Groh provides few clues about game-day status of Lundy and Brooks
Sep 13, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- His players may not be well-versed in the proud history of Syracuse University football, but Virginia coach Al Groh knows all about the program that produced such legends as Jim Brown and Ernie Davis and Larry Csonka.
When he was growing up in New York, Groh recalled Sunday, when "you talked about major-college football, particularly on the East Coast, you immediately thought of Syracuse."
Groh is from the same Long Island town -- Manhasset -- where Brown spent much of his childhood and attended high school. In November 1954, when Groh was 10, he traveled with a group of boys from Manhasset to New York City, where they watched Brown lead Syracuse to a 20-7 victory over Fordham at the Polo Grounds.
SU's athletic teams were called the Orangemen then. The nickname now is the Orange, and that's not the only change at the Big East school. Only once since 1999 has Syracuse finished better than 6-6, and the team has lost 21 of its past 38 games.
Tasked with turning things around is first-year coach Greg Robinson, who replaced Paul Pasqualoni. Syracuse, which will be playing at the Carrier Dome for the third straight weekend, takes a 1-1 record into its Saturday afternoon game with 25th-ranked Virginia (1-0).
After a wretched performance in a Sept. 3 loss to Big East foe West Virginia, the Orange beat woeful Buffalo 31-0 on Saturday.
"We are a work in progress," Robinson told reporters, "but we're growing, and that game helped us grow, no question about it."
The Cavaliers weren't especially impressive in their Sept. 3 opener, either, though they beat Western Michigan 31-19 at Scott Stadium. Virginia practiced Monday through Thursday last week before getting three days off.
"I was very impressed with the energy level that the players brought to practice each day," Groh said. "They really did bring a lot of zip out there. We tried to keep the practices moving along."
Not only should U.Va. be improved, it should be well-rested heading into its game at Syracuse, Groh said. Whether the Wahoos will be at full strength Saturday, however, remains unclear. Groh was non-committal Sunday night -- no surprise there, given his famous reluctance to discuss injuries -- when asked about the status of stars Wali Lundy (tailback) and Ahmad Brooks (inside linebacker).
"We're operating on a day-to-day basis," Groh said.
Lundy, who sprained his left foot in the first quarter against Western Michigan, practiced last week on a "limited" basis, according to Groh, who didn't elaborate. Brooks had knee surgery in March and didn't suit up for the opener. He's been practicing with the team, though, and is expected back this month.
When Brooks, a 6-4, 260-pound junior, will make his 2005 debut will depend largely, Groh said, on "how he feels. We check with him. He's in a rehab circumstance, and he's continuing with that. The results of each day tell us what we're going to do the next day with him, and as those things add up we'll get a better sense of when he's game-ready."
Sep 13, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- His players may not be well-versed in the proud history of Syracuse University football, but Virginia coach Al Groh knows all about the program that produced such legends as Jim Brown and Ernie Davis and Larry Csonka.
When he was growing up in New York, Groh recalled Sunday, when "you talked about major-college football, particularly on the East Coast, you immediately thought of Syracuse."
Groh is from the same Long Island town -- Manhasset -- where Brown spent much of his childhood and attended high school. In November 1954, when Groh was 10, he traveled with a group of boys from Manhasset to New York City, where they watched Brown lead Syracuse to a 20-7 victory over Fordham at the Polo Grounds.
SU's athletic teams were called the Orangemen then. The nickname now is the Orange, and that's not the only change at the Big East school. Only once since 1999 has Syracuse finished better than 6-6, and the team has lost 21 of its past 38 games.
Tasked with turning things around is first-year coach Greg Robinson, who replaced Paul Pasqualoni. Syracuse, which will be playing at the Carrier Dome for the third straight weekend, takes a 1-1 record into its Saturday afternoon game with 25th-ranked Virginia (1-0).
After a wretched performance in a Sept. 3 loss to Big East foe West Virginia, the Orange beat woeful Buffalo 31-0 on Saturday.
"We are a work in progress," Robinson told reporters, "but we're growing, and that game helped us grow, no question about it."
The Cavaliers weren't especially impressive in their Sept. 3 opener, either, though they beat Western Michigan 31-19 at Scott Stadium. Virginia practiced Monday through Thursday last week before getting three days off.
"I was very impressed with the energy level that the players brought to practice each day," Groh said. "They really did bring a lot of zip out there. We tried to keep the practices moving along."
Not only should U.Va. be improved, it should be well-rested heading into its game at Syracuse, Groh said. Whether the Wahoos will be at full strength Saturday, however, remains unclear. Groh was non-committal Sunday night -- no surprise there, given his famous reluctance to discuss injuries -- when asked about the status of stars Wali Lundy (tailback) and Ahmad Brooks (inside linebacker).
"We're operating on a day-to-day basis," Groh said.
Lundy, who sprained his left foot in the first quarter against Western Michigan, practiced last week on a "limited" basis, according to Groh, who didn't elaborate. Brooks had knee surgery in March and didn't suit up for the opener. He's been practicing with the team, though, and is expected back this month.
When Brooks, a 6-4, 260-pound junior, will make his 2005 debut will depend largely, Groh said, on "how he feels. We check with him. He's in a rehab circumstance, and he's continuing with that. The results of each day tell us what we're going to do the next day with him, and as those things add up we'll get a better sense of when he's game-ready."
