White: Start of Bennett Era Approaches
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/02/2009
By Jeff White

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- He was introduced at an April 1 news conference in John Paul Jones Arena, where he charmed his audience with his smile, his Midwestern values and his lack of pretense.
Some seven months later, in the same building, Tony Bennett is about to coach his first basketball game at the University of Virginia. UVa hosts Longwood on Nov. 13, and a fan base that's suffered through football season will watch Bennett's team closely, hoping to spot signs of life in the program he was hired to revive.
Bennett is delighted that fans are excited, and he's excited, too. He's also realistic.
"You want the team to play well, you want to put on a good showing, there's no question," he said. "But I hope it's been one of my strengths as a coach, and as a player, to be pretty even-keeled. You don't let your highs be too high or your lows be too low. I'm in it for the long haul, and whether we knock it out of the park [on opening night], we don't, or somewhere in between, it's a long season, and I don't think you get too carried away about that."
Bennett, 40, speaks from experience. He saw his father, the legendary coach Dick Bennett, rebuild programs at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, at UW-Green Bay and at Wisconsin. Together they turned around the program at Washington State.
"There's just a building process that needs to take place," said Tony Bennett, a native of Clintonville, Wis. "Do all fans understand that? Do media? Do alumni? Not all. But you have to have a plan, and you have to stick it to it."
When the Bennetts arrived in Pullman, Wash., they inherited a team that had won three Pac-10 Conference games -- total -- in the previous two seasons. For three years, Bennett was his father's top assistant, and they made incremental progress. The Cougars didn't finish above .500 in any of those three seasons, but they were competitive in the Pac-10.
The breakthrough came in 2006-07, Tony Bennett's first season as a head coach. Washington State went 26-8 and advanced to the NCAA tournament's second round, and Bennett was named national coach of the year.
A season later, the Cougars went 26-9 and reached the Sweet 16.
"There's a formula we kind of follow," Bennett said. "You get the job, and you bring in a [recruiting] class that you don't coach the first year you come in. Usually it's when that class becomes third- and fourth-year that, hopefully, you really see some fruit. But there is a process."
Bennett recalls a conversation he had with UVa's athletics director -- now his boss -- last spring. Virginia had parted ways with Dave Leitao after a 10-18 season and was searching for his successor.
"When I was in the interview process, I asked Craig Littlepage, 'What are your expectations?'" Bennett said. "That was important, because I know if you're going to try to build a program with a good base that's hopefully going to last in a league like this, you've got to have the ability to build it kind of step-by-step and do it the way I thinks works best: Get a group of young men to come in, mature them, get guys that'll buy into your style, and play in a way that gives you a chance, and that does take some time.
"Now, does it mean you don't go after it in your first year, your second or third years? Can you have success? Absolutely you can, but there is a process that takes place."
The process began at UVa last spring with the installation of his system. Like most coaches, Bennett preaches the importance of defense. His teams at Washington State practiced what he preached.
His first ranked 17th nationally in scoring defense. His second team improved to third, and his final group in Pullman led the nation in that category.
Bennett smiles easily and often, and curse words aren't part of his every-day vocabulary. He's unfailingly polite, a teacher who keeps the atmosphere in practice positive. He has little patience, though, for defensive lapses.
"He always says that his bite is worse than his bark," UVa point guard Sammy Zeglinski said, "and I feel like that's true. He is firm, definitely, about his principles on the defensive end. If we break one of them, he'll definitely tell us about it and make sure it doesn't happen again."
"His whole facial expression changes," sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg said with a smile. "His face turns red. He gets that look, and you're like, 'Aw, man, there's no games anymore.'"
And when the Wahoos have the ball? Bennett knows that some fans are bracing for games played in the 50s. He laughed when he recounted a question a UVa student asked him recently.
"He said, 'We've heard a lot about your style. Are we going to have any fun watching you this year?' I said, 'I don't know. I hope you'll see our kids play hard. Ultimately, if we're successful, it'll be fun.'"
Bennett's teams at Washington State were known for their deliberate, patient offensive sets. Nationally, the Cougars ranked 208th in scoring offense in 2006-07, 221st in 2007-08 and 314th last season.
At UVa, Bennett believes, he should be able to recruit more offensively gifted players, and he doesn't intend to rein them in. He played point guard in the NBA after a sensational career at UW-Green Bay -- he's still the NCAA's career leader in 3-point shooting percentage (49.7) -- and appreciates creativity with the ball.
"I know everybody's got me penned in as being this guy who's going to walk the ball up the floor every single time," Bennett said, "and shoot with five seconds left."
The reality, he says, is otherwise.
"I really think to be a good team offensively, you better have a balance," he said. "I think you have to run when the opportunities are there, but you also have to be patient and sound in the halfcourt."
When UVa hired his son, Dick Bennett talked about the similarities and differences in their approaches.
"Offensively, he tends to do things the way I wanted to," the elder Bennett said. "But I was always sort of at the beginning of a rebuilding project -- whether it was at UW-Stevens Point or at UW-Green Bay or Wisconsin or Washington State -- and we were generally so undermanned that I had to be really conscious of tempo and trying to control the number of possessions.
"But with more talent I wanted to do more things, and Tony tends to do more."
Bennett comes from a coaching family. There's Dick Bennett, of course, and his brother Jack Bennett -- Tony's uncle -- who won two NCAA Division III national championships at UW-Stevens Point. Tony's sister, Kathi, is a former head coach of the women's team at Indiana University.
Like many in the coaching profession, she expects her kid brother to thrive at UVa.
"He's just so gifted," said Kathi Bennett, now an assistant at Wisconsin. "He's got an incredible passion and intensity, but he's got a poise, a calmness about him, that's special. He's got such a great balance."
The next chapter in Bennett's coaching career begins Nov. 13. His first game in college basketball's most storied conference comes about two months later at N.C. State. Dates with North Carolina and Duke and the ACC's other heavyweights will follow.
"Right now I'm looking forward to it," Bennett said with a smile last month. "I don't know if I'll be able to say that when we're in January and February. But one of the things that drew me to Virginia was an opportunity to coach in a league like this, where nothing but your best will give you a chance.
"I'm realistic where our program is at, but also hopeful and optimistic about the opportunity that it's front of us, if we can get something going."
For bold predictions, look elsewhere.
"I'm not about hype," Bennett said. "What good does that do? The proof will be in the pudding. It's more substance than style."
On one wall in his office at the JPJ is a large poster of Rocky from the Oscar-winning film of the same name. Bennett wants his players to embrace the boxer's underdog mentality.
"We've got to earn some respectability, and that's going to take some time," he said. "But that's the mentality that I want in this program. Whether the results come sooner or down the road, I want us to be about the things of quality that I know will end up working in the long haul."

Switching gears early
Eric Strow, Cavalier Daily Columnist
Sports
November 3, 2009 0

At least we have basketball.
Sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg, last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year, is one of many reasons Cavalier fans should look forward to basketball season. Landesberg finished sixth in media voting for the 2009-10 preseason all-conference team. Photo by Iram Shaikh.

Sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg, last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year, is one of many reasons Cavalier fans should look forward to basketball season. Landesberg finished sixth in media voting for the 2009-10 preseason all-conference team. Photo by Iram Shaikh.

Those were the words running through my head as I left Scott Stadium, along with the dozen or so other people who stayed on the hill until the end of the game Saturday.

Honestly, when you tell someone your school’s team lost to Duke in a sporting event, you hardly expect them to believe it was football. I’ve already written that I believe Al Groh needs to be fired at the end of the season, so I won’t go into another discussion of that matter just yet. I simply need to point out that losing to Duke for the second season in a row adds fuel to the fire. To those who’ve said, “Groh must go,” for the past year or more, you are 100 percent right and you should be rewarded — no, vindicated — this offseason.

Thankfully, my frustration regarding football is calmed by the fact that, at the very least, we still have basketball. Maybe it’s because nothing could be worse than football, or because we have a new head coach who is priming the men’s team for success, or because our Hall of Fame women’s coach is one win away from her 700th career win. Or maybe it’s because I’m a fourth-year student who refuses to believe that experiencing three losing football seasons will define my college career. Whatever the reason, I actually believe this basketball season will be a lot of fun.

The biggest news of the ACC offseason was Virginia’s addition of coach Tony Bennett, who was the National Coach of the Year in 2007 and comes cross-country from Washington State. The new coach will welcome two talented freshmen in guard Jontel Evans and small forward Tristan Spurlock, both of whom have the talent to contribute immediately. Bennett will also rely on last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year, guard Sylven Landesberg, who finished sixth in the voting for the Preseason All-ACC Team.

Sure, the men might have been picked to finish 11th in the 12-team ACC, but I don’t buy that. Even though Bennett is not exactly known for running high-powered offenses — last year, his Cougars scored 59.2 points per game, good for 314th among 330 Division I teams — all three of his Washington State teams posted winning records, and two went to the NCAA Tournament. I might not expect Virginia to light up the scoreboard or go dancing this year, but there’s surely a better chance of those things happening than the football team going to a bowl game.

It also doesn’t hurt that the women’s team is ranked No. 14 in the AP Preseason Poll. Coach Debbie Ryan’s go-to player will be senior guard Monica Wright, who was named the Preseason ACC Player of the Year and a first-team All American by The Sporting News, and is on a host of awards’ watch lists.

Last year, the women’s team went 24-10, including a win at the NCAA Tournament. This year, in addition to the return of redshirt junior guard Paulisha Kellum, Virginia welcomes the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation, according to rivals.com. Four of the five new Cavaliers were ranked among the top 100 recruits in the nation, including two in the top 25: point guard China Crosby and forward/center Erinn Thompson.

To recap, Virginia has the best player in the ACC, arguably the best recruiting class in the conference, and one of the most accomplished coaches of all time. So, yes, this is shaping up to be a very good season.

Like I said, there are a variety of reasons why I am already looking ahead to basketball season. But one of them is that both the men’s and women’s teams will likely have better winning percentages than the football team. So, if you are like me and you need a diversion from less-than-mediocre college football, go to JPJ and have some fun. You’ll regret it less than the time you admitted to being a Virginia football fan, that’s for sure.

Learning from their mistakes
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 3, 2009
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Virginia coach Al Groh let his mind wonder as he watched.
The similarities were eerily similar.
What Miami did in rallying past Wake Forest on Saturday for a 28-27 road win prompted Groh to rehash two painful losses, one of which was fresh.
“It reminded me quite a bit of the game we had with [Miami] last year,” Groh said on Monday, “and unfortunately reminded me about the game on Saturday.”
Both involved the Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2 ACC) collapsing in the fourth quarter.
In the stunning loss to Miami last year, Virginia led 17-10 before Hurricanes quarterback Jacory Harris connected on a 26-yard touchdown pass with just 55 seconds left.
An a score in overtime and a fumble from former tailback Cedric Peerman, Miami escaped with a 24-17 win that started a four-game slide that kept the Cavaliers out of the postseason.
Harris, one of 15 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien Award, made similar throws in the
comeback at Wake Forest.
It was “the kind of throws that quarterbacks who elevate their team to a different level make,” Groh said. “When we watched it I said, ‘I don’t need anybody to tell me what it looked like in real life; he made some of those throws last year that were the difference in the game.”
Harris, a sophomore, leads the ACC and ranks 11th nationally in passing efficiency with a rating of 151.52.
Oddly enough, Harris shared ACC offensive back of the week honors on Monday with Duke’s Thaddeus Lewis. It was Lewis that torched Virginia late on a 42-yard scoring strike to rally the Blue Devils to a 28-17 victory.
“Had [Lewis] missed the throw, it would have been, I’m sure disappointing to people on their side, but understandable too, because under those circumstances that throw gets missed a lot,” Groh said. “And he made the type of throw that elevates a team.”
Holding it in
With the loss to Duke, Groh jumped into a set of rankings that few coaches would enjoy.
As of Monday, Groh was No. 10 on coacheshotseat.com.
Groh is aware his popularity rating is down amongst fans and most want a change to come, but failed to address the matter during a teleconference Sunday.
“I don’t have anything to say,” he said. “I know a lot more about the situation than probably anybody.
“Maybe some day I’ll say what that is.”
Close to a return?
What is known is that Virginia defensive end Matt Conrath will travel to Miami this weekend. The mystery remains, however, in whether the sophomore will be cleared to play.
During Saturday’s game against Duke, Conrath was walking on the sidelines without a noticeable limp.
“He is getting close,” fellow defensive end Zane Parr said. “He doesn’t have the crutches anymore and he doesn’t have the boot on his foot. He is doing great.”
Conrath, who suffered a high ankle sprain against Maryland on Oct. 17, is currently 11th on the team in tackles with 26.
Extra points
Virginia (3-5, 2-2 ACC) enters Saturday’s game at Miami (6-2, 3-2) ranked last in scoring offense, averaging just 21.4 points per game. The Cavaliers have reached the end zone on offense just four times in four league contests…UVa also stands last in the league in total offense, sacks allowed, pass efficiency, kickoff returns, conversions on third and fourth down, time of possession, first downs and red zone defense. … The Hurricanes, a 13-point favorite, have won four of the six games in the series with Virginia.

 

Sewell Limping Into Last Encounter with 'Canes
Nov. 2, 2009
7:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As UVa's quarterback, Jameel Sewell never has lost to the Miami Hurricanes. The fifth-year senior will try to extend that streak Saturday afternoon when UVa meets 16th-ranked Miami at Land Shark Stadium in South Florida.

Sewell was a redshirt freshman in 2006 when he rushed for two touchdowns in Virginia's 17-7 win over Miami at Scott Stadium. He also completed 23 of 33 passes for 217 yards that day.

As a redshirt sophomore, Sewell was 20 for 25 passing, for 288 yards and one TD, in the Cavaliers' 48-0 rout of the 'Canes at the Orange Bowl.

Miami beat Virginia 24-17 in overtime at Scott Stadium last season, but Sewell was out of uniform and out of school, serving an academic suspension.

He's back in good standing academically, and he's again the Cavaliers' No. 1 quarterback, but Sewell has struggled recently. He completed 18 of 32 attempts for a modest 168 yards in an Oct. 24 loss to Georgia Tech, then went 8 for 22 for 86 yards a week later in a loss to Duke.

Moreover, after averaging 15 carries in Virginia's first six games, he ran only five times against the Yellow Jackets and five against the Blue Devils.

Sewell's health has a lot to do with that. He's yet to fully recover from an ankle injury he suffered early in the season. He hasn't looked eager to run, and the playcalling has reflected that.

"You saw the circumstance with him [Oct. 17] at Maryland when he couldn't finish the game, because he re-injured an ankle injury that had been plaguing him for a number of weeks leading up to that," Groh said. "So clearly that has impacted the wisdom of using him too much, or his quickness and willingness to do so."

Sewell isn't as effective when he's not a threat to run, Groh acknowledged, but he's "spent the better part of the last few weeks kind of limping through the week, so we've been happy to have him on Saturdays, actually."

Asked if the injury has affected Sewell's passing, Groh said, "I don't know what it has done as far as Saturday is concerned, but it certainly has had him practicing in a different way during the course of the week than if it wasn't bothering him. He's had to limp through of some of these practices. He hasn't been able to step into some of the throws as he would if he wasn't nursing this thing along."

-- Jeff White









Line Holds Up Well Without Conrath
Nov. 2, 2009
6:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- At Maryland's Byrd Stadium, Matt Conrath was helped off the field Oct. 17 after severely spraining his ankle in the final minute of the first half. The sophomore defensive end hasn't played since.

Sophomore Zane Parr and junior John-Kevin Dolce have proven to be capable replacements -- they combined for four sacks Saturday in UVa's 28-17 to Duke -- but Conrath doesn't have to worry about losing his job.

When Conrath is healthy again, Al Groh said Sunday night, the coaching staff is "going to put Matt right back where he was. He was, probably at the time that he left, having the best season of anybody on the defensive team, and while [Parr and Dolce] have stepped right in and done a very nice job, really nobody has exceeded what Matt Conrath was doing. But they've certainly earned more playing time."

In the Cavaliers' first game without Conrath, against Georgia Tech on Oct. 24, Nate Collins shifted from end to nose tackle. Parr and Dolce started on either side of him.

Against Duke, Collins moved back to end, and sophomore Nick Jenkins returned to the starting lineup at nose tackle. Parr was at right end, and Dolce subbed in on passing downs.

This is Chad Wilt's first season as defensive line coach, and his charges "have performed very well [without Conrath], considering the circumstances," Groh said.

"It's not an overwhelming group in size. They've had to scrap it pretty hard here and have done a real nice job with it. There's still, as we saw quite a bit of evidence today in reviewing the video with them, quite a few things we could have done even better yesterday or can make improvement on, but considering the youthfulness of them and some of the other circumstances, they've done decent enough for us."

Collins, the only senior starter on the line, leads the team in tackles, and he's been virtually impossible to block in recent weeks. He had nine tackles against Maryland, 16 against Georgia Tech and 10 against Duke. He's had six tackles for loss during that span, including three sacks.

"These have certainly been the three best games of Nate's career -- or the best three-game stretch," Groh said.

Virginia (2-2, 3-5) visits ACC foe Miami (3-2, 6-2) at noon Saturday. Conrath's status for the game won't be disclosed publicly until Thursday night.

-- Jeff White

 

Groh’s decisions with freshmen will have long-term effects
By Michael Phillips
Published: November 3, 2009
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CHARLOTTESVILLE The odds that Al Groh will be coaching U.Va. football in four years are slim. But his decisions this year will still influence the program in 2013.

Groh has played 14 true freshmen this year, matching the 2002 season for the most he's used as a head coach.

The number was increased by two Saturday when tight end Paul Freedman caught a 6-yard pass, and linebacker Connor McCartin joined the kickoff team.

"Connor did a real nice job on kickoff returns -- in fact, better than that position has been manned in previous games," Groh said. "So that was an upgrade for us."

The coach has said all season that his policy remains unchanged -- when the players are ready to play better than the current starter, he's ready to play them, regardless of time of year or other considerations.

Towards the end of his press conference yesterday, he revisited the point when discussing fourth-quarter performance, saying that he's trying to create "playable depth" so that the starters can take a breather occasionally without impacting the game in a negative way.

"Clearly it would be nice to be in a cycle where everybody could sit around for a year and kind of marinate, and get ready to play a little bit the next year, like at Texas or Alabama or those kind of places," Groh said. "But some of these guys here, we would probably be in some difficult circumstances if it weren't for their production."

According to the roster distributed to reporters yesterday, U.Va. continues to retain redshirt eligibility on 14 freshmen, though that number includes some invited walk-on players. Of the 14 who cannot redshirt, running back Dominique Wallace will qualify for a medical hardship waiver and receive an extra year of eligibility.

One of the players who has played is offensive lineman Oday Aboushi, who came highly regarded and could be a pro prospect in four years. He played for a small portion of Saturday's game, saying that he worked out all summer hoping he could play as a freshman.

"I really don't know the plan, but I'm ready whenever the coaches need me," he said. "I'm willing to do whatever."

He also played this summer with team USA at the Junior World Championships in Canton, Ohio, taking the gold medal.

In one of the lighter moment's of yesterday's press conference, Groh joked that his team would benefit by adding France to its schedule, then noted that "I'll probably get all the Frenchmen mad at me" for saying that.

Groh made waves Sunday when he said in a teleconference with reporters that "I know a lot more about the situation than probably anybody. Maybe some day I'll say what that is."

Yesterday he said that his focus remained on coaching the team.

"I don't think that I'm a very hard book to read, because I don't really try to do things with any pretensions," he said. "That's my responsibility, and I try to coach the team the best way I can every day."

He feels the best way to do that includes bolstering U.Va.'s depth by trying to develop the true freshmen into regulars, and the stats back him up -- the Cavs' worst margin on the scoreboard has occurred in the fourth quarter.

That means that Virginia fans will still be discussing Al Groh's tenure, even four years from now.

Season wearing on UVa's Sewell
By Doug Doughty | The Roanoke Times

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As a passer, Jameel Sewell has been plagued by wildness at various points during his career, but opponents generally have had to his honor his running ability.

Sewell has had as many as 23 rushing attempts in one game this season, but the Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2 ACC) have gone in another direction in recent weeks.

Not successfully, based on back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Duke.

And not by design, either.

"You saw a circumstance with him at Maryland when he couldn't finish the game," said UVa coach Al Groh, referring to an Oct. 17 contest in College Park, Md., won by the Cavaliers 20-9. "Clearly, that has impacted the wisdom of using him too much or his quickness or willingness to do so."

Prior to an earlier game, Sewell had been listed as probable due to a previously undisclosed ankle injury. He aggravated that injury in the second half at Maryland and was on crutches for the final quarter.

"He spent the better part of the last few weeks kind of limping through the week," Groh said. "We've been happy to have him on Saturdays, actually."

It is difficult to assess what kind of impact the injury has had on Sewell's throwing. He was 8-for-22 for 107 yards Saturday in a 28-17 loss to Duke.

"I don't know what it has done as far as Saturday is concerned, but it certainly has had him practice a different way during the course of the week, if it doesn't bother him," Groh said. "He hasn't been able to step into some of the throws as he would if he wasn't nursing this thing along."

Back-up Marc Verica replaced an injured Sewell twice against Duke. On the first occasion, Sewell seemed unsteady on his feet as he was helped from the field, as if he were woozy. He wasn't limping, however.

"I asked him how he was on a couple of occasions and whether it would affect him," Groh said. "He said, 'No,' that he was fine, so I just took him at his word for it."

Sewell's latest outing left him with 4,865 career passing yards. Marques Hagans stands fifth on UVa's all-time list with 4,877 yards, one spot ahead of Sewell. Aaron Brooks is fourth at 5,118.

Not enough help

Virginia was trailing 25-17 when Sewell uncorked a bomb that went through the hands of wide receiver Jared Green at the Duke 15-yard line. It was unclear afterward whether a Blue Devil defender had gotten a hand on the ball.

"It looked like it was a catchable ball," said Groh during a Sunday night teleconference that is his first exposure to reporters after viewing film.

Dropped passes have been an issue in each of Virginia's successive losses.

"We do keep track of them," Groh said, "but my feeling is, just off the top of my head, that it's pretty much been an issue from the start."

Groh's future

Groh, whose team has lost nine of its last 12 games dating back to 2008, was asked Sunday night what he would say to the people who are calling for a coaching change.

"I don't have anything to say," said Groh, who paused for about four seconds before adding. "I know a lot more about the situation than probably anybody. Maybe some day I'll say what that is."

Personnel

Virginia has gotten inspired efforts from junior John-Kevin Dolce and sophomore Zane Parr in the absence of sophomore defensive end Matt Conrath, who suffered a high ankle sprain at Maryland. Conrath was not in uniform Saturday but was walking without crutches.

"We're going to put Matt right back where he was," Groh said. "He was probably, at the time that he left, having the best season of anybody on the defensive team. While those players at right end have stepped in and done a very nice job, really nobody has exceeded what Matt Conrath was doing."

Upcoming games

Game time for Virginia's game Saturday at Miami (6-2, 3-2) has been set for noon at Land Shark Stadium, site of a 1996 Carquest Bowl game between the teams when the stadium was known as Pro Player Stadium. Miami won that game, 31-21. UVa thumped the Hurricanes in Miami's final game at the Orange Bowl, 48-0, in 2007. ... Virginia's next home game, Nov. 14 against Boston College, will kick off at 3:30 p.m.

Groh relies on youth
By Jerry Ratcliffe
Published: November 3, 2009
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Al Groh has caught a lot of grief for using a lot of true freshmen so far this season and took a few minutes during Monday’s press conference to explain his side of the story.
Thus far, 14 true freshmen have appeared in games this season along with 11 redshirt freshmen, meaning that 39 percent of the team that has gained playing time in the first eight games have been freshmen (29 of 75).
Groh said before the season that he would likely play the most true freshmen since the 2002 season when he relied heavily on those players to help jump start the program. Those freshmen went on to play in four straight bowl games.
A solid group
This group of rookies will have to pull off some monumental upsets in order to make the postseason this year, but Groh said there is a reason he has activated them for action.
Groh said Monday that the freshmen have increased the talent level available to win games.
“When they’re ready to make a difference, make the team perform better than it would without them, then it’s reasonable to use them,” Groh said. “That’s what everybody is here for, to help us win that particular game.
“We would be in some difficult circumstances if it wasn’t for their production,” the coach said.
Standing at 3-5 and underdogs heading into this Saturday’s game at Miami, one must wonder what UVa’s record might be if it were not for playing so many freshmen.
It also speaks to the fact that there’s just not a lot of talent on this football team if that many true freshmen are competing for playing time.
“That’s a bit of a challenge for a young guy to come in and do all that,” Groh said. “It would be nice to be in a cycle where everybody could sit around for a year and kind of marinate, get ready to play a little bit the next year, kind of a case that Texas or Alabama or those kind of places [feature], but some of these players have done a nice job for us, especially on special teams.”
We all remember how poorly some of UVa’s special teams were early in the season, so perhaps this was one of the options to address that problem.
Why use eligibility?
Fans are upset that Groh is burning a whole year of eligibility unnecessarily.
Groh’s argument is twofold.
He believes that if a player is ready to play and can contribute to help winning a game, then it’s worth the risk. Groh also believes that while a player might play a less significant role this season, it gives the player a headstart, a taste if you will, of what it’s all about so that when he is called upon to start or play lots of minutes next season, the game won’t be so foreign to that player.
Plus, Groh, said, just because a player competed as a true freshman, doesn’t mean he can’t be redshirted in the future.
There’s perhaps one other reason less known. UVa is one of the few schools in the ACC, maybe the only one, that mandates that all its athletes graduate in four years. Not a lot of these guys are going to be sticking around for a fifth year.
Here’s a list of the 14 true freshmen that have played thus far, with Connor McCartin and Paul Freedman being the latest, both making their debuts against Duke:
McCartin, Freedman, Oday Aboushi, LoVante Battle, Will Hill, Quintin Hunter, Drew Jarrett, Perry Jones, Corey Lillard, LaRoy Reynolds, Tim Smith, Javanti Sparrow, Dominique Wallace, and Tucker Windle.
Of the 11 redshirt freshmen that have played, the most visible have been linebacker Steve Greer, running back Torrey Mack, and wide receiver Javaris Brown. They’ve been joined by: Kyle McCartin, Matt Mihalik, Mike Price, Aaron Van Kulken, Colter Phillips, Bill Schautz, Ausar Walcott, and Devin Wallace.
On a team that has had few seniors on its roster the past two seasons in a row, someone has to fill in the depth.
The Cavs have but 14 seniors on the roster, two more than last year when Virginia was the 18th youngest team in the nation (of the 120 FBS schools).
Groh said that McCartin did a better job on kickoff returns against Duke than had been been the case at that position in previous games this season. The coach called it an “upgrade.”
“We like Paul’s (Freedman) development, what he’s doing and want to get him some exposure, some experience along the way as well as using him in some roles that can help us out,” Groh said.
Critics point out that some guys are activated and play in a game and then disappear for a while.
There’s the rub.
Groh believes his tactics are worth it if it helps win a game.
At this point, a win would help his argument.
 

U.Va. coach Al Groh addresses job security and boobirds

In the wake of Virginia's 28-17 loss to Duke that dropped the Cavaliers to 3-5 and placed more pressure on embattled coach Al Groh, he addressed Sunday night on his weekly teleconference the growing acrimony directed at him and his team from U.Va. fans.

He was asked for a response to fans that have been calling for his job.

"I don't have anything to say," Groh said.

After a nine-second pause, he added:

"I know a lot more about the situation than probably anybody. Maybe someday, I'll say what that is."

That's an intriguing statement, but not entirely clear. It's difficult to ascertain exactly what he meant by "the situation." Did he mean something internally? Something involving team or coaching staff personnel? None of the above? Who knows? That's one to be explored later.

As far as his thoughts on fans that booed him and the team leaving the field after Saturday's game, he said:

"It's very unfortunate. Regardless of the result, it's their team. It's their players, and they're not perfect, but they're really good kids and they do the right thing. They're trying to play as hard as they can, and it's just unfortunate that they get that type of response. I feel badly for the players.

"I'd just say it's as much a commentary on the boo'ers as it is on the players."

After a 12-second pause, he added:

"It's pretty unfortunate that it turned out the way that it did, but with 3:45 to go - we have a bad play there [U.Va. cornerback Chris Cook falling down on wide receiver Conner Vernon's 42-yard touchdown catch to put Duke ahead to stay 18-17] - but with 3:45 to go, at that point, it's a pretty decently done game. For 56 minutes, that's a (Duke) team that had been scoring quite a few points (and) had four field goals. Some of those (field goals were) because the team got the ball in advantageous positions, so those players played as hard as they could, and they did a real nice job. We had a bad play on a third-and-9 play, and so we're behind, but it's disappointing for all us. It's heartbreaking for us. Everybody put a lot of hard work in to it - the players and everybody."

In the postgame after the loss, nose tackle John-Kevin Dolce was asked whether U.Va. had lost the home field edge it used to have. From the start of the 2002 season through the North Carolina game on Oct. 18, 2008, U.Va. went 34-8 at home. Since then, U.Va. has gone 1-6 in Scott Stadium. The announced attendance at Saturday's game was 41,713, the lowest since Scott Stadium was expanded prior to the 2000 season to 61,500 seats.

"Our house is in the white lines," said Dolce, who had four tackles against Duke, including a career-high 2 1/2 sacks. "I mean, we play football inside the white lines. Whether it's we're playing home or away, we don't play for our fans necessarily in the aspect that we're going out there. They don't sweat with us, they don't bleed with us and they don't cry with us."

Posted by Norman Wood

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
November 3, 2009 12:36 am
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

CHARLOTTESVILLE--
Whenever Virginia football coach Al Groh is confronted with a crisis, he thinks back to a sign in his office. It was given to him by mentor Bill Parcells, whom he worked under for three different teams in the NFL.

The sign reads: "Just coach the team."

It's a reminder to Groh to ignore outside distractions, and it's come in handy a lot in his sometimes rocky nine-year tenure at Virginia.

This week, it's particularly motivational.

That's because the Cavaliers have lost nine of their past 12 games dating back to last season and many supporters think it's time for Groh to be fired.

Groh said the criticism hasn't fazed him because he coaches based on the gift from Parcells.

"I don't think that I'm a very hard book to read because I don't really try to do things with any pretensions," Groh said. "And I got this sign on my desk that says, 'Just coach the team.' That's what I like to do. That's my responsibility and I try to coach the team the best way I can every day."

HURRICANE WARNING

The Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) return to action with a trip to No. 16 Miami (6-2, 3-2) on Saturday at noon.

The last time Virginia visited the Hurricanes, they closed out the Orange Bowl with a 48-0 win. Groh said the 2007 victory was "a special night" because of the way his team handled the "dog and pony show."

It was the last game in a historic stadium and the Hurricanes brought in many of their all-time great players for an emotional ceremony.

"All the big guns were being brought in to make this quite a celebration," Groh said. "And that particular team really took that challenge and played about as well as we've ever played against a really quality opponent."

IDENTITY CRISIS

Virginia is coming off consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and Duke. The Yellow Jackets are known for their triple-option offense. Duke is a pass-heavy team that lives and dies with senior quarterback Thaddeus Lewis.

That begs the question: "What's Virginia's identity?"

Groh doesn't know. He admits an identity would be "beneficial" but said he can't force one on the team.

"What players can do best has a great deal to do with the establishment of an identity," Groh said. "To try to force an identity on an offense or defense without the skills to match it would be foolhardy."

BURN, BABY, BURN

Fourteen of the 23 first-year players at Virginia have burned their redshirts.

Many have had minor roles. On Saturday, Groh used linebacker Connor McCartin, a Fauquier High grad, and tight end Paul Freedman.

Groh said his philosophy has always been that when a player is capable of helping Virginia win a game, he's prepared to use him.

"Clearly it would be nice to be in a cycle where everybody could sit around for a year and kind of marinate, get ready to play a little bit next year, kind of a case that Texas or Alabama or those kind of places," Groh said. "But some of these players have done a nice job for us, especially on special teams."

WEAK COMPETITION

Groh had hoped that true freshman tackle Oday Aboushi and safety Corey Lillard (a Liberty High School graduate) would be further ahead than their classmates because they won gold medals with USA Football's Junior National Team in the IFAF Junior World Championships over the summer. That wasn't the case.

"Frankly, if we could get some of those teams on our schedule--if we could get to play France, probably the experience would have more value for them," Groh said with a laugh.

A return to Charlottesville
By Whitey Reid
Published: November 3, 2009
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South Africa. Thailand. Japan. Korea. Uzbekistan — wherever that is.
Former Virginia star Somdev Devvarman’s recent travels sound like some sort of crazy remake of “Kokomo,” the song by the Beach Boys.
The only difference is Devvarman hasn’t exactly been lounging around on tropical islands.
It’s been anything but that for the former two-time NCAA champion.
Since he graduated in 2008, Devvarman has spent the better part of his life trying to crack pro tennis’ Top 100.
Tonight, the best player in the history of Virginia tennis returns home.
Devvarman, currently ranked No. 116 in the world, takes on Hungarian Denes Lukacs in the first round of the Virginia National Bank Men’s Pro Championship at the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The match gets underway around 6 p.m.
Devvarman, a native of Chennai, India, can’t wait to compete in front of Virginia fans again.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Devvarman on Monday. “You play so many tournaments on the road that you really look forward to coming home and playing in a tournament in front of your home crowd.
“Hopefully it will be a good week.”
Devvarman is one of four current or former Virginia players to compete in the main draw. On Monday, Virginia junior Sanam Singh made it through the qualifying rounds with an exciting three-set victory over Kaden Hensel of Austria.
Devvarman, who has been a pro for less than two years, has had a meteoric rise up the rankings.
It started with an upset of Ivo Karlovic in his hometown tournament in India, continued with a big upset over No. 15 Marin Cilic at the Legg Mason Classic in Washington in August, and culminated with a trip to the U.S. Open a couple of weeks later. Devvarman made it through qualifying in Flushing Meadow before losing in the second round of the main draw in four sets to German Phillip Kohlschreiber, the No. 24 player in the world.
More recently, Devvarman led India to a Davis Cup victory over South Africa. Devvarman, playing in front of a hostile South Africa crowd, came from two sets and a break down to win his match.
Jacek Wolicki, Devvarman’s manager, has been pleased with Devvarman’s progression.
“Getting that first-round win [in the U.S. Open] and winning in Davis Cup was huge,” Wolicki said. “He’s been through it all in a short year-and-a-half. He’s condensed the experiences that sometimes the pros have in three to four years, or sometimes don’t even have at all.”
Devvarman, who is buddies with star Andy Roddick — the two sometimes train together at Roddick’s home in Austin, Tex. — admits he was a little awestruck at the U.S. Open.
“In the locker room I was changing and just hanging out, and [Juan Martin] del Potro and [Rafael] Nadal were both right there.
“I kind of looked around and was like, ‘Whoa, we’re on the same bench and they’re on the next locker.’ I didn’t think this would happen this soon.”
Devvarman has beaten Lukacs, his opponent this evening, twice previously. They both came in college when Lukacs was at Baylor. “He’s a very aggressive baseliner,” Devvarman said. “I’ll have to be ready for that.”
Devvarman, who is coached by Scott McCain, broke into a wide smile when asked about the possibility of running into one of his former Virginia teammates later in the tournament. He didn’t hesitate when asked who he would be most fired up to play.
“Probably Treat [Huey],” he said, with a laugh, “because we go a long way back and we’ve always been competitive in every sport we play — rec basketball leagues and all that. It would be nice to play against him.”
Don’t expect Devvarman to look past Lukacs, though. After all, he wants to hang out in Charlottesville for as long as he can before he has to hit the road again.
“He’s been talking about this tournament for a long time,” Wolicki said.
Added Devvarman: “I feel like I have a really good opportunity. I’ve been playing some good tennis lately. It would be great to come out here and win some matches again.”
 

Reigning over conference, Heineking captures crown
Junior continues perfect fall with fourth individual win; men finish runner-up, women cross in fourth
William Hrachovina, Cavalier Daily Associate Editor

Cross Country / Featured / Sports
November 3, 2009 0
Junior Emil Heineking distanced himself from the competition at the ACC Championships last Saturday, finishing ahead of teammate Ryan Collins to win his first conference title. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.

Junior Emil Heineking distanced himself from the competition at the ACC Championships last Saturday, finishing ahead of teammate Ryan Collins to win his first conference title. Photo courtesy Virginia Athletics.

The Virginia cross country teams began their postseason in impressive fashion Saturday, competing in the ACC Championships held at the WakeMed Soccer and Cross Country Complex in Cary, N.C.
Although the men, who entered the weekend undefeated, fell short of winning their third straight ACC Championship and finished runner-up to N.C. State, junior Emil Heineking continued his perfect fall season by capturing the individual title. On the women’s side, the Cavaliers improved upon last year’s fourth-place finish with a third-place showing. Junior transfer Catherine White also earned All-ACC honors in her first season with Virginia after finishing second overall.

Claiming his fourth title of the fall and second conference crown, Heineking fought off challengers from N.C. State and Florida State, as well as teammate junior Ryan Collins to finish with a time of 23 minutes, 15.5 seconds. While Collins crossed the line right behind Heineking with a time of 23:17:8, N.C. State managed to place three runners in the top 10 to win the team title with 56 points. Virginia posted 71 points to edge third-place Florida State by one point and fourth-place Duke (74).

“I was really happy with our 1-2 finish, with Ryan Collins and I,” Heineking said. “We finished with second-place, which is disappointing. There is still some work that needs to be done with our top seven, but I am confident we will get it done and be able to place high at regionals in a couple of weeks.”

Other notable finishes for the men were junior Trey Miller (15th), freshman Sintayehu Taye (25th) and senior Graham Tribble (28th).

Though Virginia had the top two finishers, coach Jason Vigilante stressed that the team as a whole still has a lot of work to do before regionals.

“It is amazing to go 1-2,” Vigilante said, “it’s really incredible. I am really proud of how those guys competed. I am confident that if we continue to work hard and do the right things over the next couple of weeks, that we will be successful at the regional championship.”

The women, meanwhile, had their hands full, with Florida State and Duke proving too much to handle for the Cavaliers. While Florida State senior Susan Kuijken ran away with the race to win her second individual title by more than 15 seconds, White easily crossed the line in second. Sophomore Morgane Gay finished second for the Cavaliers, but was out-leaned by two-tenths of a second and settled for a fourth-place finish. Led by Kuijken, the Seminoles placed all five runners in the top 15 to claim the women’s ACC Championship with a score of 37 points. Virginia finished third with 84 points, behind runner-up Duke with 71 points.

Though the Cavaliers finished third against some of the strongest teams in the country, among Virginia’s runners, the result still left something to be desired.

“We didn’t have our best showing,” White said of the team’s third-place finish. “We were a little disappointed in losing to Duke but we are looking forward to regionals. We will have to race them again, and hopefully improve on our performance so we can take care of business there.”

Other finishers for the women’s squad were senior Lauretta Dezubay (17th), sophomore Laurel MacMillian(47th) and senior Stephanie Garcia (18th), a Cavalier Daily tableau editor.

Even though the end result fell short of the team’s goal, Vigilante said there is a lot to be taken from the ACC Championships. The Cavaliers host the Cavalier Invitational at Panorama Farms on Nov. 6, and will look to utilize their recent experience in North Carolina as a launching point to even greater success.

“We definitely saw some progress on the women’s side,” Vigilante said, “and for the men they saw that we were up against some good competition, and that we have to be at our best in order to beat them.”