Brooks is making his way back
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 24, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Ahmad Brooks may have had his busiest day of the season against Virginia Tech, racking up a team-high 11 tackles in Virginia's 52-14 loss, but the linebacker still doesn't quite look as if he's back to his 2004 all-ACC form.
That's to be expected, UVa head coach Al Groh insists. Brooks did have knee surgery last offseason that precluded most any kind of training.

"All four of the real important (offseason) things, Ahmad didn't have benefit of," Groh said. "He didn't have the benefit the winter offseason program, he didn't have the benefit of spring practice, he didn't have the benefit of the summer offseason program and he didn't have the benefit of training camp.

"He just literally got cleared to practice and he was playing in games."

Brooks made his debut against Maryland in Virginia's fourth game of the season. He sprained an ankle that week, which forced him to miss the Boston College game.

Since then, he's been in the starting lineup at middle linebacker. He has modest numbers (27 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack), but UVa's defense has been noticeably better with him in the lineup. In the three ACC games in which Brooks didn't play or was primarily at outside linebacker, UVa gave up on average 427.3 yards. In the three ACC games prior to the Tech debacle that Brooks played middle linebacker, UVa gave up 361.6 yards per game.

As for the notion that Brooks has lost a step, Groh isn't buying it.

"He's still got a lot of blur-the-screen, across-the-formation plays," he said. "I wouldn't say that he's necessarily lost too much there."

Mr. Dependable

The Cavaliers' leading receiver against Virginia Tech was sophomore Emmanuel Byers, who caught five passes for 54 yards. His name has been popping up a lot more frequently for UVa of late.

Byers, who caught four passes for 31 yards last season, has eight receptions in the last two games and 15 for the season.

"Sometimes it just takes a little while for the light to go on," Groh said.

He'll often line up in the slot in three wide-receiver sets with Deyon Williams and Fontel Mines and, at 5-foot-9, 186 pounds, can get a favorable mismatch with a linebacker. It helps that quarterback Marques Hagans is gaining confidence in him.

"He's looking at me more and I think he's trusting me with my routes more," Byers said. "That's big as a receiver. You've got to have the trust of your quarterback."

Said Groh: "He is now one of the most focused members of his group, dependable in all the things that give quarterbacks a comfort level or confidence level in a receiver. He's lined up with the proper splits. He's running the routes at the proper depth. He reads the openings in the coverage. ? He is and has always been the best natural catcher amongst the group. ?

"He's where he's supposed to be and he's going to catch the ball - those are the factors that have brought about increased playing time."

Numbers crunch

Virginia has had plenty of attrition on its roster, especially in the last year, during which it has lost five players to academics (Philip Brown, Ron Morton, Chris Johnson, D.J. Bell and Devonta Brown) and two more to injuries (Chris Cook and Ron Darden). Those losses coupled with UVa's relatively low number of scholarship players have thrust some freshmen into action sooner than UVa coaches would have liked.

Six-foot-seven, 261-pound defensive end Alex Field, for instance, has been in on 33 plays. Linebacker Aaron Clark, who is undersized at 6-foot-5, 234 pounds, has been in on 96. Wide receivers Maurice Covington and Kevin Ogletree between them have 12 catches.

That's why Groh stressed the importance of taking in a full recruiting class of 25 players this year.

"It would allow us probably in more cases in the initial going to focus more on the developmental part of things rather than having to hurry them into action," he said.

Extra points

Fresno State accepted an invitation to the Liberty Bowl on Wednesday, meaning Virginia, if it loses to Miami this weekend, almost certainly will go to the Music City Bowl in Nashville or the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco. ? Groh is expecting it to be humid in Miami this weekend; he just doesn't know how to adequately prepare his team for it. "I don't quite know how to turn the heat up or where to go to do that," Groh joked. "Silly as it might seem, I'm even thinking about making them wear sweats underneath their uniform. Maybe we'll just have a lot of pickle juice on the sidelines."



 

UM FOOTBALL
A lost weekend for Olsens
As Saturday's game at the Orange Bowl approaches, brothers Greg Olsen of UM and Christian Olsen of Virginia have put tough losses behind them.
BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
sdegnan@herald.com

Chris Olsen, father of University of Miami tight end Greg Olsen and University of Virginia backup quarterback Christian Olsen, takes solace in knowing that, unlike last weekend, at least one of his sons will win Saturday at the Orange Bowl.

After the father coached his Wayne Hills High School football team to a berth in next week's New Jersey Group III state championship final at Giants Stadium, he drove with his wife, Sue, through the night to arrive in Charlottesville, Va., in time to see Christian's Cavaliers lose 52-14 to Virginia Tech.

Then he sat in his Holiday Inn hotel room and watched Greg's Hurricanes lose 14-10 on national television to Georgia Tech.

Youngest son Kevin, 11, lost his football playoff game earlier that day.

''It was a disaster weekend,'' Chris Olsen said. ``Well, almost. At least my team won.''

All five Olsens will be together at the Orange Bowl -- if only for five minutes. While they embrace and share the joy of victory and sorrow of defeat near Virginia's team bus, relatives and friends will frantically snap photographs. The best picture, Sue Olsen said, will be used for the annual Olsen family Christmas card.

''We get so excited because we haven't been together in a long time,'' said Sue Olsen, a physical education teacher at Manchester High in Haledon, N.J. ``Of course, you feel bad at the end of the game when one of them doesn't win.''

SHARED PAIN

Greg and Christian Olsen are so close they call each other about three times a day. But UM's starting tight end has no mixed feelings about the game. After last week's loss, he wants to win badly. A pass intended for Olsen that would have put the Hurricanes close to the goal line was intercepted to end UM's chances against Georgia Tech.

''At this point, I don't care who we're playing,'' Greg said. ``We're just so anxious to get back out there and play another day.''

Said Christian, who redshirted one year at Notre Dame before transferring to Virginia: ``We want each other to win every game, except this one. Both teams are going to be more focused coming off losses. After we beat Florida State we thought we were world-beaters, and then we got upset by North Carolina. UM beat a very good Virginia Tech team and then lost to Georgia Tech, [a team Virginia defeated 27-17 two weeks ago].''

Chances are Christian, a junior, won't play much. He has completed six of 10 passes for 64 yards in two games for the Cavaliers (6-4, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), with one interception.

Greg, however, was the leading receiver for the Hurricanes (8-2, 5-2) until he failed to catch a pass Saturday. An All-ACC candidate, he is second on the team with 28 catches for 396 yards (14.1 average) and has four touchdowns. His game-leading eight catches for 137 yards in UM's season-opening loss at Florida State was the most productive performance by a Miami tight end in nearly 20 years.

NEW SCHEMES

But the attention was so great that teams immediately started scheming to take Olsen out of the offense.

''There are talented wide receivers on every team, but to have talented receivers and a talented tight end who stretch you vertically and make plays in and out of zones, that's something defenses want to take away,'' UM quarterback Kyle Wright said. ``I'm sure [the FSU game] put Greg's name out there.''

The father of this football family, whose Wayne Hills Patriots are 11-0 and have been in the state title game 10 of the past 12 years, said Greg had a hard time last week after the interception. The tight end found himself double-covered when the cornerback underneath left his route to help make the play. The ball was more of an underthrown floater than Wright's usual rockets, and the 6-5, 252-pound Olsen beat himself up for not being able to at least knock it away.

''Looking at the film, I should have come back and made a better play,'' Greg said. ``I kind of misjudged it and lost it up there and mistimed my jump. At the very least I should have tried to pass interfere or do something to give us another down.

``You just have to learn and live to play another game.''

Saturday is another game. Mom and dad, dressed in Virginia and UM orange, and brother Kevin, in his two-sided custom jersey with Greg's No. 82 on one side and Christian's No. 11 on the other, will be there to accept whatever unfolds.
 

Cavaliers collide with Canes
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
November 26, 2005

MIAMI - When the schedule makers came up with the idea of having Miami and Virginia close out the regular season, they obviously had something else in mind.
The two programs were supposed to be closing out the year with more than second-tier bowl options on the line.

Of course, Miami (8-2, 5-2 ACC) has a chance to surpass Virginia Tech for the Coastal Division title and earn a berth into the ACC Championship.

That chance, however, is slim at best.

The 10th-ranked Hurricanes must beat UVa (6-4, 3-4) today at 3:30 p.m. and then crowd around television sets, hoping that North Carolina (a 24-point underdog) can beat Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium.

Miami has no one to blame but itself for being in such a hairy position.

After Florida State beat the Hurricanes in the season opener, Miami reeled off eight straight wins. The Hurricanes controlled their own destiny, but they let a potential payday from the Bowl Championship Series slip through their fingers, losing 14-10 at home to Georgia Tech, a team that had lost the week before to Virginia.

"When the championship is on the line and the University of Miami has to win a game at home, we didn't do it," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "And we didn't do it last year [against Virginia Tech."

Miami must now play more for pride, something that Coker knows will be tough for a team that suffered a humiliating defeat that drew heavy criticism from fans and former Hurricane standouts like Warren Sapp.

"It was disgusting, a disgrace to the whole university and everyone who ever played there," said Sapp, who plays for the Oakland Raiders. "Are you kidding me? Georgia Tech? That's like the sisters of the blind."

With 18 seniors playing in their final game today at the Orange Bowl, Coker has tried to lean on his veterans to help keep his team focused on Virginia -as hard as that may be.

Young and old, the players appear to be buying into it.

"It'd be easy to have everybody hang their heads and pack it in and lose one more game and go play in the Dust Bowl," Miami freshman quarterback Kyle Wright said. "I don't think that's the mentality of our team right now. We've got one more game to play, and we've got to finish strong."

Virginia coach Al Groh can relate with Miami's position entering the regular-season finale.

In their last outing, the Cavaliers were embarrassed by their in-state rivals from Blacksburg. Whether it was through the air or on the ground, Virginia had no answer for Virginia Tech's offensive attack, losing 52-14 at Scott Stadium.

"That was probably the worst exhibition that we put on all year,' UVa quarterback Marques Hagans said. "I think individually everybody has got to get better, and then collectively as a team we will get better."

Hagans said he and his teammates are looking at today's game as a second chance.

"I would be sick if we had to end like this, especially with the shellacking that we got," Hagans said after the 38-point setback to the Hokies. "We can't hold on to this loss. We have another big game against a very good team [in Miami]."

Virginia appears to be headed for a bowl game, most likely the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., or the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, but several factors could play a role in that.

It would help Virginia's bowl chances if Virginia Tech beat North Carolina and Notre Dame beat Stanford today. UNC and Stanford are both 5-5 on the season and one win away from becoming bowl eligible.

The winner of today's North Carolina State-Maryland game will become bowl eligible, giving the ACC at least eight teams eligible to play in the postseason.

The league entered the season with six bowl tie-ins, but picked up another from the Music City Bowl when the SEC fell short of providing enough teams for the postseason. The Emerald Bowl would also likely agree to do the same with the conference if Stanford fails to win today, which would leave the PAC-10 shy of its quota.

Groh is not looking that far ahead. Not yet. His team has a tougher task at hand - breaking some negative trends.

Virginia has never won a football game in the state of Florida, going 0-13 all-time, and they have never beaten Miami, losing twice by an identical score of 31-21.

The Cavaliers have also struggled on the road under Groh in league games, losing 13 of 19, but they have won at least one league game away from Scott Stadium during the previous four years. This season, Virginia is 0-3 on the road, having lost at Boston College, Maryland and North Carolina.

Reversing the curse will not be easy. The Hurricanes boast one of the stingiest defenses in the country. They lead the nation in total defense (236.6 ypg), passing yardage defense (133.4 ypg) and are tied for second in scoring defense (11.4 ppg).

Six of the Hurricanes 10 opponents this season have been held to 10 points or less.

Nevertheless, Groh and company claim they are coming to sunny South Florida with one thing in mind - taking care of business.

"It's a football game, not a vacation," Groh said. "We don't have tee times and we're not going to South Beach."

 

D'Brickashaw a first-class limited edition
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
November 26, 2005

MIAMI
When a recent poll of pro football scouts ranked their consensus top 10 NFL draft picks from the current crop of college seniors, the first two projections were no surprise. Number three might raise a few eyebrows.

Predictably, Southern Cal's Reggie Bush was No. 1, followed by Trojans teammate Matt Leinart. Well, whoop-de-do. Stop the presses. Tell us something we don't know.

OK, then how about D'Brickashaw Ferguson as No. 3?

Come again?

Dabrick-a-who? Most college football fans couldn't make an educated guess as to Ferguson's identity. But Virginia fans know that their senior offensive left tackle is something special.

Just to be mentioned in the same breath as Bush and Leinart is rather high cotton for any college football player, let alone an offensive tackle.

Tackle, schmackle. You mean those guys aren't a dime a dozen? Can't you throw just any beefy wide body out there and sic 'em on the defense?

Please allow Al Groh to explain. As a college head coach, as an NFL head coach and as a pro assistant who scoured the college ranks for draftable talent each year, the Virginia gridiron boss has some inside knowledge on what makes Ferguson such a valuable commodity.

"Let's use one of our own players as an example," Groh said, pointing to former Wahoo All-American right guard Elton Brown, who now starts as a rookie for the Arizona Cardinals. "Elton was a real good player, but if you decided not to take Elton Brown with his body type at guard and say, 'Look, we need a guard in the next couple of years, but we also need a linebacker this year,' then you would probably take a linebacker [first] because in later rounds or next year, there's going to be another guy who looks like Elton Brown."

One of a kind

However, Groh is quick to point out that there's not going to be another guy who is built like, looks like and moves like Ferguson for quite some time. In fact, there has been only two of Ferguson's body type (6-5, 290, lean, high cut, athletic left tackles) in the NFL over the past quarter century in Groh's mind: Atlanta's Mike Kenn in the mid-to-late '80s, and Lomis Brown, who played for several teams during a long career.

Just like those two, D'Brickashaw (he got his name from a character in the 1970s television mini-series "The Thornbirds") keeps his quarterback clean, has great movement, very rare movement because of his body cut. And, yeah, he can block a little bit, too.

"Let's put it this way," Groh said of Ferguson's marketability. "If it was a product on television, they would offer it as a limited edition ... once they're sold out, there aren't going to be any. Well, this is a very limited edition. There's probably one of this type this year and they don't come up every year. So, if a team is in the market for that kind of player, it's kind of now or never."

Ferguson, a native of Freeport, N.Y., surprised a lot of Cavalier fans when he elected to return for his senior season this year. He would have been the first tackle taken in last April's draft as well.

This kid, who knows karate, plays the sax in his spare time, could be described as the ultimate team guy, defines the term student-athlete. He really did come to Virginia for an education, but honed his skills to the point where football could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams.

The college experience and the education, however, were more important than big contracts.

"I really didn't feel like I was ready to leave because there were a lot of things that I wanted to accomplish academically," Ferguson said. "You're only given a limited amount of time to play college ball, so why not take advantage of it. I wanted to learn from my coaches and didn't want to miss out on something so special.

"This is what I really wanted to do. I chose Virginia and I was happy to be here. I owed this school my best, so I didn't want to shortchange anything," Ferguson said. "You can't leave a job half done ... you have to finish it."

When the big tackle trots into historic Orange Bowl Stadium here this afternoon, Ferguson will finish it. Today will represent the 48th start of his career, which will be a new standard for Virginia offensive linemen (surpassing Roy Brown's 47 starts from 1986-89). It will also be the last guaranteed start of his career unless the Cavaliers are invited to a bowl game.

"You've heard the phrase, play every game like it's your last? Well, this is my last regular season game," Ferguson said. "I'm really excited about playing Miami and so I'm going to give it my best and enjoy the warm weather."

Both "The Brick," a nickname affectionately given to him by teammates, and Groh, can't help but snicker when they think back to Ferguson's freshman year. If you know much about football, then you know how difficult it is to play on the offensive line as a true freshman, let alone start.

That's exactly what was demanded of Ferguson. He came in undersized but determined to take on the challenge. He had enough heart to line up and protect former UVa quarterback Matt Schaub's back, both literally and figuratively. For the past two years, he has had Marques Hagans' back.

His biggest challenge was the size issue, trying to put weight on a 260-pound frame.

"Two hundred and sixty pounds isn't going to cut it, man," Ferguson said.

Groh and offensive line coach Ron Prince still marvel at what Ferguson accomplished that first year and since. Even the All-ACC tackle, which should be first-team All-America, can hardly believe it all.

"Playing left tackle, you're not really playing for you," Ferguson said. "You're playing to save your quarterback's life. On any given pass play, if you're not executing properly, you can get somebody else hurt. I try to keep that in the back of my mind, that this really isn't about me. There's a rusher on the other side and I have to do my best or that rusher's going to make somebody pay. I don't want my quarterback to worry about his blindside. I want to be his eyes."

An appreciative Schaub, now playing for the Atlanta Falcons, took Ferguson and some of the linemen out to dinner a few times. Hagans, better known as simply 'Biscuit' around Charlottesville, hangs out with the big lineman as much as possible.

It has been a trying season for the offensive line, which has attempted to build a running game with patchwork pieces due to injuries. Even Ferguson missed a couple of games with a knee injury, or else today would be his 50th consecutive start.

He just does the best he can and helps his understudy, true freshman Eugene Monroe, get ready to take his place next season at the left tackle spot.

"The most remarkable thing about Gene, and I always think about it when I see him, is that he's already bigger now than I was when I was a freshman," Ferguson said of the 6-6, 318 Monroe. "He has the size, quick feet, mobility. He's the kind of player you can build a program around."

Just as Ferguson has been.

While the plaudits come his way, Ferguson doesn't get caught up in all that stuff. He's an aw, shucks, yes sir, no sir, kind of All-American.

"I just want to help my team do the best it can," Ferguson said. "That's what's really important. If I can keep my quarterback safe and we can win, well, everything else is worth it."

Now, maybe in some circles that may sound a little bit corny. But it's an honest to goodness answer by Ferguson, who not only truly feels that way, but also lives his life that way.

Limited edition indeed. Another quite like him may never come this way again.
 

Soroye survives
Cavalier center perseveres through father's death
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
November 26, 2005

As a kid growing up in Nigeria, University of Virginia basketball player Tunji Soroye watched "The Cosby Show" religiously.
Talk to the 6-foot-11 center for just a few minutes and it's easy to see why the program appealed to him.

Soroye seems like the friend you would expect Theo Huxtable to bring home for dinner. He's friendly, humble, has a sense of humor - and his eyes light up when he talks about his family.

"He's a laid-back type of guy - a real nice and fun kid to be around," said Cavaliers junior co-captain J.R. Reynolds.

But Soroye's jovial vibe belies a tough past. When he was 10, his father died - right in front of him - from an asthma attack.

"I still think about him every day," said Soroye, as the Cavaliers prepared for Sunday night's game at Arizona. "I was his first son. When he'd come home from work, we'd do everything together."

About six years later, Soroye moved to the United States to attend Montrose Christian School in Rockville, Md.

It was a great opportunity that led to a scholarship at Virginia, but Soroye had to leave his mother and two younger siblings.

"I have a very small family and we've always been together," said Soroye, whose mother, Elizabeth, runs a cafeteria in Nigeria, "so it was kind of a very difficult thing for me."

Last season as a freshman, Soroye averaged less than a point per game. Soroye didn't receive as much playing time as he would have liked - he had eight DNP's - from former Cavs coach Pete Gillen.

Over the summer, things got worse. When Soroye went home to visit his family in Nigeria, he contracted malaria.

However, Soroye is healthy now and determined to improve.

"Defense has always been my game - blocking shots - but now I'm really working on my offense," Soroye said.

This season, with the Cavs' well-documented dearth of post players, Soroye is being counted on heavily.

"He's going to be real big for us," Reynolds said. "We'll need him on the defensive end for his blocking. He has to play against some big-time post men in the ACC, and we'll need him offensively.

"It will be different for him because he's never been in this position before, but I think he's ready to take on that challenge."

Soroye looked good in the team's exhibition against Concordia - he swatted six shots - but wasn't much of a factor in the Cavs' first two regular-season games, both wins.

Cavs coach Dave Leitao knows he needs more out of Soroye - especially against the No. 9 Wildcats.

"If you start looking over your shoulder for some long-armed guy to be around, it can affect the way you approach scoring underneath," said Leitao, referring to Soroye's shot-blocking prowess.

Given Soroye's inexperience, Leitao says he has to be patient.

"There are going to be some good times and bad times in his growing into the position," Leitao said.

At practices, Leitao hasn't seemed too patient. The first-year coach is constantly in Soroye's face.

"It's a good thing," Soroye said. "I know it's not to bring me down. I know it's to make me better."

Soroye has uncanny athleticism for someone his size.

During sprints, he frequently finishes first, beating the likes of Reynolds and Sean Singletary down the court.

Soroye's sport of choice as a youngster was soccer - something he believes has helped his foot speed and coordination.

"In soccer, all we did was run," said Soroye, with a gigantic grin.

Soroye switched to basketball after he became too big for soccer. He's only been playing for about five years.

Soroye's father, Olalekan, always thought Soroye would be a soccer player.

"He never knew anything about basketball," said Soroye, smiling. "When my dad was alive, he had no idea I'd be playing."

No doubt, he'd be pretty proud of his son - just like Bill Cosby's character was of Theo.

Contact Whitelaw Reid at (434) 978-7247 or wreid@dailyprogress.com

Tunji tid-bits

Full name: Olatunji Muyiwa Soroye.

Favorite music: Jay-Z and Fifty Cent.

Favorite food: Nigerian chicken and fried rice.

Favorite pro athletes: Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett. "I'm trying to model my game after great players," Soroye said.

Favorite movie: Pretty Woman. "I can watch that like 400 times," Soroye said.

If I could meet any celebrity: Bill Cosby.
 

Liberty eyes a successor from UVa
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
November 24, 2005

Scattershooting around the ACC on this lovely Thanksgiving morning, while noting that somebody out there really likes Virginia’s assistant football coaches ...

A few weeks after Temple approached Cavaliers’ offensive coordinator Ron Prince about the Owls’ upcoming head coaching vacancy, now nearby Liberty University is attempting to court UVa associate head coach Danny Rocco.

Prince wasn’t interested in the Temple job and nipped that in the bud quickly.

Rocco, 45, who has been with UVa head coach Al Groh for a long time (Jets and Hoos), is reportedly on Liberty’s short list to replace Flames head coach Ken Karcher, who has been fired. According to our sister newspaper, the Lynchburg News & Advance, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, LU’s chancellor, wants to hire a new head coach next week.

Rocco’s dad, Frank Rocco Sr., served as the Flames’ director of football operations a few years ago and both of Danny’s brothers are high school coaches only a stone’s throw from LU: Frank at Liberty Christian Academy; and David at Staunton River High School.

The wild rumor concerning the job is that Falwell has attempted to convince Lou Holtz to come out of a short retirement and take the job. Holtz, who spoke at the school recently, reportedly was brought in to advise Falwell.

Never hurts to ask, though. Holtz, of course, is currently a commentator on the ESPN college football show.

On the line

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen isn’t a happy camper when it comes to talking about the possibility of facing a second straight losing season after opening his head-coaching career at his alma mater with three consecutive 10-win seasons.

Fridge’s Terps have to beat N.C. State in College Park this Saturday or fail to become bowl eligible for the second straight year. Same goes for the visiting Wolfpack.

The fact that Boston College dominated Maryland in a 31-16 decision, featuring four Terps turnovers, didn’t help.

"Maybe we played against a team that’s better than us," Fridge said. "I don’t have all the answers. If I did, I probably wouldn’t be here. I’d probably we working some place else."

Maryland’s players are fired up for the N.C. State challenge though.

"It lights the fire," said Terps tailback Lance Ball. "It’s going to play like the Super Bowl."

Quote of the Week

Miami offensive coordinator Dan Werner on the Hurricanes’ loss to Georgia Tech last week:

"They were bringing every blitz they could possibly bring, so we were trying to slide the protection for a while. Then we were working on man protection because they were busting the slides. We tried zone stuff. We tried throwing the ball down the field. We tried screens. Things just weren’t working."

Technicality

Former Virignia coach Pete Gillen was always questioned for not getting slapped with technical fouls. Gillen only had a handful of T’s over his seven-year career at UVa.

Meanwhile, new UVa coach Dave Leitao has drawn two technicals in his first two games.

"I got to wear rubber shoes, I guess," Leitao said after Tuesday night’s basketball game at Richmond. "That was my fault."

Leitao was hit with a T after a foot stomp that caught the official’s attention.

"I was just trying to get his attention more than anything else," Leitao said. "The first game I tried to get one and needed to get one for J.R. [Reynold’s] protection. The two T’s in two games is not what I need to do for this team."

Informed that legendary coach Lefty Driesell, master of the foot stomp during his career, was in the Richmond crowd, Leitao couldn’t help but chuckle.

Stat of the Week I

Boston College’s Will Blackmon has 20 plays that consist of 20 or more yards each, which leads all other ACC players in that category. Maryland tight end Vernon Davis has 19. There’s no UVa players listed among the top seven in the league in this statistic.

Stat of the Week II

Georgia Tech’s Reggie Ball leads the league in offensive plays per game with an average of 42.8 (rush/pass plays per game). Virginia’s Marques Hagans is third with 37.7 plays per game, behind FSU’s Drew Weatherford at 39.8.

Sunny days

BC senior defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka said he doesn’t care where the Eagles play a bowl game as long as it’s not cold.

"Anywhere South," Kiwanuka said on the subject. "All I want is to be able to step outside of the hotel and feel some warmth."

Hear that rival ACC coaches? Might want to run that quote by any recruits being courted by BC.

Back in C’ville

Too bad Virginia Tech defensive back Jimmy Williams couldn’t have just packed a suitcase, because after the Hokies embarrassed Virginia in Scott Stadium last Saturday, and Williams accompanied his team back to Blacksburg, Williams turned around and drove back to Charlottesville.

He came back to spend time with his old buddy, UVa quarterback Marques Hagans.

"I had to go back and see Marques," Williams said. "I probably learned more from him than any other man besides my dad. He took me in when I was coming up, taught me a lot."

The two played together in little league football, when Hagans was quarterback and Williams was tailback.

"We’ve been playing with and against each other for a long time and I owe Marques a lot," Williams said. "I would have come back no matter what happened in the game. He got me last time (in 2003 in Scott Stadium), but this year it was payback."

Short yardage ...

... Spotted during Vandy’s 85-53 hoops win over UNC-Greensboro game on Tuesday: former UVa assistant coach Rod Jensen, now an assistant at the North Carolina school; and former Cavalier player, Derrick Byars, who scored 15 points for the Commodores. ...Duke ended its season with a 1-10 record, winless in the ACC for the sixth time in the last 10 seasons (the Devils’ only win came over I-AA VMI). ...It’s interesting that Maryland has refused to identify the three players suspended for a game for their roles in a Halloween night altercation in a College Park bar. ...BC is hoping that its 4,000 fans that showed up at Maryland for last weekend’s game will have a strong impression on bowl scouts.

The picks

Last week: 5-1. To date: 56-22. This week: Maryland 24, N.C. State 17; Virginia Tech 44, UNC 20; Georgia 26, Georgia Tech 19; Florida State 33, Florida 28; Miami 27, Virginia 20.
 

UM FOOTBALL
Canes aim for a big finish
Though they're coming off a disappointing loss, Miami's 18 seniors want to make their final regular-season game at the Orange Bowl memorable.
BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN
sdegnan@herald.com

This isn't the way the 18 University of Miami seniors envisioned the end of their football careers, playing their last regular-season game in search of respect, in search of a way to salvage a season that held so much promise -- and so much disappointment.

After last week's loss to then-unranked Georgia Tech, the No. 10 Hurricanes (8-2, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) must defeat Virginia (6-4, 3-4) at 3:30 p.m. today in the Orange Bowl to keep their season from plunging into the abyss.

And if they should find their missing offense, maintain their top-ranked defense and come out victorious, those seniors must hope Virginia Tech loses at home to North Carolina tonight -- a result that would put the Hurricanes into the ACC Championship Game against Florida State next Saturday.

''This is the last time I'll be playing in the Orange Bowl with the guys I came in with,'' cornerback Marcus Maxey said. ``I have nothing to say about Georgia Tech. The most important thing now is to finish our season with a win, by whatever means necessary.''

Fifth-year linebacker Leon Williams was asked if he was satisfied with the accomplishments of his senior class -- a national championship ring for those who redshirted in 2001, a loss to Ohio State in the national title game in 2002, an 11-2 Big East title in 2003, a 9-3 record and Peach Bowl victory against Florida last season and this season's outcome, which is yet to be determined.

'We set ourselves up to be in a good position,' Williams said. ``At the same time, you may not always get what you want. Things are thrown at you in life. You've got to be able to bounce back. When they throw you lemons, make lemonade.

``We can't feel sorry for ourselves knowing we started out in the Rose Bowl and eventually. . . . We can't blame anybody but us. We know we're a better team, but there's no choice. There's only one thing we can do -- play hard.''

GOOD TIMES

Left tackle Eric Winston, who likely would be in the NFL now if he had not torn knee ligaments last season, said he will cherish his college career, even if the end has been difficult.

''It's tough having to depend on another team to help us get back in the ACC hunt,'' Winston said. ``But our last game will be special for all of us. It's been a fun ride and a heck of an experience. [The end] is something you never expect to come when you're sitting in your dorm room as a freshman and wondering how this whole thing is going to turn out.''

Winston leads an offensive line that collapsed last week, allowing seven sacks.

''The defense came out and played well, and we didn't,'' Winston said. ``That's probably the most upsetting thing. It's a black eye on all of us. This is a team sport, especially on offense. You have to have all 11 guys doing the right thing, or it's not going to work.''

Virginia plays a 3-4 defense and doesn't usually do a whole lot of blitzing. But, as UM coach Larry Coker said this week, Cavaliers coach Al Groh might change it up a bit after witnessing the Hurricanes getting hammered by blitz-happy Georgia Tech. The Cavaliers allow 218.4 yards a game passing and 146.5 yards rushing.

CAVS HAVE RUNNING QB

Offensively, Virginia has a running quarterback, much like Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball. Marques Hagans has completed 173 of 283 for 1,928 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has three rushing touchdowns.

Hagans led the Cavaliers in a 26-21 upset of fourth-ranked Florida State on Oct. 15, completing 27 of 36 passes for 306 yards and two touchdowns.

''He makes some of the more phenomenal throws you'll ever see in football,'' Coker said. ``He's a Michael Vick-, Marcus Vick-type player. Throws perfectly off balance and on the run.''

Miami's defense, consistent throughout the season, knows it must stop Hagans to give UM a chance. But the question then becomes, can the Miami offense produce?

''I know we're going to uphold our end of the deal,'' quarterback Kyle Wright said. ``We don't want the seniors going out their last game in the Orange Bowl disappointed.''

Senior wide receiver Sinorice Moss grew up in Miami watching his older brother, Santana, run through the Orange Bowl smoke. He wants his last memories in the OB to be uplifting.

''There will be tons of emotions flowing,'' Moss said. ``We took a back seat last weekend, but we won't against Virginia. We have to win this game.''
 

Cavs trying to make numbers work
Top defensive-line prospect to visit Tech
By Doug Doughty
THE ROANOKE TIMES

Ten days after the end of the fall letter-of-intent period, Virginia released the names of recruits for women’s basketball, baseball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s and women’s golf.

I don’t think it’s any coincidence that UVa hasn’t distributed the names of its men’s basketball recruits – all four of them, or is it five?

When I spoke to coach Dave Leitao by cellphone Wednesday, he said he was still playing phone tag with one of the Cavaliers’ recruits, believed to be 6-7 Andy Ogide from Paulding County High School in Dallas, Ga., northwest of Atlanta.

Ogide did not take an official visit to Virginia until the weekend of Nov. 17-19, arriving two days after the end of the fall period. Both rivals.com and thesabre.com reported that Ogide had signed the letter before the end of the period but waited until he returned from Virginia to mail it.

I’m not sure what that process involves – I guess he could have had the letter notarized – but what does occur to me is that Virginia currently has nine scholarship players, all of whom are underclassmen; at least three signees (Jamil Tucker, Johnnie Lett, Will Harris), a committed player who has not signed (Solomon Tat) and now Ogide.

That’s 14 prospective scholarship players, one over the NCAA limit.

Schools generally do not go past the NCAA limit without a good idea that a player is going to leave. That was the case with Harris, the fourth player to commit to the Cavaliers this fall. Seemingly, Harris would have put the Cavaliers at 14, but, before he signed, it was announced that 6-10 freshman Sam Warren would be leaving the UVa program.

Now, how does Virginia find a scholarship? Most likely, another player will leave the program. Speculation has centered on junior post man Donte Minter, who has battled knee injuries since his freshman year, but Minter went through a shootaround before the Richmond game Tuesday night and worked out feverishly while his teammates were getting dressed.

Minter did not play against the Spiders but indications are that the Cavaliers are trying to get him ready to play.

I don’t know of another UVa player who might leave. What I do know is that Tat did not sign a letter of intent and, while he has shown no signs of wavering in his commitments one of his teammates at Community Christian in Stockbridge, Ga., did not return to school after getting an offer to play overseas.

Then, there’s the case of Ogide, whose letter-of-intent could involve some red tape. When it’s all over, I suspect that all five players will enroll next year and that somebody will have left. It may be a while before that gets sorted out but UVa has said that a news release is planned, and that should be interesting.

IT FEELS STRANGE to be talking basketball recruiting at this time of year, although I think there was a time 15-20 years ago when football recruiting wasn’t nearly as big a deal as it is now.

One reason it feels strange this year is that there have been so few commitments of late. It’s been nearly a month since Virginia Tech took a commitment from Florida lineman Budd Thacker (sister jj’s CD get’s a thumbs-up, by the way) and the Hokies have received only two commitments, from Thacker and Aaron Brown, since August.

(The Roanoke Times website lists 11 Tech commitments, while rivals.com lists 12, including Fork Union wide receiver Todd Nolen. I just haven’t gotten around to adding Nolen, who signed as a senior at Hampton High School. He counts as a commitment, but I wouldn’t consider him a recent commitment.).

The Virginia commitment list on Roanoke.com also needs to be updated, sad to say, but, aside from Oakton High School running back, the Cavaliers have been stuck in the mid-teens (17) for a while.

I expect heightened activity now that playoff teams are ending their seasons and players are having an opportunity to visit, but Miami’s loss to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech’s likely trip to the ACC championship game next week may have created some logistical problems in recruiting.

Not so, according to Tech recruiting coordinator Jim Cavanaugh. Recruiting trips are scheduled so far in advance, he said, that the Hokies had stayed away from scheduling visits for the weekend of Dec. 3.

For one thing, Tech won its first eight games, so there was only a three-week period (Nov. 5-26) when the Hokies didn’t think they would be playing in the ACC title game. There were some visits tentatively set up for the weekend of Dec. 3 but many of those were iffy because that was the weekend of the VHSL state semifinals.

As a result, Tech already had targeted the weekend of Dec. 10 for critical recruiting visits. The Hokies are not opposed to in-season recruiting visits, but only two players are expected today, previously committed Liberty High School defensive lineman Darryl Robertson and Gerald McCoy, a 6-5, 285-pound defensive tackle from Homa City, Okla., who is rated the No. 1 players in the Midlands (Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska) by SuperPrep.

McCoy is a 3.5 student who, according to SuperPrep’s preseason thumbnail, was expected to stay in state.

 

UVa expects to find a hostile environment
The Cavaliers' first-ever trip to the Orange Bowl features a matchup with the agitated Hurricanes.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

Poor Virginia.

Last week, the Cavaliers faced a Virginia Tech team that was looking to take out its frustrations after a potentially devastating loss.

Now, there is reason to believe Miami enters today's game with the Cavaliers feeling the same way.

"So are we," UVa coach Al Groh.

While there is an inclination to compare Miami to the charged-up Virginia Tech team that roared into Scott Stadium last Saturday and blew away the Cavaliers, 52-14, the challenge in front of Miami this afternoon is not unlike the one facing Virginia.

Unless 2312-point underdog North Carolina wins at Virginia Tech tonight, 10th-ranked Miami (8-2 overall, 5-2 ACC) has blown its chance for an ACC championship

It appears Virginia (6-4, 3-4) will have a bowl slot, win or lose.

Little will be at stake at 3:30 p.m. today at the Orange Bowl, other than a chance to recoup some self-respect.

"It is a bit disappointing knowing that you controlled your own destiny and now it is in somebody else's hands," Miami coach Larry Coker said. "We are big North Carolina fans this weekend, but that is not how we envisioned it; that's not how we wanted it to happen."

Virginia has been out of the Coastal Division race since midseason, but the Cavaliers had beaten two Top 25 teams -- No. 4 Florida State and No. 24 Georgia Tech -- and would have been unbeaten at home with a victory over the Hokies.

Instead, they were annihilated. Tech's 52 points were the most it had scored against Virginia in the series' 87 games.

"We just put it behind us, as hard as it is," said defensive end Brennan Schmidt, who will make his 50th consecutive start, a school record. "We didn't look at the film. That was a coaches' decision.

"Maybe more bad than good could come from watching the tape and reliving that. I understand that that was really the snowball effect, but, really, you can't let it happen."

History is not on Virginia's side as it makes its first trip to the Orange Bowl. Miami is an 18-point favorite over the Cavaliers, who have lost their last nine games as a road underdog. In its history, UVa is 0-13 in games played in Florida.

UVa has lost both of its games against Miami, including a 31-21 setback last year before the largest crowd (63,701) in Scott Stadium history.

Unless Virginia wins today, the Cavaliers will be saddled with a losing record in ACC play for only the second time since 1986. Virginia had a 3-5 record in conference play in 2001, Groh's first season as head coach.

 

Both Virginia, Miami suffered emotional defeats a week ago
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 26, 2005

When Virginia travels to the Orange Bowl to take on No. 10 Miami this afternoon in its regular-season finale, it will be difficult to tell which team is in more need of a temporary bout of amnesia.
Both teams had regrettable, highly forgettable home outings last weekend.

Virginia got pounded by its archrival Virginia Tech 52-14. Later that night, Miami lost its hold on the ACC Coastal Division title by losing to Georgia Tech 14-10.

“It’s hard for me to determine how they’re going to feel about it,” Virginia coach Al Groh said, “but we certainly can make sure that we’re properly motivated by our circumstance.”

Just how the Cavaliers (6-4, 3-4 ACC) do that after suffering their worst home loss since 1983 remains uncertain. Things went so bad against the Hokies that Groh didn’t award anybody with player of the week honors on offense, defense, special teams or the scout team.

It was the kind of demoralizing loss that can stick with a team.

“You don’t forget. You put it past you. But you don’t forget that you lost,” UVa cornerback Marcus Hamilton said. “You don’t forget what it felt like to lose and that way it gives you a sense of motivation for the next week when you try not to have the same kind of feeling again.”

“(The blowout) has a deeper impact on the team,” said defensive end Brennan Schmidt, who will become the first player in UVa history to start 50 games when he takes the field today. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t. It’s a little more humbling that way, so I think you can’t BS around the reason. We just played bad.”

Virginia’s bowl destination may hinge on the outcome of this game. A loss would make the Cavaliers 6-5 with a lone road victory against a one-win Syracuse squad. With Fresno State already having accepted a bid to the Liberty Bowl, UVa’s bowl trip would probably be Nashville for the Music City Bowl or San Francisco for the Emerald Bowl.

A Cavaliers win would give them seven victories with wins over two top-10 teams and would probably vault them into one of the six ACC affiliated bowls.

That won’t be easy. Miami (8-2, 5-2) has not been ranked lower than 13th this season and had BCS aspirations until last weekend.

Groh called the Hurricanes “probably the fastest team in the conference right now,” a claim few, if any, ACC coaches would dispute.

While traditionally an offensive powerhouse, this current crop of Hurricanes thrives on defense.

They are first nationally in total defense (236.6 yards per game), passing defense (133.4 yards per game) and pass efficiency defense (77.7) and second in scoring defense (11.4 points per game).

The Hurricanes had a stretch of five games in October where they didn’t allow a team to throw for more than 100 yards in a game.

Their pass defense is at least the equal of a Hokies secondary that limited Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans to 140 passing yards last week, intercepting him twice, and held wideout Deyon Williams, who has the third most receptions in the ACC, to two catches for 10 yards.

A look at the Hurricanes’ losses suggests the defense was not to blame. Miami gave up 10 points in a season-opening loss to Florida State (a game in which the Seminoles gained 170 total yards) and 14 to Georgia Tech last week.

The ‘Canes have allowed more than 17 points just once this season, a triple overtime win at Clemson.

“You can see why they don’t lose very often,” Groh said.

Offensively, Miami quarterback Kyle Wright has had the ups and downs befitting his redshirt sophomore status. Two weeks ago against Wake Forest, he tied a school record with five touchdown passes. Against Georgia Tech last week, he managed just 207 passing yards and threw a costly pick on Miami’s last drive.

“Up until last game we had continued to get better,” Miami coach Larry Coker said. “That is probably the most frustrating thing. I thought we had taken a step back.”

Virginia knows the feeling. Every step forward this season (Florida State) has been matched by an equal step back (North Carolina).

The Virginia Tech game was its biggest move backward. There was nothing redeemable from the game.

The offense mustered a mere 14 points, scoring only once the game was well out of reach. The defense gave up over 500 yards, including an embarrassing 333 on the ground. And Michael Johnson’s muffed punt on special teams served as the game’s turning point.

“The way you get over a loss like that to Virginia Tech is maturity and just saying to your guys, ‘Do you want this to happen again?’” Schmidt said. “‘No? Then let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again.’”


 

Sports Focus: ACC Regular-Season Finale
Cavs head into storm U.Va. will take on host Miami as the Hurricanes try to erase the taste of losing shot at title
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 26, 2005
VIRGINIA AT MIAMI
TODAY: 3:30 p.m.
ON THE AIR: TV WRIC-8, 3; radio WRVA (1140), 3

They lost by less than a touchdown to a football team that has beaten Auburn and Clemson, among others. But the Miami Hurricanes never will believe that what took place at the Orange Bowl last weekend wasn't catastrophic.

Georgia Tech, one week after getting whipped by Virginia in Charlottesville, stunned then-No. 3 Miami 14-10. The loss almost certainly cost the 'Canes an opportunity to win the ACC title and advance to the Bowl Championship Series. At Miami, of course, that's what they play for.

"We don't work for a 10-2 season," sophomore quarterback Kyle Wright told reporters. "We don't bust our butts working countless amounts of sprints, running up hills, running in sandpits thinking, 'Hey, guys, let's go 10-2 this year. Let's fall short of an ACC championship and go to whatever bowl game.' We're thinking about conference championship, national championship, BCS bowl game."

Miami wasn't the only team that staggered away from its stadium last Saturday. In Charlottesville, Virginia Tech humbled Virginia 52-14.

"You don't ever forget the game," Cavaliers cornerback Marcus Hamilton said, "but you try to put it past you."

And so today's game at the Orange Bowl matches teams whose spirits were miles higher when last Saturday dawned. The 10th-ranked Hurricanes (5-2, 8-2) face the Cavs (3-4, 6-4) in the regular-season finale for each team.

History doesn't favor the visitors. Miami is a perennial national power and probably the ACC's fastest team. U.Va. is 0-13 in football games played in the Sunshine State.

Moreover, in five seasons under coach Al Groh, the Cavaliers are 6-13 in ACC road games. Not to mention the fact that U.Va. is coming off an embarrassing defeat.

"The way you get over a loss like that to Virginia Tech is maturity," said senior defensive end Brennan Schmidt, one of the Cavaliers' captains, "and just saying to your guys, 'Do we want this to happen again? No. Then let's make sure it doesn't happen again.'"

Virginia's task is daunting. The 'Canes lead the nation in total defense and passing defense and are tied for second in scoring defense. Opponents have completed only 44.9 percent of their pass attempts against Miami.

"It's been a season full of receivers who have had difficulty on a play-to-play basis getting open," Groh said.

Miami's offensive line was exposed last weekend when Georgia Tech blitzed on virtually every play. The Yellow Jackets recorded seven sacks. In ACC games, however, U.Va. has only seven sacks all season, by far the fewest of any team in the conference.

Injuries have forced Groh to insert several players into his defensive lineup who aren't experienced enough -- and, in some cases, not talented enough -- to carry out their assignments well. Virginia Tech targeted these players, with great success. Can a defense cover up such weak points?

"If there's one of them, you can," Groh said. "But when there are multiple players in that circumstance, it becomes a little trickier to do."

The Hurricanes' loss to Georgia Tech ended their eight-game winning streak. Miami lost its opener 10-7 to Florida State on Sept. 5. Coach Larry Coker hopes those results will help his players take the Cavaliers seriously.

"We've lost two games, and they've beaten both those teams that have beaten us," Coker said.

Virginia probably is headed to the Music City Bowl (Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn.) or the Emerald Bowl (Dec. 29 in San Francisco). A victory today, however, might get the Cavaliers a spot in one of the bowls with which the ACC is affiliated.