U.Va. football preview

Posted to: College Football Sports

The Virginian-Pilot
© August 28, 2008

“Those guys are gone. They were great for us, but time moves on and we’ve moved on without them.” – Coach Al Groh on the players lost from 2007

U.VA. | Depleted Cavs still seeking respect

IMPACT PLAYERS

LT Eugene Monroe should be the next Virginia lineman to become an early-round NFL pick, following the likes of Elton Brown, D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Branden Albert. His job this season is to protect the blind side of whichever quarterback Groh settles on.

OLB Clint Sintim is a perfect fit in Virginia’s 3-4 defense. More than just a speed rusher, at 6-foot-3 and 250 pounds Sintim is powerful enough to take on blockers at the line of scrimmage and skilled enough to stay with running backs and tight ends in pass coverage.

RB Cedric Peerman was leading the ACC in rushing when he went down with a foot injury last season. That gave Mikell Simpson a chance to shine – and he did. Now Peerman and Simpson give Virginia one of the best 1-2 tandems in the ACC.

RISING STAR

WR Kevin Ogletree caught 52 passes in 2006 before missing last year with a knee injury. Healthy again, Ogletree gives the Cavaliers the breakaway threat they lacked a year ago.

WANT TO GO?
SCHEDULE

CHARLOTTESVILLE

Asked about his team being picked to finish fifth in the ACC’s Coastal Division , Virginia coach Al Groh sounded a bit like the late Rodney Dangerfield.

“Our team probably continues to labor to get much respect in this conference,” he said.

Virginia won nine games last year, cracked the top 25 and played in a New Year’s Day bowl. But the Cavaliers were one of the least-dominant nine-win teams you’ll ever see, eking out five games by two points or fewer. And any sense of momentum created by last year’s success vanished in the offseason after a rash of departures by key players who had been expected back.

PREDICTION

6-6 overall, 3-5 ACC
It’s hard to envision all the close games that went Virginia’s way in 2007 breaking its way for a second straight season, especially with questions at quarterback. While the offense should have more playmakers, the defense won’t be able to apply the same level of pressure up front, putting more heat on the secondary. The schedule is relentless, although playing seven home games helps.

Gone due to academic problems are Jameel Sewell, who seemed ready for a breakout season at quarterback; Jeffrey Fitzgerald, a disruptive force at defensive end; and Chris Cook, the team’s most experienced cornerback. Also gone: guard Branden Albert, who opted to enter the NFL draft . All were potential all-ACC players.

What’s left? Fewer returning starters (10) than any other team in the ACC. No experienced quarterback or kickers. Holes in the offensive and defensive lines.

Small wonder the Cavaliers are getting little love from the prognosticators. But players say the resiliency that helped them win so many close games in 2007 also carried them through the tough times in the offseason – and could make them a potential surprise team again this year.

“Last year, we were a team that tried to battle to get to the last couple minutes of the game, then try to win it,” tight end John Phillips said. “That’s the team we had and we recognized that. Hopefully, that’ll carry over to this year and we can win some games at the end.”

Virginia won last year without much offensive juice. That could change this season. While Groh has yet to settle on a quarterback, the Cavaliers are loaded at the other skill positions. Cedric Peerman and Mikell Simpson form one of the league’s best running back duos and the return of Kevin Ogletree from a knee injury makes the receiving corps the deepest of Groh’s eight-year tenure.

The defense will be led by three senior linebackers – a departure from the past few years, when Fitzgerald and Chris Long controlled things up front.

With so many new faces on both sides of the ball, once again, if the Cavaliers want respect, they’ll have to earn it.

Ed Miller, (757) 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com

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