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Ras-I Dowling has made an interception in two straight games. |
When Virginia corner Chris Cook went down with an injury at Middle Tennessee State, the Cavaliers lost their only returning starter at the position. That meant it was time for the ‘next man up’, a phrase the Hoos have been trumpeting during this season’s 8-2 run. Ras-I Dowling became the player to seize the moment and he has turned quite a few heads in the process.
After a strong showing at N.C. State where only a career day and several make-a-play catches by Donald Bowens detracted from his performance, Against Wake Forest last week, he delivered another impressive showing, recording 5 tackles and an interception. That INT marked the second straight week he had a pick; he’s the first true freshman with at least two interceptions in a season since Jerton Evans finished with four in 1999.
“I’m very impressed with Ras-I Dowling. I knew when he was on special teams. I played special teams for a whole year and thought I had a pretty good year – I think I might have had six tackles. He did that the first game he was in on special teams,” Copper said. “Every role he’s been given this year, he’s stepped up and really made a lot of plays that guys in the past haven’t made. Excellent athlete. I’m really looking forward to seeing him develop over the next two or three years and becoming one of the dominant players on this team.”
Copper may not have to wait long. Dowling has shown good instincts for his role in coverage and he has the proverbial nose for the football. In addition to his two interceptions, he has recorded 7 pass break-ups this season – he tied a record for a single game with 5 at NCSU. Dowling also forced a fumble earlier this season on special teams.
Virginia’s Al Groh said the Cavalier coaches noticed his ball skills and athletic ability early in the evaluation process. They liked what they saw on his recruiting film initially, which quickly made him a high priority player for that class. Watching him in person and on the basketball floor only strengthened those early impressions.
By the time Dowling arrived at fall training camp this year (after a one-year prep period at Hargrave Military Academy), Groh said the coaches expected that he could make an immediate impact.
“That sense started a long-time ago during the recruiting process when we saw the full range of his athletic ability, his ball skills, and his ball awareness. We got that kind of re-enforcement from Robert Prunty down at Hargrave. … He was very positive about his chances of coming in here and being an early contributor,” Groh said. “When we saw him in camp, right away you could see he was one of those young players that the time was right for him. He fit right in and it wasn’t too big for him from the outset.”
While the spotlight has gotten a little brighter for Dowling in the days since training camp, the Chesapeake native seemingly hasn’t paid much attention. Copper said he has teased the cornerback at times about getting ACC rookie recognition, but the freshman just brushes it off as uninterested in personal props. That humility apparently carries over to the field where Dowling is aggressive and confident in his moves, but does not get carried away.
“If cocky is the word you’re looking for, not in the least, I’ve never seen it. But confidence I think is the right word,” Copper said. “He’s a very aggressive player, especially being as young as he is. That’s something that sometimes guys have to develop when they’re more comfortable with the systems, but as soon as he stepped in, he was going after a lot of things.”
The Big Picture
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Chris Cook , who returned from injury against Wake, and the Hoos are in the ACC title hunt. |
With two games to play in the regular season, the Virginia football team has put itself in prime position in the ACC’s Coastal Division. The Cavaliers can win the division title with a win over Virginia Tech or a win over Miami combined with two VT losses. The Cavaliers are not ignoring the elephant in the room as they prepare for the Hurricanes this week.
“Virginia Tech’s in the same boat we are. It’s fun. We’re in the hunt. We’re looking forward to each week coming up, especially this week,” Copper said. “I don’t think it adds or takes away anything – each week we’re looking to improve our team and win. We know if we continue to do that we’ll be all right here when the season ends.
“We are not oblivious to the broader picture than the next game. We know it’s out there. [It’s] something that most teams start the season aiming for. But we also understand that to get beyond where we are too fast, then all of a sudden those things evaporate,” Groh said. “This is a team that has demonstrated to this point very good discipline as far as keeping our focus on what has to been done to win the next weekend. I think we’ve been verified by the fact that clearly as tight as the games have been, that any less, I don’t mean a lot less, any less focus on being prepared to perform at a moment’s notice in those games probably would not have been enough.”
Groh, of course, is referencing the Hoos’ propensity to be in close games this season. Other than the Wyoming loss and Pittsburgh win, all of Virginia’s games have been tightly contested in the fourth quarter. Seven of the remaining eight contests have been decided by 5 points or less – only the Duke game reached a double-digit final margin.
UVa’s last three wins have all come by one point. The team has set an NCAA record this season with five wins of two points or less.
“[I] get asked a lot of times what changes does it make in a team to have gone through this many tight games. That’s one of the things that certainly have become part of the team mentality – [an] awareness of just how fine the line is and you better not slip up anyplace,” Groh said. “The one area that we have complete control over or we could slip up is in preparation. We can’t control everything that happens in the game, but we can control what we do this afternoon and how we focus. Everybody on the team has a good appreciation of that.”
When it comes to preparation, Copper is definitely a leader by example. He has become notorious for his work in the film room every week – so much so, that he may could offered a professor position teaching “Football Cinema As An Art Form.” Copper agreed with his coach about the staying focused on preparation as the Miami game looms. He said the team can’t relax with a beat Tech and make the ACC title game mentality.
“I think if we’re any looser this week we won’t be an improved team going into next week and if we’re not an improved team going into next week that will lessen our chances of competing against Virginia Tech,” he said. “I think each week you have to go in with the mindset that this is the most important game we’re going to play all year and with the mindset that we’ve got to improve our team or our chances after this week aren’t going to be as good.”
Worth Quoting
“He’s just a very special player with the things he’s able to do on the field. I think the most important thing is the way he leads the team. I think the personality of the team this year – you talk about all the close wins and guys fighting it out to the end, I think that’s very much, and yes it’s handed down from Coach Groh, but I think it’s very much embodied in who Chris is, the way he approaches the game and the way he competes every day in practice and, of course, every Saturday.” – Jon Copper on Chris Long .
“If you are going to have a chance to be any good, from the onset you have to be prepared to deal with those kind of things because it’s much more of the reality that things of that nature are going to occur than they are not going to occur. It’s pretty unusual that you can smooth sail all the way through and have everybody you started with. Some teams do and that is a significant factor in having a big year, but if you lose some of those people and you automatically let it derail you, either mentally or performance-wise, then the odds are that whenever it happens, that’s it. You sack your bats up and go home.” – Al Groh on whether he ever shakes his head at his team’s 8-2 record despite losing the team’s top returning receiver, top returning running back, and one of the starting corners as well as other injuries.
“That’s why they put a scoreboard up there. The other team had equal opportunity to be lucky. So whether we’re luckier than them or a little bit better than them is really irrelevant. We’ve won more than them, and that’s all that really counts.” – Coach Groh on some outside observers’ thoughts that the Cavaliers have been lucky this season.
Glaspy’s Play
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Byron Glaspy has had seven more tackles in Virginia’s last three wins. |
JHoo mentioned in the “10 Things I Learned Vs. Wake” article (EDGE link) the play of safety Byron Glaspy on Saturday against the Demon Deacons. The junior was credited with 7 tackles (5 solo) and 1 pass break-up.
It seems to be a trend when you look at the numbers. Glaspy had 4 tackles (3 solo) and a pass break-up at N.C. State. At Maryland, he posted 9 tackles (5 solo) including an assist on a tackle for loss. Against UConn, Glaspy led the team in tackles with 9 (4 solo) including an assist on a tackle for loss.
That recent surge has propelled Glaspy to third on the team tackles chart, trailing only Copper (85) and Chris Long (65). On the season, he has 55 tackles (31 solo).
“I’ve noticed especially the last few weeks that Byron has been playing at a really high level,” Copper said. “I think you go in swings throughout the season where certain guys will step up and carry the flag, if you will, for the team and be the guy that has high production for a few weeks. That’s been Byron the last few weeks and hopefully he’ll continue that throughout the rest of the season. He’s one of my best friends on the team and it’s been encouraging for me seeing how he’s been performing.”
Courting Karma?
Several reporters in the interview room on Saturday after Wake Forest kept asking Virginia players how they keep winning close games. No one had a definitive answer, but defensive end Chris Long , who was named one of four finalists for the annual Rotary Lombardi Award on Monday, suggested maybe it was just good karma. Ever quick with some sharp wit, Long joked on Tuesday about building up some karma this week when a reporter asked if the team was out helping little old ladies cross the street.
“I’m liked camped out by Harris Teeter,” said a grinning Long before chuckling. “I was just there an hour ago. I had an apron on and I was doing cart duty.”
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