Erasing Bad Memories
Lundy hopes to forget about fumble at Virginia Tech
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
December 22, 2004

Wali Lundy does not like to talk about it.

The experience, Lundy says, “hurt” him.

Which experience is the Virginia tailback pointing toward?

No, it was not the junior’s demotion from the starting lineup midway through the season for senior Alvin Pearman, something that is expected to continue for one more game - the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho on Monday afternoon. Virginia (8-3) faces Fresno State (8-3) at 2 p.m.

The experience that he cringes about when asked was his fumble in the second quarter against Virginia Tech on Nov. 27, the Cavaliers’ final regular-season game.

When asked on Monday where the play ranks among those in his career that he would like to have over, Lundy said the fumble that stalled a Virginia drive at the Hokies’ 8 yard line was tops on his list.

Virginia coach Al Groh said the turnover occurred probably because “the ball wasn’t entered in properly,” during the handoff to Lundy from quarterback Marques Hagans.

Lundy agreed.

“We just had a bad exchange,” Lundy said. “The ball hit my arm that was down and I never could really grab it.”

Lundy had entered the game right after Pearman raced down Virginia Tech’s sidelines for a 78-yard gain, moving the ball into the red zone.

On his first carry, Lundy raced up the middle for a 6-yard gain. He followed that up with another 6-yard carry, this time behind Virginia’s left guard Brian Barthelmes.

On that second handoff, Lundy noticed something from the defense.

“The guy had came down across my face and I started cutting it back early so I could get out of his way,” Lundy said.

Lundy’s move worked and Virginia had a 1st-and-goal at the Virginia Tech 4.

Lundy said that Virginia offensive coordinator Ron Prince called for the Cavaliers’ to run the same play.

Again, Lundy saw a defender coming across his face. He tried to cut back. There was one problem. He did not have the football.

Virginia went on to lose to the Hokies, 24-10, securing a fourth-place finish in the ACC and its bowl fate.

The fumble was only the fifth of the season for the team, a low number by NCAA standards, but that offered little comfort for Groh.

“Five is good, but five wasn’t good enough,” Groh said. “Had it been four, probably our overall circumstances would have been different. That’s how important it is. Just think of that. Five is great. That puts us in the top 10 in the country, [but] if it had been four, the whole final result of the season probably would have been different.”

Lundy knows he can do little to change what happened on that play or when he fumbled earlier in the season in a win over Clemson.

Instead, Lundy is remaining positive and pointing to the good things he accomplished this season. He had 161 carries for 801 yards and scored 16 touchdowns, the most on the team.

“I think I had a good season. I think I had a better season than I had the past two years,” Lundy said. “There’s always things you want to change and go back, but you have to learn from stuff and grow as a player. I think I grew as a player this year.”

Lundy also knows that he controls his own destiny and putting the fumbles behind him starts against Fresno State on Monday.

“I would say you just have to learn from things like that. It helps you get more focused because you can’t take things for granted,” Lundy said. “Over my career, I really haven’t been mishandling the ball, but it happened a couple of times this year.

“Things happen in a game [that] you can’t really do anything about it. I try not to focus on them. Everybody likes to ask you about your mistakes and nobody wants to tell you about the play that you did good on. I think you just have to build from it. You can’t just keep focusing on it or you will make more mistakes.”

Mistakes were not a part of Lundy’s two previous bowl experiences, both of which came in Charlotte, N.C., at the Continental Tire Bowl.

In 2002, Lundy set a school record for scoring in a bowl game with four touchdowns against West Virginia.

Lundy finished the game against the Mountaineers with 127 yards rushing and 76 yards receiving. He was also named the Most Valuable Player in the game.

Last year, Lundy rushed for 90 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown against Pittsburgh, a 1-yard plunge in the second quarter.

Lundy is not looking at the trip to Boise individually, but more for how it will improve the team leading into spring practice.

“I think a big thing with Coach Groh, he looks at this game as it leading us into next year. The type of game we play [against Fresno State], is going to be the type of team that’s going to come into camp next year,” Lundy said. “There’s a lot of focus on younger players getting better during the bowl practices.”

Lundy said there is added attention on underclassmen to “take leadership because some of the senior leadership is leaving. I think it is real big for our team, this bowl game.”

Virginia tackle toils in obscurity
Johnna Espinoza
The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 12-22-2004
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Andrew Hoffman may not be a marquee name on the University of Virginia football roster.

However, those inside the Cavaliers' program will tell you that the senior nose tackle is a key component to team's success.

Coach Al Groh describes Hoffman as the "cornerstone" of the Cavaliers' 3-4 or stack defense.

"As many of the players as we have had on our team who have had a very good season for us, I would say nobody has had a better season than Andrew Hoffman has," Groh said.

Area college football fans have an opportunity to check out Hoffman and the rest of the Cavaliers when 18th-ranked Virginia (8-3) faces Fresno State (8-3) in the MPC Computers Bowl on Monday. Kickoff is at noon at Bronco Stadium.

Hoffman's primary responsibility is clogging up the middle to prevent opponents from effectively running the ball. Virginia — which begins practicing in Boise today — is 18th in the nation in run defense, allowing 109.2 yards a game.

The 6-foot-4, 284-pound Hoffman has become so skilled at the position, he has

earned the trust a0nd respect of his teammates, such as defensive end Brennan Schmidt.

"We wouldn't be able to make a lot of those plays if it weren't for Andrew Hoffman keeping the center off of the linebackers or keeping the quarterback from scrambling or making plays himself in the backfield," Schmidt said.

Hoffman did not make the All-ACC first team like five of his teammates. He was an honorable-mention selection.

Hoffman may not get a lot of requests for interviews this week. The buzz will swirl around All-Americans Heath Miller, a tight end, and Elton Brown, an offensive lineman. Or perhaps Hoffman will watch as folks swarm around running back Alvin Pearman or linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Darryl Blackstock.

Hoffman plays in the eye of the storm, but essentially misses the national radar.

"I'm just not one of those guys. The spotlight is not for me," Hoffman says. "A lot of guys like that and need that to play. But I just enjoy playing the game and winning."

Hoffman's contribution can be measured, even if his name is not listed by each and every statistic. He has 26 solo tackles, 22 assists, nine tackles for loss for 33 yards, three sacks and one pass break-up.

The Cavaliers rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 15.9 points per game. Virginia ranks 15th in the nation in total defense, allowing an average of 300.27 yards per game.

Hoffman was a part of two shutouts this season — 51-0 over Akron and 16-0 over Maryland.

And he has helped Virginia advance to its third straight bowl game.

"He is probably one of the best nose tackles in the country. But I don't think he has gotten the accolades that he deserves," Schmidt said. "He is a big guy. But he also runs a 4.7 or 4.8 (40), which is insane."

Schmidt estimates that Hoffman is double-teamed about 80 percent of the time, but still avoids mistakes and makes big plays.

"It is very comfortable for me as a defensive end to know that anything they want to run up the middle, they are going to have a tough time going because he is there," Schmidt said.
 

Hoffman stands tall among elite
By Carl Lukat
12/21/2004

Andrew Hoffman, a 2000 graduate of Park View High School, took his game to a new level in his senior season at the University of Virginia.

Andrew Hoffman looked to be headed for big things when he accepted a full scholarship to attend and play football at the University of Virginia.

Hoffman, a 2000 graduate of Park View High School, now appears headed for even bigger things as he prepares, along with his Virginia teammates, for his final college game.

"It's been a tremendous experience. I've had a lot of great experiences and learned a lot," said Hoffman, a defensive tackle who started all but one game over the last three seasons.

Hoffman, who will graduate at the end of the fall semester with a degree in environmental science, concludes his college football career Dec. 27 when the Cavaliers (8-3) square off against Fresno State (8-3) in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise, Idaho.

"We just want to come out with another win and come away with a 9-3 season," Hoffman said about his team's goals in the bowl game. "How you do in a bowl game really says a lot about a program. A win in the bowl game can really help this program for the years to come."

After the bowl game, Hoffman plans to relax and enjoy the rest of the holiday before resuming a rigorous workout schedule.

Even though his college-playing days will come to an end later this month, Hoffman has no intention of seeing his football-playing days end.

"I'd love to play at the next level," said Hoffman. "I'm going to work hard for the combine and the draft. That's definitely what I want to do. My goal to play in the NFL probably started when I first started here at Virginia."

Hoffman hopes to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins Feb. 23 in Indianapolis. He was selected as an honorable mention onto the All-ACC team Dec. 7 after recording 48 tackles, including three sacks and nine tackles for losses in his senior season. SportingNews currently ranks Hoffman as the ninth-best defensive tackle prospect for the NFL Draft.

Another factor working in Hoffman's favor as he sets his sights on the NFL is Virginia coach Al Groh, who led the New York Jets to a 9-7 record in 2000 before taking over at Virginia in 2001.

Groh has compiled a record of 30-20 over his four seasons at the helm of the Cavaliers.

"With him coming to the University of Virginia from an NFL program, that definitely helps prepare us for an NFL future,” Hoffman explained.

“Our style is more set up towards an NFL style. He really helps prepares us for that goal of playing at the next level."

The NFL draft will be April 23-24 in New York. Hoffman's professional career will remain unclear until that point, but his loyalty to the Virginia program for the years to come is very clear.

"We are a real tight-knit group,” Hoffman stated. “We have a thing on this team where whether you are here or not, you are still part of the family."

Countless reasons you should hate Duke
Players, Cameron Crazies, smug attitude — all Devils
COMMENTARY
By Michael Ventre
NBCSports.com contributor
Updated: 1:53 a.m. ET Nov. 17, 2004

I really hate Duke.

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I hate their uniforms, home and road. I hate their warm-ups. I hate the way they carry themselves, with that smugness that says, “We don’t talk trash. We dispose of it.” I hate their fans and wish they would find something more productive to do with their lives than paint their faces blue and white. And while I don’t hate their coach per se, I hate the fact that he hasn’t bit on the NBA bait yet and opened the door for the Blue Devils program to be run by the ACC equivalent of Steve Lavin.

These feelings weren’t always inside me. They have been slowly percolating over the years as Mike Krzyzewski and his henchmen have taken Duke from respected team to college basketball’s version of Time-Warner. The Dukies aren’t a scrappy bunch of athletes, they’re a board meeting on hardwood. When I want to find out how Duke is doing lately, I’m tempted to turn on Maria Bartiromo or Ron Insana.

Every year around this time, Duke becomes even more intolerable. During the regular season, they compete for attention with the likes of Kentucky, Stanford, UConn, Pittsburgh, Texas, Arizona, Cincinnati, Kansas, North Carolina and many other elite assemblages.

But then comes Selection Sunday, the unofficial day in which geeks who know nothing about basketball and think Emeka Okafor is an exotic honeymoon destination suddenly perk up and declare that their pick in the office pool to win the NCAA tournament is Duke. These are the kinds of living-on-the-edge daredevils who will argue that John Wooden DOES SO belong in the Hall of Fame, and that if LeBron James had played college ball, he would have excelled.

So much of my antipathy toward Duke has to do with its basketball alumni. Consider Christian Laettner for a moment. He is a poster boy for Blue Devil arrogance. Somewhere along his lineage, I believe there is a link to Simon Cowell. After basketball, I could imagine him foreclosing mortgages for a bank.

But Duke seems to put out a Laettner almost every year. Recently it’s been J.J. Redick, who like Laettner has all the coeds swooning. He’s fundamentally sound, a great shooter, former Mr. Basketball in Virginia, McDonald’s All-American, blah blah blah. Don’t they recruit any fat skinheads at that school?

And what about Elton Brand? He was considered an outlaw at Duke because he defied tradition and declared early for the NBA draft. Rather than turn into a pot-smoking referee-abuser or a total bust, Brand is one of the finest guys you’ll ever want to meet, as well as a great player. See? Even when Duke produces a delinquent member of the family, he turns out to be a credit to the university. Sometimes it just makes me want to hurl.

Carlos Boozer? Underrated coming out of Duke, now rounding into an All-Star caliber player. Shane Battier? Leading the resurgence of the Memphis Grizzlies. Mike Dunleavy? Playing well for the Golden State Warriors. Danny Ferry? Lasted longer in the NBA than anyone could have dreamed. Grant Hill? Set for life.

Just once I would like to pull up at the Taco Bell drive-thru window and be waited on by Bobby Hurley or Cherokee Parks.

Duke players rarely bounce around the European bush leagues, or struggle to make a USBL roster. They either go right from Durham to the NBA, or they get a high-salaried job in a business run by a obsessive Duke alum who wants them to just sit in an office from 9 to 5 and sign autographs. Just once I would like to pull up at the Taco Bell drive-thru window and be waited on by Bobby Hurley or Cherokee Parks.

Then there are the Cameron Crazies. They have been known to camp out for tickets to Duke home games for months at a time. This raises the question about the quality of education these kids are getting. It seems to me that if students go to class, then they would lose their places in line. That means the ones who remain, obtain tickets and attend games must be the dumbest ones on campus. This explains a lot.

When the Crazies get inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, they pride themselves on being superior hecklers. They supposedly are adept at coming up with all sorts of creative chants and stunts. But they’re really living off their reputations lately. The students haven’t come up with any new material since Jay Bilas was in uniform. Even when North Carolina comes to visit, I notice some of the Tar Heels mouthing the words to the insults along with the Duke fans. Sometimes its so dull inside Cameron these days, Dick Vitale keeps his voice down for fear of disturbing anyone.

And, of course, there is Krzyzewski. Again, I can’t go negative on Coach K. It’s like ridiculing your favorite uncle. The man exudes class and excellence. He graduates his players. He gets his pick of the nation’s top high school prospects. He dresses well. He even deals with the media without retching. He is the closest thing we have to royalty in college basketball.

But just once I would like to see him finish last in the ACC. Just once I would like to hear about a recruiting scandal under his nose — nothing serious, you understand, maybe something involving blue-and-white painted strippers running amok at a recruiting party. Just once I would like to see him throw a chair, even for just a couple of feet. Just once I would like to see him pound on the scorer’s table in anger. Just once I would like to see Coach K on the sidelines wearing a sweater, sporting a pot belly, displaying a bald spot and nervously sucking on a towel.

Then I wouldn’t hate Duke anymore. Until then, I’m going to root against the Blue Devils, even though I have them winning it all on my tournament bracket.

AP Tells BCS to Stop Using Its Rankings
By RALPH D. RUSSO
AP Sports Writer
Published December 22, 2004, 11:14 AM EST

NEW YORK -- It looks as if the Bowl Championship Series is headed for another major overhaul. The Associated Press has told the BCS to stop using its college football poll to determine which teams play for the national title and in the most prestigious bowl games.

Since the BCS was implemented in 1998 by officials from the Big East, Big 12, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference, Pac-10, Southeastern Conference and Notre Dame, the formula it uses to rank teams has been tweaked almost every year. But the AP poll and the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll have always been an integral part.

The AP said such use was never sanctioned and had reached the point where it threatened to undermine the independence and integrity of the poll.

The AP sent BCS coordinator Kevin Weiberg a cease-and-desist letter, dated Dec. 21, stating that use of the poll is unlawful and harms the AP's reputation.

"We respect the decision of the Associated Press to no longer have its poll included in the BCS standings," Weiberg said. "Since the inception of the BCS, the AP poll has been part of our standings. We appreciate the cooperation we have received from the organization in providing rankings on a weekly basis. We will discuss alternatives to the Associated Press poll at the upcoming BCS meetings and plan to conclude our evaluation of the BCS standings formula, including any other possible changes, by our April meeting."

The AP said it had declined BCS overtures for any cooperative arrangements and that the BCS had access to the poll only from news outlets that published it, not directly from the AP.

Where the BCS goes from here won't be determined for a while, but even before the AP made its poll off limits Weiberg had said that the BCS planned to look into the possibility of using a selection committee to create the bowl matchups, much like the NCAA Division I basketball tournament.

This season, the AP and coaches poll were given more weight than ever in the BCS standings. Each poll accounted for one-third of a team's BCS grade and total points were factored in, not just ranking, which was the case before.

A compilation of six computer rankings made up the final third of teams' BCS grade.

The new system put heighten scrutiny on the two polls.

In its letter, the AP said some of its poll voters had indicated they might no longer participate because of concerns over having their reporters be so closely involved in the process of determining which teams play where.

"By stating that the AP poll is one of the three components used by BCS to establish its rankings, BCS conveys the impression that AP condones or otherwise participates in the BCS system," the letter said. "Furthermore, to the extent that the public does not fully understand the relationship between BCS and AP, any animosity toward BCS may get transferred to AP. And to the extent that the public has equated or comes to equate the AP poll with the BCS rankings, the independent reputation of the AP poll is lost."

The latest BCS formula was installed after Southern California, the No. 1 team in both the media and coaches poll, was left out of the BCS title game last season. LSU beat Oklahoma for the BCS title, and USC won the AP title, creating the type of split championship situation that, in part, the BCS was created to avoid.

But the new system has also come under fire.

For the first time in the BCS era, three teams from major conferences -- Southern California, Oklahoma and Auburn -- finished unbeaten in the regular season. Auburn was left out of the Orange Bowl with the same 12-0 record that USC and Oklahoma had.

Texas passed California for the last at-large bid in the final BCS standings, and had many lamenting the BCS.

The ESPN/USA Today poll caught the brunt of the criticism in the Texas-Cal argument. Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen and Cal coach Jeff Tedford both called for the coaches to make their ballots public. That request was denied.

The AP votes are public information, and the final individual ballots were published the same day as the final BCS standings.

"The Associated Press has not at any time given permission to the Bowl Championship Series to use its proprietary ranking of college football teams," the AP said in a statement Tuesday. "This unauthorized use of the AP poll has harmed AP's reputation and interfered with AP's agreements with AP poll voters. To preserve its reputation for honesty and integrity, the AP is asking the BCS to discontinue its unauthorized use of the AP poll as a component of BCS rankings."

Duke recruit to bolster defense
Oklahoma, Miami lose Oghobaase.
By J.P. GIGLIO, Staff Writer

Hang on, Cameron Crazies.

Duke scored a major recruiting coup on Tuesday, and it wasn't in basketball.

Vince Oghobaase, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound defensive tackle, committed to play football for the Blue Devils, choosing Duke over national powers Miami and Oklahoma.

"They haven't really had a major impact recruit, and I want to be a part of turning that program around," Oghobaase, of Alief (Texas) Hastings High told Scout.com.

Scout.com ranks Oghobaase as the third-best player in the football-rich state of Texas. He's considered a five-star recruit by several recruiting services and is ranked as the fifth-best defensive tackle prospect in the country by Scout.com.

After a 2-9 season, the Oghobaase signing could be the biggest win of 2004 for Blue Devils coach Ted Roof. Oghobaase is expected to enroll at Duke in January, giving him a head start on the 2005 season in spring practice.

He could make an immediate impact on a defensive line desperate for an anchor and depth. ACC opponents gashed Duke's thin defense on the ground for an average of 225.7 yards per game, which ranked last in the ACC.

The Blue Devils' problems on defense started last June with the death of Micah Harris, a three-year starter at defensive end, in a car accident.

The line was further depleted with a season-ending injury to end Phillip Alexander in the second game of the season.

But Duke has responded by landing commitments from Oghobaase and Ayanga Okpokowuruk, a defensive end from Charlotte who committed last month. Okpokowuruk picked Duke over Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia Tech.

The Blue Devils have three scholarships left to complete a 19-player class that could be among the program's best in years.