Grading the three keys DNeutralize the Eagles’ offensive line. Virginia logged just one sack, an indication that the team was unsuccessful at pressuring BC quarterback Dave Shinskie. Aside from a few key plays, Shinskie had enormous amounts of time to make his throws, and only a strong performance from the U.Va. secondary and poor decision-making by Shinskie were able to hold the Eagles’ passing game in check. B+Better field position. Putting in Vic Hall as punt returner was a smart move that seemed to pay immediate dividends, until a block in the back away from the action negated his first touchdown runback. On kickoff returns, Chase Minnifield was able to break a 27-yard return, and had one of his stronger performances. Coming the other way, punter Jimmy Howell averaged 41.3 yards with a good amount of accuracy, and Robert Randolph handled kickoffs well, though he admits his leg isn’t as strong as the team might like. B+Time of possession. Virginia made huge leaps in the time of possession game, staying even with Boston College through three quarters. That’s a credit to an offense that was able to sustain drives, though ultimately they did not end in touchdowns. Total yardage was 303 for the Eagles, 298 for the Hoos, a sign that the offensive production was nearly identical. The defense can thank the offense for that, though, ultimately, a lack of scoring did in the Cavs.

A team that started the season with too many quarterbacks found itself with none Wednesday. Only a gutsy effort by Jameel Sewell, who wasn’t supposed to play, kept Virginia in yesterday’s game. Ultimately, he fell 2 inches short on a fourth-down play, Boston College’s Dave Shinskie picked up those inches on his fourth-down run, and the Eagles prevailed 14-10.

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Feeling no rush, coach Tony Bennett waited until the second day of the signing period to gather commitments and announce his first recruiting class. U.Va. fans won’t have to look hard to find reasons for optimism - the five-player class is stocked with talent and addresses the team’s biggest need by bringing in 6-9 forward James Johnson of Wildomar, Calif., one of the season’s most sought-after recruits.

CATONSVILLE, Md. - Virginia coach Debbie Ryan earned her 700th career victory last night, getting 15 second-half points from Monica Wright in a 68-57 win over Maryland-Baltimore County. Chelsea Shine added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Cavaliers, who have won five consecutive season openers. Whitny Edwards had 11 points. Junior Kara Powell scored 14 points and junior Brittani Shells scored 16 en route to an opening night victory over Western Carolina.

When: 3:30 p.m. Tickets: $42 all seats O n the air: Online - ESPN360.com; radio -WRVA (1140), 2:30 p.m.
  Records: Virginia 2-3 ACC, 3-6 overall; Boston College 3-2, 6-3
  Players to watch: U.Va. - LB Darren Childs, 68 tackles, career-high 15 last week; WR Kris Burd, 21 receptions, team-high 283 yards; QB Jameel Sewell, needs 9 passing yards to move into fifth in career yardage at U.Va. BC - QB David Shinskie, 1,356 yards, 11 TDs, 54.5 completion percentage; RB Montel Harris, 930 yards, 13 TDs; CB Donnie Fletcher, 41 tackles, 1 INT.

2 Better field position. Special teams have been a letdown for the Cavs this season, save for a pair of punt blocks last Saturday. The best way to jump-start a stagnant offense is with strong field position. But so far, the puntand kick-return units have been unable to provide that. Add in wildly inconsistent kickoff and punting units, and it’s clear there’s room for improvement.

CHARLOTTESVILLE At first glance, it’s a bit of a mismatch. Virginia’s Nate Collins is listed at 6-2, 290 pounds. Boston College’s offensive linemen average 6-6, 305, for a scale-tipping total of 1,525 pounds. But if it is a mismatch, nobody bothered to tell Collins. “I don’t feel like a guy, just because he’s a few inches taller than me, is better than me,“ he said. “I feel like I have a chip on my shoulder.“

Don’t expect waves of applause or billows of confetti if University of Virginia women’s basketball coach Debbie Ryan captures her 700th career victory tonight. The Cavaliers’ Hall of Fame coach will begin her 33rd season at U.Va.—and will make her second attempt to reach the 700 plateau—in an indifferent, if not hostile, setting. Virginia opens against Maryland-Baltimore County in the 4,000-seat Retriever Activities Center.

Where: John Paul Jones Arena (14,593).
  Radio: WRVA (1140); WINA (1070). TV: None.
  Tickets : $15 reserved seating.
  Notable: Virginia coach Tony Bennett declined to name a starting lineup for the season opener but indicated that he may go with a four-guard set. The Cavs will be playing without center Assane Sene, who has been suspended for the first three games, and forward Jamil Tucker, who is taking an indefinite leave of absence to focus on personal matters. Guard Calvin Baker will likely sit out as he continues to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery. Forward Mike Scott is probable to start as he recovers from a foot injury in the team’s scrimmage. This will be the fifth meeting between the schools; U.Va. has won all four, including last year’s 90-61 victory.

Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich has been the subject of numerous stories and fund-raisers throughout the season as he battles cancer, but this weekend his fight takes on added significance. Herzlich originally committed to play football at U.Va. before changing his mind and going north. Some of the team’s seniors remember him from his recruiting visits, including defensive lineman Nate Collins, who has a photo of himself with Herzlich from the recruiting visit.

THE BASICS: 5-11 senior guard
Wright, an elegant scorer who is particularly effective in transition, led the ACC with a 20.5-point scoring average in 2009. She piled up 696 points, a U.Va. single-season record. The ACC’s preseason player of the year will flourish if the Cavaliers can create and sustain a fast-flowing tempo.
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VIRGINIA   Key players: G Monica Wright, Sr., 20.5 ppg, 3.1 apg; F Chelsea Shine, So., 5.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg
  Notable: Optimism is running high in Charlottesville. But is it justified? The Cavaliers must replace Lyndra Littles and Aisha Mohammed, who combined for 32 points and 17 rebounds. Opposing defenses will gang up on Wright unless someone—Shine? Paulisha Kellum? China Crosby?—emerges quickly as a consistent source of double-dight offense.

The team has a losing record, the coach is perceived as a lame duck, and the offense just can’t seem to score points. Is it the Washington Redskins or the Virginia Cavaliers? And perhaps more important, does it matter? It’s been a trying season for Cavs and Skins fans. Neither team figures to be slotted into a postseason game. The similarities don’t end there. The same problems fans watch on Saturday seem to haunt their Sundays as well.

When the men’s basketball team tips off its season tomorrow night, the Hoos will be extremely thin at the forward position. On Saturday, Assane Sene was suspended by coach Tony Bennett for the first three games for conduct detrimental to the team. Then yesterday, Jamil Tucker announced he was taking an indefinite leave of absence from the team. The situation is further hampered by a foot injury to Mike Scott, though Bennett said Scott could be cleared to play against Longwood tomorrow night.

CHARLOTTESVILLE New York may be the center of the hoops world, but it’s opening up a satellite campus in Charlottesville. The Virginia men’s and women’s programs both feature star players that will bring the NYC to JPJ this year—in a toned-down form, of course. Sylven Landesberg and China Crosby grew up playing a style of streetball that favors big plays and flashy moves. Their college coaches aren’t as eager to see that duplicated.