The smallest Cavalier is a specialist in big plays
Almond ''Muffin'' Curry
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 26, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE — The Muffin Man has been selling himself short.

Virginia cornerback Almond “Muffin” Curry, listed for all these years at 5-foot-8, actually stands closer to 5-9, he confessed one day in the Virginia locker room. Five-eight and three quarters, to be exact.

But Curry doesn’t round up to 5-9. Why bother? For him, height is a number that has long since ceased to matter.

On Saturday, when Virginia plays Pittsburgh in the Continental Tire Bowl, Curry will play the final game of a college career that has exceeded virtually everyone’s expectations but his own. He was too small. Too slow. Not college material academically.

Curry heard it all. And used it as motivation. As his career winds down, Curry, who at 175 pounds is almost always the smallest player on the field, leads the ACC in interceptions, with six. He’s recovered two fumbles this year, six in a ball-hawking career characterized by big, game-changing plays.

“In this game, they say size matters,” Virginia guard Elton Brown said. “It really doesn’t. In this game it’s all about heart and that’s what Muffin has. “He’s been the heart of this team. He’s been our beat, all year.”

Almondo Alfonzo Curry was born Aug. 18, 1980, in Hampton. His maternal grandmother gazed in his crib and dubbed him “Muffin.” The name stuck.

As soon as Curry could walk, his grandfather began tossing him a football.

He was an undersized linebacker in youth league ball, and a key cog on the powerhouse Hampton High teams of the late 1990s.

The biggest cog, of course, was Curry’s cousin, Ronald Curry, the national high school player of the year. Virginia recruited Ronald Curry hard, and raised eyebrows when it offered his diminutive cousin a scholarship as well, a move some skeptics saw as intended to sway Ronald.

Ronald Curry committed to Virginia but then signed with North Carolina. Muffin Curry, a year younger, failed to qualify academically and enrolled at Fork Union Military Academy. He was a bit surprised when Virginia called again.

“I wasn’t sure they would still be interested,” he said at the time.

Virginia needed cornerbacks, and Curry had established himself as a playmaker in a post-graduate season at Fork Union, picking off five passes and returning four punts for touchdowns.

Curry played mostly special teams as a true freshman before winning a starting spot halfway through his sophomore season.

Beaten out by the bigger, faster Art Thomas at the beginning of the 2002 season, Curry won his job back in the third game and has been a fixture at cornerback ever since.

From the beginning, Curry demonstrated a knack for being around the ball, and for making timely plays. He had just one tackle in an upset win over Clemson in 2001, but it was a sack of quarterback Woodrow Dantzler that forced a fumble.

What might be the definitive Curry moment came midway through last season, with Virginia trailing 21-7 against North Carolina.

The Tar Heels’ Sam Aiken caught a pass at the Virginia two. Curry, giving up five inches and 30 pounds, stripped the ball and recovered it to prevent a North Carolina touchdown. Virginia responded with a 98-yard scoring drive and rallied to win 37-27.

Virginia coach Al Groh later called the play the turning point of the season.

The play typified the qualities that have made Curry successful. He never gives up on a play. He’s seldom out of his position. And he rarely loses a scuffle for a loose ball.

“He’s just such a scrappy kid,” Groh said. “He’s got moxie. That’s what he’s all about.”

Prior to this season, Curry’s teammates voted him a team captain. With the season winding down, he’s playing the best ball of his career, coming up with late interceptions in crucial wins over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

“The longer you’re around Muff the less you actually think about his height,” tailback Alvin Pearman said. “You don’t see his height being a disadvantage for him. You don’t see guys going over the top of his head.”

Curry lacks blazing speed. A half-dozen or more Virginia players are faster, but there may be no one as quick. And no one is as vocal on the field. Curry, teammates say, is the biggest trash talker on the team.

“It’s hard for a receiver to get clean releases on him because he’s so quick,” receiver Ottowa Anderson said. “You’re trying to make your move and you’ve got this little guy in front of you who won’t move, and he’s talking to you. It frustrates you and you’re going to be off your game.

“A lot of times people think trash talking is a bad thing but it’s an asset for him. He can get inside other player’s heads and get them off their game.”

Curry learned early to take any edge he could get, physical or mental.

“People always told me I was a competitive guy,” he said. “What gives me my edge is that I’m willing to compete against anybody, no matter what their size.”

Curry draws motivation from his family, particularly the memory of his late brother Kenny, who died of an asthma attack at age 12 two years ago.

Kenny Curry idolized his older brother.

When doctors finally allowed him to play football, he was thrilled that his youth league team was known as the Cavaliers.

“He used to say, 'Ma, me and Muffin play for the same team,’” said Tracey Curry, Kenny and Muffin’s mother. “When he died, it affected Muffin greatly.”

Curry said the lesson of his brother’s death is that no one is guaranteed tomorrow. He wears his brother’s old jersey under his on game days and says he plays each game as if it’s his last.

Saturday’s game will be his last – in college, anyway. At his size, Curry is a long shot to play in the NFL. But it’s not as if he hasn’t been doubted before.

“I just dedicated my whole time here to just proving a lot of people wrong,” Curry said. “And doing what I knew I could do.” Turns out, Curry wasn’t selling himself short at all.

 

For record, Pitt QB no ordinary role player
Rod Rutherford posted a single-season Big East record for total offense in 2003.
By Aaron McFarling

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Rod Rutherford had a concerned look on his face as he left the practice field and approached a reporter.

"Sorry, man," Pittsburgh's senior quarterback said. "I don't do any interviews after ... what time is it now?"

Informed it was 12:30 p.m., he shook his head.

"Just missed me," he said. "12:25 is my cutoff."

Then he smiled and extended his hand to shake. He was only kidding, of course. When you play on the same team with a Heisman Trophy finalist, you'll take the interviews any time they come.

And they have come this year for Rutherford. He's been interviewed by Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine and numerous television outlets and newspapers.

Still, it's nothing compared to the attention given to Rutherford's main passing target, Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

"Hey, every team has a superstar and role players," Rutherford said. "I just see myself as a role player."

Some role player.

Know any role players who own a single-season conference record for total offense? Apparently, you do now. Rutherford set that standard in the Big East this season as he compiled 3,572 yards.

He passed for 3,433 yards, smashing Alex Van Pelt's school record. And Saturday, when he stares down Virginia's defense in the Continental Tire Bowl, Rutherford can bump Dan Marino from the top of Pittsburgh's single-season touchdown list. Three passing scores will do it, and he's thrown for at least that many in seven games this year.

Fitzgerald has certainly helped him achieve those numbers, but Rutherford is anything but just another player.

"He does everything well," said senior tight end Kris Wilson, Rutherford's second-most popular target. "He runs with the ball well, he has great accuracy, a strong arm. And he reads the field well. He's a tough guy to stop."

Perhaps Rutherford considers himself a role player because, at one point, that looked like all he might become. He served as a backup to David Priestley his sophomore year, throwing one touchdown pass and four interceptions in limited action.

"Rod probably shocked a lot of people that he's sitting with a nine-win season under his belt and an opportunity to get another nine-win season," Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris said. "When people saw him play three years ago when he threw for about 30 percent, it looked like he was disoriented and maybe not very excited about being a quarterback.

"I think he's come miles."

Along the way, he has earned the trust of skeptical fans. Early last year, in his second game as a starter, Rutherford was booed loudly at home after struggling in the first half against Texas A&M.

Rutherford recalls hearing the crowd chant "Palko!" in a plea for then-freshman backup QB Tyler Palko. Harris stuck with Rutherford, however, and was rewarded when the quarterback led the Panthers to two late touchdowns and a victory.

"Honestly, I haven't heard anything since," Rutherford said with a laugh. "Everybody's been either quiet or supporting me. And I appreciate it.

"Pittsburgh's a big sports town, and they want you to win. Even though it's the second game of the season, second start ever at the collegiate level, they want you to win right now. You can't blame them, but at the same time, I didn't feel like they gave me the opportunity to showcase myself."

Fitzgerald's presence sometimes has the same effect, but Rutherford doesn't mind. He was still a unanimous selection for first-team All-Big East.

"We all know that it takes all 10 of us to make Fitzgerald," Rutherford said. "And it takes those six guys up front to help me get him the ball. But you've got to give credit to Larry. You can't take anything away from him.

"I'm not in the spotlight like Fitzgerald, but I think people know my name."

That, and an interview after his deadline every now and then, is perfectly fine with him.

 

Brooks tackling new goal
Ahmad Brooks, who has benefited from playing some snaps at defensive end, could set a UVa rookie record for tackles.
By Doug Doughty

CHARLOTTESVILLE - If Ahmad Brooks was lucky, Virginia professors judged his first-semester class work less harshly than he judged his performance on the football field.

Brooks leads the Cavaliers in tackles heading into the Continental Tire Bowl on Saturday, but he would give himself a C, "or maybe a C-plus," he said during a break in workouts last week.

"I've got a lot of room for improvement," he said. "There were a lot of plays I left out on the field. We could have won a few more games."

Nobody had higher expectations than Brooks, who was named national defensive player of the year by USA Today in 2001, when he was a senior at Hylton High School.

Brooks, a 6-foot-4, 249-pound freshman linebacker, had goals but 100 tackles wasn't one of them.

"Actually, I wanted to try and break Darryl's sack record," said Brooks, referring to outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock, who had 14 sacks as a freshman in 2002. "I couldn't do that, so I had to move on to something else."

Brooks was an inside linebacker exclusively until the sixth game of the season, when he moved to defensive end when the Cavaliers used their nickel package in passing situations.

At first, Brooks, son of ex-Washington Redskins defensive tackle Perry Brooks, wasn't wild about putting a hand on the ground.

"My feeling was, 'I didn't come here to play defensive end,'" he said. "I came here to be a linebacker."

After he recorded sacks in back-to-back victories over Wake Forest and North Carolina, Brooks was sold.

"To tell the truth, I had fun in the nickel," said Brooks, who has 13 quarterback hurries, second on the team behind Blackstock's 22. "I just had to go and get the quarterback. That's all I had to do."

Blackstock was the Cavaliers' only reliable outside pass rusher, but if a redshirt freshman such as Vince Redd or Jermaine Dias develops on the other side, that would give UVa a chance to vary its rush, occasionally sending Brooks up the middle.

"That would be the best of both worlds," said Brooks, the leading tackler among ACC freshmen this year. "I've got a couple of pass moves that I really haven't perfected yet."

Brooks spent the fall of 2002 at Hargrave Military Academy before enrolling at UVa for the spring semester. That enabled him to take part in spring practice, when he roomed with Blackstock, who had been a member of Brooks' original 2002 recruiting class.

It was Blackstock who challenged Brooks to break the UVa freshman sack record, although Brooks admittedly was skeptical.

"I told him I wanted to get more tackles than he did," Brooks said. "Somebody said he had 60 or so."

Actually, Blackstock had 107 tackles as a true freshman in 2002. Brooks, who had 69 tackles in the past seven games, finished the regular season with 105 and should pass Blackstock and Charles McDaniel, who set the UVa freshman record with 109 tackles in 1982. Brooks is playing in his 13th game, compared to Blackstock, who played in 14, and McDaniel, who played in 11 games as a freshman.

"I think he's had an excellent year for a first-year player," Groh said of Brooks. "His play during the latter part of the season has probably been his strongest. That's the best indicator to me that he's taken advantage of every experience he has gotten."

Groh once compared Brooks to a young Brian Urlacher, an All-Pro linebacker for the Chicago Bears, but has assumed a more realistic approach as the season has gone on.

"Whatever expectations there were, those were expectations by people who probably haven't been linebackers or coaches." Groh said. " From the time we started were dealing with Ahmad, you could see all the tools there that he should be a very special player. He certainly has made significant movement toward that this year."
 

Cavaliers' QB eager for finale
Thursday, December 25, 2003
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- He was the cover boy for the Virginia media guide, his picture carried the caption "Heisman Trophy Candidate," and he was supposed to lead the Cavaliers to the Atlantic Coast Conference title and a BCS berth.

Obviously, that dream season didn't transpire for the Cavaliers or for quarterback Matt Schaub, as they finished 7-5 and are preparing to play Pitt (8-4) in the Continental Tire Bowl on Saturday. An injury to his throwing shoulder in the first game caused him to miss all or parts of the first four games and he never fully recovered until it was too late to save the season.

Still, Schaub remains the Cavaliers' best-known player, and he will likely be one of the first 10 quarterbacks taken in the NFL draft in April. Although his senior season didn't go quite the way he would have liked, he is not looking back with any regrets.

"This bowl game is a great situation and a great place for us to be," Schaub said. "Where we ended up was out of our control. All we could do is go out and win and do our best. We are happy to be here, and this is going to be a great game.

"Things could have went a different way if the injury didn't come. But injuries are a part of the game; you are going to get nicks and bruises. It is unfortunate, but you have to learn to deal with it. If I play well and I do good things and finish the season strong, it will help me tremendously in getting to the next level."

Although Schaub was slowed by injuries, he has been one of the better quarterbacks in Division I-A, completing 261 of 372 passes for 2,708 yards, 17 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He averaged 270.8 yards a game had a pass-efficiency rating of 141.55.

He also led the Cavaliers into the Continental Tire Bowl with two strong performances to end the season. Virginia was 5-5 heading into its final two games and in danger of missing the postseason for the second time in three seasons.

Schaub completed 26 of 35 passes for 239 yards and a touchdown in leading the Cavaliers to a 29-17 victory against Georgia Tech for their sixth win of the season. Then in the final game, against bitter rival Virginia Tech, Schaub completed 32 of 46 passes for 358 yards and two scores in a 35-21 win.

Now, he is hoping his momentum carries over to the Continental Tire Bowl and beyond.

"Things just seemed to come together for us," he said. "We hurt ourselves a lot during the middle part of the season. But we were in all those games, and towards the end of the season we made the plays we needed to in order to win. That's the way we need to play against Pitt if we want to win. And for me, I want to play well in my last game and get things moving for the next step."

Pitt is familiar with Schaub's talent. The Panthers recruited him when he was at West Chester East High School in eastern Pennsylvania. A 1998 graduate, he was a SuperPrep All-American and was named one of the top 11 quarterbacks in the country.

"We recruited him hard, so we know how good he is," Pitt coach Walt Harris said. "He is probably the best quarterback we've faced in the past two years. He can throw all of the passes, he is big and strong and he is a natural leader. He is an outstanding player and one who, if we aren't careful, could really get into a groove and cause us a lot of problems."

In his first three seasons at Virginia, Schaub looked like he was going to be a bust. But he had a breakout junior season, completing 288 of 418 passes for 2,976 yards and an ACC-best 28 touchdown passes.

He also grew into his body -- he is 6 feet 5, 245 pounds -- and improved his stock among NFL scouts. The one knock on him is that he doesn't have a strong arm, but Schaub dismisses such concerns.

"You hear people say some things, but you really don't put much stock in it," he said. "I can make all the throws I need to make. I have enough arm strength to play at the next level and succeed. I don't think there is any problem with that. People say I don't have enough arm strength based on what I do here, but I can make all the throws they need me to make."

Schaub was born in Pittsburgh but lived in the city for only a few years. His family moved to New York, Chicago and Ann Arbor, Mich., before settling in at West Chester when he was 8 years old.

He was a three-sport star in high school, but football was his favorite. Now that his goal of playing in the NFL is close, he is focused on taking his game to another level -- starting Saturday with a big showing against the Panthers.

"Everything to me is for naught if we don't win this game," he said. "All the work we've put in, all the ups and downs we went through, we can put them to rest with a win because that's the bottom line, that's the reason we all play this sport. And if you win, everything else seems to take care of itself."

NOTES -- Ticket sales for the game have surged in recent days, especially in Pittsburgh. There have been about 7,000 tickets sold the past two days for a total of about 53,000. ... Saturday's weather forecast calls for sunny skies with a temperature at kickoff of about 60 degrees. ... Only two players on Virginia's roster are from the WPIAL or City League. They are freshman quarterback Kevin McCabe (Pine-Richland) and freshman defensive lineman Allen Billyk (New Castle). Both are redshirting.
 

Pitt QB proves he was worth the wait
Cavs will face another prolific Panthers passer
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published December 26, 2003

Not that long ago, when the writing on the wall formed the words You'll Never Play, Rod Rutherford took a deep breath and swallowed his pride. There was nothing for him at quarterback, or so it appeared, so he asked Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris to move him to wide receiver.

Understand, Rutherford would have rather swallowed a cockroach, or do any of those disgusting things they make you do on "Fear Factor." He had always been a quarterback, no matter how often he was told he just didn't fit. But what good was he doing anybody, himself included, on the bench?

"It was after my redshirt year, and there were two quarterbacks in front of me, so there was no reason for me to waste another year," Rutherford said. "Anyone who comes from always playing to not playing at all, you're going to want to find a way to play."

Harris had other plans. He told Rutherford to be patient, that his time would come. Looking back, you have to wonder where the Panthers might be had Harris granted Rutherford's request. Pitt has gone 17-8 over the last two seasons, its best two-year stretch since the early 1980s. And Rutherford, the unlikely hometown hero, has spearheaded it.

Though the Panthers' all-time list of quarterbacks includes Dan Marino, Matt Cavanaugh and Alex Van Pelt, Rutherford has had the most prolific season of all. He set a school record with 3,433 yards and needs two touchdowns in Saturday's Continental Tire Bowl against Virginia to match Marino's mark of 37. His 229 completions are second to Van Pelt's 245.

"He just needed to become more comfortable and knowledgeable about what we were doing," Harris said earlier this season. "It's hard for a young guy who was used to being the star. He's living proof of what can happen when you work hard and continue to chase a prize."

Not that it happened right away. As a redshirt freshman in 2000, with David Priestley starting at quarterback, Rutherford played a dual QB/receiver role. The following year, as Priestley's backup, he completed 19-of-52 passes with four interceptions. Pitt fans wept for the future.

Rutherford, who grew up a mile from Pitt's campus, started the '02 opener and threw three picks. Grumbling gave way to boos from the home crowd. Had a poll been taken, the torch immediately would have passed to touted freshman Tyler Palko. But Harris didn't budge, and the following week came Rutherford's turning point - a fourth-quarter rally that fell just short against Texas A&M.

From that point on, he was a changed man. He finished the season with 2,783 yards and 22 touchdowns, making second-team All-Big East behind Miami's Ken Dorsey. Since becoming Pitt's starting quarterback 25 games ago, Rutherford has completed 56 percent of his passes for 6,216 yards with 57 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.

"I always felt I could play the position," Rutherford said. "I mean, I knew I needed some tutoring or whatever, but I always felt I could play the position. I just needed some help to get me along, and when it came I was going to make the most of it."

Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub, who grew up outside Philadelphia and was recruited by Pitt, can relate. Like Rutherford, he struggled early in his career. Like Rutherford, he heard boos from the home crowd. And like Rutherford, he turned his career around with a confidence-boosting performance in the second game of his junior year.

"He was kind of in the same boat as me," said Schaub, who got to know Rutherford as teammates in the 1998 Big 33 Classic, the annual Pennsylvania prep all-star game. "He really fought through it."

He also fought the perception some held that he was more of an athlete than a quarterback. Yes, his size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) and abilities would allow him to play other positions - that's why Harris used him some at wideout as a freshman.

But who says a quarterback can't be athletic?

"People always saw me as an athlete and knocked me for that," said Rutherford, who has 14 career rushing touchdowns. "They were like, 'Oh, he's an athlete, a runner.' I knew I could I do that, and I'll always continue to do that. But at the same time, I know I can throw the ball, and I'm always going to do that.

"My thing is, the best way to get us in the end zone and get us some wins, I'm going to do it. It doesn't matter whether it's running the ball or throwing it."

After a rough beginning, that recipe is working.

Cavaliers prepare for Lee's booming punts
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published December 26, 2003

You undoubtedly know about Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting. And you probably know about quarterback Rod Rutherford and tight end Kris Wilson, each among the nation's best at his position.

Ever hear of Andy Lee? Virginia coach Al Groh certainly has. Lee is Pitt's high-producing punter who puts more height and distance on the ball than anybody the Cavaliers have seen this year. Lee is averaging 44 yards a punt, 14th in the nation, and has 13 kicks of at least 50 yards. He has two 70-plus yarders in his career.

"He has to be factored into everything," Groh said. "When he really hits one, he gets tremendous height on the ball. Based on what you see on the tape, sometimes the ball is up there where you can't see it anymore. It just reappears further down the field. I'd say there's a good chance this punter will kick the ball with a greater combination of height and distance than anybody we've encountered this year."

The Cavaliers used the JUGS machine in practice to simulate Lee's punts to get return man Marques Hagans accustomed to the height.

"I don't think we could approximate humanly the height at which this guy kicks the ball," Groh said.

Like most coaches, Groh is a firm believer in the importance of field position.

The Cavaliers are averaging 9.7 yards a punt return. Hagans won't signal for a fair catch unless he absolutely has to, and Groh hasn't asked his return man to be more cautious in this game.

"Caution isn't a part of his game," Groh said.

FINALE. As if going against the nation's best wide receiver isn't enough, Virginia cornerback Almondo "Muffin" Curry knows it will be the final game of his college career.

"I really don't pay too much attention to it," he said. "I want to end my career on a good note, but that's all I look at. I just want to spend these last few days that I've got with these guys and show them how much I appreciate them and being around them the last four years."

Curry is one of 11 U.Va. seniors playing his final game, a list that includes linebacker Raymond Mann, wide receiver Ryan Sawyer, safety Jamaine Winborne - and, of course, record-setting quarterback Matt Schaub.

"Most of the emotions involved with this game are going to be with the teammates," Schaub said. "This will be my last time playing with all these guys."

FINAL BLOW. Speaking with reporters earlier in the week, Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris was asked his thoughts on the Big East losing two marquee teams to the ACC.

His response: "Miami is a marquee team. I'm not sure Virginia Tech is a marquee team anymore. They're just another good football team."

Having defeated the Hokies three straight years, Harris probably has a right to say that.

SHORTS. Though Groh's goal of 30,000 tickets appears doubtful, Virginia has passed last year's sales for the Continental Tire Bowl. The Cavs had sold more than 21,000 going into Christmas Eve and are expected to get credit for as many as 2,500 distributed at other locations. Pitt's total was reported at approximately 5,000, a total Harris called "discouraging." ...

Despite missing two full games and most of a third, Schaub needs 267 passing yards to break his own school record of 2,976. One more touchdown throw will move him out of a tie with Shawn Moore.

Mom's lesson for Pitt WR: Persevere
Fitzgerald overcame his grief, produced spectacular season
RICK BONNELL
Staff Writer
 

Larry Fitzgerald went home for Christmas last week, except it wasn't quite Christmas and it wasn't quite like home.

The house in Minnesota is still there, but it didn't feel so homey. The heat wasn't turned up high the way Fitzgerald's mom liked it to keep her feet warm. There's no longer much reason to boost the temperature to Carol Fitzgerald's liking because, at 47, she succumbed to breast cancer.

For seven years Carol fought that disease, teaching her son the power of persistence. He outworked, out-willed and outthought most of college football this season, to finish second in the Heisman race as the best receiver in the country.

Today he gets through his first Christmas without mom. Saturday he plays against Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl, in what could be his goodbye to college football.

Not that he has jumped to that conclusion. He's avoiding all the NFL talk to concentrate exclusively on this bowl game. He says he owes that much to his teammates, many of whom helped him through the grieving for his mother.

"Pittsburgh -- the city and the school -- have truly been a blessing. People here were there when I needed them," Fitzgerald recalled Tuesday.

"It was huge -- the outreach, the phone calls. I'd want to be by myself, when it isn't necessarily best to be by yourself in that situation, and there'd always be somebody there to talk or go to dinner. They came to the funeral, and they were there all year."

There's a certain kismet about Fitzgerald's life. He just as easily could be a linebacker at Nebraska now as a receiver at Pittsburgh. Things just happen to this kid in a way that seems fated.

Almost a linebacker

His high school coach, Mike Pendino, wanted him to stay a linebacker, and Pendino's offensive assistant, Ed Cole, kept lobbying to make him a receiver. Cole recently recalled the debate on ESPN Radio:Pendino to Cole: "He's a Division I prospect at linebacker."

Cole to Pendino: "He's an NFL prospect as a wide receiver!"

Cole trumped Pendino; Fitzgerald switched positions and never looked back. As a college sophomore this season, he caught 87 passes for 1,595 yards and 22 touchdowns.

"It's hard to imagine a more dominant player in college football," said Virginia coach Al Groh. "He's one of the more dramatic receivers I've seen on any level. If you don't acknowledge how he can change a game, you have your head in the sand."

Fitzgerald could easily be changing some other team's games right now, because Pittsburgh wasn't even a consideration. That high-school assistant, Ed Cole, was traveling to various campuses with Fitzgerald -- to Notre Dame, to Purdue, to Penn State -- and Cole suggested a side trip to Pittsburgh, where Cole had some friends and relatives.

Almost immediately, Fitzgerald fell in love with Pitt's program. He felt warm, he felt wanted, he felt safe.

Kismet.

Great hands, great mind

Fitzgerald figures that sooner or later he was destined to be a receiver. He has great size (6-foot-3 and 225 pounds) and exceptional hands, both huge advantages at the position. Though he doesn't have exceptional speed, he overpowers most defensive backs and almost always wins a jump ball.

As Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris said, "once he puts his grippers on the ball, it's his."

It's more than those "grippers," of course. Fitzgerald plays at a level of sophistication and concentration that is rare for his age. Scouts are just as impressed with his precise routes and fierce blocking as with his receptions. Finesse position aside, this is one tough kid.

"I think I owe that much to my teammates," Fitzgerald said. "There are receivers who lose their concentration when they see a safety running at them. I make sure I catch that ball. I owe that to the guys blocking and getting the ball to me."

He learned as much as a ball boy, working summers at the Minnesota Vikings training camp. Then-Vikings coach Dennis Green is close to Fitzgerald's father, a Minnesota sportswriter and radio personality.

Following his dad around various locker rooms taught Fitzgerald how he should and shouldn't function as an athlete.

"I watched him interview Michael Jordan, watched how Jordan carried himself," Fitzgerald said.

"I firmly believe that first impressions are lasting impressions. If you see me walking around sloppy, with my pants hanging down my butt, that leaves a lasting impression. (Jordan) always gives you the impression he's a professional."

Fitzgerald has already left an impression on the pros. Having gone to prep school for a year between high school and college, he could make a case to be eligible for the NFL draft. No doubt he's ready, according to Green, now an ESPN analyst.

"He's definitely the best receiver in college football, if you take into consideration his ability to catch the ball and his body control," Green said.

And as a pro?

"He'd go very high," Green said, "because he'd play right away for anybody who took him."
 

Young Cavs endure inconsistent season
Groh: Expectations of outsiders were off base
RON GREEN JR.
Staff Writer

Entering this season, Virginia was expected to challenge for the ACC championship, but lost four times in a five-game stretch before closing the season with victories against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech to secure a spot in Saturday's Continental Tire Bowl at Ericsson Stadium.

Virginia also had a 31-7 loss at South Carolina in the second game, playing without injured quarterback Matt Schaub.

In some corners, the Cavs' 7-5 record was a disappointment, based on their 9-5 mark last year.

"The outside predictions, not to minimize anything, were based on how we finished last year," coach Al Groh said. "It's a valid criticism, but last year we were last in the ACC in total offense and second to last in total defense.

"That team really listened and they got what we had to do each week. Those successes came not out of dominance but of knowing how to use what works. Some of those wins were fortuitous, not from luck, but from doing what we had to do."

This year, the Cavaliers were not nearly as successful in creating turnovers. They had 21 takeaways this season, barely half of the 37 they had last season.

Big plays also hurt the Cavaliers, who remain among the youngest teams in the country. Virginia has 24 freshmen or sophomores on its two-deep roster.

Is Groh happy with what this team accomplished?

"Yeah," he said. "We lost one game in overtime (Clemson) and another with 23 seconds remaining (N.C. State). "There's one thing Bill (Parcells) says and I believe -- you are what you are."

Pittsburgh punter gets real hang time

Pittsburgh punter Andy Lee is among the country's best, averaging 44 yards per punt with 20 kicks of 50 yards or longer this season. He kicks the ball so high, Virginia has spent extra time preparing to handle his punts."Because it's so high, it's impossible for the return man to see the coverage coming downfield," Groh said. "We've tried to address all circumstances."

Does that mean putting a leash on dangerous punt return man Marques Hagans?

"Caution is not part of his game," Groh said. "We don't want to change his game." -- R.G.

Schaub impressive despite injuries

Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub was mentioned as a possible Heisman Trophy candidate before a shoulder injury in the season opener caused him to miss nearly three games. Despite not playing a full season, he produced some eye-popping numbers.

Schaub completed 70 percent (256 of 366) for 2,264 yards and 17 TDs. He ranks first or second in seven major offensive categories in school history. -- R.G.

Virginia, Pitt both defeated Hokies

If you're trying to figure out how this game might play out based on the common opponents Pitt and Virginia faced this season, it doesn't help much.Both teams defeated Virginia Tech in November. The Panthers won 31-28 at home on Nov. 7, and the Cavaliers beat their rivals 35-21 on Nov. 29. -- R.G.

Greeting cards

There are two billboards around Charlotte identifying the city as "Cavalier Country." The orange signs, featuring a Virginia helmet, were produced by Cavalier interests, not the game. -- R.G.

Christmas in a ho-ho-hotel room

That's not a scene Norman Rockwell ever painted, but it's a reality for major college football teams. If you're good enough to play in a bowl game, then home-for-the-holidays is usually forfeited in the balance. Pittsburgh quarterback Rod Rutherford will play in his fourth bowl game Saturday, so he's used to the situation. He said the only thing he really missed last year in Phoenix was snow, and that will be the case again today in Charlotte.

Coaches do what they can to keep their teams from getting the holiday blues. Players usually get a few days off to go home before assembling at a bowl site, and team parties are common on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Pittsburgh planned a party at Jillian's, complete with the big, bearded guy in a red suit.

"We still have some freshmen who believe in Santa," Pitt coach Walt Harris joked. -- RICK BONNELL
 

As U-Va. Rookie, Linebacker Brooks Makes an Impact
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Friday, December 26, 2003; Page D01


CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On Feb. 4, 2002, Ahmad Brooks became one of the most celebrated recruits in the recent history of the Virginia football program when he accepted the Cavaliers' scholarship offer. The team's coaches, exhilarated by the nearly simultaneous commitments of Brooks and two other top targets, celebrated in the hallways outside their offices.

Yet it was nearly 19 months before Brooks took the field for the Cavs.

While his future Virginia teammates piled up nine wins last season -- in what was supposed to be his rookie season -- the 6-foot-4, 249-pound linebacker bided his time at Hargrave Military Academy, working to improve his standardized test scores.

"That was something that I had to do," he said. "Really I just wanted to come to college."

Brooks got the mark he needed in time to enroll at U-Va. in January and join the Cavaliers for spring practice. He quickly proved the accolades he earned at Hylton High, including the 2001 All-Met Defensive Player of the Year award, were well deserved. He showed the speed, size and instincts to become a dominant college player.

Then another setback.

On May 17, he was a passenger in a car that was stopped for speeding through a residential area of Dumfries shortly before midnight. Police found a bag of marijuana at Brooks's feet. He was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession. In June, he pleaded no contest, was placed on six months probation and ordered to perform 24 hours of community service.

As he left Prince William General District Court following his plea, Brooks stressed he "was in no way found guilty."

Brooks met with Coach Al Groh to discuss the incident, and Groh decided against meting out further punishment, at least publicly.

Brooks was cleared to play. In the Aug. 30 season opener, 572 days after he committed to Virginia, he was the starting weak-side inside linebacker.

Perhaps it was the wait. More likely it was the fact he was a rookie starting at a position that had as much responsibility as any in Virginia's defense. Whatever the reason, Brooks admits he was a bit nervous that night against Duke.

"As a linebacker, you've got a lot of things that you've got to be responsible for, so I'm trying to anticipate the play before it even happens," he explained. "So yeah, I guess I was getting nervous before the play."

During the play was another matter altogether. Brooks acquitted himself quite well in Virginia's 27-0 win, making seven tackles and breaking up two passes.

"As soon as the ball was snapped, it was like he flipped a switch and went back to the play mode," said Bill Brown, who coached Brooks at Hylton and was at Scott Stadium for his debut. "But the preparation mode, you could tell he was uncomfortable."

Brooks has grown more comfortable with the position's mental demands and, as the Cavaliers (7-5) prepare for Saturday's meeting with Pittsburgh (8-4) in the Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, Brooks leads the team with 105 tackles and has popped up on several freshman all-American teams. Only three freshmen in the nation average more tackles per game.

"He's had a good rookie season," said Groh, who coached nine Pro Bowl linebackers in his 13 years in the NFL. "The 'good' carries all the positives with it that that word implies, and the 'rookie' part carries those on-the-job training circumstances that that word implies."

Brooks's adjustment from high school to college ball was tougher than most because the Cavaliers use three defensive linemen and two inside linebackers instead of the more common scheme of four linemen and a middle linebacker.

He was accustomed to playing behind four big guys who could occupy the offensive linemen and keep him free to chase down quarterbacks and running backs. But in Virginia's system, the inside linebackers often have to take on onrushing guards. Brooks refined his techniques.

A similar learning curve came when the Cavaliers began using him more as a pass rusher, blitzing him from his linebacker spot or lining him up as a fourth lineman on obvious passing downs.

"At first I was just running to the offensive tackle and just bull-rushing him, but I wasn't really using my hands and trying to use my hips," said Brooks, who has three sacks and 13 quarterback pressures. "There's a lot of different things that I didn't know about football."

In the end, the academic and legal setbacks might have prepared Brooks better for college football and the public scrutiny that comes with it. The extra experience of a season at Hargrave and spring practice clearly helped him on the field, and his arrest was a learning experience.

"I learned my lesson," he says now. "I know what not to do, what to do. Really, I don't think it's going to happen again."
 

Pitt and Virginia will be burning rubber
High-performance offenses to duel when Panthers and Cavaliers meet in season finale
Friday, December 26, 2003
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Bowl games are often high-scoring affairs, mostly because the games match teams from different conferences that are not familiar with each other.

That gives a slight edge to the offense, some coaches say, because offensive coordinators have extra time to devise ways of exploiting a defense's weakness.

In the case of the Continental Tire Bowl between Pitt (8-4) and Virginia (7-5) tomorrow at Ericsson Stadium, the extra weeks of preparation probably weren't necessary to ensure a high-scoring game.

That's because both defenses have struggled this season while both offenses have flourished. In fact, if their defenses were better, the Panthers and Cavaliers would probably be playing on New Year's Day because they can score points in a hurry.

Pitt has allowed 399.5 yards and 24.0 points a game; Virginia has allowed 383.9 yards and 20.8 points. Meanwhile, the Panthers' offense has averaged 406.7 yards and 31.1 points, the Cavaliers' offense 381.4 yards and 28.4 points.

"Our defense has dominated some games," Virginia linebacker Darryl Blackstock said.

"And we played really well in some games, too. We just didn't finish a lot of games, and that has been our problem. I think we didn't finish enough games off, and that's why we have so many losses. I still think we're better than we were last year, because last year we beat ourselves too much.

"This year, it has all been about finishing as a defense. When we finish, like we did against Virginia Tech, we're a very good team and we can play with anyone."

Virginia's defense might not have finished some games, but in several, it never got started.

In a 31-7 loss to South Carolina, the Cavaliers allowed the Gamecocks to rush for 261 yards and throw for another 162. They gave up a 99-yard touchdown pass and allowed South Carolina's top rusher and receiver to each surpass 100 yards.

A few weeks later, Clemson defeated the Cavaliers in overtime, 30-27. In that game, the Tigers rushed for 194 yards and passed for 294. The next week, Virginia probably played its best defensive game in a 19-14 loss to Florida State. But the momentum was short-lived, as two weeks later North Carolina State amassed 553 yards and 51 points. That included 410 passing yards by Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers, who completed 29 of 34 attempts and threw four touchdown passes.

The next week, which completed a stretch of four losses in five games, Maryland beat the Cavaliers, 27-17. The Terrapins finished with 469 yards of total offense, including 278 on the ground.

But with the season slipping away, Virginia pulled together in time to salvage a winning record. In season-ending victories against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, the Cavaliers' defense was much improved.

Virginia limited Hokies running back Kevin Jones -- the same Kevin Jones who ran for 241 and four touchdowns against Pitt -- to 75 yards on 25 carries.

"It was very important for us to finish the season strong," Blackstock said. "We proved in that Virginia Tech game, right there, that if we finish the game on defense we'll win the game. And that game was a spotlight for us, sort of a showcase of how good we can be. I really think it started against Georgia Tech, though, not Virginia Tech. We played strong in back-to-back games and that will hopefully carry over against Pitt."

Said defensive end Chris Canty: "There are definitely some things we feel like we can do against Pitt's offensive front that we've done the past two games. They are a big group of guys and are talented, but they do have some weaknesses. We're just studying them, and we're going to try and exploit them."

Despite their recent history, neither team is convinced the game will turn into a shoot-out. For Pitt to score a lot of points, it will likely have to run the ball, something it has done with only modest success this season.

Pitt quarterback Rod Rutherford said he expects to have some openings to make big plays, but he expects the Panthers' offensive front to face some challenges in trying to stop the Cavaliers' 3-4 defense. He said turnovers will likely decide the outcome.

"They are a tall team, a big team. Their defense averages about 6 feet 2 up front at least," Rutherford said. "They are sound in what they do. They do a lot of disguising, so it is a challenge to make adjustments on the game. I don't think it's about preparing for a shoot-out; it's about making the least amount of mistakes.

"Both offenses are high-powered and there will be points put on the board, but it will come down to which team in the fourth quarter executes the best."

Virginia running back Wali Lundy agreed. Lundy has watched film of a Panthers defense that allowed three running backs to surpass 200 yards and allowed two opposing rushers to top 100 yards in the same game, but he said he isn't focused on duplicating what others have done.

"I just see that as four different teams who had great days, but that doesn't mean a thing because this is a different game, a different team" Lundy said. "We just have to approach this our way. We just have to run our plays the way we run them and not look at how the other teams ran them. We do know they give up a lot of yards and that means something, but we just have to execute our game plan."
 

Tight ends won't be forgotten in CTB
Miller, Wilson are major weapons for UVa, Pitt
By John Galinsky / Daily Progress staff writer
December 25, 2003

Maybe it’s scheme. Perhaps it’s personnel. Whatever the reasons, few college football teams feature their tight ends in the passing game the way Virginia and Pittsburgh do.

“I know it’s a priority position with us,” said UVa coach Al Groh. “If a guy wants to be a tight end, this is a good place for him to go, as is Pittsburgh. If a guy wants to be an eligible tackle, there are a lot of other places he can go.”

The starting tight ends in Saturday’s Continental Tire Bowl, UVa sophomore Heath Miller and Pitt senior Kris Wilson, are good blockers - but that’s not all. Together, they have caught 108 passes for 1,340 yards and 14 touchdowns this season. On other teams, the tight end is lucky if he touches the ball once per game.

“That’s a rare thing,” Wilson said. “You look around and you see tight ends get used very little. All they do is block. That’s not much fun.”

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Wilson and the 6-5, 254-pound Miller are rare talents. Both are big and strong enough to block defensive ends and linebackers. At the same time, they have the speed to get downfield and the hands to make tough catches.

Each was among eight semifinalists for the John Mackey Award, which goes to the nation’s top tight end. Wilson was one of three finalists. The honor went to Miami’s Kellen Winslow.

“I haven’t seen him much because I don’t look at film of the offensive side, but I’ve seen him while watching games at home and on highlights,” Wilson said of Miller. “He’s a quick guy, good hands. He knows how to get open - that’s the bottom line. I think we have a lot in common.”

Miller leads the Cavaliers in catches (66), receiving yards (751) and touchdown receptions (5). Wilson, who has 42 catches for 589 yards and nine TDs, is second on his team in all three categories to All-American receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

Among the nation’s tight ends, only Texas Tech’s Mickey Peters has more receptions and yards than Miller, while Wilson is tops in touchdowns.

“Kris Wilson is a very big threat and a very good player,” Groh said. “He’s got very good vertical skills. He finds the openings in the zones well. He’s another natural catcher. Obviously this game will have two of the very best receiving tight ends in college football.”

Groh says Wilson’s ability to get open on intermediate to deep patterns makes it difficult to focus coverage on Fitzgerald, who has 87 catches for 1,595 yards and 22 touchdowns. The two frequently line up on the same side of the field.

“If you try to overplay Fitzgerald, it really frees [Wilson] down the middle of the field,” Groh said. “It’s pretty lethal, the two people they have side by side.”

“I think we complement each other very much,” Wilson said. “I definitely wouldn’t have had the year I’ve had if Larry wasn’t getting double-teamed a lot. But it goes both ways. I think I’ve attracted a lot of attention and given Larry a chance to work against single coverage sometimes, which he obviously can exploit a great deal.”

Miller, meanwhile, also had the luxury of a marquee wideout to distract defenses last year. As a freshman, he emerged as an effective complement to Billy McMullen, catching 33 passes for 327 yards and nine TDs.

This year he has 30 more receptions than UVa’s top wideout, Ryan Sawyer, and has been the focal point of opponents’ coverage schemes most of the season. But that hasn’t stopped him. In the past two games alone, victories over Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, he caught 19 passes for 255 yards.

“I think I’m fortunate our coaches like to use the tight end in the passing game. It’s a tight end-friendly offense,” Miller said. “You have to be able to block. That’s important or you’re not going to play. But it’s a fun opportunity for the tight end to do both.”

Interestingly, neither Miller nor Wilson played tight end in high school. Miller came to UVa as a quarterback while Pitt coach Walt Harris recruited Wilson as a linebacker. But both made the transition to their new position early - and, apparently, smoothly. As a result, Saturday’s game at Ericsson Stadium could turn into something rare: a tight end showcase.

“It takes an athlete to play tight end at this level,” Wilson said. “You have to have the receiving skills to go catch passes and make plays. At the same time, you have to be big and strong enough to play in the trenches. Not everyone can do it, that’s for sure.”

 

A tall order for Cavs
Pittsburgh's star receiver a big test for Virginia's diminutive secondary
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 26, 2003
 

Count Virginia safety Jermaine Hardy among those disappointed that Larry Fitzgerald didn't win college football's most prestigious individual award.

"I really wanted Fitzgerald to win, so I can say I played against a Heisman Trophy winner and maybe shut him down or whatever," Hardy said.

Shutting down the nation's No.1 wide receiver probably isn't a realistic goal for U.Va (7-5), which meets Pitt (8-4) in tomorrow's Continental Tire Bowl at Charlotte, N.C. Cavaliers coach Al Groh will be delighted if his defense prevents Fitzgerald from taking over the game, as the 6-3, 225-pound sophomore from Minneapolis has done so often in his college career.

"I think Larry Fitzgerald's probably one of the great receivers to ever play in college football," Groh said.

Fitzgerald, who finished second to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White in balloting for the Heisman, has 87 catches for 1,595 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. The former Minnesota Vikings ball boy has caught at least one TD pass in 18 straight games, an NCAA record. His 34 touchdown receptions as a freshman and sophomore are another Division I-A record.

"It's amazing sometimes when you see the type of catches he makes, all the acrobatic coaches," U.Va. cornerback Almondo Curry said. "Some of them you just have to say, 'How does he do it?'"

Groh said he recalls watching TV replays last season of a Pitt receiver and saying to himself, "Whoa, who is this guy making these plays? I knew there was a great receiver at Pittsburgh before I knew what his name was, and then, after I kept seeing those plays, obviously learned it was Larry Fitzgerald."

Tomorrow's game could be the last as a collegian for Fitzgerald, who reportedly will petition the NFL to be allowed into the 2004 draft. The NFL requires players to be at least three years removed from high school graduation before entering the draft. Fitzgerald is three years out of high school, but he received his high school diploma two years ago from Valley Forge Military School Academy.

Fitzgerald has declined to publicly discuss his post-Tire Bowl plans, but the consensus is that he's ready for the NFL.

"It's hard to imagine a more dominant player in college football," said Groh, who spent 13 seasons on NFL coaching staffs. "He's one of the more dramatic receivers I've seen on any level. If you don't acknowledge how he can change a game, you have your head in the sand."

The Cavaliers rank fifth among ACC teams in pass defense. Fitzgerald won't be entering The Land Of The Giants when he ventures into U.Va.'s secondary. Groh's starting defensive backs - corners Curry and Tony Franklin and safeties Hardy and Jamaine Winborne - stand 5-8, 5-11, 5-11 and 5-10, respectively.

Worse for Virginia, Fitzgerald excels at exploiting his height advantage over shorter opponents.

"I don't know that anybody I've ever seen, regardless of their height - 5-11 or 6-6 - who plays as well vertically as this receiver does," Groh said. "Fitzgerald has a remarkable hand-to-eye coordination and a sense of how to position his body in order to go up and get the ball - often when he's heavily covered."

Fitzgerald's least productive outing this year, by far, came against Big East foe Miami in the regular-season finale. The Hurricanes sacked Pitt quarterback Rod Rutherford nine times and held Fitzgerald to three catches for 26 yards and one TD in their 28-14 victory.

"That's the best way to cut off a receiver like this: Keep the quarterback under constant duress," Groh said.

Groh knows his team can't duplicate Miami's defensive heat. Virginia can only hope the experience its defensive backs gained last season practicing against 6-4, 210-pound Billy McMullen, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, will help against Fitzgerald. Also, the Wahoos are coming off an encounter with Virginia Tech wideout Ernest Wilford, a 6-4, 221-pound senior who made the all-Big East second team.

"If he comes my way," Hardy said of Fitzgerald, "I'm just going to play him like any other guy."
 

TIRE BOWL NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Dec 26, 2003

OVERLOOKED? Chris Canty is the first Virginia defensive lineman since Todd White to make first- or second-team all-ACC in consecutive seasons.

White, a tackle, made the second team in 1995 and'96. Canty, an end, made the all-ACC second team last season after leading the conference's defensive linemen in tackles per game. The 6-7, 282-pound junior is averaging 7.9 tackles this season - again the most by an ACC defensive lineman - but was again voted onto the second team by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.

"Definitely disappointed about that," Canty said. "Kind of wonder what film some people look at, but I'm just pleased that our team has had the recent success that we've had. We're going to a bowl, we're playing a quality opponent."

Virginia (7-5) meets Pittsburgh (8-4) tomorrow in the second Continental Tire Bowl at Charlotte, N.C., Canty's hometown.

"It would be a really big win for the program," Canty said. "I don't think a lot of people understand that. And it'll give us a major steppingstone coming into next season."

Canty needs five tackles to become only the second lineman in U.Va. history to record 100 stops in a season. Stuart Anderson made 106 tackles in 1981.

He's on track to graduate in May with a bachelor's degree in African-American studies, but Canty said he plans to return to U.Va. for his final season of eligibility. Canty figures to be an All-America candidate in 2004 but isn't hung up on postseason honors.

"That stuff kind of takes care of itself with winning," Canty said. "My coach and I talked about it: The more your team wins, the more press the guys on the team win. And that's the most important thing, that's what we're here for. We're not here to get All-American and be 2-8. We're here to win games together as a team. That what I go out and bust my hump for. I go out and play hard for my teammates, because I love those guys."

LET THERE BE MUSIC: U.Va.'s athletics department will donate $50,000 from its Continental Tire Bowl proceeds to finance a music festival at the university. Planning for the festival will begin next semester.

Since Virginia's first appearance in a bowl game - the Peach in 1984 - the athletic department has donated more than $830,000 toward academic projects, school officials said.

U.Va. expects to receive $1 million from the ACC as its share of the conference's bowl-game revenue.

REPEAT PERFORMANCE? In last year's inaugural Tire Bowl, U.Va. whipped West Virginia 48-22 at Ericsson Stadium. The game's MVP was Virginia tailback Wali Lundy, who concluded his true-freshman season by scoring four touchdowns.

Two came on runs, of 4 and 31 yards, respectively. Lundy caught a 14-yard TD pass from wideout Marques Hagans on a trick play, and he teamed with quarterback Matt Schaub on a 48-yard pass play for another TD. In all, Lundy ran 22 times for 127 yards and caught five passes for 76 yards.

Nagging injuries have marred Lundy's sophomore season, beginning with the pulled hamstring he suffered in training camp. Still, the second-team all-ACC performer leads U.Va. in rushing yards (839) and rushing touchdowns (nine) and has caught 28 passes for 249 yards and four TDs.

Best of all for the Cavaliers, Lundy is likely to enter tomorrow's game the healthiest he's been all season.

"He's looked real frisky out there in practice the last couple of days," Virginia coach Al Groh said Wednesday. "He's got a little spurt to him we didn't see every week during the season."

ON THE PROWL: The Tire Bowl will mark the Panthers' fourth straight postseason appearance, all under coach Walt Harris. That's Pitt's longest stretch since they advanced to bowls in nine consecutive seasons (1975 to'83). A victory over U.Va. would give Pitt a second straight nine-win season, a feat it hasn't accomplished in more than 20 years.

DOUBLE DUTY: J.D. Brookhart, Pitt's offensive coordinator for the past four seasons, was named head coach at Akron this month. Brookhart, who also coaches the Panthers' wide receivers, has been dividing his time between the two programs since being introduced at Akron on Dec. 15.

"That is different," he told reporters, "but it's not insurmountable."

Brookhart starts full-time work at Akron on Sunday.

- Jeff White