Do You Miss Coach Welsh? Don't!

Virginia fans will never forget legendary coach George Welsh. A three-time national Coach of the Year, Welsh finished his 19-year career at Virginia in 2000 as the all-time winningest coach in school and ACC history. He is a 2004 inductee in the College Football Hall of Fame. UVa fans don't have to spend Saturdays without him though! Coach Welsh is back for year two of his Game Day Chalk Talks at Alumni Hall!

Learn from a Legend
Game Day Chalk Talks with George Welsh

Every day before home football games, 1.5 hours before kickoff, Cavalier fans can spend time with former UVa head coach George Welsh as he breaks down the weekend's opponent and talks football strategy. Come by Alumni Hall at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8 for the Duke event.

The event is open to the public and is sponsored by the University of Virginia Alumni Association and TheSabre.com.

Chalk Talks with George Welsh are the perfect way to spend Game Day. Coach Welsh breaks down the opponent and talks football like the Hall of Famer he is. Plus, there are plenty of other activities at Alumni Hall. Other activities include a pregame brunch , the "More than the Score" lecture series, and a 5th Quarter Tailgate at Alumni Hall.

Kris Wright
Editor
TheSabre.com

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Basketball recruiting ...

Sylven Landesberg, a 6-5 guard out of Holy Cross High School (Queens, N.Y.), has been in Charlottesville throughout the weekend and is expected to leave today. Landesberg, who averaged 27 points per game last season as a junior, is rated a 5-star prospect by Scout.com and a 4-star recruit by Rivals.com. He is one of Virginia's top targets in this 2008 recruiting class.

Besides UVa, Landesberg is also considering Georgia Tech, Kentucky, St. John's, and Texas. He has scheduled an official visit to Georgia Tech for the weekend of Sept. 15 and could make visits to the other programs as well. Prior to the UVa visit, sources indicated that Georgia Tech and UVa may have been the teams to beat.

Stay tuned, as we will try and reach Sylven today for comments on his trip to Virginia.

Dave Leitao and company will host another one of its top targets this weekend. 6-11, 235-pound center John Brandenburg will be making his official visit to the University of Virginia. He is expected to arrive on Friday, Sept. 7, and will leave on Sunday.

Brandenburg, a 4-star recruit that hails from St. Louis, Missouri, has narrowed his list to Stanford and Virginia. The De Smet Jesuit product visited Stanford last month and had a great time, so the Cavs certainly have their work cut out this weekend.

Brandenburg is not expected to take long to make a commitment to one of the two schools. He could decide within a week after his trip to Virginia, so obviously this weekend is very crucial for the Hoos.

Both Landesberg and Brandenburg attended the NBPA Top 100 Camp in Charlottesville this past June.

September will be a hot month for UVa on the basketball recruiting front. In addition to Brandenburg and Landesberg, the staff is expected to host top St. George (Memphis, TN) guard Elliot Williams and talented Hun School (Princeton, N.J.) forward Lance Goulbourne on the weekend of Sept. 22. Virginia may also be trying to get 6-10, 230-pound Bishop O'Connell (Arlington, VA) center Frank Ben-Eze in for a visit. The 6-4 Williams and the 6-7 Goulbourne have been offered by Virginia, while Ben-Eze has not yet received an official offer.

Stay tuned for more on the basketball recruiting front this week and throughout the month.

Football recruiting ...

Virginia missed out on Highland Springs (VA) defensive lineman Antoine Hopkins, who committed to Virginia Tech on Saturday. The 6-2, 265-pound prospect had considered offers from Syracuse and Virginia before choosing the Hokies.

Stay tuned, as we will follow up on any potential visitors for this weekend's game versus Duke. Virginia's big weekend this month looks to be the 22nd, as the Cavs are expected to host Gateway (Monroeville, PA) WR/RB/KR Cameron Saddler, Gateway LB Shayne Hale, and possibly St. Xavier (OH) RB Darius Ashley.

Game ball ...

Of Virginia's commitments, Northeast (Macon, GA) WR Javaris Brown seems to have turned in the top performance from this past weekend. The 5-11, 180-pound speedster hauled in touchdown passes of 32 and 11 yards, respectively, helping his team capture a 33-22 win over Dougherty on Friday night. Northeast is 1-0 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 ...

Virginia Trying to Schedule In-Home with Jones
6-8, 200-pound 4-star forward Kevin Jones would have liked to have narrowed his list of schools to a manageable number by now. But, after a busy summer that included a recent trip to China, that has not happened. The Mount Vernon (N.Y.) senior will soon host college coaches on in-home visits, though, and this should help facilitate his decision making process.

Barber Updates Recruitment
Edison (Alexandria, VA) wide receiver Ben Barber has made unofficial visits to Maryland, Penn State, Virginia and Virginia Tech this offseason. He certainly has been thinking about recruiting, but for now he is giving most of his attention to his team and his senior season. After finishing as the runner-up in the AAA Division 5 state playoffs last season, Barber and his teammates put in a tremendous amount of work in preparing for this season.

4-Star WR Sets First Official Visit
6-3, 180-pound wide receiver Deion Walker has made some headway in his decision making process. Though he does not plan to make a commitment until December at the earliest, the 4-star Christchurch (VA) product could release a final 12 in the very near future. He has also set one of his official visits.

Other updates since the last SabreMail ...

• Top Junior Basketball Target Visits UVa
• Ashley Working to Set Official Visit to UVa
• Stonewall Jackson Notes: Williams Sets First Official
• TheSabre.com's Preseason Top 30

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Diehard football fans know that preparing for the game starts a long time before Saturday. That's where the Sabre has you covered! Our game info pages are stocked with all the information you need for the Hoos' next game. That means you can get the essentials (time, place, TV, postgame stats, weather forecasts, preview articles, depth charts, roster cards, etc.) in one convenient location.

The links to each game are available through our schedule on the Football Info page (Click here for Football Info page.); all you have to do is click on the game of interest and the information is all on that game page! Check out the Duke page now!

That doesn't even include the articles you get as part of our premium EDGE coverage. Each week, you'll receive features, columns, and analysis on the Hoos' next game. If you want to be "in the know" and impress your buddies at the next tailgate, the EDGE is the place to be. To sign up for an EDGE subscription, please check out the Sabre Edge Sign Up and Information Page.

UVa Bookstores' 2007 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 prizes for the Pick ' em are awesome! The Virginia at Duke contest this week will reward 4 Tickets to the Georgia Tech game to the first place winner and a 1-Year Cavalier Corner Magazine subscription to second place.

For the full information or to enter, click here!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Cavaliers down intrastate foe to improve to 2-0: After cruising past Columbia, 5-0, in its season opener Friday night at Klöckner Stadium, the Virginia men's soccer team improved to 2-0 with a 2-0 win against Richmond on Sunday. Against Columbia, UVa got two goals each from Yannick Reyering and Chris Tierney. In the Richmond win. Neil Barlow and Tierney each scored.
• Women's soccer gets two wins: The women's soccer team opened the season with 4-0 win over Delaware on Friday and added another Klockner Stadium victory on Sunday by topping West Virginia, 3-0. The shutout against the Mountaineers was the sixth time in the past seven meetings between the teams that UVa left WVU with a 0..
• Skinner Named Director Of Sports Nutrition For Virginia Athletics Department: Rob Skinner, director of the Homer Rice Center for Sports Performance at Georgia Tech the last four years, has been named director of sports nutrition for the Virginia athletics department.
• Volleyball goes 2-1 over the weekend: Following an 0-3 loss to Arkansas, the Virginia volleyball team bounced back with a 3-0 win against Norfolk State and a 3-1 win against Temple in the 2007 Marriott Jefferson Cup. Melissa Caldwell and Sarah Kirkwood were named to the All-Tournament team..
• Field hockey alls to Old Dominion 3-1: Despite holding a 17-2 advantage in short corners, the Virginia field hockey team fell 3-1 to No. 6 Old Dominion. The No. 8 Cavaliers (1-2) held the Monarchs (1-2) to only four shots in the contest, but it wasn't enough. Traci Ragukas tallied a goal in her third consecutive game to lead Virginia offensively..
• UVa Women's Golfers Ranked No. 23 in Coaches Poll: The Virginia women's golf team is ranked 23rd in the Golf World/NGCA preseason coaches poll. The Cavaliers are one of four ACC teams featured in the rankings. Defending NCAA Champion Duke tops the standings while Wake Forest is 14th and North Carolina is 17th.

For more Hoo news or to read full releases, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 231- March 3, 2006

Mike Groh will take over as offensive coordinator this season for the Cavaliers.

With four new assistants on the football coaching staff, Virginia head coach Al Groh formally introduced the staff at a news conference Friday where he also announced the coaching assisgnments for the upcoming season.

The four additions to the UVa staff are Mike London, Steve Bernstein, Bob Diaco and Dave Borbely. The 2006 Virginia Coaching Assignments follow:

• Mike London ­- Defensive coordinator, defensive line coach
• Steve Bernstein ­- Assistant head coach, defensive backs coach
• Bob Diaco ­- Special teams coordinator, linebackers coach
• Levern Belin -­ Defensive assistant coach, assistant defensive line coach
• Mike Groh ­- Offensive coordinator, recruiting coordinator, quarterbacks coach
• John Garrett -­ Assistant head coach for the offense, wide receivers coach
• Dave Borbely -­ Running game coordinator, offensive line coach
• Bob Price ­- Assistant recruiting coordinator, tight ends coach
• Anthony Poindexter -­ Assistant special teams coordinator, running backs coach

Coming Soon

The Sabre has you covered when it comes to Hoo news. Here are a few of the articles to expect on the site in the coming days:

• Game Week Previews The Sabre has adjusted its game week coverage to fit a more streamlined format while also adding content. Stay tuned each week to get ready for the upcoming opponent.
• Duke Blue Devils The Sabre breaks down Duke's special teams, offense, and defense.
• Looking Back at Wyoming OK, this part is going to be painful. But the Sabre breaks down the Wyoming debacle: JHoo's 10 Things I Learned Against Wyoming, Greg's Game Grades, A Sabre Roundtable, and Point-Counterpoint.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

UVa's Offense Facing Identity Crisis
Philosophers would have a field day with this one. No one has perfected the "Who Am I?" act better than the Virginia football offense in recent years and the winding search for an identity has led to a growing group of head-scratching performances. Wyoming just joined the list Saturday as the Cavaliers turned in another offensive nightmare.

Cowboys Thump Cavaliers
The Virginia football team's 2006 season was hindered by a sluggish offense that never got on track through offensive line struggles and quarterback changes. The bad news is that the Cavaliers started 2007 in that same offensive quagmire, which led to a 23-3 defeat against Wyoming on Saturday.

Wes' Ways To Win - Wyoming
That countdown clock keeps ticking away as Virginia's first game of the 2007 season is just hours away. What can the Cavaliers expect in Laramie? The Cowboys are expecting the largest home crowd in years and probably have a little bit of revenge on their minds. But those are merely "motivational" factors. What about on the field? The Sabre's Keys to the Game are unveiled in our new feature - Wes' Ways To Win - as ESPN's Wes McElroy gives you the Hoos' checklist for victory.

Best Seat in the House: Wyoming's Joe Glenn
Virginia has already made the trip west for its season-opening game in Laramie, Wyoming. Joe Glenn, who is in his fifth year at UW, and the Cowboys fell just short in Charlottesville last season and they are waiting for Saturday's rematch. Glenn joined Jay James on The Best Seat in the House to talk about the contest, the Cavaliers, his team, and what to expect this weekend. Check out the free audio here to help prepare for the first kickoff of 2007.

ChalkTalk: Tight End Seam Route
It's no secret that Virginia is armed with a fleet of talented tight ends. Tom Santi, Jonathan Stupar, and John Phillips are all proven performers while Joe Torchia is among a strong group of understudies. As matter of fact, Santi and Stupar are UVa's two returning leaders in the passing game. So how can the Hoos use these players' skills? One way is through the tight end seam route.

UVa At Wyoming Preview: UW Offense
The 2006 campaign for the Wyoming offense was almost a mirror image of the Virginia season. Both teams replaced their starting quarterback's mid-way through the year and saw steady improvement as the campaign progressed. The Cowboys are stocked at the skill positions, but will that matter with a relatively inexperienced offensive line?

UVa at Wyoming Preview: UW Defense
You can poke - no pun intended - holes in some of the numbers and argue about the level of competition, but the fact remains Mike Breske's 2006 Wyoming defense was one of best in the country. The Cowboys finished 9th in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision last season after yielding just 162.9 yards per game. They ranked eighth in the country in pass defense (156.3 YPG) and 23rd in run defense, allowing 106.6 yards per contest. In other words, the defense was stingy and effective from its 3-4 base set.

Tuesday Press Conference Notes - Wyoming
The waiting is almost over as the countdown clock to Virginia's 2007 kickoff approaches the three-day mark. Fans aren't the only ones anxious to get things started, though. Players are ready to hit someone besides teammates and coaches are excited too. Al Groh said the new season is always an exciting time.

UVa At Wyoming Preview: Special Teams
When it comes to special teams, a lot of things have changed since last season's meeting between Virginia and Wyoming. The kickoff line has moved back five yards. The Cowboys' Aric Goodman has left the program and the school. UW's senior John Wendling is also gone. UVa's Chris Gould no longer handles the bulk of the punting duties. Despite all of the changes, however, special teams should play a key role for the second straight season in this match-up.

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