New Virginia football coach Al Groh expressed his enthusiasm for finally being able to practice on the field at a press conference yesterday. The Cavaliers begin their 14-practice spring schedule on Friday.
"It's time to find out if the coach can do anything but talk," Groh said.
Only junior running back Arlen Harris will miss the spring season, which culminates in the annual Spring Game, played April 21 at 1 p.m. at Klšckner Stadium.
We want to "allow [Harris] to spend more time on his academics," Groh said.
Groh plans to use the spring sessions to address the starting quarterback situation. Sophomores Bryson Spinner and Matt Schaub will battle for the position this spring.
"One story that is really going to become clear this spring is these two players," Groh said. "Both seem to be very eager to get with it. They both have some very obvious physical credentials. I'm looking forward to seeing how that translates to being the quarterback."
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He also said that senior John Duckett will play fullback, and junior Merrill Robertson will remain at linebacker. As for the rest of the positions, Groh said that he plans on giving the veterans a chance to hold onto their spots.
"This is what they've been working for," Groh said. "When they came to Virginia, they had a dream in mind as to what their third, fourth years were going to look like. We want to give them the opportunity to play to what that dream has been."
He welcomes underclassmen to challenge for significant playing time, however.
"I think that it's good for young players to compete for their jobs," Groh said. "The more competition you have on the team and the more the player gives us opportunity a to demonstrate how he responds to competition, that strengthens the team and gives us a sense of the player as a competitor and not just a guy running drills."
Coming into his first year at Virginia, Groh recognizes that he will have to reevaluate his players. He plans on looking at whether certain players are better suited for other positions, but does not expect to make any major changes.
"You will not see nine defensive guys playing offense, or vice versa," Groh said.
Groh promises to "do whatever it takes to move the ball," instead of abiding by George Welsh's run-first philosophy. The offensive and defensive coordinators wrote the playbook, but Groh played an active part in determining the schemes and formations the Cavaliers will use. Groh said that he will be very familiar with every play in the playbook when Virginia takes the field.
Groh also hopes to foster good relationships between the players and the coaches. He believes that the key to a successful football program is the coaches' interaction with the players.
"I think that if you want to have good chemistry on the team, you have to have good chemistry with your coaches," Groh said.
Groh is anxious to head into his first spring season as Virginia's head coach. He knows there are many questions that must be addressed in the wake of George Welsh's retirement, and he expects some of those things to begin falling into place during the spring.
"I don't know that there'll be final answers on a lot of things I would like to have answers to, but I'm sure the picture will begin to show itself," Groh said.
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