Mediocre season comes at a cost for UVa
Some of the true freshmen were not ready
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Once Virginia had lost to Virginia Tech 52-14, the truth could be told.

When coach Al Groh occasionally would appear relucant to talk about a particular player or a particular unit, maybe there was a reason.

“Sometimes, usually on Tuesdays, when we have that press conference, guys will ask me questions about, ‘Gee, this unit is doing great,’ or ‘that unit’s doing great,’ or ‘how about this player?’ Groh said this Tuesday.

“Sometimes it might appear that I’m a little reticent to jump on the bandwagon. That’s because I do believe this is a very humbling game and, until you’ve [a player or a unit] proved it over a long period of time, there really is no story.”

Reporters were wondering which Groh they would see in the interview area following the Virginia Tech game. Sometimes, Groh can be confrontational. Other times, he is defensive. On Saturday, mostly he was realistic.

Since a 31-7 loss to South Carolina in the second game of the 2003 season, when then-UVa quarterback Matt Schaub was injured, the Cavaliers had been outclassed only twice – in a 36-3 loss at Florida State last year and on Saturday against the Hokies.

Maybe Saturday’s margin was a good thing because it showed the Cavaliers that they aren’t as close to having an elite program as the closer losses might have indicated.

Groh likes to say of his prize recruits, “When they’re ready, we’re ready.”

The Cavaliers have played 11 true freshmen but, based on Saturday’s performance, I’d say that a lot of them aren’t ready.

That’s one of the major differences between Tech and UVa right now. When the Hokies lose a player like four-year starting safety Vincent Fuller, they are able to shift players around and find room for a player like Aaron Rouse, a redshirt junior who had two interceptions Saturday. When Virginia loses a safety, in goes Byron Glaspy, an uninvited walk-on.

That’s not to besmirch Glaspy, who has earned a spot on his own merits, but, at Virginia, players like Rouse don’t get redshirted. Groh repeatedly referred to Tech on Saturday as a “power” or “powerful” team, which raises the question: “Why isn’t Virginia powerful?”

The Cavaliers aren’t powerful because players like Aaron Clark, a 6-foot 6-inch, 240-pound true freshman, are playing in games before they know their way around the weight room. At Virginia Tech, defensive back Macho Harris was the only true freshman to get on the field this year and the Hokies probably could have done without him.

True freshmen who have played for Virginia this year are Clark, cornerback Mike Brown, linebacker Antonio Appleby, cornerback Chris Cook, defensive end Alex Field, outside linebacker Olu Hall, tight end John Phillips, offensive guard Branden Albert, wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, wide receiver Maurice Covington and offensive tackle Brandon Monroe.

Of the defensive players, Brown leads the way with 274 plays, followed by Appleby with 132, Cook with 103, Clark with 96, Hall with 94 and Field with 33. UVa does not give plays for its offensive players, but Ogletree has seven receptions, Covington has five and Phillips has two.

Who needed to play?

Since Albert has started 10 games, the only UVa offensive player to do so, nobody can argue with that move. Cook was starting at the time he broke his foot at Boston College and had done some good things. Phillips has started three games and played the entire second half when two older tight ends were unavailable against Temple.

The Cavaliers needed Brown after Cook was hurt, although Brown already had played by that point. Monroe is expected to replace D’Brickashaw Ferguson at left offensive tackle and Appleby will be needed if Ahmad Brooks or fellow inside linebacker Kai Parham turns pro, but Monroe saw little action when Ferguson missed two games due to injury.

Field definitely did not need to play and I think the Cavaliers easily could have gotten by without Monroe, Hall or the two wide receivers. Monroe was rated the No. 1 prospect in the country last year by SuperPrep and maybe the Cavaliers didn’t think he would stay four years, but using Field for 33 plays does not make any sense.

Look at Brennan Schmidt this year as a 295-pound fifth-year senior and think what the Cavaliers would have lost if he had played as a true freshman. One of the most inspired moves of Groh’s tenure was his decision to redshirt then-sophomore Andrew Hoffman in 2001.

Why Groh hasn’t gone that route again, I’m not sure, but I suspect it has something to do with numbers. Virginia currently has approximately 70 recruited scholarship players. The Cavaliers have a total of between 80 and 85 scholarship players, the Division I-A limit, but many of those are walk-ons who were placed on grant when vacancies developed.

UVa has not been a program that traditionally has been hard-hit by attritition, but the loss of five scholarship players during the offseason has factored into the decision. If part-time 2004 starter Chris Johnson had not flunked out of school, perhaps Groh would have thought twice about using Fields. Another academic casualty, lineman D.J. Bell, had a background on both sides of the ball.

If wide receiver Ron Morton hadn’t flunked out of school and had stepped up his play, maybe the Cavaliers wouldn’t have had to play Ogletree and Covington. If Philip Brown hadn’t flunked out of school, maybe the Cavaliers wouldn’t have had to play Cook or Brown.

For what’s likely to be a 7-5 or a 6-6 season, it hardly seems worth the investment.

 

New attitude, new physique propel UVa receiver
Emmanuel Byers leads the team in catches after not playing in the final nine games last season.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia wide receiver Emmanuel Byers might have surmised he had fallen out of favor last year when he did not play in the final nine games and routinely remained at home when the Cavaliers were on the road.

"I heard that people thought I was in the doghouse," said Byers, who got more notice for the one pass he attempted -- a 32-yard completion against North Carolina -- than the three he caught. "I don't think I was in the doghouse, but wherever it was, I don't want to be there again."

Byers hasn't exactly been elevated to the penthouse, but he was one of the few Virginia players whom coach Al Groh could praise after a 52-14 loss to the Hokies.

Byers, a 5-foot-9 sophomore, had a team-high five receptions for 54 yards. That gave him 15 receptions for the season, including eight in the past two games.

"With a lot of players coming into college football, sometimes it just takes a little while for the light to go on," Groh said. "I think the light went on and was demonstrated in his sense of purpose and reliability and dependability in the spring.

"He's now one of the most focused members of his group. He's doing all the things that give quarterbacks a comfort level in a receiver. He's lined up at the proper splits, he's running the routes at the proper depth and reads the openings in the coverage.

"And he is, and always has been, the most natural catcher among the group."

Byers' biggest drawback is a lack of height, but that didn't stop a similarly sized receiver, Marques Hagans, from having an impact on a nine-win Virginia team in 2003.

Hagans, now the Cavaliers' starting quarterback, frequently lined up in the slot as a third wide receiver and worked the middle of the field for 28 receptions.

In fact, if Hagans had not moved to quarterback, he would have been the Cavaliers' top returning receiver going into the 2004 season.

Virginia might have hoped that Byers would have a similar role as a redshirt freshmen, but the Cavaliers never came up with a reliable third wide receiver and often opted for a second tight end in obvious passing situations.

Without Hagans to divert their attention, opponents were able to gang up on tight end Heath Miller, whose receptions dropped from 70 in 2003 to 41 last season.

A little difference has made a big difference this year, in Byers' eyes. After playing at 187 pounds as a redshirt freshman, he's down to 180.

"I felt like [the extra weight] slowed down my routes," he said. "Now, I feel much lighter."

It wasn't simply a matter of speed.

"My attitude wasn't 100 percent football, like it should have been, like it is now," he said. "I dropped a few pounds, changed my attitude and looked at my game personally."

Some Virginia fans might not have noticed Byers until a Nov. 5 game against Temple, when he had punt returns of 12, 9, 16 and 16 yards. Previously, because of his catching skills, he had been inserted in fair-catch situations.

"A lot of people might think it's scary, watching the ball high in the air, with 11 guys coming after you," he said, "but I like returning punts."

Although Michael Johnson is UVa's primary punt returner, he could challenge for increased playing time next year as a running back. Besides, he had a critical early fumble when he muffed a punt against Virginia Tech. He has a 5.1-yard punt-return average, compared to Byers' 10.4.

Obviously, Byers is beyond the point where he needs to catch punts to get on the field.

"I felt, if I did everything I could to help this team win, then they'd have no other choice but to play me," he said.

 

Cavaliers remember to forget
BY DARRYL SLATER
247-4641
November 23 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- They want to forget last Saturday's nightmare as soon as possible. So to purge the 52-14 loss to Virginia Tech from their minds, Virginia's players didn't watch the game tape this week.

"It was the coaches' decision," defensive end Brennan Schmidt said. "More harm than good could come from watching the tape and reliving that."

When the Cavaliers regrouped Monday, they remembered to forget.

"And try and just move away from what happened," inside linebacker Kai Parham said. "If we dwell on it, obviously it'll keep you where you're at."

The Cavs were as low as possible, a week after beating No. 24 Georgia Tech 27-17. The Hokies' win was their biggest over U.Va. since a 48-0 blowout in 1983.

"It has a deeper impact on the team (than a regular loss)," Schmidt said. "It's a little more humbling that way. You can't b.s. around the reason (for the loss)."

And Virginia can't avoid this Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game at No. 10 Miami. Though the Hurricanes lost 14-10 to Georgia Tech last Saturday, they're 8-2 (5-2 ACC) and have allowed just 24 combined points in their losses. They lead the nation in total defense (236.6 yards per game) and are tied for second in scoring defense (11.4 points per game).

The game will be U.Va.'s third this season against a top-10 team, Florida State and Virginia Tech being the others. It will be just the 12th time in ACC history that a team has played at least three regular-season games against top-10 opponents. Virginia (6-4, 3-4) last played three top-10 teams in 1999.

U.Va. beat FSU earlier this season, but history is working against the Cavs this week.

In four-plus seasons under coach Al Groh, they're 9-17 on the road, 6-13 in ACC road games and 1-8 in road games against ranked teams. They're on a seven-game losing streak against ranked teams on the road. And U.Va. is 0-13 all time in the state of Florida, losing by an average of 25.8 points per game.

BOWL NO. 7 FOR ACC

The Music City Bowl announced Tuesday that it will accept an ACC team, a move that could clear the way for Virginia to play in the game.

The ACC will have eight - or possibly nine - teams eligible for bowl games. But the league was affiliated with just six bowls.

The Music City Bowl, played Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn., previously matched the SEC and the Big Ten. But the SEC will fill just six of its eight bowl spots.

The ACC will begin a scheduled partnership next season with the Music City Bowl. The league will do the same with the Emerald Bowl (San Francisco), which will likely have an at-large opening this season and could take a leftover ACC team.

OLSEN WILL BE BACK

Junior backup quarterback Christian Olsen was honored with U.Va.'s seniors on Saturday. Olsen is on track to graduate in May. Which raised the question: Will Olsen return next season?

"I'm expecting to come back," Olsen said. "I think the coaches know I really want to come back."

Olsen was at Notre Dame in 2002 but left shortly before the '03 season. He transferred to U.Va. and sat out '03 under NCAA transfer rules. He played sparingly as Marques Hagans' backup in '04 and this season.

He has one year of eligibility remaining, but since he's an academic senior, he was allowed to be honored Saturday.

In the spring, Olsen likely will compete for the starting job against junior Kevin McCabe, sophomore Scott Deke and redshirt freshmen Jameel Sewell and Vic Hall. Besides Hagans, Olsen said he's taken the most practice snaps this fall.

No word yet on whether Hall will stay at cornerback, where he has practiced since true freshman Chris Cook broke his right leg five games into this season.

Olsen's brother, Greg, is Miami's starting tight end. Greg, a sophomore, ranks second on the team with 28 catches and four touchdowns. His 396 receiving yards are third.

While Christian's last season at Wayne (N.J.) High was '01, Greg's was '02. Greg originally signed with Notre Dame but left after a few preseason practices in '03. He enrolled at Miami that fall, medically redshirted and played for the first time in '04.

THIS AND THAT

Based on what Groh saw during Monday's practice, nose tackle Keenan Carter (sprained ankle) won't play Saturday. ... Virginia is 44-67-4 in regular-season finales.

Sapp calls loss 'a disgrace'
BY FRANK E. DEMARZO AND ARMANDO SALGUERO
fdemarzo@herald.com

Former UM All-American defensive tackle Warren Sapp, now with the Oakland Raiders, expressed his displeasure Wednesday at UM's loss to Georgia Tech.

''It was disgusting, a disgrace to the whole university and everyone who ever played there,'' Sapp said during a teleconference in advance of the Raiders-Dolphins game this weekend. ``Are you kidding me? Georgia Tech? That's like the sisters of the blind.''

Said Hurricanes coach Larry Coker: ``This is a proud tradition. . . . We certainly don't want to disgrace any former players.''

BRYANT STATUS

Sophomore fullback James Bryant, expected to replace Quadtrine Hill as a starter next season, said talk of him wanting to transfer is false.

''Talk is cheap,'' he said. ``I'm not going anywhere. For what? . . . I'll be right here next year.''

INJURY REPORT

Cornerback/kick returner Devin Hester (hamstring) will play Saturday against Virginia, Coker said. . . . Defensive end Thomas Carroll (head injury) was limited during practice. . . . Linebacker Willie Williams (hamstring) is doubtful.

THANKSGIVING

Coker said he and his wife, Dianna, will have Thanksgiving dinner today at their home with a few players. Others will eat at receivers coach Curtis Johnson's home.
 

College football practice report | Miami
INJURY REPORT

Cornerback Devin Hester said his left hamstring, strained the week leading to Virginia Tech, was healing nicely. He practiced on a limited basis Tuesday and is expected to play Saturday against Virginia. . . . Defensive end Thomas Carroll (head injury) was held out of contact. . . . Linebacker Willie Williams (hamstring) did not practice and is questionable for Saturday. . . . Cornerback Kelly Jennings (hyperextended elbow) practiced and will play, coach Larry Coker said.

GO OR STAY?

Defensive tackle Baraka Atkins was asked by a group of reporters Tuesday whether he would enter the NFL draft after his junior season.

''Consideration is always in the back of your head once you become draft eligible,'' Atkins replied. ``But right now I'm focused on winning this game [against Virginia] and hopefully getting to the ACC championship.''

Added Atkins: ``Any [draft-eligible] football player that says he's not thinking about going to the NFL is probably lying to you.''

-- SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
 

UVa's Ferguson tougher than a brick wall
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 24, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Al Groh knew as soon as he saw the tape four years ago that he was on to something special. It was the Freeport (N.Y.) High School game tape of D'Brickashaw Ferguson, UVa's bedrock left tackle.
It left an impression on Virginia's head coach.

"It was, 'Wow, what terrific skills that this player has and unusual skills for that position,'" Groh said

Sounds like what NFL scouts are thinking now.

The 6-foot-5, 289-pound Ferguson will play his final regular-season college game Saturday against Miami. He'll close out a career in which he'll have started 49 games after Virginia's bowl game this December. Then he'll go on to a more lucrative career once he hears his name announced rather early in April's NFL Draft.

Quite honestly, that could have been the case last year, when he was projected to be a top-five pick. But Ferguson, wanting to finish his degree in Religious Studies and mature physically (he was, after all, only 21 at the time), chose to come back.

"I just wanted to use all my time and not shortchange myself," Ferguson said.

He's cashed in with another strong year. Ferguson has turned in an All-American season and, despite suffering a knee injury that forced him to miss two games, hasn't seen his draft stock drop at all (he's listed as the fifth overall prospect by ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.).

"If (he) was a product on television, they would advertise it as a limited edition," Groh said. "And once they're all sold out, there aren't going to be any. Well, this is a very limited edition."

Typically, NFL offensive tackles have more mass. Miami left tackle Eric Winston (6-7, 312 pounds), a projected first-round NFL pick who Groh says simply "engulfs blockers," is a perfect example.

That's what makes Ferguson unique. He can move. He's athletic. He's rangy. He's exactly what a team in need of a decade-long anchor to protect its right-handed quarterback's blind side looks for.

"There's probably one of this type this year and they don't come up every year," Groh said. "So if a team is in the market for that type of player, then it's kind of now or never.

"I'm certain they're saying the same thing about Reggie Bush. How many backs of that size and that speed and that versatility are available every year? So if you want to have a Reggie Bush on your team, it's now or wait a while for him. D'Brickashaw fits into that category for a lot of teams."

Certainly, the Cavaliers have felt fortunate to have him for the last four years. Ferguson started the second he stepped onto the UVa grounds as a 250-pound freshman. Though he turned in a solid season, he was overwhelmed at times.

Groh distinctly remembered a discouraging day against Penn State's Michael Haynes, one of the nation's premier defensive ends who would be a first-round NFL Draft pick in 2003.

"The guy was just a little too much physically for him," Groh said. "I can remember having the conversation the next day, just trying to put it into perspective and make it a confidence-building thing. 'Look, this was about nothing but the weight room. And one of these days, it's going to be reversed. You're going to be playing against a promising, young defensive end who's going to be a really good player. You're just too much for him to handle.'

"That time has come to pass."

Now 40 pounds heavier than his freshman days, Ferguson is returning the favor. He's had solid outings against Florida State's Kamerion Wimbley and Georgia Tech's Eric Henderson, two of the better defensive ends in the ACC, who three years ago might have been able to overwhelm him with their sheer strength.

"Every year that I was able to obtain more size, I just felt a little more comfortable because I know defenders wouldn't be able to move me around and I'd be able to bring more at the point of attack," Ferguson said. "Even now, I'd love to see what it would be like to be a little heavier and maybe see if that makes a greater difference in how I play."

NFL teams wouldn't mind either, but not if it means he loses some of his athleticism.

As Groh and UVa fans can attest, that's what makes him stand out.