U.Va. ending season’s first stage
By Jeff White
Published: December 2, 2008

The ACC/Big Ten Challenge marks, for the University of Virginia men's basketball team, the close of the season's first stage.

After playing tonight at Minnesota (6-0), U.Va. (3-2) will break for exams. The Cavaliers' next game is not until Dec. 17.

"I don't want to spend two weeks upset about a loss, I'll tell you that much," U.Va. coach Dave Leitao said yesterday. "From that standpoint, it's important. It's also a game against a like team from a like conference. It's a good test."

Since edging Radford on Nov. 21, Virginia has lost two straight. The first loss 86-82 to Liberty ranks among U.Va.'s worst efforts in three-plus seasons under Leitao.

The second defeat 73-70 to Syracuse at the Carrier Dome included many more encouraging moments for Virginia. Leitao started three freshmen, a sophomore and a junior against the unbeaten Orange, and U.Va., in its first road game, led most of the way before fading.

His players competed, Leitao said, "and they were energetic and kind of blocked out the atmosphere and being on the road and just played basketball."

Still, as pleasing as that performance might have been after Virginia's passionless showing against the Flames, "I'm trying not to let my emotions go too far one way or the other," Leitao said. "I've got to keep it in proper perspective. This is a young group, and they're going to have days like the Liberty game, where they don't perform well."

Inexperience is no excuse for senior Mamadi Diane. The Cavaliers' top returning scorer from 2007-08, Diane entered the season with 68 career starts, and he averaged 13.5 points in the first two games.

Since then, however, the 6-5 swingman has scored a total of three points. Diane is shooting 27.7 percent from the floor. A season after hitting a team-high 60 treys, he's 0 for 14.

Even for a player whose trademark has been his inconsistency, this has been a brutal stretch. Diane lost his starting job after the Liberty game and struggled off the bench versus the Orange.

"He's had some highs and lows, and you just gotta continue to work through them," Leitao said. "There's no secret formula. You get in the gym earlier and stay there later."

A couple of first-year big men also bear watching tonight. Minnesota coach Tubby Smith's top reserves include 6-11 freshman Ralph Sampson III, whose father is that Ralph Sampson.

Leitao said he spoke to the former U.Va. great about Sampson III, but the interest on either side was never serious.

Virginia's freshman class, meanwhile, includes 7-0 Assane Sene and 6-11 John Brandenburg.

Sene's first start came Friday in his college debut. The Senegal native got in early foul trouble against Syracuse and played only seven minutes, but he blocked a shot on the game's first possession and gave U.Va. an interior presence.

He didn't suit up for Virginia's first three games the NCAA was still reviewing his eligibility but Sene showed enough in practice to earn a starting job.

"He gives a little bit of energy to our program and our team," Leitao said, "and I think that's healthy."

 

Cavaliers take on Smith, Gophers
By Whitey Reid
Published: December 1, 2008

It was in the spring of 2005 when Virginia had Tubby Smith in its sights to be its next basketball coach.
The deal, however, reportedly never materialized because of the monetary size of the contract.
Smith, who had won a national championship at Kentucky in 1998, wound up staying at UK, then, somewhat unexpectedly, bolted for Minnesota in 2007.
Tonight, Virginia travels to Minnesota to face Smith’s Gophers in an ACC/Big 10 Challenge game that tips off at 9:30 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN.
Last year, in his first at the helm, Smith led Minnesota to a 20-14 record, good for sixth place in the Big 10. The Gophers, who improved by 11 wins from the previous season, lost in the first round of the NIT to Maryland.
This season, Minnesota (6-0) is off to its best start since 2000, although it hasn’t played anyone very good yet. The Gophers, whose closest challenge was a one-point road win at Colorado State, are coming off a 14-point home victory over North Dakota State on Saturday.
In addition to facing a guy who nearly became their coach, another intriguing sidebar to tonight’s contest will be Virginia going up against Minnesota freshman Ralph Sampson III, the son of former UVa legend Ralph Sampson.
Coming out of Northview High (Duluth, Ga.), UVa showed very little interest in the younger Sampson, believing he wasn’t physical enough to play in the ACC.
However, the 6-foot-11, 220-pounder has gotten off to a strong start, averaging 7.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest.
It’s no secret that Virginia (3-2) has struggled so far this season (see last Tuesday’s home loss to Liberty). However, the Cavaliers looked much better in their last outing on Friday, a 73-70 loss at Syracuse in which they led for the majority of the contest.
“Playing well on the road at Syracuse gives us confidence going into Minnesota,” said junior Jerome Meyinsse, who had 10 points and eight rebounds against the Orange. “We just need to clean up our mistakes in the second half and battle back when the opposing team makes a run at us and I think we’ll be all right.”
Against Syracuse, Leitao started freshman Assane Sene in his college debut. Virginia’s opening lineup consisted of three freshmen (Sylven Landesberg, Sammy Zeglinski and Sene), a sophomore (Mike Scott) and a junior (Calvin Baker) as senior Mamadi Diane — 1 of 18 from the field his last three games — came off the bench.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” said Leitao, stating the obvious after the loss to the Orange. “We’re a very young team. We’re going to play well at times and other times not play so well. We’ve got to try and narrow that gap in our inconsistency as soon as we can.”
Dunks
Due to the late start time of tonight’s game, the Daily Progress will not have men’s basketball beat writer Whitelaw Reid covering the game in Minnesota. However, Reid will be blogging throughout the evening at
dailyprogress.com. …Virginia has an all-time record of 5-3 in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge. Last season, UVa beat Northwestern by 42 points, the largest margin in the history of the event…Virginia will need Mamadi Diane to break out of his funk. The senior, UVa’s leading returning scorer from last season, hasn’t scored in his last two games… Minnesota has just one player with a scoring average in double figures — 6-foot junior guard Lawrence Westbrook (14.2 PPG).

 

U's Ralph Sampson making his own tall tales
By MYRON P. MEDCALF, Star Tribune
December 2, 2008

Ralph Sampson Jr. presented every problem imaginable to opposing college defenses. He used his lithe, 7-4 frame to win an unprecedented three national player of the year awards at Virginia, a feat that might never be topped in the one-and-done generation of college basketball.

So it's surprising that his son, 6-11 Gophers freshman forward/center Ralph Sampson III, said he doesn't feel pressured by having such an accomplished father. Sampson has called tonight's home matchup in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge against Virginia "just another game," even though it's his father's alma mater.

Sampson's parents have groomed him to be an individual, and never forced him to live up to his father's achievements. And if the younger Sampson needs support, he has teammates and coaches who can relate to the experience of growing up with a relative prominent in sports.

Gophers assistant coach Saul Smith played for his father, head coach Tubby Smith, at Kentucky. Graduate manager Ryan Saunders is the son of former Gophers guard and Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders. Junior Lawrence Westbrook said people ask him every day about Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook, his first cousin.

Tubby Smith doesn't allow freshmen to talk to the media once the season starts until the Big Ten opener. But Sampson said during the team's media day this fall that he expected to be compared to his famous father. The prospect didn't appear to faze him.

"I think I'm going to have a chance to establish my own legacy, but I know people in the stands are going to recognize my name and they're going to think of my dad," he said. "But I'm going to have to create my own name [at] Minnesota and in the college basketball world."

Sampson's father said he didn't make his son play basketball. But when Ralph III picked up the sport, his father emphasized the importance of taking responsibility for his own development. In other words: Genetics would only take him so far.

"We always tell him, he never had to play basketball at all if he didn't really want to," said Sampson Jr. after a recent Gophers exhibition game. "He played for himself. They see Ralph Sampson III on the back of that jersey, not Ralph Sampson, so he's playing for himself."

But after a few months in a Gophers jersey, Tubby Smith sees similarities between the younger Sampson and his father. Smith coached against Sampson Jr. when Smith was an assistant at Virginia Commonwealth in the late '70s and early '80s.

"[Ralph Sampson Jr.] was the same way," Smith said. "[He] had very good dexterity, can use either hand, go either way, nice jump shot. [Ralph Sampson III] has a real feathery touch on his shot, and I'm sure that's all growing up, being with his dad, being around him and others that helped him grow."

Saul Smith helped his father win the 1998 national title at Kentucky. From his first day of campus, he said he tried to prove that he belonged based on his own merit and work ethic, not because his dad was the coach.

"For me, it was all about just working as hard as I could," Saul said. "I felt like if I could win the sprint against a McDonald's All-American, I was all right. I knew if I could win a one-on-one game vs. [former Kentucky and current Detroit Pistons forward] Tayshaun Prince, I was going to be all right. ... And I think Ralph does a good job of that in practice."

With senior center Jonathan Williams missing the team's first six games, Sampson's length has been a necessity for the Gophers, with only three healthy post players. They will face their biggest opponent so far in Virginia.

His toughness also has been tested numerous times. He's already overcome a high fever, a gash near his eye that required stitches, early-season cramps that prompted a hospital visit and IV fluids and a couple of hard falls in practice. He hasn't missed one game.

Down the stretch in a 90-76 victory over North Dakota State on Saturday, he scored 12 points in the final 10 minutes. He recorded four of Minnesota's new school record 17 blocks against Bowling Green. And he's averaging 7.0 points and leading the team with 4.7 rebounds per game.

But he's still a freshman, regardless of who his father is. So he's had his share of mishaps this season, too -- his 14 personal fouls are tied for a team high.

Players such as Westbrook try to make sure that Sampson isn't asked to live up to a higher standard because of his father. Although Westbrook only played football briefly in high school, he's still peppered with questions about his first cousin with the Eagles.

"I guess it has to be difficult trying to live in your father's footsteps," Westbrook said. "But Ralph is a cool, quiet kid. We do a good job, I think. We don't put any pressure on him. He's only a freshman."

 

Monroe, Phillips get All-ACC nod
By Jay Jenkins
Published: December 1, 2008

Two Virginia football players were named first-team selections to the All-ACC team on Monday.
Left guard Eugene Monroe and tight end John Phillips easily won the honors as voted upon by 67 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.
Virginia outside linebacker Clint Sintim, despite leading the league’s linebackers in sacks, was snubbed by the voting panel, earning second-team honors with sophomore cornerback Ras-I Dowling.
A pair of offensive talents, tailback Cedric Peerman and wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, were honorable mention selections from a team that finished 5-7 overall and in fifth place in the Coastal Division with a 3-5 mark.
It was the second honor in as many days for Monroe, who received more votes than any other lineman in the conference. On Sunday, the senior offensive lineman was named the 2008 Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner.
Being named the top offensive lineman, while expected, placed Monroe among an elite group. Eleven former Cavaliers, including the most recent selection of Elton Brown in 2004, have won the award.
“We are absolutely thrilled for Eugene and very proud of him not just because he won, but because of how he won,” said UVa coach Al Groh. “Eugene’s early career was not easy for him. But it was his personality, determination to be great, and the work ethic that he developed that enabled him to raise his performance level, which led those he played against to recognize him as the best.”
Phillips had a breakout season. The senior led all tight ends in the league, catching 48 passes for 385 yards. The 48 catches Phillips hauled in ranks ninth all-time in program history by a tight end.
Sintim, who leads the nation’s linebackers with an average of 0.92 sacks per game, finished ninth in the league in tackles for a loss. He received 79 total votes, which trailed Boston College’s Mark Herzlich (118 votes), Duke’s Michael Tauiliili (110) and Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry.
Dowling’s honor is quite historic for a Cavalier cornerback. In fact, Dowling becomes the first sophomore to claim all-league honors since Ronde Barber was named a first-team selection in 1995.
Dowling, who earned 49 votes, had three interceptions to lead Virginia and finished second in the league with 11 pass break-ups.
Peerman, considered the heart of Virginia’s offense, rushed for 774 yards, the fifth-best mark in the ACC this season. The senior finished with seven rushing touchdowns and 44 receptions, most among running backs in the league.
Ogletree, coming off an ACL injury, showed flashes of brilliance, catching 58 passes for 723 yards and five touchdowns. Currently ranked third in the ACC with an average of 60.2 receiving yards per game, Ogletree became the 26th player in league history to register two 50-catch seasons in a career.
While Ogletree told the Daily Progress that he would check as to what his draft stock would be should be enter the NFL Draft early, he is expected back next season. Ogletree would enter his final season with 117 career catches, 50 receptions shy of moving into the Top 20 in league history.
 

2 Cavs, 1 Hokie named first-team all-ACC
Daily Press

Virginia tight end John Phillips and offensive tackle Eugene Monroe and Virginia Tech cornerback Victor Harris were named first-team all-ACC by the Associated Press on Monday.

Virginia Tech also had four on the second team -- RB Darren Evans, OG Sergio Render and defensive ends Orion Martin and Jason Worilds -- and three on the honorable-mention list -- OG Nick Marshman, center Ryan Shuman and place kicker Dustin Keys.

Virginia linebacker Clint Sintim and cornerback Ras-I Dowling were named second team. Running back Cedric Peerman and receiver Kevin Olgetree were honorable mention.

FULL LIST

OFFENSE

FIRST TEAM

QB--Russell Wilson, N.C. State (106)

RB--Jonathan Dwyer, Georgia Tech (134)*mldr*

RB--Da'Rel Scott, Maryland (76)

WR--Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina (130)

WR--D.J. Boldin, Wake Forest (76)

TE--John Phillips, Virginia (88)

OT--Eugene Monroe, Virginia (117)

OT--Andrew Gardner, Georgia Tech (107)

OG--Rodney Hudson, Florida State (99)

OG--Cliff Ramsey, Boston College (78)

C--Edwin Williams, Maryland (62)

SECOND TEAM

QB--Thaddeus Lewis, Duke (28)

RB--Darren Evans, Virginia Tech (58)

RB--C.J. Spiller, Clemson (50)

WR--Eron Riley, Duke (57)

WR--Aaron Kelly, Clemson (56)

TE--Ryan Purvis, Boston College (45)

OT--Garrett Reynolds, North Carolina (42)

OT--Anthony Castonzo, Boston College (41)

OG--Sergio Render, Virginia Tech (48)

OG--Cord Howard, Georgia Tech (45)

C--Thomas Austin, Clemson (48)

DEFENSE

FIRST TEAM

DE--Everette Brown, Florida State (131)

DE--Michael Johnson, Georgia Tech (99)

DT--B.J. Raji, Boston College (103)

DT--Vance Walker, Georgia Tech (62)

LB--Mark Herzlich, Boston College (118)

LB--Michael Tauiliili, Duke (110)

LB--Aaron Curry, Wake Forest (106)

CB--Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest (134)*mldr*

CB--Victor Harris, Virginia Tech (125)

S--Trimane Goddard, North Carolina (105)

S--Michael Hamlin, Clemson (89)

SECOND TEAM

DE--Orion Martin, Virginia Tech (61)

DE--Jason Worilds, Virginia Tech (39)

DT--Ron Brace, Boston College (52)

DT--Darryl Richard, Georgia Tech (50)

LB--Clint Sintim, Virginia (79)

LB--Alex Wujciak, Maryland (43)

LB--Mark Paschal, North Carolina (40)

CB--Ras-I Dowling, Virginia (49)

CB--Tony Carter, Florida State (34)

CB--Kendric Burney, North Carolina (34)

S--Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech (85)

S--Myron Rolle, Florida State (55)

SPECIAL TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

K--Graham Gano, Florida State (127)

P--Travis Baltz, Maryland (105)

Specialist--C.J. Spiller, Clemson (66)

SECOND TEAM

K--Matt Bosher, Miami (34)

P--Matt Bosher, Miami (60)

Specialist--Michael Ray Garvin, Florida State (41)

HONORABLE MENTION

OFFENSE: Riley Skinner, qb, Wake Forest (26); Antone Smith, rb, Florida State (33); Cedric Peerman, rb, Virginia (30); Darius Heyward-Bey, wr, Maryland (34); Kevin Ogletree, wr, Virginia (32); Dan Gronkowski, te, Maryland (41); Scott Burley, ot, Maryland (34); Thomas Claiborne, og, Boston College (38); Calvin Darity, og, North Carolina (34); Jaimie Thomas, og, Maryland (33); Nick Marshman, og, Virginia Tech (24); Ryan McMahon, c, Florida State (35); Matt Tennant, c, Boston College (33); Ryan Shuman, c, Virginia Tech (23).

DEFENSE: Derrick Morgan, de, Georgia Tech (26); Willie Young, de, N.C. State (25); Vince Oghobaase, dt, Duke (40); Boo Robinson, de, Wake Forest (31); Jeremy Navarre, dt, Maryland (29); Nate Irving, lb, N.C. State (28); Paul Anderson, s, Boston College (35); Anthony Reddick, s, Miami (23).

SPECIAL TEAMS: Dustin Keys, k, Virginia Tech (25); Brandon Tate, spec., North Carolina (33); T.J. Graham, spec., N.C. State (31).

 

All-ACC picks reflect wild season
Caulton Tudor, Staff Writer
Comment on this story

Regardless of what happens Saturday in the ACC championship game between Virginia Tech and Boston College, the 2008 football season will rate among the most bizarre in league history.
The latest evidence of that fact could be found in Monday's announcement of the conference all-star team, which was selected by members of the Atlantic Coast Media Association.

N.C. State's Russell Wilson, considered by many to be a long shot to start on his own team in preseason, easily dominated the voting at quarterback.

Wilson will join Georgia Tech running back Jonathan Dwyer (a unanimous first-team pick) and Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich as the ACC gold-standard players for 2009, assuming they all return to school. North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, a junior, obviously qualifies for the same group, but he's likely to turn pro.

The emergence of Wilson as the league's most exciting player also underscores the unpredictable nature of football recruiting. Deemed an undersized quarterback candidate as a high school player in Richmond, Va., Wilson was rated as a modest two-star prospect who almost slipped through the recruiting net.

Had it not been for his baseball skills, there's a chance Wilson would have been passed up by State.

Wilson is just one example of how misleading recruit rankings can be in football.

Wake Forest's Aaron Curry, a solid first-team choice and a likely high-round NFL draft pick next April, was another two-star prep player who was widely snubbed by other ACC schools.

Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, the second-team pick, was a three-star prospect but judged by some schools to be a better candidate for defensive back or wide receiver.

But for each big surprise in the ACC '08, there was a big disappointment:

* Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper was an overwhelming choice in the preseason vote for player of the year. No. 2 in that vote was his running back teammate James Davis. Neither was a remote voting factor at the end.

* Davis was joined by Wake Forest sophomore Josh Adams as the other preseason running back. Adams was injured and rarely showed the flash that made him an easy winner in the 2007 league rookie-of-the-year race.

* The biggest miscalculation of all, however, was Clemson. A huge favorite to win the Atlantic Division and the pick to whip Virginia Tech in the championship game, the Tigers so thoroughly flopped that Harper had to fight for his job and coach Tommy Bowden lost his.

* Then there was Boston College, which was picked for fourth in the Atlantic and was one of only four teams that didn't get at least one vote to win its division.

Go figure. That's the only suitable summation of ACC football in '08.

 

More than one Groh on the hot seat
Jeff White
Dec 01, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE – So what becomes of Mike Groh?

That’s one of several questions presumably to be answered when U.Va. athletic director Craig Littlepage meets with football coach Al Groh this week.

Before he became a coach, Mike Groh, the older of Al’s two sons, left a legacy few quarterbacks can match at U.Va.

In each of his seasons as a starter, 1994 and ’95, Virginia won its bowl game and finished with nine victories. Moreover, Mike Groh was the Cavaliers’ quarterback when they stunned No. 2 Florida State 33-28 at Scott Stadium in 1995.

These days, however, Mike Groh is known mainly as the guy who oversees U.Va.’s offense, and that’s not a good thing.

After Ron Prince left to become head coach at Kansas State, Mike Groh was promoted to offensive coordinator at U.Va. before the 2006 season. The results haven’t been pretty:

*In 2006, the Cavaliers ranked 110th nationally in scoring offense and 113th in total offense.

*In 2007, they ranked 81st in scoring offense and 101st in total offense.

*This season, U.Va. ranks 115th in scoring offense and 106th in total offense. The Cavaliers finished 5-7 – as they did in 2006 – after losing their regular-season finale Saturday to Virginia Tech.

U.Va. officials, Littlepage included, are well-aware of the offense’s struggles under Mike Groh, and I expect that Al Groh will be asked – or told – that a new coordinator is needed. How the elder Groh will respond, I don’t know.

Perhaps Mike Groh resigns, as the much-maligned Jeff Bowden did at Florida State a couple years ago. It wouldn’t shock me to see his father use his extensive contacts in the NFL to find Mike an assistant’s job in the big leagues.

Maybe Mike Groh gets re-assigned to another position on the U.Va. staff, helping clear the way for the return of Prince, who was fired this fall at K-State, as offensive coordinator.

Or maybe Al Groh tells U.Va. officials that he’s in charge of his program and refuses to remove his son as offensive coordinator. What would happen then? Would U.Va. blink, or would it fire Al Groh (and have to be responsible for the $6 million buyout it desperately wants to avoid paying this year)?

Stay tuned.

Posted by Jeff White

Parsing Littlepage
The University of Virginia's decision not to exercise the annual extension clause in football coach Al Groh's contract was expected.

After all, the Cavaliers finished 5-7, their second losing season in three years. They dropped their final four games for the first time since 1982 and lost to Virginia Tech for the ninth time in 10 years.

But athletic director Craig Littlepage's statement Sunday night went beyond that.

"I will be meeting with (Groh) in the next 48 hours to conduct a year-end review of the football program," Littlepage said. "I will have no further comment about coach Groh's contract or the review process of the program."

OK, year-end reviews are SOP. But announcing the timetable for such a review while also declining further comment?

Maybe it's cynicism and/or paranoia, but methinks some other things are at play here.

Might Virginia be passing the hat and peering under the sofa cushions for the $5 million-plus it would take to terminate Groh? That seems doubtful given Littlepage's assurance last month that Groh would return in 2009.

In his meeting with Groh, will Littlepage demand staff changes that involve offensive coordinator Mike Groh, Al's son? That should and may transpire, given the Cavaliers' anemic production during Mike Groh's three seasons as coordinator.

If Littlepage mandates change, how will Al Groh respond? Do university officials hope he'll resign and offer to negotiate a settlement of the remaining three years of his contract?

Stay tuned. This might get interesting.

By the way, Littlepage is usually very prompt about responding to e-mail, so after reading his statement last night, I e-mailed him asking if his Groh-will-return stance from mid-November remained firm.

He's yet to reply.

Posted by David Teel
 

The Hoo-cat
Paul Montana, Cavalier Daily Senior Associate Editor
Published: Tuesday, December 2 2008

The headline of this column is what senior Vic Hall called the Virginia formation with Hall under center Saturday.

The Hoo-cat, the Wildcat, the Vic-cat, whatever you want to call it — it was certainly a curveball, and it most certainly worked. Hall ran for 109 yards and two touchdowns, almost fooling Virginia Tech into its first loss to the Cavs since 2003.

“Probably because we got 3 less points, it probably won’t be remembered quite as well,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “But it had to be one of the best performances ever in this series by an individual player.”

Now, the big question that Wahoo fans have — particularly in the bitterness of defeat to Virginia’s fiercest rival — is, what took so long? Why did it take three years for the coaching staff to put Hall — who owns the Virginia high school records for rushing yards from scrimmage (13,770), passing yards (8,731) and passing touchdowns (104) — under center?

Here was Groh’s answer Saturday.

“He’s not a big man,” Groh said of Hall. “Four months of that, who knows if he’d be able to withstand up to that. In fact, there was one time today where we were told that he wasn’t available, but fortunately that didn’t last for a few seconds.”

Groh is right; Hall is not a big dude. And he’s probably also correct that Hall can’t take the majority of the snaps as he did Saturday.

But yet, Groh was still in some sense dodging the question; it wasn’t whether Hall could be used every game to the level that he was used against the Hokies but whether Groh ever thought of giving Hall snaps at quarterback before this game.

And the fact is, Hall should have been used at quarterback long ago. Groh would certainly have a tough time defending the status quo; assuming this year’s rankings don’t change dramatically, Virginia will finish outside the top 100 in total offense for the third straight season.

What’s more, many of these problems can be traced to the man taking the snaps. Most of Virginia’s offensive difficulties this season relate to sophomore quarterback Marc Verica’s 16 interceptions in 10 games. Verica’s decision-making this season — or at least the three interceptions that he tossed against Clemson two weeks ago — is indeed what led Groh to leave the offense in Hall’s hands Saturday.

“The difference between those two teams last weekend was turning the ball over,” Groh said. “We felt that our team needed a spark, needed somebody to believe in; there’s nobody in this team that the players and the coaches believe in more than Vic Hall.”

That’s just what I don’t get, though — the weeks before that, and in fact the years before that, haven’t seen particularly laudable play from Virginia quarterbacks, either. Quarterback Jameel Sewell wasn’t as bad about turnovers but he was rough around the edges, to say the least, with downfield accuracy — he completed just 58.8 percent of his passes in 2007 and 57.9 percent the year before

Yet, with the athletic Hall in uniform to witness all of the offensive hardship, the coaching staff waited until the last week of this mediocre season, against a perennially terrific defense, to give Hall a shot.

The most amazing part, which lends credence to the fact that this offense should have been tried well before the final week of Hall’s third non-redshirt season, is that even given these circumstances, Hall made it work. With one week’s notice, in one of the most hostile environments in the ACC, against an accomplished defense motivated by the incentive to make the conference championship, Hall was magnificent.

“To do that on a few days’ worth of practice is unbelievable,” Groh said.

Just imagine what could happen if Hall had two weeks. Or training camp.

“It’s like riding a bike,” Hall said. “You never really forget something you’re blessed with.”

But of course, Groh wasn’t second-guessing himself.

“That’s not the way I live,” he said.

Fair enough — hindsight is 20/20.

But now, foresight might be pretty clear as well — next season, use Hall as often as possible.

Like Groh said, though, Hall might not last a full season taking as many snaps as he did Saturday — but he wouldn’t have to. With Sewell back after missing this season because of academic ineligibility, Virginia now has all kinds of options. If Sewell can return to the form he had in 2007 — which was not exceptional, but certainly passable for a starter — he could be the primary quarterback, with Hall as the change of pace. If Verica can recover from his issues with turnovers, Groh could run a system similar to that of Virginia Tech’s with Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon — plus another healthy dose of Hall.

“The proof is in the pudding,” Hall said.

Yes, Vic, it is. Unfortunately for the Cavs, with one year of eligibility remaining for Hall, they will at best only get a taste.

 

Paging Dr. Phil
Ernie Washington, Cavalier Daily Gameday Editor
Published: Tuesday, December 2 2008

When asked how sophomore quarterback Marc Verica could recover from his costly fourth-quarter interception against Virginia Tech as well as his turnover-ridden games against Wake Forest and Clemson, Virginia coach Al Groh provided a simple response.

“Dr. Phil,” he said.

Forget just Verica — the entire team and coaching staff need a therapy session with Dr. Phil. In fact, make it a primetime special while you’re at it and have Oprah stop by for further counseling. After what this program has gone through in the last calendar year with the numerous off-the-field problems in the horrible month that was September, and righting the ship in October only to see it implode in November, some counseling is in order.

Just to show how promising this year could have been, even after the Cavaliers blew a lead in the Gator Bowl against Texas Tech, ESPN.com’s Mark Schlabach back on Jan. 8 had the Cavaliers as the 20th best team headed into the 2008 season. Though it was in January, it spoke volumes to the potential people saw in the Cavaliers for the 2008 season. Event by event, however, things started to unravel. Here is a chronological summary of Virginia’s undoing.

It started in mid-January, when four players on the Virginia football team were declared academically ineligible for the spring semester and therefore ineligible to play in the 2008 season. Two of the players were crucial losses: cornerback Chris Cook and quarterback Jameel Sewell. With that piece of news, Virginia’s good vibes coming off the 2007 season were lost, and recruiting suffered. The class of 2008 ranked 58th in the country and 11th in the ACC, according to Rivals.com. That caused Cavalier fans to go into uproar, as Virginia only signed three players native to the Virginia, and Virginia Tech cleaned up with prospects from Virginia en route to a top-20 recruiting class.

Late February provided even worse news for the Cavaliers when it was announced that would-be junior defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald had been removed from the program and dropped out of school. That loss arguably hurt even more than Sewell’s suspension, because Fitzgerald was counted on to provide a pass rush that was voided by Chris Long’s graduation.

The off-field problems, however, were far from over. In early April, would-be redshirt freshman linebacker J’Courtney Williams — a U.S. Army All-American in high school — was arrested and charged with credit card theft and credit card fraud and was subsequently kicked off the team. What were seen as isolated incidents turned into an epidemic for the program.

After a spring game in which the quarterback situation wasn’t cleared up, it certainly didn’t help that sophomore quarterback Peter Lalich — the rumored frontrunner for the job — was charged with unlawful alcoholic purchase and possession in July. Though Lalich wasn’t suspended, it raised questions about his maturity and whether he was capable of leading the team.

By the time the season came around, Virginia suffered something even more embarrassing than the off-the-field issues: a 52-7 thrashing at the hands of Southern California on national television.

Then, as if it wasn’t bad enough that Virginia looked mediocre in a 16-0 win against Richmond, the news came out that Lalich had violated the terms of his probation in the preseason and as a result would not travel to Connecticut. With Verica starting in his first game, Virginia was embarrassed 45-10, but a bigger hit to the program occurred before the bye week because Lalich was dismissed from the football team. With Verica continuing to take the snaps, the Cavaliers hit rock bottom in the next week as Duke snapped its 25-game ACC losing streak by embarrassing the Cavaliers 31-3. Sitting at 1-3, Virginia was facing a do-or-die month in October, needing to do well for the program to save face.

The Cavaliers, to the shock of many, went 4-0 in October, but there was still some bad news during that month. The average attendance in the three October home games was 51,822, which is more than 8,000 fewer attendees per game than the 2007 season average. This season’s overall attendance — even with the USC game factored in — was 53,815, which spoke volumes to fan and student apathy toward the team this season.

Then, after October gave Cavalier fans hope for an ACC title, November was another horrid month for the Cavaliers. They lost in heartbreaking fashion to Miami thanks in part to a costly turnover by Verica. Then, all of a sudden, Verica unraveled the last three games, throwing seven interceptions and losing the accuracy he had during October, and the offense sputtered as a result. To top things off, rival Virginia Tech — itself offensively challenged as well this season — won the ACC Coastal Division in a rebuilding year, and in so doing cost Virginia bowl eligibility for the second time in three years and sent off the senior Virginia class win-less against the Hokies.

For a program usually successful on the field and off, this year proved to be stressful and turbulent for the Cavaliers. Groh is now squarely in the hot seat — his contract has not been extended by athletic director Craig Littlepage. The job security of Al Groh’s son, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Mike Groh, may also be under pressure after the offense finished outside the top 100 in total yards for the third straight year. There are also doubts as to whether Sewell can return to form next season, and if not, whether Verica is the solution under center after throwing 16 interceptions in 10 games this season.

The Cavaliers will be watched even more closely this offseason to make sure they stay out of the police blotter. What had the potential to be a glorious 2008 season ended in extreme disappointment. Right now Dr. Phil might not be enough for this team.