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2000 Virginia Cavaliers - 6-6/5-3 ACC (lost to Georgia 14-37, Oahu Bowl) GT record vs. UVa - 12-10-1 (last: 2000, GT won 35-0) Head Coach - Al Groh (1st season @ UVa, 26-40 overall) If you listened closely, you could hear the low grumbling coming out of Charlottesville before the 2000 season ever began. Even though George Welsh had rescued the Cavalier program from a trash heap reserved for the worst teams, UVa fans wondered more and more often if he could really take the team any further. While Virginia owned a nice streak of 7+ win seasons dating back to 1987, they had won 10 games in that stretch only once (10-3 in 1989) Since a win over Florida State in 1995 that had earned the Cavaliers a share of the ACC, they had done little to establish themselves as the main challenger to the ‘Noles. In fact, first UNC and then Georgia Tech have held that role. It didn’t help that Virginia had a nasty propensity of blowing 21 points leads either. Welsh found himself harshly criticized for losses to Georgia Tech, Georgia (1998), and BYU (2000), as well as a closer than it had to be win over Maryland. The fact that UVa was soundly beaten in its’ last two bowl games and Virginia Tech has passed them as the premier program in the Old Dominion just added insult to injury. Welsh finally tired of it, confirming what many already thought - his heart was no longer in it. The most successful era of Virginia football ended w/ a whimper in Hawaii. Like UNC, Maryland, and NC State in 2000, the Cavaliers turned to an alumni to come home and lead the program. Al Groh has been coaching for football at some level for 34 years since his graduation from Virginia. His first squad is going to have serious questions at the QB, WR, and CB positions. On the other hand, he’ll have experienced players returning at the RB, Safety, and DL spots. Ofcourse, that includes the ACC’s 2000 leading rusher, Antoine Womack. Whether or not that will be enough remains to be seen. Like the Tarheels, Virginia has chosen to take on a rather ambitious schedule that includes Wisconsin, Penn State, and Virginia Tech in addition to the ACC slate of games. Rush Off. - 164 ypg/36th.....Pass Off. - 195 ypg/75th.....Total Off. - 359 ypg/68th Returning Starters OFFENSE - OC Bill Musgrave (1st season at Virginia) Quarterbacks Bryson Spinner - 6-2, 218 lb. So., Matt Schaub - 6-5, 225 lb. R-So. The departure of Dan Ellis leaves the QB position to a battle of two sophomores who seem not to want it. Throughout their freshman season and spring practice in 2001, both Spinner and Schaub have been given every opportunity to distinguish themselves in some way. Unfortunately for the new staff, neither has stepped up. Spinner is the more mobile of the two quarterbacks and has the most playing experience. He might have been headed for a redshirt year, but injuries to Ellis forced him to start his first game against FSU. (How’s that for being thrown into the fire!) He also got significant playing time against Maryland, NC State, Virginia Tech, and Georgia in the bowl game. When all was said and done, Spinner had completed 25 passes (out of 61 attempts) for 436 yards and 1 TD. The highlight of his season had to be leading UVa to an upset win over NC State. His 61 yard TD run was key in leading the Cavs to a BIIIIIIIIG 24-17 victory. Schaub falls into the classic strong armed drop back passer mold. He looked to be the primary backup to Ellis entering the 2000 season, but Spinner impressed the coaches with his mobility and Schaub fell a spot on the depth chart. Officially he got into 3 games (plus the bowl game) but was really just running out the clock against Richmond and FSU. For the season he completed 7 of his 8 passes for 50 yards. Runningbacks Antoine Womack (TB) - 6-0, 215 lb. R-Sr., Tyree Foreman (FB) - 5-11, 225 lb. R-Sr., Marquis Weeks (TB) - 5-11, 205 lb. R-Fr., Jon Ward (FB) - 6-0, 232 lb. So. As Antoine Womack goes...so goes the Virginia offense. At least that was the case in 2000 when Womack accounted for 57% of UVa’s rushing yards. Womack totaled a league best 1028 yards, on 210 carries, an impressive 4.9 yards/attempt. He scored 9 times. However, 2001 will present new challenges for the conference’s top rusher. For starters, Coach Groh is demanding more of his star player in big games. While Womack ran roughshod over BYU (160 yards), Wake (180 yards), and Maryland (133 yards), he disappeared against Georgia Tech (44 yards), NCSU (47 yards), and Florida State (63 yards). He needs to be more consistent. The coaches also want Womack to develop into a dual threat. He has but 10 receptions for 98 yards in 27 career games. Weeks will hold the primary backup spot until Arlen Harris (5-11, 205 lb. R-Jr.) shows that he’s back in playing shape. Harris was injured in the opener against BYU and although he came back to play against FSU, UNC, and UGa was mostly ineffective. He showed his potential w/ 79 yards rushing against the Cougars, but finished w/ only 101 yards on the season. He then missed spring practice for academic reasons, but appears to have that in order as well. In Harris’ absence, Weeks got plenty of practice reps and capped off a solid spring with 50 yards rushing on 13 carries in the final scrimmage. Foreman moves over to FB fulltime after going back and forth b/t TB and FB in 2000. (Groh has left open the possibility he’ll line up in the TB position occassionally.) He was Virginia’s 2nd leading rusher with 397 yards on 72 attempts last season. Like Womack, the staff is pushing Foreman to work on his pass-catching skills. In 2000 he caught only 3 passes (for 77 yards) which raised his career totals to 7. Ward also saw time at both RB positions in 2000, but will remain at FB in ‘01. He got some brief playing time against Duke, Clemson, Wake, and Maryland finishing the year w/ 74 yards on 22 carries. Wide Receivers Billy McMullen - 6-4, 205 lb. Jr., Tavon Mason - 5-11, 180 lb. R-Jr., Michael McGrew - 6-2, 195 lb. So. Billy McMullen will be the leader of a WR corps that needs to make great improvement in 2001 for Virginia to even have a chance at being successful. The first place that improvement needs to start is with McMullen himself. Despite leading the Cavaliers in receptions (30), receiving yards (541) and receiving TD’s (3), he had a bad habit of dropping catchable passes. That simply cannot happen again this year. Mason and McGrew will see their playing time increase. Mason came off the bench in 2000 to record 8 receptions for 124 yards in 11 games. That’s actually a drop in his numbers from 1999. (12 rec., 131 yards) Mason is also a threat to run. He has 107 rushing yards on just 8 carries in his first two seasons and has as many rushing TD’s as he does receiving scores. (2 each) As a true freshman, McGrew got into 8 games, but only caught 2 passes for 16 yards. As you can see, the WR corps is not blessed with any kind of depth. James Johnson (6-1, 188 lb. R-Sr.) was expected to help out, but apparently has left the team for personal reasons. He had 17 receptions for 209 yards and a TD last season. His departure has left a spot open in the WR rotation. Of the candidates to fill that position, only Ryan Sawyer (6-2, 200 lb. R-So.) has real game experience. However, that’s all been on special teams. He was a reserve safety in 2000 and moved over to WR in the offseason, catching 2 passes for 22 yards in the spring game. Behind Sawyer, is a group of freshman and redshirt freshman who are almost certain to get some playing time. That group includes Scott Penwell (6-4, 200 lb. R-Fr.), Scott Robinson (6-1, 170 lb., Fr.), and Ottawa Anderson (5-11, 185 lb. Fr.) who have all had their moments in early practices. Tight Ends Chris Luzar - 6-7, 255 lb. R-Sr., Patrick Estes - 6-7, 240 lb. Fr. This unit was hit hard w/ the graduation of long time starter (he played in every game he could at UVa) Billy Baber. 3 times he made honorable mention All-ACC. Last year he placed 4th on the team in receiving w/ 18 catches for 216 yards. Luzar gave Baber some relief in 2000, playing in 9 games and catching 9 passes of his own for 146 yards. He is the only TE on the Virginia roster that has game experience. Luzar is a decent pass-catching TE, but needs to improve his blocking skills. That’s one reason the staff went out and signed several top notch TE’s. Estes was the best of them and should see some early playing time. Zac Yarborough (6-4, 260 lb. R-Fr.), who played OL (deep-snapper) and TE in high school might get a look here. Also in the mix could be Luzar’s younger brother, Kase Luzar (6-2, 235 lb. R-So.) and Bryson Spinner’s younger brother, Tyree Spinner. (6-7, 250 lb. Fr.) Offensive Line Kevin Bailey (LT) - 6-6, 300 lb. R-So., Josh Lawson (LG) - 6-5, 292 lb. R-Sr., Jared Woodson (C) - 6-6, 295 lb. R-Sr., Evan Routzahn (RG) - 6-5, 306 lb. R-Sr., Jermese Jones (RT) - 6-6, 334 lb. R-Sr. Leading the way for Womack is a large and experienced OL. Jones is the biggest of the big, starting all 12 games in 2000, and playing in 10 of 12 in 1998. (He redshirted in ‘99 due to a foot injury.) He moves from LT to RT to open things up for Bailey. He helped out in 2000 when injuries really thinned things out for the OL, playing in 8 games at both tackle positions plus left guard. Bailey even practiced at center just in case, but was not needed there. Jared Woodson won the starting LG job coming out of summer practice last season, but was lost for the year when he aggravated a neck injury prior to the Clemson game. Lawson stepped into the starting role, and hasn’t given it up. Still, Woodson is too good to be a backup, so the new staff has moved him to center. He has played there sparingly in the past, so the position is not completely new to him. Lawson meanwhile will be back at the LG spot. Like so many of his OL mates, he played multiple positions up and down the line. He has 29 career starts to his credit. Routzahn completes the starting rotation at RG. He has started 24 straight games for the Cavs going back to the 1999 season. It’s interesting to note that a Virginia RB has led the ACC in rushing every year Evan has played. Experience is a little harder to come by in the 2nd string. Mike Mullins (6-8, 292 lb. R-Jr.) is slotted to back up Bailey at LT. He played in 7 regular season games and the Oahu Bowl. That’s the most experience any of the reserves can claim. Micah Kimball (6-4, 297 lb. R-So.) had some playing time in two games last fall. He’ll back up Jones at RT. Jay Green (6-2, 275 lb. R-So.) is looking to relieve Woodson at center. In 2000, he only played against Richmond. Ben Carber (6-2, 294 lb. R-So.) will work behind Lawson at LG while Tom Howell (6-4, 273 lb. R-Fr.) will see his first playing time at RG rotating w/ Routzahn. Last season, the OL was a bit overworked. Routzahn and Jones rarely came out of games. That can’t happen this season. The 2nd team linemen need to step up their level of play quickly so that they can contribute. The new staff needs them on the field now so they won’t be completely green when they are forced to step into the starting role next season, or even sooner if injuries hit this unit again. DEFENSE - DC Al Golden (1st season @ Virginia) Defensive Line Ljubomir Stamenich (DE) - 6-3, 262 lb. R-Sr., Monsanto Pope (DT) - 6-4, 282 lb. R-Sr., Darryl Sanders (DE) - 6-3, 268 lb. R-Sr. Without a doubt, the line SHOULD be the strength of the Cavalier defense....”should” being the operative word. Last season, Virginia ran a 4-3 scheme with looked to be some good talent returning and managed only a league low 16 sacks while allowing opponents to run all almost at will. Groh is hoping that the change to a 3-4 will allow UVa more options to attack the QB. However, for this to work, this trio of returning starters is going to have to improve it’s play from a year ago. Stamenich is the most experienced of the 3, starting 23 straight games. He racked up 47 tackles and 4 sacks in 2000. His string of consecutive starts was broken when he missed the bowl game with an injury. Pope is also a 2-year starter on the DL, although is 1999 season was hampered by a knee injury suffered in the first game that season. He recovered enough in 2000 to record 33 tackles and 2 sacks. Sanders came back from missing the entire 1999 season to notch a personal best 44 tackles in 2000. He also had 2 sacks. The move from a 4-3 to a 3-4 front will mean DT George Stanley (6-2, 290 lb. Sr.) will lose his starting position and back up Pope. He had 26 tackles in the first 8 games, but sprained his ankle practicing for the GT game and missed the rest of the regular season. Larry Simmons (6-3, 280 lb. R-So.) can help out inside or might slide out to help the DE spots after recording 8 tackles in 8 games last year at DT. Devon “Boo” Battle (6-4, 262 lb. Jr.) can also play both positions on the line. Andrew Hoffman (6-5, 281 lb. So.) and Chris Canty (6-7, 262 lb. R-Fr.) should also figure in the DL rotation. Linebackers Dennis Haley - 6-1, 230 lb. R-Fr., Merrill Robertson - 6-1, 250 lb. Jr., Angelo Crowell - 6-1, 234 lb. Jr., Raymond Mann - 6-1, 232 lb. So. I’ve got to admit to being a little perplexed as to why a team trying to replace 3 departed LB starters would go and make it more more difficult by creating a 4th position. A little deeper look though revealed there’s plenty of experience here to make the switch work. Crowell is the most established player in the group having played in all 24 games he could since arriving in Charlottesville. Last season he ranked 4th on the team (the 3 ahead of him were the starting LB’s) with 87 stops. Cavalier fans are also excited about the Merrill Robertson and Raymond Mann. Both are being moved back to their more natural position after playing DE a year ago. Robertson played in every game, making 34 tackles. Likewise, Mann saw time in all 11 coming off the bench and contributed with 11 tackles of his own...two of them against GT. He was the 10th rated LB in the nation when he signed w/ the Cavs two years ago. Haley will be the wild card of the bunch since he has yet to see any real game time. His spot in the starting rotation really hinges on the status of John Duckett (6-1, 210 lb. R-Sr.). His academic eligibility is still in question. Should he make the necessary grades, it would be a nice boost to the defense. The first player off the bench will be Will Clark (6-1, 226 lb. R-Sr.). Clark played in all 11 games as a reserve last season and had 46 tackles. Rich Bedesem (6-2, 235 lb. So.) will also play an important role on the two deep roster. As a true freshman, he earned a letter by playing in 10 games and registering 29 tackles. Beau Dickerson (6-4, 224 lb. R-So.) and Earl Sims (6-1, 230 lb. R-Sr.) will be given a chance to contribute as well. Dickerson lacks any real playing time (1 game) and Sims has been battling injuries (and illness related to those injuries) suffered in the 1999 season opener. 2001 signee Melvin Massey (6-3, 235 lb. Fr.) has a good opportunity to make the two-deep roster. Defensive Backs Jermaine Winborne (CB) - 5-10, 206 lb. So., Shenard Newby (SS) - 6-1, 210 lb. R-Jr., Jerton Evans (FS) - 5-11, 200 lb. Jr., Art Thomas (CB) - 6-2, 205 lb. So. Like the Jackets it would appear help is coming to a secondary in dire need of it. Virginia was only marginally better than Tech defending the pass, allowing 238 yards/game. If you throw out the 13 yards passing they allowed I-AA Richmond, it jumps to 260 yards/game. Even with the loss of both starting cornerbacks for the 3rd consecutive season, the secondary should improve in 2001. It starts with Newby and Evans. Evans burst onto the scene in 1999, earning TSN Freshman All-American honors with 44 tackles and 4 INT’s. Although he did not pick off any passes in 2000, he bumped his tackles up to 50 while only playing in 10 games. (He missed the GT game.) Newby has played in 24 straight games since his redshirt season in 1998. He had 45 stops, 3 passes broken up, and an interception in 2000. Winborne and Thomas become the new starting corners. Both players had extensive playing time on special teams, but were limited in plays from scrimmage. Winborne managed 10 tackles while Thomas chipped in with 8. Both played in every game a year ago. The help is coming in the form of S Chris Williams (6-3, 208 lb. R-Jr.). Like Evans, he was a TSN Freshman All-American in 1999. That season he had 69 tackles and 2 interceptions. However, he struggled in the classroom and was forced to miss the 2000 season. Early indications are he’s already back in top form. The other backup safety, Devon Simmons (5-11, 205 lb. R-Sr.) is no slouch either. This guy was a one man wrecking crew (actually one of the few bright spots for the Cavs) against Georgia Tech. He was in on a career 16 tackles that night. That helped boost his season total to 46. The corner situation is a little more iffy. Almondo Curry (5-8, 175 lb. So.) played in 10 games...mostly on special teams...in 2000. He managed 7 tackles in limited time in the secondary. He’s a little on the smallish side. Atlanta native Rashad Roberson brings a little more experience to the other backup cornerback position. He saw action in all 12 games for Virginia last season, finishing the year w/ 20 tackles and an interception to his credit. Special Teams Mike Abrams (P) - 6-4, 230 lb. R-Sr., David Greene (K) - 5-10, 180 lb. R-Sr. One area that should not be of any concern is the kicking game. Abrams returns for the 2nd year to handle the punting chores. He’s coming off a tremendous season in which he ranked 3rd in the ACC and 16th in the nation with a 42.6 yards/kick average. That garnered him some All-American (honorable mention) accolades from the Football News. Greene was just as solid handling the place-kicking duties. He hit on 11 of 15 FG attempts, and 27 of 28 PAT’s. More impressive, he knocked 30 of his 49 kickoffs (61%) into the end-zone. That strong leg also enabled him to hit one 47 yard FG and two 48 yard FG’s. Art Thomas and Tavon Mason are both back to help w/ kickoff returns. They combined to average a respectable (but not spectacular) 20.1 yards/return in 2000. New special teams coach Corwin Brown will have to find a new punt returner since James Johnson is no longer with the team. However, Groh places much more emphasis on this phase of the game than Welsh did, so Brown will get to pick from some of UVa’s best players. Coaching Let’s just cut right to the chase. I’m not impressed. While Wake Forest certainly is not an easy place to win, it’s not like Groh did anything to distinguish himself while the head coach there. And in his one season as an NFL head coach, he turned a preseason SuperBowl contender into a 9-7 also ran. That alone would give me cause for concern, but then you throw in some of the comments he’s made, and I wonder what this guy is thinking. For example, he’s publicly acknowledged that UVa has no better than .500 talent. He’s also made some rather boastful comments like (paraphrasing here) “it’s hard to be intimidated by Doak Campbell and Death Valley when you’ve taken teams into Green Bay and New York.” and ”it’s easy to win college games when you’re playing chess and all the other coaches are playing checkers.” Whatever, Al! The way he keeps talking about the NFL (or “the League” as he calls it), I curious as to why he left. It seems we should all feel privileged that Al Groh decided to grace the ACC with his presence. On top of that, he went out and hired Bill Musgrave as OC. First of all, Musgrave’s NFL background is in the west-coast offense...an offense that is heavy on the passing with specifically timed patterns. He’s going to run this with a pair of inexperienced QB’s and a WR corps that isn’t going to exactly set the world on fire. In the meantime, he has a stable full of quality RB’s. I think not. Actually, Musgrave is going to have to coach against his tendencies, relying on a ball-control offense. Secondly, this is a guy who quit the Carolina Panthers 4 games into last season because the stress of being an OC was too much. Golden is one of the few coaches on the UVa staff without ties to the NFL. While he seems like a good hire with experience under Tom O’Brien at BC and Joe Paterno at Penn State, he’s unproven as a coordinator. I certainly don’t fault the Virginia faithful for being excited. Afterall, it’s only natural when a coaching change is made. I’m quite certain most of the ACC thought Tech fans were crazy when we got overjoyed about a DC with no head coaching experience becoming the head man in 1994. Maybe the Groh hiring will turn out just as well for them. I’m just not betting on it. Schedule The Yellow Jackets will be the 2nd game of Virginia's season ending 3 game home stand. They have an opportunity to build a little momentum prior to facing Tech by hosting Wake Forest. Meanwhile, Tech will get a couple extra days to prepare coming off our Thursday night contest with the 'Heels. It will be the first road game of the Ramblin' Wreck in over a month. The bigger question is how well Virginia can hold it together in the early going. They will be heavy underdogs in 3 of their first 4 games (@ Wisconsin, Penn State, @ Clemson) The Cavaliers will also have to go on the road in the three games that could really make or break their season - Maryland, UNC, and NCSU. They close the year playing the Tech schools back to back. What this all means for us.... Like I said above, don't look for Groh and Musgrave to come in and try and run a west-coast offense. The offensive strength of this team is in the running game. Virginia should use a passing attack only enough to keep other teams honest. Along those lines, short, quick passes should be the preferred method. In my mind, that makes Spinner the more logical choice to start. He has more mobility and airing it out is not going to do Virginia much good when the receivers can't catch it anyway. That should also a help the OL which has not shown great ability to contain the pass rush, as well as help bring along some of the backups. However, that game plan would play right into the hands of Georgia Tech. We demonstrated in Atlanta that stopping Womack is not an impossible challenge. And even our anemic pass defense was able to contain the Cavaliers. There's little evidence to suggest this season will be radically different. The defense is much more balanced, talent wise and depth wise. If Virginia is going to have any real success in 2001, it's going to have to start on this side of the ball. That also means several players are going to have to step up their level of play in a big way. They simply cannot have any hope of success if the defense ranks 98th in the nation again. Not against their schedule. Groh is a defensive coach by trade and he's going to be aggressive. While the 3-4 should help improve the UVa pass rush, I question whether or not their front 3 are good enough and big enough to hold the line while the linebackers do their thing. I expect that players like Crowell, Robertson, Mann, Newby, and Evans will have their fair share of hard hits. It's just that I expect those hits to be coming 4-5-6 yards (or more) downfield. Again, looking at it by position, I don't see where Virginia has the personnel to effectively stop the Georgia Tech offense. With good but somewhat inexperienced corners, I envision Tech luring the LB's and safeties up in run support and then hitting Campbell (or Curry or Glover or Watkins...well you get the point) for a long gain. Special teams are a wash. So far I've stayed away from predicitions...and I dont' really want to change that now. Let's just say that Al Groh is about to discover that George O'Leary and the Yellow Jackets are pretty good at "chess" too. It's almost time!!!!!!!!!! ;-) I think I'll go to the lake this weekend and do my own version of summer tailgating practice.
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