Florida State quarterback Chris Rix will be sidelined for at least the next two weeks, the Associated Press reported yesterday. Rix suffered a sprained ankle late in the first quarter of the Seminoles’ 41-22 victory over Clemson last weekend.

Redshirt sophomore Wyatt Sexton, who replaced the injured Rix, will make his first start this weekend when the No. 9 Seminoles host North Carolina.

Sexton completed 17 of 26 passes for 162 yards against the Tigers, including a 47-yard scoring pass, Florida State’s first touchdown toss of the season. He is also expected to start Oct. 9 when the Seminoles travel to Syracuse to play the Orange.

The Virginia men’s golf team wrapped up play Tuesday at the Mason Rudolph Intercollegiate in Nashville, posting a final round score of 294 (+10) and an overall 869 (+17) to finish in an eleventh-place tie with Kansas State.

Senior Kevin O’Connell was the top finisher for the Cavaliers. His even-par 71 in the final round left him at 214 (+1) overall, good enough for a tie for 21st place.

Joining O’Connell was junior Brad Tilley, who finished tied for 35th, and sophomores Dan McGurk, Mark Perry and Dan Gabel, who finished in ties for 47th, 55th and 71st, respectively.

The Virginia men’s soccer team could have panicked after the University of Maryland, Baltimore County converted on its first shot of the game.

The Cavaliers lost a tough game on Saturday in Chapel Hill, and had taken 10 shots without success before UMBC’S goal, and thus had to play catch-up. This did not prove insurmountable, however, as the No. 22 Cavaliers (6-2-0) scored twice in the last eight minutes of the first half and went on to a 3-1 victory over UMBC (4-2-1).

Virginia dominated possession in the game’s first 34 minutes, but the Retrievers went ahead on a broken play.

UMBC’s Matt Watson won the ball from two Virginia defenders and sent a pass to forward Derek McElligott, who stood just outside the box. McElligott froze two defenders and unleashed a 20-yard rocket that cleanly beat Cavalier goalkeeper Ryan Burke.

The Cavaliers kept the heat on after falling behind, however, and drew level less than four minutes later.

Hunter Freeman, who assisted on all three Virginia goals, sent a free kick into the box, which found the head of Ian Holder. Holder’s initial shot was stopped by UMBC goalkeeper Andy Marchica, but the rebound was trickled into the net by defender Matt Oliver. Marchica felt he had been fouled before the goal, but the appeal went on deaf ears.

Five minutes later, Virginia’s Zane Hill sent a ball wide to Freeman, who played a cross into the box. A charging Holder hammered the ball into the net past a helpless Marchica, giving the Cavaliers a lead they would not relinquish.

Virginia coach George Gelnovatch expected his team to respond after falling behind.

“Even after they scored that goal, I knew we would get a goal,” Gelnovatch said. “Every time we have been scored upon [this season], we have responded. Nobody panicks, nobody points a finger.”

Possession in the second half was again controlled by Virginia, but the game was not put out of reach until the 72nd minute.

Freeman played a thru ball to sophomore striker Adam Cristman, who then sent a pass across the face of the goal. Midfielder Chris Tierney roofed the ball into a yawning net for his first career goal, ending the scoring in the 3-1 win for the Cavaliers.

“It was a good night,” Freeman said. “Luckily enough, people finished off the balls I played. All in all, I thought I played pretty good.”

Gelnovatch talked about Freeman’s abilities in varying situations.

“He is obviously a great defender — athletic, tenacious, hard, smart,” Gelnovatch said. “But he is also a guy who can get up and down the right side and is dangerous. He’s dangerous because he comes into the attack late and he rips in a nasty, dangerous ball, either on restarts or on the run of play when he’s getting behind defenses and ripping balls in.”

Freeman has tallied one goal and seven assists in eight games this season, an improvement on four total assists in his previous two years. In the past three games, Freeman has posted seven points on a goal and five assists.

The Cavaliers will look to build on the momentum of this come-from-behind victory on Saturday with an ACC home date against N.C. State.

Dear Chris Canty,
Thank you for all of your contributions to the University of Virginia. I’m not just talking about the tackles and plays you made on the field, but you, as a person, as well. Not that I ever want anyone to get hurt, but you were the last person I wanted to see sidelined for his senior season.

This summer, you said you came back to Charlottesville to compete for an ACC and national championship. You passed up the chance at NFL riches because you said you enjoyed the camaraderie with your teammates. Now, your cleats are hung up for good in Scott Stadium, as you have been relegated to cheerleading duty.

Obviously, your reputation at the University comes from what you do on the field, so let’s start there.

As a football player, you will be missed. This fall, you were a Lombardi Award and All-American candidate. You were a two-time second-team All-ACC defensive end. You led all ACC defensive linemen last season with 104 tackles, the second straight year you were the only lineman in the top 20 in the ACC.

You simply dominated the line of scrimmage, racking up 30 tackles in four games this season, including seven for losses. Your “95″ jersey was in the opposing backfield so often that it was like you lined up there. You were a tenacious run-stopper and used your freakish athleticism to constantly pressure the quarterback.

As a leader, you will be missed. You were the captain, heart and soul of the “Orange Crush Defense.” Your emotion was infectious on the field and carried into the student body at Scott Stadium. From your “Birdman” pose to any of your celebrations, there was no one students would rather see make a play. We responded to your arms motioning for us to make noise, and you responded with high-energy plays.

You simply got your teammates ready to play. You knew your role as a captain was to lead both by example and with words. You screamed in practice, “This is our house.” Your mouth was always running, whether to motivate or entertain through your practice field renditions of hits like “Crazy in Love.”

Your coach, Al Groh, said the following in a press release Monday:

“Chris is one of the guys who has built the heart of the team. He has a great passion for football and his teammates. That will be missed even more than his playmaking ability.”

Your resilience has been unparalleled. You came to Virginia as an unheralded recruit, playing your senior season in high school, only your second in football, at a mere 205 pounds. You were relentless in the weight room, adding almost 90 pounds to your 6-foot-7-inch frame in five years despite dealing with much adversity.

You battled back from a broken leg in the spring of 2002, missing the first two games but still finishing with 86 tackles. A dislocated elbow kept you from playing in the 2002 Continental Tire Bowl in your hometown, but you were ready for spring practice in 2003. You are the player that coaches dream about, not for your athleticism but for your heart and passion.

The University would be hard-pressed to find a better representative, let alone one from its football program. You were always genuine, always willing to speak to the media and have been the best interview that this reporter has ever known. You were polite and soft-spoken, yet surprisingly vocal. You spoke with clarity and wisdom beyond your years.

Your ear-to-ear grin never leaves your face, matching your sense of humor. At the ACC Football Kickoff this summer, you said you planned to play golf the next day, though you had never played before, and “throw the sticks around.” Sure enough, you did, with several of your whiffs recorded on virginiasportstv.com. But the smile never disappeared, even as you missed golf ball after golf ball to the delight of teammate Elton Brown.

I remember in that same interview, I asked you if you would ever get disciplined in the video game NCAA Football 2005. Your response: “Chris Canty is too disciplined for that.”

And, though you were joking, that was right. You understood that the face of the University was on your shoulders, and you embraced that role. You earned your degree in May, and you have always been a model citizen.

You were projected to go in the first round of April’s NFL Draft, with great speed and mobility for your size. Now, you hope to be ready for NFL training camp although your draft position could be significantly lower.

On one play, one in which no one can tell how your knee was hurt, all of your hopes for a banner senior season went up in smoke.

Your tackles will be replaced, but you will not. Everyone associated with the Cavalier football program will miss you. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and best of luck in the NFL. There is no one I would rather see succeed.

Thanks for all of the memories,

J.D.

Try naming an NFL or college long snapper. Just one.

Although fanatic football fans may be able to name the long snapper on their favorite team, they probably couldn’t name a second.

Virginia fans have it easier. While they might not know it, they most likely know the long snapper on field goals, senior center Zac Yarbrough. The other half of the long-snapping duo, the snapper for punts, is more of a challenge — freshman Tyrus Gardner.

Gridirion fans can picture Martin Gramatica jumping into the air to celebrate his field goals or the disbelief and total agony of Oregon State kicker Alexis Serna, whose second extra-point miss caused the Beavers to lose to No. 4 LSU in overtime in early September. But what about the long snappers — where do they play into field goals and punts?

“I remember the first snap I ever had here was at Wisconsin and looking between my legs and just seeing all the red,” Yarbrough said. “After the first couple [snaps], you just get it under your belt. Just like any other position, it just becomes routine.”

Both of Virginia’s long snappers began their snapping careers in high school. Many current college and professional long snappers picked up the position as another way to crack the roster of a college team. In the case of Gardner and Yarbrough, it was their dads who convinced them to take up the role.

“I’ve always [long snapped], ever since I started playing football when I was in fifth or sixth grade,” Yarbrough said. “It was one of the things my dad preached to me — it would always give you an opportunity at the next level. Being a long snapper helped me enter scholarship year, and hopefully it will help me in the future.”

The relative anonymity of the Virginia long snappers is probably a good thing. While field goal kickers receive all the praise for a successful boot through the uprights, long snappers, for the most part, don’t enter the limelight unless they have a bad snap.

“It’s something you have to be focused on, and it takes a lot of effort,”Yarbrough said.

Someone who has helped in the long snappers’ development is Ryan Childress, who completed his fourth season as the team long snapper last season and graduated. Childress was 99.1 percent on placekicking snaps and 97.5 percent on punting snaps, and he even contributed on the defensive end, leading the team with 12 tackles on the punt team in 2002. Gardner, who redshirted last season, was the beneficiary of much of the graduate student’s knowledge.

“I learned a lot from him — how to handle the pressure and a lot of fundamental things about snapping,” Gardner said. “It was good to play with him for a year.”

For Yarbrough, this isn’t entirely new territory. He was recruited as a tight end/long snapper, and as a freshman in 2001, he split time with Childress — Yarbrough handling the placekicks and Childress managing punting snaps. Yarbrough was perfect on all 47 of his long snaps that year and began the 2002 season as the long snapper for field goals, but a hand injury turned the duties over to Childress.

While you may now be able to rattle off the people under center for the Virginia special teams, with a bit of luck, they’ll remain undistinguished — because that means they’re doing their jobs.

It was a fairly cool September night, but the heat of the in-state rivalry lived up to its billing. Virginia’s field hockey team (6-5) had yet another game decided by one goal against William & Mary (6-4).By the time the clock ticked down to triple zeros, it was Virginia on the losing end, 5-4, to the Tribe.

“This is exactly the type of game we expected in terms of the toughness,” Virginia coach Jessica Wilk said. “We knew it was going to be a battle. I thought we came out very well but we didn’t sustain it. We didn’t play to our level throughout the whole 70 minutes.”

After jumping out to a 3-1 lead in the first half, Virginia appeared to be cruising. By the fifth minute, the Cavaliers had struck first with a goal from freshman Abby Taylor.Within the next nine minutes, Virginia scored three times with goals from junior midfielder Katie Phillips and junior back Biffy Cornelison. Cornelison’s goal went in after William & Mary goalie Heather Kibbee allowed a rebound on a shot from Phillips off a corner. The Virginia squad seemed aggressive and united in jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead.

“I thought we attacked very well in the first half,” Wilk said. “We defended very well in the first half.”

William & Mary’s senior forward Ginny Sutton scored at 26:10, starting a 4-0 run that spanned both halves and pulled the Tribe into the lead.

Virginia was leading 3-1 at the break, but in the second half the Cavaliers lost the momentum that propelled them in the first half.

At 49:19, William & Mary junior back Diana Esposito’s scored and about seven minutes later, she assisted on sophomore forward Gina Cimarelli’s game-tying goal. Just 49 seconds later, the Tribe scored again when junior midfielder Shannon Karl fed sophomore forward Kelly Giles for the go-ahead goal.

Virginia stormed back when Phillips scored her second goal of the night with about nine minutes left. But William & Mary scored what proved to be the game-winner with 1:57 left on Giles’ second goal. She finished with two goals and an assist.

Virginia’s play in the second half differed from its aggressive first half.

“In the second half we got a little complacent, and we got away from our game plan,” Wilk said. “We let it get away from us.”

Though Virginia outshot the Tribe 18-15 and led them in corners 6-3, they could not close out the win.

“It was definitely a very frustrating game,” Phillips said. “They are a really emotional team and they fought back. I think we played really great 10-minute segments.We just didn’t put it all together. We had mental lapses.”

Virginia will take on current No. 1 Maryland on Saturday in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers hope to pull off a win against the sixth of seven currently ranked opponents they will face. Versus the first five, Virginia is 1-4.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences hosted an inaugural undergraduate research presentation and dinner last night in the Rotunda Dome Room.

Undergraduate students who spent the entire summer on Grounds doing research on topics ranging from plant aging to the effects of fetal alcohol exposure were gathered to present their research results with other students, faculty and administrators.

The joint research presentations between the two schools will be held annually.

The dinner was “a celebratory evening for the event,” Center for Undergraduate Excellence Director Nicole Hurd said.

The presentations included exhibits of different research projects. Around 20 students shared presentations and each had their research processes and results displayed on posters. Students stood by their exhibits as other students, faculty and administrators browsed each one individually.

Over the summer, the students had the chance to conduct research in a field that was of interest to them. The students met with faculty advisors once a week for eight weeks.

The project is open to all undergraduates in the College and Engineering School.

Students had the opportunity to experience the ins and outs of their fields of study in a setting other than the classroom.

Fourth-year College student Brenda Goguen, who conducted a research project in chemistry, said it was a great experience. She added that researching something that has not been tried out before and stepping out of the classroom into the real world of research were really exciting.

College Dean Edward L. Ayers said one of the hallmarks of the University is the collaboration among different schools. He said the project not only succeeded in giving undergraduate students the opportunity to do research, but also in forming an interaction between two schools which are generally seen as being very different from each other.

“This project required tackling problems belonging to two different schools and this process needed the expertise of faculty from both of them,” Ayers said. “That is why I see it as the most exciting event this year, because the way these two schools came together to do something and did a great job with it is just great.”

Many faculty and administrators said they are looking forward to the diverse research projects of next year from other eager undergraduate students.

The Web site for the University’s pilot January term is now available with a complete listing of courses, registration instructions and financial details.

The term will run from Jan. 3 to 14 and will consist of 15 courses in different departments ranging from Anthropology to Drama to Politics.

Registration for January Term 2005 will run from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10.

The curriculum was started by the Office of the Vice President and Provost and is in conjunction with the Office of Summer Session, the School of Continuing and Professional Studies and the International Studies Office.

Some of the offered courses pertain to both international and local current events, including “Nation Building in Iraq: Past, Present and Future” and “Understanding Diversity in the Modern University: Research, Policy, Climate.”

Karen Ryan, associate dean of the arts, humanities and social sciences, said the program offers “capstone courses which will complement and enrich fall courses.”

January Term 2005 also provides students with the opportunity to study abroad. There currently are not enough registered students to meet the necessary requirements for the study abroad program, so the deadline has been extended until Oct. 8.

International Studies Office Director Rebecca Brown said a study abroad program during the January term is necessary because many students have requested a timelier study abroad schedule.

“The January term will provide multiple options in subject areas and is an opportunity for us to develop study abroad,” Brown said.

Interim Director of Summer Session Dudley Doane said the January term study abroad program has the potential to introduce students to semester-long study abroad trips for those unsure about committing to a whole semester overseas.

January term professors soon will begin visiting current classes to target students with interests in their courses, and January term organizers said they will be posting fliers around Grounds for information sessions.

Students already have begun expressing interest in the program.

January term is a “chance for lower-classmen to explore different areas of interest,” fourth-year College student Alex Buettner said.

First-year College Olubusayo Akanbi said she “would definitely like to participate in the program.”

The Center for Politics held a symposium last night in Minor Hall on finding political jobs and internships as part of its National Symposium on Youth Civic Engagement.

Grant Reeher, author of “The Insider’s Guide to Political Internships: What to Do Once You’re in the Door,” an associate professor of political science at Syracuse University, moderated the discussion.

The six panelists included campaign staffers, legislative assistants and a political media consultant.

Reeher discussed ten points on how to succeed in and learn from internships, one of which included considering the possibility of choosing an internship at a local politician’s office.

“The experience will be more significant,” Reeher said.

Reeher also said that interns should expect to do mundane work and be able to do it well. He also stressed the importance of learning phone decorum and being able to ask questions.

The most important tip Reeher shared was advising interns to carry around a small notebook and write down what people say and how things work.

Panelist Jameel Aalim Johnson, chief of staff for Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., also had helpful tips for potential interns.

“In politics things are sensitive,” Johnson said. “You need to know when to talk and when to be quiet.”

Panel member Katie Anderson, former legislative assistant for Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., and a University graduate, gave advice about internship interviews.

“Be ready to answer the question ‘Why do I want to be here?’” she said.

Anderson also advised students to “look at Congress members’ five most recent press releases and find one that interests you so that you can recall it in an interview.”

Panelist John Lapp, a University graduate and political media consultant for the media firm Murphy, Putman, Shorr, and Partners, told prospective interns to be flexible, make connections and be willing to go wherever and do whatever.

He also mentioned the importance of researching politicians in “The Almanac of American Politics” before going for an interview.

All the panelists agreed that students interested in a job in politics need to dress appropriately, be devoted and willing to work hard and have good writing and communication skills.

Panelist Tucker McNeil, the speechwriter for Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, said there are various ways for students to get a start in politics, but certain skills are necessary to succeed.

“Hard work is how you keep a job,” McNeil said. “It’s what lets you go from one job to the next job.”