Cavaliers hoping to repeat history vs. No. 4 Seminoles

Posted 5:44PM on Friday 14th October 2005 ( 19 years ago )

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) As anniversaries go, this one is surely one of the favorites in Virginia's football histoy. It was 10 years ago, a Thursday night, all eyes on Scott Stadium as George Welsh's Cavaliers beat No. 2 Florida State, 33-28. Memories of that game still warm the hearts of Virginia fans everywhere, and even of their coach, Al Groh, who was an assistant with the NFL's New England Patriots at the time and got to watch his son Mike quarterback the Cavaliers to the victory. But with the No. 4 Seminoles (5-0, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) coming back to Scott Stadium on Saturday night for another nationally televised game, Groh's Cavaliers are badly in need of another stunning upset to get their season back on track. ``What we really need from an overall personnel standpoint is we need our veteran players to play better and we need our younger players to step up,'' Groh said. The Cavaliers (3-2, 1-2) are coming off back-to-back losses 45-33 at Maryland and 28-17 at Boston College in which the defense allowed an average of well over 500 yards per game, making the arrival of the explosive Seminoles a scary proposition. ``They're kind of back to that old Florida State NASCAR offense Gentlemen, start your engines,'' Groh said, complimenting the improved play of Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford and a stable of fast wide receivers that goes eight or nine deep. The 1995 Cavaliers were the first team from the ACC to beat Florida State, but the series has been lopsided since, with the Seminoles usually winning comfortably. Last season, Virginia was 5-0 when it went to Tallahassee hoping to take over first place in the league. The Seminoles brushed them aside, winning 36-3. The Cavaliers had two other chances to play their way back into the race last year, but lost at home to No. 18 Miami and on the road against No. 11 Virginia Tech. Losing in big games is a habit they'd very much like to break. ``I think it's time for us to beat a good team, to beat a nationally ranked team,'' wide receiver Fontel Mines said. ``This is as big a game as any for us because it's a conference game and they're on our side and we haven't beaten them in 10 years.'' Being at home again, especially after losing two in a row on the road, should help the Cavaliers, as should the presence of many players from the 1995 team, which will be honored at halftime. Two of them, Mike Groh and Anthony Poindexter, are assistants. It won't help that Virginia could send a makeshift offensive line onto the field. Tackle Brad Butler will serve a one-game suspension for a cheap shot he took at Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka last week, and the status of All-ACC tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson was to be determined Saturday. He sat out the game against the Eagles. The Seminoles could also be without several defenders. Defensive end Darrell Burston won't play because of a shoulder injury, and defensive lineman Anthony Kelly, cornerback Trevor Ford and linebacker Ernie Sims are also banged up. Despite the praise heaped on Weatherford by Groh, this week's game will be only his second start on the road. Coach Bobby Bowden said his young team still has much to prove, especially away from the comfort of 80,000 fans in Doak Campbell Stadium. ``It's one of those things you have to do sooner or later and we can't wait any later,'' the career victory leader among college coaches said. ``So I think we're about as well prepared as we've been. We know it's going to be difficult. We know we're going to have to play better on the road because home-field advantage means something.'' His players, however, already know to look beyond Virginia's record. ``I think that their potential scares us the most,'' defensive end Kamerion Wimbley said, adding that the Seminoles are preparing like they would for a top-ranked rival. ``Just because they have lost a couple of games, I still think they have the talent to be one of the top teams in the nation,'' Wimbley, a senior, said. ``We don't want to go up there and have them sneak up on us like some teams have in the past.'' Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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