WR Koch Can't Catch A Break on Weather

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Sept. 2 -- Hurricane Hanna is expected to hit the East Coast late this week, and when it does, there will be little for Cary Koch's family members to do but throw up their hands in frustration. For the second time in three years, they evacuated their Baton Rouge home because of an impending disaster. This time, they traveled to Charlottesville, where Cary transferred from Tulane after his freshman season.

This place, they thought, would be a good place to wait out the effects of Gustav. The family did not count on having to deal with Hanna as well.

"I feel like hurricanes are just chasing me," Koch said.

Near the beginning of his freshman season at Tulane, Koch was forced to leave the New Orleans area because of Hurricane Katrina. When he returned, Koch said he was taken aback by the sheer barrenness of the environment. Stoplights and street signs had blown over. Cars were piled up on the side of the road.

"It looked like a third world country," he said. "You didn't want to go anywhere 'cause you didn't know if cops were patrolling or if it was safe out there."

So when several of Koch's former Tulane teammates called last week to tell him he was lucky to have escaped round two of evacuations, Koch couldn't believe the same routine was happening all over again.

"Last time we evacuated, they told us to bring a bag for one or two days," Koch said. "This time, they said to pack a suitcase."

Koch said he has not spoken to his former teammates since Saturday, when the Tulane team moved to Birmingham. The impact of Gustav was not as severe as predicted, but Koch said his friends don't know when they'll be able to return to campus.

Having grown up in the Bayou, Koch is accustomed to playing in rainstorms and even torrential downpours. So if it rains Saturday as the Cavaliers take the field against Richmond, Koch will be prepared. Catching a dry ball is the same as catching a wet ball, he said, "it just takes more concentration in the rain."

The NCAA granted Koch a waiver that allowed him to play right away upon his transfer to Virginia before the 2006 season, and though it took a while for him to grow comfortable with the Cavaliers' offense, he feels ready to regularly contribute as a slot receiver in the team's new three-wideout sets.

Koch recorded three receptions for 40 yards Saturday in the 52-7 loss to Southern California. "He's a good, dependable player," Coach Al Groh said.

Koch and his family only wish the weather would be as reliable.

Clark Out, Burrell In

Junior outside linebacker Denzel Burrell received a bittersweet phone call from his closest teammate Sunday evening. Fellow outside linebacker Aaron Clark said the right knee sprain he suffered Saturday was more serious than initially thought. Clark's season was over, and the starting spot belonged to Burrell.

"His words to me were, 'Go get it, now,' " Burrell said. "Those words were big coming from my best friend. We had a huge battle throughout the spring and summer camp. We both wanted the spot, but we both were very supportive of the other person, and it just sucks for him to go down the way he did. I hate that it happened this way."

Clark, who made five tackles against the Trojans in his first career start, will undergo season-ending surgery. Burrell, who recorded two tackles against the Trojans, will make his first career start Saturday against Richmond.

Mistakes, Mistakes

While Groh called Southern Cal "physically, the finest-looking team" he has ever seen, he noted that many of the critical mistakes his team made Saturday were self-inflicted: five bad snaps, two illegal procedure penalties, a block in the back on a kickoff and a 33-yard punt.

"Those weren't USC things; those were Virginia things," Groh said. "Teams that win a lot of games understand what causes them to lose and go about fixing those things."

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