Wahoowa! University of Virginia Football (TCY)

[Moonlight Graham]

I've played TCY, off and on, for a long time, but I've never tried writing up a story for the forum here. Perhaps it's because I'm a long-time lurker, who's been a little bit intimidated by the work of the "regulars" here who are, to put it simply, really, really good at this stuff.

Well, here goes. I like to write, so why not?

I'll be taking the head coaching position at the my alma mater, the University of Virginia.

The Cavaliers will be a fun challenge for several reasons. They're going to start off as a fairly decent team, since the game begins in 2004 and I'm not using Random Team Reputations. The Wahoos were pretty good in the early '00s; they went 9-5, 8-5, and 8-4 between '02 and '04. They will also have an outstanding academic profile, because I'm not using Random Academic Reputations, either.

I'll be trying to make the Cavaliers into a true football power without sacrificing the program's academic standards. I think it will be a lot of fun, and I hope some of you will enjoy reading along.

[Moonlight Graham]

The University of Virginia plays its home football games at Scott Stadium.





The locals and the alumni seem to be behind us, and hopefully we can get the students excited about our program. We don't have any luxury boxes, so the real high rollers might not be too interested in coming out to the games.

[Moonlight Graham]

We're very proud of the academic reputation of our football program. Here's how it compares to some of the other more academically-oriented FBS schools:



One of my goals is preserving (or improving) the team's academic ranking while improving the quality of the product on the field.

It appears that a Virginia football player can major in any subject that's part of the TCY world. If that is indeed the case, it means we'll be able to recruit any high school player, regardless of what major he'd like to pursue in college.

Incidentally, our rivals down at Virginia Tech rank #39 in Academic Reputation. Beating the Hokies in any way possible is always a top priority at UVa.

[Moonlight Graham]

Let's meet the Cavs' Syndicate Director, Offensive Coordinator, and Defensive Coordinator.



"Murph" is terrible at schmoozing, but otherwise he's a real pro.



I've never coached a Run and Shoot team, so this will be a new one for me. Should I be concerned that Coach Dunn isn't as good at developing quarterbacks or receivers, considering his offensive preference? It also appears that Coach Dunn draws his play calls out of a hat.



On the other hand, Coach Fassero looks like a boss, except for the fact he doesn't seem to know what to do with linebackers.

All things considered, I think these guys will do.

[britrock88]

Looks fun! Don't forget about the Tar Heels to your south...

[Moonlight Graham]

A good QB is essential to a Run and Shoot offense, and according to the Roster Strength report, the Cavaliers have the 10th best quarterback situation in the country. Here are the QBs on our 2004 roster:



It's an experienced group, so I'll make recruiting a QB a high priority this season.





I'm very happy with Archambeau as my starter. I'll only have him for one year, but Crute has three more years of eligibility remaining.



I won't post a full profile of every player, but I wanted to showcase Terrell Archambeau. There's not much the kid can't do. He's particularly good at throwing the long ball, so I hope Coach Dunn figures that out and has him taking some shots downfield.



OK, there's one thing Archambeau can't do. By Virginia standards, he isn't much of a student.

[Moonlight Graham]

Originally Posted by britrock88

Looks fun! Don't forget about the Tar Heels to your south...

No way I'd ever forget about those Tar Heels. UNC is a great match for UVa academically; the Heels are 12th in Academic Reputation and the 'Hoos are 7th. They ought to match up pretty well on the gridiron, too. We'll find out soon, since they meet in Week 3 in Charlottesville.

Thanks for your comment! I hope you'll keep following along.

[Moonlight Graham]

Coach Van Wooden is the staff member who is responsible for evaluating the football talent in the Mid-Atlantic region, including our own players. I thought you should see how accurate Coach Wooden's assessments are likely to be.




Van has a pretty good eye for talent, except for his inability to judge linebacking talent. He can't figure out if a LB is good, and my defensive coordinator can't make them better than they are.

[Moonlight Graham]

Here are the running backs and fullbacks on our roster:





Looking at talent we have here, I'm wondering if a Run and Shoot offense is really the best choice for us. Darrell Sheldon can pick up the tough yardage between the tackles, and he's got the speed to break long runs, too. Mercury Linker is a good football player, and freshman Richard Francis could end up being the best player in the country at his position before he's through. It would be a shame not to get either of them on the field.



Cris and Mercury need to straighten out their priorities, don't they? They apparently think "cavalier" should describe their attitude in the classroom. They are both smart enough to make good grades if they care to.

[Moonlight Graham]

If we stick with the Run and Shoot, we'll be using four WRs and no TEs. Here are the players we have to choose from:





It looks like we have two tight ends who are every bit as good, if not better, than any of our wideouts. Mel Jefferson, in particular, is a beast. He is a devastating run blocker (look at that size) and he is a very good receiver, too. Plus, his name is Jefferson, and that counts for a lot at the University of Virginia.

John Truitt is our best WR, with good hands and the ability to stretch the field. Luke Schultz, who's redshirting, has tremendous potential, and he'll have three years of eligibility left.

Looks like a formation change might be what we need.



Jefferson and Truitt are exactly the kind of student-athletes we want here at Virginia.

[Moonlight Graham]

Our offensive line is the weakest position group on our team, by far--unless Coach Wooden is way off on his assessments. The O-linemen have potential, but they are young and will probably get beat up pretty badly until they get older, bigger, and stronger.





Kim Howard is the one exception to that rule. Fortunately, we'll have him for two years.



Offensive linemen tend to be some of the brightest guys on most football teams. Apparently Lobert, Hodson, and Thomas missed that meeting.

[Moonlight Graham]

On the other hand, we are particularly good on the defensive front.





Les Harris and Lance Talley are considered the third strongest pair of DEs in the nation. Here's a closer look at each of their skill sets:





Neither of them is very big, but they are both tough against the run, and they should be able to make a powerful and lasting impression on opposing QBs.

Our defensive coordinator likes to run a 3-4 base, and that seems to work well with our current players. As you'll see, our linebackers look like they're better than our defensive tackles...unless there's too much scouting error here.



The academic talent here ranges from the brilliance of the future Dr. Price and the aspiring Pulitzer Prize winner, Mr. Harden, to the relative rockheadedness of Talley and Harris, to the appalling apathy of Lane and McGinnis. Fortunately for Les and Lance, they'll probably both be playing their football on Sundays in a few years.

[Moonlight Graham]

Our 3-4 defense depends heavily on strong linebacker play. Here's who we have at the LB spots this season:





There's some real depth here. Our fourth best linebacker is probably as good, or better, than our second best defensive tackle, which is one reason we'll stick with the 3-4 this season. O'Neill might move to the inside; I'm not sure yet.

Right now, I'm thinking about redshirting Bell, but I can also see myself pulling his redshirt if there's an injury to a linebacker, or if the unit's play isn't up to par.



There are way too many apathetic students on the team right now. Gallardo is probably the most frustrating situation of all: 80 Intelligence, ZERO Aspiration. It will be interesting to see how that works out for him, GPA-wise. I'm going to try to avoid recruiting that kind of student-athlete.