Groh unfazed by doubters in stands

During and after Virginia’s 28-point loss on Saturday at Duke, Cavalier fans voiced their displeasure in the outcome on message boards and radio shows.

With Virginia (1-3, 0-1 ACC) ranked dead last nationally in offensive scoring and ahead of just one team in total offense, some called for the termination of offensive coordinator Mike Groh.

Others went higher up the football program’s food chain, asking to have head coach Al Groh’s contract, which runs through 2011, bought out sooner rather than later.

Apparently, that public outcry did not bother Al Groh personally.

“I don’t think about my future,” he said. “I just think about the next game. That’s for all you guys to write about.

“I just try to do the things to coach the team the way we think it needs to be coached and do for the players, whatever that might mean, encourage, admonish, direct, care for, the things that go with the title of being head coach in college football.”

Many fans have threatened to boycott Virginia’s remaining home games, including Saturday’s contest with Maryland, if changes were not made. One student confirmed that the student body was debating wearing blue and not orange to the contest as a measure of protest.

That and the lack of support for the Cavaliers’ coaching staff did not sit well with junior quarterback Marc Verica.

“It’s unfortunate to see,” Verica said. “I kind of wish people would have your back more, had your coach’s back because this program has done a lot of great things under coach Groh and for things just to be down at this point, to turn your back or to get down on someone, that’s not the right way to handle it.

“It’s easy to access blame and it’s easy to point fingers, but what I do know is that it’s hard to be accountable and to take ownership of things and Coach Groh does that. He is accountable to us; he is accountable to the coaches. He takes ownership of things and so do we.”

Verica pointed at his own performance against Duke. Making his second career start, the junior tossed four second-half interceptions.

“That was a poor performance [against Duke] by myself, and I take ownership of that,” Verica said. “I am accountable to Coach Groh and I am accountable to my teammates, so it is just my goal right now to improve, to get better, but we stick together.

“We can’t let any negativity divide us at this point. We just have to improve and stay together.”

Groh said he is hopeful that his players will block out the outside distractions and remain focused on improving in practice.

“We would hope that they would just rely on those people who are professionals in the field, who are going to give it to them straight good or bad,” Groh said. “This is where we are and this is what we need to do.”

Having coached football since 1967, Groh said he recognizes why coaches and coordinators receive heat during rough patches in seasons, warranted or not.

“I understand why every head coach and offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, under most circumstances, become the target,” he said. “I was told here recently by somebody within their organization that the person that is getting criticized in Indianapolis is [Colts offensive coordinator] Tom Moore.

“He has only directed the most prolific offense in the NFL for a number of years, but because they are not prolific this year, apparently Tom has lost his touch.”

Virginia has not been prolific on offense, however, since 2004 when the Cavaliers ranked No. 24 in total offense nationally and boasted the ACC’s best rushing attack.

Telling stat

Since Virginia’s victory in the Music City Bowl in 2005, the Cavaliers have been outscored 152-42 in the third quarter of games.

This season, UVa has allowed 42 points in the third quarter and netted just one field goal.

Wait-and-see approach

It remains to be seen if Virginia running back Cedric Peerman, who has rushed just 20 times this season, will play against Maryland.

The senior is nursing a leg injury and was held out of the Cavaliers’ contest against Duke as a precaution.

“We will have to see what the practice week brings,” Groh said Tuesday afternoon. “Obviously, it has been 40 hours since the last time we saw him [practice]. When he’s ready to be Cedric, he’s going to start the game.”

Groh said Peerman had been diligent in his rehab work for the injury, which is not related to the season-ending injury that he suffered against Middle Tennessee State last year.

“He is getting multiple treatments a day,” Groh said. “How fast does Mother Nature work with him? There’s nothing other to be done with him than just what he is doing.”

Getting a boost

Terrence Fells-Danzer, a redshirt freshman, replaced true freshman Steve Greer on this week’s team-issued depth chart at one of the inside linebacker spots.

When asked what the former Culpeper High standout had done to warrant the climb, Groh took the high road, noting that “nothing dramatic” had taken place in Fells-Danzer’s development.

“This is player with a long future in front of him,” Groh said, “and the way for his development to occur is for him to be part of the mix and to have the responsibility of keeping up with the challenge of getting prepared for every game.”

A big load

According to the depth chart, outside linebacker Cam Johnson weighs just 220 pounds. That is a tad off.

Groh said by his last account that the true freshman, who played against UConn and Duke, was 253 or 254 pounds.

Tackling third down

In the first half against Duke, the Cavaliers failed to convert on any of their seven third-down opportunities.

Progress was made in the second half as UVa kept five of eight drives alive by converting on third down.

There is more to the critical down, Verica said, than just moving the chains for offensive purposes.

“Third downs are obviously very important, but third downs don’t just involve the offense,” the quarterback said. “When you take the field you are also thinking about the defense. Maybe the defense just had a 10, 11, 12-play drive so they are tired. They are on the bench. They need to recover so you can’t go three-and-out and put them back on the field again.

“That puts them in a bad position so you definitely need to convert third downs. It is very important not to just sustain drives and to score points, but to also make sure your defense can recover.”

Virginia currently ranks 11th in the ACC in time of possession, ahead of only Maryland.