Sparrow commits after win

In the midst of an official visit this weekend, wide receiver Javanti Sparrow noticed the patches of empty seats in the student section.
That was explainable as East Carolina’s trip to Charlottesville landed perfectly on Virginia’s fall break.
It was the product on the field and the close-knit unit that produced a 35-20 victory, however, that ultimately led Sparrow to join Virginia recruiting class for 2009. The star from Chesapeake’s Western Branch High, who is 6-foot-1, 185 pounds and won the 500-meter run in the state indoor track in the winter of 2007 as a sophomore, became the 20th commitment for the class.
“It was real exciting. I didn’t think I was going to do it at first, but I was thinking about it hard when we got in the car on the way home,” Sparrow said Sunday. “We probably made it about 10 minutes down the road and just had to pull over and I called Coach [Al] Groh to tell him.”
It served as an exclamation point for a weekend that included Virginia’s current reclamation project.
After losing back-to-back road games by a combined margin of 76-13, the resurgent Cavaliers (3-3, 1-1 ACC) have exploded for 65 points on offense while limiting a pair of programs with winning records to just two touchdowns.
The fight exposed from Virginia’s players, before and after halftime, helped Sparrow solidify his decision just weeks after taking visits to North Carolina, Penn State and Virginia Tech.
“The [East Carolina] game just showed that the team has some fight in them,” said Sparrow, who is rated as a two-star prospect. “Overall, they are a good team. They just made some mental mistakes earlier that caused them to lose. They are a good team all around.”
Virginia, after its 1-3 start, received heavy criticism as a postseason berth appeared impossible for the second time in three years.
According to the team’s veterans, the players elected to merely stay the course and did not need a chair-throwing tirade as motivation.
“What we have done just shows what this team is capable of when we execute and avoid penalties,” said Virginia quarterback Marc Verica. “We have resolve.”
Against East Carolina on Saturday, Virginia jumped out to a commanding lead thanks to a pair of touchdown runs from tailback Cedric Peerman. The senior finished with 173 yards rushing on just 16 carries.
“I said this before but sometimes I don’t carry out my fakes because I want to see what Cedric does with the ball,” Verica said. “Whether it is a 4-yard run or a 79-yard touchdown run, he’s just exciting to watch.
“On those 3-yard, 4-yard runs, he is usually running someone over and laying his pads down. We really feed off his energy and his fire for the game. I couldn’t be happier to play with a guy like that.”
Peerman’s energy has been matched on defense.
With the exception of a regretful third quarter against the Pirates’ offense, Virginia continued to show defensive promise.
The Cavaliers climbed 12 spots nationally in total defense to No. 56, allowing just over 350 yards per game.
“We just keep getting better each week,” said Virginia linebacker Jon Copper. “It’s been a good ride the last couple of weeks.”
Cavalier linebacker Clint Sintim added: “Finally the things that we are doing on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are showing up out here on Saturday.”
Virginia will welcome North Carolina on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The 18th-ranked Tar Heels, who lead the ACC in turnover margin and are off to their best start in 11 years, upended Notre Dame this weekend, 29-24, at home.