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SabreMail - Sept. 17th, 2004 |
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Bart is also a helluva guy. This week Virginia's junior left guard was named to the 2004 American Football Coaches Association's Good Works Team. He was the only ACC player selected to the 11-man squad, chosen for their charitable contributions and service to the community. Among the Cavaliers, Barthelmes stood out last year for his outgoing, upbeat personality and his long hair, which hung to his shoulders. No longer. In April he had his first haircut in 18 months and donated 10 inches of his once-shaggy mane to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that gives wigs to children who have suffered long-term hair loss because of illness. That's not all. Barthelmes also visits the UVa Children's Medical Center twice a month. It isn't required. He says he enjoys it. He also participated in the Little Siblings Program, similar to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, for a semester before his assigned sibling moved away. Back home in Ohio, he has been active in local organizations such as the Cleveland City Mission Outreach, Youth with a Mission Outreach and Youth for Christ Leadership. Athletic ability was not a criterion for selection to the Good Works team, though Barthelmes has been part of a dominant offensive line for the Cavaliers. Neither was behavior on the field, which is probably a good thing. Because tomorrow when Virginia plays overmatched Akron, a team from his home state, don't expect Barthelmes to be feeling too charitable.
John Galinsky |
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Recruiting News | ||||||||
This Week In Recruiting By Chris Horne Football recruiting... It doesn't appear that UVa will host any significant recruits on official visits this weekend, but Cavalier fans can expect commitments on campus once again. Last week, verbal commitments Vic Hall, Jameel Sewell, Jeff Fitzgerald, Alex Field, Aaron Clark, John Phillips and Pat Slebonick were confirmed to be in attendance. Fitzgerald, a 6-4, 250-pound defensive end out of Hermitage High School (Richmond, VA), suffered a torn ACL and will miss the entire 2004 season. Hermitage coach Patrick Kane said "the only update I can give is that he will miss the season. UVa is going to stick with him and he should have a full recovery." Basketball recruiting... UVa will host several basketball recruits this weekend, as Tilton (NH) power forward Alfred Aboya and DeMatha Catholic (Hyattsville, MD) shooting guard Mamadi Diane make their way to Charlottesville. The 6-9, 240-pound Aboya is also considering UCLA and Georgetown and has official visits scheduled to both. Diane, a 6-5, 180-pound prospect, is also looking at Georgetown. Of the two, UVa may have the best chance at landing Diane this weekend. The Cavs are considered to be in good shape with Aboya as well, though the Cameroon native was an early commitment to Georgetown before re-opening his recruiting process. UVa picked up its second verbal commitment for the 2005 class earlier this week when Cherry Creek High School (Denver, CO) center Sam Warren committed to the 'Hoos. The 6-10, 220-pound Warren, a 3-star prospect by TheInsiders.com, chose UVa over Nebraska. Warren is considered a similar player to 2004 signee Tunji Soroye.
For more recruiting information and updates, please see Sabre Edge.
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News, Notes and Fan Discussion | ||||||||
Post of the Week
Subject: So Hagans is 3rd nationally in passing efficiency, well, Goodman and Willis led
Of course not, we all know we've played Temple and UNC, not Clemson and Maryland, yet. However, I'm willing to bet UNC doesn't look that bad or get dominated as thoroughly against most other ACC teams (Miami and FSU aside). I also realize that Hagans has had the fortunate circumstances of being able to throw on unpredictable downs, instead of being forced in several 3rd and longs per drive.
Marques is listening to our coaches, using his own natural ability, and has looked pretty good so far, with the reigns still on. We've been able to push around the defensive lines so far, and will continue to have success against the best lines we have yet to play. This line will not be denied. We will throw on 1st and 2nd down and keep defenses guessing. Marques has YET to hit his stride, yet to be turned loose. We haven't seen 1/5 of the playbook, and you won't. When? Oh, Clemson? Not likely. We will do what we need to do to dominate Clemson. You will see more then than against UNC for sure. However, FSU will see a determined team the likes of which they've never seen at UVA. A team more determined than the '95 bunch. A team that not only wants to prove to FSU we're better, but to make a statement nationally. Elton, Brad, and the boys want that D line to be shocked and scared. Chris, Andrew and the boys want to repeatedly whip that O line. I know how many players we've had mentioned for national awards. However, we all know that no one is ready to give UVA more than a couple of those awards. After all, there are all those guys at Miami, FSU, Oklahoma, Michigan, USC, etc that have to get their due. It's tradition by God! Well, after we beat the first FSU and Miami, and people see how great Elton, Heath, Connor, Kai, Chris, Ahmad, Wali, Alvin, Marques, etc. do against top flight competition, minds will change. Honestly though, who cares about the awards? We're going for bigger and better things this season. No, I won't be upset with a hard fought loss in Tallahassee, if we're truly not there yet. I'm telling you however, with the two lines (starters and backups), this group of RB's, the LB's, etc, we're setting ourselves up nicely for a shot at it all. Oh, and this QB, you know, the one that's lightening in a bottle, will be turned loose against the likes of FSU, Maryland, Miami, etc. He'll electrify. The coaches are working overtime on the potential situations he'll face. The blitzes, the speedy DB's, the defensive switches at the line of scrimmage. Our coaches know all these tricks and stunts that he will see. If he responds the way I know he can, we'll eat those defenses alive. Be it pound it out, ball controlling drives, or defensive blitzes overwhelming Whitehurst, Rix, and Berlin, the team will find a way to win. Remember, these are many of the same players that as freshmen found ways to come back from 21-0 and 27-10 type halftime deficits. No longer do we play down to competition. We worry about doing OUR jobs. We worry about each individual battle. Our players are graded after each game and will not take a game off. Are you ready? Are you ready to do YOUR job by being as raucious and more so than at UNC? Are you ready to stand and yell? Are you going to wear orange and paint your face, buy away game tickets and car pool or do whatever necessary to be there? I'm umpiring softball just for extra money to try to go to FSU. As in, next Sunday, and three nights that week. Bring it on, whatever I have to do. I'll go the extra mile becuase our VERY PLAYERS are going the extra mile. This season, RIGHT NOW! In fact, who was the poster that had the extra FSU tickets, put me down right now, I'll buy one from you and find a ride. I'll sleep on top of our under the RV or in a lay back seat. The hell with Miami, FSU, and those cocky Maryland punks that think they're better than us? Why, because of the past? This is a new year, and I'm going to watch our Hoos rock them all. Carolina no challenge for Cavaliers
But to the Cavs' credit, they haven't played down to the level of their opposition. They beat Temple by 30 in the opener, then clobbered Carolina by 32 last Saturday at Scott Stadium. UVa's domination was so complete, those margins could have been bigger. Virginia led the Owls 30-0 at halftime and scored seven touchdowns before the Tar Heels made them punt. Can the 'Hoos keep it up? For two more weeks, at least, that seems likely. Akron is 0-2, including a loss to mighty Middle Tennessee State last week, while the Orangemen were routed 51-0 by Purdue in their opener. Virginia's first real test figures to come Oct. 7th against Clemson, though, come to think of it, the Tigers haven't looked so hot themselves. For a preview of the Akron game and for news, notes, stats, weather information and roster cards, please see the links below.
Men's soccer playing at Wake Forest You think the Wake Forest soccer team might want some revenge against Virginia? The Cavaliers beat the Demon Deacons three times last season, knocking them out of the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The two teams will play tonight at Spry Soccer Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., in the ACC opener for both. No. 20 Virginia (3-1) is coming a 2-1 loss at No. 8 Saint Louis last Sunday. Before that defeat, the 'Hoos had shut out their first three opponents. For more information about UVa men's soccer, please see the link below.
Women's soccer a perfect 6-0 The Virginia women's soccer team used airtight defense to win its first four games, all by shutout, but the Cavaliers finally gave up some goals in their own tournament, the Virginia Soccer Classic, last weekend. It didn't matter. Thanks to Lindsay Gusick and the offense, UVa defeated No. 8 UCLA, 3-1, and socked it to South Carolina, 5-2. Gusick, a senior forward, had three goals and an assist in the two games and was named ACC player of the week. Now 6-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country, the Cavs are in Williamsburg for the William & Mary Tribe Invitiational. They face George Mason today at 4, then play William & Mary on Sunday. For more information about UVa women's soccer, please see the link below.
Volleyball on seven-match win streak UVa's volleyball team is on a hot streak. The Cavaliers (8-1) have won seven straight matches, dropping just four sets along the way. The closest of those matches came in the championship of the Jefferson Cup tournament at Memorial Gym last Sunday. Down two sets to one against Penn State, the 'Hoos rallied for a 30-27 win in the fourth set, then prevailed 15-9 in the decisive fifth. Lindsay Osco, a sophomore outside hitter, was named MVP of the tournament. Virginia puts its streak on the line tonight at Wisconsin. For more information about UVa volleyball, 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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Sabre Edge articles and columns from the past week
A few years ago, when his team opened the season against Colorado State, Florida State and South Carolina, Virginia coach Al Groh compared that stretch to facing Sosa, Bonds and McGwire. So what do you call a September schedule of Temple, North Carolina, Akron and Syracuse? More like four straight Mario Mendozas. Because of that, it's difficult to draw too many conclusions about UVa's 2-0 start, offensive pyrotechnics and No. 12 ranking. It's too early and the Cavs won't be facing any real sluggers in the batting order for at least three weeks - maybe longer. Still, based on what we've seen so far, here are some things I think we can conclude, and some things we can't.
For each game, we list five things Virginia needs to do (the absolutes) and five things the Cavaliers would like to do (the desirables). Here are the absolutes and the desirables for Saturday's homecoming game against Akron. One key will be whether Ahmad Brooks and the rest of the UVa defense can contain senior quarterback Charlie Frye, a legitimate All-American candidate for the Zips.
In his Monday press conference, Virginia coach Al Groh discussed the evolution of the running game, the play of Kai Parham, the performance of the secondary, the impact of Mark D'Onofrio on special teams, the challenge presented by Akron quarterback Charlie Frye, and much more. Also included in this audio feature are interviews with senior safety Marquis Weeks and junior tailback Wali Lundy.
Asked to assess the play of his cornerbacks so far this season, Virginia coach Al Groh chose his words carefully. First, he pointed out how young all three of them are. Then he said in a measured way, "I think we've erred on some deep balls that we can't afford to err on in close games." Tony Franklin, Marcus Hamilton and Philip Brown will face another strong passing attack this weekend in the homecoming game against Akron.
The Cavaliers passed their second test of the season with flying colors, routing North Carolina 56-24 at Scott Stadium. We hand out grades for each unit (mostly A's on offense, but a low score for the secondary) and also name players of the game on offense, defense and special teams. Wali Lundy and the running backs destroyed the curve (and Carolina) by rushing for nearly 300 yards.
Depth. If there is one word to describe the 2005 class, depth is it. This class not only boasts a strong top 10, but a really solid top 30. I rate 17 players as 3-star prospects in the Pre-Season Top 30 along with four 4-stars and one 5-star - Victor "Macho" Harris. Several prospects who are assigned 2 stars have the ability to raise their ranking with a good 2004 season. So far, 25 in-state prospects have committed to Division I-A programs. This number easily will grow above 30 once all of the prospects have made decisions.
The new Cavalier Marching Band got plenty of practice playing the "Good Old Song" today. Virginia scored touchdowns on its first six possessions, added a 100-yard kickoff return by Marquis Weeks and steamrolled North Carolina, 56-24, for the 12th straight time at Scott Stadium. Destroying a dreadful Tar Heel defense, the 15th-ranked Cavaliers (2-0, 1-0 ACC) rolled up 549 yards of offense and scored on drives of 77, 68, 97, 79, 90 and 47 yards in the first three quarters. 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. Football
Basketball
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