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(04/02/09 6:16am)
The slim crowd at a rain-soaked Davenport Field must have thought the Virginia baseball team was playing an April Fool’s joke through the first five innings of the Cavaliers’ game against Norfolk State last night. Blowout wins had been the typical storyline for midweek non-conference games for Virginia.The upset-minded Spartans, however, held a 2-1 lead after five innings last night before giving up two runs in the sixth inning and three runs in the seventh to eventually succumb to the Cavaliers 6-2.Norfolk State senior pitcher Jason Barker recorded a no decision but pitched a solid 4 1/3 innings for the overmatched Spartans (6-10, 3-2 MEAC), putting them in position to win the game before he was pulled in the fifth inning. The senior struck out three Cavaliers and only gave up one run.“Baseball’s a funny game,” Virginia coach Brian O’Connor said. “You have to credit [Barker]. He’s up there spinning breaking balls — he wasn’t throwing very hard, throwing changeups. He got our guys chasing a little bit out on their front foot, and when you’re hitting out there on your front foot, it’s tough to square the ball up.”Even after the veteran Barker was pulled for sophomore Ryan Davis in the middle of the fifth inning with the bases loaded and one out, Virginia (24-4, 6-4 ACC) could not capitalize as freshman first baseman John Hicks popped out to the infield and junior catcher Franco Valdes flied out to left field. Hicks went 0-for-5 on the night, breaking his 11-game hit streak.“When you’re down in a game that everybody feels like you should win you feel a little extra pressure to perform in the clutch.” O’Connor said. “We just didn’t get it done [in the fifth].The sixth and seventh innings were different stories for the Cavaliers, however, as they turned Spartan mistakes into Virginia runs.With one out in the sixth, sophomore left fielder David Coleman drew a walk then advanced to second base when freshman shortstop Keith Werman grounded out to Davis, who bobbled the ball, ending the chance of a double play. Sophomore centerfielder Jarrett Parker was then intentionally walked and advanced on a balk by Davis. Finally, sophomore second baseman Phil Gosselin walked to set up a bases-loaded situation for freshman designated hitter Danny Hultzen who, up to that point, was 0-for-2 on the night with a walk.The freshman came through, however, and managed to smack a single to center field, bringing home Coleman and Parker to put the Cavaliers in front of the Spartans 3-2.“I was just looking for a good pitch to hit,” Hultzen said. “[Davis] threw me a couple curve balls in the dirt so I was just looking for a fastball and luckily I got one and was able to put a good swing on it.”With one out in the seventh, Valdes struck out but reached first on a passed ball. From there, the situation snowballed for Virginia. Freshman third baseman Jared King notched a base hit, and both he and Valdes advanced to third and second bases, respectively, on a wild pitch, putting two runners in scoring position for Coleman. Coleman widened Virginia’s lead to 5-2 with a sharp liner past junior third baseman Chris Joyce, scoring King and Valdes. Coleman then advanced to third on an overthrow to second by sophomore catcher Cameron Parsons, and Parker followed with another hit, giving the Cavaliers one more run.“We capitalized when it was the most important time,” O’Connor said. “It wasn’t pretty by any means ... They had to give us a little help there to get us jump started.”From there, the relief pitcher duo of freshman Justin Thompson and senior Brad Grove shut the door on Norfolk’s State’s hopes of a rally by pitching a scoreless two innings combined. Freshman Shane Halley (2-0) picked up the win for the Cavaliers after tossing 3 1/3 innings in relief — striking out three and only yielding one hit.“That is the most I’ve pitched all year [in one game],” Halley said. “I felt good out there. I was a little wild, sort of all over the place. Franco Valdes really put up with my stuff. I couldn’t get a curveball over to save my life. I just tried to hang on as long as possible. I knew my guys were going to come behind me and hit. It just took us awhile to catch on.”Halley came in for junior starting pitcher Jeff Lorick, who had control issues and was pulled after 3 2/3 innings.“[Lorick’s] command wasn’t good today,” O’Connor said. “He’s done some good things for us this year. He just needs to continue to work on his command. It’s tough to win when you’re pitching behind in the count. Fortunately though, Shane Halley came in and did a great job out of the bullpen and kept us right there and gave us a chance.”Halley’s one-hit, shutout pitching performance was especially important for the Cavaliers, who were slow to get started on offense. The Spartans put the first run on the board in the second inning and the Cavaliers drew even in the third when Parker blasted a home run over the right field wall for his seventh long ball of the year.“When I hit the home run I was just trying to get something started,” Parker said. “The pitcher from Norfolk State was throwing a lot of offspeed [pitches] and we’ve been used to hitting fastballs, so we had to take a different approach and it took us awhile to get used to.”Norfolk State struck again in the fourth with the bases loaded and one out when a wild pitch allowed freshman designated hitter Jermaine Berry to cross the plate, giving the Spartans their second lead of the game.“You don’t come out and hammer everybody for 10 or 12 runs every time,” O’Connor said.Though the Cavaliers did not pound the baseball every time they were up to the plate in their grind-it-out 6-2 win against Norfolk State, they certainly did do that at Radford Tuesday in a 12-2 win. Virginia used a nine-run second inning to cruise to the easy victory.“The first two innings [against Radford], we swung the bat — in a two-inning period — the best I think we have all year,” O’Connor said. “Every guy that stepped up to the plate was laying off pitchers’ pitches and hitting our pitches. It was really, really impressive — twice through the lineup — to be able to square the ball up as much as we did.”
(03/19/09 5:38am)
Even though its top two players — Somdev Devvarman and Treat Huey — graduated last year, the Virginia men’s tennis team is continuing to tear through its opponents at a torrid pace and is now riding an 18-match win streak.This past Sunday No. 10 Texas, playing at home, finally gave the Cavaliers a run for their money, but Virginia (18-0, 3-0 ACC) ultimately prevailed in a come-from-behind 4-3 win. The Cavaliers must now transition back to their ACC schedule with home matches tomorrow against Clemson at 2 p.m. and Sunday against Georgia Tech at noon.Clemson (7-6, 0-3 ACC) has several solid players with winning, albeit not spectacular, records. Senior Ike Belk is 12-4 overall, compiling a 7-1 record at the sixth position. The Tigers are riding a modest two-match win streak with victories against College of Charleston (7-0) and Stetson (6-1).Georgia Tech (6-6, 1-2 ACC), meanwhile, does not boast many spectacular individual records. Sophomore Guillermo Gomez, though, who was an All-ACC performer last season, is 21-6 overall and has accumulated a 5-3 record as the first seed. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 5-2 defeat of Tennessee Tech Tuesday and face Virginia Tech tomorrow.“I’m really looking forward to this weekend,” Inglot said. “Georgia Tech is also a very good team — a little bit tougher than Clemson — good way to start outdoors with ACC.”The difficulty of playing outdoors was especially evident this weekend. Virginia originally was scheduled to face two Texas teams — Baylor and Texas — but inclement weather forced the cancellation of Friday’s match against Baylor, creating more downtime than the team needed or wanted.“I feel like it was the longest trip you can make for one dual match,” sophomore Sanam Singh said.The team had prepared its psyche for the first match against Baylor, and when it was cancelled, the players felt unfulfilled.“That kind of threw us off a bit,” senior Dominic Inglot said. “You kind of prepare yourself a bit — you go through the motions to play a match on Friday — and then when it doesn’t happen ... There’s a little void — [you] prepare for nothing — you have to start all over again, [we were] sitting in Austin, [Texas], kind of biding our time waiting for the match on Sunday.”Once the Sunday match against Texas finally rolled around, it, too, was delayed because of weather. To hurry the match along, the teams played their singles matches first and then played doubles.“Rain got us again [at Texas],” junior Houston Barrick said. “So we had to start singles first which was the first time in my career. It was a little different. Usually [we] come out fired up in that doubles point. We had to calm down and get the singles point, [which] is usually a little more calm than doubles.”Perhaps the reverse order of the match threw off No. 18 Inglot and No. 16 sophomore Michael Shabaz, Virginia’s top two seeds, because both dropped their singles matches, giving Texas a 2-0 lead. Virginia then won three of the bottom four seeded matches, though, setting up a showdown where the doubles point would determine whether the Cavaliers would prevail or Texas would break Virginia’s 18-match win streak.The No. 23 tandem of Inglot and Shabaz picked up the first doubles point 8-6 in the second-seeded doubles match.“I said to the guys, ‘No way I’m going to lose two matches in a day,’” Inglot said. “I said to the guys, ‘If I have to break the guy’s arm before I lose, I’ll have to do that.’”The Virginia pair of freshman Drew Courtney and junior Lee Singer then dropped the third-seeded doubles match 8-6, meaning that the first-seeded match between No. 2 Cavaliers Barrick and Singh and No. 35 sophomore Longhorns Ed Corrie and Kellen Damico would decide the final tally.Barrick and Singh eventually topped the Longhorn duo 9-7, but not before serving for the match at 7-6 , only to lose the point and have to regroup.“That was a tough match,” Singh said. “I was serving 7-6 for the match and we played a really long game ... The crowd was getting loud — I got broken — and we broke right back at love, which doesn’t happen very often once you get broken in a really long game which is really intense — that was awesome. Then Houston served a really good serve. We had five match points, and finally clinched in the sixth one.”After the long road trip, the Cavaliers will now play their first outdoor games of their ACC schedule.“You have to be more patient,” Inglot said of playing outdoors, noting the team is still adjusting to the different environment. “The balls don’t come through as fast. The surfaces — it’s been resurfaced differently — the courts are much slower outdoors.”Previously, Virginia defeated ACC opponents Maryland 7-0 (Feb. 8), Boston College 7-0 (Feb. 21) and Virginia Tech 6-1 (Feb. 27) — though these victories all took place inside.“You have wind, [so you] have to hit ball harder,” he said about playing outside. “Then as well as that you have the sun. When you’re serving, looking into the sun, you can lose vision a little bit. You got to move a lot better, be mentally tough.”
(02/26/09 6:50am)
Following the Virginia women’s basketball team’s big win against Florida State Tuesday night, the men’s basketball team gets to take its own shot at another Sunshine State squad tonight at John Paul Jones Arena.The Cavaliers (9-14, 3-9 ACC) will have the chance to damage the NCAA Tournament résumé of the Miami Hurricanes (16-10, 5-8 ACC) in much the same way they did against Virginia Tech last Wednesday, winning 75-61.Miami is coming off a crucial 69-58 win against Boston College Saturday, ending a tough three-game skid after falling to Duke, North Carolina and Florida State. The Hurricanes own a paltry 3-7 record during their last 10 games, a statistic they will want to improve by Selection Sunday, given the importance the NCAA Selection Committee usually places on recent performance for tournament berths.After Virginia, Miami finishes up its regular season against Georgia Tech and N.C. State. Including tonight’s game against Virginia, these games against the ACC’s weaker teams are must-wins for the Hurricanes. Though Miami has a ratings percentage index of 46, ahead of fellow ACC bubble teams Maryland (54), Boston College (55) and Virginia Tech (66), all of those teams currently have .500-or-better records in conference play. Miami, however, will have to win all three to achieve an even 8-8 ACC mark.The Cavaliers, meanwhile, have been relegated to the spoiler role. Virginia, coming off a 72-67 loss to N.C. State Saturday, will have to bring more energy against Miami than it did against the Wolfpack. N.C. State led 24-6 before Virginia closed the first half with a 23-9 run to make it 33-29 heading into the locker room.“I thought early in the game, we settled for jump shots,” Virginia coach Dave Leitao said. “I told them during one of the timeouts I didn’t want any more jump shots. I wanted to attack, which was our game plan anyway. It has been more of our thought process recently to be more attacking and if you attack more, you get to the line, you get easy baskets and high percentage shots.”Being back on the home court could help the offense in the early going tonight, but getting out to a quick start will mean slowing down Miami senior guard Jack McClinton, who is averaging 20.1 points per game this season, placing him fourth in the ACC. Miami only has one other player averaging in double figures, junior forward Dwayne Collins at 11 points per game — but the Hurricanes boast five other players averaging at least five points. Collins is a presence on the inside, grabbing a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game, just slightly behind Virginia sophomore forward Mike Scott, whose 7.3 put him at 10th in the ACC.As a team, Miami sports the third best scoring defense in the ACC, giving up only 66.2 ppg. Additionally, the Hurricanes are tied with N.C. State for the league lead in three-point percentage (38.4 percent) thanks in large part to McClinton’s incredible 47.7 percent accuracy from long range, far outpacing Clemson sophomore guard Terrence Oglesby (39.5 percent) for first place in the conference.Leitao has used a revamped starting lineup since the second half against Boston College, but it was largely ineffective during the first half against the Wolfpack. Leitao then retooled the lineup, but he was disappointed in the bench production as well.“I don’t think [the starters] as a unit came out with the same kind of energy that we had recently,” Leitao said. “Then guys came off the bench and didn’t give us energy boosts either. So it wasn’t specifically the starting lineup.”Despite the subpar play from the entire team, senior forward Mamadi Diane, who has been largely absent from games this year, was a bright spot, scoring 11 points in the second half and sparking a comeback for the Cavaliers in which they nearly erased N.C. State’s 17-point lead. Earlier in the game, the embattled senior could sense the impending troubles Virginia later faced by watching his teammates’ body language.“Our bodies were lackadaisical,” Diane said. “Everything we were doing was lackadaisical. When you start out like that, there’s no way you’re going to win.”Virginia will have to become more energetic if it hopes to knock off a Miami team fighting for an NCAA Tournament berth. Only three Cavaliers scored in double figures against N.C. State, while five and four reached double figures in wins against Clemson and Virginia Tech, respectively.
(02/12/09 6:42am)
“We’re on a mission a little bit more than last year.”While Virginia sophomore Rhamel Bratton meant for the statement to apply to the entire Cavalier men’s lacrosse team, it is perhaps most relevant to the squad’s midfielders.Although the main offensive threat on a lacrosse team typically lies with a team’s attack, Virginia’s returning midfielders still feel as if they were not up to par in 2008.“Defenses would slide down and favor the attack more, so it would make games tougher when the midfielders didn’t pick up the slack,” Bratton said.This year, the Cavaliers’ midfield is looking to create more opportunities on offense, and much of that production could come from Rhamel’s twin brother, Shamel, who netted 14 goals last season, including overtime winners against Johns Hopkins and Syracuse during the regular season.“Shamel has been a revelation since the beginning of fall lacrosse,” Virginia coach Dom Starsia said. “One, he’s coming to terms with what we’re trying to get done. Two, he is having some consistency in his game.”Both brothers — not just Shamel — will be expected to step up and lead the midfielders this year after making an early impact last year as highly-touted freshmen.“With [Shamel] and Rhamel both, they’ve been much more consistent with what they’re doing on the field — making fundamental plays [and] shooting the ball more consistently,” Starsia said. “I think they are both going to play a key role for us, and they’ll likely improve considerably because the learning curve between your freshman and sophomore year is probably as great as any period of time. Both those kids have given every indication of taking that next step up.”Though the Brattons are expected to step up and shoulder a heavier load this year, the most productive returner to the midfield is junior Brian Carroll, who totaled 28 goals and nine assists last season without even starting a game. Indeed, this year’s edition of the Cavalier midfield should come together as a more competitive unit.“We’ve got four or five guys that we feel like are playing very well in the midfield,” Starsia said. “We have had [junior] Mike Thompson out for most of the preseason so far in terms of our short-stick midfielders. I feel like we’re pretty athletic overall in the midfield. I feel like what’s been a strength for us in these first two scrimmages has been leaving our midfielders on the field a little bit to play both offense and defense.”A deeper midfield this year also gives Starsia some flexibility with his lineup.“One of the questions going into the season is whether or not we can get increased production from the midfield, which I think is going to be a requirement to be the offensive team we want to be,” Starsia said. “I’m confident that’s going to happen, but at the same time, we’re not absolutely set with all the different lineups. I’m probably going to mix and match the pieces a little bit, especially early in the season.”Starsia will need to figure out his perfect combinations as quickly as possible, though, given the obstacles the attack is trying to overcome, including having to start freshman Steele Stanwick on his offhand side and losing the experience of graduate Ben Rubeor.Even the attack, however, already has noticed the apparent improvement of the midfield.“I think the midfielders are playing smartly, confidently, and they are playing fast right now,” senior attack Danny Glading said. “When you have a combination of those things, it’s going to translate into a lot of goals and a lot of production coming from them. They’re all playing really well, and I think that you can tell there’s more experience at the midfield and that’s going to help a lot this season.”Overall, the midfielders are adjusting to the college game after a year’s experience and expect to give a significant boost to the team.“You have to pay attention to the small things — hustling, getting back on defense, things like that — you kind of took for granted in high school and kind of came easy,” Shamel Bratton said. “Now you have to go 100 percent in every aspect of the game, Looking back on [last] season, what could’ve happened and you already see things going well for you in practice now, so it’s kind of nice.”
(02/06/09 7:18am)
A streaking North Carolina team is not what a slumping Virginia men’s basketball squad wants to play right now, but it is what the brutal ACC schedule next presents the Cavaliers.Virginia (7-10, 1-6 ACC) travels to Chapel Hill tomorrow at 4 p.m. to take on the No. 3 Tar Heels (20-2, 6-2 ACC), winners of six straight games. After starting off its ACC schedule with two losses to Boston College and Wake Forest, North Carolina rebounded with a dominating 83-61 defeat of Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena Jan. 15. The Tar Heels have not looked back since and have outscored opponents by 16.5 points per game during their winning streak. North Carolina most recently topped Maryland Tuesday in a 108-91 shootout at home.Virginia, meanwhile, has lost six consecutive games, winning its last game Jan. 6 against Brown. Additionally, the Cavaliers have not won an ACC game since the conference opener, when they topped Georgia Tech in Atlanta 88-84 in overtime Dec. 28. In its latest ACC loss, Virginia fell at home to Boston College 80-70 Wednesday night.The Cavaliers are aware of the ACC’s strength and realize how difficult it is to turn around a season in such a demanding conference.“There are no breaks in this league,” Virginia sophomore guard Jeff Jones said. “Every game is tough.”One would think that after losing six games — one after the other — a team’s psyche would be damaged. Virginia players, however, insist on not throwing in the towel.“We don’t fear anyone,” Virginia freshman guard Sylven Landesberg said. “We’re going to go out there and continue playing, even if we are in a slump. We’re not going to back down.”The price of backing down on the road in the strong ACC can be high, as evidenced by the 27-point beatings highly-ranked Duke and Wake Forest suffered Wednesday night against Clemson and Miami, respectively.Should Virginia fail to come out with an aggressive attitude, the Tar Heels certainly have the talent to turn the game into a blowout.Though his numbers are down from last year, North Carolina senior forward Tyler Hansbrough continues to lead the Tar Heels in scoring with 22.4 points per game, tied for 12th in the nation with Oklahoma sophomore forward Blake Griffin. Hansbrough and freshman forward Ed Davis share the team lead in rebounds with 7.6 per game.Against the Cavaliers Jan. 15, Hansbrough recorded 28 points, although 15 of those came off of free throws. As a result, the Cavaliers are trying to limit the number of easy points they give last year’s NCAA Player of the Year.“I learned a lot from when I played against [Hansbrough] the first time,” Virginia freshman center Assane Sene said. “I got in foul trouble [the first time against North Carolina] so I’m going to play smart in the game, be patient and try not to get in foul trouble.”Even if the Cavaliers are able to contain Hansbrough somewhat, they will still have to contend with four other Tar Heels who are averaging double figures in scoring: junior guards Ty Lawson (15.5 ppg) and Wayne Ellington (14.8 ppg), senior forward Danny Green (13.4 ppg) and junior forward Deon Thompson (11.6 ppg).An aggressive attitude is one that coach Dave Leitao has recently attempted to instill in his team more than ever. A drastically different second half starting lineup cut Boston College’s lead into single digits Wednesday night. Leitao noted after the game that he started who he thought would play with the most energy. Now, it is unclear whether the starting lineup will be different tomorrow, and the Cavalier players expressed a similar ambivalence toward the possibility and the question of whether such changes could help the team.“I’m not really sure [if a new lineup would help],” Landesberg said. “It may, it may not. We’ll just have to play it out and see what happens.”Landesberg was the only starter who was not on the bench at the beginning of the second half Wednesday, and he continues to be a bright spot during an otherwise dismal year. The freshman poured in a career-high 32 points against the Eagles, and Leito may even ask him to take on more point guard duties as the rest of the year progresses.“I’ve got to look at him a little bit more as a primary ball-handler because he doesn’t really turn it over and he tries more than anybody else on the team to go north and south,” Leitao said.One aspect of the Cavaliers’ play that needs remedying if they are to even be within single digits of North Carolina at the half is their recent trend of starting slow in games. Virginia’s average deficit at halftime for its past five games is 17 points, creating a significant hole for the Cavaliers to start the second half of games.“I think it’s a defensive lapse and then when that happens, the offense starts going down,” Landesberg said. “So it’s a combination of both.”
(11/29/08 5:00am)
33-21. 17-0. 52-14. These are the double-digit losses the seniors of the Virginia football team have endured during their careers as Cavaliers.Going back one more year, for the team’s fifth-year seniors, Virginia was defeated 24-10 by the Hokies back in 2004 as well. It has not been since a 35-21 Virginia win in Charlottesville in 2003 that this rivalry has seen a Cavalier victory.Only about 10 years ago, the two teams were neck-and-neck in the number of wins in the series, but the Hokies have won eight of the last nine games between the rivals, stretching their series lead to 47-37-5. If Virginia loses Saturday, the Cavalier seniors of the Class of 2009 would be the second consecutive senior class to not win one game against Virginia Tech.This is something that does not go unnoticed by seniors on this year’s team.“I think there would be some sort of void [if we never beat them],” senior running back Cedric Peerman said. “That’s your rival. You always want to beat your rivals, and I haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here. It’s something I definitely think about, something I think the team definitely thinks about.”Though this year’s game does not have as much riding on it as last year’s, when the winner went to the ACC Championship, the Cavaliers still have an extra incentive to beat the Hokies. In addition to Virginia becoming bowl-eligible, defeating Virginia Tech would ruin the Hokies’ chances for a second straight conference title.“I know they’re looking forward to trying to get to the ACC Championship, so being able to spoil that for them, that’d just be an added bonus [to winning the game as a senior],” senior safety Byron Glaspy said.Players say it doesn’t matter how much is riding on the game or how well the two teams are playing — it can all be thrown out the window when these two rivals clash."When these teams play, it usually doesn't matter what the record is,” senior linebacker Clint Sintim said. “Each team [comes] out and plays hard, and it's always a big game. It's going to be exciting."The rivalry is especially significant for native Virginians. Several players from both teams knew each other even before they played against each other in college.“The coaches recruit the same players, so you know a lot of players from recruiting,” Sintim said. “It's an in-state rivalry, and most of the kids in the state either go to Virginia or Virginia Tech for the majority.”Virginia-Virginia Tech is a rivalry that seems to get lots of attention in the commonwealth but gets lost among rivalries such as Florida-Florida State, Alabama-Auburn and Ohio State-Michigan in terms of national attention. However, the experiences of Glaspy, who was born in Virginia but moved away when he was 4, speak to the intensity of the rivalry once involved in it.“When you come here, you fall into the same tradition,” Glaspy said. “You hear so many stories about Virginia-Virginia Tech games, just the history of the rivalry, and you just become a part of that, you get sucked up into that culture, and you just identify with that.”While Virginia Tech has aspirations of heading to Tampa Bay, Virginia still has aspirations to play one more game after Saturday. Some of the seniors just aren’t ready to move on."I just hope it's not our last game,” Sintim said. “I'm not ready to leave college football and join the real world, whatever that may be. We have an opportunity to play two more games – that’s the way I'm taking it, that's the way I'm trying to approach it ... I'm trying to do everything in my power to execute and to get the guys to feel the same way I feel so we can go down to Blacksburg and get a big win.”The team is feeling a sense of urgency as continuing its season boils down to winning just one more game this year against Virginia Tech.“To go down there and just get bowl-eligible in the last game, it's kind of a win or go home feeling for our team right now,” senior tight end John Phillips said. “We understand the importance of the game and the rivalry circling around it, so it's going to be an interesting contest.”Last year’s Cavaliers were playing for a chance to advance to the ACC title game and possibly the Orange Bowl. This year’s team is just scratching and clawing for any bowl. Ending a run of Hokie wins in the rivalry is motivating the seniors as well. And what about spoiling a nemesis’ chances to win the Coastal Division?Most of the seniors didn’t bite at this question, but Glaspy made an offering.“That’d be a nice thing to do – send them home unhappy,” Glaspy said.
(11/18/08 5:00am)
Around 11:30 Sunday night I was definitely happy. The worries of an increasing academic load were suddenly lighter. My Cowboys had defeated the hated Redskins 14-10 at a hostile FedEx Field for a huge win, stunning the 90,000-plus in attendance.The win was that much sweeter for the Cowboys, who badly needed to boost their chances of making the playoffs. Additionally, it was against their arch-rival, who handed them their first loss of the season in Big D Sept. 28, perhaps starting the tailspin that saw Dallas drop three of its next five games and go from first in the NFC East to last, prompting a flood of questions as to whether they would even make the playoffs.This was a very important game, and I had to give it my all as a fan. After the Virginia basketball game against VMI where I wore my ‘Hoo Crew T-shirt, I took a special trip to my car to get my Tony Romo jersey and bring it to The Cavalier Daily office. (Note: I had worn it this past weekend when I was visiting my girlfriend. No, I don’t keep it in my car and throw it on when I want to tick someone off.)Despite the forthcoming kickoff, I was busy fulfilling my editing duties at 8 p.m. and once the game started, I would do a little work and spin around in my chair to try to catch every play. I watched in vain as the Cowboys went three-and-out on their first offensive possession and let the Redskins march down the field quite easily and go up 7-0.The Cowboys, however, showed resiliency uncharacteristic of their time under coach Wade Phillips. Though the offense was slow to get going, Dallas tied the game in the second quarter with a Marion Barber run and played solid, hard-hitting defense throughout the game — as did the Redskins — befitting of the nature of the rivalry.My optimism following the Cowboys’ first score turned into disbelief when Rock Cartwright returned the kickoff for Washington all the way down to the Dallas 37, leading to a field goal to put the Redskins up 10-7 at the half.As I finally found time to don my jersey at halftime though, I still had liked what I had seen through the first half. Dallas was sticking around, and Romo had thrown really only one bad pass, which was intercepted by DeAngelo Hall. A second interception came when Terrell Owens was decked by Carlos Rogers, popping the ball into the air where it was intercepted by Rocky McIntosh. The Cowboys, despite only scoring 7 points, were beginning to move the ball down the field and seemed to be on the verge of more scores.The hard-fought game continued into the second half; neither team scored in the third quarter. Dallas finally broke through with 10:36 left in the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Romo to rookie tight end Martellus Bennett, who looked nothing like a rookie on the catch as he was blanketed by two defenders but still hauled the pass in. John Madden said Romo made a great pass on the play, and while I agree, it was a poor decision and could’ve been intercepted. One of Romo’s best plays of the night, though, was the play before on third-and-7 when Romo scrambled around and showed his playmaking abilities, shoveling a pass forward to Miles Austin for a crucial first down.The Dallas D held firm for the rest of the game, and “Marion the Barbarian” and the offensive line enforced their will on Washington’s defensive line, eating up precious time. I gleefully watched the clock slowly tick down and my peppered yelps of joy and arm-raising drew chuckles from some of my fellows staffers, but I didn’t care, as Dallas eventually squeezed out a road win against the Redskins, 14-10.Dallas now sits tied with Washington at 6-4, along with Atlanta, for the second wild card spot in the NFC. Tampa Bay, at 7-3, stands just ahead, alone in the first wild card spot.The return of Romo, cornerback Terrence Newman and offensive lineman Kyle Kosier no doubt helped the Cowboys, because Romo infused life into a stagnant offense, Newman stopped a Redskin drive into Dallas territory with a big interception during the middle of the third quarter and Kosier was at least partly responsible for the strong game Barber had running the ball.The win for the Cowboys was no doubt great for them. If they had fallen to 5-5, with tilts against the Steelers, Giants, Ravens and Eagles still to come, making the playoffs would have been a tall task. At 6-4 and home games against subpar San Francisco and Seattle up next before the tough gauntlets already mentioned, the Cowboys stand a good chance of moving to 8-4 if they can take care of business.Unfortunately, however, a big win for the Cowboys has negative side effects as well. The media is back on the bandwagon singing praises for the team. Some fans are making ridiculous statements on message boards again as if they go into hibernation during the bad times only to spring up again when the team gets going.So, please, can we take a dose of reality with our bloated optimism? I’m as excited as anybody and believe Dallas has a chance to make a strong second-half push into the playoffs and hopefully beyond. But the reality is, we are tied for the second wild-card spot and look like we are still behind teams such as Arizona, Carolina and of course, the Giants in terms of looking like a playoff team. So let’s just save the hoopla for a possible late-season run.
(11/05/08 9:42am)
The Virginia football team’s game against Miami marked the seventh in the development of the play between sophomore quarterback Marc Verica and his wide receivers.There have been many high points, including the 31-0 demolishing of Maryland Oct. 4 in which Verica was nearly flawless, connecting on 25 of his 34 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns, both to junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, who grabbed five catches for 100 yards on the night.There was the Georgia Tech game Oct. 25, when Verica completed all but 10 passes en route to throwing for a career-high 270 yards and two touchdowns, one to Ogletree and one to senior wide receiver Maurice Covington.There have been low points, too. Verica has thrown nine interceptions to only six touchdowns this year and even though five of those came in his first two games against Connecticut and Duke, Verica has still thrown nearly as many interceptions (4) as touchdowns (6) during the past five games.There was this past weekend’s game against the Hurricanes, in which Verica had another solid game, completing 27 of 41 passes for 240 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions, but a couple throws got away from him.“A couple of my passes were literally a couple inches too far,” Verica said. “That’s frustrating to see. Had I been right on the mark on one of those, we may not be talking about that right now. We could be sitting at 6-3. It’s a game of inches really and it doesn’t always go your way.”Aside from barely missing the target on a few throws, Verica also had to deal with a questionable call during the game. Late in the first half, with Virginia trying to add to its 17-10 lead, a pass to Ogletree appeared complete on the sideline but the referee called it incomplete. The play was reviewed but the call stood, much to the chagrin of the Cavaliers, who thought the pass was complete, even though Ogletree did lose the ball once he tumbled out of bounds.“It hit the ground about 2 yards out-of-bounds,” coach Al Groh said. “Everyone who’s looked at it, OK, everybody — men, women, children, coaches, ACC representatives — everybody says it was a good catch. There’s only one person on the planet who didn’t see it that way. I’m not criticizing [the referee], I’m just saying these are the facts. We saw it one way, he saw it another way, he had the vote.”Ogletree was able to put the questionable call behind him, even though the call surprised him as well.“I was a little shocked, because I knew I caught it,” Ogletree said. “I knew there was no reason to think I bobbled it or a foot wasn’t in bounds. I had to forget about it quickly. You can never question the ruling of the officials and you just hope they use their better judgement next time.”Ogletree is a player who has reemerged after missing all of last season with a knee injury. This year, he has 44 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns, already closing in on his 2006 numbers — 52 catches, 582 yards, four touchdowns. Despite his success, Ogletree had some doubts that he could come back as strong as he was in 2006.“[But] I never had a question of where I had to get back to or what I had to do,” he added. “I had a lot of faith in my work ethic to get back where I was, or get even better.”Freshman wide receiver Jared Green is another player who has stepped up to give Verica someone dependable to catch his passes. Green caught his first collegiate touchdown against Miami, a 2-yard reception during the second quarter that put the Cavaliers up a touchdown. Green’s father, former Washington Redskins cornerback Darrell Green, was happy for his son’s first touchdown catch.“He was very proud like any father would be for the first touchdown,” Green said. “He was really excited. But at the same time he was really excited about the other catches I had. He said that whatever I had been doing with the coaches had molded me into a real receiver and not just a kid out there running.”Green was also pleased, but kept his team’s goals in perspective.“The touchdown meant something to me, but we’re trying to win games and I didn’t really dwell on [the touchdown],” Green said. “Really, the third quarter is what mattered, trying to press on and seal the deal. It didn’t work out for us, but that was my real passion.”Sealing the deal is something the Cavaliers will have to do as they enter their final three-game stretch of what will likely be close games against formidable opponents — Wake Forest, Clemson and Virginia Tech.Though there have been successes and growth this year with Verica and his wide receiving corps, the players, like the team, are looking at the big picture and have not completed their goals yet.“Coming off the field Saturday was a real tough loss,” Green said. “I’m real antsy to get out on the field this Saturday [at Wake Forest]. We have a lot of stuff we want to get accomplished this year. We’re keeping our hopes alive. I feel like we’re going to do really good things.”
(11/04/08 8:31am)
Being a sports fan is never easy. As a Virginia Cavaliers football fan and Dallas Cowboys fan, the performance of these two teams was scarier than anything else I witnessed this Halloween weekend.Virginia had a chance to strengthen its hold on the Coastal Division and definitely let a win slip through its grasp Saturday. To rehash the missed opportunities we have all heard about is painful and yet somewhat cathartic at the same time. In summary, the offense sputtered in the second half, and the defense couldn’t hold down the Miami offense forever. The result was all the more striking because Virginia had scored 17 points in the first half. The notion the Cavaliers wouldn’t even muster a single point for the rest of the game was laughable at halftime.Plus, given Virginia’s penchant for pulling out the tight games, you felt like the Cavs would find a way to win. You wouldn’t have thought the defense — that defense that never cracks, that bends but doesn’t break — would allow the Miami Hurricanes to grind out a 95-yard game-tying drive. You wouldn’t have thought that Marc Verica would have gained another first down in Miami territory with less than a minute left in regulation to only fumble away a chance to win the game in the closing seconds. You wouldn’t have thought our most dependable player, Cedric Peerman, would put the nail in the coffin with his overtime fumble, a fumble that was the first ever of his career as a Cavalier. Ever. A black cat must have surely crossed the Cavaliers’ paths as they headed to the field for the second half.And so the nightmare was complete and Virginia lost for the first time since late September. Things didn’t exactly improve for me Sunday. I wasn’t expecting Dallas to upset New York, but I also wasn’t expecting the Giants to annihilate the Cowboys, either. The Dallas offense was unwatchable and I did just that — I didn’t really watch much of the second half. I think at this point I would take Thaddeus Lewis and the Duke offense over Dallas’s offense with either Brad Johnson or Brooks Bollinger at the helm.I hoped Johnson would keep the Cowboys afloat while Tony Romo healed. He has won a Super Bowl and is known for playing mistake-free football. Unfortunately, he hasn’t really done anything right for the Cowboys, showing his age and rust while becoming known more for not throwing a ball more than 20 yards downfield. I think if anything, Dallas’s last three games have shown how valuable of a player Romo is to his detractors. Though the Cowboys were struggling before his injury, since then Dallas has scored 14, 13 and 7 offensive points in each game, respectively.So this is where I find myself. I have just experienced tough losses by both of my favorite football teams for one of the first times all year. At the beginning of the season, Dallas was winning and Virginia was horrible. Recently, Virginia was hot and Dallas was stinking. But now both of my teams are down. What’s in store for both of my teams for the rest of their 2008 seasons?Well, for the Cavaliers, I stand by my earlier prediction I made in a column before the Georgia Tech game. I still feel like this team is capable of doing something special as the season nears its end. I’m not exactly sure what that something special is, but I think we are all happily surprised that Virginia is 5-4 overall and 3-2 in the ACC after how bad things looked after the Duke game. Seeing and hearing about how the players rallied around Peerman following his fumble is encouraging and shows the character I think this team possesses.The Cavs next face Wake Forest on the road, and the Demon Deacons look like they might have turned their offense around — though it is hard to tell because they scored 33 points against Duke Saturday, and I’m not sure what to think of Duke anymore. Peerman will surely be looking to redeem himself after Saturday, and I expect Virginia to come out with fire in its eyes. Clemson comes to Charlottesville Nov. 22. The Tigers just picked up their first win under interim head coach Dabo Swinney in an important game against Boston College Saturday. The jury is still out on how Clemson looks to finish up its season, but Virginia is sure to be fired up for the last home game for the likes of Cavalier seniors Peerman and Clint Sintim. Of course, Virginia finishes up Thanksgiving weekend in Blacksburg, Va. against Virginia Tech in what could be the de facto Coastal Division championship for the teams for the second year in a row, depending on how both play leading up to that matchup.Following a bye this week, Dallas is supposed to get Romo back for a huge game Nov. 16 at Washington. Going into FedEx Field is not the way you want to come back from an injury, but I expect Dallas to at least be bearable to watch once he returns. Dallas faces a brutal schedule from here out, with games against Pittsburgh, the Giants, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Home games against weaker opponents San Francisco and Seattle following the game against the Redskins are must-wins.At this point, I like Virginia’s chances of winning one more game and becoming bowl-eligible better than the chances of Dallas making the playoffs. Though Virginia’s task has become suddenly more difficult after failing to reach the six-win, bowl-eligible position against Miami, Dallas will face lots of competition for the two playoff wild card spots and probably can’t afford to lose many more games. It is certainly possible a 10-6 record won’t be enough to get the job done.I guess it is all the more fitting that my worst sports weekend this fall occurred Halloween weekend. I just hope Thanksgiving and Christmas will be happier occasions as the football season rolls on.
(10/23/08 5:03am)
Imagine for a second that you are Rip Van Winkle.Instead of sleeping for 20 years, however, you have only been asleep for 20 days, since Friday, Oct. 3. You have just woken up today. How dumbfounded would you be to learn that the Virginia football team has won three straight games, stands 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the ACC, and travels to Atlanta Saturday to face Georgia Tech in a critical Coastal Division matchup?I, for one, would be absolutely floored. I would have thought that the Wahoos would be sitting at 1-6 and winless in the ACC after that abysmal showing at Duke. I also would be expecting Al Groh to be coaching his last Cavalier team. Heck, it wouldn’t even have surprised me if he would have already been fired if the three-game home stretch had been really dreadful. Instead, Al Groh is in contention for a second consecutive ACC Coach of the Year award after resurrecting a Cavalier team that looked like it wouldn’t win another game this season.What would be your reaction if a friend made any of the following statements with a straight face: Marc Verica is looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the ACC and is having a breakout year, reminiscent of Matt Schaub circa 2002. He completed all but one of his passes on the Cavs’ final drive of regulation to tie No. 18 North Carolina after being mostly ineffective for the entire game. He’s completed 74 of 104 passes — 71.2 percent — for three touchdowns and only two interceptions after throwing four picks at Duke. You would look at your friend like he or she was an idiot.The 2007 team also looked like a lost cause following its humiliating defeat at Wyoming, but that turnaround occurred more quickly than this one. This 2008 version of the come-back-from-the-dead Cavs looked like they could do nothing right. Seriously, I could not find another game on their schedule I thought they would win.Now, I can’t point to any remaining game and say it is a definite loss, especially in the weak ACC.Georgia Tech (Saturday) beat Football Championship Subdivision team Gardner-Webb 10-7, then struggled to defeat failing Clemson. Miami (Nov. 1), though playing well at times, just doesn’t strike fear into opponents’ eyes like “The U” used to. Wake Forest (Nov. 8) previously had a potent offense but now is only scoring 18.7 points per game this season and just got blanked by schizophrenic Maryland last weekend. Clemson (Nov. 22), which is still trying find its identity under interim head coach Dabo Swinney, is reeling after not meeting expectations and the subsequent stepping down of Tommy Bowden.And, dare I say it?Yes, I dare. Virginia has at least a decent chance to go into Blacksburg and beat offensively anemic Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium right now. If I had heard someone say that Oct. 3, I would have had to punch that person in the face for making such a stupid prediction.What are some of the factors that have contributed to such a drastic turnaround other than the obvious strides Marc Verica has made in the passing game?Cedric Peerman has come back healthy and better than ever. Everyone knows about his huge games against Maryland and East Carolina. UNC, however, mostly snuffed out his runs. But that’s OK, because a player like Peerman brings more than yards and touchdowns to the run game. He brings incredible heart, determination, leadership and intensity to his team. His two short, bruising touchdown runs against UNC showed the kind of character he injects into the Cavs. If the team continues to take on his personality, it will be hard to bring them down.This year’s team has the best overall Virginia receiving corps since, well, I’m not sure when. Kevin Ogletree played well even before the turnaround, but Maurice Covington is stepping up, along with John Phillips, Cary Koch, Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson out of the backfield and a host of other young receivers. With these guys making plays and Verica’s emergence, we have a real downfield passing threat at Virginia. Yeah, I know. Let that sink in for a while.Less seems to have been said about the defense. The leaps and bounds these guys have made are incredible. To go from giving up 52, 45 and 31 points in the three losses to 0, 20 and 13 in the last three wins is nothing short of astounding. And what a gritty performance against the Tar Heels. The Cavaliers showed tremendous resolve in basically shutting down North Carolina after being trampled by the Heels on their first offensive drive.Should we be surprised, though, about the recent turn of events? Despite being mostly young, the team has a good number of veterans who remember last year and won’t let the young players quit. Something needs to be said for the coaching staff as well. Doesn’t a team take on the attitude of its coaches?The expectations were probably too high for this team at the beginning of the season anyway. Think about it. Look at the troubles teams such as Auburn and Clemson are experiencing right now. I would venture to say that is nothing compared to the offseason blows Virginia took, not to mention the distraction of Peter Lalich. We are simply seeing a team grow up and improve right before our very eyes.Now, it’s certainly possible that Virginia could lose to a strong Georgia Tech team on the road Saturday. The Yellow Jackets have a great defense and dynamic option running game. We have yet to see if the Wahoos can take what they have built at home and apply it to a road game; however, we should not be distraught if the Cavaliers fall in Atlanta. Virginia has already exceeded our wildest expectations after starting out 1-3. As the season approaches the 11th hour and your eyes grow heavy, I think this team has what it takes, even if the Cavs lose Saturday, to do something special as the final chapters of the 2008 season are written.Just don’t fall asleep anytime soon.
(09/26/08 4:50am)
No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The computer screen you’re staring at or the newspaper you’re reading is telling the truth. Duke really is favored to win by 7 points against Virginia in tomorrow’s game kicking off at noon, and I myself am cited on the back of this sports section picking Duke to win. It’s hard not to.Duke has simply been the more impressive team this season. How could one possibly justify a Cavalier win against the Blue Devils? Duke blew out James Madison 31-7, a respectable Football Championship Series program in its own right that just knocked off three-time defending FCS champion Applachian State last weekend.Duke then narrowly lost 24-20 to Big Ten team Northwestern, which, though it has had a weak schedule, is 4-0 this season.The Blue Devils’ most recent game was a 41-31 win against Navy. You may say Virginia has a bye week to get prepared for tomorrow’s game, but so do the Blue Devils, as they played the Midshipmen Sept. 13, nullifying the effect a bye week could have for the Cavaliers.The common denominator of these games for the Blue Devils is that they have scored at least 20 points in every game. Virginia, on the other hand, has yet to post more than 10 offensive points in a game (Vic Hall’s interception return for a touchdown accounted for 6 of the Cavaliers’ 16 points against Richmond). In light of those statistics, how could someone possibly pick Virginia to win?“But this is Duke,” you may say. “Duke ... you know, the ACC laughingstock during the past several seasons? The team that went 4-42 overall and 1-31 in the ACC from 2004-07. The team that has not won an ACC game since a 2004 defeat of Clemson.” (Don’t ask me how that one happened. Just one more example of Clemson underachieving under Tommy Bowden.)Yeah, I know — but the Blue Devils are just a better team this year. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. There were signs of life last year amid Duke’s 1-11 season. Narrow losses of fewer than 7 points to Navy, Wake Forest and North Carolina barely kept the Blue Devils from being a decent 4-8 squad. And, don’t forget, Virginia needed a late touchdown pass from one Peter Lalich last season to finally pull away from the Blue Devils during the second half of the game.Now, Duke football is looking to a bright future with new head coach David Cutcliffe, who has the credentials to be a good coach for Duke. He was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee when Peyton Manning was throwing bombs and singing “Rocky Top” and was the head coach at Ole Miss when Eli Manning was learning the ropes as a Rebel. I believe those two rather famous brothers are now the owners of rather gaudy rings.The Volunteers went 173-54-7 during Cutcliffe’s 19-year tenure as an assistant, winning five SEC Championships and the 1998 BCS Championship (the first year of the BCS, by the way).As head coach with the Rebels, Cutcliffe went 44-29 during seven seasons, winning the SEC West in 2003 and being named SEC Coach of the Year during the same season.“OK, OK,” you say, “he seems like a good coach. But we just have more talent on our team.”Well, I didn’t want to, but you made me pull out more statisics — and they aren’t telling a good story.Duke is second in the ACC in total offense, gaining 410.7 yards per game. Virginia is dead last, at 233.7 ypg. The Blue Devils rank sixth in total defense, allowing 308 ypg while Virginia is again dead last in this category, giving up a staggering 419.3 ypg. (Yes, I too am sobbing about losing the likes of Chris Long, Mike London and Jeffrey Fitzgerald.)Duke’s quarterback isn’t bad either. Junior Thaddeus Lewis is in his third year starting and has appeared in every game of his career, starting in all but one of them (26 starts total). It seems as though his trial by fire is bearing fruit this season as the dual-threat quarterback has passed for 238 ypg (first in the ACC) and five touchdowns. Most importantly, he has yet to throw an interception.Marc Verica, on the other hand, is expecting to start only the second game of his career, has passed for 158 career yards, has yet to throw a touchdown and tossed one interception against Connecticut last weekend.“Enough,” you say. “I get it, the 2008 version of Duke is not the same team of previous seasons. But the students at Duke still can’t wait until basketball season, right?”Apparently not. Duke’s athletic Web site states that an average of 27,079 fans are attending games. That’s not a lot you say. The problem is Wallace Wade Stadium only holds 33,000 people. That’s not a bad turnout given the recent history of Duke football.I know you’re devastated by this point, but maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps the troubles surrounding Lalich were distracting the team. Maybe the players will be more focused and are better off without him.And though Duke has improved, it is not USC — or Connecticut, probably, for that matter. The Blue Devils still have not won an ACC game since 2004. They still need to prove themselves to a conference team, and they get their first chance this year with Virginia. We can also hope Duke serves the same function as last season, being the springboard the Cavaliers need to a surprisingly successful season.
(09/26/08 4:49am)
Virginia sophomore forward Meghan Lenczyk headed a corner kick from freshman forward Lauren Alwine during the 77th minute against Florida State to give the Cavaliers a win last night in their first ACC match of the season.It was Czyk’s team-leading seventh goal and Alwine’s team-leading sixth assist on the season. Senior goalkeeper Celeste Miles only needed to make one save to post her fifth shutout of the season.The win in Tallahassee marks Virginia’s sixth consecutive victory in ACC openers.Virginia moves to 7-1-1 (1-0 ACC) with the win while the Seminloes fall to 6-2-1 (0-1 ACC) with the loss.
(09/19/08 6:52am)
Sophomore quarterback Peter Lalich has been dismissed from the Virginia football team after admitting he violated the terms of his probation by consuming alcohol. Lalich’s hearing, which was originally scheduled for Sept. 26, was moved up to yesterday at the request of his lawyer, Tim Heaphy.Athletic Director Craig Littlepage informed Lalich of his decision following the hearing.“Peter Lalich is no longer a member of the University of Virginia football team,” Littlepage said in a statement. “We have supported Peter, but believe today a point has been reached where it’s best for all concerned that he no longer participate on the team. This is my decision and it has the support of head football coach Al Groh. We wish Peter the best in the future. We will have no further comment.”Groh stood behind Littlepage’s decision.“Any time a situation doesn’t work out in the most positive way for any player it’s regrettable, but we stand united with this decision,” Groh said in the same statement.Lalich is still participating in the pre-conviction program relating to summer charges of underage possession of alcohol and is due back in court July 21, 2009. If he meets the terms of his probation until then, charges will be dropped.Lalich, in a statement made at the hearing, expressed thankfulness for the judge’s decision to keep him on preconviction probation.“I take full responsibility for my actions and understand the severity of the situation,” Lalich said, according to the statement provided by Heaphy. “Today I asked the court to allow me to remain on preconviction probation. I gave the judge my promise that I will abide my the terms of that probation in the future. I am grateful that the judge has allowed to leave me on probation.”Heaphy applauded Lalich for his actions at the hearing.“I think Peter did a very brave thing today,” Heaphy said.Heaphy said he had no prior knowledge of Virginia’s decision to dismiss Lalich from the team. You can view Peter Lalich's statement in pdf format here.
(09/02/08 7:29am)
Virginia athletics has reported senior linebacker Aaron Clark will be out for the rest of the season because of a knee sprain suffered during Saturday’s game against USC. The senior’s injury will require surgery.Clark recorded five tackles in the game before he had to be helped off the field after an early third-quarter play.The Richmond-Times Dispatch reported that Clark has not redshirted so it is possible he could return next season. The Times-Dispatch also suggested junior Denzel Burrell may replace Clark at linebacker.In 2007, Clark tallied nine tackles in 13 games and helped Virginia defeat Georgia Tech when he caused then-junior Yellow Jacket Andrew Smith to fumble a punt deep in Georgia Tech territory with Virginia down 23-21. The turnover led to a Cavalier touchdown and an eventual 28-23 Virginia win.—compiled by Aaron Perryman
(08/26/08 8:44pm)
The USC football team’s laundry list of achievements during the last six years is simply mind-numbing.Six straight finishes in the top four of the Associated Press poll, six straight BCS bowl games, six straight PAC-10 championships, six straight seasons with 11 victories — oh, and let’s not forget about the two national titles in 2003 and 2004 and a near-third in 2005. USC would have won that third consecutive championship if it had not been for the super-human performance of one Vince Young, who put Texas on his shoulders and pulled out an improbable comeback win for the Longhorns.Coach Pete Carroll is entering his eighth year in Los Angeles, and after going 6-6 during his first year in 2001, he has turned a mediocre Trojan team into arguably the most dominant college football team this decade.The 2007 Cavaliers, on the other hand, were one victory away from posting just their second 10-win season in history. We do not stack up very well, do we? So far, I’d say the chance that Al Groh and Pete Carroll suit up would be better than us winning.This is exactly why we should cheer our hearts out Saturday when the cardinal-and-gold clad men of Troy march into Scott Stadium Saturday.Huh?That’s right. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain against USC, so why not give it our all?Anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to college football during the last several years is not picking Virginia to win this game. Heck, I’m as big an optimist as there is sometimes when it comes to Virginia football, but if we are within two touchdowns of USC at the end of the game Saturday, I will be ecstatic.All the pressure is on USC, plain and simple, because it is such a heavy favorite. No one is giving us a chance and no one is expecting anything out of us. Most people think last year was a fluke, and others think we were a disguised 6-6 team because of all the close wins.The longer we are able to stay in the game, the more the pressure builds for USC. If we stick around for a quarter, people will be surprised. If we stick around for three quarters, the stadium will be rocking for the final 15 minutes, for sure. Everyone will be expecting USC to bowl us over from the beginning. If the Trojans still have not done so by the fourth quarter, the pressure on them to live up to expectations will be immense.This is where we students and fans come in. There is no reason to hold anything back Saturday when cheering (except signs, thanks to the athletic department). We need to be as loud and hostile as possible to show USC we are not backing down, that we are supporting our team no matter who the opponent is.It is my hope that if we do not hold anything back, the team will not either. If, however, we go three straight possessions to start the game with no first downs and the offense is painfully conservative, I will not be happy. We are not going to be able to run the ball all over USC or use our typical dink-and-dunk style of passing to defeat the best team of the 2000s. We are going to have to take some chances, no doubt about it. Passes downfield and trick plays will be essential if we are going to do anything in this game.Students can take chances, too. Let’s get to the game early, not leave early and do more rooting than socializing. If the ‘Hoos see how much the fans are backing them up, hopefully that will inspire them to give it their all Saturday. If they see we are unexcited about the chance to play a team of the Trojans’ caliber, they may become unexcited, too.This could be a season-defining game for Virginia, possibly the upset of the year if we somehow pull off a victory. This could also be the coming-out party of whoever starts his first game at quarterback Saturday. We saw flashes of promise in Peter Lalich last season, and Scott Deke performed very well in the spring game. If Marc Verica beats them both out for the spot, he must have deserved it.If you think an inexperienced quarterback has no chance to defeat a top team, think again. If we could somehow win Saturday, it would remind me of Nov. 6, 1999, one of the first Virginia football games I witnessed in person. Injured starting quarterback Dan Ellis gave a relative unknown, Dan Rivers, the chance to play against his hometown team, Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets, with Heisman Trophy contender Joe Hamilton at quarterback, came into the game ranked No. 7 with a record of 6-1 and BCS bowl game hopes. Rivers, in his first collegiate start, wrecked their hopes by defeating Tech 45-38 while completing 18 of 30 passes for 228 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, we had Thomas Jones then, too, but we have a pair of darn good running backs this year also, in Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson.Anything can happen, guys. Sure, our chances are bleak. No one is denying that. USC would be favored in virtually any stadium it played in Saturday. We should not just sit back on our laurels, though, and admire the way USC plays football. No way. This situation is too perfect to pass up the opportunity to cheer like lunatics, lose our voices and have a lot of fun. We get the chance to cheer against one of the best teams in recent memory. We should consider ourselves lucky.
(08/23/08 7:03am)
Three recent developments have left the Virginia men’s basketball team looking even more unfamiliar several months after Sean Singletary graduated and moved on to the NBA.Virginia fans received both positive and negative news Aug. 18,. Senior center Tunji Soroye was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the NCAA after experiencing medical hardship last season. Soroye played in only two games last season but proved to be a strong inside presence his previous three years, even leading the team in blocked shots with 37 in 2005-06.The news of Soroye returning to strengthen the Cavaliers’ post play was perhaps magnified by the announcement that senior forward Lars Mikalauskas will not be returning to the team. Coach Dave Leitao was mostly silent on the issue, just saying Mikalauskas did not meet the standards to play on the Virginia basketball team. Mikalauskas, always the fan favorite, blossomed into his own, averaging 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game during his shortened season.The Cavaliers will also lose junior forward Will Harris; the program announced Aug. 15 that he will be transferring out of the Virginia program. Harris missed several games last year because of an injury and did not have a year up to par with his more successful freshman campaign. Harris averaged 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last season but appeared to be a promising freshman in 2006-07, when he averaged 3.6 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
(02/15/08 5:00am)
Man that was one heck of a game Tuesday night, wasn't it?
(02/08/08 5:00am)
The Virginia wrestling team will travel to Durham, N.C., for an important Sunday doubleheader against ACC rivals N.C. State and Duke. As of yesterday, the Cavaliers (16-4, 1-1 ACC) were tied for second in the ACC with North Carolina, a team they beat at home two weeks ago.
(02/01/08 5:00am)
Hi everybody. My name is Aaron Perryman, and I am a sports fan. I admit it. I am a huge sports fan and I have a problem. I love sports too much. I recognize my disorder but I have no control over it. I am ecstatic when my favorite teams win and I am like a grumpy old man when they lose. My very mood and interactions with the people around me revolve around what happens to my favorite teams. Winning streaks and losing streaks only perpetuate the situation further.
(01/23/08 5:00am)
Shaking her head in disbelief, senior guard Sharneé Zoll scanned the stats sheet, expressing regret over her team's blown lead. The Virginia women's basketball team had just lost a tough game to No. 4 Maryland 74-62, despite leading by as many as 10 points in the first half.