Groh, Cavs to begin 'Project Rebound'
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
December 28, 2004

BOISE, Idaho - Jan. 1 may signal in a new year for most of us, but for Virginia coach Al Groh, the date will have a more significant meaning.

In Groh’s view, Jan. 1 means the beginning of “Project Rebound.” That’s how he described the next phase of the Cavaliers’ development as a football program following Monday’s 37-34 overtime loss to underdog Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl.

The coach obviously was unhappy with his team’s performance in the game after losing a 21-7 lead early in the game. Virginia squandered several opportunities to put away the WAC opponent early and played poor pass defense against the run-oriented Bulldogs in the second half.

Groh, whose next recruiting class is currently ranked by national analysts as the second best in the country, believes he may have enough incoming talent to open up competition for playing time in 2005.

“It’s competition for what your spot is in the lineup or how much playing time you get with that spot,” Groh said after the loss to Fresno. “We tried to create that with some of these guys this year. In some cases we were able to. But we’re very anxious to do that as part of our rebound project.

“So, I’m sure there will be a lot of competition for a lot of spots starting on Jan. 1,” Groh said.

Obviously, the incoming recruits cannot sign until Feb. 2 and won’t arrive on campus until August. However, several underclassmen, including freshmen and redshirt freshmen already in the program, will get closer looks from coaches in the offseason.

Junior linebacker Darryl Blackstock already noted prior to the bowl that this offseason for Virginia football is going to be unlike any other because the players who are planning to remain with the program rather than exit early for the NFL are serious about winning the ACC championship next season.

One part of the program that will likely go under the microscope is Virginia’s defensive secondary. It suffered several critical breakdowns in losses this season, particularly in this bowl loss as Fresno quarterback Paul Pinegar, not exactly known for his passing skills, picked UVa apart with 235 passing yards and a bowl record five scoring strikes.

“We’ll do a lot of examining of that in the coming days and weeks,” Groh said in reference to his defensive secondary. “It’s a little too early to make any conclusions, or if I have made any conclusions to discuss what those conclusions are.”

While the Cavaliers’ offense wasn’t perfect on Monday, it produced enough points and yardage to have won the game had the defense done its part.

“We could have scored a lot more points, but we did get 34,” Groh said. “Usually if we can get 34, we’ve done enough. Our problem was not in the 34. It was in the 37 that we gave up.”

As is policy, Virginia defensive coordinator Al Golden and defensive secondary coach Bob Price were unavailable for comment on the defense’s performance. Groh does not allow his assistant coaches to talk to media.

Certainly there were shortcomings on that side of the ball for most of the afternoon.

Fresno’s players had said prior to Monday’s game that they didn’t believe Virginia respected them, but that it would after the bowl game.

After rushing for 222 yards, mostly behind Fresno’s All-American left tackle Logan Mankins, and passing for more than 200 yards, the Bulldogs certainly earned Virginia’s respect.

“They matched up big, No. 74 [Mankins] over our right side all day long,” Groh said. “I don’t think there were four plays run to our left [away from Mankins] all day.”

Still, even though Virginia’s defense anticipated what Fresno was going to do, the Cavaliers couldn’t stop it.

Bulldogs coach Pat Hill predicted it would be a physical, no-fair-dodging, running game and that’s what it was for the most part when Pinegar wasn’t using the play-action to isolate his faster receivers on Virginia’s slow-chugging secondary.

“There were no gimmicks, no trick plays,” Hill said later. “We’ve run the ball behind Logan a lot this year and [Virginia] knew it was coming.”

About then, Fresno tight end Stephen Spach, the Bulldogs’ hero in overtime, chipped in: “[Virginia] knew it was coming behind Logan, but they couldn’t stop it.”

That doesn’t speak well to a Virginia defense that was ranked 18th nationally in stopping the run.

“It feels good to win, especially against a Virginia team that was supposedly one of the best rush defenses in the country,” Pinegar said. “We ran left, left, left and left. It worked well all game long on that side.”

When Fresno wasn’t pounding out yardage against the Cavs, Pinegar was making key passes, like the 7-yarder for a touchdown on fourth-and-1 that sent the game into overtime.

Virginia knew it was coming. The Cavaliers just couldn’t stop it.

“That’s our bread-and-butter pass,” Pinegar said. “It was just a little sprint pass. I’ve had three years of training on it. I’ve made that throw in games at least a dozen times.”

So, what does that say about Virginia’s defense? The Cavs knew that Fresno would run behind Mankins, but couldn’t stop it. They knew Pinegar’s tendencies on the sprint out and the post, but couldn’t stop those either.

When Groh returns to his vast laboratory of football analysis, he may have some tough decisions to make in the coming weeks about what is wrong, what went wrong and how to prevent things from going wrong again.

Secondary picked apart in tough loss
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
December 28, 2004

BOISE, Idaho - Virginia coach Al Groh was trying to be on his best behavior moments after his football team was beaten by underdog Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl.
He answered every question, even the tough ones. His team had been upset by the upstart Bulldogs, 37-34 in overtime, after the Cavaliers had blown an early 21-7 lead.
Fresno, which loses only four starters off an impressive 9-3 team, hopes to use the win to advance its program, to springboard itself into the national picture next season.

Hurting inside
As calm as the veteran coach appeared on the outside, he may have needed intravenous Maalox treatment on the plane ride back to Virginia. On the inside, Groh was not a happy man.
“Internally, I’m an angry loser,” Groh said, expressing his feelings as politely as he could.
His insides had to be churning. There must have been one of those barroom brawls going on inside his stomach. You know, like the ones in the movies where everybody gets involved ... chairs flying, mirrors shattered, bottles broken.
In past bowl games, Groh has tried to use wins to springboard his program to a higher level. Just because Virginia lost, doesn’t mean Groh intends to let things slip.
“I’ve got plenty of springboard,” the coach said after talking about being an angry loser.

Defensive letdown
While Virginia’s offense experienced letdowns at the wrong time on Monday, Groh had to be most disturbed by his team’s poor defensive play. The defensive secondary in particular, delivered an embarrassing performance.
“The last 30 seconds of each half was probably the storyline,” Groh said. “That and our inability to cover the pass was the other key factor.”
Virginia’s pass coverage was putrid.
Fresno State, one of the nation’s highest scoring offenses coming into the game, featured the running game, not the pass. In fact, the Bulldogs ranked ninth in the 10-team Western Athletic Conference in pass offense.
Quarterback Paul Pinegar was sixth in his own league in passing, but looked like Johnny Unitas when he dropped back to machine-gun Virginia’s secondary apart for a whopping 235 yards and a MPC Bowl record five, count ’em, five touchdown passes. He passed the Cavaliers’ secondary dizzy, completing 23 of 38 passes. Ten different receivers, no interceptions, one sack.
Down 31-24 with 6:20 remaining in the game’s regulation, Pinegar coolly cut Virginia’s defense to ribbons with a 16-play, 83-yard drive, tying it up at 31-all on a
7-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Jaron Fairman on a simple post pattern.
Then, after UVa had managed only a field goal on its first possession of overtime, Fresno came right back with another TD pass to tight end Stephen Spach, who only had four catches on the season coming into the game.
“[Pinegar] made a great throw [on fourth-and-goal to Fairman],” Groh said of the play that forced the overtime. “It was almost like the famed Dwight Clark catch [from San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana vs. Dallas of legendary stature] from many years that’s so well remembered. He threw it up in the same spot and the guy went up in the same place and got it. If we make a play on that play, the game’s over and we’re all a lot happier.”
Fairman was actually Pinegar’s fourth option on his passing tree. He had plenty of time to look at receiver Joe Fernandez, then Fairman, then Fernandez again before finding Fairman breaking toward the right corner of the end zone.
Once Virginia had been held to a field goal in overtime, Fresno coach Pat Hill decided to throw to the tight end.
“We thought [Virginia] would expect us to come out and grind out the ball with our running game,” Hill said of his overtime strategy. “We decided that if they kicked a field goal, we would go with a play-action pass. If they had scored a touchdown, we would have run the ball.”
Hill called offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti’s call a “great one.”
In actuality, Virginia had made the proper call defensively.
“We were in post coverage,” Groh said. “You ought to be able to cover a post receiver in post coverage.”
Yet another breakdown by Virginia’s secondary cost the Cavaliers dearly.
How many times in recent years has Virginia’s secondary crumbled at the worst possible times?
The Cavaliers were ninth in the ACC in pass defense efficiency this season, but it seems to be the same old story.
Virginia hasn’t produced a first-team All-ACC defensive back since Anthony Poindexter in 1998 and hasn’t featured a first-team All-ACC cornerback since Ronde Barber in 1996.
Instead, the secondary has operated on the patchwork principle. Converted running backs to defensive backs have made it a shaky situation. Where are all those blue-chippers, those ball-hawking defensive backs that make opposing quarterbacks pay?
Rather, it has been opposing quarterbacks who have made Virginia pay dearly, just as Monday afternoon’s
debacle.
“We knew [Virginia’s] secondary wasn’t the fastest we’ve seen,” Pinegar said afterward. “We were getting those 1-on-1s with the play-action and creating the
1-on-1 opportunities where we thought we could take advantage and win those.”
Pin this loss on Virginia’s defense, which surrendered 457 yards to Fresno. More so, pin it on the secondary for never being able to stop the Bulldogs when it needed to.
No wonder Groh’s insides were tearing him up as he walked off Boise’s blue artificial turf.
This one will haunt him for the next eight months.

Outgunned
Pinegar's fifth touchdown pass propels Bulldogs in OT
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
December 28, 2004

BOISE, Idaho - Dominate at the beginning. Shoot yourself in the foot in the middle. Fall apart at the end.

The description fits Virginia’s regular-season and postseason performance like a glove.

Virginia jumped out to a 21-7 lead with three touchdowns on its first three possessions, but watched Fresno State rally for a thrilling 37-34 overtime victory in the MPC Computers Bowl at Bronco Stadium.

Fresno State (9-3) scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and added another in overtime for the come-from-behind victory over the 18th-ranked Cavaliers.

The loss ended Virginia’s season, which opened with six straight wins, at 8-4 and gave coach Al Groh his first bowl loss at UVa.

“We’re certainly very disappointed in the result and disappointed in ourselves,” Groh said. “We disappointed a lot of people.”

Virginia had several chances to put the game away, including one with less than 20 seconds left in the game.

Facing a fourth-and-goal from the Virginia 3, Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar rolled out to his right and after checking off three possible targets, he connected on a touchdown pass to wideout Jaron Fairman in the back right corner of the end zone. Fresno State forced overtime with a successful PAT by Brett Visintainer.

“Obviously, right there, if we make a play on that play, the game’s over and we’re all a lot happier,” Groh said. “We were in post coverage. You ought to be able to cover the post receiver in post coverage.”

The touchdown pass capped a

16-play, 83-yard drive that took 6:09 off the clock.

“My last option was to tuck it and run, but that would have been tough sledding to get in [the end zone],” Pinegar said. “Jaron made a great catch. After he caught it, they swiped at his arm but he did a great job to hold on.”

Fresno State won the coin toss in overtime and promptly elected to start on defense.

On Virginia’s first offensive play, tailback Wali Lundy, bolted through the Fresno defense for a 17-yard gain, giving the Cavaliers a first-and-goal.

Virginia’s next three plays proved fruitless as it actually lost a yard, setting up a 26-yard field goal by Connor Hughes.

Pinegar wasted little time in ending the game.

On Fresno State’s first overtime play, Pinegar faked the ball to his tailback and threw across his body to tight end Stephen Spach, who rumbled into the end zone with Virginia cornerback Tony Franklin hanging onto him for dear life.

“When you catch the ball in that situation, you’re just looking for the end zone,” said Spach, who entered the game with only four receptions on the season. “You just keep on running. I knew I was really close.”

Spach did not know if he was in the end zone, but as he got to his feet he noticed his teammates racing towards him from the sidelines. The Bulldogs proceeded to celebrate for the next 10 minutes as though they had won the seventh game of the World Series.

The game marked the first time all season that Virginia scored 30-plus points and came up on the losing end.

“We could’ve scored a lot more points but we did get 34,” Groh said. “Usually if we can get 34, we have done enough. Our problem was not in the 34 we got, but in the 37 that we gave up.”

Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans opened the game by completing 4 of 5 passes for 59 yards, including a

7-yard scoring strike to Michael McGrew with 4:39 left in the opening quarter that gave UVa a 14-7 lead.

Early in the second quarter, Hagans scored again as he scrambled untouched into the end zone on an 8-yard run.

Leading 21-7, Virginia appeared poised to add to its lead in the final five minutes prior to halftime.

After moving the ball to the Fresno State 37, Lundy rumbled ahead for a 9-yard gain, but Virginia was flagged for offensive holding.

On the following play, Hagans was called for intentional grounding, essentially ending a drive that should have produced points.

“Regardless of what would have happened on the next play, we probably would have had a legitimate field-goal attempt, so at the very least it was a three-point penalty,” Groh said.

Fresno State started its final drive of the opening half at its own 13 with just 55 seconds left, but marched 55 yards in five plays. That set up a 49-yard field goal from Visintainer as the time expired, which trimmed UVa’s lead to 21-10.

On its second possession in the second half, Fresno State scored a touchdown on a

22-yard pass from Pinegar to Jermaine Jamison. That score was set up by a 57-yard run by Wendell Mathis, the third-longest run in MPC Computer Bowl history.

Virginia countered by moving the ball into Fresno State’s red zone on 43-yard run by Marques Hagans. After the drive stalled, UVa settled for a 33-yard field goal from Hughes, giving the Cavaliers a 24-17 advantage.

Fresno tied the game up early in the fourth quarter on Pinegar’s third TD pass of the game, a 22-yard strike to Mark Wood.

Virginia did not quit.

In fact, the Cavaliers put together their longest scoring drive of the game (12 plays,

80 yards) to regain the lead at 31-24. With starting tailback Alvin Pearman sidelined and in the locker room with an undisclosed knee injury, Lundy raced into the end zone for a 20-yard scamper behind a block from right guard Elton Brown.

That set the stage for Pinegar’s final-minute heroics.

“I would say that, despite the fact that there were lots of different things that influenced the outcome of the game, that’s what happened in the last 30 seconds of each half probably was the story line,” Groh said.

Virginia finished the game with 422 yards of offense

(260 rushing, 162 passing), but was outgained by Fresno State by 33 total yards.

Fresno State rushed for 222 yards against Virginia and controlled the clock masterfully, finishing with close to 48 minutes in time of possession.

Hagans finished the game 18 of 30 passing for 162 yards and one touchdown.

Heath Miller led Virginia with five receptions for 66 yards, but did not catch a pass in the second half. Groh said Miller “had some things that slowed him down today that made it a little bit more difficult for him.”

The same can be said for a number of Cavaliers, who finished a season under Groh with a loss for the first time.

Cavaliers leave Boise blue
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

BOISE, Idaho - If Virginia had a script for an unprecedented third consecutive bowl victory, it probably did not call for overtime.

The next time the Cavaliers win an overtime game will be the first. Virginia has not even scored a touchdown in its four overtime games, but the Cavaliers never should have allowed an extra period Monday.

At least that's the way they feel.

After tying the score with 11 seconds left in regulation, Fresno State scored on its first play of overtime and defeated 18th-ranked Virginia 37-34 in the MPC Computers Bowl at Bronco Stadium.

It was the only time the Bulldogs (9-3) had led all day.

"We're disappointed in the result, we're disappointed in ourselves and we've disappointed a lot of people," said Al Groh, whose team finished a season with a loss for the first time in his four seasons as UVa head coach.

Despite squandering a 21-7 second-quarter lead, the Cavaliers were in position to win the game in overtime before Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar connected with Jaron Fairman on fourth-and-goal from the Cavaliers' 3-yard line.

The Cavaliers went on top 34-31 on Connor Hughes' 26-yard field goal to start the overtime, but that lead could not have been any more short-lived.

Fresno State called for a post pattern to the tight end and, when a backpedaling Jermaine Hardy collided with an official, cornerback Tony Franklin could not keep Stephen Spach from catching Pinegar's short pass and rambling into the end zone.

It was Pinegar's fifth touchdown pass of the game, four after halftime.

"Despite the fact that there were a lot of different things that influenced the outcome of the game, what happened in the last 30 seconds of each half was the storyline," Groh said. "Our inability to play better pass defense was the other factor."

Virginia (8-4) had the ball inside Fresno State territory on its last three possessions of the second quarter and could not manage a field goal to increase a two-touchdown lead.

"We wanted to see if we could put them away," said senior Michael McGrew, who caught Virginia's lone touchdown pass. "If we're up 28-7 or 35-7, maybe Fresno State has to get away from its game plan. Unfortunately, we couldn't and it came back to bite us in the end."

Fresno State got the ball at its 13-yard line with 55 seconds left before halftime and with no apparent intention other than protecting the ball, ran the ball on its first two plays. After finally calling a timeout with 26 seconds left, the Bulldogs completed two passes before Luke Visintainer kicked a 49-yard field goal, the longest of his three-year career, as time expired.

If that gave the Bulldogs any momentum, it wasn't immediately evident. The Cavaliers stopped Fresno State on the first possession of the second half; then, on the first play after a 10-yard Bulldog punt, Alvin Pearman broke off an apparent 40-yard run to the Fresno 6.

Behind the play, there was a yellow flag signaling a UVa hold, just as a holding call in the second quarter had nullified a Wali Lundy run that would have set up a first down or at least a second-and-1 at the Fresno 27.

"That would have given us a legitimate field-goal attempt at the very least," Groh said.

The Cavaliers were penalized 10 times for 82 yards in what Groh described as "a spectacularly called game." It wasn't certain whether he was sincere or sarcastic because the Bulldogs were called seven times for 64 yards.

One UVa touchdown drive was kept alive by an interference call against the Bulldogs, and a Fresno State interception was nullified by another interference call.

Pearman was pushed in the back on that third-quarter play and did not play in the fourth quarter and overtime with an apparent knee injury.

After being outgained 251-172 in the first half, the Bulldogs outgained the Cavaliers 285-171 in a reversal reminiscent to the Virginia's final regular-season game, when it gave up 265 yards in the second half and blew a 7-0 third-quarter lead in a 24-10 loss at Virginia Tech.

In another sequence that brought back memories of the Tech game, Virginia elected to punt on fourth-and-3 from the Fresno 39 in the third quarter, only to have Chris Gould's punt sail into the end zone. To Gould's credit, three of his first-half punts were downed inside the Bulldogs' 20.

"In the first half, I thought we were a little bit out of synch," Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. "At halftime, we sat down and talked about being more physical. We were playing not to make a mistake."

The turning point may have come on a 57-yard run by back-up tailback Terrence Mathis that set up the third-quarter touchdown that closed the gap to 21-17. Mathis, who began his career at UCLA, finished with a game-high 126 yards on 15 carries.

The Bulldogs rushed for 223 yards against the nation's 12th-ranked rush defense, much of it behind 6-foot-4, 320-pound left tackle Logan Mankins, a walk-on who earlier had been named the team's offensive MVP.

"I'm not sure they had four runs to the right side all day," said Groh, who used three players at the right defensive end spot once manned by Chris Canty, lost for the season in the fifth game. "We knew this was a [Bulldogs] team committed to the run. They've been committed to the run since August."

By the time Groh was finished with the media, most of the players had gone to the team buses, including junior quarterback Marques Hagans, who had 249 yards in total offense.

"The only reason we came out here was to play a football game," McGrew said. "I'm sure the city of Boise wouldn't have treated us so nice if we weren't playing in the game. I leave here with a lot of memories, but you hate to have it end like this."

Tying TD a credit to Pinegar
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

BOISE, Idaho - The biggest play in the MPC Computers Bowl seemed like an eternity to those players responsible for defending it.

The Bulldogs were down to their last chance Monday when quarterback Paul Pinegar hit Jaron Fairman for a touchdown that enabled Fresno State to tie a game it would win 37-34 in overtime. "I didn't think there was any way he would be able to throw it in there," Virginia senior linebacker Dennis Haley said. "Sometimes, you just have to give credit to the quarterback and the wide receiver."

Fresno had no timeouts remaining after a 7-yard pass to Duncan Reid resulted in a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line, so Pinegar immediately downed the ball, stopping the clock with 28 seconds left.

After a pair of incompletions, Pinegar rolled to his right on fourth down with eyes peeled for top receiver Joe Fernandez. When Pinegar saw Fernandez was covered, he looked for Fairman, then back to Fernandez, then back to Fairman.

"I knew I was getting close to the sideline," Pinegar said. "I knew, if I couldn't get the ball to Jaron, that my last option was to run. Luckily, I didn't have to do that because it would have been tough sledding trying to get in.

"I've had training on that play. It wasn't like it was something new and I was thinking, 'I don't know if it's going to work.' I know it works. I've had three days training on it and made that throw more than a dozen times."

After running a "wheel" route that didn't fool the UVa defense, Fairman ran parallel to Pinegar at the back of the end zone - perilously close to the back of the end zone, according to TV replays scrutinized by the broadcast crew.

Coach Al Groh said he had not seen Fairman step out of the end zone and admitted that he would need to review the college rules that address re-entry.

"I didn't see anything," said UVa cornerback Marcus Hamilton, who was stride for stride with Fairman. "I had the flat. I face-guard him and he does all the moving around. I'm just trying to stay in front of him. The quarterback made a good play.

"I'm not watching whether he steps out or not, and it's not my call to make that. I'm not the referee. It's neither here nor there. I don't want to make excuses. He caught the ball. It's a touchdown."

Hamilton was beaten for two touchdowns and fellow cornerback Tony Franklin was victimized for a third.

"The first one they scored on me, it wasn't a blown coverage or anything like that," Hamilton said. "I felt I was right on the guy and the quarterback made a great throw and [Jermaine Jamison] made a great catch. These guys are athletes, too, so they're going to make plays."

Virginia still had a chance to win the game in overtime, but, after the Cavaliers were forced to kick a field goal, Fresno State needed only one play to end it.

UVa safety Jermaine Hardy had responsibility for the tight end, but Hardy collided with the umpire while backpedaling. After taking a short pass from Pinegar, tight end Stephen Spach dragged Franklin into the end zone.

The Bulldogs had been using two tight ends to help their running game and offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. had talked about throwing out of that set, "but there hadn't been a good time for it," Pinegar said.

"Fortunately, he still had it on the back burner."

Coin toss foretells loss
UVa notes
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

BOISE, Idaho - While he didn't allow himself to be optimistic or pessimistic following the coin toss that preceded overtime in the MPC Computers Bowl, Al Groh had cause for flashbacks to the only other overtime game of his four-year Virginia coaching career.

In both instances, Virginia lost the toss, kicked a field goal when its drive stalled, then watched its opponent score a winning touchdown. Defeat was a little more sudden Monday, when quarterback Paul Pinegar tossed a 25-yard pass on the first play of Fresno State's first overtime possession and the Bulldogs prevailed 37-34 at Bronco Stadium.

In 2003, Clemson beat the Cavaliers 30-27 in overtime in Clemson, S.C.

"You want to have the defense out there first and, when your offense goes out there, you want to score touchdowns," Groh said. "It was unfortunate because we had put ourselves in position where we had a very good opportunity to do so."

On the first play after taking possession at its 25, Virginia got a 17-yard run from Wali Lundy, subbing for an injured Alvin Pearman, but a sack and an incompletion sent the Cavaliers back to the Fresno State 9, leading to a 26-yard Connor Hughes field goal.

"As part of the end-of-the-game procedures that we work on, we include overtime sessions during training camp and intermittently during the season," Groh said. "As it turned out, there wasn't that much strategy toward that overtime.

"We didn't have much choice other than to kick the field goal."

UVa also lost overtime games to Duke (24-17) in 1999 and Brigham Young (38-35) in 2000.

"You see a lot of these overtime games go four and five overtimes," Groh said, "so, in a lot of cases, it doesn't make any difference."

Bad omen

There was a large balloon with the lettering "Micron," in one corner of the east end zone, which might have reminded some UVa fans of past disappointments in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where it lost three games, including the Micronpc.com Bowl in 1999, when Illinois hammered the Cavaliers 63-21. MPC Computers are an offshoot of Micron.

Breakthrough

Groh said that freshman Bud Davis earned the start at wide receiver during pre-bowl workouts in Charlottesville. Davis, who was a scout-team safety to start the season, picked up 14 yards on a reverse on UVa's first offensive play and had a sliding 15-yard reception on the drive that enabled UVa to take the lead briefly at 31-24.

Miller time

Junior Heath Miller, considered the most likely candidate to turn pro among UVa underclassmen, set ACC records for career receptions (144) and receiving yardage (1,703) by a tight end.

Miller, a consensus first-team All-American and the winner of the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end, had five receptions - all by halftime, four in the first quarter - for 66 yards.

"Heath had some things that slowed him down that made it a little more difficult for us," said Groh, indicating injury or illness but not elaborating.

Odds 'n' ends

Groh said Michael Johnson tweaked a hamstring that prevented him from returning kickoffs after his first two returns went for 47 and 29 yards. ... Four of Kurt Smith's six kickoffs for UVa resulted in touchbacks and the other two were returned from 5-7 yards deep in the end zone. ... Pearman carried nine times for 52 yards before he was injured, resulting in the first 1,000-yard season (1,037) of his career. ... The temperature for the opening kickoff was 40 degrees and the absence of wind made for a pleasant afternoon for fans sitting in the sun. ... Announced attendance of 28,516 was the third-highest in the game's eight-year history. Fresno State, a fellow member of the Western Athletic Conference with Boise State, was the crowd favorite.

Beaten in Boise
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published December 28, 2004

BOISE, IDAHO -- Everything Virginia talked about - a third consecutive bowl victory, a nine-win season, maybe even its highest-ever final ranking -went poof Monday afternoon with a stunning second-half collapse nearly 2,400 miles from home.

On the verge of blowing the MPC Computers Bowl wide open by halftime, the Cavaliers paid for their mistakes in a 37-34 overtime loss to Fresno State at Bronco Stadium. The Bulldogs trailed by two touchdowns in the final seconds of the first half and by seven points in the final seconds of regulation, but quarterback Paul Pinegar's 25-yard scoring pass to Stephen Spach won it in OT.
A couple hours before Spach's catch, many probably figured the game was over. Virginia scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and took a 21-7 less than three minutes into the second quarter. But the Cavs (8-4) not only let Fresno hang around, they let the Bulldogs get back in it.

"When we scored three touchdowns just like that, we wanted to see if we could put them away," Virginia wide receiver Michael McGrew said. "Unfortunately, we didn't do that. And it came back to bite us in the end."

From Virginia's perspective, the end wasn't pretty. The Cavs gave up 285 total yards after halftime but still would have come away with the win had somebody wearing white made a play with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. Instead, as he rolled right and nearly ran out of room, Pinegar found a leaping Jaron Fairman in the back of the end zone for the tying (after the point-after) touchdown.

Virginia coach Al Groh said the play reminded him of Dwight Clark's famous catch a couple decades ago. That being the case, Cavalier cornerback Marcus Hamilton played the role of Everson Walls - his decent coverage wasn't decent enough.

"We had a chance to make a play on the ball in the end zone," Groh said, "but their quarterback did a great job by putting the ball where only their guy could get it."

Then, after Fresno won the overtime coin toss and put Virginia on offense first, the Cavs had a first-and-goal from the 8 after Wali Lundy's 17-yard run. Yet all Virginia got was a 26-yard field goal by Connor Hughes for a 34-31 lead. Another wasted opportunity.

Fresno immediately went for the win. One of two tight ends in the formation, Spach ran a post route. Backpedaling in coverage, Virginia safety Jermaine Hardy bumped into an official. Cornerback Tony Franklin was left one-on-one, and Pinegar's throw was perfect. Spach, who only had four catches during the regular season, caught it inside the 10-yard line.

"We had talked about putting that play in, but we never got around to it," said Pinegar, whose five touchdown passes were a bowl record. "We had it on the back burner. If they had scored (a touchdown) on their possession, we were going to try to run the ball and get it in. But when they kicked the field goal, we decided to take a shot at the end zone."

Franklin did his best to wrap up Spach, who outweighs him by 65 pounds, and replays indicate he should have been ruled down at the 1-yard line. But had that been the case, the Bulldogs would have been first-and-goal from the 1.

Either way, Virginia would have fallen to 0-4 all-time in overtime games.

The way Virginia looks at things, it shouldn't have come to that. In their first three offensive possessions, the Cavs had 196 yards, 10 first downs and 21 points. In their final three drives of the half, they had 55 yards, three first downs and no points. With a chance to put it away, Virginia did itself in.

"We just didn't do the things to get us over the hump from being a good team to a great team," offensive guard Elton Brown said. "They made the plays to get (our offense) off the field, and we didn't make the plays to stay on the field."

After Marques Hagans' 8-yard run made it 21-7 with 12:50 remaining in the second quarter, the Cavs were inside Fresno State territory three times before the break. Nothing came of it. Then, after taking over at its 13-yard line with 55 seconds left, the Bulldogs managed to get close enough for a 49-yard field goal by Brett Visintainer on the final play of the half.

Instead of being up, say, 28-7, Virginia went into halftime ahead 21-10.

"We certainly had plenty of opportunities there to substantially increase our lead," Groh said. "But we weren't up to doing that. When you look back on it, I would say that despite the fact that there were a lot of things that influenced the game, what happened in the last 30 seconds of each half probably is the storyline."

Suddenly, Cavs' offense cascades
BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
Published December 28, 2004

BOISE, IDAHO -- Slightly more than 17 minutes into the MPC Computers Bowl, Virginia's offense looked almost machine-like. Twenty-five snaps had produced 196 yards, 10 first downs and - most important - 21 points. Alvin Pearman and the running game were clicking. Marques Hagans and the passing game had returned to form.

But like somebody had flicked a switch, it all changed. The Cavaliers had 226 yards and one touchdown the rest of the way and lost 37-34 in overtime to Fresno State. Pearman was literally taken out of the game because of a knee injury midway through the third quarter, and tight end Heath Miller was figuratively removed after catching all five of his passes in the first half.

What happened? Nobody could really say.

"I don't think they gave us any kind of different looks," offensive guard Elton Brown said. "They just made the plays on defense. They made the plays and we didn't. When you're up 21-7 and on their side of the 50, you want to press the gas and cut their life off. But they made the plays to get themselves off the field (defensively). We just needed to make the plays to stay on the field."

The Cavs started the game with some imagination, an end-around pitch to true freshman Bud Davis that picked up 14 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Offensive coordinator Ron Prince effectively mixed the pass and the run - so effectively that after their first three possessions, the Cavs had 99 rushing yards and 97 passing.

But from there, it went south. The only constant was Hagans, who accounted for 249 of Virginia's 422 yards.

"Marques kept us in the game," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "He was a major factor in us getting 34 points."

Pearman left the game with 81/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter and did not return. Groh also indicated Miller was bothered by an injury, though he was not specific.

POOR D

Groh thought the days of his defense giving up 200-plus rushing yards were virtually over. Miami did it last month, piling up 203 behind Frank Gore's 195. But nobody else had.

Fresno State did it Monday afternoon, rushing for 222 yards on 38 attempts. Wendell Mathis had 126 yards on 15 attempts, and Bryson Sumlin added 94 on 21.

"Yeah," Groh said when asked about the 222 figure. "It's been a long time since that happened."

It's also been a long time since somebody threw for five touchdowns against Virginia, as Fresno State quarterback Paul Pinegar did. South Carolina's Tommy Suggs did it in 1968.

SHORTS

Miller set ACC all-time records for receptions and receiving yardage by a tight end. His five catches Monday gave him 144 after only three seasons, and his 66 yards gave him 1,703. ...

Michael Johnson of Newport News had two nice kickoff returns, including a 47-yarder that set up Virginia's second touchdown, but left the game with a hamstring injury. ...

Virginia had three holding penalties, including a killer on center Zac Yarbrough that wiped out a 40-yard run by Pearman that would have given the Cavaliers first-and-goal from the 6. (Virginia later punted.) ...

Monday's attendance at Bronco Stadium was 28,516. It was the third-largest figure in the bowl's eight-year history and the largest for a game that did not involve Boise State.

Virginia became the first team in the bowl's history to lose after going into the fourth quarter with the lead.

Bulldogs bite Cavs late
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 28, 2004 | Last updated 11:25 PM Dec. 27

BOISE, Idaho — On a patch of blue turf in a chilly city 2,400 miles from home, Virginia let a lead melt away and a game slip from its grasp Monday afternoon.

The Cavaliers fell to Fresno State in overtime, 37-34 at the MPC Computers Bowl in front of 28,516 at Boise State’s Bronco Stadium.

By local standards, the weather was balmy — 40 degrees and sunny at kickoff. And for Virginia in the early going, the sledding was easy. The Cavaliers scored without much trouble on their first three possessions and led 21-7 two minutes into the second quarter.

But the rest of the first half had an ominous feel. Virginia moved into Fresno territory three times, and came away empty each time.

“We could have put them away,” Virginia receiver Michael McGrew said. “We weren’t able to do that, and it came back to bite us.”

Virginia didn’t reach the end zone again until 6:20 remained in regulation. By then, Fresno was dominating up front, and was well on its way to piling up 223 rushing yards, the most the Cavaliers have allowed all season.

The Bulldogs softened Virginia with the run, then finished their drives through the air.

Quarterback Paul Pinegar threw five touchdown passes, most with a Virginia defender a half-step behind the play.

“It wasn’t blown coverage,” Cavaliers cornerback Marcus Hamilton said. “The quarterback and receivers made some great plays.”

Fresno State (9-3) came into the contest averaging 56 points during its past five games.

The points came against SMU, Rice, Hawaii, Nevada and San Jose State, though.

The big question was whether the run-oriented Bulldogs would be able to move the ball against a Virginia defense that allowed 109 rushing yards per game during the regular season.

By the second half, the Bulldogs had their answer. Running repeatedly behind 320-pound left tackle Logan Mankins, Fresno blew gaping holes in Virginia’s front seven. Tailback Wendell Mathis ran for 126 yards. His running mate Bryson Sumlin ran for 94. Fresno kept the ball 18 minutes in the second half, to Virginia’s 12.

“At halftime we talked about being more physical,” Fresno State coach Pat Hill said. “We were playing not to make a mistake.”

Mistakes cost Virginia in a second quarter characterized by missed opportunities. A drop by McGrew ended one drive. A penalty took the Cavaliers out of field goal range on their next possession. Defensive lapses allowed the Bulldogs to move 55 yards in 50 seconds and kick a field goal as the half expired that cut U.Va.’s lead to 21-10.

In the third quarter, Wali Lundy overthrew a wide-open McGrew on a halfback pass into the end zone.

A 40-yard run by Alvin Pearman to the Fresno State 6 was called back because of a holding penalty.

“We could have substantially increased the lead,” Cavaliers coach Al Groh said. “We weren’t up to doing that.”

Still, Virginia went up 31-24 on a 20-yard run by Lundy with 6:52 left. But Fresno took over and moved 83 yards in 16 plays. Pinegar finished the drive on fourth-and-goal from the 3, when he rolled right and found Jaron Fairman in the corner of the end zone with 11 seconds left in regulation.

Hamilton appeared to have Fairman covered but Pinegar put the ball where only his receiver could catch it. Pinegar was closing in on the right sideline when he finally threw the ball.

“My last option was to tuck it and run,” he said. “Luckily, I didn’t have to do that.”

Virginia had the ball first in overtime and was forced to settle for a Connor Hughes field goal after moving inside the 10. Fresno wasted no time ending the game. Pinegar hit tight end Stephen Spach for a 25-yard score on Fresno’s first play.

The Bulldogs sideline emptied as players ran onto the field. The crowd, full of Boise State fans pulling for Western Athletic Conference rival Fresno, roared its approval. A WAC team had upset one from the ACC.

Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans finished with 162 yards passing and 85 rushing. Groh credited the junior with keeping the Cavaliers in the game.

“Our problem was not the 34 we got, but the 37 we gave up,” Groh said.

Virginia finished 8-4 and lost its final game of the season for the first time under Groh. The Cavaliers had won two straight bowl games and were attempting to win three straight for the first time in school history.

They were also attempting to become the seventh Virginia team to win nine games. But after a 5-0 start, Virginia dropped four of its last seven, and three of its last four.

“It hurts,” said U.Va. All-American guard Elton Brown, who played his last college game. “But that’s part of the game.”

Blue-field blues
Pinegar, Bulldogs gouge Cavaliers for 457 yards of offense and hand U.Va. first bowl loss under Groh
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Dec 28, 2004

BOISE, Idaho - Virginia needed to make one play in the final seconds of regulation. One play. A fourth-down stop would have clinched for the Cavaliers a nine-win season, a third straight bowl victory and, almost certainly, a spot in the top 15 of the final Associated Press poll.

U.Va.'s defense couldn't deliver when it counted in yesterday's MPC Computers Bowl. Fresno State pulled even with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter on Paul Pinegar's fourth-and-3 touchdown pass to wideout Jaron Fairman and Brett Visintainer's PAT.

"Obviously, right there, if we make a play on that play, the game's over and we're all a lot happier," Virginia coach Al Groh said.

Pinegar burned the 18th-ranked Cavaliers again in overtime. His 25-yard TD pass to tight end Stephen Spach, who dragged cornerback Tony Franklin into the end zone, on the Bulldogs' first play of the extra period gave them a 37-34 victory at Boise State's Bronco Stadium. A crowd of 28,516 - most of whose members were pulling for Fresno State - saw Virginia fall to 0-4 in overtime games.

"We're certainly very disappointed in the result," Groh said. "We disappointed ourselves, and we disappointed a lot of people."

U.Va. (8-4), which lost the coin toss and had to take the ball first in OT, led 34-31 when it went on defense. Junior tailback Wali Lundy opened the extra period with a 17-yard run, but the Cavs lost 1 yard on their next three plays and had to settle for Connor Hughes' 26-yard field goal.

"We could have scored a lot more points, but we did get 34," said Groh, whose team closed with a loss for the first time in his four seasons as coach. "Usually if we can get 34, we've done enough. Our problem was not in the 34 we got, it was in the 37 we gave up."

The Cavaliers, with junior quarterback Marques Hagans playing almost flawlessly, bolted to a 21-7 lead early in the second quarter. Given opportunities to build an insurmountable lead, however, Virginia's offense sputtered.

In the final 11 minutes of the half, Virginia punted three times from Fresno State territory. After the last of those punts, the Bulldogs (9-3) took over at their 13-yard line, 55 seconds before the break.

That was enough time for them to shred Virginia's defense on a drive that gave the Bulldogs a huge shot on confidence. Vinsintainer's career-long 49-yard field pulled Fresno State to 21-10 at the break.

"I would say that, despite the fact that there were lots of different things that influenced the outcome of the game, that what happened in the last 30 seconds of each half probably was the story line," Groh said.

U.Va.'s offense seemed out of rhythm for much of the second half, but it marched 80 yards in the fourth quarter, converting four times on third down, on a drive that ended with Lundy's 20-yard touchdown run with 6:20 remaining.

All that did, however, was set the stage for Pinegar, a junior who'd never thrown more than three TD passes in a game and was intercepted 15 times during the regular season. Against Virginia's beleaguered secondary, Pinegar completed 23 of 36 attempts for 235 yards and five touchdowns yesterday. He didn't throw an interception and was sacked only once.

Pinegar was named the Bulldogs' MVP. Hagans was so honored for U.Va. He finished 18 of 30 passing for 162 yards and one touchdown, and he tied his career high with 85 yards (and one TD) rushing.

Fresno State finished with 457 yards of offense. Only once this season did the Cavaliers allow more yards - in a 36-3 loss to the other FSU, Florida State. The Bulldogs nearly had two 100-yard rushers, as Wendell Mathis gained 126 and Bryson Sumlin added 94. Fresno State collected 138 of its 222 rushing yards after intermission, consistently picking up four or more on first down and running time and again behind their star left tackle, 6-4, 320-pound Logan Mankins.

"When you get the running game going and start grinding the defense into the ground," Mathis said, "it really takes a toll on them."

It also made it easier for Pinegar to pass. On Fresno State's final fourth-quarter drive, Pinegar completed his first five passes, moving his team to the U.Va. 3. He threw an incompletion on second and goal, then another on third down, thanks to pressure from Cavaliers defensive end Chris Johnson. But on fourth down, Pinegar rolled right and looked, looked and looked some more before finally spotting Fairman in the back right corner of the end zone.

Cornerback Marcus Hamilton had him well-covered, but Fairman snagged Pinegar's perfect throw before going out of bounds.

"We had a chance to make a play on the ball in the end zone at the end, and their kid made a great throw, put the ball up there where only one guy could catch it," Groh said. "And their guy did an excellent job - almost like that Dwight Clark catch many years ago that was so well-remembered. That's what I thought of when I saw it."

Richmond Times-Dispatch
Dec 28, 2004
MILLER TIME: In what might have been his final collegiate game, All-America tight end Heath Miller led Virginia with five catches for 66 yards in its overtime loss to Fresno State on the blue turf at Boise State's Bronco Stadium.

All of those receptions, however, came in the first half - in part, Cavaliers coach Al Groh suggested afterward, because of unspecified adversity with which Miller had to deal.

"Heath also had some things that slowed him down today that made it a little bit more difficult for us," Groh said. "We got him in the game quite a bit early, and he was very productive for us."

Miller, who declined to elaborate on Groh's comments, became the ACC's career leader in receptions and receiving yards by a tight end yesterday. With 144 catches, he's two ahead of John Henry Mills, who played at Wake Forest from 1989 to'92. Miller has 1,703 yards receiving. He moved past Mills (1,652) and Ferrell Edmunds, who had 1,641 for Maryland from 1984 to'87.

A redshirt junior, Miller is on track to graduate in the spring and could pass up his final season of eligibility at U.Va. to enter the NFL draft. He has yet to announce his decision.

STRONG EFFORT: U.Va. fans and others criticized the play of quarterback Marques Hagans late in the regular season, but the 5-10 junior distinguished himself yesterday. Hagans was voted Virginia's MVP.

"Marques kept us in the game," Groh said. "He was a major factor in producing most of the 34 points that we got today. He worked his magic on a number of occasions and certainly did everything he could to help us win."

Hagans, who declined to speak to reporters after the game, completed 18 of 30 passes for 162 yards and one TD, with no interceptions. He also matched his career high with 85 yards rushing (on seven carries) and scored on a 8-yard run.

"He's a very good quarterback," Bulldogs defensive tackle Garrett McIntyre said. "He's the best scrambler I've ever gone against. He's a running back playing quarterback."

Hagans, who had a 46-yard run in the third quarter, was at his elusive best on the Cavaliers' final touchdown drive, which put them up 31-24 with 6:20 left in the fourth period. Highlights of the drive included Hagans' 21-yard scramble for a first down, his 15-yard completion on third and 14 to wideout Bud Davis and his 12-yard pass to wideout Michael McGrew on third and 8 from Fresno State's 40.

OUT OF THE BLUE: Davis, a true freshman from Bowie, Md., began the season as a defensive back but shifted to wideout when injuries depleted the Cavaliers at that position.

During the regular season, Davis appeared in only three games, and he didn't catch a pass. But he started at receiver yesterday in place of inconsistent sophomore Deyon Williams, and, on the first play from scrimmage, ran for 14 yards on an end-around. Davis later snared that 15-yard pass from Hagans for a crucial first down on Virginia's final touchdown drive.

"Bud Davis did a nice job," Groh said. "He's come on well for us throughout the course of the season, and he went and competed for the job, and he got it. I'd say that if we had to play again next week, certainly on the basis of what he did today, that he'd be the guy there, too."

THE FLASH: Sophomore Michael Johnson, the fastest Cavalier, showed off his speed on two kickoff returns in the first half. He ran back the opening kickoff 29 yards, giving U.Va. good field position on a possession that ended with an Alvin Pearman touchdown run.

After Fresno State pulled to 7-7, Johnson fielded the ensuing kickoff at the 1 and raced 47 yards before being brought down. Five plays later, Virginia had its second TD. Unfortunately for Johnson, his special-teams stint ended prematurely.

"He hurt his hamstring on the second one," Groh said. "Obviously, he wanted to go, but a guy with a hamstring injury, when speed's your game, that's a hard thing."

THE REAL DEAL: Fresno State's Pat Hill calls Logan Mankins the best offensive lineman he's ever coached, and the 6-4, 320-pound senior showed why.

Mankins, who starts at left offensive tackle, helped the Bulldogs run for 222 yards against Virginia, which came in ranked 18th nationally in scoring defense.

"This No. 74 is a big, strong player," Groh said. "It was exactly as we anticipated, that they were going to try to match him up over our right side. I don't think there were four balls run to our left today. So that was the matchup. They were going to try to put him on whoever was in front of him, and obviously it was on many occasions pretty successful for them."

- Jeff White

Offense clicked, crashed
Cavaliers fell out of sync after they struck for touchdowns on their first three possessions
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Dec 28, 2004

BOISE, Idaho - The Virginia Cavaliers looked so crisp, so efficient, so dominant on offense in the first 18 minutes of yesterday's MPC Computers Bowl, it seemed as if they might score 60 points against Fresno State.

U.Va.'s first possession ended with a 13-yard touchdown run by all-ACC tailback Alvin Pearman. Its second, with a 7-yard pass from quarterback Marques Hagans to wideout Michael McGrew. Its third, with an 8-yard TD run by Hagans.

Connor Hughes booted his third PAT after Hagans' score, and the 18th-ranked Cavaliers led 21-7 with 12:50 left in the second quarter. The Bulldogs were reeling.

"Scoring on three early possessions, we wanted to see if we could put them away," McGrew said. "Unfortunately, we weren't able to do that, and it came back to bite us in the end."

In four seasons under coach Al Groh, the Cavaliers have not been known for blowing leads. They did so yesterday, however, and fell 37-34 in overtime. Much of the blame fell on Virginia's defense, which surrendered 457 yards and five touchdown passes, including one with 11 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

But U.Va.'s offense, despite totaling 422 yards and scoring 34 points, bore some responsibility, too.

"We definitely had an opportunity to put a lot more points on the board in the first half than we did," All-America tight end Heath Miller said.

Three times in the second quarter, after building that 21-7 lead, the Cavs punted after crossing midfield.

Chris Gould's first punt came after McGrew dropped a pass from Hagans on third and 6 from the Bulldogs' 45. Gould's second punt, from Fresno State's 40, ended a series marred by a holding call against freshman wideout Bud Davis, whose penalty nullified a 9-yard run by tailback Wali Lundy to the 29.

Gould's final punt of the half gave the ball back to Fresno State with 55 seconds left. Virginia's drive had started at the Bulldogs' 40 with 2:00 remaining, but three plays netted a single yard. Fresno State, its defense revived, finally woke up on offense, too, and Brett Visintainer's 49-yard field goal made it 21-10 at the break.

"When it's 21-7 and we have the opportunity to go up 28- or 35-7," McGrew said, "that [would have done] a lot for the team, just in the fact that Fresno's thinking, 'Hey, it's really hard to come back,' and they might have had to change their game plan."

Groh said: "I'd certainly never think that you could put a team away in the first half, but what we certainly had the opportunity to do was to stretch our margin, which would have been a nice thing to do."

Virginia's offense continued sputtering in the second half. On the Cavaliers' first possession of the third quarter, a holding penalty on center Zac Yarbrough wiped out a 40-yard run by Pearman to the Fresno State 4. That drive ended in a punt, and the Bulldogs scored to make it 21-17.

U.Va. answered with a Hughes field goal, but a lost opportunity marked this drive, too. On second and 8 from Fresno State's 16, Lundy, on an option pass, overthrow McGrew, who was open in the back of the end zone.

Worse for Virginia, perhaps, was the loss of Pearman to an injury on that drive. The team's most versatile player, who had 52 yards rushing and 21 receiving, as well as 21 on a kickoff return, didn't return.

Led by Hagans, the Cavaliers finally mounted a second-half TD drive. Virginia needed only 12 plays to move 80 yards, the final 20 coming when on a Lundy run with 6:20 remaining.

"After those 21 points, we kind of struggled to find the end zone again," offensive guard Elton Brown said. "We eventually found it. It was like a sigh of relief, but I knew there were still six minutes of football to be played, and a lot can happen in six minutes."