Thursday, September 13, 2007
Sewell diplomatic about Lalich challenge
Detrick next freshman to lose ''shirt?''
Doug Doughty
Doug Doughty's UVa Insider is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Thursdays in season.
See Doug and Randy talk sports every week with the Sports edition of the TimesCast
Recent columns
Several reporters were waiting around to speak to Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell last Saturday when a member of UVa’s sports information staff informed them that Sewell would not coming to the interview area.
The immediate thought was that Sewell was unhappy with his play or with a decision to go with freshman Peter Lalich for the fourth quarter, but that wasn’t the situation at all.
“Nobody requested him,” the SID staffer said.
As the college football season heads into its third weekend, it’s hard to think of another starting quarterback who has done less talking than Sewell. He answered every question after a 23-3 loss at Wyoming but has classes scheduled during the two Tuesday time periods when UVa players customarily are interviewed.
Virginia set up a joint phone interview Tuesday night for Sewell and Lalich, another player who has class conflicts earlier in the day, but at least speaking for this reporter, Lalich was the story.
Sewell talked for 10 minutes but, just as the media was expecting to chat with Lalich, they were notified that Groh only wanted Lalich speaking after games.
Suddenly, the Sewell material was a little more desirable.
The first question dealt with the quarterback rotation that Virginia will continue to employ, according to Groh.
Sewell did not come into the season with a two-quarterback system in mind, “but, after the first game, I expected it,” he said.
“I really didn’t have a reaction. Whatever [Groh] says, goes.”
Sewell didn’t sound eager to start a controversy but he didn’t seem to be holding anything back.
“I’m going to perform,” he said. “Whatever I can do to help my team win, I’m not worried about anything else. Whatever he asks me to do to make sure the team excels, I’m going to do that.”
Groh said Saturday that he made a decision to use Lalich in the first half after learning with seven minutes before halftime that Sewell had cramps.
With two minutes remaining before halftime, Sewell trotted off the field with trainer Ethan Saliba in an effort to get a head start on the re-hydration process. However, it appeared to some observed that Sewell’s surgically repaired left (throwing) wrist had been re-taped during the halftime break.
“Nothing happened to my wrist,” Sewell said. “I kind of banged up my [left] thumb so I had to get a different tape job on my whole hand.”
Sewell had little to do with UVa’s first two scoring drives, which featured a 67-yard punt return by Vic Hall and a 58-yard scoring run by Cedric Peerman. But, on his last appearance of the first half, Sewell took the Cavaliers from their 28-yard line to the Duke 2 before Virginia was hit with a holding penalty – one of five that were called and four that were assessed.
“I did better,” said Sewell, who had an 11-yard run and two 9-yarders. “I didn’t have too many difficult things to do. I still think I could have did a little bit better on some things. I just got to focus on the little things and get back to the basics of my mechanics. Make sure the ball comes out right. That’s all it is.”
After two games, neither Virginia quarterback can boast a 20-yard completion. Sewell’s longest was a 17-yarder on an underneath route to Staton Jobe at Wyoming.
“I’ve had my chances to throw the deep ball,” said Sewell, whose longer attempted have gone to tight ends on seam routes. “I’m really not frustrated. We still moved down the field and scored.”
Odds ‘n’ ends:
VETERAN O-LINE COACH Dave Borbely told Groh earlier this week that the Duke game was the first he could remember when a quarterback had not been touched all day.
UVa quarterbacks were hit only four times at Wyoming, where the Cavaliers hit Cowboys’ quarterback Karsten Sween on 18 occasions, by Groh’s count.
WHEN ASKED THURSDAY if he had reached a decision on a deep snapper for Saturday’s game at North Carolina, Groh said, ‘We’re going to continue to conduct the gong show this afternoon.”
Groh said that all six special-teams units did not play up to expectations against Duke and there has been “a little bit of retooling” in practice this week.
THE NEXT TRUE freshman likely to see playing time for the Cavaliers is Jared Detrick, an outside linebacker from Woodside High School in Newport News.
“He runs real well; he’s aggressive,” Groh said. “He’s got a lot of answers that he’s still got to come up with, but in our short time with him, it appears that he’s got an innate sense of understanding the game. It makes sense to him.
“He’s further ahead on his assignments on some defensive things than some players who have been here considerably longer.”
