The Sabre Makes Audio Free

The Sabre.com is pleased to announce an exciting change here on the site that will benefit Sabre fans and all Wahoos alike. All audio content is now free on The Sabre!

That means you'll be able to follow your Hoos better than ever as The Sabre brings you weekly audio content from press conferences, interviews, and games. Plus, our partnership with Jed Williams and WINA 1070 AM's Best Seat in the House will bring you exclusive interviews from all across the Virginia sports landscape.

We've also made all of the archived audio free as well. Get started today with postgame audio from the weekend's games against Miami (football) and Morgan State (basketball). Plus, be sure to check out The Sabre's new audio landing page frequently for new Cavalier content.

Kris Wright
TheSabre.com
Editor

Basketball recruiting .

Virginia Signees

Sam Zeglinski, PG

Jeff Jones, Combo Guard

Mustapha Farrakhan, Combo Guard

Last Sunday was certainly a successful one for the Virginia men's basketball program. Coach Dave Leitao came away from the game with a win and, two days later, signed the third member of the 2007 recruiting class. Mustapha Farrakhan, a 6-3 guard out of Thornton Township (Harvey, IL), chose UVa over Ilinois on Tuesday of last week. He subsequently signed a letter of intent with the Cavaliers, who had already received letters of intent from Penn Charter (Philadelphia, PA) point guard Sam Zeglinski and Monsignor Bonner (Drexel Hill, PA) guard Jeff Jones in the early signing period.

According to sources, the UVa staff could sign up to five prospects for the 2007 class. The top two targets at this point seem to be Patrick Patterson, a five-star power forward out of Huntington (W.V.), and Mike Scott, a 6-8, 215-pound forward out of Hargrave Military Academy.

Patterson had a terrific official visit to UVa on the weekend of the Arizona game. He enjoyed the arena, the game, and getting to know the players. He plans to return to UVa for another game later this season. The 6-8, 235-pound prospect could narrow his list sometime soon - the current finalists are Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Virginia, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.

Scott is a heavy lean to UVa at this point, but he will wait until the spring to sign. The athletic forward has not "officially" made a verbal commitment to the staff, though he has made no secret that he heavily favors the Cavaliers.

Football Recruiting .

The UVa football program had a big day on Saturday. There were only two players on official visits, but a large number of 2007 and 2008 class recruits were in Charlottesville for the game. From all accounts, the day went very, very well for the staff.

Stay tuned for updates on the prospects who made the visit on Saturday. Especially the two official visitors - Mount Lebanon (PA) TE Andrew Devlin (already committed to UVa) and uncommitted offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz out of Palisades Charter High School in Pacific Palisades, California.

Also, stay tuned for another edition of Countdown to Signing Day, a look at the bigger picture for UVa's 2007 recruiting class. Numbers are getting tight, so check out the remaining targets and what weekends will be most important up until Signing Day 2007.

Game ball .

Kris Burd

This week's game ball goes to UVa's two wide receiver recruits, Kris Burd and Chase Minnifield.

The 6-1, 185-pound Burd hauled in six catches for 111 yards and one touchdown as Matoaca (Chester, VA) defeated Hanover 42-9 in the Central Region, Division 5 Semifinals. Most of his production came in the first half, as the Warriors took a 42-0 lead into halftime. Burd, who is a starting safety as well, helped the Matoaca defense shut down the Hanover offense.

Matoaca faces Deep Run (former school of current UVa freshman defensive end Sean Gottschalk) in the regional final.

Minnifield, a 6-0, 185-pound prospect who could play wide receiver or defensive back on the next level, led Henry Clay (Lexington, KY) to a 4A Region Championship crown with a 21-7 win over Clarke County. The victory moves Henry Clay into the state semifinals against Trinity.

Minnifield, a do-everything player for the Blue Devils, was moved to quarterback midway through the third quarter. From the quarterback spot, he was a perfect 6-of-6 passing for 59 yards and he completed a two-point conversion. His two-yard touchdown run was the final score of the game.

An honorable mention goes to Christchurch LB J'Courtney Williams. The 6-3, 220-pound prospect tallied close to 20 tackles in the VIS Division 2 State Championship game, a 21-10 loss to St. Anne's-Belfield. Williams primarily played outside linebacker for the Seahorses, but was moved to nose tackle for a few plays (and was productive there).

Williams helped his team to an 8-2 season, with both losses coming to St. Anne's. St. Anne's defeated Christchurch 21-19 in the regular season contest.

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 ...

Patterson Reflects on UVa Visit
6-8, 235-pound power forward Patrick Patterson finally made his official visit to the University of Virginia. UVa landed the fifth and final official visit from Patterson, a five-star recruit out of Huntington (W.V.). Coach Dave Leitao and company needed to impress and, after an outstanding win over Arizona, they appear to have done just that.

2008 Top Target: OL/DL Kyle Long
Kyle Long is hoping for state championship glory tomorrow night, when St. Anne's-Belfield takes on Christchurch school in the VISFA Division II title game. An offensive tackle and defensive end for St. Anne's, the star junior is one of the top recruits in the 2008 class - not just in the state, but likely in the country as well.

Williams Selected to Army All-American Bowl
The University of Virginia will have at least one recruit in the 2007 Army All-American Bowl game. J'Courtney Williams, the 6-3, 220-pound standout out of Christchurch School (VA), was officially selected yesterday to the game. The game, which is held in San Antonio (TX) on January 6, 2007, features 80 of the top prospects in the country and will be televised by NBC.

Also from the past week ...

• Weekend Visitors: The Miami Game
• Leitao Reels in Illinois Prep Star!
• Farrakhan's Decision Came Down to Two
• 7-0 Center Enjoys Visit to UVa

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The Sabre's "Black Friday" Sale

TheSabre.com is joining in on the biggest shopping day of the year with an EDGE promotion that Wahoos can't refuse. If you sign up for an annual subscription from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on Friday, November 24, you'll save 33% off the regular subscription price. That's right, if you sign up, renew, or buy a gift subscription on "Black Friday", you'll get a 1-year subscription to the Sabre EDGE, our site's premium content service, for only $39.99!

There's not a better holiday shopping deal out there and you don't have to fight the mall crowds to find the perfect gift - for Wahoo fans, the perfect gear is right here! Gift orders must be placed (charged to your card) on Black Friday to receive the special discount, but you can request that the gift not be presented to the recipient until closer to the holidays. Check out what subscribers receive with the subscription:

• Exclusive feature articles, in-depth analysis, and editorials
• Interviews with current players, coaches, and administrators
• Interviews with football and basketball recruits
• Flash recruiting updates from Chris Horne, our in-house specialist
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Make sure you take advantage of this exciting offer from the TheSabre.com!

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Thread of the Week

Al Groh would have preferred the NFL model for clock rules.

Subject: Opinions on the clock rules after almost a full season??
Posted by: hoodaves on Fri Nov 17 2006 8:59:53 AM
Message: So, we are almost at the end of the first season with the new clock rules, and I was wondering what everyone thought of them. I think the clock rules are mostly horrible, though not completely. I believe they are responsible for a lot of the upsets we have seen this year. If you take away 9-10 plays for a team over an outmatched opponent, then that opponent has a much better chance of success. I think they have helped Rutgers and other run-oriented teams find success. I hate that you have to burn a timeout receiving a punt unless you want the clock to start running -- also, starting the clock after possession change, especially after turnovers seems to put the offense at a disadvantage. all that said, i would like to see these things next year:

1. stop the clock on a possession change.
2. start the clock when the receiving team catches the kick-off.
3. lengthen the play clock to 30 seconds.
4. do not stop the clock on a first down until the final five minutes of each half.
5. continue to stop the clock on incompletions and plays that go out of bounds.

What do you guys think about the rules?

Subject: I agree with some of what you say. They do need to find an efficent way to
Posted by: kirkland on Fri Nov 17 2006 9:09:35 AM
Message: speed up games that are on tv. I was at Pitt vs. WVu last night and the length of the TV timeouts are becoming overbearing for the fans, and I believe that they can be detrimental to the players as well. I have no evidence to back this up, but the TV timeouts just seem alot longer than say 3-4 years ago.

Read the entire thread here. Or post your own thoughts on the Share on the Football Message Board.

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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 ...

• Cross Country Squads to Compete At NCAA Championships Today: The men's and women's cross country teams will compete at the NCAA Championships today. The women's 6,000 meter race will be at 12:15 p.m. and the men's 10,000 meter race will be at 1 p.m. Both squads return to the national meet after placing 26th in their respective races last season. This marks the second consecutive year that both teams have been to Nationals after the feat was accomplished for the first time in 2005.
• Reyering's Two Second Half Goals Lift Virginia to NCAA Quarterfinals: Sophomore forward Yannick Reyering scored two second-half goals including the game-winner in the 74th minute to help No. 4 seed Virginia overcome a halftime deficit to send the Cavaliers to the NCAA Quarterfinals with a 2-1 victory over No. 13 seed California Saturday night in front of 3,644 fans at Klöckner Stadium.
• Johnson goes 3-0 to lead Cavaliers at Challenge: Damian Johnson won all three of his matches while Rocco Caponi and Eric Albright each went 2-1 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Carmichael Gym on Saturday. Virginia dropped all three dual meets to Northwestern, 24-12, Wisconsin, 30-7, and Purdue, 19-16.
• Volleyball Closes Out Home Season With 3-1 Win Over Wake Forest: The Virginia volleyball team bounced back from a loss to Duke on Thursday with an impressive 3-1 (30-18, 25-30, 30-22, 30-19) victory over Wake Forest on Friday. With the victory, UVa improves to 22-7 overall and 15-5 in the Atlantic Coast Conference and ties the school mark for ACC victories in a season. Junior outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood took sole possession of UVa's career service aces record from her older sister, senior setter Emily Kirkwood, with four aces. The four aces increased the younger Kirkwood's career total to 164.
• Cavalier Women's Soccer Falls to Texas A&M in NCAA Round of 16: The Virginia women's soccer team had its run in the NCAA Tournament come to an end Friday night with a 2-1 loss to Texas A&M at the Aggie Soccer Stadium. After upsetting two top-ten caliber teams to open the tournament, the Cavaliers couldn't pull off a third win against one on the road.

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

Nike Holiday Sale

Issue No. 241 - May 12, 2006

Mike Scott, a 6-8 standout at Deep Creek, re-opened his recruitment after John Chaney retired at Temple.

A number of UVa targets were on hand for last weekend's Southern Invitational. Notable 2007 recruits include St. John's College (Washington, D.C.) guard Chris Wright, Huntington (W.V.) power forward Patrick Patterson and power forward Mike Scott.

The 6-1 Wright is a point guard who could also play the shooting guard position on the next level. He originally committed to N.C. State before the departure of head coach Herb Sendek and is now open. Virginia has offered and is among the programs he is considering at this point.

Patterson is a solid 6-8, 235 pounds, and he possesses good strength, rebounding ability and a nice touch from the foul line on in. He would add a good low post scoring presence if UVa were able to land him. Patrick would like to make official visits before making a decision and mentioned Florida, Kentucky, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest as serious contenders right now.

Scott is a super athletic 6-8, 215-pound prospect out of Deep Creek High School. A senior this year, he signed with Temple last fall but decided to re-open his recruitment following the retirement of head coach John Chaney. Scott claims offers from George Mason, Maryland, Oklahoma, Virginia and Virginia Tech have offered. He is leaning towards going to Hargrave Military Academy next fall.

For more on these prospects as well as 2008 recruits including Hanover's Ed Davis, check out the Sabre Edge.

Coming Soon

November is here so football is entering the home stretch while basketball is just starting up. 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:

Jameel Sewell runs for UVa's second touchdown of the day against Miami.

• Greg's Game Grades
  Greg Waters evaluates the Cavaliers' winning performance against Miami.
• JHoo's 10 Things
  JHoo checks in with "10 Things I Learned Against Miami" after the Hoos topped the Hurricanes on Saturday.
• Morgan State and Miami Photo Galleries
  The Sabre's own Mike Ingalls captured the weekend's football and basketball action in pictures. We'll have galleries from both games.
• Virginia Looks To Go 3-0
  Can Dave Leitao's team reach 3-0 on the season? The Sabre will bring you coverage from the UNC Asheville game.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles from the past week

Virginia Dumps Morgan State
It took less than 2 minutes for the Virginia basketball team to establish a 10-point lead against Morgan State on Sunday. While the double-digit margin was scarcely threatened, the Cavaliers didn't dazzle from start to finish - there were more than enough missed free throws, turnovers, and defensive breakdowns to make sure of that. Still, the Cavaliers pocketed a convincing 85-66 victory as they started the building and development process needed in early season games.

Hoos Storm Past Hurricanes
It felt just like old times. Those blue words emblazoned the front of Fontel Mines' gray t-shirt after the game on Saturday. What a fitting phrase for the Cavaliers' final home contest of 2006. The 17-7 victory resembled those from recent Hoo history at Scott Stadium. UVa ran the ball effectively enough to keep the offense balanced, defensively held Miami in check, and made the key plays in order to come out on top.

Best Seat in the House: Larry Coker
The Miami football team rolls into Scott Stadium on Saturday facing a lot of adversity. Naturally, the death of Bryan Pata is at the top of that list as the the Hurricanes attended their teammate's funeral earlier this week. Miami coach Larry Coker joined Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House to talk about the team's week, Pata, and the game ahead.

Keys to the Game - Miami
In terms of postseason chances, Virginia's task is simple yet difficult. Win the last two games, finish .500, and hope for the best. Simple. The difficult part comes with the opponents. First up is Miami, a team that could secure its own bowl eligibility with a win Saturday. With a 5-5 record, the Hurricanes obviously are beatable. But what are the "Keys to the Game" for Virginia?

Game Preview: Miami, Part 3
Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon's defense is ranked sixth in the NCAA in total defense, third in rushing defense, 14th in scoring defense, and 41st in pass defense. Those rankings would be the envy of almost any defensive coordinator, but they are pretty much the same numbers Shannon's defenses have produced since he took over as the defensive coordinator in 2001. Simply put, Virginia's offense faces a tough assignment this week.

Best Seat in the House: Dave Leitao
The Virginia men's basketball team opened the season with a 93-90 win against No. 10 Arizona on Sunday. The Hoos recovered from a 19-point, first-half deficit to defeat the Wildcats, opening the new John Paul Jones Arena in dramatic fashion. What did Dave Leitao think of the first game in the JPJ? He joined Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House to talk about the opening moments, the arena, and the game.

The Hawk's Nest - Senior Day Is Emotional
After a much-needed week off, the Virginia Cavaliers will host the Miami Hurricanes in a must win game this Saturday. With the season coming to an end, this Saturday will be special for all the seniors on the team. The will be the last time they get to run out on the field at the University of Virginia. This will game will be both memorable and emotional for these seniors.

Hoos Tailgating With Mom - White Chicken Chili
I can't believe it, but the final 2006 home game for Virginia football has already arrived. The Miami Hurricanes roll into Charlottesville with an unexpected 5-5 record so the game has lost some of its luster in the eyes of some. To others, football Saturdays never lose their shine, though. The reason? Tailgating, of course!

Fan Favorites Vary On Game Days
There's nothing like a crisp autumn day, the smell of hot dogs and nachos in the air, the sound of marching band standards, and more than 55,000 of your closest friends yelling at the top of their lungs. It's a football Saturday in Charlottesville. A day at the game is a great way to catch up with friends, eat some food, and root for the Hoos. But what's the BEST part of going to a live game?

Game Preview: Miami, Part 2
Virginia faces another opponent with plenty of speed and athleticism this weekend, a formula that has caused problems at times this year for the defense. While Miami's offense hasn't been as explosive as in past years, the Hurricanes are still dangerous and they have big play threats at several positions. What can Marcus Hamilton and the Hoos expect from the visitors this week?

Diane's Day: A Sign Of Things To Come?
In many ways, Virginia's Mamadi Diane had a typical freshman year on the basketball court. There were big games with big shots and there was also the expected inconsistency that many players show in their first year. The up-and-down nature of his freshman season led many to write him off during the offseason. After all, there were new freshmen studs entering the program and they would surely unseat him in the playing rotation. But Diane always had - and still has - two easy-to-overlook things going for him.

Game Preview: Miami, Part 1
In a game that features two of the least productive offenses in the ACC and two of the top 21 defenses in the nation, special teams, as it seems each week could be the difference-maker Saturday. Miami has the advantage in talent while Virginia has the luxury of playing in the friendly confines of Scott Stadium. When the match-ups are this close, usually turnovers and special teams decide the outcome.

Photo Gallery: Virginia 93, Arizona 90
The Virginia basketball team kicked off its season in style with a debut victory and celebration in the John Paul Jones Arena. After a CavMan video entrance, fireworks, laser lights, and Michael Buffer fired up the Cavaliers, Mamadi Diane and the Hoos knocked off Arizona 93-90. Check out 85 photos from the night in the JPJ.

Injury Report: What Is Turf Toe Exactly?
The Virginia football and lacrosse teams practice on artificial turf, albeit a new and improved surface known as FieldTurf. Does that mean turf toe is no longer a possible injury? Not necessarily. It turns out, turf toe can occur on any surface, though the injury first earned its name from the old astroturf surfaces.

Every week, 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 UVa Bookstores purchases during your subscription.

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