Richmond Preview: ‘Hoos Look to End Streak of Poor Openers – Charlie Salwasser of The Great Blog of Virginia

September 1st, 2010 by charliesallwasser

Mike London finally gets his big debut as Virginia’s football coach on Saturday. After spending the last eight months trying to fix everything that Al Groh had let slide during his nine year reign of mediocrity, he finally gets to see his charges take the field against someone not wearing the same colors and gauge how things are going. The waiting has probably been driving him nuts – it’s like giving a kid a new toy and not letting him go outside and play with it.

Unfortunately for the fan base, the biggest difference this season won’t be measured in winning percentage. I’m not sure that – regardless of if coached by Mike London, Al Groh, or Gene Lombardi – this team has the horses to finish above the bottom of the ACC. The biggest difference will come as a comprehensive result of the little things. Do players know their roles and communicate with the coaching staff? Are roster moves (position changes and redshirts) still seemingly handled by a drunk man at a dart board? Does the team still beat themselves with dumb turnovers and by routinely committing the worst possible penalty at the worst possible time?

College football conventional wisdom dictates that opening the 2010 season against an FCS opponent at home should be a breeze, and that there’s no way that facing a lower tier opponent should be able to spoil the good feelings surrounding Mike London’s head coaching debut in orange and blue. Unfortunately, conventional wisdom must have had other plans here, here here, here or here – and I could keep going! The William and Mary debacle last season should be enough on its own to keep you taking Richmond seriously, but the rest of those results just pile on to the point that this team doesn’t have the luxury of looking past anyone – not even the supposed in-state punching bags.

All time, the ‘Hoos are 25-2-2 against UR, and 23-1-1 at home. The last meeting was perhaps the worst all-around football game I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching: the 16-0 Virginia win in 2008 that ended Peter Lalich’s two game reign as the starting quarterback. There is some good news and bad news with regard to season openers. Good news first: the team is 70-19-7 all time in home openers, and have won 13 of the last 16 openers in Scott Stadium. Now the bad news: despite decent all time numbers (.668 winning percentage), the ‘Hoos have lost four straight season openers, and no one on the current roster has been part of a season opening win. No one on the current roster has beaten Virginia Tech either, but that’s a different story for a different day.

About the Spiders:
Someone’s going to run to the wrong sideline on Saturday. Richmond hired former assistant (and 2009 Virginia WR coach) Latrell Scott to fill their head coaching vacancy just days after Mike London left Richmond for Virginia. Continuing the theme, Richmond has seven staffers with UVa ties and UVa has five with ties to the Spiders. Even if we didn’t have a seeming inability to lay the smack down against seemingly weaker opposition, Richmond might not be that weak anyway. Ranked #6 in the preseason FCS poll, the Spiders boast seven All-CAA selections, three candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award (given to the top FCS defensive player), and start former starter at USC (yes, seriously, an ex-USC guy with no east coast roots ended up at an FCS school across the country playing for a first time head coach. I’m as stumped as you are) Aaron Corp at quarterback. They’ve won their last 12 road games, have beaten Duke twice in the last five years (including last season, when you may remember that Duke beat us at home), and were the 2008 FCS Champions.

On offense, Corp is the leader of a group that lost seven starters from the 2009 team, including four linemen. Regarded as the eventual heir to Matt Sanchez when he arrived at USC, Corp battled injuries and inconsistency for both of his years there. His lone start (a 16-13 USC loss to Washington in 2009) resulted in the fewest passing yards by USC in the Pete Carroll era. Richmond lost their top two rushers from a year ago (back Justin Forte and quarterback Eric Ward), but third leading rusher Garrett Wilkins (61 carries, 282 yards) sits in a tie atop the depth chart alongside redshirt senior Tyler Kirchoff (45 carries, 190 yards in ‘09) and redshirt freshman Jovan Smith. Corp will be without his top two playmakers split wide: record setting senior wideout Kevin Grayson will probably miss this game with an injury and redshirt junior Donte Boston (33 catches, 494 yards 4 TDs in ‘09) is suspended for at least the opening week with academic “issues.” It’ll be up to junior possession guy Tre Gray (51 catches, 713 yards 4 TDs in ‘09) and John Thompson (redshirted ‘09) to carry the weight.

Defensively, the Spiders lost seven more starters from their ‘09 unit – one that ranked 20th in the FCS in total defense. The returnees happen to be talented. Patrick Weldon and Eric McBride are the playmakers in the middle – the two linebackers combined for 191 tackles (11 for loss) and three interceptions in ‘09. Senior defensive tackle Martin Parker and his 6.5 sacks anchor the line and Justin Rogers leads the secondary – he led the team in pass breakups (8) and finished second in interceptions (3).

Their punter and kicker both lack game experience, and can probably be rattled by a big crowd or a fierce rush. It remains to be seen if we can generate either.

High Five: The Keys to Success

1.) Establish the run.
This was a team that – in the words of their own coach, no less – spent much of 2009 without an offensive identity. I’d like to not have to go through that again, and think a stout running game is a good place to start. Here’s why: a.) our line has a distinct size and strength advantage over UR’s guys and should win the battles on the line of scrimmage b.) we have an abundance of decent tailbacks of different shapes, sizes and skill sets who could all use some snaps c.) our quarterback is historically prone to making dumb mistakes when given a long leash, and finally d.) our defense should be pretty good this year provided that we have a way to get them off the field and don’t leave them at the mercy of opposing offenses for 38 minutes a gme.

2.) Get to Corp often and early.
Corp is obviously one of the higher profile members of this UR team, and receiver is one of the deepest positions on the Spider roster. Even without Boston and probably without Grayson, Richmond still boasts enough playmakers in Tre Gray, John Thompson, Ben Edwards and tight end prospect Kevin Finney to score some points through the air. If Cam Johnson, Zane Parr and Matt Conrath can generate pressure on Corp from the trenches without us having to bring much of a blitz, we should be in good shape to disrupt the Spider passing attack.

3.) Shut down Tremayne Graham
This speedy junior cornerback led the team in kick returns at 25.2 a pop last season, including a 94 yard sprint for a score against Georgetown. Cliche warning: big special teams plays are one of the keys to swinging momentum and pulling an upset – hopefully ‘Dex has his guys better prepared than Ron Prince ever did last season.

4.) Play mistake free.
There can be no turnovers, no big penalties, and no chances for Richmond to seize on sudden changes of possession. The only reason we fell to William & Mary last year was that we somehow found a way to cough the ball up seven times. Seven times! Against William and Mary! That’s like something that would only happen in a video game. You’d be hard pressed to beat a local high school if you give them the ball seven times, and W&M took advantage.

5.) Keep Verica standing.
If it all goes through like it’s supposed to, Marc won’t be heavily relied on in this game – but when he is, I’d like him to have plenty of time so he can go through his reads and not have to rush. Verica rushing throws leads to Verica throwing picks which in turn leads to words slipping out of my mouth that lead to ugly looks from families seated nearby. Let’s keep it family friendly. Verica having time in the pocket will also give our receivers – in their first game in a new offense – time to get open.

Keep an Eye On:

1.) Faces in new places.
The two deep for this game features nine guys playing their first game at a new position – including starters Max Milien (moved from tailback to fullback), LaRoy Reynolds (safety to linebacker), Ausar Walcott (safety to linebacker) and Cam Johnson (linebacker to defensive end, or the position he was born to play). Matt Conrath (defensive end to defensive tackle), Terence Fells-Danzer (linebacker to fullback), Jeremiah Mathis (linebacker to defensive end), Trey Womack (corner to safety) and Dom Joseph (corner to safety) should also contribute.

2.) Ras-I against Kevin Grayson (if he plays)
It’s always fun to watch Ras-I take on an opponents number one receiver. Grayson is a deep threat who is closing in on career receptions and yards records for the Spiders, and though he’s been listed as a game time decision with a sprained knee, a buddy of mine from Richmond has told me he’ll be sitting out.

3.) Who makes the most of the running back opportunity.
It’s been a long time coming for Raynard Horne, named this week as a “co-starter” with Perry Jones. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see a guy who has been lauded as being the best all-around runner on the team finally get some consistent looks on Saturdays. I’m guessing that Jones and Horne will switch out depending on the game situation, and also that this is not the last shuffle of the running back depth chart we’ll see this season.

4.) Offensive crispness
It never appeared that our guys were entirely certain what they were doing on the field last season. I don’t expect London and Bill Lazer to empty their bag of tricks in week one, but it’d at least be nice to see a certain fluidity: guys knowing their blocking assignments, receivers running the right routes, the correct package of players being on the field for each play – less broken plays overall.

5.) The new uniforms.
I’ve played enough NCAA ‘11 that I’m starting to get used to them, but I’d like to see them in real life before deciding if I like them or not. The only thing I’m sure about is that you can come up with some ugly combos. I am at least excited that we finally have a modern take on the orange home jersey. Even if it doesn’t become a regular fixture, it’ll be fun to see when it does appear.

The Verdict:
I realize that a lot of this post has been spent fear mongering, but that’s just my obligation as (sort of) part of the media. I see Richmond putting up a good fight – the Spiders have plenty of experience against ACC competition – but Virginia managing to wear them down enough to win out. Normally in this situation I’d say something like “eventually talent/physical ability will carry us by them” but I don’t think our talent or athleticism margin over the Spiders is significant enough to get us to blowout status. I hope I’m wrong.

Virginia 27, Richmond 17

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Rocco to Back Up Verica? – Tim Mulholland of Dear Old U.Va.

August 31st, 2010 by TimMulholland

Amongst several surprises in the depth chart for the Richmond game this weekend is one that I feel will generate a good amount of discussion: Who will be the backup QB behind Marc Verica?

A few weeks ago, it was probably reasonable to assume that redshirt freshman Ross Metheny would be the backup QB. He’s the only signal caller on the roster other than Verica without a redshirt year to use – he already used his. Since we all know that London won’t be playing 14 true freshmen like Groh did last year, it’s probably safe to assume that QB is a position where he’d like to make liberal use of the redshirt year.

A few weeks ago, it was probably reasonable to assume that, behind Metheny, the next quarterback on the list would likely be Michael Strauss. Strauss is a true freshman, so playing him would be burning a shirt. But Strauss enrolled at Virginia in January and had all of spring practice and all the work with S&C coach Brandon Hourigan. He’s clearly a step ahead of the other true freshman in terms of experience.

A few weeks ago, it was probably reasonable to assume that at least one of the true freshman QBs would shift to another position. With four true freshmen tossers on the roster and one redshirt freshman, some of them were going to be more useful to the program in other positions. For various reasons, likely candidates there were Jake McGee from Collegiate in Richmond and Miles Gooch from Georgia.

A few weeks ago, it was probably reasonable to assume that all eyes were on David Watford as the future signal caller of the Virginia program. The rising high school senior had chosen Virginia over Virginia Tech (that has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?), he’s a local guy and he’s a recent commit, so there’s a lot of buzz surrounding him.

So where are we now? What’d we (that’s the collective we, not just us at Raycom or Dear Old U.Va.) get right and what’d we get wrong?

Jake McGee did end up switching positions – he moved to tight end fairly early on in the process. It seemed like Gooch and the staff may have toyed with the idea of moving him somewhere else – he’s a very athletic player and could be very valuable elsewhere – but in the end he stayed at QB. Lots of Virginia fans are still abuzz about Watford, but there’s no way of knowing at this point how that’ll really turn out.

The biggest difference right now is what the depth chart looks like at QB:

6 Marc Verica 6-3 215 Sr.
15 Ross Metheny 6-2 200 RFr.
OR 16 Michael Rocco 6-3 210 Fr.

OK, so we got Metheny right, but whoa – Rocco?

Freshman QB Michael Rocco

Freshman QB Michael Rocco

This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone who attended fall camp or the open practices. Rocco has the poise and composure of a collegiate quarterback. That should also come as no surprise to anyone who knows his background. He comes from a football family. His uncle, Danny Rocco, is a former Virginia assistant coach and the current head coach at Liberty University. Michael’s father is the head coach at his high school - Liberty Christian Academy. His grandfather was an assistant coach for JoePa up at Penn State.

So he’s got the potential to be a very good quarterback. But does that mean his redshirt should be burnt? That’s going to be a question that is debated a lot on the internet and at water coolers this season, I do believe.

Here’s my take: With Verica gone next year, we’ll need a new signal caller. Whoever that person is, he’s likely to start for the rest of his remaining time at Virginia. We’ll want to get that person some reps this season if he’s going to have anything to build on next season. Metheny is the logical choice there, as it doesn’t take burning his shirt to do that. But if Rocco is looking like the better QB already, why not get him some PT this year and then give him the reigns for three years?

Let’s assume that we do play Rocco this year. What does our QB roster look like next year? Metheny and Rocco will both be sophomores. Strauss and Gooch will both be redshirt freshmen. Watford will be a true freshman. Let’s assume that Watford then redshirts, while Rocco starts as a sophomore. You’ve then put two years of separation between Rocco and Watford, setting up a pretty decent line of progression at the QB position. And on top of that, you’ve got a couple of talented folks in Strauss, Metheny and Gooch who can step in if anything goes wrong – they’ll have more experience in the program than Watford, so they could step in earlier if needed, allowing Watford to grow at his own pace. I’m also willing to bet that, even if Rocco does see the field this year, I bet Metheny does as well. That gives him some game experience so we’re not in the situation we’re in this year with only one QB having taken a snap in a live game.

Let’s remember, Mike London has a rebuilding job on his hands. It’s not going to be done in a year. To be honest, it’s not going to be done in two or three years. I bet he and Coach Lazor are looking at the future of the program just as much as they’re looking at the 2010 edition of the program. In that light, maybe it does make sense to put Rocco on the field during the 2010 season to get him some reps.

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Verica: G.O.A.T or Just Goat?

August 27th, 2010 by charliesallwasser

Fifteen years from now, my future child will be looking at all-time Virginia passing records online, and – assuming Verica’s 2010 looks a lot like his 2008 – they’re going to see Marc Verica fairly high on several lists. Seeing his name up there ahead of names like Secules and Majkowski, they’re going to think he’s one of the best quarterbacks in school history. Scary thought? Norm Wood gives his thoughts at the Daily Press.

I’ll admit I’m pretty surprised to see it. Despite this being the third season of MV6 factoring prominently into the team’s plans, I’m still thinking of him as an emergency stopgap between Pete Lalich and the next starting quarterback. Here’s the lowdown: if Marc at least duplicates his 2008 numbers, he’ll leave Charlottesville at least 8th all time in passing yards (and one of just four QBs to post two 2,000 yard seasons at Virginia), and second in completion percentage behind only Matt Schaub. It’s a testament to a.) that very few truly shining stars have emerged from this football program and b.) that longevity counts – see Brett Favre sitting atop the NFL record books in all kinds of counting stats. I don’t hear many people calling him the best quarterback of all time – and if I do, I usually give them about as much credence as I do those who don’t believe dinosaurs are real.

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Speaking of Redshirts…

August 25th, 2010 by charliesallwasser

Many of us are still bitter with Al Groh for throwing out redshirts like they were just so many singles, and he felt the need to make it rain. Good news: Mike London appears considerably more invested in the concept. Man mountain Morgan Moses will definitely play this season, with one of Michael Strauss or Michael Rocco also likely to see some snaps in a reserve role if they can beat out each other and Ross Metheny for the #2 quarterback spot. Past those, we’re not likely to see much action out of our true freshmen this year – provided everybody stays healthy.

Kevin Parks has been in the running for some looks at running back. London had this to say: “You just want to say, ‘Go run the ball,’ ” London said, “but, tailbacks also have to block and do other things. We have a decision to make with him. We’ll practice Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, so going into Monday, we’ll set a depth chart and see who’s going to play.” I feel like that means he’s probably on his way to a redshirt.

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Running Back Logjam Continues – Charlie Salwasser of The Great Blog of Virginia

August 25th, 2010 by charliesallwasser

According to The Post, there’s still no real front runner for the starting running back job. Perry Jones apparently has a slim lead on everyone else, but it appears that that’s more because the first team offense can’t practice without a running back than because Perry has distanced himself from the field.

Here’s what I’d come up with if I had to guess: Perry Jones gets the starting nod, Dom Wallace and Keith Payne get some carries off of the bench, Raynard Horne and Torrey Mack end up as special teams players and Kevin Parks redshirts. With this many running backs of comparable talent and various shapes and sizes on the roster, there’s no good reason for Parks to see the field this season unless he’s far and away the best of the bunch – something it doesn’t look like he’s going to be able to do in two weeks if he hasn’t yet.

There’s another – but considerably less glamorous – battle going on in the offensive backfield. Terence Fells-Danzer and Max Milien are duking it out for the starting fullback spot. I had just assumed that Fells-Danzer would be the guy – partially because of his build and physicality from years of playing linebacker and partially because of the highlight I saw in The Building of a Program – but apparently Milien has been gaining on him recently. These two do different things well – I could see TFD as a hammer of a blocking back for shorter yardage situations and Milien as more of a mobile upfield blocker and receiver in the flat – so ultimately, who plays will end up depending on the game situation and the rest of the onfield personnel. Time will tell.

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Five Things I Want In Year One of the London Era. – Charlie Sallwasser of the Great Blog of Virginia

August 12th, 2010 by charliesallwasser

The 2010 Cavaliers are probably not going to win many football games. At times, they probably won’t be very much fun to watch. At this point, my “if this team gets every lucky bounce and solid contributors emerge from the pack at every skill position” prediction is still only four wins. Those are the breaks when you’re coming off a 3-9 season and don’t have a lot of incoming or returning talent. I won’t like it, and I’m sure I’ll whine – I expect to be reminded of how I said I expected it and I was ready when October rolls around and I’m fuming in this space every week – but I’m trying to brace myself.

There are, however, some signs of progress that won’t appear in the standings and will make this year’s record more tolerable – signs of progressing away from the Groh way of doing things and signs that London at least has the ship pointed in the right direction in year one.

1.) Consistency in the depth chart.
Last season, it seemed as though the entirety of both spring and fall practices were spent trying to learn the spread, with no time at all devoted to figuring out who was actually going to run it. The quarterback, running back and receiver spot all saw significant unrest during the early part of the season, with no one allowed to develop any idea of what to expect from one game to the next. I’m a big believer in rhythm and in players knowing their roles, and the 2009 Cavaliers had none of this. I’m OK even with playing matchups – say, Perry Jones in a one back set or the gun, Dom Wallace in the I, Keith Payne to plow people on short yardage downs or the goal line – so long as it’s consistent. There were times in ‘09 where it felt like Groh and Gregg Brandon were throwing darts to determine who was going to enter the game.

2.) Wise use of freshmen.
One consistently infuriating aspect of the Groh regime was his refusal to redshirt freshmen – often only using the player in question for a couple of series in one game, or devoting them entirely to special teams work that could have just as easily gone to a veteran. I’m fine with playing a guy in his first year, so long as you’re actually going to use him and not just blow a year of eligibility that could have been spent developing a future contributor. See: Kevin Parks. If KP turns out to be head and shoulders above the rest of the running back group (that is not a “KP is 5′8” joke), I’m fine with him getting major run this season. If the freshman year version of Kevin Parks ends up doing a lot of the same things that our other 5′8” speed back (Perry Jones) does, I don’t want him getting 10 carries on the season for 33 yards exclusively in garbage time. See the difference there?

3.) An offense that can and will move the ball – even if it’s only occasionally.
Here’s Virginia’s spot in the national Total Offense rankings over the last six years: 2009 (118th), 2008 (105th), 2007 (101st), 2006 (113th), 2005 (64th), 2004 (24th). What did we learn here? That just once over the last six years was the Cavalier offense in the top half of all offenses nationally in yards per game, and that they’ve spent the last four years consistently vying for the bottom. Everything London has said so far (reliance on a strong running game, test the deep ball occasionally, re-establish the tight end) sounds good in the preseason. Let’s see how we do.

4.) Increased visibility, both instate and nationally.
It’s going to take a while for this to really kick in – Virginia Tech is the state’s football darling, and there’s no getting around that before a game has even been played. I feel like London is already off to a good start here, too – the scrimmage at ODU and that monster of a mini-series have both done some good in getting the word out. Obviously, the biggest impacts are made by wins and bowl appearances, and those will take years to improve.

5.) Patience amongst the fan base.
This is a big one. I’m going to throw up if people are calling for London’s head in November if the team is 2-8. You can’t undo nine seasons of gradually increasing malaise in one – especially when the new guy doesn’t even have a full recruiting class in house yet. You have to get three or four years before being judged – Jon Oliver got it right on the Building of a Program pieces when he seemed to be desperately trying to temper expectations and stress patience amidst the hype building. This team (probably) won’t be very good this year. They might not be next year. It takes time to change the entire culture of an organization. It is, however, easier to be patient when your team is scrappy, hardworking underdogs than when they seem to be disorganized and underachieving – hopefully, we turn out this way.

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Breaking Down the First Official Depth Chart: Defense – Charlie Sallwasser of The Great Blog Of Virginia

July 31st, 2010 by charliesallwasser

Well, hey. I guess saying that I’d be back in “a few days” turned into something that more closely resembles “just over two months,” but I’m back now, and don’t plan on going anywhere for a good long while. My last post gave you my thoughts on the official depth chart on the offensive side of the ball at the conclusion of spring practice, so I’m going to pick up right where I left off with the defense and special teams.

Defensive Line:
DE 92 Zane Parr 6-6 275 Jr.
90 Jake Snyder 6-4 255 RFr.
or 47 Bill Schautz 6-4 245 So.

DT 94 Matt Conrath 6-7 270 Jr.
59 John-Kevin Dolce 6-2 250 Sr.

DT 96 Nick Jenkins 6-3 280 Jr.
93 Will Hill 6-4 255 So.

DE 56 Cam Johnson 6-4 260 Jr.
58 Jeremiah Mathis 6-3 245 RFr.

This unit has the potential to have some success in 2010, but whether or not they reach that potential will depend on two players who switched positions this spring: Cam Johnson will start fall practice as a starter at defensive end after spending his first two years at linebacker, and Matt Conrath will move inside to defensive tackle after spending two seasons at defensive end. Johnson is a born defensive end – this switch was so obvious that the fan base has been calling for it for the better part of his two years here. He never really seemed fluid enough to be a linebacker, and the added responsibilities of playing off the line took away from time he could have been rushing the passer. His bookend will be Zane Parr, who finished second on the team in sacks (don’t get excited – it was only 3.5) filling in for Conrath last season. Speaking of Conrath, I’m baffled by his move. Here’s a guy who was a second team Freshman All American his first year at defensive end – a guy whose strongest asset was his foot speed – and he gets moved to the interior? I’m hoping his height (6′7”) at least results in some batted passes. He’ll be joined on the inside by stalwart junior Nick Jenkins.

Linebackers:
SLB 26 LaRoy Reynolds 6-2 215 So.
39 Tucker Windle 6-3 225 So.
37 LoVanté Battle 5-10 195 So.

MLB 52 Aaron Taliaferro 6-2 225 Jr.
or 53 Steve Greer 6-2 230 So.
51 Connor McCartin 6-3 210 So.

WLB 55 Jared Detrick 6-1 240 Sr.
or 30 Ausar Walcott 6-4 220 So.

My first reaction to the depth chart at linebacker was to raise my eyebrow upon seeing that 92 tackles, three passes broken up, 6.5 tackles for loss and a sack weren’t enough to guarantee Steve Greer a starting spot at middle linebacker over Aaron Taliaferro. Greer made a huge impact over his freshman year, while Taliaferro pretty much took last season off to learn the inside linebacker spot after starting his career on the outside. His only real game experience at UVa came in the 2008 finale against Tech, when he was on the field for two plays but still managed to be way out of position in coverage on a Jarrett Boykin touchdown catch. The rest of the group beyond Greer is greener than green: the seven other linebackers listed combined for 22 tackles in 2009.

Defensive Backs:
CB 19 Ras-I Dowling 6-2 205 Sr.
16 Javanti Sparrow 6-0 185 So. (has since left the team)

FS 7 Corey Mosley 5-10 205 Jr.
23 Dom Joseph 6-1 195 Jr.
or 29 Corey Lillard 5-11 195 So.

SS 4 Rodney McLeod 5-10 185 Jr.
1 Trey Womack 5-11 190 Sr.

CB 13 Chase Minnifield 6-0 185 Jr.
or 42 Devin Wallace 5-11 205 So.

This is the best unit on the field on either side of the ball, and if the front seven can impede opposing running games and generate some pressure on the quarterback – ie, not leave these guys on an island – they should have a great season. The difference in this being a good group and a potentially great one is Ras-I Dowling, who passed on being a mid-first round pick in the NFL draft to return to Charlottesville and make up for a disappointing (or at least inconsistent) 2009. McLeod and Mosley are a hard hitting – and occasionally reckless – combo that will get the job done at safety, and Minnifield really came into his own over the second half of last season.

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Early, Early Picks for ACC Basketball–2010-11

May 13th, 2010 by Brandon Rink

Here’s a simulcast with my daily ACC blog at On The B. Rink…

Last couple weeks, we looked at the early entrants and the grads–but how about the ACC players coming back and how the ACC dominoes fall next season?

The News & Observer puts together an early projected starting lineup yearly with early entrants/graduation/new recruits factored in and here’s my early picks based off how the ACC is looking at this point.

1. Duke Blue Devils

2009-10: 13-3, first
G Kyrie Irving, fr.
G Seth Curry, soph. (20.2 ppg @ Liberty)
G Nolan Smith, sr. (17.4 ppg)
F Kyle Singler, sr. (17.7 ppg)
F Mason Plumlee, soph. (3.7 ppg)
Bench: G Andre Dawkins, F Miles Plumlee, F Ryan Kelly, F Josh Hairston

Outlook: Loooooooooooooooaded. They will be a unanimous choice for the ACC and one of the top teams in the country.

2. Florida State Seminoles

2009-10: 10-6, third
G Derwin Kitchen, sr. (8.1 ppg)
G Deividas Dulkys, jr. (8.7 ppg)
G Michael Snaer, soph. (8.8 ppg)
F Chris Singleton, jr. (10.2 ppg)
F Xavier Gibson, jr. (5.5 ppg)
Bench: G Luke Loucks, F Terrance Shannon, PG Ian Miller, F Okaro White, F Jon Kreft

Outlook: No Alabi, no problem? That’s what I’m saying–the cupboard isn’t bare at FSU and if there’s a year that Hamilton’s Noles make a run–it has to be this season.

3. Virginia Tech Hokies

2009-10: 10-6, fourth
G Malcolm Delaney, sr. (20.2 ppg)
G Dorenzo Hudson, sr. (12.0 ppg)
F Terrell Bell, sr. (6.1 ppg)
F Victor Davila, jr. (5.3 ppg)
F Jeff Allen, sr. (15.2 ppg)
Bench: F J.T. Thompson, G Erick Green, F Jarell Eddie, F Allan Chaney, F Cadarian Raines, F Manny Atkins, G Ben Boggs

Outlook: The time is now in Blacksburg as they return everybody. Greenberg needs to advance past simply making the ever-elusive NCAA Tourney, but win some games in said tourney.

4. North Carolina Tar Heels

2009-10: 5-11, 10th
G Larry Drew II, jr. (8.5 ppg)
G Reggie Bullock, fr.
F Harrison Barnes, fr.
F John Henson, soph. (5.7 ppg)
F Tyler Zeller, jr. (9.3 ppg)
Bench: F Will Graves, G Dexter Strickland, PG Kendall Marshall, G Leslie McDonald

Outlook: The Tar Heels are an interesting squad to watch this season because they had such a fall from grace last season. Heels are still young and Williams will have quite a coaching job to do to get UNC back to the top.

5. Maryland Terrapins

2009-10: 13-3, second
G Adrian Bowie, sr. (4.8 ppg)
G Sean Mosley, jr. (10.1 ppg)
G Cliff Tucker, sr. (5.7 ppg)
F Dino Gregory, sr. (4.2 ppg)
F Jordan Williams, soph. (9.6 ppg)
Bench: F James Padgett, G Terrell Stoglin, F Mychal Parker, PG Pe’Shon Howard

Outlook: Terps lose three of their biggest starters from last season with Vasquez, Hayes, and Milbourne, but they have a talented group coming back. Sean Mosley has to step into the go-to-guy role and Jordan Williams has to expand his role in the paint for the Terps to stay here.

6. Clemson Tigers

2009-10: 9-7, sixth
G Demontez Stitt, sr. (11.4 ppg)
G Tanner Smith, jr. (8.7 ppg)
F Milton Jennings, soph. (3.2 ppg)
F Devin Booker, soph. (4.5 ppg)
F Jerai Grant, sr. (7.2 ppg)
Bench: G Noel Johnson, G Andre Young, G Donte Hill, F Bryan Narcisse

Outlook: The Tigers are in transition between philosophies with a new coach in Brownell and lose star forward Trevor Booker, but this team still has the guns to compete in a wide-open(past Duke) ACC.

7. N.C. State Wolfpack

2009-10: 5-11, 11th
G Javier Gonzalez, sr. (9.5 ppg)
G Lorenzo Brown, fr.
F C.J. Leslie, fr.
F Richard Howell, soph. (4.9 ppg)
F Tracy Smith, sr. (16.5 ppg)
Bench: PG Ryan Harrow, G Scott Wood, G C.J. Williams, F DeShawn Painter, F Jordan Vandenberg

Outlook: Expectations should be high in Raleigh with a talented crew coming in and back. If Lowe can capture the magic of the ACC Tourney run to the semis, the Pack can go far, but I’m staying a bit skeptical on them.

8. Miami Hurricanes

2009-10: 4-12, 12th
G Durand Scott, soph. (10.3 ppg)
G Malcolm Grant, jr. (9.6 ppg)
G DeQuan Jones, jr. (5.7 ppg)
F Julian Gamble, jr. (3.5 ppg)
F Reggie Johnson, soph. (6.4 ppg)
Bench: G Rion Brown, G Garrius Adams, G Antoine Allen, F Donnavan Kirk

Outlook: Miami will be a trendy pick this season, but I’m on the fence with them. I  like Scott and Johnson, but Miami has a lot to prove right now.

9. Virginia Cavaliers

2009-10: 5-11, ninth
G Jontel Evans, soph. (2.4 ppg)
G Sammy Zeglinski, jr. (8.9 ppg)
G K.T. Harrell, fr.
F Mike Scott, sr. (12.0 ppg)
F James Johnson, fr.
Bench: PG Billy Baron, F Will Regan, F Assane Sene, G Joe Harris, G Mustapha Farrakhan, F Will Sherrill

Outlook: I had the ‘Hoos at ninth in my early, early picks last season and that’s where they finished–completely new team coming to play next season with Bennett cleaning house, but they have some talent.

10. Boston College Eagles

2009-10: 6-10, eighth
G Reggie Jackson, jr. (12.9 ppg)
G Dallas Elmore, jr. (3.9 ppg)
F Corey Raji, sr. (11.4 ppg)
F Joe Trapani, sr. (14.1 ppg)
F Josh Southern, sr. (4.4 ppg)
Bench: PG Biko Paris, F Courtney Dunn

Outlook: New system, several transfers, and a squad of mostly unproven, consistently, players at this level–hard to get behind the Eagles at this point.

11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2009-10: 7-9, seventh
G Moe Miller, sr. (3.9 ppg)
G Iman Shumpert, jr. (10.0 ppg)
G Glen Rice Jr., soph. (5.4 ppg)
F Kammeon Holsey, r-fr.
F Brad Sheehan, sr. (1.2 ppg)
Bench: G Brian Oliver, PG Mfon Udofia, F Daniel Miller

Outlook: The Jackets return all of their primary guards, but the problem falls with losing the three best players off last year’s team with Favors, Lawal, and Peacock in the paint. I will stay cautious on Georgia Tech because I’m not sure the Jackets’ guards can carry them.

12. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2009-10: 9-7, fifth
G Tony Chennault, fr.
G C.J. Harris, soph. (9.9 ppg)
F Ari Stewart, soph. (7.3 ppg)
F Tony Woods, jr. (4.6 ppg)
F Carson Derosiers, fr.
Bench: F Travis McKie, F Melvin Tabb, G J.T. Terrell, F Ty Walker, G Gary Clark

Outlook: New coach Jeff Bzdelik has a project on his hands, but the cupboard isn’t totally bare. If he can get the Deacs back to the NCAA Tourney, Bzdelik did a great coaching job.

Who’s too high? Who’s underrated? Can anyone knock off Duke? Early NCAA Tourney bid predictions?

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Breaking Down the First Official Depth Chart: Offense – Charlie Sallwasser of The Great Blog of Virginia

April 29th, 2010 by charliesallwasser

For those who haven’t noticed or haven’t been paying a lot of attention to spring football, the first official depth chart of the 2010 season is out. Here’s a look:

Wide Receiver and TE:
WR1 20 Tim Smith 6-0 180 So.
2 Jared Green 6-2 180 Jr.

WR2 18 Kris Burd 5-11 195 Jr.
81 Dontrelle Inman 6-3 190 Sr.

TE 83 Joe Torchia 6-6 250 Sr.
89 Colter Phillips 6-6 245 So.

No real surprises here. Tim Smith has consistently gotten press this spring as the program’s only real burner and Kris Burd emerged as a possession guy during last season, and barring injury, these guys should both start wide against Richmond. On the second team, Inman and Green are both old hands in the program who haven’t ever really put it together. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Quentin Hunter, Javaris Brown or both in those spots come fall. At tight end, Torchia’s experience and ability as a receiver outweighs the potential and skill as a blocker that Phillips brings to the table. I feel like the tight end reps will end up coming down to how the offensive line plays – if the line is consistently being beaten, look for the tight end to stay home and for Phillips to get more time on the field.

Offensive Line:
LT 67 Landon Bradley 6-7 285 Jr.
79 Sean Cascarano 6-6 260 RFr.

LG 63 Austin Pasztor 6-7 325 Jr.
75 Isaac Cain 6-4 300 Jr.

C 68 Anthony Mihota 6-4 270 Jr.
60 Mike Price 6-5 265 So.

RG 65 B.J. Cabbell 6-6 310 Sr.
70 Luke Bowanko 6-6 280 RFr.

RT 72 Oday Aboushi 6-6 310 So.
76 Hunter Steward 6-7 310 RFr.

Offensive line is going to be one of the program’s biggest concerns – there’s some physical talent on the line, but these guys face a lack of experience and the hangover effects of poor coaching. I still like Austin Pasztor and big Lando, and seeing monster-in-training (and victim of Groh’s redshirt failures) Oday Aboushi as the starter at right tackle is a welcome site. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Morgan Moses and/or Cody Wallace to show up this fall and possibly lay claim to one of these spots.

Running Back:
TB 33 Perry Jones 5-8 185 So.
22 Keith Payne 6-3 255 Sr.

FB 34 Terence Fells-Danzer 6-1 240 Jr.
36 Max Milien 6-0 210 Jr.

Perry Jones as the starting running back caught me off guard, but my first reaction was positive. The kid showed some elusiveness in his 2009 turns (only 9 carries for 9 yards but he did contribute a 38 yard catch and run against Clemson and some nifty kick returns) and impressed me with his performance in the spring game. Keith Payne being listed as the second teamer means that he must have really impressed London this spring – considering that as of last fall, he was a total bust and headed to Liberty.

Two names not on the chart that you’ll see when the leaves turn: Dominique Wallace and Torrey Mack. Wallace had just emerged as a contributor with 11 carries for 35 yards against Southern Miss before his Lisfranc injury. He spent the spring rehabbing his foot, and will be in the running back rotation this fall. Torrey Mack – considered the darling of last year’s spring practice and the favorite to start this year – struggled this spring with the same issues protecting the pass and finding holes that he had last fall. We’ll still probably see him.

At fullback, converted linebacker Terrance Fells-Danzer is the starter, which seems to be a good call considering his bulk and his surprising aptitude as a receiver. Max Milien – who finally proved to me that he actually exists by recording a garbage time carry last year – will back up TFD and spend time bulking up.

Quarterback:
QB 6 Marc Verica 6-3 215 Sr.
13 Ross Metheny 6-2 195 RFr.
or 10 Michael Strauss 6-2 205 Fr.

Man, I wish the “or” was after Verica’s name. The only thing that makes me want to see Marc Verica start this fall is the conventional wisdom that the offensive line play is probably going to be pretty spotty and we’ll want an experienced hand out there. The problem with that logic is that Verica’s career interception numbers (17, to only 8 touchdowns) have already shown us that he doesn’t make the best choices. I’m sure (I hope?) this will continue to be a point of contention in the fall, so for now I guess I’m OK with one of the captains being thrown a bone.

Back with the defense and special teams in a few days.

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Basketball Notes – Charlie Sallwasser of The Great Blog of Virginia

April 22nd, 2010 by charliesallwasser

We’re in a bit of a dead zone for the Raycom covered sports: spring football practice is over, basketball recruits have all signed and aren’t in town yet. In other words, it’s our time to grab the spotlight (such as it is for NCAA spring sports) with our nationally ranked baseball and lacrosse programs.

There are still some happenings in the basketball world, though, and I’ve got some thoughts on all of them…

Jeff Jones is heading to Rider. Rider? Does he even know her? I’m trying not to fret about this too much – while I’ve always been a fan of JJ’s offensive game, it feels silly to get too bothered over the departure of a guy with a career average of 6.2 points per game and a career shooting percentage well south of 40. There are many fish in the sea, and many of whom can put up those numbers.

I feel like he’ll probably put up big point totals at Rider – no matter what he says, the competition will be lesser, and he could easily be a 15-20 per game guy with a stroke like his against MAAC competition. I’ve always been a JJ fan, and I hope he just kills it up there. Mike Scott has already snapped up the #23.

Sammy Zeglinski had hip surgery this week. The injury is attributed to wear and tear and compensating for a groin strain and a sports hernia – which translates to me as “getting beaten up playing shooting guard with a point guard’s 170 pound body in the ACC.” Hopefully he’ll get a look back at the one next season.

This blogger is looking to drop 25 pounds. Assane Sene is probably trying to find them. I saw him at Chipotle on a recent weekend afternoon, so he’s off to a good start.

It remains to be seen how good Billy Baron’s going to be, but I like that a.) he’s a coach’s son, b.) he’s talking about how excited and honored he is to be playing here, and c.) he’s got the confidence to ask for Bryant Stith’s number. Good start.

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