Many unfamiliar names made it into Virginia's starting lineup for the first time and others were listed next to different positions against Wake Forest on Saturday. In order to change things up, and get the team out of it's offensive funk, Virginia coach Al Groh decided to make some changes to the Cavaliers' offensive line.
"I was pleased with what I saw," Groh said at his weekly press conference. "I thought for the transition involved, we handled it with good poise and good cohesiveness."
Groh changed all five offensive line positions and added two newcomers. Freshman Elton Brown became the first true freshman to start on the offensive line in over 30 years. He started at right guard and junior Mike Mullins joined the crew at the right tackle position. Senior right tackle Jermese Jones switched over to left tackle, and senior right guard Evan Routzahn switched over to the other guard slot. Sophomore Kevin Bailey, who normally plays left tackle, switched to the center position.
"The group seemed to grow as the game went on," Groh said. "I think the players got some confidence as they started working with each other."
Groh stressed that the reason for the switch was to help cure the running game's woes, and he believed the change might spark the Cavaliers into performing better than they had in the past few weeks.
Groh's plan appeared to work. The Cavaliers rushed for 152 yards against the Demon Deacons, with freshman Alvin Pearman becoming the first Virginia running back this season to rush for over 100 yards. Pearman ended up with 108 yards on the day.
Groh especially was pleased with the play of Brown and Mullins. Both players were getting their first opportunities to start. Groh had used them sparingly up until Saturday.
"Mike Mullins played scrappy because he's a mauler," Groh said. "He fights tooth and nail on every play. Elton Brown did a very nice job. He did not have the exhaust of high school background, so he's just starting to learn the intricacies of the offensive line. He played with a lot of poise given the circumstances."
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Four of Virginia's five linemen that started the season are seniors, so Groh may be starting to look at players who will see a lot of time on the offensive line next year.
Brown "might as well start playing him knowing that he will see a lot of time next year," Groh said. "It was part of the plan all along."
Groh says recruiting remains positive
Recruiting good players is a must when battling in a league like the ACC. Virginia already has received verbal commitments from several big names this season, such as quarterback Anthony Martinez and defensive tackle Keenan Carter. With several big name players still listing Virginia as one of their leaders, many wonder if this season's record will affect their decisions.
"The response that we are getting from the players we want is very reinforcing to us," Groh said. "That response seems to confirm to us that those players see that they are the greatness of our program. Our greatness is in our future, and they are our future."
Some of the highly-regarded recruits that Virginia is pursuing include linebackers Kai Parham and Ahmad Brooks, and quarterback Marcus Vick, the brother of former Virginia Tech star Michael Vick.
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