Sabre Edge Features 
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Sabre Edge Features
So much for Homecoming. Western Michigan came into Charlottesville off a good victory over Toledo, and rolled out with another solid win. Virginia meanwhile played three different quarterbacks as the team searched for answers. I still have some questions, but here are 10 Things I learned from Western Michigan.
After beating Wyoming 13-12 at home last week, the Cavaliers look to move a game above .500 for the first time this season. The Cavs are at home again looking to repeat the same results from last week.
Notice I said “results” and not play because the Hoos have not looked very impressive as a team this year. The defense has been playing well, while the offense has yet to get in sync. When the offense is not getting the job done, there is one guy who usually takes the fall and that is the quarterback.
The first home game of the 2006 season is now behind us. Some things went right (like Nate Lyles and the defense), some things went wrong, and some things went ugly. After a beautiful drive down to Scott Stadium, hours of scorching sun, and a Chicken BBQ Combo, here are this fan's notes from the upper deck coming straight at you from the 500s.
Not a lot of mystery to this week's list. In Groh-speak, the game was what the game was. With that in mind, JHoo looks at 10 things he learned from Virginia's win over Wyoming. Find out JHoo's take on Mike London's defense and the offensive line in Week 2. Also, why did Jon Copper made this week's list?
I could not wait for the start of the season. Couldn't wait. Counting the minutes. Finally, it's here. Game time! And … ugh. I suspect that I am not the only Hoo fan that experienced a similar weekend. The game was, without question, painful to watch. Where the Hoos go from here will be telling. But for the time being, we will focus on where we have been. Thus, the first edition of 10 Things I Learned This Weekend.
For the first time in 11 years, I'm not covering the Virginia football team. I'm in California. I'm out of touch. I have no inside info or spicy scoops. But from 3,000 miles away, I can finally offer an outsider's perspective on the state of Cavalier football. I may not be able to tell you the identity of the back-up long snapper for Al Groh's team, but I can say how things look from way out here in Pete Carroll Country going into the 2006 season.
For Virginia, the football journey begins with a trip this weekend to Pittsburgh. Of course, there will be plenty to watch for and learn during this journey, far beyond wins and losses. So, in the tradition of past top 10 lists, here are 10 things - will Mike London's D be more aggressive, for example - that I expect to learn over the course of the 2006 season.
In The Sabre.com's ongoing preview of the ACC football season, we take a look in this four-part series on the top impact players in the conference. Today we look at the freshmen (true and redshirt) that could make the biggest impact for their teams. Of course, forecasting freshmen performances is a bit like predicting the weather - surely we'll be right with some, but with others … partly cloudy is a safe bet, right?
In TheSabre.com's ongoing preview of the ACC football season, we take a look in this four-part series on the top play impact makers in the conference. Today we look at the juniors who will make the biggest impact for their teams in the ACC this season. Virginia's Chris Long made the list, but who else will make plays on the field this fall?
“Should we being using the 3-4?” Of course, that may be the favorite question to debate on the message boards. So instead of just criticizing coach Al Groh's 3-4, I decided that I would step up to the plate and offer my suggestions for how to fix it. And by “fix”, I do not mean that Groh needs to take his system through a 12-step program. In fact, I think I can get him there with only a third of the work.
Virginia football games have taken on a new feel in recent seasons with HooVision, the Sea of Orange, a marching band, and more changes in the game day atmosphere. Vandy-Hoo thinks there's always room for improvement from diversified menus to experimental cheers. Check out 10 ideas Vandy has for enhancing the Hoo fans' experience.
I've put it off as long as I could. (OK, truth is I didn't put up much of a fight.) It is still more than 50 days until kickoff and I'm officially a schedule watcher. Already. I fought the same urge with last season's basketball schedule. (And lost by the time of the Miami game.) With that in mind, let's dig in for an unofficial (and by that, I mean a completely irrational) schedule breakdown for the Cavaliers (Hoos).
The NBA Draft rolls into Madison Square Garden tonight. Why a yawn and a shrug from many of the Wahoo faithful? It's simple really: UVa has been a non-factor in this event for a decade and that has translated into the Hoos' non-factor status in the NCAA Tournament as well.
The former is not changing tonight, but don't fret. Thanks to solid recruiting and expected player development under his tutelage, Dave Leitao has the program on the right track to make Virginia relevant again, both to the NBA Draft and the NCAA Tournament.
I can't believe I'm saying it. The first thought of it crept up like a nearly forgotten anniversary. In fact, the idea first evolved out of some radio interviews about Virginia football and the whole spring practice quarterback debate. I was saying it with conviction, but then it dawned on me: Do I really support that? Yes, I do and I still can't believe it - the Cavaliers have to platoon players at quarterback this season.
In a channel-flipping daze, I stumbled across The Simple Life reruns on E! earlier this week. It took only about 5 seconds for Paris Hilton to utter her famous words: “That's Hot.” After Saturday's Spring Game at Virginia, I started thinking how that applies to the Cavaliers' football team this spring. So, now that UVa has wrapped up its spring practice period, here's What's Hot and What's Not.
Ah, the signs of Spring. Birds chirping, flowers blooming, linebackers blitzing. It's that time of year again. When hoards of Wahoo faithful come together to quench their football thirst for that intra-squad scrimmage known as the Spring Game. The Cavaliers verses the Hoos. Brother against brother. Bring it on. What's so great about the Spring Game, you ask? Plenty. Here's 10 Things to look forward to this weekend.
If you've been busy reveling in the success of UVa's lacrosse and baseball teams, you may be missing out on one of the best seasons ever for a Virginia spring sports program. The women's tennis team, led by first-year head coach Mark Guilbeau, has quietly put together their best season in school history, and seems poised to make what could be an eye-opening run in the upcoming ACC Tournament. Guilbeau was named the ACC Coach of the Year thanks to all of the success.
It seems like Somdev Devvarman should be used to being No. 1 by now. The 21-year-old was the top-ranked junior in both singles and doubles in India before coming to play at Virginia in the fall of 2004. Still, the Virginia sophomore was a little bit anxious when he took over the No. 1 singles position for the Cavaliers this spring.
When Al Groh held his pre-spring practice press conference Tuesday, I hardly anticipated him naming Christian Olsen as the No. 1 quarterback. Very few people did. There had been speculation early in the offseason that Olsen wouldn't even be back for a fifth year. Besides that, Jameel Sewell had been gaining straw poll momentum as the position's rising star.
In retrospect, however, that's not only what should have been expected, it should have been predicted. After all, it's the right choice and here's 5 good reasons why.
With spring football practice just days away, Virginia still has plenty of questions to answer before next season. The incoming recruits, of course, are not part of spring practice. That won't matter, according to Rob Mahini, because they all should be redshirted anyway. Check out Rob's case for redshirting - and in turn, rebuilding - in this Edge feature.
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