Two days after the Virginia football team upset Clemson, Cavalier coach Al Groh said that it is important for the team to stop thinking about the win and concentrate on the upcoming game against Duke.
Groh stressed the fact that Duke (0-3, 0-1 ACC) is a tough team to face, even though the Blue Devils have yet to win a game.
The Cavaliers (2-1, 1-0) will need to worry about several talented offensive players, including one who also plays for Duke's basketball team.
"They have a wide receiver, Reggie Love, who at 6-foot-4, 226 pounds is a dangerous player for us," Groh said. "Anyone that can grab eight rebounds in an ACC championship game can be a good player. They also had an All-ACC tight end [Mark Hart] last season. He can present match-up problems for our defensive backs when he goes vertical. They also have something that you don't see on a lot of teams in two offensive linemen [John Miller and Daryl Lewis] bigger than 335 pounds."
Groh said that the Blue Devils also have several defensive schemes and players that Virginia will have to pay attention to if they are going to win on Saturday.
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"It seems like the defense blitzes every play," he said. "You know they are coming but you don't know where they are coming from. We will have to pick up the blitz to be effective. They have a couple of great safeties [B.J. Hill and Josh Kreider], [Jim] Scharrer, who is a player that looks really good, and [Ryan] Fowler, who had seven sacks last year as a freshman."
Virginia will not be able to take the Blue Devils for granted or they might end up with a surprising loss like the 1999 Virginia team Duke beat in overtime, 24-17.
Cavalier helped by recovered players
Three Virginia players that had injury problems dating back to the summer, came up big for the Cavaliers in their 26-24 victory over Clemson three days ago.
Larry Simmons returned from injuries sustained during the summer and fall to play in 69 plays and all three games so far for the Cavaliers this season, but none bigger than a play mid-way through the fourth quarter against Clemson. After a blitzing Almondo Curry sacked Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler and caused a fumble, Simmons picked up the ball and rumbled for 26 yards to the Clemson 34-yard line. Although that drive stalled, the play set up the Cavaliers in good field position for the last scoring drive.
"Larry has gotten back into full playing shape," Groh said. "He has had a time that was like his fall practice in the last couple of weeks and has gotten into every game and made some big plays for us."
Groh also singled out Tyree Foreman and Chris Canty as players that have returned from ailments to play well in recent games.
Foreman ran for 58 yards on 10 carries and had a big play on the last scoring drive when he took a handoff from quarterback Bryson Spinner and threw to wide receiver Billy McMullen for a 17-yard gain. Foreman had been suffering from ankle sprains and bruised ribs throughout the season.
Canty, who also suffered off-season injuries, has come back strong according to Groh. He has played in every Virginia game this year and had a good game against Clemson, according to Groh.
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