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Game 1 • Sept. 5 • 6 p.m.
David A. Harrison Field at Scott Stadium

GAME DETAILS
Playing Surface:
Grass
Series vs. W&M:
UVa leads, 26-5-1
In Charlottesville:
UVa leads 20-3
Last Meeting:
1995 (UVa 40-16)

Live Stats: Click here for the link to the LiveStats page. Note: Allow 1-2 minutes for it to load at the start.

Rosters: Click here for the UVa Roster. Click here for the William & Mary roster.

Game Notes: Click here for the Virginia game notes. Click here for the William and Mary game notes.

Television: ESPN360.com
P-b-P:
Jim Barbar
Analyst:
Sonny Randle
Radio:
Virginia Sports Network Click here for the list of stations on the network.
V-Pass Audio
(subscription)

P-b-P: Dave Koehn
Analyst:
Frank Quayle
Sidelines:
Chris Slade
Satellite Radio:
XM Radio 141

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia football team kicks off the 2009 season at 6 p.m. Saturday, playing host to William and Mary at Scott Stadium. The game will not be televised but will be available through a webcast on ESPN360.com. Tickets ($23) are still available and may be purchased through the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office at the gate.

There are a slew of activities and ceremonies planned for game day. Check out the Football Gameday page which has all the information.

Five Things You Need To Know
• Virginia joins Baylor and SMU as the only schools with two players on their rosters this year who have each thrown for at least 2,000 yards in a season.
• UVa has won 13 of its last 15 non-league openers.
• The Cavaliers feature six team captains this year – most in school history.
• UVa and William & Mary are meeting for the first time since 1995; W&M has gone 23 years since its last win against the Wahoos.
• There are no cupcakes in the early UVa schedule – the first four opponents had winning records in ‘08, with the three FBS opponents all reaching bowls.

Virginia, William and Mary Renew Rivalry
• UVa leads the all-time series with William and Mary, 26-5-1, although the teams have not met since 1995.
• William and Mary has not won in Charlottesville since 1986, a 41-37 W&M victory; the Tribe is 3-20 all-time in Charlottesville.

UVa-W&M Connections
• UVa assistant coach Wayne Lineburg served two stints on Jimmye Laycock’s staff at William and Mary.
• He was W&M’s restricted earnings coach (1996-97) and running backs coach and recruiting coordinator (2000-03).
• W&M defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was an offensive grad assistant at UVa in 1990.

UVa’s Season Opener History
• UVa is 75-34-9 (.640) all-time in season openers.
• The Cavaliers are 69-18-7 (.771) in season openers at home (6-2 under Groh).

Non-Conference Home Games
• Virginia has won 13 of its last 15 non-conference home games since 2002 and 38 of 48 since 1987.
• Under Al Groh Virginia is 15-4 at home in non-conference games and 38-13 in all home games.
• UVa also has non-league home games with TCU and Indiana this year.
• Virginia went 2-1 vs. non-conference opponents at home last year, defeating Richmond and East Carolina and falling to USC.

Eleven Returning Starters
• The 2009 roster features 11 returning starters (six on defense, five on offense).
• Virginia has had at least 10 returning starters every year since 1998.
• The six returning starters on defense are the most in two years, while the five offense are the same as a year ago.
• Overall UVa welcomes 36 lettermen back, the program’s most since 2004 (38). six captains lead ‘09 team
• Virginia figures to have plenty of leaders this season, with six team captains.
• It marks the most captains of any team in Virginia history (previous high was five in 2004).
• The captains: OT Will Barker, LB Denzel Burrell, LB Aaron Clark, Nate Collins, CB Chris Cook and QB Vic Hall. All six are seniors.

Not Many Seniors
• For the second year in a row, Virginia features a roster with very few seniors.
• This 2009 roster features just 14 seniors, two more than a year ago when Virginia was 18th in the nation in fewest seniors.
• Virginia’s senior class this season is tied for fourth fewest in the ACC; Duke has the fewest seniors with nine, while Wake Forest leads with 24.

Opportunities for New Faces to Shine
• Virginia will have to replace many familiar faces this season, providing opportunities for some new players to emerge at both wide receiver and linebacker.
• Both groups must replace three starters from a year ago.
• The top-three linebackers from a year ago-Antonio Appleby, Jon Copper and Clint Sintim-ranked 1-2-3 in tackling and combined to start 123 games in their careers.
• The three leading wide receivers-Maurice Covington, Cary Koch and Kevin Ogletree-were 1-4-5 in receptions last season while catching 121 passes among them.

What a Difference a Year Makes
• At the start of training camp last season, Virginia did not have a quarterback on its roster that had ever started a game; in fact they combined for just nine appearances.
• This season, the roster features three players who have started at quarterback-Jameel Sewell (22), Marc Verica (nine) and Vic Hall (one)
• Sewell started 22 consecutive games in 2006-07, leading the team in passing both years, but was not in school last season.
• Last year Verica started nine games in a row in weeks 3-11 and led the team in passing with 2,037 yards, sixth-most by a first-time starter.
• Hall was a record-setting quarterback in high school and started 24 consecutive games at cornerback before getting a start at quarterback against Virginia Tech in last season’s final game, when he rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns.

Tough Start to ‘09 Slate
• Virginia’s first four opponents (William & Mary, TCU, Southern Miss and North Carolina) all finished with winning records and combined to win 33 games last fall.
• UVa’s first three FBS opponents all reached bowl games last year.

Another Rigorous Schedule
• Virginia faces one of the nation’s toughest schedules again this season.
• The 2008 schedule was second in the Sagarin rankings and tied for ninth according to the NCAA.
• The Cavaliers’ 2009 opponents were a combined 90-64 (.584) last season.
• The opponents’ winning percentage is tied for the 15th best percentage in the nation this season.
• Only two of 12 opponents were below .500 last season.
• UVa plays nine games against bowl teams, tied for second most nationally this year. Only Florida State (11) plays more.

Coaching Staff Changes
• Head coach Al Groh welcomes five new assistant coaches to his staff this season, including two who were head coaches last season.
• Gregg Brandon brings the spread offense to Charlottesville following six seasons as head coach at Bowling Green.
• A member of Groh’s first UVa staff, Ron Prince returns as special teams coordinator after three seasons as head coach at Kansas State.
• Latrell Scott, a native of Richmond, a graduate of Hampton and a coaching veteran with stops at state schools VMI and Richmond, takes over as wide receivers coach after coaching at Tennessee last season.
• Bob Trott, who has worked with Groh at several stops in his coaching career, will oversee the linebackers this season.
• Chad Wilt, who spent two seasons at UVa as a graduate assistant in 2004-05, takes over as defensive line coach after serving in the same role for three seasons at Liberty.

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