Virginia football coach Al Groh said during his weekly press conference yesterday that he has been impressed with the competitive toughness that the interior of his defense has displayed this season.
There are several members of the defense that are not playing in their normal positions. Some are undersized and going up against much larger players on the opposing teams. That problem was apparent Saturday against Florida State, when the Seminoles featured an offensive line that averages more than 300 pounds a player, with the smallest weighing in at 315 pounds.
"You need those guys who are competitively tough on your team," Groh said about some members of the Virginia defense. "You go out and get those guys. You have to go back to their high school days and see if he made that big play at the end of the game. It is a special quality."
Two such examples that Groh highlighted were senior defensive ends Ljubomir Stamenich and Darryl Sanders, who weigh in at 262 and 268 pounds, respectively.
"I would say those guys play close to heroically every week," Groh said. "They keep on coming and battling every down."
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Groh was quick to point out that these two are the defense's warriors, and their skill was particularly noticeable on videotape. Senior linebackers John Duckett and Earl Sims are a part of that interior defense that has stepped up its play over the season, giving the coaches the competitive toughness they are seeking.
Sims "is up there with Stamenich and Sanders as being a warrior cult," Groh said. "Really, Duckett is a part of them too."
Virginia must cut down on errors
Groh was not happy when he discussed the dropped passes that plagued the Cavaliers on Saturday against Florida State. Virginia dropped five passes during the game: two by wide receiver Tavon Mason, two by fullback Jonathan Ward and one by tight end Chris Luzar.
Virginia had "too many [dropped passes], especially when they occur on the 10-yard line when you are trying to create a long field" for Florida State, Groh said. "When you are operating with a great margin, you have to make a play. You have to step up."
Groh also talked about making better decisions on offense by citing Florida State cornerback Abdual Howard's third-quarter interception return for a touchdown. Virginia sophomore quarterback Matt Schaub overlooked Mason in the end zone and threw a short pass into heavy coverage for wide receiver Ottowa Anderson. Seminoles' safety Stanford Samuels hit Anderson just as Schaub's pass reached the freshman, and the ball bounced to Howard, who ran it into the Virginia end zone for a touchdown.
Schaub will start at quarterback
Groh mentioned that for the third straight game Schaub will lead the offense. Virginia's upcoming game is against N.C. State on Saturday. Groh appears to have settled on giving Schaub most of the playing time, but insists that both Schaub and sophomore quarterback Bryson Spinner still have things to learn over the remainder of the season.
Schaub completed 15 of 31 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown and one interception aginst the Seminoles on Saturday.
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