Press Conference Notes 2010: UNC

John-Kevin Dolce said the team remains confident despite an 0-2 ACC start.

It has been a rough two weeks for the Virginia football team with two losses to open ACC play. The Cavaliers, who have now lost eight straight league games, fell 34-14 to Florida State and 33-21 to Georgia Tech. In those games, they have fallen behind by large margins on the scoreboard and struggled to stop the run. So how do the Hoos stay positive and turn things around with North Carolina headed to Charlottesville this weekend, particularly after two straight losing seasons and a coaching change?

UVa coach Mike London, often noted for his positive demeanor, said it can be difficult when you lose games but that the Cavaliers are excited for another opportunity against UNC this week.

“Yeah, it’s a challenge. We’re disappointed. You’re discouraged, but you can’t let those feelings last very long, because you start to develop that defeatist-type attitude and mentality. There’s plenty of that went around last year. You’re not looking at anybody that’s feeling sorry for themselves or down or anything like that,” London said. “We’re a work in progress, we said that at the beginning when we first started, and trying to build what these guys think about themselves. Our players are together. We’re all on the same page. Coaches are with each other. The attitude and atmosphere around the McCue Center is high. And that’s the way it should be, because of the way things are changing.

“We just keep talking about the attitude. Keep talking about the approach we’re taking with the players about being positive, about no one wants to miss a tackle. No one wants to get beat deep or anything like that,” he continued. “And you can respond in a couple of ways. You can respond and let it get to you, or you can respond in a way that next time, Coach, next opportunity I want to do well. I think all of our players and coaches have moved and are staying in that direction about let’s play. And that is the only way when you lose a game and you have that taste in your mouth is to get ready, to get prepared and get to play your next game. That’s what we’re all looking forward to doing now.”

The players remain confident in the team.

“It’s not hard to do at all. We have faith in each other,” senior captain John-Kevin Dolce said. “We’ve been together with Coach London since January and what he’s done has build faith between us. We trust every guy. We go out there and bleed with them, we sweat with them, we tear with them. The confidence in each other hasn’t gone anywhere.”

The Hoos will need that confidence against North Carolina this week even though the Heels have struggled in this series in recent seasons and even though they continue to face adversity off the field. UNC picked up its first ACC win of the season last week (21-16 over Clemson) to improve to 1-1 in the ACC and 3-2 on the season. The Tar Heels have won three straight games after identically scored 30-24 losses to LSU and Georgia Tech to open the year. UNC still ranks fourth in the conference in total defense (331.4 yards per game allowed) and fifth in scoring defense (21.2 points per game allowed).

“I think they’ll present a challenge for us, but I think we’re ready to embrace it,” UVa quarterback Marc Verica said.

The Payne-Jones Combo

So far in 2010, Virginia has been using a one-two punch at running back with senior Keith Payne and sophomore Perry Jones getting the bulk of the team’s carries. Payne has posted 60 carries for 295 yards (300 yards gained, 5 yards lost) and 7 touchdowns. He averages 4.9 yards per carry with a long run of 15 yards on the season. Jones, meanwhile, has recorded 50 carries for 289 yards (297 yards gained, 8 yards lost) and 0 touchdowns. Jones averages 5.8 yards per carry with a long run of 42 yards.

Keith Payne has scored 7 TDs on the ground this season.

Jones has started every game at running back with Payne checking in on later drives. Against Richmond in the season opener, Jones had two carries, one a 38-yarder, before Payne checked in for the red zone offense. Against USC, Jones carried the ball 3 times, one for 25 yards, and was the target on one pass before Payne got his first call of the game. Against VMI, Jones again received 3 carries before Payne entered the game in the second quarter. Against FSU, Jones had 3 carries and 2 receptions prior to Payne’s entry. Against Georgia Tech on Saturday, Jones had 4 carries and 1 reception before Payne entered the contest.

In other words, the pattern has been consistent from the UVa coaching staff. Jones receives a handful of opportunities, never more than five touches to date, before Payne checks in for his turn in the offense. Some discussions have focused on going with Payne first and then using Jones as the change-of-pace back, perhaps in part because the “thunder and lightning” style backfield combinations that fans have seen on some teams in the past go in the big back-little back order. London said the gameplan each week is to try to put both players in the best position to make plays for the team.

“Most of it just depends on the particular play and then maybe the ‘who’ defensively, the scheme that they’re running. I don’t know if it’s as much we go with Keith and then we go with Perry [or vice versa]. Both of them have done a nice job. And actually, Keith is starting to play kind of like a big back, and kind of a mid-sized back that can run it up in there and get on the outside and being able to catch the ball,” London said. “Perry made a great catch [at Georgia Tech] where he almost went down, he spun around and ran out of it and made a nice long run. The goal is to keep trying to find ways to get those guys the ball. Identify the playmakers, guys that aren’t dinged up, that aren’t injured, that can carry the ball or get yards after catches. And Keith and Perry are definitely two of those guys that can do that, we’ve just got to continue to find more.”

Starting Slow

Many of the questions in Monday’s press conference focused on the slow starts for Virginia’s offense and starting quarterback Marc Verica . It’s something that has been a topic on the Sabre message boards as well with poster gldwrth providing some statistical punch. Read those posts here and here (note, message board links will eventually expire)a. In summary, Verica’s 21 different first drives (his first drive of the game as QB) over the course of his career haven’t produced stellar results: 2 touchdowns, 6 field goal attempts, 10 punts, 1 sack, 1 interception, and 1 turnover on downs. On those 6 field goal attempts, four of the drives produced 14 yards or less, meaning the Hoos had good field position to start the drive.

Marc Verica said the offense needs better execution at the start of games.

London said the offense needs to be able to run the ball and that Verica needs to complete some available passes to help the offense early in games.

“I think what you always try to do in a game is you try to have the throws and the plays that you hope that can move the chains to give a certain level of confidence to your quarterback. Now if you don’t hit the guy that’s open or you throw it short or overthrow him, then that adds to the problems or issues that might be had in a start, particularly at the start of a game. Our thing with Marc is to try to get him to have some success early. He’s got to have success early. We’ve got to complete some passes, we’ve got to set up 2nd and 2. We’ve got to have a 2nd and 5 or 2nd and 6. Then the thing is you can do again is prepare to have a successful, makeable third down situation,” London said. “All those things are tied into it. Him having a good start, a fast start, because a successful start is definitely predicated on him completing the passes and us being able to run the ball so we can put ourselves into those makeable third down situations. So that’s what Marc has to do. That’s what we’ve got to do, and that’s the goal for us.”

Verica said the team must execute better at the beginning of the game and acknowledged how that could help the defense.

“I don’t know if it’s truly a sense of urgency, it’s not like we’re coming out there without a sense of urgency and we’re not ready to play a college football game. I think what it really comes down to is just execution,” Verica said. “We just have to make sure from the first play of the game we know what our assignment is and we know how to go about executing it so we can get first downs, keep our defense off the field, and put points on the board. I mean if you come out in the first quarter and you’re just three and out, three and out, and the other team’s offense is on the field the whole time with your defense, it just puts you in a hole. So I don’t know if it’s a sense of urgency, I don’t know if that’s the right thing – I think it just comes down to execution.”

Virginia has scored only 21 points in the first quarter this season, but 110 points in the other three (38 in the second, 31 in the third, and 41 in the fourth).

Landon Bradley will miss at least one game due to a hand injury that required surgery.

Bradley Out

Junior Landon Bradley , who has started 17 straight games and every game at left tackle this season, is out for the North Carolina game with a hand injury, London said Monday. Bradley left the game with Georgia Tech on Saturday with the injury and was replaced by redshirt freshman Sean Cascarano , who is listed on top of the depth chart this week. Bradley had surgery on Monday according to UVa’s Monday injury report.

Cascarano may not stay at left tackle, though. London said the team would work during this week to see if things looked better with Cascarano at right tackle by moving sophomore Oday Aboushi to the left side. Remember, Aboushi worked during his true freshman season in 2009 at left tackle. With the news about Bradley, London also said that reserve lineman Luke Bowanko likely would not move to work as a third tight end, something the staff had contemplated with Joe Torchia ‘s season-ending shoulder injury and pending surgery (scheduled for Wednesday). Bowanko is now listed as the back-up right tackle. That means defensive lineman Jeremiah Mathis could work his way into the No. 3 tight end role if things work out there this week.

“Right now we have [Oday] lined up with the right side with Sean Cascarano playing the left. And during the course of the week in practice, if we decide to move him to the left side, then, of course you’ve got Cascarano who can play the right, or Bowanko, [Aaron] Van Kuiken, all those guys have been practicing at the tackle position,” London said. “We’ll see how practice goes on this week. See where we’re best suited to put our best pieces of the puzzle in order to help us in this particular game.”

Worth Noting

  • The match-up this week is often called “The South’s Oldest Rivalry” because UVa and UNC have met every season since 1919. The two programs will play for the 115th time this weekend, meaning only four FBS level match-ups have had more games – Minnesota/Wisconsin (119), Missouri/Kansas (118), Nebraska/Kansas (116), and Texas/Texas A&M (116).
  • Virginia has won four straight meetings and seven of the last eight games against North Carolina.
  • The Tar Heels have not won in Charlottesville since 1981 when they prevailed 17-14. Since 1982, UVa is 20-7-1 in this series. North Carolina leads 56-54-4 in the overall standings between the two programs.
  • The Cavaliers have held UNC to 20 points or less in the last five meetings.
  • UVa’s pass defense ranks 10th nationally and second in the ACC.
  • Marc Verica now ranks 11th all-time at UVa in career passing yards with 3,340. He needs 49 yards to pass Scott Secules for 10th place on the charts.

Worth Quoting

“We always talk and if he has things he wants to ask or needs to talk about, he knows he can always come to me and I can always tell him things that I can’t tell anybody else, that he understands that nobody else really will. That’s something I really value. … I really value Jake as an asset on the team and as a brother and as a friend.” – receiver Matt Snyder on brother and teammate Jake Snyder .

“You’d like to try to find out what the drop-off point for the field goal kicker is. I think ours is the 30- to 35-, 37-yard line. If we don’t get there, your chances of kicking a field goal successfully are minimized. Chris Hinkebein in practice has proved that he’s got the stronger leg. The kick that he kicked [at Georgia Tech] was long enough, just off to the right. Then when you’re kicking those long field goals, you have to think about the pooch punt and you try to place field position, those type of things. We’ve got to be able to move the ball to give Robert [Randolph] a chance to get to the yard line where he can have some success – that’s the plan. You’ve got to get in the red zone and get yourself to score some points whether it’s touchdowns or field goals.” – Mike London on the “cliff” for field goal kickers and successful kicks.

“I go back to the Florida State game where the issue with those four missed tackles that resulted in over 120-something yards, and then you go back to a [Georgia Tech] ground game that was No. 1 in the ACC and No. 6 in the country, that that’s what they do, now that we have to play well defensively up front, going into those two particular games I felt pretty good about our defense. I still feel good about our defense. Minimize the missed tackles in one game, and the other one is an offense that you’ve got to be assignment oriented and we just didn’t do a good job there. I know the players defensively want to get back into the thick of things being able to play the way we play our style. That will be a point of emphasis again this week for sure.” – Mike London on any concerns with rush defense.

“In order to change the mindset of guys, you’ve got to start with them saying, listen, you CAN. Then we address it in other more tangible ways by recruiting, things like that. That’s what happens when you take over a program and you start trying to rebuild. There is all different kind of aspects that you have to approach the program. I think we’re doing it the right way. And I know people want us to win, and that will come. But right now you’re looking at a guy that is extremely confident in his players and coaches and, that’s the way I’m going to remain because I have to be. I can’t look at it any other way.” – Mike London on getting players to believe that they can win.

“If things aren’t going well or in any adverse situations, the members of the group are going to look to their leader to see how he’s going to respond. So if they see that their leader is tucking his tail or he’s embarrassed or he’s humiliated or he’s discouraged, that’s probably going to permeate throughout the group. It’s important to just stay strong and just say ‘Alright, we have another opportunity here, let’s focus on what our job is and let’s keep going.’ My approach has been that I’ll never stop and I’ll never quit. Even if it means the last drive of the game, if it’s against USC or the last drive against Georgia Tech, I’m going to still keep going and keep going. I’ll never stop. I think my teammates know that and I hope they take on that mentality too.” – quarterback Marc Verica on being aware of his attitude in a leadership position.

“That’s good for the teams in the past. Hopefully we can continue that, but I think it makes no difference. The guys are ready to go and hopefully we can continue the streak, but we don’t pay attention to stuff like that. All we pay attention to is what we’re doing and obviously the scouting report and what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. Hopefully we can gameplan for them real good.” – senior captain John-Kevin Dolce on the Charlottesville winning streak against UNC.

“I mean I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t familiar with it. I get asked about it all the time. That’s really secondary to what is our priority here and that’s just to win a football game. We’re trying to win an ACC football game and our opponent just happens to be UNC and it just happens to be at home.” – quarterback Marc Verica on the same streak.