The status of the Virginia players injured in Saturday's game at Florida State remains uncertain, Virginia head coach Al Groh told reporters at his weekly press conference.
During Virginia's (0-2, 0-1 ACC) 40-19 loss to the fifth-ranked Seminoles (2-0, 1-0), approximately 10 players left the game with various degrees of injuries. One of the most severely injured players seems to be cornerback Marcus Hamilton. The true freshman played in his first collegiate game Saturday, seeing action on both defense and special teams before being helped off the field in the fourth quarter.
"He's got a knee injury which was not anticipated that it would require a surgical repair," Groh said.
Other key injuries sustained during Saturday's game include injuries to starting left guard Mark Farrington, starting center Kevin Bailey, and starting linebacker Raymond Mann. Groh did not comment on the extent of these injuries, but remained cautiously optimistic that those players hurt Saturday could return.
"That would be the hope at this point
but I don't know much more about it now than I did after the game," Groh said.
With the Florida State game behind them, the Cavaliers face yet another tough challenge this Saturday, as the South Carolina Gamecocks visit Scott Stadium. South Carolina will test the Cavalier defense with a new offensive scheme, one that resembles the scheme Clemson ran last season with Woody Dantzler at the helm.
"They have a robust backfield," Groh said. "Probably the most dynamic runner is the quarterback. He's a very dynamic player."
That quarterback is senior Corey Jenkins, a former junior college All-American at Garden City JC in Kansas. Jenkins carried 20 times for 113 yards in the Gamecocks' season-opening victory over New Mexico State Saturday.
For the Virginia defense to contain the Gamecock running attack, it will undoubtedly need to improve on its tackling. Thus far, the Cavaliers have yielded over 170 rushing yards per game mainly because of the team's inability to tackle and contain opposing backs. With such a young team, it is likely Virginia's tackling woes can be attributed to a lack of game experience.
"That's the most difficult aspect about early-season games," Groh said. In practice "you can approximate almost everything else that happens in the game
but you can't approximate the tackling circumstance."
Aside from tackling, he noted placekicking and punt protection as two other aspects difficult to approximate, and also two areas in which Virginia has suffered. Against Florida State, punter Tom Hagan had one punt blocked, while placekicker Bryan Smith missed two extra points.
Although the punting job appears locked up, the kicking job remains open.
"We had a big kick-off last week, and we ended in a dead tie," Groh said. "But that's not the same as doing it in the game."
Although injuries, poor tackling, and special teams miscues were abundant against the Seminoles, the Cavaliers did take a number of positives away from the game. Freshman Wali Lundy continued to impress both coaches and fans.
"He's done a real good job against two quality opponents," Groh said.
Additionally, Groh praised sophomore receiver Ottowa Anderson.
"He really had an excellent game," he said. "He had three good receptions and a literally 'lights-out' block. His toughness has really developed in a year's time. If all the players playing as freshmen make as much progress from one August to the next as he has, then his progress would be a terrific barometer."
This week's game will be the last in a brutal three-game stretch that precedes Virginia's bye week. Although some much-needed rest may be on the way, the Cavaliers must first deal with a talented South Carolina team ranked No. 22 in the nation. Although South Carolina presents yet another rude awakening for Virginia's touted freshman class, Groh sounds confident his newcomers are up to the task.
"This is the challenge in front of us," he said. "It's a good challenge. It's a worthwhile challenge. There's a process you have to go through to become a really good team, and we got that process rolling fast."
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