London's Sunday Night Teleconference

Virginia football coach Mike London held his regularly scheduled Sunday night teleconference with reporters. After Saturday's disappointing 14-3 loss at Pittsburgh, many of the questions addressed some hot topics from the message boards over the weekend (more on that below). He also updated the injury situation at running back, noting that Daniel Hamm sustained a shoulder injury early against Pitt. He also said that Khalek Shepherd is close to being fully healthy, while Taquan Mizzell still is "not there yet" in that regard. Freshman LaChaston Smith did not travel with the team this past weekend due to "disciplinary reasons."

Some other topics London addressed ...

Receivers dropping passes: "As everyone saw, the total number of drops were 10 and that's way, way too many. ... That's entirely too many and those are the types of things that stall drives, kill momentum, and don't allow you to move the ball."

More on receivers dropping passes: "That's another part of the evaluation when you have drops that are unacceptable. ... We need more and we need better [play there]. The opportunities at that position are going to extend themselves to some players that have shown capability in practice whether that's Keeon Johnson, Adrian Gamble, Kyle Dockins. We want to make sure we send a message that no one gets comfortable with where they are. Receivers have to catch the ball. That's their job. If that's not being done, we need to make sure we have guys that are doing it that can go in the game. ... We've talked about making changes or providing opportunities for receivers that we think that can make it happen."

On not kicking field goals in the second quarter/Ian Frye's health: "After the first kickoff, Ian told Coach Lewis that he strained his hip flexor. ... I would say in the past, Ian's cliff probably would be the 27- or 28-yard line but after that information ... the situations that came up on the 27 and 28 and having the opportunity to normally kick a field goal, Ian was unable to do that. That's the unfortunate thing about it. ... It's one of those things where if Ian was healthy, would we have kicked the field goals? Absolutely. With his issues, we decided to go for it on fourth down. We'll see where Ian is now. It's kind of a day-to-day situation."

On right guard/offensive line: "We need to shore up that inside position and we're going to make some changes with the offensive line. I'll announce those on Monday. We've got to put players in there that can protect the quarterback and provide running lanes for us. We'll do that by evaluating where we've been and what we've done to this point and get players in the game that can help us."

Stay tuned to the site for more football coverage

This Week In Recruiting With Chris Horne

Upland (CA) senior athlete Jeffery Farrar verbally committed to the University of Virginia in August, but in the month of September he has taken official visits to Utah and Washington State. Farrar, a potential cornerback or wide receiver for the Hoos, took some time to interview with TheSabre.com this past Sunday and I'll have a full report on his status in a "Sabre Scoop" article coming out on Tuesday.

Also this week ...

• Check out the latest "Week In Review," a look at how Virginia football's recruits performed on the gridiron the previous weekend. S Quin Blanding, DL Andrew Brown, TE Evan Butts, and RB Jordan Ellis have turned in top performances this year. Farrar has come on the past two weeks as well, returning a kickoff for a touchdown this past week and returning an interception for a touchdown the previous one.
• On the basketball front, I plan to check in on Blair Academy (Blairstown, N.J.) senior wing Marial Shayok for the latest on his recruitment. Shayok took an official visit to UVa in late August and is also considering Marquette, among others. I hope to have the latest on this talented and versatile athlete and other news on the 2014 class recruiting front as well.
• The latest "Strategy Session" was delayed to this week, but it will be out by Friday. The "Strategy Session" is a big-picture outlook of Virginia football recruiting, but this week the primary focus will be the offensive line, looking at the offensive line recruits UVa has signed over the past several years, who is coming in in the class of 2014, and what needs there are in the coming classes.
• Speaking of the offensive line, I'll have a feature profile of Northside (Roanoke, VA) junior offensive tackle Chance Hall out this week. Hall has been offered by three schools, including Virginia, and is also a standout defensive tackle.
• Stay tuned on Saturday night, when I'll update which recruits made it to Scott Stadium to watch Virginia take on Ball State.

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 ...

Petitbon A Top Class Of 2015 Target
Richie Petitbon may only be a junior, but Gonzaga College (Washington, D.C.) head coach Aaron Brady calls the standout offensive lineman one of his team's top leaders. It's a role that comes natural to Petitbon, one of the most coveted linemen in the country in the class of 2015.

Catching Up With RB Jordan Ellis
As a junior, Peachtree Ridge (Suwanee, GA) running back Jordan Ellis shared carries but still ended up with almost 900 yards rushing and nine touchdowns. The 5'11", 210-pound Ellis entered his senior year knowing he would be the team's primary ball-carrier, and he has responded with a strong start that has included three games of over 100 yards rushing. Most importantly, Peachtree Ridge is 4-0 following last week's 31-30 win over Mill Creek, in which Ellis rambled for 143 yards and three scores.

More recent recruiting updates on The Sabre ...

• The Week In Review
• UVa Lands New Zealand Center Jack Salt

Support Sabre Sponsors

TheSabre.com would like to thank its sponsors for helping us keep the online authority on Virginia athletics rolling along for 17 years! These sponsors help bring UVa fans the latest news and information on the Hoos as well as free message boards for the community to follow the Hoos. Support TheSabre.com by giving our sponsors a chance to win your business.

UVa-Maryland Set For 3:30 Kickoff

The ACC announced the game time for Virginia's game at Maryland on Oct. 12. The game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and be televised on ABC, ESPN2, or ESPNU - the final decision on that will be announced on Sunday, Oct. 6.

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 fifth season of the popular show!

Tonight's show features Sabre.com Editor Kris Wright, Dr. Gordie Rawles, and sports attorney Vern Inge (NCAA news, investigations of Miami and UNC, agents giving money to players in form of "advance loans," the Johnny Manziel autograph story, and the whole compensation for college athletes debate)

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

Men's Basketball Schedule Finalized

Virginia Athletics Media Relations Official Release

Virginia has finalized its 2013-14 men's basketball schedule and single-game tickets will go on sale Friday, Oct. 4.

Game times are set for the following non-conference games at John Paul Jones Arena: James Madison (Nov. 8, 7 p.m.), Liberty (Nov. 23, 4 p.m.), Hampton (Nov. 26, 7 p.m.), Northern Iowa (Dec. 21, 4 p.m.) and Norfolk State (Dec. 23, 7 p.m.). All five contests will be broadcast online on ESPN3.

Single-game tickets will be available for purchase online at VirginiaSports.com beginning Oct. 4 at 9 a.m. Sales by phone and in-person will begin Oct. 7 at 9 a.m. The Cavaliers, who finished 23-12 last season, officially start practice for 2013-14 on Friday.

"Our fans played a big role in our success at home last season," head coach Tony Bennett said. "We have a challenging schedule in front of us and we're going to need our fans support once again for every game at JPJ."

For the full news release, click here.

Around the World of Wahoo Sports ...

• No. 1 Cavaliers Return Home to Down No. 22 Maryland 1-0: The top-ranked Virginia women's soccer team ran its win streak to 11 straight games with a 1-0 victory over No. 22 Maryland on Sunday in front of a record crowd of 2,540 at Klöckner Stadium. Sophomore Brittany Ratcliffe scored the lone goal of the afternoon with 17 seconds remaining in the first half to keep the Cavaliers (11-0, 5-0 ACC) as the nation's only unbeaten and untied team.
• Virginia Men's Soccer Posts 2-0 Win at No. 24 Syracuse: Freshmen Jordan Allen and Riggs Lennon scored first half goals to lead the Virginia men's soccer team to a 2-0 victory at No. 24 Syracuse on Saturday night. The Cavaliers (4-3-1, 1-2-1 ACC) picked up their first conference win and first road win of the season with the result.
• No. 4 Virginia Blanks Wake Forest and Liberty: The No. 4 Virginia field hockey team shut out No. 15 Wake Forest, 3-0, Friday night. Goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone made five saves en route to earning her third shutout of the season. Freshman Lucy Hyams scored the first goal, while senior Elly Buckley added the other two tallies. Against Liberty, Buckley also had both goals. The Cavaliers host Radford on Tuesday.
• Cavalier Women Win Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational: The Virginia women's cross country team won the team championship of the Virginia/Panorama Farms Invitational on Saturday. The Cavaliers had five of the top 14 finishers to take their second title in the five-year history of the meet. The Virginia men's cross country team finished third at the event. Senior Barbara Strehler finished second in a time of 16:32.7 to lead the Cavaliers. Freshmen Maria Hauger and Sarah Fakler followed in sixth and ninth place respectively. Sophomore Kyle King was Virginia's top finisher, placing 10th in a time of 24:03.4.
• UVa Sweeps Wake Forest for First ACC Road Win: The Virginia volleyball team swept Wake Forest, 27-25, 25-10 and 25-20, Saturday night. It was the first conference road win for the Cavaliers (8-6, 1-1 ACC) since Oct. 15, 2011, a 3-1 win at NC State. Junior Tori Janowski earned a double-double with 14 kills and 11 digs. UVa fell at Duke, 25-19, 25-18 and 25-17, Friday night.

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. 543 - April 23, 2012

Rusch Wins ACC Men's Golf Title
Virginia Athletics Media Relations, Official Release

Virginia sophomore golfer Ben Rusch drained a five-foot par putt on the final hole to win the 2012 ACC Championships by a single stroke and become the first Cavalier to capture the individual title since 1955. Rusch, a native of Weinfelden, Switzerland, shot 3-under 69 during Sunday's cool, rainy conditions for a 54-hole total of 10-under 206. Wake Forest's Lee Bedford was second at 207. The tournament took place at the Old North State Club in New London, N.C. Rusch's victory helped No. 20 Virginia to a second-place finish in the team competition. The Cavaliers shot 1-over 289 during the final round for a three-day total of 20-under 844. That bettered the UVa team scoring record at the ACC Championships by four shots. The 1992 team held the previous best mark at 16-under 848 recorded at Northgreen Country Club in Rocky Mount, N.C.

Georgia Tech won its fourth straight ACC title at 27-under 837. Florida State was third at 847, three shots behind UVa. The Yellow Jackets entered the final round with an 11-shot lead on the Cavaliers. Virginia managed to close that to four shots at one point during the round.

Rusch said he was surprised to learn he was only the second Cavalier golfer to bring home the individual crown since Pete Arend won the title in 1955.

"I didn't know that and it makes me so proud," Rusch said. "I just played and didn't want to control anything and it just happened. I hit some great shots and made some good putts. I didn't really make any putts the first two rounds. I missed many but today I actually made a lot."

Read SabreMail No. 543.

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:

• Pitt: TheSabre.com's will have continuing coverage of the Virginia loss to Pitt with articles from Kris Wright, JHoo, and Greg Waters still on deck.
• Ball State: Virginia wraps up non-conference play with Ball State. Tune in to pre-game analysis from TheSabre.com team.

In Case You Missed It

Recent Sabre updates ...

Pitt Wins Defensive Battle With UVa
With the offense struggling at an alarming rate, the Virginia football team committed two early turnovers and that eventually erased its chances of a road win at Pittsburgh. Those costly fumbles squandered a dominating performance from the UVa defense as Pitt turned both into touchdowns en route to a 14-3 victory in the teams' first ever meeting as ACC foes.

Tailgating With Chefhoo 2013: Pitt
Even though I spent many, many years in the kitchen specializing in fine dining, I have a rather embarrassing affinity for ketchup. I won't say I put it on everything, but I will say that those 3 packs of ketchup from Sam's Club don't last long in my house. Our opponent this week just happens to play at Heinz Field , and that gives me the perfect opportunity to talk about one of my favorite foods with ketchup ... hamburgers.

Who Is The Real Deal?
Mirror, mirror on the wall, which team is the real deal after all? Going into this week's ACC match-up, it seems like fans on either side of the Virginia-Pittsburgh fence have the same feelings. Now they have arrived at a circled date on the calendar. Both sides should know more about their teams after this week.

What You Need To Know: Pitt Preview
Virginia heads to Pittsburgh on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff. The last time UVa made this trip, Pitt rolled 38-13 in the Hoos' 2006 season opener. In fact, the Cavaliers are 0-2 in the Steel City as the Panthers lead the all-time series 3-2. A lot has changed at both schools since the last meeting in 2007 - a 44-44 Virginia win - so here's everything you need to know for this week's match-up.

5 Questions With Pitt Blather
The Virginia football team opens ACC play Saturday with a trip to Pittsburgh, the newest member of the Coastal Division. The Panthers, meanwhile, have played two conference games already with a loss to Florida State and a win against Duke. TheSabre.com swapped questions with Panther blog Pitt Blather and Chas Rich to help pin down some storylines for the game.

Wednesday Watch List: Pitt
The Virginia football team has posted a 2-1 record so far in 2013 with wins against BYU and VMI. As Andrew Ramspacher pointed out over at The Daily Progress, the Cavaliers haven't started 3-1 in a season since 2007. They'll get a shot at that mark this week with a road trip to Pitt on the docket. What can the Cavaliers expect from the Panthers? The "Watch List" gives you an in-depth look.

Greg's Grades & Trends: VMI, Pitt
Saturday provided Cavalier faithful several reasons to be optimistic about the remainder of the season; the day also left questions to be answered entering into a critical part of the 2013 slate. The defense seems to be exceeding expectations while concerns remain with the offense and special teams. The grades and trends give a closer look at where the Hoos stand entering ACC play.

JHoo's Things I Learned 2013 ... VMI
So UVa wins 49-0 over VMI and we all feel better, right? Right? Umm, right? Well, better than after the Oregon game? Yes, definitely better than that. Better generally? That's a harder question to answer. Let's get into that in this week's Things I Learned.

Cavaliers Turn Attention To Pitt
Virginia plays its first road football game of the season this week when it travels to Pittsburgh on Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff. The contest also marks the ACC opener for UVa. Coach Mike London said Monday at his weekly media meeting that the Hoos will have to get the fact that they are playing on the road in an NFL stadium out of the way quickly and then focus on the task at hand.

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 Wahoo, then the Sabre Edge is right for you. Check it out!

• Sabre Edge Info and Sign Up