Groh stays silent about starting quarterback

By Jeff White Media General News Service
Published: August 26, 2008

CHARLOTTESVILLE — At Virginia Tech, Frank Beamer named his starting quarterback yesterday.
At the University of Virginia, Al Groh was not so forthcoming.
Asked if he knew who’d start for U.Va. in the opener against fourth-ranked Southern California, Groh said, “I’ve got a pretty good idea.” But which of the three candidates — sophomores Peter Lalich and Marc Verica and graduate student Scott Deke — he favored, Groh would not say.
The depth chart released yesterday revealed nothing, either, and no announcement is expected before kickoff Saturday afternoon.
“I would say that it’s unlikely that we will do so,” Groh said.
U.Va. fans may be anxious about the starter’s identity, but Groh said the mood inside the program is calm. One of his goals in staying mum has been to shield his quarterbacks from the media — and fellow students — before the opener.
“What we’ve wanted to do is to create a circumstance of sanity, where the players could just be three other players who are going to practice, working on their game, just as the other players are,” Groh said. “And frankly, they’ve mentioned this has worked out great. … They’ve had a nice, quiet, sane period of time to do what they were supposed to do: work on their game, not become the team spokesman, wittingly or unwittingly.”
Several players — no quarterbacks, of course — showed up for interviews at John Paul Jones Arena yesterday. If they knew which way Groh was leaning, they didn’t let on.
“We know it’ll be No. 6, 15 or 7,” junior wide receiver Kevin Ogletree said with a smile, referring to Verica, Deke and Lalich, respectively. “That’s all that really matters. Somebody’s going to step into the huddle, and whoever it is, we know he’s going to be ready.”
Only Lalich has thrown a pass in a college game. As a true freshman in 2007, when he backed up starter Jameel Sewell, Lalich played in eight games. But each of his last four appearances was the result of an injury that forced Sewell to leave the game.
It was similar to a fireman going down the pole: “ ‘Peter, grab your helmet, hurry up, get in there, Jameel can’t go,’ ” Groh said. “Certainly a quarterback has to be ready to do that, but that’s a lot different than when a quarterback has an extended time frame to get his mind ready for those circumstances.”
USC coach Pete Carroll said yesterday that he expects Lalich, because of his edge in experience, to start Saturday afternoon.
“But I know they’re kind of holding it close to the vest,” Carroll said, “and we’ll see what happens with this deal.”
Jeff White is a staff wrtier for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.