When Mike London was introduced as the new head coach of the Virginia football team Dec. 7, he spoke of the great opportunity to revitalize a program that had suffered three losing seasons during the last four years, the optimism of bringing in his own staff and also the various challenges that lay ahead of him.
Things may not have gone as planned. And after the team's annual spring game this past Saturday, London acknowledged the wounded prides of players who had lost nine games during the 2009 season.
"In December, there were fragile egos, dark cloud hanging over the guys, 'woe is me' type of thing," London said. "Then change occurs. Sometimes when that happens, [guys] get a new lease on life. You introduce them to new people in their life that say, 'Look, you can't do this.'"
Players said the attitude of the team has changed since London's arrival, emphasizing the three pillars of his program: Go to class, show class and treat people with dignity and respect.
"There's a lot of parts we have to work on - that I have to work on," London said. "But I know the attitude part has changed."
Many of the loose parts were on display during Saturday's game between the Orange team - which featured the first team defense and second team offense - and the Blue team, which included the first team offense and second team defense. The Orange squad, led by rising senior cornerback Ras-I Dowling and rising junior defensive end Cam Johnson on the defense, and redshirt freshman quarterback Ross Metheney on offense, prevailed 30-3.
The controlled scrimmage was organized around five 15-play series that began at different yard-lines and a sixth "Beat the Clock" set from the 40-yard line.
The Orange squad's victory was highlighted by an interception by Johnson, who picked off a tipped pass from junior quarterback Marc Verica and sprinted 51 yards down the field for a touchdown. With 14 practices under his belt at the new position, Johnson - who played outside linebacker for Al Groh in the former coach's 3-4 system - discussed the progress he has made in his adjustment to defensive end in London's 4-3 scheme.
"I'm a lot more comfortable now, now that I know the schemes and where the coaches want me to fit on the plays," Johnson said. "But I still got a lot of work to do."
Dowling also showcased his first-round draft potential with several breakups on deep passes down the field intended for rising sophomore receiver Tim Smith. As a whole, London was pleased with his team's defensive performance.
"Defensively, we'll be fairly representative of putting a good team out there
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