Virginia opens ACC play this week, welcoming the Florida State Seminoles to Scott Stadium.

When you ask most Virginia fans about Florida State they immediately think of 1995.  Thoughts of the goal line stand and beating the no. 2 team in the country come to mind.  It is easily the biggest win in recent UVA football history.

Unfortunately for current fans, Tiki Barber ain’t walkin’ through that door.

This year’s Seminoles have to two things the Cavaliers are going to have to try and beat.  One, a very stout run defense. The most yards they have given up on the ground in a game was when they were blown by Oklamhoma, 37-17, and even then they gave up only 128 yards.  Virginia was able to put up only 125 against VMI, most because they started slowly and rushed for only 15 yards in the first half.  The Cavs can’t afford a start like that against Florida State.  Head coach Mike London says Virginia is going to look for “cracks and crevices” in the Florida State defense.  He says hopefully they will be able to create running lanes that tailback Perry Jones can slip through.  He admits that this is something bruiser Keith Payne won’t be able to do as much, and they’ll use him in more of a power role.  They’ll need to successfully set up the running game to get first downs and make play action effective.  This will be a tall order against Florida State.

Two, they have to deal with Heisman-caliber quarterback Christian Ponder.  Ponder was banged up a bit against Oklahoma, but that was three weeks ago.  Reports are now that he is fine and has been participating fully in practice.  The Cavaliers need to get pressure on Ponder early.  They can afford to play at the beginning of this game the way they have played at the beginning of their other games.  Virginia allowed Richmond and VMI to keep it close in the first half.  Play like that against FSU and they’ll be down three touchdowns at halftime.  If they allow Ponder to get into a rhythm they could be in for a very long afternoon.  London said that he has made the defensive front a focus this week.  He understands how good Ponder is and the importance of getting to him early.

Funny enough, another danger for the ‘Hoos could be coming out of the locker room for the game too amped.  Against USC you could tell the ‘Hoos were fired up, and it cost them.  They committed stupid penalties, mostly late hits, that were the result of over-aggression.  They need to find a middle ground, somewhere between the way they started against Richmond and the way they started against USC.  If they do that they have a chance to stay in this game.  Virginia is mostly a team of unknowns, but when they are at their best they can play with anyone.  I think the outcome of this game will be largely determined by Virginia’s mindset in the first half.

This will be at least the third stint in the NBA for the journeyman.

I say at least third stint, because it depends on what you count as a stint.  The New Zealand native lasted four days of a ten day contract for the Heat in November of 2003 and played four games for the Clippers while on the roster for a week in ’04-’05.

He has also played for Asheville and Sioux Falls in the D-League and has twice led the NBA Summer League in three-point shooting.  The Spurs signed him after he played well for the New Zealand national team, the Tall Blacks, in the FIBA World Championships.  (This nickname is brilliant.  The national rugby team in New Zealand are the All Blacks.  The soccer team?  The All Whites.  And yes, much like the rugby team, the basketball team does the haka before games.)

American fans will know Penney best from his time at the University of Wisconsin.  He was a first team All Big-10 in his junior and senior seasons, and was an honorable mention All-American his senior year.  In 2000 he was on the Wisconsin team that made the Final Four.

Since then he has played professionally in the New Zealand National Basketball League, leading the league in scoring and winning the league’s MVP award in 2009.  He was an All-NBL selection in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

Penney is 6’5″ and is in the crowded competition for the shooting guard position.  He is one of six guys on the roster in the 6’5″-6’6″ and 205-225 pound range, including veteran Manu Ginobili, and rookies James Anderson and Gary Neal.  Penney is a great shooter and is going to have to rely on that to make the Spurs’ regular season roster.

The Spurs had their media day today, start camp in earnest tomorrow, and start their pre-season schedule with a game against the Houston Rockets on October 7th.

Oh, and for what it’s worth, to borrow from an old Dennis Miller line, I wrote this blog outward from the phrase “Tall Blacks.”

Virginia overcame a very slow start and sent the Keydets packing, 48-7.

With about two and a half minutes to go in the first quarter VMI scored on a one yard touchdown pass from Cameron Jones to Robbie White.  This tied the game, 7-7.  To that point in the game Virginia had rushed for only four yards.  It was clear that VMI came with the intention of playing tough and stopping the run, and they were doing it.

Unfortunately for the Keydets, all of their momentum stopped after that play.  Raynard Horne took the ensuing kickoff and returned it 87 yards for a touchdown.  Virginia quarterback Marc Verica threw two touchdown passes in the first six minutes of the second quarter and the rout was on.  Virginia back-up quarterbacks Ross Metheny and Mike Rocco each threw a touchdown pass in the second half, further complicating their battle for the no. 2 spot on the roster.

So the Cavs get a big win but it was against an FCS team, and a bad FCS team at that.  They can’t let the 48-7 final score overshadow some of the mistakes they made and some concerns they should have because of this game.

First of all, the slow start.  This game was tied late in the first quarter and VMI could have been winning.  Early in the game Chase Minnifield muffed a punt that game VMI the ball in the red zone.  Luckily their drive went nowhere and their field goal attempt was wide.  After that was when VMI drove and scored their touchdown.  Minnifield made up for his mistake later by getting interceptions on consecutive drives.  Senior corner Ras-I Dowling saw his first action of the season but looked rusty.  He got beat on a deep throw early and was called for pass interference soon after that.  The Cavs also had only four yards rushing in the first quarter and fifteen yards rushing in the first half.

Virginia has a real issue with starting games slowly.  Against Richmond they were holding on to a 14-7 lead at halftime.  Against USC they committed early turnovers and dumb penalties that stalled drives.  They need to remedy this sluggishness because the they won’t be able to dig holes and get out of them against the rest of the ACC.

Virginia also had some fumbling issues. They committed four fumbles, including Minnifield’s muffed punt, and lost two of them.  VMI was not able to capitalize, but a more talented opponent will.

Virginia needs to correct some of these issues because the rest of their games are against ACC opponents.  Now it really matters.  They start that part of their schedule next week, when they host the Florida State Seminoles.

Other than avoiding embarrassment, Virginia doesn’t have a lot to play for this weekend.

The Virginia Cavaliers take the field this Saturday, for the first time in two weeks, and will battle the Keydets of Virginia Military Institute.

Last week the Cavs were on a bye.  The week before they went toe-to-toe with Southern Cal but couldn’t hold on, losing 17-14.  Last week the Keydets were thumped by fellow 1-AA opponent William & Mary, 45-0.

The Keydets know they are in for a long day.  Earlier this week their coach said, “William and Mary was a fine football team and they execute very well.  We anticipate Virginia doing just as well, or better, certainly.”  I have personally witnessed VMI getting crushed by other 1-AA teams, so Virginia should not have much trouble with Keydets, and hopefully will win easily.

The question really is, why is this game even on the schedule?  Virginia doesn’t have much to gain and everything to lose.  If they lose this game, aside from being embarrassed, they could go into a tailspin and get into a funk that they can’t get out of.  The Cavs have already beaten one 1-AA team, so this game would not count toward the six needed to become bowl eligible.  Now, I know looking ahead to bowl eligibility might be a little presumptive, but with the way the Cavs are playing it could be possible.

So what should the Cavs look to do Saturday, other than run VMI off the field?  First, the return of defensive backs Rodney McLeod and Ras-I Dowling.  Both players are expected to see action for the first time this season.  Second, they should be able to answer some questions at quarterback.  Senior Marc Verica is clearly the starter, but, assuming the Cavs are winning comfortably, back-ups Ross Metheny and Mike Rocco should see some playing time.  If so it will be the first significant time either back-up has seen in a live game.

The Cavaliers are bigger, more athletic, and more talented than the Keydets.  That is without question.  But I know from having seen them myself that the Keydets play spirited and tough.  They aren’t scared.  If Virginia is not careful they will get punched in the mouth.  I don’t see that happening.  The Cavaliers depth will simply be too much.  I see Virginia rotating running backs Perry Jones and Keith Payne and occasionally taking shots down the field with receivers Kris Burd and Dontrelle Inman.

For what it’s worth, Virginia is a40.5 point favorite at any place you’re lucky enough to find this game still on the board.

Virginia is on a bye this week, but there is still news concerning last week’s game.

The Pac-10 has acknowledged the officials in last Saturday’s Virginia/USC game made a mistake on a key play and have suspended those officials from a future assignment.

The specific language says the officials were suspended for “failure to apply the playing rules correctly.”

The play in question occurred in the second quarter of last Saturday’s close game.  Virginia lined up to punt and they faked.  Punter Jimmy Howell threw a pass to tight end Colter Philips and Philips rumbled 36 yards to the USC 24-yard line.  The refs called a penalty on guard Isaac Cain for an illegal block below the waist.

Cain did make a block below the waist, which is illegal in kicking situations, but only if the kick is made.  Because they faked the punt Cain’s block was legal and the result of the play should have stood.

Really this is just too little too late from the Pac-10.  The game was close throughout and Virginia had been outplaying the Trojans when that penalty was called.  The Cavs had been killing themselves with stupid penalties and dumb mistakes though.  They couldn’t get any traction.  That play, converting a fourth down on a fake punt, could have really changed the dynamic and momentum of the game.  I’m not going to say they would have won the game because of that play, I’m not that jaded, but you don’t know what they could have done if that play had stood.  It might have given the boys from Charlottesville a spark.

It’s good that the reprimand from the Pac-1o commish has come down, but I don’t think the coaches at Virginia care.  The outcome of the game can’t be changed and Mike London has yet to comment.

And I doubt he will.

They played hard, but their mistakes cost them.

They lost 17-14, but they showed how good they could be.

Virginia came into this game with everything against them.  The last time they played USC they were crushed, at home, 52-7.  They were traveling to play in a historic, but also loud and hostile, stadium.  No Virginia team had ever played on the West Coast, ever, which meant the players had to get their bodies used to the time change.  This game kicked off at 10:30pm Charlottesville time, and ended at close to 2am.  And those were just their own physical and psychological hurdles.  Let’s not forget that they were about to square off with the no. 16 team in the country who, after getting torched by Hawaii’s offense the week before, was looking to prove something.

And as if all that weren’t enough…they were still without superstar corner Ras-I Dowling and starting safety Rodney McLeod for another game.

So that was all the nonsense leading up to the game, what actually happened on the field?  It was ugly, for both teams.

Virginia came out of the locker room playing tough.  They were playing inspired hard-nosed football.  They were definitely not intimidated by the surroundings, or the Trojans.  The Cavaliers were aggressive, but they were making stupid mistakes, as were the Trojans.

The first quarter ended in a scoreless tie, but each team had missed opportunities.  The Cavs missed a field goal and quarterback Marc Verica threw a drive killing interception in the endzone.  USC had a long touchdown called  back because of a holding penalty.  The refs would get a lot of work calling penalties.  Twenty-two were called overall, thirteen on USC and nine on Virginia.

Penalties and missed opportunities were the story of most of the first half.  All of the scoring in that half was done inside of the last four minutes.  USC struck first with a touchdown pass from Matt Barkley to star receiver Jordan Cameron.  The Trojans tried to go to Cameron a lot, especially when he was covered by Chase Minnifield.  I guess they heard Minnifield’s comments from last week.  Minnifield was getting burned consistently, but was aided by a few drops and a few of the many penalties USC committed.  The Trojans couldn’t seem to take advantage of the mis-match.

Keith Payne scored a touchdown for the Cavaliers, capping a nice sustained drive.  USC scored with a second left on the clock and took a 14-7 lead into halftime.

Neither team could get any traction in the second half either.  The Trojans added a field goal with about six minutes left in the game.  The Cavs scored a touchdown with four seconds left, but it was too little too late.  They lost, 17-14.

The Cavaliers can take a lot away from this game.  Their play is starting to match the personality of head coach Mike London.  They are playing tough.  They running the ball well and playing with intensity on defense.  They need to dial it down a bit though, so they don’t keep committing stupidity.  Many of their penalties were of the late hit and roughing variety.  A few of them came on plays that would have ended Trojan drives.  Virginia had chances to win this game, they were just a little too wired.

They also showed that they aren’t going to be the cupcake of the ACC that they have been in recent years.

Speaking of cupcakes, this week the Cavaliers have a bye, and then host the Keydets of Virginia Military Institute, a team that got housed by William & Mary yesterday, 45-0.

And this JMU Duke couldn’t be more excited.

It’s happened before, and it’s happened as a bigger upset, but I have never been more excited to see an FCS (1-AA) school beat an FBS (1-A) school.

James Madison University, currently the 12th ranked school in FCS, upset the Virginia Tech Hokies, 21-16 in Lane Stadium in Blacksburg.  Virginia Tech came into this season with BCS and outside national title hopes.  Well they can forget that now, the national title hopes especially.

Thanks to the magic of the interwebs (God bless ESPN3.com) I was able to watch the entirety of this game.  I’ll admit, I fully expected my Dukes to get smoked.  After watching Tech chew of seven minutes of clock and methodically move down the field on their first possession, I was almost certain it was going to happen.

Tech added a field goal before JMU showed a bit of life.  Quarterback Drew Dudzik threw a screen to Jamal Sullivan.  Sullivan broke tackles, danced on the sideline, and then outran the Hokie defense to score a 77-yard touchdown.  The Hokies got another field goal and led at halftime 13-7.

I figured, as usually happens in these match-ups, that Virginia Tech’s depth and size would wear JMU down and it was only a matter of time before the Hokies started scoring in bunches.

JMU had other plans.  Was there some luck involved?  Sure, especially two huge penalties committed by the Hokies.  (One was a defensive holding that gave JMU a first and goal at the seven.  The other was a roughing the punter when Tech was about to get the ball back with seconds to go to try and get a desperation drive.  That last one put JMU in victory formation.)

But more than anything, JMU earned this victory.  They caused three turnovers, two fumbles and an interception.  Some might say the constant rain during the game had something to do with that and that might be true, but JMU didn’t commit any turnovers.  Those three plays were huge.  Also, in the second half the Dukes’ offensive line simply outplayed Tech’s defensive line, especially on the left side.  The left side of JMU’s line was constantly blowing up Tech’s defenders and creating huge running lanes.  Dudzik scored twice on running plays in which he faked a hand-off right, boot legged left, and took off up the field.

Whatever the reason, the rain, the turnovers, the fatigue from having just played Boise State on Monday, Virginia Tech didn’t do what they needed to do in the second half to win the game.  JMU did.

So where does this rank historically?  I think it is easily on the short list of biggest upsets in college football history.  It’s not the biggest, but it is up there.  As far as JMU history this is one of the top two events in their athletic history, depending on your perspective (the other being when they won the 2004 1-AA football title.)  From an outsider’s (non-JMU fan) perspective this is probably the biggest, because this one puts JMU on the national map.  This one will be talked about on all of the networks and websites and blogs.  Ten years from now more people will remember that JMU beat no. 13 Virginia Tech.

Today was the most excited I have ever been as a JMU fan.  More than the national title game.  More than the 21-point comeback win over Appalachian State two years ago.  More than last year’s close call against Maryland.  I started attending JMU in 1998 and supported them through some lean years.  Aside from one playoff berth in 1999 the team was awful, even by 1-AA standards, and people usually went to the games to see our incredible marching band.  Frankly, the band put a better product on the field.  That all changed in 2004 when JMU won the title.  They have been near the top of the FCS rankings ever since.

Today was huge though, and a day that all of us who bleed purple will remember forever.

Because USC ain’t Richmond.

Virginia travels to Southern California this week to play the 16th-ranked Trojans.  The last time these two teams played was in 2008 when the Trojans thumped the Cavaliers 52-7 in Charlottesville.

Hopefully this weekend will be at least a little different.  It probably will be because these aren’t the same Cavs that got Al Groh fired and they aren’t the same Trojans that were winning titles and Heismans (and them having them taken away….maybe.)

The biggest problem facing Virginia this week will be containing the USC offense.  Last week, against Hawaii, quarterback Matt Barkley was near perfect.  He was 18 of 23 for 257 yards and five touchdowns.  The Trojans also ran for 246 yards and that was without freshman running back Dillon Baxter, who was suspended for one game.  USC head coach Lane Kiffin has said that Baxter is the team’s “most talented player.”

Virginia would have problems handling this offense if their defense was at full strength, but this weekend they may not even have that luxury.  It is still unclear whether super-corner Ras-I Dowling and safety Rodney McLeod will play.  Both are expected to make the trip to Southern Cal, but we won’t know if they are going to play until later.  The ‘Hoos should get some help that they weren’t expecting in pre-season though.  Freshman linebacker LaRoy Reynolds used the Richmond game as a coming out party.  He had a team high eight tackles, including three for losses.  Linebacker was considered the weak position on the ‘Hoos defense this pre-season but it may not be if Reynolds continues his outstanding play.  He’ll need to for Virginia to have a chance this weekend.

The Cavaliers have a great chance of making some noise on offense this week, especially in the passing game.  USC’s starting defensive backfield is young and inexperienced.  Mike London cautions that they are young, but they are “tall and athletic.”  I think Marc Verica’s accuracy and the size and speed of receivers Dontrelle Inman and Kris Burd could pose a problem for USC.

Hawaii was able to put up 459 yards passing against the Trojans last week, but a lot of that has to do with Hawaii’s passing offense.  It can best be described as “chuck and duck.”  They have little running game.  They want to throw all the time.  That being said, they still ran for 129 yards too.  With Keith Payne and Perry Jones leading the way, and Torrey Mack and Raymond Horne able to rotate in, the Cavs have a great opportunity to run the ball well.  They could use the run to control the ball, keep USC’s offense off the field, chew the clock, and set up their passing game.  In other words, the running game is key for Virginia this weekend.

And as if USC needed any additional motivation, in his post game comments, after the Richmond game, he said that USC is not that much better than Virginia.  Hopefully that doesn’t get back to USC, but it probably will, because the last thing Virginia needs is for USC to have bulletin board material.

One final note…today Virginia was installed as a 17.5 point underdog.  If they run the ball like they are capable I think they can keep it closer than that.  Besides, just covering would be better than losing by 45.

Virginia head football coach Mike London is the subject of a very interesting article in the New York Times.

It is very enlightening and you can read it here. Check it out.

And running, and running, and running.

Keith Payne and Perry Jones put on a show yesterday for the Virginia faithful as they beat Richmond, 34-13.

On the first play from scrimmage Virginia running back Perry Jones ran broke off the right side and ran for 38 yards.  That gain was longer than any single run the ‘Hoos had in 2009.  He then ran for another five yards on the next play, meaning in the first two plays of 2010 he surpassed his rushing total for all of 2009.  Quarterback Marc Verica then threw a seemingly routine pass to Kris Burd for 21 yards.  When I looked at the replay later I saw that that pass was perfectly placed.  Verica led Burd and put the ball where only Burd could get it.  I thought, “Wow, Jameel Sewel and Vic Hall could have never made that throw.”  One penalty and two Keith Payne power rushes later…7-0 ‘Hoos, and the game is only two and a half minutes old.

I’ll admit, I was excited.

On Richmond’s first play quarterback Aaron Corp completed a 30-yard pass and in one play reminded everyone why he was once the starter at USC.  My excitement was tempered, but fortunately the defense held and Richmond punted.  Virginia fumbled the ball away on their next possession and then the teams traded punts.

In the middle of the first quarter Richmond got the ball back.  On the second play of the drive their running back, Kendall Gaskins, ran up the middle into a pile.  He wasn’t tackled but his forward progress looked stopped.  Looked stopped.  Suddenly he pops out of the crowd and is ten yards downfield and off to the races.  He outran the Virginia secondary, who were mysteriously without All-World corner Ras-I Dowling (more on that later), and scored.  Tie game, 7-7.

The Cavs scored another touchdown and the Spiders added a field goal and it was 14-10 at halftime.

Richmond took the first drive of the second half down for a field goal to make the score 14-13.  I thought Virginia was in trouble.  As someone who witnessed their debacle against William & Mary last year I knew they were fully capable of losing to an FCS school, especially if the game was close late and confidence and momentum started to shift.  The longer Richmond kept the game that close, the worse it would be for Virginia.

Keith Payne almost single handedly put all that to bed.  On the next drive he had consecutive carries of 15, 13, and 15 yards, literally dragging two or three Spiders with him as he carried the ball.  Richmond linebacker Eric McBride is credited with all three tackles, mostly because you can’t put “Eric McBride and damn near the entire secondary” on the stat sheet.  Payne scored two more times in the fourth quarter, providing all of the scoring for the ‘Hoos in the second half.

Virginia did two important things in the second half.  One, they played smart and used their physical advantages to overwhelm Richmond.  The reason Keith Payne was so successful in the that half is he is simply to big and too strong for the Richmond defenders.  They wore down trying to tackle him and that led to big gains.  Two, they showed they can play head coach Mike London’s style of football.  London, and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, did away with the spread offense UVA had been trying to run in recent and years and installed a pro-style power running game.  They feel if they keep pounding the ball eventually the defense is going to get tired, make mistakes, and UVA should be able to capitalize.  That is exactly what happened yesterday and with their stable of four running backs, they should be able to do this all season, even against the tougher opponents.

Those tougher opponents are right around the corner.  Next week the Cavaliers travel to Southern Cal to take on the Trojans.  Hopefully it will be a little more competitive than the 52-7 drubbing the Trojans handed down in Charlottesville last year.

Notes…Ras-I Dowling and starting strong safety Rodney McLeod both dressed for the game but didn’t play.  Dowling had a hamstring pull, according to Mike London, and McLeod is day-to-day with a left knee injury…QB Marc Verica finished 24-35 for 283 yards and a touchdown…WR’s Dontrelle Inman and Kris Burd combined to receive 220 of those yards and a touchdown…Keith Payne finished with 114 yards and four touchdowns…The ‘Hoos attempted, and missed, two 50+ yard field goals. Each was kicked by a different kicker. One was long enough, but wide left, the other was dead in the middle, but short…This is the first time in five years the Cavs have won their home opener.