# 2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team

The 2008 Virginia Cavaliers football team represented the University of Virginia during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was Virginia's 55th season as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Cavaliers were led by head coach Al Groh. They played their home games at Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia.

## Preseason

The 2008 preseason began in early January, with the loss of starting quarterback Jameel Sewell due to academic ineligibility as well as three other players who were not enrolled for the Spring 2008 semester; junior cornerback Chris Cook, freshman wide receiver Chris Dalton and freshman linebacker Darnell Carter.
In February 2008, defensive back Mike Brown was arrested by UVa police and charged with one count each of grand larceny, possession of stolen property with intent to sell, altering serial numbers, and possession of marijuana. Al Groh said of the situation, "At this time we are currently gathering the facts. In view of the nature of the allegation, Mike Brown is not participating with the program at this time." Also in February, defensive end Jeffery Fitzgerald left the school, and subsequently the team, after allegations of honor code violations; the university stating that, "Fitzgerald is no longer enrolled and will never play again for the 'Hoos."

## Peter Lalich controversy

On July 24, 2008, Peter Lalich, quarterback, was charged with unlawful purchase and possession of alcohol, a misdemeanor. Coach Groh would not comment on the charge, and stated that any disciplinary action would be dealt with internally, within the team. Lalich's case has been continued until July 21, 2009, at which point his charges will be dropped should he avoid further trouble.
On September 5, 2008, it was reported that Lalich had admitted to court officials that he had used marijuana and alcohol while on supervised probation. The voluntary admission came during a regular probation interview with officials from the office of Offender Aid and Restoration/Virginia Alcohol Safety Program. He was scheduled for a hearing on September 26. On September 10, 2008, the Virginia's sports information office announced that Lalich would not be starting in the September 13 game against the University of Connecticut.
On Thursday, September 18, Lalich admitted that he had violated the terms of his probation. Later the same day, he was dismissed from the Cavalier football team. In a statement, UVA Athletic Director Craig Littlepage said, "We have supported Peter, but believe today a point has been reached where it’s best for all concerned that [Peter] no longer participate on the team. This is my decision, and it has support of head football coach Al Groh. We wish Peter the best in the future."

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 30 | 3:30 pm | No. 2 USC* | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | ABC | L 7–52 | 64,947 |
| September 6 | 3:45 pm | Richmond* | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | ESPNU | W 16–0 | 51,007 |
| September 13 | 7:30 pm | at Connecticut* | Rentschler FieldEast Hartford, CT | ESPNU | L 10–45 | 40,000 |
| September 27 | 12:00 pm | at Duke | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | ESPNU | L 3–31 | 25,527 |
| October 4 | 7:00 pm | Maryland | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA (rivalry) | ESPNU | W 31–0 | 50,727 |
| October 11 | 12:00 pm | East Carolina* | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | Raycom | W 35–20 | 52,398 |
| October 18 | 3:30 pm | No. 18 North Carolina | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA (South's Oldest Rivalry) | ABC | W 16–13 $^{OT}$ | 52,342 |
| October 25 | 3:30 pm | at No. 18 Georgia Tech | Bobby Dodd StadiumAtlanta, GA | ESPNU | W 24–17 | 47,416 |
| November 1 | 12:00 pm | Miami | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | Raycom | L 17–24 $^{OT}$ | 53,308 |
| November 8 | 3:30 pm | at Wake Forest | BB&T FieldWinston-Salem, NC | ESPNU | L 17–28 | 34,014 |
| November 22 | 12:00 pm | Clemson | Scott StadiumCharlottesville, VA | Raycom | L 3–13 | 51,979 |
| November 29 | 12:00 pm | at Virginia Tech | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA (Commonwealth Cup) | ESPN | L 14–17 | 66,233 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Players
### Recruiting

College recruiting information (2008) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Larry Richardson jr ATH | Chicago, IL | Von Stuben H.S | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | 145 lb (66 kg) | 4.41 | Dec 11, 2007 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

### Watch list
## Game summaries
### USC

The No. 3 ranked Trojans scored three touchdowns in the first quarter to beat the Cavaliers to win the first game of the season. USC quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for 338 yards, CJ Gable ran for 73 yards, and Ronald Johnson had 78 yards in receiving. The second half was all USC, with UVA turning over the ball three times.
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| USC | 21 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 52 |
| Virginia | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | USC | Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 52 | 7 |

### Richmond

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Richmond | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Richmond | Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 16 |

### Connecticut

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Connecticut | 7 | 21 | 14 | 3 | 45 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Virginia | Connecticut |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 10 | 45 |

### Duke

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Duke | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 31 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Virginia | Duke |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 3 | 31 |

### Maryland

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Maryland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Virginia | 7 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Maryland | Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 31 |

### East Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| East Carolina | 6 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
| Virginia | 7 | 21 | 0 | 7 | 35 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | East Carolina | Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 20 | 35 |

### North Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| North Carolina | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 |
| Virginia | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | North Carolina | Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 13 | 16 |

### Georgia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Georgia Tech | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Virginia | Georgia Tech |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 24 | 17 |

### Miami

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Miami | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Virginia | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Miami | Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 24 | 17 |

### Wake Forest

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| Wake Forest | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Virginia | Wake Forest |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 17 | 28 |

### Clemson

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Clemson | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Virginia | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Clemson | Virginia |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 13 | 3 |

### Virginia Tech

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Virginia Tech | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Virginia | Virginia Tech |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 14 | 17 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | | | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | | | Not released |

## Statistics
### Team

* Scoring
* Points per Game
* First Downs
* Rushing
* Passing
* Penalty
* Total Offense
* Avg per Play
* Avg per Game
* Fumbles-Lost
* Penalties-Yards
* Avg per Game
* Punts-Yards
* Avg per Punt
* Time of Possession/Game
* 3rd Down Conversions
* 4th Down Conversions
* Touchdowns Scored
* Field Goals-Attempts-Long
* PAT-Attempts
* Attendance
* Games/Avg per Game

#### Scores by quarter

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Virginia | | | | | 0 |
| Opponents | | | | | 0 |

### Offense
#### Rushing

| Name | GP-GS | Att | Gain | Loss | Net | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G |
| Total Larry Richardson jr | 12-10 | 179 | 1307 | | | | 12 | | |
| Total Raymond Edwards | 12 -12 | 211 | 1591 | | | | 18 | | |

#### Passing

| Name | GP-GS | Effic | Att-Cmp-Int | Pct | Yds | TD | Lng | Avg/G |
| Total | | | | | | | | |
| Opponents | | | | | | | | |

#### Receiving

| Name | GP-GS | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Avg/G |
| Total Darrin Washington | 12-12 | 17 | 1399 | 13.4 | 11 | 109 | 109.9 |
| Opponents | | | | | | | |

### Defense

| Name | GP | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Tackles | Sacks | Pass Defense | Pass Defense | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Interceptions | Fumbles | Fumbles | Blkd Kick |
| Name | GP | Solo | Ast | Total | TFL-Yds | No-Yds | BrUp | QBH | No.-Yds | Avg | TD | Long | Rcv-Yds | FF | Blkd Kick |
| Total | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

### Special teams

| Name | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Punting | Kickoffs | Kickoffs | Kickoffs | Kickoffs | Kickoffs |
| Name | No. | Yds | Avg | Long | TB | FC | I20 | Blkd | No. | Yds | Avg | TB | OB |
| Total | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Name | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Punt Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns | Kick Returns |
| Name | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long | No. | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
| Total | | | | | | | | | | |