From the Coaches office in the McCue center Mac McDonald and Coach Groh gathered to take calls and discuss this
week’s game against the Maryland Terrapins. Mac asked the coach about his thoughts regarding the ACC games of this past
weekend. Groh called it very intriguing and said that it shows the parity that is present in the ACC now. He said that
it is impossible to look at different games and try to compare the scores to get an idea of who the better team is.
He used Clemson as an example and pointed out that last week they lost big to Wake Forest and this week they turn
around and get a big win against the first-place Florida State Seminoles. He said that this parity is good for fans
because it makes the games more exciting, but it is bad for coaches.
John in Roanoke was first up on the phone, and he asked Groh if anybody took him up on the offer to come to
practice and tryout as punter and also why some teams always line up on kicks with the linemen off to the side. Groh
said that if teams didn’t use this formation so much that it might sometime work as intended to catch the defense in a
bad position. The problem is that it is used so much that everyone knows how to line up and what to do when they
encounter it. Groh said he doesn’t use it because "it is a waste of time."
Darren from Winchester wanted to remind the listeners who are going to the Maryland game to find the Wilk Hall
tailgate. He said to look for the 34 foot RV with big V’s on the sides. Darren also wanted to know if the
administration of the athletic department is actively talking to the representatives of the ACC bowls to try to improve
UVA’s position with them. He noted that the number of fans who are following the team on the road has shown that we
are starting to "Travel well." Groh said that the bowl situation is something that has been discussed for the
last 8 or 9 months, and Mac said that they are working on it.
Nathan in Richmond commented that it seems like the team can’t catch a break and that most of the lucky breaks
go for the other team. Groh said that these are some of the little things that cause you to win or lose games, and that
when the teams are so evenly matched as they are in the ACC, these situations often can make a difference in the game.
He also said that they stress to the team to do things that will keep fate in their hands and not leave it to others.
Nathan also wanted to know whether the accolades that Matt Schaub is getting have had an effect in the way he plays.
Groh said "he has handled it with tremendous focus and understands that all of that is a direct result of what he
does on the field." He also noted that Matt has proven his value to this team as well as shown his value to NFL
teams.
Chuck in Fluvanna wanted to know about the progress of Jonathan Stupar and also if Groh had heard about the
apparent comment by the Maryland coach that they are not supposed to lose to teams like Virginia. Groh said that
Jonathan’s progress has been very good and that he has traveled with the team to all the games because of the depth
situation at tight end. "Jonathan is one of those playmaker type tight ends in the Heath Miller mold. He has
excellent hand to eye coordination, really good ball skills, and a knack for getting open." Groh said that he tells
him that all he needs is muscles, because he has the skills.
Freddie from Lynchburg commented that it seems like most of the big plays that Virginia has given up have been in
the middle of the field and wanted to know if Groh had a feeling about why that is. Groh noted that they need to improve
the way they play certain schemes and particularly the play action pass schemes.
The BB&T Student Athlete of the Week segment was next, and this week Groh decided to honor 3 walk-ons who have
worked very, very hard on the defensive scout team. This weeks winners are Miles Clement, LB from New Orleans, Adam
Rhodes, LB from Harrisonburg, and Mario Moore, DB from Lynchburg. He noted that all these players are terrific students
and play an important role in getting the team prepared to play each week.
Vinnie in Lynchburg wanted to know if Matt’s injury has affected his aggressiveness during games and why Groh
doesn’t run QB sneaks. Groh said that trying to find fault with Matt Schaub is looking for something that isn’t
there. He said that he hasn’t seen any signs of lack of aggression and even pointed out that Matt’s first play after
returning from the injury resulted in a QB run up the middle against Wake Forest.
Mac noted that Thursday’s game is the 68th meeting between Virginia and Maryland and that UVA is going
for 2 wins in a row and 11 of the last 12 in the series.
Matt in Roanoke wanted to know about the incoming recruits and whether the addition of these players along with
the league adding Miami might improve the chances that they have of being able to pull recruits out of states like South
Carolina and Florida. Groh couldn’t comment about the recruits but did say that there are some players they are
targeting that should be good additions to the team. He said that the biggest change in recruiting is that they are now
more visible in the Northeast and that the area from the Carolinas to New York will continue to be their primary
recruiting area.
Ginger in Roanoke said that she didn’t want to tell Groh what he should or shouldn’t do but would like to see
some long passes to Mines and Williams. Groh said that he agrees and would like to see some of the same. Groh went on to
add that to finish high in the conference, you need to get some road wins and noted that they have been right there in
their two ACC road losses, losing one in OT and the other with 23 seconds to go. He said that this is not good enough,
and they need to get a big road win, and he feels good about their chances to do so.
Since they didn’t have a game this week for the Red Zone Call of the Week segment, they discussed scripted play
calling in the Red Zone. Groh said that the play calling progressively changes as you get closer to the goal line in
that you have less and less vertical space and more lateral space. He said that most teams don’t change these plays
from week to week but do have special packages for the Red Zone. Defensively he said that most team chose to undercut at
the goal line, that is to play the DB’s close to the goal line and force the offense to work the back of the end zone.
Mac added that the Cavaliers are scoring at a 91% rate in the Red Zone this year.
Mac noted that Chris Canty is leading the ACC defensive linemen in tackles.
Brad in Salem asked Coach Groh about Matt’s chances in this year’s NFL draft, and whether there is a
possibility that some players might leave early. Groh said that when he was with the Jets they used a first round pick
on Chad Pennington and that he thinks Matt compares very favorably to Pennington in their skills, abilities, and work
habits. He said he can certainly see where Matt could be a first round pick but that there are 32 different teams and
each has their own ideas about how good a player is. Mac commented that there shouldn’t be any worries about younger
players leaving early but didn’t elaborate.
In the Look Ahead to Next Week Mac noted that Maryland has won 18 of their last 19 home games and 5 of their last 6
overall. Groh noted that they have a very good punter and punt team and do a very good job of using this as an advantage
to create long field situations for opponents. He said that they have a physically powerful offense with a very good
play action game and a very sound, aggressive defensive team that is one of the best in the country in scoring defense.
In closing, Mac informed the listeners that ABC has exercised their 6-day option for the Georgia Tech game and that
it will either be Noon or 3:30. He said that they should know by Friday.
— Joel Barfield
Cavalier Call-In can be heard on the Virginia Sports Network every Monday at 7:06PM EST throughout the season. Please turn to www.virginiasports.com for affiliate stations or listen via their live online broadcast. Click here to listen to their archived broadcasts or view the schedule for future shows.
