THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 29, 1995 TAG: 9512290679
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Long : 121 lines
There is nothing flashy about Mike Groh's style. When opponents attempt to size up the University of Virginia quarterback, they seldom speak of his passing or running abilities.
What impresses them most are his competitive nature and a sound knowledge of the game from growing up a coach's son.
Those were the things Georgia defensive coordinator Joe Hines mentioned Thursday when asked about the 6-foot-3, 201-pound Groh, who will lead the Cavaliers against the Bulldogs in Saturday night's Peach Bowl.
``The best thing you can say about him is that he's a competitor,'' Kines replied, ``and when you grow up in football, it gives you a little more of an edge, a feel for the game that some other players don't have.''
Kines says Groh, the son of New England Patriots assistant Al Groh, is ``as good as we've played against this year.''
That is saying a lot since the Southeastern Conference Bulldogs have faced Florida's Danny Wuerffel, Tennessee's Peyton Manning, and South Carolina's Steve Taneyhill.
But, Groh has accomplished a lot, too, in only one and a half seasons as a starter.
Since given the opportunity, Groh has taken the 18th-ranked Cavaliers to national prominence, and a Peach Bowl victory would give Virginia its second straight nine-win season.
The Cavaliers moved into the national rankings on Oct. 17, 1994, two days after Groh became the starting quarterback, and have not been out of the rankings since.
With Groh, Virginia also won for the first time at Clemson and became the first team to hand Florida State a loss in the ACC.
He is ending his career at Virginia with the second best completion percentage (58.2) in school history, and ranks third in passing yardage (4,366), completions (339) and is fourth in total yardage (4,378).
Ironically, though, Groh may have passed quietly through his Virginia career without fanfare if coaches were not forced to play him when starter Symmion Willis was injured last year.
Willis had won the starting job in the 1993 preseason, when he and Groh were redshirt sophomores.
Coaches say competition between the two was close, but Groh got into only four games that season, completing six of nine passes, one for a touchdown.
Willis got off to a great start but struggled late in the season. Still, he retained the starting job for 1994 before two hamstring muscle injuries opened the door for Groh.
Groh responded by moving the team much better than Willis and he finally became the starter in the sixth game of the season.
Offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien says he's never looked back and wondered what Groh would have accomplished if he had been given the starting job in 1993 instead of Willis.
O'Brien believes he and coach George Welsh made the right decision to start Willis at the time.
``The thing with Mike is that he was not a great practice player,'' O'Brien said, ``and that is where we make most of our evaluations.
``We would look at him in practice and go `My God!' He was throwing lot of interceptions . . . forcing the ball into coverage. He was so competitive that he was trying too hard to make plays.''
Groh was a different player when he finally got into games.
``He started making the plays, and the mistakes he made in practice he didn't make in the games,'' O'Brien said.
Groh retained the starting job this season and Willis gave up football when Welsh asked him to move to another position.
Groh contends he never worried that his college career could end without him ever getting a chance.
``I can't explain it, but I had the gut feeling all along I would get an opportunity, and once I got out there I was going to show everybody that I was a great quarterback,'' he said.
Groh doesn't dispute O'Brien's assessment of him on the practice field, either.
``I get excited about games, and they bring out the best in me. Sometimes the guy who performs the best on Saturday doesn't always look the best on Wednesday,'' he said.
``I knew if I ever got the chance, I would show them. It just took me a while to get out there.''
Despite his success, some still question Groh's skills and Welsh didn't help matters when he said during the season that Groh's arm might be too weak for the NFL.
``I think I've got as good of arm as you need to play in the NFL,'' Groh said. ``That is something I have been told by NFL people, and not something I have made up.''
After pausing to laugh, Groh said he did not know where Welsh ``comes up with all this arm strength stuff.''
``I have been to NFL camps. I have seen NFL quarterbacks throw. I know I have plenty of arm to play in the NFL,'' Groh said.
Groh doesn't deny, though, his biggest asset is his competitive fire.
``There are not many guys as competitive as me,'' he said.
``Anything I do, I want to be the best. I hate to lose more than I like winning. I don't have a fear of losing, I just have a hatred of losing. I think that is what's made me what I am.''
Groh's father, Al, agrees.
He relates a story of his son when he played Little League baseball and came home after a game in which he didn't feel he had played well, secluded himself in his room, and sat sobbing for hours without removing his uniform.
``We won the game, but I didn't think I played as well as I should have,'' Groh said. ``That kind of sums up how competitive I am.''
O'Brien thinks Groh, who will play in the East-West All-Star game in January, will be invited to some NFL camp if he is not drafted.
``I am not sure what those guys up there look at,'' O'Brien said, ``but Mike has the skills and he has the mental makeup to make it at the next level.
``It is just a question of whether he is going to be given an opportunity. All he needed was an opportunity here, and when we were smart enough to give it to him, he took it and ran.''
Groh is confident he will do the same in the pros.
``On game day I was about as good as any quarterback in the country this year,'' he said. ``I had a good year, but there is room for me to get better and that is what I am excited about.''
And in his final game for Virginia, that will be something for Georgia to worry about. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo, The Virginian-Pilot file
The Cavaliers have been ranked ever since Mike Groh became
Virginia's starting QB last season.
by CNB