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Never apologize for a win. Ever. Miami may be down right now ... but the Hoos have been, too. So was FSU a couple of weeks ago and that did not work out so well for Virginia. The Cavaliers needed to execute. They did. The Cavaliers needed a win. They got one, and on Senior Day. So no apologies accepted, here are "10 Things I Learned Against Miami".
After a much-needed week off, the Virginia Cavaliers will host the Miami Hurricanes in a must win game this Saturday. With the season coming to an end, this Saturday will be special for all the seniors on the team. The will be the last time they get to run out on the field at the University of Virginia. This will game will be both memorable and emotional for these seniors.
The leaves are past peak, Halloween is a memory, and the holiday commercials are creeping onto our televisions. The unmistakable harbingers of another basketball season! In our recent past, basketball season was that bleak period of time when we'd debate tourney snubs and buy-out clauses. The Gillenium conditioned me to dread the months from November through March. Well, for the first time in many seasons, I'm actually looking forward to a number of things as the Hoos hit the hardwood - so many that I could even compile a Top 10 list!
“It.”
The latest, greatest sports platitude - heir to the “help my team win” and “give 110 percent” throne - “it” gets tossed about these days without much hesitation or thought. All of which seems unfair, untrue, and misplaced. Because only a select smattering of teams exude anything remotely resembling “it.”
Of the UVa programs that I've covered directly as a broadcaster and reporter over the last seven years, I recall only three “it” squads. But there may be another one waiting in the wings for 2006-07.
The Virginia football team added another game to its losing streak in the state of Florida last weekend with a 33-0 loss at Florida State. The Seminoles jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and the final margin truly grew after halftime. Despite the disappointing defeat, the game is still worth a closer look. Here's 10 Things I Learned Against Florida State.
Every year, my group of college buddies picks a Virginia football game as the stage for our annual reunion. Often, we stage the annual gathering at a road game to witness the college football environment of another program: Wisconsin, Penn State, Boston College, and South Carolina are examples. And while we enjoy visiting new schools and stadiums, our favorite reunions are the years we pick a home game. And this year, we luckily picked the battle against the Wolfpack.
Back-to-back wins. Wow, that sounds good. It certainly makes this article more pleasant to write. So after beating the Wolfpack 14-7 on Saturday, Virginia enters November with a two-game winning streak. Was there anything in the weekend's victory to indicate more success could be waiting in the final month? Here are 10 Things I learned against N.C. State.
Virginia's 23-0 win over North Carolina may not have been the picture of perfection or a display of domination, but the Cavaliers did get the victory - and that's always a good thing. Plus, there were some very positive signs for the future. Take Chris Cook's interception or Jameel Sewell's continued development for example. Those are among the “10 Things I Learned Against North Carolina.”
The weather was perfect, the fall air and turning leaves beckoning us all to Charlottesville. It didn't take much to convince Mrs. Vandy-Hoo to join me for my second home game of the year. And, as a result, I'm brimming with thoughts that I just can't wait to share with you all. Because I missed the WMU game because of a 1-year-old's birthday party, you're about to be served with only the second installment of my notes from the upper deck with mustard and relish. Eat up!
You know, when I signed up to write this 10 Things column, I knew there would be easy weeks and I knew there would be hard weeks. Welcome to one of the hard weeks. Virginia's 28-26 loss to Maryland this weekend was a heartbreaking defeat, especially since the Hoos led 20-0 at the half. Here are 10 Things I Learned Against Maryland.
What does the loss to ECU mean? That is a question I was asked right after the final whistle. I was not sure how to answer it then, and I am not sure how to answer it now. So let's break it down. Here are "10 Things I Learned Against East Carolina" - including the fact that the wide receivers need to make more of the difficult catches.
The game against Duke was a success. But I'm not talking about the kind of success measured in points and wins. In this rebuilding season, we might actually be rebuilding the most important position on the team. Jameel Sewell, in the second start of his college career, took some important steps toward becoming a quality quarterback.
Ah, 37-0. I like that score a lot better. As long as we have the 37, that is. Even if it was Duke. There are many positives to take out of this win, a few negatives lingering, and quite a few questions still unanswered. Still, this week feels a lot better than the last few and I learned some important things this week - including something about true freshman Nate Collins.
Alright, got my beer in hand - a well deserved drink after wrasslin' with gutter debris all afternoon - and the game coverage is firing up. I'm sipping my Yuengling, getting relaxed, ready to settle in for some Thursday night football - my mind wandering a little about some errands ... maybe I'll pay some bills, read a magazine while the game plays in the background. Who am I kidding? There's a game on.
Looking for the silver lining in this week's 24-7 loss to Georgia Tech in the Hoos' ACC opener? You will have to look pretty hard. There were some positives - Jeffrey Fitzgerald, for example - but they were overwhelmingly outweighed by the minuses. We will examine both in the 10 Things I Learned Against Georgia Tech.
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