Cavaliers adapt to changing opponents
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
December 5, 2004

Virginia players frequently talk about their goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament.

It’s quite early to predict if that will come to fruition but the Cavaliers got a taste of what the NCAA Tournament is like the last three days.

On Wednesday, the No. 24 Cavaliers beat Northwestern 48-44 in a game defined by a methodical pace. Less than

48 hours later, the Cavaliers outlasted Auburn 89-87 in a quick, up-and-down game.

If the Cavaliers do reach the NCAA, the situation they face there will be quite similar. One game you play with one style and then two days later, you can play a completely different style.

The similarity to their current situation and the NCAA was not lost on the Virginia players.

“I don’t think I have ever played two different teams in back-to-back games like that. Northwestern had a Princeton-style offense and then Auburn was run-and-gun. We were playing two games in 48 hours and were fighting fatigue. I think it shows a lot of character,” Elton Brown said. “If a team can do that and win both games, it shows that they are a good team.”

Certainly, the two games could not have been more different.

While Wednesday’s contest provided about the same enjoyment as watching paint dry, Friday’s game was 40 full minutes of action.

The pace was frenetic and offense was plentiful. Each team shot over 50 percent from the field (UVa 53.2, Auburn 52.6) and each nearly hit on 50 percent on their 3-pointers. Virginia finished 10 of 21 from behind the arc and Auburn was 13 of 27.

“It was good because it shows that we can play two types of games. We can play a halfcourt game and then play a game in which we get out and run. I think that is something to build on,” said Smith, who had

23 points in Friday’s victory.

The different paces of the games also made Virginia and Pete Gillen diversify the personnel.

Against Northwestern, Virginia tried to feed Brown in the post. Against Auburn, the Cavaliers opted for a smaller, quicker lineup to match the Tigers’ smaller, quicker lineup that featured no player taller than 6-foot-6.

At times, 6-5 small forward Devin Smith played the center position in the UVa small lineup.

“I was in there at center at one point, at least defensively. We went small for a while,” Smith said.

Gillen noted that there was at least similarity between the two games. In both contests, Virginia faced significant deficits for the first times this season. The deficit was much more pronounced against Auburn as the Cavaliers at one point trailed by nine in the first half and were down 44-38 at halftime.

“We had some adversity. We got a little flustered but we hung in there and dug down. We were able to find a way to win,” Gillen said.

The game marked further progression for freshman point guard Sean Singletary. He scored a career-high 25 points and made some spectacular plays during the second-half stretch in which Virginia surged to the lead.

The game came after an uneven performance against Northwestern.

“I thought Sean was great. He was aggressive. The other night he was a little tentative. He admitted that he was a little nervous and that’s natural. He’s a freshman and it’s a big game on national TV,” Gillen said. “He was much more aggressive and made some tremendous plays.”

Cavs aim for more success in Midwest
No. 24 Virginia travels to Iowa for tilt with Cyclones
By Andrew Joyner / Daily Progress staff writer
December 6, 2004

Another week, another trek to the Midwest.

After touring greater Chicago last week with a win at Northwestern last Wednesday, the No. 24 Virginia Cavaliers this time journey west of the Mississippi and into the plains of Iowa for a contest against Iowa State.

The differences in the excursions? Well, colder and windier could certainly be one answer, but sticking to basketball, there are a few.

Simply put, Iowa State is likely a tougher opponent and plays in an arena tougher to win in.

Unlike slow footed and methodical Northwestern, Iowa State likes to push the ball and has a talented backcourt to implement that style.

Curtis Stinson and Will Blalock are both averaging 17 points per contest and are considered one of the better backcourts in the nation. Jared Homan, the Cyclones’ 6-foot-11 center, joins Stinson and Blalock as the Cyclones’ three key players.

The Cyclones’ arena, Hilton Coliseum, is considered one of the tougher venues in the Big 12. Under second-year coach Wayne Morgan, Iowa State is 20-1 at Hilton with the only loss coming to Oklahoma State last season. At 14,092 seats, it is the biggest and expected to be the loudest arena the Cavaliers have played in so far this season. It should be quite different from the smallish Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern, which was only about 75 percent full last Wednesday. Hilton is expected to be sold out tonight, in preparation for the Cavaliers.

Those are the external factors facing Virginia this evening, but the internal ones may carry equal or greater weight.

The Cavaliers are playing their fourth game of a stretch in which they will play five games over 10 days. The Cavaliers traveled from Chicago to Richmond for Friday night’s 89-87 win over Auburn and are now jetting to Iowa for this contest against the Cyclones.

“I feel that we have been handling this stretch pretty well so far,” freshman guard Sean Singletary said. “We’ve been getting wins, sometimes we sneaked out with the wins, but they were wins. I think it’s been a good learning experience. It’s been a great confidence builder. Of course, we know Iowa State is going to be another tough test.”

Ample rest seems always to be at the top of Virginia coach Pete Gillen’s worry list. While the ever-nervous coach will likely still be worried about that when tipoff arrives, his players seem to be taking an another-place, another-day, another-game approach.

“It’s a big game Monday but we will be ready,” senior center Elton Brown said.

New Playcaller Needed?
Wade Peery
TheWagonOnline.com

Does Groh need a new offensive coordinator?
Al Groh’s first three seasons at his alma-mater went surprisingly well. While his first season was a losing one, Virginia ended the season with a home victory over Penn State. In the off-season, he landed one of the nation’s top 15 recruiting classes in 2002 and it immediately played dividends on the football field.

While starting several true freshmen in 2002, his Virginia Cavalier’s vastly exceeded the low expectations set for them by the media in preseason polls. The media picked the Cavaliers to finish second to last in the ACC and the team used that as motivation all season long. Behind the gifted arm of Matt Schaub and a defense with a "bend, but don’t break" mentality, the Cavaliers took the college football world by storm and finished with a surprising 9-4 record that season.

The ‘Hoos capped their magical season with a resounding 48-22 thrashing of the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Continental Tire Bowl and thus life could not be better as a member of the Wahoo nation. Their freshman running back, Wali Lundy, had just slashed through the Mountaineer defense for 239-all purpose yards, four touchdowns, and was named Continental Tire Bowl MVP. Their youthful football team was immediately tabbed as a “team on the rise” by many writers and the future seemed bright in Charlottesville.

The buzz of excitement for Cavalier fans would wear off all too soon though, because shortly after the thrilling bowl victory, their extremely gifted offensive coordinator, Bill Musgrave, departed to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars with friend Jack Del Rio. Many Cavalier fans wondered if Al Groh could replace the magical offensive coordinator, who dazzled fans all season long with his innovative play-calling abilities.

Two years later, Virginia fans have seen a complete role reversal of their football team. Coming into the 2004 season the Virginia football team had extremely high expectations and reasonably so. They returned one of the most talented backfields in the ACC, one of the best offensive lines in the country, the best linebacking corps in the country, the most sure-handed tight end in the country, and one of the best kickers in the country. They were picked to finish third place in the new-ACC by the media, and two writers were even audacious enough to pick the Cavaliers to bring home the ACC crown.

Now Virginia fans are extremely upset because their team failed to live up to expectations and failed to play up to their unlimited potential. The team had several opportunities to make the big step towards claiming an ACC title (please see FSU, Miami, VT), but instead in the big games they took a big step backwards. The Orange and Blue finished with a disappointing 8-3 regular season record and instead of dreaming of an ACC title, Cavalier fans are now loathing the fact they have to play against Fresno State in the “Boise Blue Turf on Mars Bowl!”

No disrespect to the officials at the MPC Computers Bowl, but the Cavaliers would rather have root canals than play on that hideous blue rug in frigid Boise, Idaho. I can just picture it now with one of ESPN’s announcers saying: “No folks, that isn’t a flattened giant smurf you’re looking at…it’s the bizarre blue turf that is the home of the Boise St. Broncos.”

Smurf talk aside, Virginia football fans’ worst fears have come true; the departure of offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave has left a void in the Cavalier offense that has yet to be filled with the right man. There are grumblings amongst the Wahoo nation that Ron Prince should have his play-calling duties revoked and I completely agree with them. While there are a few Cavalier fans that are completely irrational on the message boards on rivals.com and elsewhere, this is one gripe that many fans have nailed on the head.

Virginia’s performance on the field this season has confirmed what many fans have thought for the past two seasons; Ron Prince should not be Virginia’s offensive coordinator. The play-calling got conservative down the stretch and the Cavaliers held back on the trick plays that fans have become accustomed to seeing over the years. Now to his credit, the ‘Hoos disappointing season cannot be placed squarely on Prince’s shoulders. It can also be attributed to three factors that were exposed down the stretch: Marques Hagans’ inability to make proper reads down the field, the poor play by a youthful secondary, and the inconsistent play by a veteran offensive line.

Still, Virginia’s coaches need to shoulder most of the blame for their team finishing with an 8-3 regular season record and tying for a disappointing fourth place in the new ACC. This Virginia roster was bursting at the seams with talent and far too talented to finish with three losses this season. While Al Groh has been frequently quoted as saying that players make the difference, this season was a great example that not only do players make the difference, but coaches do as well.

Virginia played extremely well in every other game besides the big three (FSU, Miami, and VT) destroying inferior competition and soundly defeating them in nearly every aspect of the game. It’s the hardest for Virginia fans to stomach two of those losses (Miami, VT) because the Cavaliers had a shot at the ACC title and squandered big-time opportunities in each of those games. Miami’s receivers continued to drop the big passes and gave the Cavaliers several opportunities to take control of the game, yet the ‘Hoos failed to capitalize on the Hurricanes’ miscues. Ron Prince’s inept play-calling in the Virginia Tech game not only cost them points on the scoreboard, but it also failed to put his players in the best position to win.

What happened in the Virginia Tech game was a perfect example. Ron Prince needs to trust Marques Hagans’ arm more, because otherwise he shouldn’t be the signal-caller of this team. He has made several incredible throws on the run this season (Florida State, GT, Syracuse), but obviously Prince seems to have forgotten about those. Hagans only had four pass attempts in the first half of the Virginia Tech game, which clearly shows that Prince doesn’t respect his quarterback’s ability to throw the football.

Hagans may not be the best quarterback in the ACC, but he has still made some amazing throws this season. He’s currently the owner of the second-best pass efficiency rating in the ACC (138.0). I would say that’s not too shabby for your first-full year of being the field-general on the Division 1 level. Not only that, it’s well-known that Hagans’ best pass is his deep ball. If he’s the most accurate with that pass then why not try a few more shots down the field? It certainly couldn’t have hurt, because the one time “Biscuit” did fire the ball deep in the Virginia Tech game, he connected with a leaping Alvin Pearman for an acrobatic touchdown. If you don’t let “Biscuit” use his strengths, then clearly you are not putting him in the best position to win.

Hagans’ biggest strength has long been his ability to juke and jive his way around defenders. He seems to have ankles made of rubber, because he can slash and juke his way around any defense in the country. Just when you think you have him wrapped up, he reverses field and scambles downfield for a big gain. He ought to be nicknamed the “innovator” because he constantly able to create something out of nothing.

“Biscuit” had some of his most sparkling runs this season when they were designed pass plays. He thrives when the pocket breaks down and he can make a play with his legs. One play Ron Prince didn’t call enough of this season was the option. Hagans is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country and not giving him a chance to use his best asset is leaving one of your most dangerous weapons in the bag. His running ability will not only open up things for Virginia’s other tailbacks, but also for the passing game.

Who will forget that beautifully orchestrated run against Syracuse when Hagans rolled to his right, then scampered down the sideline for a 59-yard touchdown run? Who will forget the play that Hagans made against Miami, late in the fourth quarter, with his team trailing by 10 points, he danced his way around Hurricane defenders for a 47-yard run all the way to the three yard line. Cavalier fans will surely see more exciting plays like those if a little more option is mixed into the playbook. “Biscuit’s” scintillating running ability put his team in a better position to win several games this season and the Virginia coaches need to utilize that ability more often.

The Cavaliers also have the nation’s top tight end in AFCA All-American Heath Miller; they should have found more ways to get him the ball down the stretch in the big games. Otherwise, the coaches are failing to use one of their biggest threats on the offensive side of the ball. Miller creates more mismatches than nearly any other receiver in the country and Prince should use him as much as possible. His ability to stretch opposing defenses across the middle not only opens things up for the ground attack, but it also frees up other receivers.

The biggest area where I think Ron Prince failed this season was his stubbornness in not calling enough play-action. It’s true that Virginia has one of the best backfields in the ACC, but when you’re running the football on nearly every down you need to utilize play-action to keep defenses off-balance. Virginia simply didn’t run enough play-action in the Virginia Tech game.

If you go back and look at the tape, the few times that Hagans ran play-action, it usually resulted in a big play for the offense. Coaches should realize those big plays are happening for a reason, because play-action is one of the Cavalier’s biggest offensive weapons.

Hagans wasn't trusted to throw the ball enough at key times.
An area where Prince put Hagans in a tough situation to succeed came at the beginning of the fourth quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Virgina was sniffing the end zone and had the football, first and goal from the one yard line. The Cavalier offense was looking to punch the ball in the end zone for a 14-10 lead and give the team a huge boost in momentum. After Alvin Pearman was stuffed at the two yard line, Prince called what will be remembered as his two worst play calls of the season.

Virginia has one of the most dominant offensive lines in the ACC, yet Prince decided to call a bootleg to the left side of the field where Hagans had to throw across his body to receiver Deyon Williams and the ball was batted down by Tech defensive back Vincent Fuller. The amazing thing is that Hagans nearly completed the pass, but it was excellent coverage by Fuller and the Tech corners. That being said, nine times out of ten you’re not going to complete that pass. It just isn’t a very high percentage play to force your quarterback to throw across his body; I don’t care how talented he is.

Then on third and goal from the two, Prince called another bootleg, this time to the right side of the field, where Hagans scampered his way around Tech defenders, but was forced out at the two-yard line. Connor Hughes trotted out onto the field and kicked three points through the uprights, tying the game at 10 apiece, but UVa fans knew they should’ve been up 14-10 at that point. Not only did Prince not utilize Virginia’s veteran offensive line, but he forced Hagans into two bad situations.

Bootlegs from the goal line are just terrible play calls, especially when you have a 6’6, 338 pounder blocking for you at right guard in AFCA All-American Elton Brown. If you can’t trust a talented offensive line like Virginia’s to get Wali Lundy in the end zone on goal line situations, who can you trust?

Another game where you could clearly see Prince’s unwillingness to call play-action was the Maryland game. Virginia completely dominated Maryland in every aspect of the game, but only managed to score 16 points. They outgained the Terps in total offense by nearly 200 yards, 409 yards to the Terps’ 214. Prince’s desire to play “power football” and smash the football down Marylands’ throats seemed stubborn at times because he didn’t mix in enough play-action.

Play-action only opens up more holes for the likes of Pearman, Lundy, and Johnson to run through. As dominant as Virginia’s offensive line has been at times, a play-action pass to Heath Miller or Michael McGrew would only make their jobs easier. I know the Cavaliers got the win against Maryland, but they still could’ve cashed in on more opportunities if they injected more play-action to the playbook. That game will certainly be labeled as the beginning of the end for Ron Prince if Al Groh is smart enough to make the move of changing the offensive coordinator.

Now, I’m not calling for Ron Prince to leave Virginia, because he is an excellent offensive line coach and I truly believe that. His offensive line may have been inconsistent this season, but they dominated for most of the season and were a big part in clearing the path for the most successful ground attack in the ACC. Virginia had the top-ranked offense (over 420 ypg.) and the top-ranked rushing offense(over 240 ypg) in the conference this season, both of which are major accomplishments for Prince.

He and strength coach Evan Marcus should definitely be credited for the immense improvement of the Cavalier offensive line, which finally started to gel together this season and was a dominant force in several games. I just think his play-calling handcuffed Marques Hagans’ at times, and down the stretch it was questionable at best in the big-time games.

I’ll be the first to admit that Virginia fans can be a little crazy at times, but they watch the games as closely as anybody and they have realized the need for change. Al Groh needs to step up and make the change for somebody else to be the offensive coordinator at Virginia.

Now who should that person be?

Well I think Groh knows plenty of people from his NFL contacts and he should utilize that list. I think Cavalier fans would definitely trust the judgement of Groh if he were to hand pick somebody from the NFL ranks to run his “west-coast” offense. Many fans have brought up the name of Jeff Rutledge, who is a good friend of Al Groh’s. I think he would be a great addition, because he is the head coach of a team that runs the west-coast offense at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee.

Many Cavalier will fans remember that tight end Tom Santi had a stellar high school career at Montgomery Bell Academy under Rutledge’s tutelage. Maybe Rutledge would help to bring back the true “west coast” offense to Charlottesville.

Virginia’s coaches have moved away from the normal version of the “west coast” offense due largely in part to the change in the quarterback. They’ve changed from precision drop back passer in Matt Schaub to the shifty, less accurate Marques Hagans. They’ve also moved away from it because of their strong desire to play “power football.”

Marques Hagans is still a better passer than many give him credit for and the Virginia offense needs to utilize their running backs as receivers because Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman are two of the best dual-threat tailbacks in the ACC. In 2002, Lundy and Pearman combined for 79 receptions and in 2003 they hauled in a whopping 92 receptions. This season that number dropped off to 37 receptions, which simply should not happen, regardless of who the quarterback is. It’s true they had better production in previous years because they had Matt Schaub throwing the ball, but Virginia still needs to utilize their tailbacks as receivers. It helps to stretch out the defenses a bit and keep them on their toes.

Another thing that Virginia fans want to see is a few more trick plays like the ones that were so frequent in 2002. Virginia certainly has the versatile athletes to mix it up a little, why not use them a little bit? It only opens things for our offense. Down the stretch, Virginia’s coaches got conservative and held back on the trick plays, instead opting to play “power football” and run the ball up the middle. Members of the Wahoo nation would love nothing more than to see more of those plays in the playbook, because it shows that their coaches are willing to risk it all.

Robert F. Kennedy once said: “Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”

If Al Groh is really serious about wanting to make that next step towards greatness and contending for a national title, he must find an offensive coordinator who is willing to take risks like we saw in 2002. Ron Prince is a great offensive line coach, but his lack of imagination and inability to trust his players severely hurt the ‘Hoos chances on the field this season.

Singletary has his sights set on successs
Sean McLernon, Cavalier Daily Sports Editor

RICHMOND, Va. -- You could see it in his eyes. Sean Singletary was ready to make something happen.

The Cavaliers were struggling against Auburn Friday night, falling behind by six points at the break and trailing for the early part of the second half. With less than 10 minutes remaining on the clock, the score was tied at 64. Enter Singletary.

"I felt as though we needed an answer somewhere," Singletary said of Virginia's situation midway through the second half.

The freshman point guard provided the Cavaliers with that answer. He scored eight of the team's next 10 points, including a pull-up jumper, a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from the corner to give Virginia a four-point lead it would never relinquish.

To have such an inexperienced player almost single-handedly lift Virginia may seem like a surprise. But you wouldn't have been surprised if you had seen what I saw. You wouldn't have been surprised if you had seen the fire in his eyes.

Barely 19 years old and generously listed at 6 feet tall, Singletary looked like a child among men on the court. But the kind of passion, intensity and focus I saw in his eyes suggested that Singletary is ready to play with the big boys. His play confirmed it.

Against the Tigers Friday, Singletary dropped a career-high 25 points. But that wasn't all. The diminutive guard led the team with two blocks and pulled down more rebounds than senior big men Elton Brown and Jason Clark, combined. More importantly, he led the Cavaliers to their sixth straight victory, extending Virginia's perfect season for at least another few days.

Earning the starting point guard job over sophomore incumbent T.J. Bannister suggested that this new kid was something special. But he hadn't proven anything at that point. Manning the point during Virginia's 18-point upset win over then-No. 10 Arizona was impressive, but it was only the Cavaliers' second game of the season. It could have been a fluke. After the sixth game of the season and following a pair of close wins in a span of 48 hours, there can be little doubt left in anyone's mind. Singletary is for real.

Both the Northwestern game and Friday's contest against Auburn went down to the wire. Each team still had a chance to win into the final minute. The fact that the Cavaliers pulled both contests out with Singletary as their floor general shows more about the freshman than any numbers on the stat sheet.

Some of the most talented point guards in the country call the ACC home. With the likes of Chris Paul, Ray Felton, Jarret Jack and John Gilchrist running the show for Virginia's in-conference opponents, Singletary will be going against some tough competition this season.

But the Cavaliers are happy with their situation at point guard. Even the elder statesmen of the team have been impressed by the play of the young starter.

"For him to come in this type of environment, playing two games in 48 hours, it shows a lot of character for him," Brown said of Singletary. "He's young and he's still got a lot of growing up to do, but sometimes talent can make up for experience."

For Singletary, it's more than just talent. He's confident, but not cocky. He knows what he can do, and he's ready to do it. It's there. You can see it.

All you have to do is look into his eyes.