Practice, Hoo Preview Keep Rolling

The Virginia football team enters its second week of practice Monday as the preseason business of installing the playbook and figuring out the depth chart continues. The Cavaliers planned to put in fourth down, short-yardage, and goal line work during Monday's practice. UVa coach Mike London said at Saturday's final open practice that somewhere near 50-60 percent of the playbook had been put in during the first week of work. As more and more of the Cavaliers' system is introduced, coach Mike London said things like redshirt decisions and depth chart wrinkles start to become more clear. The Hoos' first scrimmage of the fall this week is expected to be on Wednesday and that too will help answer questions for the coaching staff.

Of course, the position many fans are interested in is quarterback. Returning starter Michael Rocco is competing with David Watford and Alabama transfer Phillip Sims to lead the offense.

"We're still at a point where the two that we've had, David and Michael, know the offense and they know what's going on. We're at a point with Phil this week [where he] is going to be exposed to more things. We're going to have a couple of scrimmages. The only way we can really test how they do is when coaches are off the field and they're calling plays and having to execute," London said. "They're progressing nicely. Michael's knowledge of the offense continues to improve. Same with David. Phillip, having been in a pro style offense before, understands the concepts and things. The biggest thing as Coach [Bill] Lazor and I have talked about with what a quarterback has to have is being accurate and his decision-making abilities. That's what they'll be graded on every day, every throw they make, every situation that they're in ... whatever it is, they know they're being evaluated. So this is an important week for us to see if there's going to be some separation made."

London shared those thoughts during a teleconference Monday. EDGE subscribers can get teleconference recaps and open practice notes (practice 1, practice 2, practice 3, practice 4, practice 5, and practice 6) on the subscriber message board.

Subscribers also have full access to our month-long Hoo Preview! You won't find better Virginia coverage. So far in August, TheSabre.com has published 15 articles about the Cavalier football team this month (see the links at the bottom of SabreMail). There are tons more in the works as well with articles on the receivers and defensive line up next on the schedule. In other words, the EDGE is well worth it. TheSabre.com is the oldest Virginia fan site on the web and we're still the cheapest annual option of any UVa subscription site at just $59.99! Compare that to our competitors and you'll see that we're saving you at least $39.99 a year to follow your Hoos. Plus, you get 10% off from our sponsor UVA Bookstores (some restrictions apply).

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This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

There were several developments on the recruiting front last week, so let's get to those.

• Damascus (MD) outside linebacker/wide receiver Zach Bradshaw became the 17th rising high school senior to verbally commit to the University of Virginia. Bradshaw, a 6'3", 200-pound prospect, de-committed from Penn State last Tuesday morning, and in the afternoon he was in Charlottesville to give Cavalier coach Mike London a pledge in person. Bradshaw has potential on offense or defense, but Virginia likes him initially at outside linebacker. The Cavaliers now have three linebacker commits in the class, two of which hail from the state of Maryland.
• In-state rising senior outside linebacker/safety Oren Burks announced for Vanderbilt this past Saturday. The 6'4", 195-pound Burks, a product of South County High School (Lorton, VA), also considered offers from Virginia, Virginia Tech, and many more. Burks is No. 25 in the state in my PreSeason In-State Top 40. See the entire list here.
• Former Boston University power forward Jake O'Brien announced that he will transfer to Temple, choosing the Owls over Boston College, Providence and Virginia.

This Week ...

This Friday, Tabor Academy (Marion, MA) rising senior defensive tackle/ Tevin Montgomery is expected to visit UVa. The 6'5", 290-pounder has the Cavaliers in his current top five, which also includes Boston College, Connecticut, Rutgers, and Vanderbilt.

I plan to catch up with Montgomery for comments following this week's trip. In the meantime, EDGE subscribers can read up on the talented prospect in my Aug. 3 article on him.

Also this week, EDGE subscribers can read the latest on one of Virginia's top class of 2013 recruits, Varina (VA) DB Tim Harris. The 6'2", 190-pound prospect took in practice at his future school last week. He and his teammates begin their preseason practices Monday.

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 since the last SabreMail ...

Bradshaw Flips From PSU To UVa
Penn State football's class of 2013 has taken a hit as a result of the heavy sanctions the NCAA recently laid down on the program. UVa recruiting was impacted when former Nittany Lions recruit Zach Bradshaw, a 6'3", 200-pound outside linebacker/wide receiver out of Damascus (MD), pledged to the Hoos. Bradshaw is the third linebacker recruit in the class.

Checking In With Devon Hall
Cape Henry Collegiate (Virginia Beach, VA) point guard Devon Hall entered the summer as a member of the class of 2014, but of course that all changed when he verbally committed to UVa on June 30. At the time of his commitment, Hall also revealed that he was reclassifying to the class of 2013. The 4-star Virginia commit, now just one month away from the start of his senior year, discussed what lies in store for him academically and athletically in the coming months.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• Hamilton Continues To Weigh Options
• Talented DT Set For Vandy, UVa Visits

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Inside The ACC Site

SportsWar, TheSabre.com's parent company, has launched a brand new website for fans of the ACC! "Inside the ACC" is dedicated to covering all 12 of the current schools in the conference at www.insidetheacc.com. It's the best place to find any news you want on Virginia's opponents as well as the Cavaliers.

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Check out www.insidetheacc.com today and let us know what you think! You can also follow the site on Twitter if you prefer - @InsidetheACC.

Wahoowa! - Virginia Cavalier Fan Interest

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Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Virginia Through 3 Games On European Tour: The Virginia men's basketball team opened its five-game tour of Europe on Wednesday with an 89-62 victory over the Netherlands B Team. Mike Tobey led the Cavaliers with 18 points and grabbed six rebounds. In a rematch, the Cavaliers came out with a 82-73 loss to the Netherlands B Team on Thursday. Joe Harris scored a game-high 23 points. The team suffered a 102-97 loss to Belgian club Gembo on Saturday night. The Cavaliers were led by Akil Mitchell, who had a double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Jontel Evans also had a double-double, with a 14-point, 11-assist performance.
• Virginia Plays Georgetown to Scoreless Draw in Final Exhibition Tuneup: The Virginia women's soccer team finished exhibition play with a scoreless draw against Georgetown Sunday evening at Klockner Stadium. The match was Virginia's final preparation for the 2012 regular season. The Cavaliers play host to Penn State at 7 p.m. Friday to kick off the regular season.
• Challenging Schedule Awaits Virginia Wrestling for 2012-13 Season: The Virginia wrestling team's 2012-13 schedule, unveiled Monday by head coach Steve Garland, will take on a decidedly more challenging look. Trips to the NWCA National Duals, Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational, Southern Scuffle and Virginia Duals as well as a neutral-site dual match against national powerhouse Iowa are among the highlights of the stout slate.
• Virginia Has 291 Student-Athletes Named to ACC Honor Roll: The 56th annual Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Honor Roll, recognizing academic excellence by student-athletes during the 2011-12 academic year, was announced and Virginia placed 291 student-athletes on the Honor Roll. A total of 26 Cavaliers were recognized for the fourth time during their careers. The Honor Roll is comprised of student-athletes who participated in a varsity-level sport and registered a grade point average of 3.00 or better for the full academic year.
• Virginia Athletics Launches Redesigned VirginiaSports.com: VirginiaSports.com, the official website of Virginia Athletics, has unveiled a new design. CBSSports.com College Network is the host the redesigned site. "Our primary goal for the site re-design was to improve the online experience for our fans," Virginia Associate Athletics Director for Marketing and Video Services Todd Goodale said. "The introduction of free online audio and a mobile-enabled site, CBSSports.com College Network's Gametracker live stats program, and improved navigation throughout the site are examples of how our fans will benefit from this new partnership."

To read the full stories or gather more information on Virginia athletics, check out Virginiasports.com.

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Issue No. 429 - January 18, 2010

Wright Becomes UVa's All-Time Leading Scorer
UVa Athletics Media Relations, Official Release

Monica Wright scored 20 points to pass Dawn Staley as the women's career scoring leader in Virginia history, but No. 23 Virginia lost 61-60 to Maryland on Monday night.

Wright, a preseason All-American and the ACC's Preseason Player of the Year, came into the game needing 16 points to pass Staley's total of 2,135 points. Staley, the best player in school history, played from 1989-92 and was a two-time national player of the year. She was also the Cavaliers assists leader until Sharneé Zoll passed her record in February 2008. Wright now has 2,140 points for her career.

Staley, who now coaches at South Carolina, also led the Cavaliers to three consecutive Final Four appearances.

Read SabreMail No. 429 here.

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:

• The Sabre Interview: Mike Ingalls is working on his latest in-depth interview with some of your favorite Hoos. Up next? Basketball star Jimmy Miller.
• Hoo Preview: The Sabre's annual "Hoo Preview" gets you ready for football season and those articles continue to appear throughout the month!

In Case You Missed It ...

Sabre articles and blog posts since the last SabreMail

Hoo Preview 2012: Special Teams
The Virginia special teams as a whole were up and down last season. Along the way, the cover and return units provided Cavalier fans with plenty of headaches in 2011 too, especially on punt returns. The entire special teams unit hit a wall in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta. The Cavaliers had two punts blocked, sent a kickoff out of bounds, poorly executed a fake field goal, and failed to recover an onside kick. What will special teams look like in 2012? The Hoo Preview takes a look.

Hoo Preview 2012: 5 Questions - Drew Jarrett
The Virginia football team won eight games in 2011, but many of the biggest contributors finished their careers after that run to the Chick-fil-A Bowl. That included all of the kickers, meaning there is plenty of competition this fall for playing time at placekicker and punter. Junior Drew Jarrett is one of the new faces trying to earn a special teams role with the Hoos this season. Jarrett answered The Sabre's "5 Questions" for the preseason. Stay tuned to the Hoo Preview for the same set of questions for someone from every position on the field.

Hoo Preview 2012: Tight Ends
With the heated battle at quarterback and all the experience returning at running back and wide receiver, it is easy to forget about the tight end position. Actually, forgotten would be a good word to describe what has happened to the tight ends in the Cavalier offense. With the focus on three-wide sets and a two-back backfield, the tight end's production has decreased dramatically the past two seasons. Coach Mike London and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor are determined to get the tight ends more involved in the offense in 2012.

Hoo Preview 2012: 5 Questions - Colter Phillips
Virginia tight end Colter Phillips has faced some challenges in his Cavalier career. Last season, that meant playing through pain with an ankle injury that required surgery in the offseason. Healthy again after rehabilitating with fellow veterans Billy Schautz and Steve Greer, Phillips hopes to finish strong in the orange and blue. Phillips answered The Sabre's "5 Questions" for the preseason. Stay tuned to the Hoo Preview for the same set of questions for someone from every position on the field.

Hoo Preview 2012: Mathis Eyes Production
Over the last decade the tight end position has become a great source of pride for Virginia football. You remember many of the names: Casey Crawford, Heath Miller, Tom Santi, Jon Stupar, John Phillips, Joe Torchia, Patrick Estes and Chris Luzar. Seniors Colter Phillips and Paul Freedman top the depth chart this season with Jake McGee and Jeremiah Mathis pushing for more playing time. The most intriguing of the four may be Mathis, who is looking for one thing in 2012.

Hoo Preview 2012: Cascarano's Chance Arrives
Since arriving in Charlottesville, coach Mike London has had a simple philosophy when it comes to the offensive line; the best five will play. Tackles have been moved to guards and guards have moved outside, with the goal of getting the most talent on the field. With two starters gone, London and the coaching staff will again be looking for the five most talented linemen to field a starting five. Junior Sean Cascarano has waited for his turn, and is ready to prove that he belongs among the quintet.

Hoo Preview 2012: How To Be A Pulling Blocker
Some of the staple plays for many offenses in football feature pull blocking. The concept is simple. Take an offensive lineman away from the line and have him run into open space as a lead blocker. The pull can go in either direction and it can lead the way into a gap between blocks or to the outside area toward the sidelines. UVa offensive line coach Scott Wachenheim helped point out some of the basics on "How to be a pulling blocker" in this article for the Hoo Preview.

Hoo Preview 2012: Offensive Line
Virginia started the same five offensive linemen in every game of the 2011 season. Considering the starting five featured two tackles with NFL potential and two others with a wealth of college experience, that stat played a key role in the team's success. Entering the 2012 campaign, UVa must replace two holes on the line but a steadily growing depth chart makes that a less daunting task than in years past.

Hoo Preview: First Practice Notes
Virginia opened football practice Monday at an unfamiliar location but that didn't stop the quarterbacks from being the focus of attention. That's not surprising. After all, high-profile transfer Phillip Sims sparked the offseason interest level in the position when he left Alabama to join UVa so the practice at The Park provided the first side-by-side glimpse of Sims, Michael Rocco, and David Watford. Each flashed signs of starter potential for the Hoos.

Hoo Preview 2012: 5 Questions - Morgan Moses
It looks like Virginia's Morgan Moses enters this season as a refocused junior. The offensive tackle shed weight in the offseason and begins training camp at approximately 325 pounds. There was also the mature and determined way he talked about the season at UVa's Media Day on Friday where Moses answered The Sabre's "5 Questions" for the preseason. Stay tuned to the Hoo Preview for the same set of questions for someone from every position on the field.

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