Help Camp Wahoo With Its Food Drive

Sabre fans, Camp Wahoo is one of the largest tailgate groups around when it comes to UVa Athletics. Many of the group's members post here at The Sabre on a regular basis. This Saturday is a perfect chance to visit the pre-game fun and help a good cause!

This Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, the Camp Wahoo Tailgate Group will be holding a food drive to benefit the Thomas Jefferson Area Food Bank. Camp Wahoo is collecting non-perishable food items at their usual tailgate location (next to Clark Hall on the corner of McCormick Road and Cabell Drive; the bridge that crosses over US29 just after the Curry School is directly across from the tailgate spot).

Donations can be dropped off starting at 9 a.m. and will be collected up until kickoff of the UVa-Miami Homecoming football game.

The upcoming holiday season is a very hard time for many in our area, and with soaring food prices, more and more families will have a difficult time putting food on the table this year. Please join The Sabre in supporting this drive on Nov. 1! Help Camp Wahoo and the Thomas Jefferson Area Food Bank make certain that no one in the local community goes hungry over the holidays.

Thank you!

Kris Wright
Editor

This Week In Recruiting
By Chris Horne

A decision from Oscar Smith (Chesapeake, VA) senior wide receiver Tim Smith could come at any time. The 6-1, 190-pound prospect took an official visit to the University of Louisville on the weekend of Oct. 18 and that will be the final official visit he takes, head coach Rich Morgan told TheSabre.com on Sunday night.

Virginia and West Virginia also hosted Smith on official visits and those programs join Louisville as Smith's finalists. For more on this situation, be sure to check out the Sabre EDGE update posted this morning. Coach Morgan discusses Smith's recruitment as well as the outstanding senior season he has produced. In nine games, Smith has tallied more than 40 receptions for more than 1,000 yards and 15 scores.

Coach Morgan also discusses Virginia commit Perry Jones, a 5-9, 185-pound senior who is a major piece of the Tigers' program. Jones, a tailback and linebacker for Coach Morgan, has gotten the job done on both sides of the ball this season. Oscar Smith is undefeated this season and currently ranked in the top 15 in the USA Today's Super 25.

Virginia wide receiver commit Tyree Watkins, a star prospect out of Camden, New Jersey, was expected to make an official visit to Virginia this coming weekend, but after speaking with primary recruiter Mike Groh on Sunday night he has decided to reschedule for the weekend of the Clemson game. Watkins, one of Virginia's most highly rated commits in the 2009 class, discusses how solid his commitment to the Cavs is and where he stands on the recruiting trail.

Is Watkins more solid in his commitment to UVa? Check out the EDGE later today to find out.

We'll also check in on other University of Virginia commitments. In particular, we'll check in with quarterback Ross Metheny, who unfortunately was forced to sit out Sherando's (Stephens City, VA) win on Friday night due to a knee injury. The extent of the injury is unknown at this time, but we'll try to find out more from the talented signal caller.

UVa continues to inch toward closing out its 2009 football recruiting class. The men's basketball program has been busy as well, hosting a number of junior recruits in recent weeks. We'll try to catch up with some of those targets for reflections on their experience in Charlottesville and more, so stay tuned for more on the men's basketball recruiting front.

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: TheSabre.com Contributor Ahmad Hawkins
In this latest edition of "Q&A," TheSabre.com contributor and former University of Virginia standout player Ahmad Hawkins gives insight into the recruiting process, both when he was being recruited and on what he sees in today's recruiting world. How have things changed? What does he think about the internet's involvement in today's recruiting? What does he recall from his own process? Check out the EDGE to find out.

McKie Reflects on Recent ACC Visits
Community High School (Richmond, VA) forward Travis McKie, one of the top 2010 class prospects in the country, was in Charlottesville on Saturday on an unofficial visit to the University of Virginia. The 6-6, 185-pound junior discussed his latest experience at UVa, reflected on several other recent visits and updated where his recruitment may go from here.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• 4-Star OL/DL Visits UVa
• Oscar Smith Star Close to a Decision?
• Bolling Awaits Further Word from VT, UVa
• 2010 Profile: Battlefield QB Bo Revell
• 2010 Class: Woodberry Forest (VA)

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Homecoming Sale! 10% Off At UVA Bookstores!

Homecoming is this weekend at Virginia and UVA Bookstores, a proud Sabre sponsor, is helping EVERYONE celebrate! From now through Halloween (Friday), EVERYONE can receive 10% off purchases - even on sale merchandise!!!

All you have to do is shop and then enter the code miami when you check out. Remember, the offer is only good through this Friday!

Fan of the Week

Every week, theSabre.com features a Fan of the Week photo on the front page of the Web site. (Archives are available in the Wahoowa! section.) So you want to be the fan of the week? It's easy - be the loudest Hoo at a live UVa event, wear some crazy Cavalier gear, or do something else to catch our attention. If Mike or Kris spot you and take your picture, you'll be in the running for Fan of the Week honors!

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,

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• UVa Women's Golfers Finish 2nd at The Derby: The No. 7 Virginia women's golf team placed second at Auburn's The Derby in the team's final regular tournament of the fall season. The Cavaliers finished at 887 including a final round score of 12-over 300. UVa was 18 shots behind No. 2 ranked Arizona State, which won with a score of 869. Virginia was paced by the top-10 finishes of Whitney Neuhauser and Jennie Arseneault. Neuhauser was the runner-up at 5-under 211. Arizona State's Anna Nordquist took medalist honors at 207. Arseneault was sixth overall at 218. She shot 2-over 74 during the final round.
• Cavalier Men's Golfers Finish 10th at The Ridges: The Virginia men's golf team wrapped up the fall portion of its schedule with a 10th-place finish at The Bank of Tennessee at The Ridges tournament. The Cavaliers shot 8-over 296 during Sunday's final round for a three-day total of 889. Coastal Carolina won the event by one shot at 869. Freshman Ben Kohles led the Cavaliers with an 18th-place finish at 4-over 220, including a 1-under 71 during the final round.
• Virginia Rowing Successful at Princeton Chase:
• Virginia Picked To Finish 12th In ACC Preseason Poll: The Virginia men's basketball team was picked to finish 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 2008-09 regular season on Sunday (Oct. 26) in a preseason poll of media representatives attending the ACC's 40th annual Operation Basketball. North Carolina was the unanimous choice of media representatives participating in the preseason poll to finish first in the ACC regular season standings. North Carolina had 480 points in the poll followed by Duke (436), Wake Forest (354) and Miami (344). Clemson (306) was fifth in the preseason poll followed by Virginia Tech (298), Maryland (192), Georgia Tech (186), N.C. State (179), Florida State (145), Boston College (123) and Virginia (79). Virginia freshman guard Sylven Landesberg finished second in balloting for ACC preseason Rookie of the Year. Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu finished first in the voting with 18 votes followed by Landesberg (4).
• No. 19 UVa Downed By Duke In Overtime, 1-0: In a tough road environment, the No. 19 Virginia men's soccer team (8-5-1, 4-2-0 ACC) fell to Duke, 1-0, in overtime Saturday night. Mike Grella converted a penalty kick in the 97th minute that was the difference in the game. "We played very well and I was very pleased with our performance," Virginia coach George Gelnovatch said. "We had two very good chances in the first half and that was probably our time to score. To lose on a penalty kick in overtime is just a tough thing."
• Cavaliers Fall to North Carolina: The No. 7 Virginia women's soccer team suffered its first home loss in two seasons, falling to No. 5 North Carolina 5-1 Friday night in front of 1,918 fans at Klöckner Stadium. All the scoring was in the second half as the Tar Heels scored four goals in a 10-minute span to pull away for the win.
• 13th-Ranked Virginia Falls to No. 2 Wake Forest: The 13th-ranked Virginia field hockey team (11-7, 1-3 ACC) fell to second-ranked Wake Forest (15-2, 2-2 ACC) by a score of 6-2 Saturday at the University Hall Turf Field. Traci Ragukas and Paige Selenski netted goals for the Cavaliers, who played their final home game of the season.
• Cavaliers Defeat Clemson: The Virginia men's and women's swimming and diving teams defeated Clemson to wrap up its season-opening road trip in South Carolina. The women, ranked 10th in the nation, earned a 169-131 victory while the 15th-ranked men beat the Tigers 189-105.
• Seminoles sweep Cavaliers: After defeating Miami to start the weekend, the Virginia volleyball team couldn't swing the momentum from Florida State on Saturday evening in Memorial Gymnasium and fell to the Seminoles, 0-3 (22-25, 23-25, 24-26) in Atlantic Coast Conference action. The Cavaliers fall to 13-10 on the season and 5-6 in the ACC.
• Wrestling Earns No. 23 Preseason Ranking: The Virginia wrestling team has earned a preseason No. 23 ranking in the USA Today/InterMat/NWCA Division I Team Rankings. It marks the first time the Cavaliers have been ranked in the InterMat rankings and UVa's highest ranking in program history, topping the No. 25 mark attained in the Wrestling International Magazine poll in January. "At the end of the day, a ranking is just that - a ranking," Virginia coach Steve Garland said. "But it is a big day when you start seeing the program ranked on a consistent basis. We earned a ranking last year and to earn one this year shows the consistency that we want to attain here, and that is exciting. Obviously we have a lot of big goals going into this season."

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

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Issue No. 161 - Oct. 22, 2004

George Welsh never liked to use the phrase "big game," because what did that make the other ones -- "small games?" Al Groh argues that the only big games are championship games. You can't play a "big game" in October.

For Kai Parham and company, there will be other "big games" in the future.

OK, to some extent, that's coachspeak. We all know that last week's game at Florida State was a big game. It was a matchup of top-10 teams. Virginia had a chance to move into the top 5 and make a statement to the college football world: We're here. Instead, the statement was more like, "Oops." So it was disappointing because many of us believed the program was on the verge of a breakthrough. Apparently, not yet.

Still, both coaches have a point. Any game played in mid-October shouldn't be built up too much. Like Groh said, it was just one game. One ugly, sorry, embarrassing, dreadful, stinking game. There are more games to be played this season -- six, including a bowl. And if things go well -- if the Cavs bounce back and play up to their potential, which is still considerable -- there will be other big games this season. Nov. 13 vs. Miami. Nov. 27 at Virginia Tech. Virginia's shot at an ACC title may be determined in those two matchups.

Moreover, if you believe that Groh is building a championship-caliber program here, there will be other big games in the future. Oodles of big games. After all, big-time programs play in big games all the time. So while Florida State may have been the first "big game" for UVa under Groh, somehow I doubt it will be the last.

John Galinsky
Then Editor of 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 soon:

• Looking Ahead To Miami: The Sabre brings you pregame coverage and analysis for the football team's game with Miami this weekend.
• Looking Back At GT: Our analysts and columnists take a look at the Hoos' fourth straight win.
• Cavalier Conversation: Jed Williams caught up with Boo Williams to talk hoops, UVa, and more.

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

Emotional Hoos Surge To Road Victory
Many of us, including me, have wondered what happens to the Virginia football team when it leaves Charlottesville. Too many times we've seen the Cavaliers flounder away from Scott Stadium. No emotion. Foggy eyed. Flat-footed and flat-lining on the road. It's a theme, outside of 2007's magical run, that seemed to run longer than E.R. on television. Not the case in a 24-17 win Saturday as Virginia defeated a ranked Georgia Tech team in Atlanta. It all started with the team leaders and Virginia trailing 14-3. An interception by Marc Verica followed by a big-play passing bomb and subsequent touchdown run for Georgia Tech could have ignited a familiar fuse. Instead, Cedric Peerman and Clint Sintim started a fire.

Covington, Receivers Deliver In Win
Talk about a team effort. With running back Cedric Peerman leading the ground attack, Virginia connected through the air as well in the 24-17 victory over Georgia Tech. Marc Verica passed for 270 yards, including a pair of touchdown strikes to Kevin Ogletree and Maurice Covington, who delivered with a career-high 5 receptions for a career-high-tying 76 yards.

Cavs Clip GT To Take Coastal Lead
ATLANTA, Ga. - As Virginia continues to overcome double-digit spreads as the underdog on its way to four straight wins, the Cedric Peerman and Clint Sintim show goes on. And, Saturday afternoon, it included an appearance from Vic Hall. With Virginia leading by a touchdown and Georgia Tech driving with 1:20 remaining in the fourth quarter, Hall broke in front of intended receiver Roddy Jones for a diving interception to ice yet another stunning come-from-behind victory. Coming into this game as 14-point underdogs, the 24-17 win gives Virginia its fourth consecutive win of the season - its first on the road - and places the team in first place in the Coastal Division. It is also UVa's first road win against a ranked opponent since a victory at Clemson in 2001.

GT Scouting Report: Defense & Punting
A lot of the discussion this week has centered on the Yellow Jacket offense, probably because of the novelty and probably because coach Paul Johnson has had some success with his triple option, run-and-shoot approach in a BCS conference. But what has made Georgia Tech so difficult to beat this season has been a defense that has held six opponents under 262 yards and given the offense a short field to play on. Winning is pretty easy when the defense gives up only 11 points a game.

Best Seat In The House: Dave Leitao
The Virginia men's basketball team is closing in on its exhibition game with Shepherd before the season tips off officially against VMI on Nov. 16. What will life after Sean Singletary be like for UVa? Can Mamadi Diane and others step up to lead the team? Dave Leitao joined Jay James to answer questions about the Cavaliers. Check out the free audio!

Photo Gallery: Virginia 16, UNC 13 (OT)
The Virginia football team produced two touchdowns on its final two drives (one near the end of regulation to tie the game and one in overtime to win the game) to rally past North Carolina last Saturday by a 16-13 score. Marc Verica, Cedric Peerman, Jon Copper - 16 tackles! - and Darren Childs all earned headlines with their play. Relive the action from the day in this 100-image EDGE gallery.

ChalkTalk: Wheel Route
The Virginia football team's receiving corps is helping the offense have a more balanced attack in 2008, giving the Hoos more options with medium and deep patterns. That has helped complement the running game. It has also opened up other passes to the tight ends and running backs by drawing the defense's attention downfield. Look no further than the overtime wheel route completion to John Phillips against North Carolina if you need an example of the receivers' impact on the offense.

GT Scouting Report: Offense & Kicking
Remember the old line about Michael Jordan? You can't stop him; you can only hope to contain him. No one except Gardner-Webb has stopped the Yellow Jacket offense but could TheSabre.com have come up with a winning formula? Beating Georgia Tech is pretty simple: limit the touches for B-Back Jonathan Dwyer, quarterback Josh Nesbitt, and receiver Demaryius Thomas and prevent big plays. See? Simple. Read on to find out how.

The Hawk's Nest - Attacking Cover 2
Last week's game turned into a real nailbiter as it took a last minute drive to help send the game into overtime en route to the Cavs' 14th straight home victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. During the game-tying drive the Cavaliers' offense did a great job of moving the ball against the Tar Heels' soft Cover 2 zone or prevent defense. In an earlier article I talked about how to run a Cover 2, but now I would like to put you in the mindset of the offense as it looks to attack the zone.

Best Seat in the House: Mike Groh
The Virginia football team heads to Atlanta this weekend after winning three straight games, including last week's overtime thriller against North Carolina. UVa offensive coordinator Mike Groh sat down for an interview with Jay James and talked about the win over the Heels, Cedric Peerman, Marc Verica, and more. Check out the free audio!

Tuesday Press Conference Notes '08 - GT
After winning three straight games at Scott Stadium, the Virginia football team heads back on the road this week with a 3:30 p.m. contest at Georgia Tech. The task is to avoid the results experienced in the first two road games of 2008 when the Cavaliers fell to Connecticut (45-10) and Duke (31-3) by a combined 63 points. It won't be an easy task against the 6-1 Yellow Jackets, who are ranked No. 21 in The Associated Press poll this week.

JHoo: 10 Things I Learned ... UNC
This week, I could write 20 Things. After all, it is not every week that you have a heart-stopping comeback win. Oh yeah, in overtime. On a national network. Against a ranked opponent. Make that against a ranked opponent who just happens to be your oldest rival. For a third straight win. Maybe I could write 30 Things. Let's start with a look at the defense's day.

Cavalier Call-In Highlights '08, Show 9
Complimentary callers and a look ahead to Georgia Tech next weekend dominated this week's Cavalier Call-In with Virginia head coach Al Groh. Host Dave Koehn opened this week's edition by recapping the big win over UNC Saturday, the Cavs' third consecutive win. There was only one word for what happened Saturday at Scott Stadium, Koehn said. "Wow."

Inside The Game - UNC
Since being named the offensive coordinator before the start of the 2006 season, Virginia fans have had plenty of opinions on Mike Groh. Much criticism has been lobbed his way thanks to the Cavaliers' offensive rankings; the offense often resides in the bottom 1/4 of the nation's teams and currently sits 104th in total offense. Saturday probably didn't change those opinions for the most part. But I will say this - and I fully understand it has no bearing on evaluating the offense's production on his watch - the man cares about his job and loves Virginia football.

Greg's Stock Report '08: UNC
The Cavaliers let the Tar Heels taste it; they let them smell it; they even let them touch. But like Charlie Brown and his nemesis Lucy, the Cavaliers pulled the ball away in the end and the Heels fell flat on their tails in a 16-13 overtime loss Saturday to the Wahoos. Carolina produced more yards (332-275), more first downs (19-15), more time of possession (34:13 to 25:47), and our grades certainly reflect an average Virginia offensive outing. The offense, however, made it count when it needed it. But this was a day for the Virginia defense that held the Tar Heels' 19 points below their season scoring average and limited UNC's big play attack.

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