The 2007 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was coach Al Groh. They played their home games at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Preseason The Cavaliers and coach Al Groh face a pivotal season in 2007 as they attempt to overcome their losing record in 2006. While the defense made improvements under new coordinator Mike London, the offense struggled all season. In November 2006, Groh indicated that he was not ready to "anoint" Jameel Sewell, who started the final nine games of 2006, as the unquestioned quarterback for 2007.
The Cavaliers were a young team in 2006, leading Groh to joke that the 2007 team was playing the 2006 season. While Groh had frequently played true freshman in earlier seasons, sometime for very limited action, he redshirted the entire freshman class in 2006 except for defensive lineman Nate Collins. Several players from that class are expected to be contributors in 2007, in particular running back Keith Payne has generated excitement among fans. Several talented true freshmen, such as quarterback Peter Lalich, joined the team in 2007.
Schedule
Coaching staff PositionNameSeasonHead coach: Al Groh7thDefensive coordinator/defensive line coach: Mike London6thOffensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach: Mike Groh7thAssistant head coach/defensive backs coach: Steve Bernstein2ndSpecial teams coordinator/linebackers coachBob Diaco2ndDefensive assistant coach/assistant defensive line coachLervern Belin2ndWide receivers coach: Wayne Lineburg1stRunning game coordinator/offensive line coachDave Borbely2ndAsst. Special teams coordinator/running backs coachAnthony Poindexter4thTight ends coach/recruiting coordinatorBob Price10thGraduate assistant offenseJim Jones1stGraduate assistant defenseVincent Brown1stHead strength coachMatt Balis1stDirector of football video operationsLuke Goldstein6th
Players
Recruiting The Virginia Cavalier 2007 recruiting class consisted of 24 signed players. The class is headlined by quarterback Peter Lalich, outside linebacker J'Courtney Williams and wide receiver Dontrelle Inman. Overall, the 2007 Virginia recruiting class was ranked #25 by rivals.com and #32 by scout.com.
Roster Virginia's first official depth chart for the 2007 football season was announced August 28, prior to the Cavaliers' season opener against Wyoming on September 1. Click here to see depth charts for each individual game.
Quarterbacks 10 Jameel Sewell – Sophomore 7 Peter Lalich – Freshman 15 Scott Deke – Junior 1 Patch Duda – Freshman (RS) 6 Marc Verica – Freshman (RS) 13 Brendan Lane – Freshman
Tail backs 37 Cedric Peerman – Junior 5 Mikell Simpson – Sophomore 21 Andrew Pearman – Junior 27 Hall Simmons – Sophomore 28 William Webb – Freshman 32 Keith Payne – Freshman (RS) 36 Max Milien – Freshman 25 Rob Lewis - Junior 44 Raynard Horne – Freshman (RS)
Wide receivers 22 Staton Jobe – Freshman (RS) 80 Maurice Covington – Junior 18 Kris Burd – Freshman 20 Kevin Ogletree – Junior 23 Dom Joseph – Freshman 23 Zach Mendez-Zfass – Freshman (RS) 26 Cary Koch – Junior 39 Chris Gorham – Senior 81 Dontrelle Inman – Freshman (RS) 84 Jared Green – Freshman 89 Chris Dalton – Freshman (RS)
Fullbacks 31 Rashawn Jackson – Sophomore 25 Josh Zidenberg – Senior 47 Curt Orshoski – Freshman
Tight ends 86 Tom Santi – Senior 82 Mark Ambrose – Freshman 83 Joe Torchia – Freshman (RS) 85 John Phillips – Junior 87 Andrew Devlin – Freshman 88 Jonathan Stupar – Senior 90 Crutcher Reiss – Sophomore 91 Andrew Dewey – Sophomore 92 Tony Konstant – Junior Center 63 Jordy Lipsey – Senior 64 Jack Shields – Freshman (RS)
Offensive guard 71 Branden Albert – Junior 77 Ian-Yates Cunningham – Senior 65 B.J. Cabbell – Freshman (RS) 74 Patrick Slebonick – Sophomore 78 Isaac Cain – Freshman (RS) 79 Gordie Sammis – Senior
Offensive tackle 61 Will Barker – Sophomore 75 Eugene Monroe – Junior 76 Zak Stair – Junior
Offensive linemen 62 Billy Cuffee – Freshman 67 Landon Bradley – Freshman 68 Anthony Mihota – Freshman 69 Lamar Milstead – Freshman 72 Dave Roberts – Freshman
Linebackers 51 Clint Sintim – Junior 54 Jon Copper – Junior 57 Jermaine Dias – Senior 58 Antonio Appleby – Junior 33 John Bivens LB – Freshman (RS) 41 Aaron Clark – Junior 42 Darnell Carter – Freshman (RS) 45 Denzel Burrell – Sophomore 46 J'Courtney Williams – Freshman 47 Daniel Childress – Freshman (RS) 49 Darren Childs – Sophomore 50 Terrence Fells-Danzer – Freshman 52 Aaron Taliaferro – Freshman 53 Bernie McKeever – Junior 55 Jared Detrick – Freshman 59 John-Kevin Dolce – Freshman (RS) Cornerbacks 4 Vic Hall – Sophomore 26 Chris Cook – Junior 1 Trey Womack – Freshman (RS) 19 Ras-I Dowling – Freshman 28 Mike Brown – Junior 32 Brandon Jarvis – Junior 43 Mike Parker – Freshman (RS)
Safeties 22 Byron Glaspy – Junior 30 Nate Lyles – Senior 17 Brandon Woods – Sophomore 27 Jamaal Jackson – Senior 29 Rico Bell – Freshman (RS) 34 Matt Leemhuis – Freshman (RS) 40 Corey Mosley – Freshman
Defensive backs 31 Chase Minnifield – Freshman
Defensive ends 91 Chris Long – Senior 95 Jeffrey Fitzgerald – Sophomore 72 John Roberts – Junior 74 Pete Bladel – Senior 90 Jason Fuller – Sophomore 93 Alex Field – Junior 99 Sean Gottschalk – Freshman (RS)
Defensive line 70 Matt Conrath – Freshman 92 Zane Parr – Freshman 96 Nick Jenkins – Freshman
Nose tackles 94 Allen Billyk – Senior 98 Nate Collins – Sophomore
Place Kickers 9 Chris Gould – Senior 11 Chris Hinkebein – Freshman
Punters 16 Ryan Weigand – Senior 4 John Thornton – Junior
Long Snappers 66 Danny Aiken – Freshman Opening day starters in bold
Watch list Jameel Sewell Davey O'Brien Award Chris Long Pre–season All American Mid–season All American (Rivals, Sports Illustrated, CollegeFootballNews.com and Phil Steele's College Football Preview) Outland Trophy Lombardi Award Chuck Bednarik Award Bronko Nagurski Trophy Ted Hendricks Award Lott Trophy Tom Santi John Mackey Award Draddy Trophy – semi-finalist
Game summaries
Wyoming
With only 110 yards of total offense and just 7 yards on the ground, the Cavaliers were outmatched by a better-prepared Wyoming team.
Duke
Tight end Tom Santi scored two touchdowns and tailback Cedric Peerman ran for 137 yards with 1 touchdown. Quarterbacks Jameel Sewell and Peter Lalich platooned for 191 yards through the air and one touchdown.
North Carolina
Place kicker Chris Gould tied the school record held by Rafael Garcia (versus Virginia Tech, 1994) and Connor Hughes (versus Georgia Tech, 2003) by making five field goals and Cedric Peerman set a career-high in rushing for 186 yards and 1 touchdown on 30 carries. It represents the first road triumph since 2006's Sept. 30 victory at Duke and just the second since a Sept. 17, 2005, win at Syracuse.
Georgia Tech
Virginia survived Georgia Tech erasing a 14-point deficit and hung on to win their third straight ACC game 28–23. Tailback Cedric Peerman ran for 138 yards and scored a touchdown while punter Ryan Weigand averaged 47.5 yards on 8 punts with a long of 58 to keep Georgia Tech's offense at bay. Two key turnovers, an interception and fumble led to Virginia touchdowns. Defensive end Chris Long anchored the Cavalier defense with nine tackles including one for loss as well as two batted balls, one returned for a touchdown by fellow lineman Jeffery Fitzgerald, and a game-saving sack on 4th down late in the 4th quarter. Virginia quarterbacks combined to go 20 for 35 with one interception and one touchdown.
Pittsburgh
Virginia dominated the first quarter jumping out to a 27–0 lead. Pittsburgh's offense sputtered throughout the contest allowing the Cavaliers to take advantage of excellent field position. Jameel Sewell went 16 of 31 for 169 yards and three touchdowns while Cedric Peerman continued excelling on the ground with 87 yards on 24 carries.
Middle Tennessee State
Place kicker Chris Gould kicked a 34 yard field goal with 8-seconds left to secure a last second victory. Virginia running backs combined for 151 yards on the ground while quarterback Jameel Sewell threw for 223 yards with an interception and a touchdown. Despite being huge underdogs, Middle Tennessee hung around the entire game and led by one late due to a blocked extra point. Virginia's decisive scoring drive started from their own 20 with less than two minutes to go and no time outs.
Connecticut
With a strong defensive effort, the Virginia Cavaliers held off the previously undefeated Connecticut Huskies 17-16. Despite a very poor outing from Jameel Sewell, the Cavs drove the length of the field with Chris Gould chipping in a 19 yard field goal to win the game. The win propelled Virginia to be ranked #24 in the Coaches Poll and #19 in the first BCS rankings for the first time in 3 years.
Maryland
In another last minute victory, tailback Mikell Simpson scored the game-winning touchdown with 16 seconds left. The play had to be reviewed by the officials due to the ball leaving Simpson's hands as he dove across the line, but the touchdown stood giving Virginia their seventh victory in a row. Defensive end Chris Long tackled Maryland quarterback Chris Turner in the end zone for a critical safety late in the third quarter bringing the Virginia deficit down to five.
N.C. State
N.C. State quarterback Daniel Evans threw for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns while wide receiver Donal Bowens was on the receiving end of 202 of those yards. Despite a poor performance from the Virginia defense, the Virginia offense still scraped together 24 points on a streaky night by quarterback Jameel Sewell.
Wake Forest
Virginia running back Mikell Simpson scored the go ahead touchdown with 2:18 left in the 4th quarter and Wake Forest kicker Sam Swank missed a 48 yard field goal with 2 seconds left sealing the Virginia victory. The Virginia defense was anchored by defensive end Chris Long who recorded 10 tackles and a sack. The win was Virginia's 5th win this season by two points or less breaking the NCAA record set by Columbia in 1971.
Miami
On an emotional night for the Miami Hurricanes as they played their last game in the historic Miami Orange Bowl, the Cavaliers dominated all facets of the game shutting out the home team 48-0. Quarterback Jameel Sewell completed 20 of 25 passes for 288 yards, threw for a touchdown and ran for one as well. Tailback Mikell Simpson contributed 93 yards and two one-yard touchdown carries. The Cavalier defense posted three interceptions, four sacks, two fumble recoveries, seven tackles for loss and a touchdown. The win set up a Thanksgiving match-up versus cross-state rival Virginia Tech playing for the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division title and the chance to play in the 3rd Annual Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game.
Virginia Tech
In a game with a trip to the conference championship game on the line, the Cavaliers fell flat against their in-state rivals Virginia Tech. Poor clock management and poor defense allowed Virginia Tech to exploit Virginia en route to an easy 33–21 win.
Gator Bowl – Texas Tech
Statistics
Team Team Opp Scoring 317 256 Points per game 24.4 19.7 First downs 249 228 Rushing 109 79 Passing 125 136 Penalty 15 13 Total offense 4295 4322 Avg per play 4.7 4.7 Avg per game 330.4 332.5 Fumbles-Lost 25–10 21–11 Penalties-Yards 62–532 84–646 Avg per game 40.9 49.7 Team Opp Punts-Yards 81–3313 72–3064 Avg per punt 40.9 42.6 Time of possession/Game 29:39 30:21 3rd down conversions 83/203 73/209 4th down conversions 8/14 16/28 Touchdowns scored 38 27 Field goals-Attempts-Long 16–20– 22–30 PAT-Attempts 35–37 24–24 Attendance 358,944 283,077 Games/Avg per Game 6/59,824 6/47,180
Scores by quarter
Offense
Rushing