CHARLOTTESVILLE – Remember Al Groh’s first game as U.Va.’s football coach?  It was Aug. 25, 2001, against Wisconsin in the Eddie Robinson Classic at Camp Randall Stadium.

Groh declined to reveal the identity of his starting quarterback before that season-opener – though word got out on the eve of the game that Matt Schaub would start ahead of Bryson Spinner – and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cavaliers’ coach adopts the same strategy this week.

            He loves to keep a shroud of secrecy over his program, and Groh would have fans and media believe the competition among his top three quarterbacks—sophomores Peter Lalich and Marc Verica and graduate student Scott Deke—is ongoing and that the starter hasn’t been determined. 

          And maybe that’s the case.  But reliable sources tell me that Lalich, the backup to starter Jameel Sewell in 2007, has been taking most of the snaps with the first-team offense, and I expect him to start Saturday against fourth-ranked Southern California.  There’s no question that Lalich is the most talented of the Wahoos’ quarterbacks.

On another front, today marked the release of U.Va.’s first football injury report.  (Under a new ACC policy, conference teams will issue injury updates twice each week during the season.)

          According to the report – put together by U.Va.’s sports medicine staff under Dr. David Diduch’s direction – none of Groh’s players has been ruled out for the season because of an injury.  Also, no players are scheduled for surgery that would cause them to miss at least one game.

          Another report, which will list injured players in such categories as “probable” and “questionable” and “doubtful” and “out” for the USC game, will be released Thursday.  Among the players dealing with medical issues this month have been wide receiver Staton Jobe, cornerback Ras-I Dowling, defensive end Sean Gottschalk and linebacker John Bivens.

Posted by Jeff White in • College Sports • University of Virginia
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