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Oct. 20, 2004
It was a down to earth kind of thing. Considering all the hype, all the radio talk shows, all the positive predictions from nationally know personalities, losing to Florida State brought everyone back to a dose of reality. Facts?
Fact number one…Florida State remains a national power as well as an ACC constant. The Seminoles haven’t won 11 ACC titles in the past 12 years for nothing. During Monday’s press conference Virginia head coach Al Groh put it in perspective.
“They (FSU) have been to the grocery store every year for the past 28, 29 years and have done a great job stocking the shelves. We’ve been to the store the past four years and still have some groceries to buy.”
Fact number two…the `Noles are fast. Really fast. At almost every position. I was very impressed with the two-deep guys, players like running back Lorenzo Booker and wide receiver Chris Davis. They all can run and they all flourish in coach Bobby Bowden’s system.
Fact number three…not only was it the second largest crowd in Florida State football history, they know their football. The fans understand defense, third down situations, red zone plays, and almost to a man can recite the FSU playbook. Doak Campbell is a tough place to play, period. Maybe the 50-1 record against ACC competition says something.
Enough about last weekend. In the words of Tony Soprano….”foeget about it…”
Virginia’s challenge this week is to simply improve. Coach Groh said the Duke game preparation will be no different than last week, or the Temple week, or the Akron week. Yes there are a couple small, nagging injury things UVA will have to contend with, but if the Cavaliers are to stay in the hunt there are a few areas to shore up.
Running game…Virginia is a good running team and against Duke the Cavs need to establish that fact again. Wali Lundy, Alvin Pearman and Michael Johnson should get plenty of reps this Saturday. The Blue Devils, re-tooling talent under first year head coach Ted Roof, are playing a lot of young people. UVA should be able to exploit that. Last week Georgia Tech seemed to have no problems offensively except when they stopped themselves. Don’t get me wrong; Duke is scrappy, with a couple of very good defenders like Giuseppe Aguanno at linebacker and corner Kenneth Sanford. Not to mention corner John Talley who leads the ACC in interceptions and has returned two this year for touchdowns.
Line play…UVA’s offensive line got a bit frustrated last week against the Seminoles…but this is still one of the premier fronts in college football. They know that…and it would be great to see Ferguson, Brown, Yarborough and company establish themselves early on Saturday.
Defensive secondary…including the linebackers. UVA is very talented at linebacker, corner and safety. The one thing that has been missing from the operation this year is turnovers…takeaways. We all know the “TO” can change a game in an instant. Hopefully this week the `Hoos get plenty of pressure on Duke quarterback Mike Schneider and he is forced into a few bad decisions.
Confidence…. the return of the “swagger”. Regular readers and people who know me know I love a high confidence level. Not cocky…not over confident, but the inside make up that tells your opponent on game day you are not going to beat me. Florida State had it last week…. and it will be important for the Cavaliers to carry that personality the remaining five games. Love the swagger…
Virginia has won eight of the last nine in the series…and has not lost in Durham since 1994. It’s an important week for the Cavaliers, and understandably Duke will play extra hard on Saturday. First year head coach Ted Roof, no doubt, sees an opportunity for his program.
GAME DAY NOTE: I spoke with Cavalier…and notice I didn’t say former…Chris Canty at his home in Charlotte this week. The magnitude of the injury really hasn’t hit him, and he is dying to play for the Cavs again…but as we know that isn’t going to happen. He tore three tendons in the knee in the Syracuse game, and the doctors have told him he will be ready for mini camps and try outs in April following the NFL draft. Canty rehabs every day, his range of motion has improved steadily, and he thinks he can be running by February.
As soon as Chris can stand up comfortably he will come to a UVA game…hopefully by Maryland.
Cavalier fans will be able to hear the Virginia Sports Network in Durham on our in stadium frequency, 92.1FM.