Well, Virginia's first game of the football season sure generated a lot of discussion on the message boards, huh? To me, that's a good thing.

Fans were talking about the positives from the 31-19 win over Western Michigan - Cedric Peerman's performance, Ottowa Anderson, Deyon Williams and the vertical passing game. You also may have noticed that much of the talk was critical. Posters were criticizing everything from the Cav Man intro to Coach Groh's postgame comments, from the offensive line to the secondary, from the three turnovers to the inane "That's Another Cavalier First Down!" announcement on changes of possession. Apparently, there was a lot not to like about UVa's 2005 debut.

That's fine. In fact, that's the beauty of the Sabre message boards - fans can discuss the good, the bad, the ugly and the excellent about UVa sports. It's not a cheerleading site or a mouthpiece for the athletic department. TheSabre.com represents and reflects the whole spectrum of fan opinion and provides an open forum for discussing anything and everything about the Cavaliers. That's why it bothers me when some fans try to stifle those discussions by attacking anyone who's critical.

Over the course of the week, some posters jumped into critical threads and accused anyone negative of failing to be a good fan. As if being a good fan means never voicing complaints or expressing concerns. Please. Sure, some fans overreact to a poor performance and become overly negative or critical. If you don't like it, ignore them. Just please do me a favor and avoid casting a chill over the message boards by accusing your fellow 'Hoos of being lesser fans.

Challenge their opinions if you like, but don't challenge their right to express themselves. And please don't forget that you can be critical and still be a great fan.

Official Visits

Greg Davis

News should start breaking pretty often in the coming weeks as recruits narrow their respective lists and start making official visit plans. In-state, Virginia is in good shape with Granby WR Chris Bell, Meadowbrook DE/OLB John Graves and Blue Ridge DB Greg Davis. Assuming all three take official visits, expect Virginia to be one of those trips for each of them. Other in-state recruits Virginia probably will get on grounds includes Highland Springs (VA) LB Jarrell Millerand Phoebus (Hampton, VA) athlete Brett Vinson. If Lucas Caparellimakes official visits, I would expect the 'Hoos to be on his list of destinations as well.

First Game

A handful of prospects were in attendance for last weekend's game. The committed prospects on hand included jumbo athlete Nate Collins, 4-star tight end Joe Torchia, nose tackle Asa Chapman and 3-star defensive end Sean Gottschalk.

Greg Davis, who has been told by the UVa staff that he is the #1 target at the safety position, was on hand as well. Davis is also considering offers from Nebraska, N.C. State and Virginia Tech, among others.

2007 Offer

We know at least one player Virginia has offered in the 2007 recruiting class. West Springfield (Springfield, VA) quarterback Peter Lalich received an official offer from UVa this week.

At 6-5, 230 pounds, Lalich has a strong arm and prototypical size for a pocket passer. Tomorrow, he begins his first full season as the West Springfield signal caller. As a sophomore last season, he completed 38 of 67 passes for 372 yards with five touchdowns and one interception in just five games. A solid athlete, Lalich played wide receiver for the other part of the season.

Lalich lists the 'Hoos as his number one choice right now. He told TheSabre.com that he would like to take official visits before committing, but we'll be sure to check back this fall to see if anything has changed.

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Subject: Ten Things I Learned This Weekend
Posted by: JHoo on Wed Sep 7 2005 2:33:18 PM
Message: Repeating last year's tradition, and with apologies to Peter King, here is my top ten list:

(1) Cedric Peerman may turn into a special back. Those who follow the program already knew that he had talent, but the ability to step up to the opportunity in a real game -- his first college game -- is something that you simply cannot predict. You know a kid has it when the moment comes, and he performs. Peerman did.

(2) NCSU is a very talented, but not very smart, football team. The fair catch on the half-yard line was classic. I give Amato some credit for not exploding when DB made it over to the sideline, but I probably would have. "Don't back up from the 10-yard line" is not a new concept. And there were a ton of other mental mistakes in the game. Whether this is a sign that the turmoil in Amato's staff is resulting in dumb play on the field is an open question, but one worth asking. I'll ask it again after three or four more games.

Ottowa Anderson caught three passes for 109 yards.

(3) I was wrong about Ottowa Anderson, and the contribution he could make to this year's team. Now, those that know me know I have always been a big fan of OA. And I always believed that he would return and provide key help on special teams -- which he did. And I believed that his leadership would be important to the young WR corps - - which it has. And I did not question the importance of his blocking, and his ability to contribute in spots. But OA stepped up this week, as he has in camp, and made clear that he intends to get everything -- everything -- out of this year. Don't underestimate that kind of "want it." I did. I won't again.

(4) We got decent play out of the NT position, and I was at least pleased with what I saw. That said, I think we can expect more out of the position, and will need more later in the season. Carter has more to give, I believe, for starters. Also, I was a little disappointed in how seldom the NTs were able to force a double team. We need more of that.

(5) Clint Sintim, your table is now ready.

(6) If there is a team that I would buy season tickets for (after my UVA tickets, of course), it would be Navy. I was surprised at how disappointed I was to see UMD pull out that game. And while I am on the subject, I would highly recommend John Feinstein's A Civil War: Army vs. Navy to anyone interested in reading a great book about these two programs.

(7) Five or six games from now, I wonder how important Hagans' 12- yard run on 3rd-and-8 in the 4th quarter will look. A big play, in my book, and one of the reasons that Hagans is more valuable to this team than stats indicate.

(8) FSU's QB situation is a disaster right now. They got by on defense and emotion this week (with the help of a meltdown in Miami's kicking game), but that is not going to be enough some weeks, particularly on the road. Maybe the light will come on for Weatherford or Lee in the next couple of weeks, but Noles fans have reason to be concerned amid the excitement over the win.

(9) The key to Tech's season is the OL, and not asking Vick to think too much. When Vick is allowed to play in his comfort zone, his talent is obvious. The OL, however, still has to establish itself. But I would not compare it to UVA's OL situation, which is more of a case of players having to gell together, particularly on the interior line.

(10) Was anyone hanging around the beginning of the Wahoo Walk, just before the team buses arrived, and happened to see a 4-year-old, dressed in an orange #18 jersey, lead the cheerleaders in the Good Ole' Song, and then lead the crowd in a encore rendition? My kid. Goes to show that if you train them young, good things happen.

Bucking the Broncos not so easy

It wasn't the blowout that everyone expected, but it was a victory all the same. The Cavaliers opened the 2005 season with a 31-19 win over Western Michigan, an outcome that wasn't secure until Cedric Peerman scored a touchdown with 5:38 remaining. To read about the game and check out Coach Groh's comments on his weekly call-in show, please click the links below.

Sabre Edge articles from the past week

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