Cavs demolish Orange Bowl
UVa lays record beatdown on Miami
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
November 11, 2007

MIAMI - Touted as a monstrous celebration, the University of Miami rolled out the red carpet Saturday night for its final contest in the historic Orange Bowl.

They had laser lights, confetti and star-studded guest list that included baseball star Alex Rodriguez.

Thanks to Virginia, however, the mood more resembled a funeral than a gala.

The 23rd-ranked Cavs drilled Miami, 48-0, scoring in each quarter en route to the program’s first-ever win in the state of Florida in historic fashion. It marked the first home shutout for the Hurricanes (5-5, 2-4 ACC) since Oct. 4, 1974 and the worst loss since 1998.

“It’s a bitter loss,” Miami coach Randy Shannon said. “A tough one, especially with it being the last one in the Orange Bowl and you lose 48-0. It’s very tough.

“I feel very bad and disappointed for the city of Miami, Dade County and the University of Miami. I was expecting a better turnout from us as a team and I’m disappointed because it hurts.”

Virginia (9-2, 6-1 ACC) enjoyed the role of spoiler, churning out 418 yards of total offense, forcing five turnovers and blocking a punt in the process.

“It was a very dynamic atmosphere,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “But the only thing that was going to determine the outcome was what happened between the white lines. Obviously, our team was very focused as far as what they had to do in that circumstance.

“We are very respectful for what Miami has done in the Orange Bowl, but that’s the University of Miami’s history. We just came down here to play a game tonight.”

Any doubt that Virginia could thrive in the national spotlight was answered on its first offensive possession.

After starting at their own 4, the Cavaliers raced down field in just seven plays. The drive, which took just over three minutes, was capped by a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jameel Sewell to wideout Maurice Covington, who finished with three catches for 50 yards.

“We knew they were going to come out with a lot of intensity and we figured if the defense got a stop that we would quiet the crowd and take a lot of the energy out of [the Orange Bowl],” Virginia running back Mikell Simpson said. “That was a huge drive.”

As Miami, which finished with only 189 yards of total offense, floundered for the remainder of the first half, Virginia continued to pull away, scoring three more first-half touchdowns.

Reserve tailback Keith Payne scored on a 5-yard run with 1:08 left in the first quarter, Sewell plunged in on a 1-yard run with 10:02 left in the second quarter and Simpson added another just five minutes later.

By halftime, when special events had been planned on the field, Virginia led 31-0.

“We talked about that we wanted to come here and make a statement for our team,” Virginia linebacker Jon Copper said. “We knew there were a lot of things going on and that Miami would be up for that, but we are trying to do things we have never done before.”

Virginia did just that in the third quarter. In fact, the Cavaliers scored their first third-quarter TD since the eighth game of the 2006 season (North Carolina) when Simpson reached the end zone on the first drive after halftime.

The Cavaliers also added a 41-yard field goal and a touchdown on a 44-yard fumble recovery by cornerback Chris Cook to make matters worse for Miami.

“We had too many turnovers, receivers had balls hitting them in the hands, tipped balls, connections on pass routes, the defense not getting off the field on third down and too many busts in coverages,” Shannon said.

Sewell finished the game with a career-best 288 yards passing as he completed 20 of 25 passes.

“He continues to step up and give our team what it needs,” Groh said. “As the leader of the team, the way he plays is symbolic of the team.”

Kyle Wright’s play was also symbolic. The senior finished 9 for 21 for 94 yards and threw three interceptions.

Virginia, after a bye week, will close out the regular season on Nov. 24 at Scott Stadium against Virginia Tech in a game that will determine the division winner.

“That’s what we set out for,” Groh said. “The goal of the program is to win the division because if we win the division then you are in the championship game. We have a lot more work to do to realize our goal. Our goal is still out there for us.”

 

Cavs snap curse in a big way
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
November 11, 2007

MIAMI -- Back in July, when Virginia was picked to finish fourth in the ACC’s Coastal Division race, coach Al Groh wasn’t buying into the prediction.

Someone asked him during the annual ACC Kickoff gathering if he believed his team could be this year’s Wake Forest, referring to the underdog Deacons’ miracle run to the conference championship a year ago. Groh thought for a second and said that he wouldn’t be representative of his team’s beliefs if he said otherwise.

Fast forward to Saturday night in the tropical calm of Miami’s Orange Bowl, the final time the storied Canes’ football program would play in the historic stadium. Miami, desperately trying to get to a bowl game for the 10th straight year, pulled out all the stops.

Miami hoped to stir the ghosts from its glorious past, but they didn’t wake. All the pomp and circumstance, confetti and honoring of heroes from every generation couldn’t convert the current Hurricanes to even a resemblance of yesterday.

Instead, it was Groh’s unheralded Cavaliers, the survivors of more close calls than James Bond, that finally put it all together.

The 3 1/2-point underdogs kept their focus, totally unconcerned by all the hoopla as Virginia laid the worst whipping on Miami since Dec. 8, 1944 (70-14 loss to Texas A&M).

In fact, Virginia’s 48-0 blowout marked the first time Miami had been shutout in these hallowed surroundings since Oct. 10, 1974.

“It’s kind of shocking,” said stunned Miami senior lineman Derrick Morse. “Virginia played a great game. I’m not taking anything away from them, but we played really bad.”

Hurricanes quarterback Kyle Wright sat dejected with the loss as well.

“We got beat in every aspect of the game,” Wright said. “I can’t explain the frustration. That’s not the way we want to go out tonight on senior night, the last game at the Orange Bowl.”

The win catapults No. 23-ranked Virginia to a 9-2 overall record, 6-1 in the ACC with a bye week between this landslide victory and a showdown on Nov. 24 with archrival Virginia Tech for the Coastal title and a spot in the conference championship game.

Not bad for a team picked to finish fourth in its division.

“All the pressure was on them, not on us,” said Virginia offensive guard Branden Albert. “They had to win. We knew all their old players were calling them and telling them they had to win. We just had to come and play ball.”

That’s exactly what the Wahoos did.

The Cavaliers landed a haymaker to Miami’s glass jaw from the opening bell, putting together a methodical, 96-yard drive for a 7-0 lead on their first possession. Then it was on.

Scoring on its first drive was a huge advantage for Virginia, because it built the Cavs’ confidence and deflated a crowd expecting a reason to party long into the Miami night.

“This has been a very tough place for visiting teams in the first half this year,” Groh said. “To come in and do that was a very positive confidence thing, not just for the players, but you could see the lift it gave to everybody on the sidelines.”

Special teams star Josh Zidenberg blocked a Miami punt for a first down at the Hurricanes’ 4-yard line, leading to a quick 14-0 score. Byron Glaspy’s interception return set up a field goal, and then the Cavaliers added another score to make it 24-0 before Miami could blink.

The final home crowd of 62,106 sat stunned when Virginia punched in another score for a 31-0 halftime lead. About the only energy they could muster resulted in some scattered boos.

Virginia, led by sophomore quarterback Jameel Sewell, who enjoyed his best night as a passer (career-high 288 yards), bowled over Miami’s vaunted defense the entire half. The Hurricanes had outscored their previous six home opponents, 81-7, in the first half this season.

The Cavs got 31.

For an offense ranked No. 101 in the country coming in, UVa’s 418 yards raised a lot of eyebrows in this cathedral of college football.

Virginia gashed Miami’s defense all night long, resulting in 418 total yards, including 19 plays that went for at least 10 yards. Tight ends played a major role in keeping the Hurricanes on their heels as the UVa trio hauled in 10 catches for 155 yards as Sewell attacked Miami’s defense in the flats the entire game.

“We had a lot of opportunities versus [Miami’s] man-to-man defense,” said Sewell, who was 20 of 25. “We have a lot of playmakers on this team.”

A lot of them are the tight ends, including John Phillips, who hauled in four catches for 77 yards.

“They really stepped up and had a big night for us,” said Groh, who likes to refer to Virginia as ‘Tight End U’ because of its liberal use of the skilled wide bodies. “It was well-called. The coaches did an excellent job of putting it together.”

Not only did Virginia crash Miami’s party, but the Cavaliers shook one of its most nagging curses in the process. Virginia had never won a game in the state of Florida in 15 tries, dating back to 1959, until Saturday night.

It was only the Cavs’ second trip to the Orange Bowl, but it will be a memorable one.

“We certainly would never think of anything like [48-0],” Groh said afterward. “This stadium has been a wonderful place for football. Our team was very mindful of that. A lot of teams have run out of this locker room, and the environment and competition raise the level of our play tonight.”

Miami coach Randy Shannon called it a bitter loss as the Hurricanes dropped to 5-5, 2-4, with Virginia Tech directly on the horizon.

Because of an open date next weekend, the Cavaliers can savor this one for a while before they begin to focus on the rival Hokies.

As good as nine wins feel, Groh reminded his players that they still have work to do.

“[The nine wins] is a tribute to what the players put into it, long before people were paying attention to football,” Groh said. “If somebody had asked us to sign up for nine wins and that would be the end of it, we probably wouldn’t have taken the deal.”

In other words, Groh would make a great contestant on that TV show “Deal or No Deal.” He’d push it to the limit, just as he will this football season.

It should be noted here that under Groh, Virginia is 9-2 after bye weeks, and 7-0 at home.

That could make Nov. 24 very interesting.

 

Cavs spoil 'Canes party
Miami's last game at Orange Bowl is romp for Virginia
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 12:58 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

MIAMI -- At halftime last night, an exuberant emcee informed the Orange Bowl crowd that the University of Miami band was about to perform "We Are the Champions."

Jeers followed her announcement.

In the Miami Hurricanes' 468th and final appearance at the Orange Bowl, they provided startling evidence of how far a once-feared program has plummeted. The Virginia Cavaliers, meanwhile, looked every bit the part of ACC championship contenders and had no regrets about spoiling the 'Canes' going-away party.

"I'm honored to be part of history here, playing in this last game," U.Va. defensive end Chris Long said, "and I couldn't be happier with the result. This just goes to show you what we can do when we come out and play a complete game."

Virginia is now 1-15 in the Sunshine State. Before an ESPN2 audience and a season-high crowd of 62,106 at the Orange Bowl, the 23rd-ranked Cavaliers broke through in stunning fashion. They led 31-0 at halftime and kept pummeling the'Canes after the break.

The final was 48-0, and by the last tick of the scoreboard clock, most of the crowd had long since left the 70-year-old stadium.

The defeat was the worst at home for Miami since a 70-14 loss to Texas A&M in 1944. The'Canes fell to 2-4, 5-5.

"I feel very bad and disappointed for the City of Miami and Dade County, because I would have expected a better turnout from us as a team," said first-year coach, Randy Shannon, a former UM player.

On a night when Miami quarterback Kyle Wright could not have looked much worse -- he threw three interceptions and was sacked four times -- his U.Va. counterpart played brilliantly. Sophomore Jameel Sewell, a Hermitage High graduate, completed 20 of 25 passes for a career-high 280 yards and one touchdown.

Still, Sewell said, it was not "my night, but our night as a U.Va. football team."

How well did the Wahoos (6-1, 9-2) play? So well that they actually scored a TD in the third quarter, on a 2-yard run by sophomore tailback Mikell Simpson.

Not since the eighth game of the 2006 season -- a 23-0 rout of North Carolina -- had U.Va. scored a third-quarter TD.

And now the Cavaliers are a victory away from a trip to the ACC championship game, an astounding turn of events for a team that opened the season with an embarrassing loss at Wyoming. U.Va. will meet Virginia Tech (5-1, 8-2) at Scott Stadium on Nov. 24, with more than the Commonwealth Cup at stake.

The winner will represent the Coastal Division in the ACC title game Dec. 1 at Jacksonville, Fla.

The Cavaliers are off next weekend. The Hokies host Miami on Saturday.

Virginia has won nine games for the first time since 2002 and only the second time in a decade. The Cavaliers have four road victories, their most in a season they had four in 1999. It was U.Va.'s most lopsided road victory since a 53-0 romp at Navy in 1992.

The 31 points were the most in a first half by U.Va. since Sept. 18, 2004, when they led Akron 34-0 at halftime and went on to win 51-0.

It would take less space to list which U.Va. players didn't perform well last night than to name all of the team's standouts. But Virginia's stars included sophomore tailback Mikell Simpson, who had 93 yards rushing and 54 receiving and scored two TDs; junior tight end John Phillips, who gained 77 yards on four receptions; sophomore nose tackle Nate Collins, who had a sack and recovered a fumble; and junior cornerback Chris Cook, who scored the sixth and final touchdown on a 44-yard fumble recovery.

Senior Josh Zidenberg blocked a punt, and junior safety Byron Glaspy, junior linebacker Jon Copper and sophomore cornerback Vic Hall each had an interception. "It was just exciting to be able to come out and do something like this," Sewell said.

In none of its 15 first games in Florida had U.Va. scored more than 24 points. Virginia got No. 24 last night with 10:02 left in the second quarter. The Cavs hit 31 with 4:56 left in the half.

At a stadium where the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen have played, an unforgettable performance unfolded last night. The'Canes, though, didn't provide any of the highlights.

"Hats off to them, because they kept playing to the end," Long said. "But this was our day."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Sunday, Nov 11, 2007 - 12:07 AM

Big 'D' dominates in the first half
Virginia went into intermission at the Orange Bowl last night leading 31-0 after a spectacular defensive effort aided by the poor play of Miami quarterback Kyle Wright.

In the first 30 minutes, U.Va. picked off three passes, recovered a fumble and recorded two sacks.

The interceptions were by sophomore cornerback Vic Hall, junior linebacker Jon Copper and junior safety Byron Glaspy. Sophomore nose tackle Nate Collins had a sack and recovered the fumble. Senior safety Nate Lyles, on a second-quarter blitz, collected the other sacks.

Hurricanes get a piece of 'The Rock'
Before their final game at the Orange Bowl, the Miami Hurricanes took the field to a rousing welcome from the man on the mike, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Johnson, a former Miami defensive lineman and pro wrestler, then introduced the Hurricanes' 21 seniors.

Now a film actor, Johnson was scheduled to host the TV show "Saturday Night Live" last night, but that was scrapped because of the writers' strike.

Johnson was one of scores of former'Canes who thronged the sideline before the game. Others were expected back included George Mira Sr., Pete Banaczak, Ottis Anderson, Bennie Blades, Bernie Kosar, Russell Maryland, Gino Torretta and Andre Johnson.

Also spotted during the pregame ceremony was baseball star Alex Rodriguez, who grew up in Miami.

Last night's festivities notwithstanding, more football will be played at the Orange Bowl before it's torn down. Florida International has three more games there this season, and the Orange Bowl will host a high school all-star game Jan. 4.

Copper tries to lift teammate's spirits
John Bivens was among the Virginia players who didn't travel to Miami.

Bivens, a redshirt freshman who was expected to anchor the second-team defense this season, isn't expected to play again this year. The 6-2, 233-pound inside linebacker had arthroscopic surgery on his left knee after spring practice ended, and he never fully recovered.

A former Prince George High star, Bivens played in seven of U.Va.'s first 10 games, mostly on special teams, and made three tackles.

"Throughout the season, I would make it a point to check on him, to see how he was doing," said inside linebacker Jon Copper, a junior who leads Virginia in tackles. "I know it can be very discouraging, having something like he's had. Really now, we're going on nine, 10 months that he's had this same deal going on.

"John's probably one of the most talented athletes on the team, and because of his injury, he hasn't been able to run or cut or be as powerful as he can be. So I'm encouraging him, and I'm really looking forward to when he comes back out in the spring, hopefully healthy, and next fall he's really going to be able to contribute in a major way to this team."

Miami legend passes on attending finale
Michael Irvin, one of the greatest players in Miami history, told the Miami Herald that he canceled plans to attend the final game.

"It's too sad for me," Irvin said.

Irvin attended the Hurricanes' penultimate game at the Orange Bowl -- an overtime loss to N.C. State last weekend -- and didn't like what he saw.

"That was depressing to see we've fallen that far. And in attendance, too," Irvin said. 'I was, like, 'Wow.' Let's celebrate the life we've had but now look for the life we have ahead. Give it the great sendoff it deserves. But I'm not going to be there. I can't take seeing that again. It pierced my heart."

Special-teams ace does it again
Virginia senior Josh Zidenberg, who blocked two punts in 2006, sliced through the line late in the first half last night. Zidenberg, a former walk-on, swatted Matt Bosher's punt, and the ball went out at the Miami 4. Two plays later, Keith Payne scored on a 5-yard run, and Chris Gould's PAT made it 14-0.

Zidenberg wasn't through. On the ensuing kickoff, he made the tackle.

Interest is declining in Hurricanes football
The Orange Bowl's official capacity is 72,319. Until last night, Miami hadn't come close to filling the stadium this season.

In the Hurricanes' first six home games, they averaged 40,503 fans, with a high of 52,416 for Georgia Tech's Oct. 13 visit.

In 2002, Miami averaged a school-record 69,539 spectators. The highest attendance for a Miami home game was 81,927, for Florida State's visit in 2002.

By Friday, more than 60,000 tickets had been sold for last night's game.

-- Jeff White

 

Cavaliers spoil festive night
Virginia dominates Miami from the beginning in the Hurricanes' final game at the Orange Bowl.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

MIAMI -- Al Groh had been telling anybody who would listen that Miami's final game at the Orange Bowl was part of the Hurricanes' history, not Virginia's.

Let's see how soon Groh forgets about the Cavs' performance Saturday night.

Virginia, which had not previously won a game in the state of Florida, scored 31 points in the first half Saturday night and rolled to a 48-0 victory before a season-high Orange Bowl turnout of 62,106.

It was the Hurricanes' worst home loss since a 70-14 loss to Texas A&M in 1944.

Groh, the Cavaliers' 63-year-old head coach, wasn't even six months old at the time of the 1944 Texas A&M-Miami game.

"I better be careful what I say about that," said offensive tackle Branden Albert, one of the UVa co-captains, "but it feels like we made history to me.

"I thought it was a winnable game but I wasn't thinking 48-nothing."

Miami (5-5, 2-4 ACC) had allowed only one touchdown in the first half in six previous home games this year, outscoring the opposition 81-7.

On top of its first-half production, Virginia got a 2-yard touchdown run from Mikell Simpson on its first possession of the second half.

The Cavaliers (9-2, 6-1) previously had not scored a third-quarter touchdown in 14 consecutive games.

By winning nine games in the regular season, 23rd-ranked Virginia matched a feat accomplished by only two other UVa teams, in 1989 and 1998. In the process, UVa maintained its half-game lead over Virginia Tech in the ACC's Coastal Division.

The Cavaliers, who have an open date on Saturday, will play for a spot in the ACC championship game when they entertain the Hokies on Nov. 24.

The hardest Virginia worked all night Saturday was on a 96-yard drive for a touchdown on their first offensive series, and that drive required only seven plays and consumed just 3 minutes, 7 seconds.

Three of Miami's next four drives ended with interceptions and the fourth resulted in the Cavaliers taking possession at the Miami 4-yard line following a blocked punt by Josh Zidenberg.

The punt came on the same field where Zidenberg suffered a broken leg in a 25-17 loss to the Hurricanes in 2005.

"To be honest with you, that never crossed my mind," said Zidenberg, who blocked two punts in 2006. "All I could think was that I hadn't blocked a kick all year."

The 2005 game represented the Cavaliers' only previous appearance in the Orange Bowl, although Virginia had played Miami in the 1996 Carquest Bowl at what is now Dolphins Stadium.

The Hurricanes defeated the Cavaliers 31-21 that night and Virginia was 0-15 in the Sunshine State before Saturday night.

"Are you serious?" Gordy Lipsey, the Cavaliers' fifth-year center and lone starter from Florida, said. "Everything came together tonight.

Virginia wasn't winning games in many states coming into this season, with a 23-3 opening-game loss at Wyoming dropping the Cavaliers to 1-10 in a span of 11 road games.

Since then, Virginia has won four of five road games, three times as an underdog -- at North Carolina, at Maryland and at Miami. The Hurricanes entered play Saturday as four-point favorites.

Quarterback Kyle Wright, one of 21 seniors introduced before the game by Miami alumnus and pro wrestling legend Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, was making his first appearance since suffering a sprained ankle Oct. 20 in a 37-29 win at Florida State.

Wright didn't have great mobility but he didn't get much help. On two of Virginia's three first-half interceptions, Miami receiver Darnell Jenkins got either one or two hands on the ball including a pass that bounced off his knees into the waiting arms of senior safety Byron Glaspy.

"We knew what was going on here with the big [pregame] celebration and the loud atmosphere," Zidenberg said. "Coach Groh had told us, 'It's either going to be a big boost for them or a big distraction.' We knew, if we blocked all that out, we were capable of doing something like we did."

Virginia, whose previous four victories had come by a total of five points, got so far ahead that it was able to substitute liberally in the game's final minutes.

A sack by Aaron Clark from Rockbridge County helped preserve the Cavaliers' shutout in the closing minutes.

On the next play after the Clark sack, UVa cornerback Chris Cook recovered a Wright fumble and returned it 44 yards for UVa's final TD.

Wright, hero of the Hurricanes' victory over the Cavaliers in 2005, completed nine of 21 passes for 94 yards.

Sewell, plagued by inaccuracy in recent games, completed 20 of 25 passes for a career-high 288 yards and one touchdown, a 28-yarder to Maurice Covington that began the Cavaliers' scoring. It was the fourth straight game in which Sewell had thrown for 200 yards or more.

"I'm going to remember this till I die," he said.
 

Saying farewell to the Orange Bowl
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
t
MIAMI -- There was a time when the Orange Bowl frequently would almost fill to its 73,219-seat capacity and Miami was one of the toughest places in the country for a visitor to win.

The Orange Bowl was rocking again Saturday, where 62,106 turned out for the Hurricanes' final game in their 71-year home, but that has rarely been the case in recent years.

One week earlier, the Orange Bowl was less than half-full as a crowd announced at 34,261 watched N.C. State upset Miami 19-16 in overtime.

It's no surprise that Miami took the opportunity to move its games to the Fort Lauderdale area, where the Hurricanes will play at Dolphins Stadium, a much newer facility with luxury boxes and other amenities.

"The Orange Bowl has been around for a long time and the city of Miami is not going to put forth the money to renovate the Orange Bowl to that standard," first-year head coach Randy Shannon said earlier this week.

The city could put $150 million into the stadium and get little more than a paint job, Shannon added.

"It really would cost $300 million to [renovate] it," he said. "So, just for the University of Miami to play [football] there six times every year, I don't think that's right for either the University of Miami or the city of Miami."

Miami's average attendance in five home games prior to Saturday night's affair was 40,503.

The Hurricanes haven't had a sellout in years.

Poor attendance was a factor that contributed to the dismissal of Shannon's predecessor and former boss, Larry Coker, whose Hurricanes knocked Boston College out of the ACC title game last season before an Orange Bowl crowd of 23,308.

Once, Miami was unbeatable at the Orange Bowl, where it won 58 consecutive games under Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson between 1985-1994. The 'Canes entered Saturday night with four home losses in just the last two seasons.

"Change is difficult for everybody," Shannon said. "It's just an opportunity for us, as a program, to move to another venue and experience something different. It may be better facilities for us [and] help us get more recruits in here. Whenever you have better facilities, recruits tend to look at those things."

n The Virginia-Miami game will not be the final college game at the Orange Bowl. Florida International, which is building its own facility, will have home games at the Orange Bowl on each of the next three Saturdays. The last game will be Dec. 1, when North Texas visits FIU.

The Orange Bowl also will be the site of a high school all-star game in January.

Personnel

Promising Virginia linebacker John Bivens continues to experience knee problems after arthroscopic surgery in the spring and will not play again this season. Bivens, a redshirt freshman, was expected to back up Jon Copper but most of his playing time has come on special teams.

n Groh said that 6-foot-2, 240-pound walk-on Curt Orshoski has a chance to become the Cavaliers' fullback of the future. Orshoski is a true freshman from Culpeper High School, where he played at linebacker alongside UVa signee Terrence Fells-Danzer. Both are being redshirted.

Odds 'n' ends

Former Miami player Dwayne Johnson, best known as "The Rock" of wrestling fame, was able to do the introduction of the Miami seniors Saturday when his gig as host of Saturday Night Live was canceled by the writers' strike. ... Another Miami alumnus, recording artist John Secada, performed the national anthem.

Quote-unquote

Groh on Virginia's inability to score a touchdown in the third quarter of 14 consecutive games before Saturday: "We haven't scored enough in all of the quarters."

Virginia next week

The Cavaliers will enjoy an open date before entertaining Virginia Tech in the regular-season finale Nov. 24. This is the latest that Virginia has had a bye in the regular season since 1998, when the Cavs had an open date Nov. 21 before defeating then-No. 20 Virginia Tech 36-32 in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech entertains Miami next week.
 

Cavaliers in driver's seat
Virginia's football team, lucky or not, controls its destiny. With a win over Virginia Tech, it will play in the ACC championship game.
By Melinda Waldrop
November 9, 2007
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- - Like all good, cliche-happy football teams, Virginia is adopting the "one game at a time" approach for its final two contests of the regular season.

Sort of.

"It's a different feeling than we've had around here in a while. You can't deny that," defensive end Chris Long said. "We're in a place that we haven't been before."

That place is atop the ACC Coastal Division, needing only to beat in-state rival Virginia Tech in Charlottesville on Nov. 24 to earn its first trip to the 3-year-old ACC championship game.

"We're not oblivious to a little bit broader picture than the next game," Cavaliers coach Al Groh said. "We know it's out there, and it's something that most teams start their season aiming for. We also understand that (if we) get beyond where we are too fast, all of sudden those things evaporate."

Tonight, Virginia (8-2, 5-1 ACC) is at Miami (5-4, 2-3), which will be playing its last game in the Orange Bowl, amid all the accompanying hoopla, while also trying to become bowl eligible.

Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, who sprained his knee and ankle against Florida State on Oct. 20, will be back under center, replacing Kirby Freeman, who was 1-for-14 with three interceptions in the 'Canes 19-16 overtime loss to N.C. State last week.

The Hurricanes still have an outside shot to complicate the ACC title picture. If Miami wins its remaining three games (against Virginia and at Virginia Tech and Boston College) and Virginia Tech loses to Florida State but beats Virginia, then Miami, Tech and U.Va. would be tied atop the Coastal Division at 5-3. Miami would win the tiebreaker with victories against the Hokies and the Cavaliers.

Barring that convoluted scenario, Virginia controls its own fate. Beat the Hokies, and play in Jacksonville on Dec. 1.

"It's fun," linebacker Jon Copper said. "We're in the hunt, (and) each week, we're looking to improve our team and win. We know if we continue to do that, we'll be all right here when the season ends."

Virginia is in the driver's seat thanks to a career's worth of clutch performances. The Cavaliers' 17-16 win against Wake Forest last weekend set an NCAA record as their fifth victory by two or fewer points this season. It was also Virginia's third win by one point and second by a 17-16 score.

U.Va. has been living so right, existential topics such as fate and meant-to-be are being tossed about but the Cavs aren't buying into the whole "team of destiny" bit.

"You gotta play the games," Long said. "It's not mapped out. Who knows how it's gonna go? That word doesn't come into my head much. I think people can will things to happen. I think teams can will things to happen, and it's very powerful when guys get on the same page and they put the team first."

OK, what about another word that's been attached, sometimes derisively, to Virginia this season: lucky?

"Who cares? I don't care," Long said. "People that say that, they don't have as much invested in it as I do and my teammates do, so you can't really get caught up in that."

Miami coach Randy Shannon doesn't think that adjective is an insult.

"They're doing a good job of staying patient and executing what they're doing offensively and defensively," Shannon said. "Sometimes you have to have what they call luck, but you create your own luck by doing all the right things and staying focused."

By all indications, Virginia will need that focus again tonight, at least in the early going. Miami has given up just seven points in six home games this season.

"It has all the earmarks of being another tight, low-scoring, close game," Groh said.

And that's just fine with the Cavs.

"We are who we are," Long said. "We talked about that. We don't have to be world-beaters. We just have to be the best team on the field every week, once a week."

 

Cavs' big half makes for spoiled Orange
By MELINDA WALDROP | 247-4634
November 11, 2007
 

MIAMI — - Miami played its final game at the Orange Bowl on Saturday night, and quite a few notable names turned out to witness history.

Minutes before kickoff, Alex Rodriguez was spotted on the sidelines. Also on hand was ex-Hurricanes defensive lineman turned pro wrestler turned actor Dwayne"The Rock" Johnson, who handled the pre-game introductions, and Grammy-winning singer/songwriter and Miami graduate Jon Secada, who sang the national anthem as flash bulbs popped.

Rodriguez was recruited by Miami as a baseball and football player before the Seattle Mariners made him the No. 1 draft pick in 1993. He gave $3.9 million in 2003 to help renovate UM's baseball stadium, while Johnson recently donated $1 million to renovate the school's football facilities.

Numerous other luminaries were invited to send the 70-year-old steel monolith off in style.

Among those expected to attend were former Hurricane and Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, former Canes QB Gino Torretta and ex-Hurricane and current Houston Texans receiver Andre Johnson. Also expected to attend were Ray Bellamy, a wide receiver from 1968-69 and the first African-American student athlete at Miami, and Ottis Anderson, UM's all-time leading rusher and MVP of Super Bowl XXV in 1991.

The Hurricanes, who will move to Dolphin Stadium next year, played their first game in the Orange Bowl in 1937, beating Georgia Southern 40-0, and are 318-142-7 in 467 games there, a winning percentage of .688.

But for all the hoopla, Saturday night's game was not the last the Orange Bowl will host. Florida International will officially close the stadium against North Texas on Dec. 1. It will then be torn down.

Z BLOCK
Poquoson product JoshZidenberg's big senior season continued Saturday night. Zidenberg blocked a punt — Virginia's first of the season — late in the first quarter to give Virginia the ball on the Miami 2-yard line, leading to Keith Payne's touchdown and a 14-0 U.Va. lead.

Zidenberg also blocked punts against Wyoming (Sept. 9) and Duke (Sept. 30) last season. The special-teams regular has enjoyed an expanded role on offensive, catching three passes for 36 yards. But staying true to his roots, he's also U.Va.'s two-time reigning special-teams player of the week.

PILING UP THE POINTS
The Hurricanes had given up just seven points in the first half in six games at the Orange Bowl this season. On Saturday, the Cavs hung 31 — their second-highest point total and highest-scoring first half of the season — in the first half.

Virginia's quick scores were helped by impressive field possession. The Cavs' third TD drive began at the Miami 38 — their fifth straight possession inside Miami territory.

Even after a punt pinned them at their own 4, the Cavs put together a seven-play, 96-yard drive — their longest since a 97-yarder against North Carolina in 2004 — to score.

ODDS AND ENDS
Vic Hall and Byron Glaspy got the first interceptions of their careers in the first half, while Jon Copper's second pick of the season made him the first U.Va. linebacker to have two in a season since Ahmad Brooks in 2004. .... The Cavaliers' 31 first-half points were the most since they scored 34 in a 51-0 win against Akron in 2004. ... Virginia last won four games on the road in 1999.

The stunner of a stunning year
David Teel
11:59 PM EST, November 10, 2007
MIAMI

Michael Irvin had the right idea. The former Miami All-American boycotted the Hurricanes' final game at the Orange Bowl on Saturday because the program's decline pained him so.

But few, if any, opponents have exposed Miami at home like Virginia did on this evening.

Cavaliers 48, Hurricanes 0.

Of all the mind-bending results the Orange Bowl has witnessed, be the game college or pro, this rates up there. Miami's worst loss here since 1944; Virginia's most-lopsided ACC victory since 1996.

"It just shows you what we can do when we come out and play a complete game," Cavaliers defensive end Chris Long said.

That and when the other team spits the bit like an aging thoroughbred.

Raised in a football family, Long is keenly aware of the Orange Bowl's incomparable history. And during Virginia's casual practice Friday, he got chills. "I wanted to be a part of history here," he said.

As Long and his teammates met reporters, Orange Bowl officials dimmed the lights and blared audio highlights of victories past. They also darkened the scoreboard, the better to forget the embarrassing defeat.

"Our team was very mindful of some of the great performances (here)," Cavaliers coach Al Groh said. "We looked to use that as a standard."

But certainly Miami would muster an inspired effort. Certainly Virginia would blink in the face of such tradition -- the five-time national champions bidding farewell to their home of the past 71 seasons.

No. Emphatically no.

The 23rd-ranked Cavaliers were as dominant Saturday as they were fortunate to win three one-point games earlier this season. In the first half alone they forced four turnovers, blocked a punt and started five consecutive possessions inside the Hurricanes' 40-yard line.

The count at halftime, prior to a ceremony introducing former Miami players, was 31-nil. Said ceremony concluded with fireworks and the Hurricanes' band playing "We Are The Champions."

Talk about awkward.

The Cavaliers can relate. In March of 2006 they staged a gala marking the final basketball game at University Hall, only to lose to Maryland.

"I thought about that," Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage said at halftime. "But this isn't over."

Uh, yes it was.

Former Cavaliers offensive lineman Dan Reid of Newport News was so fired up he e-mailed during the third quarter.

"Hoos take wrecking ball to Orange Bowl!!," Reid wrote. "I'm sure you've already thought of that line -- time for the DP to show the 'Hoos some love!!!" Impossible not to. And equally impossible to not marvel at Miami's incompetence.

Any thought that Saturday's pomp would morph these Hurricanes into the champions of yore vanished quickly. Jameel Sewell completed 3-of-3 passes for 64 yards as the Cavaliers marched 96 yards for a touchdown on their opening possession.

Irvin, a recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, saw similar issues when he attended the Hurricanes' home loss to North Carolina State last week. And that's why he stayed away.

"It's too sad for me," he told the Miami Herald's Greg Cote. "That was depressing to see we've fallen that far. I can't take seeing that again. It pierced my heart."

The Cavaliers (9-2, 6-1 ACC) made themselves right at home in the Hurricanes' house. Led by linebackers Jon Copper and Clint Sintim, the defense never allowed Miami (5-5, 2-4) to threaten the goal line. Offensive coordinator Mike Groh called a clever game, and a first-quarter interception aside, Sewell managed the game seamlessly.

By the time Sewell and the Cavaliers began milking the clock in the fourth quarter, many in the crowd of 62,106 -- more than 10,000 shy of capacity -- had exited. Most of the tortured souls who stuck around did so to voice their displeasure.

Virginia and Virginia Tech now will determine the Coastal Division title Nov. 24, and that would have been the case even if the Cavaliers had lost. But don't believe for a nanosecond that Saturday's game was meaningless for Virginia.

Bowl position. Impressing a national television audience. Heading into an off week with locomotive momentum.

The Cavaliers earned all that and then some as they enjoy their first inactive Saturday of the season. The rest is beyond deserved after 11 consecutive weeks of often-harrowing finishes, and pardon the Cavaliers if they kick back (literally), fire up a stogie (figuratively) and smile at the Orange Bowl party they spoiled.

"It was a very dynamic atmosphere," Groh said. "But really, we didn't pay it much heed."

 

THE HURRICANES' LAST GAME AT THE ORANGE BOWL
On her last night, the old lady was the star
Posted on Sun, Nov. 11, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
By DAN LE BATARD
dlebatard@MiamiHerald.com

That's what the Orange Bowl was at the end.

All around the antique, there are iPods and computers and digital downloads. But the old lady, scratched and weary, could still be cranked up to transport you to that magical place where yesterday feels better than today. And she did it again Saturday night, one last time. Like the phonograph, she allowed you to close your eyes and let the music wash over you along with the memories.

Soon, the wrecking balls will come. And it will feel like they've paved over a piece of your childhood. As Bette Davis famously said, ''Old age is no place for sissies.'' But Saturday was the celebratory toast before the tears. And it didn't much matter that Miami's beloved Hurricanes were losing 31-0 by halftime. This last night couldn't be marred by the scoreboard any more than a happy couple celebrating their 50th anniversary could be dampened because someone spilled a drink on the table.

The Orange Bowl has been the regal queen of this old neighborhood for more than seven decades now, pulling everyone in the surroundings closer to all her lights and all her life. From a different time, she was. Old Miami. Standing regally even in old age amid the barbershops and joyerias and bakeries and coin laundries and locksmiths and dollar stores and cafeterias. Part beacon, part landmark. You could see her lights at night from far away. Feel them, too.

So at 7:14 p.m., when former Hurricane Dwayne ''The Rock'' Johnson introduced the Hurricanes through that tunnel smoke for the final time, you could hear the noise reverberating throughout the old neighborhood in a way that all of South Florida's languages could understand. People of all colors and creeds had gravitated toward her warmth again to laugh and to live and to make the kind of good noise that always echoed well beyond her rusty gates on the most memorable nights. Too bad that Miami's team couldn't live up to the night, or that the noise couldn't echo much beyond kickoff.

You know the scene that repeated itself most often before the game, though? Pals gathering for photos with the Orange Bowl in the backdrop, like an old friend. College pals three decades removed from campus who had flown in from all over. Police officers on duty. Sorority sisters who hadn't tailgated together since before having husbands and kids.

Put all those snapshots in the scrapbook as a representation for what this place always did for them. And remember, forever, that all of those people with their arms around each other in all those photos were smiling.

The game between the University of Miami and Virginia? It was ancillary. And that says plenty in our fickle, bandwagon town. Because the only other times that this old lady could feel this full and swaying at kick off is when the stakes and consequences were ratcheted up to that wonderful place at the very top sports. But this night wasn't about a game or a team or even a single season, given that Miami is mediocre this year and had four turnovers and a blocked punt in the first half. It was about remembering a building and its history. It was one last chance to say thank you and goodbye.

That's odd, when you think about it. Because, by itself, the building isn't anything special, leaking and rickety -- an orange Dumpster by modern standards that have turned sports into a multibillion-dollar industry. It was never the building that made this place feel special; it was always the dominant teams winning inside it. Those swaggering Hurricanes of the early 1990s would have been interesting and exciting playing inside a landfill. But, on her last night, the Orange Bowl got to be the star for all those moments involving Joe Namath and Kellen Winslow and Doug Flutie and Kenny Calhoun when she was merely the framing around the biggest stage in sports.

You have to have been a part of it to understand. Viewed from the outside, without feeling, the Orange Bowl looks like just another worn-down building that time passed. But an heirloom is never worth as much to an outsider as it is to the family member who knows what kind of treasure it is. Former Hurricanes Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis have won championships at the highest levels of professional football, but they'll tell you that running through that tunnel smoke in this building is unlike anything they've ever known. Irvin compares it to the Greeks entering the gladiator arena. Upon hearing this, an emotional Lewis recognizes the feeling again and starts shouting, ``That's it! That's it!''

That feeling is gone now, forever, remembered but never replaced.

To quote Ray Lewis as the curtain drops:

That's it.

That's it.

 

Virginia humbles UM's defense
UM had no answers for Virginia's offense. 'We missed assignments and just didn't execute,' Hurricanes safety Kenny Phillips said.
Posted on Sun, Nov. 11, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
BY ANDRE C. FERNANDEZ
a1fernandez@MiamiHerald.com

The University of Miami's offensive struggles Saturday night against Virginia's stingy defense might have been anticipated -- especially with starting quarterback Kyle Wright still hobbled by ankle and knee injuries.

But Virginia turned the Hurricanes' farewell game in the Orange Bowl into a laugher by handling UM's defense as badly as it bottled up the offense in a 48-0 rout at the Orange Bowl.

''[Virginia] didn't do anything we weren't prepared for,'' said junior safety Kenny Phillips, who had seven tackles. ``We missed assignments and just didn't execute. We're very disappointed in ourselves.''

UM suffered its worst home loss since 1944 and gave up 418 yards of total offense. Its secondary could not slow down Cavaliers' quarterback Jameel Sewell, who completed 20 of 25 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown passing and one rushing.

Virginia's Mikell Simpson ran for 93 yards on 22 carries and scored twice, and four different Cavaliers caught passes from Sewell that were 24 yards or longer.

Virginia tight ends John Phillips and Tom Santi did the most damage, however, in the first half. They each caught a team-high four passes. Each found plenty of room to run after the catch on more than one reception.

''I wouldn't question our effort in this game,'' said junior right defensive end Calais Campbell, who had the team's lone sack. ``I just think we made way too many mental mistakes.''

Sewell rolled out and found receiver Maurice Covington wide open over the middle for a 29-yard TD that started the rout.

Trailing 7-0 in the first quarter, UM forced its lone turnover when junior Randy Phillips intercepted a deep pass by Sewell at his own 3-yard line and returned it to the Hurricanes' 27. But on the ensuing drive, Wright was intercepted by Cavaliers inside linebacker Jon Cooper.

''We have to come out these last two games and show we can rebound and execute and clinch a spot in a bowl game,'' Campbell said. ``I feel like we let the entire city of Miami down.''

 

A sorry finish at the OB
Posted on Sun, Nov. 11, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
BY EDWIN POPE
epope@MiamiHerald.com

There may be worse nights for University of Miami football, but one doubts it. I haven't seen anything worse than Saturday night's 48-0 wipeout by Virginia in 51 years of following the Hurricanes.

Sadly, nobody else has seen it, either. No opponent had hung one like this on UM since Texas A&M did it, 70-14, all the way back in 1944.

The UM band's rendition of ''Alma Mater'' was seldom so sad in any football sense. Sort of amazingly, after this rout, a few fans shouted ''Let's go, Canes!'' God bless those who never surrender.

One thing is certain. The Canes won't get licked any worse in the Orange Bowl, because this was the end there, and hopefully there won't be anything like this in their new home in Dolphin Stadium.

As a going-away, this was not exactly what UM had in mind. Hardly a single positive thing is to be said this morning for the Hurricanes, except that they did not quit.

Maybe UM recruiters now can tell young talent that just about all jobs are open. But that sort of flies in the face of the previous total of five victories this season.

UM must be doing something right. It just didn't do anything right against Virginia.

I suppose people will start yelling for Randy Shannon's job any minute now. It isn't fair, but nothing about head coaching except the salary is fair, so Shannon won't be getting a lot of sympathy mail this week.

He won't expect any. Nothing much mitigates a nightmare night like this. Kyle Wright's three interceptions hurt, yes, but nobody else in Hurricane orange looked any better.

''We have to get these guys back going,'' Shannon said. ``Two more games, and we're not going to shut it down. If you shut it down in college, you're going to shut it down the rest of your life.''

Shannon wouldn't make excuses. ''As coaches, we got to get 'em going,'' he said. He was referring to current recruiting, and said it was going so well, ``something like [tonight's game] could change.''

Taking off after Shannon won't help anything.

Six minutes before halftime with their usual heroes down 31-0, some among the 62,106 fans were booing.

I don't go for booing, but these folks were venting their severely damaged feelings.

No Canes fan old or new had come to the OB even so much as thinking of sending their team away in any such fashion. A number of people figure UM still has a ways to go to regain anything like its most dominant mien, but this?

No, not this. Not in the scariest of nightmares by fans trudging for the last time into the old saucer.

And, more the point, trudging disconsolately out.