Your guide to breaking news, recruiting updates and important offers from TheSabre.com!
 
SabreMail is powered by the following sponsors ...


Advance Auto Parts
 
 
   SabreMail - October 27th, 2005
Sabre Links

  Home Page
  Message Boards
  SabreMail Archives

Football Recruiting

  Recruiting Home
  Recruiting Updates
  Prospect Database

Basketball Recruiting

  Recruiting Home
  Recruiting Updates
  Prospect Database

Sabre Edge

  Articles/Features
  Subscriber Board
  Photo Gallery
  Multimedia

Sabre Products

  Sabre Edge
  TheSabreShop


SabreMail Contest, Week #7

Last week's contest: UVa Fan Limericks!

We asked you to write limericks about being a UVa fan. We were hoping for timeless poems about the nature of Wahoo-ness. Instead, we mainly got timely screeds about the frustration of losing to the Tar Heels. Whatever. Some of them were funny anyway. Here are the honorable mentions...

There once was a team of Wahoos
A 7-5 game they did lose
They looked mighty bad
And the Tar Heels were glad.
To forget this will take lots of booze

Richard Rogers (1995 hoo)

There once was a coach from the Jets
Who scored on Casteen's ill-placed bets
From peak to nadir
For our dear Cavalier
Is this just as good as it gets?

Christopher Haddad (haddahoo)

There once was a group called the HOOS
Traditions were Roundball and Booze
The tribe could get awfully pouty
Over Peteyball, game plans(?) and Doughty
Why do we $%*^&# play not to lose?

Ed Thompson (Hoo Ra Ray)

With its win over FSU in the bank
UVA fans thought UNC would tank
But the gameplan was lame
And Hagans the same
And the final result was . We Stank!


Walter Jordan (58hoo)

There once was a stud named Marques
With an arm and feet remarkus
On a moonlit night in October
He knocked the Seminoles sober
And sent them packin' to Floridas

Jean Baltimore (wahoo99)

There once was a Hokie named Dirk
Whose limericks never did work.
There wasn't a time
When his poems would rhyme.
He said, "Do you suppose it's because I try to fit as many words in the last line as possible?"

Richard Rogers (1995 hoo)

And the winner is David Robertson (Nag Raja). He gets a free month of SabreEdge for this entry...

Our offensive line's looking porous.
We fear there are hard times before us.
But it ain't so bad;
Go ask your old dad
To tell tales of the days of Dick Voris.

Great reference to the UVa head coach who compiled a 1-29 record from 1958-60.

Thanks to everyone who entered. (Check further down SabreMail for the second-place entry by Bruce Foster.) Now to this week's contest:..

What's the craziest thing you've ever done as a UVa fan?

A ridiculous road trip? Outrageous behavior at a game? Told a whopping lie in order to skip a wedding and watch the 'Hoos? Whatever you did, please tell it in 500 words or less, and make sure it's a true story. Honor system, people.

Please send your entry to [email protected] with the header: SabreMail Contest. Thanks, and good luck!

John Galinsky
Editor
TheSabre.com


   Recruiting News

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Football recruiting...

Because this week is a bye week, the coaches have been out on the recruiting trail. Here are a few notable stops head coach Al Groh made on Monday.

He traveled a short distance to Fork Union Military Academy, where he met with head coach John Shuman. Virginia has offered 5-9, 170-pound wide receiver Jacoby Ford. A native of Florida, Ford has had an outstanding season at FUMA. In eight games, he has tallied 14 touchdowns thanks to his elusiveness and blazing speed - Ford was timed at 4.19 in the 40-yard dash during the Fork Union mini-camp this May.

Ford listed six schools at the top this week - Virginia, Virginia Tech, Florida, West Virginia, Michigan State and Clemson. Coach Shuman says his star is waiting to hear back from Miami, Florida State and Georgia. This weekend, Ford will travel to Michigan State for an official visit. Virginia, which was the first school to offer Ford, is in the running for one of his five official visits.

Groh's second stop on Monday was at Lebanon High School in Pennsylvania, where he watched 4-star defensive lineman Jared Odrick in action (Lebanon's game was postponed from last Friday to Monday).

This is a big weekend in Odrick's recruitment, as he will make an unofficial visit to Virginia Tech for tonight's game versus Boston College and then head to Penn State for a weekend official visit. Odrick has already taken official visits to Florida and Virginia Tech. He has been on several unofficial visits to UVa, most recently for the Florida State win.

Odrick's plan is to take November official visits to Georgia and Virginia, but we'll see what he says after this weekend. Penn State is thought to be a tough team to beat in this race.


Commitment update.

Virginia missed out on 4-star wide receiver Chris Bell last week, but fans can find comfort in the season 6-2, 165-pound Chris Dalton is having. The West Iredell High School (Statesville, N.C.) star has caught over 50 passes for 850 yards and has 13 touchdowns. The 13 TDs ties a school record for most in a season.

Dalton, who was timed in the 4.3s in the 40-yard dash at three consecutive combines earlier this year, was selected to the North Carolina/South Carolina Shrine Bowl game in December. The game is a big honor for high school seniors in the Carolina states. Also selected was Mount Tabor (Winston-Salem, N.C.) quarterback O.C. Wardlow, who has also committed to Virginia.


Basketball recruiting.

This week we profiled 6-6, 230-pound small forward Will Harris. Harris, who recently de-committed from the University of Connecticut, now appears to be one of the top targets to fill Virginia's remaining scholarship spot in the 2006 class. Harris plays for Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.

Almost immediately after the news of Harris's de-commitment broke, Coach Dave Leitao put in a call to Brewster head coach Jason Smith. Smith says Boston College, Providence and Seton Hall are also hot on the trail of Harris, a versatile performer who can play outside and inside.

Harris will likely decide in the spring.

For more recruiting information and updates, please sign up for Sabre Edge.

   Support TheSabre.com's Sponsors

Today's SabreMail is brought to you by Glenmore Country Club.

Glenmore Country Club, nestled near the Blue Ridge Mountains just outside Charlottesville, is one of the most beautiful places in the Commonwealth. Just ask Al Groh, who lives there. But you don't have to be a resident (or a football coach) to enjoy what Glenmore has to offer.

Become a corporate or non-resident member and enjoy golf on its 18-hole, par-72 championship course designed by architect John LaFoy. Treat your employees or clients to a round they won't forget. Or host a fundraising tournament there.

While you're at it, how about holding your next board meeting in the Pinnacle Room at Glenmore? Enjoy lunch and an afternoon round of golf. And make sure to tell them you found out about Glenmore because of TheSabre.com - that's why they sponsor us.

Please check out Glenmore's website to learn more.

Thank you for actively supporting the sponsors of TheSabre.com. Sponsorships are a critical component of our business and sponsors' success will permit us to continually improve our services to you, our community.

   News, Notes and Fan Discussion

Post of the Week

In a week full of angry rants, here was a good factual analysis...

Subject: Analyzed the game riding out the storm south of Orlando. See inside it you wish.
Posted by: uvagrad on Mon Oct 24 2005 12:04:27 PM
Message: This post is long (sorry), totally out of boredom, and is intended to get thoughts from you about our offense on Saturday. Sure, the defense played well enough to put us in position to win but you could simultaneously argue that we could have done more against the run. In my mind and from the looks of things, others on this board, we lost because of the offense. Therefore, I'm focusing on that side of the ball.

First off, the players deserve some of the fault especially the offensive line. I can't tell you how many times 4 UNC d-linemen blew up plays against our 6 to 7 blockers. I was shocked watching the game again. With all that being said though, the play calling was downright terrible. It was beyond clear that our coaches didn't put our players in situations to make plays and succeed.

Here are some interesting stats for you:

Total plays called: 67
Plays attempted beyond ten yards: 13
Plays attempted over twenty yards: 3
Passes attempted over the middle: 7 (3 of those were 3-4 yard "dumps")
Total sweep plays run: 21

The last number is generous at best since some of our off tackle plays are really run "off TE" and not quite sweeps so they weren't counted. To be fair, not all of the plays were EXACTLY the same but the theme of pulling linemen and trying to run outside with a direct handoff were there for every play. It was interesting to see no "Student Body Right" and "Student Body Left" plays (pitches). All wide attempts were handoffs.

Ron Prince caught a lot of flak for his play-calling vs. UNC.

Here are two plays that still baffle me watching today. The first was in the first half. On 3rd and 3, we tried to run a screen. Of course, UNC blew that play up and Hagans scrambled for a first. Now, I'm not a coaching genius but aren't you supposed to call a screen if you think the defense is coming on a blitz or aggressive stunts? Instead, UNC played the run (go figure on 3rd and 3) and the play was easily defended.

The second play is even more baffling. In the 2nd half, we had a 2nd and 2 from the UNC 43. As predicted, we run a sweep right with Hagans handed off to Peerman at the 50. That's midfield for you mathematically challenged fans, seven yards behind the LOS. As you can guess, UNC was all over the backfield and dropped CP for a 3 yard loss.

Here is another interesting point, after the 30-yard attempt to Ogletree in the first half we ran 19 straight plays either running the ball or passing the ball within 5 yards of the LOS. The 3rd down attempt to MJ in the end zone ended that string.

Since I'm so bored and everyone may not have watched the game, I was going to post every play and result but I don't want to bore you too. No need to spread my misery today.

So, the takeaway point for me is that we have little imagination on offense (at least we didn't on Saturday). There were many of the exact same formations and plays. We didn't test the middle of the field enough. Do you remember seeing the TE stretch play up the middle that we've run so successfully lately? Our plays are very predictable for even the armchair QB. We didn't use all our weapons. We continuously ran the same sweep play over and over again. We ran the wrong play at the wrong time. It's also interesting to note that I didn't see one checkoff from Hagans. Do we ever see one? That could say a lot about who has control and calls the shots.

I know we're supposed to be positive today. Don't consider this post as negative but more about the facts. If I come across negative then I truly do apologize to all who read through this entire post. All I want is to see my Hoos give every team its best shot, week in and week out. When we play not to lose, don't play with "all heart", don't take chances, don't seem to have fun, etc. than it makes it hard for us fans (read, me) to do the same.

Here's to hoping for changes down the road. We have two weeks to make those changes and 1 "practice" game to test them all in real game situations before the stretch run.

An odd season is unfolding

Image: Virginia CavaliersIt's the bye week. Time to take a deep breath and think about what a strange season it's been for the Wahoos. Their only win in four October games came against Florida State, of all teams. They're unbeatable at home, awful on the road. They're 4-3 overall, 2-3 in the ACC. The bad news is they're out of the ACC race. The good news is the next three games are at Scott Stadium.

Please check out the Game Pages and free articles below to read more about the 'Hoos...

  • Temple Game Page
  • Cavalier Call-In Highlights: 10/24/05
  • Carolina Sucks Life out of Cavs
  • North Carolina Game Page

    To get the most in-depth analysis, Edge subscribers can read the stories below. If you're interested in joining Sabre Edge, please sign up here.

  • Sabre Roundtable: 15 Questions
  • Greg's Game Grades: North Carolina 7, Virginia 5
  • Not a Princely Performance

    Around the Wahoo sports world...

  • Wondering what to do without a football game this weekend? How about checking out some soccer? The UVa men's and women's teams, both ranked in the top 10, are playing their final regular-season home games Saturday night. The Wahoo women (12-4-1) face N.C. State at 5 p.m., following by the Cavalier men (11-2-2) taking on the Hokies at 7 p.m. The Hokies upset the 'Hoos in Blacksburg last season. Watch UVa get its revenge at Klockner Stadium.

  • You interested in the details of Al Groh's new contract, including the potential buyout? Check out this story in the Richmond TImes-Dispatch.

    For more information on UVa athletics, please see their official website below.

  • virginiasports.com

    OK, a few more limericks...

    This entry by Bruce Foster (Hoofprints) was a close second in our contest...

    I hail from the team of the 'Ville.
    Where pergolas adorn the hill.
    Our fans sing and sway
    For dear U-VA
    It's the Sabres that give us the thrill.

    And yes some of us still wear ties
    Still even the 'Noles recognize
    When you come to Great Scott
    It's more likely than not
    That you'll leave us with tears in your eyes.

    O alas there's that team from the 'burg.
    As they claim they're a team on the verge.


    How they make us so sick
    All we hear of is Vick
    Yet they're still just a castrated bird!

    But the life of a Wahoo is rough
    And you'll have to be tougher than tough.
    You'll watch us implode
    When we play on the road
    "Were my cheers and my prayers not enough?"

    On defense, your fears will abound
    Cause we can't stop the ball on the ground
    You'll still fret and swear
    When the ball's in the air


    And defenders don't turn around!

    To the team, why must I remain true?
    Why must my orange heart beat with the blue?
    Why will I sing all night long?
    Of that damn Good Ol' Song?
    Why am I, Cavalier, through and through?

    It's something God put deep within
    And no matter how often we bend.
    I'll abhor VPI
    I'm a Hoo 'til I die
    And I'll stay one forever. Amen.


  •    UVa Bookstores - The Place for Wahoo Gear!

    Please check out this featured sale product from our sponsor, UVaBookstores.com

    Game Day, by Tiki and Ronde Barber

    The two former UVA greats have written this, their second book about their childhood football experiences. The UVA Bookstores are pleased to offer UVA fans the opportunity to own signed books. This story of perseverance and teamwork will inspire. Barry Root's glowing illustrations bring to life all the excitement and energy of a great game and a team working together.

    Price $16.95

    Notice to Sabre Edge subscribers from UVa Bookstores

    The UVA Bookstores/Sabre Edge Discount Cards are ready for pick up! Sabre Edge members will need to come to the UVA Bookstore atop the Central Grounds Parking Garage and go to the Customer Service Desk (located at the front of the store to your right as you walk in). Your card will be there and you can start saving on great products throughout the Bookstore and TJ's Locker.

    If you aren't going to be in town in the near future, remember to use your online discount.

    Enjoy your savings! We are excited to be a part of TheSabre.com community.

       What's New on TheSabre.com?

    Fan photos welcome in WAHOOWA!

    You want your picture posted on TheSabre.com? Then please check out our Wahoowa! section, especially the areas for Fan Photos and V-Sabres Worldwide.

    We're happy to post your tailgate pics and your vacation photos (as long as the V-Sabres logo is visible). Please send them to [email protected]. Mike also is taking pics of fans during games and has a new Fan(s) of the Week every week.

    Sabre articles from the past week

  • Sabre Roundtable: 15 Questions, TheSabre.com

    Image: Virginia CavaliersNow that we get a breather during Virginia's second and final bye week, it's a good time to evaluate the season so far and look ahead. So we've assembled a roundtable of Sabre experts to tackle 15 questions concerning the Cavaliers. Mike Ingalls, Greg Waters, Nick Sauer and John Galinsky discuss the best and worst aspects of UVa's offense, defense, special teams and coaching. They also offer their thoughts on the team MVP, the biggest issues affecting the 'Hoos and their predictions for November.

  • Cavalier Call-In Highlights: 10/24/05, John Galinsky

    Image: Coach Danny RoccoAl Groh was on a recruiting trip to Pennsylvania tonight, so associate head coach Danny Rocco took his place on the Cavalier Call-In radio show with Mac McDonald. Groh did call from the road with comments about the North Carolina loss and fielded two questions from fans about Marques Hagans and the offense. Rocco, also the outside linebackers coach, then took questions about the team's road woes, the offensive gameplans, recruiting in Tidewater, and more.

  • Greg's Game Grades: North Carolina 7, Virginia 5, Greg Waters

    Image: Coach Mike GrohAs you might expect in a 7-5 loss, the defense graded out fairly well. The Cavaliers held the Tar Heels to one score, 21 yards or less on eight of 13 drives, limited the Carolina running game to 3.7 yards per carry and shut down a UNC passing attack that entered the game averaging 221 yards. On offense, however, the performance and the play-calling were pathetic, and the grades reflect that. The offensive line, in particular, had an atrocious afternoon in Chapel Hill, and the coaching staff, including QB coach Mike Groh, didn't get the job done.

  • Not a Princely Performance, John Galinsky

    Image: Coach Ron PrinceIn fairness to Ron Prince, today's pathetic offensive showing wasn't entirely his fault. Marques Hagans was gimpy and erratic. Wali Lundy still doesn't look 100 percent. Michael Johnson was injured on the opening kickoff and right guard Marshal Ausberry also had to leave the game, forcing the Cavs to reshuffle their line. Still, it wasn't Prince's finest hour - or three-plus hours, as the case may be, at Kenan Stadium. The same offense that was dynamic, creative, freewheeling and fun a week ago became conservative, dull, stagnant and stubborn. But maybe that should come as no surprise.

  • Carolina Sucks Life out of Cavs, John Galinsky

    Image: Al GrohAll the energy, enthusiasm and momentum from last week's upset of Florida State didn't carry over into today's game at North Carolina. The #23 Cavaliers, reverting to their mediocre pre-FSU form, suffered an ugly and deflating 7-5 loss to the Tar Heels. They managed just one field goal against a UNC defense that allowed 69 points in its previous outing. In dropping their third ACC road game this month, the Wahoos (4-3, 2-3 ACC) generated just 199 yards and scored their third-fewest points in Al Groh's 58 games as head coach.

    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

  • A Favorite for Nixon?
  • FUMA Star Lists 6
  • Wright Lands New Offer
  • Kanuch to Visit Next Month?
  • Commitment Update: Dalton Named to Shrine Bowl
  • Troutman Sets Official Visit

    Basketball

  • Hoops Top Target: SF Will Harris

  •    Sabre Edge

    Get your Wahoo fix. Subscribe to Sabre Edge!

    Every month, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your online purchases through TheSabreShop.com during your subscription.

    All of the great Sabre Edge content can be yours for the price of $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year. Try it for a month and cancel if you like. But we think you'll get hooked on the Edge and find out for yourself why the most knowledgeable Cavalier fans are Edge subscribers.

    If you're a true Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!

  • Sabre Edge Info and Sign Up

  •  
        SabreMail is a trademark of TheSabre.com - Copyright © 2001 - 2005 - All Rights Reserved