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   SabreMail - October 15, 2007
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Kris Wright gets married; Football win streak continues

Wahoo fans,

Katrice Jones has something to cheer about as her team is in the Top 25 this week.
Congratulations to Kris Wright and his new bride Heather for tying the knot this past Saturday. While fans were basking in the glory of Virginia's sixth straight win, the Wright's were on their way to Charleston, S.C. for their honeymoon. Please wish them all the best!

Speaking of Virginia football, the win over Connecticut on Saturday means the Cavaliers are eligible to participate in a post season bowl game. The win streak has also helped to put them in the national spotlight with their first national ranking since 2005. The BCS Standings poll has Virginia as high as 19th, while the USA Today poll has the 'Hoos at #24. Still no love from the AP and ESPNU, but a win over Maryland this weekend should change that. Note: the photo to the right is of Katrice Jones, a member of the 2007 cheerleading squad. She is the sister of former UVa tailback Thomas Jones (daughter of Thomas, Sr. and Betty Jones).

One further note about this week. With Kris Wright out, I will be handling all of the duties for TheSabre.com, including account assistance, customer service and monitoring the message boards. Please direct your questions, concerns and other important matters to me at [email protected].

Thanks and Go Hoos!
Michael Ingalls


   Recruiting News

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

BASKETBALL RECRUITING

John Brandenburg
The wait for John Brandenburg's decision is finally over, and the wait was certainly worth it for the University of Virginia. Last night, the 6-11, 235-pound center verbally committed to University of Virginia head coach Dave Leitao. The decision comes two weeks after the 4-star center made an official visit to Stanford, which was the other finalist in this race.

One of Virginia's top overall targets, Brandenburg, a standout out of De Smet Jesuit in St. Louis (MO), made an unofficial visit to Virginia following the NBPA Top 100 Camp in June and followed that up with an official visit to UVa the second weekend in September. He is the second prospect to commit to Virginia in the 2008 class, joining 6-6, 195-pound Holy Cross (Flushing, N.Y.) guard Sylven Landesberg.

EDGE subscribers should check out last night's article, in which Brandenburg discusses why he chose Virginia and when he actually came to his decision.


South Kent (CT) senior center Assane Sene made an official visit to U-Conn this past weekend. Virginia, which received an official visit on the weekend of September 29th, is also very much in the mix, so stay tuned for more on this 7-0, 230-pound prospect. Sene had a terrific official visit to Virginia and early reports indicate that the visit to Storrs went well also, so he could well decide between these two schools.

The EDGE will check in with South Kent head coach Raphael Chillious for more.


5-star guard Elliot Williams, a senior out of St. George School (Memphis, TN), made an official visit to Memphis this past weekend. The visit was Williams' fourth of his recruiting process, with Duke, Virginia and Tennessee also receiving trips. These four programs make up the final list for Williams, who is likely to sign in November.

FOOTBALL RECRUITING

New commitment/New offer...

The Virginia men's basketball team finished the week in style with a commitment from Brandenburg, but Virginia's football staff received some good news as well. 6-6, 238-pound punter Jimmy Howell switched his verbal commitment from Northwestern to Virginia.

Howell, who is averaging 43.5 yards per punt this season, is a talented senior out of West Florence High School (Florence, S.C.). He attended Virginia's summer camp this year and returned for an unofficial visit for the Georgia Tech game this fall. Howell received an official offer the Thursday following Virginia's victory over Georgia Tech and decided to commit to Virginia after visiting Northwestern one more time.

Virginia had received a commitment from California punter Matt Zubyk earlier this year, but Zubyk eventually switched his verbal to Stanford. The Cavs now have 13 verbal commitments in the 2008 recruiting class.


A scholarship offer has gone out to 6-3, 212-pound Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, VA) wide receiver Randall Dunn. Dunn, who was expected to be in Charlottesville for Saturday's game versus Connecticut, first began playing high school football midway through last season. After showing some potential - including an 80-yard kick-off return for a touchdown in his first game - Dunn has really turned it on this year, racking up 10 touchdowns in seven games.

In Friday night's 33-14 win over Tallwood, Dunn hauled in three receptions for 47 yards and two touchdowns.

According to Ocean Lakes head coach Jim Prince, Dunn has received scholarship offers from Connecticut, Northern Illinois, Ohio and Virginia. Virginia Tech recently came in with strong interest but has yet to offer. Stay tuned for more with Dunn this week.

GAME BALL

Stratford (CT) running back Torrey Mack helped to keep his team undefeated this season, rushing for a 91-yard touchdown in Stratford's 48-14 win over Immaculate.


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 ...

Walker Sets Third Official Visit
Image: Deion Walker4-star wide receiver prospect Deion Walker made his second official visit last weekend, traveling to Florida State. He has now set his third official visit date and says he "definitely" still plans to use an official to Southern Cal as well. While he knows four official visit destinations, the 6-3, 180-pound Christchurch (VA) standout is not even close to making a decision.

Price Enjoying Big-Time Senior Season
South Lakes (Reston, VA) senior wide receiver A.J. Price is enjoying a breakout season, having tallied 20 receptions for 611 yards and 8 touchdowns in six games. The 6-4, 170-pound prospect is hoping his senior season success equates to Division 1 scholarship offers, and he could hear something soon on that front.

Q&A with West Florence P Jimmy Howell
The University of Virginia's latest football commitment is from 6-6, 238-pound punter prospect Jimmy Howell, a standout out of West Florence High School in Florence, South Carolina. Howell, who chose the Cavaliers over Northwestern, took some time to answer questions about his recruitment and his future at Virginia in this "Q&A" session.

Two Visits in the Books for Uzodinma
Image: Ugo UzodinmaDunbar (Washington, D.C.) star defensive end Ugo Uzodinma is now up to two written scholarship offers, from Illinois and Virginia, respectively. He is hoping for more, but if more schools do not enter the mix then he appears just fine in choosing between the Illini and the Cavaliers. Last month, he made official visits to both schools.

Cavs Land Commitment #13
The University of Virginia has landed its 13th commitment of the 2008 recruiting class, securing a pledge from 6-6, 238-pound punter Jimmy Howell. Howell, a standout out of West Florence High School in Florence, South Carolina, has chosen UVa over Northwestern and Duke, among others.

West Potomac WR Drawing UVa Interest
West Potomac (Alexandria, VA) offensive lineman Jimmy Bennett has gotten most of the recruiting attention from college coaches, but another Wolverines senior is gaining serious momentum. 6-3, 180-pound wide receiver Robert Byrd has captured the attention of several ACC schools and at least one top Big East program with his play this fall.

Brandenburg Commits!
Image: John BrandenburgThe John Brandenburg wait is finally over, and the news is very good for the University of Virginia. Earlier this evening, the 6-11, 235-pound senior verbally committed to UVa, choosing the Cavaliers over Stanford. Rated a 4-star prospect by Rivals.com and Scout.com, Brandenburg also boasted scholarship offers from Florida, Missouri and Wisconsin, among others.

Kelly Continues Through Recruiting Process
Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) junior forward Ryan Kelly continues to make the rounds to interested colleges, most recently making unofficial visits to Virginia Tech and North Carolina, respectively. The 6-9, 197-pound prospect has also visited N.C. State, Virginia, Richmond and William & Mary, among others, in hopes of eventually being able to narrow his list of schools by the end of his junior year.


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   News, Notes, and Fan Discussion

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 Maryland 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. UConn contest this week will reward a Barber Brothers Book Collection to first place and a 1-Year Cavalier Corner Magazine subscription to second place.

For the full information or to enter, click here!


Advertise With The Sabre!

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Our advertising approach is different in that we make it abundantly clear in a direct and honest way that your company's commitment of sponsorship dollars is what enables the site to continue existing and improving into the future.

To learn more, please contact [email protected].

The Sabre is a vital part of a unique collegiate sports network that reaches nearly 2 million individuals per month. Like the Sabre, each site in the SportsWar network is an organically grown community and the emotional home for its fans.

To learn more about SportsWar network sponsorship opportunities, please contact [email protected] and visit the SportsWar media guide www.sportswar.com

To view a list of our sponsors, please visit our Sponsors Page.


Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

  • Baseball Begins Orange Blue World Series: The Blue Team captured the first series of the 2007 Orange and Blue World Series with a 4-3, 10-inning victory over the Orange Team Sunday night. The Blue, coached by assistant coach Karl Kuhn, won the series 2-1. The teams start the second three-game series at 6 p.m. Tuesday.
  • Lady Cavs Finish 8th in Golf Tourney: Behind the third consecutive top-10 finish of junior Lene Krog, the Virginia women's golf team placed eighth in a stellar field at Tennessee's Mercedes-Benz Championship. Virginia shot 298 during Sunday's final round to complete the tournament with a score of 886.
  • Football Cavs Ranked for First Time: The Virginia football team is ranked 19th in this week's Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings released Sunday afternoon. The Cavaliers are also ranked 24th in this week's USA Today coaches poll.
  • Carlin Leads UVa Golf for Third Straight Tourney: For the third straight time this fall senior Greg Carlin led Virginia by shooting 1-over 217 to finish 29th overall. Carlin shot 1-under 71 Sunday after posting back-to-back 73s during the first two days of play.
  • Women's Golf Remains Unbeaten: The fourth ranked Virginia women's soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games with a 1-1 tie against No. 21 Clemson Sunday afternoon at Klöckner Stadium. Shannon Foley (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) scored for the Cavaliers, who are now 9-1-4 overall and 3-0-3 in the ACC.
  • Volleyball Records Second Straight Sweep: The Virginia volleyball team (12-7, 7-3 ACC) recorded its second straight sweep Sunday, a 3-0 victory over North Carolina. Game scores were 30-15, 30-24 and 30-27.
  • Men's Basketball Begins Preseason Practice: The Virginia men's basketball team begins practice for the 2007-08 season on Saturday (Oct. 13). UVa has 11 lettermen, including three starters, returning from its 2006-07 team.
  • Women's Basketball Begins Practice: The 2007-08 Virginia women's basketball season officially opened Friday, as the squad gathered at John Paul Jones Arena for its first practice of the season. The Cavaliers will play host to Team Concept in an exhibition contest Nov. 5 and commence the regular season Nov. 10 at home against Longwood.

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


   UVa Bookstores - The Place for Wahoo Gear!

Tiki Barber Book Signing at UVa Bookstores!

The UVA Bookstore is proud to host Tiki Barber, Friday October 26th from 5:00 - 7:00 PM for a signing of his new book, Tiki: My Life in the Game and Beyond.

Tiki will ONLY sign copies of his new book purchased at the event (sorry, no memorabilia) AND copies of his children's books ONLY with the purchase of a copy of TIKI. All titles will be available at the event.

This event is free and open to the public.

We hope you will come and join us in welcoming back one of UVA and the NFL's greatest running backs!

  • Location: UVA Bookstore - Mezzanine 400 Emmet Street, South 4th Floor - Central Grounds Parking Garage Charlottesville, VA 22904


   What's New on TheSabre.com?

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.
  • Maryland The Sabre breaks down the Terps' special teams, offense, and defense.
  • Looking Back at UConn Each week, the Sabre breaks down the previous week's contest. Stay tuned for JHoo's 10 Things I Learned Against Connecticut, Greg's Game Grades, Inside the Game, and more.


In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Gould Does It Again - Late Kick Beats UConn
Chris Gould kicked a 19-yard field goal with 3:20 to play Saturday and mistake-prone Virginia won its sixth consecutive game and knocked Connecticut from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 17-16 victory.

UVa Vs. UConn Scouting Report: Special Teams
Image: UConnFor the majority of Al Groh's tenure at Virginia, one thing the Cavaliers have done well is return kicks. Marquis Weeks streaking upfield against North Carolina immediately comes to mind. Alvin Pearman, Cedric Peerman, and even Ahmad Brooks have had success in that role at times. With kickoffs moving back 5 yards in 2007, the Hoos' return game logically seemed poised to get even better. At least in theory. In reality, the kickoff return game has been rather bland.

Wes' Ways To Win - UConn
Image: Chris GouldThe Virginia football team is looking for its sixth straight victory this week when Connecticut rolls in Charlottesville. The Huskies are also looking for a sixth consecutive win as they bring a perfect 5-0 record to town. How can the Hoos end that streak and pick up another win? Wes McElory shares Wes' Ways to Win, which are the keys to the game.

UVa Vs. UConn Scouting Report: UConn Offense
Image: UConnFor the third time this season, the Hoos could be one of the biggest games of the year for an opponent. The Cavaliers have been the headlining target for Wyoming and Middle Tennessee on the road and now are the "biggest game of the year" for a third opponent, this time in the friendly confines of Scott Stadium. The offense is led by JUCO transfer Tyler Lorenzen, who had 354 total yards against ACC foe Duke. Connecticut's offense also features a pair of dynamic running backs that have combined for 623 rushing yards and an impressive 5.1 yards per carry.

Best Seat In The House: Terry Kirby
Terry Kirby is one of the most successful athletes to ever don a Cavalier uniform, finishing his career with more than 3,000 rushing yards. That stellar college career followed a similar story at Tabb High School where he recorded 7,428 yards rushing and 104 touchdowns. Kirby is now a member of the Virginia High School Hall of Fame. Jay James caught up with Kirby this week on The Best Seat in the House.

The Hawk's Nest - Kick Returners
Image: Ahmad HawkinsThis season, the NCAA passed a rule change to help speed up the game and add more excitement. The NCAA chose to move kickoffs back 5 yards to the 30-yard line. This would mean less touchbacks and more opportunities for big returns. With the rule being passed, teams with good kick returners became more valuable. But what makes a kick returner a good one?

UVa Vs. UConn Scouting Report: UConn Defense
Image: UConnConnecticut ranks fourth nationally in total defense, yielding just 250.60 yards per game, and fourth in scoring defense at 11 points per game. UConn is eighth in passing efficiency defense and 15th nationally against the run at 89.20 yards per game. While all of those number are nice, where the Huskies have been the most dangerous is in forcing turnovers. Connecticut's 11 interceptions tie for fifth nationally and 44 of 145 points against Division 1-A opponents have come as a result of turnovers. That's nearly one-third of the team's points.

Tuesday Press Conference Notes - UConn
Image: Cedric PeermanWhile Virginia escaped Middle Tennessee State with a 23-21 win Saturday, it did not get out of Murfreesboro unscathed. Starting running back Cedric Peerman injured his right foot in the first quarter and starting cornerback Chris Cook twisted his left knee in the fourth quarter. Both of those players' status for this weekend's contest with Connecticut is unknown - UVa coach Al Groh left each player's condition as a day-to-day scenario in Tuesday's meeting with the media.

Greg's Game Grades '07: MTSU
Image: Vic HallOn an evening where all three operations had enough breakdowns to cost Virginia a critical road win, all three groups got it together in the final three minutes Saturday to eke out a victory. The defense got the stop it needed. The offense executed a virtually flawless two-minute drill to set up the game-winning field goal. Vic Hall bookended the offense's final drive with two supreme special teams plays and Chris Gould did the rest.

Best Seat In The House: Chris Gould
Image: Chris GouldTrailing 21-20 with 1:26 to play on Saturday at Middle Tennessee State, the Virginia football team had one last chance at victory as kicker Chris Gould stared down a 34-yard field goal try. Gould said he knew Jameel Sewell would get him into position so he was ready when the time came, drilling the ball right down the middle of the uprights for the 23-21 triumph. Gould joined The Best Seat in the House to talk about the kick and more.

10 Things I Learned Vs. MTSU
Image: Chris LongHalfway through the season and the Hoos are 5-1. Had you offered that midseason record to Hoo fans prior to the season, I suspect that you would have had a lot of takers. And yet, after a nailbiter against Middle Tennessee State University, many fans seem puzzled by the product they see on the field. I can understand that perspective; after all, UVa is winning a lot of games at the margins this year. But they are winning, and that makes breaking down the game a lot more fun.

Inside The Game: MTSU
Image: Andrew PearmanWhen Virginia lost Cedric Peerman, the ACC's leading rusher, late in the first quarter of Saturday's game at Middle Tennessee State, many Virginia fans probably felt a slight sense of dread. Just a twinge of that 'we've been here' before anxiety. After all, reserve backs Keith Payne and Andrew Pearman had combined for exactly 39 carries in the first five games and no one knew exactly what to expect.


   Sabre Edge

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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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