|
WR
Deyon Williams |
|
|
2005
Statistics |
Coach:
Al Groh
37-26,
5 years |
2005
Record: 7-5 |
|
WESTERN
MICHIGAN |
WON
31-19 |
at
Syracuse |
WON
27-24 |
DUKE |
WON
38-7 |
at
Maryland |
LOST
33-45 |
at
Boston College |
LOST
17-28 |
FLORIDA
STATE |
WON
26-21 |
at
North Carolina |
LOST
5-7 |
TEMPLE |
WON
51-3 |
GEORGIA
TECH |
WON
27-17 |
VIRGINIA
TECH |
LOST
14-52 |
at
Miami FL |
LOST
17-25 |
MUSIC
CITY BOWL |
vs.
Minnesota |
WON
34-31 |
|
2005 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2006
Outlook |
Teams
have to re-build all the time, but
Virginia’s re-building process
will be two-fold this season. Not
only will the Cavs be filling holes
vacated by departed players, but four
assistant coaches are new as well.
Three of head coach Al Groh’s
assistants – Prince (Kansas
State), Al Golden (Temple) and Danny
Rocco (Liberty) - left for head coaching
jobs, and the one that didn’t
(Mark D’Onofrio) became Golden’s
offensive coordinator in Philly. The
quality of these four guys won’t
seem to be easy to replace, but with
the mediocre defensive showing (60th),
the three new coaches on that side
of the ball promise to bring the edge
back to the Cavs’ stopping 11.
New coordinator Mike London will count
on talent and emotion to offset key
personnel losses at inside linebacker,
on the line and at safety. The front
seven (3-4 scheme) and secondary have
the talent to come together and really
have halting impact.
Groh
(37-26 overall, 21-19 ACC record in
five years here) elevated his son
Mike, a stellar former UVa QB, to
offensive coordinator. UVa installs
a completely different type of quarterback
in Christian Olsen, and since the
younger Groh excelled at the very
same spot (and is also now the QB’s
coach), a fresh start to the offense
(without Hagans and Lundy) can appropriately
be culled. The RBs look formidable
– if Johnson can stay healthy,
the dimensions of the running game
will have size and speed to spare.
Virginia has excellent receivers who
can make plays. As long as Olsen has
time to throw behind a patchwork offensive
line (thanks to injuries and off-field
incidents), the running game should
also keep clicking. The line gelling
is the key to both Grohs’ success,
so how much time that takes will dictate
how far the entire team goes.
The
good news for a team breaking in so
many dimensions is that UVa’s
three toughest games - (at) Florida
State, Miami, and (at) Virginia Tech
- are the final three contests. The
Cavs have only beat two of these teams
since 1999 (a combined 2-14 during
that span), so their work is cut out
for where they aim to be by their
November slate. An important swing
game at Pittsburgh (the season opener)
and a crucial Thursday-night test
at Georgia Tech will be the only serious
tests before this, but the payback
they owe Maryland should again afford
another worthy tilt between these
two rivals that all should see. A
league title looks out of reach, but
the D says that they stay competitive
regardless, which likely means Groh’s
guys could reach a New Years Day bowl.
Would Thomas Jefferson and the Charlottesville
faithful expect anything less?
Projected
2006 record: 8-4
|
|
VIRGINIA
*POWER RATINGS |
Offense |
Defense |
QB
- 3 |
DL
- 3 |
RB
- 3.5 |
LB
- 2.5 |
WR
- 3.5 |
DB
- 3 |
OL
- 3 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS |
Passing:
Christian Olsen, 11-7-1, 71 yds.,
0 TD
Rushing: Jason Snelling, 58
att., 325 yds., 2 TD
Receiving: Deyon Williams,
58 rec., 767 yds., 7 TD
Scoring: Deyon Williams, 7
TD, 42 pts.
Punting: Chris Gould, 53 punts,
40.0 avg.
Kicking: Noah Greenbaum, 1-1
FG, 0-0 PAT, 3 pts.
Tackles: Marcus Hamilton, 62
tot., 43 solo
Sacks: Clint Sintim, 3 sacks
Interceptions: Marcus Hamilton,
6 for 28 yds.
Kickoff Returns: Cedric Peerman,
21 ret., 25.8 avg., 0 TD
Punt Returns: Michael Johnson,
11 ret., 5.1 avg., 0 TD
|
|
|
DE
Chris Long |
|
|
|
VIRGINIA |
|
|
OFFENSE
- 6 |
----RETURNING
STARTERS---- |
DEFENSE
- 6 |
|
KEY
LOSSES |
OFFENSE:
Marques Hagans-QB, Wali Lundy-TB, Ottowa
Anderson-WR, D'Brickashaw Ferguson-OT,
Brian Barthelmes-C, Brad Butler-OT,
Connor Hughes-K |
DEFENSE:
Brennan
Schmidt-DE, Kwakou Robinson-NT, Mark
Miller-OLB, Bryan White-ILB, Kai Parham-ILB
(NFL), Ahmad Brooks-ILB (dismissed),
Tony Franklin-CB (dismissed) |
|
|
2006
OFFENSE |
Quarterback
The field of candidates for the QB job has
attempted a grand total of 37 passes –
not exactly a comforting thought. Expect
senior Christian Olsen, who transferred
from Notre Dame, to emerge from the pack
and lead the Cavaliers onto the field opening
day. Olsen is a traditional drop-back passer
in the mold of Schaub. His arm is strong
and mind is good (like Hagans, Olsen is
the son of a football coach), but his inexperience
in game situations and inability to scramble
as Hagans did mean big changes for the offense.
His upside will be huge once he gets rolling.
Junior Kevin McCabe, also a pocket-passer,
will struggle to hold off exciting redshirt
freshman Jameel Sewell (a lefty) for the
backup spot, and by November Sewell will
be no lower than No. 2 on the depth chart.
Running
Back
The good news is that Virginia returns a
back who was the ACC’s leading rusher
at his position (FB) in each of the past
two seasons. Senior Jason Snelling will
make the switch to tailback. Snelling is
a player who isn’t great at any one
thing, but is good at everything (blocking,
running, and receiving). The Chester-native
is faster than most his size (4.47 in the
40) but would still rather run over than
around most who try to bring him down. Groh
would like to employ a two-tailback rotation,
meaning that this is the last chance for
highly touted and oft-injured senior Michael
Johnson – strong and squat - to live
up to his full potential, though his 4.3
speed still makes him a true breakaway threat.
Shoulder, ankle and sports-hernia injuries
limited Johnson the past two seasons, and
he’s in danger of falling behind sure-handed
sophomore Cedric Peerman, one of the top
freshman kick returners in the nation last
season and a serviceable back himself. Svelte
soph Mike Simpson should get a look due
to his sub-4.4 speed if Johnson again goes
down. Snelling’s move to tailback
makes it a two-man competition at fullback
between inexperienced juniors Kevin Bradley
and Josh Zidenberg. Zidenberg needs to get
the rock with his hybrid (TB/FB) abilities,
whereas Bradley has the toughness more needed
to plough. This RB unit has featured many
backs with lots of carries for each, a good
approach to keep these big men fresh and
foes guessing.
Receiver
Olsen’s transition to starter at QB
will be eased by what has been called the
best group of receivers ever at UVa. Tall,
rangy deep threat Deyon Williams posted
numbers worthy of note (58 catches), but
was inexplicably left off any all-conference
teams. That won’t happen this year.
Williams, a 6-3 leaper with big-play ability,
is a threat to run a crisp out route or
burn opposing DBs deep. Fellow returning
starter Fontel Mines is one inch taller
but much stouter. Mines is a sure-handed
possession receiver who can really out-muscle
DBs to pull down balls in a crowd. Two other
returning lettermen – juniors Emmanuel
Byers and Thierren Davis – are reliable
(albeit smaller) targets who will give ACC
secondaries fits. Byers even tossed a 90-yard
strike to Williams (which went for a touchdown
against Miami last year), while Davis will
be sent deep often from the slot. And this
isn’t even counting speedy sophomore
Andrew Pearman, who transferred from Hawaii
and is too good not to work his way into
the mix (perhaps as a WR/RB combo). Coaches
need to send more of these guys deep to
stretch the field for Olsen to find subsequent
room underneath.
Tight
End
Junior Tom Santi has effectively become
a major target in the Cavalier tradition.
The 6-5, 238-pounder (18.8 yards per catch)
destroyed Minnesota in the Music City Bowl
(receptions of 43 and 55 yards). Santi has
great speed (4.5) for a tight end and is
versatile/tough enough to play fullback
(which he has). Fellow junior Jonathan Stupar
had more receptions than Santi, so it’s
no understatement when we say that the Cavs
may have the top receiving TE-tandem in
the country. Expect these two to be utilized
even more as receivers in the scheme of
new offensive coordinator Mike Groh. Four-star
recruit Joe Torchia will find a way to see
reps, but all of these guys are less than
250lbs, so bigger DLs may be able to push
them back when they stay home.
Offensive
Line
Losing 60 percent of your starters hurts,
especially when you’re about to break
in a new quarterback. Heralded sophomore
Eugene Monroe suffered a left knee injury
late in the spring and missed the latter
part of workouts as a precaution –
and one of the two returning starters, left
guard Branden Albert, missed the spring
due to academic problems. While Monroe should
recover in time with optimal affect, and
Groh anticipates Albert clearing up his
in-class issues, the Cavs can’t afford
such absences on this already-depleted unit.
Additionally, sophomore Zak Stair and junior
Eddie Pinigis (who worked following the
Monroe injury at left and right tackle,
respectively) face charges for their role
in a frat-house fracas and could be affected
by disciplinary action. The dwindling numbers
should force whoever doesn’t get the
starting center job (junior Ian-Yates Cunningham,
a veteran of several positions with a mean
streak, is the leader to snap the ball,
with junior Jordy Lipsey close behind) into
action somewhere else upfront. Junior Marshal
Ausberry would be solid as one of the guards.
How quickly this line comes together will
be the main pivot for how well the entire
offense does, and therefore how far the
entire team will go.
OFFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
There will be a new feel to how the keen
offensive mind of Mike Groh runs things.
The first step is to revamp the play-calling
with the strong-armed Olsen under center.
He doesn’t run as well as Hagans did,
but this could steady the ship nicely via
less inconsistency. UVa was up and down,
but ended the season on a high note as Mike
Groh (having taken over for Prince) mixed
things up well in the bowl victory over
Minnesota, a sign of how he will keep the
Cavs dynamic under Olsen’s leadership.
It’s always a scary proposition to
rely heavily on a quarterback with as little
experience as Olsen (even if he has been
around for a while), but his pedigree tells
us he just has to get the support of his
strong RB unit to find his nitch. Knowing
the WRs will spread opposing DBs all over
so their stellar receiving TEs can be open
deep (an UVa specialty), it will really
all come down to how well the revamped line
gels. Do not underestimate how well this
offense will do – enough foes will
do this so that they can exploit such until
they are given the respect they deserve.
|
|
OG
Branden Albert
|
|
|
VIRGINIA
2006 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
OFFENSE |
QB |
Christian
Olsen-Sr (6-3, 216) |
Kevin
McCabe-Jr (6-2, 213) |
FB |
Josh
Zidenburg-Jr (6-0, 212) |
Kevin
Bradley-Jr (6-1, 230) |
TB |
Jason
Snelling-Sr (5-11, 233) |
Michael
Johnson-Sr (5-9, 199)
Cedric Peerman-So (5-10, 198) |
WR |
Fontel
Mines-Sr (6-4, 217) |
Emmanuel
Byers-Jr (5-9, 186)
Maurice Covington-So (6-4, 212) |
WR |
Deyon
Williams-Sr (6-3, 185) |
Theirrien
Davis-Jr (5-11, 187)
Kevin Ogletree-So (6-2, 184) |
TE |
Tom
Santi-Jr (6-5, 238) |
Jonathan
Stupar-Jr (6-3, 245)
John Phillips-So (6-6, 241) |
OT |
Eugene
Monroe-So (6-6, 318) |
Zak
Stair-So (6-6, 294) |
OG |
Branden
Albert-So (6-7, 306) |
Gordie
Sammis-Sr (6-4, 290) |
C |
Jordy
Lipsey-Jr (6-3, 268) |
Ian-Yates
Cunningham-Jr (6-3, 291) |
OG |
Marshal
Ausberry-Jr (6-5, 309) |
David
Fairbrothers-Jr (6-3, 294) |
OT |
Will
Barker-Fr (6-7, 265) |
Eddie
Pinigis-Jr (6-7, 292) |
K |
Chris
Gould-Jr (6-1, 216) |
Noah
Greenbaum-Sr (5-10, 184) |
|
|
2006
DEFENSE |
Defensive
Line
From a numbers standpoint, the Cavaliers’
3-4 defensive set seems to demand that the
three down linemen hold their ground and
provide the LBs with room to make plays,
but returners on the D-line have combined
for just 13 career starts, and 12 of those
belong to right end Chris Long. The son
of NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long is fast
becoming the leader of the defense with
his blend of speed-rushing ability and toughness.
He even excels in coverage (tied for team
lead in Passes-BrokenUp with seven). His
presence is sure to open things up for nose
tackle (converted end) Allen Billyk and
6-foot-7 left end Alex Field, an ex-TE.
All three are well-schooled at the underrated
art of deflecting passes (notably Field).
Gap-plugging nose tackle Keenan Carter and
rapidly-improving end Jeffrey Fitzgerald
(who is in better shape than in 2005) will
be fixtures in the DL rotation. This is
a really athletic group which has to perform
well, or there are a ton of recent recruits
waiting for their chances to displace this
quality starting three.
Linebacker
Groh’s background as a linebackers
coach (a position he held for three different
NFL teams) has helped the Hoos build significant
depth at the position, and it will be on
display sooner than expected with defensive
backbone Ahmad Brooks now a former Cav.
Big-hitting sophomore Clint Sintim (the
team’s second-leading returning tackler
and a freshman all-league selection) is
toughest on opponent’s RBs while steady
junior Jermaine Dias can cover as well as
he plays when a down-lineman. Both are locked
into the two outside slots, with one inside
spot manned by DE/LB hybrid sophomore Antonio
Appleby (who filled in nicely for the injured
Brooks during much of last season, including
a 10-tackle performance in the Music City
Bowl). The other may go to sophomore walk-on
Jon Copper, a prep wrestling and weightlifting
standout who was a special-teams demon last
season. New defensive coordinator Mike London
has promised more aggressiveness from this
unit. And in a system which relies so heavily
upon skill from the LB position, the corps
will become a force quickly with so many
qualified recruits also pushing for reps.
Defensive
Back
Virginia returns three starters in the secondary
and looks to improve on 2005’s modest,
but worthy, showing. Second-team All-ACC
pick (and third-team NationalChamps.net
preseason All-American) Marcus Hamilton
has his side secured as a lockdown corner.
His six interceptions led the league and
tied for fifth nationally. Experienced junior
Chris Gorham has the inside track on the
other spot but will have to fend off uber-talented
athlete Vic Hall (one of the top QBs in
recent Virginia prep history, whose athleticism
and big-play ability will bolster the secondary).
Gorham is bigger and a step faster, but
Hall brings ex-QB instincts that cannot
be taught. At safety, Tony Franklin has
suffered from off-the-field issues and has
been dismissed from the team. Assuming he
returns from a frightening neck injury suffered
against Georgia Tech, hard-hitting safety
Nate Lyles (who missed the spring) will
anchor one safety position, and this Chicago-native
is the fastest of the starters. The other
may go to Byron Glaspy, who wasn’t
even a recruited walk-on, but worked his
way into the starting lineup and helped
shut down heralded Georgia Tech receiver
Calvin Johnson in a UVa win last fall. Sophomore
Chris Cook, who missed the spring while
recovering from a broken leg, provides depth
and is one of six secondary members with
at least one career start, a list which
also includes oft-used safety Jamaal Jackson.
DEFENSIVE
BREAKDOWN
Only one senior (Marcus Hamilton) is slated
to start for UVa on this side of the ball,
which says a lot about both the Hoos’
young talent and the relative lack of experience.
The loss of Brooks (who only played six
games in ’05, went 4-2 without him)
in the middle will surprisingly not hurt
this defense as much as many will predict,
but Parham was a huge cog. Still, experienced
replacements should continue to excel here.
Long is a beast at defensive end and his
infectious enthusiasm should spill over
to the rest of the talented line. There’s
plenty of promise, but several question
marks (the health of Lyles and Cook, the
possible rise of Hall) remain. Something
has to be done about their terrible showing
in third-down situations – again allowing
foes to convert 44% of the time has to be
approached. New coordinator London has promised
more fire and aggressiveness. His last tenure
here (2001-04) eventually produced the nation’s
18th-ranked total D (’04), so he knows
the system already and how to get the most
from his hungry crew. Secondary coach Steve
Bernstein and LB’s coach Mike Diaco
give the new-look staff a boost, and all
will keep the Cavs from again finishing
anywhere near 60th for total effort. The
Cavs have both size and speed across the
two-deep to assure this group produces against
even the best opponents.
|
|
CB
Marcus Hamilton
|
|
|
VIRGINIA
2006 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters/Key
Players |
DEFENSE |
DE |
Jerry
Fitzgerald-Fr (6-3, 261) |
Alex
Field-So (6-7, 261)
Jason Fuller-Fr (6-5, 230) |
NT |
Keenan
Carter-Jr (6-2, 307) |
Allen
Billyk-Jr (6-4, 278) |
DE |
Chris
Long-Jr (6-4, 278) |
John
Roberts-So (6-4, 252) |
OLB |
Jermaine
Dias-Jr (6-1, 235) |
Marvin
Richardson-Jr (6-3, 236) |
ILB |
Antonio
Appleby-So (6-4, 244) |
Bernie
McKeever-So (6-3, 219)
Darren Childs-Fr (6-1, 229) |
ILB |
Rashawn
Jackson-Fr (6-1, 243) |
Jon
Copper-So (6-0, 226) |
OLB |
Clint
Sintim-So (6-3, 242) |
Aaron
Clark-So (6-5, 234) |
CB |
Marcus
Hamilton-Sr (5-11, 187) |
Vic
Hall-Fr (5-9, 175)
Chris Cook-So (6-2, 197) |
CB |
Chris
Gorham-Jr (6-0, 188) |
Mike
Brown-So (5-9, 173) |
S |
Byron
Glaspy-So (5-11, 195) |
Ryan
Best-Jr (5-11, 208) |
S |
Nate
Lyles-Jr (6-0, 197) |
Jamaal
Jackson-Jr (6-3, 214)
Brandon Woods-Fr (6-2, 201) |
P |
Chris
Gould-Jr (6-1, 216) |
Ryan
Weigand-Jr (6-2, 177) |
|
|
|
2006
SPECIAL TEAMS |
Kicker
Junior Chris Gould, the best punter the Hoos have
had in recent years, has the inside track the
replace Hughes. Gould should beat out senior Noah
Greenbaum for the kicking duties, which could
make Greenbaum primed as KO specialist. None on
the roster will replace the sure-three the now-departed
Hughes always afforded. Coverage will remain strong
here.
Punter
Groh will turn to juco-transfer Ryan Weigand to
handle punting duties if Gould gets the nod for
PK. Either should give Groh the upper hand in
field-position battles, but net results in ’05
weren’t as strong as they need to be. Defensive
depth and a new special teams coach (Diaco) with
a working knowledge of the defensive depth should
make things better.
Return
Game
A healthy Michael Johnson would really help here,
but he has yet to live up to his potential as
a PR guy. Byers stepped into the slot well when
Johnson was out, but a possible Peerman-Pearman
tandem could replace both if not solid. Peerman
has speed to burn and is proven dangerous on kickoffs.
We wonder if this is the place to try out Simpson.
|
|