Bleacher Report - Articles by Ben Gibson

Al Groh: The Four-Million Dollar Man?

Ben Gibson — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:58:46 -0500

Our long national nightmare is over.

Okay, so maybe it's not Watergate, but Al Groh was officially fired Sunday, a mere 18 hours after another humiliating loss to Virginia Tech. Groh's exit to stage left after nine tumultuous years as coach of the Virginia Cavaliers was much like the man himself: complicated.

As I have said many times, Al Groh is not a bad guy.

He may be stoic and stern, but he is far from a brute or a bully. In a small group, he can be downright jovial. However, this final year will not be anything that anyone looks fondly upon.

In fact, Groh's entire career could probably be described in one word: meh.

For you see, Groh's tenure in football is the epitome of mediocre. He has made his career piggy-backing off the fame of others like his mentor Bill Parcells.

Groh adopted just about every mannerism of Bill Parcells whom he worked under for years and was handed his only NFL head coaching job when Parcells left the New York Jets. The desk in his office has a gift that was given to him by Parcells, famous words of wisdom that say: "Just coach the team."

Even Groh's bizarre departure, reading a poem entitled "Guy in the Glass" in his final press conference, was the exact same poem that Parcells read in his final press conference as the New York Jets coach.

He then added a smug final stanza in which Groh explained that when he looked in the mirror he saw a man of integrity, dependability, accountability and commitment among others things.

What he fails to see in the mirror though is the man he has tried so hard to emulate. He also fails to see the success he promised in 2001 when he spoke of taking Virginia football to the next level. Instead, what Virginia fans see in the glass is a man who lost eight out of nine games against Virginia Tech and has three losing seasons out of the past four.

Now "Guy in the Glass" has a rather pertinent message and if most coaches read it, it would probably be well received. After all, approval from the media, the fans, and even your colleagues mean nothing if you don't approve of yourself.

However, "Guy in the Glass" fits into the perception we all have of Al Groh. As much as Groh cares about X's and O's and thinks he knows everything, he just does not get it.

In Groh's mirror world everything may be shiny and bright, but in the real world his program is crumbling and he does not seem to see it.

Of course, before you start to feel sorry for the slightly out-of-touch Groh, remember that he left with quite the parting gift. Groh's three wins garnered him a four-million dollar bonus to sit at home and never come back.

In 2008, following a 5-7 season, the Athletic Director sat down with Al Groh and asked him if he would be willing to restructure his contract. The thought being that if Virginia struggled again, it would lower the astronomical buy-out clause.

Groh, as you may imagine, refused.

It may not be all that shocking, after all, most people are not inclined to throw money away. Even if the new number would still have been more money than most of us will see in our lifetimes.

However, former Virginia basketball coach Pete Gillen, a man who had no previous ties to the University, selflessly, agreed to restructure his deal.

He thought of the University first and even admitted that Virginia deserves better than what he provided.

After nine years, we have yet to hear Groh, a Virginia alum, admit that he failed to live up to his promises.

He has made excuses, he has played the blame game and he has stuck to his guns about instilling these young people with traits beyond the gridiron.

However, Groh could mend many fences by simply apologizing and admitting that he made some mistakes in his time. Is it fair for us to expect this from coaches? Maybe.

Does Groh have to apologize?

Of course not.

He does not owe the fans anything, but I think he would find that a simple statement could really help the program start anew and not wallow in its past frustrations.

Time will tell what the future holds for Al Groh. He very well could pack it up and call it a career, but that does not seem to be what he wants.

In a statement released by Groh, he claims that he is ready for "his next game." Now, perhaps Groh was using poetic license, but I would not be surprised if he does not attempt to return to the NFL, a place he never should have left.

A college coach takes a particular type of person, one that Groh was not fully suited for, but he does know how to coach up his defenses and that should make him a viable candidate.

The question is, will people be interested in someone who has been out of the NFL for nine years?

We all know that Groh certainly does not need the money. However, he does not seem like a home body, his love for football may force him out on to the gridiron one more time.

It is hard to assess just how Groh will be remembered in perhaps the darkest period of his tenure at Virginia. A career that held such promise for the former two-time ACC Coach of the Year has now turned into apathy and frustration.

Virginia is at the precipice of a new regime and Littlepage needs to make a big splash to re-energize the fan base.

However, in a bad economy with a half-full stadium and four million dollars down the drain, finding the funds necessary to sway a big name to Charlottesville will be more difficult than most people realize.

For you see, no matter who Virginia brings in as the next "guy in the glass," he will surely see some major dollar signs in his reflection.

Farewell Al Groh, We Knew Thee All Too Well

Ben Gibson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 19:18:22 -0500

Dear Al,

Hey it's me, Ben. You might remember me from earlier when I asked why you hate me. I'm back! Well, this time I wanted to tell you something. I am ashamed.

There are so many reasons why I am ashamed, too many for this simple letter to list, but I really do not need to. All anyone has to do is look at your game against Virginia Tech to understand why Virginia fans feel terrible.

This was your swan song, coach, your last chance to make a statement and leave on a high note by knocking off a team that has embarrassed you your entire time at Virginia.

You didn't.

Oh, you played well in the first half and some might confuse that with great coaching. It wasn't. The plays you called in the first half were the exact same that you have called for the entire season.

A season in which you won three games I might add.

This is a team you have beat just once in your nine years at Virginia, it looked like you did not even try to create a successful game plan. In many ways, you kept your conservative strategy of "playing not to lose" as opposed to "playing to win".

The difference was that the players tried, the players poured their heart and souls out on the field and were able to bully their way past the Hokie defenders.

Well, for two quarters at least.

Then, after Chris Cook picked off Tyrod Taylor in the end zone, Jameel Sewell ran an option play and a bad pitch to Mikell Simpson led to a turnover that quickly led to a Hokie touchdown to make the score 21-13 and the rout was on.

Granted, usually eight point games do not foretell doom. I mean this was a one-possession game with over a quarter and a half to go in the game. However, Virginia players knew better.

The players quit.

How else can you explain why a 21-13 game turned into a 42-13 beat down in the course of 20 minutes?

As much as we like to praise the Cavaliers for battling through the 0-3 start, this team is not tough. This team is not composed of fighters.

The truth is, every time this season Virginia faced any sort of adversity, they folded up quicker than a lawn chair. They pout, they hang their heads, and they look at each other with wide eyes and stone hands.

After that touchdown, the Cavaliers simply let Hokie running back Ryan Williams run into the endzone with barely a semblance of effort. The defense's back was broken and the offense had no confidence to make things any better.

I could easily rip apart Sewell's bad pass, Ras-I Dowling's terrible coverage, the special teams atrocities that took place, or Nate Collin's dumb penalty but it all comes down to the same thing.

Virginia is not mentally tough.

A mentally tough team does not lose to William & Mary at home. A mentally tough team does not lose 7-5 to North Carolina after upsetting the No. 4-ranked Florida State Seminoles in 2005.

Virginia did try in every game this season, until the going got tough. Then Virginia started hanging their head, bemoaning their bad luck and poor circumstances.

I hate to tell you this Al, but that's a reflection on the coach. The players may like you, they may feel bad that you're going, but they did not believe they could win that rivalry game.

The second adversity strikes, your team used it as an excuse to pack it in and lose.

The moment things started to turn in the Hokies favor, every single person in Scott Stadium thought the same thing: Here we go again.

As the popular adage goes, whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right.

Virginia has to believe in itself again. It has to have passion throughout the game and not just when the game has been decided and you feel like standing up for a teammate who was hit late.

The fans have to believe in Virginia football again, their heart has been broken again and again. So much so that Scott Stadium was completely overrun with Hokie fans who greedily grabbed every apathetic fan’s ticket for the season finale. While the Virginia athletics program may get money from these sales, they lose much more in respectability.

Watching the Cavaliers this season has almost been comical for it has followed a similar script each and every game.

Virginia plays well for a half until adjustments are made and then the Cavaliers become lost. They need leadership and you, Al, are not providing it.

I know that you care deeply for the Cavaliers and the program. As an alum, I know it kills you to see this program having the worst season in 27 years.

However, your pride will not allow you to take the blame. It will not allow you to admit to people that the lack of talent is your fault. It is not circumstances or bad luck or even a voodoo charm.

Groh, it's been a long ride. There were definitely some ups, but there were simply too many downs. You did not deserve for your career to end like this, with Ryan Williams laughing on the sideline while a third-string Hokie running back is breaking tackles into the end zone, but it has.

I have felt every emotion under the sun with you. I felt ecstatic with our run in 2002, I felt anticipation before the Florida State game in 2004 with our No. 5 ranking, I felt shock with our 52-14 shellacking from Virginia Tech in 2005 and I felt apathy after losing to Southern Mississippi this season.

At the moment, I feel anger. Frustration that you have let our archrivals reach the level of prominence they have achieved. Bitterness that the Hokies will have another 10-win season while we are suffering our third losing season in the past four years. However, I know the anger will quickly fade when your firing is announced within the next 48 hours.

Goodbye Groh; I hope you find happiness in retirement. I cannot help but think a world without reporters and fans criticizing your every move will be a welcome joy in your life.

I can only hope Virginia football fans find a similar joy in their next coach. Of course, I have wished that before.

Sincerely,

Ben

Virginia Tech-Virginia: A Cavalier Attitude Towards The Rivalry

Ben Gibson — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:56:26 -0500

1-7.

That is the record Virginia coach Al Groh has posted over arch-rival Virginia Tech and Frank Beamer.

No other record matters more to Cavalier fans and no other record perfectly exemplifies why a change is so desperately needed in Charlottesville, Va.

I recently came across a column by Justin Cocchiola talking about the Hokie perspective on the rivalry, a series that has been clearly in the Hokies favor since the "miracle of 1998" when Ahmad Hawkins reeled in a huge 21-point Cavalier comeback in Lane Stadium.

Reading it made me realize that someone needs to articulate the other side of the rivalry. Sure, I do not claim to speak for every Virginia fan across the country, so pardon me for taking a bit of a Cavalier attitude in explaining my thoughts on the rivalry.

For my first inclination is to say, what rivalry?

Don't get me wrong, I hate Virginia Tech. As any good rival, beating Virginia Tech in dominoes would make me ecstatically happen. In reality, the Cavaliers beat the Hokies all the time. It is actually the rule and not the exception.

However, those victories take place on the baseball field, the basketball court, and the pitch. It's been six long years since the Cavaliers smelled victory on the gridiron, in a dramatic 35-21 victory which led to Virginia's second straight bowl victory in three seasons under Groh.

Since the Hokies have joined the ACC, however, Virginia has yet to defeat their bitter rivals.

Not to say they have not had their opportunities. In 2004, the Cavaliers lost by seven at Lane Stadium. Tantalizingly close to posting consecutive victories and claiming only two losses for the regular season.

In 2008, the Cavaliers lost by three thanks to Vic Hall's incredible speed. A costly interception late by Marc Verica took away a chance to knock home the game-tying field goal and force overtime.

Virginia has knocked on the door, but they have yet to breakthrough with the victory.

For you see, almost doesn't count , especially in football. It does not matter how many times you almost win, when don't win, reputations are made.

People begin to believe that the Cavaliers do not deserve to be on the same field as the Hokies.

The Hokies crank out 10-win seasons, the Cavaliers have one winning record in the past four seasons.

Rivalry losses make it appear like the gap between the programs is more like a gulf. When you dig deeper though, it really is not the case.

Sure the numbers look bad, but a few wins here and there would change everything. If Virginia had won in 2007, they would have gone to the ACC Championship Game instead of the Hokies.

If Virginia had won in 2008, Georgia Tech would have represented the Coastal Division and cost the Hokies a chance at an Orange Bowl victory, not to mention a big BCS payout.

These losses hurt more than pride, they hurt the overall perceptions of the programs. Over time, those perceptions become reality.

Whoever is going to be the next coach of the Virginia Cavaliers does not need to worry about recruiting, academics, fan apathy or facilities. All he needs to worry about is beating Virginia Tech, if he can do that everything else will fix itself.

The Cavalier fans are not greedy, I think most understand that we are never going to be an perennial fixture in the top-ten. However, there is an expectation for us to be competitive. There is the belief that we should not be losing by double-digits to William and Mary and Duke at home.

If a coach can crank out winning seasons with an appearance in the ACC Championship game every five years or so, he could restore Virginia to its success in the early 1990s.

Al Groh came to Virginia saying he would bring the program to the next level, however that level has only been a step backwards as he now has more losing seasons in his nine years than his predecessor did in twice that period of time.

Which leads us back to this week. Most Virginia fans remain optimistic about this weekend; they want to believe that the team can rally around their lame-duck coach and send him out with an improbable victory.

The Cavaliers have had moments of offensive genius, such as the Southern Mississippi game or the first half against Clemson. However, those spurts have been few and far between.

In reality, Virginia is banged up and mentally exhausted from one of the more trying seasons in recent memory. Winning this game would require a tremendous amount of innovation, much like the "Wildcat" wrinkle made the game competitive last year.

Does Groh have any more tricks up his sleeve? Would they even be effective?

If they were, it would be a nice way to send out a man who has given so much to this university. No one takes joy in the demise of Al Groh's tenure here, but it is reality and must be dealt with.

Hopefully, this weekend marks the end of an era. With this game behind us, Virginia can concentrate on the change they need to make in order for this rivalry to be important on a national scale once more. That is something we can all desire.

After all, this series has become a lose-lose for the Hokies. If they win, they were supposed to. If they lose, it would shock and infuriate the fan base who has become used to dominating the series.

While there can only be one winner on Saturday, if the Cavaliers make the right change this off-season, everyone wins.

Jimmy Clausen Being Sucker-Punched Is A Black Eye on All of Us

Ben Gibson — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:58:41 -0500

It's that time of year again.

People around America will be forced to the family table and gorge themselves while watching some painful football contests featuring both the pathetic Detroit Lions and Oakland Raiders.

What a way to say thanks, NFL executives.

Of course, that is nothing compared to what a Notre Dame fan is alleged of doing this past Sunday following the Fighting Irish loss to the Connecticut Huskies in overtime.

Irish quarterback Jimmy Clausen was apparently at CJ's bar with his family when he was "sucker-punched" by a fan. Clausen's swollen eye won't stop Irish eyes from weeping though, as Notre Dame appears to be heading towards a 6-6 record and a regime change.

Apparently this Irish fan wanted to say thanks for the memories with a knuckle sandwich.

Obviously, the situation in South Bend is far from happy, but this "sucker-punch" heard round the world is really a sad testament to the current sports culture in America.

Let's face it, today the fans feels more empowered than ever. I know, I have been there. When the crowd is roaring and the opposing team makes a mistake, we like to take credit. We made them throw that interception, we made them false start.

Fans feel like they are part of the team, thus we feel entitled to be mad, to voice our frustrations. Well voicing our frustration and punching out a future first-round draft pick is not exactly the same thing.

We need a moment of clarity boys and girls. We all love sports, that is why we're on the Bleacher Report writing and commenting on articles. However, it is not the end all be all.

Notre Dame may be the University of Football, but it is also a school built on morality and discipline. Neither of those were on display this past Sunday.

I get it, fans feel disappointed. They have done their part and feel like the football team has not lived up to their end of the bargain. The frustration in South Bend is matched by the frustration in Charlottesville, Va., College Park, Md., and Memphis, Tn.

It is the same anger in Washington D.C. over the Redskins and the same anger over the hapless New Jersey Nets.

Here's the thing we seem to forget: sometimes though, these athletes are not happy either.

Sure, they get to collect their big checks and we're paying big money to see a pathetic product, but they certainly do not want to be mediocre (or worse). They want to succeed just as much as we want them to. They do not love being the punchline in bar room jokes.

In order to win, they put in hours and hours of work that the ordinary person could never imagine.

Clausen didn't need a punch to the face to open his eyes to the fact that Notre Dame is struggling and even if that fan relieved himself of anger for that moment in time I assure you it was fleeting.

Sports in America is a funny thing. When you're winning we build you up to God-like status with Tim Tebow at Florida. So much so that not voting for him on your All-SEC ballot is equivalent to high treason.

If you're losing, suddenly you are not worthy of shining my shoes at the airport.

Imagine if we were held to such standards. If you made a mistake, it would be dissected hour after hour on Sportscenter and millions of Americans revelled in your blunder.

The athlete in our culture seems stuck between this fine line of superhuman or subhuman. Very rarely though, is he or she ever just human.

Sure, Clausen's incident is just a small blip on the radar. An isolated incident from a foolish fan in the heat of the moment. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis is taking the high road and ignoring the incident all together.

However, this punch speaks to something bigger and something that you will not hear talked about on ESPN or your local sports radio.

Thank your athletes boys and girls this Thanksgiving. They sacrifice their time, their bodies, and their privacy to go out and entertain us every weekend. They may drive us insane sometimes, they may not always appreciate the luxuries afforded to them. However, imagine your life without them.

That would make for some really interesting dining room discussions.

Virginia-Stanford: Cavaliers Face Early Test on the Hardwood

Ben Gibson — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:31:04 -0500

Life on the East Coast may be an adjustment for new Virginia coach Tony Bennett, but none of that matters this week in Cancun, Mexico.

Bennett may not have much experience against the ACC juggernauts like Duke, but he knows plenty about the team Virginia is playing Tuesday night, the Stanford Cardinal.

Indeed, this Virginia-Stanford duel seems much like star-crossed lovers. On one hand you have Bennett, the former coach at Washington State who came to love Pullman, Washington as a second home.

On the other hand you have Johnny Dawkins, the Duke legend and long-time assistant who has switched coasts to sharpen his teeth at Stanford.

Bennett is 1-1 against Dawkins head to head, as both teams won their home games against the other in the PAC-10 last season. His new team had a pretty bad stumble against South Florida, but has continued to slowly improve on the defensive end toward a 3-1 record to start the season.

However, the fact remains that this is one of the first real tests Virginia is going to face this season. By the end of this contest, we will know much more about each team as both programs try to improve upon disappointing results last season.

If Virginia is going to pull off the victory Tuesday night, look for recently returned sophomore center Assane Sene to play a pivotal role. After serving a three-game suspension in which the Cavaliers played with virtually no frontcourt at all, Sene returned in fine fashion to record eight points in seven rebounds.

While Sene continued to show the promise that keeps Virginia fans excited for the future, he also continues to frustrate the fan base with his excessive fouling. After all, what good is Sene's return if he only spends his time on the bench in foul trouble?

Bennett was quick to note that Sene is not going to be the magic cure to Virginia's woes, however, his progression is critical to the team's success.

"I think defensively we did better because we didn't have to double and instead we could spread out and make the opposing players make shots over the top," Bennett told reporters after Virginia's victory over Oral Roberts, however "we have to get him to play with his feet instead of his hands and play in proper position."

Bennett has already shown strong decision making when it comes to adjusting to his team's talents. While the four-guard lineup had to have made sense in theory with his thin front court, Virginia simply did not have the shooters to make that game plan feasible.

Against South Florida, when the Bulls recognized that Virginia could not hit from the outside they simply clogged the paint and slowed the offense. Bennett wisely countered the next few games to put Mike Scott and Jerome Meyinsse on the floor for extended periods of time to keep the defense honest.

While this decision has improved the offensive sets, it has not improved the rebounding. If the Cavaliers are going to be successful, they must find a way to limit second chance opportunities for the Cardinal. They will also likely need a few extra opportunities themselves.

The Cavaliers have a tough task in front of them, Stanford may be 2-2 at this point in the season, but they are coming off a 30-point victory last weekend. They also are 5-1 all-time against Virginia, including a one-point victory in 2007, the lone loss for the Cavaliers at the John Paul Jones Arena in its inaugural season.

Indeed, Stanford has had Virginia's number as of late. For whatever reason, the Cavaliers have seemed to struggle not only in terms of stopping the Cardinal, but even mustering the energy to put forth a good effort. If Virginia does not contain Landry Fields, it may be a case of history repeating itself.

Fields has scored at least 20 points in every game this season, making him the first player to do that since Brook Lopez at Stanford. The senior had a breakout season last year when he was given the opportunity, averaging nearly 15 PPG and filling up the stat sheets with 42 steals and 66 assists.

His experience and his overall game make him a dangerous threat to Virginia, and if the Cavaliers cannot manage the ball, this game could turn quickly.

That means the pressure will be on sophomore guard Sammy Zeglinski, one of the most pivotal players on the team this season. Zeglinski may be a very likable guy, but he needs to prove that he can effectively run the offense against high quality teams.

The good news for Zeglinski is that he probably has had his best back-to-back performances ever in last week's victories over Rider and Oral Roberts.

The young man from Philadelphia has a tendency to get a bit skittish under the bright lights of the John Paul Jones Arena, but looked very poised last week. Zeglinski did not gamble as much on defense and moved his feet to keep opposing shooters at bay.

Also, Bennett wisely has divvied up the ball-handling duties, allowing Zeglinski time to catch and shoot the ball. As a result, his numbers have skyrocketed, and he has 12 and 13 points respectively in the past two contests.

If Virginia can consistently get those numbers out of Zeglinski, mixed with the potential for defensive efficiency, the Cavaliers can make some noise this season.

The greatest motivation for Bennett's club though may not just be victory, but the opportunity to play Kentucky if Virginia wins. This would be a huge opportunity for the Cavaliers to show their stuff on a national stage.

Granted, Virginia could very well be laughed out of the building. However, it could also show that the Cavaliers made the right choice in hiring Bennett if they were to keep it competitive.

Bennett ball may not always be beautiful, but it beats losing by 30.

The Cavaliers will learn a great deal about themselves in Cancun. The season is young, but there is already things to be excited about. Conversely, there are still nagging concerns.

Bennett realizes though that Virginia must take these things in stride.

"My challenge to them though is just don't go back down to ground zero," Bennett said. "There might be some setbacks but let's make sure we just keep knocking and maybe eventually we'll be able to push that door open."

2009 Virginia Football Final Exam

Ben Gibson — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:58:04 -0500

Think you know your Virginia football team? Take the test and find out.

1. Virginia went away from the "Wildcat" Offense in the second half of the Clemson game because:

A. Clemson adjusted

B. Mikell Simpson got hurt

C. Al Groh is an idiot

D. All of the above

2. Which Virginia play would you MOST like ripped out of the playbook:

A. The quarterback draw on 3rd and 13

B. The one yard out-route on 3rd and 5

C. The muffed punt (Okay, maybe this isn't a scripted play but with Ron Prince, who knows?)

D. Anything that requires blocking

3. Virginia's biggest disappointment this season :

A. Jared Green

B. Mikell Simpson

C. Will Barker (or the offensive line in general)

D. Not firing Al Groh in the middle of the season

4. The biggest surprise of the season for Virginia :

A. Al Groh is apparently an incredibly better coach than North Carolina's Butch Davis as he once again owned him earlier this season

B. For the first time in six years, Virginia's best player is not a tight end

C. Groh loves burning red-shirts more than he loves orange sweatshirts

D. Virginia has more road wins (2) than home wins (1)...that's never happened before

5. Groh's most unforgivable loss during his time at Virginia would be ?

A. 7-5 loss to North Carolina in 2005

B. 24-13 loss to William & Mary in 2009

C. 17-10 loss to Western Michigan in 2006

D. 52-14 loss to Virginia Tech in 2005

E. 31-3 loss to Duke in 2008

6. Groh's most memorable victory during his time at Virginia would be?

A. 35-21 win against Virginia Tech in 2003

B. 26-21 win against Florida State in 2005

C. 48-0 win against Miami in 2007

D. 39-38 win against Georgia Tech in 2001

E. 16-13 win against North Carolina in 2008

7. Which of the following terms could you go your entire life without hearing again?

A. Virginia Pride

B. Circumstances

C. Pilot

D. Checkers/Chess

8. If Al Groh were a pilot, what kind of plane would he be operating?

A. The Hindenburg—Self-explanatory

B. The Wright Brothers plane—Old, shaky and unreliable

C. A UFO—Strange looking and not well understood by anyone living on this planet

D. Balloon—Slow and full of hot air

9. Somewhere out there, former Virginia coach George Welsh is...

A. Laughing

B. Crying

C. Suiting up for his Joe Gibbs-like return next season

D. Asking for another round on Rugby Road

10. Virginia's next football coach...

A. Will have his hands full

B. Should petition the NCAA to get Chris Long, Heath Miller, Vic Hall and Matt Schaub extra years of eligibility citing "coaching hardship"

C. Is going to find a way to beat William & Mary...hopefully

D. Will not hire his son as offensive coordinator

E. Better not be even in the same orchard as the Bill Belichick coaching tree

F. All of the above

The 2009 All-ACC Defensive Team

Ben Gibson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:08:46 -0500

With the 2009 college football season nearing an end, it is time to look back and reflect on the top performers across the ACC. Even though the ACC continues to be maligned by the mainstream media, the conference has produced some high quality talent and some very entertaining games with the ACC Championship game yet to come. This week, we will take a look at the defensive side of the ball and pay tribute to the best the conference has to offer. Next week, we will take a look at the offensive side of the ball and the debate will undoubtedly begin over who was ignored and who was over-hyped? Before we begin, I would like to thank Jeffrey Fann, Angel Melendez, Zac Osterman and Michael McGuffee for their insight and opinions in helping compile this list. Without further ado, the All-ACC Defense of 2009...

Begin Slideshow

Virginia-South Florida: Cavaliers Fall While Hopes Remain High

Ben Gibson — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:48:03 -0500

Rome was not a built in a day, and neither will the Virginia men's basketball team.

Coach Tony Bennett inherited quite the mess when he arrived to Charlottesville earlier this year. He has a team that won 10 games last season, one that has lacked fundamentals on offense and defense.

He also has a team lacking the confidence and know-how to be successful.

That was rather evident in Monday night's match-up against the South Florida Bulls.

Virginia came into the contest short-handed with the suspension of Assane Sene and Jamil Tucker's absence from the team. They left with their tails between their legs and the optimism of a nascent season already on the line.

Now it may be hard to come away from a 66-49 loss with silver linings, but Virginia really did have positive moments against the Bulls. Despite poor shooting, the Virginia defense played very strongly for the first 15 minutes.

The Cavaliers contested shots, forced turnovers, and generally upset the rhythm that South Florida was trying to find. In truth, those 15 minutes were better than just about anything Virginia played last season.

As a result, even though Virginia was struggling offensively and although the Cavaliers had no inside game at all, they were still in the game. In fact, South Florida did not take its first lead until there were just over five minutes left in the first half.

Too bad basketball games are 40 minutes long.

Virginia reverted to its own ways, taking bad shots, over-pursuing and standing still on both sides of the ball. Everything Bennett has preached about for the past seven months had disappeared, and the result was not pretty.

In the end, the numbers were pretty ugly. For the game, Virginia shot 32.7 percent, including a woeful 2-of-12 from behind the arc. Worse yet, with the exception of Sylven Landesberg, Mike Scott, and Jeff Jones, the rest of the team shot 5-of-19 from the floor.

That is not going to win you many games, particularly when you allow your opponent to shoot nearly 55% from the field for the game.

The knee jerk reaction to such a game would be to already pack it in for the year. After all, much of what we saw in the second half was the same train wreck we witnessed last season.

However, it would be wise to remind ourselves that virtually our entire front court was out. Mike Scott was in foul trouble, leaving Jerome Meyinsse as the only big left in the game.

South Florida simply had more size and athleticism, and no matter how well you play defense, Bennett cannot help his players grow a few inches.

It is also important to understand that South Florida may actually turn out to be a pretty decent team.

Despite a finish near the bottom of the Big East last season, the conference is full of so many question marks that the Bulls may actually make some noise this time around.

Besides, playing any power conference team on the road is a tall task and even if the Sun Dome is not exactly Cameron Indoor, Cavalier fans will not live to rue this day like other poor performances the past few seasons.

Virginia is still a major work in progress. Cavalier fans have every right to feel disappointed, but they need to understand that growing pains are part of the master plan. We may not like it, but it is fact.

One can worry over missed assignments and poor decisions until the end of time, but there are signs of progress. At least we need to hold judgment until after the full roster is healthy and active.

After all, even the 2007 NCAA tournament team had a certain Puerto Rico Shootout most Cavalier fans would love to forget about.

The road to redemption will be long for Virginia and Bennett. It certainly will take more than two games to overcome the past two seasons of bad habits that have developed on this team.

Bennett has a terrific coaching staff, a strong incoming recruiting class and the patience and experience to take a former coach's players and turn them into something respectable.

For once, Virginia is on pace for a long-standing solution and not the quick-fix Band-aid provided his predecessors.

The Cavaliers will continue to move forward this season. They will win more games, they will lose more games. At times they will be brilliant and other times they will look like the JV team.

All teams face adversity; it's how you respond to it that matters. Virginia might be feeling down after a poor performance, but the Cavaliers remain far from out.

The Top Candidates To Be Virginia's Next Football Coach

Ben Gibson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:04:00 -0500

Virginia Athletic Director Craig Littlepage is due up at bat. With the all but certain firing of Al Groh just mere weeks away, the pressure will be on Littlepage to come through in the clutch. Sure, the Cavalier program may have lost a bit of its luster. However, if Notre Dame holds on to Charlie Weis, Virginia could be the most attractive job opening this off-season. Littlepage needs to step up to the plate and make a good swing. Let's explore the possible scenarios ahead of him.

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Return to Sene-Der: Virginia Center Assane Sene Suspended Three Games

Ben Gibson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:52:36 -0500

Wanted: Big Man.

In many ways Virginia basketball has had this sign up in their gym since the departure of three-time national player of the year Ralph Sampson.

Sure, others have tried to step into the big shoes. None, however, have had the same kind of impact on the program.

Nevertheless, a promising young prospect has been Assane Sene. The 7'0 Nigerian has a great deal of raw talent. While he is still relatively new to the game, Sene got a great deal of playing time as a true freshman last season.

The offensive game has been slow to develop, but Sene had quite the penchant for shot-blocking, something sorely missing in Virginia's defensive arsenal these past few seasons.

On the other hand, he also had a penchant for fouling. Sene lacked the discipline to stay in the game for long periods of time, picking up cheap fouls and earning a seat on the pine.

Unfortunately, that is exactly where Sene will be to open the season.

ESPN reports that Sene has been suspended for the first three games of the season for conduct detrimental to the team.

While no specifics were given, what's crystal clear is this: Virginia cannot afford front court losses.

The Cavaliers are already dangerously thin in the front court. Virginia's John Brandenburg transferred earlier this year, and center Tunji Soroye graduated last season.

While Virginia has a good power forward in Mike Scott, all the other Virginia big men have big question marks.

Jamil Tucker, a senior forward, is a shooter not a banger in the low post. He prefers life outside of three-point arc and, although he has the size of a big man, he does not have the style of one.

Jerome Meyinsse is a very bright kid, but he lacks the pure athleticism that marks a true ACC-caliber player.

As a result, expect to see freshman Tristan Spurlock play earlier and more often than new Cavalier coach Tony Bennett probably would have wanted.

Spurlock comes in with a fair amount of hype, but the transition from high school to college can be a bumpy road. Virginia fans certainly cannot blindly assume that Spurlock will be an instant contributor.

Therefore, what will the Virginia basketball team look like to start the season, particularly without Sene?

Clearly, Virginia will have to go small with their starting line-up. Sylven Landesberg and Mike Scott should already have their starting jobs locked up. The next question will be what to do between Jeff Jones, Sammy Zeglinski, and Calvin Baker.

Jeff Jones is perhaps the biggest question mark entering this season. While Jones has apparently benefitted the most from this coaching change, will he finally produce offensively for the Cavaliers on a consistent basis?

I think Bennett will give Jones the starting slot in the shooting guard position. That means the starting point guard battle will be between Baker and Zeglinski.

Both men have some serious strengths and weaknesses as point guards. For the opening game, I would expect Bennett to go with seniority and choose Baker. While the William & Mary transfer may not have the best ball-handling skills and has had trouble running the offense, he provides slightly better defense and does not turn the ball over as much as Zeglinski.

Hopefully, the rising sophomore can steal this starting spot with good play, but Bennett will make the Philly product earn it.

That leaves us with the other front court position. For now, I think Spurlock will get the instant start. He is probably the best option with Sene gone, and fans will get to see just how quickly he has acclimated himself to the team.

While the details behind Sene's suspension are still questioned, Virginia fans can at least take solace in knowing that questions about the team are just a few days away from being answered.

Virginia opens the season this Friday against Longwood.

Al Groh: When Fairy Tales Go Wrong

Ben Gibson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:52:17 -0500

On Nov. 28, 2009, Al Groh's coaching career will end.

The 65-year-old head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers has been in his last rodeo. After nine years of under-achieving and over-blowing its excuses, Groh will be shown the door from his alma mater after a second-straight losing season, three in the past four.

However, this exit will be far from graceful. As much as we love for our sports figures to go out on top like John Elway in the Super Bowl, Groh will have quite the opposite exit from the sports stage.

Instead of leaving with a legion of adoring fans chanting his name, Groh will be crossing the 50-yard line to shake hands with Hokie coach Frank Beamer after yet another loss to the Cavaliers' arch rival Virginia Tech.

The sound Groh hears as he jogs off the field one last time will not be cheers nor will it be boos. Instead, Groh will hear something far more damning as a head coach: silence.

Silence because this loss will follow an all-too-familiar script.

Virginia football is in a far worse situation than angry fans whining on talk radio and under-performing players not living up to the hype. The program is in a state of complete and utter apathy.

Forget the economic excuses, the fact remains that Virginia's attendance has dropped to its lowest totals since 2000, before Scott Stadium expanded to the approximate capacity of 64,000 it has today.

This year, with its bowl aspirations on the line against Duke, Virginia mustered a meager 41,713 people. More than a few of them were Duke fans who had made the trip to relish the fact that their Blue Devils are no longer in the ACC cellar.

Virginia has taken over the role as the ACC cellar-dweller and that only adds to the misery of Cavalier fans. Not to mention it will make Groh's final act that much sadder.

Virginia tried to stick it out with Groh. After a 17-14 loss to Virginia Tech last season, athletic director Craig Littlepage forced some changes and allowed the buyout price to go down about $2 million in a deal that gave Groh one more season to turn things around.

That restructuring has not exactly garnered faith from the fan base. That is why ticket sales, even for the Virginia Tech game, were down. With Virginia in an 0-3 hole, tickets were made available to the public for the Hokie game.

Anyone who has been to Scott Stadium when the Cavaliers take on the Hokies knows that more than a few Tech fans work their way into the crowd. That number will surely be an all-time high this year with all the extra seats available. Things could get ugly.

Groh's final game will not only likely be another loss to Virginia Tech, moving his overall record to 1-8 against the Hokies, but it was also be in humiliating fashion. Groh's team will be practically playing a road game at home.

Was that embarrassment really worth $2 million?

Say what you want about Al Groh, I know I have. Without question, this man has flaws as a head coach of a college football team. However, no one deserves to go out like this.

Coaching changes happen all the time in sports, but this is different. Groh has become something of a leper. His very name seems to stir strong feelings across Charlottesville.

Groh deserves better than a 3-9 season, the worse season since 1983. He deserves more than a loss to William & Mary at home. He does not deserve this nightmarish ending we are slowly plodding towards.

One thing is for sure, this was not the result we all anticipated in 2001.

Granted, revisionist history has changed how we perceive the sweat-shirted commander-in-chief today, but nine years ago, Virginia Cavalier fans were ecstatic when they hired Groh.

Why?

Coach Groh had everything a fan could want. He brought NFL experience as coach of the New York Jets. Those connections made Virginia an attractive place for recruits to come. Virginia's original recruiting classes were consistently ranked in or near the top 25 by most recruiting services.

Groh brought a strong discipline to the defensive side of the ball. He was able to produce NFL talent throughout his nine years and his teams have always ranked well defensively throughout his career at Virginia.

Groh is a guy that really likes the Xs and Os. He has come up with brilliant game plans that helped shut down future NFL stars like Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Crabtree, Laurence Maroney and Calvin Johnson, among others.

Groh was meant to take Virginia to the next level. He was going to build upon the roots of his predecessor George Welsh and make the Cavaliers an ACC Championship contender.

It's certainly not as if the ACC has been loaded with great teams. The title has been up for grabs and Groh could not grasp that coveted Orange Bowl ticket.

Indeed, what made the selection of Groh so exciting is the same thing has brought his eventual demise: exposure.

Groh was meant to make Virginia a household name. He was going to bring in College Game Day, he was going to build big match-ups with Penn State and Southern Cal.

Well Virginia has reached a different level, unfortunately it's a step lower. Groh has more losing seasons in his nine years than Welsh did in his 18.

The Cavaliers are a footnote in the great tome that is college football.

Coach Groh knows that his days are numbered at the University of Virginia. Littlepage has openly announced that Groh's job status will be reviewed at the end of the season. Something tells me a 3-9 campaign, barring an upset, is not going to sit well with the administration.

Time will tell just what the legacy of Al Groh will be at Virginia.

Here is a man that worked so hard for a school he truly loved. For Groh, there probably was no better job for him than to coach at Virginia.

Without question, Groh tried everything he could to be successful here. He brought Virginia some big victories against Virginia Tech, Florida State, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and West Virginia.

He got Virginia to a No. 5 ranking nationally and was a two-time ACC Coach of the Year.

Groh developed some legendary Virginia players like Matt Schaub and Chris Long.

However, he also oversaw the mediocrity that took Virginia to the bottom of the ACC and brought Virginia Tech to the top.

He watched in-state recruits don the orange and maroon, even in places where the Cavaliers had typically been successful.

He suffered losses that simply could not be tolerated by one of the more forgiving fan bases in the country.

No, it is not a fairytale ending for Al Groh and his coaching career.

I guess that's why truth is stranger than fiction.

Richmond Spiders and Mike London Gaining National Attention

Ben Gibson — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:11:13 -0500

Polls in college football are often dissected and analyzed at a ridiculous level.

After all, determining who's the best team and who's the 14th-best team is not an exact science.

In fact, it can be downright boggling.

While the NFL has rather clearly defined teams at both the top and the bottom of their league, college football has been experiencing (or suffering, depending on who you ask) from extreme parity.

College football simply has no dominant team. The Top 10 are constantly on red-alert for an upset and the rest of the teams beat each other up with no rhyme or reason. It's like a car crash; it may be exciting and thrilling but, in the end, you are left with an emptiness in your stomach.

No wonder most AP writers have such a dubious task ahead of them when they try to pick the 25 teams worthy of recognition. One reporter, Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle , decided to go against the grain.

Ratto is not some new hack on the scene. He has written sports articles for three decades and has been a voter for quite some time now. When he sat down, he saw a team worthy of supporting that others have completely ignored.

The Richmond Spiders.

Yes, a FCS-school from the CAA made an appearance in the "others receiving votes" category when Ratto named the defending FCS champions No. 25 in his poll.

"After I put Virginia Tech and Oklahoma in despite their three losses --- I realized I was going to have to break ground somewhere," Ratto said. "I could no longer see a reason to keep Richmond out."

Richmond is currently riding a 17-game winning streak, an 11-game streak on the road, and is off to the best start in the 127-year history of the program. Seven of these games, by the way, were played by Richmond with the No. 1 ranking/bullseye painted squarely on their jerseys after winning a national championship last season.

Along the way, the Spiders have claimed some impressive victories.

First, they knocked out the three-time defending national champion and Wolverine-tamer Appalachian State on the road 33-13. Then they staged a miraculous comeback against Northern Iowa after trailing 20-7 entering the fourth quarter.

En route to the championship, they knocked out four conference champions after finishing the regular season third in their conference.

To start the 2009 season, Richmond knocked off the Duke Blue Devils. While it may not have seemed impressive at the time, the mediocrity in the ACC continues to raise the image of the Spiders. The Blue Devils are 5-3 (2-1 ACC) with the other two losses coming against ranked teams.

"The win over Duke looked better and better," Ratto said.

The Spiders have outscored their competition 260-123 and still have major showdowns with Villanova and William & Mary on their schedule. Victories against those teams, currently a combined 14-2 with BCS-victories to their credit, would only help bolster the claim that the Spiders deserve recognition for what they have accomplished these past two seasons.

However, this new-found publicity may come at a price. After all, the more attention the University of Richmond receives, the more attention is paid to their second-year head coach and alum Mike London.

London is only the third coach ever to win a national championship his first year at the helm in the FCS. His ties to the Virginia Cavaliers and to the Houston Texans make him a very attractive candidate for potential job openings later this year.

London may be a graduate from the Spiders, but one must wonder just how long the Richmond fans can keep their eight legs around him. He has already made his mark by capturing the first national championship in school history for any sport. He also seems to be the perfect candidate to lead Richmond to their new stadium, which opens soon.

However, will London be their on opening day in 2010?

Well, when one considers that Mike London's team has received more AP votes this season than his former boss, Al Groh, it certainly is a question worth asking.

Congratulations to the Richmond Spiders and what they have accomplished already this season. I certainly wish London and his team success the rest of this season and I hope that Virginia is wise enough to be watching.

Duke vs. Virginia Football: Bowl Dreams on the Line

Ben Gibson — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:18:17 -0400

To dream the impossible dream.

Two ACC programs are on the verge of improbable, unbelievable endings to this season and these dreams come to a clash this Saturday.

On one hand you have the Duke Blue Devils.

The Duke football program has been a running joke for quite some time.

The Blue Devils have not been to a bowl game since 1994. Just one winning season since the "Ole Ball Coach" Steve Spurrier roamed the sidelines.

Former Duke coach Ted Roof looked like he could turn things around but after winning as many games in his last four seasons as he had in his first one (four), it was clear that Roof had to go.

His replacement, David Cutcliffe, knows football. Everyone knew the problem facing Cutcliffe would not simply be X's and O's but getting his team to believe that it can win and be competitive in the ACC.

Passing a long-standing mental barrier of inferiority is no simple task, even with optimistic players.

Well just one and a half seasons into his career and Cutcliffe has everyone believing in the scrappy Duke Blue Devils.

However, all that faith began with a fateful moment on September 27, 2008.

Duke entered that day with a 25-game losing streak in the ACC. The Devils had lost 31 out of their last 32 ACC contests.

Well, the Virginia Cavaliers proved to be the perfect victim to end the streak.

The Cavaliers came into the game with a new quarterback in Marc Verica and Duke was able to force six turnovers to completely turn the game around.

Duke did not just win its first ACC game in years, it dominated the scoreboard en route to a 31-3 victory and the first 3-1 start since 1994. The Blue Devils had a senior class that had not won a single conference game until that moment. Now they were leaving with a re-newed sense of purpose and direction.

With that victory, Duke saw the proof that they could be competitive in their conference. The Blue Devils put forth some solid efforts, including giving the eventual ACC Champion Virginia Tech Hokies quite the scare in Lane Stadium.

Nevertheless, the true goal for Duke alluded them. A 5-7 record left Duke as one of only two teams in the ACC not to go to a bowl game last season.

Coincidentally, that other team just so happened to be the Virginia Cavaliers.

Well, this year, Duke has once again put itself in position to reach its first bowl in 15 years. The Blue Devils are 4-3, 2-1 ACC. That leaves the magic number at two. With five games to go, Duke can almost taste the postseason berth but they cannot falter this weekend.

If Duke is to achieve a winning season, they have to do it against a team that is going through a turnaround of their own.

Words cannot describe just how awful Virginia looked in the beginning of the season.

The Cavaliers couldn't throw, catch, run, block, tackle, cover. Heck, they couldn't even field a punt!

The season started with a rather shocking loss to William & Mary, a game that featured seven Cavalier turnovers. Virginia then followed that beauty with a completely anemic offensive effort against Texas Christian in a game where the Cavaliers were not even competitive.

The Cavaliers were dead and Al Groh's job was as good as six feet under.

Then came, October, or as Virginia has come to know it "Groh-tober".

Virginia went from an 0-3 hole to a three game winning streak where the Cavaliers outscored their opponents 83-19. The Cavalier offense which looked so pathetic was moving like a well-oiled machine and Virginia stood alone as the only team in the ACC without a conference loss.

Except that time on the top was short-lived. Last weekend, Georgia Tech came into Charlottesville high off a signature win over Virginia Tech and proceeded to run right through the Cavaliers towards a 30-9 victory.

At 3-4, Virginia still has bowl aspirations which seemed completely impossible just about a month ago.

However, the Cavaliers know that reaching the magic number will not be easy for them either. With games remaining against Clemson, Miami, Boston College and Virginia Tech, the boys in the blue and orange have perhaps the toughest finishing stretch in the entire conference.

That means Virginia simply cannot afford a wasted opportunity this week. If the Cavaliers do not win this week, they have virtually no chance of reaching a bowl and a third straight losing season will seal the fate of Groh at his alma mater.

In all honesty, this is what Virginia should want. To be embarassed by the former conference doormat last season, the Cavaliers have been itching for the rematch to get the taste of losing out of their mouth. To get that game at home is just icing on the cake.

Virginia's loss to the Blue Devils was the first one under Groh and the Cavaliers know that if they had avoided all those turnovers, they may have pulled off an ugly win on the road. Instead, the Cavaliers gave Duke a short field and allowed the game to get away from them in the third quarter.

If the game had been later on, when Verica was better acclimated to the offense, Virginia probably would have won this game too.

The Cavaliers can muster all the excuses they want about last season's debacle, but even if Virginia is better than they were last year, so too are the Devils. Both teams have far more competent offenses and although Virginia's secondary has a great deal of size and experience, Thaddeus Lewis has the arm to test them.

This is a game that may seem meaningless on a national scale, but mean the world to both of these programs.

For Duke, it is about reaching respectability. They want to prove to the rest of the ACC that they are a legitimate program that can reach bowl games and compete with any team in a conference suffering from mediocrity.

For Virginia, it is about avenging a tough loss and proving to themselves that they are still a rung above the Duke Blue Devils. This is about saving a season that seem destined towards infamy. This is about Al Groh saving his job yet again.

Say what you want about Groh, but his teams have always responded when their backs were against the wall. Even with the loss to the Yellow Jackets, this is still his month for success.

Unfortunately for Groh and the Virginia fans, the trick is that November is right around the corner. That's rarely been a treat.

Georgia Tech Basketball Season Preview 2009-10: Is Paul Hewitt on the Hot Seat?

Ben Gibson — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:38:28 -0400

Usually finishing dead last in your conference does not lead to a great deal of optimism the following season. Especially when the mark was a humiliating 2-14.

It is even stranger to see that team ranked in the top 25.

Yet, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets seem to be flirting with something they have not seen in quite some time: success.

Embattled coach Paul Hewitt has assembled an amazing recruiting class, one that he hopes can turn the fortunes of the Yellow Jackets around and take him off the hot seat heading into this season.

The freshman class for Georgia Tech is headlined by Derrick Favors, a 6'10" forward that was rated by most recruiting services as the No. 1 prospect in the country. Favors brings talent but also a strong work ethic without the ego or arrogance that one might expect from such a hyped blue chip recruit.

Favors will be working in the front court alongside last year's breakout player, Gani Lawal. The junior big man certainly avoided the sophomore slump last season, more than doubling his points per game and averaging just under 10 boards per game.

Lawal was certainly a bright light in an otherwise dim season and his play earned him a third-team All-ACC honor.

Of course, Yellow Jacket fans have learned to be weary of such accolades for their players. After all, it has only helped perpetuate the biggest problem facing Hewitt since the 2004 NCAA Championship game: player attrition.

For Georgia Tech, the problem has not been getting top notch recruits to come to Atlanta, it's been keeping them there.

As a result, it has been feast or famine for Yellow Jacket fans since their great run in 2004. In the five seasons following that NCAA run, the Jackets have only two winning seasons. However, both of those seasons featured 20 wins and an NCAA tournament bid.

When the Yellow Jackets have had talent, Hewitt has been successful.

However, with perhaps the most talented team during his time in Atlanta, the pressure is certainly on to perform this season.

That pressure obviously extends to his players, particularly the big names of the program who still have something to prove after a poor record last season.

This season will be more than just putting up points for the returning lead scorer at Georgia Tech. With all of the youth on this team, Lawal will be expected to step up and take on a much larger leadership role this season.

All eyes will also be on Iman Shumpert to lead the backcourt. The rising sophomore is still young but has already posted impressive marks.

Shumpert's 154 assists as a freshman was the 20th best total in a single season in Georgia Tech history. With far more scoring options, Shumpert's numbers could really take off this season.

Shumpert also knows how to knock down a few shots of his own with 16 games in double-figures including two decisive shots in Georgia Tech's victory over Wake Forest last season.

While most sophomores are allowed some time to grow and develop, Shumpert is certainly not afforded that luxury on a team with six freshmen.

Thankfully for Georgia Tech, these two big names do not have to do it alone. The Yellow Jackets have significant depth this season, something you can expect to see to be used early and often this season.

D'Andre Bell is a familiar name who will be back to bolster the line-up. Bell had a strong 2007-08 season before spinal stenosis cost him any chance to play last season.

While the senior has played in 88 games over his career, the most of any player on the roster, Bell has modest offensive numbers that will need to be improved if the Jackets have any chance of living up to their preseason billing.

Zachery Peacock has shown a great deal of versatility and durability while at Georgia Tech. Last season the big man picked up some of the scoring slack left by injuries to other key players Bell and Lewis Clinch.

However, this season will ultimately come down to this highly touted freshman class and how quickly they can be expected to contribute to this team.

Favors comes in with high expectations but should not be expected to carry too much of the load until he is ready thanks to the talent of Lawal and Peacock on the front line.

Georgia Tech has one of the more intimidating post presences in the ACC this season and with many of the big men in the NBA from the ACC, it is no wonder that everyone has faith the Yellow Jackets can have a resurgence.

Another freshman, Mfon Udofia, is expected to fight for minutes at the point guard position. As a four-year captain at high school, Udofia is used to being in a leadership position and has many scouts impressed with his basketball IQ.

While the ACC can usually be a rough place for freshman point guards, Udofia might just surprise some people this season.

Unfortunately, one freshman Yellow Jacket fans will not see is 6'11" forward Kammeon Holsey. A recent surgery to repair a knee injury will keep him shelved for an entire season.

Certainly this is a blow for Georgia Tech but it may not be too bad considering the depth in the front court already for Hewitt's club. It may have been hard for Holsey to find time and this gives him a chance for an even bigger role on the team next season.

In the end, talent clearly shows why the Yellow Jackets have become the "it" team of the ACC. Can the Yellow Jackets really pull off the turnaround and compete with Duke and North Carolina for conference supremacy?

If they do, it will have to be said that Georgia Tech earned it. The schedule is not kind for the Yellow Jackets with home and homes against UNC, Duke, Florida State, Wake Forest, and Clemson.

Ouch.

They must also travel to Maryland and Virginia, two improved teams that are not easy to beat at home.

Georgia Tech is going to be the most scrutinized team this season in the ACC, and for good reason. The Yellow Jackets have only had one winning ACC record (9-7) under Hewitt and that was in 2003-04.

Granted the Yellow Jackets have had their share of misfortunes, but a team that was one game from a national championship should not be suffering from a 77-75 record in the five following seasons.

Paul Hewitt could earn an NCAA bid and possibly ACC coach of the year honors. He could also easily be fired. That drama alone makes the Yellow Jackets one of the most intriguing teams entering this season.

In the end though, Georgia Tech could care less about being an intriguing team; the Yellow Jackets will settle for just being a successful one.

Here's hoping youth will be served this season.

Virginia Steals the ACC Coastal Lead; Trick or Treat?

Ben Gibson — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:17:36 -0400

Steal (verb): To take without right or permission.

Now I usually do not condone stealing, but it is a reality in our day and age. In sports, stealing happens more often than we would like to admit.

For example, look no further than the swampy conditions of College Park as the Virginia Cavaliers took on the Maryland Terrapins.

Virginia was thoroughly dominated most of the game by their rivals in the red and black.

For nearly two quarters, the Cavaliers could not muster a single first down. In the first half, Virginia had three rushing yards to their credit. Their starting quarterback, running back, and defensive tackle were all sidelined by injuries by the conclusion of this contest.

In the entire game, the Cavaliers amassed just over 200 yards of total offense.

Nevertheless, Virginia came away with the victory.

How did they steal this win from the Terrapins?

The Cavaliers were trailing 9-3 in the middle of the third quarter and had an offense that was completely stymied by the brutal conditions.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell threw an ill-advised pass on third down into double coverage that bounced off the Terrapin defender and fell into the lap of receiver Kris Burd for Virginia's first first down since five seconds to go in the first quarter.

All of the sudden, a stolen reception completely changed the momentum of the game. Virginia settled for a field goal to cut the deficit to three and the Cavalier defense took care of the rest.

On Maryland's next possession, the big man, nose tackle Nate Collins, picked off a pass from Chris Turner and ran it in for the game-winning touchdown.

When a big man can get the ball into the end zone, that's grand theft larceny.

The Cavaliers, who had scored three points in nearly 43 minutes, had scored 10 points in less than 20 seconds.

After that, Virginia's defense continued to hold the Terrapins. Maryland was able to push the ball down the field, and yet two missed field goals by Terrapin Nick Ferrara kept the Cavaliers in front.

On Maryland's last offensive stand, Nate Collins stepped up again with a big sack near the end zone that was reminiscent of the shot former Cavalier great Chris Long delivered two years ago in College Park. He had robbed the Terrapins of a chance to win the game.

An incomplete pass later and Virginia was able to walk in for an extra touchdown and the Cavaliers left Maryland victorious for the second time in a row.

Indeed, Virginia fans can only scratch their heads on this one. The Cavaliers had a porous offensive line, a broken quarterback, a fullback carrying the load, and wide receivers who had trouble holding on the football all day long.

However, they still found a way to win. The mental resilience for a team left for dead after an 0-3 start is simply miraculous.

Perhaps even more shocking, Virginia is the lone undefeated team in conference play.

That's right, the Cavaliers have a better ACC record than any other team. Both of these victories came on the road, and in both contests the Virginia defense refused to give up a single touchdown.

Wait, is this really the team that lost 26-14 to William & Mary?

Virginia coach Al Groh has once again made October his month to shine. The Cavaliers have won an astonishing seven straight games in October, including 12 out of the last 13.

Now that's what I call stealing time for a man who is trying to escape the pink slip for yet another season.

Despite my reasoning otherwise , Virginia has put themselves in the exact same situation they were in last year by the end of October: in control of their own destiny.

Is it all smoke and mirrors, or have the Cavaliers finally lived up to their potential?

Granted, Virginia still has many stern tests in front of them. The Cavaliers have a brutal schedule down the stretch, including a big test next week against a red-hot Georgia Tech team that has ACC championship aspirations.

Also, the health of Virginia must be a big concern for fans, as Sewell's back-up Marc Verica looked completely out of sync in the second half when the senior signal-caller went down with what looked like a reaggravated ankle injury.

Maybe crime really doesn't pay.

The Cavaliers have always embraced the Groh philosophy of "next man up."

Injuries are a part of the game, and Groh has consistently said that all you can do is accept it and move on. Well, that mantra will certainly be put to the test the rest of this season.

If Sewell and speedy running back Mikell Simpson are going to miss extended time this season, other players are going to have to step up and keep this offense moving.

Today's hero was Rashawn Jackson. The fullback ran for 95 yards and a touchdown, certainly the top performance of his career. What Jackson lacks in pure speed, he makes up for in strength and determination.

With Virginia's defense playing at such a high level, the offense does not need to be perfect. However, the Cavaliers know they can ill afford to be complacent. Their team must continue to improve, particularly the offensive line.

Virginia's joy may be short-lived if they cannot correct some glaring problems, but that is a problem for another day. Tonight, the Cavaliers can bask in victory and leave worrying for tomorrow.

Who would have imagined this team would have been in this position just a month ago when Groh appeared out the door before the bye week?

No, Virginia should simply sit back and enjoy this moment for as long as it lasts.

After all, stealing a win may not always be pretty, but it certainly beats the alternative.

Virginia Basketball Season Preview: Will "Bennett Ball" Bring Hope?

Ben Gibson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:14:52 -0400

Last year was an unmitigated disaster for Virginia basketball.

The Cavaliers had trouble running an offense, limiting turnovers, keeping players healthy and could not stop anybody on the defensive end.

That's not exactly a formula for success.

As a result, Virginia posted a paltry 10-win season, the lowest number since the early 1970s. It also meant that 2007 ACC Coach of the Year Dave Leitao was shown the door after just four seasons as head coach of the Cavaliers.

His replacement, former Washington State coach Tony Bennett, certainly did not have the warm welcome he would have expected. Rumors had been flying over potential candidates like Minnesota's Tubby Smith, Oklahoma's Jeff Capel, and even Alabama's new coach Anthony Grant.

Bennett suffered from the wild imaginations of Cavalier fans. However, in just one offseason, the 40-year old with a mere three years of head coaching experience have fans believing that he may be the one to get Virginia back on track.

Indeed, considering how high skepticism and negativity have surrounded the major-revenue programs at Virginia, fans wanted to be on guard. Just like having your heart broken by previous relationships, Cavalier fans did not want to jump to quickly on the Bennett bandwagon.

The truth is, though, you can't help but like the guy.

Bennett has this endearing charm that has already seemed to claim the jaded hearts and minds of the Virginia fans heading into this season. Not a small task by any stretch of the imagination.

Of course, he was able to get people to believe with more than just good rhetoric.

Bennett has yet to coach a game for Virginia, but he already has some impressive feats to his credit.

First, Bennett was able to assemble one of the best coaching staffs in recent memory for Virginia. With the addition of former Liberty coach Ritchie McKay and former Cavalier Jason Williford alongside his top assistant at Wazzou Ron Sanchez, Bennett has a staff with several strengths.

McKay brings head coaching experience as well as strong recruiting ties, having been able to bring in Seth Curry to play for the Flames last season.

Williford brings knowledge about the Cavalier program and also has strong recruiting ties to the metro Richmond area.

Sanchez represents a connection to the West Coast and New York. He is a young man with talent and potential, while also bringing an expertise of working alongside Bennett and attaining success.

Second, Bennett was able to hold on to both incoming recruits guard Jontel Evans and forward Tristan Spurlock. Both men will provide depth at key positions for Virginia to be successful this season.

Third, Bennett has already gotten off to a quick start on the recruiting trail. Already, Virginia has five commitments for next season. Chief among these newcomers is James Johnson, a 6'9" senior from California who is currently ranked in the top 100 of most recruiting services.

Clearly Bennett has tried to pick players that fit his system, not necessarily the five-star home run names that Virginia has historically failed to get anyway.

It seems clear the Cavaliers are going to try and become successful by playing "Bennett Ball," an efficient and deliberate offense mixed with a suffocating defense.

The question is, will it work in the high-flying ACC?

The answer depends on how the players will be able to work together and improve a team defense that could not work as a cohesive unit last season.

For you see, Virginia's problem is not the talent on the team.

The Cavaliers have the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year in Sylven Landesberg, a future NBA draft pick. They also boast a solid post player in junior Mike Scott, who has the potential to rack up a double-double each and every night he hits the court.

The Cavaliers have senior Calvin Baker, the former CAA Rookie of the Year, an experienced hybrid guard who has proven to hit key shots in late-game situations.

However, this is a bizarre case where the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

Virginia lacked many things last season, but the greatest frustration came from a lack of unity. The team lacked an identity, as evidenced by the many starting lineups Leitao employed last season.

Having depth is one thing, but constantly changing your lineup to match your opponents' style does not help your team understand its own strengths and weaknesses.

Tony Bennett brings a style that forces other teams to be the ones making the adjustments. It may not be glamorous, but it certainly has the potential to be successful.

"Bennett Ball" is very similar to the slow-down offense employed by legendary coach Terry Holland which, in the 1980s-90s, led Virginia to two Final Fours and two NIT championships. Over a ten-year span, during the height of the Holland years, the only ACC teams with better records were Duke and North Carolina.

The good news for Bennett is that, although a new system cannot be learned over night, he has one thing on his side. Virginia's schedule is about the easiest schedule an ACC team could ever hope for.

The Cavaliers clearly wanted to avoid another 10-win season and the out-of-conference schedule is tailor-made for Virginia to make the biggest improvement in the ACC this upcoming season.

Virginia also is lucky in their ACC schedule, playing Duke and North Carolina only once. It is a conference schedule nearly identical to the 2007 season, when the Cavaliers went 11-5 and grabbed a share of the ACC regular season title.

However, this season is more than just cupcake games and low scores. If Virginia is really going to make strides this season, it will need progress from two players: Sammy Zeglinski and Jeff Jones.

Zeglinski, a rising sophomore point guard, certainly experienced growing pains last season. The young man has a great deal of energy and demonstrates a hard work ethic. He also had a great deal of experience, averaging nearly 24 minutes a game as a redshirt freshman.

On the other hand, Zeglinski's ball-handling and decision-making were suspect. The guard-heavy ACC last season absolutely took the Philadelphia product to school.

In Virginia's first game against North Carolina, Zeglinski had four turnovers to only one assist. Ty Lawson, by comparison, had nine assists and zero turnovers.

For the year, Zeglinski had 84 assists but 70 turnovers. That ratio must improve in Bennett's offense, for it is predicated on efficiency. Fortunately, with most of the top point guards now playing in the NBA, Zeglinski may have a leg up on some of his new colleagues.

Considering that Baker is a combo guard lacking ball-handling skills and Jontel Evans is a true freshman, Zeglinski is really the only option to be the point guard of the team this season and therefore must begin to excel in the categories that define his position.

He must also improve on his shaky defense that often allowed defenders to blow by or use his own energy against him.

Jones has also been criticized for his defense during the Leitao years. The budding offensive threat often saw his playing-time cut for missed defensive assignments, and the demotions seem to have taken a toll on the young man.

Jones has shown a tendency to press throughout his career, particularly in big games. As a result, his offensive numbers were horribly inconsistent.

As a result, Jones is entering his junior year and looking to make a J.R. Reynolds-type evolution in 2009-10. We know he can put up big numbers, like the 15-point performance against Arizona in his first collegiate road game or the 16-point explosion against Miami last season.

However, Jones has had horrible slumps which has contributed to Virginia's lack of offensive identity over the years. As a shooting guard, he simply cannot afford to vary so wildly throughout the season.

If Virginia is to be successful this season, Jones must begin to act like the high-scoring high school superstar he once was. He must provide the outside threat to complement the slasher Landesberg and the post presence of Scott.

There are reasons to believe that Jones may be on the verge of a breakthrough, but Virginia fans have thought that before.

Will a new system and a new culture bring about a new result of winning for Virginia?

Tony Bennett has many things in his favor, but he still has to experience the first-year transition that is usually far from seamless.

Nevertheless, expect Virginia to be a much improved ballclub from last season. The Cavaliers will be dancing in one of the many postseason tournaments by March—a statement which sounded absurd just one year ago.

The Cavaliers may be another year away from the NCAA tournament, but with a coach named Tony Bennett, you can bet Virginia will always have their dancing shoes nearby.

Why Do You Hate Me, Al Groh?

Ben Gibson — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:27:22 -0400

Dear Coach Groh,

How are you?

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Ben, a loyal Wahoo. Both my father and grandfather went to UVA and I became a third-generation Cavalier while you were coach of the Virginia Cavaliers from 2003-2007.

I shook hands with you once in 2004 at Alumni Hall after a special class celebration; it was quite the intimidating experience. After all, here was a former NFL coach and the face of the program shaking my hand. Let’s face it, orange is your color.

However, I must ask you a simple question. Why do you hate me?

I wanted you to succeed so badly at Virginia. You had NFL experience, you were a Virginia alum, and you gave answers to the media that required a doctorate in BS to decipher. You came in and talked about how you would change the culture and make Virginia a power in the ACC and in the country.

I believed.

I let you get rid of the pep band. I let you stuff the “Sea of Orange” t-shirts down our throats as you replaced those gorgeous sundresses with bland uniformity. I did my part to make Scott Stadium an intimidating atmosphere and not one to be ridiculed by Cavalier Daily columnists.

In return, what have I gotten?

A team that always breaks my heart.

Oh, we have had some good times Al. The 2002 season where your team overachieved and went 9-5 was really exciting. I liked the part when we knocked out nationally-ranked opponents Maryland and N.C. State in consecutive weeks.

I thought things were changing for the better.

They weren’t.

You see, each and every year I had faith that Virginia football would reach the “next level” and just like Charlie Brown using Lucy to hold the football, I ended up flat on my back staring up to the sky in a sense of sheer sorrow.

So often, I wanted to yell and scream at you just like Charlie Brown undoubtedly wanted to do to Lucy. However, this season I came to the realization that the fault is mine.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

The problem isn’t you lifting the football, it is me trusting you to hold it.

So after a loss to William & Mary and putrid performance against Texas Christian University, I had moved on. I was done with you Al Groh and I was simply counting down the days until we had a fresh, young face that could turn the program around that you had sent crashing into the ground.

I thought we had an understanding!

However, here you go again trying to get me to hope. With Virginia on life support, the Cavaliers shock the North Carolina Tar Heels and follow it up with a complete massacre of the Indiana Hoosiers.

All of the sudden, Virginia could pass the ball with amazing efficiency. The defense was making big plays. The special teams unit actually learned how to field a punt. I did not recognize the team I was watching.

You were doing the exact same thing and getting a completely different result, which meant you were driving me insane!

Groh, you’re acting like an abusive boyfriend. You break my heart and then try to make amends with gifts and apologies.

So I must really ask, why? Why do you keep trying to act like you can coach? Why must you keep trying to save your job only to let me down again next season?

Everyone else can see that you’re bad for me. Virginia Tech fans hail you as a God. Wake Forest fans thank you for going to Virginia instead of Jim Grobe. The other ACC teams actually feel sorry for us!

However, the worst part is yet to come. I know how this script ends Al. You will keep winning just enough to let me get my hopes up. Despite every instinct in my body, I will reach a point where I believe Virginia can get the job done.

Maybe Virginia will actually get to a bowl game?

Maybe Virginia will actually beat the Hokies in an epic BCS-buster finale?

Then reality kicks in.

Groh, your team follows no rhyme or reason. You are just as likely to beat Maryland by 30 as you are to lose to the Terrapins by 50. Your team shows me what it can achieve and constantly falls short of that mark each and every year.

So I am writing this letter to tell you that I have to break it off. I have to end this coaching relationship before I get attached to this team again and start to believe. I simply cannot go through another heartbreak in November again.

I cannot endure having to watch the Hokies hoist the ACC trophy every single year while we are stuck trying to explain losses to Wyoming, Western Michigan, Southern Mississippi, and William & Mary to our friends and family.

Let me be clear about this though. It’s not me, it’s you.

You did this to yourself. I know you’re a pretty good guy and you cannot physically go out there and execute the plays for your players, but come on. When your team is this consistently inconsistent, that says something about leadership.

Sure, the team deserves credit for keeping hope alive, but they should never be in these desperate situations to begin with.

Thank you for your time, coach. I will be waiting for your response and will be waiting to see how this team progresses the rest of the season. If only I didn’t already know the answer.

Sincerely,
The Virginia Fans

Pittsburgh Steeler Heath Miller is Still "Money"

Ben Gibson — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:53:09 -0400

Heath Miller is a scary sight.

At 6-5 and 256 pounds, the Pittsburgh Steeler tight end is truly a larger than life figure.

Of course, that is nothing new for the Virginia native.

Miller may be a soft spoken guy but his actions on the gridiron have made him one of the top football players in high school, in college and is an integral part of the Steeler offense which has netted the budding superstar two Super Bowl rings in his first four years in the league.

Miller is from Richlands, Va., a rural area with a whopping population of 4,144. The median income for a family is just over $30,000 annually.

It is truly the land of the coal miners, factory workers and teachers. Little wonder as to why Miller quickly grew up to be a tough-willed individual.

At Honaker High, Miller garnered some major attention. No, not as a tight end but as a record-setting quarterback. Miller was the Group A player of the year as a senior, compiling 28 touchdowns and 2,318 total yards.

Those numbers grabbed the attention of former Virginia football head coach George Welsh who recruited him as a quarterback in 2000. Welsh was not alone, Miller also received high interest from Iowa and Virginia Tech.

However, Welsh left the program following a 6-6 season in 2000 and Miller was left at the proverbial crossroads. His replacement, Al Groh, was able to keep Miller in the Cavalier fold, but now he had to figure out what to do with the superior athlete.

Groh decided to move Miller to tight end, a gamble which certainly has paid off.

The hard-working Miller caught nine touchdown passes as a redshirt freshman, an ACC record for freshman tight ends. Soon, he became one of the most effective cogs in the Cavalier offense.

By the end, Miller's accomplishments made him one of the top tight ends in the NCAA. Miller was the 2004 Mackey Award winner, given to the top tight end in the country. He finished with the most receptions, yards and touchdowns by an end in ACC history.

In terms of the Virginia record book, Miller is second in receptions, seventh in yards and fourth in touchdowns, regardless of position.

No wonder Miller earned the nickname "Big Money" while at Virginia.

Miller was an amazing safety valve for Virginia quarterbacks Matt Schaub and Marques Hagans, providing a big target with amazing hands and spectacular strength. He always seemed to come up with the big catch when called upon.

Miller's defining college catch came in a primetime duel against Clemson in 2004.

With the Cavaliers trailing 10-6, Hagans marched the team down the field late in the first half. Virginia scored the go-ahead touchdown when Miller was able to stretch out his body and just get the tip of the nose over the plane of the end zone before a crashing defender knocked him out of bounds.

It was a play with enough touch to make any receiver proud and it gave Virginia a lead it would never relinquish. The victory propelled Virginia to a No. 5 ranking in the country the following week.

Indeed, Miller's biggest numbers came in the biggest games. Virginia's lone victory over arch-rival Virginia Tech in the Al Groh era can be explained by one single statistic.

In 2003, Miller had 13 catches for 145 yards against the Hokies, both career highs at the time. It was the second best performance statistically by a tight end in ACC history.

Virginia Tech had no answer for "Big Money" and since then the Cavaliers have still been searching in futility for a new edge.

Miller's size and stamina made him a force to be reckoned with. As a result, Big Money got a big pay when he was drafted in the first round with the 30th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The hard-working, quiet kid who let his play speak for him was going to the steel city where toughness and determination are a prerequisite.

Truly, it was a match made in heaven.

Of course, nothing came easy for Miller. The young man had to prove himself all over again. Now it became an issue of proving he could block at an NFL level as well as reel in those big catches.

Miller worked hard to be a complete player and he was rewarded with an opportunity he has certainly taken advantage of these past few seasons.

In his first four years in the NFL, Miller has proven to be one of the top tight ends in the league. His consistency is remarkable, having played in 60 of 62 regular season games during that time at a position where the injured reserve list comes with the territory.

Through 64 games as a professional, Miller has recorded 23 touchdowns and over 2,100 yards.

Just how good is that?

Well, over that span, Miller has more touchdowns than New England Patriot Wes Welker, Green Bay Packer Donal Driver, Seattle Seahawk Deion Branch and as many as Dallas Cowboy Roy Williams. Not to mention he is only one behind the premiere tight end in the NFL, Tony Gonzalez.

He has taken a position that is often ignored or overlooked and made it so much more.

Miller is more than just a tight end, he is an athlete, a football hybrid that knows when he has to step up. His hands are as good as the majority of wide receivers and his speed and size make him difficult for anyone to take down in the open field.

Yet despite all his accomplishments, Miller continues to enjoy letting others stand in the spotlight. In a league full of over-sized egos and under-performing prima donnas, Miller seems content to just work hard alongside his talented teammates and collect his Super Bowl rings.

Nice work if you can get it.

Virginia Tames The Tar Heels, Now What?

Ben Gibson — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 17:11:42 -0400

Football is often about numbers.

For most of Al Groh's career, the numbers have been stacked against him.

The nine-year head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers is 57-47 overall, 35-30 in the ACC. Those numbers are mediocre at best; underachieving to many outside observers.

The most unforgivable statistic though is that Groh is 1-7 against arch-rival Virginia Tech.

Well the 2009 season started off with a thud, an 0-3 start had Virginia looking at potentially winless season.

Why?

The offensive numbers are consistently near the bottom of the barrel among FBS teams.

Good thing for North Carolina.

For as poor as Groh's overall numbers may be, he can hang his hat on this: Virginia is 7-2 against the Heels since his arrival, 3-0 against new coach Butch Davis. With a 16-3 victory Saturday afternoon, Virginia continued its dominance over its "other" arch-rival and a visibly emotional Groh could finally breathe for a weekend.

It is not easy for any coach to have to listen to all the constant criticism and negativity attacking his program. Virginia and Groh had been written off as dead and Groh's response was pretty adamant.

"We're pretty hard to stick a fork in," Groh said after the game.

Well, in October that seems to be true. Virginia has won five straight games in the month of October and 10 out of its last 11. If only Groh could somehow create his own calendar, the Virginia coach could really make some noise.

Let's be fair, Groh is not really a sympathetic figure, but you could see just how much the victory meant to him. Obviously, no one wants to succeed more than he does and even if this season is his last, he wants to go out on a positive note.

This mess may have been a situation Groh created, but at least he was able to rally the troops enough to win their ACC opener for the ninth time in the past twelve seasons. His team continues to fight, now one must wonder if they can actually continue to win?

The South's Oldest Rivalry may have been an ugly game at points, but any win is beautiful to the deprived fan-base in Charlottesville. More importantly, there were signs of change and progress that gives Virginia the chance to avoid humiliation this season.

First and foremost, the Cavalier defense played an outstanding game. Finally Virginia was able to bring pressure and noticeably frustrated Tar Heel quarterback T.J. Yates.

In the process, Virginia held North Carolina to a paltry 174 yards and more importantly kept them out of the endzone for the first time since a 7-0 loss in 2006.

If your defense plays that well, who cares how bad your offense is.

Virginia's secondary—which looked so good on paper—stepped up with big hits and big plays for the first time this season. Two interceptions late in the fourth quarter sealed the game and allowed the Cavaliers to walk away with the victory.

On offense, Virginia struggled to manufacture yards and points. The Cavaliers could not get into the endzone until there was less than 10 minutes left in the game.

However, the Cavalier playmakers continued to improve.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell, coming off a strong performance against Southern Miss, managed 169 yards with his arms and his legs. While he continued to throw some wayward passes, the receivers were actually the ones letting Sewell down.

As Sewell continues to develop, so will the wide receivers. Virginia had eight different players record a reception this game and if Kris Burd or Javaris Brown can break out of that pack than Virginia's offense will begin to turn things around.

The biggest development for Virginia on offense though came in the form of Vic Hall. The return of the senior captain is something that cannot be overlooked.

While Hall's days at quarterback are probably over, he provides versatility and is a great decoy on offense. Case and point, Hall received a pass in the backfield and passed it back for a first down.

Okay, technically the play was erased with an illegal formation penalty but it still showed that the offense can move beyond the simple quarterback draw play each and every down.

Hall can provide those special plays that make defenses crazy change the momentum of the contest.

If he can stay healthy, which hasn't been an issue so far this season, Hall can provide big plays on offense and defense. At worst, he will garner extra attention from defenses and allow other players to make big plays.

The final ray of light though comes from Robert Randolph. The Virginia placekicker was three-for-three on field goal attempts, all of which were longer than his season long of 34 yards entering the game.

The truth is, Virginia has only been as good as its special teams during the Groh era. When the Cavaliers have a reliable kicker, they are a tough team to beat.

While one game does not make a career, Randolph gave the players, the coaching staff, and the fans faith that he can deliver when his team needs him.

Considering how rarely Virginia gets into scoring position, they must take advantage. With Randolph playing well, the Cavaliers have a chance to convert on their opportunities and keep themselves in the game.

In the end, this is only one game. This victory does not save Groh's job nor does it mean everything will turn around. It certainly does not mean Virginia will defeat Indiana next week or that fans will show up.

What it does mean though is that Virginia is 1-0 in the ACC, and has defeated one of its oldest rivals yet again and has the talent to fight with just about any team in the conference.

So will they?

Homecoming: If Virginia's Al Groh Is Out, Will Mike London Be In?

Ben Gibson — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:26:20 -0400

They always say you can't go home again, but it happens all the time in football.

Coaches return to their alma maters and some end up brilliantly, while others just plain end.

Al Groh, a Virginia alum and current head coach, is certainly part of the latter category.

Groh has had a front row seat for nine years to watch as the Virginia Cavalier football has fallen farther and farther into irrelevancy. The current state of the program has reached such a low that appears that Groh already has one foot out the door as names start to be discussed as possible candidates.

One name that has consistently came up is a candidate who has already become a shining example of the former category.

Mike London has already fulfilled a storybook ending in just a year-and-a-half as head coach of the University of Richmond Spiders. The former defensive coordinator for the Cavaliers and Richmond alumni came in last season and helped lead the Spiders to their first national championship ever.

Richmond recovered from two heart-breaking losses earlier in the year to Villanova and James Madison to stage an amazing playoff run where the Spiders outscored their competition 116 to 50.

Of course, the biggest game in that postseason came with an absolutely thrilling 21-20 victory on the road against Northern Iowa in the semifinal game. The Spiders trailed 20-7 going into the fourth quarter of the game and did not score the winning touchdown until there were 14 seconds left on the clock.

In other words, Richmond had learned from their tough losses earlier in the season and finally got a nail-biter to go their way.

Now winning and Richmond has become virtually synonymous with one another. The Spiders currently have a 13-game winning streak and are the top ranked team in the FCS. Virginia, by the way, is on a seven-game losing streak and is the only BCS team without a victory so far this season.

Mike London has done more in just one-and-a-half seasons than most coaches achieve in a lifetime. No wonder, London has become one of those trendy names out there to replace Groh at the end of this season.

So will he?

On the surface, London and Virginia are a pretty strong couple. London spent six years as defensive line and defensive coordinator for Virginia. His own daughter transferred to play for the Virginia women's basketball team last season.

While there is an indescribable joy in coming back to your alma mater and building your program, Virginia represents not only a FBS program, but one in a BCS conference with the potential for tremendous growth.

London would undoubtedly love to come back to Virginia and help restore the ailing program someday, but would he leave now?

The better question is: What does the Virginia administration think about such an idea?

London is a young and energetic coach. He provides that spark Virginia football desperately needs for the fan-base that has lost faith and passion for the program.

London is a figure people can rally behind, and his youth gives him the opportunity to build and lead the program for a long time. He is cut from the same cloth as new Virginia basketball coach, 40-year old Tony Bennett, a former national coach of the year at Washington State.

London also has strong recruiting ties, particularly in the Hampton Roads area. Virginia has struggled mightily to nab the top recruits in the Commonwealth, and if the Cavaliers have any chance of turning things around, it must start in-state.

It is no coincidence that in the three years London served as recruiting coordinator, Virginia had three classes ranked in the top-15 nationally.

However, being a great coach is more than just being able to recruit talented players. While there is always a Jim Tressel out there that go from the FCS to the FBS and finds success almost immediately, it is still a difficult transition.

The truth is that hiring Mike London is a risk, no matter how you look at it.

Is there a tremendous upside? Certainly.

Is there a chance of failure? Of course.

I think most Virginia fans knew that London would get the phone call at some point, they just hoped it would be later on than this.

With less than two years of coaching experience, we have yet to see how much of Richmond's success is attributable to him or to the players he inherited from former coach Dave Clawson.

Strong safety Darryl Hamilton is the only starter on Richmond's squad that is not a senior or junior. In fact, only 18 of the 54-man roster is composed of sophomores or freshmen.

Will Richmond still be a dominant CAA team when senior Eric Ward and seven other offensive starters graduate next year?

Most FBS programs would like the opportunity to see how London could handle those challenges, but necessity may never give them that chance.

In the end, Virginia knows that Mike London is a solid candidate and worth discussing. His passion for the program and knowledge of it give him an edge in that interview room. His potential is what makes his hire so interesting, but it is also why it is such a scary prospect for Cavalier fans.

If London returned to Charlottesville, he would be welcomed with open arms. People would love to give him the chance to make things right, but they know that is going to be a tall task for any the most experienced coach.

Coming to Virginia comes with the understanding that this marriage is just as likely to lead to long-term bliss as it would a quick annulment.

Virginia football might be able to do better, but they also know that they could do far worse.

Iowa Football Continues Climb To Prominence

Ben Gibson — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 16:18:16 -0400

"Daryll Clark had his worst performance of the year against Iowa last season, it won't happen again."

These were the words of the ESPN College Gameday crew amidst the fanfare of Happy Valley.

It seemed that everyone thought old JoePa was going to avenge last year's BCS crippling loss for the Nittany Lions and put Penn State in position to capture the Big Ten crown.

Well, at least everyone who does not pay attention to statistics thought that. The Iowa Hawkeyes have now won seven of the last nine contests against Penn State and their victory last night catapults them from an also-ran to a legitimate threat to shake things up in the conference this season.

Iowa certainly did not start out strong against the Nittany Lions; Penn State had a huge opening drive and quickly added a field goal to take a 10-0 lead. The Hawkeyes, however, have become used to slow starts.

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi has been notorious for his first half performances so far this season, but his defense came calling on Saturday. The Hawkeyes simply would not allow Penn State quarterback Darryl Clark any time to breathe.

Clark was clearly rattled by the constant pressure. Even when he had time his passes seemed forced and off-target. As a result, the Hawkeyes kept themselves in the game long enough for their offense to get going.

The game's momentum bounced off the hands of Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn when his blocked punt led him all the way to the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

From there, Penn State simply could not get things back on track. Their offense sputtered and eventually began to turn the ball over. A fumble after a big run that could have reclaimed the lead for the Nittany Lions followed by an interception on the next possession and the upset was assured.

Just how big of an upset was it though?

I mean statistically it looks big. It is the first time Iowa has knocked off a top five team on the road since 1990. Finally, the story of a big Iowa win is not the consequence to the losing team but notoriety for the Hawkeyes.

The truth is that one team acted like a top-five team on Saturday and it was not the one with a legion of screaming fans in white.

Iowa showed a mental and physical toughness that is hard not to fall in love with. They took Penn State's best hit, and when Paterno's game plan turned conservative, the Hawkeyes kept battling for a chance to turn things around.

After all, Penn State had not exactly played a killer schedule up to this point. This was their first test of the young season and clearly were not ready for their midterms. The fallacy of preseason rankings have once again shined through as all these supposed top ten teams saw their BCS dreams wither away in a flash.

Iowa, although they have faced some ugly bumps along the way, has proven to be one of the best teams in the country. They have proven just how much a team can grow during the season.

Considering that the Hawkeyes had to block two field goal attempts in the final minute just to survive their season opener against Northern Iowa, to be 4-0 for the first time since 2006 is quite the accomplishment.

Amazingly, though, the Hawkeyes have not started a season 5-0 since 1995. However, with Arkansas State coming up, Iowa should be on pace to do just that before an epic showdown with the undefeated Michigan Wolverines two weeks from now.

Iowa may still be a work in progress but there is plenty of reason to be optimistic in Iowa City.

The Hawkeyes have one of the best defenses in the country. Their speed and strength allows them to pressure quarterbacks and force turnovers. Tate Forcier and Terrelle Pryor may be talented, but they will have their hands full against a team that is quickly gaining confidence.

Stanzi may have had mediocre numbers against the Nittany Lions (11-of-26 for 135 yards with two interceptions) but his running backs certainly gave Iowa an offensive punch.

Last year it was Shonn Greene who ran over the BCS dreams of Penn State. This year, Brandon Wegher and Adam Robinson combined for 171 yards in tough conditions, however it was their late game heroics which was most impressive. With the game on the line, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz took little chances; he simply entrusted his backs to plow his team towards victory.

Mission accomplished.

In Iowa's final two drives, the Hawkeyes ran the ball 13 straight times. Penn State knew what was coming, they knew they had to make the stop and yet the could not. There is nothing more demoralizing for a team than knowing what is coming and still being unable to stop it.

For Iowa fans, it was poetry in motion. With a running attack like that, Iowa can control time of possession and ride their defense towards success.

Now one game does not a season make. Iowa fans have seen strong starts quickly fade in the past. Iowa's offense must continue to improve and their defense needs to stay healthy if they are to continue their run.

The schedule is also ominous for the Hawkeyes with big road games against Wisconsin, Michigan State and Ohio State looming.

Nevertheless, for one weekend at least, Iowa is exactly where they want to be. What happens next though, is up to them.

Virginia Football Won't Have an October To Remember

Ben Gibson — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 18:12:58 -0400

Revenge is a dish best served cold.

For North Carolina, the memories of an overtime loss last season to the Virginia Cavaliers have hardly faded. The Tar Heels saw their ACC Coastal dreams turn into a nightmare on a Saturday afternoon in Charlottesville as the Cavaliers continued their unexpected dominance over UNC at home.

For Virginia though, those memories are a distant memory, a painful reminder of what could have been. The Cavaliers are currently mired in the worst losing stretch during the Al Groh era. A loss this Saturday would leave Virginia in an eight-game skid that could result in one of the ugliest seasons in the past few decades.

Last year, the Cavaliers were in pretty poor shape as well. In September of 2008, the Cavaliers went 1-3, being outscored by a combined score of 128-36.

Ouch.

The Virginia Cavaliers looked like they were doomed, but then the impossible happened. Al Groh's team somehow rebounded from sheer obscurity to go undefeated in the month of October. In the course of 31 days, Virginia went from the bottom of college football to leading the ACC Coastal Division.

Can Virginia simulate a similar comeback this season?

In a word, no. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Although Virginia would love for history to repeat itself, there were three factors that helped drive the Cavaliers towards success in 2008. It just so happens that none of these things exist this time around.

1. Home, Sweet Home

Virginia, like most mediocre teams, are much better at home than on the road. While Groh's team have typically been lucky to win more than one or two road games every year, Scott Stadium has treated the Cavaliers well in the past.

It is no coincidence that last year's turnaround began at home against a rival in the Maryland Terrapins. The Terrapins were coming in expecting a rout and that's exactly what they got. Just turns out that Maryland was on the wrong side of it.

In a night time atmosphere, Virginia's Marc Verica found a rhythm and absolutely torched the unprepared Terrapin secondary for 226 yards and two touchdowns. In total, Virginia had 31 points, only five points short of what they had scored the entire month of September.

Virginia used that confidence to knock off East and North Carolina in consecutive weeks. The 3-0 home stand concluded with a dramatic overtime score to knock off the ranked Tar Heels and Virginia's momentum helped them continue the good play into Atlanta to defeat the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

This year though, October's schedule is not so kind to the Cavaliers.

First, Virginia must go to North Carolina who were stung by the Yellow Jackets the week before. Desperation to stay in the Coastal race mixed in with revenge and the crowd will be crazy next weekend.

Not a good combination for a team like Virginia still seeking its first win of the season.

Virginia's three home games this time are not in consecutive order, making it more difficult to get a winning streak going. However, even if Virginia played every game at home this season, it would make little difference.

The Cavalier fan-base has lost so much faith in their program, Scott Stadium is resembling a library more than a sports arena. The last home again TCU was the lowest attendance in ten years.

Virginia's home field disadvantage has actually begun to create a caustic environment for the team and that means October will not reap rewards this time around.

2. Running Back Depth

Cedric Peerman was the hero of 2008 for Virginia.

The senior running back rushed for 461 yards and six touchdowns in October of 2008. However, it was his big plays at critical moments that helped keep Virginia drives alone and helped the Cavaliers achieve at least some success last season.

Well Peerman is gone now and, as a result, there is a vacuum has yet to be filled.

Virginia's running backs were practically non-existent the first two games of the season in 2009, but there appeared to be hope against Southern Mississippi.

Rashawn Jackson and Dominique Wallace combined to become an impressive running duo against the Golden Eagles. The two had 18 carries and helped give Virginia some of the balance on offense that was needed to allow quarterback Jameel Sewell time to throw the ball downfield.

Except Wallace, the emerging freshman, is now out for the season with an injury he sustained last week. With Mikell Simpson still nursing an injury, Virginia is lacking a dynamic running back to get those big yards when needed.

Although Jameel Sewell has shown his ability to move the ball with his feet, the Cavaliers will not win a game until he learns to stay in the pocket and consistently find receivers.

No matter how talented a quarterback may be at running, using Sewell in this way is asking for trouble. If he cannot find alternative options in the backfield, Virginia will continue to struggle mightily to move the ball.

3. Improved Turnover Ratio

We all remember the William & Mary game earlier this year when Virginia coughed the ball up an amazing seven times to start the season with an embarrassing loss.

The Cavaliers had a similar poor start in 2008. 14 turnovers in September, including five against Duke in their ACC opener.

On the other side, Virginia struggled to generate those game-changing takeaways and atone for offensive mistakes. By the end of the year, Virginia was near the bottom of the ACC in turnover margin.

However, in October 2008, Virginia was able to limit their mistakes (comparatively speaking) and was able to make a run as a result.

For the month, Virginia went from 14 turnovers to just five the following month. Better yet, they forced nine takeaways, a big factor in their undefeated October.

In fact, in Virginia's two big wins against Maryland and North Carolina, the Cavaliers committed zero turnovers.

Unfortunately, the Georgia Tech game showed signs of things to come in November. Virginia won, but the team committed three turnovers against the Yellow Jackets mostly behind the poor decision-making of Verica.

Virginia would continue to throw the ball away at costly moments en route to a disappointing conclusion, something that has continued into this season.

Even though the Cavaliers "only" have ten turnovers so far this season, they are still tied for last in the ACC in turnover margin. Do not expect another big turnaround in October.

North Carolina and Georgia Tech both boast strong defenses that can shutdown the anemic Virginia offense. While Maryland's defense has been awful this season, Virginia has only won once in College Park since Groh became head coach of the Cavaliers.

With Virginia's offense struggling to move the ball, expect Cavalier players to take some bigger risks. That, inevitably, leads to turnovers and with a Virginia secondary that has struggled to get their hands on the ball, the turnover margin will remain a problem for the foreseeable future.

In total, Virginia is 9-3 the past three seasons in October. If the Cavaliers have any chance of salvaging their season, it will begin against North Carolina this upcoming weekend.

Virginia has shocked people before, for better or worse. Groh has made a career of fighting back when facing the pink slip and he very well could do it again.

Just don't hold your breath.

Bye Week For Groh, Hello To Tuberville?

Ben Gibson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:21:39 -0400

The good news for Virginia football fans is that their team will avoid an eighth straight loss this upcoming weekend.

Why? They won't be playing.

The bye week has come like a proverbial "mercy rule" for the Cavaliers as they lick their wounds, both physically and mentally, after the worst start in the history of Al Groh's tenure.

An 0-3 record is enough to depress any fan but considering the way in which they lost, spirits are an all-time low in Charlottesville.

Add to the laundry list of frustrations over the offense, defense, and special teams the fact that the actual playmakers on this team like quarterback Vic Hall is hurt and emerging running back Dominic Wallace just had season-ending surgery makes that sunken feeling even worse.

Undoubtedly, Al Groh has the hottest seat in college football right now and the question of whether or not the nine-year head coach at Virginia will be fired seems all but answered.

Even if Athletic Director Craig Littlepage will wait until the end of the season to finally end Groh's misery, the writing is clearly on the wall. Names have already begun to bubble to the surface.

While some may call this premature since Groh still is currently employed by the University of Virginia, Littlepage would be foolish not to be shopping around. Granted, most years it makes little sense to start looking around in the middle of the season while most top candidates are still working and therefore cannot be officially contacted.

Fortunately for Virginia fans, there is one guy out there who is currently unemployed and has already proven he looks good in orange.

Tommy Tuberville, the former Auburn head coach, will be the trendy name out there at the end of the season when the coaching carousel is in full turn.

Tuberville certainly has some impressive credentials. Over 14 seasons as a head coach, he has compiled an overall record of 110-60, including 11 winning seasons. Considering he has spent all those years in the brutal SEC, Tuberville is not padding his coaching statistics. The man is used to playing in the big game and he is used to winning it.

For example, Tuberville dominated the biggest game on Auburn's schedule, the Iron Bowl. Against the Alabama Crimson Tide, Auburn went 7-3 during his time there.

His strongest team was in 2004 when his Auburn Tigers went a perfect 13-0 behind quarterback Jason Campbell and an impressive rushing attack featuring Carnell "Cadillac" Williams.

That season earned Tuberville the AP National Coach of the Year award. However, after a 5-7 campaign in 2008 Tuberville unexpectedly stepped down from his position to the shock of many. College football fans know that he still has a great deal to offer and at age 55 still has plenty of years to build a consistent winner.

Now that some time has passed, will Tuberville be looking for a new gig in 2010? Virginia certainly hopes so. More importantly to the Cavalier fans though is convincing him to come to Charlottesville.

Despite the terrible season so far, the Cavaliers actually have a great deal to offer.

The University of Virginia itself is one of the most beautiful colleges in America, located in the middle of a conference so mediocre that coaches know they have a chance to make a big splash early.

Programs like North Carolina and Georgia Tech have turned things around almost instanteously after their coaching changes. Even Duke and Clemson are reaping early dividends to their new leaders at the helm.

Virginia has very good facilities that are also in the process of being revamped. Even if the Cavalier culture is considered by outsiders as Zima drinking parties with brie, Virginia has had a stellar home record until the past two seasons when the fan base abandoned Al Groh. The fans will follow if they have a leader they can trust.

The Cavaliers are also in a football recruiting paradise. Although the Commonwealth of Virginia is certainly not a Florida or a Texas, the Chesapeake area offers great recruiting pipelines of talent.

One of Groh's greatest flaws has been his inability to score high quality in-state talent. It is also one of the reasons Virginia Tech has quickly become the dominant team in the ACC. The Cavaliers cannot expect to raise their profile simply by trying to poach talent from other states.

If Virginia is going to change that trend, they will need a name that brings instant recognition. Tuberville does just that.

Most importantly though is that Virginia has proven it can win. Although the image of the Cavaliers has been smeared by losses to William & Mary and others throughout the past few years, one cannot forget the work of Groh's predecessor George Welsh.

Welsh took over a program that no one thought could be successful. Many people saw it as a coaching graveyard with academic standards that were too high, an administration that was too rigid and a fan-base that was too apathetic.

Rather than listening to the nay-sayers, Welsh created a model for consistency that produced the glory years of Virginia football.

While he achieved many milestones like the two ACC Championships, the No. 1 ranking in 1990 and historic wins over Clemson and Florida State, Welsh's greatness is best summarized in one simple statistic.

For 13 straight seasons, Virginia won at least seven games every year.

By comparison, Groh has three (soon to be four) losing seasons in eight years as Virginia's coach. In Welsh's eighteen years, he had two losing seasons.

Welsh helped make Virginia one of the top 25 programs of the 1990s. That kind of success can certainly be repeated again, but it will take a certain kind of coach.

The truth is that no one knows whether or not Tuberville would be interested in coming to Virginia. Very soon he may have his pick of the litter.

Perhaps Virginia would want to go a different direction, picking a young up and coming coach that can bring youth and vitality to the program.

Still, if you were Craig Littlepage, wouldn't it make sense to give Tuberville a little call and say hello?

VCU Basketball Prepares For A World Without Eric Maynor

Ben Gibson — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:39:51 -0400

It is the moment that Virginia Commonwealth University became a household name.

Eric Maynor's dagger of a shot in the final seconds against the Duke Blue Devils in the 2007 NCAA tournament sent shockwaves across the college basketball landscape.

It also forever changed the image of Rams basketball.

It raised the profile of not only Maynor, but his young coach Anthony Grant. The two seemed like a dynamic duo, both poised for greatness and leading their team towards unparalleled heights.

Last year the Rams finished 24-10, netting their third conference title in six years and their second NCAA tournament appearance in three years under Grant.

The Rams were on cloud nine in 2009, but are facing grim realities coming into this season.

The dynamic duo of coach Grant and Maynor are gone. Grant has returned to the SEC as the head coach at Alabama and Maynor was selected earlier this year in the first round of the NBA Draft to the Utah Jazz.

Therefore, Virginia Commonwealth University fans must now become accustomed to a world post-Maynor.

That is certainly a scary thought when you consider just how much Maynor has meant to this program. The 6-3 guard finished his career at Virginia Commonwealth as the all-time leader in points, assists and free throws made.

The two-time CAA Player of the Year led the Rams to an overall record of 95-35 and made them the toast of the town in Richmond.

Most importantly, Maynor was the face of the program. He was that rare player who did not wilt in the spotlight. Indeed, Maynor played his best when it mattered most.

Whether it was the game-winner against Duke, 25 points in the CAA Championship against George Mason or his late game heroics two years before that, Maynor knew how to win.

Rams fans knew it too. His final game at the Siegel Center looked like something straight out of a "Rocky" movie. Maynor was surrounded by confetti, balloons and was awarded his very own heavyweight fight.

However, as is the curse of college basketball, the NBA waits for no man. Maynor is gone and so is all the pomp and circumstance surrounding him. Now Virginia Commonwealth must look at an ever improving CAA conference and begin looking for their new leader.

It will not be an easy task replacing Maynor, after all, legendary players do not exactly grow on trees.

Virginia Commonwealth is fortunate enough though to have two big names who look to emerge from the rather large shadow once cast by their teammate.

Larry Sanders is a freakish athlete who has the tenacity to put up big numbers in both points and rebounds. NBA scouts drool over the potential Sanders possesses, but "potential" can sometimes be a dirty word.

Having potential and actually realizing it is a delicate balance, but Sanders certainly has the experience to make the leap in the upcoming season.

Joey Rodriguez actually contemplated transferring from Virginia Commonwealth after last season. However, his decision to return not only helps the Rams but helps Rodriguez develop as a player and a leader.

Rodriguez was deadly from behind the arc last year, shooting 62-of-149 from three-point land. He was also second on the team in assists last year and should expect an even larger role this upcoming season.

Rodriguez and Sanders represent the future of Virginia Commonwealth basketball. With a little bit of luck, they could become a great inside-out combination that can keep the Ram offense chugging in 2009-10.

While Eric Maynor may have many Rams fans reminiscing on the past, Rodriguez and Sanders are working to insure that the program's future remains bright.

Ben writes for the examiner.com

UVA Football: Is Patience a Virtue?

Ben Gibson — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 18:41:39 -0400

With an 0-3 record for the first time in the Al Groh era, the eyes of Cavalier fans are no longer on the head coach, but on Virginia athletic director Craig Littlepage.

Littlepage recently sat down with former Richmond Times Dispatch writer Jeff White for a very interesting interview. In it, White did a good job of asking the hard questions, particularly the one that everyone in Virginia is interested in: What is the future of Al Groh?

Littlepage is no fool. He saw the empty seats against TCU two weekends ago. He can hear the angry alumni, and he can see the dismal product on the field. So when asked on his stance, Littlepage spoke with a practical thoughtfulness.

"Two games into a season [is not a long time], particularly given the number of new things that have been incorporated into the program, everything from new staff to new techniques and schemes, relative to the X's and O's," Littlepage said. "I think that the players and coaches deserve the opportunity to show that these changes can be successful."

Last weekend, Littlepage's cry for patience was rewarded with glimmers of hope.

The Cavalier offense, which had been non-existent the first two weeks, found a groove this past weekend against Southern Miss. Even more shocking, it was Jameel Sewell who made this offense move with his arm as well as his legs.

Rather than allow the Golden Eagles a chance to crowd the box, Sewell started off where he left off late in the TCU game. His long bombs to Tim Smith and Kris Burd in the first half were not only accurate, but they changed the game as it allowed Virginia to open up the playbook which appeared to have been gathering dust since the opening of the season.

In total, the Virginia offense racked up 390 yards, 312 of them in the air. By comparison, the last time Virginia racked up over 300 passing yards was in the Music City Bowl game in 2005 with Marques Hagans.

Most importantly for the Cavalier offense, though, was that they scored 34 points, the most since a victory over East Carolina last season.

There was just one bad note about the Virginia's offensive turnaround: they lost.

Despite the improved offense, the defense continued to suffer from big plays, poor tackling and miscommunication. A 17-point lead disappeared behind 20 unanswered by Southern Miss in the final 22 minutes.

Indeed, this contest was far from clean. Both teams were plagued with penalties, turnovers and just bad decisions. None of that matters for Southern Miss, however, as they ride on an eight-game winning streak. It also matters little to Virginia, which despite improvement, has now lost seven straight games.

So, with the bye week ahead, Virginia must sit and contemplate it's football fate.

Littlepage's comments are not without merit. Just look at the Michigan Wolverines, a team that had one of the worst seasons in memory last year and have rebounded nicely to start 2009.

Teams simply cannot overhaul everything and expect immediate results. There will be bumps along the road.

Virginia proved last weekend that it can produce points. Could a year of experience bring sustained success next season? Most likely yes. Virginia is still a young team, and if the team continues to turn things around offensively it might be easier to bring in wide receivers that have normally shied away from the former pro-style offenses run by the Cavaliers.

The better question is, will Virginia fans have the patience to find out?

For all the changes being made this season, this is not Groh's first year at Virginia, it is his ninth. The problem of Virginia football is far deeper than a new offense or inexperience.

The problem is not patience, the problem is faith.

Virginia fans have lost faith in Groh, as a result, the program has reached a dreaded point of apathy. Most fans believe that Groh will never get Virginia to the level of winning they strongly desire, even with a functioning offense.

Despite the terrible road record for the Cavaliers over the past decade, Virginia really needed to get out of Charlottesville for the environment had become almost caustic.

To his credit, Groh has done a great job of keeping the faith of his players. It's clear that Virginia has not given up on their season despite the terrible start. They still work hard and are trying to prove people wrong.

Jameel Sewell has faced all of the criticism and came up with probably the greatest overall performance for his career. After all, the senior did not battle back from academic adversity just to lead the team to one of the worst seasons in decades.

Groh is no fool, he has been able to adjust to some of the major problems facing this program. However, the question remains over whether it is too little, too late.

Virginia fans are stuck in an uncomfortable conundrum the rest of this season.

Obviously they want their team to be successful, but every victory this season will only bolster the cause for keeping Groh and company one more year.

After all, with all these changes, the Cavaliers will have to make strides into next season and continue improving. Right?

Don't blame Virginia fans if that scenario does not instill them with confidence.

However, what's the alternative? Virginia fans cannot root for their team to lose, it goes against everything natural. After all, it's not the players fault their coach has lost the faith of the Cavalier nation.

If Groh is indeed let go, he will leave with millions of dollars and a solid career where he currently ranks second all-time in school history for wins. Those players though will leave with a wasted year and memories that will torment them for quite some time.

Virginia has been patient with Groh. The fans and administration have stood by him when many across the country were calling for his job these past few years. The 2007 ACC Coach of the Year has over two months to turn things around again.

Will the offense resurrect a sunken season and save Groh yet again, or will the Cavaliers decide that patience is no longer a virtue?

A Tale of Two Coaches: Virginia Cavaliers Find New Image

Ben Gibson — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:08:22 -0400

One of them has coached at Virginia for nine years, the other has yet to coach a single game for the Cavaliers.

One came to Charlottesville with joy and excitement surrounding him, the other came with murmurs of disappointment and confusion.

One is a 65-year old long-time NFL assistant and college coach, the other is a 40-year old son of a basketball legend with only three years of head coaching experience to his credit.

In other words, there are many differences between Virginia football coach Al Groh and new basketball coach Tony Bennett. However, those differences are far deeper than anything you could find on a résumé .

Groh, as has many said many times, is not the most approachable person. His demeanor and attitude can seem cold and standoffish to some if not most people. It has won him few friends and more than a few enemies over the years.

Even now with the dogs barking at the door and the angry villagers storming the castle, Groh has stood firm on his decisions and strategy after two back-to-back humiliating performances to open the 2009 season.

For those of you who have never had the joy of listening to a Groh press conference, it is truly a sight to see. Groh has a certain way with words and good luck trying to quote him for an article.

Here's an example of what I mean. Not only does it illustrate Groh's defiance against popular convention, it also shows his rather unique speaking style.

After Virginia's reluctance to throw a pass over 8 yards for over 55 minutes of game time, a reporter asked the fair question of asking what is his team's philosophy on throwing downfield.

"Depends on the type of game that you're trying to run," Groh said. "We had a particular plan in mind the other day. Keep in mind that we were playing the No. 7 team in the country from last year and one of the ways they got that way was to have the highest time of possession in the country. So that clearly is a factor in their success. So right away, when we see that and with when we see how they put it together, it said one of the components of being a team is you've got to get their time of possession down. And so one of the ways to do that is to maximize the amount of time that goes off the clock while you have it. And we are in a pretty good position to do that. And, in fact, although it was my intention not to go back in history, we did have a third‑and‑long situation in which we stop the team. Unfortunately we have to go back on the field after that play."

Just for reference, that was only about half the answer and let me assure you he still did not even come close to answering the question in that section either. So when asked again to actually answer the question:

"I just gave you my answer," Groh said. "It's about managing the game and putting the game together in terms of giving yourself the best opportunity to win."

Call me crazy, but waiting until the third string is in to throw downfield does not seem like the best opportunity to win.

The secret to a Groh press conference is that you need a masters degree to understand what he's saying but a Monday quarterback degree to know that sometimes his claims are just plain off-base.

I need not tell you how arrogance combined with a bad record can be quite a turn off to recruits, I already explored the topic here.

Instead, it is far more interesting to note just how differently things have been handled by his basketball equivalent in just a few short months.

It should be noted that Tony Bennett was replacing Dave Leitao, a less than friendly person in his own right. Leitao had the look of a coach but his foul language and temper quickly wore on the Virginia administration and after the worst season in four decades, the Cavaliers went in a new direction.

Bennett was certainly not welcome with open arms initially.

Virginia football fans were thrilled to get Groh to come back to his alma mater. The NY Jets coach brought an instant NFL credibility and his ties to Virginia (including his own son, Mike, being a starting quarterback) made him a fan favorite.

Bennett, on the other hand, was met with shock. Who was this guy? Virginia fans felt like they were on the verge of getting Tubby Smith or Jeff Capel, instead they got a young and inexperienced coach that had worked on the other side of the map in Pullman, Washington.

His honeymoon had ended before it even began. The young coach had to prove himself right away.

Yet, despite the less than ideal introduction, it took Bennett little time to win the people over.

Bennett's swift actions helped garner support and faith in the new coach. First, he was able to secure that incoming recruits Tristan Spurlock and Jontel Evans honored their commitment to come to Virginia.

Second, Bennett assembled a great coaching staff by bringing in former Liberty coach Ritchie McKay, former Cavalier basketball player Jason Williford and poaching his top assistant at Washington State, Ron Sanchez.

However, those actions are just the icing on the cake. The reason for optimism and hope for a team that finished near the bottom of the barrel in the ACC comes from the charisma and charm that almost effortlessly flows from Bennett.

Let's face it, it's hard not to like the guy. Just take a listen for yourself.

Bennett has a larger than life personality, one that shows warmth and kindness when he is in front of the camera, talking to people. That is not to say that Groh is not a kind person, he certainly is. On the other hand, we all know that Groh would rather spend hours watching tape than go around on speaking tours or talking to the media.

He may not be the only one who dislikes the media game, but it is a necessary part of being a coach in college athletics. It is clear that Bennett's strengths as a coach also appear to be some of Groh's biggest weaknesses.

To be clear, all the talk in the world means nothing if you can't produce on the court. Coaches will always be judged on their ability to win more games than they lose. Obviously Bennett's charm will wear thin if Virginia fans endure the misery they faced last season.

However, his ability to win over the fans, the media and even the recruits is a gift that must be recognized. College sports is about selling a brand and Virginia basketball's stock is on the rise thanks to this young, energetic and friendly guy.

The John Paul Jones Arena is full of hope, Scott Stadium is full of nightmares.

Ever since Craig Littlepage became Athletic Director of the University of Virginia, the Cavaliers have found tremendous success throughout the numerous sports they play.

The Cavaliers have won national titles, ACC championships and continued to grow and prosper. As a result, Virginia has continually ranked among the top in the Director's Cup standings which rank schools on their overall athletic programs.

However, in the major revenue sports, fans have grown restless. They have wondered why Littlepage has been so quick to fire a volleyball coach but will stand by a failing football or basketball coach until the bitter end.

The problem has not been a difference in standards or an extra sense of compassion from Littlepage, it has been a lack of an identity.

Instead of finding something that works, or even modeling under-achieving programs to those that work, Littlepage has simply tried to find candidates that achiever short term goals in the football or basketball realm.

Well that has changed.

The hiring of Tony Bennett shows a shift in the thinking of the Virginia athletic program, and it is the right one. Bennett has a solid system, which has worked in a power conference. He has a vision which has not only worked for him but has worked for Virginia in the past.

Most importantly though, he is a striking contrast in image to Groh.

It is an image Virginia should embrace and one that Groh will remember well, for it is the future of Virginia athletics.

No Time Like the Present, Virginia Needs to Fire Al Groh Now

Ben Gibson — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 21:51:34 -0400

Former President Lyndon Baines Johnson once reportedly said, "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost middle America."

Walter Cronkite, the voice of America for an entire generation, saw the futility in Vietnam and forever changed the course of history.

While certainly paling in historical significance, Virginia coach Al Groh had to have come to a similar conclusion this weekend against the TCU Horned Frogs. After all, it only took one look into the stands.

Scott Stadium was far from a friendly place for the home team, as the Virginia Cavaliers continued to sink further and further into failure.

TCU was ranked No. 16 coming into the game, and after Virginia's opening season loss to FCS-team William & Mary, a blowout was all but assured.

However, there's losing and then there's putting up a fight.

The numbers were staggering.

Through three quarters, Virginia had 84 yards of offense. Their receivers had 11 yards total. The Cavaliers finished with seven first downs.

As a result, Virginia fans protested the way fans do. They booed, they chanted "Groh must go" and they left en masse.

Al Groh, you've lost the fans and that means you've lost the program.

Granted, this was not something that happened overnight. The fall of the Virginia program was long before the current six-game losing streak where the Cavaliers have averaged just over 11 points per game.

Indeed, Virginia's fall from grace can be pinpointed to a cold November day in 2005.

From 2003-2007, I went to every single home game at Virginia as a member of the student body. I specifically remember the excitement I had heading into the regular season home finale of 2005 against the rival Virginia Tech Hokies.

Two years ago in Scott Stadium, Virginia had pulled off the big 35-21 victory over the Hokies. I could not wait to see history repeat itself and not only deny the Hokies a chance at the ACC Championship but to put Virginia in position to go to Jacksonville to bring home a trophy of their own.

The game was at noon and I woke about 7'o'clock to make the trek from Lambeth Field to Scott Stadium. My friends beside me, we were met by an army of fans, waiting in freezing cold for the game of the year.

The energy leading up to the game was incredible. I remember chanting down the minutes before kickoff and the stadium was louder than I had ever heard it (except during the FSU game earlier that year).

Then the game started. I remember Virginia sacking Marcus Vick on third down for an early three-and-out. After that though, well that's a bit of a blur.

Turns out Virginia may have been pumped for the game, but they weren't ready for the Hokies. Instead of a victory, the Cavaliers were blitzed with a 52-14 loss.

In every phase of the game, Virginia had been outplayed and although Florida State would ultimately defeat the Hokies in the ACC Championship, this game marked a definite shift between the two programs...not just to outsiders but to the fans.

After the 2005 season, Virginia had to cope with the loss of Marques Hagans at quarterback. The transition was about as ugly as you could imagine. In 2006, Virginia had three different starting quarterbacks in a four-game stretch.

During that stretch, Virginia went 1-3, their lone victory coming off a missed extra point by the Wyoming Cowboys in overtime. The Cavaliers were outscored 91-43 and ultimately finished the season with a 5-7 record, Groh's first losing season since 2001.

While the product on the field struggled, the Cavalier fans lost their patience.

I remember having to wait in line at least three hours before kickoff to get good seats my first three years at Virginia. In 2006, I could show up five minutes before the gate opened and get front row seats in the student section.

The worst thing that could happen to a program had set in: apathy.

Even in 2007, when Virginia began to turn things around with a nine-win season and a Gator Bowl appearance, the students kept their distance.

They knew the truth, Virginia was getting lucky, not better. Five wins by two points or less may sound like your team is clutch, but Cavalier fans realized it just meant you were one or two plays away from having another losing season.

The Virginia offense was still anemic and a defensive lineman named Chris Long was keeping their team from being a joke in the ACC.

Just like former Virginia basketball player Todd Billet had saved head coach Pete Gillen's job for a few years, Long's heroics gave Groh more time but little else.

Last year, the problems grew. Virginia once again got off to a terrible start, including a 31-3 loss to Duke. The rough start and a bad economy meant that even though Virginia went 4-0 in October, no one was there to see it.

Nearly 65,000 people showed up for Virginia's season opener in 2008. In the home finale, Virginia could barely get over 51,000 fans to watch the Cavaliers battle Clemson.

Well this week, against a team ranked 16th in the country, with perfect weather and in the middle of the afternoon, Virginia's announced attendance was 48,336. It was the lowest turnout in ten years. By comparison, 57,580 people showed up in 2004 to watch Virginia beat up Troy 24-0.

After three quarters of offensive futility, that number seemed like a pipe dream. Those fans that remained were there to shower their team with boos.

The anger and disappointment has reached a boiling point and the cry can be heard throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia this evening.

Mid-season firings are always a touchy subject. There are plenty of examples of how making a change mid-season helps turn programs around or leads to complete chaos.

There are plenty of excuses to give coach Groh the rest of the year to turn things around. After all, Virginia has made a career of turning things around after slow starts under Groh.

In fact, the last time Virginia started 0-2 was in 2002, a year in which the Cavaliers finished second in the ACC when the team was picked to finish next to last in the conference.

Virginia actually showed signs of life in garbage time against the second-string of the TCU Horned Frogs with two long bombs by Jameel Sewell for 14 points to make a terrible game appear respectable.

I suppose a finish like that is the glass half full/half empty scenario. If you're an optimist you believe that Virginia may gain confidence not only in themselves but in calling plays that will stretch the field and prevent defenses from stacking the box.

However, if you're a Virginia fan, you know better.

Groh is also an alum, and canning a loyal and dedicated Cavalier can appear a bit cruel. After all, firing someone two games into a season looks to be a little rash.

In truth, Virginia has been more than patient with coach Groh. For nine years, fans have waited for the Cavaliers to reach the infamous "next level". Every year a new hope and every year a disappointment.

For the past four seasons, Groh has avoided the pink slip by the skin of his teeth. To the joy of his rivals, Groh has been given not just second chances but third and fourth opportunities to show he can get Virginia to the level he promised in a press conference not too long ago.

Well the time has come for Virginia to do what needed to be done years ago. For the sake of the program, the Cavaliers need to turn the page sooner rather than later.

The success of a college football team relies on a culture. In the early years of the Groh era, Virginia was one of the most difficult places to play in America.

During my first three years at Virginia, we lost three games total at home. The Sea of Orange created a positive environment where you couldn't help but be proud of your team.

The program has lost its way. Be it the arrogance of the coach, an offensive offense, a sour economy or just the successes down the road in Blacksburg, Virginia football needs a change now.

Football may ultimately rest upon winning and losing, but the first step towards a successful program is winning over the fanbase.

Groh has lost the fans, and winning them back may never happen. If he couldn't do it in 2007, how will losses against William & Mary and Duke stem the tide?

Virginia needs a new leader, a new face of the program. Someone who can win over the fans and bring Virginia back to respectability before the damage is done permanently.

The Cavaliers have two former head coaches on their staff and talent that is currently being wasted. Virginia may be bad, but not nearly as bad as they have looked so far this year.

Some may ask, what is the difference between firing a coach now and just a few months from this very moment?

My answer is, the difference between a short-term football recession and a long-term rebuilding project.

UVA Football: Five Questions For Week Two

Ben Gibson — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:12:02 -0400

Disastrous.

That is the best way to describe the opening to Virginia's 2009 season.

The Cavaliers lost to an FCS opponent (William & Mary) for the first time in over 20 years and appear to be near the end of the Al Groh era in Charlottesville.

On the other hand, Virginia has gotten off to terrible starts before and found a way to recover. In 2008, the Cavaliers went undefeated in October to temporarily grab the ACC Coastal lead. In 2007, they recovered to earn a Gator Bowl bid.

So maybe we should not be surprised by the slow start. Virginia is 7-8 in the month of September since 2006 and 1-4 in September during the past two seasons.

Nevertheless, TCU is the last team Virginia would want coming into Scott Stadium. The No. 16 Horned Frogs are an experienced team that will not be scared of unfriendly confines. They will have a chip on their shoulder and appear to be in a great position to continue the Cavaliers' misery with a talented defense and a versatile offense.

Virginia has pulled off some incredible upsets before, but its chances of doing that this weekend rely on how the Cavaliers answer the following five questions.

5. Can the 3-4 defense put pressure on Andy Dalton?

Last week, the Tribe's R.J. Archer had the homecoming of his life.

Being from the Charlottesville area, the Tribe quarterback had grown up around Virginia football. He had been to Scott Stadium plenty of times but last weekend was special as he led William & Mary to an historic victory.

Archer finished 23-of-44 for 184 yards with a touchdown and interception. Between the three Virginia quarterbacks, the Cavaliers were only able to muster 137 passing yards combined.

The most impressive part of Archer's game though was his determined leadership. He helped the Tribe overcome missed opportunities and showed the poise Virginia desperately needed.

So how is Virginia going to do against a quarterback who is third all-time in TCU history in career passing yards?

Andy Dalton has emerged as a dual threat, who can both run and pass effectively. After a two-game injury, Dalton racked up 11 touchdowns in the final six games of the season. He also helped lead the Horned Frogs to a signature victory over Boise State in the Poinsettia Bowl.

While Virginia had some new faces on the defense play well against William & Mary, the pressure will be on the veterans to step up and play to their potential if the Cavaliers have any chance of keeping the Horned Frogs out of an offensive rhythm.

Nate Collins and Cam Johnson will need to do a better job getting to the quarterback and forcing him into some poor decisions. If they can play at the level they achieved last year, Denzell Burrell and Steve Greer can continue their strong play at linebacker to make things difficult for the Horned Frogs.

4. How effectively can Virginia mix the run with the pass?

Watching the Cavalier offense last week was truly painful.

The reason was an almost comical predictability by offensive coordinator Gregg Brandon.

Virginia had virtually no passing game but instead of trying to establish a running game the Cavaliers simply tried to scramble the quarterbacks out of the shotgun. Of the 39 rushes Virginia had, 28 of them were by a quarterback.

The result was not only a scary invitation for a season-ending injury to a Virgina quarterback, but an offense that only amassed 268 yards against an FCS team.

Anyone can tell you that the most successful teams can balance the run and the pass. They keep defenses honest and for Virginia to do that, they need to establish Torrey Mack and Mikell Simpson as viable options in the backfield.

Simpson averaged 6.4 yards per carry, yet he only got five carries for the entire game. Even while injured and second on the depth chart to Cedric Peerman last season, Simpson could expect more than five carries a game.

With a decisive edge in size over the Tribe, it is inexcusable to not try and plow the ball down the field with the top running backs. If Virginia is to win against TCU, they must work on their time of possession and that means establishing the run early and often.

If the Cavaliers can limit the total possessions of the game, they will have a puncher's chance. However, Virginia's defense cannot hold for long if the offense continues to go three-and-out like they did last week.

3. Will Virginia's secondary live up to its potential?

We all know that championships are not decided on paper.

On paper, Virginia had one of the best secondaries in school history. Looking at the names like Ras-I Dowling, hard-hitting Corey Mosley, experienced veteran Chris Cook, and Chase Minnifield, Virginia appeared to have the depth to make opposing quarterbacks nervous.

Add to that mix the return of all-star safety Anthony Poindexter as secondary coach and things appeared to be on the rise.

Well just like paper, the secondary was burned last weekend against the Tribe. Miscommunication was an issue on several key plays where Archer was able to find open receivers and keep drives alive.

Worse yet, the Virginia secondary needed to make some big plays and instead literally dropped the ball. Three times the Virginia defense had the ball in their hands to make a key turnover and three times they dropped it. Instead of a momentum changer, Virginia was left asking "What could have been?"

If the Cavaliers have any chance, they need to stay on-task and read their assignments. With Dalton's versatility, the Horned Frogs can provide a balanced attack. That means the Virginia secondary must find a way to play one-on-one against these TCU wide receivers.

Jimmy Young is a speedy option and his 988 yards last season was the second most in TCU history. Virginia must keep a tab on him at all times and try to shut him down much like the Cavaliers have done in the past against greats like Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Michael Crabtree.

The time has come for the defense to put up or shut up.

2. Can Virginia avoid turnovers?

Seven turnovers.

No other statistic was more telling for the Cavaliers than the seven turnovers they had against William and Mary. If Virginia had played a cleaner game, they almost certainly could have won the game. However, clean games have not been a common occurrence for the Cavaliers as of late.

Last year, the Cavaliers were 10th in the ACC in turnover margin. Now they are playing a team that has forced 223 turnovers since 2001, ninth best in the country.

Nothing is more important for Virginia's success this season than being able to hold onto the football. Their offense is simply not good enough to handle missed opportunities.

So how can the Cavaliers avoid the costly mistakes?

Some of the mistakes are purely mental preparation. Players have to know when to field a punt and when to let it go into the endzone. Yes, Vic Hall, that means you.

Players must be smart enough to keep the ball in high and tight. Too many times, Virginia players were lazy with the football and led to unnecessary fumbles.

The biggest cure for turnover-itis though is inextricably tied to our final question.

1. Is Matt Schaub going to be given an extra year of eligibility?

Okay, so maybe it's not a serious question, Schaub is a little busy getting constantly sacked in Houston. However, it emphasizes the biggest problem Virginia has faced since Schaub graduated from the University of Virginia.

In 2003, Schaub's final year, Virginia had 3,324 yards of passing offense. The following year, Virginia had only 2,167 yards of passing offense.

Since 2003, Virginia has not amassed more than 2,700 yards of passing offense and defenses know it. If the Cavaliers cannot find a quarterback that can move the offense by using both the run and the pass, head coach Al Groh may as well put his house up for sale now.

Last week, Virginia used all three quarterbacks and each struggled when given their opportunity. Every signal caller has one or more glaring weaknesses and, as a result, the transitions between the options have not been smooth and clean. Instead, it has been abrupt and chaotic.

If offenses are supposed to be a well-oiled machine, the Cavalier offense is more like a 1973 Pinto. In other words, outdated, ugly, and more of a danger to yourself than to others.

Virginia needs a leader to emerge from this trio or the Cavaliers could be facing one of their worst seasons in recent memory. While victory against TCU is not necessary for a season turnaround, the Cavaliers need to, at least, show signs of life.

The Horned Frog defense is actually one of the best Virginia will play all season. If their new offense could shake off the William & Mary game to make some strides, the Cavaliers avoid turnovers and the offense remains balanced, then Virginia will make it a game.

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, those are a lot of "ifs."

UVA Football's Quarterback Quandry: Marc Verica Or Jameel Sewell?

Ben Gibson — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:30:59 -0400

No rest for the weary.

After a humiliating loss at home to FCS team William and Mary, you would imagine the Virginia Cavaliers would be anxious to get back on the field and try to make amends for arguably the worst loss in the nine-year history of Al Groh's tenure.

Be careful what you wish for, Cavalier fans.

Up next on the schedule for Virginia, the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs. The giant killers must see blood in the water after the Cavaliers new offensive offense resulted in 14 points and seven turnovers last weekend.

TCU knows that running the table could lead them to a BCS berth. This is its chance to start the season off with an emphatic note by beating up on a power-conference team on the road.

For Virginia, this is a chance to save face and for Groh to keep the pitchforks and torches at bay...for at least a week.

However, turning things around will not be easy. The Cavaliers have problems and Groh's most important solution also appears to be the most difficult to find: a solid quarterback.

Last week, Virginia used three quarterbacks in the same game. It was eerily similar to the infamous Western Michigan loss at home in 2006, when Cavaliers turnovers led to a humbling loss and Virginia emptied the depth chart in desperation to find someone who could run an offense.

That game ended with their third option, Jameel Sewell, taking the reins and—after some bumps and bruises—leading the Cavaliers to a Gator Bowl appearance the following season.

Now that history has repeated itself and we've seen the good and bad of all three quarterbacks, where does Virginia go from here?

Well, the first decision is a painful but obvious one. Vic Hall is not going to be our starting quarterback.

I know, I know, Virginia fans were clamoring for this guy to be on the offense and their dreams were validated with a huge run in the opening minutes to take the lead. However, that score was not an omen of things to come, but a mirage of what could have been for the Gretna High standout.

I am not sure if it is that Hall cannot throw the football, or that the offensive coordinator has zero confidence in Hall throwing the ball. However, if Hall is not going to at least attempt to throw, defenses will rush all 11 guys and sack him for a loss each and every play.

He will never get out of the pocket and therefore will lose his greatest asset, his legs.

Against William and Mary, it was almost like all the other players would stop and watch Hall, waiting for him to do something. If no one else is going to help him out and make plays for him, it makes the game pretty easy for opposing defenses.

Blame it on his height, his lack of experience, or even his terrible coordinator, but this experiment is about to come to an end before it ever began.

If that does happen, has anyone's career been more mishandled in the history of Virginia football? Groh took an all-star quarterback, changed him to cornerback, brought him back to quarterback, and now seems content to let his best play-maker stand on the sidelines until he muffs another punt near the endzone.

Groh is a great defensive mastermind who absolutely loves the X's and O's of college football, but for goodness sake, did he even attempt to think this game plan out? It literally seemed like the Virginia coaching staff did not realize Hall's diminutive stature would be a problem until the first quarter of the opening game.

What were they doing during training camp?

That leaves us with two options to be the Virginia quarterback: Jameel Sewell and Marc Verica. Two sides of the same coin.

On one hand, you have the terribly inconsistent Sewell, who showed that the more things change, the more things stay the same. After a year away, Sewell continued to mix in a great pass here with an interception there.

Three interceptions in less than a few quarters of game time does not instill your team with confidence.

Now did his accuracy seem a smidgen better? Perhaps. However, the question remains the same: will he ever be consistent enough to keep Virginia fans from pulling their hair?

On the other hand, you have Verica. The junior signal-caller had the best performance of the three last weekend against the Tribe, but let's be honest, that's like saying being punched in the face is better than being shot or thrown over hot coals.

They all hurt.

Verica did not exactly look bad, although his coordinator certainly did when they asked him to run out of the shotgun on 4th-and-1.

However, we all know better than to get sucked into this fantasy that Verica will become our football hero and will victory from the jaws of defeat. We already know how the story actually ends.

He will do just enough to keep the team in it, and then, when the pressure is on, he will throw it to the other team.

Verica had twice as many interceptions as touchdowns last year and even if he has the best arm on the team, do we really trust him to come through with the game on the line?

Even though Sewell is horribly inconsistent, at least he got the job done in the clutch. You do not win five games by two points or less by accident.

If Virginia is going to turn things around this season, it will have to start this week against TCU. Obviously, a victory would go a long way in curing ill feelings. However, if Virginia could at least show improvement, maybe they could salvage a season already on red alert.

To do that, Groh must look towards Verica. I know, it feels wrong to say. We all wanted the Hall experiment to lead to 28 points-per-game, but that is not in the cards.

Verica is Virginia's only passing option.

Remember that Matt Schaub had a tough time finding his rhythm in college as well. He went on to become the 2003 ACC Offensive Player of the Year when plenty of Virginia fans were screaming for Bryson Spinner or Marques Hagans not too long before that turn around.

If Verica struggles, you still have Sewell, who has shown a penchant for coming in late and getting the job done.

Two-quarterback systems are actually not as complicated as Virginia makes it appear. However, it requires a coordinator intelligent enough to utilize the strengths and weaknesses of each option.

Granted, a quarterback dilemma is just one of many problems facing the Cavaliers this season, but we have all seen the difference a quarterback can make on a team.

In truth, Virginia needs a leader. Someone who can rally the troops when faced with adversity.

The Tribe had that with their quarterback, R.J. Archer. Even when William and Mary constantly squandered scoring opportunities, they never got down on themselves. They simply willed themselves to a road victory against a team with its season on the line.

Virginia, conversely, looked defeated somewhere near halftime.

The Cavaliers have six team captains, a school record. What they need now is for one to step up and act like one.

In Groh We Bust: Writing on the Wall for Virginia Football

Ben Gibson — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:31:27 -0400

How does one exactly put into words a loss to William and Mary?

Granted, Virginia football has had many poor performances in the Al Groh era, particularly in season openers. The Cavaliers lost to the Tribe in 1986 with George Welsh, a Hall of Famer, roaming the sidelines, and I would say things turned out well.

So even though it is surprising to see Virginia football falter with a 26-14 loss against William and Mary it is not unprecedented for the program.

However, this loss is different for the Cavalier faithful who must cope with a season that has started off on the worst note possible for the fourth straight year.

You would expect most loyal fans to throw things, drink excessively or curse until the cops are called when your BCS conference team is completely outclassed by a FCS program in your home stadium. That's not the case for me though.

Obviously I am angry and disappointed in the poor performance. All the fears we had about Vic Hall's arm, Jameel Sewell's consistency, and Marc Verica's decision-making turned out to be warranted. Seven turnovers do not happen by accident.

That's right, a team that finished near the bottom of the ACC standings in turnover margin had seven turnovers to open the season. Did I mention this was William and Mary and not the BCS buster TCU coming in next week?

Maybe we all owe former offensive coordinator Mike Groh an apology.

With the thought of a difficult season ahead, you would expect fans to feel fear or depression but the overwhelming emotion I feel is acceptance.

Acceptance that this was Al Groh's swan song after nine years at the helm as head coach of the University of Virginia. A painful journey with some great moments and some big duds appears to be on its final leg.

I know that seasons can turn around. After all, in 2008 the Cavaliers had a horrific September to turn the corner in October and knock out both North Carolina and Georgia Tech in consecutive weeks to lead the ACC Coastal going into November.

In 2007, Virginia started with an equally unimpressive show in a 23-3 loss on the road to Wyoming before rebounding to reach the Gator Bowl with an NCAA record five wins by two points or less.

That was then, this is now. While Virginia could turn things around and could even make their way into a mediocre bowl game, the time has come to face facts.

Fool me once Groh, shame on you. Fool me nine times, shame on me.

This is your team Virginia fans. The Cavaliers will always be a manic mess, providing a few upsets here and there and a few humiliating losses to boot. Do we really want to live this Jekyll and Hyde existence?

Virginia Cavalier fans deserve better and it is time to stop making excuses.

When Al Groh first stepped on Grounds to replace Welsh in 2001 after a stint with the New York Jets, he talked the talk of changing the culture in Charlottesville. He made us put away the shirts and ties. He banned the pep band and tried to create a Sea of Orange.

In return we were promised a national program that would compete not only for an ACC title but make it to a coveted BCS game. Groh promised to take Virginia to the next level and at best the Cavaliers have been stuck at neutral.

Sure we can all make excuses until we're blue in the face, but the question is simple: Is Virginia better off than they were nine years ago?

The answer is no. Despite all the NFL talent, we have no proof that Al Groh can make Virginia consistently compete at a national level. All the evidence points to the inconsistent consistency that has made Cavalier fans enraged or worse, apathetic, during this time period.

For the last few years, Groh has skated on such flimsy excuses. Who are we going to get that's better? What if he just had an experienced offensive coordinator? Virginia just needs some time and experience.

Let's face it folks, pulling the trigger is scary. Making a change is always an unknown commodity. Obviously the Cavaliers could find a new coach that completely falls apart, but they could also strike gold and reach levels of success on a road that was paved by Welsh 20 years ago.

Change is scary because the result is unknown. However, what we do know is what an Al Groh team is going to be. A team that refuses to reach its full potential. A team that cannot get out of its own way. A team in desperate need of a leader.

Groh could stay at Virginia until he retired and he could get to a bowl game every few years. He could maintain a .500 record in the ACC. He might even make the sweatshirt a new fashion icon.

Ladies and gentlemen, Virginia football deserves better. You know it, I know it and after tonight, even Athletic Director Craig Littlepage knows it.

The writing is on the wall and the word is mediocrity.

Groh has cheated the pink slip for the past few years, but no longer. The clock has struck midnight in Charlottesville and time has run out for the Virginia alum.

It may be a sad ending boys and girls but it's a necessary one.