Last season Virginia's offense was one of the most exciting in the nation. With second half comeback victories and trick plays thrown into the mix, the Cavaliers were both unpredictable and exciting. When word came in the off-season that offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave would be leaving to take a job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, many Cavalier fans worried about losing the flare for which their offense had become known.
Some of these fears, however, were put to rest when head coach Al Groh stayed within the system to find his new coordinator, offensive line coach Ron Prince. The offensive line last season was one of the strongest and most surprising units on the team, in spite of injury and a true freshman starter at left tackle -- the position that protected quarterback Matt Schaub's blind side.
Musgrave was popular and often shared his NFL experience with the team, although his accessibility to the media and therefore the fans was limited by Groh's policy that he is the only coach allowed to talk to the media.
Musgrave "wasn't that old," Schaub said. "He was in his mid-30s and just coming out of his playing days in the NFL, so he was very easy to talk to. We'd go and eat meals together and discuss things, play golf. We email back and forth and talk maybe once a week. We're definitely goingto keep in contact."
Over the past two years at Virginia, Groh has become known as an excellent recruiter and judge of talent. While at the Jets he brought in such players as Chad Pennington, Laverneus Coles and John Abraham and has brought in two of the most highly acclaimed recruiting classes in the Virginia football program's history. While Groh has been praised for his ability to find talent on the field, he has proved to excel at finding talent on the sideline as well, giving many coaches their first chance to really break out.
"Two years [ago] a lot of these guys were unproven at the jobs they've proven to be very capable of," Groh said. "They wouldn't have been put in those jobs if there hadn't been a high expectation that they'd very quickly be capable. There's still a hell of a lot Ron Prince has to learn, but there's still a lot Al Groh has to learn."Prince, like Musgrave before him, is in his early thirties, and has been with the team since Groh replaced George Welsh three years ago. His experience with the Cavaliers and his ability to maintain continuity with the previous system have helped Prince build confidence among the players.
"The comfort level is definitely higher than if we were to bring someone from outside," Schaub said. "The terminology stays the same and we're comfortable with the formations we're going to use. He knows what he's doing. He's trained NFL players. He trained us to know how to be at our peak throughout the season."
Groh believes Prince's ability, attitude and hunger made him a prime candidate.Prince has coached the offensive line with success everywhere from South Carolina State to Cornell, and last season with Virginia he put together one of the most highly acclaimed lines in the conference. D'Brickashaw Ferguson earned Freshman All-American honors while guard Brian Barthelmes was named a Freshman All-ACC player. Two other players, guard Elton Brown and Make Mullins, were both honorable mention All-conference players.
For a complete look inside the Virginia team, as well as a preview of the competition, see The Cavalier Daily's GRIDIRON supplement, hitting stands Tuesday.
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