UVa Injury Report for Clemson Game

Nov. 19, 2009
7:58 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In ACC football, UVa (2-4, 3-7) travels to Death Valley on Saturday to meet No. 23 Clemson (5-2, 7-3) at 3:30 p.m. Below is the injury report Virginia released Thursday night, as per ACC policy.

Out  WR Raynard Horne (back)
        TB Torrey Mack (ankle)
        WR Tim Smith (back)
        QB Marc Verica (head)

Doubtful None

Questionable WR Vic Hall (hip)

Probable WR Kris Burd (shoulder)
               LB Darren Childs (neck)

              DE Matt Conrath (ankle)

              TE Colter Phillips (leg)
               QB Jameel Sewell (shoulder)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:





Probable: Virtually certain to be available for normal duty




Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play




Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play

Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

Recurring Theme: Poor Offense

Nov. 19, 2009
1:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- There was the 390-yard effort against Southern Mississippi, followed two games later by a 536-yard avalanche versus Indiana.

Unfortunately for UVa's football team, those offensive performances were aberrations. The Cavaliers have played 10 games this season. In five of them Virginia has failed to total more than 201 yards of offense. Only twice -- against Southern Miss and Indiana -- have the Wahoos topped the 300-yard mark.

Among ACC teams, Virginia (2-4, 3-7) ranks last in scoring offense (19.8 points per game) and total offense (266.7 yards per game).

Among the 120 teams that compete in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision, UVa ranks 110^th in rushing offense, 104^th in passing offense, 118^th in total offense and 106^th in scoring offense.

None of which bodes well for Virginia's chances this weekend. UVa plays Saturday at Death Valley, and 23^rd-ranked Clemson (5-2, 7-3) is stocked with such game-breakers as C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford.

The Cavaliers have lost the time-of-possession battle this season, and "that'll certainly come into play here on Saturday, yes," Al Groh said Thursday afternoon.

"The more explosive the other team, the bigger item it becomes."

If the Wahoos were more experienced in their current offensive system, perhaps the numbers would not be so bleak.

"You're talking about over 50 practices that clearly would have been beneficial to things we're attempting to do now," Groh said.

Virginia's offense spent those practices trying to master the spread system installed by Gregg Brandon, who'd replaced Mike Groh as coordinator after the 2008 season.

The 'Hoos ran the spread in spring practice, during training camp and through the first two games this season before Al Groh, unhappy with the team's lack of offensive production, scrapped it.

Before the Southern Miss game, the Cavaliers returned to a more traditional offense, and they've stuck with that, with generally unimpressive results.

"Clearly, 50 more practices in what we're doing right now [would have been helpful], especially for some of the younger players," Groh said. "We had some older players, veteran players, that have good recall of what we were doing, but we have some younger players who clearly don't have the opportunity for any recall."

-- Jeff White

Conrath: A Man for Two Sports

Nov. 17, 2009
7:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- There are fans who are more knowledgeable about the sport, but it's probably safe to say there's no bigger fan of the powerful UVa field hockey team than UVa football player Matt Conrath.

Conrath, a redshirt sophomore defensive end, stands 6-7 and weighs about 275 pounds.

His girlfriend, 5-5 junior Haley Carpenter, is a key player for Michele Madison's field hockey team, which meets North Carolina in the NCAA semifinals Friday at Winson-Salem, N.C.

"I've only been to a couple games, and I'd never seen it played before I came out here," Conrath told several reporters Tuesday night after practice. "I just know they're really good at it, and they're in the final four. That's about as much as I know."

As for the rules of the sport, Conrath said, his grasp doesn't extend much beyond this:

"The ball can't hit your foot."

Carpenter, a graduate of Ocean Lakes High in Virginia Beach, plays midfield for the Wahoos. Her sister, Taber, played soccer at Virginia Tech.

Unfortunately for Conrath, he'll be in South Carolina on Friday afternoon -- UVa plays football at Clemson the next day -- and so won't be able to cheer on Carpenter against UNC.

-- Jeff White

Versatility May Be Hall's Ticket to NFL

Nov. 16, 2009
4:42 p.m.

TAMPA, Fla. -- The men's basketball team's first road game of the season is about three hours away, at the nearby Sun Dome, and I've been in this city since last night.

That meant I had to miss Al Groh's weekly press conference in Charlottesville -- a first for me -- but I listened in by phone as the Cavaliers' ninth-year football coach touched on various topics over the course of about 50 minutes Monday.

One question concerned Vic Hall's NFL stock. At 5-9, 185 pounds, Hall is among the smallest players on the field at any time, but he's distinguished himself at cornerback, safety, quarterback and wide receiver during his college career.

Hall, who's competing as a graduate student, also has returned punts and been the holder on extra points and field goals.

Asked at which position NFL scouts are evaluating Hall, Groh said, "Well, probably I would say that they don't know. Each one's got a little different idea. Because you're going to get 32 different, maybe not 32, but a wide-spread different set of ideas on a player like Vic.

"But the range of things that he's done has certainly helped his circumstances, because it's provided more options of which he can be evaluated. And that's those teams' business. We don't try to evaluate the players for them. We just answer the questions for them."

Groh, who spent more than a decade on NFL coaching staffs, added: "One of the reasons that we are so open about letting the NFL personnel people come in -- one of the most open teams in the country -- is for players like that. You know, when Chris Long's here, and Eugene Monroe is here, and those kind of guys, [NFL teams are] going to make sure they do their due diligence on those players. But those players a little further down the line that the scouts only have a limited opportunity to be around, they don't have time to do their work on them. But they know that they can be here as much as they need to be, and that's when they find out about and can do a more complete report on those players.

"We feel when those players give us everything they have and they still have dreams to go on, the least we can do is open the door and provide them as much opportunity to be evaluated."

Groh compared Hall to a former UVa standout, Jason Snelling, who now plays running back for the Atlanta Falcons.

"I clearly remember just being able to say [to NFL scouts] about Jason, "Look, he may not be the most spectacular in any way. He's not the fastest or the tallest or the heaviest running back. He's just a really good player.' What team wouldn't want a really good player?" Groh said.

"So we say the same thing about Vic. He's just a good player. He blocks, he tackles, he catches, he runs, he covers kicks, he catches kicks. He does what football players do. He's not a specialist, he's a good football player."

-- Jeff White

A Day to Remember

Nov. 14, 2009
9:10 p.m.

TAMPA, Fla. -- On the bus ride to the Charlottesville airport, we got word that Michele Madison's field hockey team had beaten Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

After landing in the Sunshine State, we learned that the UVa men had received an at-large invitation to the NCAA cross country championships.

It was that kind of day for UVa athletics, which enjoyed a remarkable Sunday. In a span of about five hours, all of this went down:

* The men's soccer team beat N.C. State 1-0 in the ACC title game at Cary, N.C. The shutout was the eighth straight for the Wahoos, who won the conference championship for the fourth time under George Gelnovatch.

* The women's soccer team staged one of the most incredible displays of offensive firepower in NCAA tournament history. Steve Swanson's club, down 2-0 to host Penn State at the break, scored six goals in a 20-minute span of the second half to win 6-2 and advance to the round of 16 for the fifth consecutive season.

* The field hockey team, playing at University Hall Turf Field, beat Michigan State 3-2 in overtime to advance to the NCAA semifinals for the first time since 1998.

* The women's basketball team got yet another brilliant performance from all-ACC guard Monica Wright, who scored 31 points in an 86-68 rout of Manhattan at John Paul Jones Arena.

* The wrestling team went 3-0 in dual meets at the ACC Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C. The 17^th-ranked Cavaliers closed the day with a 20-19 victory over No. 16 American. That was UVa's first-ever win over a ranked opponent.

* The men's cross country team learned that it will compete at the NCAA championships for the fifth consecutive year. The 'Hoos finished 14^th in 2008. (The UVa women's team earned an automatic bid to the NCAAs by finishing second Saturday at the Southeast Regional.)

And for good measure:

* The rowing team swept the varsity races at the Rivanna Romp, in which Penn, Old Dominion, Tennessee and Miami (Fla.) also competed.

Not a bad day for a school bidding for a second straight top-10 finish in the Directors' Cup competition.

-- Jeff White

Update on 'Hoos for Herzlich

Nov. 13, 2009
4:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As Saturday approaches, the 'Hoos for Herzlich fund-raiser is moving closer to its goal of $9,494.

Not all the donations had been recorded on the official Web site, but as of 4 p.m. Friday the total raised was more than $8,000, with $2,430 coming from the UVa football program.

Virginia hosts ACC rival Boston College at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and before the game a ceremonial check will be presented to Mark Herzlich, the all-ACC linebacker who wears No. 94 for the Eagles.

Herzlich, who as a junior in 2008 was named ACC defensive player of the year, was diagnosed last spring with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in his left leg,.

He hasn't played football since, but Herzlich recently underwent a final round of chemotherapy, and his doctors say he's cancer-free.

Schools around the ACC have contributed in Herzlich's name to Uplifting Athletes, a non-profit organization that works with the college football community to raise awareness and fund research for rare diseases.

At UVa, the 'Hoo Crew and Student Council, with the support of the football team, started the 'Hoos for Herzlich campaign last month.

It's not too late to give. For more information, visit this site.

-- Jeff White

UVa Injury Report for Boston College Game

Nov. 12, 2009
7:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In ACC football, UVa (2-3, 3-6) hosts Boston College (3-2, 6-3) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Below is the injury report Virginia released Thursday night, as per ACC policy.

Out WR Raynard Horne (back)
      WR Quintin Hunter (ankle)

Doubtful None

Questionable LB Darren Childs (knee)
                    QB Jameel Sewell (shoulder)
                    QB Marc Verica (head)

Probable WR Javaris Brown (ankle)

             LB Aaron Clark (knee)

             DE Matt Conrath (ankle)

             TE Colter Phillips (leg)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:





Probable: Virtually certain to be available for normal duty




Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play




Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play

Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

Stout Defense Carries Men's Soccer Team

Nov. 12, 2009
3:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- His 2001 team didn't allow a goal in ACC play, so UVa men's soccer coach George Gelnovatch is familiar with stellar defense.

By any standard, though, what his current squad has done is undeniably impressive. Virginia (13-3-2) has posted six consecutive shutouts. Overall, the Cavaliers and their starting goalkeeper, junior Diego Restrepo, have allowed only seven goals this season.

"It's a collection of things," Gelnovatch said by phone Thursday afternoon from the ACC tournament, where fifth-seeded UVa meets top-seeded Wake Forest in the semifinals Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Cary, N.C.

"It starts, I think, with our goalkeeper, who has done an excellent job for us. But when you look at Diego's statistics on his saves-per-game in the ACC, they're not high, because he doesn't have to make a lot of saves compared to the other teams in the conference. And that is a tribute to our team playing good defense."

Restrepo, a transfer from South Florida, hasn't "had a ton of work, which is good," Gelnovatch said. "But when he's called upon to make a big save, which is probably once in a big game, he makes it, so that's has been huge."

A season ago, Virginia finished 11-9-1, in part because of its suspect defense. In 21 games, the Wahoos allowed 29 goals.

After the season, Gelnovatch said, the coaching staff studied some of the more successful teams in college soccer and learned that "you can't be scored on more than 20 times in a year and make it to a final four. And so one of our goals was to have less than 20 goals going into the playoffs.

"It's something we clearly were cognizant of. We had it posted in our locker room. It's clearly a goal of ours, this goals-against thing."

In addition to Restrepo, the first-year starters at center back -- Mike Volk and Greg Monaco -- have been superb, Gelnovatch said.

After totaling five goals in its first two games this season -- wins over Portland and Washington -- UVa scored only five in its next seven games. That stretch included one-goal victories over Mount St. Mary's, Wake, George Washington and Virginia Commonwealth.

"The first month of the season, we were getting results, but we had to grind for those results," Gelnovatch said. "We weren't in rhythm. We weren't firing on all cylinders.

"We were doing it, but we were really were swimming upstream. That mentality of grinding it out and blue-collar wins and finding a way to win has carried over. Now that we have some rhythm, we still have that mentality of being able to grind.

"I didn't plan it this way. I thought we would get off to a smoother, more efficent start to the season, but certainly that first month we developed a workmanlike attitude, just trying to get these results, just trying to plow our way through."

Virginia advanced to the ACC semifinals with a 1-0 victory over defending NCAA champion Maryland. Sophomore Tony Tchani scored the game-winner for UVa in the 88^th minute.

"I told our team this all along: Life is like this. You don't plan on losing your job. You don't plan on failing a test. But things happen, and how you respond and how to keep going and keep working and stay the course determines who you are and your character and success," Gelnovatch said.

"We've talked about it all year, and we've just found a way to stay the course, stay the course, stay the course, and now guys like Tony Tchani are starting to play much better, and [freshman] Will Bates has come around in the past three weeks."

If the Cavaliers beat Wake, Gelnovatch said, they might earn one of the top four seeds in the NCAA tourney. Even with a loss Friday, he said, his team probably would be one of the top eight seeds.

-- Jeff White

'Hoos Play Waiting Game with Sewell

Nov. 12, 2009
1:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Jameel Sewell won't be completely healthy again until after football season, when his shoulder and ankle injuries have time to heal.

Whether Sewell will be healthy enough to play quarterback for UVa this weekend remains uncertain, according to Al Groh.

Sewell missed last weekend's game at Miami with a hurt shoulder. The fifth-year senior has been back at practice this week,, but if Sewell will be available Saturday against Boston College, Groh didn't let on Thursday morning during a teleconference with reporters.

Asked how Sewell has been holding up, Groh said, "Great."

Does that mean Sewell is good to go against BC?

"No, it just means he's holding up," Groh said, to laughter from his audience. "I don't exactly know what 'holding up' means. I'm glad it doesn't mean [holding up a] 7-Eleven."

Groh acknowledged, however, that Sewell's presence could help a struggling offense.

"If it didn't make a big difference, he wouldn't have started all those previous games and wouldn't have been the guy that we won nine games two years ago with," Groh said. "Clearly it makes a big difference. There's progress every day. We just hope that it continues."

Sewell has started seven games this season. He's had some good moments but overall has completed only 53.3 percent of his passes. And he's thrown as many interceptions (six) as touchdown passes (six).

In Sewell's absence, junior Marc Verica played quarterback against the Hurricanes. He completed only 11 of 29 attempts, for 75 yards, in UVa's 52-17 loss at Land Shark Stadium.

-- Jeff White

Wanted: Help in the Post

Nov. 11, 2009
2:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Tony Bennett opened practice last month with 12 scholarship players. He's down to 10, only two of whom are post players: 6-8 junior Mike Scott and 6-9 senior Jerome Meyinsse.

Walk-on Will Sherrill, an ever-hustling 6-9 junior, is another option for Bennett in the frontcourt, and 6-8 freshman Tristan Spurlock, a natural wing, figures to see some time at power forward.

Even so, with 7-0 sophomore Assane Sene serving a three-game suspension and 6-9 senior Jamil Tucker taking an indefinite leave of absence, the Cavaliers are perilously thin on the interior as they head into their Friday night opener against Longwood at John Paul Jones Arena.

Bennett put a positive spin on the situation Wednesday in a teleconference with reporters, calling it "an opportunity for other guys on our team." Not much else he can say at this point.

In its two scrimmages, against Marquette and St. John's, UVa experimented with lineups that included four perimeter players -- often 6-6 Sylven Landesberg, 6-4 Jeff Jones, 6-4 Mustapha Farrakhan and 6-0 Sammy Zeglinski. Expect to see such combinations, at least occasionally, until Sene returns.

He'll be eligible to play Nov. 21 against Oral Roberts at the JPJ. Sene was suspended Saturday for three games, because of what Bennett called "conduct detrimental to the team," but he's allowed to continue practicing.

"The suspension is in place," Bennett said. "It's dealt with. We said, 'You're back. Now we move forward.' And that's what we're trying to do with Assane. He's also had a good attitude when he's been on the court, as far as his effort level and his buy-in factor on being a team player."

Of the Wahoos' available post players, Scott is the most experienced and most talented. He averaged 10.3 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds last season and shot 54.4 percent from the floor. He missed the St. John's scrimmage with a foot injury, but Scott returned to practice Tuesday and should be in the rotation Friday night.

"He's done a nice job up to this point," Bennett said. "He's had some real good moments, and when he's locked in, and certainly healthy, he has some ability, whether it's scoring or using his athleticism, and I think he's a very important part of this year's team."

Meyinsse had 10 points and eight rebounds last season in a 73-70 loss at Syracuse. He's imposing physically but averaged only 8.8 minutes in 2008-09.

Like Sherrill and Spurlock, Meyinsse has "to be ready when called upon, with our current situation," Bennett said. "He's a fourth-year. He's physical and he just has to, again, understand his role when the opportunity presents itself. Play his role and just be steady for us. Sometimes when guys haven't played a lot and they get a chance to go out there, you just want them to be who they are and not become a different player than what we see in practice."

So who starts for UVa against Longwood?

Bennett needs a little more time to answer that one.

"I think we've got some flexibility, and I think there is parity in this program," he said. "There's not clear-cut guys [about whom] you say, 'This is our dominant starting five, no question about it.'

"We can go a couple different ways. We could play smaller, which we have to look at with Assane and Jamil out -- not saying they're locked-in starters, but looking at our numbers. Or you could be a little more traditional ... So that's what we've got to decide as we're heading into this. Certainly you'll see both."

-- Jeff White

Collins Happy to Support Herzlich

Nov. 10, 2009
8:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Nate Collins and Mark Herzlich were going to be teammates at UVa.  Collins, in fact, has a photo of himself, Herzlich, Joe Torchia and Sean Gottschalk together at Scott Stadium when they were in high school.

Herzlich, of course, ended up at Boston College, not UVa. But Collins, a senior defensive end, hasn't lost track of his friend.

"We still chat here and there on Facebook and keep in contact," Collins said Tuesday night. "I definitely shot him a few texts when he was going through what he was going through with the cancer."

Herzlich, a linebacker who in 2008 was named ACC defensive player of the year, was diagnosed last spring with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, in his left leg.

"Everyone's been praying for him," Collins said.

Herzlich won't play this season, but after undergoing radio and chemotherapy, he's now cancer-free. He'll be in Charlottesville this weekend for BC's game against UVa, and before kickoff he'll be presented with a ceremonial check from the 'Hoos for Herzlich fund-raiser.

UVa hopes to raise $9,494 in honor of BC's No. 94, and Collins and his teammates are contributing about $1,500 toward that goal.

Of Herzlich's illness, Collins said, "It's one of those things where you see it on TV and hear about it, and you're like, 'What? Are you kidding me?'"

Herzlich's number is still in Collins' cell phone, and they've had some odd encounters.

"It's funny, because I used to text him and call him by accident, trying to call [UVa quarterback] Marc Verica sometimes," Collins said. "I have both of them in my phone as Marc PA, because they're both from Pennsylvania.

"So I would text him and call him like, 'Yo, dude, do you have this book for this class?' And he'd be like, 'Yo, Nate, this is Herzlich. I think you meant Verica.'"

To avoid further confusion, Collins said, he changed Verica's entry to Marc VA.

­-- Jeff White

Greer's Education Continues at Linebacker

Nov. 10, 2009
2:38 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- At his position in UVa's 3-4 defense -- inside linebacker -- Steve Greer is expected to make a lot of tackles, and he hasn't shied away from contact.

Greer leads the Cavaliers in tackles with 70, and the 6-2, 225-pound redshirt freshman made a career-high 14 stops Saturday in a 52-10 loss to ACC rival Miami at Land Shark Stadium.

In his college debut, Sept. 5 against William and Mary, Greer had 10 tackles, a "pretty positive first outing for a rookie linebacker," Al Groh said Monday. "Certainly in that context it has continued to be a positive year for him."

Groh noted, though, that some of Greer's individual matchups have become more challenging, and his performance has reflected that.

"Clearly, as might be expected -- this is not a particularly profound statement -- some of the [Hurricanes] that he had to take on ... were probably a little more difficult to deal with than some of the players he took on in the first game," Groh said.

"There were some schemes the other day that created some real conflicts in linebacker reads and were more challenging for a first-year starter than for, say, a player like [former UVa linebacker Jon Copper], who had sifted through 3 ½ years of that. So I think, if I could use another analogy, we're at the time of the year when the fastballs are faster and a little more difficult to hit some out of the park for [Greer] right now."

Second on the team in tackles, with 68, is the other starting inside linebacker, senior Darren Childs.

­-- Jeff White

Brown Sorely Missed on Offense

Nov. 8, 2009
9:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- After four games this season, wide receiver Javaris Brown had six catches for 131 yards and one touchdown and seemed poised to become UVa's No. 1 deep threat.

He's played in only one game since then, against Georgia Tech on Oct. 24. Brown, a 5-11, 175-pound redshirt freshman, was in for 10 snaps against the Yellow Jackets and caught one pass for 5 yards.

Brown has not fallen out of favor with his coaches, who would love to have him in the lineup. He's hurt.

"It's just one of those high-ankle sprains," Al Groh said on his Sunday night teleconference. "With each guy, it's just an issue of how long it takes him to come back from it. At his position, you've got to really be able to plant and cut. He's got most of his straight-line speed back. He has not quite yet had the full-speed cuts the way that he needs to have them.

"We look every week. We really ran him through a pretty tough test last Thursday in the hopes that he might be ready to do something. It turned out it might take at least another week."

Another key offensive player, quarterback Jameel Sewell, missed UVa's game against ACC rival Miami this weekend. Sewell has a shoulder injury, and his status for Virginia's game against visiting Boston College on Saturday is uncertain.

Not all the medical news has been bad for the Wahoos. Defensive end Matt Conrath, who hadn't played since spraining his right ankle Oct. 17 against Maryland, started against Miami.

Conrath, a 6-7, 270-pound sophomore, made three tackles, including one for a 3-yard loss.

"He held up longer" than expected, Groh said, but Conrath's "game was noticeably affected by it. Not noticeable during the course of the game, but noticeable in reviewing the video. When you see him in close-line action, where he had the need to be able to put that foot down and really push off it, he wasn't able to do that.

"He did last longer. I had concerns how long he could last when somebody would fall on the back of his legs or whatever, but he was able to hang in there pretty good."

Outside linebacker Aaron Clark, who'd sprained his knee against Georgia Tech, also returned to face the Hurricanes. Clark and Conrath had been listed as questionable for the Miami game on the injury report UVa released Thursday night.

-- Jeff White

Clarification from ACC on Controversial Call

Nov. 8, 2009
3:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Just got off the phone with Doug Rhoads, the ACC's coordinator of football officials. I'd contacted Rhoads to see if he could explain a call that confused UVa coaches, players and fans, as well as media members at the game, Saturday at Land Shark Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Rhoads knows how it looked to some observers, but he said emphatically Sunday afternoon that he doesn't believe a penalty on Virginia linebacker Cameron Johnson was missed on the field and then called by the official in the replay booth.

On the play in question, Johnson sacked Jacory Harris for an apparent 13-yard loss in the third quarter. In doing so, Johnson grabbed the back of the Miami quarterback's helmet, which came off.

Referee Tom McCreesh blew the play dead, but Johnson and Harris continued to wrestle for the ball on the ground. It appeared that the tussle might escalate to involve other players, and McCreesh flagged Johnson and Harris for offsetting penalties.

With all that going on, McCreesh wasn't able to determine where the ball should be spotted, so he asked the official in the video booth for assistance. And over the P.A. system came this announcement from an official: "We will have to go to replay to determine the spot of the ball when he was down. We do have an offsetting dead-ball foul."

McCreesh never indicated that a facemask penalty had been called on Johnson, but when the officials' ruling finally was announced, that was part of it. The Miami fans roared with approval, while Al Groh and the Virginia sideline looked on in disbelief.

It appeared that the official in the replay booth had spotted Johnson's infraction and made the call from upstairs, but that wasn't the case, Rhoads said several times Sunday.

"After reviewing the officials' statements and the complete video -- by that I mean all the views of it -- I have determined that it was administered correctly, in that there were two offsetting personal fouls and a facemask," Rhoads said.

"However, in reviewing their statements and the play it was determined that on the field, because the referee had to 1, react to the helmet coming off, which by rule makes the ball dead, if it's the runner, and 2, stop the clock, because you don't want it to continue to run, and 3, step in to intercede, as did all of those officials, he inadvertently failed to throw a second flag or his hat.

"The replay was used to determine the spot where the ball had become dead, which is where the ball carrier was when his helmet comes off, and to identity the number of all of those offenders."

"That is a proper use of replay, to determine a spot, but under no circumstances did replay determine the foul or interject the fact that the foul had occurred. That was done from the field."

McCreesh had immediately detected the facemask on the field, Rhoads said, but in the confusion that followed forgot to signal that the infraction had occurred.

Also, Rhoads said, the call on Johnson was correct. A player may not grab any opening of the helmet or the facemask or the chinstrap.

Rhoads called the play a teaching point and said it will be included on the training video he sends to his officials each week.

-- Jeff White

UVa Injury Report for Miami Game

Nov. 5, 2009
7:35 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Below is the injury report that UVa released Thursday night, as per ACC policy. Virginia (2-2, 3-5) visits ACC rival Miami (3-2, 6-2) at noon Saturday.

Out  None

Doubtful QB Jameel Sewell (shoulder)

Questionable LB Aaron Clark (knee)
                    DE Matt Conrath (ankle)

Probable DE Nate Collins (hip)

             LB Steve Greer (shoulder)

             RB Rashawn Jackson (arm)

             DL Nate Collins (leg)

             DE Zane Parr (knee)

             S Brandon Woods (shoulder)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:





Probable: Virtually certain to be available for normal duty




Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play




Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play

Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

Conrath Could Return for Miami Game

Nov. 5, 2009
12:58 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In about six hours, UVa will release its injury report for Saturday's football game against ACC rival Miami at Land Shark Stadium.

If defensive end Matt Conrath will be available against the Hurricanes, Al Groh, not surprisingly, didn't let on during his weekly Thursday morning teleconference with reporters.

Conrath, who's been back at practice this week, hasn't played since severely spraining his right ankle in the final minute of the first half Oct. 17 at Maryland. The 6-7, 270-pound redshirt sophomore had been having the best season of any player on UVa's defense, Groh has said several times.

"As you might imagine, we're kind of interested in his status, too," Groh said Thursday, adding that the status "changes every day. We're hopeful that it changes again today and that we'll have a chance to get some plays out of him. He certainly would be very helpful to us."

Conrath has made 26 tackles, including three for loss, broken up three passes, blocked a kick and recovered a fumble in his 5 ½ games this season.

"The strength of his game is on a play-to-play basis," Groh said. "He does a lot of things really well with his game. I've used this term before, and it certainly fits Matt: He's one of these players that the game really makes sense to him.

"He just has a good idea how blocking schemes indicate whether the ball's going, and the different leverage that the blocker's trying to use. He makes very good decisions on his feet and very good reactions."

Here's a link to today's release from the ACC about its bowl lineup for the 2010, '11, '12 and '13 seasons.

-- Jeff White

Hot Topic: UVa's Use of True Freshmen

Nov. 5, 2009
12:08 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Among UVa football fans, as well as reporters who cover the team, Topic A this week has been Al Groh's decision to play Connor McCartin and Paul Freedman against Duke.

McCartin, who played when UVa received kickoffs, and Freedman, a reserve tight end, became the 13^th and 14^th true freshmen to see action for Groh's team this season. That's as many as Groh has used in a season at Virginia. Most years he's played no more than seven.

UVa (2-2, 3-5) meets Coastal Division rival Miami (3-2, 6-2) at noon Saturday at Land Shark Stadium in South Florida.

Here's a list of the true freshmen who have played for Virginia this season, with the number of games in which each has appeared:

Will Hill -- 8

Tim Smith -- 8

Perry Jones -- 7

Quintin Hunter -- 6

LaRoy Reynolds -- 6

Drew Jarrett -- 4

Tucker Windle -- 4

LoVante Battle -- 3

Dominique Wallace -- 3*

Oday Aboushi -- 2

Javanti Sparrow -- 2

Corey Lillard -- 1

Paul Freedman -- 1

Connor McCartin -- 1

* Wallace suffered a season-ending foot injury Sept. 19 and is expected to get the year of eligibility back.

Sparrow hasn't played since the Oct. 10 game against Indiana. Lillard's only appearance -- a total of eight snaps -- came Oct. 3 at North Carolina.

Here's another list, with the number of true freshmen UVa has played in each of Groh's nine seasons as coach:

2001 -- 6

2002 -- 14

2003 -- 7

2004 -- 10

2005 -- 11

2006 -- 1

2007 -- 5

2008 -- 5

2009 - 14*

* Through eight games

-- Jeff White

Home Not So Sweet Anymore for 'Hoos

Nov. 4, 2009
3:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It seems like an eternity ago, but during one stretch much earlier in Al Groh's tenure as UVa's football coach, his team won 21 of 23 games at Scott Stadium. In most of those, the Cavaliers played in front of sellout or near-capacity crowds.

"It's our 12th man, that Scott Stadium crowd," tailback Wali Lundy said in November 2005. "They always provide us with energy, and I feel we feed off them and they feed off us, and it's just a good combination."

Fast forward to 2009. The Wahoos are 1-4 at Scott Stadium, which means they'll finish below .500 at home for the first time in Groh's nine seasons as coach at his alma mater.

Moreover, the crowds are shrinking. The announced attendance for the opener at 61,500-seat Scott Stadium this season was 54,587. The figures since then: 48,336 on Sept. 12 (TCU), 45,371 on Oct. 10 (Indiana), 43,016 on Oct. 24 (Georgia Tech), and 41,713 on Halloween (Duke).

UVa has two home games left this fall: Nov. 14 against Boston College and Nov. 28 against Virginia Tech. The latter is a sellout, in part because Tech fans have gobbled up thousands of seats, but tickets remain for BC's visit.

The Cavaliers' home records during the Groh era:

2001 -- 4-3

2002 -- 6-1

2003 -- 5-1

2004 -- 5-1

2005 -- 5-1

2006 -- 4-2

2007 -- 5-1

2008 -- 4-3

2009 -- 1-4*

* Two games remaining.

-- Jeff White

Simpson Struggling to Regain Form

Nov. 4, 2009
2:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Since returning to UVa's lineup Oct. 24, Mikell Simpson hasn't looked like the tailback who rushed for four touchdowns in a 47-7 rout of Indiana. Or the one who ran for 100 yards and a TD in Virginia's win at North Carolina.

That's probably not surprising, Al Groh acknowledged Wednesday afternoon on the ACC coaches' teleconference.

Simpson suffered a neck injury Oct. 10 in the third quarter of the Indiana game. He left the field on a back board and was taken to the UVa Medical Center. Doctors released him that night, and after sitting out Virginia's Oct. 17 game at Maryland, the fifth-year senior was cleared to play again.

In UVa's loss to Georgia Tech, Simpson finished with only four yards on six carries, though he caught four passes for 30 yards. A week later, in a loss to Duke, he ran five times for 21 yards.

"To our knowledge, there's no physical aspect of it," Groh said. "We have had conversations about the fact that, obviously, that'd be a pretty scary circumstance for anybody. For a fan in a car accident, for a player in a football accident, to be put on one of those boards and to think that, you know, 'What's the next time on one of these boards going to be like?'

"It'd be foolish to think that there wasn't the potential for some mental hangover, and we did talk about the fact that it kind of looked on some carries that it wasn't the same Mikell carrying the ball that it's gotta be. We just gotta trust what the doctors say, and if the doctors say it's OK, then we gotta go. We are aware of the possibility of such."

Virgnia (2-2, 3-5) plays at 16th-ranked Miami (3-2, 6-2) on Saturday afternoon. Raycom will televise the noon game between these Coastal Division rivals.

-- Jeff White

Sewell Limping Into Last Encounter with 'Canes

Nov. 2, 2009
7:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- As UVa's quarterback, Jameel Sewell never has lost to the Miami Hurricanes. The fifth-year senior will try to extend that streak Saturday afternoon when UVa meets 16^th-ranked Miami at Land Shark Stadium in South Florida.

Sewell was a redshirt freshman in 2006 when he rushed for two touchdowns in Virginia's 17-7 win over Miami at Scott Stadium. He also completed 23 of 33 passes for 217 yards that day.

As a redshirt sophomore, Sewell was 20 for 25 passing, for 288 yards and one TD, in the Cavaliers' 48-0 rout of the 'Canes at the Orange Bowl.

Miami beat Virginia 24-17 in overtime at Scott Stadium last season, but Sewell was out of uniform and out of school, serving an academic suspension.

He's back in good standing academically, and he's again the Cavaliers' No. 1 quarterback, but Sewell has struggled recently. He completed 18 of 32 attempts for a modest 168 yards in an Oct. 24 loss to Georgia Tech, then went 8 for 22 for 86 yards a week later in a loss to Duke.

Moreover, after averaging 15 carries in Virginia's first six games, he ran only five times against the Yellow Jackets and five against the Blue Devils.

Sewell's health has a lot to do with that. He's yet to fully recover from an ankle injury he suffered early in the season. He hasn't looked eager to run, and the playcalling has reflected that.

"You saw the circumstance with him [Oct. 17] at Maryland when he couldn't finish the game, because he re-injured an ankle injury that had been plaguing him for a number of weeks leading up to that," Groh said. "So clearly that has impacted the wisdom of using him too much, or his quickness and willingness to do so."

Sewell isn't as effective when he's not a threat to run, Groh acknowledged, but No. 10 has "spent the better part of the last few weeks kind of limping through the week, so we've been happy to have him on Saturdays, actually."

Asked if the injury has affected Sewell's passing, Groh said, "I don't know what it has done as far as Saturday is concerned, but it certainly has had him practicing in a different way during the course of the week than if it wasn't bothering him. He's had to limp through of some of these practices. He hasn't been able to step into some of the throws as he would if he wasn't nursing this thing along."

-- Jeff White

Line Holds Up Well Without Conrath

Nov. 2, 2009
6:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- At Maryland's Byrd Stadium, Matt Conrath was helped off the field Oct. 17 after severely spraining his ankle in the final minute of the first half. The sophomore defensive end hasn't played since.

Sophomore Zane Parr and junior John-Kevin Dolce have proven to be capable replacements -- they combined for four sacks Saturday in UVa's 28-17 to Duke -- but Conrath doesn't have to worry about losing his job.

When Conrath is healthy again, Al Groh said Sunday night, the coaching staff is "going to put Matt right back where he was. He was, probably at the time that he left, having the best season of anybody on the defensive team, and while [Parr and Dolce] have stepped right in and done a very nice job, really nobody has exceeded what Matt Conrath was doing. But they've certainly earned more playing time."

In the Cavaliers' first game without Conrath, against Georgia Tech on Oct. 24, Nate Collins shifted from end to nose tackle. Parr and Dolce started on either side of him.

Against Duke, Collins moved back to end, and sophomore Nick Jenkins returned to the starting lineup at nose tackle. Parr was at right end, and Dolce subbed in on passing downs.

This is Chad Wilt's first season as defensive line coach, and his charges "have performed very well [without Conrath], considering the circumstances," Groh said.

"It's not an overwhelming group in size. They've had to scrap it pretty hard here and have done a real nice job with it. There's still, as we saw quite a bit of evidence today in reviewing the video with them, quite a few things we could have done even better yesterday or can make improvement on, but considering the youthfulness of them and some of the other circumstances, they've done decent enough for us."

Collins, the only senior starter on the line, leads the team in tackles, and he's been virtually impossible to block in recent weeks. He had nine tackles against Maryland, 16 against Georgia Tech and 10 against Duke. He's had six tackles for loss during that span, including three sacks.

"These have certainly been the three best games of Nate's career -- or the best three-game stretch," Groh said.

Virginia (2-2, 3-5) visits ACC foe Miami (3-2, 6-2) at noon Saturday. Conrath's status for the game won't be disclosed publicly until Thursday night.

-- Jeff White

Sunday Night Football Talk

Nov. 1, 2009
9:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For the first 10 minutes of his weekly Sunday night teleconference, Al Groh answered questions about players who'd stood out -- for reasons good and bad -- in Virginia's 28-17 loss to Duke the day before.

Then came a question about Groh, who's in his ninth season as coach at his alma mater. Doug Doughty, the longtime UVa beat writer for The Roanoke Times, asked what Groh would say to fans calling for a coaching change.

"I don't have anything to say," said Groh, whose record at Virginia is 59-49. "I know a lot more about the situation than probably anybody. Maybe someday I'll say what that is."

He didn't elaborate on that comment, but Groh had plenty to say when asked about the ugly post-game atmosphere at Scott Stadium.

Fans yelled at Groh as he headed to the locker room, and they also booed and jeered some of the UVa players.

"It's very unfortunate," Groh said Sunday night. "Regardless of the result, it's [the fans'] team, it's their players. They're not perfect, but they're really good kids, and they're trying to do the right thing, and they're trying to play as hard as they can. It's just that unfortunate that they get that type of response. I feel badly for the players.

"I'd just say it's as much a commentary on the booers as it is on the players."

Virginia went up 17-12 early in the fourth quarter, and the score was unchanged when Duke got the ball back with 5:36 to play.

"I mean, it's pretty unfortunate that it turned out the way that it did," Groh said. "You know, we have a bad play there, but with 3:45 to go, at that point, it's a pretty decently done game."

On the play in question, Chris Cook, one of the ACC's top cornerbacks, got beat in man-to-man coverage on Duke wide receiver Conner Vernon, who caught a 42-yard touchdown pass from Thaddeus Lewis.

That put the Blue Devils up 18-17 with 3:45 left, and they added another touchdown 23 seconds later off a UVa turnover.

"For 56 minutes, that's a team that's been scoring quite a few points, and it had four field goals, and some of those because the team got the ball in advantageous position," Groh said.

"Those [defensive] players, they played as hard as they could play, and they did a real nice job. We had a bad play, on a third-and-9 play, and so we're behind. It's disappointing for all of us. It's heartbreaking for us and everybody who put a lot into it, the players and everybody."

Virginia (2-2 ACC, 3-5 overall) must win three of its final four games to avoid finishing the regular season with a losing record for the third time in four years. UVa's next game is Saturday at No. 16 Miami (3-2, 6-2). Raycom will televise the noon game.

-- Jeff White

UVa's Injury Report for Duke Game

Oct. 29, 2009
7:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Below is the injury report that UVa released Thursday night, as per ACC policy. Virginia (2-1, 3-4) hosts ACC rival Duke (2-1, 4-3) at 3:30 Saturday.

Out  LB Aaron Clark (knee)
      DE Matt Conrath (ankle)

Doubtful None

Questionable None

Probable OT Oday Aboushi (knee)
              OT Landon Bradley (knee)
               LB Darren Childs (leg)
               DL Nate Collins (leg)
               LB Cam Johnson (knee)
                S Corey Mosley (shoulder)
                S Brandon Woods (shoulder)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:





Probable: Virtually certain to be available for normal duty




Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play




Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play

Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

Injury Report from Duke

Oct. 29, 2009
11:28 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Duke's injury report for Saturday's game popped into my in-box a few minutes ago. The Cavaliers (2-1, 3-4) host the Blue Devils (2-1, 4-3) in a Coastal Division clash. Kickoff at Scott Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m.

Questionable -- RB Re'quan Boyette (knee)

Doubtful -- CB Lee Butler (leg)

Out -- LB Abraham Kromah (leg)

           WR Tyree Watkins (leg)

Out for season -- RB Kyle Griswould (leg)
                         S Anthony Young-Wiseman (knee)

-- Jeff White

Increased Role Likely for Schautz

Oct. 28, 2009
12:38 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Aaron Clark's latest knee injury isn't nearly as serious as the one he suffered in Virginia's 2008 season-opener.

Still, don't expect to see the 6-5, 245-pound outside linebacker play Saturday against Duke at Scott Stadium. Clark, who tore an ACL in the opener against Southern California last year and missed the rest of the season, sprained his knee versus Georgia Tech last weekend.

His replacement on the depth chart is Billy Schautz, who's also been banged-up this season.

In August, Schautz was working with the second team in UVa's base defense and was part of the rotation for the nickel and dime packages. Schautz hurt his knee during training camp, however, and that's slowed his progress.

In limited playing time, the 6-4, 240-pound redshirt freshman has made one tackle in his four games.

For most of the season, Virginia's defensive coordinator, head coach Al Groh, has rotated three players at outside linebacker: fifth-year seniors Clark and Denzel Burrell and sophomore Cameron Johnson.

"It has worked to everybody's benefit by being able to get into this rotation," Groh said Wednesday on the ACC coaches' teleconference.

"If Aaron doesn't make it back -- and that's problematic at this point here -- we'd like to be able to get some plays out of Billy in that respect. But clearly as a second-year player, compared to a fifth-year player, it'd be asking a lot of him to try to give us the same that Aaron Clark has given us."

UVa (2-1, 3-4) hosts ACC foe Duke (2-1, 4-3) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

-- Jeff White

Cutcliffe Looks Ahead to Saturday

Oct. 27, 2009
2:58 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Just got an e-mail from Duke's sports information director, Art Chase, with quotes from football coach David Cutcliffe.

Virginia (2-1, 3-4) hosts Duke (2-1, 4-3) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Scott Stadium. The game can be seen on the Internet at ESPN360.com.

Cutcliffe's comments:

On this stage of the season:

"It's week nine of college football and it keeps getting more intense, and I think probably more fun for everybody -- players, coaches, fans and media. All of these games get bigger and bigger and bigger."

On the challenges Virginia poses defensively:

"We're playing a really good football team this week. People ask me to tell them a little bit about Virginia. When I think about Virginia, and I guess it's because [of Al Groh], I think of a really physical defense. This is the hardest-hitting defensive team that we will play. They are loaded for big hits and have very physical players across the board. There's a big front, big linebackers that are explosive, and their secondary is special. It's not a mistake that they lead the conference in pass defense. What a matchup, in that regard. That should be a lot of fun to see where it all falls on Saturday, but we certainly better be prepared against their speed and skill and athleticism."

On Virginia's offense and playing on the road in Charlottesville:

"On offense, they've got guys that can take it to the house and are very balanced. They always have a back that can run the football. They got off, like we did, to a slow start, but have played some excellent football as of late. This is a tremendous matchup. This is my first time going up there to Charlottesville to bring a team up there to coach. It looks like it will be a great atmosphere. We're excited about the challenge, but we have a lot of work to do and have to correct a lot of things."

On the challenges Duke will have against Virginia's 3-4 defense:

"They have three big defensive linemen that can two-gap -- in other words, they do a great job of getting their hands on the linemen, and they can play inside, outside, right, left. I think Nate Collins is terrific. I think he's a heck of a pro prospect and one of the most productive defensive linemen in our league right now, without a doubt. But when those guys can do that, there's so many different looks with these big outside linebackers and big inside linebackers for all the pass rush combinations. I think the 3-4 defense lends itself to being an excellent zone blitz formation. It's not something that we see all that often, though Maryland played us in a lot of three-down formations. It's a little carryover in that regard, but just a little bit."

On improving the running game against Virginia:

"We're going to run the ball better. We had a good day today in that regard. I think anybody that looks at us would love to say, 'We're going to try to make you beat us running,' but we've got to try to find a way to stay somewhat balanced. But regardless, we're going to find a way to throw the football. They can try to make it hard and make it a challenge, but that just changes our course of how to throw it. They'll take some things away because they're really good, and that will be a little bit of a chess match like it always is."

On Duke's running backs staying involved, despite getting fewer carries this season:

"Our backs are really unselfish. They know we're doing what we've got to do to win games right now. Their role has changed from where we normally are as an offense, but we'll end up getting back to running the ball. They are pass-protectors, they are receivers, they're picking up blitzes. They have to be very alert and aware in all of their pass-protection responsibilities. They're screen-runners, they're screen-blockers. Our backs have been special in that regard."

-- Jeff White

Sunday Night Football

Oct. 25, 2009
9:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Got back from ACC Operation Basketball in time to participate in to Al Groh's regular Sunday night teleconference.

UVa's three-game winning streak ended Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium, where No. 11 Georgia Tech ran wild in a 34-9 victory.

In a game in which the Yellow Jackets totaled 79 plays to only 44 for the Cavaliers, the unquestioned star of Groh's defense was senior Nate Collins.

A starting end in UVa's first six games, Collins moved back to his former position, nose tackle, for Georgia Tech's visit and finished with a career-high 16 tackles.

At left end in Virginia's 3-4 scheme Saturday was a player making his first start at any position: sophomore Zane Parr. He was officially credited with 12 tackles, by far a career high.

"That's pretty good work for those guys," Groh said of Collins and Parr. "They should be positive about that."

Until last weekend, Parr had been used primarily in passing situations. But in College Park, he replaced the injured Matt Conrath at right end in UVa's base defense for the final two-plus quarters against Maryland.

"It was a good move up for him a week ago when he had to step in on an unexpected situation," Groh said Sunday night. "Then yesterday was not of a dissimilar nature in that he played so many more plays than he ever has before.

"He had a few in there that we'd like to change. But overall, given those circumstances, let's say if everybody in a Virginia uniform had had the same kind of day as Zane Parr did, we would have liked the looks of things a lot better."

Also of note from the teleconference:

*Groh elaborated on his decision to not use Rashawn Jackson more Saturday. Against Maryland, the 6-1, 245-pound tailback has rushed 19 times for 90 yards -- both career highs -- and a touchdown.

Against Georgia Tech, Jackson carried only once, for no gain on third-and-goal from the 2, and that was late in the first quarter.

"He had the ball there right early, down on the goal line," Groh said. "They weren't very well-run plays. We only had the ball for, regrettably, [44] plays in the game. A number of those came when we had a margin to overcome ... That didn't leave room for a lot of running plays.  And frankly, those plays that he had early in the game weren't particularly well-run."

*Early in the fourth quarter, senior outside linebacker Aaron Clark was helped off the field after hurting his knee. If Clark isn't available this weekend against Duke, his replacement will be redshirt freshman Billy Schautz.

Clark has been part of a three-man rotation at outside linebacker with senior Denzel Burrell and sophomore Cameron Johnson.

*The Jackets finished with 447 yards of offense. Still, Groh said, "defensively we had quite a few positive plays. We had 46 plays in the game of 3 yards or less, which is a pretty good number. But what tarnished that was four or five plays -- the long pass play before the half, two of those option runs in the fourth quarter that created touchdowns, and two of the draw plays that kept drives going that created touchdowns."

*Georgia Tech leads the ACC in rushing by a huge margin. Virginia's next opponent, Duke, leads the conference in passing by a huge margin.

"Very clearly, it's a whole different world," Groh said. "Certainly a big change of gears."

The Wahoos (2-1, 3-4) host the Blue Devils (2-1, 4-3) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The game won't be televised, but it can be seen on the Internet at ESPN360.com.

*Tight end Joe Torchia missed five games last season with a separated left collarbone, and he's banged-up again. On the injury report released Thursday night, the 6-6, 250-pound junior was listed as questionable because of a shoulder problem.

Torchia played against the Jackets, however, and caught one pass for 3 yards. He also had a 14-yard reception that was nullified by a holding penalty.

Groh applauded Torchia's toughness.

"At one point last week, there was a feeling that he'd be having surgery early this week," Groh said. "And then further examinations ruled that out and enabled him to play. He went quite from one extreme to the other, so certainly there was probably some discomfort involved in his circumstance."

-- Jeff White

Greetings from Tobacco Road

Oct. 25, 2009
5:06 p.m.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The votes are in, and the ballots have been counted. Here's how the 48 media members who voted Sunday at ACC Operation Basketball expect things to play out this season:

Predicted order of finish

1. Duke (25 first-place votes)     545 points

     North Carolina (20)              545

3. Clemson                              409

4. Georgia Tech (2)                   387

5. Maryland                              378

6. Wake Forest (1)                    315

7. Florida State                         314

8. Virginia Tech                         273

9. Boston College                      251

10. Miami                                135

11. Virginia                              116

12. N.C. State                            76

All-ACC team

Greivis Vasquez, Maryland            45

Trevor Booker, Clemson               44

Kyle Singler, Duke                       43

Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech      24

Ed Davis, North Carolina               21

ACC player of the year

Kyle Singler, Duke                       19

Greivis Vasquez, Maryland            15

Trevor Booker, Clemson                8

ACC rookie of the year

Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech        40

John Henson, North Carolina          8

-- Jeff White

Oct. 25, 2009
2:48 p.m.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Before interviews with ACC men's basketball players and coaches began Sunday, John Swofford held his annual Commissioner's Forum.

Most noteworthy was the announcement that the 2012 ACC tournament will be held at Phillips Arena, and not the Georgia Dome, in Atlanta.

Phillips Arena, which seats a little more than 20,000, is significantly smaller and more intimate the Georgia Dome, the site of the 2009 tourney.

Based on feedback from various sources, including fans and coaches, the ACC decided "that having our tournament in a traditional-size arena was the best thing," Swofford said.

During most games at the 2009 tournament, thousands of seats remained empty at the Georgia Dome.

The ACC tourney will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum in 2010, '11, '13, '14 and '15.

-- Jeff White

Oct. 25, 2009
1:48 p.m.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The college football season isn't much past its midpoint, but the focus Sunday at the Grandover Resort is ACC basketball, the men's variety.

The occasion is ACC Operation Basketball, an annual event in which the league's head coaches and select players visit with media members.

Representing UVa are new coach Tony Bennett and sophomore guard Sylven Landesberg, who in 2008-09 was named ACC rookie of the year.

While Bennett is off doing TV and radio interviews, Landesberg is meeting with print reporters and fielding questions about a variety of topics.

One query concerned Bennett's staff, which includes former UVa players Jason Williford and Mike Curtis.

A 1995 graduate of the University, Williford is one of Bennett's assistant coaches. Curtis, who earned a bachelor's from UVa in 1998 and a master's in 2000, is the team's strength-and-conditioning coach.

Williford was at American University last season and Curtis at Michigan. That they're deeply committed to helping UVa rejoin the ACC's elite is apparent to the players.

Curtis and Williford "always fool around with us and show us the [NCAA tournament] banners" at John Paul Jones Arena, Landesberg told reporters.

"They're like, 'We were part of that.' But it's also more than joking around. They're trying to motivate us, like, 'You guys can get up there, too. You guys are talented enough, you're good enough, to be able to get your year up on a banner.'"

-- Jeff White

Injury Report for Georgia Tech Game

Oct. 23, 2009

8:21 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Below is the injury report that UVa released Thursday night, as per ACC policy. Virginia (2-0, 2-3) hosts ACC rival Georgia Tech (4-1, 6-1) on Saturday.

Out 
DE Matt Conrath (ankle)

Doubtful
 None

Questionable OT Oday Aboushi (knee)
                     TE Joe Torchia (shoulder)

Probable WR Javaris Brown (ankle)
               LB Cam Johnson (knee)               
               S Corey Mosley (shoulder)
               CB Mike Parker (knee)
               S LaRoy Reynolds (knee)
               QB Jameel Sewell (ankle)
               S Brandon Woods (foot)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:



Probable: Virtually certain to be available for normal duty


Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play


Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play


Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

Inclement Weather is on Wahoos' Radar

Oct. 22, 2009
12:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- UVa's football team has practiced in beautiful weather this week, but the forecast for Saturday isn't promising.

The Cavaliers played -- and won -- in awful conditions at Maryland's Byrd Stadium last weekend, and another wet day is expected Saturday, though it should not be nearly as cold as it was in College Park.

Al Groh said Thursday morning that the weather "certainly is something that we factor in ... whether it's heat, cold, rain, whatever.

"One of the key things about it is just to acquaint the players with it, so that they can develop a mindset that, look, these are the actual factors that are involved, but also, you know, it is what it is.

"It's hot, it's cold, it's whatever, and don't let discussion about that or thoughts about that be distraction. The other team is playing with the same circumstances. Just focus on the opponent and do what you've got to do against him."

To ignore the weather, Groh said, "would kind of be sticking your head in the sand or being negligent to something that could impact the game. But you have to factor in how much it is.

"One of the things we talked about last Saturday [in College Park], preliminary to the game, was, 'Don't let [the weather] become an excuse, but don't let it become an opponent either.'

"It can be both. It can be an excuse, if a team and players want to take it as such, but it can be an opponent also if you don't acknowledge the reality of what's there."

-- Jeff White

Sene Finds His Comfort Zone

Oct. 21, 2009
3:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In a strange country thousands of miles from his native Senegal, Assane Sene found a father figure in Dave Leitao.

So Sene, a 7-foot center, was stunned and confused after learning in March that Leitao would not return as UVa men's basketball coach in 2009-10.

"It was kind of difficult," Sene told me last week at John Paul Jones Area, "because especially if you have a relationship with a guy for two years or three years, and just wake up one day and he's leaving, it's not something easy. It's going to be really tough to swallow.

"It was really hard, but after that I said I've just got to take my time and see who's coming in. If it's someone that's coming in who I don't like, I can just make my decision in time to go somewhere else."

After meeting with new coach Tony Bennett, Sene felt much better.

"He was a good guy, and I really like him, and I would really like to play for him," Sene said. "So after that I decided I've just got to stay here."

Sene is coming off a freshman season marked by inconsistency. He started 16 times and averaged 4.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.6 blocked shots in little than 17 minutes per game. From the field, however, he shot 38.5 percent, and he was worse from the line, where he made only 6 of 21 attempts (28.6 percent).

The left-handed Sene played most of the season with a plastic brace on his injured left thumb, which contributed to his shooting woes.

"I think last year was season was, I can't say it was good, but it was OK," Sene said. "Because you know my thumb was bothering me, and that was my first year in the ACC, so I was learning.

"So this coming season I'm going to be more excited, because I've learned a lot of stuff and also have a great guy like Coach Bennett this year who is teaching us a lot of stuff, trying to make my game better, also.

"I think this coming season I'm going to be better than last year."

Sene, whose thumb has healed, weighs about 235 pounds. He's gained about seven pounds working with Mike Curtis, UVa's new strength-and-conditioning coach for men's hoops.

"I feel stronger in the post, more explosive, running the floor well, and feel healthy," Sene said. "So I'm feeling good now. I'm feeling good."

-- Jeff White

OPPORTUNITY AWAITS HILL

Oct. 21, 2009
1:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- True freshman Will Hill, who has yet to make a tackle for UVa, is listed as the probable starter at right defensive end for Saturday's game against 11th-ranked Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium.

In the second quarter of its recent win over Maryland, Virginia lost Matt Conrath to an ankle injury that may sideline the 6-7, 275-pound sophmore for several games.

Another sophomore, Zane Parr, capably replaced Conrath in College Park. In the depth chart distributed Tuesday, however, Parr is listed as the backup to senior Nate Collins at left end. Parr, unlike Conrath, plays in the Cavaliers' dime package, which is used in passing situations.

The 6-4, 250-pound Hill graduated in December from Williamsburg's Lafayette High. He enrolled at UVa in January and went through spring practice with the football team.

Hill, who's on the field goal-block team, has appeared in every game for the Wahoos (2-0 ACC, 3-3 overall) this season. He's played defensive end in two games: versus William and Mary on Sept. 5 and against Indiana on Oct. 10.

Asked Wednesday on the ACC coaches' teleconference how he'll try to accelerate Hill's learning process, Al Groh said, "I don't know that there is any particular way. We just keep him in the practice rotation. Clearly he'll get more plays than what he got in the past, but he's just in the same circumstance here in week 7 that a good deal of his predecessors have been in year 1. Whether it was [Darryl] Blackstock, [Wali] Lundy, [D'Brickashaw] Ferguson, a lot of those guys who started in the very first game of their freshman year.

"Obviously we thought those guys were ready for that and capable of it. If we'd thought Will Hill was ready to start the first game as those guys, clearly we would have done it. But we're confident in Will and any of these guys we put out there."

Another true freshman, Brent Urban, is listed as Hill's backup at right end. Urban hasn't played yet this season, but Groh said he would not hesitate to use the 6-7, 280-pound Canadian if he felt the team would benefit.

"What would be the reason?" Groh said. "Everybody gets all hung up on this redshirt thing. For one, this is the season that we're playing. And two, just because a player doesn't redshirt this year doesn't mean it's impossible to do so in the future.

"In fact, we've had players here who have done that, who played initially as a first-year player, sat out the second year because somebody else could do just as much and caught up with a year's worth of growth that way. So we're not looking much further beyond next Saturday. That's pretty important."

Andrew Hoffman, who played as a true freshman in 2000, redshirted in '01, Groh's first season as UVa's coach. Hoffman later became a standout nose tackle for the 'Hoos. Tailback Michael Johnson also redshirted after playing as a true freshman.

The overwhelming majority of players who have taken mid-career redshirts during Groh's tenure, however, have done so because of injuries.

-- Jeff White

Support Fades, But 'Hoos Move Forward

Oct. 20, 2009
6:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For its Sept. 5 opener, UVa's football team drew 54,587 fans to Scott Stadium. That wasn't a sellout -- the stadium's official capacity is 61,500 -- but the crowd was larger than many expected.

UVa officials would love to see 54,000 fans at Scott Stadium for 11^th-ranked Georgia Tech's visit Saturday, but that may be wishful thinking.

A week after the Wahoos' stunning loss to William and Mary in the opener, only 48,336 fans showed up for nationally ranked TCU's visit to Scott Stadium.

Then came two road games, with a bye week in between. When the Cavaliers finally played at Scott Stadium again, on Oct. 10, it was Homecomings. Even so, only 45,371 turned out to see UVa crush Indiana 47-7.

That was Virginia's second consecutive victory. The 'Hoos (2-0, 3-3) ran their streak to three last weekend at Maryland and now lead the ACC's Coastal Division.

Georgia Tech (4-1, 6-1) is second, which makes Saturday's contest that much more meaningful. But thousands of tickets remain for the noon game.

Virginia linebacker Denzel Burrell said Monday that the team has to focus on other things.

"It's really important to have that sense of the community behind you, and everything like that, but we try not to worry about crowd size," said Burrell, a team captain.

"We understand that early in the season, the change in crowds was due to our losses. Obviously, we're trying to change that as much as we can now. We definitely ask for the support of as many Wahoo fans as we can get out there on Saturdays, because it's definitely a big help, not only to us, but definitely a tremendous difficulty to the other team.

"But we try not to worry about that. No matter how many fans we have in the crowd, we just try to keep going and hopefully continue to win."

Injury Report for Maryland Game

Oct. 15, 2009

7:38 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Below is the injury report that UVa released Thursday night, as per ACC policy. Virginia (1-0, 2-3) visits ACC rival Maryland (1-1, 2-4) on Saturday.

Out 
WR Javaris Brown (ankle)

Doubtful
 TB Mikell Simpson (neck)

Questionable None

Probable OT Landon Bradley (knee)               
              OG B.J. Cabbell (ankle)
              WR Patch Duda (flu)
              CB Mike Parker (knee)
              DE Zane Parr (ankle)
              S Brandon Woods (foot)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:



Probable: Virtually certain to be available for normal duty


Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play


Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play


Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

UVa vs. Maryland: A Rite of Autumn

Oct. 15, 2009
2:38 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In football, the 'Hoos compete in the Coastal Division, and they can go years without facing some of their counterparts from the ACC's Atlantic Division.

UVa and Boston College, for example, haven't met since 2005.

But Virginia plays Atlantic Division member Maryland every year. That's because, when the ACC expanded to 12 schools and split into two groups for football, the league assigned each team a "permanent rival" in the other division.

Those matchups are UVa-Maryland, Virginia Tech-Boston College, North Carolina-N.C. State, Miami-Florida State and Duke-Wake Forest.

"I'm fine with it," said Virginia coach Al Groh, whose team plays at Maryland on Saturday. "I think it works well. Because this conference was put together the way it was, with a lot of history, it enables a lot of teams to maintain their traditions and their history.

"Some teams they had to create kind of partners that didn't have a natural deal going, a long-time deal going. But with other teams it enabled some of those traditional rivalries, particularly in North Carolina, where you have the four schools, to stay more current than they otherwise would."

The Virginia-Maryland series dates to 1919, when the Terrapins won 13-0 in Charlottesville. Maryland leads the series 41-30.

-- Jeff White

Former 'Hoo Thriving at K-State

Oct. 14, 2009
9:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Just got an e-mail from Sheila Fitzgerald, who wanted to pass along a link to this story about her son, whom UVa football fans will recall fondly.

Jeffrey Fitzgerald was a two-year starter for the Cavaliers. In 2007, as a redshirt sophomore, he teamed with Chris Long to give Virginia perhaps the nation's top set of defensive ends.

Fitzgerald is now a senior at Kansas State, where he has emerged, not surprisingly, as one of Bill Snyder's best players.

Like classmate Jameel Sewell, Fitzgerald came to UVa from Hermitage High School. Fitzgerald withdrew from UVa in February 2008 and later that year transferred to K-State. The Wildcats' head coach then was Ron Prince, a former assistant under Al Groh.

Alas, Fitzgerald never got a chance to play for Prince. K-State dismissed Prince after last season, which Fitzgerald had to sit out. Prince is back at UVa as special-teams coordinator.

-- Jeff White

Milien Provides Another Option in Backfield

Oct. 14, 2009
1:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- More than two years after he enrolled at UVa, tailback Max Milien finally got his first carry. It went for a 7-yard gain Saturday late in Virginia's 47-7 rout of Indiana at Scott Stadium.

With Mikell Simpson's status uncertain -- the senior tailback suffered a neck injury against the Hoosiers -- Milien's role may grow in the coming weeks.

A 6-0, 210-pound redshirt sophomore, Milien starred at Yorktown High in Arlington. He redshirted in 2007 and didn't appear in any games in '08, in part because of a foot injury.

He had more foot problems during training camp this year, which set him back significantly. Milien didn't make his college debut until the Indiana game.

"We're very sensitive to the foot issue around here with our backs, because it seems to be a little bit at an epidemic stage," said Al Groh, who has seen such players as Wali Lundy, Cedric Peerman and Dominique Wallace sidelined by foot injuries in recent years.

Milien, finally healthy, netted 14 yards on his four carries against Indiana. Virginia (1-0, 2-3) plays at Maryland (1-1, 2-4) on Saturday.

Does Milien remind Groh of any former UVa tailbacks?

"No, I'd say that he's got a little bit of his own style," Groh said Wednesday afternoon on the ACC coaches' teleconference.

Early Returns in Recruiting Please Bennett

Oct. 13, 2009
9:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- NCAA rules prohibit Tony Bennett from publicly discussing his 2010-11 basketball recruits before they sign letters of intent with UVa next month.

Bennett, however, spoke in general terms Monday about the challenges he faced in assembling his first recruiting class. Many members of the Class of 2010 had already committed to other schools by the time he started at UVa in early April.

"Always, when you get a job, you're behind in terms of recruiting," Bennett said at John Paul Jones Arena. "In essence, you're fighting to catch up on [Class of 2011 prospects] now. Recruiting is so far out in advance. But there's always those kids that either slip through the cracks or you can get involved with, and we were fortunate to do that. And a lot of that has to do with the University of Virginia.

"Obviously I can't comment on the commitments or the class, but yeah, I feel very fortunate to be in the spot we're in."

What helped Bennett and his assistants have immediate success in recruiting, he said, are "the facilities, the academic reputation, the conference, the community. And I even think sometimes when a new coach comes in, [the chance] to be part of a coach's first recruiting class, those are things that can be a positive, too, in trying to sell a vision to young men. The opportunity is big, and it's provided us access to a good group of guys."

Bennett spent six seasons at Washington State, the final three as head coach, before coming to Virginia. But he grew up in Wisconsin, attended college and later coached there, and played for the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. So the transition to the East Coast hasn't been as difficult for him as some predicted.

"Even when you're in the Pac-10 or on the West Coast, you're at a lot of events nationally that are on the East Coast," said Bennett, and he had a network of contacts in this part of the country before he came to UVa.

"Recruiting is so much about the relationships you build with the high school coaches, with the AAU coaches and then, ultimately, with the players and the important people in their decision-making process," Bennett said. "That's really what it comes down to. Do they fit what you're looking for, and can they get excited about playing for you, and for what the University represents? And that's a good thing to sell here, certainly."

-- Jeff White

Spurlock Gets High Marks on History Test

Oct. 12, 2009
9:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Tristan Spurlock has done his homework. That's clear from this blog post from Patrick Stevens, the tireless ACC beat writer for The Washington Times.

Virginia plays Maryland in football Saturday at Byrd Stadium, and Mr. Stevens was in town today for Al Groh's weekly news conference. Patrick stuck around for basketball media day and spoke with Spurlock, among others.

Spurlock, a 6-8 freshman, is from Woodbridge, and it turns out he's quite the ACC basketball aficionado. Impressive stuff from a player who's expected to contribute immediately for the 'Hoos this season.

-- Jeff White

Former Teammates Returning for Dex's Big Day

Oct. 8, 2009
5:38 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The crowd at Scott Stadium this weekend will include many of Anthony Poindexter's former teammates, Jamie Sharper among them.

Sharper, now based in Houston, has been out of the country, but he made sure to be back in time to see Poindexter's jersey retired Saturday afternoon. Sharper's parents, who still live in the Richmond area, are likely to be there to support Poindexter too.

He wasn't able to attend any UVa games last season, Sharper said Thursday, "but I'll definitely come back for Anthony."

Sharper, who grew up in the Richmond area, was two classes ahead of Poindexter at UVa. Sharper was an outside linebacker and Poindexter, at least on the roster, a safety. But when Sharper suffered a knee injury in 1995, Poindexter, a redshirt freshman, capably replaced him in the starting lineup for two games.

They later roomed together in Baltimore when both played for the Ravens. Sharper spent nine seasons in the NFL, with Baltimore, Houston and, finally, Seattle.

"Some people you can teach football, some people they already just have the instincts, and he had the instincts," Sharper said. "Kind of like myself and [James] Farrior. You always know how to find the ball, and that's where [Poindexter] was at."

Like George Welsh, Sharper still recalls Poindexter's appetite for contact.

"He's going to knock you out and throw his body all over the place," Sharper said. "And I think that's why he was able to play linebacker when I got hurt my junior year. He came in there and played linebacker and had, like, 17 tackles.

"He just doesn't care. He was a guy who was just phenomenal when you talk about his ability to play through pain."

Poindexter would tell stories, Sharper said, of playing baseball at Jefferson Forest High with a bad knee that would lock up when he slid into a base.

"It was crazy, but Dex, he gave everything he had to the team and what he was doing," Sharper said.

"He wasn't one of those fake rah-rah guys. He was one of those guys who'd go out there and throw his body around and make plays. He wouldn't yell at you for not being hyped or making a play. But he would just be, 'Let's go, guys. Let's go do this.' And he'd go out there and do it.

"So it was a little bit different than a guy that was a whole bunch of talk but then didn't necessarily go out there and produce. With him giving it all out there, you just wanted to play alongside him and make plays, too."

Fans are encouraged to get to their seats early Saturday. The ceremony is scheduled to start at 3:13 p.m., about 20 minutes before kickoff.

-- Jeff White

Schautz Making Up for Lost Time

Oct. 8, 2009
2:00 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In mid August, Billy Schautz appeared likely to play a key role for UVa's football team this season. He still might do so, but he's had to play catch-up.

The 6-4, 240-pound redshirt freshman was working with the second team at outside linebacker, and was part of the rotation for the nickel and dime packages, before suffering a knee injury during training camp.

It didn't require surgery, but Schautz lost a lot of reps in practice. That hurt him more than it might have a veteran.

"Especially during training camp," Al Groh said Thursday morning, "when everybody kind of gets equal turns. When you get into the season, obviously the turns go to those guys who are going to get the major turns in the game. He's back in the rotation getting his turns, but that was a significant time where we could have really focused in on him.

"He was making good improvement. And we were pleased, perhaps even a little surprised, that after his lengthy absence, because he did not have a long-term basis in doing this stuff, that when he came back he seemed to be able to pick up pretty quickly where he was when he got injured."

Schautz, who's from Bloomfield, N.J., has appeared in only one game. Virginia (1-3) hosts Indiana (3-2) at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

-- Jeff White

Ownby's Return Should Help 'Hoos

Oct. 7, 2009
10:28 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- For a men's soccer team that has scored only one goal in its past three games, some help has arrived.

Sophomore forward Brian Ownby is back on Grounds and will start Wednesday night against Longwood (2-6-2), UVa coach George Gelnovatch said.

Ownby played in the Cavaliers' first three games, then left to take part in the under-20 World Cup in Egypt with the U.S. team. He missed six games, including recent losses to Clemson and North Carolina in which the Wahoos failed.

A graduate of Deep Run High, Ownby got home to the Richmond area Monday night. After a good night's sleep, he returned to UVa on Tuesday morning and trained with the team later that day.

"He looked good," Gelnovatch said.

Ownby scored five goals in 2008 and was named to the ACC's all-freshman team.

"I want to get him back in the swing of things as soon as possible," Gelnovatch said.

Virginia (6-3) is coming off a Friday night loss at North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 1-0 in double overtime.

-- Jeff White

First Lax Scrimmage to Showcase Young Talent

Oct. 6, 2009
4:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Youth will be served Wedneday night at the University Hall Turf Field.

The men's lacrosse team -- at least part of it -- will scrimmage the full Hampden-Sydney College squad, starting at 7 o'clock.

Suiting up for the Cavaliers will be their freshmen and sophomores, Dom Starsia said, plus "a couple of juniors, and maybe a senior or two."

Virginia's heralded first-year class includes midfielder Chris LaPierre and attackmen Matt White and Connor English.

UVa will be at full strength for its Oct. 18 scrimmages in Annapolis, Md. -- the first against Navy, the second against the U.S. senior national team. The format Wednesday night will give Starsia an opportunity to better evaluate his young players, several of whom figure to be cast in leading roles in 2010.

"I really like it, because it gives these guys a real extended chance to play without looking over their shoulders," Starsia said Tuesday.

Such veterans as Adam Ghitelman, Shamel and Rhamel Bratton, Brian Carroll, Ken Clausen, John Haldy, Bray Malphrus, Ryan Nizolek, Max Pomper and Mike Thompson will be spectators Wednesday night.

Sophomore Rob Fortunato will play in the cage most of the game, Starsia said. Defensemen and long-stick midfielders will come from this group: freshmen Howie Long, Harry Prevas and Chris Landon and sophomores Peter Borror, Wyatt Melzer and Jarrid Puzes.

Junior Garett Ince and sophomore Ryan Benincasa will split time on faceoffs. Starsia's options in the midfield include freshmen LaPierre, Jacob Ghitelman and Blake Riley and sophomores Matt Kugler, Colin Briggs and Brian Pomper.

"We're a little bit light there," Starsia said, "but I think we'll look at this as an opportunity to look at some of these attackmen in the midfield."

Attackmen who'll play Wednesday night include sophomores Steele Stanwick and Chris Bocklet and first-years White, English, Nick O'Reilly and Matt Cockerton.

There is no charge for admission to the scrimmage. Hampden-Sydney, which competes in the NCAA's Division III, went 8-9 last season.

Greetings from Tar Heel Country

Oct. 3, 2009
11:08 a.m.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- It's a glorious fall day at Kenan Stadium, where players from both teams are on the field, warming up for the noon game.

UVa's dress list indicates that Jared Detrick and Raynard Horne, who have played well on special teams during their careers, made the trip. Neither was on the travel squad for the Sept. 19 game at Southern Mississippi.

Twelve true freshmen are on the trip, according to the dress list: Drew Jarrett, Javanti Sparrow, Tim Smith, LaRoy Reynolds, Corey Lillard, Perry Jones, LoVante Battle, Tucker Windle, Connor McCartin, Oday Aboushi, Will Hill and Brent Urban.

Of those 12, four have played this season: Smith, Reynolds, Jones and Hill.

Al Groh has used two other true freshmen this year: wide receiver Quintin Hunter and tailback Dominique Wallace. Hunter is not on the trip. Wallace is out with a season-ending foot injury.

-- Jeff White

Groh Not Necessarily Stopping at Six

Oct. 1, 2009
1:58 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- One month into the college football season, North Carolina has played 12 true freshmen, twice as many as Virginia. But the Cavaliers' list may grow.

Through the first two games, UVa played five first-years: Will Hill, Quintin Hunter, Perry Jones, Tim Smith and Dominique Wallace. LaRoy Reynolds made his debut Sept. 19 at Southern Mississippi.

Others in the class who might play this year include offensive tackle Oday Aboushi, defensive back/return specialist Javanti Sparrow and defensive Brent Urban.

The Wahoos (0-3) open ACC play Saturday afternoon at UNC (0-1, 3-1).

Al Groh said Thursday said his philosophy on using true freshmen has remained "pretty consistent" over the years.

"On each particular team, whenever a player is ready to help the team be better than it otherwise would be without that player's performance, then we're enthusiastic about using the player," Groh said.

"If the team won't play any better with the player than they would have without him, that doesn't mean the team's not playing well. We've had some years where we played very, very well and used a lot of freshmen to help us do so. And they elevated what otherwise would have been the performance of the team. We've also had some years where we played very, very well and we hardly used any freshmen at all.

"We're going to take full advantage of the value of our roster and use everybody who can help us win."

Of his first-year players, Groh said, "There's some of these guys that we can see progressing into significant roles next year that it would be a good thing if we could get some time. But now, of course, they have to give us the indications to say that that would be a wise thing to do."

Wallace, who had emerged as one of the team's top tailbacks, is likely to get his year of eligibility back. He suffered a season-ending foot injury in the Southern Miss and is expected to receive a medical hardship waiver.

Here's the season-by-season breakdown of true freshmen used by UVa during Groh's tenure as coach:

2001: 6

2002: 14

2003: 7

2004: 10

2005: 11

2006: 1

2007: 5

2008: 5

2009: 6*

* Nine regular-season games remain.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Don't expect to see Groh at Scott Stadium for the U2 concert Thursday night.

"I'm taking a pass on that one," he said. "I've got a stadium to go to on Saturday."

Matt Doughty, the teenage son of the aging Roanoke Times newspaperman, told his father that the concert would be a gathering of old people.

"That's his perspective looking up," Groh, a rock 'n' roll fan who turned 65 in July, said with a laugh. "From my perspective looking down, I think there are a lot of people with a tremendous amount of youthful energy going to it."

-- Jeff White

Lack of Scoring Still an Issue in Men's Soccer

Sept. 30, 2009
12:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- UVa soccer fans at Klöckner Stadium waited and waited and waited Tuesday night for a goal by the home team.

Sept. 29, 2009
11:18 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The prize that has eluded Virginia in men's tennis -- an NCAA championship -- won't be awarded again until next spring. To Brian Boland, though, this time of year is crucial.

"I think championships are won in the fall, not in the spring," Boland said Monday. "I think a lot of coaches would agree with me that their time in training camp and their ability to have time to work with the players individually and really focus on the skills that each individual player needs to develop, in order to be successful at the highest level, is done on the practice courts and in training camp.

"I'll push my guys much further, in terms of their physical fitness, obviously in September and October than I will in April and May. Because I think that's when you have to start tapering down, so when they go into the NCAA championships at the end of May, they're pretty fit.

"Hopefully, with all that hard work over the course of the season, they're in tip-top shape, and you're able to find your cruise control a little bit at that point, rather than doing what we're doing now, which is really just pushing them to their Nth degree. I think they're very tired and sore all the time. They play a lot of tournaments tired and sore."

This is Boland's eighth year at UVa, and he's built a program with few peers nationally. Under Boland, the Cavaliers are 201-42, and they've advanced at least as far as the NCAA quarterfinals in each of the past five seasons.

Virginia reached the NCAA semifinals in 2007 and '08.

From a team that finished 32-1 in 2009, Boland returned virtually everyone except Dominic Inglot, and the Wahoos added heralded freshman Jarmere Jenkins. Another touted recruit, Julen Uriguen, will start classes at UVa in January.

The 'Hoos hosted the UVa Ranked Plus One Invitational this past weekend, and the core of the team will be in Tulsa, Okla., next week for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's All-American Championships.

Boland's early impression of his 2009-10 team?

"I think we're ahead of schedule in terms of where I thought we would be at this point, and I'm really pleased with the guys' commitment and overall effort, and their focus on developing and not the ultimate results," he said. "I think the results will take care of themselves, and we need to continue to tell ourselves that as we try to improve as players so we're as prepared as we need to be for the spring season.

"And I think that's one of the biggest reasons we're having so much success, because the players really believe that and understand it, and therefore they're ultimately getting excellent results."

­-- Jeff White

Special-Teams Upgrade Needed

Sept. 29, 2009
9:18 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision consists of 120 teams. Of those 120, few have struggled more than UVa on special teams this season.

The Cavaliers rank 120^th nationally in kickoff-return defense, 119^th in kickoff returns, 74^th in punt returns and 44^th in punt-return defense. Virginia's best showing has been in net punting, where its average of 38.5 yards ranks 28^th in the FBS.

After the 2008 season, Ron Prince was hired to turn around an underachieving special-teams operation at UVa. But Prince's second stint as a Virginia assistant -- his first as special-teams coordinator -- has yet to produce the desired improvement.

Al Groh was asked Monday if he plans to devote more practice time to special teams.

"One part of my answer would be to myself, no matter how much we're discussing practicing them, we should do it more," Groh said.

"By the same token, I also think to do more would almost say that we would abandon practicing on offense and defense. I mean, to one-third of the operation, we devote four significant periods a day to it now ... On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we devote four periods to it, and on Sundays we devote 40 minutes to it, more than half of the practice, and on Thursdays we devote 28 minutes to it.

"So we're pretty heavy in the time devoted to it. So with that, sometimes you've just got to get better execution, or demand better than what we are getting."

In the Wahoos' most recent game, a 37-34 loss at Southern Mississippi on Sept. 19, their special-teams breakdowns in the second half cost them the victory. Southern Miss opened the third quarter with a 68-yard kickoff return and later ran one back 100 yards for a TD. The Cavaliers also allowed second-half punt returns of 15 and 22 yards.

Part of the problem, Groh said, was that UVa's coverage units were missing several key members, because of injuries, in the second half.

"So we hope to be able to get some of the people who were absent on some of those back into the lineup," he said, "as well as look at somewhere we think we could improve that performance."

-- Jeff White

More from Mike Curtis

Sept. 24, 2009
7:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Elsewhere on VirginiaSports.com, I posted a story Thursday afternoon about the men's basketball team's offseason workouts with new strength-and-conditioning coach Mike Curtis.

Curtis and I spoke in his office at John Paul Jones Arena after a recent training session at Washington Park. A lot of his comments didn't make the article, but fans may be interested in what Curtis had to say.

Here's a sample:

JW: Will your offseason program change next year, when the veterans are more familiar with your system?

MC: Every year's going to be different, based on the incoming class. The incoming class is going to go through our training system, that foundational aspect of it, where I go through assessment and look at how they move and look at what things may inhibit their performance, and we address those things first. These guys will have already gone through a year of that foundational training, and we can progress to some different things.

The group had a pretty good foundation of just strength, absolute strength. My goal has been to try to make them a little bit more athletic, try to refine and make their movement more efficient, try to also reduce some of the injuries that we've had with this team in the past.

JW: Talk a little bit about your philosophy.

MC: It's far more important that they stay on the court and can practice and can do the things that Coach Bennett needs them to do for us to be successful strategically, more so than just acquiring strength to acquire strength. I wanted them to enhance their athleticism, but at the same by doing that make them a little more shielded from some of the injuries that we may have had in the past. At the same time, by increasing that aptitude for some more efficiency with their movement, our guys have been running faster, have been jumping higher.

For me, that's more important, because those are the physical qualities of actually playing the game. It doesn't matter so much to me how much they bench-press or squat. It matters to me that they can actually carry out those tasks they have to do when they actually play basketball.

JW: The players look very lean, especially Sylven [Landesberg] and Jamil [Tucker].

MC: We've taken some weight off. For the most part, the guys who needed to take some weight off, because I thought it would equate to a little bit more movement efficiency, those guys have done it.

Sylven's shed a few pounds, Jamil's shed a few pounds. My goal was to have lean basketball players who are functionally strong.

And then there are the guys who've actually needed to gain some weight. Assane [Sene] was 234 the other day, which was up from 228 at the beginning of the summer. So we've put on six pounds of good weight. It wasn't just weight to put on weight. So I know if he's gaining it at that pace, it's muscle, and it's what we need to put on him, not just mass that's going to be mass that he's not going to be able to use and is going to make him slower. We don't need him slower. We need him more explosive.

He's still thin, but as long as we can put it on the right way, if we can put on six pounds, and his jumping increases, his ability to hold positions is better, that's more important to me than putting on 10 pounds or 12 pounds and then he can't move.

JW: How do you assess [freshman forward] Tristan Spurlock as an athlete?

JW: Basketball-wise, his base looks good, but we've got some things that we need to work on in terms of teaching him how to hold positions and move and sit through his hips, so he can have a little bit more leverage when he gets out there and plays. He's going to put on some size, we'll put some size on him later, but I wanted to make sure that the kid could move first. He's still in our functional foundation phase of training where we're trying to teach him how to actually sit in defensive stances and move out of those positions, because he struggled with that a little bit. At the end of the day, a player like him who's going to probably be asked to play multiple positions and have to guard some guys out on the wing, he's going to have to be a little bit more mobile through his hips.

JW: Could you tell that [freshman point guard] Jontel Evans had played high school football?

MC: Yeah, we could. As you can see, he's leaned down. He came in about 200, 202, and now he's down to 188, 189, and he's moving better, a litle more explosive in a basketball sense. He was already explosive, because he was a running back, but this is more from a basketball sense. I just wanted to kind of help him understand what it was from a movement perspective that he needed to refine here, and get out of the football-type of movement mentality and get more into the basketball movement mentality.

JW: [Senior center] Jerome Meyinsse is very solidly built. What's your goal with him?

MC: All I've tried to do is refine his movement. He's big and strong. We're just trying to help him move better. If you've seen him in the past, you know he's a great athlete, but there were some things that I saw in the assessment process in terms of trying to make him a little bit more elastic in terms of his explosiveness. 

He is explosive, but he doesn't have the ability to be kind of springy, so we've tried to work on those things that are going to allow him to be able to catch the ball underneath and go straight up and not have to go through that big loading phase. So we're trying to make him better at those things ... and a lot of that has to do with some of the slow-strength type stuff that they have probably been doing in the past.

JW: Before you were hired, how much did you and Tony Bennett discuss your strength-and-conditioning philosophy?

MC: It's always been my goal, when I come in, to let the coaches know where I am philosophy-wise. I've been shaped by a lot of my experiences, the NBA and a lot of the people that I've been around, physical therapists and strength coaches who may not be considered traditional.

So when I came and sat down with him, he understood that I was more performance-based. I was going to do what it was going to take to make these guys better basketball players in a functional sense. Not just to be weight-room strong, it has to translate to what they do. And he was on the same page. He understood that it wasn't just going to be the typical grind in the weight room. It was going to be what type of modalities can we use, what type of exercise can we use that actually will enhance their basketball performance.

So if you come in here and watch a workout, yeah, there are going to be some things that look traditional in terms of weight-training, but then there are going to be other elements of what we do that are going to look like snapshots of basketball. We put dumbbells in their hands or we hook them up to a pulley system, and we're doing basketball-specific movements to enhance those abilities to carry out those tasks that you have to do when you're playing basketball.

-- Jeff White

Groh Weighs In on Wallace

Sept. 24, 2009
12:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On the weekly ACC football coaches' teleconference, Al Groh spoke at length Wednesday about the injury Dominique Wallace suffered last weekend at Southern Mississippi and how the 230-pound tailback's absence will affect the team.

Wallace, a true freshman from Fredericksburg, suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his foot, the same injury sustained by tailbacks Wali Lundy (2005) and Cedric Peerman (2007) during their careers at UVa.

During his nine seasons as Virginia's coach, Groh has also seen tailbacks such as Antwoine Womack, Alvin Pearman and Jason Snelling sidelined for health reasons.

"It seems that there's one position where we've had issues with one of our top guys every year. I think this is the seventh or eighth year that this has occurred," Groh said.

"Wali got hurt on the third play of his senior season, and it really took him about seven or eight weeks before he was back to what he normally would be. Of course, Cedric lost [the final seven games of the '07 season] with it.

"Now we've got this. Frankly, I'd never heard of the injury till I came here. That is, I don't recall ever being on a team where the injury was discussed. Now we've had three prominent running backs succumb to it."

Groh said the medical staff has looked for threads that link the three injuries. "What type of curvature of the arch each player had. Were they flat-footed? Did they have a nice arch? What kind of shoes were they wearing? What kind of run were they running? And despite all due diligence, it just kind of looks like it's just a bad set of coincidences."

Wallace will have surgery on his foot. Losing him "certainly does change the rotation [at tailback]," Groh said.

"He was becoming a significant part of that rotation ... and acquitted himself very well [against Southern Miss]. It's certainly a testimony to his will and his toughness that he played well over two quarters after being injured. Our trainers have remarked about, from their perspective, how tough he must be in order to do that and still produce very well."

Wallace, because he played in only three games, is eligible to receive a medical hardship waiver.  That would give him four seasons of eligibility, starting in 2010.

-- Jeff White

UVa Football Family Loses Kowalkowski

Sept. 23, 2009
2:48 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE  -- Sad news out of the Detroit area: Bob Kowalkowski, a football star for UVa in the 1960s, died last week after a brief illness. 

He was 65. His funeral was Tuesday in Orchard Lake, Mich.

Kowalkowski made the all-ACC second team at offensive tackle in 1963 and '64. He was a seventh-round pick of the Detroit Lions and played 11 seasons at offensive guard for that NFL team. Kowalkowski also played for the Browns and the Packers.

His son Scott, who starred at Notre Dame, also played for Lions.

Here's an article from the Lions' website. 

-- Jeff White

Former UVa Star Ferguson: Hometown Hero

Sept. 23, 2009
11:18 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- This is a good time to be D'Brickashaw Ferguson.

Not only is the former UVa All-American starting at left offensive tackle for the unbeaten New York Jets, who are coming off a win over the Patriots, his hometown is about to honor him.

Ferguson is from Freeport, N.Y., on Long Island. Freeport will dedicate a street to him Tuesday morning.

"D'Brickashaw Ferguson is a true star both on and off the field, and we are proud to have him as a part of the Freeport Family," the village's major, Andrew Hardwick, said in a news release. "Please come out and join as us as we honor the accomplishments of this talented young man."

Ferguson, a 2002 graduate of Freeport High, was named Long Island's top player as a 12^th-grader.

At UVa, he was a four-year starter at left tackle for Al Groh. Ferguson needed only three-and-a-half years to earn his bachelor's degree in religious studies.  

A first-team All-American as a UVa senior, Ferguson was the fourth player taken in the 2006 NFL draft. In 2007, he founded the D'Brickashaw Ferguson Foundation, which offers scholarships to deserving students, assists food banks and clothing ministries, and helps churches with repairs.

Ferguson's brother, Edwin Jr., also graduated from UVa.

-- Jeff White

Southern Miss 37, UVa 34: A Mixed Bag

Sept. 19, 2009
6:50 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- About 24 hours after the not-so-happy, for UVa at least, ending to yesterday's game in Hattiesburg, Miss., some observations on an afternoon of highs and lows for Al Groh's team:

The Good

-- Virginia's offense: Scrapping the spread scheme that new coordinator Gregg Brandon was hired to install, Groh went back to a more traditional offense. The linemen's splits were tighter, the backfield often included two running backs, the linemen periodically dropped into three-point stances, and not every snap was of the shotgun variety.

The result: 37 points and 390 yards, both season highs. This from a team that came in averaging 14 points and 222.5 yards.

-- Jameel Sewell: For the second straight game, the fifth-year senior took every snap at quarterback, and Sewell responded with one of his finest performances. He looked comfortable in the modified offense and passed for a career-high 312 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for two TDs, tying his career high. Sewell's effectiveness diminished late in the game, but that was a result of blocking breakdowns by his linemen.

-- The young receivers: Wideouts Kris Burd, Jared Green, Tim Smith and Javaris Brown combined to catch 16 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns.

Burd and Green are sophomores. Smith is a true freshman, and Brown is a redshirt freshman. Burd led the 'Hoos with six receptions for 79 yards, including a 29-yard TD catch. Smith opened the scoring by running a fly pattern down the left sideline and hauling in a bomb from Sewell for a 69-yard TD.

-- Chris Hinkebein: The ensuing coverage wasn't almost great, but Hinkebein's kickoffs generally were superb. He averaged 69.1 yards on seven kicks, with one touchback.

The Bad

-- Special teams: Ron Prince was hired to revamp a special-teams operation that had fallen off dramatically in recent years, but his work has yet to pay dividends. Out of the 120 teams in the NCAA's Football Bowl Subdivision, UVa ranks 71^st in punt returns and 117^th in kickoff returns. The Hoos are struggling in coverage, too.

UVa allowed punt returns of 15 and 22 yards to Southern Miss' Tracey Lampley on Saturday. More damaging, of course, were Virginia's kickoffs.

The Golden Eagles returned the second-half kickoff 68 yards on a bizarre play that included a fumble recovery, and a touchdown soon followed.

Then, after the 'Hoos opened a 34-17 lead midway through the third quarter, Freddie Parham fielded a Hinkebein kickoff three yards deep in the end zone. He was barely touched as he raced the length of the field for a TD that swung momentum Southern Miss' way. The Golden Eagles scored the game's final 20 points.

-- Late-game blocking: A week after giving up eight sacks in a 30-14 loss to TCU, UVa's offensive line performed much better for two-and-a-half quarters against Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles' defense eventually wore down the Cavaliers' linemen, however, and Sewell was sacked four times in the second half. UVa had given up no sacks in the first half.

-- Second-half defense: At intermission, Southern Miss had a modest 57 yards rushing. It finished with 214.

Damion Fletcher, the school's career rushing leader, carried 26 times for 115 yards and two touchdowns Saturday. His backup, Tory Harrison, gained 101 yards on three carries. Harrison's 57-yard TD with 8:01 remaining closed out the scoring and put Southern Miss ahead for the first time.

The Golden Eagles punished Virginia repeatedly out of the Wildcat formation. UVa knew the snap was going directly to Fletcher but was unable to slow him.

-- The Streak: UVa has lost seven games in a row since beating Georgia Tech on Oct. 25, 2008. The Cavaliers, 0-3 this season, are the only winless team in any of the six conferences whose winners advance automatically to the Bowl Championship Series.

-- Jeff White

Notes from the Road

Saturday, Sept. 19
11:50 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Four hours earlier, as he sat on a chair in the bowels of Southern Mississippi's M.M. Roberts Stadium, surrounded by reporters, Al Groh had patiently fielded questions about UVa's roller-coaster afternoon.

Virginia led Southern Miss 34-17 with 7:19 left in the third quarter, but ended up losing 37-34.

The 'Hoos are 0-3 for the first time since 1982. None of Virginia's three units is without problems, especially the special teams, but at least the offense showed signs of breaking out.

In the Cavaliers' first two games, losses to William and Mary and TCU, they'd scored a total of 28 points.

"We made progress," Groh said. "We could have made more progress today. Let's not misinterpret and say that we're thrilled or we're pleased. That's a pretty hurtful place about 20 yards away [in the locker room], which is a positive thing. Because there are a lot of players dramatically affected by their results who really fought hard.

"The shame of it is is not to be able to look at them laughing and smiling on the way home. Which is the greatest reward of winning, just to look at the joy on the players' faces."

As I boarded the plane for the flight home, Groh's words came back to me. I saw no joy on anyone's face as I walked down the aisle to my seat. It had a been a long, hot day -- the game lasted 3 hours and 41 minutes -- and the humidity in Hattiesburg was brutal. The players, the coaches, the physicians, the equipment crew, the video crew, the trainers, the cheerleaders: Everybody appeared drained.

When the trip was planned, the hope was that our flight would land in Charlottesville around 10:30 p.m. For a variety of reasons, including the game's length and a delay in departing the airport in Mississippi, it was closer to 11:15 when we landed. A subdued bus ride back to the McCue Center followed, and my first road trip with the team officially ended around 11:40.

The injured players trudged to the training room for treatment. The coaches headed to their offices, no doubt replaying in their heads a game that might have ended differently for UVa.

-- JW

Saturday, Sept. 19
4:28 p.m. (Central)

Hattiesburg, Miss. -- It's halftime, and UVa leads Southern Miss 27-10. Wow. The Cavaliers have scored nearly as many points today as in their first two games -- losses to William and Mary and TCU -- combined.

The official attendance at 36,000-seat Roberts Stadium is 31,170, and Virginia's strong play has negated the Golden Eagles' home-field advantage.

Sophomore kicker Robert Randolph has kicked two field goals -- a career high -- for UVa.  Randolph also played an important role late in the first half. The Golden Eagles were called for running into him on a 39-yard field-goal attempt that missed, giving UVa a first down at the 18.

Five plays later, quarterback Jameel Sewell's 4-yard touchdown run capped a decisive sequence that stunned the home fans.

Also in the opening half, junior tight end Joe Torchia had his first career reception, a 15-yarder from Sewell that extended a drive that ended with a UVa touchdown. That was the first catch by a Virginia tight end this season.

-- JW

Saturday, Sept. 19
1:28 p.m. (Central)

Hattiesburg, Miss. -- When the buses arrived at M.M. Roberts Stadium around 1:05 p.m., it was pouring. By the time we actually got off the buses, the sun was out.

It's likely to be like that way all afternoon. Welcome to late summer in the Deep South.

No sign of Southern Miss players yet, but about two dozen Cavaliers are on the artificial turf loosening up.

Around here, they call the Golden Eagles' stadium "The Rock." Southern Miss' football media guide explains the origins of that nickname:

In 1938, several Southern Miss football players were recruited to work with the contractors building the stadium. The players hauled in the concrete used to build the additions, prompting the athletes to begin calling the new stadium "The Rock."

The big pre-game news in the press box is that Zach Berman showed up with beignets from Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter, as he promised he would.

Berman, the intrepid young UVa beat writer for The Washington Post, stayed in New Orleans and drove to Hattiesburg this morning. It was Berman's first visit to New Orleans, and he's looking remarkably clear-eyed and clear-headed.

-- JW

Saturday, Sept. 19
9:35 a.m. (Central)

Hattiesburg, Miss. -- Greetings from the Holiday Inn. You know, the one down the road from the Stuckey's.

It's game day, and it's sticky outside. I experienced that first-hand on a not-so-brisk two-mile run this morning, but it's hard to say what effect, if any, that will have on UVa's players this afternoon against Southern Miss, when temperatures climb into the high 80s.

A crisp autumn day in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this is not. But residents of Central Virginia deal with suffocating humidity every summer, and this is why strength-and-conditioning coach Brandon Hourigan works his charges so hard in the offseason: to prepare for conditions such as this.

UVa fans have had little to cheer this season, but perhaps Al Groh's luck is about to change. After an incredible meal at a famed local barbeque joint called Leatha's, a group of support personnel, as we're known, went out last night to sample the sights and sounds of Hattiesburg's historic downtown district.

We ended up at a club called the Bottling Company. A large, rowdy crowd was on hand to catch a popular New Orleans-based cover band called the Chee-Weez, which opened with a rousing version of Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer." That's one of Groh's favorite songs, as his players know, and that has to be a good omen for Virginia, right?

That was the theory put forth by one of my esteemed colleagues, anyway. We'll find out soon enough. The team's pre-game meal starts in about an hour. Then at noon local time -- 1 p.m. back in Charlottesville -- the 'Hoos will leave for the stadium, where they hope to end a six-game losing streak that dates to last season.

I'll check in when I get there.

Friday, Sept. 18
4 p.m. (Central)

Hattiesburg, Miss. - By the time our caravan arrives at the 36,000-seat stadium that Southern Miss fans like to call The Rock, the rain has stopped, and the sun is breaking through the clouds.

That won't last long -- serious thunderstorms are on the way -- but the timing could not be better for the 'Hoos. The players and coaches, still in coats and ties, check out the locker room at Roberts Stadium and then take the field and walk from one end zone to the other and back.

It's an intimate stadium, and the atmosphere figures to be raucous tomorrow afternoon. Southern Miss has a proud football tradition, and Brett Favre isn't its only prominent former Golden Eagle. Others include Ray Guy, Reggie Collier and Derrick Nix.

Southern Miss, a member of Conference USA, has won seven straight games dating to last season. The Golden Eagles have advanced to a bowl in 11 of the past 12 seasons. UVa, by comparison, failed to become bowl-eligible in 2006 and again last year.

At 4:18 p.m., the buses move out, again with a police escort. On the way to the hotel, I'm pretty sure I spot Bob's Country Bunker. I've passed through Mississippi many times on trips to and from New Orleans -- I hit Mardi Gras five years running back in my misspent youth -- but I believe this will be the first time I've actually spent a night in this state.

More tomorrow.

-- JW

Friday, Sept. 18
3:40 p.m. (Eastern)

MOSELLE, Miss. -- It's 2:23 p.m. here in the Central Time Zone when we land at Hattiesburg-Laurel Regional Airport off Interstate 59. The thunderstorms that will pound Hattiesburg for much of the afternoon have yet to begin, but the sky is gray, and light rain is falling.

Again, we don't step inside the main terminal. Waiting on the runway for us are four chartered buses, plus police cars to escort us to Hattiesburg, about 15 miles away. I could get used to this.

Our baggage will meet us at the team hotel, also in Hattiesburg. We board the buses and off we go again. Our destination this time is M.M. Roberts Stadium, where the 'Hoos will meet Southern Mississippi tomorrow afternoon.

On the bus, the cell phones and BlackBerrys come out, and passengers intently check the e-mails and text messages that arrived during the flight. Luke Goldstein, UVa's director of football video operations, calls home to Charlottesville and learns, to his delight, that one of his kids got 100 on a test in school today.

It's raining harder as woods and fields pass by on either side of the highway.

-- JW

Friday, Sept. 18
1:40 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The back half of the plane is mostly filled by the time the players and coaches arrive around 1 p.m. Departure is scheduled for 1:15 p.m., but it's 1:40 when we finally take off for Hattiesburg.

Sixty-six players made the trip. Many of them, after eating lunch, shut their eyes and try to catch up on some sleep. They were up early today and had to be at the McCue Center, with bags packed, by 8:50 a.m. for breakfast. A team meeting and then the walk-through followed.

For those who choose stay awake, X-Men Origins: Wolverine is shown. The movie is 107 minutes long, which is about how long the flight takes.

-- JW

Friday, Sept. 18
12:10 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- From the McCue Center, three buses will take the traveling party to the airport. One will carry the offense, another the defense.

The third is for support personnel and guests. That's the one I get on, along with team physicians, the video crew, a ticket manager, cheerleaders, media-relations directors and team managers.  We leave for the Charlottesville airport first and, amazingly enough, make decent time on 29 North. How come that never happens when I'm in my car?

At the airport, we drive past the main terminal. The bus empties outside a warehouse-like building, in which we quickly pass through security. On my way out of the building -- the plane is parked on the runway, about 50 yards away -- I'm handed a brown paper bag. Inside is my lunch: two Chick-fil-A sandwiches, a bag of chips, trail mix, a Snickers bar, a brownie and, for good measure, a pack of Juicy Fruit. Drinks are in coolers outside the plane.

I won't starve on this flight.

-- JW

Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
11:38 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The team is out on the practice field, in shorts and jerseys, walking through plays one last time before leaving for Hattiesburg. 

When the players emerge from the McCue Center locker room for the short bus trip to the Charlottesville airport, they'll be wearing coats and ties, as will their coaches and the other males who are on the team flight.

It's an unseasonably cool, overcast day here. Higher temperatures and humidity await the 'Hoos in Mississippi. Just checked weather.com, and tomorrow's forecast for Hattiesburg is a high of 88 degrees, with a 50-percent chance of rain.

UVa never has played a football game in Mississippi. The Cavaliers have played only two games against Conference USA opponents, East Carolina both times. Virginia lost to the Pirates in Greenville, N.C., in 2006 and beat them at Scott Scott stadium last year.

-- Jeff White

Injury report for Southern Miss game

Sept. 17, 2009
7:38 p.m.

Sept. 17, 2009
5:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- By this time next month, Brian O'Connor will have a better read on which of his new players are likely to have an impact in 2010. 

For now, UVa's baseball coach is happy with the effort that his players -- veterans and newcomers alike -- are showing in fall practice.

"It's going great," O'Connor said. "There's excitement out there, obviously, when you have new players. They're learning, and trying to prove themselves.

"It's fun to watch a team in the fall, because from week one to week three to week six, you see that gradual improvement, especially with the young players."

The starting position players are back from a team that won the ACC title and advanced to the College World Series last year, though Steven Proscia is recovering from surgery on his left wrist and won't practice this fall.

Proscia played third base in 2009, but he may end up at first in 2010. O'Connor has multiple options -- good ones, too -- at most positions, and he's been experimenting.

"In the fall we don't try to get real specific," O'Connor said. "We try to move guys around a little bit. One, to take them out of the comfort zones, and also to see how they react to different positions."

O'Connor values versatility, as John Hicks knows. As a freshman last season, Hicks played catcher, first base and outfield for the Wahoos. One of UVa's newcomers, junior-college transfer Kenny Swab, plays those positions, too.

"I think he's got a lot of skill, and he's going to do a lot of things," O'Connor said of Swab.

Tyler Cannon, Virginia's starting shortstop in 2009, also has been working at third base. Freshman Reed Gragnani is splitting time at second and third, and classmates Stephen Bruno and Chris Taylor have each been used at second, short and third. Another freshman, Colin Harrington, can play in the infield or the outfield.

It's too early, O'Connor believes, to single out players for their fall-ball performances. He noted, however, that Hicks "has come back a lot stronger. I think he's put on 10 or 15 pounds, and he looks to be driving the ball out of the ballpark more."

The 6-2 Hicks weighed about 185 pounds when he enrolled at UVa last year. He said recently that he's up to 200 and hopes to add another five pounds before the spring.

Hicks, who hit .307 with eight home runs last season, was among the Cavaliers who played summer ball. Right-handed pitcher Branden Kline, who may be the jewel of UVa's first-year class, was among those who did not.

Kline has thrown well in practice, O'Connor said, but is "obviously not at his top form. It's a progression for these young pitchers if they didn't pitch this summer."

-- Jeff White

It's Not The Heat, It's The Humidity

Sept. 16, 2009
12:58 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- UVa didn't have to contend with extreme humidity in either of its first two football games this season.

That won't be the case for the Cavaliers in their third game. Virginia (0-2) plays Saturday at Southern Mississippi (2-0), and the forecast calls for a high of 88 degrees, with a 40-percent chance of scattered thunderstorms.

Conditions in Charlottesville during UVa's training camp last month, Al Groh noted Wednesday afternoon, were "generally pretty cool," and he added that this is turning into "an especially cool week."

Given that, how does a team prepare for the suffocating heat that awaits the 'Hoos in the Deep South?

"Pretty difficult to do," Groh said. "If we had an appropriate place, we would probably go inside and turn the heat up, but we don't have that available to us. So we have to let Mother Nature do that for us, and Mother Nature's not cooperating with us this week. So we'll just have to deal with it and adjust to it when we do get there."

The team is scheduled to arrive in Hattiesburg on Friday afternoon. Asked on the ACC coaches' teleconference if Virginia planned to combat the effects of the heat by substituting more than usual, Groh said, "We certainly do see the advantage of doing that, and we've stressed that here in our preparation.

"Some guys are going to have to elevate their game to the point that we don't decrease our productivity by making some substitutions. That would be very helpful if we could do that."

Also on the teleconference, Groh was asked about sophomore wide receiver Jared Green's absence from the two-deep released Tuesday for the Southern Miss game. Green, the team's top returning wideout from 2008, has yet to start this season, but he was listed with the first team before each of the first two games.

The son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green has three catches for 28 yards this season.

"It's probably pretty much an ongoing situation [at wideout] until we find some guys who can step up and give us continuous separation and better passing options," Groh said.

"We're hoping that it would look the same to you every week, because if it looks the same to you, it looks the same to us.  But for right now it'll probably be somewhat of a fluid situation till some guys really step up and grab hold of the positions."

It's worth nothing that the depth chart doesn't reflect the offense that UVa typically runs. The two-deep includes two running backs (tailback and fullback) and two receivers. Virginia has used three wideouts and no fullback on most plays this season.

-- Jeff White

Keeping Up With Jones A Pleasure For Groh

Sept. 14, 2009
9:55 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- His lack of size scared off some college recruiters, but Perry Jones might well have been the best high school football player in this state last season.

Jones, a 5-8, 185-pound tailback, has impressed in pracctice at UVa since arriving this summer, and he made his college debut Saturday against Texas Christian.

The fifth true freshman Virginia has used this season, Jones was in for 10 special-teams plays against TCU, Al Groh said Monday. He fielded two short kickoffs, the second of which he returned 25 yards.

"You know, every day, out there in practice, he's lively," Groh said. "He's energetic. He's a very positive kid. He expects to do well at whatever he does. 

"He's kind of one of those little light bulbs that light things up wherever he goes and has a high expectation of success and did a nice job. He does every play in practice that way."

Jones is likely to play mostly on special teams this season, Groh said, and "we can certainly see the possibilities where that role might expand."

As a senior at Oscar Smith High in Chesapeake, Jones was The Associated Press' choice as Group AAA player of the year in 2008. He starred at linebacker and running back for a team that won the Group AAA, Division 6 title.

Jones rushed for 1,831 yards and 30 touchdowns, and he made 119 tackles, including 10 sacks, and intercepted four passes last year.

Coaches Will Put Friendship Aside Saturday

Sept. 11, 2009
10:58 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- On the Mountain West football coaches' teleconference Tuesday, Texas Christian's Gary Patterson said that he and Al Groh are good friends.

Two days later, Groh elaborated on their relationship. UVa (0-1) and No. 16 TCU meet Saturday at Scott Stadium.

TCU, like Virginia, has a contract with Nike, and "we first got together at a Nike event," Groh said. "Gary's a real football guy. We've enjoyed talking football together."

At some Nike functions, Groh said, "you can tell the fellas that are there that want to leave football back where they came from." And then there are the coaches, Patterson and Groh included, who are happy to talk shop.

"Now, he's a very fun, engaging guy," Groh said. "He plays the guitar and goes scuba diving. He does a lot of interesting things, but he's still a football guy at heart, and we've appreciated that and learned some things from talking to him."

This is Patterson's ninth season at TCU, where his record is 73-27. The Horned Frogs have won 11 games in four of the past six seasons.

"We can see in playing his team that there's a real plan for how they put their team together and how they try to construct the game to integrate all three units," Groh said. "They really maximize their situation. How many teams in the country consistently win 10 games?"

-- Jeff White

Checking In With Men's Lacrosse

Sept. 11, 2009
9:25 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Steele Stanwick will start on attack, and Chris Bocklet is making a strong case to join his classmate in the first group. But it's still early in fall practice, and men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia isn't close to settling on a starting attack.

His options there are sophomores Stanwick and Bocklet, senior Tim Fuchs and freshmen Matt White, Connor English, Nick O'Reilly and Matt Cockerton.

"Some day, one or two of them are going to be middies, but not today," said Starsia, whose team has an intrasquad scrimmage Friday. "Not until we figure this out.

"My guess would be that we're going to go into the season probably with four attackmen ready to play."

In 2009, three of the Cavaliers' top four attackmen -- Danny Glading, Garrett Billings and Gavin Gill -- were seniors. Stanwick started and scored 58 points, on 36 goals and 22 assists.

"Stanwick is the leader of the group right now," Starsia said. "He's the quarterback."

Bocklet was a heralded recruit who, because of the Wahoos' glut of veteran attackmen, rarely played in 2009.

"He's shown the poise of being a second-year kid," Starsia said. "He's shooting the lights out and playing a forceful confidence the [first-year] kids haven't shown."

With such a young attack, UVa will need increased production from the midfield, and Starsia loves what he's seen at that position thus far.

"My early impressions are, we got five powerful kids working in and out of the first group," he said.

Those would be the Bratton twins (juniors Shamel and Rhamel), senior Brian Carroll, junior John Haldy and freshman Chris LaPierre.

The 6-2, 229-pound LaPierre is "a freaking horse," Starsia said. "I haven't seen a middie this big who can run this well, maybe ever."

LaPierre, who was one of New Jersey's top football players in 2008, is versatile enough to play defensive middie, and he could take some faceoffs.

"We're looking for ways to get him on the field," Starsia said.

-- Jeff White

Injury report for TCU game

Sept. 10, 2009
9:21 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Below is the injury report that UVa released tonight, as per ACC policy.  Virginia (0-1) plays 16th-ranked Texas Christian on Saturday at Scott Stadium. This is the opener for TCU.

Out
CB Mike Parker (hand)
WR Bobby Smith (knee)

Doubtful
QB Vic Hall (hip)
WR Dontrelle Inman (hand)
OT Lamar Milstead (ankle)
LB Billy Schautz (knee)

Questionable
none

Probable
DE Nate Collins (shoulder)
WR Patch Duda (shoulder)
NT Nick Jenkins (leg)
QB Jameel Sewell (wrist)
WR Matt Snyder (shoulder)
TE Joe Torchia (shoulder)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:

Probable: Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty
Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play
Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play
Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

No-Huddle Forces Band To Follow New Script

Sept. 10, 2009
6:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Virginia's new no-huddle offense has yet to wreak havoc on opposing defenses, but it's made the Cavalier Marching Band alter its routine during football games.

In past seasons, when UVa had the ball at Scott Stadium, the band played before every snap. When the Cavaliers were on defense, the band played before every down except third, when recorded music was piped in over the stadium's sound system.

In college football, the band is supposed to stop playing by the time the offense breaks the huddle. Trouble is, UVa no longer huddles on offense. After a play ends, the players head directly back to the line of scrimmage. 

"Sometimes they do run the [play] clock down, but they're standing up there," Bill Pease, director of the Cavalier Marching Band, said Thursday afternoon. "At any time they could hike the ball. That's designed so the defense can't sub. I know sometimes they don't hike the ball for 25 seconds, but I don't know when [that will happen]."

And so, in Virginia's opener against William and Mary last weekend, Pease kept his band quiet for long stretches.

"I don't want to say it's taken us out of it, but it's very hard," Pease said. "It really limits you from playing. We try to do it after a big play, because it takes the players time to the get to the line of scrimmage, but sometimes they run right up there.

"What we don't want to do is take away from what the [team is] trying to do ... I'd rather for us to win and the band not to play as much. [Victory is] really what we're all looking for."

Pease said he's called band directors at other schools whose teams run the no-huddle, to see how often they play during games.

The Cavalier Marching Band has more than 280 members, Pease said, and "to get them to stop on a dime is pretty tough ... We're trying to come up with really, really short things to play, but they would have to be three or four seconds. It's hard, and for four seconds, I don't know if it's really worth it.

"I'm not upset about it at all. I just hope people understand that's the way it is."

-- Jeff White

Youth Movement Not Over For 'Hoos

Sept. 10, 2009
5:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Four true freshmen -- wide receivers Tim Smith and Quintin Hunter, tailback Dominique Wallace and defensive end Will Hill -- played for UVa's football team last weekend in its season-opening loss to William and Mary.

More names might be added to that list Saturday, when Virginia hosts No. 16 TCU at Scott Stadium. But even if it doesn't happen this weekend, Al Groh said Thursday morning, he expects to play more true freshmen this season.

"The game will have something to do with it," Groh said, "but our feeling -- actually with every freshman class, but in particular this one, and the '02 class was kind of that way -- is that there's the potential for them to have an impact on the team here during the course of the season very significantly.

"It may not be early. It may take a few more weeks of development on the part of some players. When that's the case, we think that those players will certainly add to the overall strength of the roster."

Groh declined to say who might be next to play, but in preseason he listed Perry Jones and Javani Sparrow among the candidates in the first-year class. In 2002, 14 true freshmen played for the Cavaliers.

Other topics covered on Groh's weekly Thursday teleconference with reporters included H1N1 flu, more commonly known as swine flu. So far, Groh said, no member of the team has been affected.

"We've discussed it, and we've discussed some of the things that players can do to try to minimize the danger that just the overall environment places them in, and the impact it would have on the team should it affect our team the way it has at other places," Groh said.

"And we are waiting for the vaccine to get here and will be taking advantage of that as well as our normal fall flu vaccine."

-- Jeff White

Straight Talk On UVa Football

Sept. 10, 2009
6:18 a.m.

QB OR NOT QB

Sept. 9, 2009
4:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The ACC's weekly coaches' teleconference is an opportunity for out-of-town reporters, most of whom don't see UVa's football team play regularly, to interview Al Groh.

Not surprisingly, Groh was asked Wednesday afternoon about his rotation at quarterback. Three QBs played for UVa in its 26-14 loss to William and Mary last weekend: Vic Hall, Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica.

"Clearly, as we searched throughout the game last week for the level of performance that we needed, we searched in all three areas and really weren't able to come up with enough," Groh said.

Hall and Sewell each had a touchdown run against W&M, and between them they rushed for 94 yards. But they were a combined 11 for 22 passing for only 87 yards, and Sewell was intercepted thrice.

Verica, the third QB to play against the Tribe, completed 7 of 11 passes but netted minus-9 yards on his seven carries.

"Probably because of the similarities between two of our quarterbacks, Vic and Jameel, and the active game that they're going to be playing, running and passing with the ball, those two guys in one respect are the same entity," Groh said.

"That doesn't mean that necessarily both of them will play the same, but we have two to play one position. Marc is a little bit more of a pocket guy."

Don't be surprised if all three play against No. 16 Texas Christian. The teams meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Scott Stadium in a non-conference game that ESPNU will televise.

"Until one steps up and establishes that this is the guy that you can ride, which hasn't been the case so far," Groh said, "then we feel that it'll be necessary to use whoever and how many are necessary to get the position to play well enough."

Practice this week, Groh said, will determine which quarterback starts against TCU.

"It'll be based on performance by the players and which one seems to be most comfortable with the plan and can execute the plays," he said. 

"In the long run, we're not trying to pull any magic tricks or be secretive with it, we're just looking for execution, which is the same at the quarterback position as it is at any other position. But obviously [quarterback is] much more important to the outcome of the game. So until we can find the consistent level of execution that we need, we'll have to continue to search.

"Would we like it be otherwise? I'm sure that we would. We hope it becomes otherwise, but really all we can do is coach it and hope that the players take the initiative to show us the execution that we need."

-- Jeff White

Hultzen Ready For New Role

Sept. 8, 2009
6:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- His first year is behind him, and that makes him something of a veteran on the UVa baseball team.

"Yeah, it's a little different than last year," Danny Hultzen said Monday afternoon at Davenport Field. "Last year I had to adjust to everything. Being a freshman, you don't know what's going on most of the time, especially at the beginning. Now I'm in the position to kind of teach those guys that don't know what's going on, as far as practice goes, and kind of help them through that process."

Hultzen is coming off one of the finest seasons in school history. He was named ACC freshman of the year -- the first Cavalier to be so honored -- and also was chosen for the all-conference first team.

The 6-2 left-hander went 9-1 as a pitcher, with a 2.17 earned-run average, and struck out 107 in 95.1 innings. When Hultzen wasn't on the mound, he usually played first base, and he batted .327 for a team that advanced to the College World Series.

His role is likely to change as a sophomore. Coach Brian O'Connor wants to keep Hultzen off his feet more when he's not pitching. So Hultzen may be used more as a designated hitter in 2010.

"I love playing first base, but in the long run I think that might do some good," Hultzen said, "because during the middle of the season last year, I got kind of tired, just from the grind of playing the field most days and then pitching on top of that. So hopefully with extra rest, then I won't go through that kind-of-tired phase."

Last summer, outfielder Jarrett Parker stayed in town to lift weights and build up his body, with impressive results. Parker gained about 20 pounds and then in 2009 led the 'Hoos with 16 homers.

Hultzen followed a similar regimen this summer.

"I stayed here and took a class and worked out with our strength coach to get stronger and at the same time get some rest," Hultzen said.

He also consulted with Rob Skinner, UVa's director of sports nutrition, who recommended special diets for Hultzen and other baseball players.

"It's a lot of chicken, a lot of lean protein, a lot of milk, and eating five or six times a day," said Hultzen, who added about 15 pounds and now weighs around 200.

"I think everybody who was here put on some weight this summer," he said.

-- Jeff White

More on UVa-TCU

Sept. 8, 2009
4:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The first regular-season football game between UVa and Texas Christian University takes place Saturday at Scott Stadium.

The rematch will be in September 2012 at Fort Worth, Texas.

These teams don't run into each other often. Their first and, to this point, only meeting came in Shreveport, La., where Virginia beat TCU 20-10 in the Independence Bowl on Dec. 28, 1994.

Of the teams' upcoming two-game series, Horned Frogs coach Gary Patterson said, "We're always looking for home and homes ... A lot of teams we play, like with the Clemson game, we'll get paid a lot of money, and we'll go there one time. But we were looking for a home and home.

"I was excited about it. Not that I was excited about playing Virginia as a whole, because I know the kind of coach Al Groh is, and the kind of players there have there. But just to be able to go on the East Coast and get in front of more TV sets, I think that's the biggest thing. The East has a lot more TV sets ... a lot more people get a chance to see the ball game."

TCU, whose record under Patterson is 73-27, visits Clemson on Sept. 26. No return game is scheduled for Fort Worth.

"For us, you're always still building your reputation, and Virginia and a Clemson are two teams that I think are very good programs, very storied programs," Patterson said, "and you gotta go play your best ball game to have a chance to win."

-- Jeff White

TCU Coach Says All The Right Things

Sept. 8, 2009
3:55 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Coaching protocol being what it is, it would have been shocking had Gary Patterson not spoken highly of his football team's next opponent. The head of the highly successful program at Texas Christian University did not disappoint this afternoon.

"We understand Virginia is a lot better football team than what we saw on TV," Patterson said on on the weekly Mountain West Conference coaches' teleconference.

TCU was one of only two teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision not to have played a game yet. The No. 16 Horned Frogs open the season Saturday at Scott Stadium. ESPNU will televise the 3:30 p.m. game.

Scott Stadium also was the site of the Wahoos' first game, a stunning 24-16 loss to William and Mary. The defeat was the fourth straight on opening day for Al Groh and his first to a Football Championship Subdivision opponent as UVa's coach.

The Cavaliers turned the ball over seven times -- six times in their new spread offense and once on special teams.

"It looked to me like they were trying too hard ... and sometimes when you do that, you make mistakes," Patterson said. "Everybody was trying to do too much, and I don't think Coach Groh and his staff -- Coach Groh and I are good friends -- will let those mistakes happen again, and I think they'll settle down and do the things they need to to try to win a ballgame.

"I expect a lot better Virginia team this week on offense than the mistakes that they made a week ago .... I think that's a good football team in waiting."

Patterson, like Groh at UVa, is in ninth season at TCU. Groh's record at his alma mater is 56-45. Patterson is 73-27 with the Horned Frogs, who have won 11 games in four of the past six seasons.

-- Jeff White

Shotgun Snap An Issue For Cavaliers

Sept. 7, 2009
8:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Blocking isn't junior center Jack Shields' only responsibility in UVa's new spread offense. Every play starts with a shotgun snap, and Shields' job is to hike the football back cleanly and quickly to the quarterback.

He was less than perfect Saturday night in Virginia's 24-16 loss to William and Mary, leaving his coach, Al Groh, less than pleased.

Late in the first quarter, on Jameel Sewell's first play, the senior quarterback mishandled a Shields snap and had to fall on the ball for a 9-yard loss. Later, a Shields snap appeared to hit one of his legs and never made it back to quarterback Vic Hall. A defender pounced on the ball, and the Tribe's ensuing drive ended with a field goal that cut UVa's lead to 14-13 at halftime.

Asked today at his weekly news conference if shotgun snaps were a concern for the Cavaliers, Groh said, "I think it's pretty apparent that they are. I think anybody else in this room can answer that question, too. They had an impact on the game. They cost us one lost series because it created a second and [19].

"Could the ball have been caught? Yes. Should the ball have been in the bull's eye? Absolutely. That's the center's job, put the ball in the bull's eye. It's only going 5 yards. You ought to be able to do it.

"The other ball never really got off the ground. How can that happen? It was as befuddling to me as it is to you ... It's not as if we are under center sometimes and [in] shotgun other times. We have been in shotgun since the 27th of March."

Shields, who's from Duxbury, Mass., started 11 games last season, when the Cavaliers did not operate exclusively out of the shotgun.

-- Jeff White

Baseball Team Basks In Spotlight's Glow

Sept. 7, 2009
2:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- It was a weekend to remember for the UVa baseball team.

First, before the football game Saturday night at Scott Stadium, members of the 2009 baseball team raised the Power of Orange flag, to loud applause from the fans. During a break in the game, Brian O'Connor was among the UVa head coaches whose 2008-09 feats were recognized.

Then, before the Nationals-Marlins game yesterday in Washington, the 'Hoos were honored again. A video commemorating Virginia's run to the College World Series was played at Nationals Park, and the 2009 players were introduced to the crowd.

"That was really great," O'Connor said this morning. "It was nice of the Nationals to have us up, and it was a nice treat for our players. That was the first bus trip of the year for the 2010 team."

The afternoon became even more memorable when former UVa great Ryan Zimmerman -- who else? -- gave the Nats a 5-4 win with a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth.

"It was amazing," O'Connor said. "His college team is in the stands, and he has a chance to win the game for his club, and he does ... Ryan's always been a clutch player, and that's what you talk about to your players all the time."

By the time UVa's season ended in late June, most of the players' fellow students had long since scattered for the summer. So this weekend was "the first opportunity we got to publicly acknowledge what our team accomplished," O'Connor said.

After Zimmerman ended the game with his walkoff homer, he showed the UVa players around the Nats' clubhouse.

The trip to D.C. "was awesome," UVa sophomore John Hicks said this afternoon at Davenport Field, "especially after Zim hit the walkoff ... And then when we went to the locker room, it was just incredible."

Fall practice starts today for UVa, which figures to enter the 2010 season ranked in the top 10 nationally.

-- Jeff White

William and Mary Game Revisited

Sept. 6, 2009
12:18 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- UVa's defense did not embarrass itself Saturday night at Scott Stadium. Because of turnovers committed on offense and special teams, the defense spent a lot time on the field -- William and Mary's time of possession was 35:36 in the 60-minute game -- and some lapses were inevitable.

The absence of a serious pass rush, however, was troubling. Since the final game of the 2007 season, UVa has lost three superior pass-rushers -- Chris Long, Jeffrey Fitzgerald and Clint Sintim -- and it's not clear who, if anyone, will emerge as a sack specialist this year.

In the 26-14 loss to W&M, Virginia was credited with only one sack, and that came early in the fourth quarter when outside linebacker Denzel Burrell forced quarterback R.J. Archer out of bounds for a 4-yard loss.

Archer completed 23 of 44 passes for 184 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. Asked about his team's inability to consistently pressure the former Albemarle High School standout, UVa coach Al Groh said the "game that we had to play on defense was pretty close to what we expected it would be. Which was, on William and Mary's part, well thought out. 

"We've played against those type of plans in the past: run straight ahead, don't take any negative plays, throw the ball as quick as you can. Throw short passes real quick before the rush can get you, and hope that the runner can break a tackle and run for some yardage."

Archer had a 48-yard completion to Ryan Moody and a 27-yarder to D.J. McAulay. Otherwise, Archer averaged 5.2 yards per completion.

Burrell, a fifth-year senior, said the Tribe recognized "some of our schemes and realized that they would need to go to quick passes and draws to kind of throw off the rushers and really get us going upfield so they could run the ball on us.

"It was definitely a change that we had predicted may happen, and they ended up doing it, which led to much less pressure on the quarterback."

-- Jeff White

Keith Payne update

Sept. 5, 2009
5:18 p.m.

Injury report for William and Mary game

Sept. 3, 2009
7:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Below is the injury report that UVa released tonight, as per ACC policy.  Virginia plays William and Mary in the football opener for both teams Saturday night at Scott Stadium.

Out
WR Dontrelle Inman (hand)
OT Lamar Milstead (ankle)
CB Mike Parker (hand)
LB Billy Schautz (knee)
WR Bobby Smith (knee)

Doubtful
none

Questionable
RB Rashawn Jackson (knee)

Probable
WR Quintin Hunter (leg)
TB Max Milien (foot)
TB Mikell Simpson (foot)
TE Joe Torchia (shoulder)

UVa's sports medicine staff, under the direction of Dr. David Diduch, compiled the injury report, whose categories are defined as follows:

Probable: Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty
Questionable: 50-50 chance will not play
Doubtful: At least 75-percent chance will not play
Out: Definitely will not play

-- Jeff White

For Bernardino, Trip Abroad Reveals How Times Have Changed

Sept. 3, 2009
1:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Twice he's had the honor of serving as head coach of the United States men's swimming team at the World University Games: first in Beijing in 2001 and then in Belgrade, Serbia, this summer.

The experiences differed dramatically, says Mark Bernardino, the longtime coach of the men's and women's teams at UVa.

The competition in Beijing preceded the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and "the difference in security, the difference in the freedoms that the athletes were allowed, was incredible," Bernardino said recently in his office at the Aquatic and Fitness Center.

In China,  the U.S. team was "able to tour Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Mao Tse-Tung's tomb," Bernardino said. "We had had a day on the Great Wall. We visited the Ming Dynasty tombs. We had the complete athletic and cultural experience. We went in almost a week prior to the beginning of the meet and trained and visited and had the cultural experience."

In Belgrade, Bernardino said, the Americans "went in 48 hours before the meet, and we left the village eight hours after the swimming portion of the competition ended.

"There was no cultural experience whatsoever other than the final night, when after swimming we did a cruise down the Danube River. But we were unable to really see any of the museums or any of the culture that existed in Serbia."

Serbians haven't forgotten the NATO bombings of their country in 1999. Ill will toward Americans still exists, Bernardino said, and "there was a lot of security concern from that respect. But in actuality, the vast majority of the people that I encountered on a one-on-one basis were extremely pleasant, very outgoing and very warm.

"I know that the [U.S. men's] basketball team, on the other hand, really took the brunt of anger from the Serbian people at their competition venue. They were lustily booed, as was the American delegation in the opening ceremonies. Actually, they were jeered, I'll say. I don't think they boo [in Belgrade]. They whistle and they jeer more than they boo.

"We didn't see any of that in the swimming venue. But whenever an American was on the medal stand, there was no applause or no reception for an American performance. There was no polite applause. It was just very quiet when an American received a medal."

Bernardino, who has two degrees from UVa, is heading into his 32^nd season as coach of the swimming teams at his alma mater. The 'Hoos are two-time defending ACC champions on both the men's and women's sides.

-- Jeff White

Men's Lacrosse Team Adds Transfer

Sept. 3, 2009
11:08 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Coach Dom Starsia (Class of '74) is no longer the only Brown alumnus in the UVa men's lacrosse program.

Todd Faiella, who graduated from Brown in the spring, will use his final season of lacrosse eligibility at Virginia.

As a Brown freshman, Faiella played on the football team that won the Ivy League championship. He didn't join the Bears' lacrosse team until his sophomore year. 

Graduate students are not allowed to compete for Ivy League teams, so Faiella applied to -- and was recently accepted into -- a graduate program at UVa. 

"He's been a fun kid to get to know," Starsia said. "Everybody at Brown said that even if he wasn't able to play a minute for you, he's the kind of kid you'd want to have in your program."

At Brown, the 6-2, 210-pound Faiella played several positions, including long-stick midfielder. Where UVa will use him isn't clear, though Starsia said it will probably be on the defensive end.

It may be a while before that question is answered. Faiella is recovering from a spring operation on his Achilles tendon and might not get cleared to practice this fall.

"I have no expectation for him at this time," Starsia said. "We've just got to wait to see what he can do when he gets healthy."

A year ago, the Cavaliers added another transfer with an Ivy League degree, Dartmouth alumnus Chad Gaudet. Competing as a graduate student in 2009, he took most of Virginia's faceoffs.

-- Jeff White

Ryan Delighted To Have Taylor, Palmer Back

Aug. 29, 2009
4:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- They might have needed some help finding their way around John Paul Jones Arena at first -- they were more familiar with University Hall -- but each had deep roots in the UVa women's basketball program.

Tim Taylor spent five seasons on Debbie Ryan's staff, from 2000-01 to 2004-05, before leaving because of family health issues.

Wendy Palmer starred for Ryan at UVa in the '90s and twice was named ACC player of the year.

Taylor and Palmer returned to Virginia in early June -- the former as associate head coach, the latter as an assistant coach - and their boss couldn't be happier.

"It's been great having both of them," Ryan told me yesterday afternoon at the JPJ.  "First of all, they walked in here as if they'd been here forever, which made my transition really simple."

After leaving UVa in 2005, Taylor coached boys basketball, first at Orange County High and then at Madison County High, and compiled an 83-23 record.

"Tim comes in with a whole different set of thoughts and ideas and things that he's tried and things that he's been able to do," Ryan said.

Palmer, who played for 11 seasons in the WNBA, was an assistant at Kentucky in 2007-08 and '08-09.

"Wendy comes in with the ability to set herself as an immediate role model for these kids, whether it be on the court or off the court," Ryan said.  "Watching her yesterday, she's healthy, and she goes out there and shows them exactly what they need to do.

"She's the best post player we've probably ever had, so when she comes in there and shows them how to post up, they go, 'Oh, so that's what you want.'  And there's no questions.  It's just like, 'OK.' So she immediately brings that.

"Tim brings a very positive yet strong presence in terms of discipline.  Our kids seem to really respond well to his personality and his demeanor.  It's great, because he can get on them, but they understand why."

-- Jeff White

Men's Lacrosse: Off And Running

Aug. 28, 2009
9:28 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Before they pick up their lacrosse sticks, Dom Starsia's players have the pleasure of taking a test at the start of each school year.

Yesterday afternoon found the Cavaliers on their practice field.  It was hot and humid, which didn't make their assignment any easier.  They were split into groups for three 300-yard shuttle runs, with two minutes to rest after the first and second sets.

Each set consisted of six 50-yard sprints: up, back, up, back, up, back.

"I think it gives us a little snapshot of where we are," Starsia said this morning.  "You can tell who's sucking wind and who put the time in in the summer."

His impressions?

"I thought all the key guys did a particularly good job," Starsia said.  "Overall, it was encouraging.  It looks like we start in a pretty good place."

"The Brattons ran well.  Brian Carroll ran well.  I thought all the big boys ran well.  I was a little surprised LaPierre ran that well for a big guy."

Chris LaPierre, a 6-2, 210-pound midfielder from South Jersey, is one of Starsia's most heralded freshmen.

The team's first real practice, Starsia said, is next Thursday.   Virginia's younger players, primarily freshmen and sophomores, will scrimmage Hampden-Sydney College on Oct. 7 in Charlottesville.  An alumni game will be held Oct. 9 at UVa. 

Then, on Oct. 18, Virginia will have two scrimmages in Annapolis, Md. - the first against Navy and the second against U.S. senior national team.

-- Jeff White

Youth Will Be Served This Fall

Aug. 27, 2009
1:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The quarterback who takes the field for UVa's opening series Sept. 5 against William and Mary almost certainly will be a senior -- if not Vic Hall, then Jameel Sewell.   Others in that class, including offensive tackle Will Barker, defensive end Nate Collins and cornerback Chris Cook, figure to play prominent roles for the Cavaliers this season.

Overall, though, this is a young team.  Just consider the underclassmen who are projected to start or be in the rotation this fall.

On special teams, punter Jimmy Howell is a sophomore, as is kicker Robert Randolph.  True freshman Javanti Sparrow is a candidate to return kickoffs and punts, and others in the mix for one of those jobs include redshirt freshmen Javaris Brown and Torrey Mack, true freshman Tim Smith and sophomore Corey Mosley.

On offense, the senior-less receivers corps includes Smith, Brown, true freshman Quintin Hunter, redshirt freshman Riko Smalls and sophomores Jared Green, Kris Burd and Matt Snyder.

The No. 2 tight end, Colter Phillips, is a redshirt freshman.  The starters at left offensive tackle and left offensive guard, Landon Bradley and Austin Pasztor, respectively, are sophomores.  Mack is a strong candidate to start at tailback.

On defense, two of the three starting linemen are sophomores: end Matt Conrath and nose tackle Nick Jenkins.

In the regular 3-4, redshirt freshman Steve Greer is the only non-senior who's expected to start at linebacker against W&M, but redshirt freshman Billy Schautz and sophomores Cameron Johnson and Aaron Taliaferro are likely to get significant playing time in passing situations this season.

Move back to the secondary, and the starting safeties, Mosley and Rodney McLeod, are sophomores.  The No. 3 cornerback, Chase Minnifield, is a sophomore, too.

Given that the 'Hoos are coming off a 5-7 season, fans understandably want this to be a big year for the program.  And it may well be.  The fact remains, though, that UVa is likely to be stronger in 2010 than in '09.  Check the two-deep.

-- Jeff White

Play Ball!

Aug. 25, 2009
1:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Those tall guys playing softball at Davenport Field yesterday?  None other than the UVa men's basketball players and their coaches.

When Tony Bennett coached at Washington State, such games were a tradition, and he brought this team-building exercise with him to UVa this year.

On one team were the coaches and freshmen Jontel Evans and Tristan Spurlock.  On the other were Virginia's returning players.

So, who won?

"We don't have to talk about that," Bennett said with a smile this afternoon.

A photo of the winning team - presumably the veteran players - will be displayed in the locker room area of John Paul Jones Arena.

"Actually, I was impressed with the infield that the returning players had," Bennett said.  "They had Mustapha [Farrakhan] at first, they had Sylven [Landesberg] at second and Sammy [Zeglinski] at short.  They turned some double plays on us, and you couldn't get that ball past the dang infield."

He added with another smile: "Mike Scott was on third.  That was a little suspect, but he was OK."

Assistant coach Ron Sanchez's assessment?

"Let's just say Sammy had shortstop, second and third," Sanchez said.

Outfielders included 7-0 Assane Sene, who's from Senegal, and 6-5 Solomon Tat, a native of Nigeria.

"I don't think they've played a lot of baseball or softball," Bennett said.

Zeglinski is no stranger to the diamond.  He played baseball at Penn Charter in Philadelphia, and his father played the sport at Wake Forest.   Sammy's brother Zack played baseball at Temple.

-- Jeff White

Agorsor and 'Hoos Play Waiting Game

Aug. 25, 2009
12:28 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Will forward Chris Agorsor play soccer for UVa this season?  If so, when?

Virginia is waiting for the NCAA to answer those questions.

A 5-9, 145-pound sophomore, Agorsor is enrolled at UVa and started classes today.   His 2008 season ended prematurely, in late September, when he tore the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee.

Agorsor hasn't been practicing or playing with the team, but that's "not related to the injury," Cavaliers coach George Gelnovatch told me this morning.

"He had an agent issue that we're trying to resolve.  We don't feel like there's been any violations, but we want to make sure.  And so it's just a process with the NCAA we're going through.  We are working with the NCAA to get him, I guess, cleared."

Agorsor, who's from Severn, Md., was the Gatorade national high school player of the year as a McDonogh High senior.  He played in seven games for UVa last season, scoring four goals, before hurting his knee.

The NCAA would permit Agorsor to practice with the 'Hoos, but Gelnovatch opted to hold him out.

"My feeling has been, until I know he's going to be with our team, I don't want him to be a distraction," Gelnovatch said.  "I don't want guys not knowing whether he's going to be back, or not going to be back.  And do I as a coach count on him to be playing with our team?"

Gelnovatch believes a decision from the NCAA is imminent.  Assuming Agorsor is cleared, the coach said, then "he's got to get integrated into the team."

UVa plays its third and final exhibition Saturday night (7 o'clock) against West Virginia at Klockner Stadium.  Its home opener is Sept. 11 against ACC rival Duke at 8 p.m.

-- Jeff White

Depth Chart Won't Tell The Whole Story

Aug. 25, 2009
10:18 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - At some point early next week, UVa will release an official depth chart for its season-opening football game against William and Mary.

Don't read too much into the depth chart, Al Groh said yesterday.

The Cavaliers' base defense is the 3-4, whose front line consists of two ends and a nose tackle.  In passing situations, however, UVa shifts to a four-man front.

If the linemen are joined by two linebackers and five defensive backs, the defense is called the nickel.  With one linebacker and six DBs, it's called the dime.

Sophomore Cameron Johnson has been working with the second team at outside linebacker in UVa's base defense, but he's on the field as a rush end in passing situations.

"Defensively, when we put our regular depth chart up there, that's one thing," Groh said.  "But we have three or four depth charts.  We got the regular defense, the nickel, the dime, the goal line.

"We're kind of the same way offensively.  If we got four wide receivers in there, we have one depth chart.  If we have three wide receivers and a tight end, we got another depth chart."

UVa hosts William and Mary on Sept. 5.  Kickoff is set for around 6 p.m. at Scott Stadium.

-- Jeff White

On the receiving end: Scott has many options

Aug. 17, 2009
6:12 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- UVa's football roster includes more than a dozen wide receivers, none of whom is a senior.  

Receivers coach Latrell Scott said Sunday that he expects to use about a half-dozen wideouts in games.  Which guarantees that competition among the wideouts will continue to be fierce as the Sept. 5 opener approaches.

The Cavaliers, as has been well-chronicled, are operating full time out of the spread attack installed by new offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon.  The receivers are anything but forgotten men in Brandon's scheme.

In the team's scrimmage Saturday, Scott said, "I think we probably completed balls to eight different [receivers], so it's fun for them."

Of the current collection of receivers, only sophomore Jared Green caught more than 10 passes last season. He had 12 receptions for 144 yards and one touchdown. 

Kris Burd had seven catches, Dontrelle Inman had two, and Staton Jobe and Raynard Horne caught one pass apiece.  New to the receiving corps are redshirt freshman Riko Smalls, a converted quarterback, and true freshmen Tim Smith, Bobby Smith (no relation), Quintin Hunter and Kevin Royal.  Other candidates for playing time include redshirt freshman Javaris Brown and sophomore Matt Snyder.

At the start of the spring practice, Scott recalled, the coaches "told [the receivers], 'Hey, we have no starters.  None of you guys know this offense.  The guys that play hard, the guys that make plays, the guys that do what we ask them to do, will be the guys that play.'

"And to this point they have all done it, so that's kind of thrown a wrench into my situation."

Scott said he'll probably settle on a five- to seven-man rotation. Green, Brown, Snyder and Tim Smith are making strong cases for inclusion in that group, and Scott is high on Burd, who's been slowed by a knee injury.

Hunter, Smalls and Horne also have impressed during training camp.  Inman's work has been severely limited because of an injury.

-- Jeff White

Injury Derails Kelly's Football Career

Aug. 16, 2009
2:18 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Matt Kelly's college football career is over before it ever really began.

Kelly, who was a four-year starter in lacrosse for UVa, joined the football team after lax season ended this year.  He tore an ACL recently, however, and will require season-ending reconstructive surgery.  Kelly's football eligibility runs out this year.

"We feel bad for him," Al Groh told me today.  "You could see how much football meant to him and how much he enjoyed being part of the team."

The 6-0, 205-pound Kelly's plans for the coming school year aren't clear.  He earned his bachelor's degree in history from UVa in May and was planning to take graduate classes this fall.

At New Trier High School in Kenilworth, Ill., Kelly was a star tailback who could have played major-college football.  He chose, however, to accept a lacrosse scholarship from UVa, which won the NCAA title when Kelly was a first-year defenseman.

Kelly was expected to compete for playing time on special teams this fall.

-- Jeff White

Name To Remember: Cam Johnson

Aug. 14, 2009
1:58 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - In 2007, UVa's football team got 14 sacks from Chris Long, nine from Clint Sintim and seven from Jeffrey Fitzgerald.

In 2008, with Long and Fitzgerald gone, Sintim raised his total to 13 sacks, but no other Cavalier had more than five.  And now Sintim is gone, too, leaving Virginia without a player who's proven to be a big-time pass-rusher at the college level.

Looking at the 2009 'Hoos, it's reasonable to ask: Where are the sacks going to come from?

Keep an eye on Cameron Johnson, a 6-4, 255-pound outside linebacker from Greenbelt, Md.

At Gonzaga High in D.C., Johnson's rare athleticism was on full display.  He played wideout and defensive back in football and also starred in basketball.  At UVa, he played in six games as a true freshman in 2008 before suffering a season-ending ankle injury.

Fifth-year seniors Aaron Clark and Denzel Burrell have been working with the first team at outside linebacker, but Johnson starts on the nickel and dime packages, and he's in the rotation when UVa is in its base defense, too.

Of Johnson's seven tackles last season, three were for loss, and Al Groh expects more big plays from No. 56 this year.

"He's like a hunting dog that's starting to get the scent of what he can really be," Groh said on a teleconference this morning.  "While he's got tremendous physical gifts to play the position that he's playing right now, it's a very different position than what he played in high school. 

"What the target was, what the model was, to be a great player [at outside linebacker] was probably somewhat unfamiliar to him.  But he's got a very clear picture now of what that is, and he's pursuing it very diligently."

-- Jeff White

Monroe Plays Waiting Game

Aug. 11, 2009
3:40 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Outside, on the fields next to the McCue Center, UVa's football players are going through their fifth practice of training camp - their first in full pads.

A giant of a young man, clad in shorts and T-shirt, looks on.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are practicing in Florida, but the All-America offensive tackle they selected with the eighth pick of this year's NFL draft, Eugene Monroe, is at his alma mater, watching his college team sweat in the August heat.,

"It feels very weird," said Monroe, who's been in Charlottesville for the past week, working out with UVa's strength-and-conditioning coach, Brandon Hourigan.

This is the 10^th day of Monroe's holdout.  His agent, Sanat "Sunny" Shad, is negotiating with the Jaguars, and Monroe is ready to head south on short notice.

"Whenever I get the call," he said.

Monroe's holdout has frustrated Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio.

"It's getting to the critical time, where realistically how much is he going to be able to help you starts becoming a question you ask," Del Rio told the Florida  Times-Union on Monday.  "About 75 percent of our offensive system is put in. You're talking about a position where you've got a lot of volume, a lot of thinking, and you need to be part of a cohesive unit."

-- Jeff White

The "Italian Stallion" Returns

Aug. 10, 2009
2:08 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Visitors during football training camp have included a highly successful coach, Brennan Schmidt.

That's the same Brennan Schmidt who, beginning with the 2002 season, started a school-record 51 games for UVa at defensive end.  Schmidt, 26, wasn't big enough to stick in the NFL, but he's still involved in football.

Schmidt is the head coach of the Napoli Briganti club in Naples, Italy, where American football ranks well behind soccer and other sports in popularity.  But his first season with the team could not have been more rewarding for Schmidt.

"It was unbelievable," he said Friday outside the McCue Center.  "It was unreal."

He inherited a team that in 2008 had gone 1-7.  Schmidt was a one-man coaching staff, but he produce an immediate winner, and he has accepted the club's offer to return as coach in 2010.  He'll get a pay raise and be allowed to hire an assistant coach, and after having about 40 players on his roster in 2009 - including the police chief of nearby Pompeii - he expects the number to grow to 70 or 80 next season.

Until he heads back to Italy, Schmidt is working for his brothers' deconstruction and demolition company, Go Green, in the D.C. area. 

If UVa fans at the first practice didn't recognize Schmidt, that's understandable.  When he played for the Cavaliers, he weighed around 275 pounds.  He's probably 50 pounds lighter now and looks more like a triathlete than a defensive lineman.

-- Jeff White

First-Year Lineman Leaves School

Aug. 7, 2009
1:45 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - When training camp opens for UVa's football team in less than an hour, Cody Wallace won't be among the players practicing.

Wallace, who signed with Virginia in February, has left the University for personal reasons.  He will not be enrolled at UVa this academic year.

An offensive lineman from Moorestown, N.J., Wallace took part in a summer program at UVa before leaving.

-- Jeff White

Update On Open Practices

Aug. 6, 2009
2:38 p.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE -- In the spring, fans got only one look at the UVa football team, and that was during the annual intrasquad scrimmage at Scott Stadium.

UVa supporters will have more opportunities to check out the team this summer.

The Wahoos open training camp tomorrow, and Al Groh announced this afternoon that four practices will be open to the public, including the first one.  Also open will be the practices Saturday, Sunday and next Thursday.  Each will start at 2:30 p.m.

UVa practices on the fields behind the McCue Center and University Hall.

"We appreciate the fans who have the opportunity to come out and add to the energy and enthusiasm of the practices," Groh said in a release.  "We hope as many fans as possible can take advantage of these opportunities and we encourage them to be loud and participate and let the team know they are there watching."

Meet the Team Day will be Aug. 16 - a Sunday - at Scott Stadium.  Gates will open at 2 p.m., and fans can talk to UVa players and coaches from 3 to 4:15 p.m.

Virginia opens the season Sept. 5 against William and Mary at Scott Stadium.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.

-- Jeff White

Mark Your Calendars

Aug. 5, 2009
4:05 p.m.

U.Va.'s turn comes Aug. 13 on the ACC's virtual preview tour of the conference's 12 football programs.  The title of the series is a mouthful: The 12 Days of ACC Football 2009: The Road to Tampa Bay.

The league's official website, theACC.com, began Monday with a look at Boston College, hit Clemson yesterday and then Florida State today.  Here's the link.

The previews are in alphabetical order, starting with the Atlantic Division and then continuing with the Coastal.  The rest of the schedule: Maryland, tomorrow; N.C. State, Friday; Wake Forest, Saturday; Duke, Sunday; Georgia Tech, Monday; Miami, Tuesday; North Carolina, Aug. 12; UVa, Aug. 13; Virginia Tech, Aug. 14.

Each team's preview includes a preseason video, a story written by a campus correspondent, information from the ACC media guide and various links.

The ACC championship game will be played Dec. 5 at 8 p.m. in Tampa Bay, Fla.

-- Jeff White

Onward And Upward for Devvarman

Aug. 5, 2009
10:16 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - He's here today to oversee his camp for high school players, but UVa men's tennis coach Brian Boland was in Washington last night.

He left D.C. in high spirits after watching Somdev Devvarman beat Marin Cilic, ranked No. 15 on the ATP World Tour, 7-5, 6-4 to advance to the round of 16 in the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Devvarman, of course, was a two-time NCAA singles champion at Virginia.  His next match is tomorrow, and he'll try to reach the Legg Mason quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

"Greatest kid ever," Boland said.  "I love him."

Boland wasn't the only one cheering for Devvarman, 24, at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park.  A vocal contingent of UVa fans periodically chanted, "Let's Go, 'Hoos," much to the delight of Devvarman.

"I felt we were back in a college atmosphere," Boland said, "and nothing brings a bigger smile to Somdev's face.  He bleeds blue and orange."

Devvarman, a native of India, turned pro in 2008.  Yesterday's victory was the most noteworthy of his pro career, and "it's an enormous step for his confidence," Boland said.  "He's getting better every day.  He looks like he's a more complete player than I've ever seen him, and I'm really pleased with his progress.

"Hopefully this gives him the confidence that he can play with anyone in the world."

Devvarman has faced significant challenges since leaving UVa, where his dominance was almost absolute late in his career.

"First off," Boland said, "just adjusting to a new lifestyle and being on the road 30 weeks a year.  The tour is an incredible grind.  And then I think the big difference [between college and pro tennis] is you just lose a lot more on the tour.  That's just the way it is.   So he's dealing with setbacks a lot more.

"With that being said, nobody's tougher or can deal with adversity better."

-- Jeff White

Back To School for A-Mart

July 31, 2009
11:45 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - The tall young man checking out the UVa football memorabilia that's showcased at the McCue Center looked familiar yesterday.

Sure enough, it was Anthony Martinez, a former football and baseball player at Virginia.

Martinez, who's been playing in the Baltimore Orioles' farm system, plans to be in town for a while.  He said he's giving up pro baseball and returning to UVa to finish work on his degree.

A lot has changed at UVa since Martinez first enrolled there in the summer of 2002, and not only the displays at the McCue Center.  A strong-armed quarterback from Patrick Henry High School in Ashland, Martinez came to Virginia on a football scholarship.

He switched sports after a couple of years, however, and played baseball for Cavaliers coach Brian O'Connor in 2005.

Martinez's next stop was Louisburg College in North Carolina, where he spent the 2005-06 academic year and starred for the baseball team.  The Orioles took note and selected him in the 11th round of the 20o6 draft.

The 6-3 240-pounder played for the Bluefield Orioles of the Appalachian League, the Aberdeen IronBirds of the New York-Penn and the Delmarva Shorebirds of the South Atlantic League.

-- Jeff White

New Challenge for Kelly

July 29, 2009
10:28 a.m.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - In lacrosse, he wore No. 33 for UVa.  In football, Matt Kelly is No. 27.

Will he play much, if at all, for the Cavaliers this fall?  It's too early to tell.  But Kelly, who graduated in May with a bachelor's in history, is "kind of living his dream, I think," UVa men's lacrosse coach Dom Starsia told me this morning.

"I have a bunch of guys who are football players in lacrosse players' bodies.  They grew up playing football.  It's in their blood.  I'm happy for Matt."

Kelly, 22, was a star tailback for New Trier High in Kenilworth, Ill., and major-college football programs recruited him.

"He could have gone to Illinois, and they would have buried him in the weight room for three years," Starsia said.  "He would have come out as one of those classic Big Ten blocking backs, weighing 235 pounds."

The 6-0, 205-pound Kelly chose lacrosse and became a four-year starter for Starsia.  When his lax career ended in May, though, Kelly had a year of football eligibility left, and he decided to use it.  He joined Al Groh's team as a walk-on. 

Kelly is listed as a safety on the roster, but he's more likely to play on special teams this season.

Strength coach Brandon Hourigan said Kelly struggled initially to get in football condition but has improved steadily over the summer.

Groh said Monday in Greensboro, N.C., that Kelly has made a nice transition from lacrosse.  "He recognizes the challenges before him to do it, but we're really intrigued to see what comes of it ...  There's no way to predict it, but we're glad that he's out there."

-- Jeff White

Hill: Blazing a Trail

July 28, 2009
3:56 p.m.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- At many Division I schools, as many UVa fans know all too well, it's not uncommon for football recruits to enter at midyear.

"It's become quite prevalent," Cavaliers coach Al Groh noted Monday at the ACC Football Kickoff.

Some are these recruits are "grayshirts" who graduated from high school the previous spring but, for various reasons, delayed enrollment in college.  Others are freshmen who opted to graduate from high school in December - a semester early -- and started college the next month.

First-year student Will Hill falls into the latter category, and the 6-4, 250-pound defensive end is something of a pioneer at UVa, where very few football players have been allowed to enter in January.

One was linebacker Ahmad Brooks, a much-hyped linebacker who enrolled at Virginia in January 2003 after a semester as a postgraduate student at Hargrave Military Academy.

Brooks, however, failed to meet NCAA qualifying standards coming out of Hylton High, and Virginia would not admit him until he improved his academic credentials.  

Before leaving early for the NFL, Brooks had a turbulent experience at UVa, on and off the field, and the controversy did little to convince university officials that midyear admissions was a good policy for incoming football players.

But Hill may have opened the door for others to follow him.  He was an outstanding student at Lafayette High in Williamsburg, and he hasn't dropped off at UVa, despite having entered school a semester later than most of his classmates.

"He's done an excellent job," Groh said.  "He's excelled academically.  He is a highly purposeful, very high-motor player in practice and in his training activities.  He's all business."

The coach added: "Lots of students who enrolled at Virginia last August - male, female, athlete, non-athlete, whatever - would have been pleased to have the academic success that Will had."

Groh said he hopes UVa admissions will consider Hill proof that midyear enrollment is a viable option for some football players.

"It's certainly a lot more to our advantage that the first person did so well, than if the opposite was the case," Groh said.  "His performance would certainly dispel some of the myths as to why it won't work."

By enrolling early, Hill was able to go through spring practice with the 'Hoos, and he's expected to play this season. He may play a lot.  On the preseason depth chart in UVa's media guide, the 6-4, 250-pound Hill was listed as starter Matt Conrath's backup at one end spot.

"We're pleased with Will, the progress he made in the spring and the aptitude that he's shown throughout the course of the summer," Groh said.

-- Jeff White