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SabreMail - July 22nd, 2005 |
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Is Virginia's football program on the rise? On the decline? Running in place? It's kind of hard to say right now, isn't it? On one hand, it seems ridiculous to claim the Cavaliers are slipping. After all, they have won at least eight games for three straight years and were ranked as high as #6 midway through last season. On the other hand, last year's lousy finish undoubtedly affected people's perception of Al Groh's program. Just look at the message boards. More fans are skeptical of the 3-4 defense. More fans are critical of the offensive playcalling. And more fans and outside observers are wondering if UVa will ever win the championships that Groh seemed to promise five years ago. So what is the state of the program? That's what we'll try to analyze and discuss over the next six weeks in a seven-part series, cleverly called "The State of the Program." The first part, "The Big Picture", was posted Tuesday. It takes a broad view of the program and presents the topics that will be covered in the next six parts - The Offense, The Defense, The Special Teams, Intangibles, Recruiting and The Fans. The idea isn't to harp on all of the program's problems and suggest ways to improve things. We're not that presumptuous. The goal of the series is to offer an objective and informative look at how each facet of Al Groh's operation has evolved over the years, where things stand and what the future may hold. By the time the 2005 season starts, hopefully you'll know a lot more about the program's positives, negatives and challenges. Sound good? OK, there are two ways to get involved. First, if you're not a Sabre Edge member, please consider signing up so you can read the other articles in this series. Also, feel free to e-mail me with your thoughts, suggestions and ideas. After all, its your football program, too, and your website. Let me know what you think.
John Galinsky |
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Recruiting News | ||||||||
This Week In Recruiting By Chris Horne The 'Hoos started the week in excellent fashion, landing 5-8, 175-pound running back/defensive back Kordell Young. Young, who plays for West Deptford High School (N.J.), chose Virginia over offers from Boston College, Illinois, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Rutgers and Syracuse. Young rushed for 1,251 yards and 22 touchdowns last season as a junior, averaging 11.5 yards per carry. He earned all-South Jersey and all-conference honors for his performance. Very fast, Young ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash at a combine earlier this year. Very strong as well, he can squat 500 pounds.
Virginia is on the outside looking in for Landstown wide receiver Damon McDaniel. According to Landstown head coach Chris Beatty, McDaniel has set four official visits - to Oklahoma, Florida, LSU and Virginia Tech. Virginia is not among the schools being considered highly for the final visit. Of TheSabre.com's top 10 prospects in the state of Virginia, UVa is seriously in the running for Granby wide receiver Chris Bell (#2), Highland Springs linebacker Jarrell Miller (#3) and Meadowbrook OLB/DE John Graves (#4).
In basketball recruiting news, Virginia has offered 6-6, 230-pound small forward/power forward Jon Mitchell out of Mount Vernon High School (N.Y.). Mitchell, who is also seriously considering offers from Georgia Tech, Marquette and Pitt, is rated a 4-star prospect by Scout.com. He averaged 17 points and 7 boards last season as a junior. UVa has also offered Bethel (Hampton, VA) power forward Duke Crews. Crews, who is 6-7, 220 pounds, was recently offered by UNC.
For more recruiting information and updates, please sign up for Sabre Edge.
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News, Notes and Fan Discussion | ||||||||
Post of the Week This one speaks for itself...
Subject: Greetings, EDGE Board!
Sorry to take up your time. Just excited to be here again. To read the responses to this post, Edge subscribers can click the link below.
Around the Wahoo sports world...
For more information on UVa athletics, please see their official website below.
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TheSabreShop.com - The Place for Wahoo Gear! | ||||||||
EVERYTHING in TheSabreShop.com is ON SALE! That's right... EVERYTHING! Save up to 50% on each and every item in the store. Click this link and find your favorite UVa gear at extreme discounts. Sale lasts 'til August 1st and inventory is limited. Here are just a few of the items remaining.
Please feel free to browse the great selection of items we've got in-stock and ready to ship. Hundreds of items - Secure shopping - Fast, reliable shipping!
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What's New on TheSabre.com? | ||||||||
Sabre Edge articles from the past week
OK, OK. Ever since we started "Ask the Experts" last December, about half of your questions have concerned the 3-4 defense. So here you go. George Welsh and Ty Smith (a defensive coordinator at three colleges) used both the 3-4 and 4-3 defenses in their long coaching careers, and in this article they answer the following questions. 1) What are the relative strengths and weaknesses of the 3-4 and 4-3 defenses? 2) The 3-4 defense used to be the most common alignment in college and pro football. Now it's the 4-3, though the 3-4 is making a comeback, particularly in the NFL. What accounts for that evolution? 3) Looking at personnel, what is the difference between the 3-4 and the 4-3 in terms of the physical requirements and on-field responsibilities at each position? 4) How much does the scheme matter? Can you win championships in college football with a 3-4 defense?
Over the next month, TheSabre.com is going to provide some solid in-depth looks at our upcoming opponents. That's not what I'm trying to do here. Not even close. This isn't even the same ballpark or sport. I can guarantee that you will learn a thing or two about each school on our schedule, including the Western Michigan Fighting Whatevers, but I can't guarantee that you will want to know it. I apologize in advance to serious football evaluators everywhere.
The ball split the uprights and ended the first game at the newly renovated Scott Stadium. I could barely hear myself think over the BYU fans erupting in the neighboring visitors' section. After digesting the first wave of dejection and disbelief that hit me, I realized that I set myself up for this especially tough reaction to the overtime loss. I expected us to win. Or, perhaps, I mismanaged my own expectations.
We're about to enter the fifth season of the Al Groh era in Virginia football. What better time to take a close look at the program? By now, Groh has put his stamp on the program in numerous ways - offense, defense, special teams, attitude, discipline, recruiting, etc. We'll examine all of those things and also look at how the fan base and the culture of UVa football have changed. Most importantly, we'll try to show the challenges that still need to be met in order to fulfill Groh's championship aspirations. 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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