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Save This PageCHARLOTTESVILLE -- To find Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald, look to the Midwest. Long is a rookie with the St. Louis Rams, and Fitzgerald is a recent addition to the football team at Kansas State.
Though hundreds of miles from the University of Virginia, Long and Fitzgerald have not been forgotten in their home state. Far from it. They formed the ACC's best pair of defensive ends last season, and their departures have prompted this question to be asked countless times:
How will the Cavaliers replace Long and Fitzgerald?
They can't, says Al Groh, U.Va.'s eighth-year coach. Long, a consensus All-American, and Fitzgerald combined for 152 tackles, 21 sacks, 13 pass break-ups and three interceptions last season, and it's not realistic to expect their replacements to duplicate those numbers.
"You try to do that in an aggregate way," said Groh, meaning the whole defense will be asked to increase its production.
Long was a senior in 2007, but Fitzgerald was only a sophomore, and had the former Hermitage High star returned for his junior season, defensive end wouldn't be such a position of interest at Virginia. But Fitzgerald withdrew from school in February because of an academic issue and subsequently transferred to K-State. He left behind a group of ends that's long on potential but short on experience in U.Va.'s 3-4 scheme.
In alphabetical order, here are new defensive coordinator Bob Pruett's options at end:
Among them, they've made 33 career tackles and one sack. Field gets credit for 23 of those stops, including the sack.
Groh, noting the ends' collective inexperience, said U.Va. coaches "certainly expect that the last chapters of these careers are going to be more dynamic than the early chapters. But we feel comfortable about these players."
The Cavaliers' starting defensive ends Saturday against fourth-ranked Southern California figure to be Field and Conrath. Field was U.Va.'s No. 3 end in 2006 and '07. Had Long and Fitzgerald not been so effective, the graduate of Broad Run High in Loudoun County would have played more.
"It wasn't frustrating," Field said. "Chris and Fitz were were both awesome players. I learned a lot playing with them and watching them play. I understood my role."
And now that role has changed. "It's an exciting opportunity," Field said. "I'm embracing it, and I'm ready to do my best."
Long and Fitzgerald were known for their speed and athleticism. Field is more a power player.
"Certain guys like to run around people," U.Va. offensive tackle Will Barker said in the spring. "He likes to run through people."
The Cavaliers' fourth defensive end last year was Gottschalk, a Deep Run High graduate. But shoulder surgery limited his participation in spring practice, and an undisclosed health issue this summer has set him back further. With Gottschalk out, Conrath pounced on the starting job. He may be difficult to unseat.
In an interview late last season, Long said Conrath "could be one of the best defensive ends to play here. . . . This kid really brings some unique things to the table. He's smooth. He makes moves in pass rush that take instincts that maybe you wouldn't make till you're a third-year [player]."
Long, the ACC defensive player of the year in 2007, was a "great mentor," Conrath said. "His work ethic was unbelievable. I've never seen anybody work like that."
The return of Crawford, who was out of school last season, may help Virginia offset the loss of Fitzgerald. As a redshirt freshman in 2007, Crawford appeared in five games, with one start, and showed excellent athletic ability. He also frustrated his coaches and teammates with his lack of dedication, a shortcoming Crawford acknowledges.
"I'm way more mature," he said. "I'm a totally different guy than when I was first here. I respect the game a lot more, I respect my teammates, and I'm always looking to get better."
Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or jwhite@timesdispatch.com.
