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 SabreMail - Aug. 27th, 2004 |
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Summer's over. OK, maybe not officially. According to my calendar, the autumnal equinox won't roll around until Sept. 23. Step outside here in Charlottesville and it's about 90 degrees. By those criteria, we seem to be in the middle of the dog days. As far as I'm concerned, however, the dog days are done. That is, the lazy summer days when nothing is going on in college sports. Days that are a little too lazy, if you ask me. For those of us who mark the changing of the seasons by sports (football, basketball, baseball) rather than by weather (fall, winter, spring and summer), this is an exciting time of year. College football season gets under way tomorrow with our friends, the Hokies, taking on mighty Southern Cal at FedEx Field. Virginia opens up at Temple next week, then comes home for four straight weeks of games at Scott Stadium. The Cavalier women's soccer team begins its season tonight at Klockner Stadium, while the men host the Virginia Soccer Classic next weekend. In other words, the unmistakable scent of fall sports is in the air, no matter how hot that air might be.
John Galinsky |
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| Recruiting News |
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This Week In Recruiting By Chris Horne Football recruiting...
With Sheil's commitment, UVa may be finished with offensive line recruiting. This week, Holy Cross High School (Delran, N.J.) offensive line target Dennis Landolt, who has received an offer from UVa, said that he has not heard from the Cavaliers recently. With Heyward-Bey committing elsewhere, Virginia's primary remaining targets for the final wide receiver spot (assuming there is one available, and it seems as though there is) include Josh Briscoe, Todd Nolen and Greg Orton. Nyan Boateng appears to be looking elsewhere. In other developments, the Cavaliers have made the final 11 for TB Mikell Simpson. They have made the final six for the top target in the state of Virginia, Victor "Macho" Harris. They are also in the final three for Hermitage DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald should decide soon among UVa, Virginia Tech and Maryland.
For more recruiting information and updates, please see Sabre Edge.
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| News, Notes and Fan Discussion |
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Post of the Week We normally don't allow flaming or trash talking by opposing fans on our message boards, but it's not every day that you get to read a Temple fan talking smack. Posts by MH55 this week amused many Sabre readers with their sheer preposterousness and odd ramblings. Here's an example:
Subject: Here's Your Piece of the Pie
I could bore you to death too with analogies of guys with wigs & sit com characters. For instance, did you know C-Ville's Tommy Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence, left the House of Burgess, headed east and got plain famous in Philadelphia. And then, you have Philly born Sherman Hemsley, who played George Jefferson. He declared his independence, left his house on Howser Street and moved on up to the East Side! And I'm not even going to mention he had a neighbor named Bentley and A.I. drives one. Who cares? I want to talk F.B. and this scuffle is right on your doorstep, Weezie. You know we got the only Swedish born Lineman in Division One A? Yea, CJ BlHOOmvall from windswept Boras, SWE. And, guess what, Varmint? He also proudly served the Swedish Marine Corps. And if you folks have ever tried exercising your mind instead of your elbows playing the board game Risk, then you know just how hard it is to knock off that little territory of Scandinavia. So you know what awaits some of your Big, Tough, overblown and undersized Front 7? It ain't no Swedish Massage Weezie, more like a Swedish Massacre. This guy is a tank and he's made himself an All Big East Candidate. Open up and say AHHH, mad. You about to meet Mr Smashmouth. Darn Tootin'
TU 30
TheSabre.com holds an ACC Fantasy Football draft TheSabre.com held an ACC Fantasy Football draft on the Edge message board Thursday afternoon. Why? For fun, mainly, but also to stimulate discussion about ACC personnel as the conference enters its first season with 11 teams. John Galinsky and contributing writer Nick Sauer participated in the seven-team draft along with five Edge subscribers. The results of the draft and each owner's analysis shed some light on who might be the marquee performers in the new-look ACC. To see the draft results and read the story, please see the link below.
Cavaliers wrap up training camp
Still, players and coaches say, it was a successful training camp -- the most physical one in Al Groh's four years as head coach. He believes the Cavaliers have the personnel to play power football, so he tried to instill toughness with a bunch of macho practice drills. We'll see if it pays off this season. TheSabre.com was there throughout training camp, covering all of the open practices and providing daily Cavalier Camp reports. John Galinsky and Greg Waters wrote about all the news for Edge subscribers, including today's story about Kevin McCabe winning the backup quarterback job. For today's story about McCabe, Edge subscribers can see the link below.
Men's tennis gets another top recruiting class You know what Virginia program appears to be on the fast track to a national championship? Men's tennis. UVa coach Brian Boland hauled in another recruiting class widely considered to be the best in the nation, adding three players who may step into the singles lineup immediately. The Cavaliers enjoyed their best season last spring, winning the ACC championship and advancing to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament. All of the top players from that team return this year, including juniors Doug Stewart and Rylan Rizza, and sophomore Marko Miklo. Those three may be joined in the singles lineup by incoming freshmen Treat Huey, Somdev Devvarman and Jarrett Chirico. Huey and Chirico are two of the top-ranked junior players in America, while Devvarman is the top junior player in India. For more information about UVa men's tennis, please see the link below.
Women's soccer opens season tonight The UVa women's soccer team kicks off its 2004 season tonight at 7 p.m. against East Carolina at Klockner Stadium. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 7 in the Soccer America preseason poll after going 12-5-4 last year. Two Cavaliers -- Kelly Hammond and Becky Sauerbrunn -- are among the 25 players on the watch list for the Hermann Trophy, which goes to the nation's top player. The men's soccer team, ranked No. 8, opens the regular season at home against Marshall next Friday. The Cavaliers tied South Carolina, 0-0, in an exhibition game Thursday. To find out more about UVa women's soccer, please see the link below.
Lunchtime Poll results We conducted several Lunchtime Polls on the football message board this week. Here are the questions, with the most common answers in parentheses.
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| TheSabreShop.com - The Place for Wahoo Gear! |
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Are you ready for some football?! With just over a week before the first UVA football game at Temple, now's the time to stock up on your road trip and tailgating needs. TheSabreShop.com has tons of items to make your game day experience special, and we've recently added some new items to our inventory. Check out 10 of our favorite game day items below.
And don't forget to browse the great selection of items we've got in-stock and ready to ship!
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| What's New on TheSabre.com? |
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Sabre Edge articles and columns from the past week
Christian Olsen and Kevin McCabe have been in close competition for the No. 2 quarterback job throughout the preseason. For now, McCabe seems to have moved ahead - barely. Virginia coach Al Groh said Friday that McCabe will be the primary backup to starting QB Marques Hagans during the Sept. 4 opener at Temple.
According to the National Institute for Amateur Sports-Related Fan Injuries (NIASRFI), a think tank based nowhere, funded by no one and that I just made up, over four million Americans suffered some form of college football-related injury last year. So, as a service to you, our loyal Sabre readers, we have collaborated with specialists from NIASRFI to create a handy checklist that you and your loved ones can use to prepare for this year's college football season.
Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week Our resident recruiting expert, Chris Horne, provides updates for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please see the sign-up promotion below. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting.
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| Sabre Edge |
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Get your Wahoo fix. Subscribe to Sabre Edge!
Still not convinced? Well, we've made it even easier for you to subscribe. We offer three subscription options, including a yearly rate of $34.95, a quarterly rate of $10.95 and a 'what the heck is this thing all about' monthly rate of $4.95. So, if you're unsure, check us out for a month and see what we are offering. If you're a true Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!
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In every football contest, there are things that a team absolutely must do to win. There also are desirables that, while not essential, can be the difference in a close game. Each week during the season the Edge will analyze the Absolutes and Desirables for the upcoming game.
We'll tell you what the 'Hoos have to do to win and the intangibles that could make the difference. As we continue our preview of the 2004 season, here are this season's Absolutes (such as improving the pass rush led by Darryl Blackstock) and Desirables (such as better punting).
With Wednesday's pair of practices, the Virginia football team wrapped up its most physical training camp in Al Groh's four years as head coach. Tomorrow the players will move out of the Cavalier Inn, where they have stayed the past two weeks, and get the day off. Friday they will reconvene and begin preparing specifically for Temple.
In recent years, UVa has relied mainly on finesse and execution to win games. But Groh believes this team has the personnel to be powerful, so he emphasized toughness and physical play throughout camp.
Also in this final Cavalier Camp report are notes on Chris Long, Bob Price, Patrick Estes, Nate Lyles and the special-teams situation.
Michael Johnson is a thrill seeker. He's gone bungee jumping several times, including last spring break in Miami. "It's a rush," he said. "I want to skydive next. That would be a total rush."
Which is why last football season was so difficult for Virginia's sophomore tailback. There were no thrills. No rushes, literally or figuratively, as he took his redshirt year. All he could do was watch and wait.
Now, however, UVa's fastest player is back and ready to provide some thrills for Cavalier fans.
Also in this training camp report are notes on the marching band's visit to practice, the young secondary and a surprising positional battle developing at receiver.
His first name means, "The One Who Comes in Peace." During Virginia's training camp, Imhotep Shaka Durham has been "The One Who's Come Out of Nowhere."
The junior wideout, a walk-on who never even played high school football, has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the preseason practice period. His speed, hands and leaping ability may earn him a scholarship and playing time during this season.
Along with a profile of Durham, who plans to go to law school, today's training camp report includes notes on Robbie Catterton's decision to leave the team, Marshal Ausberry's improvement and Jason Snelling's role in the offense.
When asked on media day what would define a successful season, senior center Zac Yarbrough said, "Winning the ACC championship. And we have the team to do it this season."
That seems to be a common sentiment among Virginia players. "That's really everybody's concentration right now is to be the ACC champs," said nose tackle Andrew Hoffman.
Also in this training camp report are items on Marcus Hamilton, Brad Butler, Elton Brown and Marques Hagans.
Virginia coach Al Groh teased Sean Johnson this summer when the punter returned from his two-year Mormon mission in Las Vegas. "He said I saved 150 souls and lost 147,000 dollars," Johnson said, smiling. Now Johnson has a new mission. Not nearly as important to him as his previous one, of course, but important nonetheless. He wants to be UVa's starting punter, and so far he's off to a pretty good start. Today's report also has news on the tight race at backup quarterback, Devonta Brown's progress, Ahmad Brooks' weight and Matt Schaub's big night.
The members of the Virginia offensive line have something to prove. There's no doubt this unit can pass block. The 'Hoos allowed the fewest sacks in the ACC over the last two seasons and that's on a pass-oriented team. At the same time, UVa finished seventh in the conference in rushing offense in 2002 and eighth in 2003. But this experienced group of linemen is intent on creating running room this year. Also included in this training camp report are notes on Connor Hughes' mental approach and the freshman safeties.
