Virginia AD casts ominous cloud over Groh’s future

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.

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AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds in Miami contributed to this report.