Football's First Road Game

The Virginia football team hits the road this weekend for the first time this season. The Cavaliers open ACC play at Pittsburgh on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. The game is being televised by the Regional Sports Networks.

The Cavaliers have started the season with a 2-1 record and wins over BYU and VMI; they lost to Oregon. New to the ACC, the Panthers won a 58-55 shootout with Duke in their first conference contest this past weekend. Pitt is also 2-1 this season with wins over Duke and New Mexico; the loss came to Florida State.

Fans joining the Hoos on the road are encouraged to enjoy a Pittsburgh Pre-Game Tailgate with the UVaClub of Pittsburgh. The tailgate has a Southern Twist as it will feature BBQ, sweet tea, and more. The event will be catered by Buffalo Blues of Shadyside and includes: pulled pork BBQ, BBQ chicken, kielbasa, baked beans, homemade chips, and caesar salad. Beer, sweet tea and lemonade will be served as well. TheSabre.com is giving away free subscriptions to any Hoo fans that attend the event. Make sure to Jay Lasus or a UVaClub of Pittsburgh rep while you're at the tailgate!

The UVaClub of Pittsburgh tailgate begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Riverside Center for Innovation (700 River Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15212). Admission is $20.00.

For more information or to register online, click here.

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

The Virginia men's basketball program missed out on top senior combo guard Robert Johnson, who announced last Friday that he would play for Indiana.The focus now turns to Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) senior Marial Shayok, a wing with excellent versatility and athleticism. Shayok has taken an official to UVa and is scheduled to visit Marquette this coming weekend.

While Tony Bennett missed on Robert Johnson, he did score a commitment last week from 6'10" center Jack Salt of New Zealand. Salt gives the Hoos three commitments in the class of 2014, as he joins wing BJ Stith and combo forward Isaiah Wilkins. Salt, a product of Westlake High School (Auckland, New Zealand), was unknown to Virginia fans prior to his commitment. This week, I plan to have much more on the standout low post prospect.

On the football recruiting front, stay tuned for another Strategy Session feature examining UVa's scholarship situation, needs and top targets in the class of 2014 and beyond. I also plan to have updates on UVa commitments Jordan Ellis and Jeffery Farrar. Ellis, a RB out of Suwanee, Georgia, is turning in a quality senior season as Peachtree Ridge's primary ball carrier. He was in Charlottesville earlier this month for the Oregon game. Farrar, a senior out of Upland (CA), remains committed to UVa but has been exploring other schools. I plan to catch up with the talented DB/WR fir the latest on his commitment as well as his future plans.

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.

More recent Sabre recruiting updates ...

UVa Lands New Zealand Center Jack Salt
Virginia head coach Tony Bennett played and coached in New Zealand, and his connections there likely helped him land his most recent recruit, 6'10", 230-pound center Jack Salt. Multiple outlets are reporting and TheSabre.com has confirmed that UVa has accepted a verbal commitment from Salt, a senior out of Westlake Boys High School in Auckland, New Zealand.

Bishop Sullivan, St. Anne's Feature Top Prospects
Last Friday night, Bishop Sullivan (Virginia Beach, VA) defeated St. Anne's-Belfield (Charlottesville, VA) 49-22. The game featured several standout performers, most notably Bishop Sullivan senior wide receiver Jamil Kamara, who boasts double-digit scholarship offers but has whittled his list to six schools. TheSabre.com was on hand for coverage, and following the game we caught up with Kamara and St. Anne's sophomore Jalen Harrison for reports.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• UVa Eyeing St. Anthony's Sophomore Guard
• TWIR: Ellis Continues Quality Play

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UVa-Ball State Set For Noon

The ACC announced the game time and networks for Virginia's game with Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 5. The Cavaliers kick off their final non-conference game of the season at noon. The game at Scott Stadium will be televised by the Regional Sports Networks.

Hoos Talking Tonight

TheSabre.com is proud to feature a partnership with "Hoos Talking", a sportstalk show geared directly to you, Cavalier fans. "Hoos Talking" airs on Sports Radio 910 in Richmond. Your phone calls are always welcome at (804)-345-0910.

Hosted by Jim Hobgood and Frank Maloney, the show has moved to Monday nights from 6 to 7 p.m. This is the first episode of the fifth season of the popular show!

Tonight's show features UVa footbal stars Antonio Rice and Charles McDaniel as well as Dr. Vincent Dalton.

For more information on the show or to listen to the archived episodes, check out The Sabre's Hoos Talking page.

Big Money Returns For Steelers

From ESPN.com

The fans roared their approval and chanted "Heeeaaatttth!" when Heath Miller ran out of the tunnel during the pregame introductions and when the Steelers tight end caught his first pass since shredding his right knee last December. He tore three ligaments in the penultimate game of 2012, including his ACL, and underwent surgery on Dec. 27.

Miller would have loved nothing more than to leave the field to cheers as well but an inspired Pittsburgh rally fell short Sunday night, and the Steelers lost 40-23 to the visiting Chicago Bears.

"It's good to be back out there with the team," Miller said. "It's the first step and hopefully something to build off of."

For the full article, click here.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• Top-Ranked Cavaliers Down Pittsburgh 3-1: The top-ranked Virginia women's soccer team remained unbeaten on the season, posting a 3-1 victory at Pittsburgh on Sunday. The Cavaliers (9-0, 3-0 ACC) matched their best start to a season since 2004. Sophomore forward Makenzy Doniak had two goals and junior midfielder Morgan Brian had a goal and an assist.
• Virginia Rallies To Earn 3-3 Draw With NC State: Matt Brown scored with six seconds remaining in regulation to cap a frenetic Virginia men's soccer rally and pull the Cavaliers into a 3-3 draw with NC State on Friday evening. Virginia (2-3-1, 0-2-1 ACC) trailed by two goals before rallying over a manic final 15 minutes. Brown, Darius Madison, and Marcus Salandy-Defour each scored for the Cavaliers.
• No. 4 UVa Splits Two Matches Against Ranked Opponents: The No. 4 Virginia field hockey team closed out the weekend with a 2-1 victory over No. 13 Northwestern on Sunday. The victory was UVa's third win over a ranked opponent this season with the Cavaliers improving to 8-1. Freshman Caleigh Foust scored the game-winning goal with 5:06 remaining in the game. On Friday, the Cavaliers lost a nailbiter to No. 1 North Carolina, 2-1. The Tar Heels scored with just 5:09 remaining to get the win.
• Cavaliers Finish Sixth, Topple Texas A&M in Match Play: The 11th-ranked Virginia men's golf team finished in sixth place after the stroke play portion of the DICK's Sporting Goods Collegiate Challenge Cup taking place in Nashville. Denny McCarthy had the top performance for Virginia, shooting 3-over 74 Saturday to finish fifth at 3-under 210. The team defeated Texas A&M 3-2 to record the ACC's only victory in five head-to-head match play events to wrap up the event. Ji Soo Park, David Pastore and Denny McCarthy all picked up victories for the Cavaliers.
• UVa Women's Golfers Finish 11th at Mason Rudolph Championship: The 24th-ranked Virginia women's golf team placed 11th at Vanderbilt's Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tenn. The Cavaliers top finisher was Alex Hershberger, who was 32nd at 7-over 223 including a 2-under 70 during the final round. Hershberger was competing as an individual and her results did not factor into UVa's team score.
• UVa Defeats Columbia, William & Mary in Cavalier Classic: The Virginia volleyball team defeated both Columbia and William & Mary by a score of 3-1 Saturday (Sept. 21) to win the Cavalier Classic and move to 7-5 on the season. Senior Emily Rottman, who was named the Cavalier Classic Most Valuable Player, recorded 24 digs on the day, and now has 1,442 for her career, passing AJ Cushman (1,432) for fourth-most in Virginia history. Senior Mallory Woolridge and freshman Haley Kole were also named to the Cavalier Classic All-Tournament Team
• Elbaba and Collins Claim Singles Titles at Tribe Invitational: Sophomores Julia Elbaba and Danielle Collins claimed singles titles Sunday to lead the Virginia women's tennis team at the Tribe Invitational. Elbaba defeated her Virginia teammate Rachel Pierson 6-4, 0-6, 6-1 to claim the Megan Moulton-Levy singles flight. Collins claimed the title in the Lauren Nikolaus flight by defeating William & Mary's Maria Belaya 6-4, 6-3.

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

Long-Sleeve UVa T-Shirts

Fall has arrived for 2013 - get ready for the cooler days as a Hoo fan with a long-sleeve t-shirt from UVA Bookstores! TheSabre.com's longest running sponsor offers many styles and colors like blue, orange, white, and grey. Many designs include the popular V-Sabre logo or you can go "retro" with the 'Block V' concept. Get yours today!

Issue No. 144 - June 25, 2004

Will O'Connor Remain A Cavalier?

Brian O'Connor is talking to Auburn about its vacant job.

Brian O'Connor did a good job in his first year as Virginia's baseball coach. Such a good job, in fact, that he has become a hot coaching commodity. Auburn contacted O'Connor this week about its vacant head coaching position and the 33-year-old Cavalier says discussions are in the "exploratory stage."

It should come as no surprise that other programs might want to hire O'Connor. He led the Cavaliers to a 44-15 record, a second-place finish in the ACC and an NCAA regional berth (hosting, no less) this spring, engineering a remarkable turnaround for a program that had been mired in mediocrity. His energy, enthusiasm and preparation worked wonders for UVa baseball.

It's also no shock that O'Connor would listen to Auburn's overtures. After all, the Tigers play in the baseball-rich SEC, have a 4,000-seat stadium and plenty of fans. Their previous coach, Steve Renfroe, also reportedly earned $275,000 per year in total compensation, according to reports.

UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage said he values O'Connor and will try to keep him, though he did not get into specifics. It's unlikely Virginia will pay O'Connor as much as Auburn might offer, so it may depend on how loyal he is to the school and his players. It would be a shame to lose such a fine coach right after he laid the groundwork for something special.

Read SabreMail No. 144 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:

• VMI: TheSabre.com's will have continuing coverage of the Virginia win vs. VMI this week.
• Pitt: Virginia hits the road for the first time in 2013 when it travels to Pitt this weekend. Prepare for the ACC opener with pre-game analysis from TheSabre.com team.

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre updates ...

Q&A - Tony Bennett
The Virginia men's basketball team's season draws closer as fall officially hits the calendar this weekend. With two All-ACC players returning in Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell, the Cavaliers hope to build on their most successful postseason run in years after making it to the NIT Quarterfinals last March. UVa coach Tony Bennett sat down with TheSabre.com Editor Kris Wright for an exclusive one-on-one interview about the program.

What They're Saying: Hamm's Day Vs. VMI
It was a surprise to Virginia fans and the media corps, but quarterback David Watford said he saw it coming. He was just certain that true freshman walk-on Daniel Hamm would have a big day at running back against VMI. Hamm didn't disappoint in his debut for the Hoos.

The Sunday Sampler 2013 - VMI
Three starts into his career, Virginia quarterback David Watford has seen mixed results. Saturday's game with VMI proved no different in that regard, though Watford did improve to 2-1 as a starter with UVa's 49-0 win. The Sunday Sampler looks at that and more.

Postgame Snapshot: VMI
The Virginia football team returned from a bye week and whipped VMI 49-0 at Scott Stadium. Kevin Parks and Daniel Hamm each rushed for 2 touchdowns and more than 100 yards, while the defense held the Keydets to less than 100 yards on the day. Take a look at some of the action in this postgame snapshot gallery.

Hoos Clobber Keydets
The Virginia football team made the most of a pre-conference tune-up game on Saturday at Scott Stadium. UVa dominated defensively and eventually ran all over a severely overmatched VMI team en route to a lopsided 49-0 victory. The Cavaliers have outscored the Keydets 169-7 in the last four meetings between the schools.

Will UVa Run Watford?
A bye week on the schedule and an FCS team up next left Virginia fans with little to talk about after dissecting the Oregon loss two weeks ago. That is until coach Mike London included the desire to use quarterback David Watford more as a runner among his remarks with the media this week. That prompted fan discussions on how effective Watford can be as a dual threat quarterback.

Sabre TV: Big Weekend At UVa
The No. 4 Virginia field hockey team hosts No. 1 North Carolina on Friday night at 6. The UVa volleyball team hosts the Cavalier Classic on Friday and Saturday. In addition to the football game with VMI, the men's soccer team hosts ACC foe NC State on Friday at 7. The tennis team hosts the UVa Ranked+1 Invitational throughout the weekend as well.

What You Need To Know: VMI Preview
After a bye week to build on its 1-1 start, the Virginia football team hosts VMI this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. UVa coach Mike London hopes to jumpstart his offense against the Keydets. What are some of the key matchups to watch this week? Here's everything you need to know for the game.

Tailgating With Chefhoo 2013: VMI
While I'm all for planning and preparing a huge tailgate, sometimes you just want to do nothing on game day except have a good time: no cooking, no cleaning, no work at all. You could call this my version of a tailgating MRE or Meal Ready to Eat. I'm sure our military friends from VMI know all about these.

Hoos Refocus During Bye Week
After facing always tough BYU and national juggernaut Oregon to open the season, the Virginia football team used its first bye of the season last week to evaluate its 1-1 start and regroup for an eight-week stretch of games. Coach Mike London said the Cavaliers focused on improving themselves more than game plans during the break.

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