U.Va. Student Body: Thank you for your support last Saturday at Scott Stadium! Your energy and enthusiasm were crucial to the team’s success in our victory over BYU. After a great start to the season, we need to keep our momentum going this weekend.
In the nearly 20 years since Nike co-founder Phil Knight first approached the Oregon athletic department and endeavored to build a previously staid football program in his company’s own image and likeness, the Ducks have adopted a provocative, dynamic visual style which has triggered a revolution in how college football teams and what they wear function as branding vehicles.
Since coming to Charlottesville in 2010, coach Mike London has maintained a consistent attitude towards building a stronger program: you have to play the best to be the best.
The hype for the Virginia football team coming into this season largely surrounded the promising sophomore quarterback David Watford and the Cavaliers’ star recruit, freshman running back Taquan “Smoke” Mizzell. All that talk, much like the game, was stormed on Saturday against BYU.
It’s been a difficult preseason in terms of wading through what proportion of the hype surrounding Virginia football this year might be true and what share was just that — hype. Although one game isn’t a large enough sample to make any definite conclusions, the blurry image of the 2013 Cavaliers became marginally clearer after their gutsy 19-16 win against Brigham Young.
Five hours in, the headlines had been written. Three quarters of progress on defense and special teams were undercut late in an infuriating Virginia loss that brought back unfavorable memories of 2012.
When Virginia opens the season Saturday against Brigham Young, fans may recognize many familiar faces with the offense returning seven starters.
Last year featured a tale of two defenses for Virginia. There was the defense that was fourth in the ACC and No.
Here’s a look at Virginia’s 2013 adversaries by the numbers: 3: Brigham Young finished third in total defense in 2012 to advance to a bowl game for a fourth consecutive season.
Coaches across the country have expressed concern about the proliferation of fast-paced spread offenses. But will the faster pace really change everything about the game.
After playing in 10 games as a true freshman in 2011, David Watford was relegated to the sidelines in 2012, forced to listen through a headset as his team stumbled to a disappointing 4-8 finish.
After turning a Virginia football team that suffered three consecutive losing seasons into a bowl-eligible 8-5 team in just his second year on Grounds, coach Mike London seemed primed to push his success even further in 2012.
Coach Mike London revealed Monday at the ACC Kickoff in Greensboro, N.C. that Watford will be the team’s top quarterback entering camp. Redshirt freshman Greyson Lambert will compete for the starting job as well and a starter will be named in early August.
Football associate Mike Eilbacher and Sports Editor Daniel Weltz provide blog updates from the two-day ACC Kickoff in Greensboro, N.C.
What to conclude about building a successful college football program in the wake of Phillip Sims’ departure from Virginia.
Phillip Sims is no longer on the Virginia football roster and will leave the University after completion of his summer school session, coach Mike London announced Friday. The Chesapeake, Va. native appeared in all 12 games at quarterback during his sophomore season after transferring from Alabama.
Neither the Virginia football team or basketball team roared out of the gate, but by the end of two whirlwind seasons, both found themselves playing on a stage that at one point seemed unattainable. London’s second season culminated in a New Year’s Eve matchup in front of 72,919 fans at the Georgia Dome in the Chick-fil-A bowl. Bennett, meanwhile, led Virginia to the Big Dance for the first time since 2007 while winning 22 games overall — the most in 29 years.
On a chilly Saturday at Scott Stadium, a Virginia football team surrounded by questions suited up for their annual Orange & Blue intra-squad scrimmage. Over the course of the game – an 18-15 win by the Orange team – some aspects of the coming year began to come into focus, while others may remain a mystery right up until the end of the summer.
The Virginia football team learned Wednesday that safety Quin Blanding would become the second Bayside High School standout and five-star prospect to commit to the University this month.
Just more than a month after revealing a home-and-home agreement with Pac-12 powerhouse Oregon, the Virginia athletics department announced Monday morning that it has scheduled two contests with Boise State beginning in 2015. Hours later, the Atlantic Coast Conference released the Cavaliers’ finalized football schedule for next fall.
