Your 38-27 finalPosted Sep30, 2006 at 09:47 PMWell, Randy King was right. Georgia Tech won. That means I was wrong. But I have company -- the forecasting cow didn't see this coming, either. And I'm not going to pretend I know more than a cow. Considering the circumstances, the postgame interview room was pretty upbeat. The late rally, though futile, at least showed these guys wouldn't quit. But the fact that they would be in that situation when they're a double-digit favorite, of course, is the real story of the night. Here's a nugget from reporter Mark Berman, who visited the Georgia Tech interview room: After GT upset Miami last year to open the door for the Hokies to win the Coastal, Beamer promised to buy Gailey a meal at Beamer's restaurant. Has he made good on the promise yet? "No," Gailey said after Saturday's game. "But I probably don't make many non-working trips to Blacksburg to take him up on that anyway." A few quick notes: Onto the quotes. I'll admit these are a little defense-heavy, but that's what my column's about tomorrow, so those were the main interview subjects: Toward the exits many go...Posted Sep30, 2006 at 06:15 PMA good number of fans here at Lane Stadium have seen enough as the third quarter ends. The traditional execution of the "Hokie Pokie" at this moment has never looked sadder. The Hokies trail 38-13, and it's every bit that bad. They're on pace for their worst home loss since a 1989 drubbing at the hands of Florida State. Elan Lewis is in at tailback. UVa postgame notesPosted Sep30, 2006 at 05:23 PMScroll down (or up) if you're jonesing only for Hokies news, but I thought I'd chime in with postgame notes from the Cavaliers' 37-0 drubbing of the truly hapless Duke Blue Devils, courtesy of the UVa media relations staff: - Virginia held Duke to 100 yards on 61 plays. Only one other time in Al Groh's six seasons did the Cavaliers hold a team under 150 yards: Akron's 84-yard effort in 2004. Other notable lows include 111 by Wake Forest in 1994, 127 by Maryland in 1997 and 51 by VMI in 1979. - The defensive effort included holding Duke to minus-21 yards on the ground, the fewest under Groh. (Akron had 6 rushing yards in the woeful 2004 loss.) It was Virginia's first negative-yardage defense since a 1996 game in which Wake Forest rushed for minus-45 yards, the fewest ever by a UVa opponent. - Unsurprisingly, that 1996 Wake Forest game was also the last time the Cavaliers had as many sacks (eight) as the eight they had today. - After one quarter, the Cavs had 17 points. They had not scored more than 13 points in a game this season. - Senior wide receiver and co-captain Deyon Williams played for the first time this season. He had been out since suffering a stress fracture in his foot and undergoing surgery early in training camp. Halftime thoughts--Georgia Tech 24, Hokies 13Posted Sep30, 2006 at 05:10 PMThe Hokies should not be in this game, but thanks to Justin Harper, they are. Two huge catches from him highlighted Virginia Tech's recovery from a devastating opening salvo by Georgia Tech. Frank Beamer said this week that he didn't know what the stats said about Reggie Ball, but he thought Georgia Tech's QB was very talented. Well, the stats support that so far in this one. Ball has completed six of 12 passes -- including five to Calvin Johnson -- for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He's also run for 50 yards on eight carries. He does have two interceptions, however, which has always been the knock on the fourth-year starter. You get the feeling that the field goal Georgia Tech tacked on in the final seconds of the half was huge. Up until that point, the Hokies had been in complete control of the second quarter and were looking to head into halftime down just one score. VT QB Sean Glennon is 9-for-16 for 136 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions. He's been pretty good -- with the help from Harper, who has a career-high 95 yards on three catches. Branden Ore is averaging 5.4 yards a carry. I said it last week, and I'll say it again: Falling behind Cincinnati was a blessing. I think the Hokies would have completely collapsed in the first quarter this week had they not had that experience. Do they have another comeback in them? Who knows? But it ought to be one heck of a second half. Final note: I don't think the fans were yelling "Booooone." Tight end Greg Boone dropped two passes right in his hands in the second quarter, including one on third-and-goal. As usual, the second half blogging will be sparse. But be sure to check back after the game for quotes and notes. Brandon Flowers helped off fieldPosted Sep30, 2006 at 05:05 PMWe'll get you an update when we get one. Harper grabs one for the books?Posted Sep30, 2006 at 04:15 PMIf Virginia Tech comes back and wins this game, don't ever forget about the catch -- or rather, the wrestling match won -- by receiver Justin Harper. With the Hokies backed up on their own 10 and facing 3rd-and-20 (not to mention already trailing 21-0), QB Sean Glennon lofted one deep that it looked like Jahi Word-Daniels had picked off. But as he was falling to the ground, Harper took it away. The Hokies went on to score a touchdown and now trail 21-7. The crowd is back in it. Two touches, two touchdownsPosted Sep30, 2006 at 03:46 PMThis just in: Calvin Johnson is good. He's touched the ball twice and has scored both times. Not sure how he got so open on that last dumpoff play. Bud Foster's moustache must be going gray right now as GT leads 14-0 midway through the first quarter. ABC just showed a commercial for "Lost." Greetings from Blacksburg...Posted Sep30, 2006 at 02:14 PMNow this, folks, is how it should feel coming to Lane Stadium on a Saturday afternoon. More traffic. Bigger tailgates. Cooler breezes flicking the flags. And most of all, better matchup. I don't know about you, but I've been looking forward to this Georgia Tech-Virginia Tech game for a long time. There's only so many ways you can write "We don't know much about this team." No sabemos mucho acera esta equipo. My apologies to those who took Spanish beyond high school and can point out what I'm sure are multiple errors in that latest attempt, but I wanted to try one more way before we move on. Anyway, today we learn something. Actually, we already have learned something -- people don't trust the Hokies. Writers, TV analysts, fans -- they're all very, very suspicious about this team, and they're picking accordingly. Beat writer Randy King made a rare pick against the Hokies in the paper this week (although we should note that UVa beat writer Doug Doughty picked against the Wahoos today, too, and we see how that's working out). But Randy's usually pretty sharp on these things, and he's as close to the program as anybody. Regardless, I'm not buying it. If this game were in Atlanta, I think it'd be a different story. But after tolerating four bad opponents, these fans are going to be ridiculously loud today. The Hokies usually rise to the occasion in such spots (think Texas A&M and LSU, two early season home games in recent years where a lot of people thought Tech would be in trouble). I tend to agree with Shanna the Forecasting Cow today, who predicts the Hokies to win 27-17. We're going to try something a little different today. I'm going to assume you have a television or a radio and know how the game is going on the field. I plan to chime in less frequently, but I hope with better nuggets of info and analysis than simple blow-by-blow coverage of plays. As usual, I will post postgame quotes from key players as soon as possible after the game. If you have suggestions on how the blog can be better (and don't say "cut and paste Kyle Tucker's blog," because I already thought of that and the editor said no), please post them down below. UVa-Duke pregamePosted Sep30, 2006 at 11:46 AMI'm feeling kind of naked without bloggaholics Jim Reedy and Aaron McFarling, but there's nobody's here at Wallace Wade Stadium, so I don't think anybody will notice. The only noteworthy casualty for the Cavaliers is sophomore wide receiver and punt returner Andrew Pearman, who did not make the trip. I'm told that Pearman rolled an ankle or twisted a knee when he muffed a punt Sept. 21 at Georgia Tech, but he was seen jogging at practice this week, so I don't anticipate he'll be out for long. There's a pretty good chance that wide receiver Deyon Williams will make his season's debut for the Cavaliers after undergoing surgery Aug. 11 for a broken foot. Williams' said at the time of his surgery that he felt rehab would take 4-6 weeks, so he's about on schedule. Williams ran pass routes prior to the Georgia Tech game and appeared to be doing more today. Groh said earlier this week that Emmanuel Byers (Achilles strain) was on the verge of taking on a more significant role. With Pearman out, look for Byers to handle punt returns and also take some time as slot receiver. Williams' participation probably would rule out his return for a redshirt season in 2007, but he could test the foot today and, if he doesn't like how it feels, apply for a redshirt year. I don't see that happening. The future of baseball in PulaskiPosted Sep28, 2006 at 11:49 PMIn 1992, the Atlanta Braves moved their rookie-league team to Danville after 11 seasons in Pulaski. In 2002, the Texas Rangers moved out west after 6 seasons in Pulaski. And now, after 4 seasons in Pulaski, the Toronto Blue Jays have decided to save money by cutting from six minor-league teams to five. Pulaski gets the axe again. Pulaski Baseball Inc. and the Appalachian League are working the phones to find a fourth team in 15 seasons, as I detailed last week. They also could end up with a co-op team from more than one parent club or, of course, no team at all. While that process plays out, here are some expanded highlights from my recent conversations with the men making the decisions. But first, a sketch of the candidates: There are 30 major-league clubs. Right off the top, we can dismiss as possibilities the nine clubs that already have teams in the Appalachian League – the Braves, Orioles, White Sox, Astros, Twins, Mets, Cardinals, Devil Rays and newly-added Royals – and the Indians and Blue Jays, who just pulled out of the league. So that leaves us with 19. VT wrestling lawsuit still onPosted Sep28, 2006 at 03:15 PMIf anyone was wondering whatever happened to those wrestlers who sued Virginia Tech, well, not much has changed since the dispute first hit the courts. All five wrestlers -- Jay Borschel, Brent Metcalf, Joe Slaton, T.H. Leet and Dan LeClere -- have enrolled at Iowa, are listed on the roster and are practicing with the Hawkeyes. The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette had a feature story recently about how the guys are adjusting to their new lives as non-competing wrestlers. (The Gazette, unfortunately, no longer has the story on its primitive Web site.) We're still scheduled for an Oct. 10 hearing in Montgomery County Circuit Court to decide the merits of the university's opening gambit, a motion to dismiss -- as is usually the case in such circumstances, I'm told. Virginia Tech opens its wrestling season with a home meet Nov. 5, and two weeks later travels to a meet at Nebraska that is expected to also include Tom Brands and the Hawkeyes. Your 29-13 finalPosted Sep23, 2006 at 06:30 PMSorry about the delay, but I figured I'd just give you it all at once. Obviously, the postgame interview room was full of relief from Hokies who'd survived their first major test of the season. You've really got to give Cincinnati some credit for playing as well as it did. Guess that trip to Ohio State really did the Bearcats some good. A few stats of note: Branden Ore: 25 carries, 170 yards, 1 TD And now, the quotes from some key players: Cincinnati defensive tackle TONY CARVITTI Win, Ore elsePosted Sep23, 2006 at 02:40 PMBranden Ore carries the Hokies to a touchdown, and they can finally exhale as they extend the lead to 22-13 with 8:30 remaining. In the past two drives, Ore has carried the ball 14 times for 126 yards. Seesaw continuesPosted Sep23, 2006 at 02:13 PMA long drive by Tech stalls, and the Hokies settle for a 21-yard field goal by Brandon Pace to take a 15-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. It happened last week against Ohio State, and it looks like it's happening again: Cincinnati's defense is simply running out of gas. Tech tailback Branden Ore finally gets things going, gaining 24, 6, 6, 7, and 14 yards during the drive. Bearcats back on topPosted Sep23, 2006 at 01:50 PMHuge drive by Cincy -- 15 plays, 52 yards, chewing up 8 minutes, 45 seconds -- and Kevin Lowell caps it with a 46-yard-field goal. Less than 5 minutes to play in the third, Cincinnati leads 13-12. The Bearcats are attacking the middle of the Hokies' defense and consistently grinding out 3- to 5-yard gains. Hokies respondPosted Sep23, 2006 at 01:48 PMMust have been some speech by Frank Beamer at halftime, because the Hokies, after struggling to move the ball in the first half, have found the end zone in just five plays here to start the third. A 47-yard touchdown pass from Sean Glennon to Justin Harper has Tech on top 12-10 and has energized what was a frustrated crowd. Here come the boos....Posted Sep23, 2006 at 01:19 PMThe Hokies, a four-touchdown favorite, head into the locker room trailing 10-5. And frankly, it could have been even worse. Cincinnati's fumble on the Tech 5-yard line in the first quarter wiped out at least three more Cincy points. So what's wrong? Well, the Hokies have rushed for negative-8 yards. And quarterback Sean Glennon is under more duress than he's seen all season. The offensive line questions haven't gone away, that's for sure. Aaron Rouse sat for three series after his personal foul. One of those series was the only toudchdown drive of the game, where the Bearcats attacked the center of the Hokies defense on the ground. Rouse came back in the game in the next series. Assuming Tech comes back and wins this game, this dogfight could be a blessing. The Hokies really need to feel what it's like to be pressured before Georgia Tech comes to town next week. Of course, if you asked them, they'd really like to be leading 72-0 right now. Cincinnati's field goal in the second quarter marked the first points given up by the Hokies at home in 11 quarters, dating back to last season's finale against UNC. The subsequent touchdown was the first touchdown allowed by the first-team defense this season. A few stats of note: Branden Ore: 7 rushes, 18 yards Bearcats grab the lead...Posted Sep23, 2006 at 01:12 PMCincinnati has outrushed Tech 72-2, and now the Bearcats lead the game 7-5 after a 1-yard TD run by Greg Moore. This from a team that ranked 114th in rushing in Division I-A coming into the game. Frank is fired upPosted Sep23, 2006 at 12:45 PMCoach Frank Beamer just gave Aaron Rouse a tongue-lashing on the sidelines after Rouse drew a 15-yard personal foul penalty away from the play that gave Cincinnati a first down. After Rouse's two flags last week -- including a controversial late hit -- Beamer has to be tired of apologizing for Rouse. Don't expect to see Rouse out there much more this half. Pretty good pitching thus farPosted Sep23, 2006 at 12:41 PMBrandon Pace tacks on a 37-yard field goal to make it 5-0 Tech as thte first quarter winds down. The big play on that drive was a 44-yard pass from Sean Glennon to Eddie Royal on third-and-25. Tech strikes firstPosted Sep23, 2006 at 12:15 PMJosh Morgan comes straight up the gut and blocks a Brian Steel punt through the end zone. 4:54 left in the first quarter, 2-0 Tech. There are quite a few empty seats in the upper-righthand corner of the East grandstand on this overcast day -- a first this season. Greetings from Blacksburg...Posted Sep23, 2006 at 11:44 AMOK, I confess. The last entry about cow was a load of bull. Just trying to get your attention this morning. Shanna, ever the homer, has predicted a 34-3 Tech victory today. We're about 20 minutes away from kickoff here in Blacksburg, and Virginia Tech and Cincinnati have gone to the locker rooms for final preparations. Here are Tech's starters for today: VT offense VT defense Holy Cow!Posted Sep23, 2006 at 11:41 AMHuge news right off the bat: Shanna the Forecasting Cow has gone against the grain today, and she may not make it out of Blacksburg tonight. Shanna says Cincinnati 21, Virginia Tech 3! Your 24-7 finalPosted Sep21, 2006 at 11:51 PMWell, that was an eventful evening. "Eventful" is a euphemism for "lame," at least from a UVa perspective. So much for Calvin Johnson's injury. He caught six passes for a career-high 165 yards. Yep. I'd say he's OK. Here are a few quotes from UVa coach Al Groh: "We still have quite a few things to do to get through this process in getting a number of these players up to playing and performing like college football players." On Jameel Sewell "On his best ball, he throws a real good-looking ball. It's got rotation on it. It's got distance on it. He throws the kind of ball that guys have to be able to throw. He's got some elusiveness in the pocket, which a quarterback on this team right now needs to have. It got the process started [tonight]. We knew well back in time that this is what it was going to come to, and we're going to follow it through." That's all for tonight. Check Friday's paper and roanoke.com for a whole lot more on this one. Have a great weekend, everybody. Brief post-mortemPosted Sep21, 2006 at 11:06 PMWith that monstrosity complete, let us note a few details in Virginia's predictably gruesome, 24-7 loss at Georgia Tech: Offensive yards: GT 314, UVa 164 Ga. Tech WR Calvin Johnson: 6 catches, 166 yards, 2 touchdowns UVa QB Jameel Sewell: 15-of-31 (48.4 percent) for 117 yards (3.8 yards per attempt), 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions; 9 carries, 27 rushing yards Ga. Tech QB Reggie Ball: 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) for 206 yards (10.8 yards per attempt), 2 touchdowns and no interceptions. Senior vs. (redshirt) freshman, my friends. Also, here's a fun game to play with your buddies in the nine days before the Cavaliers attempt to prove themselves worthy of beating Duke: In whom does Al Groh have less confidence: QB Kevin McCabe or TB Michael Johnson, who fumbled on his only carry tonight? It's a shame how M.J.'s career has turned out. Additional notes, via UVa media relations: Still ughPosted Sep21, 2006 at 10:12 PMNoah Greenbaum's second college FG attempt sails wide right by a few feet and the Cavs remain scoreless as the third quarter nears an end. Halfway decent drive for Jameel Sewell and the fellas, though, starting with five straight completions (one that appeared, upon replay, to be out of bounds) before a pair of penalties backed UVa up 15 yards. Greenbaum missed from 47 yards. The intrepid Aaron McFarling apologizes for his downed Internet connection -- or so he claims. Not like there's much to say about this massive beating, anyhow. Georgia Tech leads 24-0. Halftime notesPosted Sep21, 2006 at 09:26 PMThese game notes are distributed more widely than Aaron might think. 17-0, Georgia Tech, at the half. From the UVa media relations staff: - Jameel Sewell is the third UVa QB to start this year. It marks the first time since the 2003 the Cavaliers started three different QBs in the first three games of the season. That year it was Matt Schaub (Duke), Anthony Martinez (South Carolina) and Marques Hagans (Western Michigan). So what do you do if you're Al Groh?Posted Sep21, 2006 at 08:52 PMYou've pulled quarterbacks in each of the first three games, and now your supposed quarterback of the future couldn't look much worse in the present. Do you go back to Christian Olsen? Back to Kevin McCabe? We probably should mention that the all-time leader in total yards in the state of Virginia, Vic Hall, did a nice job downing a punt earlier. Poor Jameel Sewell...Posted Sep21, 2006 at 08:34 PMHe does not look ready. Simple as that. And to blame him would be just silly. He is a freshman making his first start on national TV, and his confidence has to be in shambles. He's skipping passes to receivers with regularity. Barring a dramatic turnaround, he should be gone by the second half. And the thing is, UVa's defense is playing well. It's a tribute to those guys that it's only 10-0 GT with 8:43 left in the half. Oooooh!!! Ahhhhhh!!Posted Sep21, 2006 at 08:16 PMThat's right. The punts were awe-inspiring in the first quarter. Of course, when the punts are awe-inspiring, it doesn't say much about the rest of the action. UVa's defense has been solid thus far. That touchdown drive by Georgia Tech was a product of precision execution. But the UVa offensive line has been overrun, Sewell looks skittish (kind of like the freshman he is), and Jason Snelling has nowhere to run. The Hoos might need a defensive score or five to have a shot tonight. That's what an offense looks likePosted Sep21, 2006 at 07:55 PMA couple of medium runs, a nice timing route to the All-American receiver and the excellent field vision of Reggie Ball has Georgia Tech up 7-0 with 7:23 left in the first quarter. As for UVa, the first throw was way high. The next, way short. Both were ugly. New UVa quarterback Jameel Sewell looked, shall we say, shaky. Let's see if he can split the difference on UVa's second drive. GT-UVa pregamePosted Sep21, 2006 at 07:07 PMWith less than 40 minutes remaining before kickoff, this much we know from watching Virginia in its pregame workouts: Cornerback Marcus Hamilton, a key player in UVa victories over Georgia Tech in 2004 and 2005, is in uniform and apparently will start. Hamilton suffered a shoulder injury in practice Sept. 13 and did not dress Saturday, when Western Michigan upset the Cavaliers 13-10 in Charlottesville. It's hard to assess the impact of Hamilton's absence, considering Western Michigan's meager offensive output of 179 yards, but he is the big-play guy in the Cavaliers' secondary and had an interception and a fumble recovery in a 13-12 overtime victory over Wyoming. UVa did not cause a turnover against Western Michigan. Wide receiver and co-captain Deyon Williams, who missed the first three games of the season with a broken foot, was in uniform Thursday night and did some running, which was something new. The last time he dressed out, he changed out of his uniform after warmups. It looks there could be a surprise in the starting lineup. Sophomore Zak "One-a-day" Stair is working at left offensive tackle with the first unit. Eugene Monroe, UVa's starting left tackle in the first three games, is working with the second unit. "Dancing Queen"Posted Sep21, 2006 at 06:45 PM"(Shake, Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty" What do all these songs have in common? Why, they were voted the top hits to get you fired up for a football game, of course. Or at least the folks here at Bobby Dodd Stadium seem to think so. It's discotastic here in (Breaking News: "Funkytown" just got cranking, a bit of an off-speed pitch, no doubt) Atlanta. We're about an hour away from kickoff, and the teams are warming up. Both receiver Deyon Williams and cornerback Marcus Hamilton are in uniform. Never can be too sure what that means with an Al Groh program, but it's a lot better than street clothes. Georgia Tech is wearing throwback jerseys. Or as Doug Doughty put it after seeing them, "throw-up jerseys." He'll be here all week, folks. Greetings from Atlanta...Posted Sep21, 2006 at 05:12 PMFirst, a warning. Tonight's blogging on the UVa-Georgia Tech game promises to be quite a ham-and-egg operation compared to what you Cavaliers fans may be used to. For one, it's being done by me, Aaron McFarling, and not uber-athletic blogger Jim Reedy. My apologies in advance, but I'll try to keep it fairly entertaining and informative. Reedy will be touching things up from the command center in Roanoke, so if you see zany "bells and whistles" such as "links," you will know he's been on there. Second, this is a late game, and deadline comes quickly for my column and assorted side notes for tomorrow's newspaper. I'll do my best despite those circumstances. Now, on to football... Interesting to read the Atlanta Journal Constitution this morning and listen to the local sports talk radio here in Atlanta. Both mentioned how "confusing" Al Groh's 3-4 defense can be to opponents not used to seeing it. But then again, Reggie Ball's in his fourth year at QB, so it's doubtful he'll be too flummoxed tonight. "I'm not a Kevin basher"Posted Sep18, 2006 at 10:46 PMAfter stopping by the office to answer e-mails and voice mails that were mostly critical of Virginia football coach Al Groh, I hustled to the car Monday night, not wanting to miss one minute of Groh's coach's show. The show has moved to Bob FM, an oldies station at 101.5 on the FM dial in the Roanoke Valley, but when the show was supposed to start at 7:06 p.m., the station went dead. Finally, after one or two minutes, "Hey Jude" came on the radio. That Beatles classic lasts six or seven minutes and has always been a late-night staple for disc jockeys when nature calls. When "Hey Jude" ended on my way to the top of Mill Mountain to pick up WRVA (1140 AM) out of Richmond, I fully expected "McArthur Park" at any moment. If you gave up on Bob FM, I'm here to tell you that Cavalier Call-In finally came on the air just before 7:30, although the transmission sounded it was coming through a walkie-talkie. Fortunately and predictably, callers were still asking Groh about the quarterback situation Saturday, when he used three able-bodied quarterbacks in a 17-10 loss to Western Michigan. A caller named Ron said he felt Groh either should have stayed with -- or come back to -- starter Kevin McCabe. I'm also of the opinion that the Cavalier offense had its only semblance of life when McCabe was in the game. Groh was quick to point out that opponents have intercepted McCabe three times in 35 attempts, twice returning the INTs for touchdowns. "You know, Ron, I don't quite see it the same way, apparently, as everybody else does," Groh said. "I don't see where any of the quarterbacks had moved the team. Kevin had one drive the other day, which was a very good drive and I'm pleased for it and I was happy for him and I appreciate what he did. "I'm not a Kevin basher. I'm not mad at Kevin. The one touchdown that we got against Wyoming was not a drive. The ball was put on the 25-yard line by the rules and then we got a real good pass, I mean a great pass. The ball wasn't moved down the field through a series of consecutively good plays. "From my perspective, until that touchdown the other day, we really hadn't had a drive for a touchdown by any of the quarterbacks. It's not as if any of the quarterbacks had a real great resume. Frankly, the two negative plays really outweighed, in terms of how the game went it, the positiveness of it." Say one thing for Groh: He sure can rationalize. Final thoughts from UVaPosted Sep16, 2006 at 09:15 PMFrom the people who brought you a 13-12 overtime win against Wyoming, here's a homecoming loss to Western Michigan ... Wrapping up Virginia's 17-10 loss: - Definitive proof of the gap in quality between Virginia's defense and offense: The Cavaliers allowed 179 yards, their fewest in a loss since giving up 167 yards in a 10-0 loss at Navy in 1969. - Featured back Jason Snelling, whose ability to gain tough yards is especially important with a young offensive line and inexperienced quarterbacks, sat out half the second quarter and all of the third because he "was woozy and feeling ill" after a big hit, coach Al Groh said. - Senior cornerback and co-captain Marcus Hamilton did not play because he hurt his shoulder on Wednesday. Groh said the team didn't decide until today to hold him out and doesn't know if he'll be able to play Thursday at Georgia Tech. - Groh himself was limping noticeably and could not sit down for his postgame news conference after being knocked over early in the game when a play carried into the Virginia bench area. He said he had injured a ligament behind his left knee. “You didn’t see me missing any plays, did you?” Groh joked. “There were a couple of plays out there," our man Doug Doughty replied, "you might have wanted to miss.” And here's some assorted quotes on the quarterback play: Your 36-0 finalPosted Sep16, 2006 at 06:37 PMI know what you really want is the gory details from Charlottesville, but we're still kickin' here in Blacksburg. Aaron Rouse handled the postgame splendidly, if you ask me. In fact, that's my column for tomorrow's paper, so I won't blow all the quotes here. But they've learned something about handling controversy, and that's a good thing. Sean Glennon took a big step forward today, throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns. He was positively giddy after the game, and for good reason. And it looks like David Clowney's pleas for the ball did him some good -- he caught four passes for 120 yards. Beamer said he'll be looking at the video of the block PATs first thing in the morning. You could tell that really ticked him off. So did Rouse's hit on Duke QB Thaddeus Lewis (but not enough to sit him down, which I think he should have done). Kenny Lewis had a nice debut. And let's not forget Blacksburg's Sam Wheeler, who caught his first TD pass today. All in all, another easy win for the Hokies. Still very tough to say how much we really know about this team, though. Soon ... Broncos 17, Cavaliers 10Posted Sep16, 2006 at 06:10 PMWorst loss of the Groh era? Doug's kicking the idea around. Back later with the gory details ... All but over?Posted Sep16, 2006 at 06:06 PMTaking over at its own 12 with 3:53 left, Virginia picked up two first downs when Jameel Sewell found Tom Santi for 13 yards and Kevin Ogletree for 9 yards and Jason Snelling ran for 8. But an interception, a short pass (made shorter by Ogletree cutting back, losing ground), a sack and a false start led to a fourth-and-20 scramble in which Sewell came up a few yards short. Western Michigan takes over on downs with 1:41 left, leading 17-10. Fans head for the exits. BlehPosted Sep16, 2006 at 05:51 PMA defensive stop and a shanked punt gave the Cavaliers possession at the Broncos 36-yard line. Two runs by Jason Snelling gained 20 yards, but the rush swallowed Jameel Sewell on third-and-4 ... and then Chris Gould missed wide right on a field goal of low-to-medium difficulty. Sheesh. Broncos 17, Cavaliers 10 as we measure for a possible WMU first down with 6:34 left. Not dead yetPosted Sep16, 2006 at 05:41 PMWestern Michigan's Ameer Ismail just used Michael Johnson as a speed bump on his way toward UVa QB Jameel Sewell ... and Jason Snelling returns to the game. That's the good news. Problem is, the Cavaliers still went three-and-out. And they're still down seven points with 13:31 left. "Never should have taken McCabe out," Doug says, and again, I'm inclined to agree. It's a little odd how often we're agreeing today. |
