Versatile Jones Provides Boost For UVa

Virginia running back Perry Jones continues to be one of the most productive players not just on his team, but in the entire ACC. Jones leads UVa in rushing (514 yards) and is second in receiving (236). He averages 125.0 all-purpose yards per game, which ranks ninth in the ACC, and 85.7 rushing yards per game, which ranks fifth in the ACC. Jones has 2 TDs on the ground and 1 TD through the air.

This Week In Recruiting

A number of 2012 class commitments, 2012 class target Nathan Staub, 2013 class standouts including Bayside (Virginia Beach, VA) RB Taquan Mizzell, and top 2014 prospects like Bayside WR/DB Quin Blanding and Indian River (Chesapeake, VA) DE Andrew Brown were on hand on Saturday to watch Virginia take down Georgia Tech, 24-21. Certainly it was a big recruiting weekend for the football program, and we will have reaction from the weekend throughout this week.

EDGE subscribers can already read message board updates on Staub and Ocean Lakes (Virginia Beach, VA) DE Eli Harold, and we will have articles on both prospects posted this week. I plan to have EDGE board updates on the aforementioned Mizzell and Blanding. The two are teammates of UVa 2012 class commitment Anthony Cooper, who by the way accounted for five touchdowns in Bayside's win last week. Cooper's commitment gives Virginia three Bayside recruits in its last three classes, and without doubt the staff would like to continue its pipeline into the Marlins' program (and the success they've enjoyed in the Beach area under Mike London).

The Staub article already is live on the site. Staub, a 6'2", 224-pound fullback prospect out of Buford High School in Georgia, was the only official visitor on the weekend. The visit went very well, but when the standout senior's recruitment will come to an end remains unclear. In addition to Virginia, Staub is considering California, Harvard, and UNC.

Also hosting visitors this weekend, the men's basketball program welcomed all four of its 2012 commits. I'll provide updates from as many of those prospects as possible throughout the week.

The Week In Review is up on the Good Ol Blog (see the link below). Cooper, Varina (VA) standout Maurice Canady and Victory Christian Academy (Lakeland, FL) senior Demeitre Brim are just a few of the top performances turned in by Virginia recruits this past weekend.

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 ...

Season Diary: Johns, CB South Face Key Test
It's Thursday night, which means Matt Johns and the rest of the Central Bucks South (Warrington, PA) seniors are enjoying senior dinner night, continuing a tradition that began when the school opened in 2005. The 6'4", 195-pound quarterback looks to guide the Titans to victory tomorrow night against Suburban One Continental League rival Souderton. ("Season Diary" is a new feature focusing on the remainder of Johns' senior season. Johns committed to UVa in June and has led CB South to a 4-2 record so far in 2011. The team has won two straight.)

Staub Impressed With Players, Atmosphere
On what was a big football recruiting weekend for the University of Virginia, Buford (GA) senior fullback/linebacker Nathan Staub was the only official visitor. The 6'2", 224-pound took an unofficial visit to Virginia in the summer, so this latest experience provided an opportunity for him to get to know the players better. He came away impressed by the players and with a good feeling about Coach London's program.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Recruiting Notes: Important Weekend Ahead
• Manchester A Young But Talented Team
• 2013 Profile: PA TE Adam Breneman
• Week In Review: 2012 Recruits Deliver Big Games (blog)

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Compiled From Virginia Athletics Media Relations Official Releases

The Virginia men's tennis team won a pair of singles titles on the final day of play at the UVa Fall Classic. Justin Shane and Philippe Oudshoorn won their respective flights with a pair of victories on Sunday at the Snyder Tennis Center.

In Blue singles, top-seeded Shane topped Wayne Harrell of Liberty 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals before downing Filip Svensson of VCU 6-3, 7-5 in the final. Oudshoorn, the No. 2 seed in Black singles, defeated John Banks of William & Mary 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinals and topped top-seeded Stijn Meulemans of Radford in the final, 6-3, 6-2. In Orange singles, top-seeded Julen Uriguen won his semifinal 6-3, 6-2 over Brian Welnetz of Penn State, but had to retire from the tournament prior to the final. In the Blue Doubles draw, the top-seeded team of Drew Courtney and Uriguen won the title with a pair of victories after a first round bye. Oudshoorn and Steven Rooda took the title in White Doubles, winning a pair of matches after a first round bye.

Those performances continues an impressive fall for the Cavaliers. Mitchell Frank became the second consecutive Virginia freshman to win the ITA All-American singles championship earlier this month, downing Wil Spencer of Georgia in the final 6-1, 7-5. He is the second Cavalier to win the prestigious title, joining Alex Domijan, who won the title last year as a freshman. In the UVa Ranked+1 Invitational earlier in the fall, Jarmere Jenkins won a pair of titles, taking the orange singles and orange doubles draws. In singles, Jenkins defeated Roy Kalmanovich of Illinois in the final, 6-2, 6-2. In doubles, Jenkins and Uriguen won their final over Maros Horny and John Collins of Maryland, 9-8.

The Cavaliers will host the ITA Atlantic Regional this week at the Snyder Tennis Center. The tournament runs Thursday-Monday and admission is free.

UVA Bookstores Halloween T-Shirts

The UVA Bookstores Halloween T-shirt is ready for pre-orders! Pre-orders will begin to be shipped Oct. 10.

Have fun this Halloween and be safe in the UVA Halloween glow-in-the-dark T-Shirt. UVA is screened with glow-in-the-dark ink on the front chest with spooky and fun orange Halloween icons. In between each letter, there is a spider and its webs.

You can also print a FREE V-Sabre Pumpkin Stencil to carve on your pumpkin this year! Just click here!

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. 239 - April 28, 2006

Cavalier Stars Await Draft Fates

D'Brickashaw Ferguson is projected as a top 10 pick in this weekend's NFL Draft.

They've been measured, weighed, and timed. They've been interviewed, quizzed, and tested. Scouting combines, pro days, and individual workouts have come and gone. The last part - the waiting game - ends this weekend when NFL Draft hopefuls will find out where their shot at pro football will start.

Virginia's draft hopefuls include offensive tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, considered a certain top 10 pick, quarterback/receiver Marques Hagans, running back Wali Lundy, offensive tackle Brad Butler, offensive lineman Brian Barthelmes, receiver Ottowa Anderson, defensive lineman Brennan Schmidt, kicker Connor Hughes, kicker Kurt Smith, linebacker Bryan White, linebacker Kai Parham, and defensive lineman Kwakou Robinson.

It looks like Ferguson, Lundy, and Parham are certain draft picks, while Hagans, Butler, Schmidt, and Barthelmes are possible second-day picks. White, Robinson, Hughes, Anderson, and Smith likely will have to go the free agent route. Ferguson is the only potential Cavalier draftee that is easy to peg: he's considered a top 10 lock and likely the No. 4 pick for the New York Jets.

Marques Hagans may get a chance to break some tackles as a receiver or returner.

Rob Rang, Senior Analyst at NFLDraftScout.com, answered some questions about Virginia's draft hopefuls. Here's one of Rang's thoughts concerning Hagans:

"There have been several collegiate quarterbacks turned receivers in recent years. Pittsburgh has enjoyed the most success with Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward and Antwan Randle-El, obviously, but other teams have made similar transitions with players, including Tennessee, San Francisco, and to a lesser extent, Seattle," Rang said. "Certainly New England has shown the outside-of-the-box mentality to try this transition, as well. These teams, because of their prior success, would be among those that Hagans could get a shot. At this point, we don't feel that he is necessarily a draftable prospect, though his size, athleticism, and intangibles certainly make him an intriguing prospect."

All of Rang's responses on most of the Cavalier hopefuls are included this Sabre EDGE story: Ferguson, Other Cavs Eye Draft Weekend.

Check Out SabreMail No. 239.

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:

• UVa Football In ACC Play: The Cavaliers head back to ACC play this week against N.C. State. Stay tuned for football updates including TheSabre.com's postgame coverage of the big win over Georgia Tech with articles from Greg Waters and 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 with Stephanie Marie Garcia!

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles since the last SabreMail

The Sunday Sampler 2011 - Georgia Tech
At some point during Virginia's two-week hiatus, the team's former manager hit the practice fields alongside the McCue Center and played football alone. Snap, sprint out, and pitch ... to no one. Bewildered bypassers included some fellow Cavalier athletes, but Jacob Hodges didn't care. He had a mission. Get UVa ready for the vaunted triple option offense of Georgia Tech.

UVa Upsets No. 12 Georgia Tech
Virginia coach Mike London said during the week that an upset of No. 12 Georgia Tech could be a signature program-boosting type of win. The way fans encircled the team and celebrated on the field Saturday, he may be right. So while the long-term impact remains to be seen, the second-year Cavalier coach reiterated that thought Saturday after the Hoos shocked the previously unbeaten Yellow Jackets 24-21 at Scott Stadium.

Georgia Tech Watch List
The Virginia football team posted a 3-2 record during the opening portion of its schedule, but lost its only ACC matchup of September against North Carolina. Nothing but league games remain the rest of the way and No. 12 Georgia Tech provides the second conference challenge for the Hoos this weekend. The Cavaliers hope that the rest and preparation of their bye week helps against the Yellow Jackets, who have rolled to a 6-0 record on the year. Let's take a closer look in the Georgia Tech Watch List.

Beyond The Lawn With Tyler Wilson: Not Willing To Just Blend In
Transitions are traditionally accompanied by a period of discomfort, a period whose length is determined by one's willingness to accept its inevitable changes and adapt to a new method of attaining success. The college endeavor is one defined by "leaving the nest" and making it on our own. It's time to use our gifts and acquired endowments to become a unique individual, hopefully full of dreams and aspirations to not blend in. Through my experiences in athletics, academics and life in general, I have learned that just blending in can destroy dreams.

Tailgating With Chefhoo - Georgia Tech
Most tailgating articles have been pretty easy to write. There's a style of food synonymous with our opponent's location or an angle that's easy to highlight. Atlanta is not so easy. It's a city of transplants (mostly) and it really isn't famous for a particular food. One of my fondest food memories of Atlanta is visiting a famous rib joint called Fat Matt's Rib Shack. And while they may not be the best ribs, Fat Matt's has become synonymous with Atlanta food. I've included two separate rib recipes for varying levels of commitment. I've also added my favorite accompaniment to ribs, deviled eggs.

Game Preview 2011: Georgia Tech
As expected, Virginia handled its non-conference schedule with reasonable success and a 3-1 record. William & Mary, Indiana, Southern Miss, and Idaho aren't exactly a murder's row of opponents, though, and the most challenging part of UVa's schedule remains. Seasons and records, after all, often are determined by how you do in conference games. Already 0-1 in conference play after a loss at UNC, the season-ending stretch of ACC games does not begin with an easy task. Georgia Tech brings a No. 12 national ranking and a 6-0 record to Charlottesville this week.

Hoos Face Challenging GT Offense
Thanks to a bye week on the schedule, the Virginia football team had an additional week to study Georgia Tech, a team that presents unique schemes - a triple option style on offense with a 3-4 formation on defense - on both sides of the ball. The consensus after the extra preparation time? The undefeated Yellow Jackets will be a handful when they come to Charlottesville this weekend for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.

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