Secondary education
U.Va.'s defensive backs have had to grow under difficult circumstances
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 15, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE With Nate Lyles' season almost certainly over, Virginia's secondary may struggle versus Virginia Tech this weekend, especially if Tony Franklin's suspension is not lifted. Miami's passing attack could overwhelm the Cavaliers' defensive backs Nov. 26 at the Orange Bowl.

No matter what happens in those two games, however, 2005 figures to be viewed as a leap forward for the Cavaliers' secondary, which often was considered a liability during Al Groh's first four seasons as coach.

The improvement followed Groh's decision last winter to let Al Golden oversee the defensive backs, a job previously held by Bob Price. Golden, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator, formerly worked with inside linebackers. Price now tutors Virginia's tight ends, and graduate assistant Chad Wilt helps Golden with the secondary.

"Al's done a really good job with that group," Groh said. "A lot of those kids kind of entering into the second half of their career have matured well and are playing the best they have for us. Some of those young kids have come on nicely for first-year players.

"That's a big assignment back there. There's been some good, and there's been some rough spots there. They've all stayed really positive throughout the whole process."

Groh doesn't allow his assistants to be interviewed during the season, so Golden wasn't available to comment.

Franklin, a starting cornerback in 2003 and'04, was shifted to safety in August. He lined up to next Lyles, a backup as a true freshman last season. The Cavaliers began the season with junior Marcus Hamilton and sophomore Chris Gorham as the starting cornerbacks, though Gorham later lost his job to true freshman Chris Cook.

After Cook broke his leg Oct. 8 at Boston College, true freshman Mike Brown started the next three games alongside Hamilton. Gorham returned to the starting lineup Saturday against Georgia Tech.

Others in the rotation include walk-ons Ryan Best and Byron Glaspy and safety Jamaal Jackson, who like Gorham played little from scrimmage as a true freshman in 2004. Best plays safety in U.Va.'s nickel defense. Glaspy, a Richmond native, is an engineering student whose performance at a tryout earned him an invitation to join the football team last winter.

He made his college debut Nov. 5 against Temple. A week later, with Franklin suspended, Glaspy played the whole game at safety in U.Va.'s win over the then-No. 24 Yellow Jackets. His running mate for more three quarters was Jackson, pressed into action when Lyles suffered a serious injury in the first quarter.

Attrition in the secondary - U.Va. lost Cook, Franklin and then Lyles - left Hamilton as the old man of the group. He responded Saturday with a brilliant effort. Given the thankless job of shadowing Calvin Johnson, Hamilton helped limit the All-America candidate to four receptions.

When Hamilton surveyed the rest of the secondary, he saw an improbable collection of freshmen, sophomores and walk-ons. His advice to them?

"Just communicate with everybody else in the secondary," Hamilton recalled. "Have fun. It's football. It's supposed to be fun. It's not life or death. Do what you know you can do in practice."

Only two of Groh's defensive backs have been named all-ACC: safeties Shernard Newby and Jerton Evans, second-team selections in 2001 and '02, respectively. Hamilton, with a strong finish, could end up on the first team this season. He has five interceptions and with 50 tackles is second at U.Va. behind junior linebacker Kai Parham.

A season ago, neither of Virginia's first-team safeties intercepted a pass. Lyles and Franklin have two picks apiece this year. In all, U.Va. defensive backs have 11 interceptions, one of which Cook returned 30 yards for a touchdown.

The secondary includes no seniors, which should bode well for 2006 and beyond.

Golden has "been very thorough," Groh said. "He's very demanding with them. He's constantly teaching. While he's demanding of them, they know that he's on their side too. The combination of that is usually what elicits performance."
 

Bowl fates of Hokies, Cavs hinge on the final weeks
By KYLE TUCKER, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 15, 2005

Think the blowout loss to Miami made your head spin, Hokies fans? Well, just try running through all the possible scenarios in which Virginia Tech might – or might not – still get into a BCS bowl.

The good news for Tech: Despite a lopsided loss to Miami that evaporated the team’s national championship dreams, the Hokies still could end up in one of the major bowls .

The bad news: The Hokies, No. 6 in the latest BCS standings, need help.

Exactly how much is complicated, but here’s a quick rundown of what Tech fans should be rooting for in the coming weeks:

First, pull for Tech to win this weekend at Virginia and next weekend against North Carolina. Lose either and it’s bye-bye BCS; hello, Gator Bowl — maybe. The best the Hokies could get would be a trip to Jacksonville.

After that, Tech’s sure shot to the BCS would likely require Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon to lose this weekend. If that happens, Tech is all but in, according to BCS expert Jerry Palm.

It also could get into the BCS if Miami loses one of its next two games, which would put the Hokies back in the ACC title game against Florida State and in control of their own destiny. The ACC champ will go to the Orange Bowl this year.

If not …

“I have Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl,” Palm said. “Penn State, Ohio State, Alabama and possibly Oregon could be more attractive candidates to the Fiesta Bowl.”

The Fiesta is the bowl likely to be selecting both at-large teams.

In the Big Ten, root for Michigan to beat Ohio State on Saturday. That would crown Penn State, if it wins at Michigan State, the Big Ten champ and eliminate the Buckeyes from a BCS at-large berth with three losses.

In the Southeastern Conference, root for Auburn to beat Alabama on Saturday. That would ensure every team in the SEC, except possibly the champion, would have a least two losses. That would make a second BCS bid for the league unlikely.

In the Pac-10, root for USC to win out and play for the national title, and for Oregon to lose to Oregon State on Saturday. If UCLA upsets USC on Dec. 3, both the Bruins and Trojans will likely land BCS bids. If Oregon wins and finishes 10-1 – its only loss will have been to USC – the Ducks might be a sexier selection for the Fiesta’s West Coast committee.

Got all that?

Hokies offensive coordinator Bryan Stinespring does not. This much he knows:

“Two Saturdays ago at 12 o’clock, we were a heck of a football team,” Stinespring said, referring to the hours before a 27-7 beating at the hands of Miami. “We woke up Sunday disappointed, upset … but we were still a good football team Sunday afternoon.

“There’s a lot of football to be played out there. And we’ve got our share. The season that we have in front of us is still a season we can all be proud of.”

That, of course, all begins with a road trip to Charlottesville on Saturday, where in-state rival Virginia would love nothing better than to bump Tech out of the BCS and, at the same time, bolster its own bowl prospects.

The Cavaliers got their sixth win over the weekend to become bowl-eligible. Representatives from the Champ Sports Bowl were scouting Virginia during its win over Georgia Tech. Palm, though, is predicting a meeting with Tulsa in the Fort Worth Bowl. That bowl, he contends, might dip into the ACC pool of bowl-eligibile teams if the Big 12 doesn’t have enough six-win teams.

Unless the Cavs upset the Hokies or Miami on Nov. 26, however, they could still be left out of the bowl picture at 6-5. The ACC already has seven bowl-eligible teams, and three more have a shot at six wins. Unless other conferences fail to fulfill their allotments, a six-win ACC team could be left home over the holidays.

“Everybody involved knows what it takes to win this game,” Stinespring said of the in-state showdown. “And everybody knows what’s at stake.”

For Tech, it’s staying in the BCS hunt and avoiding a familiar late-season collapse. Should the Hokies lose their next two, the Peach Bowl is the best they can wish for.

Should Virginia shock the world and win its last two, finishing 8-3, the Cavs might be the ones headed to Atlanta instead.

 

No go for Imoh
The senior tailback needs another week to heal.
By Randy King
981-3126
The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech tailback Mike Imoh's senior season continues to be a big hurt.

In what looms as the latest setback in his injury-filled fall, it was reported on coach Frank Beamer's Web site Monday that Imoh will not play Saturday when No. 7 Tech faces arch-rival Virginia in Charlottesville.

Imoh sustained a sprained left ankle in the Hokies' 27-7 loss to Miami nine days ago. Imoh will wear a protective boot on his foot the rest of the week, according to Tech trainer Mike Goforth.

Earlier Monday Beamer said Imoh was "probably doubtful" to play Saturday.

"It's just taking time," Beamer said. "We'll see how things go this week.

"I feel for him. He's put a lot into it. It's just a shame he's been banged up quite a bit this year."

Imoh, who has been listed all season as Tech's co-No. 1 tailback with senior Cedric Humes, was slowed in preseason drills by a knee that required constant drainage for excess fluid. He sustained a high right ankle sprain Oct. 1 at West Virginia that sidelined him the next week against Marshall. He returned Oct. 20 and ran for a season-high 86 yards at Maryland, then rushed for 60 more against Boston College before injuring the other ankle against Miami.

"Mike has had a tough year," Humes said. "No one wants to miss any games, especially in your senior year. I know how he feels. I went through a lot of the same stuff last season."

The case could be made that Imoh hasn't been 100 percent since he set Tech's single-game rushing record -- 243 yards on 32 carries -- last year at North Carolina. He sustained a strained hamstring the next game against Maryland, an injury that relegated him to limited work in the final two regular-season games and the Sugar Bowl.

After averaging 4.6 yards per carry en route to 720 rushing yards last season, Imoh has seen those numbers dip to 4.0 and 415 yards this fall.

Humes (3.9 ypc, 385 yards) and redshirt freshman Branden Ore (6 ypc, 365 yards) will handle the running load.

Tough assignment

Coming off a Miami loss that ended their national title hopes, the Hokies hardly get a bargain in the rebound department. UVa has won 21 of its past 23 games at Scott Stadium.

"You've got a team that's healthy, playing their very best, got a remarkable record there at home, got a quarterback [Marques] Hagans who is playing great for them, gets them out of troubled plays," Beamer noted.

"I think Hagans has to be your No. 1 concern. He means so much to that offense and what he can do. There offensive line is back and they've got some big, athletic guys up front. [Wali] Lundy looks like he's running the best he's run all year. They're very good."

Tech is a 712-point favorite.

UNC kickoff time in limbo

ABC Sports has declared a six-day option for games on Saturday, Nov. 26, meaning that kickoff time for Tech's game against North Carolina at Lane Stadium won't be announced until Sunday.

ABC is holding three games -- UNC-Tech, Virginia-Miami, and Georgia-Georgia Tech -- for its 3:30 and 8 p.m. time slots. The game not chosen by ABC will be televised by ESPN at 7:45.

Tech tidbits

Wideout-return specialist Eddie Royal, who pulled his left hamstring against Miami, was scheduled to get limited work in Tech's practice Monday. "We expect him to play Saturday," Beamer said. ... Tech ranks either first or second in the ACC in eight of the 14 major team statistical categories. UVa is ranked as low as third in the league in only one category -- kickoff returns (25.1). ... Tech is second in the nation in total defense (239.3 ypg), pass defense (140.4 ypg), pass efficiency defense (93.1 points), and tied for second with Miami in scoring defense (11.1 ppg).

 

UVa's Lyles to miss rest of season
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

1. Neutralize Calvin Johnson. | A

Johnson had four receptions for a season-low 41 yards. He was covered by Marcus Hamilton, who had two picks against Georgia Tech last year and added another one Saturday.

2. Sustain their blocking success. | A-

The Cavaliers rushed for 161 yards, their high against an ACC opponent this year, against a Georgia Tech defense that was ranked 14th in Division I-A against the run. The Cavaliers got 55 of their rushing yards in the fourth quarter.

3. Win the turnover battle. | B

Georgia Tech was ranked fifth in Division I-A in turnover margin and got a momentum-turning interception before the half, but UVa did not have a fumble for the third game in a row and did not lose a fumble for the fourth straight game.

Virginia defensive back Nate Lyles, injured in the first quarter of Virginia's 27-17 victory over then-No. 24 Georgia Tech, will not play Saturday against Virginia Tech.

Cavaliers' coach Al Groh said Sunday that Lyles would remain at UVa Medical Center for a second night.

Lyles was strapped to a body board Saturday and driven off the field in a cart after a collision with Yellow Jackets' running back P.J. Daniels.

"He had movement in all of his extremities on the field, but he did have a degree of numbness that was decreasing while we were out there," said Groh, who watched intently as seven members of the UVa medical and training staffs attended to Lyles.

"They told me at halftime that things were very positive. He's got all of his movement. He's got a little bit of tingling that usually comes with those sort of things. I wanted a little bit more information, but we were able to tell the team after the game."

UVa (6-3, 3-3 ACC) was able to withstand not only the loss of Lyles, but also the absence of Tony Franklin, who had started beside Lyles at safety for the first eight games. Franklin was one of four UVa players not in uniform because of a violation of team rules.

The others were nose tackle Kwakou Robinson, defensive end Vince Redd and wide receiver Ottowa Anderson. Groh would not say if they would be available for the Hokies.

"It makes it pretty interesting, huh," said Groh, referring to a secondary that earlier had lost starting cornerback Chris Cook to a broken leg. "It's obviously an issue for us."

It wasn't much of an issue Saturday, when walk-on Byron Glaspy took Franklin's spot in the starting lineup. Sophomore Jamaal Jackson came in for Lyles.

Jackson had been on the field for 250 plays during the first eight games, but, if the Cavaliers had been totally satisfied with his performance, presumably he would have started.

When asked what role he had envisioned for Jackson on Saturday, Groh said, "probably limited."

Georgia Tech coach Chan Gailey said it was harder to pick on Glaspy and Jackson at safeties than if they had been cornerbacks.

"A lot harder," Gailey said Sunday. "It's not like we didn't try. We went long, we went over the middle, but there was really only one play."

Gailey was referring to a 24-yard touchdown pass to Damarius Bilbo that forced a 17-17 tie with 5:23 remaining and, actually, the victim was true freshman cornerback Mike Brown.

Like Florida State coach Bobby Bowden three weeks earlier, Gailey was quick to praise UVa quarterback Marques Hagans, who was 21-of-29 for 205 yards and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Deyon Williams -- the Cavaliers' first touchdown completion in 14 quarters.

Gailey sought out Hagans and shook his hand after the game.

"The guy we faced yesterday did a great job of escaping the pressure and getting rid of the ball when he had to," Gailey said Sunday.

Gailey felt that one of the keys to the game was Virginia's 50-percent conversion rate on third downs. Seven of UVa's eight third-down conversions were on plays of third-and-5 or more.

Opponents had converted third-down plays at only a 27.4-percent rate before Saturday.

"First of all, they did a good job of changing up their tendencies," Gailey said. "Where they might have rolled out in the past, they were dropping back, and vice versa. They executed and we couldn't get to their passer."

 

Billyk bulks up, steps up
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
November 15, 2005

When Virginia’s coaching staff relayed the message to the team last week that four players, including two defensive linemen, would miss the Georgia Tech game for violating team policy, Allen Billyk started doing the math in his head.

The redshirt sophomore counted up. One. Two. Three. Four.

With a contest against the 24th-ranked team in the country just days away, Billyk knew he would be asked to take a greater role in the trenches in the absence of starting nose tackle Kwakou Robinson and reserve defensive end Vince Redd.

Billyk knew Brennan Schmidt would start at defensive end, just like he had done for 47 straight games. He also knew that Chris Long and Keenan Carter would be in the starting lineup.

After that was the fourth option - Mr. Billyk, himself.

Billyk, who is from New Castle, Pa., was also told that he would be an option at nose tackle, a position that had also lost another player - Ron Darden - the week before.

“Immediately when we heard that we were going to be short-handed, I thought about it and we had four guys without really any experience at all,” said Billyk, who will also play a pivotal role on Saturday when UVa (6-3, 3-3 ACC) hosts No. 7 Virginia Tech (8-1, 5-1). “I went in the next day and [the coaching staff] said I was going to play all three positions.”

Billyk practiced at both defensive end spots and rotated with Carter and Schmidt at nose tackle.

Although Billyk claims that he was ready to play nose if his No. 94 was called against the Yellow Jackets, he played strictly at defensive end for the 26 plays from scrimmage that he was on the field, easily the most extensive action of his career.

Billyk was not credited with a tackle, however, he did have a quarterback pressure on Georgia Tech junior Reggie Ball.

“I have been waiting for [a chance to play] for a while,” said Billyk, “and just doing anything I could to help get the win, that felt really good.”

Billyk also provided the defensive line with valuable playing time, keeping the undermanned unit as fresh as possible in the fourth quarter, something that was a must after Carter left the field with an ankle injury in the opening quarter.

“That was early,” Billyk said of Carter’s injury, which he later returned from. “We were like, ‘Wow, if Keenan can’t play it is pretty much going to be just us three [Schmidt, Long and Billyk] and we were going to have to throw [freshman] Alex Field in the game with not much experience.

“Luckily, it just turned out that Keenan tweaked his ankle, so he was able to go.”

Carter, in fact, was on the field for 37 plays. He made three tackles (one solo, two assisted).

Earning time has been an uphill battle for Billyk. He redshirted in 2003 and played sparingly in six games last year, making two tackles, one of which was a sack against Akron.

The biggest problem initially for the three-star recruit concerned his weight. When he arrived at UVa he weighed just 255 pounds, 23 pounds less than his current total.

“I needed to put on weight for the two-gap defense that we run,” Billyk said. “That [3-4 defense] took a lot of adjusting to get use to - the footwork and the steps ... learning the playbook wasn’t that hard, I just wasn’t physically ready.”

Despite being pushed around in practice, Billyk tried to take it all in stride with the mission to “show up everyday, do anything I could to help the team improve and help improve myself.”

Virginia coach Al Groh took notice of Billyk’s work ethic.

“One of the most important talents that a player can have is dependability,” Groh said. “You know what you are going to get from [dependable players].

“We are strong adherents to the belief that undependability really takes a great toll on winning. And Allen is a very dependable player and at lots of jobs that you would give him.”

Billyk is also a student of the game, a quality that goes along way in Groh’s thinking.

“He is a good learner. He takes instruction very quickly. He is able to apply that,” said Groh, “and he’s got real good toughness. Those two things in combination have really been the keys to moving his game along.”

It doesn’t hurt getting to practice against All-ACC performer D’Brickashaw Ferguson, who starts for UVa at left tackle.

“I take most of my reps at right end against Brick,” Billyk admitted. “I don’t know who you could be going against that can make you any better than that. It definitely helps everybody improve.”

LYLES RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL, WATCHES PRACTICE: The UVa football team got an emotional boost Monday when sophomore Nate Lyles stopped by a practice session.

The safety was released from the University of Virginia Medical Center earlier Monday and Virginia coach Al Groh said Lyles “was feeling good and in good spirits.”

“Nate is much better,” Groh added during his weekly call-in show. “We are feeling very positively of his circumstances.”

Groh also told listeners that Lyles would not play again this season. Virginia hosts Virginia Tech on Saturday, plays at Miami on Nov. 26 and could be invited to play in the postseason.

Lyles, a Chicago native, was injured on Saturday during the 27-17 win over Georgia Tech with 4:17 left in the first quarter. Georgia Tech tailback P.J. Daniels’ knee landed under Lyles’ helmet and on his chin and bent Lyles’ head backwards. The blow caused Lyles to momentarily lose all feeling in his extremities, although they returned before he left the field.

Medical personnel placed Lyles on a spine board before they drove him off the field and to an ambulance that transported him to the hospital, where he spent Saturday and Sunday evening undergoing further observations and testing.

It was the second time in four weeks that Lyles had received medical attention during a contest. In a road game against North Carolina on Oct. 22, Lyles suffered a “stinger.”

After being given a neck protector, Lyles returned to the game. When asked about playing with the neck protector prior to Virginia’s game with Temple, Lyles said he would not and did not want to play with it.

 

No relaxing for Cavaliers under new coach Leitao
Virginia coach Dave Leitao introduces demanding, disciplined practice regimen, places emphasis on rebounding, defense
Adrian Vigil, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

Last year, when many assumed that Pete Gillen's tenure as Virginia basketball's head coach was coming to a close, rumors flew that the new Virginia coach would be a big name. Finally, after a search that lasted a little over one month, Dave Leitao was named the new head coach.

Although Leitao may not be the big name many expected, he does have an impressive resume: an 80-69 record as a head coach at both DePaul and Northeastern, playoff trips in 18 of his 21 seasons as a coach and a national championship as an associate head coach at Connecticut in 1999.

"I feel extremely blessed to have this opportunity," Leitao said. "If you knew my background, where I came from, I'm probably not supposed to be here. Now that I am here getting ready to lace it up against the likes of Mike Krzyzewski, Gary Williams, Roy Williams and some of the other great coaches in this league, it is obviously no small task. But it is a challenge that has come at a great time in my professional life and my personal life too."

Leitao is going to great lengths to meet that challenge by changing the attitude of Virginia basketball. Team practice starts at 6 a.m. Discipline is stressed; rules are followed. It is a far cry from the lackadaisical Cavalier teams of recent memory.

"There are a lot of rules and regulations we have to abide by," Virginia point guard and co-captain Sean Singletary said, adding that discipline is the biggest difference between this season and last.

Singletary also said he knows about the type of attitude that Leitao expects off the court. At this year's ACC Media Day, Singletary and J.R. Reynolds were two of the few players who wore a suit and tie to the event.

"They asked me what they should wear, and I told them a suit and tie would be best," Leitao said.

It's the little things that count on and off the court for Leitao, which is why he stresses defense and rebounding to his team. It would serve his players well to listen to the 45-year-old Leitao -- as a head coach, Leitao only has had one losing season.

"We have to get in the gym and see who trusts each other," Leitao said. "But I think [the players] realize to be better than they were defensively [last season] is something that we will have to do."

Another of Leitao's goals is to put his name up with the other coaching giants who currently dominate the ACC. He certainly doesn't lack experience -- his first game as a head coach was against Krzyzewski at Cameron Indoor Stadium back on Nov. 26, 1994. Leitao's Northeastern team lost 93-70, but the experience of a road game at Duke will come in handy when Leitao leads his Cavalier team there Jan. 28. As an assistant, Leitao again squared off against Krzyzewski when Connecticut won the 1999 NCAA championship game against Duke. Recently, at DePaul, Leitao matched wits with Rick Pitino, John Calipari and Bob Huggins in Conference USA. While that experience will help, Leitao knows that ACC basketball is something completely different.

"Where else would you rather be? You're in the ACC, the most talked about, revered, respected league in America," Leitao said. "And you have a chance to do some special things now and in the future."

Leitao said he knows his first season in Charlottesville may be rough, but he is ready for the long haul and hopes to bring Virginia basketball back to the levels of respect that have marked the program's history.

"The timing is good," Leitao said. "What makes the job so appealing is getting to close one chapter of Virginia basketball and University Hall ... and starting a new one."