Lalich learns lesson in loss
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 2, 2007

The moans and groans can be heard on a weekly basis.

Regardless of how Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell performs, a contingent of the team’s fanbase longs for additional looks at true freshman Peter Lalich.

That wish was granted on Saturday at N.C. State.

It could have been another storybook ending for the Cavaliers. When Sewell went down with cramps, Virginia trailed by five points.

Eleven plays later, Lalich was bruised and battered.

“It was a tough spot, but that’s where you want to be,” Lalich said. “Hopefully one day I can be making the plays to help us win in that situation.”

Lalich completed just two of his eight passing attempts, was sacked three times and looked slow getting out of the pocket.

When asked what Lalich should have learned from the appearance, Virginia coach Al Groh offered a four-word answer.

“Don’t hold the ball,” Groh said.

It is a message Lalich and Virginia’s other quarterbacks often hear in practice.

“That’s something that gets said all the time,” Groh said.

In practice, however, the quarterbacks are off-limits for opposing defenders. Essentially, a quarterback is forced to learn it on the fly in actual games or pay the price - physically and mentally.

“You don’t have the number of pass rushers on the field in high school football that you do in college football, “Groh said. “Generally, quarterbacks don’t get pressured or hit as much. You get used to just standing back there and just waiting for a guy to get open.”

Groh cited a prime example: North Carolina State quarterback Daniel Evans. And another example, Wake Forest signal-caller Riley Skinner, who will be yards away from Lalich on Saturday in Scott Stadium.

“That message has been completely learned by Evans,” Groh said. “You’ll see it Saturday - that’s one of the principles that Riley Skinner has.

“That ball is gone. It might be long. It might be short, but [Evans and Skinner], their mentality is whatever the end result of the play is, I’m not going to get caught holding the ball back here.”

It was a quality that former Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub possessed, too.

“Nobody could get to Matt,” Groh said. “The protection was good. We had some good players there, but it wasn’t just the protectors. It was Matt.

“He knew where to go with it and he was getting it out of there. That aids everything.”

Groh was asked if playing Lalich for a series or two in every game, as was the case in opening month, would benefit the team.

“Only as it factors in to giving us the best chance to win,” he said.

Under the knife

Virginia true freshman J’Courtney Williams, who has not played this season, is scheduled to have shoulder surgery today.

The rookie linebacker, who was the top recruit in last year’s class, hopes to be ready by the start of spring practice.

Injury update

During a teleconference with reporters on Thursday, Groh discussed what could become a season-ending foot injury for junior running back Cedric Peerman.

“It doesn’t sound very spectacular,” Groh said, “but it’s a ligament injury to his foot.”

Peerman injured his right foot against Middle Tennessee State in the first half. Initially, the injury was feared more severe than it has turned out.

Virginia left guard Eugene Monroe has practiced this week, Groh added, and should be able to play against Wake Forest. Monroe injured his knee against N.C. State in the fourth quarter, but hobbled off the field under his own power.
 

Differing approaches
Groh uses freshmen when needed; Grobe a fan of redshirting
Friday, Nov 02, 2007 - 12:06 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- When the 2001 football season opened, Wake Forest had a new coach. So did the University of Virginia.

At Wake, losing teams had become the norm, and Jim Grobe was willing to absorb short-term pain for what he believed would be long-term gain. And so he decided from the start to redshirt virtually all of his recruits each season.

At U.Va., the pressure on Al Groh to win immediately was greater. Groh's predecessor was the great George Welsh, after all, and though the Cavaliers' program had declined in 1999 and 2000, losing didn't play well in Charlottesville.

And so Groh decided from the start to put his most talented players on the field, no matter their classes. He used six true freshmen in 2001, when Virginia posted a 5-7 record, and 14 in 2002, when his team went 9-5 and stunned West Virginia in the first Continental Tire Bowl.

Had players such as Wali Lundy, Brad Butler, D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Connor Hughes redshirted in 2002, U.Va. might have done better than 5-7 in 2006, when they would have been fifth-year seniors. But the Cavaliers almost certainly would not have gone 9-5 in 2002 without them.

Wake, meanwhile, finished 6-5 in 2001 and 7-6 in '02, as Grobe played a total of four true freshmen. Losing seasons followed in 2003, '04 and '05. Grobe's patience finally was rewarded in 2006, when the Demon Deacons went 11-3 and won the ACC championship.

"It didn't go fantastically in the beginning, but they have reaped the results now," Groh said of Grobe's emphasis on redshirting. "In other circumstances, we chose to play a lot of those players right away, to get things jumpstarted and to get a better result."

The Cavaliers (4-1, 7-2) host the Deacons (4-1, 6-2) tomorrow afternoon at Scott Stadium.

When he took over at Ohio University before the 1995 season, Grobe recalled, he inherited a program that, because of attrition, was short on players. That forced him to play many true freshmen that year.

By 1998, Grobe said, Ohio "had all these kids that were really, really good players that were fourth-year seniors, and we looked at them and we thought, 'Man, if we could have redshirted those guys and gotten one more year out of them, think how special they would have been as fifth-year guys.'

"And so when we came to Wake Forest, our experience at Ohio University, I think, was the motivating factor in trying to be patient with our guys. [The Wake staff believed] that if we could put them on the shelf as freshmen, we'd probably have a better football player by the time he was 22, 23 years old."

It wasn't always easy to stick to that policy, said Grobe, especially in the three consecutive losing seasons. He knew he had freshmen sitting out who could have carried some of the special-teams load that starters had to bear.

The 2006 season "was the first year," Grobe said, "where we really felt like we had enough people to go out and not only play offense and defense, but take care of all our special teams."

At U.Va., Groh's stance on redshirting has evolved in recent years. Earlier in his tenure, he didn't hesitate to use true freshmen -- see Chris Gorham, Bud Davis, Alex Field, Aaron Clark and Maurice Covington, among others -- who probably would have been better off redshirting.

When asked about true freshmen, Groh continues to say, "When they're ready, we're ready." But it's clear he appreciates the value of having a program stocked with experienced players. Virginia played one true freshman in 2006 and has used five newcomers this year.

Groh noted that fifth-year seniors and fourth-year juniors dominate Wake's lineup.

"That's a lot of guys who had plenty of time to get it: get their assignments, get the techniques, understand the style in which their team is put together to play, [and to] play together," he said.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Friday, Nov 02, 2007 - 12:06 AM

Williams chooses Duke over U.Va., Tennessee
If Virginia had to lose Elliot Williams, it would have preferred that he ended up at Memphis or Tennesee. But the 6-4 shooting guard from Memphis, Tenn., who's considered one of the top 25 basketball players in the Class of 2008, is going to be a Blue Devil, which means the Cavaliers will face Williams as long as he stays in college.

Williams committed Wednesday to Duke. His other finalists were Virginia, Memphis and Tennessee.

Barring a spring addition -- always a possibility, especially if the Cavaliers have any unexpected attrition -- third-year coach Dave Leitao's recruiting class for 2008-09 will consist of three players: 6-5 guard Sylven Landesberg, 6-11 center John Brandenburg and 7-0 Assane Sene. Virginia has four seniors this season: guard Sean Singletary, forward Adrian Joseph and centers Tunji Soroye and Ryan Pettinella.

Groh offers details about Peerman's foot
Football coach Al Groh prefers not to publicly discuss injuries. Yesterday, though, he elaborated -- a little -- on the injury that first-team tailback Cedric Peerman suffered to his right foot Oct. 6 against Middle Tennessee.

Peerman, a junior, hasn't played since then and may miss the rest of the season.

"It doesn't sound very spectacular," Groh said, "but it's a ligament injury to his foot."

Groh said yesterday that doctors originally feared that the injury might be more severe than is the case. Peerman redshirted in 2004, so he has only one season of eligibility left.

Another starter with health issues -- offensive tackle Eugene Monroe -- has practiced this week, Groh said. Monroe, a 6-6, 310-pound junior, missed the Pittsburgh and Middle Teneessee games with a knee injury. He re-injured that knee against N.C. State last weekend and sat out the fourth quarter.

Ties bind two programs
Groh is a former head coach at Wake, where he went 26-40 from 1981 to '86. U.Va.'s secondary coach, Steve Bernstein, was a Wake assistant from 1973 to '77. Another Virginia assistant, Levern Belin, played at Wake and graduated in 1991. The Demon Deacons' head coach, Jim Grobe, is a 1975 graduate of U.Va.

Cavs loaded at corner
Groh said yesterday that Chase Minnifield, a freshman from Lexington, Ky., who's also a talented wideout, will stay at cornerback. Not counting any incoming players, that means U.Va. might have as many as eight corners on scholarship in 2008: Chris Cook, Vic Hall, Mike Brown, Mike Parker, Ras-I Dowling, Trey Womack, Dom Joseph and Minnifield.

Cook will be a senior in 2008. Hall and Brown will be juniors. Parker, Dowling and Womack will be sophomores, and Joseph and Minnifield will be redshirt freshmen.

Look for at least one of them to move to safety, where two of U.Va.'s top three players -- Nate Lyles and Jamaal Jackson -- are seniors. The third, Byron Glaspy, is a junior.

The 6-2, 180-pound Dowling, one of five true freshmen Virginia has used this season, is likely to stay at cornerback. Dowling tied a school record against N.C. State by breaking up five passes.

Past assistants thriving
After the 2005 regular season, three members of Groh's staff left to become head coaches. Ron Prince took over at Kansas State, Danny Rocco at Liberty and Al Golden at Temple, and all are having success.

Kansas State is 5-3, as is Liberty. Temple's record -- 3-5 -- isn't as impressive, but Golden took over a team that had gone 0-11 in 2005. The Owls won one game last season, and they'll take a three-game winning streak into their game at Mid-American Conference rival Ohio tonight.

-- Jeff White

 

Williams approaching 'baby Ahmad' proportions
Williams loss not a crushing blow
By Doug Doughty

Sometimes you hear things and, later, you can’t remember where or when you heard them.

At Tuesday’s football news conference, Charlottesville reporter Jay Jenkins asked about true freshman linebacker J’Courtney Williams, who is being redshirted.

It was Jenkins’ recollection that Virginia coach Al Groh had referred to Williams as “baby Ahmad” in the preseason.

The reference was to Ahmad Brooks, a former All-ACC player at Virginia who is starting at middle linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals.

When Groh seemed puzzled by the question, Jenkins rephrased it and said Williams indicated that Groh had called him “baby Ahmad” during recruiting.

“I don’t think I would have said that,” Groh said, “because, at that time, he still thought he was Sean Taylor.”

The Bengals list Brooks at 6 foot 3 and 259 pounds. Taylor is a 6-2, 212-pound Washington Redskins safety.

Virginia lists Williams at 6-3, 218, but his reporting weight was closer to 235.

“Linebacker wasn’t something we were talking about [in recruiting], even though we were pretty sure that Mother Nature would take its course, as it has now,” Groh said.

“There aren’t too many 240-pound safeties around.

“Actually, we never brought it up. All he had to do was step on the scale and he knew what he was.”

Williams, from Pittsylvania County by way of Christchurch School, was rated the No. 33 prospect in the country last year by SuperPrep. No other Virginia recruit made the top 50.

“As you would expect for a player who played safety and was a successful high-school basketball player, he’s got very good athletic skills for the [linebacker] position,” said Groh of impressions Williams has made on the scout team.

JUST FROM WATCHING Kevin Ogletree around the UVa practice field during the preseason, I was struck by how much more solidly built he looked in person than he had seemed in a football uniform in 2006.

He might look different in a football uniform now, too.

Ogletree, who had a team-high 52 receptions in 2006, is sitting out the 2007 season after undergoing reconstructive knee surgery.

“Those of you who are familiar with Kevin know that he’s fairly slight,” Groh said, “and he really would have profited from more strength, particularly when he was playing against more physical corners, people who are going to try and jam him or play bump-and-run.

“The extra time to do that and, obviously, his training through most of the summer was all upper-body training, so he got an ever higher concentration of that than he normally would. If you look at him, you can just see that there’s a lot more muscle on his frame than there was in the past and that will certainly help him out.

“In terms of overall quickness and movement, he’s still not at a level where we can determine that, but he looks good doing what he’s doing.”

CAVALIER HOOPS JUNKIES were disappointed at the news coming out of Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday night, when word began to circulate that big-time guard Elliot Williams had made an oral commitment to Duke.

I’m sure that Williams would have had an impact wherever he signed and he was the highest-ranked uncommitted player on Virginia’s list, but would you trade any two of three anticipated UVa’s signees for Williams?

I haven’t seen them play, of course, but UVa needed big men in this recruiting class. The Cavaliers got two of those, John Brandenburg and Assane Sene, and a prolific scorer in 6-6 Sylven Landesberg.

Landesberg has expressed some interest in playing point, which might be something of a stretch, but just look at the guards in UVa’s program in 2007-2008 – junior Calvin Baker; sophomores Jeff Jones, Mustapha Farrakhan and Sam Zeglinski, and Landesberg.

Add Elliot Williams to that mix and what do you have? Possibly a problem, possibly not. But, without attrition, the three committed players alone will put the Cavaliers at the 13-scholarship NCAA limit.

Virginia got around that issue this year because fifth-year senior Ryan Pettinella is paying his way, but some other player might not have the resources of the Pettinella family. Moreover, Baker is receiving academic- and need-based aid and does not count toward the limit.

Throw in walk-ons Andy Burns and Will Sherrill and it’ll be interesting to see how Virginia finds enough chairs for all 17 bodies, much less playing time for the 14 or 15 who expect it.
 

True Boo: Robinson was a great find for Deacons
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER

Every “boo” that rains down after another big play by Boo Robinson reminds the Wake Forest coaching staff of how nice it is to have friends.

One friend, Stacy Searels, was coaching at LSU in 2004 when he happened to run into defensive coordinator Dean Hood of Wake Forest. Searels, who is now an assistant at Georgia, mentioned a defensive lineman who the Tigers liked but had decided not to offer a scholarship.

Hood and Ray McCartney, the Deacons’ defensive-line coach and recruiting coordinator, took a look and were impressed enough to offer a scholarship.

Robinson sized up his other offers, from Louisiana Tech, Tulane, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette, and picked Wake Forest.

And that’s how Shaunteryous Boo Robinson of Monroe, La., became a Deacon.

“It’s worked out great for us,” Coach Jim Grobe said.

It also has worked out well for Robinson, who has spent the first eight games of his redshirt-sophomore season establishing himself as a mainstay in the Wake Forest defensive line.

Grobe, by nature, isn’t one to scoff. But he came close upon hearing that because of the likes of Glenn Dorsey, an All-America considered one of the best defensive linemen in college football, Robinson might not be playing much for LSU.

“He might play quite a bit for anybody,” Grobe said.

“He’s a pretty good player. I don’t know if there’s anybody out there who doesn’t like this guy.

“Height-wise he doesn’t pass that deal, but when you watch him play he does all that other stuff just the way you want it done.”

Though listed at 6-2, he’s probably not. But he is 326 pounds, and he is quick, strong and tenacious enough to have made 19 tackles this season, 41/2 of them behind the line of scrimmage and 21/2 of them for sacks.

Last year, when he started one game and played as a reserve in the other 13, Robinson made 35 tackles, including 21/2 sacks. He was a good as a redshirt freshman.

He’s better as a sophomore.

“Last year I was just a little rookie and I didn’t really know how to do anything,” Robinson said. “I think I’ve figured a couple of things out.”

An effective defensive lineman must, first of all, stand his ground. If he’s being knocked into the secondary, then the battle of the line of scrimmage has been lost.

But it’s a special lineman who can both stand his ground and still have the ability to make plays in other areas of the field. And Robinson, in the eyes of Grobe, is special.

“You don’t find that very often in a big guy like that,” Grobe said. “He’s going to do all the things you want as far playing at the line of scrimmage and not being back at linebacker level you’re not going to knock him off the football.

“And he’s going to get off the block and make a play. That’s fun. He’s a very athletic guy, which is good.”

Robinson has told time and again the story of how he got his name, given to him by his baby sitter who lived next door.

“I used to go knock on her door every morning and boo her, give her a boo, trying to scare her,” Robinson said. “So she started telling all the other little kids, ‘Hey everybody, there goes Boo.’

“So it has just stuck from there.”

The uninitiated at BB&T Field - or wherever Wake Forest plays - might find it strange to hear Deacons fans booing another great play by Robinson. But 22 games into Robinson’s career, everyone has pretty much caught on to the tribute.

Grobe laughed about the time last season at Florida State when Robinson intercepted a pass.

“Our fans started yelling ‘Boo’ and of course the fans at Florida State were mad at the quarterback so they started booing,” Grobe said. “He almost had a personal foul strutting around because he thought the whole stadium was going ‘Boo.’

“He thought everybody was on his side.”

Robinson said the praise is well received by both him and his teammates.

“I think they like it a little bit more than I like it,” Robinson said. “I think it just gets the whole crowd and the whole team pumped just to hear that Boo Robinson is out there making plays.

“You know he’s out there. I think it gives everybody else that rush to want to do something good.”

But in the event he fails to live up to the standard he has set for himself, how does he distinguish boos of derision from those of tribute?

“I haven’t ever had that experience,” Robinson said.

“Hopefully I’ll never have that experience.”

 

UVa Notebook: Cavs, Deacs get a lot of mileage from second-tier recruits
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 1, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Jim Grobe and Al Groh are of a similar mind when it comes to recruiting. They know what they're looking for and pursue it, even if those players don't impress the recruiting gurus.
Wake Forest and Virginia have tailored their recruiting to very specific needs, by design and out of necessity. Neither school has the cache of the nation's more prestigious football schools, but they do have a specific type of player they want in their respective systems.

"The list may be somewhat different," Groh said, "but I think the approach is one that we fully understand."

Grobe has turned around Wake Forest by going after players largely unheralded by major recruiting sites, including a large number of second-tier players from Florida, a state that accounts for 25 players on the team's roster.

Since 2002, Wake Forest has had one player with a four-star rating according to Rivals.com - defensive end Bryan Andrews. The Deacons' recruiting classes have been ranked last in the ACC by the Web site four times in the previous six years, including the last three.

But Wake has turned those unheralded recruits into good football players. Of the eight players the Deacons had recognized in last year's all-ACC selections, five were two-star recruits or lower.

While Virginia's rankings in the conference have been higher - sixth, eighth, sixth and sixth in the last four years - they aren't anywhere close to 2002 and 2003, when Groh hauled in nationally renowned classes that ranked second and third in the ACC, respectively.

While the Cavaliers have had successful five-star recruits (Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham), many of their lower-tiered prospects have turned in great college careers, including Brad Butler, who was a two-star recruit coming out of E.C. Glass.

"There was a song a few years ago and part of the lyrics were, 'Looking for love in all the wrong places,'" Groh said. "And that certainly applies to who you decide to pursue in recruiting.

"You can be looking for love in all the wrong places. If those people aren't returning the love, then you are going (down) a wrong street. And while you're doing that, other good players are going someplace else."

Major worry

Groh was worried enough about Wake Forest kick returner Kevin Marion merely based on his performance last week against North Carolina, when the junior returned one kick 98 yards for a touchdown and another 83 yards to set up another score.

Then he was informed that Marion's two returns against Navy in the game before that went for 80 and 43 yards, giving him a 76-yard average in the last two games.

"Wow. Pretty interesting," Groh said. "That's what speed will do for you right there."

It's the second straight week the Cavaliers face a premier return man. N.C. State's Darrell Blackman had three returns for 70 yards last week, but none were longer than 26 yards.

UVa kicked the ball high and short on a number of occasions to limit the amount of space with which Blackman could work. He fumbled on one occasion, but the turnover was negated by an offsides penalty.

Marion leads the nation with a 33.9-yard kick return average. Limiting him would seem to be a high priority.

"That's certainly way up at the top of the list," Groh said. "How are you going to win a game when a guy runs two back for touchdowns? That's essentially what he did last week."

Muscled up

Virginia fans probably won't see injured wideout Kevin Ogletree (ACL) on the field this year, but when they see him next year, he'll be more bulked up.

The 6-foot-2 junior, who was listed as 187 pounds in this year's media guide, could only do upper body weight training in the summer after having surgery on his knee in the spring. Groh said he has added a considerable amount of muscle to his lean frame.

"Those of you who are familiar with Kevin know that he's fairly slight and really would have profited from more strength, particularly from playing against more physical corners, people who are going to try to jam him and play bump and run," Groh said.

It is almost a certainty that Ogletree will redshirt this season.


 

Cavaliers look to bounce back after tough ACC loss
Virginia hosts defending conference champion Wake Forest tomorrow afternoon, looks to get back on winning track after disappointing loss to Wolfpack last week
Eric Kolenich, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor

The date - Sept. 1, 2007. The score - Wyoming 23, Virginia 3.

Sure seems like a long time ago. No matter how much heartbreak this game caused for Virginia fans, most were able to forget it sooner or later, because the Cavaliers went on to win their next seven games.

"We thought the team would rebound after the first game of the season," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "That resiliency and that determination and sense of purpose is pretty well set as the personality of this team,"

Fast forward two months. Virginia is dealt its second loss of the season -- a 29-24 upset at N.C. State -- and the Cavaliers stand at the same challenge of rising to the occasion after a tough loss.

For one thing, No. 23 Virginia (7-2, 4-1 ACC) doesn't necessarily have to reinvent the wheel, as appeared necessary after the season--opening blowout.

"We understand why we lost the game," Groh said. "It wasn't as if the score was 50 to 10 and you're like, 'what in the world just happened?'"

Unfortunately for Virginia, No. 24 Wake Forest (6-2, 4-1 ACC) presents several of the same threats N.C. State used to defeat the Cavaliers.

First, the Demon Deacons possess a strong passing game. Sophomore quarterback Riley Skinner completes 72 percent of his passes, by far the best in the ACC. Only one other quarterback completes more than 65 percent (Clemson's Cullen Harper).

"Those are awesome numbers in any system," Groh said. "Basically call a pass almost anytime that you want and it's going to be completed. That's a pretty nice feeling to have when you are calling those pass plays."

Second, the Demon Deacons' potent return man senior Kevin Marion averages 33.9 yards per kick return and returned two kicks for 181 yards last week against North Carolina.

While the Cavaliers were able to contain Darrell Blackman last week at N.C. State, another breakout performance by Marion would certainly put Virginia at a drastic disadvantage.

"It's impressive when you have a team with one or two non-offensive touchdowns, but with a statistic like they have with nine, it definitely poses a challenge for any team they face," senior fullback Josh Zidenberg said. "We definitely have a big challenge ahead of ourselves in trying to contain their special teams units and the speed they present."

While Virginia was able to string together seven straight victories before losing to the Wolfpack, Wake Forest has quietly put together a six--game winning streak, vaulting themselves into the top 25.

"They deserve the utmost respect out of every team they play, because they are the defending ACC champions and they're the target," Zidenberg said. "Whether they've won as many championships as say, Florida State, really isn't important in my eyes. It's what they did this past year and who's been the most recent champion, and that's them. To me, they are the top dog."

After losing to now No. 2 Boston College and Nebraska to start the season, the Demon Deacons have certainly surprised casual onlookers by defeating Maryland and Florida State. This Saturday's game could be the most telling for both teams. While many expected Wake Forest to be a flash in the pan after their surprising 2006 ACC championship, tomorrow's game could prove to be Virginia's biggest challenge of the season.

"Clearly they have established that they're the team to beat and until somebody does so, they are the champions," Groh said.

 

Huey has lofty goals for season, beyond
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 2, 2007

One of Treat Huey’s favorite pastimes is making fun of Brian Boland. The Virginia senior loves to do impersonations of his coach.

“He mimics me and does everything he can to give me a hard time,” said Boland, smiling, “which is the last thing I would have thought from him when I recruited him five years ago.”

Back then, Boland says Huey was extremely quiet and introverted.

“Boy, has that changed,” said Boland, laughing.

So has Huey’s role on the team.

Because of an abundance of talent, Huey played No. 4 singles in his first two years at Virginia. The Alexandria native posted a 44-13 record.

Then, last year, Boland moved Huey up to No. 2. That turned out to be a pretty decent maneuver - Huey went 28-3 in team dual matches.

This season, Huey has set his sights even higher - for the team, that is.

“Getting to the Final Four last year was great and we only lost one senior from last year’s team,” Huey said, “and we gained three really good [recruits].

“We’re looking to do even better this year, and I feel like we have the pieces to do that.”

Huey is one of the most vital cogs - even though he may not always be recognized as such - an obvious byproduct of playing in the formidable shadow of teammate Somdev Devvarman, the No. 1 singles player in the country.

“Treat always puts the program above himself, and he’s been that way since he stepped on Grounds at the university,” Boland said. “He’s a special guy who cares so much about his teammates and loves the university. We’re just so appreciative he’s been with us for the last four years.”

This weekend, Huey, Devvarman and Dominic Inglot are competing at the ITA Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. It’s the last event of the fall season.

Huey and Devvarman are playing singles and doubles (they are the No. 1-ranked team in the country).

Devvarman says casual Virginia sports fans may not be that familiar with Huey, but people in the college tennis world know all about his good friend.

“I think everybody knows he’s the best doubles player in the country and would be the best singles player at 95 percent of the other schools,” said Devvarman, the reigning NCAA singles champion. “He doesn’t care [about acclaim]. He just wants to get that one point for the team.”

Huey says he owes a lot of his success to Devvarman, whom he plans on playing doubles with on the pro tour after graduation.

“Having a guy like Somi is great,” he said. “He’s an unbelievable player. Hitting with him is such great practice.”

But, surely there must be some part of Huey that would love to be The Big Fish? The King of the Hill? The Top Dawg?

“I’d be lying if I said I wish I wasn’t No. 1, but he’s a great player,” Huey said. “I obviously want to be just as good as him and keep trying to get to that level and improve and push him.

“I know that he’s doing the same, so hopefully we both just keep getting better and better.”

That kind of team-first attitude has been infectious. Boland says that Huey, in addition to becoming an upper-echelon player, has developed into a great leader.

“Not too many days go by where I don’t go home to my wife Becky and tell her how lucky we are to have Treat in our program,” Boland said.

Even if that means having to relay to his better half how Huey chose to make fun of him on that particular day.

Devvarman says everyone gets a big kick out of Huey’s impersonations.

“He’s famous for that,” Devvarman said. “Whenever we’re having a serious talk, he’s the one to come up with a joke about Coach Boland that makes everyone laugh.”

So, what exactly does a Huey impersonation entail?

“Coach Boland always talks about how there’s 24 hours in a day,” explained a grinning Huey, “and how we have to spend our time wisely and ‘understand the process.’ He says that like every other sentence - ‘understand the process.’”

Clearly, Boland has been preaching to the choir.

 

Peerman Could Miss Remainder of Season
By Adam Kilgore
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 31, 2007; Page E03

Virginia running back Cedric Peerman might be out for the season with a right ankle injury, Coach Al Groh said. Peerman already has missed three games after injuring himself in the first quarter against Middle Tennessee, an absence that thrust Mikell Simpson up the depth chart and into the spotlight.

When asked yesterday if Peerman may miss the rest of the year, Groh replied, "I'd say there's a chance." Peerman has not had surgery, though that could be an option, Groh said. At the time of Peerman's injury, he was leading the ACC in rushing and was 16th in the country.

Simpson's emergence has made Peerman's absence sting less. In only two games of considerable playing time, Simpson is already Virginia's third-leading receiver and third-leading rusher, having rushed 39 times for 191 yards and caught 21 passes for 218 yards.

Against North Carolina State on Saturday, Simpson gained 116 total yards and scored two touchdowns, one on a shovel pass and the other on a running play. He had proved his stunning game at Maryland was not a fluke, a notion he never considered.

"I really didn't worry about that too much," Simpson said. "If I were to worry about that, than I would have taken myself out of the game. I just go out there and play."

Sewell Blames Medicine

Jameel Sewell thinks he found the culprit for the cramps that kept him on the sideline for the final seven minutes of Virginia's 29-24 loss Saturday at N.C. State. Sewell had been taking medicine for allergies, and, because he has rarely cramped before in his career, he believes that may have been the issue. He has stopped taking the medicine, in part because he no longer has a cold.

The only other time in his career he had cramped up, Sewell said, was this season against Duke. He was lifted from the game shortly before halftime, administered an IV and then put back into the game after halftime without further incident. Against N.C. State, Sewell drank water and Gatorade all game to avoid cramps, he said.

"It was extremely surprising," Sewell said. "I had no clue that it would do that. It was extremely frustrating, like I was running away from a challenge and letting my teammates down. It hurt me inside so bad."

Before Sewell exited he had played a game fitting his enigmatic season. He threw for a career-high 260 yards and two touchdowns. But he also threw two interceptions, one on the first possession of the game and the other inside the 20-yard line.

"I'm still on a roller coaster right now," Sewell said. "Not as much as I was last year, but I'm making a couple bad throws, and then coming back with some great throws. My main goal from last season was to try to be more consistent. In some ways, I am being more consistent."

Wideouts In on Action

With tight end Tom Santi, Virginia's leading receiver, out with a foot injury on Saturday, Virginia's wide receivers played their most productive game this year. The Cavaliers' five wideouts combined to catch 11 passes for 141 yards, both season highs. The only other time the wide receivers surpassed 100 yards came three weeks ago against Connecticut, when Cavaliers wideouts caught six balls for 110 yards.

Cary Koch caught his first touchdown, only the second thrown to a wide receiver this year. Staton Jobe caught the first against Georgia Tech.

"I'm getting more comfortable, but it's more them finally settling down and getting comfortable," Sewell said. "They're seeing coverage better and making plays. That's helping all of us."

Injury Update

Cornerbacks Chris Cook and Mike Parker, Santi and fullback Rashawn Jackson all practiced Monday, but injuries could still limit them Saturday against Wake Forest, Groh said.