’t show up, proved lethal to any hopes of Virginia cheating the reaper.
Senior safety Marquis Weeks admitted he blew the coverage, not getting over to where he was supposed to be.
Miami’s running game, which had almost been non-existent in recent weeks, pounded Virginia’s defensive line, which was guarded by rookies like Chris Johnson and Chris Long, after standout senior nose tackle Andrew Hoffman suffered a significant concussion on the first play of the game.
“We knew they were going to try to impose their running game a little bit more on us,” Long said afterward. “Gore’s a good downhill runner. He’s tough to bring down if he gets to the second level. If you miss tackles on him it’s the difference between taking him down in his backfield and a 40-yard run.”
In two big tests against two national powerhouses - FSU and Miami - Virginia’s run defense has been exploited. The Seminoles rushed for 192 yards. Miami hammered out 203, a career-high 195 by Gore.
Truth be told, Miami simply outplayed Virginia the same way Florida State did, which must leave the Cavaliers doing a lot of soul searching heading into the final two weeks of the season.
Their destiny remains in their own hands. UVa, Miami and Florida State all have two losses in conference play, a game behind new leader, one-loss Virginia Tech, which still must play Maryland, Miami and Virginia.
FSU is the leader in the clubhouse, finished in league play at 6-2.
“This hurts like hell,” said Hagans, who said he would accept the heat for the malfunctions in the passing game. “It’s the quarterback’s job to bring his team home a winner and I didn’t do that.”
Reminded that wide receivers dropped balls or didn’t get open, that maybe some of the shortcomings weren’t all due to his play, Hagans said, “Regardless ... that’s my job.
“But there’s a lot of football to be played,” the quarterback said. “We can’t lose any more. Our backs are against the wall.”
The question is whether Virginia can turn this thing around again. So far, they haven’t been able to run with the big dogs. Time and opportunities to prove otherwise are running out.
Saturday’s game at Georgia Tech is gut-check time. Time to fish or cut bait.

Parrish, Hurricanes hand Virginia its second ACC loss
UVa falls out of first place in conference
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
November 14, 2004

On a day when a record crowd of 63,701 fans crammed into Scott Stadium to say farewell to Virginia’s senior class, the Cavaliers also said goodbye to first place in the ACC standings with a 31-21 loss to Miami.

Trailing 17-14 with just more than seven minutes to play, Miami’s Roscoe Parrish returned a punt 62 yards for a touchdown to give the Hurricanes a 10-point cushion. After Virginia answered the score, Parrish sealed Virginia’s fate with a 25-yard touchdown reception on a fourth-down play with just 51 seconds left in the game.

The loss drops No. 10 Virginia to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the conference. The Cavaliers had opened the day tied for the league’s top spot with No. 16 Virginia Tech, who was idle.

“There are certain things, whether we win or lose. That will either make you win or cause you to lose,” said Virginia coach Al Groh, who lost at home for the first time this season. “There were too may things in the cause-you-to-lose column today.”

With the win, Miami (7-2, 4-2) snapped a two-game losing streak and kept its hopes of winning a share of the ACC title alive. More importantly, the Hurricanes remain a major player in the race for the ACC’s automatic bid in the Bowl Championship Series.

“It’s certainly great to be in a victorious locker room,” said Miami coach Larry Coker. “It was a lot happier tonight than it’s been for the past couple of weeks, obviously. I said this week that we needed to feel good about ourselves. We needed to beat a good football team and we did that tonight.”

Miami opened the game with an 11 play, 63-yard drive, but came away with nothing to show for it when placekicker Jon Peattie missed a 29-yard field goal attempt to the right.

The game remained scoreless until late in the first quarter when Miami tailback Frank Gore rumbled over several Virginia defenders and into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown run. It was only fitting that Gore scored since he carried the ball six times for 44 of the drive’s 69 yards.

Virginia answered back in the second quarter as starting running back Alvin Pearman came to life. After gaining just 15 yards on four carries in the opening quarter, Pearman accounted for 48 yards on UVa’s opening possession of the second quarter.

Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller on a naked bootleg with 10:10 left in the opening half. Miller tipped the ball to himself twice before making a spectacular catch.

“As long as you can get it somewhere close to him, he will come up with it,” Hagans said. “Nothing amazes me anymore with ‘Big Money.’ He had a step or two on his man, so I went with him.”

With 3:20 left in the first half, Miami scored on a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Berlin to Talib Humphrey to give the Hurricanes a 14-7 lead.

The drive started at the Virginia 47 after Parrish returned a 36-yard punt from UVa’s Sean Johnson for 45 yards. On the next play from scrimmage, Gore found ample running room and turned it into a 44-yard gain, setting up the touchdown pass.

Virginia tied the game at 14 with 3:55 left in the third quarter on a 34-yard run by Pearman, his eighth touchdown of the season.

On its next possession, Miami regained the lead, this time for good, as Gore used a

35-yard run to set up a 43-yard field from Peattie.

The Hurricanes added to its lead midway through the fourth quarter when Parrish, and not Miami’s usual punt returner Devin Hester, raced into the end zone on the 62-yard punt return. For the game, Parrish finished with 121 return yards on three attempts.

“He’s been a tremendous return man for us,” Coker said. “He broke the Boston College game open a year ago. He’s very elusive, very explosive and very talented.”

Trailing 24-14, Virginia promptly gave the back to the Hurricanes on the first play from scrimmage as Hagans’ pass attempt for Miller was intercepted at the 50 by sophomore Brandon Meriweather.

After forcing Miami to punt, Virginia quickly moved the ball 79 yards in four plays, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run by Wali Lundy with 3:19 left in the game.

With all three timeouts left, Groh elected to kick the ball deep and try to stop the Miami offense. He almost got his wish.

After forcing a third-and-5 at the Miami 35, Berlin connected on a screen pass to Humphrey that turned into a 34-yard gain after the UVa linebacker Ahmad Brooks missed a tackle.

“That wasn’t a key first down, it was a huge first down,” Coker said. “What’s a level above huge? Is there a word?”

After gaining 6 yards on three carries by Gore, Coker faced a tough decision facing a fourth-and-4 from at Virginia 25. Coker sent out his field-goal unit and after it appeared that Peattie had missed a 42-yard attempt, the officials indicated that Miami had called for a timeout.

Having seen his placekicker miss, Coker elected to go for it on fourth down. Berlin dropped back and zipped a pass into the right corner of the end zone to Parrish for a 25-yard touchdown, as he escaped the coverage of UVa cornerback Philip Brown.

The touchdown left Virginia with a 10-point deficit, something that proved to be too much.

For the game, Miami gained 380 yards of total offense and 134 on punt returns.

Gore paced the Hurricanes with a career-high 195 yards on the ground on 28 carries. Berlin finished 18 of 33 passing for

177 yards and two touchdowns.

Virginia’s offense gained 221 yards on the ground but Hagans struggled through the air, finished the contest 10 of 25 for 94 yards.

Despite watching several of his passes dropped, Hagans took the blame for the loss.

“I’ll take the heat for this one,” Hagans said. “A quarterback is judged on how many wins he gets. I didn’t get the win tonight. I’ll take the fault for that. The quarterback’s job is to bring the team home a winner, and I didn’t do that. Bad reads, bad passes. We left plays out on the field tonight.”

UVa passing game struggles
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
November 14, 2004

Virginia coach Al Groh said that there were numerous plays in Saturday’s 31-21 loss to Miami that he would like to have back. There also were several plays that the Cavaliers simply couldn’t make and execute that Groh also wishes he could have reversed.

The Cavs for the second straight week were unable to successfully implement their wide receivers in the offense. Virginia completed just three passes to the wideouts last Saturday against Maryland and managed just one against Miami on Saturday.

The Virginia passing game was hampered by a near perfect storm against them. One, there were dropped passes that seemed imminently catchable. Secondly, UVa quarterback Marques Hagans was unable to find the open receivers. Lastly, and to Miami’s credit, the defense did not allow Virginia receivers hardly any room to operate as it took away most options.

The numbers showed the result as Hagans completed just 10 of 25 passes for

94 yards and two interceptions. The situation was actually starker at halftime as Hagans completed one of three passes for 0 yards.

“Obviously our passing game didn’t produce to the degree that we would have liked it to tonight,” Groh said.

When told of the number of catches by wide receivers the last two weeks and asked if that statistic spoke for itself, Groh could only agree.

“That’s a good way to put it. That pretty much speaks for itself,” Groh said.

Virginia did make several attempts at long passes - including one in the first quarter that just escaped the fingertips of wide receiver Michael McGrew - but it was never successful.

The only connection to a receiver was a fairly harmless 4-yard pass to Deyon Williams in the third quarter.

“It looked like he [Hagans] was around his receivers pretty well but maybe that didn’t do what they needed to in terms of receiving the ball,” Miami coach Larry Coker said.

A disconsolate Hagans, however, said that the Cavaliers just couldn’t get the passing game going Saturday and that much of the blame was on his shoulders.

“We didn’t get too much out of the passing game. We left plays out on the field and there were some bad reads and bad passes,” Hagans said. “I’ll take the heat for this.”

When asked about some of the drops, Hagans didn’t really bite at the excuse.

“That is true but overall I have to make better decisions and better passes. We have to go back to the drawing board,” Hagans said.

McGrew claimed that there was more than enough blame to go around.

“We didn’t have the efficiency that we wanted to have. You can’t blame it on one person. It is a whole passing unit so it is all of us,” McGrew said. “We have to work on timing and trying to catch every ball that is thrown to us.”

Hurricanes' Parrish keys special teams
By Kris Wright / Daily Progress staff writer
November 14, 2004

Robert Parrish earned the nickname ‘The Chief’ during his NBA playing days with the Boston Celtics. Miami’s Roscoe Parrish may not normally share the moniker, but he was the chief on Saturday - the chief difference in a tightly contested football game that the Hurricanes won, 31-21, over Virginia.

Parrish scored two touchdowns and set up a third with a big punt return in a showdown between two of the ACC’s top teams. He saved most of his damage for the critical fourth quarter when he broke a 62-yard punt return for a touchdown and added the game-sealing TD catch in the waning moments.

“Yeah, I try to be [a game changer or difference maker],” Parrish said. “But the most important thing is that we came out on top, that we were victorious.”

Parrish finished the game with 4 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown and 3 returns for 121 yards and a touchdown. Two of his three returns led directly to scores - the 62-yard TD jaunt down the right sidelines with 7:03 left to play and a 45-yard return into Virginia territory with 4:15 left in the second quarter that led to a three-yard scoring pass from Brock Berlin to Talib Humphrey.

Parrish said both big returns were set up for the right sidelines and he found some daylight. On the 62-yarder, he didn’t seem to have much room at first before he slipped through a seam and threw on the afterburners en route to the end zone.

“It was a right return,” Parrish said. “I saw all the good blocking in front of me and I just tried as hard as I could to get the touchdown.”

Parrish was not the talk of pregame preparations because of the season Devin Hester has had for Miami on special teams. Hester has returned three punts for touchdowns this season and has averaged

22.1 per punt return; he also returned a kickoff 100 yards for a score and has averaged 28.8 yards per kick return.

However, with defensive back Antrel Rolle nursing a turf toe injury, Hester, who had one return for 13 yards Saturday, was pressed into more playing time on defense. That in turn led to more playing time in the return game for Parrish and he took full advantage.

Not that MU coach Larry Coker would expect anything less.

“He’s been a tremendous return man for us. He broke the Boston College game open a year ago. He’s very elusive, very explosive and very talented,” Coker said. “Frank Gore and Roscoe Parrish are a very special couple of guys to me. They were the first two guys I brought into the class when I got the job. … I’m so proud of the way they played tonight.”

Parrish’s influence went beyond his return statistics, however, because it changed the way Virginia had to approach the game on special teams. In an effort to prevent large amounts of return yardage, Connor Hughes kicked off for much of the game with high-arching short kicks and punter Sean Johnson attempted to use directional kicks away from Parrish. The result much of the time seemed to be either good field position for the Hurricanes or a big punt return.

In the end, Miami’s Brian Monroe averaged 31.6 net yards per punt and Virginia’s Sean Johnson averaged just 16.9. On punt returns, the Canes had four for 134 yards, an average of 33.5 yards. UVa, on the other hand, had one punt return for three yards. The Cavaliers also committed a roughing the punter penalty once as well when they went for a blocked kick.

In terms of the scoreboard, Miami’s returns led directly to 14 points.

“We did everything we could all week long to prevent this from happening today. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to carry it out according to plan,” UVa coach Al Groh said. “Our punt team is the one team that gets the most work every week, and it got extra work this week. Just like other facets of the game, some of those plays we’d like to have back and do them a little bit

differently.”

Needless to say, such a discrepancy in one category can severely affect the outcome.

“I think we got beat in every facet of the game today and in particular on special teams. … We didn’t get the job done on the punt team in particular. Anytime you give up too many big returns, you will usually lose the ballgame,” Virginia’s Alvin Pearman said. “In a close game, a big discrepancy in a specific area, that being special teams today, can be the difference in the game.”

Cavalier Football Notebook: Blackstock nabs two sacks
November 14, 2004

Virginia linebacker Darryl Blackstock had two sacks against the Hurricanes.
With 24 career sacks, Blackstock is currently tied for third with former defensive lineman Patrick Kerney on Virginia’s all-time list.
Blackstock, a junior, also climbed into a tie with N.C. State’s Tyler Lawrence in ACC history for sacks by a linebacker. Blackstock’s two-sack game also marked the third time this year and sixth time in his career that the Newport News native has recorded multiple sacks in a game.

MATCHING UP WITH THE CANES: Saturday’s game was Virginia’s second-ever contest with Miami. In the first meeting, in 1996, the Hurricanes topped the Cavaliers 31-21 to win the Carquest Bowl.
Interestingly enough, the final scores from both games are identical.

PEARMAN TOPS CENTURY MARK: Virginia senior Alvin Pearman rushed for 106 yards against Miami.
That marks the third straight 100-yard rushing game for Pearman and his fifth of the season. Pearman also climbed into 13th place on the all-time Virginia rushing list with 2,112 career yards.
Pearman also made history with his 34-yard touchdown carry in the second quarter. It was the longest run of the season for the Charlotte, N.C., native.

MILLER IS MONEY: Virginia tight end Heath Miller scored a touchdown in the second quarter on a 3-yard pass from Marques Hagans.
It was the fifth touchdown catch of the season for Miller, but the first one since the Clemson game on Oct. 7.
Miller, a candidate for the Mackey Award, finished the game with three catches for 45 yards and one touchdown.

CAVMAN: The fan-favorite segment opened with a weather forecast for the Charlottesville area that included Hurricane Ibis.
After emerging, Cavman fought off high winds from Ibis, Miami’s mascot, and knocked the bird to the ground.
At that point, Chris Canty, Virginia’s injured defensive lineman, emerged from behind a pillar near the Rotunda on crutches. Canty tossed his crutches to the ground and gave Cavman the final instructions - the thumbs down.

INJURY UPDATE: Virginia defensive lineman Andrew Hoffman suffered a concussion early in the first quarter according to Virginia coach Al Groh. … Several players did not dress for the Cavaliers game with Miami. That list included: fullback Jason Snelling (ankle), safety Lance Evans (ankle), tight end Jonathan Stupar (foot), offensive lineman Ron Darden (undisclosed) and linebacker Rich Bedesem (knee). ... Offensive lineman Ian-Yates Cunningham did dress for the first time this season, but did not play, which keeps the possibility alive that the sophomore will
redshirt.

EXTRA POINTS: Miami running back Frank Gore broke off a 44-yard run in the second quarter. That is the longest run that Virginia’s defense has allowed all season. … Charlottesville native Chris Johnson made his first career start for Virginia at defensive line. The redshirt freshman said he was told that he would start last Monday. … Another local product and defensive lineman, Chris Long, made the first tackle for a loss of his Cavalier career. …Miami’s 203 rushing yards is the most the Cavaliers have given up this season and is the most allowed since UVa gave up 278 to Maryland last year. ... Hagan’s 94 passing yards for UVa marks the first time a Cavalier starting QB has failed to throw for 100 yards in a game since Anthony Martinez threw for 54 yards at South Carolina last year. Martinez is now a member of the Virginia baseball team.

UP NEXT: Virginia (7-2, 4-2) will return to action on Saturday at Georgia Tech at 1 p.m. The game will be televised regionally by ABC. The last road team to win a game in this series came in 1994 when Virginia won 24-7 at Georgia Tech. … Miami will host Wake Forest on Saturday at the Orange Bowl.

UNHAPPY RETURNS
Miami takes advantage of Virginia's suspect punt team to keep its distance and top the Cavaliers.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Somebody else will have to bury Florida State and Miami. For the second time in less than a month, Virginia couldn't get the job done.

Like its fellow Sunshine State rival, Miami owes its survival in the ACC race to its mastery of Virginia, a 31-21 loser Saturday before a record Scott Stadium crowd of 63,701. It was the second loss of the season for 10th-ranked Virginia, hammered by host Florida State 36-3 in its only previous meeting with a Top 25 team.

Miami (7-2, 4-2 ACC) had lost two games in a row after rising to No. 3 in the polls, but the Hurricanes, now ranked 18th, took advantage of the Cavaliers where they were most vulnerable.

The Cavaliers, ranked 117th out of 117 Division I-A teams in net punting, simply could not contain Hurricanes' return specialist Roscoe Parrish.

Parrish, whose 62-yard punt return had given Miami a 24-14 lead with 7:03 left, ended UVa's final hope when he caught a 25-yard touchdown pass with 51 seconds left.

An earlier 45-yard Parrish punt return had set up the touchdown that put the Hurricanes ahead 14-7 at the half.

"We did everything we could all week long to prevent this from happening today," UVa coach Al Groh said. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to carry it out according to plan.

"Our punt team is the one team that gets the most work every week, and it got extra work this week."

On a day when Miami never trailed, the Hurricanes never led by more than one score until Parrish's final punt return, the first returned for a touchdown against the Cavaliers this season.

As fans started heading for the exits, Virginia (7-2, 4-2) fought back, getting a 47-yard run from quarterback Marques Hagans before Wali Lundy bolted 3 yards to make it 24-21 with 3:19 left.

All the Cavaliers needed was one defensive stop and they certainly were in position. When Virginia called the first of its three allotted second-half timeouts with 2:24 left, Miami faced a third-and-5 from its 35-yard line.

Groh felt certain that the Hurricanes would pass the ball and he was right. Miami quarterback Brock Berlin faked the run and spotted fullback Talib Humphrey, who eluded two would-be tacklers at the 40 and rambled 34 yards before Virginia could tackle him.

"The ball gets completed in the worst possible way on a mental error," Groh said. "That's worth about three hours' sleep tonight. I told [defensive coordinator] Al [Golden], 'You made the right call.' We'd make the same call next week."

Virginia still had two timeouts and looked as if it might get the ball with approximately one minute remaining after the Hurricanes' Jon Peattie missed a 35-yard field goal.

However, Miami got a reprieve after the officials made it known that Miami coach Larry Coker had called a timeout with two seconds remaining on the 25-second clock.

Coker said it was his intention to attempt the field goal, but when he saw how Peattie was on his first attempt, he decided against a second one.

Instead of killing some more time, the Hurricanes went for the jugular, with Parrish turning around UVa defensive back Phillip Brown for Parrish's seventh touchdown reception of the season.

"I felt like they couldn't cover Roscoe Parrish," Coker said. "I knew he'd be single-covered. I just didn't want to give the ball back to Virginia."

After all, Miami's two losses had come on the last play of the game, but the Hurricanes were on top of their game Saturday. Tailback Frank Gore carried 28 times for a career-high 195 yards, including runs of 44, 35 and 22 yards. He also had a would-be, 45-yard touchdown run nullified by a procedure penalty.

The Cavaliers lost nose tackle Andrew Hoffman to a concussion on Miami's first series of downs, which ended with UVa defensive end Brennan Schmidt running off the field with his left arm dangling around his knee, although he would return. The third member of UVa's season-opening front three, Chris Canty, returned to Scott Stadium in a splint after season-ending knee surgery.

"Everybody's got problems and nobody cares what yours' are," Groh said.

Miami's final, 70-yard touchdown drive enabled the Hurricanes to outgain Virginia 380-315 on an afternoon when the Hurricanes had a 20-19 edge in first downs. The Cavaliers, ranked sixth in Division I-A in rushing, ran for 221 yards but got little out of their passing game.

Senior tailback Alvin Pearman carried 21 times for 106 yards, but he was also the Cavaliers' top receiver, with five catches for 48 yards. That's more receptions than UVa's wide receivers have had, four, in the last two games.

While it wasn't the massacre that Virginia sustained at Florida State, none of the Cavaliers was taking any consolation. UVa, which had won 16 of its previous 17 home games, entered play as a 3 1/2 -point favorite.

"There were too many plays in the game that we knew how to play and we didn't play as well as they need to be played," Groh said. "Our expectations were that we would play better."

Virginia still has a chance to tie for the ACC championship, but the Cavaliers face season-ending road games at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, two places where UVa victories have been scarce over the past decade.

"These next two games are going to be two of the hardest games this team has ever played," Groh said, "and I don't think that would have been any different even if we had won today."
 

Cavs still have some work ahead
Commentary by Aaron McFarling
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Alvin Pearman was one of the last to arrive in the interview room. He sat down in a chair and stared blankly at the television cameras aimed at his sullen face.

"How do you bounce back?" the UVa tailback was asked. "We're going to be fine," Pearman said.

But his body language said something different. His body language said UVa's 31-21 loss to Miami on Saturday had cut him deeply.

"It hurts," he confessed.

That's the duality we're dealing with here. Bitter disappointment vs. lingering opportunity. Which one wins?

Because now comes the hard part. This is what's left for this team: a game at an improving Georgia Tech, then a game at rival Virginia Tech. Win both and UVa is assured of at least a tie for the ACC title, maybe better.

Lose both and take a giant step back.

In the end, after a bowl game and a few months to relax, UVa should be able to justify losses to Miami and Florida State. Who hasn't lost to those two? If this game and the Oct. 16 game at FSU taught us anything, it's that the Cavaliers still trail the elite in depth and speed. There is no shame in losing to a team with more talent than you.

OK, but how big is the gap? And how many teams stand between UVa and the elite? That's what the rest of the season will determine.

Now comes the hard part.

• • •

Flash back a couple of hours, to the moment celebration was reaching its peak at Scott Stadium. The crowd was standing and singing and swaying to the music. Virginia had just tied the score at 7. It was early. Times were good.

It was at this moment that the noseguard began his slow stagger to the tunnel. Few noticed him, if anybody, but he was leaving, quietly, and a good chunk of UVa's interior presence was going with him.

The victim was Andrew Hoffman. Perhaps you've heard of him? If you've listened to UVa coach Al Groh at any time during the past three weeks, you probably have. Groh's repeatedly said he's having the best season of any Cavalier.

But suddenly he was out. Concussion. Joining stud defensive end Chris Canty on the casualty list, returning later in the first half only to peek out of the tunnel and watch his team fall behind.

It's ironic. Earlier in the game, ABC television had flashed a graphic on the screen under the heading "Miami's Key Injuries." It looked like an 8-year-old's Christmas wish list - long and exhaustive.

But the Hurricanes can survive these things. UVa's program can't yet. The Cavaliers are simply not as deep.

"Everybody's got problems," Groh said, when asked about the impact of Hoffman's exit, "and nobody wants to hear about your problems.

"I don't really care what our problems are. I'm just interested in results."

The result was that Miami ran for 203 yards Saturday. Too much, as it turned out.

• • •

But it would be silly to point to that alone. After all, defensive linemen aren't responsible for special-teams breakdowns, like the two glaring punt returns UVa yielded Saturday.

Defensive linemen also don't catch passes. But lately, they've caught almost as many as UVa's receivers.

One catch, a four-yarder by Deyon Williams, was all the wide receiving corps could muster Saturday.

That's it? That's it.

The problem is two-fold. One, UVa's receivers aren't getting open against fast defenses. Two, on the rare occasions they do, they're dropping passes.

Deadly speed at the skill positions. UVa wants it, Miami's got it. After playing the Marylands and Dukes of the world who take their yardage in small sips, UVa faced a Miami offense that was taking infrequent but healthy gulps.

The 25-yard TD pass from Brock Berlin to Roscoe Parrish was the clincher, giving the Hurricanes a 10-point lead in the final minutes.

"There's still work to do," said UVa linebacker Kai Parham, when asked if there was still a gap in speed and talent. "Some places we're great. But I feel like skill-position wise, receiver and DB wise, [the Hurricanes] are very fast ... they're phenomenal. You look at them, and all their guys are running track and being successful in their conference championships and everything. So they're not a slow team at the skill positions by any means."

It would be wrong to call UVa's skill people slow. They're just not as fast.

And in a game like this, they're not fast enough. Not yet.

• • •

"So," Parham was asked, "how do you bounce back?"

"It's tough," Parham said, shaking his head. "You're right there, and you miss it. You miss the opportunity."

So here they are. Two games left. A 9-2 record still seems very possible.

But suddenly, so does 7-4.

"Given what this team wanted to achieve," Groh said, "these will be two of the hardest games this team has ever played."

They're hurt. They're angry. They're disappointed.

And now comes the hard part.

Cavs' passing game continues to be absent
Notes
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - In the days following his team's upset of then-No.11 Miami, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said this week that it was necessary to be able to spread the field to beat the Hurricanes.

He got that right. Whatever happened to Virginia's passing game?

UVa quarterback Marques Hagans, the ACC leader in passing efficiency for most of the season, completed only 10 of 25 passes Saturday in the Cavaliers' 31-21 loss to Miami.

Hagans completed one pass to a wide receiver, Deyon Williams, after hooking up with wideouts three times in a 16-0 victory over Maryland.

"I'm not going to point any fingers," Hagans said. "We've just got to go back to the drawing board."

Almost all of Hagans' success came on bootlegs, or rollouts off misdirection, "but you can't just bootleg all the time," said Hagans, who carried nine times for a career-high 85 yards.

On UVa's second possession, Hagans bootlegged to his right and had Michael McGrew streaking down the sideline for what might have been a 50-yard pass, but a diving McGrew bobbled the ball as he hit the ground.

"I thought I had it; the ground isn't supposed to cause a fumble, but I've just got to hold onto it next time," McGrew said.

The official play-by-play sheet had UVa receivers with only one drop, as compared to six for Miami, but UVa players failed to hang onto several catchable balls.

When asked if the UVa wide receivers' totals speak for themselves, Groh responded, "That's a good way to say it."

Crowd in uproar

A pro-UVa crowd reacted negatively to what it felt was a no-call on the 62-yard Roscoe Parrish punt return that put the Hurricanes ahead 24-14 with 7:03 left. Parrish turned the corner by the Miami sideline as UVa outside linebacker Dennis Haley tried to disengage himself from Antrel Rolle.

"He was riding me all the way down the field," Haley said. "He pushed me in the back. Sure, he pushed me. But, I ought to be good enough to make that play. Special teams are a big part of the game and I think special teams was the difference today."

Personnel

Defensive end Chris Johnson, a redshirt freshman from Charlottesville High School, made his first career start. Johnson (6 foot 3, 289 pounds) took the place of junior Kwakou Robinson, who had started UVa's four previous games in place of an injured Chris Canty.

By the third play, Johnson was joined by another Charlottesville player, 6-4, 265-pound true freshman Chris Long. Long, oldest son of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long, had missed UVa's five previous games with mononucleosis.

One week earlier, Long had run on the field late in the Cavaliers' 16-0 victory over Maryland, only to exit before the Terrapins ran a play. Long, from St. Anne's-Belfield School, might have been able to make a hardship appeal for an extra year of eligibility until he played Saturday.

By the numbers

Virginia and Miami have met twice, including the 1996 Carquest Bowl, and both games have had the same score, 31-21, in favor of the Hurricanes. ... UVa has lost 11 straight games to teams from Florida dating back to its 33-28 victory over Florida State at Scott Stadium. ... Junior outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock had his second two-sack game in succession. He tied Patrick Kerney for third on UVa's all-time list with 24. ... Miami, which rushed for 203 yards, has won its last 21 games when rushing for 200 yards or more.

Up next week

The Cavaliers visit Georgia Tech (6-3, 4-3 ACC) next Saturday at 1 p.m. in a game televised by WSET. The Yellow Jackets, 30-10 winners Saturday over Connecticut, have a four-game winning streak over Virginia at Grant Field.

Miami's Parrish returns to spotlight
Roscoe Parrish scores twice and provides big plays in helping the Hurricanes end a two-game losing streak.
By Mark Berman
981-3125
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Roscoe Parrish has been overshadowed by fellow return man Devin Hester this season. On Saturday, he grabbed the spotlight back.

Parrish played a big role in helping No.18 Miami defeat No.10 Virginia 31-21 at Scott Stadium. He returned a punt 45 yards to help pave the way for Miami's second touchdown. He returned another punt 62 yards for a touchdown to extend the Hurricanes' lead to 24-14 with 7:03 to go. Parrish sealed the win by hauling in a 25-yard touchdown pass to make it a 31-21 game with 51 seconds remaining. So much for Miami's two-game losing streak.

"When our backs are against the wall, we're going to handle our business," said Parrish, a fourth-year junior who had 175 all-purpose yards Saturday.

Entering the game, the Cavaliers were worried about Miami's return capability - but not because of Parrish. Hester had become the most feared player in the ACC after returning three punts and a kickoff for touchdowns this season.

With UVa taking a page from other teams and kicking away from Hester, the door opened for Parrish. He had three punt returns Saturday; Hester had one punt return and one kickoff return.

"A lot of people probably underestimate me when they see me back there. They just try to kick it to me," said Parrish, who had a school-record 92-yard punt return for a TD against Boston College last year. "I try to prove them wrong. I want them to kick it to me all day."

With Miami clinging to a 17-14 lead, Parrish fielded a punt, ran across the field to his right and motored up the right sideline for a 62-yard return to extend the lead.

"I seen nothing but 'i' [Miami] jerseys knocking them guys down, so I just ran to the sideline," Parrish said.

According to Parrish, Miami special teams coordinator Don Soldinger told the Hurricanes that UVa had said in a newspaper that it had an edge over Miami in special teams.

"So when they punted the ball, I was trying to do all I could to prove them wrong," Parrish said.

Parrish also was a problem for UVa at receiver. He caught four passes, giving him a team-high 31 catches on the year. His seventh TD catch of the season was impressive.

With Miami up 24-21, coach Larry Coker sent his field-goal unit on the field on fourth-and-four from the UVa 25. He told an official he was going to call timeout with two seconds left on the play clock. Coker's original plan was to chew some more time off the game clock then kick a field goal after the timeout.

After calling the timeout with 58 seconds to go, Coker changed his mind and decided to go for the touchdown. Seeing Jon Peattie miss the 42-yard attempt after the whistle helped him make that decision. So did Parrish's ability.

"I felt like they couldn't cover Roscoe," Coker said. "It was just a great play on his part. I knew he'd be single-covered. I just didn't want to give the ball back to Virginia."

While the field-goal unit was on the field before the timeout, an annoyed Parrish went to a sideline phone and called the coaches in the press box. He wanted to complain that Miami was settling for a field goal, but no one answered.

Parrish soon had reason to be happy. The offense went on the field after the timeout, and Brock Berlin found Parrish in the end zone.

"I tried to take advantage of the opportunity," Parrish said. "I figured I had him [the cornerback] because it was man-to-man. I don't believe nobody can stay with me man-to-man."

Parrish is a Miami native, but his hometown school didn't want him at first so he orally committed to North Carolina State. He said then-Miami coach Butch Davis wasn't interested in him because he is only 5-foot-9.

When Davis bolted for the NFL and Coker replaced him, Coker told Parrish he was wanted at Miami after all. Parrish quickly changed his college plans.

Coker was glad he had him Saturday.

"He's very elusive, very explosive and very talented," Coker said.

Feel-good win, like old times
GREG COTE
gcote@herald.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- The Hurricanes stepped into this pit as a flat and flatly embarrassed football team Saturday, beaten, ridiculed, injured, depleted and dropping in the polls like a politician who announced himself in favor of terrorism. They were hurting in every way, and we were going to see how they handled a new sort of adversity, how they either saved what's left of their season or let the whole thing slide.

We saw, and so did the favored, higher-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, and so did the biggest, loudest crowd ever to jam into Scott Stadium.

The University of Miami handled it. Every bit. The pressure. The crowd. The Cavaliers. Maybe their own doubts. All of it. They handled it 31-21 and bounded off the field as the UM band sent jubilant brass into the chilly night air.

Hero Roscoe Parrish, of the 62-yard punt return touchdown and another score by 25-yard pass, ran off jabbing an index finger that matched his uniform number and the way the Canes felt again, if only for a night: No. 1.

Hero Frank Gore, the fire hydrant-thick runner who overcame two knee surgeries to get this far, jogged off after 195 yards on 28 carries, and it was remarkable he had the spare energy to move even that fast.

Coach Larry Coker? He ran off into the rest of this still-breathing season with a look decidedly closer to relief than elation.

''We needed to feel good about ourselves,'' he would say. ``We needed to beat a good football team.''

STOPPING THE SLIDE

Any team would have done, actually.

Consecutive losses to unranked ACC opponents had ruined Miami's national championship hopes and dropped the team lower in the polls (18th) than at any time since 1999. Even a conference title -- once considered a given for arriving power UM -- had seemed to become a faint hope.

The previous two games amounted to such a catastrophe by UM standards that Caneball chatrooms even began to buzz with lunatic talk about getting rid of Coker. No matter that his 42-5 overall UM record should be above reproach entirely.

Saturday made it all better. For now. It meant Miami, at 7-2, and by winning its remaining home games against Wake Forest and tough Virginia Tech, likely still will win the ACC and a place in the New Year's dance of Bowl Championship Series games.

That, of course, is a consolation prize for a college franchise that has collected five national championships and planned for 2004 to provide a sixth.

There are new rules, though.

Maybe it's the tougher-than-expected ACC.

Maybe it's all those years of losing underclassmen to the NFL finally catching up to the Hurricanes.

But it's different now. The field has leveled.

''We have to earn everything we get,'' as Coker put it. ``I think we learned that today.''

NFL DRAFT'S EFFECT

The Hurricanes' swagger and intimidation seemed more palpable when backed up by the star power that leaves each year for the NFL, and by the depth that made the team able to withstand injuries. UM seems mortal now, just another good team fair game for a stunning upset just like anybody else.

What amazes is that this leveling hasn't happened sooner.

You cannot lose six stars to the NFL draft's first round and go on merrily unscathed. You cannot keep getting cheated out of your best players' senior seasons -- eight of those just since 2002 -- and feel no effect.

Make early-departed Vince Wilfork and Sean Taylor magically reappear on UM's defense and the Canes don't lose to North Carolina and Clemson. They just don't. (And how much better might Brock Berlin have been this season with Kellen Winslow back?)

Coker likes to point out that Miami is a just a few bounces and breaks from perhaps being 9-0 right now. But it is just as right to note UM is an overtime game and a desperate rally against Louisville from being 5-4. From being the Florida Gators.

NOSTALGIC FEEL

Saturday felt more like the Old Canes. UM never trailed against a strong opponent, in a small-feel horseshoe park scooped out below street level in the heart of an aesthetically stunning campus. Students clogged the grassy incline of the stadium's open end. All around, fall foliage bloomed riotously.

It was a glorious setting for what would be the Canes' redemption, or burial.

(Virginia is having a terrific season despite being personified by perhaps the most fey symbol in major college football. The school's Cavalier mascot looks as if he got pumped for the game by listening to show tunes. But I digress.)

This felt like the Old Canes because playmakers stepped up. A big game turned on big plays at the biggest times. Plays that overcame all obstacles.

UM dropped a slew of passes, including one sure TD, and had another score nullified by a penalty. Fullback Talib Humphrey touched the ball for the first time all season, while electric Antrel Rolle, injured, barely played.

But the Hurricanes overcame because Parrish and Gore arose like ghosts of UM's better past to save what's left of the season. Parrish and Gore -- who happened to be the first two players who committed to Coker when he first became head coach.

It was old times and good old days again.

Whatever ''Hurricane football'' means, UM remembered how to play it, just in time.

Parrish gives a reminder
Hurricanes receiver Roscoe Parrish proves he still knows how to return punts in crucial games.
BY JEFF SHAIN
jshain@herald.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Remember Roscoe Parrish?

Used to be a pretty good return threat for Miami. Posted four career returns of at least 40 yards in his first two seasons. A threat to break one anytime opponents kicked to him.

Well, he's back.

Overshadowed by Devin Hester's emergence this season, Parrish rekindled the memories in Saturday's 31-21 win against Virginia, taking one punt 62 yards for a touchdown and setting up another with a 45-yard return.

Then to top it off, the diminutive receiver iced the game with 51 seconds left, hauling in a 25-yard TD catch to cap a 31-21 triumph.

''When you have a close game, special teams can turn the game around,'' said Parrish, whose three returns for 121 yards were augmented by four catches for 50 yards. ``We wanted to keep on pressing the issue.''

''He's been a tremendous return man for us,'' UM coach Larry Coker said. ``He's very elusive, very explosive and very talented.''

And until Saturday, very underutilized on returns.

CHANGING ROLE

Parrish had been the Hurricanes' main return man for the past two years, but found himself nudged to the sideline when Hester started turning seemingly every other return into highlight-reel footage.

After Hester went 92 and 51 yards for TDs against Louisiana Tech, he took over main duties. Parrish entered Saturday with just six punt returns in UM's previous six games.

Parrish, though, didn't chafe at the demotion. For one thing, he was emerging as Brock Berlin's go-to receiver. And for another, he knew these things tend to run in cycles.

''I didn't feel like I was forgotten,'' he said. ``Devin Hester is a good return guy. He turned a lot of returns into points. I was doing good at wide receiver, so I was just going to accept my role.''

But with Antrel Rolle severely limited by turf toe, Hester found himself playing most of the snaps at cornerback Saturday. To get a fresh body in, Coker gave Parrish back his old job.

''Roscoe makes very good decisions,'' Coker said.

OBVIOUS STRATEGY

In the days leading up to the game, the Cavaliers made no secret they were going to kick away from Hester on kickoffs, but angle punts toward the sideline and let UM try to return them.

''When they saw me back there, they just kept kicking to me,'' Parrish said. ``That was fine with me. I want them to kick to me all day.''

It took three punts for Parrish to mess up the Cavaliers' strategy. Deciding at the last second not to let Sean Johnson's punt bounce, Parrish grabbed the ball and cut directly toward the boundary.

As the Cavaliers seemed to have Parrish hemmed in, he burst past a wall of defenders on a 45-yard return to the Virginia 47. Three plays later, Berlin's 3-yard scoring pass to Talib Humphrey put the Hurricanes up 14-7.

''I just wanted to bait them a little bit and let them come to me,'' Parrish said.

The move worked so well, Parrish used it again in the fourth quarter with UM nursing a 17-14 lead. Again heading toward the right sideline, he used his speed to get past a trio of Cavaliers and ran untouched to the end zone.

''I kind of knew I was going to get another one like that,'' Parrish said. ``So when I had the chance, I went after it.''

Bowl picture getting clearer
BY JEFF SHAIN AND SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
jshain@herald.com

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - This year's convoluted ACC race now places UM fans in the unusual position of needing help from Florida to win the league's Bowl Championship Series berth.

Even if UM wins out by beating Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, the ACC's tiebreaker system puts the Hurricanes at a disadvantage in a three-way tie atop the league standings with Florida State and Virginia Tech.

FSU already has completed its ACC schedule at 6-2 and only has UF left on its slate; Virginia Tech is 5-1 with games left against UM and Virginia.

Since FSU and Virginia Tech didn't play this year, a head-to-head system cannot solve the deadlock. In that case, the BCS berth goes to the team ranked highest in the final BCS standings.

FSU entered the week 12th in the BCS standings, with UM 17th. Without an FSU loss, it's unclear whether the Hurricanes can catch the Seminoles.

The dilemma also would be solved if Virginia can beat Virginia Tech in two weeks. The Hurricanes likely would win a three-way tie with FSU and Virginia -- as long as they are not more than five spots behind the Seminoles in the final BCS rankings.

All of this gets easier next year, of course, when the ACC goes to divisional play and stages a year-end league championship.

BIG IMPACT

Miami fullback Talib Humphrey, a senior who graduated from Miami Southridge High and transferred from Northeastern (Okla.) Junior College before the 2002 season, made the only touches of his career count in a big way.

Humphrey, who redshirted last year because of an injury, caught three passes for 49 yards and touchdown. But the one that might have saved the Hurricanes' season came on third-and-5 from the Miami 35-yard line with 2 minutes 24 seconds left in the game.

With the Virginia crowd in a near frenzy, Humphrey took a Brock Berlin pass 34 yards to the Virginia 31. The play kept alive the drive that put Miami up 31-21 to seal the victory.

''That was a huge first down,'' UM coach Larry Coker said. ``What's the level above huge? Monumental! . . . I'm very happy for him.''

SUPER SUB

True freshman Romeo Davis made his first career start at weak-side linebacker for Tavares Gooden, who has a shoulder injury. Davis, who finished the game with two tackles, had played in six games with no tackles before Saturday. Devin Hester started for Antrel Rolle at cornerback.

''I was a little bit nervous at first,'' said Davis, a Northwestern High graduate. ``. . . I'm very excited right now.''

Rolle played sparingly, coming in as a nickelback with 4:31 left in the first half and again later in the game.

NICE BREAK

With 58 seconds left, kicker Jon Peattie attempted a 42-yard field goal, not realizing Coker had called a timeout. He missed the field goal, and when UM returned, Coker opted for the fourth-down play that resulted in a 25-yard touchdown from Brock Berlin to Roscoe Parrish.

Suffering a total letdown
Virginia lost its second game -- both to schools from Florida -- as the Cavs struggled on offense, defense and special teams.
BY MIKE HARRIS
Special to The Herald

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The University of Virginia football team is 7-0 against the rest of the country and 0-2 against the state of Florida.

It lost a month ago at Florida State and at home Saturday to the University of Miami.

With a Scott Stadium record crowd of 63,701 watching, Miami snapped a two-game losing streak with a 31-21 victory that left Virginia's hopes of earning a Bowl Championship Series bid in tatters.

PAINFUL SETBACK

''It hurts, it hurts like hell,'' said Marques Hagans, Virginia's junior quarterback. ``Last home game for our seniors, everybody watching, to go out and play like that.

``We can't sit and pout. We still have a lot of football left to play, and it won't be easy. Nothing left at home. But this one definitely hurts.''

Few Cavaliers were hurting more than Hagans, who completed 10 of 25 attempts for 94 yards and two interceptions. ''I'll take the heat for this one,'' Hagans said.

``A quarterback is judged on how many wins he gets. I didn't get the win tonight. I'll take the fault for that. The quarterback's job is to bring the team home a winner, and I didn't do that. Bad reads, bad passes. We left plays out on the field tonight.''

Virginia's defense wasn't stellar, either. Frank Gore rushed for 195 yards for Miami, and Brock Berlin threw for 177 and had two key completions -- one for Miami's final touchdown -- in a late drive that secured the victory.

The Cavaliers' punt coverage also struggled.

Roscoe Parrish took advantage with a 62-yard touchdown on a punt return in the fourth quarter that helped the Hurricanes to a 10-point lead.

Hagans had 85 of Virginia's 221 rushing yards. A 47-yard fourth-quarter run led to a 3-yard touchdown by Wali Lundy that pulled Virginia within three with 3:19 left.

But the Cavaliers gained only 94 yards in the air, their worst output of the season.

Hagans was intercepted three times in Virginia's first eight games, and Saturday was the first time this season he completed less than 50 percent of his attempts. He was completing 66.5 percent coming into the game.

EVERYONE'S TO BLAME

''Overall, it was just not the efficiency we would want to have,'' receiver Michael McGrew said. ``You can't blame it on one person. It's a passing unit. It's all of us. We need to get better, work on the timing, catch every ball that's thrown to us.''

Virginia coach Al Groh agreed.

North Carolina and Clemson, the teams that beat Miami in the Hurricanes' two prior games, ''couldn't have won without the passing. Obviously, our passing game didn't produce to the degree that we would have liked,'' Groh said.

Cavs' Defense Can't Hold Off Rush of Hurricanes
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 14, 2004; Page E19

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Nov. 13 -- Ranked among the nation's best in run offense and run defense, the Virginia Cavaliers had grown accustomed to controlling games on the ground. In Saturday's 31-21 loss to No. 18 Miami, that formula only worked on one side of the ball.

Aching for a win that would validate their recent rise to national prominence and keep them in the hunt for an ACC championship, the 10th-ranked Cavs rushed for 221 yards but allowed the Hurricanes 203 -- more than any opponent this season. Frank Gore, Miami's tough and explosive tailback, set career highs with 28 carries and 195 yards against a defense ranked 11th nationally against the run but depleted by injuries to all three starting linemen.

The only other time Virginia (7-2, 4-2) allowed more than 135 rushing yards this season was their only other loss, a 36-3 spanking at Florida State in which the Seminoles ran for 192 yards.

"We knew we had to run the football, and I think there were some areas we felt like we could attack," said Miami Coach Larry Coker, whose team tied the Cavaliers for third place in the conference standings with an identical record.

Already missing star end Chris Canty, Virginia lost nose tackle Andrew Hoffman to a concussion on the second or third defensive play of the game. Hoffman, an underrated senior who has played as well as anyone on the team this season, could not return, forcing the Cavaliers to plug in promising but raw redshirt freshman Keenan Carter for his most extensive work yet.

Left end Brennan Schmidt had to sit out at times after suffering an unspecified shoulder injury, while redshirt freshman Chris Johnson made his first start on the right side, rotating with sophomore Kwakou Robinson, who had started the past four games since Canty suffered a season-ending knee injury against Syracuse on Sept. 25.

Inside linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham had to play all 73 plays because fifth-year senior Rich Bedesem, an equal partner in what was a formidable triumvirate, missed his second straight game because of a knee injury.

"I think [Hoffman] is one of the very best defensive linemen in the conference, but I learned a long time ago . . . everybody's got problems, and nobody cares about what your problems are," Virginia Coach Al Groh said. "All they want to know is, did you win? And all I want to know is, did we win? . . .

"While we had a lot of good plays on defense, we had too many plays in the game that we know how to play, and we didn't play them as well as they needed to be played."

Groh had it "exactly right," outside linebacker Dennis Haley said, pointing to several times the Cavaliers were in position to stop Gore but let him slip away.

"That's on us," Schmidt said. "But we're going to try our best to make sure it never happens again."

Cavaliers Notes: Connor Hughes handled Virginia's final two kickoffs instead of Kurt Smith because the Cavaliers wanted to kick the ball relatively short to give their coverage team a better opportunity to get down to Miami's return men quickly. . . . Second-string safety Lance Evans (ankle) was not in uniform, leaving freshman Nate Lyles as the lone backup to Jermaine Hardy and Marquis Weeks.
 

Hagans shoulders blame for setback
But dropped balls, lackluster defense contributed to defeat
BY MIKE HARRIS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Nov 14, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE Marques Hagans said all the right things after the University of Virginia lost to Miami yesterday.

Stick together. Plenty of football left. Don't point fingers. Get ready for two road games.

He also pointed a finger - right at himself.

"I'll take the heat for this one," the Cavaliers' junior quarterback said after the Hurricanes completed a 31-21 victory before a Scott Stadium record crowd of 63,701.
Building Quality Homes

"A quarterback is judged on how many wins he gets. I didn't get the win tonight. I'll take the fault for that. The quarterback's job is to bring the team home a winner, and I didn't do that. Bad reads, bad passes. We left plays out on the field tonight."

Bummed doesn't begin to describe Hagans' postgame mood.

"It hurts like hell," he said.

But he certainly doesn't deserve all of the blame for what was just the second loss for the Cavaliers in nine games. Some of it, yes. All of it, no way.

Virginia's defense didn't do anybody any favors. Miami rushed for 203 yards, 195 of it by Frank Gore.

Miami quarterback Brock Berlin threw for 177 yards and had two key completions - one for Miami's final touchdown - in a late drive that sealed the deal after Hagans brought the Cavaliers back into contention.

Special teams? Virginia covered punts poorly, allowing Roscoe Parrish to take one 62 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown that helped Miami get back to a 10-point lead.

Both teams dropped plenty of balls.

Virginia rushed for 221 yards, 85 coming from Hagans. He collected 47 of them on a fourth-quarter dash that led to a 3-yard touchdown by Wali Lundy, pulling Virginia to 24-21 with 3:19 left.

But it passed for only 94 yards, its worst output of the season. Hagans was intercepted three times in Virginia's first eight games, twice yesterday (one of them on a late desperation heave). He completed only 10 of 25 passes, the only time this season he's been under 50 percent. He came in with a 66.5 percent completion percentage.

"Overall, it was just not the efficiency we would want to have," receiver Michael McGrew said. "You can't blame it on one person. It's a passing unit. It's all of us. We need to get better, work on the timing, catch every ball that's thrown to us."

Virginia coach Al Groh didn't argue. He noted that North Carolina and Clemson, the teams that beat Miami in the Hurricanes' two previous games before yesterday "couldn't have won without the passing. Obviously, our passing game didn't produce to the degree that we would have liked.

"It's not just on one person, it's on everybody. Maybe if I'd of given a little bit more help, things would have been different."

Hagans feels the same way.

The Cavaliers only completed three passes to wide receivers in their victory over Maryland last week. They only had one completion to a wide receiver yesterday.

Drops didn't help.

"That's true, too, but overall I have to make better decisions and better passes," Hagans said. "We can't just depend on the running game every game. As a total offense, we need to get better. We have to move the ball through the air and on the ground."

 

Storm surge hits U. Va.
Hurricanes' big plays damage Cavaliers' hopes for crown
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Nov 14, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The first question posed to Al Groh in his press conference last night, not surprisingly, concerned the Miami Hurricanes' big plays. The University of Virginia football coach managed a slight smile.

"Which one do you have in mind?" Groh answered.

The largest crowd in Scott Stadium history turned out on a chilly autumn day, and all but a smattering of the 63,701 fans came hoping to see 10th-ranked Virginia hand 18th-ranked Miami its third consecutive loss.

The U.Va. faithful left disappointed. The Hurricanes, who never trailed, broke the game open midway through the fourth quarter, scoring on a 62-yard punt return, and captured a hard-earned 31-21 victory that kept them in the race for the ACC title.

"Certain things will either make you win or cause you to lose," Groh said. "There were too many things in the cause-you-to-lose column today that negated the effort that we put towards winning the game."

Junior tailback Frank Gore rushed for 195 yards - by far the most U.Va. (4-2, 7-2) has surrendered to a player this season - but wideout Roscoe Parrish's myriad contributions might have been more important for Miami (4-2, 7-2).

Parrish, a junior from Miami, set up the 'Canes' second touchdown with a 45-yard punt return in the second quarter. He scored the Hurricanes' third touchdown on the aforementioned 62-yard return. Parrish, a junior, delivered the coup de grace with 51 seconds left, catching a 25-yard fourth-down pass from Brock Berlin in the end zone for Miami's final TD.

U.Va.'s loss left 16th-ranked Virginia Tech (4-1, 7-2) alone atop the ACC. The Hokies have three regular-season games left, starting Thursday night against Maryland at Lane Stadium, and if they win out, they'll be Bowl Championship Series-bound.

It was the home finale and Senior Day for the Cavaliers, who lost for only the second time in their past 18 games at Scott Stadium.

U.Va. has two regular-season games left. The Cavaliers' hopes of representing the ACC in the BCS all but evaporated yesterday, but if they win at Georgia Tech (4-3, 6-3) next weekend and then at Virgina Tech on Nov. 27, they'll earn a share of the ACC title.

"There's a hell of a lot of football to play," junior quarterback Marques Hagans said. "It hurts right now . . . [but] there's not enough time to sit around and pout."

Hagans rushed for 85 yards but had his worst passing game, throwing two interceptions and completing only 10 of 25 attempts for 94 yards and one TD. Led by senior tailback Alvin Pearman, who rushed for 106 yards and one TD in his final appearance at Scott Stadium, Virginia ran for 221 yards, but it needed more from an offense that came in as the ACC's most potent.

In a game in which several of Hagans' passes were dropped, only one U.Va. wide receiver had a catch. Deyon Williams had one reception for 4 yards. Pearman caught five balls for 48 yards, and junior tight end Heath Miller caught three for 45 yards and one TD.

"You know, the two teams that have won the last two weeks against Miami couldn't have won the game without their passing game," Groh said.

"Both North Carolina and Clemson had better running games than they customarily do, but without the production from their passing game, they would not have won the game. So we had a pretty good idea coming in that we would have to be able to have that kind of blend."

For all their breakdowns on special teams and offense and defense, though, the Cavs still were in position to pull out an improbable win late in the game. After Parrish's electrifying punt return made it 24-14 with 7:03 remaining, Virginia quickly struck back. A 14-yard pass from Hagans to Pearman moved the ball to midfield, and then Hagans scrambled for a 47-yard gain to the Miami 3. Two plays later, junior tailback Wali Lundy ran in from 3 yards out, and Connor Hughes' extra point made it 24-21 with 3:19 remaining.

The Hurricanes' next possession started at the 30, and their first two plays netted 5 yards. That brought up third and 5, and Virginia called its first timeout with 2:24 left. Force a Miami punt there, and U.Va. would have gotten the ball back with two timeouts and ample time to drive for a game-tying field goal or a go-ahead touchdown. But quarterback Brock Berlin fired a short pass to fullback Talib Humphrey, who ran through U.Va. linebacker Ahmad Brooks' tackle attempt and rumbled for a 34-yard gain.

The drive ended with Berlin, on fourth and 4, throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Parrish, who beat true freshman cornerback Philip Brown in the end zone to seal the victory. But the "third-and-5 play is where we let the game get away from us," Groh said.

"We had to do whatever we could to try to get the ball back at that particular time."

Miami found plus in what U.Va. lacked
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW
Nov 14, 2004

CHARLOTTESVILLE Too much Roscoe Parrish.

Too much Frank Gore.

Not enough hang time.

Not enough giddyap on punt coverage.

Not enough secondary.

Not enough passing game.

Put all those ingredients together, and what you had was a 31-21 mess of a stew for Virginia. That's the score by which the Cavaliers lost to Miami yesterday - a setback that all but demolished their hopes for a glossy bowl bid and left them 0-2 in showdowns against the ACC's Sunshine State residents. They also tumbled 36-3 at Florida State a month ago.

"We have seven wins and two tough losses," defensive end Brennan Schmidt said. "Whatever's happened happened. We're going to make the best of the situation. We're not going to mope."

They're not going to forget Parrish and Gore, either. Parrish is a once-demoted wideout who moonlighted as a return man yesterday because regular bundle of nitroglycerin Devin Hester was too busy filling in for hobbled cornerback Antrel Rolle. Gore is a tailback whose past two seasons were short-circuited by devastating knee injuries. U.Va. could only wish they still were on the shelf.

Together, Parrish and Gore fueled and symbolized a bounce-back UM squad that came to town wounded by stunning losses to North Carolina and Clemson. The 'Canes who showed up in jam-packed Scott Stadium moved the ball smartly, had no turnovers and never trailed. The better team won. Larry Coker couldn't have been happier.

"To say we weren't down after the last two weeks would be a gross understatement," UM's coach conceded. "But we worked extremely hard. We never went in the tank."

U.Va. played to its strength and got 221 yards and a couple of touchdowns from its running game. But - unlike recent outings against Duke and Maryland - it couldn't control the flow and the clock with infantry alone. And in just about every other category yesterday, it was trumped by the 'Canes.

Run defense? The Cavs limited Clemson and Maryland - their last two visitors - to 96 yards total. Gore slashed through them for 195. The 'Canes had 203 all told, FSU 192. They're the best teams U.Va. has played, and they ran freely. Not a hopeful development.

Punt coverage? U.Va. entered this matchup 117th among 117 Division I entries in net punting - Sean Johnson's low-trajectory kicks minus opponents' returns - and that flaw was exposed in neon by Parrish. His 45-yard return set up Miami's second TD for a 14-7 halftime lead, and he whooshed 62 yards for a fourth-period touchdown and a 24-14 cushion.

Pass defense? U.Va. couldn't put enough heat on Miami QB Brock Berlin or enough of a shroud on his receivers. Fullback Talib Humphrey hadn't caught a pass all year, but he burned the Cavs with two huge grabs - one for a touchdown, another on a third-and-5 conversion that prolonged UM's last possession. It ended with a 25-yard home run throw with 53 ticks left to Parrish, who beat freshman corner Philip Brown for the wrap-it-up TD.

Passing game? Marques Hagans completed only 10 of 25 passes for 94 yards. He was picked off twice - in fairness, one was on a last-ditch heave to the end zone - and found a wide receiver the grand total of one time. Wideouts had only three catches the week before against Maryland. Good thing Terrell Owens doesn't suit up for these guys.

Frankly, the Cavs were lucky they were within seven at halftime. UM kicker Jon Peattie stubbed a 29-yard field goal try wide right on the game's opening series. Miami receivers dropped four passes in the half. Berlin, for his part, one-hopped a throw to an open Parrish inside U.Va.'s 20 shortly before the break. Gore was stopped on fourth and- two snaps later.

The 'Canes kept the goofs coming after intermission --Berlin off target to free receivers here, dropped balls there, false-start calls everywhere to gum up possessions - but they never let U.Va. tilt the field its way. Now the Cavs finish up on the road against a couple of Techs - the Atlanta and Blacksburg varieties - with some bouncing back of their own to accomplish.

They might corral some redemption. But the big ones have gotten away.