Virginia Cavaliers

Wali Lundy was Virginia's leading rusher with 929 yards in 2003.
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The Lowdown
Coach: Al Groh
(4th season, 22-17)
2003 record: 8-5
(Beat Pittsburgh in Continental Tire Bowl)
ACC finish: 4-4 (t-4th)
'03 I-A Offensive Rankings:
Rush: 82nd (130.2 ypg)
Pass: 32nd (255.7 ypg)
'03 I-A Defensive Rankings:
Rush: 67th (161.7 ypg)
Pass: 63rd (223.0 ypg)
2004 Schedule
Date Opponent
Sept. 4 at Temple
Sept. 11 North Carolina
Sept. 18 Akron
Sept. 25 Syracuse
Oct. 7 Clemson
Oct. 16 at Florida State
Oct. 23 at Duke
Nov. 6 Maryland
Nov. 13 Miami
Nov. 20 at Georgia Tech
Nov. 27 at Virginia Tech
Depth Chart: Offense
7 returning starters in bold
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
WR 80 Michael McGrew Sr. 82 Deyon Williams So.
WR 83 Ottowa Anderson Sr. 84 Fontel Mines So.
LT 66 D'Brickashaw Ferguson Jr. 92 Gordie Sammis So.
LG 77 Ian-Yates Cunningham So. 62 Brian Barthelmes Jr.
C 75 Zac Yarbrough Sr. 63 Jordy Lipsey Fr.
RG 61 Elton Brown Sr. 64 Ron Darden So.
RT 69 Brad Butler Jr. 71 Eddie Pinigis Fr.
TE 89 Heath Miller Jr. 87 Patrick Estes Sr.
QB 18 Marques Hagans Jr. 11 Chris Olsen So.
FB 38 Jason Snelling So. 32 Brandon Isaiah Sr.
TB 33 Wali Lundy Jr. 21 Alvin Pearman Sr.
Depth Chart: Defense
8 returning starters in bold
Ps. No. Player Yr. No. Player Yr.
DE 95 Chris Canty Sr. 98 Kwakou Robinson Jr.
NT 60 Andrew Hoffman Sr. 54 Melvin Massey Jr.
DE 96 Brennan Schmidt Jr. 99 Chris Johnson Fr.
OLB 56 Darryl Blackstock Jr. 58 Jon Thompson Sr.
ILB 44 Kai Parham So. 53 Rich Bedesem Sr.
ILB 34 Ahmad Brooks So. 59 Bryan White Sr.
OLB 45 Dennis Haley Sr. 55 Vince Redd Fr.
CB 3 Marcus Hamilton So.   Phillip Brown Fr.
CB 23 Tony Franklin So. 26 Shannon Lane Fr.
S 36 Jermaine Hardy Sr. 42 Lance Evans  
S 5 Marquis Weeks Sr. 20 Robbie Catterton So.
Special Teams
Ps. No. Player Yr. Ps. No. Player Yr.
K 6 Connor Hughes Jr. P 15 Kurt Korte Jr.
KR 23 Tony Franklin So. PR 21 Alvin Pearman Sr.

The Virginia football team is Groh-ing up. Two years ago, coach Al Groh played 14 true freshmen, a tribute to the strength of his recruiting, but also an indication of the lack of veteran talent in Charlottesville. Last year, the Cavaliers remained one of the youngest teams in the nation, using 17 freshmen, seven of them true freshmen.

The benefits of using so many young players should start to be realized this year, when Virginia will have the most experienced and talented team since Groh arrived in 2001. The Cavs return most of their offense, with the notable exception of quarterback Matt Schaub. The defense also returns basically intact.

After winning the Continental Tire Bowl each of the past two seasons, Virginia will be aiming higher this year.

"We want to move on to bigger and better things," junior quarterback Marques Hagans said.

Offense
If only Schaub had another year of eligibility, the Cavaliers would potentially have one of the top offenses in the country. Even without Schaub at quarterback, Virginia should be very good. Whoever wins the job -- Hagans is the frontrunner -- will have a number of weapons at his disposal. Tailback Wali Lundy ran for 929 yards last year. His backup, Alvin Pearman, ran for 643 yards and caught 63 passes.

Heath Miller, nicknamed "Big Money" by his teammates, is one of the best tight ends in the country. The receiving corps will benefit from the return of Michael McGrew, who missed last season with a broken leg, and the continued development of sophomores Fontel Mines and Deyon Williams.

The offensive line appears poised for a breakout year. For the first time in three years, Virginia won't have a freshman starting. Guard Elton Brown was voted the top blocker in the ACC last year by the conference's defensive coordinators.

The question is how much Virginia tweaks the offense to suit Hagans' talents, assuming he wins the job. Sophomores Anthony Martinez and Chris Olsen, a transfer from Notre Dame, are also in the mix.

Defense
Virginia lost just one starter from its front seven, and the Cavaliers' linebacking corps should be among the best in the country.

It starts with a pair of standout inside linebackers, sophomores Ahmad Brooks and Kai Parham. Brooks, the national defensive player of the year as a high school senior, was as good as advertised last year. Darryl Blackstock, who has 16 sacks in two seasons, holds down one outside spot.

Virginia plays a 3-4 alignment. All three linemen return, led by defensive end Chris Canty, who led ACC linemen in tackles for the past two seasons.

The secondary will be young, but faster and more athletic than a year ago. Tony Franklin, a converted running back, grew into a solid cover cornerback by season's end. Safety Jermaine Hardy, a sure tackler, had offseason knee surgery but is expected to be ready by opening day.

Specialists
Groh calls Connor Hughes the best returning placekicker in the country. Hughes made 23 of 25 field goals last year, including three from beyond 50 yards. He was also perfect on 40 extra point attempts. Punter Tom Hagan left the team to concentrate on baseball. Kurt Korte will get first crack at the open job, though he could be challenged by freshman Chris Gould.

Final Analysis
Virginia should be better this year, but with Miami and Virginia Tech joining the conference, so should the ACC. An obvious key will be quarterback. With Hagans at the controls, the Cavaliers might not throw the ball as much as in years past. But with a solid group of running backs and a veteran offensive line, they shouldn't have to. The defense should be faster and more physically imposing than a year ago, when Virginia was prone to giving up big plays.

Virginia's non-conference schedule is not overly taxing, with Syracuse and Akron at home and Temple on the road. But the conference slate should be a bear with both Miami and Florida State on the schedule. Even so, Virginia has the talent to play with anyone in the conference and should be in the race for a BCS bowl.

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