CHARLOTTESVILLE -- The only Virginia quarterback Southern California coaches have watched on film is sophomore Peter Lalich.

The Trojans would be hard-pressed to find any film of the other two candidates for UVa's starting job, senior Scott Deke and sophomore Marc Verica.

Verica has never played in a college game and Deke was on the field for the final two plays in a 44-14 rout of Pittsburgh.

"We saw more of Peter Lalich last year so we're kind of thinking, 'That's the guy,'" Southern Cal coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday in a conference call with UVa beat reporters. "I know they're holding it kind of close to the vest."

He's got that right.

It does not appear that UVa head coach Al Groh will tip his hand until the Cavaliers' offense takes the field Saturday.

"We'll probably keep it this way until we play the game," Groh said at his first weekly news conference. "We're moving forward with it. I'm sure, some time before 3:31 [p.m.] Saturday, we'll have it figured out."

Groh did say he has "a pretty good idea" of which quarterback will start.

Wide receiver Kevin Ogletree, who had 52 receptions in 2006 but missed the 2007 season following surgery, said he wasn't as certain.

"He has a good idea, though" Ogletree said of his coach. "That's good."

More than half a dozen UVa players answered questions for reporters Tuesday and none offered any insight into the quarterback situation.

"I have no idea," left offensive guard Zac Stair said. "Every time I turn around, there's a different guy back there. Sometimes, I'm shocked. You think one of them's back there and, turns out, it's somebody else."

Ogletree said he generally knows which quarterback is on the field before he takes his position.

"I don't know if you're supposed to do that or not," he said. "I'm not blind out there. I want to see who's throwing it, not because I need to know the guy's name, but because I want to let him know what route I'm going to run."

Sanchez ready

Carroll said the Trojans also have a decision to make at quarterback, but not concerning starter Mark Sanchez, who suffered a dislocated kneecap in practice on Aug. 8.

"Mark practiced full go [Monday] and he was ready," Carroll said Tuesday. "He has to see the doctors tonight to get the final OK, but he looks very good. We're expecting him to play.

"We have a similar situation to [Virginia's] with our second guys. We haven't called it yet, either."

Sanchez is backed up by Mitch Mustain, a sophomore who began his career at Arkansas, and redshirt freshman Aaron Corp.

Personnel

Keith Payne, the Virginia Group AAA player of the year as a senior at Oakton High School in 2005, is listed as the Cavaliers' No. 2 fullback behind Rashawn Jackson. Payne was a reserve tailback last year, when he had 58 carries for 219 yards and two TDs.

n The only true freshman on Virginia's two-deep roster is 6-foot-6, 310-pound left guard Austin Pasztor, a Canadian who spent the 2007-08 school year at Fork Union Military Academy. Pasztor, the youngest player on UVa's roster, won't turn 18 until Nov. 26.

n If he had put together an injury report Tuesday, Groh said one player would have been out for Saturday's game, three would have been doubtful, three would have been questionable and three probable. The ACC's new injury policy requires UVa to give names Thursday after practice.

n Groh said of sophomore defensive end Sean Gottschalk: "We're allowing him time to deal with his personal business."

Gottschalk was listed No. 1 at his position going into the preseason but has received minimal practice time.

Odds 'n ends

Virginia has 10 returning starters and 30 returning letter-winners, the Cavaliers' low in both categories since 1986. Only seven of the 119 Division I-A programs have fewer returning starters. ... Deke played on the same team at Loyola High School in Los Angeles as USC backup fullback Matt Hillier. Their school was two blocks from the USC campus. ... Jim Dombrowski, an All-America offensive lineman for UVa in the mid-1970s, will be honored. Dombrowski will join the College Football Hall of Fame in December