Thursday, November 29, 2007
Hall should be at QB, but there's a catch
What was the deal with Bruce Smith?
Doug Doughty
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From all I’ve been able to gather, Virginia’s attempts to make nice-nice with Virginia Tech prior to Saturday’s Tech-UVa football game in Charlottesville were not well-received by the rank and file among Cavalier followers.
That is topic No. 1 among the UVa fans with whom I’ve spoken since Saturday.
(Again, why exactly was Bruce Smith recognized before the game)?
Topic No. 2 or 3 might have been Virginia cornerback Vic Hall.
When he was at Gretna High School, Hall set state records for passing yardage and total offense that may never be broken.
Vic Hall is an offensive player.
Is Hall a defensive player? UVa coach Al Groh must think so because he nominated Hall for All-ACC as a cornerback.
The nominations took place prior to the UVa-Virginia Tech game, when I stopped counting after receivers Hall was covering had accounted for six receptions for 118 yards.
That was midway through the third quarter and did not count a fourth-quarter sequence when Tech quarterback Sean Glennon completed a 25-yard pass to Josh Morgan, who was brought down by a group of UVa defenders that included Hall.
On the next play, running back Branden Ore cut to the sideline for a 25-yard gain, the last 10 or 15 yards coming after he had brushed aside a Hall tackle attempt.
ONE OF THE BEST things you can say about Hall as a defensive player, and I offer this as a compliment, is that he’s durable.
Hall was expected to battle Mike Brown for a starting job until Brown suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The other starting cornerback, Chris Cook, missed three games with an injury (knee or ankle; I’m not sure I ever knew for sure). Ras-I Dowling, who showed promise as Cook’s replacement, suffered a concussion before he could take a defensive snap against the Hokies.
Hall started all 12 games for the Cavaliers and also played in specialty packages. He had some good moments and some not-so-good moments as a punt returner but could not have been more dependable as a holder for field goals and extra points. He scored a touchdown on a fake field goal and completed an option pass that was critical in a 17-16 victory over Connecticut.
If Hall were to remain at cornerback, he probably would get better. If all Virginia had back was the current cast of characters, I’d leave him at cornerback. But, the Cavaliers’ top five cornerbacks – Cook, Hall, Dowling, Mike Parker and Trey Womack – will be returning.
So will Mike Brown, as well as three freshman defensive backs who were being redshirted this year – Chase Minniefield, Corey Mosley and Dom Joseph. Somebody will have to move to safety, where Byron Glaspy is the only returning starter.
HERE’S WHAT I’D do with Hall. I’d move him to quarterback.
Gasp!
I’m sure there are a lot of people who would like to see Hall move to offense and play slot receiver. And, I’m not going to suggest that Virginia should bench Jameel Sewell and play Hall.
Sewell isn’t Pat White but he can do some of the same stuff as White.
Here’s what I have in mind: Move Hall to quarterback, have him learn the offense to the degree that he could relieve Sewell, and then hold Peter Lalich out of action in 2008 as a redshirt.
While Hall is taking some snaps at quarterback each day, the rest of his time would be spent playing and practicing slot receiver (as well as returning punts, holding, etc.).
Actually, there’s a precedent for that. Consider the 2003 season. That was the year that starting quarterback Matt Schaub was injured in the opening game and was unable to play in Week 2 at South Carolina, where the Cavaliers lost 31-7 with Anthony Martinez at quarterback.
Marques Hagans, a redshirt sophomore, was a reserve wide receiver at the time. The Cavaliers got him enough practice reps to start at quarterback the next week and he led them to a 59-16 victory at Western Michigan (as the annoying Jeff White would remind everyone, I picked Western Michigan).
SCHAUB TOOK ADVANTAGE of an open date and was back in the lineup for Week 4. Hagans went back to slot receiver and caught 28 passes that season, an experience that no doubt contributed to his selection by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft.
Once Schaub used up his eligibility, Hagans started at quarterback over his final two seasons and led the Cavaliers to 15 wins and a pair of bowls, including the Music City Bowl, where he had a career day in a 34-31 victory over Minnesota.
This isn’t about establishing a line of succession behind Sewell. Sewell and Hall are in the same class. It’s about Lalich and not having him wait three years behind Sewell, provided he doesn’t win the job in the spring, which is unlikely. Incumbent quarterbacks don’t lose their jobs after nine- or 10-win seasons.
(Oh, wait, there was a quarterback in Blacksburg who lost his job after a 10-win season, but he’s back in the saddle).
There may be plenty of cornerbacks in Charlottesville but there aren’t plenty of slot receivers. I learned that when I asked about the whereabouts of Cary Koch over the last three games.
“He’s a slot receiver,” I was told.
And?
“Tom Santi was the slot receiver,” was the answer.
Whether he was a slot receiver or second-team All-ACC tight end, Santi will be using up his eligibility in Virginia’s bowl game. The slot wouldn’t be a bad spot for Hall.
When he isn’t practicing at quarterback, that is.
