In this, his final college season, Matt Schaub needs 150 attempts, 2,079 passing yards, 17 touchdown passes and 3,266
yards of total offense to reach the Virginia career records in each of those categories. He already owns the career
completions record and has a better career completion percentage than any of his UVa. predecessors. (And of course, he
holds every significant single-season passing record.) But will Schaub ’03 live up to the standards set by Schaub ’02?
In one man’s opinion, yes. Here’s why.
Honorable mention: His linemen, backs and tight ends are a year older, wiser, better; He doesn’t get tired;
Defenses don’t “get up more” to play a quarterback after he’s proven himself a star (they always
want to kill them).
5. The Virginia playbook didn’t leave with Bill Musgrave.
Ron Prince, an offensive line coach with expertise in coordinating the running game, replaces fancy-passing-guru Bill
Musgrave as the Cavaliers’ offensive coordinator, so it’s only natural to wonder how the passing offense might
change. If Al Groh has his way – and he will, as always – it won’t change much.
“This playbook never belonged to one person,” Groh said this offseason. “There’s a way that we’re
going to play around here and that’s the way we’ve been playing. We’ve been playing this way because this is the
way I want to play.”
4. His wide receivers are a talented bunch.
“A lot of people underestimated us, but we’re going to surprise a lot of people with how we come out and run,
how we move, the type of decisions we make,” Ottowa Anderson said.
O.A. could be right. Groh says this group has more raw talent in some areas than the group Billy McMullen and Michael
McGrew led last season. Art Thomas and Marques Hagans have long been two of Virginia’s best athletes. All three
freshmen have deep skill bases. If nothing else, this bunch will be faster than the McMullen-McGrew crew, which means
more (successful?) deep balls, which means a more varied passing game, which means more open spaces underneath for the
likes of tight end Heath Miller and tailback Wali Lundy.
3. He’ll have some semblance of a running game.
The season opener against Duke, a strong team defending against the run, will provide an early test of Virginia’s
professed determination to run the ball “with authority” this season. The Cavaliers did that only sporadically
last season, but it stands to reason that with every running back and offensive lineman returning except Mike Mullins
and Jason Snelling, they should succeed in that area more regularly. Most of the linemen and some of the backs are
stronger. Last season’s thrown-into-the-fire starters – Lundy, D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Zac Yarbrough, Brian
Barthelmes – know what they’re doing out there this time around.
“It’s going to be a big priority for us,” Marquis Weeks said. “We’re going to have to work real
hard. But we’ve got four of the best tailbacks, I think, in the country. I think we’re just one of the best
backfields. We’re real deep at that position. Last year we showed some flashes of talent and I’m just looking
forward to doing it again this year, improving on it.”
2. He’s better than he was last season.
The only reason Schaub didn’t receive the offense’s most improved player award this spring was Groh,
understandably, felt like spreading some of the awards around of other players. Patrick Estes and Phillip Sims send
their thanks. But that says an awful lot, when your fifth-year senior quarterback, the reigning ACC Player of the Year,
the guy who has his own Heisman-hype web site, is one of the hardest workers on your team. And he found some areas to
work on, little things none of us notice, like his drops.
“He’s so deserving of everything that he accomplishes out on the field, because nobody puts more into it than
Matt Schaub,” Mike Groh said.
1. He knows he’s better than he was last season.
Last year at this time, Schaub was preparing for his first season as a true starting quarterback. Less than halfway
through the season opener, he got booed and benched for Marques Hagans. He was still very much in search of that
“demonstrated performance” Al Groh talks so much about. This August, it’s a much different story. “He
expects to complete them all,” Groh said.
As much as the physical, technical improvements Schaub has made, that confidence in his ability and his knowledge of
the system is the biggest key to pulling off a repeat of last season’s surprise campaign. Ask Hagans. There was so
little point at having him back up Schaub that he’s not even playing quarterback anymore.
I lack originality! Send feedback to [email protected].
Or just send Michael Gillespie your daughters or whatever he’s asking for this month.
