Interceptions plague Verica
By Jeff White
Published: November 24, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE Marc Verica, beware of Macho Harris.

Harris, an All-America candidate at cornerback for Virginia Tech, has intercepted six passes this season, returning two of them for touchdowns. And the former Highland Springs High star, who had two picks Saturday against Duke, is about to face a quarterback who's been throwing interceptions at a staggering clip.

Matt Schaub had 10 passes picked off in 2003, and Marques Hagans threw 12 interceptions in 2005. Symmion Willis threw 14 in 1993, as did Shawn Moore in 1988. Not since 1975, however, has a University of Virginia quarterback thrown more picks than Verica has this season.

In '75, Scott Gardner was intercepted 19 times, a season record at U.Va. But Verica is coming uncomfortably close to that mark. The redshirt sophomore from the Philadelphia area has been picked off 15 times this year, including six in the past two games -- both U.Va. losses.

"It's a mix of things," said Verica, an otherwise accurate passer who's completed 218 of 340 attempts (64.1 percent) for 1,960 yards and eight touchdowns in his first season as a starter.

"Sometimes it's a bad decision, or a late throw, or a bad pass underthrown. And other times it's really just forcing it and trying to make a play when your team's down. But none of those are excuses. Interceptions, they hurt the team and they really decrease your chances of winning. It's something I've really got to work on."

Virginia turned the ball over four times Saturday in a 13-3 loss to Clemson at Scott Stadium. Verica wasn't to blame for all of the Cavaliers' offensive woes -- the line's run blocking was abysmal -- but his three interceptions proved damaging on a day when Clemson's offense struggled too.

"I think we can dissect it and come up with all kinds of reasons, but it was what it was," U.Va. coach Al Groh said after the game. "Until we learn to take better care of the ball, unfortunately, that subtracts substantially from the result that we are trying to get."

Verica might get only one more chance this year to reverse this trend. U.Va. (3-5, 5-6) closes the regular season Saturday at noon against Virginia Tech (4-3, 7-4) in Blacksburg. Virginia must win to become bowl-eligible, and to do so Verica will have to overcome a typically stout Tech defense.

Out of the 119 teams in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision, the Hokies rank eighth nationally in total defense and 17th in scoring defense. Virginia, meanwhile, ranks 102nd in total offense and 115th in scoring offense.

In rushing offense, the Cavaliers are 114th, and not because they lack a talented tailback. Senior Cedric Peerman ranks among the ACC's best, but his linemen -- tackles Eugene Monroe and Will Barker, guards Austin Pasztor and B.J. Cabbell and center Jack Shields -- have opened few holes during Virginia's three-game losing streak.

Against Clemson, Peerman netted only 45 yards on 19 carries.

Of his team's blocking, Groh said, "We needed a lot more in that area, there's no doubt about it."

 

Jamie Oakes
CavsCorner.com Football Analyst

Presented a golden chance three weeks ago, Virginia wasted an opportunity to take a firm grasp on the ACC's Coastal Division when the Cavaliers surrendered a 93-yard game tying drive to Miami; a game the Hurricanes went on to win in overtime.

A loss to Va. Tech would leave Al Groh with losing seasons in two of the last three years.
After watching Georgia Tech knock Miami back to earth on Thursday night, UVa took to its home field Saturday all but controlling its own destiny and once again the Cavs missed out on a major opportunity.

Sure, Al Groh and his charges needed help to fulfill the impossible dream of reaching the ACC Championship Game, but this missed opportunity was much more important than a trip to Tampa Bay.

Some might scoff at that notion, but the simple fact is that Virginia has controlled it's own destiny in the last three games, two of which were at home, with one simple and attainable goal in mind; getting bowl eligible.

The Cavaliers had a young although improving Miami team on the ropes in the second half but failed to deliver the finishing blow.

On Saturday, Virginia faced a rudderless ship in Clemson and once again missed a golden opportunity to provide what this team needs; an extended season.

It isn't as much about the bowl itself, it is about getting a roster dominated by underclassmen an additional 30 days of practice.

While the losses are charged to the entire team, the offensive output has been nothing short of atrocious in UVa's last two home games.

In the last six quarters in Scott Stadium, the offense has scored a total of three points. If that wasn't bad enough, over those same six quarters, the Cavaliers have turned the ball over six times.

Sure, Virginia still has a chance to gain bowl eligibility with a win in its remaining game against Virginia Tech.

The reality is simple, however; a trip to Blacksburg to face the Hokies should have never been the deal-maker or breaker for the Cavaliers' postseason hopes.

Now UVa faces the task of heading into hostile territory with bowl implications on the line, and it will be playing a team that will play its way into the ACC title game with a victory.

Virginia, which is 1-7 in its last eight games against the Hokies, has to do something it hasn't done in the last 10 years to remotely salvage its season; beat Virginia Tech in Lane Stadium.

Although Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage gave Groh the dreaded vote of confidence two weeks ago, the simple fact remains, the UVa head man will be coaching for his job in Blacksburg next Saturday.

No, not in the short term. Even if he is retained, as Littlepage has said will be the case, a loss next week would leave Groh with two losing seasons in the last three years and undoubtedly on the hottest seat in the ACC heading into the 2009 season.

And that probably means that Saturday's match-up with the Hokies becomes the biggest game of Groh's tenure; a win buys solace from an apathetic fanbase, gains extra practice time for a youth-laden roster, and helps gain job stability for recruiting purposes if nothing else.

This writer wondered if UVa would answer the bell following the Miami loss. While the Cavaliers got off the stool, their hands have remained by their sides and they are a Hokie uppercut away getting knocked out.
 

Four turnovers doom Cavs as Tigers claw their way to win
Virginia’s offense sinks from 111th in the country to 115th; Peerman finishes with just 45 yards on 19 carries
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Monday, November 24 2008

Sophomore quarterback Marc Verica completed 24 of 39 passes for 160 yards and three interceptions in the Cavaliers’ 13-3 loss to Clemson
Saturday. “It’s a pretty easy game to describe, right?” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “I’m sure that you won’t have to scratch your heads to write the story about this one.”

In Virginia’s 13-3 loss to Clemson senior day Saturday at Scott Stadium, the statistics show in no subtle way how the 111th ranked scoring offense in the country sank to 115. With four turnovers — including three interceptions from sophomore quarterback Marc Verica — and zero fourth-down conversions on two attempts, the Cavalier offense blew any chance the team had of being ACC Championship-bound.
“The game, as you all could see, was a pretty even match other than about seven plays,” Groh said. “A touchdown that we didn’t get, [four] turnovers, and two failed fourth downs, which essentially are the same thing as a turnover.”

There was little positive to speak of for Virginia on the offensive side of the ball. Senior running back Cedric Peerman, the spark for Virginia throughout its four-game midseason win streak, finished with just 45 yards rushing on 19 carries, as he was granted few holes from a futile offensive line.

“With some [Clemson] guys, we had a little difficulty moving [Saturday] obviously,” Groh said. “We need a lot more in that area; there’s no doubt about it.”

When asked if offensive coordinator and son Mike Groh would be back next year, Al Groh dodged the question.

“I love these divisive questions,” he said. When asked if that answer meant his offensive coordinator would be back next season, Groh responded, “That means I blew the question off.”

The best offensive play of the day for Virginia was called back by an official. As the Cavaliers took control of the ball and the momentum after recovering a bad snap by the Tigers and drove into the red zone, Verica launched a deep pass targeting junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree on first down. With the Clemson cornerback and Ogletree fighting for position all the way, Ogletree stuck his hand out to gain separation, hauled in the catch beyond and marched into the end zone for an apparent 53-yard score. The flag, however, came out without hesitation, as Ogletree was called for offensive pass interference, negating the touchdown and moving Virginia backward 15 yards to a chorus of boos from the Wahoo faithful.

“There appeared to be contact involved with both players,” Groh said. “It’s one of those calls that, when you make it, you better be right. Because if you were wrong, you had a profound influence on the game in an incorrect way if you’re the person who called it.”

Ogletree was also careful with his words about the penalty, though he too noted that there was contact both ways.

“You can’t get a penalty in that situation,” Ogletree said. “It’s unfortunate that the flag was on the other side, because there definitely was some pushing and shoving going on.”

The called-back touchdown was one of many blown opportunities that Virginia had to put points on the board. On the opening drive, senior wide receiver Cary Koch had a Verica pass bounce off his hands — after he lost the ball in the sun, Groh said — that would have put Virginia in field goal range; the Cavs ended up punting. On the first play of Clemson’s final drive of the half deep in Tiger territory, sophomore corner Ras-I Dowling got a perfect read on a pass by Clemson senior quarterback Cullen Harper but, like Koch before him, had the pass bounce off his hands, ruining a possible pick-six opportunity.

In addition, both of Virginia’s muffed fourth-and-1 attempts came as Virginia knocked on the door of field goal range. The first failed after Verica’s pass intended for Koch out of the shotgun — a play that had been successful “close to 90 percent all year long,” Groh said — was batted down by Clemson sophomore linebacker DeAndre McDaniel. On the second occasion, Virginia elected to hand to Peerman, but he was wrapped up in the backfield as he attempted to get outside by the blitzing Clemson sophomore cornerback Byron Maxwell.

“There [are] turnovers, and then there [are] giveaways,” senior outside linebacker Clint Sintim said. “Overall, today we had a lot of giveaways — a lot of giveaways on offense, a lot of giveaways on defense.”

With few exceptions, however, the Virginia defense was commended for an outstanding day against one of the most talented, albeit underachieving, offenses in the country. Virginia held Clemson to just 192 yards of total offense — 2 yards more than the 190 the Cavaliers accumulated — and gave up just one touchdown on a trick play, a 15-yard halfback pass from junior running back C.J. Spiller to senior wide receiver Tyler Grisham for Clemson’s opening score.

Clemson’s lineup “is like reading out an all-star team,” Groh said. “For the only touchdown to come on a well-executed play, but a play of that nature, that we wished we would have covered a little bit better, that part of it worked out pretty well.”

For the seniors, it was certainly not the ending that they envisioned on senior day. With ACC Championship hopes down the tubes and bowl eligibility teetering on the edge of failure, however, the seniors were not the only ones with their heads down.

“I’m sure that we all feel badly,” Groh said.

 

Groh must... stay?
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Monday, November 24 2008

Should Virginia coach Al Groh be fired?

It’s a question that sportswriters and fans have brought up following every game since Virginia was embarrassed at Duke 31-3 in Durham Sept. 27. Since that date, I have heard everything from “Groh should get fired now” to “Groh should win ACC Coach of the Year.”

Now, with Virginia standing at 5-6 following a dismal 13-3 loss to Clemson during senior day at Scott Stadium Saturday, followers of Virginia football will naturally swing again toward putting Groh on the chopping block. With the luck Virginia has had in Blacksburg throughout the years, it is certainly not unreasonable to project a 5-7 season; should Virginia fail to be bowl-eligible for the second time in three seasons, the future of the head coach is naturally a question.

It is a question, though, that I have personally tried to dodge to this point. As a student reporter in my first year covering football, I am a bit timid about calling for the removal of an accomplished, ex-NFL coach who has been around this game for more years than I have been alive. There are older, wiser reporters who have been covering Virginia football for 20 years or more, and the meager kid from the student newspaper shouldn’t be the one to sing for the removal of the head coach of a major program if it has any chance of being premature.

Now, however, with only the minor unpredictability of a 5-7 season versus a .500 season hanging in the balance, I think it is an appropriate time to weigh in. Regardless of what happens against Virginia Tech and despite some considerable evidence against him, I do not think that Al Groh should be fired. Offensive coordinator Mike Groh, however, is another story that I will save for a later date.

Before you Al Groh haters start screaming for my removal from this paper along with Groh from Virginia, let me recognize the reasons why the seven-year Virginia coach indeed should be fired.

The reason that should first be considered is the off-field issues. Quarterback Jameel Sewell, corner Chris Cook, linebacker Darnell Carter and wide receiver Chris Dalton are suspended this season for academic ineligibility; Jeffrey Fitzgerald was removed from the team because of an academic issue; J’Courtney Williams and Mike Brown got kicked off the team after being arrested on felony charges; Peter Lalich had problems with alcohol and marijuana use that include violating his probation, leading to his removal from the team.

Groh is ultimately responsible for the activities of his players, and he has admitted as much; however, in reality, the fault lies as much with others as it does with himself. He can preach the importance of making grades all he wants; it is not just Groh’s job, however, to force his athletes go to academic advising sessions or make it to athletic study halls. Nor is it solely on him when players have run-ins with the law; what’s the guy supposed to do, monitor his players with tracking devices?

Groh spends 90 to 100 hours a week meeting with coaches, running practices, studying film, drawing up plays, and the like. He can tell his players they need to be stand-up students off the field, but there are people whose job it is to make sure that happens beyond the head coach.

What would have truly tipped me toward the firing of Groh in this regard, however, is something that never occurred: if his players had reacted to the off-field difficulties in any negative fashion. They could have splintered; they could have given up; they could have started pointing fingers.

Instead, however, they only grew closer. They rallied around some of the classier players on the team, like seniors Cedric Peerman, Clint Sintim and Jon Copper, and told each other they can’t be broken.

Which brings me to the next reason many Groh foes will call for his firing: performance. Should the Cavs lose to Virginia Tech Saturday, Virginia will have its 9-4 season in 2007-08 sandwiched between two campaigns of 5-7. Virginia has never had two losing seasons so close together since 1981-82, when Virginia had back-to-back sub-.500 seasons in the transition between coaches; Dick Bestwick left following a 1-10-1 1981 season, and George Welsh took over in 1982, and his Cavs finished 2-9.

What is most important when considering outcome, however, is this year’s team, and this year’s team has already been surprisingly successful, even in its mediocrity. Virginia was picked to finish third to last in the Coastal Division by the ACC media preseason, just ahead of Duke and Georgia Tech. That was before Lalich was removed from the team, forcing former scout team quarterback Marc Verica into the lineup, before defensive end Sean Gottschalk disappeared because of personal issues, before Aaron Clark went down for the season with an ACL tear. It was before Peerman dealt with early leg troubles that limited him for the first four games and before fellow running back Mikell Simpson suffered a clavicle fracture putting him out for the final three weeks of the season.

Somehow, though, Virginia has still scraped five wins, including several impressive ones. How the Cavs beat North Carolina at home and went to Atlanta to take down Georgia Tech I may never figure out.

The biggest reason why Groh should stay, however, is a simple one: His players like him. And don’t think I’m too naive to recognize the possibility that players just say they like him to appease the sharks in the media; I have considered that possibility and dismissed it.

When Peter Lalich’s father Todd tells The Daily Progress that Al Groh turns boys into men after Peter is kicked off the team, that tells me something. When players rally around Peerman after he gives up a game-costing fumble against Miami, there is further proof of this camaraderie. When all of the players proclaim the exact same message in their interviews that Groh preaches in his, that too is a telling sign.

So, this is the bottom line: You can’t fire a coach who has his players so deeply in tune with his philosophy and who wins more games than he should. All season, Groh has maintained Virginia as a team undivided. For all the rough patches this team has hit both on the field and off, forcing Groh out could be the biggest splinter of them all.

 

Cavaliers' charity comes a bit early
November 24, 2008 12:35 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
CHARLOTTESVILLE--

Virginia doesn't have to look far to realize the primary cause of its three-game losing streak.

All the Cavaliers have to do is look in the mirror.

Virginia (5-6, 3-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has committed 11 turnovers in the past three games.

The Cavaliers stumbled over themselves four times against Clemson on Saturday, leading to a 13-3 ACC loss in Scott Stadium.

"This game was really kind of a continuation of what's been plaguing us these past couple losses," Virginia sophomore quarterback Marc Verica said. "Until we learn to finish drives and take better care of the ball, we're going to get similar results."

Verica has been the No. 1 culprit.

His 15 interceptions, including three against Clemson, are the most any quarterback has thrown in head coach Al Groh's eight-year tenure.

Verica has achieved the feat in just nine games, but Groh said he's going to stick with the signal-caller.

Fifth-year senior Scott Deke or true freshman Riko Smalls are the Cavaliers' only other options, but neither has ever started a game and there's just one regular season contest remaining: on Saturday at Virginia Tech (7-4, 4-3).

"It's not as if we have a lot of options there," Groh said of the quarterback position. "In the present time frame, it is what it is. Unless [ex-Virginia quarterback] Matt Schaub's available, I think we'll go with things the way they are."

It isn't working. But neither is the Cavaliers' entire offense.

It ranks last in the ACC in rushing yards per game despite having a massive offensive line with a future high-round NFL draft pick in left tackle Eugene Monroe and a bruising running back in senior Cedric Peerman.

Since Peerman rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns against East Carolina on Oct. 11, he has struggled. He has averaged just 3.7 yards per carry since and has topped 100 yards only once.

After the Clemson game, Groh was asked if son and offensive coordinator Mike Groh will return next season.

Al Groh, who was recently given a vote of confidence to return next year by athletic director Craig Littlepage, was agitated by the question.

"I love these divisive questions," he said. "I love these divisive questions."

When asked if that meant his son would return, Groh said "That means I blew the question off."

Al Groh may not be able to dodge the issue in the offseason.

There's no denying Virginia has struggled offensively with Mike Groh calling the plays. In those three years, the Cavaliers' average national ranking in total offense is 104th. Their average ranking in points per game is 101st.

But even more alarming to Virginia supporters is that the program could be headed toward its second losing season in three years.

To avoid that fate, the Cavaliers must beat the Hokies in Blacksburg, something they haven't done since a 36-32 victory in 1998.

Al Groh is 1-6 overall against Virginia Tech.

"That's always a big challenge going there anyway," he said of Blacksburg. "But this team has had a strong will and a strong spirit about it, and that's our challenge, to be consistent with ourselves in that respect."

 

Loss lingers for UVa seniors
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 24, 2008

It was a matter of just six or seven plays.
That small sample size, Virginia coach Al Groh said, kept Virginia from becoming victorious against Clemson on Saturday.
Those game-changing plays also left Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim gazing around Scott Stadium in disbelief long after the final snap had been taken in what proved to be a 13-3 win for Clemson.
Sintim debated internally how a season once destined for failure in September and was then salvaged with a perfect October could have turned so wrong for Virginia (5-6, 3-4 ACC).
“I lingered,” said Sintim, one of the team’s captains and seniors. “I just kind of looked around at my atmosphere and just kind of saw the whole thing.”
Without a win on Saturday at Virginia Tech, Sintim will see something else: his final collegiate contest. The Cavaliers must win at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg at noon to become bowl eligible, which still would not guarantee another contest depending on the events of the final weekend in league play.
Given what is at stake for both teams — Virginia Tech can clinch a return trip to the ACC title game with a win — Sintim said the contest with the Hokies should be deemed the team’s most important of the season.
“It has to be,” he said. “That’s the next game so it makes it the most important one, and that is a rivalry game for us. They are a good team and that’s an opportunity to not only beat them, which I have never done, but to go to a bowl game.”
Had Virginia won any of its previous games in November, the Cavaliers would have secured their bowl eligibility and remained a factor in the race for a bid for the Orange Bowl.
Against Clemson, Virginia’s players were all but certain that things would turn in their favor at point that varied from individual to individual.
“I actually thought that going into the fourth quarter that we would win,” Virginia freshman wideout Jared Green said. “We had a couple of exciting moments, a couple of exciting plays, and I felt like it was about to happen again. Everybody knew pulling games out late was what we were used to, but it didn’t go our way.”
Most of the plays that Groh referenced involved turnovers that spoiled Virginia’s opportunity to add to its putrid scoring utput.
Sophomore quarterback Marc Verica did his part, throwing three interceptions. Those miscues led to 10 of the Tigers’ 13 points.
Despite throwing 14 interceptions in the Cavaliers’ past eight games, Groh said he expects Verica to start against Virginia Tech. Fifth-year senior Scott Deke is the only other quarterback on the roster to have thrown a pass in a game.
“It’s not as if we have a lot of options there,” Groh said. “In the present timeframe it is what it is.
“Unless [former quarterback] Matt Schaub is available I think we will go with things the way that they are.”
Groh was quick to avoid placing blame solely on Verica for the loss to Clemson.
“I am not going down that road,” Groh said. “You guys will have to make that statement. That’s a divisive question and a divisive answer that only splinters the group, and we’ve gotten to where we are by sticking together and being unified to our commitment together.
“If we all had stepped up and done better today then the result would have been different.”
Virginia’s pass-catching options certainly defended Verica, a reliable passer in practices.
“I don’t feel any certain way about how the game went towards Marc,” Green said. “Marc is my guy, my quarterback, my captain and my leader on the offense. I could just expect that we will have great practice these next few days and a great game next week.
“I know Marc is going to get everything on point.”
Virginia senior wide receiver Maurice Covington added: “Marc has had a pretty good season. I don’t know what to say. Clemson’s players were in the right spots at the right time. That’s how it goes sometimes.”
Verica did throw a touchdown pass in the contest, a strike that would have tied up the game in the third quarter. That play, however, was negated by a pass interference penalty on wideout Kevin Ogletree.
“What’s done is done,” Groh said Sunday night. “I don’t have any commentary on the officiating. Any of that will have to come from Greensboro” and the ACC
office.

 

Mistake-ridden game shows offense’s flaws
Team underachieves in 68-66 victory; Landesberg steps up with 18 second-half points, sinks two key free throws
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Gameday Editor
Published: Monday, November 24 2008

Junior Jeff Jones shot 1 of 3 from the field and made four free throws in Virginia’s win against Radford. Jones is averaging 5.7 points per game this season. The close game against VMI was considered an entertaining, high-scoring affair. The close game against South Florida was considered an ACC-Big East slugfest. Friday’s close game against Radford, however, is seen by Cavalier fans as disappointing, even though Virginia was able to come through with a 68-66 victory.

“For the second consecutive game we haven’t really played the game the way we’ve intended to from day one in practice,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. “And if we don’t make a decision to turn the corner both psychologically and physically, these nights where we eke out wins are going to turn into losses.”

If there is one telltale sign that Leitao was not happy with the play of his team Friday, it was that every available player — including sophomore walk-on forward Will Sherrill — received playing time in the first half of a very close game.

“The subs going in was definitely a showing of his frustration with the guys,” said freshman center John Brandenburg, who played three minutes in the first half. “Obviously he didn’t think that people were playing the way they needed to play. He’s been talking about subs going in and saying ‘You need to pick it up, or I have guys on the bench that can replace you,’ and he finally did it tonight.”

Sherrill played five minutes in the first half, producing three rebounds. Brandenburg said he believes Sherrill’s play should be a model for the team.

“It’s great to see Will in the game because he works so hard in practice everyday,” Brandenburg said. “He’s a motivator for the team and its great to see him finally rewarded. Some of the athletic stuff isn’t there, but what he lacks in athleticism he definitely makes up in heart and just working hard. That’s something that the whole team needs to work on, and we can emulate him and have much more success.”

Given the team’s struggles, the team is lucky that freshman guard Sylven Landesberg chose Virginia over St. Johns and Georgia Tech. Landesberg once again had a big game with 22 points, including 18 in the second half. Down 1 with 29 seconds left, Landesberg, after drawing a foul, went to the free-throw line and converted both free throws to put the Cavaliers up 1.

“I think that the only difference in the game was Landesberg’s ability to get into the middle in the second half,” Radford coach Brad Greenberg said. “He was the key to their offense in the second half. We just could not keep him from getting into the middle of the court, and that was the difference in the game.”

Though Landesberg played well and the Cavaliers emerged victorious, two aspects of the game were particularly troublesome for the Cavaliers. Radford dominated the paint in this game; the Highlanders had 10 blocked shots in the game and its two big men — Joey Lynch-Flohr and Artsiom Parakhouski — combined to score 31 points and pull down 14 rebounds.

“I’d be hard-pressed to think there’s going to be a better 1-2 punch in [the Big South] than those two guys that Brad’s got,” Leitao said.
A more concerning statistic is that of 24 field goals Virginia made, the Cavaliers only produced four assists and had 14 turnovers — three times the number of assists. The Cavaliers clearly are having problems running their offense.

“We need to start sharing the ball more and be more efficient on offense,” junior guard Calvin Baker said. “When we do that, our assist-to-turnover ratio will improve.”

Virginia’s game against Liberty tomorrow may no longer be a cakewalk victory for the Cavaliers, and Brandenburg knows what Virginia needs to do in order to improve.

“We just played so poorly against a team that we were so much better than, and it was really just passion,” Brandenburg said. “We were lacking the passion on defense. These guys weren’t quicker than us; we just weren’t playing hard enough on defense. So we just need to pick up our intensity and our focus and our passion.”