Cavaliers bemoan loss
Virginia reaches the Fresno State 45-, 38- and 39-yard lines in the second quarter without scoring.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

BOISE, Idaho - Since taking over a program in which blown leads were once commonplace, Al Groh and his Virginia football teams have not been known for giving opponents a second life.

Some might say it happened in the Cavaliers' regular-season finale at Virginia Tech, and it definitely happened Monday in the MPC Computers Bowl. Virginia almost had Fresno State buried before the Bulldogs rallied for a 37-34 overtime victory before an announced crowd of 28,516 at Bronco Stadium.

Groh kept his composure when he met with the media after the game, but he wasn't too far from the boiling point.

"I don't think that losing a game gives you an excuse to be a jerk under any circumstances," Groh said, "but, internally, I'm an angry loser."

Virginia, which had not previously squandered a two-touchdown lead under Groh, led 21-7 in the second quarter and had subsequent possessions that reached the Fresno State 45-, 38- and 39-yard lines.

On the second of those possessions, Wali Lundy seemingly was close to picking up a first down at the Fresno 27 before freshman wide receiver Bud Davis was called for holding.

On a day on which Virginia was penalized 10 times for 82 yards, holding calls wiped out three first-down runs, including a 40-yarder by Alvin Pearman that would have put the Cavaliers at the Fresno State 6 early in the second half.

The Cavaliers didn't score on that possession. Instead, the Bulldogs (9-3) got a 57-yard run from Terrence Mathis on their next series, setting up the touchdown that made it 21-17.

Fresno State had averaged 56 points during a five-game winning streak it took into the game, but the Cavaliers forced the Bulldogs to punt on four straight possessions during the first and second quarters.

"We could have scored a lot more points," Groh said, "but, we did get 34. 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."

Although the Bulldogs rushed for 223 yards, most of their scoring came through the air. Junior quarterback Paul Pinegar was 23-of-36 for 235 yards and five touchdowns, the most against a Virginia team, tying a record by South Carolina's Tommy Suggs that had gone unmatched since 1968.

For the second game in a row and sixth time this season, Virginia did not intercept a pass, although Pinegar had been intercepted 34 times in his three-year college career. The Cavaliers were ranked ninth out of 11 ACC teams in pass-efficiency defense before the bowl and could drop even lower.

They were 23rd out of 117 Division I-A teams in pass defense, which reflects yardage allowed, but they were 63rd in pass-efficiency defense, also a measure of touchdown passes allowed and interceptions.

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

Virginia's pass rush was nearly nonexistent against the Bulldogs. Outside linebacker and team sack leader Darryl Blackstock, making his debut in jersey No.1, did not have a solo tackle. Ahmad Brooks, a finalist for the Butkus Award that goes to the nation's top linebacker, had one solo tackle and four assists. UVa's lone sack, by defensive end Brennan Schmidt, was for a 1-yard loss.

"We made some mistakes here and there, but I wouldn't put it all on the secondary," said cornerback Marcus Hamilton, victimized on a game-tying touchdown reception by Jaron Fairman.

Some of the blame also had to go to the offense, which scored 21 points in the first 17 1/2 minutes and one touchdown thereafter, but it was hard to knock junior quarterback Marques Hagans. Hagans completed 18 of 30 passes without an interception, and he also rushed for a team-high 85 yards on a 247-yard afternoon.

"He's the best scrambler I've ever gone against," said Garrett McIntyre, an All-Western Athletic Conference defensive tackle. "I mean, he's a running back playing quarterback. We knew, if he passed the ball, we had a chance to win. But, he kept running the ball and making big plays. We could have won in regulation if we could have stopped him, but we just couldn't stop him."

Eventually, the Bulldogs did stop Hagans, sacking him on third down on UVa's possession to start the overtime, setting up a 26-yard Connor Hughes field goal that Fresno State trumped with Pinegar's final touchdown pass, a 25-yarder to tight end Stephen Spach.

"In my mind, I'm looking at 17 points," said Groh, thinking back to the holding penalties and a halfback pass that Lundy overthrew in the end zone. "We had a lot of chances to do a lot of things."

Bowl defeat leaves U.Va. with much to think about
Coach Al Groh.
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© December 29, 2004

BOISE, Idaho — Elton Brown had shed his Virginia uniform for the last time. A half-hour after the Cavaliers’ 37-34 loss to Fresno State Monday afternoon, “Big E,” team captain and unofficial spokesman, leaned his 330-pound frame against a wall while the team bus warmed up just outside.

All year long, the All-American guard had only looked forward, never back, putting aside each disappointment and pledging that Virginia would do better next time. But now, there was no next time and Brown figured it was finally OK to reflect.

“I guess I can look back,” he said. “I don’t have anything else to do.”

Brown’s verdict on the 2004 season was short, sweet and hard for even the most ardent Virginia fan to deny.

“We just couldn’t get over that hump,” he said. “The transition from being a good team to being a great team.”

Greatness was the goal from the start. After three years of steady progress under coach Al Groh, Virginia sought to make the leap from rising program to established power. There was talk of an ACC title, a BCS game, a top-10 ranking.

In the end though, the 2004 team could be remembered more for what it failed to accomplish than for what it did. Yes, Virginia won eight games, but none came over a ranked opponent. The Cavaliers beat the teams they were supposed to.

In each of the three games they needed to win to prove they could be taken seriously as ACC and national contenders — against Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech — the Cavaliers fell well short.

Still, Virginia would have secured a top-15 finish with a win over Fresno State Monday in the MPC Computers Bowl in Boise. The Cavaliers were upset in overtime, their first loss in a bowl game in three years.

In many ways, the game was a mini version of the Virginia season. The Cavaliers won their first five games and reached No. 6 in the national poll, then faded. The offense showed muscle but little firepower. The defense failed to make stops when it had to have them.

Virginia’s goal all year was to run the ball “with authority” as Groh says. The Cavaliers accomplished that goal. But the passing game faded as the year went on. Virginia’s wide receivers didn’t scare anybody, and even All-American tight end Heath Miller seemed a forgotten target at times.

On defense, Virginia never really recovered from the loss of defensive end Chris Canty, arguably the top lineman in the ACC. Canty disrupted plays from his right end position, stuffing running backs and quarterbacks in the backfield and forcing teams to adjust to his presence.

Statistically, the defense was impressive, ranking 15th nationally heading into the Fresno State game. But teams with speed — Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and even Fresno — gave the Cavaliers fits.

The pass defense was particularly vulnerable.

Teams found soft spots in the Virginia zone, and often exploited Cavalier cornerbacks on one-on-one situations.

“We’ll do a lot of examining of that,” Groh said.

It will be a different kind of offseason for the Cavaliers. In each of Groh’s first three years, Virginia won its final game and headed into the offseason with a palpable sense that the program was moving ever forward.

This year, after losing three of the last four games, things are less certain.

Of the 22 players who started Monday’s game, 14 could be back. Groh has also put together another strong recruiting class — maybe his best ever — so the talent level in Charlottesville could be high once again.

But underclassmen Miller, linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Darryl Blackstock and left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson are contemplating entering the NFL draft. If any of them leave, Virginia will have major holes to fill.

No matter what happens, Virginia needs to get faster. And the Cavaliers must learn how to finish big games.

Brown sees reason for optimism, particularly if most of the underclassmen choose to stay.

“We won eight games,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a lost cause. A lot of young players got better and played some key roles.”

Among the departing seniors, Brown could be missed the most. He was the anchor of the running game, which was the anchor of the team.

“The second phase of my life begins now, I guess,” he said.

A new phase begins for Virginia as well.

Missed chances plagued Virginia
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
December 29, 2004

BOISE, Idaho - After losing to Florida State in the sixth game of the season, Virginia’s football team bounced back with back-to-back wins over Duke and Maryland.

With the two-game winning streak, the Cavaliers earned a second chance at winning the ACC regular-season title.

That opportunity went by the wayside, when they lost to Miami (31-21) at home on Nov. 13.

After beating Georgia Tech on the road 30-10 the following week, Virginia revived its conference title hopes yet again.

With a 24-10 loss at Virginia Tech on Nov. 27, the Cavaliers watched another golden opportunity slip through its fingertips.

And while a trip to the blue turf in Boise, Idaho, is not the destination any fourth-place team in the ACC strives for, the game provided Virginia with another chance - a chance to win a ninth game.

Only five Virginia teams since 1895 have been able to win nine or more games and the most recent team to do so (the 2002 team) played a 14-game schedule.

Virginia also had a chance to finish with its highest ranking since the Cavaliers finished 1951 ranked No. 13.

Aside from those numbers, Virginia’s objective from playing in the MPC Computers Bowl against Fresno State was the shot the Cavaliers had to finish the season on a high note.

It was not to be.

Despite racing out to a 21-7 lead with three touchdowns on its first three possessions on Monday, Virginia stumbled in the third quarter and then crumbled in the fourth quarter and the overtime session, losing 37-34 to Fresno State.

The loss ended Virginia’s season with an 8-4 record, a mark that seemed unlikely and unacceptable after the Cavaliers won their first five games and climbed all the way to the No. 6 spot in the country.

Virginia coach Al Groh and his players were left scratching their heads in search of answers for what went wrong in a bowl game that the fourth-place team from the ACC never belonged in.

Did they want to win as bad as Fresno State? Probably not. Fresno State proved that with its lengthy celebration and a Gatorade bath for coach Pat Hill.

Had Virginia won the game in thrilling fashion or in a rout, it would have been un-Cavalier to dance at midfield or dump a cooler over Groh’s head.

Despite Fresno’s added drive, Virginia still opened the game in a fashion that left viewers thinking a blowout was on the way.

Did Virginia have a good offensive game plan? Probably. Well, at least in the first 26 minutes of the game.

Virginia offensive coordinator Ron Prince kept Fresno’s defense off-balance early with a reverse to freshman wideout Bud Davis, several draw plays for fullback Jason Snelling and a steady dose of tailback Alvin Pearman running the ball. They even got the ball to tight end Heath Miller six times in the opening half.

But things started to unravel late in the first half.

Leading 21-7 and threatening to add more with the ball in Fresno territory, the Cavaliers committed back-to-back penalties - a holding call on Davis and an intentional grounding penalty on quarterback Marques Hagans for failing to throw the ball past the line of scrimmage.

Instead of Virginia adding points, it was Fresno that tacked on a field goal, stealing the momentum heading into the locker room.

“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.”

Right guard Elton Brown, who like McGrew was playing in his final game as a Cavalier, agreed.

“You’re up 21-7 and you get the ball inside the 50, you want to choke the life out of them. But their defense got us off the field and their offense made the plays to get them back in the game.”

Fresno kept chipping away at Virginia’s lead in the second half and tied it up at 24 with 13:12 remaining.

With Pearman knocked out of the game due to a knee injury and Miller missing in action in the second half, Virginia was left to ride the legs of Hagans and Lundy.

Virginia bounced back to take a 31-24 lead with 6:20 remaining on the 41st career touchdown by Lundy, a 20-yard run.

Perhaps Virginia scored too fast because Fresno State answered with a methodical drive that ended with a 3-yard TD pass from Paul Pinegar to Jaron Fairman on a 4th-and-goal play with just 11 seconds left.

Fresno State won the coin toss in overtime and after forcing UVa to settle for a field goal, they sealed the Cavaliers’ fate with a TD on the first offensive play in overtime.

“It’s definitely bitter the way [the season] ended,” McGrew said. “We had a chance to put them away, but in the second half we didn’t make the plays we needed to make. It’s very disappointing.”

For Virginia’s senior class, the loss leaves a sour taste in the mouths of players who won 25 games over the last three years.

“This one hurts. It hurts bad,” said senior linebacker Dennis Haley. “It’s not going to hit me until probably a couple weeks down the road when I get ready to do something and I’m not doing it with my teammates. It hurts a lot.”

For the underclassmen, the loss can serve as an anchor or as motivation.

If it is up to Groh, Virginia will take the high road.

“I try to be a courteous loser ... but internally I’m an angry loser, so I have plenty of springboard,” Groh said.

Fade route: U.Va. alters late pattern
Early doubts about Cavs were confirmed during the campaign
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Dec 29, 2004

BOISE, Idaho - The University of Virginia's football team won two of its final three games in 2001, three of its final four in 2002, its final three in 2003. Moreover, the Cavaliers capped each of those seasons with a victory, including Continental Tire Bowl triumphs in '02 and '03.

No late-season surge occurred in 2004. The Cavs climbed to No. 6 in the polls in October, but by season's end, they were fading fast. Virginia dropped three of its final four games to finish 8-4 in its fourth season under coach Al Groh. The four defeats are the Cavaliers' fewest in a season during the Groh era, but that was small consolation to players and coaches Monday.

On the blue turf at Boise State's Bronco Stadium, unranked Fresno State shocked Virginia, rallying to win 37-34 in overtime at the MPC Computers Bowl. The Bulldogs never panicked, even after falling behind 21-7 in the second quarter, and tapped a deep reserve of grit in pulling off the upset.

Fresno State's performance notwithstanding, no one will ever convince Virginia's players or coaches that they didn't give this game away. The Cavs allowed the 'Dogs to drive 83 yards for the game-tying touchdown, which came on a fourth-and-goal pass from the 3 with 11 seconds left in regulation. U.Va. blew numerous opportunities to stretch its lead in the first half.

In four attempts, the Cavs never have won an overtime game. Under Groh's predecessor, George Welsh, they lost 24-17 to Duke in 1999 and 38-35 to Brigham Young in 2000, both times at Scott Stadium. U.Va. lost 30-27 to Clemson in overtime at Death Valley last season.

After each of those setbacks, however, Virginia had another game for which to prepare and couldn't afford to dwell on the defeat. This time, U.Va.'s next game - the 2005 opener - isn't for another eight months. For Virginia's seniors, a group that includes such players as offensive guard Elton Brown, nose tackle Andrew Hoffman, wideout Michael McGrew, linebacker Dennis Haley and tailback Alvin Pearman, there won't be another college game.

"It's disappointing," said McGrew, who had four receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown Monday. "Whenever you spend a bunch of time with a bunch of guys playing football, and then it's over, especially for the seniors . . . " - he shook his head - "it's something that I'm going to have to live with."

Virginia entered training camp in August with questions about its wide receivers and secondary, and those concerns proved well-founded. Two years after Billy McMullen's brilliant college career ended, U.Va. has yet to produce another wideout who scares opposing defenses. Its secondary, meanwhile, became an inviting target late in the season for quarterbacks ranging from Miami's Brock Berlin to Virginia Tech's Bryan Randall to Fresno State's Paul Pinegar.

Pinegar, a junior, threw a career-high five touchdown passes Monday. His fourth forced overtime. His fifth ended the game.

Virginia, which had the ball first in overtime, went up 34-31 on Connor Hughes' 26-yard field goal. Fresno State had rushed for 222 yards in regulation, but on its first play in overtime, Pinegar hit tight end Stephen Spach on a post pattern. Spach caught the ball around the 5 and dragged cornerback Tony Franklin into the end zone.

Groh vowed to take a long look at Virginia's problems in the secondary, where the starters at safety were seniors Jermaine Hardy and Marquis Weeks but the top four cornerbacks - sophomores Franklin and Marcus Hamilton and true freshmen Philip Brown and Chris Gorham - are expected back.

Whether all-ACC linebacker Ahmad Brooks and All-America tight end Heath Miller will return, too, isn't clear. Two other Cavaliers - junior offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson and junior linebacker Darryl Blackstock - have indicated that they don't plan to enter the NFL draft a year early, but Groh could lose Brooks and Miller.