Two frames adorn the wall outside Al Groh's office at the McCue Center. Both are newspaper pages from the day Virginia Tech beat Virginia in 2004, ending the Cavaliers' chances to win a share of the ACC title. Think Groh is motivated? After a disappointing year, he seems ready to turn things around in what is a huge year for the program.
Last spring, there was national focus on Virginia as a team on the rise that could contend for a BCS bid with one of the nation's top defenses.
After a 5-0 start, the Cavs stumbled to an 8-4 mark, including getting upset by Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl. That loss dropped them out of the rankings for the first time all year.
There is a different feel around the football program as spring practice concludes Saturday with the annual Spring Game at Scott Stadium (to note, Florida drew 59,000 fans to its game and Oklahoma drew over 60,000; Virginia had just 7,500 people last year, so it's not quite a football school yet).
Instead of unbridled optimism, there is caution among the fan base. Spring practice is supposed to feature sky-high hopes, but two seasons without a big win has tempered the Cavalier faithful.
Most pre-spring Top 25s have Virginia on the outside looking in and for good reason. Virginia lost 11 starters from last year's team; among them are four guys who could be picked in the first two rounds of Saturday's NFL Draft, according to ESPN's latest mock draft. They include one All-American, two other first team All-ACC players and two All-ACC second teamers.
That means the Cavaliers have a lot of question marks, and spring practice does not seem to have provided answers, mainly because of the number of players sidelined this spring.
It's a good thing games don't start until fall, as LB Ahmad Brooks, DE Brennan Schmidt, NT Keenan Carter, TE Tom Santi and K Connor Hughes are all out for medical reasons. Plus, LB Vince Redd is out for academics and G Marshall Ausberry was in a cast last week. That's four likely starters and three guys fighting for a starting job.
These injuries have opened the door for some rising stars to shine during spring practice. To start with some good news, here are three guys who seem poised to break out in 2005:
Nate Lyles: Roaming the defensive backfield, this 6-foot, 190-pound safety brings back memories of another Cavalier great -- Anthony Poindexter. Lyles is just plain scary with his shaded visor, and he has the ability to really tattoo some people. He will be one of the ACC's best by November.
Theirren Davis: Davis, who went by "Bud" last year, started at safety before switching to receiver and seeing heavy time in the bowl game. The rising sophomore seems to have the best connection with quarterback Marques Hagans in practice and is the only receiver who consistently caught deep balls. He has the size (6 foot 1), speed (4.30 40) and hands to be a star.
Cedric Peerman: A redshirt freshman, Peerman looked especially sharp at practice Sunday. The tailback came out of some holes that seemed to have no space and showed a good burst to the outside. With backup Michael Johnson sidelined for spring ball, Peerman has made the most of his opportunity and could pass Johnson on the depth chart; he should be the featured back in 2006.
Speaking of which, Wali Lundy has looked unbelievable. He is bigger, faster and showing a better burst.
Though there are some stars in the making, that does not mean there are not question marks for Al Groh and his staff. In fact, there are several issues that are unlikely to be answered by Saturday's spring game.
The passing game -- Virginia really struggled to move the ball last season in the air and the returning wideouts boast just 45 career catches. Those difficulties seemed to continue in practice Sunday. Other than Hagans, the quarterbacks struggled with accuracy and receivers dropped too many passes, a recurring theme all spring. The wideouts simply could not get separation and thus cannot make plays.
The defensive backfield: Virginia struggled to stop the pass last year as well with three young corners. Though there was a learning curve, the inability to recognize when the ball is coming
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