Last week's contest: Name a funny replacement for Danny Rocco.

With Rocco on his way to Liberty University after five years as Al Groh's right-hand man, who would be a ridiculous candidate to replace him? Among the suggestions were Frank Beamer, Ann Groh, Mark Warner, Steve Mariucci, Rocco Siffredi, Rocco DiSpirito, Rocky Balboa and Pete Gillen. Dennis Mooney helpfully nominated himself, noting that fans always think they can coach better than the coaches. Matt Ringler picked Chuck Norris for a number of good reasons, including his ability to give roundhouse kicks to nosy reporters and Hokie fans vandalizing our field.

The winner is Roger Long (70UVAHOO), who earns a free month of Sabre Edge for suggesting the Road Runner, cartoon nemesis of Wile E. Coyote. These were his reasons...

10. Quick....Blazing speed!
9. Avoids traps. Never gets upset!
8. Uses trick plays. Varies his techniques.
7. Avoids being out-foxed (by Acme-like schemes).
6. Keeps his opponent off balance.
5. Stays his path without distraction.
4. Keeps moving in sunshine, rainy, stormy & dreary times.
3. Always is at least one step ahead of his opponent.
2. Thrives on birdseed.
1. Enjoys life on the road! (Something this program needs!)

Enough funny business. Now to this week's contest...

Write a country music lyric to describe life as a UVa fan.

In honor of our friends at the Music City Bowl, who kindly snubbed Georgia Tech to invite the 'Hoos, let's write something worthy of the Grand Ole Opry. No full songs, please. Just a short stanza (maximum of eight lines) that aptly describes the feeling of rooting for the Cavs.

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

Football recruiting.

Despite the coaching situation, Virginia had an extremely successful weekend last week by landing four prospects - three of whom were on their official visits to Charlottesville. Coach Al Groh picked up verbal commitments from Vance (Charlotte, N.C.) 5-11, 185-pound defensive back Rico Bell, Prince George (VA) 6-2, 215-pound linebacker John Bivens, Deep Creek (Chesapeake, VA) 6-2, 185-pound defensive back Ras-I Dowling and Malvern Prep (Malvern, PA) defensive back Trey Womack (pictured right).

Bell, rated a 3-star prospect by Rivals.com and Scout.com, could play the cornerback or safety positions on the next level. He possesses tremendous speed, as he was timed at 4.37 seconds in the 40-yard dash during the Nike camp in Blacksburg earlier this year.

Although he is listed as a "sleeper," there is no mistake that John Bivens is a nice pickup for the 'Hoos. He is a physical, athletic linebacker prospect who impressed the UVa coaches with an outstanding senior season. He would likely have a handful of scholarship offers had he played football as a junior.

Dowling, an outstanding athlete who possesses a 40-inch vertical leap and who says he ran a 4.4 in the 40 at Virginia Tech's senior camp this summer, is being recruited as a defensive back. He believes he could play either safety or cornerback for the 'Hoos.

Womack was the only player to commit this weekend who wasn't taking his official visit. The 6-0, 175-pound Womack, who chose UVa over Northwestern, is being recruited strictly as a cornerback. He decided to verbally commit to Virginia after an awesome official visit experience last month.

Virginia now has 21 verbal commitments. However, two of those verbals seem to be looking elsewhere. Egg Harbor Township (N.J.) WR/DB Cedric Jeffries took an official visit to Penn State last weekend, while Conestoga (Wayne, PA) LB/DE Mark Herzlich is taking an official visit to Boston College this weekend. We have not been able to reach either prospect for comments on their situations, but will continue to try next week.

This weekend, Virginia will host at least three official visitors - Hyde Leadership (New Haven, CT) stars Bruce Campbell and James Nixon, and Bayonne (N.J.) wide receiver Kenny Britt.

Both Campbell and Nixon admitted that the departure of their primary recruiter, Mark D'Onofrio, has impacted their decisions somewhat but each has decided to follow through and visit Virginia. That's great news for UVa, as an excellent visit could put the 'Hoos right back in the race for both. Nixon, a speedy 6-0, 175-pound cornerback recruit, is also considering Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina and Rutgers, among others, while the 4-star Campbell will take official visits to Michigan State and Maryland before making his decision. Campbell, an offensive tackle recruit, has already taken an official visit to Nebraska.

According to Bayonne head coach Frank Blunda, D'Onofrio's departure will not have an impact on Britt's final decision. In addition to Virginia, Britt plans on visiting Rutgers next weekend and is working on finalizing a date with Illinois in January. Blunda expects his star to take at least four official visits before making a decision.

A decision could come soon from Meadowbrook standout defensive end John Graves. Graves, who had a great official visit to UVa last weekend, heads to Virginia Tech this weekend and could make a commitment as early as next week to one of the two Virginia programs.

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Wow, first post by TxDblHoo gets Post of the Week! He has nowhere to go but down from here. :)

Subject: Going to Nashville
Posted by: TxDblHoo on Thu Dec 8 2005 3:03:01 PM
Message: This is my first time to post on The Sabre, but I have been a long-time supporter of the site (I sent a check to Mike Ingalls back in 1996/1997 to help pay for a new server that he needed to support site activity). I have never lived in Virginia since graduating from UVA in 1992, so I have never felt that I had much of substance to add to the discussion (not that that seems to deter many posters!!!). However, I have greatly enjoyed reading about and keeping up with the Hoos from afar.

Every year my wife and I (also a Hoo alum) make a point of coming back to Charlottesville for one game every year. We have four children and coordinating schedules for us to get away for a few days is a logistical nightmare. I can truly say that this trip is one of the things I look forward to most every year. This year we were lucky enough to go to the Florida State game. As we stood in the stadium watching the Seminoles last efforts to pull out a victory, I turned to my wife and said "I know you won't believe this, but I don't care if we win or lose. Regardless of what happens I can't imagine a more perfect experience than today." We had spent the day walking around grounds, grabbed a bite to eat at the Virginian, and had joined a friends' tailgate before the game. Happily, we won, but a loss wouldn't have changed a great day.

I know that it may be a worn out refrain (and some may say it is an excuse for mediocrity), but college football is much more than wins and losses. To me it is about joining a large group of people who share a passion and cheer on young men who (for the most part) are doing their very best to represent an institution that they care deeply about. It is also about reliving and revisiting memories that, for so many of us, hold such a special place in our hearts.

Last night I got on the internet and bought tickets for my wife and I to fly from Dallas to Nashville (this will be the first time I have had the priveledge of going to a UVA bowl game). It is not the Rose Bowl, or even the Peach Bowl, but it is the bowl that UVA is playing in. I don't know if any of my friends are going, but I know that I will have a great time. I will be joining many thousands of folks who share my passion for Virginia football, and, win or lose, we will all take pride in cheering on the Hoos.

I hope that as many of you as possible are lucky enough to join me in Nashville.

To read the rest of this thread, please click the link below.

Get everything a Hoo fan could want this Holiday season at the UVa Bookstores. You can take advantage of your Sabre Edge discount along with great sale prices on many of our Nike items. Orders placed by December 15th are guaranteed to arrive by Christmas. The UVa Bookstores want to wish you and yours a very happy holiday season.

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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

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