Groh: November is where seasons are made

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Posted 8:53PM on Tuesday, November 1, 2005

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) His team has a 4-3 overall record, a 2-3 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference and is coming off an embarrassing 7-5 loss at North Carolina. Now, Virginia coach Al Groh said, is when amends can begin to be made. The Cavaliers begin the final stretch of their season Saturday when Temple visits Scott Stadium. Georgia Tech comes in next week, then No. 3 Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers finish at No. 5 Miami on Nov. 26, and have to win at least two of their remaining games simply to qualify for a fourth consecutive bowl berth. ``What happens in November is going to determine how it all writes out,'' Groh said Tuesday. ``Whether you're 8-0 and you think you've got a chance to do something magical or you're trying to play your way into a certain circumstance, the only time that those games aren't important or as critical is if you're sitting there 1-8 or whatever.'' Critical, though, doesn't need to mean the tension is turned up, too, he said. ``We've told them, `This is the way it's going to be every November,''' the fifth-year coach said. ```This is fun. This isn't something to get uptight about. This is fun. This is exciting. This is where seasons are made. This is where you've got to step up and put it out there on the field and show what you've got.''' BRICK BRANDEN: Like D'Brickashaw Ferguson before him, Virginia freshman left guard Branden Albert has had to do a lot of learning on the job this season. Ferguson, 6-foot-5, 289 pounds and now an All-America candidate, has started for four years. Like the 6-7, 306-pound Albert, he's had some rude awakening moments. ``I remember we went up to Penn State, and he was playing against former defensive end Michael Haynes, who ended up getting drafted in the first round of the NFL draft,'' Groh said of Ferguson. ``The guy was just a little bit too much physically for him.'' Ferguson got down on himself after being thoroughly outplayed. ``I can remember having a conversation the next day just to try to put it in perspective and make it a confidence building thing,'' Groh said. ```Hey, look, this was about nothing but the weight room. And, one of these days, it's going to be reversed. You're going to be playing against a promising young defensive end who's going to be a really good player, and you're just going to be too much for him to handle.''' Groh was right, and hopes Albert responds as well as Ferguson has. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)