UVa Insider, the column: Richardson still in plans for 2012
When it comes to redshirting, call me a radical.
If I were running a college football program, I’d want to redshirt everybody in the freshman class.
And, there are programs who have operated like that, most notably Wake Forest in the ACC.
I thought it was a wise move for Virginia football coach Mike London to target 2011 back-up quarterback David Watford as a redshirt and wondered if he had similar plans for sophomore tailback Clifton Richardson.
Like Watford, Richardson saw action as a true freshman in 2011, playing in all 13 games and carrying the ball 72 times for 366 yards and two touchdowns.
I would not have guessed that Richardson got that much action on a team where the top two tailbacks, Perry Jones and Kevin Parks, had a combined 336 carries..
Given the fact that Jones and Parks were returning and that erstwhile return specialist Khalek Shepherd was expected to get more time from scrimmage, I became curious when Richardson missed the first two games.
Unlike the quarterback position, where everybody returns next season, Jones is in his final season of eligibility and there will be more opportunities for Parks, Shepherd, Richardson and freshman Kye Morgan.
However, if there is any temptation to redshirt Richardson, London gave no sign that he’s giving it much consideration.
“Clifton is a very good player and I think he’s getting back to where he needs to be – 100 percent,” London said earlier this week.
“His style is different than the styles of the other running backs. He’s a big, physical, downhill runner and we are glad that we’ll have him back and have an opportunity to put him in the game.”
The Cavaliers (2-0) will travel to Atlanta for their ACC opener at 3:30 p.m. Saturday against Georgia Tech (1-1, 0-1).
Richardson, who played quarterback as a senior at Menchville High School in Newport News, is listed at 6-0, 210. That’s 4 inches taller than Jones, Parks and Shepherd – all listed at 5-8.
“We try to weigh all options and look at what are the best interests of the player and team,” London said, “and that [redshirting] approach or that mindset right now is not something we’re considering seriously.
“We’d like to get him 100-percent healthy and ready to go and I think this will be the week for it.”
SOMETIMES, I WONDER HOW Virginia could have redshirted such talents as Shawn Moore, Herman Moore, Ronde Barber and Heath Miller – not because they were talents but because of the numbers crunch.
What if you signed the Division I-A limit of 25 players and redshirted all of them?
That would be 125 scholarship players over five years – 40 over the I-A scholarship limit.
It means you would have to run off a whole lot of players – not the Moores and the Barbers – but maybe equally hard-working but less skilled players whose only mistake was to accept the scholarship you offered them.
But, in the case of a Richardson, you’ve hopefully gotten to the point where you’ve got a steady stream of quality recruits coming in and you can project somebody like a Taquan “Smoke” Mizell as a starter in what otherwise might have been Richardson’s fifth year.
FINALLY, IF YOU attended either or both of Virginia’s first two games, what did you think of the crowds?
Attendance was listed as 50,081 for the opener against Richmond and at 56,087 for the Week 2 matchup with visiting Penn State?
I have no agenda in using the verb “listed” because I think the standards for tabulating the crowds at UVa are the same as they’ve been for years.
But for anybody who was there, here’s my question: How many Penn State fans were there at the game. My guess would have been 8,000, maybe more.
Well, here were the number of tickets sold from the visitors’ allotment: 906 for Richmond and 3,808 for Penn State. Clearly, there were more than 3,8008 Penn State fans, so they had to be getting their tickets elsewhere – UVa fans, StubHub, scalpers, etc.
But, here’s the one observation I took away from it all. I think it’s possible there were more Virginia fans at the Richmond game than there were UVa fans at the Penn State game and I’m not sure how that could be, given the relative quality of the attractions.
The weather was better in Week 1, but how many fans could that have turned away last Saturday? And, if that was the reason, then it supports the age-old reputation UVa fans have had for being fair-weather.
Given the product on the field of late, the program deserves better.
September 13, 2012 - 3:29 PM
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For the last 6-8 years, it seems like Virginia has adopted the more conservative “bodies through the gate” count, rather than the old tickets sold plus students admitted.
That said, as a season ticket holder since 1985, I have been disheartened/disgusted by the lackluster attendance throughout the 2011 season and so far this year- especially given the improving quality of the product. The excuses of the bad economy, Al Groh, seating priority snafu etc, are wearing thin.
Doug, you are spot on. People claiming to be Virginia fans need to tear themselves away from the flat screen, get out and support Mike London and this Cavalier team in person.
Just a thought, Doug………….MAYBE, the economy has something to do with it and the fact that UVa still is in the “rebuilding” stage and has not quite “got there” yet………..Also, considering the hassle of finding a decent parking space a mile from the stadium, (if you’re lucky), and being gouged on concessions that are grossly overpriced, one could see why the HUGE crowds have not returned – YET!……….
Doug,
I think you have to factor in the noon start time for the Penn State game, as well. For folks with elementary age kids who participate in rec. football, cheerleading, and soccer, noon games are tough. Their games are normally on Saturday morning, so you can make a later game, but not the noon game. For instance, I’m a season ticket holder, and we made the 3:30 Richmond game. However, my kids had a 10:30 football game in Rocky Mount, so a noon game was out of the question.
I also disagree that the product on the field deserves better. A bad Penn State team made Virginia look worse. You also have to remember that the last big game in Charlottesville, London and Co. mailed in their performance against Tech, and were embarrassed. The last big game away from Charlottesville, they were embarrassed by a very good, but not great, Auburn team with horrible special teams play by the hoos.
Virginia is entering a very dangerous time in ticket sales. The older alumni that are happy just to compete are dwindling. My generation, who came of age during the Welsh era in football and the Holland and Jones era in basketball, expect better than mediocrity. If the product doesn’t get better on the field and court consistently (they both had decent years last year), I think you will continue to see the crowds at the two big revenue sports dwindle. If the product on the field is truly good, the people will come. Look at the baseball crowds this past year in what was a relatively down year compared to the past three years. They were still very healthy, and it was hard to find a ticket at times.
Interested to hear after posting of yesterday’s UVa Insider that student attendance for UVa-Penn State was 2,000 less than student attendance for UVa-Richmond.
Again, the noon start time has a lot to do with the student attendance, but for totally different reasons….
Wallter!!……Are you kidding or are you just having a difficult time seeing through the BLINDERS!!…….Do you really expect, even die hard fans, to shell out hard-earned money for a MEDIOCRE product!!……And yes, last year’s football squad posted an 8-5 record, BUT!!!……Considering the number of games won by 3 points or less, that record could have gone either way – and that was against “MEDIOCRE” competition……Even though I hate Virginia Tech, Uva should not have been on the same field as them last year and is showed by the ‘Hoos getting BLOWN OUT!….Not to even score a SINGLE point??!!………And an “average” Auburn team handled them very handily…..Tech and Auburn were NOT mediocre teams and look what happened!!!!……..So, “WALTER”, until UVA produces a QUALITY product WORTH paying for, it will be more of the same…………TAKE THE BLINDERS OFF!!
Hey Doug
1. Since UVA student tickets are free maybe UVA should charge students a nominal fee. I listened to a podcast with Ted Leonsis (owner of Caps and Wizards) and when he first bought the Caps people said to give the tickets away he realized that this made fans have absolutely no commitment since they had nothing really to lose. So he devised an incentive program like giving away a Chipotle burrito with ticket stub. Maybe UVA should offer something like this? Buy a $10 ticket get $7 plus dollars if you’re a UVA First year or something. Maybe its time to get a little creative about the entire situation.
Fast Forward to 36:40
http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=5930781
Thoughts on this Doug? Does UVA really care though since they charge some pretty high student fees, they(UVA) are getting paid nonetheless.
2. UVA students what are you doing at noon on Saturday that prevents you from showing up? It’s really embarrassing you get maybe 2 really high profile home non-conference games during your four years. Do you really not have 3 hours to support your school and your fellow classmates? You already are subsidizing the cost might as well show up even if its just a little bit.
Doug — “good game management” won’t fill seats in a down economic cycle. It’ll do in the salad days, maybe, but right now, you have to hit the nail on the head. Coach London doesn’t seem to be able to get the talent on the field, and when it’s on the field, it doesn’t seem to stay there through the thick and the thin. We have no Majkowski, and no Secules, so there’s no reason to wait to put the more talented QBs in to make special plays, even if they’re not “grasping” the whole offense. The offense doesn’t “grasp” their talent either, so it seems everyone needs to adapt. We’re not seeing special players make special plays, and the stuff we are seeing is very pedestrian. My kids have soccer and football games on Saturdays; UVA is not competing with those demands with the present approach. Sorry Rocco, but Lazor’s system isn’t worth traveling to see.
Get rid of the we are bright and gay and the sway, then people will come see them play.
I agree with “Theo” in that, the quarterback play extremely POOR, which contributes to an offense that is almost last in every stat in the ACC ….No disrespect to “ROCCO”, but, there was a reason why he was a “TWO-STAR” QB coming out of high school and UVA was the only team, albeit with the hiring of London, to offer him………
“I SAY”!……you have the #1 recruit in Virginia, who was one of the highest recruited players in the country and who played on a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP team, sitting the bench!!…….Whether he is “still learning the system” of not, I say, PLAY THE GUY!!!……..LET HIM LEARN ON THE JOB!!……..It has to be better than watching an “FCS” quarterback struggle and continue mediocrity…..Defenses know this guy cannot run when things break down or make poor decisions…..Again, let PHILLIP SIMS” play!!!!!!!!….He will get better and better with each game!!
I think we’ll see this situation resolved pretty quickly. Always thought UVa would see what happened in the first four games, then take stock. Now, a decision could follow Game 5 vs. a Lousiana Tech team that has won nine of its past 10 games.
Never thought UVa fans would be calling for the head of a quarterback with victories over Miami, Florida State and Penn State in less than a year’s span.
Hearing the big issue at UVa and elsewhere is the noon starts. Why else would 2,000 more students turn out for a 3 p.m. start vs. Richmond.