Virginia’s Greer a quick study

The scab on the back of his arm indicated the brutality of the sport.

It was the pat on the back from his coach, however, that showed the impact that a redshirt freshman could make.

With a stellar 10-tackle performance against William & Mary, inside linebacker Steve Greer validated the high praise thrown in his direction for the past year.

“Steven Greer is one of those players who has the capacity and it’s part of his make up and part of his talent, he takes instruction very well,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “He applies it very quickly and he’s a player that doesn’t make very many mistakes.

“He’s where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there. And if he’s not there today, or this play, whatever direction he gets to make an improvement on, he quickly processes it and uses it to do better. He really did a good job of getting ready for the game.”

Upon his arrival in 2008 as a relatively unknown player from Ohio, Greer was given simple instructions: shadow Jon Copper.

The move paid off and Greer’s play against the Tribe left teammates having flashbacks of Copper, who led the Cavaliers in tackles the past three seasons and ranks 14th in program history.

“It was amazing,” Virginia linebacker Denzel Burrell said. “It was like I was playing with Copper next to me all over again.”

Greer, listed at 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, said the speed of the game was challenging, but the logistics that come with the position can be even tougher.

“I think the biggest thing is knowing where you’ve got to be and where everybody else is going to be,” said Greer, a three-star recruit that Virginia landed late in the recruiting process. “That’s what Copper related to me — know your job and know other guys’ jobs and you’ll be able to make plays.”

Having a close bond, it was only natural that Copper and Greer spoke in length on Sunday about the contest and how Greer played.

“We talked and I told him that I thought he did a lot of things really good,” Copper said. “Versus the run he did a very good job. He was moving very well, playing up the middle very well. He moved really well from side to side. He has a nose for the ball, and he has since he got here.”

Greer’s lone mistake — at least that was visible — came when he forgot to race off the field when the dime package was supposed to be on the field. Virginia was whistled for having 12 players on the field.

“He was well prepared for a number of plays that came up as part of the preparation that were even one time occurrences in the game, he was right on them,” Groh said. “How do we know until he plays in the game? We didn’t know he would be this way, either, but that was certainly the indications he had been giving to us all through last year and through training camp and that might be part of it now. Clearly the competition is going to step up dramatically this week. “

Greer said the result in the contest was disappointing, but drew parallels to the Cavs’ disappointing loss at Duke last year. Virginia responded to win four straight games and was in position for a shot at the Coastal Division title before a late-season collapse.

“I think it’s pretty similar,” Greer said. “I think we felt we were better than how we were playing [last year]. We knew we were better. We just wanted to kind of come out and show that, and I think we finally did against Maryland.

“It’s kind of the same attitude. I think we’re a lot better than we played Saturday night and we’ve just got to have a good week of practice and come out and show it Saturday.”

The next test for Greer and Virginia’s defense comes against Texas Christian (0-0), which leaned on its rushing attack last season en route to an 11-2 record. The Horned Frogs ranked No. 12 in the country on the ground, averaging 220 yards per game.

“It will be a challenge,” Greer said. “We will certainly have to play better.”