Can Virginia Find The Accelerator?
November 11, 2008
 To many purveyors of ACC hoops - casual and fanatical alike - Dave Leitao's fourth Virginia basketball outfit looks like a car in the midst of a 200-point inspection: new engine, adjusted features, and virtually no idea how that baby will handle on the open road. The question that naturally falls off the assembly line, then, is why is Leitao still test-driving? With three seasons and an NCAA Tournament in his rear view mirror, plus a sparkling palace to park the car in, why isn't UVa's chief mechanic at the wheel of a finely calibrated machine by now?
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The Hawk's Nest - Kickoff Coverage
November 5, 2008
 There are three phases that take place during a football game and they are offense, defense, and special teams. Every player strives to be great on either offense or defense but the ultimate team player will take pride in also being a great special teams player as well. One special teams unit that plays a big part in games but rarely get praise is the kickoff coverage team.
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10 Things I Learned ... Miami
November 4, 2008
 You can't win 'em all ... but it sure felt like Virginia should have won this one, I am sure many agree. Plenty seemed to go right during the afternoon but enough went wrong, particularly at the wrong moments, and the result was an end to UVa's four-game winning streak. So what did we learn from the game with the Hurricanes?
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The Hawk's Nest - Ogletree One-On-One?
October 29, 2008
The Hurricanes will try to put a stop to the Cavs' winning ways by doing what they have been known to do over the years and that is playing physical on defense. I think the Canes will come in geared to slow down Cedric Peerman and the Cavs' strong running game by stacking the box, thus leaving the Cavalier wideouts matched up one-on-one with the defensive backs. The wideout I feel that can excel the most during these one-on-one battles is the Cavs' leading receiver Kevin Ogletree.
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10 Things I Learned ... GT
October 28, 2008
 There is no way to be surprised by a fourth straight win, is there? After all, having won three in a row, can a fourth really surprise you that much? Apparently so given this week's UVa win on the road over a ranked Georgia Tech squad. There are a lot of adjectives that can describe a game like this one ...
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Emotional Hoos Surge To Road Victory
October 25, 2008
 Many of us, including me, have wondered what happens to the Virginia football team when it leaves Charlottesville. Too many times we've seen the Cavaliers flounder away from Scott Stadium. No emotion. Foggy eyed. Flat-footed and flat-lining on the road. It's a theme, outside of 2007's magical run, that seemed to run longer than E.R. on television.
Not the case in a 24-17 win Saturday as Virginia defeated a ranked Georgia Tech team in Atlanta. It all started with the team leaders and Virginia trailing 14-3. An interception by Marc Verica followed by a big-play passing bomb and subsequent touchdown run for Georgia Tech could have ignited a familiar fuse. Instead, Cedric Peerman and Clint Sintim started a fire.
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The Hawk's Nest - Attacking Cover 2
October 22, 2008
Last week's game turned into a real nailbiter as it took a last minute drive to help send the game into overtime en route to the Cavs' 14th straight home victory over the North Carolina Tar Heels. During the game-tying drive the Cavaliers' offense did a great job of moving the ball against the Tar Heels' soft Cover 2 zone or prevent defense. In an earlier article I talked about how to run a Cover 2, but now I would like to put you in the mindset of the offense as it looks to attack the zone.
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10 Things I Learned ... UNC
October 21, 2008
 This week, I could write 20 Things. After all, it is not every week that you have a heart-stopping comeback win. Oh yeah, in overtime. On a national network. Against a ranked opponent. Make that against a ranked opponent who just happens to be your oldest rival. For a third straight win.
Maybe I could write 30 Things. Let's start with a look at the defense's day.
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The Hawk's Nest - An Eye On Ras-I
October 15, 2008
This Saturday features another chapter in the storied "South's Oldest Rivalry" between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Cavaliers. With the Tar Heels coming to town it will be important for the defense to continue to play well and not give up the big play in the passing game. As a defensive back myself, that's where I'll be focused this weekend by keeping an eye on shutdown corner Ras-I Dowling.
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10 Things I Learned ... ECU
October 13, 2008
 Last week's game was pure "wow." This week's game was a down-by-six ugh, then a 28-straight-points wow, then an are-we-letting-this-slip-away ugh, then a we-put-it-away wow. Maybe a little more adventurous than we needed the game to be, but a quality win nonetheless, one that seemed completely out of reach on paper a mere two weeks ago. So what did we learn from the ECU victory? Let's take a look.
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A Hoops Idea: Hire Boo
October 9, 2008
"Well, at least there's basketball season." For the die-hard, dyed-in-the-wool college sports nut, this trusty little cliché is akin to self-medication. In a fall funk? Leaves turning brown and your football team falling down? Never fear, basketball is here. Problem is, at Virginia the basketball situation doesn't look to be much sunnier.
The word that's missing is buzz. The two money-makers in UVa athletics are buzz-less. They've become buzz kills. Unfortunately, this columnist isn't rife with solutions. But I do have one idea, and this one goes directly to the desk of basketball coach Dave Leitao. Hire Boo Williams.
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10 Things I Learned ... Maryland
October 7, 2008
 Wow. A 31-0 win over Maryland. You saw that one coming? Yeah, sure you did. Right. No really, I believe you ... . So what did we learn from the Cavaliers' impressive outing this weekend? How did the Hoos set up that Marc Verica to Kevin Ogletree touchdown bomb? How about Cedric Peerman's play? Let's take a look in this week's 10 Things column.
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10 Things I Learned ... Duke
September 30, 2008
 I barely know what to write. After a game like we saw on Saturday, it remains almost impossible to break down plays because you find yourself spending so much time breaking down the program. Still, maybe that is not the wrong approach to take - after all, when you lose 31-3 to Duke, something obviously is broken.
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The Hawk's Nest - Disguising Coverages
September 24, 2008
Defense! Defense! Defense! That's the common chant heard throughout a stadium during a football game. When the game is tight and a play needs to be made, it will most likely be the defense that is called upon to do the job. There is nothing better than being on or witnessing a dominant defense at work. There are aspects that make a defense great like having a great pass rush or having great cover corners and sound tacklers. There is one factor that will make a good defense turn into a dominant defense and that is being able to accomplish the art of deception, known in football as the ability to disguise coverages.
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A Lost Voice?
September 18, 2008
Wahoos, allow me to begin this column with a disclaimer: the following paragraphs are laced with buzz words that, over the last several weeks, have driven Cavalier nation into a disturbed frenzy. Just leveling with you. You'll hear about "signs," ask "what would Jefferson think?" and ponder whether or not to "fire Groh."
Now, here's the rub: sure they're included, and that inclusion might spark electroshock reactions, but this piece isn't so much about the aforementioned buzz words (or buzz-kills if you prefer) as it is about what they signify for you. This is about your voice - and the multiple mixed messages that the University of Virginia continues to send its loyal fans about the value, or lack-thereof, placed on that voice.
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10 Things I Learned ... UConn
September 17, 2008
 Late Saturday evening, I received the following email from a friend of mine: "Please don't break down this game. I don't think my heart can take it." I know exactly how he feels. But even if we are not going to rehash in great detail everything that went wrong on the field this past Saturday, now is the time to analyze where the team is at going into the bye week.
I said coming into this weekend that I believed the UConn game was a crossroads game for the season. I still believe that ... and it appears that the team took a U-turn. Or maybe a sharp left turn. Or maybe the car stalled. Regardless of the analogy, things did not go well ... and do not appear to be going well. That leaves a lot of questions to answer.
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View From The EDGE: UConn Postgame
September 14, 2008
Wow, did I pick the wrong game to try to help Kris out. I wanted to change channels almost midway through the second quarter, so that I could see the dismantling of Jim Tressel's Buckeyes. Every year I ask myself, what is worse, bad football or no football? For the first time, I think I would have preferred to miss the game in a drunken coma. I started to write this Saturday night; however, I did not have much to say and thought it would be best to "sleep on it." Originally, I was going to watch the game again to reassess my thoughts this morning. I really don't think that is necessary.
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The Hawk's Nest - Reading Quarterbacks
September 10, 2008
We have all heard coaches and players say "Defense wins championships." I agree with this phrase because in a big game it will most likely be up to the defense to provide a key stop to either seal a victory or to help give the offense another opportunity to win the game a la the New York Giants in the Super Bowl this past February. As a defensive back, we love the challenge of providing turnovers for the offense in key situation and one detail that I always study when I prepare to face a quarterback is his eyes.
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10 Things I Learned ... Richmond
September 10, 2008
 Coming off a season-opening blowout loss to USC, Virginia needed to win this weekend. A pretty win would be nice but no matter what, it had to be a win. Lucky, blowout, ugly, comfortable, accidental, whatever ... UVa needed a win and got one. Which of those adjectives should be used to describe the win, however, is up for debate. Let's take a look at 10 Things I Learned against Richmond.
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Real Evaluations Begin This Week
September 2, 2008
We got it all wrong. In the seemingly endless weeks and months leading up to Virginia's clash with vaunted Southern Cal - didn't every day feel a bit like a Times Square New Year's Eve countdown, with Pete Carroll and Joe McKnight replacing Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest? - so many of us (self included) misconstrued the USC ballyhoo.
We made it into a referendum game on both the state of the program and the progress of a radically rebuilt team. Why? Because that's what we do. What we should have done was postpone any conclusions - or early assumptions - another seven days.
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10 Things I Learned ... USC
September 1, 2008
 In one sense, the USC game is the type of game that you want to put behind you as fast as possible, whether you are a coach, a player, or a fan. Still, there was a lot to learn from the game, both in terms of how it was handled by the staff and how the players executed in the face of the most talented opponent they are likely to face this season. So before we move on, it is worth the time to take a quick look back.
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View From The EDGE: USC Postgame
August 31, 2008
 Virginia's season-opening tilt with Southern California certainly stings a little. After all, a 52-7 demolition to start the 2008 schedule isn't a rosy outcome. The Sabre is enlisting an EDGE member every week to provide a look back at the weekend's opponent. Grimlock takes the snap this week for the postgame take of USC.
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View From The EDGE: USC
August 28, 2008
The countdown clock is rapidly approaching an all zeroes reading, which means it's time for football season at Virginia! The Sabre is enlisting an EDGE member every week to provide a pre-game look at the upcoming opponent. HooSingleBarrel is up first with a look at the Southern California Trojans, who visit Scott Stadium on Saturday for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
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The Hawk's Nest: Pulling Upsets
August 27, 2008
The time has come for the Virginia Cavaliers to start yet another quest toward attaining an ACC Championship. What better way to prove their worth than facing Pac-10 powerhouse USC. What can the Hoos do to overcome the underdog role? I'm glad you asked that question because I have a few keys I think will help an underdog shock the audience when it comes to bettering their chances for pulling off an upset.
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Hoo Preview '08: JHoo's 10 Things ...
August 21, 2008
 The 2008 season is almost upon us and as in past seasons, I plan to discuss with you on a weekly basis what I learn about the Hoos in each game. That in turn begs the question of what I hope to learn over the course of the season. There are plenty of options. Quarterbacks, safeties, defensive pressure, playmakers, and so on. Let's see if we can limit that list to only 10 for now ...
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