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April 23, 2006
Charlottesville, VA – A last second field goal by senior Noah Greenbaum gave the Orange squad a 10-7 victory over the Blue team in the Cavaliers’ annual Spring Football Game. A crowd of 7,869 saw the UVa defense dominate, with the only touchdowns, the first coming on a two-yard plunge by senior Jason Snelling and a three-yard run by sophomore Cedric Peerman. The game marked the end to the Cavaliers’ spring season.
“We’re allowed 44 practices before the first game, and we’ve had 15,” said Cavalier head coach Al Groh. “We made positive progress through this timeframe, and it’s been a good off-season program. It’s been a positive and productive spring camp. We got a lot done. We’re going down the right road, and we have a lot more to do.”
Before the game, Groh announced that the team had voted senior quarterback Christian Olsen (Wayne, N.J.), senior wide receiver Deyon Williams (Upper Marlboro, Md.), senior cornerback Marcus Hamilton (Centreville, Va.) and junior defensive end Chris Long (Ivy, Va.) as captains for the 2006 campaign. The group will look to fill the leadership and talent void left by departing seniors such as Marcus Hagans, Wali Lundy, and Brennan Schmidt, as well as junior Kai Parham, who has declared for the NFL Draft.
“Obviously this is one of the most inexperienced teams we’ve had, as indicated by the fact that we only have one senior in the defensive lineup,” Groh said. “But we have a lot of talented young players, so they just need a lot of days like this to come on. It’s going to be very important that we bring them on as fast as we can.”
To aid in the development of players, the NCAA allows 15 spring practices over a period of 29 consecutive days. Contact is allowed at twelve of the practices, and at three practices, tackling is allowed on greater than 50 percent of the plays.
Following the spring practices, the coaching staff feels especially high on redshirt freshman running back Mikell Simpson (Harrisburg, Pa.), sophomore linebacker Clint Sintim (Woodbridge, Va.), and redshirt freshman defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald (Richmond, Va.). These three players received the Rock Weir Award presented to the players who improved the most during spring practice.
Groh and his staff will look to Sintim and Fitzgerald to help Chris Long and company solidify the Hoos’ front seven, which loses impact players Schmidt, Parham, and junior Ahmad Brooks. Sintim saw his first action as a regular last fall, starting all 12 games.
“He just is really coming on strong, and he has a chance to be one of the better players that we’ve had since we’ve been here,” said Groh of Sintim.
Sophomore Aaron Clark impressed during the Spring Game and also figures into the mix at linebacker.
“This was probably his best day of the spring,” Groh said. “Perhaps the progress wasn’t as fast during the spring as he had hoped, but this was like the final exam, and he made some real good plays today.”
Due to the redshirt year and an ACL tear, Saturday’s Spring Game marked the first game that Fitzgerald has played in since his junior year in high school.
“His move on this position started back in December when we would segment a certain part of the practice just for developmental purposes,” Groh said. “That was a position of attention as we started in the spring, and he’s given us some positive feelings about that from the way he performed.”
Fitzgerald credits off-season workouts and spring practice with much of his development.
“I was in the weight room with Coach E (strength and conditioning coach Evan Marcus), working real hard, trying to rehab my knee,” Fitzgerald said. “With coach (Mike) London back, I’ve learned a lot working with him on reading the keys and learning the fundamentals of the defense. He’s really helped a lot.”
On the offensive side of the ball, much of the attention during the spring focused on the quarterback position with the graduation of Marcus Hagans. Olsen came into spring as the number one QB, and he has held that position throughout practice.
“I think it’s been a positive spring for Chris, mostly because he’s had an increased opportunity to demonstrate his skills now that he’s taking the majority of the turns,” Groh said.
Olsen has embraced the opportunity to start for the Cavaliers after spending one year as a backup at Notre Dame, sitting out a year after his transfer to Virginia, and serving as a backup for the Hoos over the past two years.
“I thought all 15 practices were exactly what I wanted to accomplish,” Olsen said. “Just knowing what’s going on and being a lot more comfortable in the huddle is where I’ve improved the most. Me and coach Groh talked and just said you don’t have to go out there and make up for three seasons in one season or one throw. I’m going to do whatever I can to help this team win.”
Redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell and junior year Kevin McCabe will continue to battle Olson for the starting spot during the fall.
“I think I’ve got a shot,” said Sewell. “I just want to go out and compete, because I would like to get the job also.”
At running back, the Hoos turn to converted senior fullback Jason Snelling, senior Michael Johnson, sophomore Cedric Peerman, and redshirt freshman Mikell Simpson to carry the ball. A player rolled up on Johnson’s ankle in Wednesday’s practice, keeping him from playing in the Spring Game. Snelling, who has also been riddled with injury problems in the past, participated in 14 of 15 spring practices.
“To a large extent, his dreams and aspirations of his college career are going to be packed into one season, and from a team standpoint, it’s going to be important that we get a real big season out of him,” Groh said. “He’s going to be one of the featured performers this year, and is going to have to make things happen when he gets the ball.”
During the spring, the Hoos looked to develop sophomore wide receivers Andrew Pearman and Kevin Ogletree in order to complement returning senior starters Fontel Mines and Deyon Williams.
“Andrew gets open, and when the quarterbacks see him, they fire the ball to him,” Groh said. “Ogletree has a little bit of that ability. Both of them have some of the better skills that we have. Both of them had one of those days today where they had plays of significance and plays that they could have made.”
This spring the Cavaliers have also had to adjust to new faces in the coaching staff after offensive coordinator Ron Prince took the Kansas State head coaching job and defensive coordinator Al Golden became the head coach of Temple.
“We brought in some great young minds and some older guys who have brought experience,” Olsen said. “I think overall, we aren’t going to miss a beat.”
The Hoos will look to build on the spring development when they return for fall practice in mid-August. The Cavaliers open the season Sept. 2 at Pittsburgh. UVA’s first home game comes on Sept. 9 against Wyoming.
by Peter Goergen