Peerman out for season
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 6, 2007

What was feared has become a reality.

Virginia coach Al Groh confirmed Monday night that running back Cedric Peerman will not play again this season, according to published report on ESPN’s web site.

Peerman injured ligaments his right foot early in a game against Middle Tennessee State on Oct. 6. He has not played since and remains on crutches.

Prior to that road contest, Peerman led the ACC in rushing and will apparently finish his junior season with 585 yards on the ground and five touchdowns.

“He was leading the conference in rushing when he got hurt, but he was more than that," Groh told ESPN.com writer Mark Schlabach in a one-on-one interview. “Lots of guys can carry the ball and do it effectively, but there are a few backs that kind of carry the flag for the team. ... They energize and excite everyone around them with their energy and their toughness.

“Cedric was the right back for this team. He wasn’t going to be a Heisman Trophy winner and there are more spectacular backs, but he was the perfect back for this team.”

Groh has not said publicly if Peerman’s injury would require surgery, but left that open as a possibility.

Virginia plays at Miami on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN2.

 

Sintim stays focused on now
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 6, 2007

Kai Parham followed his heart after the 2005 season.

That’s why the former Virginia inside linebacker tossed his name into the NFL Draft with a season of eligibility remaining.

Parham, who went undrafted, had his degree in hand and was ready for another chapter in his life - for better or worse.

Clint Sintim, Virginia’s top outside linebacker, will be in a similar situation in several months. A redshirt junior, Sintim is nearing the completion of work for his degree in anthropology.

His best friend and roommate, Chris Long, will soon be gone, playing for pay.

But without hesitation, Sintim said he sees himself in a Virginia uniform when Southern Cal invades Scott Stadium in August.

“I will definitely be back,” Sintim said.

The reasons are endless - and they wear different jersey numbers.

Virginia (8-2, 5-1 ACC), prepping for Saturday night’s game at Miami (6-3, 2-3 ACC), has only five seniors on the two-deep on defense.

Flashing his trademark smile when asked about 2008, Sintim called a timeout.

“When next year comes we will deal with next year,” he chuckled. “Right now I am just happy that we beat Wake.”

Given what lies ahead for the nation’s 23rd-ranked team, Sintim’s answer made sense. But the success that Sintim and his teammates have enjoyed over the past two months should not be overlooked.

“This year, by far, is one of the best years that I have ever had in football,” Sintim said. “I have played football for quite a while and just being around all of these guys and doing just what we do -just winning games - makes it a really special year.

“I really see us building upon that and doing much more to make it an even better year.”

Sintim prefers to talk about others. It’s just his nature. But after registering a career-best 11 tackles, he could have bragged about himself.

Instead, Sintim’s body language was not altered when Virginia media relations guru Michael Colley pointed out the tackling figure after Saturday’s 17-16 win over Wake.

“Oh, look at that,” Sintim said.

Virginia coach Al Groh is not as subdued when discussing his 248-pound monster, a player that drew unwarranted negative criticism upon arrival.

“Clint has been a lot of fun to be involved with from the start,” Groh said. “When he first started there were people around questioning his intensity and his work ethic to the point where right now we go to practice or the weight room and he is a working machine.”

It has carried over onto the field - Sintim ranks 29th in the ACC in tackles and has five sacks.

“He is playing with the same kind of effort in the game,” the coach said. “He is a very high-effort player, and a player with a high level of endurance. He has really invested a lot in being able to develop that.

“It’s probably just the type of overall general maturity, football player-wise and individually, that’s very reinforcing to be able to observe.”

 

Cavs soon to catch break
Virginia will meet Hokies on Nov. 24 after late-season bye
Tuesday, Nov 06, 2007 - 12:06 AM Updated: 09:58 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE - It's almost here for the University of Virginia football team.

A weekend off.

After their Saturday-night date with the Miami Hurricanes at the Orange Bowl, the 23rd-ranked Cavaliers won't play again until Nov. 24, when Virginia Tech visits Scott Stadium for the regular-season finale.

Of the 12 football teams in the ACC, only one has yet to have a bye: U.Va. The first team from the conference to have a weekend off was Florida State, which was idle Sept. 22. Georgia Tech and Miami were Nos. 10 and 11, respectively, on Oct. 27.

A season ago, Virginia's bye came Nov. 11. Only one team in the ACC - Clemson - had a later bye date in 2006.

Coaches like bye weeks for several reasons. A weekend off means extra time for injured players to heal, extra time for healthy players to rest and extra time for coaching staffs to prepare for upcoming games and review their own strengths and weaknesses.

N.C. State was 1-5 after losing Oct. 6 at Florida State. Then came the Wolfpack's bye week, during which first-year coach Tom O'Brien placed a renewed emphasis on fundamentals in practice.

State has been a different team since returning to action. The Pack beat N.C. State on Oct. 20, U.Va. on Oct. 27 and Miami three days ago.

Virginia coach Al Groh said his team's schedule isn't "really a big deal." Still, Groh believes that "there probably should be a cutoff point by which all the teams in the conference have a bye. Probably, really none should occur before a certain date - like you play one game and get it; we've had that - and probably none should occur after a certain date."

If that were proposed to the ACC, Groh added, it's "easy to guess what the response would be: 'Well, with all our TV obligations, it's difficult to do that.' But TV obligations should not sway the competitive balance of a conference."

A complicating factor this season, said Mike Finn, an associate commissioner with the ACC, is Duke's Nov. 17 game against Notre Dame. If not for that game, the ACC could have scheduled six conference matchups Nov. 17, and U.Va. would have drawn an earlier bye date.

In 2008, the regular season will be a week longer - the first Saturday is Aug. 30, and the last is Nov. 29 - and each ACC team will have two open dates, Finn said.

Groh would be more concerned about his team's schedule if U.Va.'s season were not going so well. As the Cavaliers (5-1, 8-2) prepare to play for the 11th consecutive Saturday, they lead the Coastal Division and are relatively healthy. The late bye week will give Virginia additional time to prepare for Virginia Tech, which has won seven of the past eight games in the series.

"As it turns out, it'll probably be a good thing," Groh said.

 

UM to fans: Don't rip apart Orange Bowl
Posted on Mon, Nov. 05, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
Miami Herald staff report

Yes, Hurricane fans, we know you love the Orange Bowl -- and you will miss it. But you can't take it with you. Not even one fistful of sod.

So say University of Miami football coach Randy Shannon and university President Donna Shalala in a jointly issued plea for decorum to the ''university community.'' They asked that fans please not storm the field and grab things -- be they hunks of grass or chunks of goalpost -- after Saturday's 7:15 p.m. game against the Virginia Cavaliers.

The Virginia game will be the last played by the Hurricanes at their home for the past 70 years.

Next year they will play at Dolphin Stadium. As for the Orange Bowl, its long-term fate is murky.

''We hope you'll join us for the game, which will be broadcast on national television and will feature an exciting halftime show as well as other special activities to mark the historic occasion,'' the two said in an open letter. ``We are counting on all our fans to make the University proud in front of millions of viewers by displaying the highest level of spirit, sportsmanship and decorum. We certainly don't want to leave the Orange Bowl on a down note.''

In case some fans disregard their plea, Shalala and Shannon warned that there will be 300 Miami police officers on the field at the end of the game to ensure that no one tries to snatch a memento.

In addition to arrest, students would also face sanctions from the university, they said.



 

Singletary returns ready to rev up Cavaliers
With graduation of Reynolds, Cain, Virginia will look to Singletary, seniors to provide statistics, leadership
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

He's back.

With senior guard Sean Singletary's decision not to enter the NBA draft and to return to Virginia for the 2007-08 season, hopes are high among the Cavalier faithful that the team can repeat its outstanding run of last year. Under the guidance of coach Dave Leitao, Virginia achieved an overall record of 21-11, its first 20-plus win season since 2000-01. The Cavaliers went 11-5 in the ACC, their best conference record since 1994-95, which was good enough for a share of the ACC regular season crown. In addition, much to the delight of the thousands of fans who packed the John Paul Jones Arena, the team lost just one home game in its first year in the new facility while going undefeated at home in the ACC. The Cavaliers earned a four seed in the NCAA Tournament, and won their first-round game over Albany before falling to Tennessee in a 77-74 nail-biter in round two.

After leading Virginia out of mediocrity and into national prominence, Leitao was named ACC Coach of the Year and garnered the confidence of players and fans alike. Leitao, however, does not view last year's campaign in terms of the awards and accomplishments the team accrued.

"I look at the things that a season like that can do for our program," Leitao said. "Any pats on the back that players get or coaches may get, that comes and goes, but the long-lasting effect of what a season like that can do for a program is how I try to focus in on it and build off of [it]."

No one on the Virginia roster got more pats on the back than Singletary. After leading the team in scoring (19 points per game), assists (4.7 per game), three-point field goals (79) and steals (38), Singletary was described by Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg this year as the best returning guard in the ACC.

How does Singletary's presence on the court affect his teammates?

Aspects of play become "a lot easier," junior Mamadi Diane said. "A lot of times you'll find yourself wide open, and that comes off of playing with Sean and J.R. [Reynolds] and so much of the pressure being on them."

On top of what Singletary does for Virginia statistically, Leitao knows that he also has retained his best leader, both in games and in practice.

"Even beyond what I've talked about is his competitive spirit, his heart, desire," Leitao said. "We watch him practice, and it could be a lay-up drill, or a shooting drill or just five-on-five in practice, and his level of competition raises everybody else's level of competition.

With the graduation of Singletary's former backcourt mate J.R. Reynolds, however, all 10 eyes of the opposing defense will be on Singletary, as teams try to force the ball out of his hands. With the double-teams, traps and extra help that will likely be applied to Singletary, Leitao said, at times, Singeltary may not be the best option.

"I'm asking him to be more of a scorer, more of a playmaker, and all of those kinds of things, but at the same point in time we've got to ask him to be a little more unselfish too," Leitao said. "They'll pick him up early, they'll double-team him early, they'll try to take the ball out of his hands early in possessions, or at all times."

Helping Singletary on the court will be the veteran presence of three other seniors, Tunji Soroye, Ryan Pettinella and Adrian Joseph.

Adding to the team's excitement of Singletary's return is the knowledge that he is healthy going into the season: Singletary said he has not been 100 percent since he arrived at Virginia. The chance for him to completely recover this offseason after fighting through a laundry list of nagging injuries has left Singletary primed to handle the added pressure that Reynolds' graduation created.

"I've been doing a lot of lifting in my legs, a lot of conditioning, getting in shape," Singletary said. "Just working on my leg strength is one of the biggest things."

The Cavaliers kick off the regular season at home next Sunday afternoon, Nov. 11, at 2 p.m. against Vermont.

 

Don't put your money on the odds
Aaron Perryman

The odds were stacked against Virginia.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell's fumble during the first quarter probably cost the Cavaliers at least a field goal. Additionally, his completion percentage was below 50 percent on the day, worsened by several dropped passes by Cavalier receivers throughout the game. Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith blocked a punt during the second quarter that led to three points for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner completed 20 of 26 passes, and All-American place kicker Sam Swank swaggered into the game having missed just one fieldgoal all year -- and that was from 57 yards. Throw on top of that the fact that Wake Forest is the defending ACC champion and had won six consecutive games, and it looked as if the Cavaliers definitely should have lost Saturday.

But how did the Cardiac Cavs respond to the seemingly insurmountable odds? By pulling out another one-point win from the jaws of death, of course. Along the way, they set an NCAA record for the number of wins by two points or fewer with five. It seemed as if it was just another day at work for the Cavaliers.

"I think [winning close games] just comes naturally to us, as unnatural as a one-point win with that many mistakes might seem," defensive end Chris Long said.

The Cavaliers made their share of mistakes, but they were able to win the game by minimizing the damage done.

After Sewell's fumble in the first quarter, the defense could have folded with the huge momentum swing in Wake Forest's favor; instead, it forced a punt.

Following the blocked punt that led to Wake Forest's next possession, the defense found itself thrown quickly back on to the field with its back against the wall at its own 30-yard line. The players thought nothing of it and overwhelmed the Demon Deacon offense again -- forcing a field goal -- keeping the Wake Forest lead within three points at 6-3.

Last week, the defense came up short against N.C. State, but this week, it was the defense that won the game for Virginia. While the defense was waiting for Sewell and company to get a feel for the game during the first half, Long and his buddies calmly kept Wake Forest from scoring, forcing punt after punt.

The pass defense in particular had a very strong game, displaying its resiliency after being embarrassed last week by N.C. State quarterback Daniel Evans. Even though Skinner completed 76.9 percent of his passes, his completions went for only 175 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kenneth Moore, who was averaging more than seven receptions per game and 82.8 receiving yards per game, was limited to only five catches for 59 yards.

By the time the game came down to Wake Forest's final drive, the Cavalier defense was more than prepared to put up a fight.

"We knew the game was going to be on our shoulders," linebacker Clint Sintim said.

The fight came down to the of the final round as the Demon Deacons placed their fortunes on Swank's golden foot with two seconds left in the game.

With a chuckle, Sintim confessed after the game that he didn't know just how skilled a kicker Swank was as the kicker trotted out to try to trounce the hopes of Cavalier fans with a last-second, game-winning 47-yard field goal.

The All-American had not missed a field goal in the 40 to 49 yard range coming into the game and had already clanked one attempt from 43 yards off the left upright during the second quarter. In other words, he was probably going to make the kick, and the odds were once again not stacked in Virginia's favor. But we've learned this year that the Cavaliers have a way of defying the odds, haven't we?

It was clear that Swank had missed because as the kick went sailing through the air, the Hoos on the hill who had a good angle on the floating ball went nuts. Pandemonium erupted soon thereafter.

"I was praying the whole time," senior tight end Tom Santi said. "I kind of heard the crowd before I could tell [that he had missed]. That was very exciting."

Critics, fans and undoubtedly some students will think the Cavaliers were lucky to escape with another nail-biting win. But if you're a team that has won this many close games, maybe you're not lucky, but just good. It's time to embrace the fact that this team is good and always finds ways to win, whether it's the gritty defense, first-career touchdown and huge fourth-down conversion of wide receiver Maurice Covington, Sewell's engineering of the game-winning drive, or Santi and cornerback Chris Cook playing banged up and making contributions.

Another close win for the Cardiac Cavs is just another day at work. With a legitimate shot at going to the ACC Championship, fans should clock in with the players.

Be sure to bring your lunch pail.

 

Reserve backs do most with chances
Thomas, Mabry combine for 100 yards
By Craig Handel
chandel@news-press.com
Originally posted on November 06, 2007

CORAL GABLES — With freshmen Graig Cooper (hand) and Shawnbrey McNeal (sinus) unavailable early in Saturday's game against North Carolina State, junior TB Derron Thomas and sophomore FB Jerrell Mabry got some unexpected carries and did well.

Thomas saw action on the third series and he responded with a 54-yard run.

Thomas, who had 66 yards rushing, was part of an attack that had 311 yards on the ground.

"I just came out and got the ball and started right and went back left," Thomas. "We did a pretty good job of feeding off each other."

Mabry contributed 34 yards on five carries, including a 17-yard run. Two of his runs achieved first downs.

"We worked on it all season and we finally decided to put it in and run it," Mabry said. "I took advantage of my opportunities.

"It was the first time I ran the ball since high school. I went back to my old school days and played with instincts. The offensive line gave me blocks and running lanes."

HANGING TOUGH

Thought to be out for the season with a knee injury, junior DT Antonio Dixon got back on the field for the first time since Oct. 6 and played about 20 snaps Saturday.

"It's a blessing," Dixon said of playing. "I got pain, but I have to push through right now."

Dixon said losing is tougher.

"It's hard man," he said. "We worked our butts off the whole week, the whole year. To lose like this, it's hard."

With all the injuries, Dixon said, "There's a lot of stuff going on right now so we have to keep pushing."

Miami coach Randy Shannon said: "He was sore. He was supposed to be another two weeks out. ... He healed faster than what we expected. He should be a lot better this week than last week."

TOUGH LOVE

The only two plays sophomore WR Sam Shields got in for was when junior QB Kirby Freeman tried to lob two passes to him in the end zone in the final seconds. The passes fell incomplete.

"I touched it, bobbled it," Shields said. "The corner made a good play."

Why didn't Shields play more?

"Coach decided to go with another person," he said.

While the Hurricanes went primarily with senior WR Darnell Jenkins and two tight ends since the running game was working more, Shannon was upset again with Shields' practice habits. Shannon didn't plan to play him in the first half.

"It's always a growing process," Shannon said. "They're kids. If you don't discipline them they'll keep doing the same thing. Some will keep doing it even if you do discipline them. That's the thing with Sam. I talked to his daddy, he said, 'Hey coach, you're doing the right thing trying to make a man of my son.' It's not all about Sam. It's about doing the right things in life. Sam knows it."

ETC.

Miami's attendance average of 40,503 ranks No. 56 in Division I-A. ... Junior CB Carlos Armour (left knee) expects to play this week. ... Cooper moved past Frank Gore to No. 3 on the school's all-time freshman rushing mark (624 yards). ... Miami dropped just its seventh game in the last 205 when leading entering the fourth quarter.

 

Miami Hurricanes losing patience with Kirby Freeman
Hurricanes QB completed one pass Saturday
BY CRAIG HANDEL
FLORIDA TODAY ADVERTISEMENT

CORAL GABLES - The apocalypse must be nearing.

Navy beat Notre Dame.

Kansas scored 76 on Nebraska.

And Miami -- Quarterback U -- completed one pass in a 19-16 overtime loss to North Carolina State.

Next thing you know, pigs will fly and Greenland will start melting.

Well, that last one is happening.

"Welcome to college football and new millennium," Kansas coach Mark Mangino said.

Nothing is guaranteed anymore, nothing lasts forever.

Jim Kelly, Bernie Kosar, Vinny Testaverde, Craig Erickson, Steve Walsh, Gino Torretta, Ken Dorsey, they're all a distant memory right now.

Saturday, junior quarterback Kirby Freeman knew going in he was the guy. Senior Kyle Wright was only available in an emergency situation because of a sprained left ankle and knee. There was no other backup QB on scholarship available.

Freeman thought a good game would help him show he deserved to be the starter the rest of the way. Instead, he seemed to be overwhelmed by the pressure of having to step up.

"Kirby wasn't there ready to get us to win the game," Shannon said. "We were all confident he could go in and execute the game plan. It wasn't hard, but he made it more difficult than what it is."

Two weeks earlier, Freeman overcame an 0-for-8 start to throw the game-winning touchdown pass against Florida State. This time he started bad, completed an 84-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Darnell Jenkins, then didn't complete another pass in a 1-of-14 day with three interceptions.

"It baffles me," Shannon said. "He led us down the field against FSU, led us in the bowl game (last year), in Boston College. For him to be nervous, I don't know where it came from. He shouldn't have been nervous. He's done it before. He just had to execute. You rush for 314 yards, the game should be easy for you to dink and dunk, get it done that way.

"We ran some naked (bootlegs) with him, and guys were open and he chose not to throw the football. When throwing the ball away, we tell him to throw the ball in the ground and he throws it up high. I don't know if he was trying to make a play, where his mindset was. Coach (Patrick) Nix will go over his thought process."

Even Hurricanes' announcers and teammates have lost patience in Freeman.

When told about Miami's first series -- which included a 9-yard loss, an incomplete pass and two penalties, color commentator Don Bailey asked a bit sarcastically, "Well, who's quarterback?"

Former Miami quarterback Steve Walsh, who does post-game analysis, said he watched Freeman "flip out" while talking on the sidelines, then misread the coverage and threw a pick.

"When the team is running the ball that well, you have to manage the game," Walsh said.

When asked if he would've liked to have seen play-action passes at the end of the game and regulation, Jenkins said. "There's a lot of things I would've liked to see."

To complete one pass, "Is real shocking with the athletes we have," he added.

Jenkins added he tried to give Freeman a pep talk and that players went in believing in him.

"What happened was, guys were scared to make mistakes," he said. "It's better to go 100 percent and make a mistake than play scared and not go 100 percent."

Freeman didn't feel he was nervous and didn't want to blame his bruised ribs, which took a beating after his 84-yard TD pass.

"I just didn't have it," he said. "I tried as hard as I could. . . . trying to bring everything to the table, but it just didn't work out."

Earlier in the week, the always-candid Freeman talked about his season, which began with him as the starter. He now appears to be benched a second time, maybe for good.

Freeman talked about taking DVDs home and watching them for hours. When asked about seeing open players he missed, he said, "It absolutely drives me crazy. It's so much easier to see it on TV as opposed to sitting back there 6 yards from center and you got guys flying at you. I think, 'Golly, why didn't I see Javarris (James) leak out into the flat. I could've dropped the ball out to him for 15 yards and a first down.

"I'm my own worst critic. I get so upset at myself and it carries over to the practice and film room, on campus and at home."

And now, onto the football field.

 

Hurricanes chase bowl berth
Beating Virginia would make Miami eligible
By Craig Handel
chandel@news-press.com
Originally posted on November 05, 2007

CORAL GABLES — With playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game nearly impossible, University of Miami coach Randy Shannon said the goal now is getting one more win and getting in a bowl game.

Miami (5-4, 2-3 in ACC) will play its last home game Saturday against Virginia.
“Yeah, getting the seniors to a bowl game is the best thing,” Shannon said. “Going to a bowl is really (going out on) a good note.

“I can’t settle for it. We had our own destiny, controlled our own destiny. We didn’t. Now it’s in someone else’s hands. I’m not giving up on trying to win this conference, know it’s a little more difficult. We have to concentrate on going against Virginia, beating Virginia right now.”

Besides beating Virginia, then winning at Virginia Tech and Boston College, Miami would need Florida State to win at Virginia Tech for the Hurricanes to win the ACC.

Shannon’s focus will be on getting better kicking, better quarterback play and a better pass rush. Miami missed two field-goal attempts, completed just one pass, had just one sack and forced no turnovers against North Carolina State.

The same mistakes being repeated also is bothering him.

“I hate losing,” Shannon said. “I hate it, really do. When you see the things we address early in the season are still happening, it’s frustrating. As a coach you have to find a way to win games. It’s a team effort. Like I told those guys on defense, ‘Listen, no matter what happened in that game, it’s third-and-10 and we’ve blown two coverages on the running back.’ I say, ‘Two of them — that’s six points.’ Yes, I’m frustrated at the quarterback, the kicking situation, but I’m also frustrated at the defense because they had a chance to keep six points off the board and didn’t.”

Senior QB Kyle Wright said his left ankle sprain should be healed. Shannon remains unsure whether senior Francesco Zampogna or junior Daren Daly — who missed two Saturday — will be his kicker.

Marve update

Redshirt freshman QB Robert Marve, charged with two misdemeanor offenses — criminal mischief and resisting arrest without violence — will remain on the team but his discipline will be private and in-house.

“He talked to me, I talked to his parents, and we’re all on the same page — the parents, the kid and myself,” Shannon said. “So the disciplinary things will be something I can’t talk (publicly) about what we’re going to do. The university’s job is to help the kid out. Sometimes I think what we do is just throw kids to the wolves instead of helping them, finding out certain things. Me as the head coach and the university, we’re going to help the kid out. He’s still a member of the team and all that.”

Etc.

Freshman TB Shawnbrey McNeal was bothered by sinus problems. … Junior DT Antonio Dixon was sore but Shannon said he should feel better this weekend. … Freshman TB Graig Cooper was bothered by a sore pinky finger, which made it hard to hold onto the ball. … Sophomore WR Sam Shields saw little action because Shannon didn’t like the way he practiced. … With the way freshmen LG Joel Figueroa and OL Orlando Franklin played, Shannon said senior Andrew Bain (quadriceps) will have a hard time seeing action.

 

Commentary: Quarterback U? Try P.U.
Click-2-Listen
By Dave George
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 04, 2007

MIAMI — Kyle Wright, prevented by injury from finishing the Florida State game and from starting Saturday's ghastly 19-16 overtime loss to North Carolina State, had a much tougher job than quarterbacking the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday.

He had to take teammate Kirby Freeman aside at halftime and try to convince the jumpy fourth-year junior of his own competence.

He had to tell Freeman that 1-for-7 passing with an interception in the first half is as bad as it's ever going to be, which, as the rest of afternoon proved, is a bald-faced lie.

He had to buy a little time, while coach Randy Shannon and offensive coordinator Patrick Nix were off in a corner somewhere trying to figure out how to win an important ACC game without using their quarterback at all.

"I just tried to keep Kirby as calm as possible," Wright said, as if describing a trauma patient. "I told him, 'You just gotta keep going. Just keep throwing and have a fresh start to the second half.' "

And so the second half began, with a tipped interception on Freeman's first pass. From that point on, the Orange Bowl, with 34,621 restless fans in attendance, was half empty rather than half full.

From that point on, Freeman's shocking final stat line of one completion in 14 attempts, with three of them picked off by the Wolfpack, began to lose its shock value.

One completion in an overtime game? When Miami first played in this rusty old barn in 1937 and the single-wing offense was in vogue, one pass completion might have been palatable. On Saturday, it was revolting in the extreme, at one point forcing Shannon to send wide receiver Darnell Jenkins out to take a couple of direct snaps from the shotgun formation.

Two rushes for minus-12 yards, that's what Jenkins got on those consecutive plays, and Shannon had no choice but to grit his teeth and send Freeman back into the huddle. This is a personnel problem the first-year coach inherited from Larry Coker, and on Saturday, in a game the Hurricanes needed to preserve any ACC title hopes, this is the only way he knew how to handle it.

Fifteen straight running plays on a fourth-quarter drive that ate up most of the final seven minutes of regulation, followed by two sloppy fade passes into the end zone by Freeman and a game-tying field goal.

Six straight handoffs in overtime, too, only this time Daren Daly missed a chip shot field-goal try and the game was basically over.

North Carolina State (4-5) won with a quarterback whose sidearm throwing motion is so awkward it appears he is injured. Miami (5-4) lost with a quarterback who has all the physical tools but not the certainty to use them.

"You've got to understand that everything we were trying to do was limit what Kirby could handle," Shannon said. "He's a good quarterback, but when a guy gets nervous like that - it's nothing against him being nervous. Understand that I'm not down on Kirby, but he was just too nervous."

Ditto for Miami fans, who in the fourth quarter took to booing every time Freeman left the sidelines and headed for the huddle rather than the nearest stadium exit. This is a long-time problem for what once was known as Quarterback U but, the past few years, has become Quarterback P.U. instead.

Wright has been Mr. Wrong more often than not in his Miami career, a senior whose zenith as the hottest quarterbacking recruit in the nation five years ago is long forgotten.

Meanwhile, Freeman, who came off the bench to lead a comeback over the Seminoles two weeks ago, is like a golfer who can't recreate a good swing because he's not sure what's working.

"I know that it doesn't look like I've gotten any better," said Freeman, the MVP of last December's MPC Computers Bowl win over Nevada. "I let a lot of seniors down today. They wanted to win an ACC title. I let a lot of people down."

That is a habit somebody's got to break, but Robert Marve, the true freshman widely expected to be Miami's next great quarterback, is off to a shaky start. A Hurricanes athletic department spokesman confirmed after Saturday's loss that Marve was arrested earlier in the week in Coconut Grove for an unspecified misdemeanor.

Whenever Marve makes his mark, however, it will be too late for Jenkins, a speedy senior who scored Miami's only touchdown Saturday in spite of the quarterback rather than in genuine partnership with him.

We're talking about Freeman's only completion here, so all the dirty details need telling. Jenkins shot into a space abandoned by the Wolfpack secondary, the result of a safety being out of position, and was open by a good 20 yards. All the same, he had to wait for Freeman's pass, which hung in the air almost like a punt. After that, the race to the goal line for an 84-yard touchdown was a scary sprint rather than a showboating stroll.

"I had the one reception," said Jenkins, "and I made the best of it. I wanted more."

So, undoubtedly, does Shannon, but after watching Freeman go 5-for-25 passing with five interceptions in the past two games, less and less from the quarterback position is the logical choice. That's why Miami rushed for 314 yards Saturday on 60 carries.

If that's not the single wing, it's certainly single-minded. Maybe the team record of 69 carries against East Carolina in 1980 will fall next Saturday night, when the Hurricanes play Virginia. If anything like that happens, Miami's historic final appearance under the Orange Bowl lights will be more of a truck pull than an air show.

More of a farce than a proper ending to a fearsome football era.

It just doesn't make sense when Miami's offensive leader can't get his nerves under control against an average ACC team.

Feels like the Hurricanes, the real Hurricanes, have already left the building.

 

Virginia QB key to late-game comebacks
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Posted: November 4, 2007
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) -- One of the biggest obstacles Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell has had to overcome is his tendency to berate himself for lousy plays.

It might do him some good to go into every series imagining that Virginia trails, is running out of chances and counting on the redshirt sophomore to lead them back.

He's done that five times now, helping the No. 23 Cavaliers (8-2, 5-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) set an NCAA record for victories by a margin of two points or less.

The latest came Saturday, when Sewell directed a 56-yard drive to Mikell Simpson's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:18 left in a 17-16 victory against Wake Forest.

"We could have made today easier, but I made too many mistakes that set us back," Sewell said, describing his mistake as "just bad throws. A whole lot of bad throws."

But given a chance to redeem himself, Sewell came through on the go-ahead drive with runs of 10 and 11 yards, and a key fourth-down completion to Maurice Covington.

"He plays hard the whole games, but in those last couple minutes, he brings it," Covington said. "He brings the intensity and he keep everybody in the game."

The Cavaliers have won eight of nine, and their only loss came when Sewell could only watch during what's become his winning time. Last week, Virginia fell 29-24 at N.C. State with Sewell missing the second half of the fourth quarter with cramps.

Otherwise, he's been Mr. Clutch.

"He's an emotional player and he's a prideful player," coach Al Groh. "One of the things that was challenging for him to deal with in the past was when things didn't go well, his emotions would get in the way. Everybody has toughened up around here mentally, and I think he's done the same. That enabled him to overcome some plays that weren't too pretty and to be there for his team when it really mattered."

Groh likes to say that a quarterback is judged by his pelts, and Sewell's collection is impressive, especially considering the circumstances they come in.

Against Georgia Tech, after a series with two short completions and a near interception, Sewell cashed in on a turnover on the next play, firing a 26-yard TD dart to Staton Jobe in one-on-one coverage as Virginia went ahead with 8:56 to play.

Against Middle Tennessee, after his interception led to the Blue Raiders taking a 21-20 lead and primed the home crowd for a huge upset, Sewell led a 63-yard march in the final 1:26 to Chris Gould's winning 34-yard field goal.

Against Connecticut, Sewell overcame two interceptions and a mediocre day by leading a 79-yard march to Gould's winning 19-yard field goal with 3:20 remaining.

Against Maryland, it was a 15-play, 90-yard drive to Simpson's 1-yard dive with 16 seconds to go, giving the Cavaliers their second one-point victory in a row.

And on Saturday, the same play produced the winning margin again, leaving Virginia in a spot few thought they would see -- able to clinch a berth in the conference championship game by winning its last two games against Miami and Virginia Tech.

The Cavaliers even have their lone bye of the season between the games.

In a sign of his emerging leadership abilities, Sewell was not only quick to take the blame for the struggles Virginia had, but to heap credit on the rest of the team.

The defense, for example, almost didn't do enough, allowing Wake Forest to drive to the Cavaliers 30 in the closing seconds. But Sam Swank, one of the nation's top placekickers, missed a 47-yard field goal as time expired, and all was forgiven.

"The defense doesn't care who they are playing," Sewell said. "Even if they were facing the New England Patriots, they would be ready. They never crack."

Fortunately for the Cavaliers, neither does the quarterback.