QB's play holds key for Deacs
Can Virginia defense overcome Skinner's poise and precision?
Saturday, Nov 08, 2008 - 12:07 AM
By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

As Matt Ryan was to Boston College, Riley Skinner is to Wake Forest. So says University of Virginia football coach Al Groh, whose team faces Skinner and the Demon Deacons today in Winston-Salem, N.C.

"He makes great decisions, he's accurate, he's cool at the end of the games," Groh said. "He's clearly the engineer of that train."

Skinner, a 6-1 junior, is in his third season as Wake's starting quarterback. He leads the ACC in passing yards per game -- 197 -- and has completed 63.3 percent of his throws.

The only starting quarterback in the league who's been more accurate than Skinner plays for Groh. Marc Verica, a 6-3 sophomore who was the Cavaliers' fourth-string QB in 2007, has completed 66.8 percent of his passes this season.

Could Verica do for U.Va. what Skinner, the ACC rookie of the year in 2006, has done for Wake?

"We can be hopeful that it would turn out that way," Groh said. "This Skinner, he's a marvelous player."

If a marvelous game unfolds today at BB&T Field, where Virginia hasn't played since 2002, few will be surprised. These are two of the eight ACC teams that have two conference losses apiece, and a tight finish seems likely.

Wake (3-2, 5-3) is tied for the Atlantic Division lead, thanks to Maryland's loss Thursday night to Virginia Tech. U.Va. (3-2, 5-4) is tied for second in the Coastal.

"The teams look a lot alike," said Groh, a former Wake head coach.

Both are coming off overtime games. Wake beat Duke 33-30 in Winston-Salem on a 28-yard field goal by Shane Popham. U.Va. self-destructed late and lost 24-17 to the Miami Hurricanes at Scott Stadium.

The Cavaliers, as you would expect, say they've put that defeat behind them. Maybe so, but it's one they won't soon forget. The Wahoos led 17-10 for the first 29 minutes and five seconds of the second half, during which they squandered several opportunities to knock out the 'Canes.

"I think the team as a whole knows we let one get away," Virginia nose tackle Nate Collins said.

Verica completed 27 of 41 passes for 240 yards and one touchdown, and he wasn't intercepted. Still, it wasn't his best day, which speaks to the high standard he'd set in his previous four games -- all U.Va. victories.

"There were a lot of instances [against Miami] where we were just an inch off here or there, and that happens sometimes," Verica said. "A couple of my passes, they were literally just inches too far. That's frustrating to see, because had I been right on the mark on one of those, we might not be talking about this right now. We could be sitting at 6-3."

Instead, the Cavaliers find themselves tied with Miami and Virginia Tech, and a half-game behind first-place Georgia Tech, in the race for Coastal title and a berth in the ACC championship game.

"That's the way it happens sometimes," Verica said. "We've won plenty of games here the past couple of years the way [Miami] did, and it just didn't go our way that day. We're still in control here. We've just got to beat Wake.

"That's the great thing about this game. There's a chance for redemption from week to week. If things didn't go your way the week before, then you have a great opportunity the next week."

U.Va. wideout Kevin Ogletree said: "We can't wait to get back out there. We want to go prove something again."

 

Three keys for U.Va.
Saturday, Nov 08, 2008 - 12:07 AM
 
Three keys for U.Va.
1 Pressure Riley Skinner. Wake's junior quarterback is an accurate passer (63.3 completion percentage) who has thrown twice as many touchdowns as interceptions this season. If Skinner has time in the pocket, he'll torment the Cavaliers.

2 Avoid kicking-game breakdowns. True freshman Jimmy Howell punted well against Miami last weekend, but junior Yannick Reyering made only 1 of 3 field-goal attempts, and those misses contributed heavily to U.Va.'s overtime loss.

3 Win the turnover battle. U.Va. quarterback Marc Verica should be wary of Wake cornerback Alphonso Smith, who has 19 career interceptions, including five this season. The Deacons lead the ACC in turnover margin (plus-11). Virginia, at minus-1, is eighth.


 

Preview: Virginia at Wake Forest
Saturday, Nov 08, 2008 - 12:07 AM
Virginia at Wake Forest
Where : BB&T Field (cap. 31,500), Winston-Salem, N.C.
When : 3:30 p.m.
On the air: TV -- ESPNU, 3:30 p.m. Radio -- WRVA (1140), 2:30 p.m.; XM Ch. 191, 3:30 p.m.
Line : Wake by 3½
Records : Virginia 3-2 ACC, 5-4; Wake 3-2, 5-3
Players to watch: U.Va. -- TB Cedric Peerman, 110 carries, 619 yards, 7 TDs; WR Kevin Ogletree, 44 catches, 545 yards, 4 TDs; WR Maurice Covington, 25 catches, 302 yards, 1 TD; QB Marc Verica, 171 for 256, 1,521 yards, 6 TDs, 9 INTs. WFU -- QB Riley Skinner, 159 for 251, 1,576 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs; TB Josh Adams, 101 carries, 357 yards, 2 TDs; WR D.J. Boldin, 47 catches, 517 yards, 2 TDs; CB Alphonso Smith, 5 interceptions, 13 pass breakups.
Outlook : Today's winner will become bowl-eligible. . . . First game between these ACC rivals in Winston-Salem since 2002, when Virginia rallied to win 38-34. Wake has won six consecutive ACC games at BB&T Field, formerly known as Groves Stadium. . . . U.Va. hasn't lost at Wake since 1983. The Cavaliers lead this series 34-12. A season ago, Virginia prevailed 17-16 at Scott Stadium when Wake's Sam Swank missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt on the game's final play. . . . Each of the past four games in this series has been decided by four or fewer points.

 

UVa-Wake meeting an ACC rarity
The Cavs have owned Wake Forest at the Deacons' stadium, but haven't been to Winston-Salem since 2002.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

One of the understated consequences of ACC expansion is that a football team like Virginia can go six years without playing at Wake Forest.

"This is an interesting match-up," said UVa coach Al Groh, whose Cavaliers are in Winston-Salem, N.C., for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff. "We played there in 2002 and haven't been back since. Now, we've played in '07 [at Virginia] and '08.

"We played Pittsburgh home and away, we played Connecticut home and away; now, we're playing Wake Forest home and away. It's almost like you're playing another non-conference opponent."

Wake Forest (5-3 overall, 3-2 ACC) is in the Atlantic Division and Virginia (5-4, 3-2) is in the Coastal Division. Teams in the same division meet every year and each has a "cross-divisional" rival from the other division that it plays annually.

Virginia's cross-divisional opponent is Maryland, which means the Cavaliers can go years without playing Wake, Florida State, Boston College, Clemson and North Carolina State.

The format, which is also used by the Southeastern Conference, requires teams to meet at least once every three years. Virginia and Wake actually did not play between 2003-2007 but some jockeying became necessary following expansion in 2004.

"You know what's going on with their games," Groh said. "Outside of that, you don't have a great familiarity with them. You really have to study them when you play them the first time."

In this case, the Cavaliers have the experience of having played the Deacons last year, when All-ACC place-kicker Sam Swank missed a 47-yard field-goal attempt as time expired and Virginia prevailed 17-16.

It was Virginia's 20th victory in its last 21 games with Wake Forest, and the Cavaliers have won 10 straight games in Winston-Salem, N.C., none more improbable than a 38-34 triumph in 2002.

UVa ventured into what was then known as Groves Stadium with a 2-2 record, fell behind 27-10 at the half, then rallied for a 38-34 victory behind three Matt Schaub touchdown passes. Wake had rushed for 251 yards in the first half.

"There wasn't a whole lot of compunction to hold onto the plan we had at that time," Groh said. "It was one of those few times when we completely scrapped everything we were doing on defense."

A lot has changed at Groves Stadium, now called BB&T Field, since that day. The facing of the bleachers was re-done with 89,000 bricks in 2005, artificial Field Turf was installed in 2006 and a seven-story Deacon Tower went up prior to this season.

Mostly, fans started coming to the games, resulting in season attendance records in four of the past five seasons.

One thing that hasn't changed in the Virginia-Wake Forest series over that time is the identity of the coaches, Groh and fellow UVa alumnus Jim Grobe.

With the departure of Clemson's Tommy Bowden earlier this, only Florida State coach Bobby Bowden ranks ahead of Groh and Grobe in ACC seniority. Like Groh and Grobe, Ralph Friedgen is in his eighth season at Maryland.

Groh is 36-29 at Virginia, compared to Grobe's 29-35 mark at Wake, but the Deacons are 25-10 over the past three seasons and won the ACC championship in 2006.

Both teams have walked a fine line. Virginia has gone to overtime in two of its past three games, and the Deacons held off visiting Duke in overtime last week, 33-30.

"Wake Forest and Virginia are the two teams during the course of two-plus seasons, almost three seasons now, who have played in the most games in the conference that were decided at the end," Groh said. "Last year substantiated that because, clearly, it was decided on the play."

Swank injured his right quadriceps muscle in practice Oct. 6, and has not played since. He is listed as questionable for today's affair but the Deacons expect to regain the services of leading rusher Josh Adams, who had an ankle injury that prevented him from playing against Duke.

Wake's playmakers include fifth-year senior wide receiver D.J. Boldin, who has an ACC-high 47 receptions. Boldin is the younger brother of Arizona Cardinals' and former Florida State receiver Anquan Boldin.

Conspicuous on Virginia's injury list is junior cornerback Vic Hall, who has cemented two UVa victories with late-game interceptions but was beaten for the winning touchdown pass in a 24-17 overtime loss to Miami that ended a four-game Cavaliers' winning streak. Hall has a shoulder injury and is listed as questionable (50-percent chance he will play).

Hall and running back Cedric Peerman, who fumbled in overtime, were among the UVa players hardest hit by the loss to Miami.

"He and Vic and myself, we all kind of made a little pact Sunday," Groh said. "Look, the three guys who were in the middle of everything [Saturday] are the three guys who have to come back the fastest. Each one of us has been working to hold up our end."
 

Cav's unlikely starter at QB has been in a groove lately
Posted to: College Football News Sports
Marc Verica has thrown for at least 200 yards in the past five games, leading U.Va. to four victories.
By Ed Miller
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 8, 2008

The Verica household of Lansdowne, Pa., was under sonic assault. Heavy metal. Played over and over. By a middle schooler.

Marc Verica was teaching himself guitar. Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine” was one of his first attempts .

“I used to blast it throughout the house,” the Virginia quarterback said.

Verica mastered the riffs and eventually moved to mellower fare. Now, a video produced by Virginia’s athletic department shows him tapping out atmospheric ballads on the piano, and talking about the similarities of being in the zone musically and on the football field.

“You’re not even thinking anymore,” he said. “It’s just kind of second nature, and it’s happening.”

Verica has been in a groove lately, throwing for at least 200 yards each of the past five games and leading U.Va. to four victories . His numbers through his first seven starts compare favorably to those put up by Al Groh-coached quarterbacks Matt Schaub, Marques Hagans and Jameel Sewell at the same point in their careers.

Not bad for a quiet, cerebral 20-year-old who finished third on the depth chart last season and appeared destined to be a career backup. Verica got the job through “external” circumstances, as he likes to put it, but seized the opportunity and has shown no signs of letting go.

“I think Marc Verica came out and shocked a lot of people,” tight end John Phillips said.

It’s not the first time Verica had been underestimated. At Monsignor Bonner High in suburban Philadelphia, he started as a sophomore but seemed headed for a backup role as a junior – until the team’s other quarterback got hurt.

Verica took the job and never relinquished it. He signed with U.Va. and redshirted in 2006 and didn’t appear in a game last season . Sewell, the starter, was just a year ahead of him, eligibility-wise, and backup Peter Lalich was in the same year. Verica’s chances of ever playing, much less starting, looked bleak.

“He used to say to me, 'It’s not like I’m not right there,’” said Verica’s father Mark, a former quarterback at Kutztown State. “But he felt like he would always be in an underdog situation.”

Sewell left school after last season for academic reasons. Lalich was dismissed from the team after starting two games this year and has since transferred to Oregon State. Once again, Verica didn’t so much win a job as get thrust into one.

After a shaky start, including a four-interception half at Duke, he settled in.

“It’s really a process. It’s week to week, really,” Verica said. “Every game, I think I’m getting more comfortable and experienced and better.”

Verica’s quiet demeanor and dry humor mask his competitive nature, former Monsignor Bonner coach Jim Carrigan said. In high school, some times when things didn’t go well, Verica would walk over to Carrigan and tell him, “Boy, that was a great call, coach” in a deadpan delivery.

“He was fearless in a lot of ways, but you didn’t get that from him, being quiet,” Carrigan said. “He’d take a lick. He just was that kind of player that people lined up behind and believed in.”

At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Verica has quick feet and a strong arm. He’s more elusive than Schaub or Lalich , though he doesn’t run like Sewell or Hagans .

Since taking over at U.Va., his temperament and decision-making have been as important, if not more so, than anything he has done physically . He led the first two-minute drive of his career flawlessly, propelling U.Va. to a comeback win over North Carolina. He also led a fourth-quarter drive to beat Georgia Tech.

Verica’s string was broken last week, when he fumbled as he moved the Cavaliers into range for a possible game-winning field goal against Miami. Still, he had again effectively led his team down the field in a crucial situation.

“I just try to always keep an even keel. Never extreme highs or extreme lows, try to be the same guy on every play,” he said. “I think that poise and composure has allowed me to be successful in some of these end-of-game situations. And I would still like to improve on that.”

Verica says he has much to learn and improve on. Games are won as much during the week as they are on Saturdays, he likes to say. He’s hit most of the right notes so far, though.

“It’s still pretty early in my career,” he said. “We’re doing some good things right now, but I would hope my best days are ahead of me.”

 

The Crazy ACC
Mediocre or balanced? Either way, the conference race has been intriguing.
By NORM WOOD | 247-4642
November 8, 2008

Some people call it parity. Other folks call it mediocrity. Perhaps the Atlantic Coast Conference's football reputation lies somewhere in the middle.

In either case, there is no such thing as a national power in the ACC. Barring an impressive late-season run by No. 19 North Carolina, No. 20 Georgia Tech or No. 22 Florida State, the ACC is in danger of not having a team ranked in the Associated Press Top 10 at any point during the regular season for the first time since 1986. Clemson was No. 9 in the preseason poll, but promptly dropped out of the poll when it lost in the season-opener to Alabama.

Virginia (5-4 overall, 3-2 ACC) is a perfect example of how an above average team can have Bowl Championship Series aspirations in the ACC. Despite starting the season 1-3 and having a total offense and scoring offense ranked in the bottom five in the nation after those first four games, U.Va. is a half-game behind Georgia Tech in the ACC's Coastal Division and still has a shot to play in the ACC championship game.

U.Va. plays a critical game today at Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2). After starting 2-0 in the ACC, the Demon Deacons have lost two of their past three ACC games and are coming off a three-point overtime win against Duke.

While the ACC's conspicuous absence from any real prominence in the national polls has been present throughout this season, there has been no shortage of thrilling games in conference play. For the first time in 43 years, all ACC teams will have at least two conference losses. It'll be the third time it has ever happened in conference history, including '64 and '65.

"We get criticized now, but I think we have the most parity in the country bar none," said Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, whose 23rd-ranked team lost 23-13 Thursday night at Virginia Tech. "If we were in the NFL, the owners would love the parity we have because that's what they would want to achieve. In the ACC, anyone can win on any given day."

Friedgen's cliched assertion about every ACC game being a toss-up is actually true this season. The ACC is the only conference in the nation with 11 teams that have a .500 record or better.

Of 28 ACC games played thus far, a total of 17 (61 percent) have been decided by seven points or less. The margin of victory has been three points or less in 10 games. Last weekend, all four ACC games involving two conference teams were decided in the final minute and 46 seconds, including two overtime games.

Though parity in conference play makes for an exciting, unpredictable brand of football, there needs to be some proof ACC teams can hang on a national level to be considered a power. That proof isn't there.

In this week's official ACC release, the league office proudly touts the 33-10 record its teams have against non-conference opponents, including 10-7 against the other five conferences whose champions receive automatic Bowl Championship Series bids.

A closer look reveals the ACC has only played four games against ranked opponents from other BCS conferences, and the ACC has a 1-3 record against those teams. Maryland has the lone victory — a 35-27 win against No. 23 California in a game the Bears had to cross the country to play in a noon (9 a.m. Pacific) kickoff. Lowly N.C. State has the ACC's only other win against a ranked non-conference opponent — a 30-24 overtime victory against then-No. 15 East Carolina, the first of three consecutive losses by the Pirates to unranked opponents.

Maybe there's a connection in the ACC's absence from the power elite and the fact that a lot of ACC teams in transition. Seven of the 12 teams have had coaching changes in the past two years.

Those changes seem to have affected the offenses more than the defenses. Only FSU is ranked inside the top 40 in the nation (37th) in total offense. Of the seven schools that have gone through coaching changes in the past two years, none of them are ranked in the top 70 in total offense (Georgia Tech is 72nd).

With so much still unsettled in the ACC, a coach could drag out a new "we still have a pulse" speech to motivate his players every week. U.Va. coach Al Groh has refrained from using such motivations. After seeing his team lose to Duke by 28 points, beat Maryland by 31 points and go 2-1 in its past three ACC games, all of which were decided by seven points or less, it's fair to say his faith in the value of those kinds of speeches has waned.

"We haven't mentioned one single thing about the conference race, really since the start of the season," Groh said. "Everything's been about 'let's get it ready for the next one.'"

 

Cavaliers, Deacons aim to keep pace
November 8, 2008 12:36 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

Five of the six teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference's Coastal Division have two league losses.

That's why despite Virginia's 24-17 overtime loss to Miami last Saturday, the Cavaliers are still very much alive in the race for the division title and a trip to the conference championship game Dec. 6 in Tampa, Fla.

The Cavaliers (5-4, 3-2 ACC) could help themselves in a big way today when they visit Atlantic Division foe Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2). Virginia has just two games remaining after today.

"There's a lot of teams in the same situation we're in," Virginia senior linebacker Clint Sintim said. "A lot of teams are in the hunt and trying to win their next game. We have an opportunity to win this game against Wake, and after that we'll see where it goes."

Sintim and his teammates are dialed in to the division race.

On Tuesday, he said he would actively root for Maryland against Coastal rival Virginia Tech, but the Hokies held on for a 23-13 victory on Thursday to improve to 3-2 in the ACC.

Cavaliers head coach Al Groh prefers not to watch the standings. He said he hasn't mentioned the race to his players since the preseason.

Groh said the Cavaliers need to "keep a lot of the focus on the process and not the outcome."

"Then we'll see what it all adds up to," the coach added.

So far the Cavaliers' season has added up to one wild roller-coaster ride.

They started out 1-3 before winning four straight and briefly gaining first place in the Coastal standings. That was lost in last week's setback to the Hurricanes.

Virginia players admitted the loss hasn't been an easy one to forget, The Cavaliers held a 17-10 lead from the second quarter until there were 55 seconds left in regulation.

They failed to make a key play to seal the win.

"Obviously that was a very disappointing result, very frustrating," Virginia sophomore quarterback Marc Verica said. "But that's the way it happens sometimes. We've won plenty of games here over the past couple of years the way [Miami] did."

One such game was the Cavaliers' 17-16 victory over Wake Forest last season.

The contest ended when Wake's all-ACC kicker, Sam Swank, missed a 47-yard field goal attempt as time expired.

The Deacons remember that contest and don't want a repeat performance.

"It felt like we left some opportunities out there," Wake senior wide receiver Chip Brinkman said. "I think it's a good chance to play them again."

The Deacons also missed some opportunities in two of their past three contests. They beat Duke 33-30 in overtime last week, but that came after back-to-back losses to Maryland and Miami that junior defensive tackle Boo Robinson called "demoralizing."

To rebound, the Deacons turned to standout junior quarterback Riley Skinner, who threw for 232 yards and a touchdown against Duke.

Skinner leads the ACC in passing yards per game (197.0) and total offense (212.2 yards per game).

He's thrown just four interceptions, to help the Deacons lead the ACC in turnover margin (plus-1.38).

"He's a very effective quarterback," Sintim said. "He fits into that system very well."

Injury report

Swank (quadriceps) is doubtful for today's game. Replacement Shane Popham is 6-of-11 on the season.

Virginia starting cornerback Vic Hall (shoulder) is questionable.

 

Race to Tampa heats up for Cavs, Deacs
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 7, 2008

Those that have clamored for a playoff system in college football should take a closer look at the current developments in the ACC.

November, in essence, has evolved into just that in the 12-member, two-division league that boasts eight teams with two conference losses.

One of the pseudo elimination games comes in Winston-Salem, N.C., today at Groves Stadium as the final month of play heats up.

Given that prospect, the bowl berth that awaits the winner of the Wake Forest-Virginia showdown will remain a consolation prize.

More importantly, it will leave the victor in prime position to continue their quest to play in the ACC Championship Game in December in Tampa.

Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2 ACC) had its Atlantic Division title hopes bolstered on Thursday as Virginia Tech set up a three-way tie with its win over Maryland.

Having collapsed in the fourth quarter and in overtime during a 24-17 loss to Miami, Virginia (5-4, 3-2) enters knowing that it lost the chance to control its own destiny. Regardless of the fashion that the Cavaliers finish their final three-game slate, an opponent must beat Miami to give Virginia that opportunity based on the tiebreaker policy in place to determine divisional winners.

Given the headache-inducing complexity of the determining factors, Virginia coach Al Groh has elected to merely focus on the upcoming contest.

“We haven’t mentioned one single thing about the conference race, really since the start of the season,” Groh said. “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 … teams and players need to keep a lot of focus on the process and not on the outcome.”

As Virginia was losing to Miami in overtime last Saturday, Wake Forest salvaged its season by using extra time to upend Duke, 33-30.

“I think [the Duke] win gave us that little push to get us rolling,” said Wake Forest cornerback Alphonso Smith, who sealed the win over the Blue Devils with his second interception. “I think [the] win is going to give us momentum and, hopefully, we can win out the remaining four games.”

Unlike Wake, Virginia has a bye week remaining. After playing the Demon Deacons today, the Cavaliers will have 13 days to prepare for Clemson.

Despite having played seven straight weeks in grueling fashion — which only one of the league’s teams (Duke) will have done by season’s end — Groh said it appeared that his players were fresh, but he has taken precautions to ensure that.

“I wouldn’t say that we really have noticed much [fatigue], 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,” he said. “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.”

One of those players is running back Cedric Peerman, who ranks fourth in the ACC with 619 yards rushing. But even though he was healthy, the senior registered only four second-half carries last weekend.

Without Mikell Simpson in the fold, Peerman could be called upon for extra duty, something Groh said was a possibility.

“Peerman has really come on,” Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said. “He’s the best we’ve seen so far.”

Grobe also praised redshirt sophomore Marc Verica, who is averaging 185.1 yards of total offense per game, and how balanced the Cavaliers’ offense has appeared since a dreadful 1-3 start to the season.

“They have a really good combination of running and throwing the ball,” Grobe said. “What they’ve done is a great job of is rebounding.

“They started out a little slow and they’ve got their quarterback situation settled. Their offensive line has started to come together. They have a couple of really quality receivers.”

 

Groh hopes to emulate Grobe’s use of redshirts
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: November 7, 2008

Virginia will get an up-close look today at the Great Redshirting Experiment when the Cavaliers take on Wake Forest in a game that neither team can afford to lose.

UVa is trying to battle its way out of a second-place logjam in the ACC’s Coastal Division race, while host Wake Forest is hoping to hold on to its share of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Deacs are a four-point favorite against a group of Cavaliers that seem to flourish in their role as underdogs.

One of the smartest things that Virginia coach Al Groh has done during his eight-year reign of the program was to start redshirting most of his incoming recruits three seasons ago. While it is starting to show dividends, the long-term effect probably is yet to come.

Wake Forest is a great example of that.

Two Cavs, two approaches

Deacons coach Jim Grobe, a UVa alum just like Groh, is also in his eighth season at his current gig. He has redshirted every class since he arrived at Wake and has already experienced the full benefits of the philosophy.

So far this season, Grobe has played three true freshmen, which ties for the most true freshmen to play for him during any of those eight single seasons (Wake also played three in 2002). He is also playing four redshirt freshmen.

However, if Grobe had his druthers, all of them would sit and get an extra year before they saw any action.

Groh would like to do the same, but felt it necessary several times in the past, particularly his early years in Charlottesville, to thrust those players into action. He has noted on occasion that some of the true freshmen during those early years were better than the veteran talent on hand, leading to Groh’s familiar axiom of “When they’re ready, we’re ready.”

Translated, that means if a freshman is ready to play, then Groh will play him if he needs him.

Patient bosses

Grobe came to Wake Forest under a different set of circumstances. The Deacons had not been a winning program under Jim Caldwell, a great guy and hard worker who simply couldn’t turn the program around in six seasons.

Grobe told the Wake Forest administration that in order to get things going, he was going to need to stockpile players and to have a more experienced, older team to win in the ACC. You might say he was given a blank check by the Wake brass in terms of patience.

He wasn’t expected to win right away, and while he barely recorded winning seasons in two of the first five years, the redshirting really started to show its value in the sixth year, 2006, when the Deacs went 11-3, won the ACC Championship and played in the Orange Bowl.

Last season, the Deacs went 9-4 and currently stand 5-3 heading into this afternoon’s game against Virginia (5-4).

Groh said he is seeing a little benefit from the redshirting policy, but knows the best is yet to come.

“The only reason I say a little bit is not that it’s not going to, it’s just probably a little bit deeper ... this is year six, seven, and eight and these have been the best Wake Forest teams,” Groh said.

The Deacs are the oldest team in major college football and it’s not a coincidence that last year’s senior class was the winningest class in school history ... perhaps until the current senior class finishes up.

Wake will start eight redshirt seniors and one grad student today along with seven redshirt juniors.

“Certainly, that’s a great benefit,” Groh said. “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.”

Through Grobe’s first seven years, only 10 true freshmen played for the Deacs.

By contrast, Groh never played less than six true freshmen in his first five seasons on the job. That halted in ‘06 when the UVa coach redshirted all but one player in that recruiting class, nose tackle Nate Collins.

Since then, Groh has played five true freshmen in both ‘07 and ‘08.

However, at some point down the road, Virginia should gain some rather noticeable advantages by fielding a veteran team.

 

Deacs, Cavs both need a win
Wake Forest has had trouble beating Virginia, especially in Winston-Salem
By Dan Collins
JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: November 8, 2008

The last man to coach Wake Forest to a victory over Virginia in Winston-Salem will be at BB&T Field when the teams meet at 3:30 today.

At least he had better be. His name is Al Groh, and he's now Virginia's head coach.

Groh directed Wake Forest to a 38-34 victory over Virginia in 1983, his third season as the Deacons' coach. His defensive-backs coach was Bob Pruett, now Virginia's defensive coordinator.

The Cavaliers have won 10 straight games in Groves Stadium (now known as BB&T Field) since then.

"Wow," Coach Jim Grobe of Wake Forest said earlier this week. "How about that?

"I was not aware of that."

Grobe finds the streak an interesting factoid, but probably not relative to today's game. Other considerations take precedence.

The Deacons are 5-3 and 3-2 in the ACC after last week's overtime victory against Duke. The Cavaliers are 5-4 and 3-2 after last week's overtime loss to Miami.

Both teams probably need a victory to remain in contention for an ACC crown.

"I just think our guys know they're in a position that we're playing so many good teams down the stretch," Grobe said. "I don't know if any of them are better than Virginia.

"This is a huge challenge for our football team right now. We had a really, really challenging, physical game against Duke last week and now another really good team coming to town.

"I don't think beating Virginia for the first time since (1983) here at home would probably mean more than just getting a good win against a good team right now."

The Cavaliers are a good team, but they weren't early in the season in losing to Southern California 52-7, Connecticut 45-10 and Duke 31-3. Starting with a stunning 31-0 victory against Maryland, Virginia reeled off four straight victories to get back into contention for the ACC's Coastal Division title.

Running back Cedric Peerman and quarterback Mark Verica have led the comeback. Peerman, after being limited by injuries the first four games, is now ranked third in the ACC with 77.4 rushing yards a game, and he averages 5.6 yards a carry. Verica, pressed into action when projected starter Peter Lalich was kicked off the team, ranks fifth in the ACC with a passing-efficiency rating of 115.9 against conference teams.

"I'll tell you what, they've really come on," Grobe said. "Peerman has just been fantastic running the football, so they've got a great one-two punch. The quarterback is taking good care of the football, and he just seems really comfortable now. If you look at earlier film, he didn't seem very confident. Now I think he's very confident.

"And Peerman is as good a running back as we've seen on film, and he's doing a great job for them. The line plays well. They've got a good group of receivers. (Kevin) Ogletree is special, and the other guys are tall and athletic.

"Defensively I think they're playing great football right now."

The Deacons snapped a two-game losing streak against Duke. The Cavaliers have to regroup from a bitter loss to Miami. Virginia led 17-10 until Miami scored with 55 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Groh said he will lean on Peerman and cornerback Vic Hall to get the Cavaliers back on track. Peerman, despite gaining 78 yards on 15 carries, fumbled in overtime to seal the loss. Hall, a junior considered Virginia's best cornerback, was beaten on the play that led to the tie in the final minute and the play that won the game.

Groh said that Peerman has become one of the Cavaliers' emotional leaders.

"This is a very emotional game, and he helps our team be emotionally ready for all the games and keeps it that way during the course of the season," Groh said. "He responds to the outcomes of games in similar fashion.

"He and Vic and myself, we all kind of made a little pact on Sunday, saying, ‘Look, the three guys who were right in the middle of everything (against Miami) are the three guys who have to come back the fastest.'

"So each one of us is working to hold up our end."

 

TCU coming to Scott Stadium
Mackey expected to re-up with Hokies
By Doug Doughty

While switching back and forth between the Virginia Tech-Maryland football game and the Cleveland-Denver NFL game, mostly to check on one of my fantasy football properties, I found myself wondering what was going on in the Utah-Texas Christian football game.

TCU had been on my mind after learning earlier in the day that the Horned Frogs will be coming to Virginia in 2009.

The contracts will be signed shortly, but agreement has been reached. TCU is the final addition to a 2007 UVa non-conference schedule that includes Southern Mississippi on the road, William and Mary at home and an as-yet unnamed Mid-American Conference opponent in Charlottesville.

The MAC owes Virginia four home games in exchange for the Cavaliers’ trip to Middle Tennessee State in 2007.

I’m not sure about the origin of the TCU-UVa talks, but the Cavaliers would not visit TCU, located in Fort Worth, until 2011 at the earliest and probably not till 2012. The Cavaliers already have lengthy trip planned to Southern California for 2010.

TCU has won 10 or more games in four of the past six seasons under coach Gary Patterson, and the Horned Frogs were 9-1 and ranked 11th in the country before dropping a 13-10 decision on the road Thursday at No. 9 Utah.

Virginia Tech’s non-conference scheduling has been better documented to this point, although the contract has not been signed for an early-season game in the Georgia Dome against a Southeastern Conference opponent, most likely Alabama.

The game is more certain than the opponent.

Tech’s other non-conference games in 2009 will be against East Carolina in Greenville, N.C., and against Nebraska and Marshall in Blacksburg.

NOW THAT TECH has taken an oral commitment from Brookville High School quarterback and would-be receiver Logan Thomas, Thomas’ cousin and Brookville teammate Zach McCray is on the board.

Look for McCray, a junior defensive end, to commit to the Hokies at any minute. He would be in the class of 2010.

The next addition to the Hokies’ 2009 class could be Leon Mackey, a 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive end from Newark, Del., who is in his second season at Hargrave Military Academy.

Mackey signed with Tech last February, after playing with the Hargrave postgraduate team while in his fourth year of high school. Once he began classes at Hargrave this fall, as a postgraduate, his letter-of-intent with Tech no longer was binding and other schools were free to recruit him again.

In a conversation with Hargrave postgrad coach Robert Prunty on Thursday, I got the impression that Mackey was relatively solid in his commitment to the Hokies but that another one-time Tech recruit, offensive lineman Robert Massie, has been harder to read.

Massie, rated the No. 1 prep-school prospect in the country by rivals.com, committed to the Hokies in 2007 but reopened his recruiting prior to signing day with the understanding that he would not be an academic qualifier. The Hokies are recruiting Massie, originally from Appomattox and Liberty Christian Academy, but he is far from a done deal.

As for Hargrave’s signature prospect, quarterback Kevin Newsome from Chesapeake, Prunty reports that Newsome recently took an official visit to Boston College. Virginia Tech and Penn State are still viewed as the co-leaders for Newsome.

As reported in Thursday’s UVa Insider, the Cavaliers are taking a long look at 6-8, 300-pound Hargrave offensive lineman Dan Polaski, originally from Massachusetts.

DON’T ASSUME the Cavaliers are out of the running for Will Hill, a defensive lineman from Lafayette High School in Williamsburg who has indicated he would like to graduate in December, an option that is available in only a few Virginia school systems.

Virginia has been reluctanct to admit football players in January, a practice at other schools around the country, but admissions dean Jack Blackburn has indicated there is no policy against it. In fact, at least one men’s tennis player and one women’s golfer have enrolled at mid-year.

“We may have one or two circumstances we’ll float out there as a trial balloon,” said Groh, who may have been referring to Hill in a Tuesday news conference.

CHRIS GRIER, the Decatur, Ga., shooting guard who took an unofficial visit to Virginia this past weekend, is the son of Andre Grier, who was the leading receiver for the Cavaliers’ football team in 1978.

Andre Grier married his UVa sweetheart and they have an older son, Andre Jr., who is graduating from UVa’s commerce school this spring. The Grier family had a family reunion at last week’s UVa homecoming, complete with younger brother Chris.

“That’s a lot of UVa legacies to be looking at,” Andre Sr. said Friday. “I think Chris might want to blaze his own trail but the way we’re looking at it is, we’re interested in anybody who’s interested in us. Chris was quite impressed with JPJ. Everything was wonderful except for the result of the football game.”

Andre Grier is best known for a spectacular, diving touchdown catch in 1976 that lifted Virginia to an 18-17 victory at Wake Forest and ended a 15-game losing streak, longest in the country at the time.

Euphoria quickly turned to shock when the Cavaliers learned moments after the game that injured teammate Kevin Bowie had been murdered in Washington, D.C., on the night before the game.