Yes they are small everywhere and we should be able to run the ball, but if we go that route the play calling will be crappy and keep this game close. We need to air it up, get up by 20 at half and then ground and pound, but London is still the coach, so we may be down at half kicking FG's vs. getting 6.

Wow, just when you think they might be down. Guess UCLA isn't as good as we thought.

Mine is like a 2. I don't even know what time the game is. The end of Groh was the last time I felt like this. Have we really hit this level? I feel bad because I root for the kids and they still play hard, but I want this season and staff gone like yesterday.

Just saw we are a 7 point favorite against the Orange.

How about it.

UVA 31
Orange 20

getting smoked early 2nd quarter to Utah St 24-3. Man how bad are we haha

All 3 goals were scored by freshmen.

Their freshman QB is 22 years old. Many of UVA's players will be 21 or 22 when they graduate.

Anyone coming up here for the game in December?

I am happy I get to see us play live, but I would have rather gotten a rematch with Mich St. Those last two exits put them on my teams to dislike list eve if I have a ton of respect for Izzo

Lane Kiffin. Hear me out ...

He's been humbled a bit by the Raiders and USC experiences, and has learned under Saban (seemingly doing well and not making waves). He's made Bama more productive offensively. He's still young enough to generate some enthusiasm. He's got name recognition.

Of course, the drawback is the "will he bolt?" factor if he is successful, added to his experience being only at "blueblood" programs and in the NFL. Of course, time with Al D in Oakland might have him uniquely prepared for any dysfunction UVa can throw at him ...

Go ahead, give me the 1000 reasons not to think in this direction ...

The WAR ROOM is back and this special edition is full of football and hoops recruiting scoop! The Wahoos are returning to Scott Stadium this weekend where there will be a number of intriguing visitors expected when Virginia hosts Syracuse. We'll give you the latest on the list and talk to you about who the Cavaliers are expecting, including one key player at a position of need. Can they keep the positive momentum in this recruitment going? Meanwhile, on the hardwood the Hoos were named a preseason Top 10 team this week, as expected, and continue to move forward on the recruiting trail. We'll tell you about the changes to this year's fall recruiting strategy and give you the names of the players UVa is bringing in for a visit this weekend as well as what we're hearing about next weekend's scrimmage when it comes to visitors.

As always, what's said in the War Room, stays in the War Room. Let's go!


Visitors expected

While this game is a must-win for the Cavaliers on the field, it's also a key opportunity for them from a recruiting standpoint. Word we've heard is that Virginia is expecting to host a number of quality prospects across the 2016, 2017, 2018, and even the 2019 classes. While some of them are camp guys, i.e. players who might be a ways from an offer, some of them are guys who either already have offers or are in serious consideration for one.

Let's start with the commits, where it sounds like UVa is expecting six from its 2016 class: Cole Blackman, Darrius Bratton, Nick Grant, Chris Moore, Stephen Spanellis , and Matt Terrell.

From there, there are a few uncommitted 2016 prospects expected, including Miles Noye, Jack Quiggle, and Garrett Rigby.

But by far the one that the staff will be focused on the most is three-star Hermitage defensive tackle Sulaiman Kamara, who as of Thursday was planning to be in Scott Stadium this weekend. Since Marques Hagans took over his recruitment, Virginia has been able to make some nice headway with the 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive lineman, something that would have really shocked us not that long ago. With a top five that features ECU, North Carolina, Temple, UVa, and Wake Forest, this is a great opportunity for the Cavaliers. Needless to say, defensive tackle is a position they really are looking to address in this class and it's the one glowing weakness of the group as a whole. Getting Kamara would be the perfect fit in terms of what their needs are and who's available in state.

From the 2017 class, Virginia is expecting almost 20 prospects, though again not all of them are going to be offer-level guys. But there are definitely a few worth mentioning. Dakota Davis, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound offensive lineman from Glenelg (MD) is expected, as is DeMatha quarterback Beau English. Wake Forest (NC) Heritage wide receiver Zach Gemmell is also planning to visit in addition to Joel Honigford, an offensive lineman from Sugarcreek (OH) Garaway, Daniel Horne, an offensive lineman from C.D. Hylton, Johnny Jordan, an offensive lineman from Gonzaga, and Johnathan Lewis, a quarterback from St. Peter's Prep in New Jersey. UVa is also expecting to host Tennessee offensive lineman Justin Satterfield and Pennsylvania tight end Griffin Sestili.

Underclassmen event is set

As we transition to hoops, we talked last week about Michael Okauru, the 6-foot-3 guard from Raleigh (NC) Ravenscroft. Word we continue to hear is that Tony Bennett holds this kid in pretty high regard and despite the fact that UVa has not offered, it's becoming more and more likely that the Cavaliers will at some point. Soon? That's hard to say. With the scholarship situation being what it is in that class, Bennett and his staff aren't going to toss out offers without a great deal of thought and deliberation.

Okauru is someone the staff likes a lot and he's also one of three prospects the Wahoos will host this weekend, the lone 2017 player expected. He'll be joined by 2018 guard Myles Dread and 2018 forward Jarius Hamilton.

As you might recall, UVa is tweaking its strategy this fall. Rather than bring in a bunch of recruits, most of which are likely to have just been in town for Elite Camp in the late summer, the Cavaliers decided that they wanted to bring in just a few guys because it allows for more meaningful visits. As such, the annual underclassmen event got paired down considerably.

In talking to sources, we continue to get the vibe that Virginia will take its time in 2017 but Okauru is a guy the staff really likes. And it's easy to see why given his skillset and length. Dread was a guy that we were impressed with this summer and we continue to hear great things about the 6-foot-6 Hamilton.

Next weekend could be interesting

Since the Cavaliers will look to bring in a few recruits for the Blue-White Scrimmage that's being held on Saturday afternoon, next weekend is shaping up to be one to watch as well.

In talking to sources, it certainly sounds like the focus here is on the team and not showcasing the program to recruits. Truth be told, Bennett has sort of given his assistant coaches the directive that while recruiting remains an important priority, the biggest priority right now is the team. That's why you're not hearing about a great number of visits, since the assistant coaches are out on the road basically whenever the team has an off day. If there's practice, all coaches have been there working rather than out on the road.

In any event, if what we're hearing is right the Cavaliers could have four-star Rivals150 point guard Matt Coleman in the house next weekend along with an intriguing 2018 prospect: Nate Laszewski. The four-star forward from Northfield (MA) Mt. Hermon is picking up interest and the Cavaliers are a team that could make a push at some point. Word we've heard is that Brad Soderberg has the Hoos in a good spot early on.

Finally, the other name we've heard as a potential visitor next weekend, though no confirmation as of yet has come, is 2018 four-star point guard Darius Garland from Nashville. Garland, who already has an offer from Virginia, is going to have a big recruitment and it's clear that the staff is making him a priority very early on.

That is it for this week, and as always, what's said here, stays here!

USA today has us at number six.

Kentucky, North Carolina, Maryland, Duke and Kansas are ahead of us

I think Maryland will be good, but I'm not buying them as a top 10 team. I guess all is going to depend on how that big freshman impacts them

We're all beyond excited about TB and the direction he has the program going. Recruiting "misses" have ended up recently with as good or better endings than we started with. That said, our hoops past have had quite a few heartbreaks and closes misses that could have changed the direction of the program.

If you could only pick one guy who we missed on, turn back the clock, and magically make him a Hoo...who would your pick be? Has to be someone who at least seriously considered the Hoos, took a visit, and had us among his final choices.

I've seen these types of discussions on UVa boards in the past, and frequently see common names. Mark West because we could have paired him with Sampson to form an incredible interior combo. Jason Lawson because he would have been the missing piece to the 1995 team, and was so close to picking UVa. Jordan because he apparently wanted to play with Sampson...not sure that was true, or if it just developed into message board legend over the years. Even Christian Laettner...no doubt one of the best college players ever, but (as much as we dislike him) IMO K was the perfect coach for him. Don't believe Holland or Jones would have made him into that same player.

My pick would be Chris Mullin. Was watching the 30/30 "Requiem For the Big East" not too long ago, and he took an OV to UVa, but ultimately decided to stay home at St. John's. To me, he would have been that designated big perimeter scorer opposite Ralph, that we never had after Lamp graduated. He would have made that 1984 Final Four team SO much better. I seriously doubt we go to the 1985 NIT if we had Mullin and he had that dominant SR year like he did at St. John's, winning the Wooden award over Ewing...we would have been an NCAA tourney team. Plus during that era we had some good players out of NYC...Olden, Mel Kennedy, John Johnson. Mix them in with a player as high profile as Mullin, and that could have helped establish a true NYC pipeline.

Who should be accountable for the current dismal state of UVA football? There are many candidates who clearly have some or a lot of responsibility for UVA FB and therefore should be at least in part accountable for the current depressing level of UVA football. Sullivan certainly if only for position of authority and lack of interest, the Board of Governors for their distant hands off policy, the AD LIttlepage with overall responsibility for UVA athletics to include football, the Asst. AD Oliver who was given the reigns for FB as CL had other things to do or he just realized he didn't know jack about football, London obviously for the crappy job he has done with the FB program, and add to the list various assistants, etc. However, at the end of the day I submit the primary person responsible, deserving of the most criticism and blame, and therefore the one most accountable is our Athletic Director Craig Littlepage. Now before everyone gets lathered up and start blasting me for being way off base and unfairly targeting CL, allow me to point a few things out. And I am very much aware of the excellent results in other UVA athletic programs which no doubt Mr. Littlepage has had a very positive impact. However, I am talking specifically about football. IMHO Littlepage has some serious explaining to do regarding numerous actions and events contributing to the current mess with the FB program:
1. The hiring process - he should explain why there essentially was no meaningful "search" process conducted when he hired London. CL targeted ML from the get go, and it was pretty much a done deal. ML had coached at UVA, he did a good job as a coordinator, he was well liked, had success at Richmond primarily with the previous coaches players, was regarded as a great recruiter with particular strength in the Tidewater area, and that evidently was enough. If there was any real vetting undertaken it was minimal.
2. The initial hiring contract - there was nothing in London's resume or credentials that justified the initial hiring amount. Regardless of the salary levels of other head coaches in the ACC, London would be coming into the job unproven as D-1 Power 5 head coach. His compensation package should have been structured with a reasonable base commensurate with an unproven first year head coach, and layered with various incentives tied to win-loss record, graduation rate, etc. CL should explain why ML was hired at such a high base salary.
3. The ridiculous raise after the 2011 season including the buy out agreement - almost anyone objectively looking at the 2011 season would have concluded that the 8 wins was a very fortunate outcome resulting in considerable part to numerous breaks and was probably not realistically sustainable. Moreover, performance improvement should have been amongst the evaluation criteria, and looking at the final two blow out losses, one of which was a total embarrassment at home to our in state rivals, the conclusion should have been that the season was probably a fluke and improvements had not realistically been achieved.
4. Records after 2011, namely 4-8 in 2012 and 2-10 in 2013 - the explanation frequently give by Littlepage for retaining London is that the program was making progress. How can Littlepage possibly say that with credibility after the 2012 & 2013 seasons? CL should explain why he has retained London following those seasons.
5. London's sideline demeanor and game management - London's sideline antics are generally regarded, when people are being truthful, as silly and high school like. His game management consistently falls well short of what anyone would reasonable expect of a head coach, decisions on time outs, take or refuse penalties, forth down decisions, are all knee jerk random and not well considered.
6. Development of talent on the team, especially quarterbacks - one of the measures of good coaching is the discipline of players on the field and the performance improvements exhibited by the players during their time with the program. By all accounts, on average UVA players do not seem to reach their projected or anticipated performance level while in the FB program. The well chronicled bungling of the QB position has no doubt resulted in team dysfunction and poor on field results.
7. Turning the football program over to Oliver - ML needs to do some serious explaining about why that was done, and where has been the oversight considering the numerous questionable decisions regarding OOC scheduling and mandated hires.

For these and many, many other reasons, IMHO Craig Littlepage has some 'splaining to do!

http://www.campusrush.com/randy-edsall-maryland-coaching-carousel-1401199263.html

I'm really starting to think that a mid-season fire is the best for all....

Virginia The only person who didn't see this dismal season (1–4) coming was Cavaliers AD Craig Littlepage, who brought back Mike London despite little evidence that he could win as a head coach. An early firing could give Virginia an advantage over Virginia Tech, which can't let Frank Beamer go early out of respect. The Hokies also could be in contention in the ACC Coastal Division late in the year, a problem the Cavaliers likely won't have. The potential race between Maryland, Virginia and Virginia Tech for head coaches is a fascinating subplot

Out

Malcolm Cook (upper extremity)

Sean Karl (medical)

Mike Mooney (lower extremity)

Sadiq Olanrewaju (lower extremity)

Divante Walker (lower extremity)


Doubtful

None


Questionable

None


Probable

None


All remaining players on the Virginia roster are available to participate. Please note the status of an injured student-athlete’s ability to participate can increase or decrease between the time this report is issued and game time.



Key:

Out = Definitely will not play

Doubtful = At least 75% chance will not play

Questionable = 50-50 chance will not play

Probable = Virtual certainty will be available for normal duty


Out for the season

Doull, Ryan – medical

Epps, Calvin – upper extremity

Fieler, Jake – lower extremity

Levrone, Andre – low back

Simmons, Jahvoni – upper extremity

Tetlow, Eric – lower extremity

watched the highlights of the 2015 season for the umpteenth time

I'd like to see where posters stand on regime change .....

Please check out this weeks preview of Virginia vs. Syracuse with former Cavalier defensive backs Tyrone Lewis and Tony Covington.

http://www.huddlecasts.com/#!virginia-huddle/cq1p

this is an extremely enlightening article... I feel for our next coach because of all those burnt shirts....

"I thought maybe my junior year I would get some experience, so that going into my senior year I wouldn’t be seeing a ton of new stuff. If I had another year, I believe I would definitely be better that year.”

http://www.dailyprogress.com/cavali...cle_edb035c2-71f7-11e5-bf43-83b193365867.html

As I mentioned in the Blue-White scrimmage thread here, this year we'll be once again doing features with each of UVa's assistant hoops coaches as well as the team's S&C coach. I know you guys are looking forward to basketball season and thought you'd like to hear the following:

Because of the amount of material I got in my first two interviews with Ron Sanchez and Jason Williford this week, I've decided to break the interviews into multiple parts each. Frankly, there's just too much left on the cutting room floor if I don't. Both Sachez and Williford were very gracious with their time and I know folks are clamoring for every morsel so I'm going to begin rolling them out starting tomorrow morning with Part I of my interview with Sanchez.

At this point, the plan is to run the second part on Monday afternoon and then other interviews thereafter, likely stretching into the following week. Also of note, Virginia will hold its media day a week from today, meaning on October 21 you'll get a full presser from Tony Bennett, practice updates on the board later that day, and hoops stories/video interviews with players also rolling out alongside the coach features.