In College Park and Charlottesville, football fans lack a sense of place
Washington Post - John Feinstein
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Football fans aren't restless at Maryland and Virginia; they're relentless. And that means both Ralph Friedgen and Al Groh are spending this week preparing to coach games that could very well be their lasts in charge of their alma maters.

The Post has reported that Maryland is prepared to swallow a considerable financial burden if it decides a change is necessary. That would entail about $4.5 million to buy out the remaining two years on Friedgen's contract and another $1 million if it wants to get rid of designated successor James Franklin as well. That's before spending a penny to hire a new coach and, presumably a new and better-paid staff.

At Virginia, Groh is in his ninth year (like Friedgen) and apparently on his ninth life because Cavaliers fans have been calling for his dismissal since a 5-7 season in 2006 ended a run of four straight bowl games. Groh saved himself by going 9-4 and getting to the Gator Bowl in 2007, but last year's 5-7 record followed by this year's 3-8 will probably mean the end.

Life as a major college football coach is very simple: Win and you're the toast of the town; lose and everyone wants you out of it.

Friedgen was 31-8, including an ACC title, an Orange Bowl trip and two bowl wins after three seasons. Since then he's 35-37. Groh wasn't as good starting out -- 22-17 although he also had two bowl wins the first three years -- and is slightly better since, 37-35.

So each has had success, Friedgen's obviously front-loaded. But here's the question that should be asked before Friedgen and Groh are sent packing: Is the next guy going to do any better?

Friedgen and Groh's successors, whenever the time comes, will face the same problem they did: bloated expectations. Maryland and Virginia are middling programs in a middling BCS conference. If the stars and the moon and the recruiting gods all align in a given year, each might make a BCS bowl game. Virginia reached the Sugar Bowl after the 1990 season under George Welsh, and Maryland got to the Orange Bowl in Friedgen's first season.

More often than not, though, the definition of a good season in either place is going to be an 8-4 record and a trip to one of those nondescript bowls that change corporate names every five years. Groh won back-to-back Continental Tire bowls in 2002 and 2003 (now the bowl is named for a car-care company), and Friedgen's last two bowl wins were in the Champs Sports Bowl and the MPC Computers/Humanitarian Bowl.

And yet, in the euphoria that came with moderate success, both schools spent much too much money expanding stadiums that are much too big with far more luxury boxes than they can reasonably hope to sell on a regular basis. You don't build stadiums or arenas based on how many tickets you expect to sell in your best season; you build them based on how many you expect to sell in an average season.

All of that being said, two- and three-win seasons don't cut it in very many places. Neither do three losing seasons in four years (Groh) or four losing seasons in six years (Friedgen). And both coaches lose even more leverage when you consider they're facing an ACC that has been decidedly mediocre the past few years. Building too many luxury boxes or putting in too many extra seats is not an excuse for losing to Duke.

Maryland's situation is made more difficult by Athletic Director Debbie Yow's ludicrous decision to name Franklin Maryland's "coach-in-waiting" after last season. The stated reason for doing so was the fear of losing Franklin to another school or an NFL team.

Really? Who retired and made James Franklin the next Joe Paterno? Or Pete Carroll or, for that matter, Ken Niumatalolo?

No one has said that Franklin was a candidate for a head coaching job anywhere else. So even if he had left to be a top assistant elsewhere, wouldn't he have returned to become the head coach at Maryland so long as the salary was a reasonable pay raise?

Remarkably, athletic directors rarely take any criticism when specific teams falter under their watch. Yow hired Ron Vanderlinden, who was a bust. She was just about ordered to hire Friedgen and took every bow possible for his success. Then, when the program slipped, she went out of the way to commit $1 million to undermining Friedgen.

"We'll re-evaluate the football program at the end of the season as we do all our programs," has been Yow's mantra this fall. No doubt Friedgen sleeps better at night hearing those words.

At Virginia, Craig Littlepage didn't hire Groh (Terry Holland did), but he needs to be right about whoever succeeds him. Littlepage didn't hire Pete Gillen as basketball coach in 1998, but he did give him a premature, lengthy contract extension that cost Virginia $2 million to buy out in 2005. That's when he hired Dave Leitao, whom he paid $2.1 million to leave this past spring.

So while this week is probably the end for Friedgen and Groh, the jury is still out on whether they really deserve to be fired or not. At least some of the responsibility should be laid at the feet of those who next week likely will announce, "We've decided to go in another direction."

Choosing that direction won't be easy at either school.

And the next coaches' toughest tasks might be getting their fan bases to understand that.

 

Virginia returns to the practice fields
Michael Phillips
Nov 24, 2009

Sunday is usually practice day at U.Va., but coach Al Groh called off the on-field work after the team’s game against Clemson.

“We did not practice on Sunday,we had too many players banged up to make it a worthwhile practice,“ Groh said on today’s ACC teleconference.

He added that Mikell Simpson’s status is still up in the air. The senior running back would like to play, but is fighting a hamstring injury. Yesterday was an off day for the team, which will return to the practice fields today.

After Groh’s turn on the teleconference, Frank Beamer was up, though Groh hung up the phone before he could hear Beamer’s comments. Here are a couple of the relevant ones:

“We’re getting ready for a battle. That’s the way it was last year; that’s the way it’s going to be this year.“

“It’s just two good programs. They do things right at U.Va. and we feel like we do things right down here. It’s two programs that are run the right way. We’ve got great respect for their coaches and their coaching staff. To me it’s a healthy thing; it’s two programs people can be proud of in the state.‘

For Nate Collins and Rashawn Jackson, it was worth the wait
Michael Phillips
Nov 24, 2009

We’ll probably make this a daily feature this week as the countdown continues to the rivalry game. Also scroll to the bottom for more quotes from the players….

CHARLOTTESVILLE — Rashawn Jackson spent his first three seasons at Virginia thinking he could be a bigger part of the offense.

Nate Collins spent that time joking around.

Both have found that persistence pays off, as they enjoy breakout senior seasons that almost certainly will springboard them into the NFL.

Jackson arrived in the mold of Jason Snelling, a powerful runner who could run over defenders. After a redshirt season, he was briefly moved to linebacker, then back to the fullback position. By the end of his junior season, he was playing regularly but only had 36 carries for 134 yards in his career.

“Obviously I didn’t see the field as soon as I wanted to in my career,” he said. “I needed to be able to keep my faith, and be persistent in practice, having faith to know that things would eventually come to me.”

When coach Al Groh decided to use a fullback full-time during Jackson’s junior season, he thought it would mean more carries. When it turned out to mean blocking assignments, he decided to dedicate himself to that.

“I figured, let me go after these guys and create some holes,” he said.

Things started to change this season, but not until October, when starting running back Mikell Simpson went down to injury. Jackson finished that game against Indiana with 73 yards, came back the next week and tallied against Maryland, and his college career was off and running.

Fullbacks are a rare breed in college football, which is now dominated by speed and the spread offense. But Jackson continues to thrive in the old-school role, which NFL teams are always on the lookout for.

“I got the opportunity to do what I love to do, and be involved in the game plan more,” he said. “Fortunately this season, coach Groh trusted me enough to put me in and give me chances.”

For Collins it was the reverse, a process of learning to trust the coach and his methods.

The defensive lineman, who came from a small school in New York, faced a steep learning curve when he arrived, but his raw athletic talent put him on the field his first year.

But on a unit with Chris Long his sophomore season, and Clint Sintim as a junior, there was no need for him to assert leadership.

When asked about his early career, Collins replied in the second person, but it was obvious who he was referring to.

“It’s hard when you’re a freshman, and you might not value practice as much as you do now,” he said. “The way you practice is the way you play, and if you practice hard that’s how you’ll play in the game.”

Then last spring, as Sintim left, Collins began to realize that he’d be the one who had to fill the leadership vacuum.

He decided to apply himself, and even got the nod as a team captain for this year. That, in turn, boosted his standing with Groh, as the two found themselves interacting more regularly. Nick Jenkins, a defensive lineman who lives down the street from Collins, noticed the difference.

“Nate’s grown up a lot,” Collins said. “This summer you could really tell — we had a lot of leaders that left, and he realized it was a time to step up and take that role.

“Everybody looks up to him. He’s like the big brother of the d-line, I think you could say.”

That new approach to football has also been validated in the results, as Collins’ 66 tackles and 5 sacks lead all linemen.

He’s getting attention from NFL scouts, which he credits to Groh staying on him and refusing to let him coast on raw talent.

“He lets you know that if you don’t do it right, somebody else out there is going to do it better than you,” he said. “If you’re trying to make it to the next level, you need a coach that can do that.”

Because of that work, Collins and Jackson will continue playing next season on Sundays.

As they wrap up their college careers, they look back at their time at U.Va. as four years of work that’s paying off in an exceptional senior season.

———————————————

Nate Collins, on this year’s season: “Its not what we’d want, but you have to roll with the punches. I don’t regret anything, and I’d still pick Virginia for four years if I had the chance to again.“

Collins on Groh: “He’s a coach who is going to keep it straightforward, and for some people that’s maybe not something people can get used to or want to hear, but at the end of the day he always tells you the truth and what you need to hear. He’s not going to beat around the bush telling you things because it nmight hurt your feelings. For football, if you’re trying to make it tothe next level, you need a coach who can do that. If you just have a coach who tells you nonstop that you’re doing something right or you don’t need to work on something small and technical, that might be the difference between getting looked at by scouts. He lets you know that if you don’t do it right, somebody else is going to do it better than you. That’s one thing I feel is good about coach Groh.“

Nick Jenkins, on Collins: “Nate’s grown up a lot. hes like a big brother. Everybody looks up to him. He’s the big brother of the d-line, I think you could say.

“This summer you could really tell, we had a lot of leaders that left last year, and he saw a time to step up and take that role.

“Just living down the street from each other we hang out all the time. We’re buddies, and I think that carries over to the field as well. He’s somebody you’re with all the time, and it just carries over onto the field that you’ve got his back and hes got yours.“

Rashawn Jackson, on his early career: “Persistence and patience, two things I definitely learned. Obviously I didn’t see the field as soon as I wanted to in my career. I needed to be able to keep my faith and be persistent in practice, and have faith knowing things would eventually come to me.“

Jackson, on the highlight of his college time: “Getting my degree. I want to say that’s one of the most important things I’ve ever ever ever done. It was a really good experience. I made my family proud, I made myself proud, I made the people who look up to me proud.“

Groh, on Collins’ leadership: “When he was a sophomore, Chris Long at his position was one of the team captains and very much a standard setter. So really nobody at that position was going to assert himself too much. Then last year right alongside of him was Clint Sintim. Clint was much the same way. It was clear that he was the voice of certainly the front seven and principally of the defense. So nobody else, even if they had that feeling about being a leader, was really going to be assertive in those circumstances.“

Groh on Collins’ attitude: “He’s made himself now one of the more difficult players to block in the league, and I think probably there are a lot more people throughout the conference, whether it’s people such as yourselves who watch the game from the press box and see who makes the tackles or coaches and players who have to deal with him, either strategizing or blocking him, I think he’s probably a lot more known now than he was during the previous three seasons.

A lot of it has to do with just, as you say, his focus, not just focus on his technique, on his preparation in the big picture.“

Sports columnist Aaron McFarling: Cavaliers need a new surprise in old rivalry
By Aaron McFarling

BLACKSBURG -- This game needs another Vic Hall moment.

The moment doesn't have to involve the quarterback.

Shoot, it doesn't even have to involve Vic Hall -- only the element of surprise he has come to represent.

The best part of the 2008 Virginia Tech-Virginia game was the Cavaliers' initial play from scrimmage, when Hall lined up as a quarterback for the first time in his college career. No matter your loyalties, the sight of this was enough to give you chills.

It was so unexpected, so refreshing.

So perfect.

A mismatch suddenly morphed into a mystery.

Bud Foster suddenly had a challenge.

And even though the result seemed familiar -- a fifth straight victory for Tech in the series, 17-14 -- the teams treated us to three hours of drama and storylines, thanks in large part to the Vic Hall moment.

The Hokies remember it well, and they're bracing for a similar surprise this weekend.

"We're expecting something crazy like last year," defensive end Nekos Brown said. "The rivalry's big. They're going to pull out all the stops to try to win this game."

Tech linebacker Cody Grimm noted that even when opponents show an unusual look early in the game, they typically revert to what they've done all season eventually.

Still, games can be won and lost during that initial period of confusion.

"We've just got to come out and be ready to adapt, because we know they have the capability of changing into a lot of different things," he said. "Any time you have a team like that that doesn't have much to play for, it can be scary."

But here's the problem for the Cavaliers: What's left for them to try?

By now, there's plenty of film available of Hall playing quarterback.

And they've exhausted several of their finest trick plays in recent weeks, including the reverse pass Hall threw for a touchdown against Clemson last week.

Asked on Monday if he had anything sneaky planned for this game, UVa coach Al Groh shockingly turned over his hole cards.

"Well," he said, "we don't mind relating actually a little bit before the game that we've made a trade with the Minnesota Vikings. Brett Favre will be here, and Vic has agreed to give up his No. 4 for Brett Favre.

"We can't pull Vic out of our hat this year, so we had to go a little bit higher level for that."

It was a joke, of course, and a pretty good one. But there was an element of truth to Groh's answer.

The Vic Hall currency has been spent, and there aren't exactly any record-breaking quarterbacks languishing on special teams that he can toss in to spook his rival this year.

But to think that he won't try something interesting would be absurd. The Cavaliers offense is among the least productive in the nation. If this is the last chance for him to defeat the Hokies, then Groh sure isn't going to run it up the middle 46 times and then throw up his hands.

Some trick plays are all but guaranteed.

"I think they've always been kind of good at that," Tech coach Frank Beamer said. "They faked a field goal on us up there two or three times ago up there, ran a reverse on a punt earlier in the year.

"I think in this ballgame, certainly, you can expect the unexpected."

Let's hope so.

The expected wouldn't make for much of a game.

Vic Hall: Doing it all
The versatile Gretna product approaches his final game at UVa.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Now that Vic Hall has thrown the first touchdown pass of his college career, what could be left on his Virginia football bucket list?

Maybe a victory over Virginia Tech. He hasn't had one of those.

Actually, he hasn't had a punt return for a touchdown, but he knows the feeling. Hall twice has returned punts for apparent touchdowns, only to have them nullified by penalty against Middle Tennessee State in 2007 and Boston College this season.

Hall has rushed for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass, returned an interception for a touchdown and thrown a touchdown pass.

Hall threw 104 touchdown passes in a celebrated career at Gretna High School, but he hadn't thrown a TD pass in college until he got the ball on an end-around, then spotted a wide-open Joe Torchia in the first half Saturday at Clemson.

By the second half, Hall was taking direct snaps at quarterback in the "Wildcat" formation that UVa had installed for tailback Mikell Simpson.

Simpson had pulled a hamstring on the last play of the first half and was lost for the game.

What many had forgotten at that point is that Hall had been listed as questionable in the injury report Virginia had released Thursday. That meant that there was a 50-percent chance he would play.

He ended taking 54 snaps, 48 on offense and six on special teams. He ran two plays out of the Wildcat, for gains of 3 and 2 yards, before the Cavaliers scrapped that formation for the remainder of the afternoon.

Nobody could blame Hall or coach Al Groh.

"Vic was unable to practice all week long," Groh said.

In fact, Hall continues to be nagged by the same hip injury that caused him to miss two games earlier in the season.

He was the Cavaliers' starting quarterback for the opening game of the season but went to Groh before an Oct. 3 date with North Carolina and pushed for roommate Jameel Sewell to be the starter.

"Just being out there for [two] games, obviously he got more comfortable, so I didn't see any need for me to come back and be a quarterback," Hall said.

He didn't have his first reception of the season until the Cavaliers' fourth game but currently stands fourth on the team in receptions with 23. No other Virginia player has caught more passes over that span.

Many believe that slot receiver is the position for which Hall, listed at 5 foot 9 and 185 pounds, is best suited.

"It's been a lot of fun," Hall said. "I kind of always wanted to play slot receiver. Being my last year and I got a chance to play it, it's been a worthwhile experience."

Hall has spent most of his career on defense, starting 23 straight games at cornerback before he was moved to quarterback on the eve of the 2008 season finale at Virginia. He carried 16 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns in a 17-14 loss to the Hokies.

Hall had a 40-yard scoring run in that game and his 34-yard touchdown run in this season's opener against William and Mary matches the longest of the Cavaliers' season.

He had completed three passes in his college career before he had completions on back-to-back plays against Clemson. He never really had a chance to show whether he could be an effective passer on the college level, but he's experienced everything else.

"I got a chance to play quarterback, defensive back, wide receiver and also line up in the Wildcat," said Hall, a co-captain for the second year in a row, "and I got to do all that in the same season. I take it as a great experience; not too many guys get to do that."

He forgets to mention that he returns punts and has served as the Cavaliers' holder on field goals and extra points. It's like a baseball player who's had a chance to play all nine positions in one game.

"I always feel very inadequate in trying to properly profile Vic for people who don't know him," Groh said. "You have to be around him on a daily basis to know his goodness and values and everything that he's about."

Hall knows that he is one of Groh's favorite players, maybe one of Groh's favorite players ever.

"I've just always tried to be a dependable guy," he said. "I guess he appreciates that. I feel that he has a lot of belief in me."

No matter the production, Hall was always going to have a role.

Virginia Tech football notebook: Hokies bag trash talk for big game
By Randy King | The Roanoke Times

BLACKSBURG -- When asked if he harbors any sympathy for the seniors on Virginia's football team who never have beaten Virginia Tech in their careers, Hokies quarterback Tyrod Taylor didn't need an audible call Tuesday.

"No. Not at all," responded Taylor, with nary a blink of the eye.

Honest answer to an honest question, honestly. But smackdown trash talk? Hardly qualifies.

Unlike back in the day, when members of each side used to fire at least a few verbal salvos back and forth through the media during game week, the Tech-UVa rivalry has gone totally tame.

Won't find any garbage trucks onhand at these crowds' news conferences this week. Things are dead lame.

The Hokies, of course, have owned the series for the past decade. They've won nine of the past 10 contests against their dreaded in-state enemy, including the past five in a row.

So why say something to wake up a sleeping dog? Obviously, that's the Hokies' modus operandi.

When asked if the 14th-ranked Hokies (8-3, 5-2 ACC) play their best game, is there any way possible that Virginia (3-8, 2-5) could win Saturday's 91st meeting in Charlottesville, Tech wide receiver Dyrell Roberts went into the scramble-route mode.

"Ah, it all depends on how they play," said Roberts, choosing his words slowly and carefully.

"I don't want to just get nothing stirred up or nothing," he then added. "The coaches preached that all day -- be careful with the media!"

Must be muzzle-loading season, folks.

Tech senior linebacker Cody Grimm was asked at the Hokies' game-week news conference Tuesday about what's happened to the trash-talking days in this series.

"I know what it is. I don't know where it went," Grimm said.

At 5 feet 11, 215 pounds, Grimm will be one of the smallest players on the field at Scott Stadium. He's got a ton of smarts and savvy, however.

"The way I look at is," a grinning Grimm said, "I don't want to make another player angry. He's probably stronger than me, throw me around so ... so I just like to tell them they're doing a good job and get back to the huddle."

No trash.

Well, what about the proverbial bragging rights associated with ruling such series? Grimm stuffed that one in a Hefty bag, too.

"I mean if I were to brag, I think that would be a little cocky because I'm on the team. So I leave that to the fans, they can brag and stuff. I don't do much talking, on the field or off. I'm not that big, so ... " said Grimm, laughing.

Grimm said he does talk occasionally with UVa wide receiver Jared Green and former Cavalier Keith Payne, who both played football at his high school, Vienna's Oakton High.

"They can't really say much because of the [series] history," Grimm noted. "But knowing both of them, if they were to win, I wouldn't hear the end of it."

Thanksgiving dinner

As in the past, the Tech players and the coaches and their families will enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner together Thursday on campus. Taylor said the holiday feast isn't quite as tasty as what he used to enjoy with his family in Hampton before coming to Tech.

"It's good, but it's not the same," Taylor said. "It's not like Grandma's cooking, but it will do for the time being."

The Tech campus is quiet this week as most of the students are enjoying a week-long holiday break.

"We rolled into practice last Friday and all the freshmen are packing up to go home," wideout Danny Coale said. "Truly relaxing, though. You don't have trouble finding a table at the steakhouse this week."

JMU on menu

Tech athletic director Jim Weaver announced Tuesday that Tech has added James Madison University to its football schedule for next season. The Dukes replace Western Michigan, which requested to move its game in Blacksburg next year to 2016 so it could play at Notre Dame.

The Tech-JMU contest will be played next Sept. 11. The I-AA Dukes last played in Blacksburg in 2003.

Tech tidbits

On 211 passing attempts this season, Taylor has been intercepted only three times. That ties him for the fewest picks thrown by any starting QB among the nation's 120 FBS schools. ... Starting center Beau Warren, who has missed the past two games with a sprained MCL, has practiced this week and is expected to return to the fold Saturday. ... Tech's defense has allowed only one offensive touchdown in the past three games. ... Tech is 19-2 overall and 17-2 in ACC games in November since the 2003 season.

Taylor's streak will be put to test vs. Virginia
Posted to: College Football Sports
By Kyle Tucker
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 25, 2009
BLACKSBURG

When Virginia Tech quarterback Tyrod Taylor meets the University of Virginia's stout secondary Saturday in Charlottesville, something has to give.

Taylor has gone 98 consecutive passes without an interception. He has just two picks - one on a Hail Mary - in his past 184 throws. He has thrown 13 touchdowns and only three interceptions this season, tying him for the fewest picks in the nation among full-time starting quarterbacks.

All this after throwing seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions combined in the past two seasons. Taylor, who also has run an average of five times fewer per game this season, credits a recent realization.

"When I first got here, I kind of thought that I had to make all the plays," Taylor said. "Maybe because of what I had to do in high school, trying to put the team on my back. That's not what I have to do here. I can put my trust in my teammates."

Taylor is also putting his passes in better places - even when that occasionally means a short bail-out pass instead of forcing a throw deeper down the field.

"Live to the next play," Taylor said.

But he will face one of his toughest tests of the season Saturday. The Cavaliers rank 19th in the country in passing yards allowed (184.5 per game). Opposing quarterbacks have thrown more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (10).

"It's going to be a challenge," Taylor said, "but I look forward to the challenge. I believe our receivers can go out there and make plays against any defenders in the nation."

Rivalry still carries some significance

To the casual observer, this weekend's rivalry game between the Cavaliers and Hokies has lost some luster.

Virginia (3-8, 2-5 ACC) hasn't beaten Virginia Tech (8-3, 5-2) since 2003. The Cavaliers have dropped 9 of 10 meetings with the Hokies.

At least there was something significant on the line for both teams the past two seasons. The winner of the 2007 rivalry game was going to be crowned Coastal Division champion. Last year, Tech needed to beat Virginia to clinch the Coastal again, and the Cavaliers had to upset the Hokies for a bowl berth.

This time around, though, Tech is simply jockeying for a better second-tier bowl invite, and Virginia is playing to give coach Al Groh a victory in what probably is his last game.

Even so, Hokies coach Frank Beamer is trying to turn up the intensity.

"I told the team yesterday: You ask our fans, 'If you're going to win one game this year, what's the one game that you'd like to win?' " Beamer said. "About 96 percent would say Virginia."

Beamer knows all too well. He went 1-5 against the Cavaliers to start his career.

"I got the message that we needed to beat Virginia," he said. "If you had ears, you heard that."

Beamer stands up for struggling Groh

Perhaps the fact that Beamer won fewer than four games in three of his first six seasons - and that Tech stuck with him - has given him a soft spot for other coaches in turmoil. Even his biggest rival.

Beamer on Tuesday spoke glowingly of Groh, who is in the midst of a second consecutive losing season and third in four years.

"I really mean this: I've got a lot of respect for Al," Beamer said. "He's a good football coach.... He's had some tough injuries this year. A couple of guys came out last year. That can get your program offset a little bit. But as far as a quality person, a quality coach, I don't think they get any better than Al Groh."

Hokies defensive end Nekos Brown also said he felt sorry for Cavaliers seniors who might finish their careers without having beaten Tech.

"I couldn't imagine it," he said. "I've got sympathy for them when it comes to that, emotionally, but when it comes to the field, it doesn't matter."

That's more along the lines of Taylor's thinking on the subject. Compassion for the Cavaliers?

"No," he said. "Not at all."

Fill-in center has been impressing coaches

While starting center Beau Warren probably will return this week after missing the past three games because of a sprained knee, the Hokies have been impressed by his replacement.

Redshirt freshman Michael Via graded at 80 percent - the staff's "winning" grade - against East Carolina and just shy of that mark against Maryland and East Carolina. Most important: the youngster got valuable experience, and the Hokies won all three games.

"He has really, really done well," line coach Curt Newsome said. "He's very athletic, has really good feet, and he has gotten us through a tough situation."

Via has been impressive enough that Newsome said the 6-foot-7, 280-pounder could contend for playing time at offensive tackle next season. Warren is a junior and will take almost every snap at center when healthy.

"I don't think we want a Michael Via watching, that's for sure," Newsome said. "He has proven to be a tough guy who will get in there and mix it up."

Quick kicks...

Virginia Tech announced Tuesday that it has added James Madison to its 2010 football schedule. The Dukes, a Football Championship Subdivision program, replace Western Michigan, which pushed back its scheduled trip to Blacksburg until 2016 in order to face Notre Dame next season. The Hokies and JMU will play Sept. 11.

Groh has won players' praise if nothing else
Posted to: Bob Molinaro Sports
Bob Molinaro
Virginian-Pilot sports columnist
Read Articles
The Virginian-Pilot
© November 25, 2009
CHARLOTTESVILLE

Approaching his final game in a Virginia football uniform, Nate Collins spoke warmly of Al Groh, who undoubtedly is concluding his U.Va. career, too.

"At the end of the day," the Cavaliers defensive lineman, said, "Coach Groh always tells you the truth and what you need to hear."

Good to know. But Groh took a different approach with the media Monday afternoon.

"No, it's really not about me," he said when I asked him to comment on his job situation. "It's about the team, and it's about the players. You know, that's all I'm really thinking about, so I don't really have any thoughts on it."

That's not what I needed to hear. But while I expected him to sidestep the question, I sort of respected Groh's answer, too.

U.Va. is 3-8 and a decided underdog against 15th-ranked Virginia Tech on Saturday at Scott Stadium. After another losing season, soured boosters are eagerly awaiting the expected announcement that the school has bought out the final two years of Groh's contract.

If form holds - and it usually does in the U.Va.-VT series - the Cavaliers will finish the season on a six-game losing streak. Still, it doesn't appear as if Groh has lost his players. Maybe that's because he's hasn't made U.Va.'s troubles all about him.

More than one senior who walked into the press room Monday at John Paul Jones Arena used the word "mentor" to describe their embattled coach.

"I love listening to him," Collins said. "He has a million different stories for any situation."

Sounds as if Groh is a players' coach (he's clearly not a fans' coach), but there's no question that the seniors who support him were badly served by the program's unsettled environment.

Instability has marked Groh's sunset years at U.Va. Academic casualties combined with the departure of key assistants has disrupted the continuity of a program that went to four consecutive bowl games heading into the 2006 season.

A surprising nine-win season in 2007 was followed by a trip to the Gator Bowl, but starting quarterback Jameel Sewell was lost the next year to academic suspension, then his replacement, Peter Lalich, was dismissed for other off-field issues. How many programs prosper with chaos at quarterback,

These and other academic suspensions in recent years might have created the impression among recruits that U.Va. was making life too hard for football players. It seems to have made life harder for Groh.

But it's difficult not to think that the most damaging development of all in recent years has been the talent drain among top assistants.

Look at a partial list of coaches who have left U.Va.: Mike London could win his second FCS national title at Richmond this year, and Al Golden has led Temple (Temple!) to nine consecutive victories, while Danny Rocco's Liberty team tied for first in the Big South Conference. Ron Prince didn't work out at Kansas State - he's back at U.Va. as special teams coach - but he was considered good enough to jump from Virginia to a Big 12 head coaching position.

Wondering about the erosion of U.Va.'s program? Look no further than those four guys. Without these familiar faces representing the Cavaliers in the living rooms of top high school talent, is it any wonder recruiting has suffered?

Through it all, Groh keeps up a good front.

Someone asked if he had any surprises for Virginia Tech.

"Well," he said, a smile creasing his face, "we don't mind relating a little bit before the game that we've made a trade with the Minnesota Vikings, and Brett Favre will be here."

Groh is on his way out. He might as well exit laughing.

An unsung hero
By Jay Jenkins
Published: November 25, 2009
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On paper, just two quarterbacks played for Virginia against Texas Tech in the Gator Bowl back in 2007.
There was a third “signal caller” on the field, however, but that designation was oblivious to those in attendance.
While time was spent scratching heads wondering where the Cavaliers’ new-look punting formation was derived before the program’s last postseason affair, the on-field leader of the “shield” formation confidently barked orders, handed out assignments and showcased unique leadership skills for a player viewed almost solely as a special-teams specialist.
To the average fan, Patrick Slebonick has been and remains an unknown. To his teammates, though, he is the epitome of what makes life as a student-athlete at the University of Virginia memorable.
“He never had to be told something twice,” said former teammate Allen Billyk, who joined Slebonick on the back wall of the first-ever shield in the Al Groh era. “Slebo was such a hard-worker and was so dependable.”
Former punter Ryan Weigand added: “What made Slebo so good when we went to that formation was that he listened to every instruction. He doesn’t try to do too much and he really makes things simple.
“What if a guy comes off the edge, well, he knows he has to make that block. He has to stay home. Simple doesn’t sound like a compliment, but it is. He is definitely the most important guy in that lineup on punts.”
To local elementary students, Slebonick means so much more.
Back in 2007, former tight end Tom Santi approached Natalie Fitzgerald, a study skills specialist at Virginia, about the possibility of a project with local students.
At that time, Santi, Slebonick and former All-American Chris Long needed to fulfill a two-hour community service credit for a course they were enrolled in.
What evolved from that was something that has changed the lives of numerous student-athletes at Virginia.
“I mentioned to [Fitzgerald] that I would love a program where we established contact with the community,” said Santi, who is on the active roster with the Indianapolis Colts. “It started real small at first. We just went over to Buford Elementary School and tutored kids.”
As one might expect, all three were nervous upon entry.
“I remember the first time that we went that they gave us two young boys who were behind on their schoolwork,” Santi said. “The kids that they gave us were the kind of kids that weren’t getting as much attention at home as they probably should have.”
Long and Santi departed for the professional ranks shortly after that, but Slebonick stayed at the Athletes Committed to Community and Education program (ACE) took flight.
“It just kind of evolved into a lot of guys on the football team rotating and we got other sports involved,” said Santi, unaware that 103 student-athletes now participate at UVa. “We adopted classrooms … and worked with the teachers for whatever they needed us to do.”
Talking about the venture brings a bright smile to Slebonick’s face, knowing that he has remained in Charlottesville to see the program take flight.
“That’s meant the world to me,” he said. “I think that is a great opportunity for student-athletes to give back to the Charlottesville community. We saw that we could really have an effect on the kids because they are clearly listening to anything that a college athlete says.
“I think that feeling of giving back and every day when you go into the class, the kids just run up to you and are hugging you and the stiff like that, I think that the gratification is just enormous from that.”
On Saturday, Slebonick will take the field at Virginia for the final time. It is a feeling that he felt last year, before being welcomed back for a fifth year.
He can thank the spread punt.
That formation, of course, will always have a special place in Slebonick’s heart since it led him back to school for yet another year.
The greatest reward from the “spread punt,” however, is felt at local schools every time the least known “quarterback” strolls in.
 

Tech shows trust in Taylor with his at-the-line play calls
By Darryl Slater
Published: November 25, 2009
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BLACKSBURG There are plenty of ways to quantify junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor's progress in his first complete season as Virginia Tech's starter -- probably the Hokies' most important story line this fall and next.

You can look at what he has done -- 1,917 passing yards and 13 touchdowns -- and compare it to last season, when he threw for 1,036 yards and two touchdowns while sharing time with Sean Glennon. You can look at what Taylor hasn't done: three interceptions (one on a Hail Mary pass), versus seven last year.

You can dig deeper and learn that 34 of his completions -- or 28.8 percent -- have covered at least 20 yards. Last year, he had 11 20-plus passes -- 11.1 percent of his completions. Or that he has now attempted 98 consecutive passes without an interception, after a streak of 84 earlier this season. His longest streak last year: 53.

It all speaks to Taylor's development as the foundation of Tech's offensive improvement this season. Entering Saturday's regular-season finale at Virginia, the Hokies are averaging 379.6 yards and 27.9 points per game (not counting defensive and special teams touchdowns), compared to 303.4 and 19.6 last season.

Taylor's less-obvious benchmarks of improvement, though, matter more to Tech's coaches. It is harder to see, from numbers alone, perhaps the greatest sign of their increased trust in him: their recent willingness to let him, and not his offensive coordinator, pick a play at the line of scrimmage based on what he sees in the defense's formation

Tech handles audibles the way most college teams do, said quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain. Offensive coordinator Bryan Sti nespring calls two plays, which are signaled from the sideline to Taylor, who says the names of both plays in the huddle. When he gets to the line, he surveys the defense, picks the play that matches up best and yells it to his teammates.

Most of Stinespring's audible packages include two plays. A few have three. Some comprise two run plays, some two passes, others a run and a pass. Stinespring said he used eight packages in Saturday's win over North Carolina State. Taylor said the coaches let him audible by choosing a play at the line on about 20 percent of a game's snaps.

Taylor audibled like this a bit last year, but the Hokies have used the system more in the past four to five weeks. Earlier this season, their audible method did not rely on Taylor's decisions. Instead, when the Hokies went to the line, Taylor called a "dummy" snap count, which let Stinespring see, from his booth above the field, how the defense was aligned. Then he called a play he deemed appropriate for the defense, and it was signaled from the sideline to Taylor.

That setup had its flaws. Defenses knew an audible was coming every time Taylor lined up behind center and looked toward the sideline. So if Stinespring noticed a defense preparing to blitz, and he called a play to counter that, the defensive players would see Taylor's head turn and shout, "Mayday!" They were telling each other to abandon the blitz and change their plan, perhaps by dropping back to cover the quick pass Stinespring had called. Stinespring's move had been foiled.

Also, Taylor said, "It's easier for you to tip the defense sometimes when you break the huddle too fast. Some teams know that you don't have a play call set and that you're just going to look to the sideline [for Stinespring's audible]."

Tech's coaches had used the advanced, more-furtive audible system, in which the quarterback picks one of two plays at the line, more with Glennon. Its benefit was obvious: "We didn't get locked into calling a play and having to live with it," O'Cain said.

But was Taylor ready to handle it? In his first two seasons, the staff "didn't want to have that burden on him," O'Cain said. Taylor was still learning how to predict a defense's plan based on its presnap alignment. "You've got to have in your mind 75, 80 percent of an idea of what they're going to play," O'Cain said. "Until you've got that down, you're always a little bit late."

O'Cain began to see progress during spring practices. That continued early this season, when Taylor made quicker and better decisions. Rather than scrambling out of the pocket at the first sign of a blitz, as he did too often last season, he stayed in and let the play develop.

Part of that change involved Taylor trusting his teammates, believing his offensive line would block and his receivers would catch his passes. "When I first got here, I kind of thought that I had to make all the plays, maybe because of what I had to do in high school, trying to put the team on my back," Taylor said. "That's not what I have to do here."

His coaches, in turn, saw enough to believe he could read a defense and pick the correct play. "I have tremendous confidence in him now, seeing everything," O'Cain said. "It's a trust and we feel like he can handle it more."

So far, in Taylor's at-the-line play selection, "I don't think he's made a mistake with it at all," O'Cain said.

The staff handing Taylor audible duties, and him properly executing them, marked a critical, albeit uncelebrated, moment in his time at Tech, the type of unseen decision that could help him grow further next season, when the Hokies return their entire offense except two offensive linemen, a tight end and a fullback.

"Any time you have a quarterback that's been in the game, fully in control of the game, I think that's when you start leaning on that quarterback more and more," Stinespring said. "He's the one who snaps the ball. He gets the last look at the defense."

White: Woeful Effort Sinks Wahoos
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/24/2009
By Jeff White

CANCUN, Mexico -- A date with mighty Kentucky beckoned. To battle on the big stage with fifth-ranked UK, however, the UVa men's basketball team first needed to get past Stanford.
It didn't happen. The Cavaliers, in a disappointing performance, lost 57-52 to the Cardinal in the Cancun Challenge on Tuesday night. And so they're headed not for a showdown with a member of college basketball royalty, but a consolation-game matchup with Cleveland State.
The Wahoos (3-2) meet the Vikings (3-2) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. (Eastern).
"It's very disappointing," Virginia sophomore Sylven Landesberg said in the nearly empty gym at the Moon Palace Resort.
"It was going to be a chance to play against a ranked team, a top team in the country, and see where we stood against them. It hurts, just losing period. If we'd lost to anybody, no matter who we would have played next, it would have hurt, but I think it hurts a little more that we don't get to play the supposedly best team in the tournament."
Before a crowd dominated by blue-clad fans, Kentucky ran past Cleveland State 73-49 on Tuesday. About 30 minutes later, with most of those fans having gone elsewhere, UVa and Stanford tipped off in an atmosphere noticeably devoid of energy.
The 'Hoos struggled for much of the game, but the Cardinal (3-2) wasn't much better. And with 4:52 remaining, junior guard Mustapha Farrakhan hit two free throws to give Virginia a 47-46 lead.
One hundred twenty-eight seconds later, UVa trailed by eight.
His team's defensive lapses are likely to give first-year coach Tony Bennett nightmares. Virtually uncontested layups by Jarrett Mann and Jeremy Green put Stanford up 50-47, and then Landry Fields scored inside to make it a five-point game. Green followed with a 3-pointer -- Stanford's eighth of the game -- to all but dash UVa's hopes of victory.
Virginia rallied late and pulled to 55-52, but Fields, the best player on the court, ended the suspense. The 6-7, 210-pound senior sank two free throws with 10.7 seconds left to seal the win for Stanford.
Fields finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds, six of which came at the offensive end. He also had three assists and three steals.
During one stretch early in the second half, Fields scored first over the 6-6 Landesberg and then over the 6-4 Farrakhan inside. Bennett put 6-8 junior Mike Scott on Fields, who promptly made a 3-pointer.
"He knows how to play," said Bennett, who as Washington State's coach saw Fields regularly. "He lets the game come [to him]. Just a solid player who has continued to improve throughout his career. We did not have an answer for him. That's why we had to trap him in the post."
Landesberg said: "He's a big guard, real strong, and he can do a lot of things. If we switched off and put a little guy on him, he just posted him up. Put a bigger guy on him, he took him off the dribble."
The box score reveals that the Cardinal shot only 38.9 percent from the floor. But nobody who watched the game came away thinking the 'Hoos had played good defense, especially in the final 5 minutes.
"There was a stretch late that really hurt us," Bennett said, "and that's when your defense has to rally, and it has to have a mentality, 'We are going to get a stop,' or 'They're going to have to make a really tough shot to get a bucket.' And that didn't happen."
UVa's offense broke down repeatedly as well. The Cavaliers shot 37.8 percent from the floor, had more turnovers (13) than assists (10), missed 14 of 18 shots from beyond the 3-point arc, and went 14 for 24 from the line.
"Too many breakdowns," Bennett said. "You look at the offensive rebounds that cost us, the missed free throws, the little things that have to be in place, that you have to execute to have a chance. And when you don't, you will not win.
"We have to do it together. We don't have enough individual talent just to get it done, and we didn't."
Virginia, which led 31-30 at the break, didn't make a field goal in the second half until point guard Sammy Zeglinski passed to Landesberg for a fast-break layup with 11:36 to play. That cut the Cardinal's lead to 41-38.
"Our offense still dictates how we play, and we gotta change that," Landesberg said. "The games that we did win, we dictated the game on the defensive end. Today, we weren't hitting our shots, and that decided who we were going to be today and caused us to get this loss."
Landesberg scored 16 points, one fewer than junior guard Jeff Jones, who made a game-high four treys. Jones started in place Farrakhan -- who sat out the first half as a result of what Bennett called a "coach's decision -- and scored 14 points before intermission.
"Jeff hit some shots on the offensive end that kept us going," Bennett said. "He's a very good shooter, and we'll need that. I just want him to keep working defensively, but he actually got a couple steals for us early, so he gave us a nice lift when we were struggling."
Jones said: "I just tried to give my team a push when I thought they needed it. But we gotta play better defense and be mentally tougher going into the game. That's what beat us."
Senior center Jerome Meyinsse grabbed a season-high eight rebounds for UVa. Scott led the Cavaliers with nine boards but had four turnovers and only seven points.
Virginia won't win many games when its top low-post threat doesn't score in double figures, but Scott wasn't the only player who struggled. Zeglinski was 1 for 5 from the floor. Backup point guard Calvin Baker was 0 for 3, and Farrakhan was 0 for 2, with three turnovers.
In two Cancun Challenge games played in the United States last week, Stanford lost at home to Oral Roberts, and UVa crushed ORU at John Paul Jones Arena.
After the game in Charlottesville, Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton said Virginia had more talent than Stanford, but that superiority wasn't evident Tuesday night.
"Disappointing," Bennett said. "It'll be more of the same if we don't come with a better approach tomorrow with our effort level."

 

Postgame Quotes From Virginia Head Coach Tony Bennett After Stanford
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/24/2009

If you look at the stat sheet Stanford shot only 38.9 percent, but it seemed like Stanford got key baskets.
“There was a stretch late that really hurt us. That’s when your defense has to rally. You have to have the mentality that we’re going to get a stop or they’re going to have to make a really tough shot to get a bucket. That didn’t happen. It was an uncontested lay-up in front of the rim, it was a little cross screen back screen for a lay-up, a three that we over help with and don’t get out to one of their best three-point shooters. Too many breakdowns, you look at the offensive rebounds that cost us, the missed free throws, the little things that have to be in place and you have to execute to have a chance. When you don’t, you will not win.”

Landry Fields looked like an extremely tough match-up.
“He is, unfortunately early we made him take a couple of tough shots and then he just walked right in and got his own rebound and they scored I think three times off of offensive rebounds. He had six offensive rebounds and 13 total rebounds. He knows how to play. He lets the game come and he’s a solid player who has continued to improve throughout his career. We did not have an answer for him. That’s why we had to trap him in the post. He’s a good player.”

Were you happy with what Jeff Jones gave you offensively?
“He hit some shots for us to keep us in the game the first half. He was our source of offense. That was certainly needed for us to be in the game.”

At the beginning of the second half the team didn’t seem to come out with the needed energy.
“No, we didn’t. Mike Scott getting in foul trouble hurt us and there were so many breakdowns. We couldn’t overcome the breakdowns. We have to do it together. We don’t have enough individual talent to just get it done and we didn’t.”

You watched some of the Cleveland State-Kentucky game, what about Cleveland State?
“I was impressed early with them, how physical they are, how they play with a chip on their shoulder. They play hard and they are very well coached. They are a good defensive team. They turned over Kentucky’s guards so many times and they just couldn’t hang with the talent. They will come after us and we’ll have to be ready.”
 

Virginia Notes After Stanford
Courtesy: VirginiaSports.com Release: 11/25/2009
VIRGINIA BASKETBALL
Postgame Notes
Stanford 57, Virginia 52

Team Notes
• Stanford now leads the series with Virginia 6-1 and has won the last five games in the series.
• Stanford shot 38.9 percent (21-54) from the field marking the third consecutive game Virginia’s opponent has shot under 40 percent from the field.
• Virginia’s game with Cleveland State on Wednesday (Nov. 25) will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Player Season Highs
• Jeff Jones scored a season-high 17 points.
• Jerome Meyinsse had a season-high eight rebounds.

Player Career Highs
• Sammy Zeglinski tied his career high with six rebounds.
 

Police interview UVa players in Harrington disappearance
By The Daily Progress Staff
Published: November 25, 2009
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Police investigators interviewed members of the Cavalier basketball team in connection with the disappearance of Morgan D. Harrington, the University of Virginia confirmed in a statement Tuesday.

“As police worked to establish a time line of October 17 in hopes of locating Ms. Harrington, they interviewed a number of witnesses, including some members of the men’s basketball team. After a practice, team members had been approached by a female consistent with Ms. Harrington’s description. They cooperated fully with law enforcement investigators and, like other witnesses interviewed by the police, they provided information that is important to police efforts to establish Ms. Harrington’s movements,” the statement said.