Summer Orientation - How to be a UVA Football Fan

How to be a UVA Football Fan

Summer orientation for this year's First-Year class has begun this week on Grounds. Flocks of name-tagged future Hoos and their families have begun to wander through the purple shadows looking for the nearest Starbucks and asking things like, "Is that building really named Balz?"

Well, welcome little Wahoos. I'm sure your orientation guides will set you up well for the fall - remember your UVAisms, never forget that Newcomb > OHill, and make sure the friend you make today and you register for a class together or you'll never see them again. To complete your preparations for joining us in August, Wahooze is here to help you with one of the most important lessons you could ever learn: How to be a UVA football fan. So, sit back, relax, grab a non-alcoholic Zima, and prepare to join one of the more... er... interesting... fan experiences college football has to offer.

Step One - Know the Basics

Certainly, having been accepted to Mr. Jefferson's University, you're already someone who expertly prepares for the challenges of the unknown. You already know our colors are Blue (Navy) and Orange. You've probably heard Cavaliers and Wahoos thrown around interchangeably. Keep in mind these other tidbits and you'll have a good foundation for starting your acclimation:

Coach: Mike London. Nice guy. Used to be an assistant coach here - has also won a D1-AA (FCS) national championship as head coach at Richmond. Jury's still out on whether he'll succeed here.

Quarterback: David Watford or Greyson Lambert. We'll find out sooner or later. Or not.

Greyson Lambert looks the part - but could be 2nd string.

Stadium: Scott Stadium. Pretty. There's a grassy hill. You'll probably watch games from it or the adjacent student section. You can't bury kegs in it anymore, but students used to.

Mascot: Cavman. He has an intro video. He fell off his horse once. Little kids love him. He's no Sabre the HorseHippoDragon

Acceptable Cheers: Any variation of Go Wahoos/Hoos, etc... Never have I heard someone yell "Go Cavaliers!" I don't recommend it.

Fight Song: Not really. When we score we sing the Good Ol Song (video below). It's now what you sing on New Year's instead of Auld Lang Syne. 

Step Two - Know the context

I've written a little on the historical background of UVA football, but you should probably get a good idea of how the school, students, and alumni approach football here. Firstly, we're not that good. We've gone 4-8 two of the past three seasons. However, we've been good before and there's a lot of hope surrounding Mike London and his ability to turn great recruiting into great results on the field. In my opinion, UVA is more of a basketball school than a football school - with a large focus on non-revenue sports as well. In the Director's Cup, the measurement for overall athletic programs, UVA always does well, as our lacrosse, tennis, swimming, soccer, and rowing teams regularly challenge for national championships. The basketball team seems set for consistent excellence with Tony Bennett at the helm, as does the women's team.

Football, however, will always be the most important sport in this country (Well, at least until society eventually deems its inherent dangers unacceptable). To the UVA community? Eh, not so much. Football here is relatively well-funded by the athletic foundation and its donors, so don't think it isn't a major focus in the community. However, while sort of being in the South, UVA (and Charlottesville, for sure) doesn't share the same fanatic obsession that many other schools in the region do. Scott Stadium wont sell out unless the team wins games and most University decisions that affect football are made with a "that's nice, let's hope they do well" motivation than a "THIS SCHOOL MUST WIN ITS AMATEUR FOOTBALL MATCHES AT ALL COSTS" mentality. This isn't to say folks don't care. We've got new facilities, a beautiful stadium, an overpaid coach, and you'll see more Orange and Blue around Grounds on Saturdays than your brain can handle. 

Frankly, it's nice to do things a little differently, a very UVA-ish way to approach it, but fans still want wins. I think UVA has a nice mix of caring about football (thousands of people still shell out hundreds of dollars to watch a usually-underachieving product) and keeping the overall importance of higher education. I could write at great length about the hypocrisy of the NCAA, but for now, it is what it is* and I appreciate how UVA approaches it. This lack of maniac ambition will always keep the ceiling for on-the-field performance lower than other teams, though.

*Al-Grohism Yall!

Step Three - Gameday Experience

August 31st approaches! 

How does one properly attend the game?

If it's a noon game, you're going to need to set an alarm, not just to get there by noon, but to get your requisite tailgating in as well. Being 18, you'll need to grab your ginger ale sans bourbon, fried chicken and such at any of the tailgates on the Lawn, behind Clark, or surrounding the stadium. 

But before I leave my dorm room - what to wear? 

You may surprised that this is a heavily debated, yet unimportant, topic. Tradition at the school dictates that you adorn your preppiest jacket/tie or dress/pearls before heading over. Logic would say an orange t-shirt and something weather-appropriate would be a more sensible outfit. You could also dress up like Thomas Jefferson. Do what you want. Those who care either way are missing the point.

Wasn't joking.

Where do I sit?

You can sit in the student section, in between the marching band and the hill. Or you can sit on the hill. The hill has the advantage of usually being less crowded than the bleachers, but the disadvantages of not having a good view of the videoboard and plenty of mud. Ladies, I don't recommend traversing the hill in heels.

How do I sneak booze in?

Er... I... have no idea. Ask someone in person. You'll figure it out.  Editor's Note: Here's a clue: airplane bottles.

What else should I do beforehand?

Hydrate. In fact, hydrate while you're there as well. It'll be plenty hot out during the early season games. A thousand shames upon your family if you fall victim to the ever-embarrassing act of passing out on the hill.

What do I do?

While certainly many treat it is a social event, you should probably pay some attention to the game while it's going on. Cheer when the good guys do well. Boo the refs no matter what. Sing the Good Ol Song when we score. Show up in time for kickoff, dammit.

What should I not do?

Keep the obscenities to a minimum, that type of language is reserved for Kendall. Plus, we're classier than that. Obey the decision the section in which you're sitting has made concerning standing v sitting. Don't boo 18-22 year old amateur student athletes, except Maryland players.

Step Four - Stay Informed

For keeping up to date on all things UVA sports, I recommend the following:

The Daily Progress's Whitey365 Blog

Jeff White on virginiasports.com

For fan opinions:

Wahooze, duh

Streaking the Lawn

From Old Virginia

For recruiting info:

Wahoos247 - Jaime Oakes

So, there you have it. You're now completely prepared to study, return in the fall, and be an expert UVA football fan. It may not be as rewarding these days as rooting for Alabama, but it's a great thing to be. Isn't that right, Mike Tobey?

Yeah.

Goodbye, Sweet Prince

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia men's basketball head coach Tony Bennett announced Wednesday (July 10) that sophomore guard Taylor Barnette (Lexington, Ky.) is leaving the Cavaliers' program.

"Taylor has informed me that he has decided to transfer from our program," Bennett said. "His main reason is that he wants a bigger role as a player at another school. His release will be granted and we wish him well."

The 6-3 Barnette averaged 2.6 points and shot 43.2 percent (19-of-44) from 3-point range in 26 games during his freshman season at UVa in 2012-13. Barnette, who started two games for the Cavaliers, tallied a career-high 13 points in a 68-50 win over St. John's in the NIT second round.

"I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by Coach Bennett and his staff," Barnette said. "I will miss all of the great people I have had the opportunity to live life with this past year, especially all of my awesome teammates."

I have some mixed feelings here.

1) Frustrated that we can't seem to hold on to players, especially role players.

2) Excited that TB now has the "mad money" of an extra scholie to play around with.

3) Relieved that Teven Jones is now solidly part of the 4-guard rotation. I think he's probably much less of a flight risk today than he was yesterday.

4) Confident that losing a player that projected to be - at best - the 10th man in the rotation this upcoming season won't affect us too terribly much.

5) Slightly concerned about this continuing trend of attrition. Tony has overseen the premature losses of Brandenburg, Jamil Tucker, Landesberg, Spurlock, Jeff Jones, Baron, Regan, Harrell, James Johnson, Jesperson, and now Barnette. That's a lot. I'm not prepared to say that's too much, but that's a lot.

Movies I Love: 2013 Quarterbacks

Five years I've been doing this.  Five years.  The presentation has undergone many changes, but the message is the same -- discuss the position group in advance of the season.

Usually, the effort is spiced liberally with optimism.  But I think I've finally reached "over the hill" status as a UVA football fan (see also: beaten dog syndrome), so I'm cutting back on the optimism and trying to use a bit more realism.  The embarrassment over Phillip Sims has affected me in profound ways.

Anyway, let's kick this thing off.  I'm embracing my laziness over intros and explanations.  Sink or swim in this bitch, people.  It's not that damn hard to figure out (if you've seen the movie).  (If you haven't seen the movie, it'll still make sense on a macro level, but it won't be as good.  Make it a priority to see the movie, damn you.)

First up, we're talking about the 2013 quarterbacks.

And the movie I love is:

Randall 'Pink' Floyd
This is a projection of what I think will happen, not necessarily what I want to happen.  Reading the tea leaves, I think [redshirt sophomore] David Watford opens the season as our starting quarterback.

Pretty sure he completed a nice play action bomb to Tim Smith on this play.

David Watford pros:

• Can run.
• Has a cannon.
• Should be good on read option / bootleg / rollout type plays.
• Will have "earned" the job.
• Has generated buzz for his work ethic and leadership during the redshirt season, spring practice, and offseason.  The team will probably rally around him.
• Opens a 757 quarterback pipeline, allowing for easy flow from Watford in 2013, '14, '15 to [then-sophomore] Corwin 'Turtle' Cutler in 2016.

David Watford cons:

• Lack of accuracy on short/intermediate throws.
• Has a sometimes-weird sidearmish delivery (see the photo, above).
• Even though he can run, I don't think he has much "wiggle."  Which is to say he's fast but maybe not elusive.
• Skinny frame, and if he runs, he will absorb some hits.  Have to worry about durability here.
• Reminds me a lot - TOO MUCH - of Jameel Sewell.
• What happens to Golden Boy Greyson Lambert if Watford wins the starting job?  Easy to see a flight risk there.

Add it up, and it's a meh sort of option.  Watford could be pretty good, or he could be mediocre.  His wheels and demonstrated toughness / leadership creates a relatively high floor for the situation, which I like.  I also like how a mobile QB works with what figures to be a shaky offensive line.  I think the 2013 offense as a whole would benefit from Watford under center, as it opens up pages of the playbook that can help cover a so-so OL.  And obviously, a player who can scramble away from pass rush pressure is a good thing for an offensive line that will allow pressure to leak through.

What I really don't like here is the potential impact it would have on Lambert, and the potential for a rhythm-robbing injury to Watford -- like we saw way too many times with Sewell.

Like with Randy Floyd's indecision on whether to sign that stupid piece of paper, I'm having trouble signing off on giving my full blessing to David Watford as our starting quarterback for this season.  Pink likes playing football to get laid, just like I want to watch UVA football win so I don't want to kill myself.  I guess ultimately Watford is probably our best option for 2013, just like agreeing to the coach's wishes is ultimately the best decision for Pink.

Mitch Kramer
The young freshman, just trying to dip his wick.  This is [redshirt freshman] Greyson Lambert.

This just looks RIGHT.

Lambert is tall, statuesque, live-armed, and capable of making all the throws.  He was recruited by Nick Saban.  He says the right things, does the right things, and looks the part of a Golden Boy.  But he lacks experience and he lacks Watford's x-factor mobility.  He also lacks ties to the recruiting scene in the state of Virginia.  So my best guess is that he's the backup to Watford this season, at least until after he takes his licks and comes back to dump a bucket of paint on O'Bannion (read also: relieves Watford and produces against a tough opponent, like say BYU or Oregon, or maybe Pitt -- that timing seems right).

As much as I hate Mitchie in the movie, I love Lambert's upside for UVA football.  It's probably my preference for him to be named the starting quarterback in training camp, and then proceed through a career as a four-year starter at UVA, during which time he goes on to shatter school records, win bowl games, throw perfect rainbow bombs for touchdowns, bang chicks, and be awesome.  But this is Virginia Football, so I'm being pessimistic about all of that.  I want to see Lambert start, but I'm guessing he won't.

UNLESS...

Party at the Moon Tower
Mike and Pierce (and probably any/every other UVA football fan) will kill me for saying this, but I think the best option for the 2013 season, in an attempt to win now and also secure future success, is to go with a two-QB system...

"UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."  I know, I know, but hear me out.

What I'm talking about is a two-QB system, NOT like the blatant dumbassery London employed with Mike Rocco and Watford/Sims the last two seasons.  Instead, I want Lambert starting and handling all of the regular quarterback stuff, with Watford coming in for special short yardage and goal line packages in which he runs that shit he'll be naturally good at running -- the boots and scampers and rollouts and read option stuff I mentioned above.

To me, that's the best of both worlds for this season.  Take advantage of the two very different - yet complementary - skill sets.  Kevin's dad busted the party?  Just go to the Moon Tower.


"Air Raid, you little freshman bitches!"

These guys won't play, unless our Titanic hits the iceberg.  In which case, the stupid boat is going to sink, anyway.  But that's a different movie, sorry.

• [redshirt freshman] Matt Johns -- I know next to nothing about this guy, other than the fact that he was a lightly-recruited 3-star guy out of PA and part of the 2012 class that included the more buzzworthy Greyson Lambert.  That Johns stayed committed to UVA once Lambert verballed tells me Johns is either a fighter or content to be a backup.  Still, I like the video I've seen of him, and I get the feeling that he has a nice amount of upside.
• [true freshman] Brendan 'Whitey' Marshall -- No doubt, he's redshirt bound.  HERE's what I had to say about him back in February.
• [true freshman] Corwin 'Turtle' Cutler -- He's prepping.  We'll see him in 2014.

So there you have it.  Our 2013 quarterback situation: Dazed and Confused.

2013's Mixed Metaphor!

In 2009, the mixed metaphor was football and boxing, with the wildly popular and successful Fight Card series.

In 2010, the mixed metaphor was football and horse racing, with the unbelievably awesome Trifecta Box series.

In 2011, the mixed metaphor was football and Monopoly, with the incredible and inspiring Monopoly Properties series.

In 2012, the mixed metaphor was football and bowling, with the fantastic and compelling Bowling & Burgers series.


2013's mixed metaphor for my mind-numbingly brilliant position-by-position football preview is going to be... drumroll... MOVIES I LOVE!

Still gotta let this broast in its own juices a little bit, but it's coming together quickly.

Get your nostrils flared, Wahooze Nation.  I'm about to unleash something stinky.

Andrew Brown Video

Andrew Brown is best know for his "violent hands." If you were curious what that looked like here is a peek.

The speed and power of Brown's hands makes him almost unblockable. If the hands are neutralized it turns the offensive lineman into a slightly more mobile tackling dummy. Brown's speed and agility do the rest. He's a talent we haven't had in a while folks, enjoy him!

Brown is currently at The Opening, the Nike sponsored national HS combine. Those videos are against Corey Martinez, a 4-star offensive lineman from Tampa who is predicted to ultimately sign with Florida State. Impressive show against some top talent. 

Videos shot by 247Sports

Virginia Football 2013 Overview

"Easy-to-digest tidbits for the casual-yet-dedicated Hoo fans" is not really my cup of tea, I'll admit.  I think it's a noble cause, and I'm ecstatic that Pierce is tackling (pun intended!) the effort here on Wahooze.  But for me, the fun of writing about this stuff lies in the nooks and crannies of superfandom, in the fat folds under the spare tire earned by eating at the painful, heartbreaking buffet of Virginia Football.  There's not much that is easy to digest on that fucking buffet, believe me.

That being said, I recently stumbled across this gem from USA Today.  I think it's the most fair, level, well-written overview of our team that I've seen this offseason.  So it's definitely worth your click and worthy of a read.

(And yes, I do plan to write actual posts and not just link articles all the time.  Let me work through my current time crunch, you greedy bastards.)

USA Today College football countdown | No. 78: Virginia

Morgan Moses (and the UVA o-line) holds the key to a successful season.

Note: USA Today rates us #78 out of 125 (I think) FBS-level football teams.  That's basically the bottom third of the FBS, and surely the bottom fourth or fifth of the power conference [SEC, B1G, Big XII, Pac-12, ACC] teams.  Not awesome.  But honest, and probably spot-on in the assessment.

Meanwhile, Vegas has installed 4.5 as the over/under on our win total in 2013.  Not awesome.

Anyway, this season figures to be an adventure, and we'll watch it unfold from our seats in section 515.  Go Hoos.

The Big Fish

Yesterday, Mike London reeled 'im in.

Andrew Brown is a consensus 5-star recruit.  He's rated 5-stars by literally every recruiting service out there.  He's the top DT prospect in the country, and he's a top-five overall prospect in the 2014 class.  We beat out serious bids by Florida State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, and Nick Saban's Alabama to land Brown.  He's a defensive tackle with defensive end athleticism, and projects to the inside in the base defense and to end in flex packages or in nickel/dime looks.  He's potentially a program-changing recruit, and certainly a cornerstone for the future Orange Crush defense.  This is the highest-rated recruit we've landed since Ahmad Brooks in 2002.

Five-star DL Andrew Brown commits to Virginia

It's a really big deal, especially when you consider the fact that we're adding him to the mix with all-world 5-star safety Quin Blanding.

Our recruiting (especially in the 757) is now in full-on snowball mode.  If Mike London can keep that snowball rolling and Tom O'Brien and friends can deliver the on-field coaching chops, we might actually, finally, mercifully be on the way up toward relevancy as a football program.

As a fan of Virginia Football, you have to celebrate the victories, and this is a major victory.

Crusher.

Welcome to the Wahoo Family,

Andrew Waverly Brown the Third!  AWB3!