Blog Banter: Quick Carolina thoughts

I'll have more thoughts in my upper deck notes later this week, but here are some scattershot thoughts for now:

- Virginia certainly deserved this win. But, at the same time, Butch Davis and his Heels deserved this loss. I know both teams had their missed opportunities, but Carolina really snatched defeat out of the jaws of victory between the silly turnovers, that prevent-the-win defense, and the odd decision to kill the clock at the end of the game.

- Since the Hoos only scored 3 points until the waning seconds, there was plenty here for us to nitpick at. For now, the only thing I'll point to is the continual use of Cedric Peerman on the same off tackle looking plays that, yes, worked the last two weeks, but was clearly getting snuffed out by the Heels throughout the game. Switching to a Simpson-oriented attack late in the second half was a good move - but it really took far too long to try something new in the running game.

- Was I the only one that lost a few years while Virginia's extra point was struggling through the uprights?

Read the full entry here and keep up with all the hot Hoo topics on The Good Ol' Blog.

Rob Mahini (Vandy-Hoo)
The Good Ol' Blog

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Saturday was a big day for Virginia recruiting on both the football and men's basketball fronts.

On the football side, UVa played host to 6-5, 260-pound Catholic Memorial (West Roxbury, MA) offensive/defensive lineman Brennan Williams on an official visit. Williams, who is also considering Boston College, Duke, Michigan, North Carolina, and Wake Forest, expected to leave Charlottesville late Sunday night so we'll have further comment on his experience later today.

Virginia is the first Division I-A program to earn an official visit from Williams, who will take an official to UNC next weekend and an official to Wake Forest on the weekend of Nov. 8. Williams is the son of Brent Williams, a former NFL defensive end who once played under Al Groh when Groh was the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

Brennan was certainly not the only high school prospect in attendance for the thrilling win over UNC. Woodbridge (VA) senior running back De'antwan Williams, Battlefield (Haymarket, VA) junior quarterback Bo Revell, and Varina (VA) junior offensive lineman Marquis Wallace were among the other confirmed uncommitted visitors in attendance. UVa commits confirmed to be in attendance included WR/QB Quintin Hunter, QB Ross Metheny, ATH LaRoy Reynolds, and RB Dominique Wallace.

Stay tuned, as we'll follow up with the above prospects and more for comments on Saturday's big win. Any breaking news can also be found on the EDGE message board.

Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) wide receiver Tim Smith, another top remaining target of the Hoos, was scheduled to make an official visit to Louisville this past weekend. We'll be sure to catch up with the 6-1, 185-pound prospect as well for comments on his latest official visit.

Smith had already taken official visits to West Virginia and Virginia prior to this past weekend. He is considering taking all five official visits, but it would not be a total surprise if he did not.

Virginia is looking to score its second Oscar Smith recruit in this class, as the Cavaliers have already landed 5-9, 185-pound defensive back prospect Perry Jones. Virginia has received 20 verbal commitments in total in the 2009 class.

Q&A ...

We'll have a different take on the "Q&A" series this week when we post a Q&A with former Virginia wide receiver and current Sabre contributor Ahmad Hawkins. Ahmad gives his take on several recruiting subjects, including a look back at his own recruitment. Stay tuned for this piece later in the week.

Men's basketball ...

On the men's basketball front, Dave Leitao and staff hosted at least three talented prospects on Saturday in John Marshall (Richmond, VA) junior forward Travis McKie, Miller School (Charlottesville, VA) junior guard/forward Mychal Parker, and Chantilly (VA) sophomore center John Manning.

Stay tuned later today for an EDGE article on McKie, who is one of Virginia's top overall targets in the 2010 class. Clemson, Florida (no offer), North Carolina (no offer), Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest appear to be the primary schools under consideration for McKie. We'll also try to reach Parker and Manning for comments later in the week.

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 ...

UVA Recruiting Notes
In this latest edition of "Notes," check out the latest on Lafayette (Williamsburg, VA) defensive end Will Hill. Hill, who made an official visit to Tennessee recently, remains very much interested in the Cavaliers. He updates his recruitment. This weekend, UVa will play host to its third official visitor in as many weeks as top OL/DL prospect Brennan Williams will be in Charlottesville. And, as always, check out the latest on some of UVa's current 2009 commits.

Checking in on UVa S Commit Corey Lillard
5-11, 195-pound safety prospect Corey Lillard, one of Virginia's top recruits in the 2009 class, has helped Liberty (Bealeton, VA) to a 4-2 record this season. Head coach Tommy Buzzo provided the latest on his talented senior, who is known for his hard hits on the defensive side of the ball.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Exum Excelling in Senior Season
• Aboushi Adds Another Offer
• Collins One of the State's Best

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The Virginia soccer teams are in the hunt for the regular season ACC titles. Want to discuss the action with fellow futbol fanactics? We've got you covered! The Sabre's Soccer Message Board is the perfect place to rant and rave about all things soccer. Also, check out the Cavalier men's and women's schedules so you can talk about the upcoming games with your fellow Hoos.

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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!

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Hardenbergh Wins USTA Futures Title: Cavalier freshman Lindsey Hardenbergh won the singles title at the Dwight Davis/Merrill Lynch Championships on the USTA Pro Circuit on Sunday She defeated third-seeded Anda Perianu of Romaina, ranked No. 614 in the world in the final 7-5, 7-6. Perianu was a two-time Big XII Player of the Year and a 2004 All-American at Oklahoma. "It was a good match and I had to fight for every point today," said Hardenbergh. "It came down to who wanted it more and I was able to dig deep and get those points against a great competitor who has a lot of experience. I want to thank my coaches because they put me in position, especially with conditioning, to have the hard work pay off this week. I was just happy to be able to represent UVa this week."
• Cavaliers Continue to Advance at ITA Mideast Regional: The Virginia men's tennis team had two singles players and one doubles team advance on Sunday at the ITA Mideast Regional Championships. Houston Barrick and Dominic Inglot advanced to the semifinals of singles and the team of Barrick and Sanam Singh advanced to the doubles finals.
• Cavaliers Rally for 2-1 Win Over Boston College: Sophomore Kika Toulouse scored her first career goal in the 72nd minute to lift the No. 9 Virginia's women's soccer team to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over No. 14 Boston College at Klöckner Stadium. The victory was the Cavaliers' first-ever victory over the Eagles and improves their record to 12-2-1 overall and 6-1-0 in the ACC.
• No. 14 Virginia Falls At Boston College, 1-0: The 14th-ranked Virginia men's soccer team fell on the road at Boston College Friday night, 1-0. Eagles' midfielder Edvin Worley scored the game-winner in the 65th minute to give Boston College the victory. The loss ended a six-game win streak for Virginia (8-4-0, 4-1-0 ACC), and it was just the second time this season the Cavaliers have been shut out.
• Volleyball Wins First ACC Home Match Over Wake Forest: he Virginia volleyball team rebounded from a heartbreaking five-set loss to Duke on Friday night to win it's first Atlantic Coast Conference match in Memorial Gymnasium this season on Sunday afternoon. After a slow start, the Cavaliers rallied for a 3-1 (14-25, 25-21, 25-26, 27-25) win over the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons to improve to 12-9 on the season and 4-5 in ACC play.
• Nationally Ranked Cavalier Men Finish Sixth at Pre-NCAAs: The Virginia cross country teams completed the 2008 Pre-NCAA Invitational, a preview of the championship courses to come in November, on Saturday morning. Eighty-one men's teams and 80 women's teams split into four races based on national rankings to compete, with Virginia's men's team claiming sixth-place in the Men's 8K White Race, while the women finished 23rd in the Women's 6K White Race. Junior Stephanie Garcia was the top Cavalier finisher, taking 17th overall, while sophomore Ryan Collins led the No. 12 men's squad to upsets over No. 3 Colorado and No. 11 Iowa State.
• Seventh-Ranked Tar Heels Beat Virginia 3-0: The 13th-ranked Virginia field hockey team (11-6, 1-2 ACC) was beaten by No. 7 North Carolina (11-3, 3-1 ACC) 3-0 Saturday at Francis E. Henry Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Virginia Women's Basketball Ranked In Several Preseason Publications: Returning four starters from last year's team that finished with a 24-10 overall record, the Virginia women's basketball team appears in several national publications' 2008-09 preseason rankings. The Cavaliers are ranked No. 13 by The Sporting News, No. 15 by Lindy's College Basketball Annual and No. 18 by Athlon's Sports College Basketball Annual. In addition, UVa appears in USA Today's College Basketball Preseason Sweet 16.
• Tucker, Baker to Miss the Start of Preseason Practice: Virginia men's basketball coach Dave Leitao announced Friday that two players will miss the start of preseason practice. Junior forward Jamil Tucker and junior guard Calvin Baker both suffered injuries that will keep them from participating as the preseason begins. Tucker suffered a right shoulder injury that will require several of weeks of rehabilitation for strengthening. Baker experienced a stress related foot injury and will be held out indefinitely pending further evaluation.

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

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Issue No. 270 - Dec. 4, 2006

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

Chase Minnifield, the outstanding WR/CB out of Henry Clay (Lexington, KY), and St. Rita (Chicago, IL) offensive tackle/defensive end Matt Conrath were in Charlottesville making their official visits this past weekend.

The 6-0, 185-pound Minnifield, a four-star recruit, committed to Virginia this past May. The visit was important to help solidify his commitment, as he has stated previously that he may make official visits to other schools. There is a full update up Minnifield's visit on the Sabre EDGE, so be sure to check it out through the link below.

Minnifield had an outstanding senior season, contributing in many different areas for the Blue Devils. On the year, he passed for 365 yards and three touchdowns. He had 458 yards rushing with eight touchdowns. He had 48 receptions for 630 yards and nine touchdowns. On special teams, he tallied 523 yards and four touchdowns on returns. Defensively, he made three interceptions.

He prefers to play cornerback on the next level but may end up at wide receiver.

Conrath, a 6-7, 255-pound prospect, made what was his first ever visit to UVa. Stay tuned, as TheSabre.com will catch up with the talented prospect later today for an update. Conrath, who racked up more than 100 tackles in helping his team to a state championship this season, plans to make two more official visits this week - to Miami of Ohio and Stanford, respectively.

UVa plans to host several uncommitted prospects this upcoming weekend. Batesburg-Leesville (S.C.) wide receiver recruit Dontrelle Inman and Henrico (Richmond, VA) defensive back/athlete Corey Mosley have been offered by Virginia and plan to make their official visits this weekend.

Inman is a 6-2.5, 185-pound prospect. He plans to make a verbal commitment on December 14 at his school. He lists a final five of Auburn, Georgia Tech, Maryland, South Carolina, and Virginia, but he is only making an official visit to UVa.

Mosley, a star 5-9, 190-pound defensive back/wide receiver/running back for Henrico, will be making his first official visit. He also has an offer from Virginia Tech and currently says he will wait until January before making a commitment. He will be joined this weekend by his teammate, 5-10, 185-pound wide receiver Brandon Spurlock. Spurlock does not have an offer from UVa at this time, but he could be next on the list should other targets commit elsewhere.

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 soon:

• Looking Ahead To Georgia Tech: The Sabre brings you pregame coverage and analysis for the football team's game with Georgia Tech this weekend.
• Looking Back At UNC: Our analysts and columnists take a look at the Hoos' third straight win.
• Basketball Update: UVa opened practice last week and we'll fill you in.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Verica Responds In Crunch Time
Marc Verica simply wasn't at his best for three quarters of Saturday's game against North Carolina. A fact he readily admitted afterward with reporters. But was he at his best when he got one final chance? Boy was he ever. Verica rebounded from a sporadic showing through three quarters to orchestrate a come-from-behind, streak-extending, you'll-be-telling-people-about-if-for-years drive in regulation and capped it off with a final pinpoint throw in overtime to help lift UVa to its third straight win, a 16-13 victory over UNC.

Cavaliers Upset Heels In Overtime
The streak lives on. In its first overtime win since 2006 over Wyoming, Virginia upset No. 18 North Carolina 16-13 on a two-yard touchdown run by tailback Cedric Peerman, as the crowd rushed the field. With the loss, the Tar Heels continued their losing ways in Charlottesville. They now have 14 straight losses in Scott Stadium.

Virginia Prepares To Open Preseason Practice
The Virginia Cavaliers open their 2008-2009 season Friday with the beginning of preseason practice. The Cavaliers got an early jump-start on the new season when they traveled to Canada for a three-game exhibition at the end of August. Coach Dave Leitao said that he felt the early action helped the team in a variety of ways.

UNC Scouting Report: Defense & Punting
One of the biggest impacts on Virginia's offensive improvement over the last two weeks has been its play on first down. The Cavaliers are averaging 4.18 yards per carry on first down rushes, a big increase from just two weeks ago when the Hoos were netting just 2.73. The same improvement can be seen in the passing game as well where the Hoos have improved from averaging 4.6 yards per pass to 9.12 yards per pass while the completion percentage has gone from 53% to 68%. Can an improving Virginia offense handle a red hot Carolina defense?

UNC Scouting Report: Offense & Kicking
Under offensive coordinator John Shoop, the Heels deploy a pro-set attack (with H-Back) that favors deep sideline passes, quick slants, and hitch routes off heavy play action. They will also run out of the I and off-set I formations. What makes the UNC offense effective is utilization of an excellent corps of receivers combined with an equally effective use of play-action and pump fakes. The offense may appear complex with its shifting, multiple formations, motion and wide receiver options but much like Texas Tech, the Heels run fairly typical pattern combinations.

The Hawk's Nest - An Eye On Ras-I
This Saturday features another chapter in the storied "South's Oldest Rivalry" between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Cavaliers. With the Tar Heels coming to town it will be important for the defense to continue to play well and not give up the big play in the passing game. As a defensive back myself, that's where I'll be focused this weekend by keeping an eye on shutdown corner Ras-I Dowling.

Tuesday Press Conference Notes '08 - UNC
While attitudes at Tuesday's press conference remained hopeful, everyone in the room was aware of the challenge awaiting the Cavaliers on Saturday against the Tar Heels, even if they weren't aware that North Carolina hadn't defeated Virginia in Charlottesville (1981) since any of the current Cavaliers have been alive.

Inside The Game - ECU
In a game with several standout performers - Cedric Peerman, Matt Conrath, and Eugene Monroe all received a weekly ACC honor for example - it can be easy for a player to get lost in the statistical shuffle. Still, you don't expect that to happen to a three-year starter. Especially when that starter led the team in tackles. But in some ways, that's exactly what happened to Antonio Appleby after this weekend's 35-20 victory against East Carolina.

Photo Gallery: UVa 35, ECU 20
The Virginia football team ripped off its second straight win Saturday, defeating East Carolina 35-20 at Scott Stadium. Several players had good games including Cedric Peerman, Kevin Ogletree, John Phillips, and Mikell Simpson, who all scored touchdowns. Defensively, the linebackers had a big day led by Antonio Appleby. Check out 142 photos from the win!

Cavalier Call-In Highlights '08: Show 8
For the second straight week, the Cavalier Call-in show had a chance to focus on a win as the Virginia football team climbed to 3-3 on the season by defeating East Carolina on Saturday 35-20. Coach Al Groh joined Dave Koehn for the eighth season installment of the show and talked about Cedric Peerman, Scott Deke and the fake field goal, Marc Verica, North Carolina, and more.

Greg's Stock Report '08: ECU
Despite a 35-20 victory, the ECU grades show there are plenty of areas for the Cavaliers to work on prior to their ACC showdown with North Carolina. Our trend report shows a disturbing issue from earlier in the season reappeared against ECU, one that could have a huge impact against the Heels and Georgia Tech. Special teams play continues to be a sore subject as well. Overall there are good things to report, although the running back grade may surprise you.

10 Things I Learned ... ECU
Last week's game was pure "wow." This week's game was a down-by-six ugh, then a 28-straight-points wow, then an are-we-letting-this-slip-away ugh, then a we-put-it-away wow. Maybe a little more adventurous than we needed the game to be, but a quality win nonetheless, one that seemed completely out of reach on paper a mere two weeks ago. So what did we learn from the ECU victory? Let's take a look.

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