| *Virginia AD casts ominous cloud over Groh's future*
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By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.(AP) -- Virginia coach Al Groh isn't
interested in talking about whether his time at his alma mater
is soon to end.
In his mind, it's Miami week, and that means grinding into the
wee hours planning schemes to beat the No. 16 Hurricanes and
abiding by the sign on his desk: "Just coach the team."
Athletic director Craig Littlepage told The Associated Press
that Groh will be evaluated at the end of the season on his
"full body of work," and he cast an ominous cloud on that
process considering the steady decline in fan support for the
struggling Cavaliers.
"Our goal is to have our fans support the team realizing that
the players continue to respond to their coaches," he wrote in
an e-mail. "The players are working hard every day to represent
the University of Virginia. Fans have various options for how
they spend their Saturday afternoons; we'd like for our fans to
be in the stadium supporting our program."
Since their opener, when 54,587 watched the Cavaliers lose 26-14
to William & Mary of the Football Championship Subdivision,
crowds have dwindled at the 61,500-seat stadium. Last week,
41,713 saw Virginia lose 28-17 to Duke, its second consecutive
loss in the series. It was the smallest crowd since the stadium
was expanded for the 2001 season.
Through five home dates, the average crowd of 46,605 is almost
15,000 below capacity. More telling, perhaps, is that the
average is down more than 7,200 from last year's 5-7 team.
Groh seemed more subdued than usual on his Sunday night
teleconference with reporters, and again when he met with the
media Monday, but told the AP: "I don't feel more emotional."
He declined to say whether he has spoken to Littlepage recently
about his future.
The Cavaliers (3-5, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) have lost two
straight and head to Miami (6-2, 3-2) Saturday trying to avoid
their third losing season in four years.
On the other sideline, Miami coach Randy Shannon said he looks
at the Cavaliers in a manner that goes beyond wins and losses,
and with an understanding of what Groh is facing.
A linebacker for the then-wildly successful Hurricanes,
Shannon's first team as head coach went 5-7 and his next
faltered at the end, losing three in a row to finish at 7-6.
He, too, was on the hot seat, and said he views Groh in a very
favorable light.
"Great man, great person, great coach, done a lot of great
things for and at the University of Virginia," he said. "They
play hard. People don't realize that."
Being defense-minded, Shannon uses red zone defensive
performance to determine how well a team is playing. He noted
that Virginia's defense - with Groh as the coordinator - has
allowed only 11 touchdowns to opponents on 27 tries inside the
Cavaliers' 20 all season.
"He's had some injuries on offense, but you know what? His guys
are still playing hard, and that's the thing most times you
don't see when you get caught up in a win-at-all-costs thing,"
the Hurricanes' coach added. "I think coach Groh has done an
unbelievable job."
The dwindling attendance, though, indicates that fans clearly
think otherwise.
And it's not as though Groh began this season on solid footing.
Last season marked the second in three years in which the
Cavaliers finished 5-7 and the school declined to exercise a
clause in Groh's contract that provided for a year to be added.
Last season also ended with a shakeup of Groh's coaching staff,
and among the changes was the resignation of Groh's son, Mike,
after three years as the offensive coordinator.
--=
AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this
report.
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