Hoo Fans Should Build On The Duke Win

Al Groh and his team enjoyed the win at Duke. Hoo fans should do the same.

First things first. Duke is bad. The Blue Devils have been shut out three times by three teams - all from the the state of Virginia. They have trouble doing anything on offense.

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
TheSabre.com
Editor

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
Here is version number one of Countdown to Signing Day, a feature that gives the overall picture on how UVa football recruiting has gone so far in the 2007 recruiting class. This segment covers the offense. Headlined by the commitments of four-star quarterback Peter Lalich and four-star WR/DB Chase Minnifield, the Cavs are off to a good start. The staff has a battle on its hands to keep this class together and, so far, seem to be doing a good job. So let's review which prospects are already in the fold, where the staff plans to go from here and which positions remain positions of need.

Also from the past week ...

• Season Check-in: Four-star Recruit Andrew Devlin
• Three Visits Remain for Star DT
• Alabi Decision Possible by Week's End
• 5-Star PF Sets Official to UVa

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Post of the Week

Subject: Long rant: excuses, season perspective, future, Groh, fan behavior, etc
Posted by: LTHoo on Fri Sep 29 2006 8:41:50 AM
Message: First, I am not trying to convince anyone of my opinion. I am only expressing what I believe. If you don't agree, that's fine. If you do agree with some of it, thank you.....

My belief....
I believe our season has adversely and significantly been impacted by the loss of several key players. The loss of even one player can have disastrous consequences. IMO, losing Canty in 2004 and Lundy for most of 2005 was devastating. Unfortunately, injuries are part of the game. How about losing players for other reasons? How has this impacted our team? Would we have a better team this year if we had the following players on our roster?

Ahmad Brooks - dismissed from the team and now playing in the NFL.
Vince Redd - potential starter, dismissed from the team
Philip Brown, academic casualty, started some games as true freshman, top instate recruit
Chris Johnson, academic casualty, started some games as RS freshman
George Johnson, top LB recruit, not admitted even though qualified by NCAA

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...
I believe every coach would love to have a team comprised of honor students and Boy Scouts. They have learned however, that it is impossible to win unless they lower their standards significantly. There are a couple of exceptions to this rule (ND, Michigan) but overall, the top teams clearly value winning over academics and character. Which programs are generally viewed as the nation's top programs? (USC, Texas, Nebraska, OU, LSU, Alabama, Auburn, Miami, FSU, VT, Tennessee, etc.) Take a look at the AP top 25 over the past decade. How many programs have maintained high standards while competing at the highest levels?

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)
2. Harvard University(MA)
3. Yale University(CT)
4. California Institute of Technology
4. Stanford University(CA)
4. Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
7. University of Pennsylvania
8. Duke University(NC)
9. Dartmouth College(NH)
9. Columbia University(NY)
9. University of Chicago
12. Cornell University(NY)
12. Washington University in St. Louis
14. Northwestern University(IL)
15. Brown University(RI)
16. Johns Hopkins University(MD)
17. Rice University(TX)
18. Vanderbilt University(TN)
18. Emory University(GA)
20. University of Notre Dame(IN)
21. Carnegie Mellon University(PA)
21. University of California-Berkeley
23. Georgetown University(DC)
24. University of Virginia *
24. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor *
26. Univ. of California-Los Angeles *

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...
I do not believe Groh is a good enough coach to overcome these obstacles and consistently win at the highest levels. I also don't believe that Beamer, Bowden, Bowden, Carroll, Brown, Stoops, Fulmer and the coaches at most of the other top football programs could overcome these obstacles either. If they could win with honor students and Boy Scouts, they would be playing on their team today. How successful would these coaches be if we hired them at UVa? It's difficult to say because they haven't won with similar standards.

The current state of our football program
Obviously, I am very disappointed with the current state of our football program. It's hard not be discouraged. We will probably have a losing season. Compounding our bitterness is the fact that VT annually whips us and they have soared to unprecedented heights. Our offense is very bad and we have no playmakers on the team. Some fans intensely dislike Groh and criticize virtually every aspect of our 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
I believe that the difference between a typical UVa season and this season is the result of losing so many players. Add the five players listed above to this team and I think we win 7 games and go to a bowl. I certainly believe we wouldn't be worried about losing to Duke and we would have beaten WMU. JMO on this one...

The future of UVa football
I believe we will have a good season next year. If we don't improve, I have confidence in our administration that changes will be made to ensure we have a respectable football program in the future. We aren't doomed to a future of futility!

In closing..
I drove through the Grounds recently and felt a tremendous amount of pride in being associated with UVa. It is a great academic institution, attended by some of the best and brightest students in the world. It has a great historical tradition and the Grounds are awesome! We have an outstanding athletic program that keeps getting better and better. Right now, we have a disappointing football team but the players are student athletes and they are MY players! They will continue to work hard and try to get better. I will be there to support them in victory and defeat! I will also support the coaching staff.

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 ...

• Ronde and Tiki Barber Make $1 Million Gift to UVa: ormer University of Virginia football stars and current National Football League All-Pros Ronde and Tiki Barber and their families have made a $1 million gift to their alma mater. Announcement of the Barbers' gift was made on Saturday night during a dinner to launch the University's $3 billion campaign. The Barber twins served as the emcees for that event in the John Paul Jones Arena.
• Former UVa Golfer Wins Gateway Tour Event: Former Virginia golfer Steve Marino, a Nationwide Tour pro, shot 27-under 261 to win the 72-hole Sidney Frank Memorial Tour Championship at Desert Mountain's Outlaw Course in Scottsdale, Ariz. on Sunday. Marino's score was a record for the Outlaw Course.
• Second Largest Klockner Soccer Crowd Watches No. 5 UVa Shut Out No. 2 Clemson: Freshman midfielder Jonathan Villanueva scored his first career goal, which proved to be the game-winner, in the 75th minute as No. 5 Virginia shut out No. 2 Clemson, 1-0, handing the Tigers their first loss of the season in front of 7,428 fans, which is the second largest crowd for soccer in Klockner Stadium history.
• Virginia Volleyball Blocks Its Way To 3-0 Win Over Maryland: The Virginia volleyball team recorded a season-high 19 blocks in the process of registering a 3-0 (30-27, 34-32, 30-21) victory over Maryland Saturday (Sept. 30) at Comcast Center Pavilion. Third-year middle Katie Oakes led UVa's outstanding defensive effort with a career high 11 blocks and she also added 12 kills for her first career double-double.
• Comcast Sportsnet Inks 3-Year Deal with UVa: Comcast SportsNet, the leader in local sports television, announced today the network agreed to a three-year deal with the University of Virginia Athletics Department to become the "Official Regional Sports Network of the Virginia Cavaliers" through the 2008-09 athletic year. This partnership makes Comcast SportsNet the only regional sports network to air programming from one of the top athletics departments in the country.
• No. 8 Cavaliers Fall to Top-Ranked Maryland 5-1: The Virginia field hockey team got an early goal from Traci Ragukas in the 13th minute, but the No. 1 Terps remained undefeated by scoring the final four goals of the game to win 5-1.
• Cavalier Women's Soccer Falls at Miami: The Virginia women's soccer team suffered its first ACC loss of the season, falling to Miami 1-0 Sunday at Cobb Stadium. The loss drops the Cavaliers' record to 7-3-2, 2-1-1 in the ACC. Miami improves to 7-4-0, 1-3-0 in the conference.

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

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?

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:

Marcus Hamilton had 2 INTs at Duke. What grade will the defense get?

• Greg's Game Grades
  Virginia crushed Duke in Durham. Did the Hoos get any A grades this week?
• The Turning Point
  What was the key moment in the Cavaliers' win at Duke? The Sabre breaks down The Turning Point against the Blue Devils.
• Countdown to Signing Day
  Recruiting Expert Chris Horne continues this series with a look at the defensive side of the ball.
• Hey Remember When ...
  Virginia pulled off a monumental upset in 1995 against Florida State. The Sabre takes a look back at that game.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles from the past week

Virginia Stomps Duke In Durham
Sometimes, it's nice to get a little help from your friends. With Virginia's offense struggling all season long, the defense and special teams provided a much-needed boost on Saturday at Duke. The Cavaliers produced three interceptions, a fumble return for touchdown, a blocked punt, and a key punt return that set up the first score of the game. The result? A 37-0 romp in Durham.

Best Seat in the House: Ted Roof & Jameel Sewell
Virginia and Duke both enter this weekend's game with three losses on the season and no ACC wins. The Cavaliers would like to get to 1-1 in the Coastal Division with a win, but the Blue Devils are hungry to break an 11-game losing streak. Duke coach Tef Roof and Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell joined Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House to talk about Saturday's game.

Keys to the Game - Duke
September certainly hasn't gone like Virginia fans had wanted. The preseason optimism held hopes of a 3-2 record at worst and 4-1 or 5-0 at best. The reality of poor offensive line play, a quarterback carousel, giving up big plays, and inconsistent special teams smashed those fast-start dreams. So where does that leave the Hoos? At 0-1 in the ACC, the Cavalier football team - and its fans - really only have one choice: Start fresh with the Duke game and hope for the best. That's the first bullet point on this week's Keys to the Game.

Why or Why Not? - UVa Travels To Duke
The Virginia football team stands with a 1-3 record this season as it enters the final weekend of a nightmare September. The Hoos close out the month with a second straight ACC road game this week as they take a trip to Durham where they will face Duke. Everyone from casual fans to oddsmakers to Coach Al Groh is selling this as an even match-up. What does ESPN 840 AM's Wes McElroy think? He tackles 5 "Why or Why Not?" questions about kick returns, Jeffrey Fitzgerald, and more.

Game Preview: Duke, Part 3
So far this season, Virginia's defense has been a solid though not perfect group. The Cavaliers have consistently slowed down the opponents' rushing attacks but they have also given up too many big plays against the pass. The Hoos must continue to stop the run against Duke, but they also must eliminate the long passing touchdowns that have drastically affected the statistics in 2006. If Marcus Hamilton can duplicate his 2005 two-interception performance against Duke, that would help too.

Hoos Tailgating With Mom - Easy Dips & BBQ
This weekend's game brings a couple of firsts for the 2006 season. The Cavaliers will be making a trip to the state of North Carolina for the first time - for that, the Sabre's got an excellent Bar-B-Que recipe for you. It is also the first time for a noon kickoff - check out a couple of pre-done dips to help you out with brunch before the game.

The Hawk's Nest - Self Motivation Required At Duke
The Cavaliers are usually "expected", by the fans, to beat Duke. But I don't think Coach Al Groh will allow this team to go into Durham expecting Duke to just lie down. The fact that the Cavs are off to a 1-3 start will play a huge part in being ready to play - the players have to know that nothing is an easy task right now. The fact that they are playing in Durham, makes it that much tougher to win.

Mikalauskas, Hoos Have Dancing Goals
Basketball practice starts in less than a month and tip-off is a little more than 40 days away. Preparing for the 2006-07 season, however, started the day after the loss to Stanford in the NIT. Laurynas Mikalauskas said the players have been thinking about the upcoming season for that long and that they've been working toward a goal that every Hoo wants: the NCAA Tournament.

Game Preview: Duke, Part 2
The Virginia-Duke contest on Saturday is set for high noon but that doesn't mean it will be a classic duel for the ages. Thanks to a pair of struggling offenses, the game may not be aesthetically pleasing - it should, however, be competitive. Can Jameel Sewell find a way to get a win in his second start? If so, the offense likely will have to rely on Sewell's arm to produce points because the Devils have played stingy run defense so far in 2006.

Game Preview: Duke, Part 1
Both Virginia and Duke enter this Saturday's showdown with three losses already in September. Certainly, both teams would like to get out of the month without defeat No. 4. With a pair of struggling offenses, the outcome this week could hinge on defense and special teams - The Sabre takes a look at the latter in Part 1 of the weekly game preview.

The Turning Point - Georgia Tech
With Virginia's offense struggling this season, the defense has a preciously thin margin of error. Against Georgia Tech, life on the edge cost the Cavaliers as two defensive mistakes led to 14 points thanks to Calvin Johnson touchdowns. The first of the two errors proved to be "The Turning Point" as a manageable 10-0 score became a halftime blowout in the matter of seconds.

Greg's Game Grades: Georgia Tech 24, UVa 7
Virginia's miserable start to the 2006 season continued with a Thursday night loss at Georgia Tech. The offense struggled again in Jameel Sewell's first start, the defense gave up big plays including two long touchdowns, and the Hoos were below average on special teams. The result? The Cavaliers nearly got shut out and they fell to 0-1 in ACC play. The grades? They aren't pretty, that's for sure.

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