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Sept. 9, 2003
When Head Coach Al Groh addressed the Virginia football team Monday, the first time he saw them since the South Carolina debacle…he was quick to point out polls really don’t mean anything. Following the 31-7 defeat in Columbia, UVA dropped completely out of the Top 25. However, Groh reminded the media and the team the number one goal of the season is to win the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship…and that will always be the number one priority as long as he sits in the corner office in the McCue Center.
“The way the week has gone I would say the race is pretty wide open,” Groh commented.
“As far as preparing for week #3 we will do nothing different than coach the team and put them in the best position to win. We are not making major position changes (after the USC game)…this wasn’t the French Inquisition…an off with your head deal”.
Most of the week will be spent with Anthony Martinez and his game preparation. As Groh explained, it takes a quarterback a while to understand the speed of the college game…just like it takes a rookie quarterback in the NFL a while to adjust.
“Schaub just sees the game faster, and knows what to do with it. Matt is more of a mentor on the sidelines than he is a coach but he has great ownership in this team…and there is big difference between a leader and a cheerleader. He’s been a big help to Anthony.”
Virginia will travel to Kalamazoo with a great amount of respect for Western Michigan and head coach Gary Darnell…a linebacker coach with Groh under Bill Dooley at North Carolina in 1976-77. He also served on the staff of Groh’s Wake team in ’86. The Broncos feature the nation’s number one quarterback in Chad Munson who has thrown for 783 yards in two games and shares the national lead in touchdown passes with 8. The Long Beach, California senior is third in total offense and fifth in completions per game with 27. WMU ranks second in the NCAA statistics passing for 411 yards per game. Against William and Mary, his team put up 56 points, he was 24 for 35 and he completed balls to nine different receivers. The Bronco offense rolled up 683 yards against the Tribe. And one more number just for good measure…WMU is 8 for 8 in the red zone and 4 for 4 in 4th down conversions. Impressive…no matter who you’re playing.
Since we’re scouting the Broncos…UVA will also have it’s hands full with Jason Babin…a pre season All-American who had 12 tackles against the Indians and recorded a sack for the second straight game. He is ten sacks shy of the school record of 34.
If there has been one problem for the Broncos it has been on defense…they have given up 385 yards per game in two outings and 257 yards passing…94th in the country. The Western Michigan “D” did hold William and Mary to just ten second half points.
As Al Groh explained, this week would not be a couch session for the football team. He is very interested in seeing how his Cavaliers will react to the week of prep for WMU. The resolve was there last season, and Groh thinks this team has a lot of the same moxie.
X’s and O’s?
“With what they (WMU) run and the volume of what they do…a lot of schemes and diversity…we will have to be very sound in our coverages,” Groh said.
“Step up is a phrase we hear all the time…we’ll just have to see how far we need to step up.”
Check out what our insider, Mac McDonald, has to say about UVA athletics and the sports world every Tuesday in Inbounds.