Don't Forget To Support Our Test Campaigns

Sabre-ites:

Recently, we told you about some upcoming "pilot" sponsor campaigns that will help us sign long-term sponsorship deals that will shape the future of our web site, its success, and our ability to improve the site for you. (Read the announcement here) You'll recall that we need your help to make these pilot campaigns succeed. Don't forget to take a glance at the promotions!

Here are the first two sponsors.

Lowe's Home Improvement is running a very cool NCAA Final Four "Cut Down The Nets" promotion that provides every Lowe's customer, from March 1 - April 10, 2007, the opportunity to win a trip for you and three guests for five days and four nights to the 2008 NCAA Men's Final Four.

Our job is to promote awareness of this exciting opportunity by driving people to the web page Lowe's has set up that provides all the details on how you can participate. When it comes to showing support for Lowe's introductory sponsorship of The Sabre, this one is a lay-up. All you have to do is click any of the Lowe's banners, skyscrapers, message board promos (the posts at the top of our boards), and/or links on the sponsor's page for details.

Or, to make it really easy, you can just click here.

There's another way we can get feedback to Lowe's and convince them of the power of our community - you can tell them yourself in your own words how much you value the investment they are making in TheSabre! If you've got a Lowe's story, even something as simple as saying "thanks", or just want to offer feedback or commentary about Lowe's Home Improvement, email it to us by clicking here, and we'll put the emails together and pass them on to Lowe's. Remember, we want the collective voice of our community to be heard loud and clear.

Allstate insurance wants you to know that they forgive you. Actually, not yet, but they will as soon as you sign up for their new Your Choice Auto-Accident forgiveness program. Allstate is excited to be sponsoring TheSabre.com. All they are asking from you is to Click any of the banners, skyscrapers, sponsor text message and/or links on the sponsor's page, check out their new Your Choice Auto program and get a quick, free quote.

Or, to make it really easy, you can just click here.

It is time to let Allstate Insurance know that they are in good hands with TheSabre.com

There's another way we can get feedback to Allstate and convince them of the power of our community. You can tell them in your own words how much you value the investment they are making in TheSabre.com. If you've got an Allstate story, feedback or commentary about Allstate Insurance, or just a simple "thanks," email it to us at by by clicking here and we'll put the emails together and pass them on to Allstate.

Football recruiting ...

A number of prospects visited UVa last week to see spring practice or on Saturday for UVa's second junior day of the year.

Last Wednesday, UVa had at least two visitors - Benjamin School (N Palm Beach, FL) QB Conner Kempe and Fork Union Military Academy S/LB Marcus Dowtin. UVa has now offered Dowtin, a 6'2", 205-pound recruit who has received eight offers. UVa has not officially offered the 6'4" Kempe, who I will interview later this evening.

Some of the notable visitors for Saturday's junior day included Churchville-Chili (Churchville, N.Y.) RB Averin Collier, York (Elmhurst, IL) OL Neil Deiters, Manasquan (N.J.) OL Art Forst, Riverdale's (GA) massive OL Cordy Glenn, Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.) ATH Cameron Johnson, Wayne Valley (Wayne, PA) JATH Chris Pantale, and Christian Brothers (Syracuse, N.Y.) WR Marcus Sales. All of these prospects have been offered by the Hoos.

I caught up with Pantale, who called his experience "impressive." The 6'5", 225-pound standout enjoyed the spring practice and then enjoyed the personal tour of the campus from head coach Al Groh. Pantale was accompanied on the trip by his parents.

As for the other recruits, stay tuned for more from these kids throughout the week.

Sunday, St. Anne's-Belfield OL/DL Kyle Long, brother of current UVa star Chris Long, stopped by to check out a spring practice. Long is easily in the top five in the state of Virginia and may be the number one recruit in the state in the 2008 class. Stay tuned for an update on the 6'7", 285-pound prospect this week.

Junior recruits were not the only ones in attendance this past week. West Springfield QB Peter Lalich, a 2007 class signee, attended practices on Saturday and Sunday. Lalich is the most highly regarded quarterback recruit in the Al Groh era and certainly paid close attention to each of the practices.

Basketball recruiting ...

The McDonald's All-American game takes place on Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. EST. UVa fans will no doubt be watching UVa's lone remaining target and 5-star recruit Patrick Patterson. The 6'8", 235-pound power forward is hoping to trim his list from six schools to three a few days after Wednesday night's contest, so Patterson could have his list cut to three by the end of the week.

Tubby Smith's departure from Kentucky certainly seems to bode well for Virginia, as the Pattersons had a high amount of respect for the former Wildcats head coach. Virginia seems to stand a good chance of making the initial cut, with Duke and Florida also seeming likely. Patterson hopes to announce his college decision shortly before the April signing period.

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 ...

Dowtin Checks Out Practice, Adds Offer
Fork Union Military Academy star Marcus Dowtin made his first ever trip to a college football program's spring practice yesterday. The 6-2, 205-pound prospect visited UVa, a program that recently came in with a scholarship offer. The offer from Virginia brings Dowtin's total number of written scholarships to eight, but more could be on the way soon.

Pantale Impressed by UVa
Chris Pantale, accompanied by his parents, did make the trip to the University of Virginia this past Saturday. The 6-5, 230-pound Wayne Valley (Wayne, N.J.) prospect arrived a little bit late in the day and missed a few morning junior day events, but he was able to check out the spring practice and tour the university and its facilities.

Oscar Smith Star Sets Spring Visits
6-2, 190-pound Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) WR/DB Todd Harrelson, a standout junior prospect who currently boasts six Division 1A scholarship offers, has taken two unofficial visits this year and has set two more within the next few weeks. Where will the talented junior travel to next?

More updates since the last SabreMail ...

• Recruiting Going Well for Star In-State WR
• UVa Offers Three Butler (N.C.) Stars
• Pantale to Visit UVa on Saturday
• Blanton a Top DB Recruit
• UVa Involved with Top NJ Linebacker
• Top Recruit Christian Wilson Continues Visits

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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.

Stick Out Your School-Colored Tongue!

OK so you're a huge Hoo fan and you want to rock the school colors. But you don't want to be like everyone else. You want a little attitude, a little bravado to go with your orange and blue. Well, The Rolling Stones have the answer for you!! Strut your stuff and stick your school-colored tongue out at your opponents at the same time with the latest Rockware Jockware.

Choose one of the hats or visors and root your Hoos! Check it out!

Newslink - Your One Stop Shop for UVa News

TheSabre.com provides an excellent service for the Virginia fan base that you may not know about: Newslink. Sabre NewsLink provides you with links to the daily news on your Hoos. Our staff checks the Internet each morning to locate and link to articles from various online media sources from around the state and beyond. We even throw some interesting ACC news to let you know what the Hoos' opponents are up to. Sabre NewsLink is updated every morning, 365 days a year!

Check out Sabre NewsLink today!

March Mania - FINAL WEEK!
Save on select items each weekday

Compare our price to others!

UVa Bookstores is celebrating the craziest month of basketball season with a March Mania sale, but time is running out! You have 5 weekdays left to take advantage of the great savings. For example, the V-sabre Milestone polo, by Antigua, is a microfiber waffle knit short sleeve polo with a 3-button placket. It has a navy and white jacquard collar and cuffs with navy tipping. The V-sabre is embroidered left chest.. On sale Tuesday, March 27, the $41.95 shirt is just $24.88!

You'll get great savings all month long so check out March Mania!

Issue No. 105 - September 19, 2003

Hagans delivers in win over Western Michigan

Coach Al Groh decided to start all-everything talent Marques Hagans over freshman Anthony Martinez at quarterback this past Saturday against Western Michigan. The move proved to be an excellent decision, as Hagans led the team to an easy 59-16 victory over the Broncos in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Hagans completed 12 of his 20 passes for 162 yards with three touchdowns. He also kept the Broncos' defense off balance with his feet, rushing for 68 yards on nine carries.

A lot of Cavaliers got into the scoring column this game, including two freshmen. True freshman receiver Deyon Williams saw his first action of the season. On his very first play from scrimmage, Williams caught a 35-yard pass for a touchdown. Redshirt freshman cornerback Tony Franklin provided icing on the cake with his 45-yard interception return for a touchdown with just over three minutes remaining.

Overall it was a good day for the Cavaliers on both sides of the ball, especially on the defensive end. After a poor effort at South Carolina the week prior, the Hoos really needed to step up it up against Western Michigan, a team that had put up 1,050 yards in their last two contests. Against the Wahoo defense, the Broncos put up just 91 yards on the ground and were stifled through the air for a majority of the contest. More than 200 of the Bronco's 317 yards in the air were picked up in the fourth quarter, when the game was well out of reach.

The Cavalier defense also sacked the Broncos' quarterback three times and caused a number of hurries, interceptions and fumbles. Virginia forced six turnovers on the day, converting most of them into touchdowns. Two interceptions were run back for scores - one by Franklin as mentioned above and another by senior defensive leader and cornerback Almondo Curry on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. This week, we'll have articles on spring football, baseball, lacrosse, recruiting, and men's basketball here's a sneak peak at some of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• Sabre Roundtable
  The men's basketball team wrapped up a strong season on the hardwood with a loss to Tennessee. But what does the offseason hold for UVa? What does next season look like for the Hoos? A two-part Sabre Roundtable will answer some of the questions facing the Cavaliers.
• Lacrosse Opens ACC Play
  The men's lacrosse team knocked off Johns Hopkins this past weekend. Next up is Maryland as the Cavs open ACC play. We'll get you ready for the weekend showdown.
• Spring Football Updates The Sabre attended the weekend's open practices and provided you with some coverage. There is more to come with notebooks and features planned on Chris Gorham, Jack Shields, and more.
  

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Hoos Hold Off Hopkins
BALTIMORE, MD. - All it took was one early goal by Johns Hopkins to spark a fire under the Virginia men's lacrosse team on Saturday afternoon. After Johns Hopkins opened the scoring with a goal in the fourth minute, the fifth-ranked Cavaliers responded by scoring the next four goals and ended up holding on for a gritty 7-5 win over the third-ranked Blue Jays in front of 4,784 on an overcast day at Homewood Field.

Bivens Learning Ropes At LB
Linebacker John Bivens, who signed with Virginia in 2006, was considered by many to be the sleeper of the recruiting class. After all, he did not play football his junior year of high school and many observers thought he would go the baseball route as Major League scouts expressed high interest in his diamond skills. When he went undrafted, however, Bivens decided to head to UVa for football. Cavalier fans are glad he did.

O-Line Could Again Be Cavs' Key
An experienced quarterback in Jameel Sewell. A playmaking wide receiver in Kevin Ogletree. Depth at running back with Cedric Peerman, Keith Payne, and Raynard Horne among others. Offensive coordinator Mike Groh is no longer in his debut season. Talented tight ends all over the place. Virginia's offense is about to rock and roll, right? Maybe. Maybe not. But the success - or struggles - will start up front where an experienced line returns after learning on the fly last season.

Dave Leitao's Media Q&A
The Virginia men's basketball team enjoyed a great deal of success during the 2006-07 season, sharing the regular season ACC Championship, winning an NCAA Tournament game, and posting a 21-11 record. Not bad for a team picked to finish eighth in the ACC. Dave Leitao joined the media on Tuesday to reflect on this season and look ahead to the future of Cavalier basketball.

The Unbroken Rule
Virginia pitching coach Karl Kuhn has a lot of quippy sayings. Some are just things old baseball guys say, others have everyday relevance. One such quip with daily relevance is "the game will test your poise." For Jake Rule, he learned about the tests of the game long before wearing the orange and blue, which was something he dreamed of as a child growing up in Waynesboro.

Around the Horn: Offense Responds
When the new Baseball America poll came out Monday afternoon, the North Carolina Tar Heels were not in the top spot, a position they had held for four weeks. Seventh-ranked Virginia took 2 of 3 against the Heels and the series win provides the Cavaliers with the tie-breaker edge against their Coastal Division rivals when ACC Tournament seeding time rolls around. With the weekend victories and Tuesday night's 11-1 spanking of Richmond on the road, Virginia improves to 20-4 (3-3 ACC). Can Greg Miclat and the Hoos keep it going against Miami?

Ryan's Cavs Dismiss USF
The Virginia women's basketball team is apparently doing its best to provide some drama in the WNIT. After all, the Cavaliers battled down to the wire for the second straight game before pulling out a two-point victory at the John Paul Jones Arena. On Thursday, the Hoos made a late steal to seal the win as South Florida's last-minute rally fell short 73-71.

Best Seat in the House: Dave Leitao
Dave Leitao's team fell just short of making the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament as Tennessee knocked out the Hoos by three points last weekend. That ended a remarkable run for UVa, which featured a co-regular season ACC Championship and an NCAA Tournament win. The two-year Cavalier coach joined Jed Williams on The Best Seat in the House to look back at the season, the coach-player relationship, and more.

Cavaliers Get Back To Work
With less than six months remaining until the opening kickoff of the 2007 season at Wyoming, the Virginia football team got its preparations under way on Wednesday afternoon as the Cavaliers held their first spring practice. Fans in attendance were certainly happy to see quarterback Jameel Sewell in action, but many eyes turned to the much-hyped Keith Payne whenever he touched the ball.

UVa Set For Spring Practice
Virginia's Al Groh was asked on Tuesday what he wants to get out of spring practice and what factors he looks at in evaluating the success of the spring. The seven-year head coach took a measured pause to gather his thoughts, before giving a thoughtful answer: "That we truly gain experience."

Cavaliers Pull Out WNIT Win
Lyndra Littles sat and watched with four fouls for nearly 10 minutes during the second half of Monday's WNIT contest. The scoreboard seesawed back and forth. She watched. Two media timeouts. She watched. Needless to say perhaps, when Littles returned with five minutes remaining and the score deadlocked at 63, she was tired of watching. It was time to play. Littles delivered 8 of the team's final 11 points, including the game-winning basket with four seconds to go, as UVa advanced past Charlotte 74-72.

Cavaliers Hold Pro Day Event
Virginia may not have had a surefire NFL first round pick in its senior class this past season but there are certainly a few departing Hoos who could have a future in store for them in the professional ranks. To help showcase the talents of its draft-eligible players, Virginia held its annual Pro Timing Day event on Monday morning - 11 departing Cavaliers, including Marcus Hamilton participated.

Joseph's Strong Half Helps Rally Hopes
Virginia's basketball season ended with a disappointing 77-74 loss to Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, but there were some bright spots from the "could have gone either way" battle with the Vols. One of those was Adrian Joseph, who picked up his scoring after halftime and contributed all over the floor. The team's sixth man all season nearly helped the Hoos rally to victory.

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.

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!

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