It's that time of the year again.
Fans from miles around Charlottesville flocked to Scott Stadium yesterday for the annual "Meet the Team" day, which included head coach Al Groh's first press conference of the year for Virginia media. The festivities marked the official opening of the 2002 Virginia football season.
While the members of the press sat and asked questions in section 107 of the stadium, fans were allowed to sit close and listen to what Groh had to say about the 2002 season. There were not very many surprises, as Groh reiterated what most people have known for months: the 2002 season will be a very challenging year for the Cavaliers.
"A lot of the players look the way we want them to look early on," Groh said. "We know our depth isn't the best at some positions, but we have guys we feel can step up when the time comes." The Cavaliers' full roster will begin practice today. But the freshmen got an early jump on the veterans, starting practice a week ago.
This could be an important point in the Cav preseason, as Groh expects as many as 11 of the 22 freshmen to see playing time during the season opener against Colorado State.
"As hyped as this group was, I think the talent level was every bit as good as it was supposed to be," Groh said. "We are very confident that the freshmen will be able to contribute early on."
But with so many freshmen taking the field, there are bound to be some mistakes that could prove costly throughout the season. That is something that everyone involved in the program understands, but Groh said he hopes the mistakes are minimized.
"There is a sense of urgency to get things done around here," he said. "We will have the players ready to play on August 22."
Though rough spots are to be expected, players and coaches said they believe Virginia has a chance to do great things this season. But everyone must stay healthy if the Cavaliers hope to have a chance at postseason play.
Most of the players said they believe all the pieces are in place, and they should be able to compete with anyone.
"I want to win," said All-American candidate, wide receiver Billy McMullen. "We have worked hard this off-season and I know we have the players needed to win. I want the ball, but I will gladly give up my number of catches to go out and get a win. That's all that matters to me right now."
McMullen's fellow captain on the other side of the ball, Angelo Crowell, agreed that the time to win could be right now.
"Everyone is talking about how good Virginia could be in the future," he said. "I know they can be very good in the future, but I only have one year left, so I want to win now. I am going to do everything I can to make sure we win this year"
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