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Alarm bells sounded throughout Virginia's fan base after the Cavaliers dropped two of three games in the San Juan Shootout. While last Thursday's 90-71 home victory over American University did not erase the damage done by the debacle in Puerto Rico, it did provide some reason to step back from the edge and take a deep breathe of fresh air. So before the Cavaliers host Gonzaga, let's take a look at the 5 Things I Learned Against American.
I'm sure many Hoo fans - and the Cavaliers themselves - have done as much as possible to forget last week's debacle in Puerto Rico. Three days and three uninspiring, to say the least, performances later, left everyone from Dave Leitao on down in a sour mood.
But was the trip to San Juan a total waste? I don't think so. Every game is a learning experience. Was it a learning experience for us Sabre-ites too? I pulled some interesting tidbits from the event while listening over the airwaves last week. Here are 5 Things I Learned From The San Juan Shootout.
As bowl season kicks into high gear this week, the Virginia football team's 5-7 season has a bit of a sting to it. More than a month has passed since the Hoos ended their campaign with a shutout loss at Virginia Tech so there has been time to step back and re-evaluate the season, the team's progress, and the overall performance of 2006. That's right the final grades are in and some units might want to hide the report card.
When Virginia takes the hardwood in the San Juan Shootout this week, Dave Leitao is looking for two things - a title and consistency. With nothing to focus on except for basketball and beaches, both of those goals are attainable in the three-day event, which will provide the Hoos with their second opportunity to play away from Charlottesville. But first, what can we pull from last week's only game? Let's take a look at 5 Things I Learned Against Hampton.
All running backs look the same without holes to run through. An Al Groh-ism, if there ever was one. And it's an accurate one, as the 2006 season showed. Jason Snelling. Cedric Peerman. Mikell Simpson. Virginia had some talent in the backfield entering the season, but it took time for that to show in the running game - as the offensive line improved, so did the running game. So what did I learn about the running backs this season?
A couple of days ago, a question came up about how a coaching staff goes about slotting players who come into a football program. For starters, the very short answer to how you slot a player: To me, slotting players is more art than science.
If there was a "Moneyball" camp to slotting players - and to some extent, there is - I would be in the other camp, whatever you want to call it. When it comes to deciding whether a kid is a fit for the linebacker position, for example, I hearken back to the words of Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart: "I know it when I see it." (And how's that for working a little culture into my article, eh?)
When N.C. State comes to town this weekend for the first ever ACC game in the John Paul Jones Arena, there will be plenty of focus on the normal storylines. How will Virginia respond after its first loss of the season? Will J.R. Reynolds bounce back after having his 29-game streak of double-figure scoring broken?
But there may be one key theme to watch in terms of man-to-man defense in this match-up. Which team can defend the 3-point shot the best?
In some ways, the Virginia Tech game looked like a repeat of the Florida State debacle. Virginia's offense got shut out while the defense played a decent football game. The special teams avoided the disaster of FSU at Tech, but other than that this game was similar. The grades from the 17-0 rivarly loss are similar too.
Sometimes “The Turning Point” in a given game is painfully obvious. So much so, that fans play the 'What if …' game over and over in their minds - would the game have gone differently; would the score been closer; would we have had a chance? The agonizing second-guessing of these moments lingers even longer when it is the final game of a season. Such was the case with Virginia's 17-0 loss at Virginia Tech this past weekend.
In some ways, it is the most basic adage of defensive football. Stop the run. Coaches say it all the time, analysts harp on it throughout broadcasts, and players repeat it ad nauseam. If you want to win, you have to stop the run. Against Virginia Tech, that old proverb is taken to new heights, though.
Coach Frank Beamer's squads are 136-27-2 when they outrush their opponents. The Hokies are 18-54 when they do not. So needless to say, stopping the run is Virginia's first concern.
For the second time in as many weeks the Cavaliers will face one of the nation's top three defenses. Last week, it was Miami's third best defensive team and this week Virginia will face the country's second best overall unit in Bud Foster's Hokies. Tech is 20th against the run (97.2), first in passing (133.8) defense, and leads the NCAA in scoring defense (10.2). In other words, it may be another grind it out kind of day for the Hoos' offense.
With the state of Virginia's big rivalry game on tap for Saturday when UVa visits Virginia Tech, The Sabre and Tech Sideline are sharing some content to get EDGE subscribers ready for the big game. Here is TSL's "Keys to the Game and Matchups to Watch" article.
Find out why Chris Long and Jeffrey Fitzgerald both made the match-ups list and more of the main themes expected from this weekend's showdown.
Virginia coach Al Groh summed it up well when describing his team's effort Saturday in a 17-7 win over the Miami Hurricanes. “I'm proud of the way our guys fought and executed. It was really awesome to stand out there and watch the total team effort. It was going to take a real strong effort - offense, defense, special teams collectively - to beat a team like Miami. We fought as hard as a team can fight, and we executed like a big-time team.”
The grades reflect that total team effort.
Virginia's defense has proved to be a challenging group this season when given a lead so when led 7-0 after just one drive on Saturday, the Cavaliers' chances of winning had already improved. Plus, the running game was helping control the time of possession. So when the Hoos forced a second quarter turnover, it proved to be “The Turning Point” in a 17-7 victory against Miami.
In terms of postseason chances, Virginia's task is simple yet difficult. Win the last two games, finish .500, and hope for the best. Simple. The difficult part comes with the opponents. First up is Miami, a team that could secure its own bowl eligibility with a win Saturday. With a 5-5 record, the Hurricanes obviously are beatable. But what are the “Keys to the Game” for Virginia?
Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon's defense is ranked sixth in the NCAA in total defense, third in rushing defense, 14th in scoring defense, and 41st in pass defense. Those rankings would be the envy of almost any defensive coordinator, but they are pretty much the same numbers Shannon's defenses have produced since he took over as the defensive coordinator in 2001. Simply put, Virginia's offense faces a tough assignment this week.
Virginia faces another opponent with plenty of speed and athleticism this weekend, a formula that has caused problems at times this year for the defense. While Miami's offense hasn't been as explosive as in past years, the Hurricanes are still dangerous and they have big play threats at several positions. What can Marcus Hamilton and the Hoos expect from the visitors this week?
With Virginia's basketball season just days away, there is some debate among fans as to how high the expectations should be for 2006-07. Regardless of your opinion, however, everyone agrees that there are certain questions about this year's Hoos that will determine just how successful they end up being. The Sabre has formulated 10 Questions whose answers could determine just how good this team becomes. Part II follows.
Virginia's trip to Florida State last weekend was a bitter one. The Hoos fell behind by two touchdowns early and never recovered in a 33-0 shutout loss. There may have been a few bright spots (Jason Snelling had 108 all-purpose yards), but as a whole, this was not a good showing. As one might imagine, the grades reflect the poor performance.
With the positive vibes surrounding the Virginia men's basketball program and the John Paul Jones Arena ready to rock, fans, coaches, and players are ready to get this season started. Of course, much of that excitement is focused on having a great year in the JPJ and making a run at an NCAA Tournament return.
As with any team in any season, of course, there are some questions about that will determine just how high these Hoos can climb. The Sabre tackles 10 Questions whose answers could determine just how good this team becomes. Check out Part I.
As Dave Leitao enters his second season at Virginia, we have a better idea of what to expect from his program. There are certain things that he expects in games and preaches in practice - more depth and talent on the roster should allow him to harp on those tenets even more in 2006-07. So exactly what are the Points of Emphasis for Sean Singletary and the Hoos?
Believe me, I've seen the message board zingers and I've heard the sports talk radio jokes. What was “The Turning Point” of Virginia's 33-0 loss at Florida State? When the Cavs came out for warm-ups. When they got off the bus. No, when the plane landed in Florida. Actually, it was when the schedule was issued.
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