Giants, Patriots each have a Hoo in Super Bowl XLVI
by Brian J. Leung on Feb 5, 2012 11:09 AM EST
in Virginia Football
Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Today is a great day because, regardless of which team you're pulling for, at the end of the day, one former Wahoo will earn his first Super Bowl ring. For the New York Giants, that would be defensive tackle Chris Canty, and for the New England Patriots, we're looking at long snapper Danny Aiken.
So far this season, Canty has recorded career high 47 tackles, 31 of which were all by himself. He has also recorded 4.0 sacks and caused one safety. He has started all 16 games this season. In the last matchup between the Giants and the Patriots, Canty recorded 3 tackles (2 solo).
Canty was originally drafted in the fourth round in the 2005 draft by the Dallas Cowboys, where he spent his first four seasons, earning a starting role his rookie year. In his junior year at Virginia, Canty earned second-team All-ACC honors and was named the Lineman of the Year in Virginia. Canty's senior season was cut short due to ACL, MCL and PCL injuries in his left knee. Through four games, he had 30 tackles, seven tackles for losses, one sack and a forced fumble.
In his rookie season this year, Aiken has played in all 16 games, recording five tackles (2 solo, 3 assisted). It's hard to find much out there on how a long snapper has done on the season -- the answer is, he must be doing alright if there's no news on him. He has snapped on all punts, field goals and extra points in 13 of 16 games.
Aiken went undrafted last year, but eventually signed as a rookie free agent with the Buffalo Bills, where he practiced during the offseason. He was released by the Bills on September 3, before Bill Belichick and company picked him up the next day. While at Virginia, Aiken played in all 49 games of his college career and made four tackles his senior season, against USC, Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech.
Speaking of Virginia Tech, neither the Giants nor the Pats have a Hokie on their roster.
By the way, each team also has a Hoo on the injured reserve list. For the Giants, it's LB Clint Sintim, and for the Patriots, it's the ever-fragile DB Ras-I Dowling.
Have a good time today, stay safe, and as always, Go HOOS!
...and the Giants!
Virginia Drops Game at Florida State 58-55 After Late Comeback Falls Short
by Brian Schwartz on Feb 4, 2012 4:47 PM EST
in Virginia Basketball
The Hoos travelled to Tallahassee this weekend with a big opportunity available to them. A win on the road against the red-hot Seminoles would establish the team at the top of the ACC and do wonders for NCAA Tournament chances and seeding. However, in a turnover-plagued defensive struggle, the Hoos fought hard but couldn't convert down the stretch as they fell 58-55. With the loss, #16 Virginia is now 18-4 overall and 5-3 in the ACC. Twenty-first ranked Florida State improves to 16-6 (7-1).
The main stories of the game were turnovers, turnovers, and turnovers. The team, which has a philosophy built around valuing possession of the ball, turned it over a season-high 21 times. The mistakes were infectious, as Mike Scott lost it 7 times, Evans 4, and Harris 3. Florida State runs one of the tougher defenses in the country, and it gave the Hoos fits all night.
The first half was a closely played one, in which Mike Scott carried the Hoos. Despite sitting for the last five minutes after picking up his second foul, he scored 12 of his 16 points, singlehandedly keeping the team in the game. After falling behind 17-10, a Harris 3-pointer and a 4 free-throw possession from Scott (after he was brought down hard on a flagrant foul) tied the game up.
However, the game almost got away from the Hoos after the break. Florida State held a 25-24 lead before going on a 19-7 run to stretch the deficit to 13 points with 7:30 to play. The ten minute period was one of the sloppiest we have played all year, as balls seemed to magically bounce toward the Seminoles, whether off our chests on passes or our hands as teammates fought each other for rebounds.
Somehow, when all hope appeared lost, the team proved to doubters that it doesn't have an ounce of "quit" in it. UVA scored on seven straight possessions, six as part of a 14-0 run that took under three minutes and gave the team a 45-44 lead. Michael Snaer's NBA range three-pointer allowed Florida State a five-point cushion, but a Jontel Evans layup and Akil Mitchell steal returned the ball to the Hoos down 3 with 35 seconds to play.
UVA vs. Florida State Seminoles Basketball: Game Thread
by Brian J. Leung on Feb 4, 2012 12:19 PM EST
in Virginia Basketball
What: No. 16/18 Virginia Cavaliers (18-3, 5-2 ACC) vs. No. 21/24 Florida State Seminoles (15-6, 6-1)
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Date: February 4, 2012
Place: Donald L. Tucker Center
TV: ACC Network, ESPN 3
Radio: Virginia Sports Radio Network
Spread: Florida State -5.5, Pomeroy: Florida State 57-54 (33%)
Last Meeting: Virginia 56, FSU 63
Last Time Out: FSU 68, Georgia Tech 54
Series: FSU leads 19-17
Florida State is on one of the hottest streaks in the country with a school-tying record high six straight ACC wins, including wins over North Carolina and at Duke.Their sole conference loss of the season came at the hands of Clemson, 79-59, a team Virginia narrowly escaped at home last week, 65-61.
The Seminoles have held each of their last two opponents to under 60 points (52 and 54, respectively), a feat they've done nine times this season. Look for a defensive, first-to-50-wins type of matchup today.
Virginia holds opponents to an offensive rebounding percentage of just 24.0%, fifth best in the country, while FSU has an offensive rebounding percentage of 37.1%, good for 35th in the country.
Florida State has won the last five meetings between the two schools, and eight of the last nine. In fact, the last time Virginia's won a game in the State of Florida was back on 2001, over FSU -- that was 15 games ago.
Florida State's probable starters today include F Bernard James, C Xavier Gibson, G Deividas Dulkys, G Luke Loucks and G Michael Snaer. Of their big men, James (6-11, 248lbs) is the one to keep an eye on. He averages 10.5 points and 8.8 rebounds a game, blocking 2.2 shots a game. But here's the fun part: he shoots just 49.3% from the free throw line. Hack-a-James game plan in full effect.
For the back court, Snaer averages 30 minutes a game, during which time he gets 14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists. He also hits 40.6% from beyond the arc.
In many ways, this is a pretty evenly matched game. Florida State has a little bit of a size advantage, but if someone would go ahead and page Sammy Zeglinski's shot right now and let it know that there's a game just 45 minutes away, then the Hoos have a chance at stealing this road game.
This isn't a must-win game for the Hoos, who are expected to take a hit today. But a road win over the 'Noles would tie Virginia up for third in the conference and be a huge boost -- both for the resume and for confidence -- going forward.
Leave your pre-, in- and post-game thoughts here and Go HOOS!
Virginia Men's Tennis Blanks No. 15 Texas, Faces No. 5 Florida Today
by Brian J. Leung on Feb 4, 2012 11:19 AM EST
in Virginia Tennis
The No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers' Men's Tennis team is facing what will probably be their toughest weekend of the regular season, but are handling it just fine. The Hoos took down No. 15 Texas in decided fashion last night, blanking them 7-0 in the season home opener and handing the Longhorns their first loss of the season.
All three doubles teams took care of business decidedly. Four of the six singles matches were decided in only two sets, though No. 1 Mitchell Frank needed a third set match tiebreak (10-3) to finish off Texas's Sudanwa Sitaram. Birthday boy Drew Courtney also needed a third set to clinch his win - both of his winning sets were won in tiebreak.
Former Virginia tennis great and two-time NCAA National Champion Somdev Devvarman was at the match supporting the Hoos. Devvarman has risen to No. 90 in the world and is holds the record for the highest ATP ranking held by a former Cavalier (62).
At No. 2, this is the lowest Virginia, 2-0, have been ranked since February, 2009. The Cavaliers are still in search of their first national team title, having been bounced out of the tournament by USC in each of the past three years.
The Hoos will face No. 5 Florida today at 1:00 p.m., then No. 11 Texas A&M on Sunday, before ACC play opens up later in the week against Maryland. All of this weekend's matches are held at Boar's Head and admission is free.
Here are last night's results:
#2 VIRGINIA 7, #15 TEXAS 0
Doubles:
1. Jenkins/Courtney (UVa) def. Hess-Olesen/Hilliard (UT) 8-3
2. Domijan/Rooda (UVa) def. Holiner/Whitehead (UT) 8-1
3. Frank/Uriguen (UVa) def. Camillone/Lewis (UT) 8-4
Singles:
1. #11 Jarmere Jenkins (UVa) def. Soren Hess-Olesen (UT) 6-2, 6-2
2. Alex Domijan (UVa) def. #112 Daniel Whitehead (UT) 6-2, 6-1
3. #1 Mitchell Frank (UVa) def. Sudanwa Sitaram (UT) 6-2, 3-6, 10-3
4. Drew Courtney (UVa) def. Lloyd Glasspool (UT) 3-6, 7-6(3), 7-6(6)
5. #57 Justin Shane (UVa) def. Chris Camillone (UT) 6-4, 6-4
6. Philippe Oudshoorn (UVa) def. Jacoby Lewis (UT) 6-3, 6-2
Order of Finish:
Doubles: 2,1,3
Singles: 2,1,6,5,3,4
ACC Moves to 9-Game Football Schedule with Yearly UVA-Pitt Matchups, Configures Future Basketball Plans
by Brian Schwartz on Feb 3, 2012 2:33 PM EST
in Virginia Football
In a surprise move, the ACC today announced that it will transition to a 9-game conference football schedule. The current makeup of the conferences will remain the same, with Pittsburgh joining UVA in the Coastal Division and Syracuse heading to the Atlantic. Additionally, Pitt and Syracuse will retain their Big East rivalry as cross-division partners; they will play annualy in the expanded conference.
Commissioner John Swofford made the announcement at the end of the annual Winter Meetings this week. "We have been engaged in discussions on the various options for integrating Pitt and Syracuse since early fall," said Swofford. "It's a tremendous tribute to the leadership at our schools that we will be able to seamlessly add Pitt and Syracuse at the appropriate time when they become full playing members."
That "appropriate time" is still up in the air. The switch will not take effect until the two Big East teams receive clearance to leave their conference; the Big East requires 27 months notice, hoping to instill maximum awkwardness on all parties. Negotiations have been underway to arrange an early exit, but they are not expected to join until 2013. In that case, Virginia will play its normal 8 game schedule this fall (The 2012 schedule has not yet been released, but is expected this month).
The ACC also decided on the makeup of future basketball schedules, as a new 18-game conference slate will go into effect next year. To accommodate the move, teams will have one permanent partner, rather than the current two. Virginia will lose its annual home-and-home with Maryland but continue to play Virginia Tech twice per season.
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Streaking the Lawn Reader Survey
by Brian J. Leung on Feb 2, 2012 11:19 AM EST
We strive for the best here at Streaking the Lawn. Some of us rush home from Virginia games to get the post-game wrap up. Others glue themselves to a computer so that we can update you live. We try to give a mix of analysis and news, and sometimes when we're feeling a bit punchy, we even throw in a little humor.
But we realize that we don't always get it right. Sometimes you want more coverage of a particular sport. Maybe you want less punchiness. Whatever it is, we won't know it unless you tell us.
That's why we're inviting you to take the Streaking the Lawn Reader Survey! Please take 6 minutes to complete the survey and let us know exactly what we're doing right and perhaps more importantly, let us know what we're doing wrong.
As an incentive, we'll give one lucky respondent a $50 promotional code off his or her next purchase over at CavalierTeamShop! All participants are subject to the official rules found here.
We hope you'll take advantage of this one-time-only event wherein we may actually listen to what you have to say! There's $50 of UVA gear on the line, so what do you have to lose? Please fill out the Streaking the Lawn Reader Survey today!
No surprises on National Signing Day; Eli Harold headlines Virginia Football's Class of 2012
by Brian J. Leung on Feb 2, 2012 8:00 AM EST
in Virginia Football
National Signing Day 2012 was nowhere near as exciting for Virginia fans as National Signing Day 2011 was. Heading into the big day last year, Virginia fans were still awaiting decisions from four highly-rated recruits, three of whom were said to be down between Virginia and at least one other school. The Hoos landed two of those four, which made for an exciting afternoon and promising future.
| Service | Ranking |
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| ESPN | Just Missed | 0 | 3 |
18 |
| 247 | 20 | 1 | 6 |
18 |
| Scout | 28 | 1 | 3 | 17 |
| Rivals | 27 | 0 | 4 | 16 |
This year was a lot "calmer" by all accounts. At the start of yesterday, there were essentially no outstanding offers on the table that the Hoos were still waiting to hear back from. In fact, by 11:35 a.m., Virginia head coach Mike London and company had already received a fax from every single student they were expecting.
That's a good thing. By comparison, reports circulated the internet today of the Virginia Tech coaching staff giving an earful to a Hokie commit, Ja Wand Blue, who surprised the staff by de-committing from Virginia Tech in favor of the University of Miami instead.
"No surprises," Defensive Coordinator Jim Reid told Virginia beat writer Jeff White yesterday morning. "As long as there's no surprises, we're good."
"Luckily this year," London echoed, "the commitments that were made to us stuck, and hopefully today will show that our early message was consistent, and having the season we had drew them closer in terms of wanting to be here."
Virginia's commits had plenty of time to reconsider. In fact, of the 26 members of the Class of 2012, only three -- Kelvin Rainey, Canaan Severin and Divante Walker -- had not offered a verbal commitment prior to the start of the 2011 campaign.
Coming off the 8-win season and a trip to the Chick-fil-A Bowl, Virginia signed what most to be considered the fifth best recruiting class in the conference, behind Florida State as the clear ACC winner, Clemson and Miami as the second tear, and Virginia Tech, who joins Virginia in the third tier of recruiting success in the conference. The rest of the conference had a "meh" recruiting season at best.
| State | No. of Signees |
| Virginia | 13 |
| Tidewater | 10 |
| Richmond | 3 |
| Georgia | 2 |
| New Jersey | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 |
| Florida | 1 |
| New York | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| Texas | 1 |
| Canada | 1 |
Virginia's recruiting class is headlined by the top prospect in the Commonwealth, defensive end Eli Harold out of Ocean Lakes in Virginia Beach, VA. Kwontie Moore out of Norfolk Christian in Norfolk, VA is also considered one of the top recruits of the state.
The majority of this year's class actually comes from in-state. A couple days ago, Doug Doughty wrote a piece in the ACC Sports Journal about how Virginia and Virginia Tech did a great job this year of protecting the state's borders. In years past, the Tar Heels have had a pretty strong foothold in the Commonwealth, but this year, North Carolina failed to sign a single player from Virginia.
Also worth noting is that, of the Cavaliers' 13 Virginia signees, 10 of them hail from the fertile recruiting grounds of the 757. Oddly enough, there were no commitments from the Northern Virginia region, which is interesting considering that the Hoos held a free open practice in Alexandria, Va. last March.
In hearing the players talk about why they chose Virginia over their other scholarship offers, there are two recurring themes. The first is that the players are committing to Virginia for greater reason other than Mike London and the rest of the coaching staff. Whether it's his faith, his work ethic, or just his ability to relate to players, these signees are excited to work with these coaches and are ready to go all-in on the Virginia system. The second recurring reason is academics. Virginia continues to attract players not only because of its return to relevancy, but because of its commitment to academic excellence. For most of these guys, the dream of reaching the NFL, and the fame and fortune associated therewith, will never be anything more than a dream. They know this. Their families know this. Coach London knows this. Everybody knows this. So it's good to see many of them making these types of decisions on the value of their diploma, and I wouldn't trade that for the world.
Well, maybe. Let's see what our record is next year.
Below you'll find scouting reports, player quotes, ratings, video highlights, UVA-produced videos, and much more on each of the 26 members of the Class of 2012. Even if you were following along with us yesterday as these rolled in, you'll want to click through to the scouting reports, as Tiki has added comments to almost all of them assessing their impact on Virginia. Yesterday, he also assessed the class as a whole.
Virginia Football's Signed Class of 2012
| Demeitre Brim Athlete |
Jamall Brown Wide Receiver |
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| Maurice Canady Athlete |
Tyrell Chavis Defensive Tackle |
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| Anthony Cooper Athlete |
Kyle Dockins Wide Receiver |
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| Ryan Doull Offensive Guard |
Adrian Gamble Wide Receiver |
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| Mark Hall Linebacker |
Eli Harold Defensive End |
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| Matt Johns Quarterback |
Sean Karl Offensive Tackle |
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| Greyson Lambert Quarterback |
Andre Miles-Redmond Offensive Guard |
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(January Enrollee)
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| Michael Mooney Offensive Tackle |
C.J. Moore Cornerback |
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| Kwontie Moore Linebacker |
Michael Moore Defensive End |
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| Kye Morgan Running Back |
Mario Nixon Wide Receiver |
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| Kelvin Rainey Cornerback |
Canaan Severin Wide Receiver |
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| Max Valles Athlete |
Wilfred Wahee Athlete |
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| Divante Walker Cornerback |
Courtnye Wynn Defensive End |
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National Signing Day: How did the Virginia Football Class of 2012 do?
by TikiUVA on Feb 1, 2012 4:00 PM EST
in Virginia Football
For the second season in a row, Mike London's coaching staff has brought in a much heralded freshman class of Wahoos. Last year's class included a handful of blue-chip offensive talents and skill positions players. This year's class focused a little bit more on defense and on the lines. In last year's class, the main focus was improving team speed. While that remains an important goal, this class also helps improve the team's size and strength.
Let's take a look at what the team needs were coming into this recruiting period, and how the team met its goals.
Obviously, when looking at team needs, we need to look at which players will be graduating. Coming off an 8-5 season, the Hoos are losing a lot. Gone from the offense are stars such as Kris Burd, Austin Pasztor, Anthony Mihota, Matt Snyder and Max Milien. Gone from the defense are Chase Minnifield, Matt Conrath, Nick Jenkins, Cam Johnson, Aaron Taliaferro, Rodney McLeod and Corey Mosley. That is more than half of the starting squad leaving due to graduation. That is a scary list for Hoo fans. Especially on the defensive side of the ball, we are losing a ton of talent. We've lost 75% of our defensive line and 75% of our secondary. How well will we be able to replace these players?
We all know that most incoming freshmen are not ready to play right away. Even the ones that are tend to improve a great deal between their first and second years. Darius Jennings, for example, looked like a different player in the Peach Bowl than he did early in the season. So while some of the 2012 recruits will undoubtedly see early playing time, most of them aren't expected to contribute until 2013 at the earliest. Therefore, we also need to look further ahead to see what the teams' needs will be in the future.
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Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
(updated 2.5.2012 at 4:02 AM EST)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
North Carolina Tar Heels
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7 | 1 | 20 | 3 |
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Florida St. Seminoles
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7 | 1 | 16 | 6 |
| Duke Blue Devils | 6 | 1 | 19 | 3 |
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N.C. State Wolfpack
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6 | 3 | 17 | 7 |
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Virginia Cavaliers
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5 | 3 | 18 | 4 |
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Miami Hurricanes
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4 | 3 | 13 | 7 |
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Maryland Terrapins
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3 | 5 | 13 | 9 |
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Clemson Tigers
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3 | 5 | 11 | 11 |
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Virginia Tech Hokies
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2 | 6 | 13 | 10 |
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Wake Forest Demon Deacons
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2 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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2 | 7 | 9 | 14 |
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Boston College Eagles
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2 | 7 | 7 | 16 |
Cavaliers Basketball Schedule
Next 5 Games
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Wake Forest
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Wed 02/08 | 7:30 PM EST |
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@
North Carolina
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Sat 02/11 | 1:00 PM EST |
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@
Clemson
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Tue 02/14 | 7:00 PM EST |
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Maryland
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Sat 02/18 | 1:00 PM EST |
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@
Virginia Tech
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Tue 02/21 | 9:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
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@
Florida St.
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Sat 02/04 | L 55 - 58 |
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Clemson
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Tue 01/31 | W 65 - 61 |
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@
N.C. State
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Sat 01/28 | W 61 - 60 |
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Boston College
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Thu 01/26 | W 66 - 49 |
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Virginia Tech
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Sun 01/22 | L 45 - 47 |
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