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The opponent: William & Mary Tribe (2008 record: 7-4, 5-3 CAA – FCS)
Time: 6 p.m.
Television: ESPN360.com (internet only)
Satellite Radio: XM Radio Channel 141
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Pre-Game Option: Football weekends at Alumni Hall
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Al Groh eyes the Hoos’ first season-opening win since 2005. |
William & Mary and Virginia haven’t met on the football field since 1995, but the in-state series adds a chapter this Saturday with a 6 p.m. contest in Scott Stadium. Al Groh owns a 15-4 non-conference home record during his tenure. UVa has won 38 of 48 non-conference home games since 1987. W&M, meanwhile, hasn’t won its opener since 2001, a streak of eight losses.
In other words, put a check in the win column and get ready for TCU. Right? Not so fast. Yes, Virginia should win this game but I wouldn’t expect an easy evening featuring nothing but cruise control. The Tribe is a strong representative from the FCS, carrying a consolidated ranking of 12 and a coaches’ ranking of 14 entering this contest. The visitors won seven games last year in the tough Colonial Athletic Association and played ACC foe N.C. State to a 34-24 score last season. They also took Richmond, a fellow FCS and CAA foe, to overtime a year ago and UVa fans likely remember the struggle against the Spiders in Scott Stadium last season.
Throw in the fact that Virginia is breaking in a new offensive system while William & Mary has what’s expected to be one of its best defensive teams in years with eight returning starters and you have the potential for a tightly contested game on Saturday.
“We’ve had a complete [film] exchange with William & Mary, so they have seen as much of us as we have of them. It’s one of the highest scoring teams last year that they had in Coach [Jimmy] Laycock’s 30-year tenure,” UVa coach Al Groh said. “One of the more eye catching things … [is that] this is one of the [and] they explain it as one of the better defensive teams that they have had.”
So can the Cavaliers’ offense move the ball and post some points against a defense that’s expected to be tough? Will the Hoos’ D continue to be a solid unit even as new linebackers slide into prominent roles? And what about the special teams, one of the most talked about subjects of the Virginia offseason – will that unit perform better in the opener?
It’s almost time to start answering some of those offseason questions. Let’s take a closer look at the first match-up of the season with William & Mary.
The Offense
Offense: Multiple
Returning starters: 7
2008 points per game: 32.8
2008 yards per play: 6.1
Offensive strengths: Running backs, wide receivers/TEs, passing game
Offensive questions: Quarterback
Offensive players to watch: TB Jonathan Grimes, TE Rob Varno, WR D.J.McAulay
Bonus Box – Offense |
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William & Mary’s offense is often a high-powered outfit thanks to Laycock’s expertise on that side of the ball. 2008 was no exception as the Tribe averaged 6.1 yards per play and 32.8 points per game. With seven starters returning, including the top running back, receiver and tight end from a season ago, W&M figures to be productive once again in 2009. The team will have to do it without departed quarterback Jake Phillips, the brother of former Cavalier tight end John Phillips ; Jake graduated last season after throwing for 57 touchdowns in his career.
The tale starts at running back where sophomore Jonathan Grimes returns after an impressive rookie campaign. Grimes, who moved into action when the Terrence Riggins and Courtland Marriner, a pair of expected contributors at tailback (Marriner backs up Grimes while Riggins is the fullback), went down with injuries. Both of those players are also back for the Tribe, but Grimes is now the featured back after a stellar 2008 that led him to CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and preseason All-American recognition. Just how good was Grimes? He set a William & Mary freshman record with 929 yards rushing to go with 7 rushing TDs; he added 314 receiving yards and 2 more TDs as an option out of the backfield. Grimes is trying to become the first W&M tailback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season since sophomore Hameen Ali posted 1,053 rushing yards in 2001.
Of course, the Tribe will have to be proficient in the passing game in order to prevent teams from stacking the line against Grimes and the running attack. As mentioned above, Phillips is no longer the starting quarterback and someone has big shoes to fill. That someone? R.J. Archer, a Charlottesville-area product of Albemarle High School. A strong-armed kid that played receiver early in his W&M career, Archer worked behind Phillips last season and he filled in for an injured Phillips against Villanova with 307 yards and 1 TD passing. Coach Laycock thinks the 6’2″, 220-pound senior is ready to handle the QB duties.
“He did well in the spring and he’s picked right up where he left off in the preseason and he’s done very, very well,” Laycock said. “I have a lot of confidence in R.J. He’s a very mature young man, he’s very calm in a pressure situation type of guy. He stays under control. He knows our offense and he’s worked hard at learning it and knowing it.”
Archer has a group of proven targets at his disposal. The receiving corps features three players that had strong 2008 statistics. Senior D.J. McAulay headlines the list after he hauled in 40 catches for 718 yards and 8 TDs last season; he earned third-team All-CAA honors as the deep threat for the team. Juniors Chase Hill and Cam Dohse also posted strong numbers. Hill narrowly trailed McAulay with 39 catches and 7 TDs in 2008, while Dohse caught 31 balls for 557 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Tribe’s tight end is a receiving threat as well. Rob Varno, a senior that was second-team All-CAA last season, made 36 catches for 3 TDs in 2008.
The offensive line is experienced at most of the positions, which allows those skill players to do their jobs. Center C.J. Muse has started the last 24 games for W&M. The tackles are also returning starters as Jake Marcey, the left tackle, posted 11 starts and Keith Hill Jr., the right tackle, started 10 times. The guards – LG Chris Sutton and RG Derek Toon – each started once in 2008.
So how do the pieces fit together? The Tribe uses a pro style system with multiple looks. In many ways, it will look similar to what the Cavaliers have used the past several seasons with some of the pro sets before the switch to the spread. The traditional look will have a running back, fullback/halfback and tight end with two receivers, but W&M features some formations with multiple receivers and a single back and some with two tight ends and two backs.
Up front, the offensive line will mix up the blocking schemes, using both man and zone blocking at times. The pass protection blocking is often man-to-man with some zone slide protection looks at times. Bottom line: combination blocking will be the norm.
Denzel Burrell , one of Virginia’s starting outside linebackers, summed up the Tribe from what the Hoos have seen on last year’s film:
“They’re a tough opponent. I feel like they fit the category of both [a physical team and a finesse team]. They’re definitely physical. They have great tight end play with No. 98 [Rob Varno]. They have one of the best backs in their league in No. 34 [Jonathan Grimes]. It’s going to be a challenge. They definitely possess a lot of finesse characteristics, a lot of down-the-field passing and things like that. The backs are very slippery. At the same time, they have a power running attack and things that really try to pound it in and get yards.”
The Defense
Defense: 4-3
Returning starters: 8
2008 points per game allowed: 24
2008 yards per play allowed: 4.7
Defensive strengths: Defensive line, safeties
Defensive questions: Linebackers, corners
Defensive players to watch: DE Adrian Tracy, T Sean Lissemore, SS David Caldwell
Bonus Box – Defense |
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As good as William & Mary’s offense could be, the defense could be just as powerful in 2009. Boasting eight returning starters, the Tribe has experience everywhere but the linebacking corps. The defensive line could be among the best in the FCS not just the CAA while the secondary helped create plenty of turnovers last season. In other words, UVa’s shiny new offense isn’t playing against a group of star-struck, small-school pushovers.
Looking first at the defensive line, defensive end Adrian Tracy tops the list of outstanding performers after finishing sixth in the FCS last season with 0.91 sacks per game. Tracy recorded 72 tackles, including 15.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks in 2008; he’s a preseason All-American and was selected as the preseason co-defensive player of the year in the conference. Tracy is one of 20 players on the watch list for the Buchanan Award, given to the best defensive player in the FCS.
The opposite end has a load of experience too – C.J. Herbert has started 32 times in his career; he had 23 stops last season (5.5 TFL, 2 sacks). Defensive tackle Mike Stover appeared in all 11 games last season, posting 4.5 tackles for loss so he could be disruptive at times. Fellow tackle Sean Lissemore has started 21 times in his career and he posted 51 tackles last season (7.5 TFL); he had at least one tackle for loss in the final four games of 2008. Expect Harold Robertson III to be in the rotation in the middle as well – he started all 11 times a year ago and finished with 26 stops.
W&M’s linebackers have experience too. In the middle, Jake Trantin returns after a strong freshman campaign. He led all CAA freshmen last season with 6.9 tackles per game; he finished with 76 tackles on the year and had two games with 12 solo tackles. On the outside, junior Evan Francks started five times in 2008 and finished with 47 tackles. Also at OLB, Wes Steinman has something in common with Virginia LB Aaron Clark – he’s returning from a season-ending injury in last season’s opener.
In the secondary, preseason All-American safety David Caldwell leads the group. The senior has led the team in tackles for two straight seasons; he averaged 7.1 tackles per game last year. Caldwell had an interception return for touchdown and returned a blocked field for a touchdown in 2008. Expect Caldwell to be involved in run support while flying around the field. Fellow safety Robert Livingston is also a senior, giving the Tribe a pair of experienced players in the middle of the backline. Livingston is the free safety and will be the centerfielder type while Caldwell pushes forward.
At the corners, Ben Cottingham and B.W. Webb are the expected starters. Cottingham is the most experienced player on the edge with 10 starts in 2008; he had 36 tackles and an INT. Beyond Cottingham, however, Webb and the other corners are an inexperienced group and they will be tested against UVa’s spread offense with multiple receiving options on the field at all times. Webb was a member of the Tribe’s scout team last season while back-up corners Terrell Wells (3 game appearances last season as a freshman) and Ryan Woolfolk (converted running back) have limited time on the field.
The players line up in a 4-3 defense, but the Tribe do mix coverages a lot. The defensive coaches are aggressive and the players are looking to be disruptive. Look no further than the turnover numbers and backfield tackles from 2008 for proof. Statistically, W&M posted 72 tackles for loss and 24 sacks last season. The Tribe also forced 20 turnovers, including 16 interceptions – 10 different players had an INT last season, tying a school record. In other words, Virginia needs to expect some pressure in behind the line of scrimmage and be careful with the football.
The Special Teams
Bonus Box – Special Teams |
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Let’s start the special teams’ discussion the same place we started the offense – with Grimes. One reason Grimes led the CAA with 162 all-purpose yards per game in 2008 was because of his ability on special teams. He led the CAA with 24.5 yards per kickoff return and posted a 97-yard return for touchdown against Villanova. Caldwell frequently joins the KO group; he had 8 returns in 2008 and averaged 20.1 yards per return. Webb is in the mix this season as well; he is also working for the first time as the team’s punt returner.
The Tribe’s specialists are talented too. Placekicker Brian Pate is another preseason All-American after earning first-team All-CAA honors a season ago. Pate hit 13 of 16 field goals as a junior, including 3 of 4 kicks from beyond 40 yards. He made all 41 extra point tries. Pate connected on two fields in four different games last season. He had two touchbacks on 60 kickoffs. Archer returns for the third straight season as the starting holder.
Punter David Miller joins Pate as a preseason All-American. He ranked 16th nationally by averaging 41.53 yards per punt in 2008. Miller booted eight punts of more than 50 yards and placed the ball inside the 20 on 12 occasions. Against Richmond, Miller averaged 49.0 yards per punt.
Virginia’s renewed emphasis on special teams could pay dividends in one department, though: blocks. The Tribe had three kicks blocked in 2008. Richmond blocked a 39-yard field goal attempt by Pate in November. Villanova and Towson both blocked a punt attempt by Miller last season. Think the Cavaliers might “save” some punt block wrinkles for later in the year? I asked Groh if block attempts on punts were like gadget plays on offense, meaning they could only be used once. He indicated that blocks were often a result of individual technique as much as a set scheme for a given opponent.
“A lot of it has to do with the technique of the individual player, not with the scheme and so it’s really built more on that than some magical schemes or Star Wars looking stuff. That’s where we are enthused about the progress we have made because of the buy-in of some of the players, and the reinforcement that they have gotten from other players who are not necessarily participants on that,” Groh said. “For example, offensive and defensive linemen, who participate on a lot less than some other players who have the opportunity to, have been very encouraging and supportive of their teammates who have the opportunity on one play to make a play that can dramatically impact the outcome of the game. And so there’s a good collective realization of that and a good level of support for those players who have those very important roles.”
The Final Word
Saturday’s game features two teams looking to snap losing streaks in season openers. UVa hasn’t won the first game since 2005 while William & Mary’s skid dates back to 2001. Clearly, the Cavaliers are the favorite in this contest – that’s how these FBS-FCS match-ups go. But, much like Richmond last season, the Hoos can’t simply show up and win – they’ll have to match the intensity of the underdog, who will be gunning for a major in-state upset.
Offensively, the Tribe will provide a good test for the Virginia defense. With multiple formations and proven playmakers, the Cavalier defenders are going to get plenty of looks and plenty of opportunities to stop explosive players. Defensively, the visitors have a strong core of experienced players and as a group, William & Mary is aggressive, disruptive and a turnover-seeking club. The new offense can’t afford too many mistakes against an opportunistic and ‘nothing to lose’ defense. The special teams features talented options, which will test if any progress has truly been made by that portion of UVa’s team. And if it comes down to a field goal late? The Tribe has a more tested kicker than the Hoos.
With all that said, though, this is Virginia’s game to control. Every unit should be looking to set a tone for this game and for the season ahead with confident play and execution. Starting 1-0 for the first time in the seniors’ careers is a must if the Cavaliers are going to improve on last season’s 2008 record of 5-7. The first test of that quest starts at 6 p.m.
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