OUR LEAGUE: The money adds up for Cavaliers, Petersen

Scattershooting around the ACC, while noting that Boise-area media have already gone on the defensive about reports circulating that Boise State coach Chris Petersen has been linked to a likely coaching search at Virginia ...

We remember a similar reaction from media covering Providence when UVa went after then-Friars basketball coach Pete Gillen.

“No way Pete would ever leave Providence for Virginia,” the main beat writer in Providence said. “Not a chance in the world.”

Gillen was in Charlottesville a few weeks later.

It has been pointed out by Boise media that we had Petersen’s salary wrong. True.

Scrambling on deadline, we read that his salary was $850,000 per year. It has been updated to more than $1.1 million, a figure of which we were unaware.

Still, Virginia is currently paying a tad more than $2 million a year to Al Groh. Petersen may not double his salary at UVa, but it would be close at the very least.

Of course, should he come to UVa if Groh is replaced, and every indication leads to that notion, Petersen would get several incentive clauses in his contract that could push his salary even higher.

It was also reported in Boise that Broncos assistant coaches are the highest-paid among any team in a conference that does not have an automatic berth in the BCS — an average of $175,239 per year, 39th out of 98 schools that reported, and $1.57 million for the entire assistant coaching staff.

Virginia’s assistant coaching staff is paid a collective $1.55 million. However, those numbers are skewed because special teams coordinator Ron Prince unselfishly took a much lower salary than he could have demanded. Also, the Cavaliers are essentially paying for only one coordinator because Groh serves as defensive coordinator.

Under normal conditions, UVa’s staff salaries would be much higher.

However, perhaps the most important factor in the entire story was completely ignored: Jon Oliver, UVa’s executive associate director of athletics.

A rising star in the nation’s athletic director circles, Oliver should not be underestimated. He was a key figure in luring Tony Bennett to Charlottesville from Washington State after Marquette, Indiana and LSU failed to do so.

Oliver is one of the most persuasive personalities out there and he usually gets what he wants. Just look at his and AD Craig Littlepage’s track record for acquiring coaches in building an athletic program that finished No. 8 in the nation last season.

We received some bad information that Oliver and Petersen were friends, but Oliver and Littlepage didn’t know Bennett, either, until they searched for a replacement for Dave Leitao.

Handling the Hokies

One of the keys to Saturday’s big clash with archrival Virginia Tech is whether or not Virginia’s defense can handle Ryan Williams, the Hokies’ star freshman running back.

Williams set an ACC and Tech freshman rushing record in last week’s win over N.C. State, finishing that game with 1,355 yards on the season. He needs only five more rushing yards vs. UVa to reach the ACC’s top 10 single-season rushing list, which would push him past former UVa and New York Giants star Tiki Barber, who rushed for 1,360 yards as a senior in 1996. It should be noted, however, that Barber reached his mark in 11 games, while this weekend will be Williams’ 12th game of the season.

The ACC single-season record is held by another UVa back, Thomas Jones, who rushed for 1,798 yards in 1999 — also in 11 games.

So far, Williams has rushed for at least 100 yards in eight of 11 games this season.

Only five backs have rushed for 100 yards or more against Virginia this season, including two in one game (Southern Miss backs Damion Fletcher and Tory Harrison had 26 carries for 115 yards and three carries for 101 yards, respectively). The other three backs to reach 100 against the Wahoos this season are: Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Dwyer (25-125), Miami’s Craig Cooper (18-152), and Boston College’s Montel Harris (38-151).

A cheer for Greer

Former Virginia linebacker Jon Copper told us all last season that his replacement in the Cavaliers’ defense, redshirt freshman Steve Greer, was going to be a great one.

Copper, who led UVa in tackles for three straight years, knew what he was talking about.

Greer, a native of Solon, Ohio, is leading the Wahoos in tackles this season with 87, including six tackles for loss. His 87 tackles are the most by a Cavalier freshman since Darryl Blackstock’s 108 in 2002.

The UVa rookie ranks fourth in the nation in tackles by freshmen and sixth in solo tackles. He also ranks fifth in the ACC in tackles (by any player) with 7.9 per game.

Chain gang injury

We all winced when we saw a player crash into Larry Miller, a member of the UVa chain gang crew at Scott Stadium, during the Cavaliers’ game against Boston College. Miller took a wicked hit, as did the yardage marker, which was smashed to pieces.

Miller’s leg was broken in two places, just below the knee and at the ankle, according to his wife, Sandy. He has returned home and Wahoo fans can send him their regards at his office address: 1534 Insurance Lane, Charlottesville, Va. 22911.

“He is down, but definitely not out,” Sandy Miller said. “He will be back for next season.”

Virginia’s athletic staff sent him a football signed by the entire Cavalier football team.

Nothing to howl about

N.C. State fans have been fairly patient with their football team, which will finish this season without a winning record for the third straight year under former UVa offensive coordinator Tom O’Brien.

The Wolfpack has been plagued with an unusually high number of injuries this season.

However, O’Brien believes there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. He thinks he is rebuilding the program soundly just as he did at Boston College and that it’s just a matter of time before his system kicks in.

Remember, O’Brien’s coaching philosophy centers on what he learned from George Welsh about physical football, which won at BC. Also remember that he took over an N.C. State program that was built for speed by Chuck Amato, who tried to duplicate the offensive style of his former employer, Florida State. Some transition time is required.

“I’m excited about our young guys,” said fifth-year senior defensive end Willie Young. “I know they’re just going to light it up. I wish I could be around one more season.”

Fridge’s swan song?

When Maryland hosts Boston College on Saturday, it could be the end of the Ralph Friedgen era in College Park.

The Terps are 2-9 overall, 1-6 in the ACC and experiencing their worst season since 1997. The Terps have never lost 10 games in a season, but it appears that will be the case this season (they host Boston College in their season finale on Saturday).

Maryland AD Debbie Yow gave the standard AD line when she declined comment until after the season.

Fridge said he was focused on BC and didn’t want to address the issue either.

Like UVa’s Al Groh, Friedgen has two years remaining on his contract, and a buyout would cost in the neighborhood of $4 million, also similar to Groh’s. In both cases, we’re told the money is available through private contributions to buy out those contracts, perhaps more of a concern at Maryland where the athletic department seems to be hurting financially.

There is one complication at Maryland that Virginia doesn’t have, though, and that’s the “coach in waiting,” offensive coordinator James Franklin. His contract states that if Maryland doesn’t name him head coach within 90 days of Friedgen’s stepping down, then the school must pay him $1 million.

If Maryland names Franklin the head coach, then his contract also stipulates the Terps must offer him a five-year deal worth the average of ACC head coaches salaries, which is estimated to be $1.8 million annually.

Short yardage

C.J. Spiller’s campaign for the Heisman Trophy took a serious hit by the Virginia defense last week, so the Clemson back will have to put together two monster games against South Carolina and Georgia Tech (in the ACC championship game). The Cavaliers focused on shutting Spiller down and held him to 58 rushing yards on 19 carries in the game. ... When Florida State beat Maryland last week, the Seminoles played their first penalty-free game since Sept. 18, 1976 — quite a distinction for FSU, which once again leads the ACC in penalties. ... If Georgia Tech quarterback Josh Nesbitt reaches 1,000 yards rushing this season (he has 847 with three games to play), it will mark the first time that one team has boasted a pair of 1,000-yards rushers since UNC did it in 1993. That’s when Tar Heels’ Curtis Johnson (1,093) and Leon Johnson (1,012) accomplished the feat. GT’s Jonathan Dwyer already has 1,203 yards rushing this season. ... Wake Forest QB Riley Skinner is trying to replace former Virginia star and current Houston Texans signal-caller Matt Schaub as the most accurate passer in ACC history. Schaub, currently No. 3 in passing yards in the NFL behind Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, holds the conference record for career completion percentage (.6698), having completed 716 of 1,069 career passes. Skinner goes into Saturday’s game against Duke with a percentage of .6674 (875 of 1,311), meaning he would have to have a remarkable day, going something like 26 of 33 to break Schaub’s mark.

The picks

Last week: 5-0. To date: 57-23. This week: Boston College 36, Maryland 17; Clemson 27, South Carolina 24; Duke 37, Wake Forest 33; Florida 27, FSU 17; Georgia Tech 38, Georgia 24; Miami 19, South Florida 10; North Carolina 37, N.C. State 20; Virginia Tech 27, Virginia 20. ACC championship game, Dec. 5: Georgia Tech 35, Clemson 27.