CHARLOTTESVILLE -- There are certain subjects upon which reporters have learned to approach Virginia football coach Al Groh gingerly.

One of them is the disposition of redshirt freshman cornerback Vic Hall, the all-time leading passer in Virginia high-school history.

A reporter asked Groh on Tuesday about the value of using Hall to impersonate Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball in practice this week.

"You're assuming that ...," said Groh, not aware that players earlier had told the media about the benefits of having Hall working with the scout team.

The Cavaliers (1-2) visit Ball and the Yellow Jackets (2-1) at 7:45 p.m. Thursday in a game that will be televised by ESPN. Ball accounted for 294 yards Saturday in a 35-20 victory over Troy, including 130 on the ground, a school record for a quarterback.

"We have Vic Hall back there [on the scout team] and I feel as though that's a real great look," UVa linebacker Antonio Appleby said. "He's fast, he's athletic and there's a lot of things that Ball can do that Vic can do also."

The last thing Groh needed Tuesday was a question about Hall after using three other quarterbacks Saturday in a 17-10 loss to Western Michigan.

"He only took 10 plays yesterday," Groh said. "We've only practiced once."

Groh continued to talk as if redshirt freshman Jameel Sewell would get his first start at Georgia Tech, giving UVa its third different starter in as many games. Sewell completed seven of 10 passes in the second half against Western Michigan but had 25 yards in lost rushing yardage.

Groh later deflected a question about whether Hall might one day return to quarterback.

"That has no bearing on where we are right now," he said. "It certainly doesn't have any bearing for Thursday night.

Hall has been on the field for 28 plays in three games -- 17 on punts and 11 on kickoffs.

McCabe's drop

Groh's call-in show was unavailable until 7:30 p.m. Monday on UVa's new Roanoke home at 101.5 AM, but it was clear that Game 2 starter Kevin McCabe had the support of the callers.

McCabe, who yielded interceptions that led to both Western Michigan touchdowns, has been dropped to third string despite completing 71.9 percent of his passes (23-of-32) in three games.

"I don't quite see it the same way, apparently, as everybody else does," Groh said. "I don't see where any of the quarterbacks had moved the team. Kevin had one drive the other day, which was a very good drive and I'm pleased for it and I was happy for him and I appreciate what he did.

"I'm not a Kevin-basher. I'm not mad at Kevin. From my perspective, until that touchdown [on an 83-yard drive] the other day, we really hadn't had a drive for a touchdown by any of the quarterbacks. Frankly, the two negative plays outweighed it."

He noticed

It was hard to mistake the booing that followed the Western Michigan loss, only the fourth for Virginia in its past 20 games at Scott Stadium. Groh didn't blow it off Tuesday.

"I guess it's become part of the American sporting culture," Groh said. "I noticed that none of it came from the student body. That section is the section that probably has done the most to change the climate of the stadium. They've been great.

"We didn't play very well. We don't expect any praise for it. We shouldn't accept any praise for it.

"We should take every responsibility for our performance, [but] activities of that nature are more a commentary on the purported supporters of the team than it is on the players."

"We don't need to be told that we didn't perform well."

Williams jogging

Wide receiver Deyon Williams has resumed running after Aug. 11 surgery to repair a broken foot, "but I wouldn't put any stock in what that means," Groh said.

"Until I get a message that there's a strong [probability], I'm treating it the same way as I did the [Ahmad] Brooks situation last year. I'm not even considering the possibility of him coming back. The team is what it is."

Groh plans to meet periodically with Williams to gauge his interest in returning in 2007 as a fifth-year senior.

Odds 'n' ends

Groh said 2006 ACC interception champion Marcus Hamilton is day-to-day after missing the Western Michigan game with an injured shoulder. ... Denzel Burrell, a redshirt freshman linebacker who had been getting time in Virginia's "nickel" package, has undergone season-ending knee surgery. ... Sewell is the first left-hander to play quarterback for Virginia since Louis Holmes, a walk-on who had four attempts in a 31-6 UVa loss at UNC in 1976.