ACC Adds Pittsburgh, Syracuse

In a story that developed quickly over the weekend, the Atlantic Coast Conference has accepted Pittsburgh and Syracuse as the two newest members of the league. Naturally a topic with national implications creates a lot of conversation and TheSabre.com message boards continue to buzz with the news. What do you think of Pitt and Cuse? Will the ACC move to add two more schools to reach 16? If so, who are the top candidates for additional expansion? What will the divisional splits look like now or are smaller pods a possibility with future growth? UVa fans also are curious to see how the growing conference will impact the Hoos from football to basketball to lacrosse and beyond. Hit the boards and share your thoughts!

Meanwhile, the leadership at the University of Virginia praised the addition of Pittsburgh and Syracuse.

"The University of Virginia is pleased to welcome Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh as the newest members of the ACC family. We believe that their addition as the 13th and 14th members will enhance what is already a strong and respected conference. There are many important factors that we consider before inviting new members. Among them are the institution's commitment to academics, its athletic track record, and geographic location. Both Pittsburgh and Syracuse are good fits for our conference.” - Teresa A. Sullivan, president, University of Virginia

"During so much uncertainty in the college athletics' landscape over the past year and a half, the ACC routinely examined this very fluid situation in an effort to build upon its position among the nation's elite conferences. The ACC has considered the opportunities and decided to accept the applications for membership from two outstanding institutions that are excellent fits academically, athletically, and geographically. I am pleased that schools of the quality of the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University had an interest in joining the ACC." - Craig K. Littlepage, director of intercollegiate athletic programs, University of Virginia

Keep up with and read lots of ACC expansion articles in Sabre NewsLink, updated 365 days a year with news on the Hoos and related topics!

This Week In Recruiting

Virginia scored a point guard commitment with the last name Jones, but it wasn't Madison, the 6'0" Ravenscroft (Raleigh, N.C.) senior known to be on UVa's radar. Instead, head coach Tony Bennett received a commitment from Teven Jones, a 6'0", 180-pound point guard out of Kannapolis, North Carolina.

Jones, who graduated from A.L. Brown High School this past spring, is currently enrolled at Fishburne Military Academy in Waynesboro, Virginia. A full qualifier out of high school, Jones turned down Division I football offers and Division II basketball opportunities to go for his goal of being a major Division I college basketball player.

UVa's staff, led by primary recruiter Ritchie McKay and of course Bennett, first took notice of Jones at an AAU combine in June. After watching him workout this month, Bennett decided to extend an offer last Wednesday. Jones immediately accepted and is Virginia's fourth recruit in the 2012 class. He will sign a letter of intent with the Hoos in November.

EDGE subscribers can read more on Jones in last week's feature article. I hope to have more on him this week as well, so stay tuned. Jones averaged just less than 23 points and five rebounds per game last season as a senior, earning SPC Conference Player of the Year honors.

On the football front, one of Virginia's top remaining targets announced his college choice this afternoon. Worcester Academy (MA) senior Canaan Severin, a 6'2", 210-pound wide receiver target of the Hoos, had narrowed his list to Boston College, Penn State and Virginia, but selected the Hoos to become the 24th commitment in the 2012 class.

Severin told TheSabre.com last week that he was ready to make his commitment. He discussed what the most important factors are in the decision.

"I think it's a mix of things," Severin said. "Liking the coaches is definitely a key for me. I'm a relationship person. I want to be cool with the coaches. Also I like early playing time as well. I've never really wanted to redshirt. I'm already a year older than my classmates because I was held back after transferring to Worcester. … From an academic standpoint, I always wanted to go to a school with an amazing education."

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 Lands Point Guard For The 2012 Class
The trek from Waynesboro to Charlottesville was well worth it for Teven Jones. Jones, a 6'0", 180-pound point guard prospect, received an offer from Cavaliers head coach Tony Bennett. He accepted, becoming the fourth member of UVa's 2012 recruiting class.

A Closer Look At UVa RB Commit Kye Morgan
It didn't take long for Kye Morgan to make an impact on the Franklin (Somerset, N.J.) varsity football squad. Just over four years ago, Morgan, then a freshman, rushed 14 times for 92 yards in the Warriors' 19-13 win over Old Bridge in the 2008 season opener.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• 2013 Report: Michael Parker Scores Sixth Offer
• Catching Up With Lake Taylor's Mike Tyson
• Severin Closes In On Decision
• Recruiting Week in Review: Cooper, Bayside Overtake Harold, Ocean Lakes (blog)
• More On Rosburg, Severin (blog)

Please welcome United Bank, one of our newest sponsors, to the community! In business since 1839 with 37 consecutive years of dividend increases, United Bank is located throughout Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania. As one of the nation's largest community banks, United Bank's success is driven by its community banking orientation enhanced by the size and scale to leverage that flexibility.

Proud to support TheSabre.com, United Bank is making this special offer to anyone in the Sabre community: Open a free checking account (requires either direct deposit or an average collected balance of at least $2,500) with United Bank and receive a one-time annual subscription to The Sabre EDGE, a $59.99 value, for free! All you need to do open the account or to learn more about United Bank and this special offer is click here and fill out the information form.

The third season of "Hoos Talking" is back on the Richmond airwaves on Sportsradio 910 am (WRNL)! The show normally airs from 6-7 p.m. on Wednesdays. "Hoos Talking" is a sports magazine style program that is devoted to University of Virginia sports, athletes, alumni, coaches, and fans. The show's third season plans to run on Wednesdays from August 2011 to March 2012. As always, you can access the live web stream and listen to archived shows as well on TheSabre.com. Just click here for the "Hoos Talking" page on TheSabre.com.

UVA Bookstores Football Fan T-Shirt

The 2011 UVA Bookstore Football Fan T-shirt features a full-front design. A two-color football with the V-Sabre is "flying" past the stacked Go Hoos Go! imprint and V-Sabre logo. Virginia Football is underneath with a stylized line graphic below.

Get Spotted To Win! Wear your UVA Bookstore Football Fan T-shirt to a home football game for your chance to win a $25 UVA Bookstore Gift Card. Click here for details.

And don't forget about "Orange and Blue Football Fridays" at the UVA Bookstore. Save 25% in-store only on the Fridays before home football games (9/2, 9/23, 9/30, 10/14, 10/21, 11/11, 11/25)! For more information and restrictions, click here.

Issue No. 119 - January 2, 2004

Virginia defeats Pittsburgh in the Continental Tire Bowl

Elton Brown holding the 2003 Tire Bowl trophy

The Cavaliers defended their Continental Tire Bowl title by defeating the Panthers of Pitt, 23-16. Quarterback Matt Schaub took home the MVP honors with an outstanding effort. Schaub completed 20 of his 31 passes for 244 yards and one touchdown. Virginia's defense also came to play, holding Pitt to just 3 second half points and limiting all-everything receiver Larry Fitzgerald to no touchdowns and just 77 yards receiving on 5 catches.

The UVa defense sacked Pitt quarterback Rod Rutherford five times. But the most important defensive play of the game might have come on sack by defensive end Brennan Schmidt with just over two minutes to play. Schmidt's sack caused Rutherford to fumble the ball. Linebacker Kai Parham fell on the loose ball, and the Cavaliers ran out the remainder of the clock with a heavy dose of tailback Wali Lundy.

Defensively, freshman linebacker Ahmad Brooks had the most notable day, racking up 12 tackles, with 11 of them solo. Brooks also had two tackles for loss including a sack, as well as one pass breakup. Freshman linebacker Kai Parham also put in an outstanding day, racking up 10 tackles (8 solo) and recovering the aforementioned fumble.

Credit should also go to senior corner Almondo 'Muffin' Curry and sophomore linebacker Darryl Blackstock for frustrating Pitt receiver Fitzgerald. Their efforts caused Pitt coaches to look away from their Heisman runner-up receiver for much of the second half.

The Cavaliers finish the season 8-5, winning their second straight bowl game under Coach Al Groh. The Hoos have won 17 games the past two seasons under Groh while fielding two of the youngest teams in the nation. The Hoos won't be able to boast their youth next season, but they will be returning just about every member of their two-deep. Questions must be answered with regard to a couple of positions, most notably at quarterback with the loss of Matt Schaub.

While Schaub will not be easily replaced, there are some excellent candidates waiting for their opportunity this spring. Four candidates will compete for the position, but quarterback/receiver/punt returner Marques Hagans may have the jump on all of them. Hagans has experience at quarterback each of the last two seasons and has the heart and determination of a champion.

Check Out SabreMail No. 119.

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:

• Game Week: TheSabre.com prepares you for the Virginia football team's game with Southern Miss.
• Greg's Grades and JHoo's 10 Things: The Cavaliers lost their first game of 2011 at North Carolina after starting 2-0 on the year. TheSabre.com continues to give you the most in-depth analysis of anyone on how and why the Hoos lost the game with a grades report from Greg Waters and "10 Things I Learned" from JHoo!
• Pro Hoos: TheSabre.com has debuted a new series in August too. Beyond The Lawn" is a 12-month series found exclusively on TheSabre.com that follows three Virginia Cavaliers through a year as a professional athlete. Baseball's Tyler Wilson (Baltimore Orioles), track and field's Stephanie Marie Garcia (U.S. Olympic hopeful), and football's Clint Sintim (New York Giants) share their experiences throughout the year. Stay tuned for the next edition!

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

The Sunday Sampler 2011 - UNC
The numbers aren't encouraging. Fresh off a 28-17 loss to North Carolina and another opponent with more than 200 yards rushing, Virginia's defensive transition to the 4-3 scheme continues to be a painful process. In the 12 games against Football Bowl Subdivision opponents so far in Mike London's tenure, UVa has allowed 31.5 points per game and seven 200-yard plus rushing days.

Tar Heels Run Past Hoos
For the first time in 30 years, the Virginia football team knows what it feels like to lose in back-to-back years against North Carolina. While Saturday's contest in Chapel Hill did not have the lopsided score or the streak-crashing disappointment of last season's 44-10 defeat, the first loss of 2011 stung for different the reasons. After all, the Cavaliers outgained the hosts 468-401 in the contest, but lost the scoreboard 28-17. That gave the Tar Heels their first wins in consecutive years in the series since 1981-82.

UNC Watch List
Both the Virginia men's and women's soccer teams opened ACC play with wins this fall. The UVa football team would like to follow that path too as the Cavaliers travel to North Carolina on Saturday in the conference opener for both teams. One of the oldest rivalries in the nation, the series has been evenly split over the first 115 meetings with the Heels owning just three more victories than the Hoos. As always, there are some key areas to watch in this week's contest and TheSabre.com's UNC Watch List takes a closer look.

Game Preview 2011: UNC
One of the nation's oldest rivalries resumes this week when Virginia travels to North Carolina for the 116th edition of this series. The Cavaliers are looking for a third straight win in Chapel Hill, but it won't be easy. The Hoos are searching for their first ACC road victory under Mike London and the program's first conference road win since October 2009.

Tailgating With Chefhoo - UNC
North Carolina is known for many things food related and we will tackle three of them this season. For an away game with most of us entertaining at home, we have enough time to go the extra mile and do something special. It would be challenging to cook with Carolina Shrimp for a home game, as your car might smell like an estuary for weeks to come. Let's pay homage to the little crustacean with a number of different preparations for every skill level.

Greg's Game Report 2011: Indiana
Just like great baseball pitchers need to learn how to win when they don't have their best stuff, Mike London's Cavaliers took a step down that road Saturday in their win over Indiana. Pitchers who are struggling on a particular day are asked to grind it out and put their team in a position to win. Yes, Virginia clearly put itself in a position to lose, but in the end, it did the things necessary to grind out a victory.

Randolph Rolls To Confident Start
As Virginia's Robert Randolph trotted on to the field late Saturday night in Indiana, he felt confident. Never mind the potential nerves of the situation - the Hoos and Hoosiers sat in a 31-31 tie - Randolph's foot could give UVa its best start since 2005. He had made this kick time after time in practices and he had played the game-winning scenario over in his mind too. Randolph delivered with a shot right down the middle and the Cavaliers returned to Charlottesville with a 2-0 record.

JHoo's 10 Things I Learned 2011 ... Indiana
Two games down, quite a few to go. But after two games, 2-0 is the best a team can do and that is where the 2011 Hoos sit. Perhaps that does not surprise some, perhaps that shocks others, but here the Hoos are either way. Breaking down how they got there is the task before us in this week's "10 Things I Learned" column.

Get your Wahoo fix. Subscribe to Sabre Edge!

Every week, Sabre Edge provides you with exclusive articles, columns, special features, interviews and recruiting news, including daily recruiting updates. There's even a special message board just for subscribers. And to top it off, you get 10 percent off all of your UVa Bookstores purchases during your subscription.

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!

• Sabre Edge Info and Sign Up