UVa starter charged with drug possession
By Sarah Barry / Daily Progress staff writer
December 5, 2005

Tony Franklin, a defensive starter on the University of Virginia football team, received a summons Sunday night charging him with possession of marijuana.
Franklin, a third-year sociology major, is one of four team captains. In November, though, he and three other players served one-game suspensions for an unspecified violation of team policy. Another teammate was suspended for two games.

Albemarle County police officials said officers had responded to a noise complaint Sunday night at the Eagles Landing apartment complex when an officer thought he smelled marijuana. "The officer had probable cause to determine there was marijuana in the residence," said Lt. John Teixeira.

Officer Shawn Campbell charged 21-year-old Franklin with misdemeanor marijuana possession, which means the officer found less than 14 grams of the drug and did not believe Franklin had the intention to distribute. Distribution would have been a felony charge.

"It's a minor drug charge," Teixeira said. Others were in the apartment at the time, but no one else was charged.

Receiving a summons is "fairly happenstance" for misdemeanor drug charges, Teixeira said. In these cases, the officer must believe that the individual will appear in court, not continue the behavior and that he does not pose a threat to society.

"It's the same philosophy as a traffic ticket," Teixeira said. "We don't incarcerate people for driving on a suspended license or reckless driving, which are both misdemeanor charges."

Franklin joined the Cavaliers in 2002 after being a star player at St. Peter Chanel High School near Cleveland, Ohio. During his senior year, his team was undefeated and won the state championship.

As a Cavalier, he played two seasons at cornerback, but switched to safety this year. He was the team's third-leading tackler last year with 78 stops and is fourth among active Cavaliers with 116 career tackles.

In both 2004 and 2005, Franklin received the Hedley M. Bowen Football Scholarship from the Virginia Athletics Foundation.

Michael Colley, spokesman for the football program at UVa, said he could not comment on what actions may be taken as a result of the arrest.

"This is a team issue that will be addressed by Coach [Al] Groh, who is currently out-of-town," he said.

The team's only remaining game this season will be the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 30.

Franklin is scheduled to appear in Albemarle County General District Court on Dec. 12.

Cavs in tune with Music City
Littlepage's sales pitch works; U.Va. avoids trip back to Boise, lands in its preferred bowl game
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 6, 2005

They booed in Atlanta, and fans weren't happy in Boston, either.

In Charlottesville, though, they cheered when the postseason destinations of the ACC's eight bowl-eligible football teams were announced Sunday night.

More times than they would care to remember, the Cavaliers have been sent to bowls for which they considered themselves overqualified. No complaints will be heard from U.Va. officials or fans this time. The Cavaliers (6-5 overall) finished fifth in the ACC's Coastal Division with a 3-5 conference record but still got the invitation they wanted. Virginia will meet Minnesota (7-4) of the Big Ten in the Dec.30 Music City Bowl at Nashville, Tenn.

"In the past 15 hours or so," U.Va. Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said yesterday, "our fans have been energized by the fact that we're going to Nashville."

The Music City's executive director, Scott Ramsey, said yesterday that the Cavaliers' sales pitch to the Nashville bowl's officials was impressive. Among other things, U.Va. showed examples of how it planned to market the Music City to fans and emphasized how many alumni the school has within driving distance of Nashville.

"I will say Virginia, from the standpoint of general enthusiasm, was just outstanding," said Ramsey, who received several hundred e-mails from U.Va. fans eager to see the team in the Music City.

Georgia Tech, which lost to U.Va. at Scott Stadium last month, will play in the Emerald Bowl at San Francisco. That announcement elicited boos Sunday night during the Georgia Tech-U.Va. men's basketball game in Atlanta.

The Yellow Jackets, 5-3 in ACC play, are 7-4 overall, and they had coveted a spot in the Music City. Their mood isn't any brighter than Virginia's was in 2002 when the Cavaliers, who had finished tied for second in the ACC, were relegated to the Continental Tire Bowl in Charlotte, N.C.

Boston College (5-3, 8-3), in its first season in the ACC, finished second in the Atlantic Division. Yet two of its division rivals -- teams the Eagles beat during the regular season -- ended up in more attractive bowls. Clemson (4-4, 7-4) is headed to the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, Fla. North Carolina State (3-5, 6-5) will play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl (formerly Continental Tire) in Charlotte.

BC, meanwhile, is bound for Boise, Idaho, and the MPC Computers Bowl. U.Va. played in Boise last year and had no desire to return this winter.

Littlepage said U.Va. did nothing radically different this year in its bid to land in a bowl game that would appeal to its fan base. But the Cavaliers benefited from knowing they were unlikely to be selected by any of the six bowls with which the ACC had tie-ins entering this season. That left the Music City and the Emerald, which were added last month to the ACC's bowl roster for 2005.

"What was better for us this time was our ability to focus on where we were most likely headed," Littlepage said.

U.Va. and Minnesota each will receive an allotment of 10,000 tickets. Littlepage hopes Virginia will sell more than that, but he said he made no promises to Music City officials, and they didn't ask for any.

"We just don't go down that road," Ramsey said. "We've never been in a bidding war with anybody, and that was the case here."
 

Prince named KSU head coach; Golden off to Temple
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
December 5, 2005

Two of the world's worst kept secrets became official on Monday and it cost Virginia its offensive and defensive coordinators.
Ron Prince, the offensive coordinator at UVa since 2003 and the offensive line coach since 2001, was introduced at a press conference at Kansas State's Vanier Football Complex as the school's 33rd head coach.

Meanwhile sources confirmed that Al Golden, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator since 2001, accepted an offer from Temple University to become the school's head coach, signing a six-year contract that totals almost $3.45 million, a higher figure than many thought the school would dish out for a football coach.

A press conference will be held today at 2 p.m. to announce Golden's hiring.

It is expected that Golden will take one of his closest friends and fellow Cavalier coach, Mark D'Onofrio (inside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator), with him to Temple to serve as his defensive coordinator, although sources said Golden has not offered any positions at this point.

While other assistant coaches may elect to also follow Prince, Golden or former associate head coach Danny Rocco, who took the head coaching job at Liberty on Friday, those moves alone would leave UVa coach Al Groh with three or perhaps four vacancies to fill.

It also leaves Groh with only two assistant coaches - his son, Mike, and Bob Price - from the original staff he formed in 2001.

Prince, 36, replaces longtime coach Bill Snyder at KSU. Snyder compiled a 135-68-1 record as he turned around one of the nation's worst college football programs.

"To have the opportunity to build upon the success that Bill Snyder has brought Kansas State University over the last 17 years is the highest honor and in time I hope to earn the respect of those who hold this program so close to their hearts," Prince said in a released statement. "I am obviously very excited to have the opportunity to be the head coach at Kansas State. I have been preparing for this opportunity my whole life.

"My professional career has been aimed towards excelling in this type of opportunity and I am looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead."

Prince inherits a Wildcat program that won just nine games over the past two years, but he has 18 starters returning next year.

The move returns Prince to his roots. He was born in Omaha, Neb., but was raised in Junction City, Kan., which is just 20 miles from the Kansas State campus.

Prince did not have any connections to Snyder or the KSU football program, but having been raised in the Sunflower State gave him an appreciation of the school and the Big 12 Conference.

"Kansas State University, and this football program in particular, is so very important to so many around this great state and I understand that more than anyone can imagine," Prince said. "I believe that I bring the right kind of leadership at the right time to this program, and that together we can continue to make Wildcat football a source of pride for K-Staters everywhere."

During his press conference, Prince said he would likely help Virginia prepare for its upcoming bowl game - the Cavaliers (6-5) play Minnesota (7-4) on Dec. 30 in Nashville, Tenn., at the Music City Bowl.

Under Prince's direction, Virginia finished the regular season averaging 357 yards per game, which ranked 72nd in the Division I-A.

While Golden will not be paid nearly as much financially as Prince (KSU gave him a five-year deal worth $750,000 a year), the move is also a sort of homecoming.

Golden, 36, played college football at Penn State University for legendary coach Joe Paterno and many have said he has visions of becoming the head coach there someday.

At Temple, Golden replaces Bobby Wallace, who joined a lengthy list of unsuccessful coaches to lead the Owls.

The Philadelphia school has not been to a bowl game since 1979, has not had a winning season since 1990 and Wallace went 19-71 in eight years, including a winless 2005 campaign.

It is not the first time that Golden has been linked to a job opening since he arrived in Charlottesville. Last year, it was reported that he would join Charlie Weis' staff at Notre Dame.

For whatever reason, and many have surfaced in speculation, Golden elected to remain and Virginia's defense finished the regular season with the 34th-ranked scoring defense (22.6 ppg) and the 54th-ranked total defense (368 ypg) in Division I-A.

Those numbers were skewed somewhat by injuries to linebackers Ahmad Brooks and Jermaine Dias and the early departure of outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock, who entered the NFL Draft last year with a year of eligibility remaining.

 

Diane shines at G.T.
By Whitelaw Reid / Daily Progress staff writer
December 5, 2005

When University of Virginia freshman Mamadi Diane first took the court at Alexander Memorial Coliseum on Sunday night against Georgia Tech, he looked around and imagined what might have been.
Coming out of high school, Diane was recruited by Georgia Tech. The 6-foot-5 wing player strongly considered the Yellow Jackets before choosing Virginia.

"I was thinking very seriously about [going to Tech]," Diane said, "but it didn't work out that way."

Diane admitted he had a little extra bounce to his step against the Yellow Jackets. He wanted to show them what they were missing.

Diane, who had averaged just 3.5 points in his first two road games, finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes.

Cavaliers coach Dave Leitao said he was in no mood to toss around verbal "bouquets" following the 63-54 loss. However, Leitao's decision to bench sophomore Adrian Joseph for the entire second half said a lot about his faith in Diane.

One person impressed with Diane was Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt, who recruited Diane when he was at DeMatha Catholic High.

"I loved his energy level," Hewitt said. "I loved his size. He's going to be a really nice player for them."

Like most of his teammates, Diane didn't have a good shooting performance against the Yellow Jackets - he was just

5 of 16 from the field - but he had big baskets down the stretch as the Cavs, trying to claw their way back in the game, went on a 9-0 run.

Diane made a bank shot from the wing off an inbounds pass to make it a 48-44 game. Then, about a minute later, he hit an acrobatic circus shot in the lane.

Diane's performance - coupled with Jason Cain's strong 15-point, 11-rebound showing - offered some hope that the Cavs will be able to find scoring supplements to Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds.

"In a way, [it showed] I can be a factor and help those guys out later in the season," Diane said.

The best part about Diane's performance? He had just two turnovers - none in the second half.

"He showed good poise," Singletary said. "We'll need more of it from him down the line."

Vick reverts to prior immature form
Aaron
McFarling
The Roanoke Times

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A row of glum faces. Heads down. Eyes moist. Television cameras lighting each player and print reporters holding out electronic devices, recording misery for the masses.

Virginia Tech linebacker Xavier Adibi wanted to be anywhere else but there Saturday night. You could just tell. The way he answered questions -- no elaboration, no excuses, just answers -- said it all. He hated this.

But he was there.

Nearby, tailback Cedric Humes shook his head. No idea, he said. One of those nights. No rhythm. Think he wanted to get grilled about the running game after Tech's 27-22 loss to Florida State in Saturday's ACC championship game? Of course not.

But he was there.

Same with Will Montgomery and James Anderson and Josh Morgan and Jonathan Lewis. All in that lonely hallway. All facing the scrutiny.

Amidst this backdrop, the door to the locker room swung open. Out came quarterback Marcus Vick. He took a right turn and kept on walking, eyes fixed on the exit.

A reporter from Tidewater, who has been covering Vick since high school, trailed and asked the quarterback if he would answer a few questions . Vick refused. He kept walking.

"Why not, Marcus?" the reporter pressed.

"Because I don't have to," Vick said.

This bugs me. It bugs me as a writer, obviously, because I'd love to tell you more about what's going on inside the mind of Tech's most prominent offensive player. It bugs me as a former college athlete who granted his share of interviews after crummy performances. Most of all, it bugs me as a columnist who believed Vick had grown into a leader.

I wrote as much a few weeks ago, but now I'm beginning to wonder. Is this how leaders behave? Do they allow their teammates to take the bullet alone? Do they walk right past as their comrades are sitting there, lights in their eyes, trying to explain this mess?

Keep in mind, these are the same teammates who toil in Vick's shadow when the quarterback is playing well. They don't get the articles in Sports Illustrated. They don't get the touching comeback features on "SportsCenter." Vick does.

And the least he could do is take the bad with the good.

Vick isn't the only quarterback in the state to do this. Marques Hagans, the unquestioned MVP at Virginia, declined to meet with the media after a 7-5 loss to North Carolina this season. Stuff like this happens often, in fact, in every college and pro town.

But I was beginning to think it wouldn't happen again in Blacksburg. Vick showed up following his six-turnover debacle against Miami, and I lauded him for it. Looked like he really grasped the importance of his role as the pacesetter of the team, I thought.

Talk all you want about the physical advantages Vick has over former Tech quarterback Bryan Randall, but this is one area where he falls short of the 2004 ACC player of the year.

Big win? Randall was there. Crushing loss? Randall was there. This is part of the reason his teammates lived and died with him, fought for him, defended him through tough times. You knew he had your back, so you had his.

Maybe Vick was too angry or embarrassed to talk. But if that's the case, why was he smiling and hugging FSU players moments after the loss?

Would love to ask him that one. As well as:

n Does he regret spiking the ball in the end zone after his 4-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter? Does he think that action deserved the 15-yard penalty it prompted?

n Did he feel the pressure? When he was out there battling for every yard in the first half, how did the FSU defensive front contain him?

n What weaknesses does he feel he was able to exploit in the productive fourth quarter, and why weren't they exploited earlier?

n Did the running game's struggles cause him to press?

And, most importantly:

n What will he, as a team leader, as the face of the program, do to help the Hokies recover from this?

I asked Humes that last one instead. He did his best to answer it.

Alone.

 

Gator is no aid after huge loss for Hokies
David Teel
December 5 2005

JACKSONVILLE, FLA. -- You know it's been a long night for your football team when ...

Your starting quarterback, cell phone pressed to his ear, brushes off everyone as he leaves the locker room.

Your fans, rather than reveling all night, bail early to the airport and pass out - snoring - on the floor at 4:30 a.m.

Your coach, defying all logic, says an offensive line that yielded six sacks protected "pretty well."

Such was Virginia Tech's world in the wee hours Sunday after the Hokies lost to Florida State 27-22 in the ACC's inaugural championship game.

Kickoff came during prime time, the final whistle four-plus hours and 29 penalties later, and well past bedtime. But the collective fatigue inside Alltel Stadium didn't cloud Cedric Humes' judgment.

"You get a second chance, you can't mess it up," the tailback said. "But we did."

The second chance came courtesy of Miami. After blitzing the Hokies 27-7 at Lane Stadium on Nov. 5, the Hurricanes controlled the ACC's Coastal Division, only to stumble inexplicably at home against Georgia Tech, gift-wrapping the division for the Hokies.

Even the title game appeared tailored for Virginia Tech. FSU was unranked and mired in its first three-game losing jag in 24 years. The Hokies were fifth-ranked and primed to earn a second consecutive ACC championship and fifth major postseason appearance in 11 years.

"This was a bigger game than Miami," receiver Josh Morgan said.

Indeed, the defeat to Miami did not doom Virginia Tech's conference title chances, did not eliminate the Hokies from a marquee Bowl Championship Series matchup, and did not relegate them to a forgettable postseason game.

Saturday's loss did all that and then some.

Virginia Tech would have played Penn State in the Orange Bowl. Instead, the Hokies play Louisville in the Gator, right back here in Jacksonville.

The Orange basks in an exclusive evening television slot Jan. 3. The Gator is among four second-tier bowls squeezed into the afternoon of Jan. 2.

Penn State is co-champion of the nation's top-rated conference, the Big Ten. Ranked third in the latest Associated Press poll, the Nittany Lions are coached by legendary Joe Paterno and quarterbacked by Richmond product Michael Robinson. Louisville is a basketball school with a good football team (No. 15) that finished second behind West Virginia in the little-regarded Big East.

Talk about buzz killers.

"We can't wallow in our loss," linebacker James Anderson said. "That's not the character of our team."

Wallowing almost certainly will get the 12th-ranked Hokies (10-2) beat, witness Louisville's 69-14 dismantling of ACC also-ran North Carolina during the regular season. Winning would give Tech 11 victories for only the third time in program history.

"This loss right here will put a bigger chip on our shoulder," Humes promised.

As well it should. The Hokies rushed for 41 yards, committed 17 penalties and yielded 225 passing yards, all season worsts. They failed to force a turnover for the first time this year.

Tech coach Frank Beamer lauded his team's effort, even the pass protection that permitted six sacks of Marcus Vick. But he was thinking more of the fourth-quarter rally that transformed a 27-3 blowout into an actual contest.

Vick wasn't nearly as upbeat as he bolted the locker room. He threw for a career-best 335 yards, 165 in the fourth quarter, and ran for two touchdowns. But he refused to take questions.

"I'm not sure what happened," linebacker Xavier Adibi said. "I'm not going to sit here and point fingers. We lose as a team."

Losing is one thing. Playing small in the season's two biggest games is another, and no degree of Gator Bowl success can change that.

"To think we lost it all," Humes said. "It's almost like the season went down the drain."

U.Va. loses another assistant
Golden to lead Temple; he is third Groh aide to take a head coaching job in the past week
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Dec 6, 2005

Al Golden isn't afraid of a challenge, which is a good thing. He's taking over one of the worst football programs in Division I-A.

Golden, Virginia's defensive coordinator the past five seasons, will be introduced as Temple's coach today in Philadelphia. The Owls finished 0-11 this season, including a 51-3 pounding by U.Va. at Scott Stadium.

"I've got supreme confidence in myself, but it's going to be a heck of a challenge," Golden said in a phone interview last night. "That's what's going to be fun when we get it turned around. I think for such a high risk, you're going to have a high reward."

Golden, 36, said he will receive a six-year contract worth $3.45 million. He replaces Bobby Wallace, who announced in October that he would step down after this season.

Temple went 19-71 under Wallace. For the first seven of Wallace's eight seasons, the Owls competed in the Big East, but they were booted from that conference after 2004. The Owls will become full football members of the Mid-American Conference in 2007, and Golden believes they can be competitive in that league.

"That was the most compelling factor," Golden said, "because I don't know if I'd have considered it" when Temple's counterparts in the Big East included Virginia Tech, Boston College and Miami.

Golden said he's hired four assistants who will begin work with him tomorrow at Temple. None is from the U.Va. coaching staff, he said. It's possible, though, that Mark D'Onofrio, who coaches Virginia's inside linebackers and coordinates its special teams, will join Golden at Temple.

"That's totally up to him and his family at this point," said Golden, who played at Penn State with D'Onofrio.

Golden is the third U.Va. assistant to leave for a head coaching job in the past week. Danny Rocco, Al Groh's top assistant at U.Va. the past five seasons, is the new coach at Liberty. Offensive coordinator Ron Prince was introduced as Kansas State's coach yesterday.

A native of Red Bank, N.J., Golden has a bachelor's degree from Penn State and a master's from U.Va. He was a graduate assistant at U.Va. in 1994,'95 and'96 before leaving to coach the outside linebackers at Penn State. From there, he went to Boston College for three seasons, then joined Groh's first staff at U.Va. in 2001.

In addition to serving as defensive coordinator, Golden held the titles of inside-linebackers coach (2001-04) and secondary coach (2005) at U.Va.

"I'm excited," Golden said of taking his first head coaching job. "I feel like I've been preparing for this since I got in the business."

In other news related to U.Va. football, starting safety Tony Franklin was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana Sunday night, The Daily Progress reported yesterday.

Franklin, a fourth-year junior and a team captain, was among three U.Va. players suspended one game for an unspecified violation of team policy last month.

According to the Daily Progress, police responded to a noise complaint Sunday night at an apartment complex. An officer thought he smelled marijuana, and Franklin was charged.

"This is a matter that will be taken seriously and not condoned," Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said in an e-mail to The Times-Dispatch last night. "Any matter related to student-athlete conduct would be handled according to policy. Appropriate action would take place following a full review."