Cavs back home to start tough stretch
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 3, 2007

Perhaps Fluvanna County graduate Chris Daughtry summed it up best in the lyrics for “Home.”

Daughtry, of American Idol fame, said he was going home, “the place where I belong, and where your love has always been enough for me.”

Virginia, after having its seven-game win streak snapped on the road at North Carolina State, returns to Scott Stadium, its happy haven, for a pivotal contest with No. 21 Wake Forest. The opponents boast identical 4-1 league records.

The Cavaliers, who are 7-2 overall and 23rd in the BCS standings, were all but forgotten in the ACC’s race for Jacksonville, Fla., after a season-opening loss at Wyoming. But they continue to play meaningful football in the final month of the regular season.

Of course, Wake Forest (6-2) can say the same thing. Having won six straight, the Demon Deacons remain in the Atlantic Division title picture, but they need help. Wake must win out and have Boston College lose twice.

“To start 0-2 and to work ourselves into the top 25 is quite an accomplishment,” said Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe. “If we win, good things will happen to us.

“We need to keep winning and not worry about those pie-in-the-sky things.”

Virginia coach Al Groh said he would tell his team to play with a similarly loose feeling. Even with a loss today the Cavaliers would control their own destiny during what would equate to a two-game season with a road game at Miami (Nov. 10) and a home finale with Virginia Tech (Nov. 24).

“These are three very important games,” said Virginia defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald. “All three teams right now are in the race for playing in the ACC Championship, so we know that all three teams are very hungry.

“We are all hungry out there to make something happen.”

Despite not playing since 2003, Virginia has dominated recent games against Wake Forest - the Cavaliers have won 19 of the last 20 in the series.

Wake, however, has evolved quietly into a national power since the start of the 2006 season. The Demon Deacons won the ACC Championship last year, played in the Orange Bowl and have won 10 of their last 13 league games, something only Virginia Tech can also claim.

Part of the reason for the success lies in defending Wake Forest’s awkward offense that is set up for misdirection.

“It’s a different puzzle that you have to solve and this like a non-conference game. It’s been so long since we’ve played them,” Groh said. “We really need to familiarize ourselves with the personnel as well as with their schemes. There’s been a dramatic change in the personnel obviously in the three or four years since we’ve played them.

“And while they’re true to their philosophy of play, there’s been an evolution in the particulars of their scheme to accommodate that different personnel. So it’s like a starting-from-scratch deal with them. I hope that maybe we’re causing some of the same problems.”

Wake Forest is led by quarterback Riley Skinner, the ACC’s most accurate passer.

“[Skinner] clearly is a player that the other players draw from,” Groh said. “What we see, what we hear that his presence, the confidence that he brings in being able to pull the team through whatever type of circumstance they might face, gives everybody a lot of confidence.

“He is really the catalyst of a lot of things.”

Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell might serve the same purpose for his team to a lesser degree.

The sophomore has passed for 503 yards in the past two games as sophomore Mikell Simpson has emerged as a backfield weapon.

While Virginia’s offense, which ranks 101st in the nation, will be vital to winning, several defensive players took the blame for a five-point loss at N.C. State.

“It is unacceptable to give up 29 points to anybody,” said UVa cornerback Vic Hall. “It is going to be hard for you to win, regardless of what else happens.

“It is our job to keep our points down and that’s what we have to work for this week.”

Fitzgerald added that Virginia’s defense wants to blank an opponent, although that is not likely to happen today - Wake has not been held scoreless since 1998.

“We try to keep the score low,” Fitzgerald said. “We haven’t had a shutout this whole season, so we’re trying to focus on that - we need to get one of those.

“We have three tough teams coming up so that’s our goal, because we know we have to play our best ball out there to achieve that goal.”

 

Breaking down the ACC race
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
November 3, 2007

As far as Virginia’s football team is concerned, the playoffs begin at high noon today when Wake Forest comes to Scott Stadium.

The Cavaliers’ season boils down simply. They are engaged with rivals Miami and Virginia Tech in a three-team horse race to decide the ACC’s Coastal Division title. The team that does the best job of surviving during the next four weekends gets to spend Dec. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla., playing for the conference championship.

Here’s the situation

Virginia (7-2, 4-1): hosts Wake Forest, travels to Miami, gets a bye week, then closes the regular season at home on Nov. 24 against Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech (7-2, 4-1): beat Georgia Tech on the road Thursday night, hosts Florida State (Nov. 10), hosts Miami the following weekend and closes out in Charlottesville against the Cavaliers.

Miami (5-3, 2-2): plays hosts N.C. State today before hosting Virginia next weekend in the final game ever to be played at Orange Bowl Stadium, then hits the road for games at Virginia Tech and Boston College.

All three teams have control over their own destinies. This columnist may not have a crystal ball, but my intuition tells me that the smart money in that race would not be on Miami. The smart money would be on Virginia Tech, which leaves Virginia fighting for its postseason life.

After all, wasn’t this Virginia Tech’s championship to lose? Back at the ACC Kickoff at Pinehurst, N.C., in July, the Hokies were virtual shoo-in picks to win the Coastal and the ensuing ACC championship. The vote was a landslide.

In fact, of the 83 ballots cast by media attending the event, Virginia Tech received 77 first-place votes to win the division, and 69 votes to beat Florida State in the conference’s title game.

A glance at the Atlantic

Well, looks like half of that prediction has already been blown up. Boston College is in the cat-bird’s seat in the Atlantic Division (4-0), and holds a one-game lead over Wake Forest, which essentially is a two-game lead, because BC beat Wake in the season opener and thusly holds the tiebreaker should they end up with identical league marks.

In other words, even if the Deacons win out, they desperately need help. BC would have to lose twice to give Wake, the defending ACC champion, a chance.

There’s a theory floating around out there in Wahoo World that I would like to explode in this column. That theory is technically correct, but has holes in it. The theory is that if Virginia loses to Wake Forest today that the Cavaliers will still be all right, because they could still win the Coastal Division by beating Miami on the road and Virginia Tech at home.

That is true. But is it realistic?

In my book, if I have to win two of those three games, I don’t like my odds of winning at Miami, and here’s why. First of all, Virginia has never won a game in the state of Florida - ever. Sure, that has to end some time, but why put the hopes of your entire season on ending that curse next week?

The game against the Hurricanes won’t be easy. Yeah, they might not be what they used to be, but they’re tough at home. In fact, they’re 4-1 at home this season with a close loss to Georgia Tech when Tashard Choice was healthy. Had the Virginia at Miami game been scheduled for noon or 1 p.m., the Cavs’ odds would have gone up. However, it’s a 7:15 game, which will give the Orange Bowl time to fill up for a decided home-field advantage.

If that isn’t enough, then how about the intangible that it will be an emotional night for the Miami football program, saying goodbye to its home and history. The school has invited every Hurricane player back for the ceremonies and it’s going to be a really big deal.

Sure, Virginia could win that game, but it will be against all odds.

Any Cavalier player or coach worth their salt already has the mentality to win all three games. But I would like my chances in the two home games and there is one reason why, even though Wake Forest is favored in today’s game and the Hokies will likely be favored when they come to town on Turkey weekend.

Coach Al Groh owns a 20-6 record at home against ACC teams in his seven years at Virginia, bettered only in the ACC by Bobby Bowden’s 58-6 mark in Tallahassee, Fla. Groh’s overall home record is equally, if not more impressive, which means that the Cavaliers are pretty tough to beat at home.

Certainly that will be tested today by the Deacons, who are playing like Demons. Wake is the hottest team in the ACC, having won six in a row. They are desperately trying to defend their title and they can’t afford to lose to Virginia any more than the Cavaliers can afford to lose to them.

The last time the Wahoos were in a similar conversation, they couldn’t finish the job. Remember 2004? It was the final year of ACC football without division races.

Virginia was in the same three-team race with Miami and Virginia Tech. The Cavs lost a winnable game at home against Miami, then beat Georgia Tech on the road, which kept them alive until they lost in Blacksburg. The Hokies won the ACC title and went to the Sugar Bowl. UVa finished tied for third with Florida State and was shipped to Boise, Idaho.

That ought to be enough inspiration in itself.

You know what Virginia Hall of Famer George Welsh used to say every year around this time: “They remember November.” This time, the Cavaliers would like fans to remember them for the right reasons.

 

Williams itching to make impact
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 3, 2007

An energetic 8-year-old, J’Courtney Williams was emotionally crushed.

At that point, Williams was too young to play youth football and was forced to watch his team from the sidelines.

When he returned the following year to play for his grandfather, the team’s coach, opposing squads took notice.

“The next year when I got to play out there, I just terrorized the league,” Williams said. “Hopefully I will do the same thing next year.”

Due to a lingering shoulder issue, the rookie linebacker has been forced to watch another season from the sidelines. Surgery was performed on the shoulder Friday, but Williams expects to be at full speed when spring practice opens.

“[The surgery was] just to get me ready for spring ball and hopefully I will be ready to start next year,” said Williams, a five-star recruit from Christchurch. “I have been just staying in the weight room and getting stronger and bigger, so everything looks good for next year.

“Right now I am just taking it one day at a time.”

Williams, boasting a healthy level of self-confidence, had hoped to play this season. When he picked Virginia, Williams admitted it was because of location, education and a common factor displayed by the nation’s best prep players.

“The third key was playing time and I was looking forward to coming in and making a difference as a true freshman this year and making some plays,” he said. “All three of those things combined made Virginia the right pick for me.”

Where he planned to play was altered well before the Cavaliers opened training camp.

“Two weeks before I had to report I came in to talk to the coaches and they put me on the scale and I had blown up to 235,” Williams said. “I knew that I was working hard and eating right and running a lot, but I didn’t think I had gotten that big.

“When I came in my weight just kept going up.”

In the preseason, Williams said Virginia coach Al Groh had called him “baby Ahmad,” referring to former All-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

Groh chuckled that comment off.

“I don’t think I would have said that,” Groh said, “because, at that time, he still thought he was Sean Taylor. Linebacker wasn’t something we were talking about, even though we were pretty sure that Mother Nature would take its course, as it has now.”

Now at 238 pounds, Williams said the transition from safety to inside linebacker has been smooth.

“I feel fine with the weight,” he added. “My muscles are stronger. I am running faster.”

With idle time, Williams has tried to study Virginia’s linebackers, especially the team’s leading tackler.

“Right now I am behind Jon Copper. He is a great guy and a great player and he watches a lot of film,” Williams said. “I try to study him the way that he watches film and see what he is doing in practice.

“I really just want to use my size, my strength and my speed, and if you combine that with Jon Copper’s brain you would have one of the best linebackers in the nation.”

For now, Williams thinks he made the right choice by picking Virginia, but the word “redshirt” remains dirty.

“It is tough to say at this point if I wasn’t hindered with my shoulder if I wouldn’t be playing. I can’t see that,” Williams said. “If I am healthy I am on the field and making plays.

“In practice everybody knows that I should be playing. They just told me to be patient.”

Easier said than done. And Williams longs for the day when he can have a Chris Long-like impact at games.

“You look at Chris Long … he is making a big difference,” Williams said. “And I am looking forward to doing the same thing.

“I want to carry the team on my back and help us win games.”

 

UVA FOOTBALL: The reasons
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 3, 2007

WHY VIRGINIA WILL WIN

Great Scott!
All four teams that have visited Scott Stadium this season have left with a similar feeling - that losing feeling.
For myriad reasons, most of which are obvious, Virginia plays better football at home.
Entering today’s game, which is sold out, Virginia is 33-9 at home under coach Al Groh.
“After two away games, I am sure fans are ready for another home game,” said Virginia defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, “and we are ready to perform at home.”
Bring your ear plugs - UVa’s players will be begging for it to be very loud.
Loss does not linger
After a poor showing at Wyoming, Virginia responded with a seven-game winning streak.
Magically, the Cavaliers swept the loss under the rug. Can they do it again?
“We thought the team would rebound after the first game of the season, that resiliency and that determination and sense of purpose is pretty well set as the personality of this team,” Groh said. “Now does that mean that we’re going to win by 10 or lose by four? Whatever the result is will have no bearing on how the players rebounded, [but] it will indicate what the performance was on Saturday.
“Everybody in the organization - the players and the coaches - are rebounded, if bouncing back means ‘rebounded.’ We lost the game, very disappointed in losing the game, but we understand why we lost the game. It wasn’t as if the score was 50-10 and you’re like, ‘What in the world just happened?’”
Feeling better
Virginia should have a host of players back on the field and in the mix today.
Cornerback Chris Cook, fullback Rashawn Jackson and tight end Tom Santi could all return from respective injuries that limited Virginia in last week’s loss to North Carolina State.
Left tackle Eugene Monroe, who injured his knee last week in the fourth quarter, practiced all week and should start.
Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell, who cramped up and watched the final 7 minutes from the sideliens, is also expected to play at 100 percent.

WHY WAKE FOREST WILL WIN

Skinner stars in silent fashion
The nation’s second-ranked passer, at least in terms of completion percentage, will be at Scott Stadium today.
Skinner, the ACC Rookie of the Year last season, has completed 72.7 percent of his 172 attempts this season, which would be good enough to barely set the league’s single-season record (Philip Rivers in 2003).
“[Skinner] did a remarkable job of stepping up there,” Groh said. “He, obviously, is having a remarkable career for them. You had to be impressed with what he did last year just as a casual observer, but with the opportunity to study tapes and many games, he is a very impressive player.
“[Wake can] 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.”
Skinner has completed more than
70 percent of his passes in five of his six games this season.
Moore is enough
Arguments would have lingered for days had somebody predicted that Wake Forest wideout Kenneth Moore would lead the ACC in receptions per game through the ninth week of the season.
The Demon Deacons, known for their complex running schemes, do not pass often, but those attempts have changed games thanks to Moore.
Moore, who tallies eight receptions and 87.9 receiving yards a game, hauled in 26 total passes in wins over Duke and Navy. He also scored the go-ahead touchdown against Florida State.
“You give him the ball and you kind of hold your breath to see what he does,” Wake QB Riley Skinner told reporters. “He’s fun to throw to.”
A special team
Placekicker Sam Swank could play in at least 17 more games for Wake. That’s truly a scary thought for opposing coaches.
Virginia coach Al Groh best described Swank, a junior, with one word: “Awesome.”
Swank, in fact, owns the Wake Forest program record for career scoring with 251 points, and he has been perfect this season inside the 52-yard line. His only miss was a 57-yard attempt at Navy.
Wake also boasts Kevin Marion, who had a 98-yard kickoff return last week against North Carolina. Marion leads the nation at 38 yards per kickoff return.
“Marion’s numbers are incredible,” Groh said. “He clocked 10.2 in the 100 meters. Who in college football runs that?
“The kickoff return that he had last week was over and done before it got started.”

 

Cavs: No Wake-up call necessary
Cavs are aware that stakes are high in date with Deacons
Saturday, Nov 03, 2007 - 12:05 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- If the University of Virginia football team wants to play for more than bragging rights when Virginia Tech comes to town Nov. 24, the Cavaliers probably need to win today.

Tech, of course, won Thursday night in Atlanta to pull into a tie for first with U.Va. in the ACC's Coastal Division. Each team is 4-1 in conference play, with three games left apiece.

The Hokies play host to Florida State on Nov. 10 and Miami on Nov. 17, and U.Va. can't count on Tech losing either game at Lane Stadium. Nor can the Cavs count on winning Nov. 10 at the Orange Bowl, where the atmosphere promises to be raucous for the Hurricanes' final appearance there.

All of which makes it virtually impossible to overstate the importance for Virginia of its clash with defending ACC champion Wake Forest this afternoon at sold-out Scott Stadium.

If the Wahoos beat Wake today, they'll be assured of playing for at least a share of the Coastal title Nov. 24. If Virginia loses today, the Hokies could well have the Coastal clinched by the time they get to Charlottesville.

U.Va., which is idle Nov. 17, hasn't lost much this season. After falling at Wyoming on opening day, Virginia won seven straight before losing last weekend at N.C. State. That's a game the Cavaliers want to put behind them.

"We try to do that with wins," said sophomore defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald, "so we definitely have to do it with a loss."

The ACC's hottest team is second-ranked Boston College, which is 8-0 overall and leads the Atlantic Division with a 4-0 mark. Also sizzling is Wake (4-1, 6-2), though that wasn't the case in early September. The Demon Deacons opened with a loss at BC, then fell at home to Nebraska.

"We were a pretty stressed-out football team [early in the season]," Wake coach Jim Grobe said.

The Deacons were anything but anxious in 2006. Picked to finish last in the Atlantic, they felt little pressure during their improbable run to the ACC title. They came into this season, however, with something to prove.

"We didn't want to be seen as a football team that got it done last year and fell on our faces this year," Grobe said.

That's no longer a possibility.

"They're the defending ACC champions, and as such present to us certainly our most challenging task of the year," Virginia coach Al Groh said.

The Cavaliers should be healthier today than a week ago in Raleigh, N.C., where players such as cornerback Chris Cook, fullback Rashawn Jackson and tight end Tom Santi missed the game with injuries. All are likely to play today, as are quarterback Jameel Sewell and offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, who had medical issues that sidelined them late in the game.

Even if U.Va. is close to full strength, though, Wake will have a decided advantage in team speed today. Of particular concern for Groh are seniors Kenny Moore and Kevin Marion.

Moore, who lines up at wide receiver, also runs the ball and returns punts and, occasionally, kickoffs. He leads Wake with 1,136 all-purpose yards.

Marion leads the nation in kickoff returns, with an average of 33.9 yards. Against North Carolina last weekend, Marion returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter. He ran one back 83 yards to the UNC 14 in the fourth. One play later, tailback Josh Adams scored.

"How are you going to win a game when a guy runs two back for touchdowns?" Groh said. "That's essentially what he did last week."

In all, the Deacons have scored nine non-offensive touchdowns this year, including seven on defense.

"That's pretty spectacular," Groh said, "and that's how seasons are made."
 

Cavaliers set to face 'Grobe Ball'
Wake Forest can score points in unconventional ways.
Doug Doughty

As if Virginia hadn't heard enough about football teams that make a living off defense and special teams, now the Cavaliers get to see another version of Beamer Ball.

Wake Forest hasn't shown the same kind of kick-blocking ability as Virginia Tech to date, but the Demon Deacons (6-2 , 4-1 ACC) have scored nine non-offensive touchdowns this season.

"That's pretty spectacular and that's how seasons are made," said UVa coach Al Groh, whose Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1) play host to Wake at noon today at Scott Stadium. "Especially with the parity and competitiveness in football now, it's seldom about domination.

"Last year, the Chicago Bears rode a season of that with the Devin Hester returns and defensive takeaways and rode that to the Super Bowl. While I'm not familiar with the Chicago situation this year, I know their record's not the same."

Virginia has one non-offensive touchdown this season. Virginia Tech, whose opportunistic style has been dubbed "Beamer Ball" after coach Frank Beamer, has six.

"Special teams, for all the coaching and schemes that we do, the key component's got to be outstanding players, most particularly the kickers and return men," Groh said.

Wake has the returning All-ACC place-kicker, Sam Swank, who is 11-for-12 on field goals this season. His only miss was from 57 yards.

"He causes you to play a very small field on defense," Groh said. "Given his range, when the ball hits your 35-yard line, they're in position to score points. That's a tough deal on any defense.

"Every time you kick the ball to [Kenneth] Moore and [Kevin] Marion, there's a chance they're going to score. So, it's a very iffy and tense situation with those kick plays."

Moore, who twice has caught 15 passes in a game this season, also has a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown. Marion had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week in the Deacons' 37-10 victory over North Carolina and set up another TD with an 83-yard return.

"On one of the ones he took back last week, he was in the other end zone so quick that you could hardly blink," Groh said. "There was hardly a contact made. He saw an opening before a block was made and, wham, it was seven points for the Deacons."

In past years, Groh could have defended against Marion by having his kickoff specialist sail the ball deep into the end zone for touchbacks.

Few teams have that luxury now that the placement of the ball for kickoffs has been moved from the 35-yard line to the 30.

"When Kurt [Smith] was kicking them from the 35-yard line for us, you could have brought Devin Hester in and it wasn't that great a worry because the ball wasn't coming out," Groh said.

Indeed, when Virginia visited Miami and Hester in 2005, Smith kicked off from the UVa 20 following a penalty and still reached the end zone.

Twenty-one of Chris Gould's 42 kickoffs were not returned last year. This year, there have been six touchbacks in Gould's 44 kickoffs.

"Now every kick is covered," Groh said. "That's what every team is finding. I can't remember the last time we had a touchback when we were receiving. Even when guys might have stayed in [the end zone] in the past, they're coming out because the cover guys have to run 5 yards further."

It has been so long since the last Virginia-Wake Forest game that UVa offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham is the only player from either team who got on the field in 2003. Cunningham started five games as a true freshman that year before redshirting in 2004.

Virginia prevailed that day, 27-24, on the second of two Connor Hughes field goals in the final two minutes. It was Virginia's 19th victory in 20 games against Wake, which lost 17 straight games to UVa before a 34-30 victory at Scott Stadium in 2001.

That game marked the return to Charlottesville of Virginia alumnus Jim Grobe, whose first year as Wake head coach coincided with Groh's first season at UVa, also his alma mater.

Their careers have paralleled in other ways. Groh's first job as a college coach was at Wake, where he served from 1981-86. The Deacons traditionally have had one of the ACC's most downtrodden programs, posting 10 losing records in 13 seasons before Grobe took them to an ACC championship and an 11-3 season in 2006.
 

Beware the blinking message light
Peerman injury ''not career-threatening''
By Doug Doughty

The best days, I like to tell sports editor Jeff Gilbert, are the days when you arrive at work in the morning and the message light on the telephone is not blinking.

Still, there are times when even the most obnoxious voice mails provide comic relief.

“Way to go, moron,” was the message left by a mail caller at 8:53 a.m. Thursday.

OK, I thought, some Virginia Tech fan wasn’t happy with my Fearless Forecasters pick of Georgia Tech to beat the Hokies on Thursday night.

(It’s never about what we write at this time of year. It’s all about who we pick, even for those of us who have a relatively lousy track record).

But, no, this wasn’t about Virginia Tech or about any of my picks.

“Way to go, moron,” I’m repeating for emphasis. “Once again, you continue to show your ignorance toward West Virginia and how you slander them. You’re such an ---hole.

“No wonder, nobody likes you or reads you much. Bye.”

If I had picked against West Virginia, maybe it would have made sense. But, the Mountaineers don’t play this weekend.

“They played Rutgers last week,” my wife pointed out.

And, I picked West Virginia.

At no point was West Virginia mentioned in either of my two stories in Thursday’s paper.

My father attended West Virginia University during the depression, I was a West Virginia fan till I went to college, our closest friends in the neighborhood are West Virginia fans.

The caller did not leave a name, but the voice message had a phone number that I decided to call Friday morning. I had received an earlier message from the same number in October.

When the phone picked up, there was a recording at the other end: “You have reached the VA [Veterans’ Administration] Medical Center.”

If he calls again, I hope I’m in the office to speak with him.

I’m not arguing about the “moron” part but I really have nothing against West Virginia.

WHILE ATTEMPTING to tape my call from the VA, I inadvertently taped over – a common occurrence – a conversation I had Thursday with William Campbell High School football coach Brad Bradley.

Bradley coached University of Virginia running back Cedric Peerman in high school and I thought he might have some insight into the foot injury that now has sidelined Peerman for three full games and most of a fourth.

UVa coach Al Groh usually is not very forthcoming about injuries, but Groh actually shed some light on the subject Thursday, when he said Peerman’s injury involved a ligament.

“I’ve talked to [Peerman] about four or five times,” Bradley said. “He’s the kind of person who takes things as they are. Whatever happens in his life, he knows that things happen for a reason. He’s still upbeat. He actually called me [Thursday].

“It’s unfortunate. I feel bad for him He was having such a good year and now, all of a sudden, he’s missed three games. I don’t know if he’ll be back. I have a feeling that something will be said soon, either way.

“At the beginning, I don’t think anybody knew how bad it was. To be honest with you, I don’t think people know now. He could be out for the season, but there’s a chance he could be back. I know what’s going on, but I don’t feel comfortable talking about.

“He’s not my kid. I mean, he is my kid, but he’s not my football player anymore. Whether he comes back this year or next spring or this summer or whenever it is, this is something he’ll definitely be back from.

“You don’t ever want to jeopardize a kid and it may be one of those situations where they don’t want to bring him back before they know he’s healthy. Cedric, I think, is just starting to learn what’s going on. One thing I will say is, I know it’s not career-threatening.”

DON’T ASSUME THAT Virginia Tech is taking football commitments without regard for the 25-scholarship NCAA limit.

The coaches “meet about it every day,” I’ve been told.

Wide receiver Ben Barber from Edison High School in Alexandria was the 24th player to commit and the Hokies are involved with at least six more uncommitted in-state prospects.

They are quarterback Marcus Davis and wide receiver Randall Dunn from Ocean Lakes in Virginia Beach, running back Kevin Whaley from Virginia Beach, running back Ryan Williams from Woodbridge and offensive linemen Vinston Painter from Maury in Norfolk and Jimmy Bennett from West Potomac.

(It’s hard to see Williams and Whaley, the state’s top two running backs, going to the same school).

The 24 commitments include three from players who are planning to enroll in January. If possible, they could go against the Hokies’ 2007 quota. Another two or three might not qualify. It also has been reported that Barber could enroll either this January or next January, although it is rare for a Virginian to graduate in December.

So, the groundwork is in place for Tech to take as many as 30 commitments, but don’t think the Hokies aren’t watching the situation closely.

THE ABOVE-MENTIONED DUNN, perhaps the fastest-rising prospect in the state, will be at Virginia today for the Cavaliers’ game with Wake Forest. So will Phoebus High School two-way standout Reid Evans, described by one college assistant (not from Virginia) as “maybe the best football player in the state.”

Dunn has scholarship offers from UVa and Tech, which he concedes is his favorite. Evans could get an offer from the Cavaliers Saturday.
 

Cavaliers aim to put brakes on Wake's speed demons
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© November 3, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Perhaps no play demonstrates how much things have changed at Wake Forest more than a first-down run against Florida State last month.

On the play, destined to be a YouTube favorite for Wake fans, tailback Josh Adams takes an off-tackle handoff and runs right. He slithers through an opening and bursts into the secondary, where he does something rarely seen from Wake Forest players in the past: He sprints away from a pair of Seminole safeties on the way to an 83-yard touchdown.

It was an eye-opening play. Not so long ago, Wake Forest players just didn't run away from Florida State players.

They do now. And with Wake coming to Virginia today, the Deacons' speed looms as a major concern for the Cavaliers as they try to get back on track after N.C. State ended their seven-game winning streak last week.

"This'll be close up there as one of the fastest teams we play this year," coach Al Groh said.

This might be news to Cavalier fans, whose team hasn't played Wake since 2003. Back then, the primary challenge was dealing with the Deacons' crisply executed misdirection running game. Wake still runs some misdirection sleight-of-hand, but has mixed in a short passing game. The Deacons have also added the big-play threat that comes with speed.

If Adams' run wasn't enough of an attention-getter, consider the performance of kick returner Kevin Marion against North Carolina last week. Marion returned one 98 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and another 83 yards in the fourth. He leads the nation at 33.9 yards per return.

Marion, who has run the 100 meters in 10.2 seconds, is one of the fastest players in the nation. Wake has other burners as well. Receiver Kenneth Moore leads the ACC in receptions and cornerback Alphonso Smith has returned three interceptions for touchdowns this year.

"We have some fast guys," Marion said. "They're not beating me, but they're fast."

Speed has often been the undoing of Virginia's defense in recent years. The Cavaliers allowed six touchdowns of 50 yards or more last year. This year, a more experienced unit has allowed just one.

Virginia's kick coverage also has been good. The Cavaliers rank second in the ACC and limited N.C. State's dangerous Darrell Blackman to 70 yards on three kickoff returns last week.

Marion's past four returns have gone for 98, 83, 80 and 46 yards, an average of 76.7 yards. His 98-yard return last week, "was over and done before it got started," Groh said.

So were the Tar Heels, who fell 37-10.

Wake has nine non-offensive touchdowns, supplementing an offense that can keep teams guessing with its multiple alignments and misdirection trickery. In addition to his 60 receptions, Moore is averaging 8.4 yards on 28 carries, mostly on end-around s.

It's a lot for a defense to keep track of, end Jeffrey Fitzgerald said.

"You've got to maintain your position and don't run toward the ball and lose containment, because they'll reverse field in a heartbeat and that can turn into a big play," he said.

Particularly with so many fleet-footed players. Virginia might as well get used to it. The Cavaliers close the season against Miami and Virginia Tech, two of the conference's faster teams.

Despite last week's stumble, the Cavaliers would remain atop the Coastal Division standings with a win today, setting up a final round-robin among Virginia, Virginia Tech and Miami over the season's next three weeks.

"We hold our destiny in our hands," fullback Josh Zidenberg said.

Provided they can keep their hands on Wake today.
 

Cavs look to shut down Demon Deacons
Virginia aims to snap Wake Forest's six-game winning streak.
BY MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4630
6:37 PM EDT, November 2, 2007
 

There are two things Virginia defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald would like to accomplish today against Wake Forest.

First, there's the small matter of rebounding from last weekend's loss at N.C. State and staying atop the race for the ACC Coastal Division title. But something else is on Fitzgerald's mind as the Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1 ACC), ranked 23rd in the Bowl Championship Series standings, prepare to face the Demon Deacons (6-2, 4-1 ACC), whose six-game winning streak has them ranked 24th in the BCS and No. 21 by The Associated Press.

"We haven't had a shutout this whole season, so we're trying to focus on that," Fitzgerald said.

The Demon Deacons' speedy, multi-look offense will make that a difficult goal. Wake is putting up 30 points a game, third in the ACC, and averaging 345 yards of offense.

While Wake still uses misdirection plays and multiple formations to average 151 rushing yards per game, it's matured beyond an option-focused attack and takes full advantage of quarterback Riley Skinner's skill in the pocket. Skinner, completing 72 percent of his passes, is on pace to set an ACC record, and wide receiver Kenneth Moore leads the league and is tied for third in the country with 7.5 catches per game for an average of 11 yards.

"In watching (our game against them in) '03, there was an awful lot of out-of-the-pocket passing and some option plays," U.Va. coach Al Groh said. "Now those things have been replaced by the pocket passing of Skinner. ... He clearly is a player that the other players draw from."

Groh's concerns don't stop with Skinner. He also frets about Wake's team speed, its nine non-offensive touchdowns this season (five interception returns, two fumble returns, one punt return and one kickoff return), and its stellar special teams play. Kevin Marion's 34-yard kick return average leads the ACC, while stalwart kicker Sam Swank has made 11 of his 12 field goals, with a long kick of 52 yards.

"They're very well-coached (and) they don't beat themselves," Groh said. "There is a specific way they want to play and that's how they are going to play. Nothing's going to change it."

While the Deacs, who last lost to Nebraska on Sept. 8, will be looking to extend their winning streak to seven games, Virginia will try to bounce back after its seven-game string ended with a 29-24 loss in Raleigh, N.C., that dropped it from the AP and the USA Today coaches' polls.

"It's unacceptable to give up 29 points to anybody," Cavs cornerback Vic Hall said. "It's our job to keep the points down. That's what we've got to work for this week."

Under head coach Jim Grobe, a Virginia graduate in his seventh year at Wake, the Deacons are 35-13 when scoring 24 or more points. When held below 24 points, Wake is 8-24.

"They're a very quick team, so we just have to focus on maintaining our position, not always running toward the ball and losing contain if you have that responsibility, because they'll reverse fields in a heartbeat, and that could turn into a big play," Fitzgerald said.

While Skinner's completion percentage is impressive, he's also been prone to mistakes. He's thrown nine interceptions to go with his six touchdown passes, but he's only been sacked 11 times the same number of sacks as U.Va. defensive end Chris Long boasts this season.

Long's league-leading sack total hasn't gone unnoticed in Winston-Salem.

"It's a great challenge," Wake sophomore offensive tackle Jeff Griffin said. "We've been watching him on film all week. No one can really contain this guy." Wake is chasing Boston College (8-0, 4-0) in the ACC Atlantic Division, and the Cavs need to win to pull back ahead of Virginia Tech (7-2, 4-1), which forged a first-place tie atop the Coastal standings with a 27-3 win at Georgia Tech on Thursday. The division winners face off on Dec. 1 in Jacksonville for the conference championship, which Wake won last season with a 9-6 victory against Georgia Tech.

"Clearly they have established that they're the team to beat, and until somebody does so, they are the champions," Groh said. "We like the challenge, but we certainly see this as a significant challenge."

 

A Game of Impact: Result will have an effect on both ACC divisions
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER

Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest said he occasionally hears a player call his coach by his first name and just shakes his head.

“That always amazes me they can do that,” Grobe said. “To me, it’s always Coach. I always respect and look up to people that I played for.”

That’s why Grobe still calls Al Groh of Virginia “Coach,” even though it has been 34 years since he played for Groh at Virginia. It was 1973. Grobe, having just transferred from Ferrum Junior College, was sitting out as a redshirt linebacker. Groh was a 29-year-old assistant coaching the defensive line.

“Anytime I’ve had a guy that’s coached me, I never see myself on the same level,” Grobe said. “I don’t know why.

“You always put your old coaches on pedestals. That’s just the way it always is for me.”

Grobe’s chore today is to knock Groh’s team off its pedestal atop the ACC’s Coastal Division when the teams meet at 12:10 at Scott Stadium. The Cavaliers, at 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the conference, are the surprise ACC team of 2007. The Deacons were the surprise ACC team of 2006, and today’s game will have major implications in both divisions.

Grobe’s Deacons have won six straight to remain very much in the title picture. Wake Forest, ranked for the first time this season at No. 21 in The Associated Press poll, is 6-2 overall and second in the Atlantic Division at 4-1.

The Deacons still will need help, given that first-place Boston College - ranked No. 2 and 8-0 overall - beat Wake Forest in the season opener and is 4-0 in conference play. But the way Grobe sees it, his team can’t be helped if it can’t help itself.

“It’s good that we’re where we are right now,” Grobe said. “To start 0-2 and then work your way back into the Top 25 is a pretty good accomplishment.

“It’s taken a lot of hard work. I’m proud of our kids. They know that.

“But they know we’ve got a lot of work left to do.”

Groh didn’t appear to be on the most solid footing at Virginia after last season’s team finished 5-7 with a season-ending 17-0 loss at Virginia Tech. Virginia was picked to finish fourth in its division this season, ahead of North Carolina and Duke.

But with defensive end Chris Long, quarterback Jameel Sewell and running back Cedric Peerman leading them, the Cavaliers rebounded from a season-opening 23-3 loss at Wyoming to win their next seven games. Along the way, Peerman was knocked out by a foot injury that might sideline him for the rest of the season, but sophomore Mikell Simpson stepped in to gain 119 yards against Maryland and 81 against N.C. State.

Sewell was also lost for the final seven minutes of Saturday’s 29-24 loss to the Wolfpack because of cramps, but he has recovered and is back in the lineup. He’s statistically unimpressive enough to rank last in the ACC with a pass-efficiency rating of 113.9, but he has made big play after big play with his arm and his legs.

Sewell, a 6-3, 226-pound sophomore, has rushed for 153 yards. And he appears to be getting sharper passing after completing 24 of 43 for 260 yards against the Wolfpack.

He also threw two interceptions, giving him seven for the season compared to nine touchdowns.

“He’s by far the most mobile quarterback we’ll play,” Grobe said. “He does some of his best work when he’s on the move, especially out of the pocket.

“He’s got the real good foot speed to run and hurt you when he gets out of the pocket. But he’s really good at keeping his eyes downfield to find receivers. So we’ve got to do a good job trying to contain him, trying to keep him in there.

“And when he takes off, we’d better rally a lot of guys around because you don’t see anybody tackle him one-on-one. He’s a very mobile quarterback.”

Long, whose father, Howie, is in the NFL Hall of Fame, is the kind of defensive lineman who can dominate a game. He has 55 tackles, 16 of them for losses and 11 for sacks.

Virginia is promoting Long as a candidate for the Heisman Trophy.

“Defensive guys just tend to like to have guys like Chris Long in the huddle,” Grobe said. “That just makes you feel good to have guys like that around.

“Not only is he a really good player, but he gets everybody fired up. He’s an emotional leader. There’s just a certain level of comfort knowing that guy is around. You know he’s going to make some big plays, and you know he’s going to keep your defense playing at a high level all the time.”

 

UVa, Wake are unfamiliar rivals
By Andy Bitter
Lynchburg News & Advance
November 2, 2007

CHARLOTTESVILLE - For being in the same conference, Virginia and Wake Forest sure aren't too familiar with each other.
It's been four years since the schools last met in football, when the Cavaliers pulled out a 27-24 win on a late field goal by Connor Hughes at Scott Stadium.

How long ago was it? Well, the last time they took the same field, Matt Schaub was UVa's quarterback and Wake Forest was an ACC afterthought.

"It's like a non-conference game," Virginia coach Al Groh said.

A lot has changed in the last four years. Wake Forest (6-2, 4-1 ACC) is the defending conference champion. Virginia (7-2, 4-1 ACC) is on its fourth quarterback since Schaub went to the NFL. And the conference now has a championship game that both teams have set their sights on.

Wake Forest has proven not to be a one-year wonder, winning six straight since starting the season 0-2. The Deacons are a game back in the loss column to Boston College in the Atlantic Division (though the deficit is even bigger since BC won the head-to-head matchup).

Wake is averaging 32.2 points in conference games, tops in the ACC. Riley Skinner has been efficient at quarterback, completing 72 percent of his passes and getting the ball to playmakers like speedy wideout Kenneth Moore, who has 656 receiving yards and 37 percent of the team's receptions.

And the Deacons' defense has been opportunistic, with seven interception and fumble returns for touchdowns this year.

Most important, Wake knows what it is and what it isn't.

"They're very well coached (and) they don't beat themselves," Groh said. "There is a specific way they want to play and that's how they are going to play. Nothing's going to change it."

The proof is in the results: 11-3 in ACC play the last two years with a conference championship.

"They should be everyone's target because they're the most recent champions," UVa fullback Josh Zidenberg said. "Whether they've won as many championships as Florida State isn't real important in my eyes. It's what they did this past year. To me, they are the top dog."

Virginia, which had its seven-game winning streak come to an end at N.C. State last week, is trying to be this year's Wake Forest. Picked fourth in the Coastal Division in the preseason, the Cavaliers have won five games by a touchdown or less and are currently tied for first place with Virginia Tech.

The Deacons had five wins by a touchdown or less in conference play last year, including a 9-6 victory over Georgia Tech in the ACC championship game.

To win today, the Cavaliers will need to get their defense back on track. N.C. State gained 431 yards in last week's 29-24 victory, a number defensive end Chris Long said after the game was "unacceptable."

The Demon Deacons, who Groh puts near the top in the ACC in terms of offensive speed, should present a formidable challenge, particularly with the number of formations they employ.

"I think they have probably the most explosive offense we've played so far," UVa cornerback Vic Hall said.

With remaining games against Wake Forest and the Coastal Division's other top two teams, Miami and Virginia Tech, Virginia's place in the conference will determined in the next three weeks.

"We still hold our own destiny in our hands," Zidenberg said. "Like Coach Groh has said, we're all 0-0. We basically have a three-game playoff coming up."


 

New-look Deacons visit Cavs
November 3, 2007 12:35 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

CHARLOTTESVILLE--Virginia football fans may have a hard time recognizing the Wake Forest team that visits sold-out Scott Stadium today at noon.

Through a quirk in the expanded Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, the Cavaliers haven't faced the Demon Deacons since a 27-24 victory in 2003. That was long before Wake Forest evolved into an ACC power.

Virginia has won 19 of the past 20 meetings with Wake, and it had a 17-game winning streak over the Demon Deacons from 1984-2000.

But last season, Wake Forest came out of nowhere to win the ACC championship.

This year, the Demon Deacons (6-2, 4-1 ACC) are riding a six-game winning streak and enter Charlottesville ranked No. 21 in the country. It's the fist time the Cavaliers have ever faced a ranked Wake Forest team.

"Clearly they have established that they're the team to beat [in the ACC]," Virginia head coach Al Groh said. "And until somebody does so, they are the champions."

The Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1) would like to call themselves champions, too.

They suffered their first ACC loss in a 29-24 setback to North Carolina State last week, but still control their destiny for a berth in the ACC championship game on Dec. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.

After today's game, the Cavaliers play Coastal Division foes Miami and Virginia Tech. They're battling the Hurricanes (5-3, 2-2) and Hokies (6-2, 4-1) for the division title.

"We still have our destiny in our hands," Cavaliers' sophomore cornerback Vic Hall said. "It's like we're all 0-0, with a three-game playoff coming up."

If the Miami and Virginia Tech games are going to carry as much weight as Hall is hoping, the Cavaliers may have to beat Wake Forest today.

But unlike in the past, that's not an easy task. The Demon Deacons have won 10 of their past 13 ACC games.

Groh said Wake is one of the fastest teams the Cavaliers have faced this season. The Deacons run a complex offense that features multiple formations and plenty of misdirection.

"They will reverse field in a heartbeat," Virginia sophomore defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald said.

And Wake Forest has the talent to pull it off.

Head coach Jim Grobe, a Virginia graduate, has been dedicated to redshirting his players, giving Wake Forest one of the ACC's most experienced teams with 15 senior starters.

Senior wide receiver Kenneth Moore (60 receptions, 656 yards, four touchdowns) leads the ACC in receptions and is second in receiving yards per game.

Running back Josh Adams is fourth in rushing (82.4 yards per game). Quarterback Riley Skinner is fourth in passing efficiency, completing 73 percent of his passes, while Kevin Marion leads the nation in kickoff return average (33.9).

After the Demon Deacons lost their first two games to Boston College and Nebraska, Grobe wasn't sure it was all going to come together. He said his players felt the pressure of not wanting to be a one-year wonder, and it showed on the field.

"We were a stressed-out football team at the start of the year," Grobe said. "We didn't want to be seen as a team that got it done last year and fell on our face this year."

The Cavaliers' defense should test Wake Forest today. Virginia is ranked 31st in the nation in total defense (327.4 yards per game), 22nd against the run (110 yards per game) and 25th in scoring defense (19.5 points per game).

The Cavaliers' loss last week snapped a seven-game winning streak, but Groh isn't concerned about his team's morale because it bounced back after a season-opening defeat to Wyoming.

"That resiliency, determination and sense of purpose is pretty well the set personality of this team," Groh said.

 

'Little Old Wake Forest' Is on a Big Tear
By Adam Kilgore
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, November 3, 2007; Page E10

When the Wake Forest football team lost its first two games this season, a nasty thought crept into players' minds: What if all those critics who decried the Demon Deacons as flukes or frauds were right?

Wake Forest stunned traditional powerhouses last season by winning the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, but the triumph did little to change the perception of the program. It was still "little old Wake Forest," center Steve Justice said during the preseason of the smallest school in the six Bowl Championship Series conferences. This season would not only be a title defense for the Demon Deacons, but also a chance to validate their magical 2006 run.

After two games, even some of the Demon Deacons doubted they could do so. But playing outside of the national spotlight, Wake Forest has quietly climbed back into the ACC championship picture by winning six straight. As the Demon Deacons prepare to play Virginia at noon today, this season is suddenly beginning to feel an awful lot like last season.

"We're coming through and beating some of the teams a lot of people didn't think we'd beat, or a lot of teams we didn't think we'd beat, looking at their talent," Justice said. "You look back and you're like, 'This is a pretty good year already.' "

It could become even better, but the Demon Deacons need help from Boston College's opponents. Wake Forest, at 4-1 in the ACC, is only a half-game behind 4-0 BC in the Atlantic Division. But because the Eagles defeated Wake Forest in the season opener, the Demon Deacons must finish with a better record to win the division and return to the ACC title game. Wake Forest, at minimum, needs BC to stumble twice in its final four games.

The turnaround garnered respect around the conference and served notice that last season was not a "one-shot wonder," Justice said. Still, despite the fact that the Demon Deacons are 11-3 in their past 14 conference games, their rivals still don't know quite what to make of them.

"I don't think they still think of us as the old Wake Forest, just pretty much the cupcake," defensive end Jeremy Thompson said. "And they don't think of us as the big, bad Wake Forest that won the ACC last year. Teams have respect for us now because we won games. But then again, most of the players on our team, other teams didn't want. They're not looking at us like we're intimidating."

Catching BC may be improbable, but so is how Wake Forest arrived at 6-2. Trailing Maryland 24-3 late in the third quarter, things looked bleak for the Demon Deacons. An embarrassing home loss. A 1-3 record. An 0-2 start in a conference they had won the previous season.

Wake Forest transformed its season with one play. Cornerback Alphonso Smith intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it for a 100-yard touchdown. A scoring pass with three seconds remaining sent the game to overtime, where Wake Forest won, 31-24. Players discovered last season's success didn't have to be an albatross; it could be a reference point.

"I don't think we would have been able to do that if we didn't have the experience of last year," Thompson said. "We're drawing from that experience."

Wake Forest often receives credit for precise execution and a team-as-family attitude, but emphasizing its pluck may do a disservice to the Demon Deacons' athleticism. Virginia linebacker Jon Copper called Wake Forest "probably the fastest team we've played." Kick returner Kevin Marion, who weighs 168 pounds, ran on the Wake Forest 4x100 relay team that won the ACC championship, and he also set the school record in the long jump.

Wake Forest Coach Jim Grobe doesn't recruit speedy players as much as he cultivates them. He studies film of players with quickness who he thinks will train hard enough to become faster. Then he redshirts nearly every player, giving them more time to improve their speed.

The understated style rarely invites attention, and Wake Forest receives little for a defending champion that has played its way back into contention.

"I think we kind of like that," Thompson said.
 

Demon Deacons get fresh look at long-time rival By Rob Daniels
Staff Writer
Saturday, Nov. 3, 2007 3:00 am
NO. 21 WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA
When: Noon today
Where: Scott Stadium, Charlottesville, Va.
Records: Wake Forest 6-2 overall, 4-1 ACC; Virginia 7-2, 4-1

TV: WXLV-45 CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Perhaps some introductions are in order.

Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe knows this place, having played in Charlottesville as a Virginia Cavalier in the early 1970s. But thanks to ACC expansion, the Cavaliers and Demon Deacons haven't squared off since 2003, the league's final season as a nine-member conference.

More than 150 players will be in uniform today, but only one, UVa guard Ian-Yates Cunningham, has taken part in this series. A true freshman back then, he's still around because he had back surgery in 2004 and redshirted that season. He's nearly a year into a master's degree program.

If you think that's weird, try asking the Duke Blue Devils what it's like to face N.C. State. Those teams, separated by 18.4 miles, haven't met since 2003, and they won't be playing this season, either.

Today's game will be the 46th meeting between Wake Forest and Virginia.

"I miss playing UVa because I think we're a natural fit," Grobe said. "But at the same time, expansion has been good. I'm just glad our players at least have a chance to play the schools in the other division once while they're here. For our players, this is a new experience."

But it's hardly unique to the new ACC. Georgia and Alabama have been members of the Southeastern Conference for 75 years, but they managed to go six consecutive seasons (1996-2001) without seeing each other in football. Oklahoma and Nebraska, for years the only relevant two among what was the Big Eight, competed in 70 straight seasons, 1928-1997. By the end of that stretch, the Big Eight had become the Big 12, and the Huskers and Sooners were separated by divisional alignment. As a result, they faced off only four of the next nine regular seasons.

This sort of thing is an affront to traditionalists, who will have to get over it, and a mild nuisance to coaches, who can get scouting tape but have no recent experience against a conference opponent.

"How did we stop these guys the last time?" they might ask. That's a logical question without real precedent to provide an answer.

When these teams last met, Wake quarterback Riley Skinner was a high school junior with no idea where or if he would play college football. Back then, the Deacons' offense was heavy on the option, which has since been junked. Jordan Williams, a true freshman receiver for Wake, was 14. Only three of the Cavs' nine assistant coaches were with the team.

"We are catching up with Wake Forest," Virginia coach Al Groh said this week. "The systems from the last time we played them have undergone an evolution to accommodate the skills of their current players."

Until receiving a shipment of game film in the standard exchange, Wake had perused only one game involving Virginia this season. That was the Cavaliers' victory over Duke in the second week.

From a strategic standpoint, this is an interesting Cavaliers team. Quarterback Jameel Sewell, who missed the final minutes of last week's loss at N.C. State because of cramps, is an elusive scrambler whose passing targets have a nasty habit of getting hurt.

He is left throwing to a backup tight end, a walk-on at one wide receiver spot and a true freshman at another.

The stakes are easily identifiable for the Deacs, 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC. One more loss almost certainly would eliminate them from a return to the ACC championship game, but if they win out, an invitation to the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta is likely. Wake trails Boston College (8-0, 4-0) in the Atlantic Division and has lost to the Eagles.

UVa is tied with Virginia Tech for the Coastal Division lead at 4-1, and a head-to-head meeting with the Hokies on Nov. 24 means the Cavaliers can absorb one defeat in their next two outings and still get to the title game. But this one is the better bet. Next week, Virginia will play Miami in the Hurricanes' final appearance at the decrepit Orange Bowl.