Cavaliers don't stay on election sideline
Wednesday, Nov 05, 2008 - 12:07 AM

VIRGINIA AT WAKE FOREST

Saturday: 3:30 p.m., ESPNU
Page C3: U.Va. notes
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

Clint Sintim awoke a little after 5:30 a.m. yesterday -- more than four hours earlier than he typically would on a Tuesday -- pulled on a sweatshirt, brushed his teeth and headed out to vote.

"I had this brilliant theory that if I got up earlier than everybody else, I could hurry up and get it done, and then come back and lay down," Sintim said later in the morning.

It wasn't quite that simple for the University of Virginia's star linebacker. When Sintim got to Alumni Hall, he found about 30 people in line, waiting for the polls to open at 6 o'clock.

"But it was cool," said Sintim, whose hometown is Woodbridge. "It was worth the wait. I got a chance to go in there and experience my first time voting and let my voice be heard, so to speak."

Virginia coach Al Groh said he didn't need to remind his players Monday about their civic duty.

"They've been pretty aware of it throughout the process," said Groh, who like Sintim voted when the polls opened yesterday.

Sintim agreed. "It's almost like you can't help but hear it everywhere you go: 'You have to vote.'"

So, is he an Obama man? A McCain supporter?

"Nah, I'm not going to tell you," Sintim said. "But I did vote."

As would be expected of a team with about 100 members, some players took the election more seriously than others. Senior tailback Cedric Peerman, when he learned he couldn't vote in Charlottesville, drove home to the Lynchburg area to cast his ballot.

"Doesn't surprise me," Groh said. "He's going to do everything the right way."

Senior tailback Jon Copper, who's from Roanoke, showed up at University Hall yesterday morning, only to be turned away.

"I went over and went to the wrong place, so I got to get to the bottom of that," Copper said with a smile. "I live right across the street, so I figured I'd vote at U-Hall, but apparently I don't."

Nose tackle Nate Collins, who's from Port Chester, N.Y., cast an absentee ballot. Quarterback Marc Verica, from Landsdowne, Pa., wasn't sure he'd get around to following suit yesterday.

Wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, from Queens, N.Y., noted that it's "good to be a part of this history and see it happening." Ogletree didn't actually vote in the presidential election, but he was confident that wouldn't affect the outcome in the Empire State.

"I think Obama's got New York," he said.

An ideologue, this young man is not.

"I'm kind of the guy in the middle to mediate it a little bit," Ogletree said. "I hang out with a bunch of Republicans and Democrats. We'll be laughing and joking around, and then politics will come up, and then everyone will be mad, and people will start leaving the room. So we try not to bring that up too much."

 

U.VA. NOTES
Wednesday, Nov 05, 2008 - 12:07 AM

Red Raiders have Cavaliers' attention
Among those watching Texas Tech with interest this season are the Virginia Cavaliers.

A season ago, of course, those two teams met in the Gator Bowl, and the Red Raiders scored 17 unanswered points in the final 3:31 to beat the Cavaliers 31-28.

"I've been following them a lot," Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim said yesterday, "just because I feel like we let one slip away against them. But I was extremely impressed with their efforts the other night against Texas."

Unbeaten Texas Tech stunned the then-No. 1 Longhorns on a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Graham Harrell to receiver Michael Crabtree in the final seconds Saturday night in Lubbock.

"Unbelievable what those two guys can do, Harrell and Crabtree," U.Va. coach Al Groh said yesterday.

"Having played [the Red Raiders] last year and understanding the scheme and being intrigued by it, we've followed it pretty closely. We're highly impressed with what they're doing," said Groh, who spent the 1980 season as Texas Tech's linebackers coach and whose younger son, Matthew, was born in Lubbock.

After the Gator Bowl, Texas Tech coach Mike Leach said that U.Va. had defended his trademark spread offense as well as any team he'd faced, and the two staffs are on good terms.

The Red Raiders moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press poll after beating Texas.

Walk-on is standout
Fullback Hall Simmons, who arrived at U.Va. as a walk-on, was put on scholarship before this season. The redshirt junior from Rossville, Tenn., has become become one of the team's special teams standouts.

"He's a great kid," Groh said. "The players love him. He's so intense with everything.

"He's intense conversationally, although he's got a good smile. He's intense in the offseason program. He's intense in training. Every play in practice, he's full speed ahead. . . . His ambition is to be a Navy SEAL, if that gives you a little insight into him."

Calls draw criticism
Wide receiver Kevin Ogletree knows that injecting politics or religion - or both - into a conversation is a sure way to start an argument, so he tries to avoid those subjects.

"Officiating is a different story," Ogletree said yesterday. "We can talk about that all day."

Virginia lost in overtime Saturday to ACC rival Miami at Scott Stadium. There were several blown calls in that game, one of which particularly upset the Cavaliers.

Late in first half, on third and 2 from U.Va.'s 37, quarterback Marc Verica completed a pass to Ogletree near the Miami sideline. Ogletree got one foot down for an apparent first down, but the official on the field ruled it an incompletion.

Groh could forgive the original interpretation, but he was incensed that, when the play was reviewed, the official in the video booth didn't overturn the call. U.Va. sent a tape of the play to the ACC office and was told that the pass indeed should have been ruled a completion.

"Everybody who's looked at it - men, women, children, coaches, ACC representatives - everybody says it was a good catch," Groh said. "There's only one person on the planet who didn't see it that way.

"I'm not criticizing him, I'm just saying that's the facts. We saw it one way. He saw it the other way. He had the vote."

High on receiving list
With 103 career receptions, Ogletree is tied for 11th on U.Va.'s all-time list.

"It's an accomplishment I'll be proud of one day when I look back on my career here," he said, "but I think I got a lot more catches to make here, and a lot more bigger ones."

Ogletree, a redshirt junior, was asked if he might skip his final season at U.Va. to pursue an NFL career.

"I try not to think about that a lot," he said. "We have some important games coming up. . . . That's not even on my mind right now." - Jeff White

 

UVa football notebook: Simpson's production drop remains a mystery
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In 2007, Virginia might have been lost without Mikell Simpson to replace an injured Cedric Peerman at tailback.

The Cavaliers no longer have Simpson as an insurance policy this year.

Fortunately for Virginia, Peerman is close to 100 percent as the Cavaliers (5-4, 3-2 ACC) enter the final month of the regular season. Simpson, meanwhile, has been lost for the year with a broken collarbone suffered Saturday in a 24-17 overtime loss to Miami.

Presumably, Simpson will be available for the Cavaliers as a fifth-year senior in 2009, but questions have been posed by his reduced production. After rushing for 5 yards per carry in 2007, Simpson had seen his average fall to 3.0 this season.

He failed to pick up positive yardage on 25 of his 87 carries, with 15 resulting in lost yardage,

"We've discussed it," head coach Al Groh said earlier this week. "Obviously, it's a source of consternation to everybody here in the office. "Anthony [Poindexter] has had quite a few discussions with Mikell about it.

"Mikell recognizes it. He doesn't need us to bring it to his attention."

Poindexter, who coaches the UVa running backs, had high hopes for his 1-2 punch of Peerman and Simpson. Peerman is a power runner with good speed, while Simpson's forte last year was his vision and ability to spot holes.

With the loss of three starters from the offensive line, including first-round NFL Draft pick Branden Albert, it's understandable that there haven't been as many holes this season.

"I don't know," Groh said. "We really haven't been able to come up with anything definitive, other than what the obvious is, and that's results."

The replacements

Sophomore tailback Keith Payne will return to practice this week after missing five games with a broken hand and "we'll see where that takes us," Groh said.

It is unlikely that Payne will be ready to play Saturday against Wake Forest, which leaves seldom-used sophomore Raynard Horne as Peerman's top backup.

At least that's what UVa's new two-deep roster says, but No. 1 fullback Rashawn Jackson is another alternative. When the Cavaliers opened in a one-back formation against Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl, Jackson got the call.

Jackson has been more of a receiver than ball-carrier in recent games, although he did not have a carry or a reception against Miami.

Days after his arrest on two felony charges related to a November 2007 robbery, Jackson played sparingly, but his playing time always has depended on UVa's offensive formations.

Election day

Peerman, who did not speak with reporters after a late fumble in the Miami game, had planned to do interviews Tuesday before the presidential election interceded.

Peerman thought he was going to vote in Charlottesville before learning that he needed to return to his home precinct outside Lynchburg. So, Peerman got in his car and took a 120-mile round trip to Campbell County.

"It doesn't surprise me," Groh said. "He's going to do everything the right way."

One of Peerman's fellow co-captains, outside linebacker Clint Sintim, set his alarm for 5:45 a.m. in hopes of beating the voting crush.

He said he still had to wait 30 minutes, only to pass by the voting station at a later hour and see a much shorter line.

On Wake Forest

The Deacons (5-3, 3-2) have won six consecutive home games. ... Wake is fourth in Division I-A in turnover margin with a plus-11 differential. ... The Deacons' 33-30 overtime victory Saturday against Duke ended with an end-zone interception by cornerback Alphonso Smith. It was Smith's second interception of the game and 19th of his career, one shy of the ACC record held by former North Carolina cornerback Dre Bly.

By the numbers

Only one Virginia tight end, Heath Miller, has had as many receptions in his senior year as John Phillips, who has 42. Miller, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, had 70 in 2003. ... UVa's leading receiver, Kevin Ogletree, has two or more receptions in 21 consecutive games and 44 for the season. He is bidding for his second 50-reception season, a feat accomplished by only one other Cavalier, Billy McMullen.

Connections

UVa quarterback Marc Verica comes from the same high school, Monsignor Bonner in Philadelphia, as promising Cavalier men's basketball player Jeff Jones. Verica, a redshirt sophomore, was one year ahead of Jones in high school.
 

Highlights from Al Groh's Weekly Press Conference
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com
Release: 11/04/2008

The Cavaliers continue down the home stretch Saturday against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. The two teams haven't met in Winston-Salem since UVa rallied for a dramatic 38-34 come-from-behind victory six years ago. Both teams are 3-2 in the ACC and tied for second in their respective divisions; Virginia in the Coastal and Wake Forest in the Atlantic. The Demon Deacons gained a 33-30 overtime win at home over Duke last week, while the Cavaliers fell at home to Miami 24-17 in OT. Overall Virginia is 5-4, while Wake Forest is 5-3. Kickoff is set for 3:30 pm and the game will be televised by ESPNU.

Virginia head coach Al Groh held his weekly press conference Tuesday. Here are some of the highlights as he talked about Saturday's game.

Q: How much do you work with Rashawn Jackson and Raynard Horne this week in practice as opposed to what you would normally give them during the week?
Groh: We’re trying to take care of Cedric (Peerman) during the course of the week ... he is a fifth-year player, he knows the looks, he knows pass protection, and he knows when this linebacker comes, it's his man.

Because of the nature of the game he plays, as rugged and physical as it is, the most important thing is to have him well prepared from a sight standpoint—he’s seen the looks that he needs to see—but physically ready to go on Saturday. We moderate his plays during the course of the week, so that has resulted in the other potential runners getting their looks, some more on some days. For example on Sundays, we purposely hold Cedric back so Horne gets more turns then than he does on Tuesday. But to answer your question yes, Jackson and Horne have been regular participants in the team work (periods).

Q: When you get to game seven after playing seven straight weeks, can you notice with the players that you have to pull back at all? I’ve only found one other team that has played for seven straight weeks this year at ACC and that’s Duke?
Groh: I wouldn’t say that we really have noticed much, but without having to notice, there are certain players that usually early in the week or towards the latter part of the week, that we’re resting, reducing their turns a little bit. I mean they’re proven players who practice very hard and have shown that they are well prepared for every game. We try to use some sense in getting them ready, and they’ve earned that through what they have done over a period of time.

Q: When people talk about Wake Forest under Jim Grobe, you inevitably hear about his redshirt policy. The last three classes you have redshirted a large majority of your freshmen. Are you seeing benefits from that and is it paying dividends now?
Groh: A little bit, but the only reason I say a little bit is not that it’s not going to, it’s just probably a little bit deeper into that, you know what was last year this is year 6,7, and 8 and these have been the best Wake Forest teams ... It’s when you now have a lot of players who have been through that process. Now they have the oldest team in the NCAA.

Certainly that’s a great benefit; you’d really like to get to that if you can. But it takes a while. Really the benefit is felt when those players are fourth- and fifth-year players, and maybe the third year. But usually when they are fourth- and fifth-year players is when they feel the benefit of it and it makes a difference in the games. So it takes a little while to get to that point.

Q: Does it make it easier for you when you have redshirted most of the previous class to redshirt a lot of the newcomers. This year I see you have a bunch of guys coming off redshirt.
Groh: Sure, and you don’t need to interject that incoming talent to certain position as quickly.

Q: Can you talk about Wake Forest and some challenges they present?
Groh: The developmental process has had a lot of continuity with their team because not only have the players remained in the system for quite a while, but the systems have remained very much the same. I mean there has been very little bit of evolution as there are with all teams to accommodate the personnel or different trends that we all learn about as times go on.

Not only have the players been there, but they have been doing the same things for a long time and so they play very knowledgeably. You can tell every adjustment that has to be made on defense, bam they click right into it because they’ve been making that adjustment for a long time. Different pressures that come up offensively, they pick them up very cleanly because after awhile there are only so many pressures that you can concoct. The accumulated turns of doing different things is quite apparent.

What I think is distinctive of their defensive team and something that we appreciate because of how we go about things here, is their players are very good on defense with their block protection techniques and beating blocks. It’s just not all about shooting gaps and running around and shaking guys free, they take blockers on. They use their hands well, they leverage blockers, they push back and that’s something that comes with development that younger players usually have to work on. Across the board they do a very, very nice job of that.

Q: In watching Wake Forest this week, is it clear to see the differences between the offense that played against Duke and the offense that played against Miami?
Groh: It’s more the case of seeing the difference between the offense the last two games and the offense of earlier in the season. The offense now is a little bit more in line with what traditionally has been the style of Wake Forest offense.

Q: If you had been told nine games in that Alex Field would have five sacks and eight tackles for loss, you’d be pretty happy with that?
Groh: Very much so, yeah he’s doing a great job for us.

Q: I guess Matt Conrath has four sacks. He hasn’t made as many plays as Alex of late, but is that decent amount of production for a redshirt freshman considering what you lost?
Groh: Very much, given the guys they were filling in for those were two home run hitters. We’re really very pleased with what we’ve gotten from Matt. Matt is one of those players who, now after nine games regardless of a player’s class in school, but just relative to how much time he has played, anybody who is doing something for the first time after nine games, guys got the opportunity to pick up quite a bit of experience. Call him a freshman he should be playing more experienced than that; call him a first-time starter, he ought to be playing like he knows what’s going on.

Both of those players have taken ample opportunity with the turns they get, which is basically to play the whole game each week, and they have progressed significantly from where they started the season.

Q: Do you see any similarities between Riley Skinner and Marc Verica?
Groh: We can be hopeful that it would turn out that way. But yes, I can certainly see why you could see the possibilities of a developing story.

Q: Skinner wasn’t highly recruited...?
Groh: Right.

But we should be so lucky. This Skinner, he’s a marvelous player. I thought for the length of Matt Ryan’s career that certainly no player meant more to his team over an extended period over the last three years than Matt Ryan did to his team and this is not to diminish what the other players are contributing, but Riley Skinner would fall into the same category. He makes great decisions, he's accurate, he's cool at the end of the games. He’s clearly the engineer of that train.

Q: Is it kind of amazing to talk about a guy who on an off day throwing when he completes 66% of the passes, you end of talking about the pass that comes along the sideline that he makes on a number of occasions?
Groh: The thing that I think we all remember is that the balls that we didn’t get were all put into the category of point-scoring throws. And those are the completions that for the previous three or four weeks have elevated our production.

How’s the Georgia Tech game go if we had just missed the throw to (Maurice Covington)? Or the throw to (Kevin Ogletree)? ... that’s why I said there were so many plays in the game, we’re a foot early or a foot short, we’re early with the ball, a foot behind the ball, a foot away from the ball.

When you think that this in this whole conference, all four games were basically decided on the last play of the game. Wake Forest and Virginia are the two teams during the course of 2+ seasons, almost three seasons now, who have played in the most games in this conference that were decided right at the end.

That was the case last year when the two teams played. And now a year later, it’s just been more added to their total for each team. And last year substantiated that because clearly it was decided on the last play.

Q: In some years past about this time of the year, you have talked about being “in the hunt.” Will you broach that with the team this week or are you just going to stay away from that?
Groh: We haven’t mentioned one single thing about the conference race, really since the start of the season. Everything’s been about, ‘let’s get it ready for the next one.’

I think a lot with teams, it certainly is the case with teams at the end of games, when on so many plays the game is on the line and it is the case during the course of seasons, that teams and players need to keep a lot of focus on the process and not on the outcome. You get one of those late drives where you’re on offense or defense, it’s just got to be about, ‘what do you have to do on this particular play?’ It’s not, ‘well, if we do this we’re going to win, if we don’t do this we this we might not win.’

That’s too much. You’ve just got to focus on the process of what that takes on that play. It’s the same thing with each game, it’s got to focus on the process of: what’s it take to win this game? Then we’ll see what it all adds up to.

Q: Regarding team bonding. Is this one of the most tightly bonded teams you’ve had since you’ve been here?
Groh: I don’t compare teams, they’re all different. It’s not fair to the previous teams. But this team has become over the course of the season, as unified really as it could be.

And that took a little process because there were so many players who were new in the mix. Just because you were on the team last year doesn’t mean that (clasps hands together).

It’s different going through the off season program or ... going to the games together. It just took a little while for players to solidify that commitment to each other, as well as to the group goals. But from that aspect it’s everything that you would ask of a team, yes.



 

U.Va. ends: Sack surprise
By Norm Wood
November 5, 2008

Though linebacker Clint Sintim may get most of the attention on Virginia's defense for being a ravenous pass-rusher, defensive ends Alex Field and Matt Conrath have provided more sacks than expected in their first seasons as starters.

Sintim will lead U.Va. into Saturday's game at Wake Forest (5-3 overall, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) with an ACC-best 10 sacks. Field, a senior, is second on the team with 4 1/2 sacks, while Conrath, a redshirt freshman, has contributed three.

Only three other starting defensive-end tandems in the ACC have recorded more sacks, including Georgia Tech's Derrick Morgan and Michael Johnson (11 1/2 total), Virginia Tech's Orion Martin and Jason Worilds (8 1/2 ) and Florida State's Everette Brown and Neefy Moffett (eight sacks). Field and Conrath have stepped in for Chris Long, who graduated after having 14 sacks last season, and Jeffrey Fitzgerald, who transferred after having seven sacks last season.

"Given the guys (Field and Conrath) were filling in for, those were two home-run hitters," U.Va. coach Al Groh said.

"Both (Field and Conrath) have taken ample opportunity with the turns they get, which is basically to play the whole game each week, and they have progressed significantly from where they started the season."

 

Verica, receivers experience growth, some pitfalls
Verica has improved play along with receivers, but teamwork could facilitate gridiron success
Aaron Perryman, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor

Jared Green tiptoes the sideline after a reception against Miami this past Saturday. Green caught three passes on the day, including the first touchdown reception of his Virginia career. The Virginia football team’s game against Miami marked the seventh in the development of the play between sophomore quarterback Marc Verica and his wide receivers.

There have been many high points, including the 31-0 demolishing of Maryland Oct. 4 in which Verica was nearly flawless, connecting on 25 of his 34 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, who grabbed five catches for 100 yards on the night.

There was the Georgia Tech game Oct. 25, when Verica completed all but 10 passes en route to throwing for a career-high 270 yards and two touchdowns, one to Ogletree and one to senior wide receiver Maurice Covington.

There have been low points, too. Verica has thrown nine interceptions to only six touchdowns this year and even though five of those came in his first two games against Connecticut and Duke, Verica has still thrown nearly as many interceptions (4) as touchdowns (6) during the past five games.

There was this past weekend’s game against the Hurricanes, in which Verica had another solid game, completing 27 of 41 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, but a couple throws got away from him.

“A couple of my passes were literally a couple inches too far,” Verica said. “That’s frustrating to see. Had I been right on the mark on one of those, we may not be talking about that right now. We could be sitting at 6-3. It’s a game of inches really and it doesn’t always go your way.”

Aside from barely missing the target on a few throws, Verica also had to deal with a questionable call during the game. Late in the first half, with Virginia trying to add to its 17-10 lead, a pass to Ogletree appeared complete on the sideline but the referee called it incomplete. The play was reviewed but the call stood, much to the chagrin of the Cavaliers, who thought the pass was complete, even though Ogletree did lose the ball once he tumbled out of bounds.

“It hit the ground about 2 yards out-of-bounds,” coach Al Groh said. “Everyone who’s looked at it, OK, everybody — men, women, children, coaches, ACC representatives — everybody says it was a good catch. There’s only one person on the planet who didn’t see it that way. I’m not criticizing [the referee], I’m just saying these are the facts. We saw it one way, he saw it another way, he had the vote.”

Ogletree was able to put the questionable call behind him, even though the call surprised him as well.

“I was a little shocked, because I knew I caught it,” Ogletree said. “I knew there was no reason to think I bobbled it or a foot wasn’t in bounds. I had to forget about it quickly. You can never question the ruling of the officials and you just hope they use their better judgement next time.”

Ogletree is a player who has reemerged after missing all of last season with a knee injury. This year, he has 44 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns, already closing in on his 2006 numbers — 52 catches, 582 yards, four touchdowns. Despite his success, Ogletree had some doubts that he could come back as strong as he was in 2006.

“[But] I never had a question of where I had to get back to or what I had to do,” he added. “I had a lot of faith in my work ethic to get back where I was, or get even better.”

Freshman wide receiver Jared Green is another player who has stepped up to give Verica someone dependable to catch his passes. Green caught his first collegiate touchdown against Miami, a 2-yard reception during the second quarter that put the Cavaliers up a touchdown. Green’s father, former Washington Redskins cornerback Darrell Green, was happy for his son’s first touchdown catch.

“He was very proud like any father would be for the first touchdown,” Green said. “He was really excited. But at the same time he was really excited about the other catches I had. He said that whatever I had been doing with the coaches had molded me into a real receiver and not just a kid out there running.”

Green was also pleased, but kept his team’s goals in perspective.

“The touchdown meant something to me, but we’re trying to win games and I didn’t really dwell on [the touchdown],” Green said. “Really, the third quarter is what mattered, trying to press on and seal the deal. It didn’t work out for us, but that was my real passion.”

Sealing the deal is something the Cavaliers will have to do as they enter their final three-game stretch of what will likely be close games against formidable opponents — Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Though there have been successes and growth this year with Verica and his wide receiving corps, the players, like the team, are looking at the big picture and have not completed their goals yet.

“Coming off the field Saturday was a real tough loss,” Green said. “I’m real antsy to get out on the field this Saturday [at Wake Forest]. We have a lot of stuff we want to get accomplished this year. We’re keeping our hopes alive. I feel like we’re going to do really good things.”

 

Fire this clown
Paul Wiley
Published: Wednesday, November 5 2008

“For when the One Great Scorer comes,
To write against your name,
He marks — not that you won or lost —
But how you played the game.”
— Grantland Rice

Never in the history of sports has a writer so succinctly and poetically summed up the essence of sports on a higher plane than that of the playing field. He’s the same man who penned “The Four Horsemen” as the moniker for Notre Dame’s 1924 backfield and a journalist Al Groh should look up.

We’ve gone from distasteful to embarrassing. I’ve written about it before and hoped to never have to write about it again, but what once were discipline “issues” have now become a full-blown epidemic.

Rashawn Jackson’s arrest on charges of breaking and entering and, even better, grand larceny, makes him the sixth Cavalier football player arrested since the end of the 2007 season. He follows in the ignoble footsteps of Mike Brown, J’Courtney Williams, Dave Roberts, Will Barker and Peter Lalich.

While the charges against Barker were later dismissed and Jackson still does have a court date Nov. 20 to prove his innocence, this chain of fools is downright disgusting. That stench that’s turning my stomach no longer wafts up from Tallahassee, Fla., Miami, Fla. or Blacksburg, Va., but rather from right under our own noses. Ultimately, the buck has to stop somewhere, and I have a good idea which sweatshirt to pin it on.

One of the distinguishing features between the NFL and college football is the amount of control coaches have over the players who enter their programs. In the pros, an owner or general manager can make a personnel decision over a coach’s head and bring in a Pacman Jones. But in the college ranks, the head coach targets, recruits and signs every last player to come through the door, either directly or through his assistants.

So when one of those players screws up, some of the blame can shift onto the coach. Certainly he can’t be with every player, everywhere, all the time, but we do expect the coach to instill enough of either respect or fear to keep his players on the straight and narrow.

But when it’s as many as six players, or 10 in Groh’s case if you count academic suspensions and dismissals, almost all of the blame comes back to the top of the pile. Double-digit screw-ups in a single season aren’t a bad apple or two. It’s indicative of a culture of complacency, in which character is seen as a vice, not a virtue.

On top of the actions themselves is the attitude of this coach, these players and this athletic department as a whole. After this paper broke the story of Lalich’s probation violation, I received a highly passive-aggressive message from Lalich himself, “congratulating” me on the story while continuously asserting a lack of any wrongdoing. When we asked why Lalich played that week in the postgame press conference, Groh bristled at the audacity of our reporter to question why someone who voluntarily admitted to violating his probation still got to represent the Orange and Blue and then said those reporting on the matter should “examine themselves.”

Days later, the athletic department trotted Lalich in front of the assembled media to express their solidarity with him and let him, again, assert his innocence. Within 48 hours, they announced he wouldn’t travel to Storrs for the UConn game; within the week following the game, he was off the team. In his court hearing, Lalich admitted verbally what he’d admitted in writing: that he’d been drinking on probation, in clear and direct violation of the terms he’d signed.

At the end of the day, the criticisms of Lalich and his actions were correct and had been from the start. But Groh and the athletic department’s brusque treatment of the media’s inquiries into the matter show one of two things: either a complete and utter lack of control and knowledge or a willingness to support a young man’s repeated public lies. Either one is entirely unacceptable.

Being the football coach at the University of Virginia is about much more than wins or losses, bowl games or conference championships. An institution of this caliber, with the rich history and tradition of honor that sets it apart from all others, deserves a coach that doesn’t embarrass it at every turn. It deserves a coach that, win or lose, does things the right way.

We had one for almost 20 years in George Welsh, a man who single-handedly built this program into national prominence, who led us to what remains our only three weeks atop the national polls and whose 1989 and 1995 teams were ACC co-champions. His play-calling may have been conservative, and he may have picked his nose a bit on national TV, but for all his faults, Welsh never, ever, would have allowed the shenanigans that have now become the vile legacy of the Groh era at the University.

It’s time to turn the page. In fact, it’s time to burn the whole dang book. Fire Groh, and fire him now.

 

Al Groh says calls impacted Virginia's loss
The Washington Post • November 5, 2008

Buzz up! CHARLOTTESVILLE — In the first quarter of Virginia's loss to Miami on Saturday, the Hurricanes faced fourth and two at the Cavaliers' 35-yard line and appeared to snap the ball after the play clock had expired.

The Hurricanes converted the first down. Had a five-yard penalty been assessed for delay of game, it would have been fourth and seven from the 40, and the Hurricanes might have decided to punt. At the very least, the conversion would have been more difficult.

A game official told Virginia Coach Al Groh that the ball was being snapped as the play clock showed zeros. Groh has no issue with that; he did, however, take issue with how long the clock looked that way before the official saw it.

"We clearly all saw the same thing, right?" Groh asked. "Was it not on double zero for quite awhile?"

Miami finished the drive by scoring a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead in a game the Hurricanes won in overtime, 24-17. "I'm not saying we didn't have ample opportunity to score," Groh said. "We're just saying that little thing that doesn't look like very much, as you evaluate things from what impact officiating had on the game, then it probably had significant impact. If that was the case, and you were the person involved, just say that's what happened."

Groh was careful not to outwardly criticize the officials when discussing two controversial calls on Tuesday — one involving the play clock and one involving a catch along the sideline that was ruled incomplete. But this particular play was a point of contention because Groh said he focused on the play clock.

Miami called its play from the line of scrimmage after assessing how Virginia's defense lined up. With the team lining up and quarterback Robert Marve looking to the sideline for the signal, Groh checked how the Hurricanes were faring against the clock.

"I'm kind of wondering, 'Is he going to make it?' " Groh said. "So that particular case, more than usual, I'm looking at the clock. I wouldn't say it if I didn't think I clearly saw it."

Later in the game, Virginia wide receiver Kevin Ogletree appeared to make a catch along the Hurricanes' sideline, but it was ruled incomplete. An instant-replay review did not overturn the call, but Groh said the ACC office admitted it was a catch.

"What did we all see that the person that we're paying to see it didn't see?" Groh said. "It's a legitimate question to ask. Everybody who's looked at it, everybody — men, women, children, coaches, ACC representatives — everybody says it was a good catch. There's only one person on the planet that didn't see it that way. I'm not criticizing him. I'm just saying that's the facts. We saw it one way. He saw it the other way. He had the vote."

The ACC declined to comment on the calls.
 

Green validates Groh's faith
November 5, 2008 12:35 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

The number 12 sticks out in Virginia head coach Al Groh's mind whenever he thinks of Jared Green.

That's how many catches Green had in his high school career, but Groh was willing to take a chance and offer a full scholarship to the son of Washington Redskins Hall of Fame cornerback Darrell Green.

The Cavaliers' coaching staff had to attend Jared Green's practices at Oakton High School in Fairfax and view him in Virginia camps to become satisfied with his ability because Green rarely had opportunities in games.

The risk has paid off.

Green is a key member of the Cavaliers' receiving corps, and the redshirt freshman collected his first career touchdown reception this past Saturday in the Cavaliers' 24-17 overtime loss to Miami.

He'll try to continue the solid start to his career on Saturday when Virginia (5-3, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) visits Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2).

"We had confidence that with work he would develop into a good receiver," Groh said. "His career is going in a good way. He'll end up this year with between 15 and 20 catches. Next year, we'll see how that goes. Then he'll be in that fourth or fifth year time-frame and he'll be ready to go."

Green said he came to Virginia as an unfinished product.

He had tremendous speed that was passed down from his father, who was the fastest player in the NFL for several years.

But his catching and route-running ability needed work. Green said his redshirt year helped improve those facets of his game. He has 12 receptions for 144 yards this season.

"I feel like everything since I've got here last year has been a work in progress," Green said. "If anybody ever asked about me before I got here, they would all say I was a raw guy, not really a blue-chip player."

Green still hasn't emerged that far, but he's certainly showing promise. Cavaliers' sophomore quarterback Marc Verica said Green is "very hungry, very eager to get better."

He made steps on Saturday with a 2-yard touchdown reception and an even more impressive 18-yard grab on a third-and-6 play in the third quarter. Green said the strong play was pleasing to his father, whom he introduced at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony this past summer.

"He was very proud, like any father would be," Green said of his touchdown catch. "He said that whatever I've been doing with the coaches here have molded me into a real receiver and not just a kid out there running."

CAVS FLOCK TO VOTE

Virginia senior linebacker Clint Sintim was up and prepared to vote in the presidential election at 5:45 a.m. yesterday. When Cavaliers' senior running back Cedric Peerman learned he wasn't registered to vote in Charlottesville, he immediately drove to his native Lynchburg.

Sintim said he's been bombarded with so much information about voting, he felt compelled to cast a ballot for the first time.

"It's almost like you can't help but hear it: 'You have to vote,'" Sintim said. "I'm just a product of everybody telling me I have to vote. Vote or die, I guess."

GROH BREAKS RULE

Groh said his rule when filing formal complaints about officiating to the ACC is that he never does so following a loss. He said it sounds too much like "whining."

But Groh complained to the ACC about two calls against Miami: an apparent play clock violation that wasn't called against the Hurricanes on a crucial fourth-and-2 play and an incomplete pass to wide receiver Kevin Ogletree that Groh thought should've been a completion. That play was reviewed by the replay official, who agreed with the call on the field, perplexing Groh.

"Everybody who looked at it--men, women, children, coaches, ACC representatives--everybody says it was a good catch," Groh said. "There's only one person on the planet who didn't see it that way."

 

Cavaliers get out the vote
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 4, 2008

It was very early in the morning — at least by Clint Sintim’s standards — to wake from a slumber and depart his apartment.

Yet, trying to beat the masses, Sintim left in darkness to beat the traffic in an attempt to vote with ease in this year’s election.

Much to the surprise of the nation’s top linebacker — at least in terms of sacks — Virginia’s fifth-year senior found himself in a lengthy line.

“I had this brilliant theory that if I got there earlier than everybody else that I could get it done and come back and lay down, but there were about 30 people that beat me to the poll. But it was cool,” Sintim said Tuesday afternoon. “It was worth the wait. I got a chance to go in there and experience my first time voting and let my voice be heard, so to speak. If I could do it all over again I would wait for 100 people.

“I am just glad I got it done.”

Cedric Peerman and Jon Copper were not quite as fortunate.

Peerman was told when he reached what he believed to be his polling station that he needed to vote in Lynchburg. He promptly hopped in the car and drove just over an hour.

Copper, who resides with his wife near University Hall, attempted to vote in that venue. That was not, however, where he needed to be.

“I went to the wrong place,” Copper joked. “I have to get to the bottom of that. I figured I live right across the street so I figured I would vote at U-Hall, but apparently I don’t.

“I need to find that out shortly.”

Not every member of the team voted for the first time in their young adult lives.

Virginia wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, who is from Queens, N.Y., admitted that he did not vote in person or via absentee ballot in New York, as nose tackle Nate Collins did.

“I am not an in-state guy. When guys always talk about politics, I don’t really try to get into it,” Ogletree said. “It’s kind of a mushy subject.”

Ogletree admitted that his vote in his native state was likely not needed.

“I think [Barack] Obama has got New York,” he said.

Virginia coach Al Groh, preparing for Saturday’s game at Wake Forest, adjusted his schedule to study film at home instead of his office and voted early Tuesday morning.

Groh admitted that he was proud that his players showed so much interest in the election, which has not always been the case with student-athletes.

“It certainly wasn’t when I was in school,” Groh said. “I don’t think we gave much thought to it, but of course it wasn’t publicized like the way it is now either.”

Sintim said after constant buzz in the locker room and around school that he felt obligated to vote.

“It is almost like you can’t help but hear it everywhere you go — you have to vote,” he said with a smile. “I am just a product of everybody else telling me, ‘I have to vote.’

“Vote or die, I guess.”

Help on the way

Having lost running back Mikell Simpson for the season to a broken collar bone, Virginia (5-4, 3-2 ACC) was expected to receive a boost in its backfield with the return of sophomore Keith Payne at Tuesday’s practice.

Payne, who has been sidelined since breaking a bone in his hand on Sept. 27 at Duke, could join a three-way battle with sophomore Raynard Horne and junior Rashawn Jackson to serve as the team’s backup to Peerman.

Payne has rushed five times this season for 36 yards.

Horne has not carried the ball in a game in his career, but has seen extra repetitions in practice as the coaching staff attempted to limit Peerman’s mid-week work.

“Because of the nature of the game [Peerman] plays, as rugged and physical as it is, the most important thing is to have him well prepared from a sight standpoint — he’s seen the looks that he needs to see — but physically ready to go on Saturday,” Groh said. “We moderate his plays during the course of the week, so that has resulted in the other potential runners getting their looks, some more on some days.

“For example on Sundays, we purposely hold Cedric back so Horne gets more turns then than he does on Tuesday.”

Jackson, Groh said, could even see action at tailback with a fullback in the backfield. That would require the usage of redshirt freshman Curt Orshoski at fullback, Jackson’s natural position.

Orshoski, a Culpeper native, could emerge as Jackson’s heir apparent.

“He’s given good promise of that,” Groh said.

More helping hands

From all accounts, Virginia should get redshirt freshman Nick Jenkins back for this week’s game.

Being able to spell defensive ends Matt Conrath and Alex Field and Collins, a fellow nose tackle, could help late in the contest against the Demon Deacons. In the Cavaliers’ most recent loss to Miami, the Hurricanes gained 120 yards on their final 20 plays and scored a pair of touchdowns.

“I think it will be great [to get Jenkins back] and at the same time, I think it is going to be great for our team up front, because it just opens up everything for the d-line because last game I think for regular stack defense none of the D-lineman came out of the game,” Collins said.

In a pinch, Collins can slide to either defensive end spot.

Since Field never redshirted and will be out of eligibility at season’s end, Collins would welcome being an option at defensive end next year. The coaching staff has moved John-Kevin Dolce from linebacker to nose tackle in practice sets and true freshman Buddy Ruff has

returned to practice after mouth surgery, Collins said. Both players could provide positional depth in 2009.

“If the coaches want to do that,” Collins said of playing defensive end. “Wherever they want to put me, it’s not a problem for me. It wouldn’t at all be a dramatic move.”

After further review

Groh sent a pair of plays to the conference office for further review, a rarity when Virginia loses.

One of those plays involved an obvious catch for a first down by Ogletree on a pass from quarterback Marc Verica with 1:28 left in the first half. The Cavaliers would have had the ball just yards shy of the 50-yard line with time to drive for points in their hurry-up offense.

The play, however, was ruled incomplete on the field and by official replay.

“Everybody who has looked at it — everybody — men, women, children, coaches, ACC representatives, everybody says it was a good catch,” Groh said. “There was only one person on the planet who didn’t see it that way. I am not criticizing him; I am just saying that’s the facts.

“We saw it one way, he saw it the other way [and] he had the vote.”

Groh also sent a play during one of Miami’s scoring drives where it was apparent that the play clock reached :00 and remained that way for a considerable amount of time before the snap.

 

Green had to wait to make his UVa mark
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: November 4, 2008

When Jared Green hauled in his first career touchdown catch against Miami last Saturday, it’s a good bet that his father was more excited about it than was the young Virginia receiver.

Green’s father is Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green, who starred at cornerback for the Washington Redskins for 20 years. Darrell Green has become a huge Virginia fan since Jared signed with the Cavaliers in 2007, but has become even more so since his son has gained playing time as a redshirt freshman this season.

So far, Jared Green has caught 12 passes for 244 yards and scored his first TD in a heartbreaking loss to the Hurricanes last weekend. Not bad for a first-year receiver who is a backup to starter Kevin Ogletree (although there is one package that has both in the lineup at the same time).
An understated son

When Jared hauled in quarterback Marc Verica’s scoring strike, he pointed skyward. Like many of his UVa teammates, Green is a man of faith, and so his celebrations are simple.

Darrell, on the other hand, was probably a little more whipped up about the play while watching from the stands in Scott Stadium.

“He was very proud, like any father would be,” Jared said Tuesday about his dad’s feelings on the score. “He was really excited. But at the same time, he was more excited about the other catches that I made.”

He caught three passes for 25 yards.

“My dad said that whatever I’ve been doing with the coaches here has molded me into a real receiver and not just a kid who is out there running,” Jared Green said. “The touchdown meant something to me, but we’re trying to win games, so I didn’t dwell on that. Winning is my real passion.”

The kid from Oakton High had grown up a Wahoo fan. Virginia was his favored school from his early high school days and he wanted to find a way to make it to Charlottesville.

Persistence pays off

He made contact for two years before any offer was forthcoming. He kept visiting at every opportunity, waiting for a chance.

“We were going to find a way to get there somehow,” Green said.

Finally, at the end of his senior year, Virginia offered.

That was only the first step. Green had caught only 17 passes for 245 yards and four TDs as a senior, so he was a bit raw when he arrived. Coach Al Groh could see the potential.

“We knew his coach [Joe Thompson] well and he told us a lot about Jared,” Groh said. “We went up and watched practices, where we had a chance to see him catch the ball much more than in games. We had the confidence that with work, he would develop into a good receiver and he’s clearly progressing along that line.”

Groh estimated that Green would probably end the season with 15 to 20 receptions, which isn’t bad for a rookie backup, but noted that his best days lie ahead.

“Now next year we’ll see where that goes and then after that he’ll be in that fourth- and fifth-year frame and ready to go,” the coach said.

Green knows he was a bit green when he arrived at UVa.

“I feel like everything since I got here last year has been a work in progress,” he admitted. “If anybody ever asked you about me before I got here, they would say I was a raw guy.”

Yes, but a raw guy with a lot of potential.

“When Jared first got here he was a real small guy,” critiqued Ogletree. “Not in a bad way. He was skinny. His frame was real small, but he was fast. You could tell he could run and people were nicknaming him things like ‘the deer’ because he just glided.”

However, as Ogletree further explained, Green had some things to learn.

No one doubted that he would catch on quickly and maximize his abilities because of his heritage. His father, Darrell, was not only fast, but great at everything he did in football, so the work ethic was never an issue for Jared. It was what he refers to as “the Green way.”

Jared said that Coach Groh told him to make his strengths stronger and not worry about the weaknesses. That’s what he has done as he has matured into a reliable receiving threat that has the speed to stretch defenses.

We don’t know his speed, but we can assume the 6-foot-2, 178-pounder is very fast.

There was even a story going around that after all these years that Jared had beaten his dad for the first time this summer — a rumor that Jared denied.

“We haven’t raced,” Jared chuckled. “I claim that I can [beat his dad]. I probably beat him up the stairs a couple of times ... he’s getting older, so you gotta watch that back.”

Groh said that’s a race he’d like to see.

“You know, Darrell was the fastest man in football for at least 10 years,” Groh said. “So, you can be pretty fast and still not be faster than him. I’m sure his father would still be interested in participating in [such a race], that is knowing his father.”

While Jared and Darrell are very close, their relationship is much more father and son related than coach and player. Darrell did help him prepare this past summer when they got together with then-Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell, along with receiver Antwaan Randle El for some workouts.

“[Darrell] would do a little bump-and-run on me just to prepare me for this year,” Jared said about his dad covering him in the drills.

That’s the least dad could do after Jared served as Darrell’s presenter at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton in July.

“It’s hard going up against your old man,” Jared laughed, but in a respectful way. “You don’t want to step on his toe or hit him in the head. He actually taught me more about the game than the actual physical part of it.”

His father isn’t exclusive to Jared, though. Being a big Wahoo fan, he talks to several of the players, particularly the defensive backs, not from a coaching standpoint but rather as a confidence builder.

Verica believes Green has improved dramatically since he first hit campus.

“He can run all day with anybody and he’s a very hungry guy who is eager to get better,” Verica said. “He has improved tremendously over the past couple of weeks. I’m proud of him and what he’s accomplished and he’s going to get better every week.”

If that’s the case, then Green may surpass Groh’s estimates faster than anyone would have thought.

Faster is something that comes naturally to the Greens, and that’s a good thing for Virginia.

 

Deacons may get boost this weekend
Several injured starters may play against Cavs; Swank is questionable
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: November 5, 2008

Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest said yesterday that he's not glad to be 5-3 overall and 3-2 in ACC play through the first eight games of the season.

Relieved might be a better word.

The Deacons have played four games without Sam Swank, the best kicker in program history. The offensive line, the biggest question mark, has played long stretches without center Trey Bailey (broken ankle) and tackles Jeff Griffin (sprained knee) and Joe Birdsong (ejection and an illness). And tight end Ben Wooster, a key component in the Deacons' spread package, hasn't played since he pulled his hamstring at Maryland, three games ago.

Knowing what he knows now, would he have taken the Deacons' record through the first two-thirds of the schedule?

"Probably not," Grobe said. "We'd still like to start over and see if we couldn't improve on those three.

"But we're in a good position right now. Unfortunately, a lot of other people are in a good position right now. We can kind of play good down the stretch and have some good things happen."

The injury to Swank is the kind that can cripple a team, especially one that relies so heavily on defense and the kicking game. Grobe said he thought that football trainer Don Steelman was cracking a joke on Oct. 6 when he reported that Swank had pulled his quadriceps in practice.

"I was laughing about it," Grobe said. "I thought it was funny. It's not quite as funny now.

"I certainly didn't think it was going to be a major deal, not a four-week deal."

And if the early practices this week are any indication, Swank doesn't appear ready to return for Saturday's home game against Virginia. Swank didn't practice last night.

"I don't think it's good," Grobe said. "He still doesn't feel real good.

"I don't think he felt much better (Monday) than he did a week or two ago."

The difference from a week ago is that Swank's replacement, redshirt freshman Shane Popham, was struggling mightily before he kicked three field goals in three tries in Saturday's 33-30 overtime victory over Duke. The third was a 28-yarder in overtime that proved to be the game winner when cornerback Alphonso Smith picked off Thaddeus Lewis' pass.

"Of course I feel better with the way Shane kicked this past weekend," Grobe said. "If he can continue to kick well, we can wait on Sam. It was a little desperate there for awhile, because Shane wasn't kicking well, and we were kind of hanging on everything Don Steelman said about Sam.

"Now we've just got to hope he'll get healed up."

Otherwise the Deacons should be a team on the mend against Virginia, which slipped to 5-4 and 3-2 with Saturday's 24-17 overtime loss to Miami. Running back Josh Adams, cornerback Brandon Ghee, Wooster and Griffin have all recovered enough from injuries to practice this week for Virginia.

Adams missed the Duke game with a sprained ankle sustained at Miami. Ghee has missed two games since he injured his foot against Maryland.

"I think we've got a chance to have Brandon Ghee back," Grobe said. "I think there's a chance Jeff Griffin will be back, but of course Jeff Griffin's problem is we can't get you ready during the week and have you go out the first quarter. We're better off getting (redshirt freshman) Doug Weaver ready and hoping Jeff can step in.

"We might get Ben Wooster back. Ben practiced a little (Monday) night and it would be good if we could get him back in the mix. And I think Josh Adams is ready to go. Josh was really ready to go Saturday, he just didn't get to practice all week.

"So we've got a chance to get two or three of those guys back."

Freshman guard Joe Looney missed last night's practice with a stomach virus, but Steelman said he would be recovered in plenty of time for Saturday's game.

Grobe said that senior Aaron Curry will play, despite injuries to his neck and shoulder. And if he plays anywhere close to as well as he played against Duke, then his impact will be felt.

"We had him for 21 tackles," Grobe said, alluding to the count of defensive coordinator Brad Lambert. "The stats had him for 16. And Brad's pretty strict about that. We try to give our kids bonus points on defense and we don't want to give them anything that they don't earn because they're comparing themselves to each other.

"For an injured guy to have 21 tackles, that's a pretty good day."