Wake Forest can score points in unconventional ways
As if Virginia hadn't heard enough about football teams that make a living off defense and special teams, now the Cavaliers get to see another version of Beamer Ball.
Wake Forest hasn't shown the same kind of kick-blocking ability as Virginia Tech to date, but the Demon Deacons (6-2 , 4-1 ACC) have scored nine non-offensive touchdowns this season.
"That's pretty spectacular and that's how seasons are made," said UVa coach Al Groh, whose Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1) play host to Wake at noon today at Scott Stadium. "Especially with the parity and competitiveness in football now, it's seldom about domination.
"Last year, the Chicago Bears rode a season of that with the Devin Hester returns and defensive takeaways and rode that to the Super Bowl. While I'm not familiar with the Chicago situation this year, I know their record's not the same."
Virginia has one non-offensive touchdown this season. Virginia Tech, whose opportunistic style has been dubbed "Beamer Ball" after coach Frank Beamer, has six.
"Special teams, for all the coaching and schemes that we do, the key component's got to be outstanding players, most particularly the kickers and return men," Groh said.
Wake has the returning All-ACC place-kicker, Sam Swank, who is 11-for-12 on field goals this season. His only miss was from 57 yards.
"He causes you to play a very small field on defense," Groh said. "Given his range, when the ball hits your 35-yard line, they're in position to score points. That's a tough deal on any defense.
"Every time you kick the ball to [Kenneth] Moore and [Kevin] Marion, there's a chance they're going to score. So, it's a very iffy and tense situation with those kick plays."
Moore, who twice has caught 15 passes in a game this season, also has a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown. Marion had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week in the Deacons' 37-10 victory over North Carolina and set up another TD with an 83-yard return.
"On one of the ones he took back last week, he was in the other end zone so quick that you could hardly blink," Groh said. "There was hardly a contact made. He saw an opening before a block was made and, wham, it was seven points for the Deacons."
In past years, Groh could have defended against Marion by having his kickoff specialist sail the ball deep into the end zone for touchbacks.
Few teams have that luxury now that the placement of the ball for kickoffs has been moved from the 35-yard line to the 30.
"When Kurt [Smith] was kicking them from the 35-yard line for us, you could have brought Devin Hester in and it wasn't that great a worry because the ball wasn't coming out," Groh said.
Indeed, when Virginia visited Miami and Hester in 2005, Smith kicked off from the UVa 20 following a penalty and still reached the end zone.
Twenty-one of Chris Gould's 42 kickoffs were not returned last year. This year, there have been six touchbacks in Gould's 44 kickoffs.
"Now every kick is covered," Groh said. "That's what every team is finding. I can't remember the last time we had a touchback when we were receiving. Even when guys might have stayed in [the end zone] in the past, they're coming out because the cover guys have to run 5 yards further."
It has been so long since the last Virginia-Wake Forest game that UVa offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham is the only player from either team who got on the field in 2003. Cunningham started five games as a true freshman that year before redshirting in 2004.
Virginia prevailed that day, 27-24, on the second of two Connor Hughes field goals in the final two minutes. It was Virginia's 19th victory in 20 games against Wake, which lost 17 straight games to UVa before a 34-30 victory at Scott Stadium in 2001.
That game marked the return to Charlottesville of Virginia alumnus Jim Grobe, whose first year as Wake head coach coincided with Groh's first season at UVa, also his alma mater.
Their careers have paralleled in other ways. Groh's first job as a college coach was at Wake, where he served from 1981-86. The Deacons traditionally have had one of the ACC's most downtrodden programs, posting 10 losing records in 13 seasons before Grobe took them to an ACC championship and an 11-3 season in 2006.
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Protect against non-offensive TDs: The Deacons have scored five touchdowns on interception returns, two on fumble returns and one each on kickoff returns and punt returns. UVa has one non-offensive touchdown.
Get the best of quarterback play: Cavaliers quarterback Jameel Sewell giveth and he taketh away. He passed for a career-high 260 yards last week but yielded two interceptions that led to an N.C. State touchdown and field goal in a 29-24 Wolfpack win.
Contain Kenneth Moore: N.C. State?s unheralded Donald Bowens had 11 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia last week. Moore has had 15 receptions in two separate games this season and his 60 receptions top the ACC.
Wake needs a victory to keep from dropping two games behind Boston College in the ACC?s Atlantic Division. Virginia needs a victory to keep the top spot in the Coastal Division.
Virginia will provide the opposition for the Hurricanes? final game at the storied Orange Bowl, which will be torn down after the season. Miami still has an outside shot at the Coastal crown.
As if Virginia hadn't heard enough about football teams that make a living off defense and special teams, now the Cavaliers get to see another version of Beamer Ball.
Wake Forest hasn't shown the same kind of kick-blocking ability as Virginia Tech to date, but the Demon Deacons (6-2 , 4-1 ACC) have scored nine non-offensive touchdowns this season.
"That's pretty spectacular and that's how seasons are made," said UVa coach Al Groh, whose Cavaliers (7-2, 4-1) play host to Wake at noon today at Scott Stadium. "Especially with the parity and competitiveness in football now, it's seldom about domination.
"Last year, the Chicago Bears rode a season of that with the Devin Hester returns and defensive takeaways and rode that to the Super Bowl. While I'm not familiar with the Chicago situation this year, I know their record's not the same."
Virginia has one non-offensive touchdown this season. Virginia Tech, whose opportunistic style has been dubbed "Beamer Ball" after coach Frank Beamer, has six.
"Special teams, for all the coaching and schemes that we do, the key component's got to be outstanding players, most particularly the kickers and return men," Groh said.
Wake has the returning All-ACC place-kicker, Sam Swank, who is 11-for-12 on field goals this season. His only miss was from 57 yards.
"He causes you to play a very small field on defense," Groh said. "Given his range, when the ball hits your 35-yard line, they're in position to score points. That's a tough deal on any defense.
"Every time you kick the ball to [Kenneth] Moore and [Kevin] Marion, there's a chance they're going to score. So, it's a very iffy and tense situation with those kick plays."
Moore, who twice has caught 15 passes in a game this season, also has a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown. Marion had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week in the Deacons' 37-10 victory over North Carolina and set up another TD with an 83-yard return.
"On one of the ones he took back last week, he was in the other end zone so quick that you could hardly blink," Groh said. "There was hardly a contact made. He saw an opening before a block was made and, wham, it was seven points for the Deacons."
In past years, Groh could have defended against Marion by having his kickoff specialist sail the ball deep into the end zone for touchbacks.
Few teams have that luxury now that the placement of the ball for kickoffs has been moved from the 35-yard line to the 30.
"When Kurt [Smith] was kicking them from the 35-yard line for us, you could have brought Devin Hester in and it wasn't that great a worry because the ball wasn't coming out," Groh said.
Indeed, when Virginia visited Miami and Hester in 2005, Smith kicked off from the UVa 20 following a penalty and still reached the end zone.
Twenty-one of Chris Gould's 42 kickoffs were not returned last year. This year, there have been six touchbacks in Gould's 44 kickoffs.
"Now every kick is covered," Groh said. "That's what every team is finding. I can't remember the last time we had a touchback when we were receiving. Even when guys might have stayed in [the end zone] in the past, they're coming out because the cover guys have to run 5 yards further."
It has been so long since the last Virginia-Wake Forest game that UVa offensive guard Ian-Yates Cunningham is the only player from either team who got on the field in 2003. Cunningham started five games as a true freshman that year before redshirting in 2004.
Virginia prevailed that day, 27-24, on the second of two Connor Hughes field goals in the final two minutes. It was Virginia's 19th victory in 20 games against Wake, which lost 17 straight games to UVa before a 34-30 victory at Scott Stadium in 2001.
That game marked the return to Charlottesville of Virginia alumnus Jim Grobe, whose first year as Wake head coach coincided with Groh's first season at UVa, also his alma mater.
Their careers have paralleled in other ways. Groh's first job as a college coach was at Wake, where he served from 1981-86. The Deacons traditionally have had one of the ACC's most downtrodden programs, posting 10 losing records in 13 seasons before Grobe took them to an ACC championship and an 11-3 season in 2006.
===============
Protect against non-offensive TDs: The Deacons have scored five touchdowns on interception returns, two on fumble returns and one each on kickoff returns and punt returns. UVa has one non-offensive touchdown.
Get the best of quarterback play: Cavaliers quarterback Jameel Sewell giveth and he taketh away. He passed for a career-high 260 yards last week but yielded two interceptions that led to an N.C. State touchdown and field goal in a 29-24 Wolfpack win.
Contain Kenneth Moore: N.C. State?s unheralded Donald Bowens had 11 receptions for 202 yards and two touchdowns against Virginia last week. Moore has had 15 receptions in two separate games this season and his 60 receptions top the ACC.
Wake needs a victory to keep from dropping two games behind Boston College in the ACC?s Atlantic Division. Virginia needs a victory to keep the top spot in the Coastal Division.
Virginia will provide the opposition for the Hurricanes? final game at the storied Orange Bowl, which will be torn down after the season. Miami still has an outside shot at the Coastal crown.
