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Virginia, Billet display energy against Rutgers
 By ANDREW JOYNER / Daily Progress staff writer
Dec 23, 2002
 
It might have taken a hostile return home for UVa guard Todd Billet to find his game. In turn, it might have taken Billet's plight for the Cavaliers to find themselves.

Virginia's 61-57 win Saturday at Rutgers was indeed a redemption for Billet, who scored 22 points despite constant abuse from a crowd that once adored him.

While Billet, who transferred from Rutgers to UVa in April 2001, was the focus of the crowd's ire his teammates equally seemed to feed of the animosity.

"I think that helped our chemistry a lot. Todd played big. His back was against the wall with these fans and that brought us closer," said sophomore guard Keith Jenifer, who scored nine points including a key jumper with 1:17 left.

Added forward Jason Clark, who scored 12 points and had eight rebounds in place of the injured Travis Watson: "We knew the crowd would be all over Todd. He really wanted this win and so did we."

The game also showed a side of Billet that the Cavaliers had not yet seen from their new teammate, who sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules.

"I saw a side of Todd I had never seen before today. He was making shots and talking back to the crowd a little bit," Clark said. "Todd kept his composure though. … He really wanted this win."

Saturday's victory came after what were two lackluster wins over East Tennessee State and then Gardner-Webb. It was after the Gardner-Webb victory Thursday that the Cavaliers discovered it would be without Watson, who reaggravated a sprained right ankle in the game.

Being without Watson and consequently with Billet seemed to energize the Cavaliers more than any admonishments from UVa coach Pete Gillen about their recent play could. Still, Gillen did have a message prepared for his team prior to the game.

"It was a great win for our kids. I wrote on the blackboard character, togetherness, courage, playing to win and positive attitude before the game," Gillen said. "Character was the first one. That's what this was about, it wasn't Xs and Os."

The game was untypical of many results in the Gillen's five-year tenure at UVa. The Cavaliers successfully used a 3-2 zone defense that limited Rutgers to just 31.8 percent shooting, including a 4 of 22 mark from beyond the 3-point arc. The Cavaliers also did not fold once losing a lead on the road.

After leading 33-24 at the break, Virginia's offense struggled in the first part of the second half and the Scarlet Knights surged to grab the lead. When Sean Axani's dunk vaulted Rutgers to a 45-43 advantage with 7:59 left, it was reminiscent of many Virginia's road games where one play ignited the crowd and washed away the Cavaliers in the process.

This time, the Cavaliers responded by finding just enough offense, including making their final 11 attempts from the line, to retake the lead and hold on for the victory.

"We knew we had to step up today. That's pressure and we handled it well today," said Clark, whose free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining sealed the victory.

Notes. Gillen called Saturday's victory his team's biggest of the season so far, even trumping its 14-point win over Kentucky in the Maui Invitational. …

In that Kentucky game, Virginia implemented an active zone defense that caused problems for Rutgers. It's not likely to become a full-time facet for the Cavaliers but Gillen said its effectiveness has exceeded his expectations. "I was frankly surprised it was as effective as it was. We're still learning about it and getting better at it." …

Watson was in street clothes Saturday and is questionable for Saturday's game against Georgetown. Gillen said it's a day-to-day thing at the moment.

 

 

Despite accolades, Blackstock looks to improve
 By JOHN GALINSKY / Daily Progress staff writer
Dec 24, 2002
 
It's not like Darryl Blackstock ever doubted his ability. Far from it. After all, this is the guy who arrived at Virginia talking about breaking the ACC record for sacks.

But even Blackstock admits he didn't expect all this - all the tackles, all the awards, all the attention.

When he goes back home to Newport News, he says, everyone knows him at the barbershop, at the mall and especially at his old high school, Heritage.

"They're all amped up. It's like I'm a celebrity," Blackstock said with a disbelieving smile. "Call it fame, I guess. It's lonely at the top."

He's joking - sort of. Blackstock knows he is a long way from being on top of his sport. He can tick off all sorts of ways that he can get better, from improving his pass-rush technique and coverage skills to increasing his strength and power in the weight room.

Yet it is also true that few freshmen in college football this season - and few freshmen in UVa history - have made a bigger impact than Blackstock.

Going into Saturday's Continental Tire Bowl against West Virginia, Blackstock leads the nation in sacks by a freshman with 10. His 103 tackles are the most by a freshman in the ACC, and he needs seven more to break the school freshman record set by Charles McDaniel in 1982.

Since the end of the regular season, the honors have rolled in. Blackstock has been named the national freshman defensive player of the year by CollegeFootballnews.com and Rivals.com as well as a first-team freshman All-American by the Sporting News.

"He deserves everything he's gotten," said senior linebacker Merrill Robertson. "He's made big plays for us all season. He's done stuff you don't normally see freshmen do."

The sacks, to be honest, haven't surprised Blackstock. He had 29 of them as a high school senior, then 22 more in one season at Fork Union Military Academy. He's never had problems chasing down quarterbacks.

Blackstock's concern was that he might be a bit small to be a complete linebacker on the collegiate level. At 6-foot-4 and 226 pounds, he is lean and built for speed, not power. Because of that, he figured he might be used as a pass-rush specialist early in his career.

"Basically, when I came in, I just wanted to develop and do whatever I could do to help the team," Blackstock said. "When I saw I could be a factor out there, I just took it from there."

And how long did that take?

"One game," he said.

Blackstock made seven tackles, including a sack, in the opener against Colorado State. He has started every game since and leads the team's linebackers with 973 plays. For a rookie, he has been surprisingly consistent. He has recorded at least one sack in nine of 13 games and has finished with at least seven tackles on 10 occasions.

"I think I've done all right," he said. "It's still crazy to me, getting all these tackles. But I think I could have one or two more sacks."

From the outset, Blackstock set his sights on Chris Slade's school and ACC mark of 40 sacks. Considering Slade only made four sacks as a UVa freshman, Blackstock is in good shape, assuming he continues to improve.

Before next season, UVa coach Al Groh said he would like to hold a pass-rush camp of sorts for Blackstock, who has gotten most of his sacks with raw speed, not great technique.

"I have a few moves I use all the time - the rip, swim and spin - because they work for me," Blackstock said.

"But I know exactly what [Groh] is talking about. He wants me to have multi-moves, so no matter how someone is trying to block me, I'll be able to counter it."

Blackstock said he wants to add 10 to 15 pounds of bulk and get stronger so he can bull rush, take on blocks and be firmer against the run.

Whatever he achieves in the future, he says, won't be a surprise.

"I know I can make plays at this level now. I just want to keep turning it up a notch," he said. "It's not about awards for me. It's about winning. If I keep getting better, I think I can really help the team win."

 

 

Good copy
Parcells' influence on Groh obvious
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 24, 2002

He coached in Scott Stadium once, in 1973 as Vanderbilt's defensive coordinator, but Bill Parcells hasn't visited the University of Virginia since Al Groh took over as its football coach two years ago.

"If I ever wanted to go down, I'd feel welcome, I know that," Parcells said in a recent phone interview.

That's an understatement. Groh proudly proclaims his allegiance to Parcells, for whom he worked on three NFL teams and whom he succeeded as the New York Jets' head coach in 2000. At U.Va., Parcells' influence on his protege's program is impossible to miss.

Groh doesn't like to discuss injuries. Neither did Parcells during his storied coaching career.

Groh doesn't make his assistants available to the media, preferring a "one-voice" policy in which that voice belongs to the head coach. Parcells did the same thing in the NFL.

Groh's base defense at U.Va. is the 3-4, a scheme Parcells used with great success in the NFL.

At Chaminade High on Long Island, N.Y., Groh played for Joe Thomas, and he still keeps in touch with his former coach. Parcells, however, has been Groh's biggest coaching influence.

"Definitely," Groh said. "Both in terms of learning a lot, but also getting confirmed a lot of things that I thought were important. Here was an extraordinarily successful coach who was believing the same things."

Their relationship dates to 1968, when Groh, who'd been an assistant at Albemarle High in '67, took a job as a defensive coach on the plebe team at the U.S. Military Academy. Parcells was already there, coaching the varsity's linebackers.

Also at West Point at that time, in various capacities, were such coaches at Bobby Knight, Don DeVoe, Ray Handley, John Mackovic and Ken Hatfield.

"We were all doing the same thing," recalled Parcells, now a studio analyst for ESPN. "We were young and exuberant and aggressive. It was like the same 'tribe,' is the term we use."

This is Groh's second stint as a college head coach. He went 26-40 at Wake Forest from 1981 to '86, a stretch that preceded his long association with Parcells in the NFL.

When he was introduced as U.Va.'s coach in January 2001, Groh made clear he believed the system that had worked so well for Parcells in the NFL would thrive in Division I-A, too. Groh also spoke about his plans to assemble a "tribe" of like-minded coaches at his alma mater.

Parcells would have approved. "You've got to get your guys, you know," he said.

Groh was Parcells' linebackers coach on the New York Giants team that won Super Bowl XXV following the 1990 season. Groh was Parcells' defensive coordinator on the New England team that lost to Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI.

"I have a pretty good idea of what type of team you have to create to play on the highest level," Groh said at his first press conference at U.Va.. "That's our ambition, and we'll work until we get there."

Virginia went 5-7 in Groh's first season. Year 2 has gone better. Picked to finish eighth in the ACC, the Cavaliers tied for second with Maryland, which they hammered 48-13 last month. U.Va. (8-5) meets 15th-ranked West Virginia (9-3) in the Continental Tire Bowl on Saturday at Charlotte, N.C.

Groh, who was 9-7 with the Jets in 2000, recently was named ACC coach of the year, and U.Va. figures to be picked to contend for the conference title next season.

"It does make me feel good," Parcells said, to see his former assistants do well as head coaches.

Groh spent two seasons at Army before returning to U.Va. as head coach of its freshman team. In their brief time together, however, Parcells made an impression on Groh, who's three years younger.

"I don't recall having a big thought like, 'Wow, this is a guy who thinks a lot about football like I do,' " Groh said, "but we both implicitly understood that, and that led to us working together."

In 1973, Groh left U.Va., where he also coached the varsity defensive linemen, for North Carolina - but not before he'd recruited and landed, on Parcells' recommendation, Parcells' brother, Douglas, for the Cavaliers.

"Very intense guy," recalled the younger Parcells, who lettered at U.Va. in 1973, '74 and '75. Douglas Parcells has a daughter at U.Va. and still follows the football program closely.

In 1978, Bill Parcells hired Groh as his defensive coordinator at Air Force, a position he held for two seasons. Hatfield took over as the Falcons' coach in '79, and Groh and Parcells followed separate career paths for the next decade. But in '89, Parcells, by then an NFL head coach, hired Groh to coach the Giants' linebackers.

Groh became the Giants' defensive coordinator in '91, under Handley, then joined Bill Belichick's staff in Cleveland the following season. But Groh hooked up with Parcells again in New England in '93, as defensive coordinator, and when Parcells moved to the Jets in 1997, Groh followed him to the big city.

Parcells was the Jets' general manager in 2000 when U.Va. officials asked him for permission to speak to Groh about the vacancy created by George Welsh's retirement. Groh's decision to give up an NFL head job to return to U.Va. stunned many observers, but not Parcells.

"If it hadn't been Virginia, I don't think the discussion would have taken too long," Parcells said, "but he knew the school, and he's comfortable there. It's a nice place, and I think there's something to be said for that. Some of these colleges job are now, in my opinion, in some respect as attractive as the pro jobs."

Parcells know several members of Groh's staff well. Corwin Brown, the Cavaliers' special-teams coach, played for Parcells in New England and with the Jets, and defensive coordinator Al Golden went through training camp with the Patriots. Defensive-line coach Mike London served internships with the Jets in 1999 and 2000, and assistant head coach Danny Rocco was a defensive assistant with the Jets in 2000.

"And of course I've known Al's son" - U.Va.'s receivers coach, Mike Groh - "since he was a young boy," Parcells said.

As for Mike's old man, Parcells said: "We've been friends a long time, not only coaching associates. He's been a big help to me in my coaching career, and I hope I've helped him in his."
 

 

 

Charlotte bowl exceeding expectations
December 23, 2002 Print it

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Traffic is bad, a hotel room can't be found within a 20-mile radius and a ticket to the Tire Bowl is almost impossible to find.

Charlotte, a city generally regarded as a lousy sports town, is suddenly crawling with college football fans.

All 73,258 tickets to Saturday's game between West Virginia and Virginia are sold -- doubling the mark organizers had targeted to consider the inaugural bowl a success -- and proving the city has officially rebounded from the loss of its NBA team.

"Charlotte has been labeled under the banner of losing a professional sports team," Carroll Gray, president of the Charlotte Chamber business group, said Monday.

"We're not known as a sports town, so the results of this bowl is something totally unexpected. It's exceeded our predictions by almost 2-to-1."

With attendance dwindling at the NFL's Carolina Panthers games and the NBA's Hornets gone to New Orleans, the bowl was expected to take years to develop into a premier event.

But the pairing of West Virginia and Virginia -- two schools within easy driving distance -- has raised interest in the game and will give the Tire Bowl the second-largest crowd for a first-year bowl in NCAA history.

The Blockbuster Bowl, now called the Tangerine Bowl, drew 74,021 for Florida State-Penn State at Pro Player Stadium in South Florida in 1990 in its first year. Tire Bowl officials said they could break that mark if they sold standing-room only tickets at Ericsson Stadium.

"I'm dazed, shocked and overwhelmed," said Ken Haines, vice president of Raycom Sports. "Never in a million years did we think we'd have something like this in our first year. We thought this bowl game would take some time to grow up. Instead, we've struck lightning right out of the gate."

Haines attributes the interest to West Virginia and Virginia both being passed over for more established bowls despite each school finishing second in their conference.

That meant two top-level teams fell into the Tire Bowl, giving the game established fan bases that wouldn't have to travel very far. Haines said WVU fans account for more than 30,000 of the tickets sold while Virginia supporters snapped up 20,000.

The lure of Ericsson Stadium was also a draw for college football fans eager to watch a game in an NFL setting, Haines said.

And when the tickets started going, the local community rushed in to get some before it was too late.

"We didn't know what would happen with the Charlotte community," Haines said. "The Hornets had left, the Panthers have not won a lot lately. I guess as it turns out, the town was hungry for something successful."

Both teams spent Sunday at Ericsson Stadium watching the Panthers play the Chicago Bears. For Virginia coach Al Groh, who coached the New York Jets in the NFL, it was his first time at Ericsson -- which has routinely been picked as one of the top NFL stadiums.

"Friends had told me it was beautiful but I had never actually seen it because the Panthers games were always home games," he said. "But it was a terrific facility with a great playing surface and our players are really excited."

 

 

Texas Tech clobbers Clemson in Tangerine Bowl
By KEN TYSIAC
The State (Columbia, S.C.)

ORLANDO, Fla. - Obviously somebody forgot to tell Clemson that its Florida vacation was supposed to end with the kickoff at the Tangerine Bowl on Monday night.

Clemson's players arrived at the bowl with hopes of proving they could compete with a top-notch Texas Tech team from the Big 12, which coach Tommy Bowden said could be the best conference this season.

Instead, the Tigers appeared sluggish and slow as they allowed Texas Tech to score the first 24 points in a 55-15 drubbing in front of 21,689 fans at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium.

Red Raiders quarterback Kliff Kingsbury was 32-for-43 passing for 375 yards, and three touchdowns, and the Red Raiders ran out to a 34-2 halftime lead en route to an easy victory.

"It will ruin Christmas," Bowden said. "I really hate that, too, because the bowl is a great bowl and it allows you to be home for Christmas. (Texas Tech coach) Mike Leach will enjoy his a lot more."

Clemson (7-6) fell to 1-3 in bowl games under Bowden. Texas Tech improved to 9-5 and broke a four-game bowl losing streak with a defense that was just as impressive as its more highly touted offense.

The Red Raiders sacked Tiger quarterback Charlie Whitehurst four times and intercepted a season-high four passes. Texas Tech gained 555 yards on offense, the second-highest total of any Clemson bowl opponent in history.

Nine Texas Tech players caught at least one pass, including wide receiver Nehemiah Glover, whose eight receptions for 121 yards included a 46-yard catch for the first touchdown.

"I've got to be honest with you," said Clemson rover safety AltroyBodrick. "They just came out and they outcoached us, they outplayed us, they did everything perfect."

Bodrick said the Red Raiders used a lot of formations and plays the Tigers didn't recognize from their preparation for the game, and the confusion showed. Clemson didn't force the Red Raiders to punt until 5:14 remained in the second quarter, when Tye Hill blocked Clinton Greathouse's kick for a safety and the Tigers' only score of the first half.

That was Clemson's best play of the half, but it still didn't turn out as well as possible because Hill couldn't catch up to the ball in time to fall on it in the end zone for a touchdown.

Whitehurst tried to rally Clemson under tremendous pressure as the Tiger offensive line failed to protect him from the Texas Tech pass rushers. Clemson center Tommy Sharpe said he felt like the Tigers were well prepared and making the right calls on the offensive line, but the concussion suffered by Whitehurst suggested otherwise.

"We couldn't generate anything on offense," Bowden said. "The protection wasn't very good, and nobody made a play."

The Tigers improved a bit in the second half, as Whitehurst drove Clemson to scores on a 10-yard pass to Ben Hall and a 2-yard run by Chad Jasmin. Texas Tech outscored Clemson just 21-13 in the second half, but the Tigers had fallen behind so far by halftime that the remainder of the game was virtually meaningless.

That early deficit at least allowed Clemson fans worried about getting home on Christmas Eve to get a head start on the traffic. By the beginning of the third quarter, about half of the seats on the side of the stadium where many of the Clemson fans sat were empty.

Clemson had never given up more than 41 points in a bowl game, and its 40-point final deficit was the second-largest in its bowl history. The Tigers hadn't given up more than 54 points since a 57-0 defeat at Florida State in 1993.

"I thought it would be a lot closer game," Bowden said. "I really did. I thought it might have been high scoring, but we didn't get as many, and they got more."

It wasn't how Clemson envisioned this Florida vacation ending. Bowden challenged the Tigers last week to play well so they could enjoy a pleasant holiday.

Instead they will drive or fly home on Christmas Eve aware that they have a lot of work to do before they can compare favorably with a good team from a premier conference.

"We need to remember this as motivation because we have no choice," said offensive guard Gregory Walker. "This is a very embarrassing loss."
 

 

 

UNC reports minor violation
By NEIL AMATO : The Herald-Sun
namato@heraldsun.com
Dec 23, 2002 : 10:50 pm ET

North Carolina coach Matt Doherty said that his staff would try to make changes to avoid the kind of secondary NCAA recruiting violation committed 10 days ago at a high school game.

The school planned to self-report the violation to the ACC. Assistant coach Fred Quartlebaum spoke to a recruit, Justin Bohlander of Winston-Salem Reynolds, during an evaluation period in which contact with players is not allowed.

Doherty said he took the violation seriously but said the rule was hard to avoid breaking.

"I think it’s appropriate for an assistant coach to say hello to a [high school] head coach whenever you go to a game," Doherty said. "Whenever you talk to that coach, whether it’s in the locker room, in the gym or in the parking lot, he’s going to be around some players. It’s hard. …

"I understand the rule, but I think if those violations were turned in everywhere throughout the country, the NCAA would change the rules because that’s all they would have to handle."

UNC is trying to bring in Bohlander as a walk-on, though he is playing well enough for Reynolds to merit scholarship offers.

One of Bohlander’s teammates, 6-7 Reyshawn Terry, already has signed with North Carolina. Bohlander always has been a UNC fan, Reynolds coach Howard West said, and Bohlander approached Quartlebaum after the Demons’ game Dec. 14 against West Charlotte.

The Reynolds locker room is downstairs from the court at Bryson Gym, and Quartlebaum went down those stairs after the game ended.

"[Bohlander] walked right over to him because he knew he was a coach for North Carolina," West said. "What’s [Quartlebaum] going to do, turn his back? [Quartlebaum] says, ‘Hey, big man, I can’t talk to you, but you played great.’ "

At that point, West said, Bohlander walked away while West and Quartlebaum talked for about 10 more minutes.

Although UNC maintains the contact with Bohlander was inadvertent, the act of Quartlebaum speaking to Bohlander was a violation. If so, West said, he’s seen a lot of violations.

"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen that occur," West said. "He’s not by any means the first to come [downstairs]. He won’t be the last."

However, West said, another college coach in attendance that night remained upstairs.

Bohlander could not be reached for comment, and Quartlebaum was not made available by UNC for comment.

Doherty said his staff would be careful not to repeat the mistake, one that is not likely to result in serious penalty.

"Since then, Q has called a coach and said, ‘I’m coming to your game. I can’t talk to your players. I may not get to see you,’ " Doherty said. "But the coach never got the message. You want them to know you’re there.

"We’ll have to do it a different way. We just won’t go by the locker room. But that doesn’t mean if you’re in a lobby or a parking lot or a gym floor that a kid won’t come up to you. If you have to turn your back on a kid, then that kid might think, ‘Boy, he doesn’t like me. He doesn’t like the way I played.’ "

 

 

Clemson takes a beating
By JOSEPH PERSON
The State (Columbia, S.C.)
 

ORLANDO, Fla. - After a week in the capital of amusement parks, there was nothing amusing about the way Clemson's offensive line played Monday in the Tangerine Bowl.

Tigers quarterback Charlie Whitehurst was less amused than anybody. Playing behind a line that looked out of shape and out of breath all night, Whitehurst threw a career-high four interceptions and left Citrus Bowl Stadium bruised and battered following a 55-15 beating by Texas Tech.

Whitehurst was knocked around and thrown down all night, getting sacked four times and picking himself up off the sod numerous other times. But he kept getting up to answer the call, until the freshman from Georgia sustained a concussion on his final knockdown late in the fourth quarter.

With eight months before Clemson plays again, head coach Tommy Bowden kept Whitehurst in the game, even with the Red Raiders drawing a pair of roughing the passer penalties. Only in the latter stages of the fourth quarter did Bowden consider pulling Whitehurst.

"He took a beating," Bowden said.

Whitehurst didn't say anything after the game. Team officials kept him tucked safely away in the locker room, where the team's trainer provided him with the best protection he received all night.

"It's hard to get too critical without looking at the film as far as was it scheme or was it protection?" added Bowden. "I think a lot of times we had hats on (defenders), they just came through it."

Center Tommy Sharpe also wanted to hold judgment until he saw the film. But he admitted that every time he turned around and saw Whitehurst scraping himself off the ground, he "knew something was going wrong."

There have been concerns about the Tigers' offensive line since last spring, when they broke in four new starters alongside left tackle Gary Byrd. Injuries to starting tackle Derrick Brantley (knee) and key backup Nick Black (leg) further depleted the Tigers' line, which was the main culprit in one of the school's worst-ever rushing seasons.

Clemson's 91 rushing yards against the Red Raiders gave the Tigers a final average of 124.5 yards a game, the second-worst showing since 1970.

But it was the pass blocking that doomed the Tigers on this night. On several occasions, the offensive linemen appeared to miss a blitz pickup or sustain a block because of poor conditioning.

Clemson offensive coordinator Brad Scott noticed it, and said the long layoff before a bowl game generally affects linemen more than it does skill players.

"That happens to you sometimes in the bowl game. I thought we got sloppy in the fourth quarter," Scott said. "We did condition them … but you get out of sync a little bit. To pass protect as many times as we threw it (56) tonight, that takes some wear and tear on them, too."

Even before halftime, starting right guard Gregory Walker and right tackle William Henry were bent over at the waist, sucking for air. But Sharpe maintained that his crew was not poorly conditioned.

"I don't feel like I was out of shape. I don't think anybody else did," he said. "Any game you're going to get tired. That's football."

The linemen weren't entirely at fault. Whitehurst, who had thrown only two interceptions in 166 pass attempts entering the game, made several poor throws standing in the pocket with good protection. But his fourth interception came after he was drilled by defensive end Aaron Hunt, the Red Raiders' all-time sacks leader. And more times than not, Whitehurst was getting chased out of the pocket, trying to find an open receiver while keeping his extremities intact.

"Whitehurst took a lot of hits," Walker agreed. "That was a little view of what happened in the offense - Charlie getting hit, us getting hit with all those blitzes, (and) protection breaking down - for whatever reason."

The Tigers will have the whole offseason to figure it out.

 

 

WVU backup quarterback gets his kicks punting
Mike Cherry <mikecherry@dailymail.com>
Daily Mail sportswriter
Monday December 23, 2002; 10:26 AM

The playing field does not often see Danny Embick.

Yet when Embick is on the field, people have to see him.

"I haven't played as much as I thought," Embick said. "But Rasheed's doing a heckuva job."

A redshirt freshman from Jupiter, Fla., Embick is WVU's second-string quarterback. In some recent seasons, that status would have guaranteed significant playing time.

In 2002, however, Rasheed Marshall has been steady and relatively unscathed, meaning Embick usually enters at quarterback in rare mop-up duty.

Yet the 6-foot, 210-pound Embick has recently played significant roles in WVU road wins against Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh. Beating those ranked teams helped the Mountaineers (9-3) finish a surprising second in the Big East Conference and earn a berth in Saturday's 11 a.m. Continental Tire Bowl against Virginia (8-5) in Charlotte, N.C.

Against Tech and Pittsburgh, Embick entered in fourth-down situations inside opponent territory. Tech saw an Embick 42-yard pooch punt downed on the 1 in the second quarter. Pittsburgh watched a fourth-quarter Embick 35-yarder downed at its 7. His two-kick average is 38.5 yards, superior to that of either regular punter, Mark Fazzolari (36.9) and Todd James (37.4).

"There is not too much pressure when doing a punt like that," said Embick, who does not line up as far behind center in those situations as a normal punter.

Part of the reason for his near-center alignment is that WVU wants the opponent to be concerned about a possible passing or running play.

"If you kick it too high, it might bounce farther than you want," Embick said of his pooch technique.

WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez used Marshall earlier in the season in a pooch situation.

Once.

"We tried Rasheed and it almost came back and hit him," Rodriguez said. "I try to find the talent of the players and that is not one of his."

Marshall's kick actually netted 24 yards.

"Danny is a pretty good punter," Rodriguez said. "He has a knack for that. ... As far as quarterbacking, I wish we could get him in the game more.

But we're such a tempo team. We may have another trick play or two that Danny can be involved in."

The first one was a memorable 25-yard completion to Marshall in WVU's 24-17 Nov. 30 victory at Pittsburgh. Embick came off WVU's bench, lined up at wideout, took a reverse handoff from Marshall, then turned and hit Marshall for a gain to the Panther 5. Two plays later, back Avon Cobourne scored from the 2.

Such an unknown was Embick that the press-box play-by-play sheet listed him as "Blake Matesic," a former WVU defensive back who was on early-season rosters.

"They pre-warned me that they were going to run that play," Embick said.

Early in the season, Embick lost possession via fumbles and interceptions.

"Two months later, he has become a threat with his arm and right foot.

"I think it's comforting to know they are finding something for me to do," Embick said.

 

 

Stopping Virginia will be a tall order
Tuesday December 24, 2002
By Dave Hickman
STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Rich Rodriguez walked out of Ericsson Stadium Sunday afternoon not nearly as impressed with the NFL game he had just seen as with the college team sitting in the stands.

And he wasn’t talking about his own West Virginia Mountaineers.

Players from both West Virginia and Virginia, who meet in Saturday’s Continental Tire Bowl at the same site, attended Sunday’s Panthers-Bears game. And while Rodriguez has scanned the Cavaliers’ roster and watched plenty of Virginia game tapes in the past two weeks, seeing is believing.

“Their quarterback is taller than anybody we’ve got and they have a receiver taller than anybody we’ve got,’’ Rodriguez said Monday after his team’s first workout at Charlotte Catholic High School. “I saw them at the game and I kept looking up. They look like basketball players.’’

Indeed, when the No. 15 Mountaineers get around to playing unranked Virginia Saturday, those two tall timbers will be the biggest concern for the West Virginia defense.

First, there is 6-foot-5, 235-pound junior quarterback Matt Schaub, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year. All he did this season was complete 272 of his 396 passes for 2,794 yards, 27 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.

And on the receiving end of 68 passes for 886 yards has been 6-4, 208-pound senior Billy McMullen. McMullen needs eight catches in the bowl game to break the ACC record for career receptions. He has 209.

But it isn’t just height that bothers Rodriguez. Schaub didn’t throw just seven interceptions — only two in the past seven games — by throwing dumb passes.

“He’s very accurate and very intelligent. And, obviously, his height helps him see,’’ Rodriguez said. “You get a smaller cornerback on their big receiver and then throw in his height and intelligence and it’s a problem.’’

While Rodriguez doesn’t have a great deal of personal knowledge about the players on Virginia’s roster, he has faced a few. When he was the offensive coordinator at Clemson, Rodriguez coached against the Cavaliers.

That doesn’t help him much, but at least he has an idea of the quality of some of the Virginia players.

“It’s a different [coaching] staff, so the only thing you can take out of those games at Clemson is what you remember about some of their players,’’ he said. “Jerton Evans and Shernard Newby, their safeties, both played. [Linebacker and leading tackler Angelo] Crowell played and he was a handful even then. And McMullen has been playing forever.’’

BRIEFLY: Often-troubled West Virginia junior running back-wide receiver Cassel Smith was suspended and did not make the trip for violating team rules. Although Smith had 94 yards rushing and a 43-yard touchdown run with a fumble in the opening game against Tennessee-Chattanooga, his only regular appearances this season were as a kick returner alongside Phil Braxton. But he only actually returned four kickoffs.

Safety Jermaine Thaxton sat out much of Monday’s first practice with a shoulder injury, but he is expected to play Saturday.
David Upchurch is one of a handful of seniors who will close their college career the same place they began it, at Ericsson Stadium. Upchurch, Avon Cobourne and Mark Fazzolari all started as redshirt freshmen in the 1999 season opener here against East Carolina.
A group of West Virginia handed out Christmas presents to children Monday. A group of Virginia players were supposed to be there as well, but were no-shows.
Monday’s two-hour workout was under sunny skies with temperatures in the 50s. With rain and colder temperatures in the forecast for today, the grass field at Charlotte Catholic could prove troublesome.
Rodriguez is trying to make practices here the same as a routine game week. Monday’s practice was full-contact and today will be the same.
Rodriguez on the pace of NFL games after watching the Panthers-Bears game: “I thought [college] games were slow until I watched that. With all the timeouts, they played a two-hour first half. It was boring.’’

 

 

A bowl to remember for Virginia
Cavs' Groh says only a win will have lasting impact
By HANK KURZ JR., The Associated Press

Virginia coach Al Groh has rewarded his entire team with a trip to Charlotte for Saturday's Continental Tire Bowl, and now it's the players' turn: He wants them to make it a trip they can enjoy for life.

"The only reward that the players get of value, of long-range value to them and to the team, is winning," the second-year coach said this week.

Bowl games often give players items such as watches as keepsakes, but "if you go and play poorly and you don't win, all those things that are given as mementos of the game, you never want to see again anyway," he said.

The Cavaliers (8-5) will play West Virginia (9-3) in the first Continental Tire Bowl. They'll take on some Virginia traditions, as well.

One already has been addressed with the sale of more than 20,000 tickets to Cavaliers fans, which Groh sees as a good answer to the school's reputation as one with fans who don't travel in the postseason.

The game is a sellout, with more than 72,000 tickets purchased.

Another ghost to confront is Virginia's poor record in the postseason. The Cavaliers have made 12 prior bowl appearances, all under George Welsh, and will take a four-game bowl skid onto the field at Ericsson Stadium.

The matchup with the Mountaineers, who finished second to top-ranked Miami in the Big East Conference, gives Virginia a chance to impress.

"One of the things that's created compelling interest in this game is that this is what bowl games are supposed to be. This matches up two teams who really kind of earned their way into the game," Groh said. "... I think that's gotten the interest of fans."

That interest, Groh said, also needs to be rewarded.

"We certainly take an aim on a good performance. I think that's an important thing, to play well and provide a competitive game for your fans," Groh said.

In the interest of making the weeklong bowl experience unlike that of a regular-season road trip, Groh arranged for the Cavaliers to attend the Carolina Panthers game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, scheduled other activities for today and Tuesday and a Christmas party Wednesday.

The preparations get more serious the last two days. "This is an opponent that deserves significant attention," Groh said.