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SabreMail - October 2, 2006 |
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Hoo Fans Should Build On The Duke Win
With that said, Virginia fans should not be excited about the win. Right? Hoos everywhere should collectively shrug and say "Oh well, Duke is Duke." Cavalier fans shouldn't celebrate the victory in any way, shape, or form. Right? What?!?!? I saw a few posts with similar themes after a thoroughly convincing 37-0 win against Duke this weekend. And, I must say, that approach makes absolutely no sense to me. It's cliche, but a win is a win. Doing it by 35+ points means something, even if it was Duke. Don't forget, this team - notice I said team and not offense - had barely scored 37 points all season (43 going into the game). Don't forget, this was Jameel Sewell's second career start. Don't forget, the defense had been making plays all season only to give some of the plays back in several situations. I can understand that concerns remain about the offense. I can understand the worries about the offensive line thanks to the sacks from Saturday. I can understand having the jitters about East Carolina. But I can't follow the logic behind loathing a victory. Especially when so many things looked better: Punt returns, the running game, the wide receivers, and no defensive breakdowns just to name a few. Yes, the Cavaliers still have work to do. Yes, the road ahead is long and challenging. But look at it this way - UVa finished September 2-3 instead of a projected 3-2 or a hopeful 4-1. That puts the team in position for what was always going to be the most critical month of the season: October. If the Hoos can sweep the month, they are bowl eligible. If they go 3-1, it makes November interesting. Bottom line? The team is improving and has a chance to make a move in October. Hopefully, the coaches and players appreciate the value of a win - any win - more than some fans. In fact, I'm sure they do and they'll build on it. Will some Virginia fans do the same or will those Hoos keep downplaying any success the team has this year? I hope it is the former.
Kris Wright
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Recruiting News | |||||||
This Week In Recruiting By Chris Horne Basketball recruiting. Virginia received several pieces of bad news last week. One was kind of expected - Solomon Alabi, the 7-1 center out of Montverde Academy in Florida, committed to Florida State over Arizona and Virginia. The Seminoles had been the projected leader throughout, so this decision was not a shock. The big surprise was Eric Wallace - the outstanding small forward prospect out of Kernersville, North Carolina, de-committed from the program. The 6-6 Wallace, who is now at Hargrave Military Academy, is still considering Virginia but, at least at this point, the staff isn't too confident about him coming back in the fold. According to reports, Wallace decided to de-commit in part because he felt he committed to soon. Some sources also say that some one(s) close to him helped enforce that notion. All the staff can do right now is wait and hope they land an official visit and have a legitimate chance to sign Wallace next month. Stay tuned this week as we hope to catch up with Hargrave coach Kevin Keatts for more on this situation.
In the good news department, the staff was able to set up an official visit date with five-star power forward prospect Patrick Patterson. The 6-8, 235-pound Huntington (W.V.) star plans to make an official visit to UVa on the weekend of October 28. He has visited the University of Florida and, this past weekend, traveled to Duke. Patterson had a very good visit to Florida . a trip that may have put the Gators out on top for the time being. But he did make the trip to Duke and has a visit scheduled to Kentucky for the weekend of October 14. He will visit Wake Forest as well. The staff has to hope that Patterson follows through and makes all of his official visits. In our interview last week, he seems very intent on making all of these visits.
Football recruiting . Stay tuned this week for the other half of the 'Countdown to Signing Day' series. This week, I will tackle the defensive side of the ball and give an overview of what lies ahead for UVa football recruiting in the 2007 recruiting class.
Game balls . This week's game ball goes to West Springfield quarterback Peter Lalich, who led the Spartans to their first win of the season - a 49-41 decision over Fairfax. Lalich completed 18 of 20 passes for 280 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. His teammate, senior running back A.J. Johnson, racked up 212 yards on 12 carries and scored three touchdowns on the ground. West Springfield is now 1-3 on the year. Matoaca wide receiver Kris Burd is a player UVa fans can expect to see catching passes from Lalich throughout their future careers at UVa. Burd had a tremendous Friday night as well, catching five passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-7 win over a solid Meadowbrook squad. Matoaca is now 4-0 on the season.
Chris Horne, our resident recruiting expert, provides updates throughout the week for Edge subscribers about UVa's commitments and recruiting targets in football and men's basketball. To sign up for an Edge subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page. If you're already on board as an Edge subscriber, click the links below to catch up on recruiting. Sabre Edge recruiting updates from the past week ...
Countdown to Signing Day: The Offense One of seven finalists, the University of Virginia remains in heavy contention for top offensive line prospect John Elliott. East Meadow High School's (N.Y.) four-star prospect does not seem to be in a rush to narrow his list further and, in fact, the next cut could come by the end of his senior season. Also from the past week ...
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Today's SabreMail is brought to you by our sponsor KrogerŪ.
Planning a great cookout at your house? Headed to someone else's barbeque? Planning to tailgate at UVa? Regardless of your plans, KrogerŪ is the place to go for all of your grilling and cooking needs. Pick up your favorite hamburgers, hotdogs, buns, ketchup, mustard, relish, or whatever else you need for a perfect and tasty meal. Count on your Kroger delicatessen to create inviting tailgating trays that taste as good as they look. Or you can simpy grab an already cooked rotisserie chicken. Or how about potato salad, wings, or other great quick dining options? Kroger gives you fast options so you can get to the game fast to support your Hoos! Also, don't forget that KrogerŪ is still the place to go for all of your dinner needs! Thanks, as always, for giving the Sabre's sponsors the first chance to win your business. Remember, our sponsors help bring you a better Web site. |
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News, Notes, and Fan Discussion | |||||||
Post of the Week
Subject: Long rant: excuses, season perspective, future, Groh, fan behavior, etc
My belief....
Ahmad Brooks - dismissed from the team and now playing in the NFL. Brooks and Redd would not have been dismissed at most of our rival schools. Brown and Johnson would not have flunked out at most of our rival schools. G Johnson would have been admitted at most of our rival schools. What is the impact of losing so many players while our rivals never lose a player under similar circumstances? Does this situation make it more difficult to win?
A couple of other points... In contrast, here is a list of the top 25 academic institutions in the country. How many of these universities have successful football programs by the standards expected by typical football fans? These are the wealthiest universities in the world and could easily afford to hire the best coaches and invest in the best facilities.
1. Princeton University(NJ) Why is Duke so bad in football? They are one of the best schools in the country. They are located in a great geographic area. They have an enormous endowment. We know they have potentially great fans as evidenced by their bball program. Why don't they routinely beat VT, Miami and FSU?
My perspective on Al Groh...
The current state of our football program Just as disturbing is the anger that UVa fans feel towards each other and the extreme negativity that surrounds our football program. I can accept an occasional bad season more than I can accept the hostility displayed by some fans because we are not winning. I hate losing but gosh, it's only a game. The behavior displayed by some fans at games and on this site makes me wonder if we just shouldn't abolish our football program. Why can't we keep everything in perspective? One bad season doesn't signal the end of the world. Why can't people enjoy the fun associated with tailgating, sitting in a beautiful stadium on a bright and colorful day? Does an occasional bad season overshadow all of the positives associated with attending a UVa football game? One last thought, instead of booing the team, try contacting Casteen and Littlepage with your thoughts. There is nothing wrong with being a disgruntled fan but at least try to take a positive action instead of making a bad situation even worse.
Excuse for this season
The future of UVa football
In closing.. PS. Please remind me of this comment if Duke stomps us this weekend! Go Hoos!
License Plate section is up in Wahoowa! A few weeks ago, SabreMail made a request for anyone who had license plates that reflected your status as a Hoo fan. The responses have started to trickle in and the Plates Photos are up and running the Wahoowa! section of the site. The Wahoowa! section of the Sabre is dedicated to all things associated with UVa Fan-dom. There are various fan-related areas including desktop wallpaper, Fan of the Week photos, V-Sabres Worldwide, and more. If you have suggestions for new and interesting things in the Wahoowa! section, please email us at [email protected] with the header: Wahoowa! suggestion. We'd like to keep adding photos to the section so if your license plate shows that you're a Hoo fan, let us know so we can include you in our gallery. All you need to do is snap a picture of your license plate and email a jpeg version of the photo to [email protected] with the email header: License Plate Photo.
UVa Bookstores' 2006 Virginia Football Pick 'Em Pick'em is simple. The first contestant who picks the winner and comes closest to predicting the final score wins. In case of ties, the earliest entry will be awarded the prize. Entries must be received by 12:00 a.m. EST game day. Entries received after 12:00 a.m. (midnight the night before the game) are ineligible. Limit one entry per person. The next business day following game day, UVa Bookstores will email a short note regarding the results. For the full information or to enter, click here!
Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...
To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.
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UVa Bookstores - The Place for Wahoo Gear! | |||||||
Scott Stadium Throw
You'll be able to hear the fans singing the "Good Ole Song" as your memories take you back to Scott Stadium when you look at the Scott Stadium throw. |
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SabreMail History | |||||||
Issue No. 147 - July 16, 2004 With the Virginia football team headed to East Carolina this week, we decided to pull a blurb from a previous SabreMail about Terry Holland (now the AD at ECU). John Galinsky, who was the Editor of TheSabre.com at the time, wrote this in July of 2004: Terry Holland's decision to step down from his latest job at UVa -- yet another job that he did exceedingly well -- gives us another chance to appreciate the man's contributions to the University. No one, it's safe to say, has made a bigger impact on UVa athletics across the board as Holland. He remains the school's all-time winningest men's basketball coach, compiling a record of 326-173 in 16 seasons, but that's not all. He later became athletic director and presided over a major upgrade in the school's athletic facilities, including the renovation of Scott Stadium and the construction of the Aquatic-Fitness Center. John Paul Jones Arena, the new basketball venue under construction, is also his baby to some extent. He has helped raise funds for it as a special assistant to the school's president for the past three years. This week Holland, 62, stepped down and said he will seek a new career path. Whatever that entails, he says he will remain involved in UVa athletics and will stay part of the Cavalier community. That's great news because beyond his accomplishments, his friendliness and thoughtfulness made him one of the most popular members of that community for the past three decades. After all, he's the guy who helped bring both Ralph Sampson and Al Groh to UVa. He's a uniter, not a divider. Terry Holland for President?
What's New on TheSabre.com? |
Coming Soon October has arrived on the calendar, which means both football and basketball will be buzzing in just a few days. The Sabre is the place to be for all of your Cavalier content as we keep you up to date on all that's going on. Here's a sneak peak at some of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:
In Case You Missed It ... Sabre articles from the past week
Virginia Stomps Duke In Durham
Best Seat in the House: Ted Roof & Jameel Sewell
Keys to the Game - Duke
Why or Why Not? - UVa Travels To Duke
Game Preview: Duke, Part 3
Hoos Tailgating With Mom - Easy Dips & BBQ
The Hawk's Nest - Self Motivation Required At Duke
Mikalauskas, Hoos Have Dancing Goals
Game Preview: Duke, Part 2
Game Preview: Duke, Part 1
The Turning Point - Georgia Tech
Greg's Game Grades: Georgia Tech 24, UVa 7
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