Chalk Talk Resumes

UVa fans don't have to spend Saturdays missing the old days! The Alumni Association and The Sabre bring you Game Day Chalk Talks for every home game. Coach George Welsh, who is back for year two at Alumni Hall, will have to miss this weekend's scheduled talk. But never fear, he has rounded up some able replacements!

Learn from Hoo Legends
Game Day Chalk Talk with Slade, Blundin, & Covington

Every day before home football games, 1.5 hours before kickoff, Cavalier fans can normally spend time with former UVa head coach George Welsh as he breaks down the weekend's opponent and talks football strategy. This week, he has pulled in some substitute guests: Chris Slade, Matt Blundin, and Tony Covington will substitute for the coach. Come by Alumni Hall at approximately 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 22 for the Georgia Tech event.

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

Chalk Talks are the perfect way to spend Game Day. Come talk football with people who know the game and know UVa! 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 ...

The John Brandenburg watch continues. The 6-11, 235-pound center made an official visit to the University of Virginia on the weekend of Sept. 7. He had hoped to make a decision between UVa and Stanford by the end of this past week, but the decision is obviously a tough one and he has yet to make it.

Brandenburg, a 4-star standout out of De Smet Jesuit School in St. Louis (MO), has been told by UVa coaches that he is the number one target at the center position in the 2008 recruiting class. He made an unofficial visit to Stanford in August before last weekend's trip to Virginia.

The Sylven Landesberg watch ...

6-5, 190-pound guard Sylven Landesberg, a 4-star recruit out of Holy Cross (Flushing, N.Y.) made an official visit to Georgia Tech this past weekend. The visit to Atlanta is Landesberg's final scheduled visit before he is expected to decide from three schools - Georgia Tech, St. John's, and Virginia. He made an official visit to St. John's the previous weekend and made a 5-day unofficial visit to UVa the first weekend in September.

Prior to Sylven's visit to Virginia, sources close to the situation felt that the decision may come down to the two ACC schools. He had a terrific experience at Virginia, but we'll see if it is enough in the end.

Big weekend ...

This weekend, head coach Dave Leitao and company play host to two other 2008 recruits in 6-4 guard Elliot Williams and 6-7 forward Lance Goulbourne.

Williams is a stud out of St. George's School in Memphis, Tennessee. He narrowed his list of schools to four late last month ... the lucky schools being Duke, Virginia, Tennessee, and Memphis. He will make official visits to each one before making a commitment and earlier this month made his official visit to Duke.

Rated a 5-star prospect by Scout.com and Rivals.com, the talented lefty can stroke the perimeter jumper or get to the basket and finish. He averaged 23 points per game last season as a junior.

Goulbourne, a versatile prospect out of The Hun School in Princeton, New Jersey, will be making his second official visit of the recruiting process as well. He was expected to visit Marquette this past weekend and also has a trip to Vanderbilt scheduled for Sept. 29. Goulbourne may make more official visits, but nothing has been set at this time. Of the three schools receiving official visits, Vanderbilt is the only one Goulbourne had visited previously.

As a junior last season, Goulbourne, who could play the 3 or the 4 at UVa, averaged 11.2 points, 7.5 rebounds (led his team), and 1.5 blocks per game.

Football recruiting ...

This weekend is not only a big weekend in men's basketball recruiting, but it is also a big weekend in football recruiting as well. St. Xavier (Cincinnati, OH) running back Darius Ashley is scheduled for an official visit. Ashley is likely down to Louisville and Virginia.

Stay tuned, as we will produce profiles on this weekend's visitors (football and basketball). Find out where Virginia stands with these players and, following the trips, how their respective experiences went.

Game Ball ...

In our "Q&A" update with 6-7, 290-pound East Stroudsburg (PA) OL/DL Corey Lewis, the standout senior indicated that this past Saturday's contest versus Scranton would be one of the biggest of the young season. He and his offensive line mates came through, paving the way for running back A.J. Davis to rush for 114 yards and four touchdowns en route to a 26-17 victory.

The win puts East Stroudsburg at 2-1 on the season.

For more on Lewis, a commitment to the University of Virginia, check out last week's "Q&A" piece.

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 ...

Q&A with OL/DL Corey Lewis
6-7, 290-pound OL/DL Corey Lewis verbally committed to the University of Virginia on June 26th earlier this year. A well traveled standout, Lewis attended Christchurch School in Virginia his first two years of high school before transferring to East Stroudsburg South in Pennsylvania. An excellent athlete, the big-time senior drew the attention of college recruiters this spring by running a 40-yard dash in the high 4.8s at a Nike combine. He also plays basketball.

3-Star Center Set for Second Official Visit
A native of Nigeria, Frank Ben-Eze entered Bishop O'Connell High School (Arlington, VA) one year ago. A 6-10, 225-pound center, Ben-Eze had only been playing basketball since the age of 15 (he played soccer up until then), so he certainly was raw as a junior last season. He has improved since his arrival, though, and is now up to four scholarship offers according to Bishop O'Connell head coach Joe Wootten.

Darryl Hamilton Seriously Considering UVa
5-9, 170-pound Centreville (Clifton, VA) defensive back Darryl Hamilton is excited about his position switch this season. It is something he feels will help bring more attention from Division 1A recruiters. The talented senior already has one major Division 1A offer in the fold, but he is waiting to see if more offers roll in before he makes a college decision.

Other updates since the last SabreMail ...

• Brandenburg Deciding Between UVa and Stanford
• Class of '09 Preview: Patrick Henry (Ashland, VA)
• 4-Star CB/WR Talks Recruiting
• Checking in with UVa Commit Billy Schautz

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The Sabre's Game Week Coverage

Helmet logos courtesy of The Helmet Project

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 GT 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 vs. Georgia Tech contest this week will reward a 1-year Sabre EDGE subscription to first place 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 Take Four Men's Tennis Titles at UVa Fall Invitational: The Virginia men's tennis team took four flight championships at the UVa Fall Invitational. Somdev Devvarman, Treat Huey, and Dominic Inglot won singles flights, while the team of Devvarman and Huey won a doubles flight .
• Men's Soccer Downs St. John's in OT: The No. 9 ranked Virginia men's soccer team returned home Sunday and scored a 1-0 overtime victory over St. John's at Klöckner Stadium. Ross LaBauex's goal in the 97th minute lifted the Cavaliers to their fourth win of the season.
• Women's Soccer Earns Two 4-0 Victories: The women's soccer team picked up a pair of 4-0 wins to win its own Virginia Nike Soccer Classic. On Friday, the Hoos shut out No. 18 Colorado on a rainy night. Shannon Foley tied a career-high for points with her two-goal, one-assist performance in the victory while Becky Sauerbrunn and Kelly Quinn added one goal each. On Sunday, UVa tossed another shutout against No. 25 Arizona. Foley notched a goal and an assist, which was the 30th of her career - that tied the school record set by Andrea Rubio (89-92). Sinead Farrelly, Meghan Lenczyk, and Julia Falk all had one tally. Foley was named MVP of the tournament. She was joined by Farrelly, Sauerbrunn, and Nikki Krzysik on the All-Tournament team.
• Cavs Win Two In Field Hockey: The field hockey team knocked off William & Mary and James Madison this weekend in Charlottesville. The Hoos outshot JMU 12-5 en route to a 3-1 victory Sunday, which followed a 2-1 win against the Tribe on Friday. Against W&M, Lucy Meyers scored twice to key the win. Against the Dukes, Meyers opened the scoring while Fenna Breitbarth and Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn each added second-half goals.
• Volleyball Downs VT: The Virginia volleyball team (6-4, 1-0 ACC) opened ACC play with a 3-0 sweep of Virginia Tech at Memorial Gymnasium. The Cavaliers outlasted the Hokies in each of the three nail-biting games, with scores of 30-27, 32-30, and 30-25. Virginia's Sarah Kirkwood and Lauren Dickson led the attacking with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Melissa Caldwell tallied 18 digs and served up a game-best four aces, which tied her career high..
• Baseball to Play Host to Ontario Blue Jays in Sept. 21 Exhibition: The Virginia baseball team will play host to the Ontario Blue Jays in a fall exhibition game at 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 21, at Davenport Field. The game is open to the public, and admission is free.
• Virginia Announces 2007-08 Wrestling Schedule: Virginia wrestling head coach Steve Garland has announced his 2007-08 team's schedule, which features several tough tournament tests as well as home ACC showdowns with North Carolina and Maryland. The second-year head coach also is welcoming in one of the nation's top-ranked recruiting classes to join an experienced core of veterans from last season.

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

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Issue No. 225 - January 20, 2006

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Borbely joins football staff: Dave Borbely, a former Colorado assistant, has been named the offensive line coach at the University of Virginia. The announcement was made by the school on Wednesday afternoon.
• Madison named field hockey coach: Michele Madison, who led Michigan State to national prominence in field hockey, was named the head coach at the UVa on Thursday. Madison has been a head coach for 17 years and owns a 208-143-8 career record.
• Virginia women's team helping Coaches Care Relief Project: Debbie Ryan's team is helping Hurricane Katrina victims through the Coaches Care Relief Project, which benefits Habitat for Humanity. UVa donated a fundraiser package to be auctioned off on eBay.
• Baseball team opens practice today, hosts fundraiser Saturday: The UVa baseball team is scheduled to hold its first full team practice today. On Saturday, O'Connor and the program will host the annual "Step Up to the Plate" banquet. This year's featured speaker is Brooks Robinson, a Hall of Fame third baseman that played for the Baltimore Orioles. Tickets may be purchased by calling 800-542-UVA1.
• Crippen wins weekly honor: Virginia senior Fran Crippen was honored as the ACC Men's Swimming and Diving Performer of the Week. It is the third time that Crippen claimed the honor this season and the 10th time in his career.
• Men's tennis drops opener: The top-ranked Cavalier men's tennis team opened the season with a 4-3 loss to No. 9 Pepperdine on Tuesday. The loss marks the first time since 2002 that the Cavaliers (0-1) have lost their season opener.

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.
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets The Sabre breaks down North Carolina's special teams, offense, and defense.
• Looking Back at UNC Each week, the Sabre breaks down the previous week's contest. Stay tuned for JHoo's 10 Things I Learned Against UNC, Greg's Game Grades, a Sabre Roundtable, and more.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Inside The Game: UNC
After a disappointing loss to open the season, Virginia has picked up two straight wins against Coastal Division foes. The two ACC wins followed a similar formula: get an early lead, fend off a rally, and come up with enough key plays to prevail. Against North Carolina, some of those important moments were shared by a number of Cavaliers.

Cavaliers Pick Up Gould-en Win
In situations like this, it might be wise for Virginia fans to remember an old proverb and not be too choosy. After all, many had begged for a much-needed turn-around on the road and while Saturday's 22-20 victory at North Carolina left things to be desired, it did deliver the most important thing: a road win.

Wes' Ways To Win - UNC
North Carolina is one of the youngest teams in the ACC and it is playing its conference opener. Virginia has experience with a multitude of returning starters and won its league opener last week. Of course, the game is in Chapel Hill and that has to count against the Hoos. So how do the Cavaliers get a win? ESPN's Wes McElroy gives you the keys in Wes' Ways To Win.

Best Seat in the House: Butch Davis
Virginia travels to Chapel Hill on Saturday with hopes of a 2-0 ACC start in tow. North Carolina, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to ECU. What does UNC coach Butch Davis think about the match-up? He joined Jay James on The Best Seat in the House and said UVa is the best team the Heels have played so far for one. Check out the FREE audio.

UVa At UNC Scouting Report: UNC Special Teams
Coach Al Groh may have put it best in his weekly presser with the media. "This is definitely the most explosive North Carolina team that we've been challenged by probably since the '01 season," Groh said. "They are very explosive offensively. ... It's very challenging, they have a very talented group there and they have done a very good job of putting together a plan that enables them to really feature those players." What has that plan consisted of so far? We take a look in this scouting report.

UVa At UNC Scouting Report: UNC Offense
Coach Al Groh may have put it best in his weekly presser with the media. "This is definitely the most explosive North Carolina team that we've been challenged by probably since the '01 season," Groh said. "They are very explosive offensively. ... It's very challenging, they have a very talented group there and they have done a very good job of putting together a plan that enables them to really feature those players." What has that plan consisted of so far? We take a look in this scouting report.

Best Seat in the House: Rick Brunson
Former Temple and NBA player Rick Brunson joined the Virginia men's basketball coaching staff this week as the director of basketball operations. Brunson played in the NBA from 1998 until 2006 and worked with the Denver Nuggets as an assistant coach involved in player development from January through April of 2007. The Cavs' newest coach appeared with Jay James on The Best Seat in the House to talk about joining UVa's staff.

UVa At UNC Scouting Report: UNC Defense
Coach Al Groh says the Tar Heel defense under new coordinator Chuck Pagano is quicker, stouter, and more aggressive. That's really showing up in the run defense so far where UNC has held two opponents to a meager 107 yards on the ground and a 2.8 YPC mark. Still, UVa will present the toughest test yet on the ground so that could be the key battle this weekend.

The Hawk's Nest - Beating Man To Man
Last week in The Hawk's Nest, the focus was on playing man-to-man defense as a cornerback. So how does a great receiver beat that coverage? Getting open at the college level is not as easy as it looks. You don't always have to be the biggest or the fastest to be a great receiver. In my opinion, you have to be a good route runner and know the different tools that will give you a better chance to get open.

Tuesday Press Conference Notes - UNC
In the first two games of the season, Virginia has played two quarterbacks. Inevitably that leads to the "Who is going to start?" questions from the media and from fans. Al Groh isn't biting on the questions and simply says that both players will play moving forward with situations determining when Jameel Sewell and Peter Lalich get snaps.

Greg's Game Grades '07: Duke
Last week it was the Virginia offense that left a disgusting aroma in the Laramie sky. Saturday against the Blue Devils, the Virginia special teams took the "skunk award" by stinking up the Carl Smith Center to the tune of three turnovers, a blocked punt, a fake punt conversion allowed on fourth down, and a blocked field goal, all of which led to Duke's 13 points. The Cavalier special teams were inexcusably bad - bad to the point of almost costing Virginia the game. Needless to say, the grade reflects the effort. Who had the best marks? Chris Long and defensive line. Check out all of the grades.

Photo Gallery: Virginia 24, Duke 13
Virginia freshman quarterback Peter Lalich made his Scott Stadium debut Saturday and fans are passing out rave reviews for his 13-of-18 passing performance. Relive the 24-13 Duke victory through this exclusive photo gallery that features 143 images, including Lalich, Cedric Peerman, Jameel Sewell, Chris Long, and more!

Notes From The Upper Deck: Blue Devil Hot
How hot was it? Hot enough to pay three-fitty for a cup of tap water! Yes, we braved the heat, the lackluster offense, and the price gouging this weekend to watch the Hoos get back on track (sort of) to take a critical (kind of) conference win early in the season. And, high up in the upper deck, yours truly was downing the last bottle of Aquafina in the stadium and taking mental notes about the first home game experience of the season. Jon Copper, Peter Lalich, and Dontrelle Inman all make the list. Writing about 2008's team with 2007's notes, kicking off now ...

In Focus: Chris Long
Virginia defensive end Chris Long turned in another strong performance for the Hoos on Saturday in the 24-13 win over Duke, creating havoc in the backfield for the Blue Devils on numerous occasions. He led a solid defensive effort from the Cavaliers, who allowed 229 yards on 69 plays (3.3 yards per play). The Sabre and WCAV put Long's performance "In Focus."

JHoo: 10 Things I Learned Vs. Duke
In wrapping up last week's article, I finished with the comment that I would not want to be the Duke football team the next weekend. Simply put, I did not see any way that the Hoos were going to return from Laramie and then lose to Duke. And it didn't happen, as expected. Still, the Duke game was not without its speedbumps for UVa. What did I learn from the contest with the Blue Devils?

Sabre Roundtable - A Duke Win Is ...
The Virginia football team got back on track this weekend with a win against Duke in Scott Stadium. The 11-point victory wasn't as dominating as some fans wanted, but it was an ACC win nonetheless. How important was it to get the W? Which players looked solid in the game? Sabre contributor Nick Sauer, WCAV anchors Marc Davis and Kris Budden, Best Seat in the House producer Michael Bisceglia, and Sabre fan SteelCav tackle this Sabre Roundtable to answer 5 questions.

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