Blue Devils up next for Cavs

What's the best cure for a Florida State hangover? Duke may be the answer for the Cavaliers, who slipped to No. 14 in the AP poll and will travel to Durham this weekend for a matchup with the lowly Blue Devils (1-5, 0-3 ACC).

The Wahoos should have no trouble winning unless they remain in a funk following their loss at FSU. Duke owns one of the worst offenses in the country and its defense isn't much better. UVa has won 17 of its past 21 matchups with the Devils, including the past four.

For more info on the game, please check out the link below.

"Big E" in line for big honors

Elton Brown

Elton Brown didn't get the respect he deserved last year. Though opposing defensive coordinators named him the best blocker in the ACC, he did not make the 2003 All-ACC first team as selected by the conference media.

Now "Big E" is getting his props. Just this week, the 6-6, 338-pound senior was named one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, which goes to the finest lineman in college football. Only three offensive linemen were among the semifinalists.

Brown, a four-year starter at right guard, and tight end Heath Miller also made the collegefootballnews.com midseason All-American team. Miller leads Virginia in every receiving category with 23 catches for 318 yards and four touchdowns.

Littlepage to chair NCAA basketball committee

Will the Cavaliers make the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 2006? Who knows? But no matter what, a UVa representative will play a major role in the proceedings.

Athletic director Craig Littlepage will chair the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee in the 2005-06 school year, a prestigious honor for the fourth-year AD. Littlepage currently is the chair of the committee's television subcommittee.

Freshmen help streaking men's soccer team

The Virginia men's soccer team returned every starter from last year. Just as importantly, the Cavs welcomed a talented freshman class. The combination of experience and young talent has proven to be a winning one so far this season.

UVa won two more games over the past week to extend its winning streak to seven and improve its record to 12-2. Two freshmen, Nico Colaluca and Chris Tierney, scored both goals in a 2-0 victory at Clemson on Saturday. Fifth-year defender Matt Oliver was the hero Wednesday, scoring in overtime for a 1-0 triumph at home over Davidson.

The eighth-ranked Wahoos, now 9-0 at home, play Duke on Saturday night at Klockner Stadium.

For more information about UVa men's soccer, please see the link below.

Women's soccer shuts out Hokies

Like their male counterparts, the Cavalier women have been perfect at home this season. They dominated Virginia Tech at Klockner on Wednesday, outshooting the Hokies 24-1 and converting three second-half opportunities for a 3-0 win. Sarah Huffman scored two of those goals for No. 4 Virginia, now 8-0 at home and 12-2-1 overall.

The 'Hoos haven't been quite as good on the road, but they gave No. 2 North Carolina a scare in a 2-1 road loss last Sunday. The undefeated Tar Heels, among the most dominant programs in college sports, scored the first two goals before Jamie Fabrizio headed in a pass from Huffman in the 61st minute. UVa didn't get off another shot.

The good news for Virginia is that its last two games of the regular season are at home. Clemson comes to Klockner on Sunday, followed by N.C. State on Wednesday.

For more information about UVa women's soccer, please see the link below.

In 1999, a ranked Virginia team suffered a humiliating 24-point loss to Virginia Tech. A week later, the 'Hoos compounded that with an even more devastating loss to a winless Duke team at home. The 2004 edition of the Cavaliers has more talent, more experience and more depth than that 1999 Virginia team. Still, this week's Absolutes and Desirables place a significant emphasis on re-focusing and getting back to the things that made Virginia a top-10 team just a week ago - a dominant running attack, mistake-free football and suffocating defense.

The secondary is one of the most misunderstood parts of the defense and usually the most criticized. When a receiver makes a catch downfield, many fans are quick to blame the closest defensive back or to holler about too big of a cushion being given to a wideout. It is much more difficult to tell who is at fault when there is no pass rush, or when a gap assignment is blown by the linebackers. In this article, I will offer an outline of what the Virginia defensive backs are required to do in the 3-4 defense and how UVa's personnel fits within those schemes.

The 1990s were full of fast starts and late-season slides by the Virginia football team. In '90, the Cavaliers started 7-0 and finished 8-4. In '92, they went from 5-0 to 7-4. In '93, from 5-0 to 7-5. In '96, from 4-0 to 7-5. In '98, from 5-0 to 9-3. Asked about that history, UVa coach Al Groh said Monday, "I guess the best response to that would be: Those weren't my teams." Also in this Cavalier notebook are injury updates on Elton Brown and Marques Hagans, Groh's thoughts on Darryl Blackstock, the talent level of the Seminoles, and more.

In his Monday press conference, Virginia coach Al Groh talked about how he and the team are dealing with the loss to Florida State, the injuries to Elton Brown and Marques Hagans, the talent gap between UVa and FSU, the clock management at the end of the first half, the upcoming game against Duke, and much more. Also included in this audio feature is an interview with right guard Elton Brown, who injured his left knee against the Seminoles.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Virginia coach Al Groh and the Cavalier players talk about their 36-3 loss to Florida State on Saturday night. This audio feature includes Coach Groh's postgame press conference and interviews with Alvin Pearman, Heath Miller, Brennan Schmidt and Marquis Weeks.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - After earning honor-roll grades all season, the Cavaliers bombed their toughest test Saturday night. The Seminoles presented too many problems and Virginia couldn't come up with any answers at Doak Campbell Stadium. In this case, we'd love to grade on a curve, but what's the point? There are no gentleman's C's in ACC football. Marques Hagans earned a decent score based on a gutsy performance, but the defense gets all D's.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Among the most troubling aspects of Saturday's loss was the way Florida State outplayed Virginia in all facets of special teams, an area where the 'Hoos had consistently outperformed their first five opponents. UVa coach Al Groh called the performance of his special teams "very poor." Only the second-half play of oft-maligned punter Sean Johnson, who took a strong turn toward improvement after some early-game struggles, gave special teams coach Mark D'Onfrio anything to feel good about.

First, let's give credit where it's due. Florida State played a marvelous game. After hearing all week about how vulnerable they were, the Seminoles played with pride, passion and purpose in front of their fired-up fans. Their defense was swarming. Their tailbacks were tremendous. Their quarterback, the supposed weak link, was nearly perfect. Their speed was breathtaking on both sides of the ball and they looked every bit as good as the great FSU teams of the 1990s. Even if the Cavaliers had played their best, they probably wouldn't have won Saturday night. But Virginia didn't even play close to its best football, and that's the most disappointing thing about the 36-3 loss. Given a chance to prove that they belong among the nation's elite programs, the Wahoos looked like wannabes.

With Rashawn Jackson's recent commitment, UVa now has 24 commitments for the 2005 recruiting class. Though there is technically only one spot remaining, the recruiting front remains very interesting and very active. Many prospects have been hearing consistently from the Cavalier coaches over the past month. Here is a look at 10 of the top targets, including Victor "Macho" Harris, and where Virginia stands with them right now, as well as updates on those who have already committed.

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