Mired in a four-game slump, the Virginia football team has tried to stay positive and focused on small goals to turn the tide. For now, UVa coach Mike London said Monday during his weekly media meeting, the Cavaliers have dialed into this month and the two home games left on the October slate. The Hoos face Maryland this weekend and Wake Forest next weekend before their bye week on the schedule.
“We talked about the month of October, winning the month of October. That’s important with a bye at the end of the month. You take the games as they come and the importance of the games, and you talk about the positive things that can happen out of that with the renewed sense of effort from everyone, from coaches, from players, from everyone,” London said. “So approaching this game, home game against a rival, recruit against them. Everything about Maryland-Virginia football game, a lot of our players are from the state of Maryland. So, again, that’s another renewed sense of excitement and interest.”
Indeed, the Cavaliers and Terps have developed a contentious rivalry as border opponents. The two programs clash not only on the football field each season, but they often duel over the fertile recruiting territory frequently called DMV. Virginia, for example, has 11 players from the state of Maryland on its roster: Vincent Croce (Olney), Darius Jennings (Baltimore), Kelby Johnson (Hyattsville),Marco Jones (Baltimore), Kyrrel Latimer (Hyattsville), Jeremiah Mathis (Bowie), Mike More (Hyattsville), Brandon Phelps (Damascus), Colter Phillips(Darnestown), E.J. Scott (Ellicott City) and Khalek Shepherd (Upper Marlboro). Maryland, of course, won a recruiting battle for receiver Stefon Diggs , who has posted 364 receiving yards and 3 TDs this season. He’s been named the ACC Rookie of the Week twice this season.
Certainly Diggs will present a challenge to a defense that has been vulnerable to big plays this season (more on that below). One area that came up several times during Monday’s press day is the need to better rotate the defensive line – and possibly other spots – in order to keep the defense fresh in the second half of games.
 |
“I think with Will Hill , Brent Urban , Chris Brathwaite , Justin Renfrow , sometimes you may look at the number of reps, and it may be skewed. I’m talking about giving more opportunities for guys to come in and spell the other. So these third quarter, fourth quarter issues, there’s energy. There are guys that have spelled the other,” London said. “Same thing with Mike Moore that’s playing – hasn’t played a whole lot. But give him an opportunity to get in and play some scrimmage plays. Eli Harold , he’s been playing, but also increase his opportunity, particularly now that Billy [Schautz has] been out. Ausar [Walcott] has been a starter now, and that’s given Eli some opportunities. But I think Mike Moore is another player. Demeitre Brim , linebacker, D.J. Hill that plays all the special teams. I can go down the list of different guys, even going into the latter part of the season, it’s the only way they’re going to gain experience is to play now because next year will be, if they don’t get in the game now, you’re back in the same situation of not having game play experience, particularly with a guy you’re taking the redshirt off of.”
Beyond some of the issues facing the team during this four-game losing streak, the media asked London how to keep the players from becoming discouraged and how to build confidence. The Cavalier coach said that you keep coaching, keep developing, and keep reminding the players that there is still a lot to play for in 2012 even though there is a 2-4 record on the board right now.
“If you talk about the mindset, I’m always trying to hang on to a player’s mindset. It’s my job to make sure – I try to keep creating that positive mindset about there’s games left to play. You’ve got home games. Let’s win the month of October. And that’s what I’ve got to do. That’s what we should do,” London said. “Like I said, we’re focused on putting the plan together that people, when they come to Scott stadium, if they see, they think, you know what, this team is improving because that’s important also to make sure we improve, offense, defense, and special teams, as the season goes on, goes forward.”
Facility Fire
The George Welsh Indoor Practice Facility caught fire while still under construction on Monday. It is believed that the roof of the $14.5 million building (including financing costs to account for pledge payments scheduled to be made over the next five years) broke into flames when a worker’s torch made contact with a rubber membrane sealant on the roof, according to Charlottesville Fire Chief Charles L. Werner. More information and photos of the fire are available in this Daily Progress article.
London told reporters at his weekly media gathering Monday that he didn’t know much about the fire.
“Like was just mentioned, I was inside the McCue Center when it occurred and came outside. I don’t know much about it. I know that whatever the issues are there, that they’ll get it rebuilt, repaired,” London said. “Kind of the same way with us, you know what I mean? With the team, it’s just getting ourselves maybe on the outside, hurting here and there from losses or whatever may be, but on the inside, the spirit and resolve of our team is in good shape. So we’re excited about getting ready to play again, playing at home. I want to also mention, the first responders that came out, they were out there pretty quickly themselves. My appreciation is for them because of their response and their professionalism.”
Stopping Big Plays
Sabre TV |
|
|
In the Duke Sunday Sampler, there was a note about the defense’s issues with stopping big scoring plays. So far in 2012, UVa’s defense has allowed touchdowns of 30, 32, 34, 37, 41, 45, 54, 68, 70, and 77 yards.
Reporters asked London on Monday how to stop those big plays.
“By continuing to keep emphasizing the fact that you have to, whether it’s putting pressure on the quarterback, whether it’s the defenders that are going up – there are a couple of occasions [at Duke] where they were contested throws, and the receiver came down and made a great play. One was one-on-one with Tra Nicholson, and the other one was actually double coverage in the end zone, two defenders around him, and he made a great catch. But we’ve got to come down and play the ball better in the air or play to the hands of the wide receivers, London said. “So limiting those explosive plays on the other end of it, particularly when it happens to us, has got to be a point of emphasis because, if you’re going to make teams go the distance, you’ve got to have those long drives. You don’t want to in one long play change the field position and they put points on the board in a hurry as they did in those possessions there. So it is a point of emphasis defensively for us.”
London also addressed the defense’s struggles with forced turnovers so far this season. The Cavaliers have 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception in six games. Virginia ranks 119th nationally in turnover margin at -2.0 turnovers per game.
“When they do present themselves, we have to capitalize on them. There was one in the [Duke] game that hit Brandon Phelps right in the hands, and potentially a touchdown run because of where he was. So, obviously, stripping at the ball, second man in. You want to make sure that you’re in position to make a play on the ball. You want to have anticipatory aspects of when the ball is being thrown,” London said. “So there’s little things you can continue to keep doing, but you’ve got to keep pressing the players about creating the turnovers and the mindset of doing that because, as I said, once one happens, a lot of times they start coming, and we just need to have the game where those opportunities occur for us.”
 |
|
Coach Mike London |
Worth Quoting
Mike London on the challenge of being a head coach: “Manage the game in terms of how the game is being played, the opponent that you’re playing. And just continue to try to make the decisions with the information that you have based on your instincts and knowledge of the situation at hand, and you go with it. Try not to second-guess yourself about things. You make some good decisions, and then sometimes you don’t make good decisions. And I’m not perfect by any means, but my intent in trying to coach this team to play well, to do the things they’re supposed to do on and off the field will be always 100 percent. Would we like to be playing better? Yes, we would, and we have to play better because ultimately that’s my responsibility to make sure the plan that the players get, we can address some of these wins and the losses. But I’m the coach of the player, the overall aspect of the player too, in every aspect – off the field, in the classroom, and on the field. I know it’s a disappointing, discouraging thing right now with the record. It is what it is. But the effort and the energies to get this thing done, get these young guys coached up, and get it executed to get that feeling back of confidence that came through the performance, that’s what we’re working on.”
Worth Noting
- Virginia running back Perry Jones told reporters that his new fiance actually lived just a few miles from him back in Chesapeake, but that the duo didn’t meet until their first year at college.
- Virginia center Luke Bowanko has joked that the offensive linemen are going to eat all the food at Jones’ wedding. The running back laughed Monday and said that the O-Line is probably hoping for a buffet style meal, but that he can’t afford that.
- UVa coach Mike London said that sophomore corner Demetrious Nicholson has “accepted any challenge that’s been presented to him” in terms of defensive assignments. Nicholson will be one of the players assigned to Maryland’s Stefon Diggs this week.
- London also noted that receiver Tim Smith ‘s injuries are “ankle, Achilles, just different things” and that the Cavaliers “miss a lot of aspects that Tim brings to the game.”
- LaRoy Reynolds joked that the other captains don’t have much to say when it comes to uniform selections, so a lot of times he just picks some things out with the equipment managers and other captains providing input.
- The third quarter this week could be a key factor in the outcome. According to Virginia athletics media relations, UVa has only scored 14 points in the third quarter this season and has not scored in the third quarter during this four-game losing streak. Meanwhile, Maryland has only 3 points in the third quarter this season.
- The game time for the UVa-Wake Forest game on Oct. 20 was announced as 12:30 p.m. The contest will be televised by The ACC Network.
