Identifying players without numbers, as Virginia football fans – or sports photographers for that matter – can attest, can be a tricky feat. Still, positions and physical traits sometimes can help solve the mystery.
In the case of Hasise Dubois and Joe Reed, a pair of sophomores for the Cavaliers, even those clues don’t always help. With similar styles, similar builds, and the same position, the receivers resemble each other a lot from several rows up or across the practice field. Dubois is listed at 6’3” and 210 pounds, while Reed is at 6’3” and 215 pounds. Both are physical and are asked to run similar routes.
Fortunately, both players have numbers now after the top 50 picks in the team’s number draft last week. Dubois will wear No. 8 and Reed No. 2 this season; both players were among the top 25 picks but Dubois had to convince Joe Spaziani to trade No. 8 for No. 11 after the draft. Before all of that, however, the players figured out a way to differentiate themselves on the film. Attire.
“Sometimes, we get confused but usually we wear something distinct that day so we can stick out,” Dubois said with a chuckle. “Usually, I’ll have an arm sleeve and a leg sleeve on so they’ll notice me. Now that we’ve got numbers, it’s back to normal.”
Back to normal is a phrase that had a different meaning for Dubois this offseason. He missed part of the spring after he separated the AC joint (acromioclavicular joint) in his shoulder. The injury didn’t require any sort of surgery – it popped out and right back in – but he needed physical therapy and rehab training to get back to full strength.
At first, however, he just brushed it off.
“I actually did it when I was hitting a sled,” Dubois said. “When I hit it, it just messed up and came right back in itself. I didn’t think anything of it. A couple of weeks later, it started hurting more so I just went to the trainer. It just went in and out and it was fine.”
That Dubois waited a couple of weeks to address the shoulder separation pain isn’t too surprising. He gained the reputation of being a tough and physical player as a true freshman out of New Jersey last fall. That earned him playing time in all 12 games, including two starts. He made eight catches for 99 yards in his debut season.
Beyond the catches, and this is where the toughness comes in, he gave the team a physical presence on the perimeter and in the run game. He’s still locked into that part of his job at receiver.
“Blocking is a very big part of my game,” Dubois said. “I’m very physical and coaches know if we need a block, I’ll make it. Blocking is a big part of our offense. … It’s coming naturally. I’ve always been a big dude, but you can see I’m getting bigger. I just attack ‘em, use my strength, and know how to cover with my body.”
Dubois’ responsibilities have expanded as he prepares for his second year on the field at Virginia, though. While he played a little bit inside as a slot receiver last season, most of his assignments came as an outside receiver. During preseason practices, however, he’s worked at inside more frequently in addition to his initial outside receiver role.
The two spots require similar routes and nuances, but the ability to play both could get him onto the field in more situations this fall. The Cavaliers have several options at the receiver position after all, including playmakers like Olamide Zaccheaus and Doni Dowling. Dubois feels more prepared to make an impact as a sophomore thanks to the added versatility and his playing experience last season.
“I know how to read coverages a lot better,” Dubois said. “I made the switch from outside to inside, but I still play outside so much. It’s just recognizing the coverages and being able to switch up. … Being inside and outside, our bigger receivers are usually on the inside like me and Joe Reed so we split time there. Certain routes I’m good at on the outside, that’s when I come on the outside and do that. Wherever they need me, that’s where I’ll fit.”
Optimism Before Opener
It’s not unusual for teams to have a good feeling going into a new season. Hope springs eternal and all of that.
The Cavaliers are not different in that regard, though coach Bronco Mendenhall has “tempered” his expectations and public expectations this offseason. Still with the first game now less than 10 days away and UVA shifting into game prep mode for William & Mary on Sept. 2, the Hoos do indeed feel good about their chances to move things in the right direction this season.
”It’s been going well for all us,” Dubois said. ”We’re more consistent, our focus is a lot better. I feel like this year could be a turnaround year.”
Could the difference and potential for better results than last season’s 2-10 record start with confidence? Much was made about attitude, sideline behavior (the Hoos call it the fourth side of the ball now a days), and just general belief on the team after last season’s shocking season-opening loss to Richmond. During that 37-20 defeat, energy withered quickly on the sidelines and Mendenhall openly addressed the ‘here we go again’ feel of the whole thing.
One player that wasn’t part of any of that said that the message continues now nearly 12 months later. Offensive tackle Brandon Pertile, a graduate transfer from Oklahoma State, was impressed with Virginia’s players as soon as he arrived, going as far as noting that this roster isn’t a 2-10 talent roster.
“There’s so much talent across the field here, I was blown away,” Pertile said. “Now that I know that, and everybody knows that, I really feel like it’s going to pay dividends this year as guys start believing that ‘Yeah, we are good, we are talented.’ Coach [Vic] So’oto said ‘Break the rope.’ You train an elephant with a small rope when it’s young and when it gets old, it thinks it can’t break the rope. That’s where we’re at right now. We’ve just got to break the rope and fly away.”
Four Hoos On Senior Bowl Watch List
The Senior Bowl bills itself as the nation’s most unique football game and college football’s premier senior showcase event. The game has been played since 1950. The bowl released its watch list for the 2018 game on Thursday.
The watch list includes more than 400 student-athletes as the bowl scouts to fill 110 roster spots that form the North and South squads for the all-star game. A player not recognized in the preseason can still earn a spot on the team, but four Cavaliers landed a spot on the watch list. Quarterback Kurt Benkert, safety Quin Blanding, defensive lineman Andrew Brown, and linebacker Micah Kiser each received recognition.
Ticket Option
The Virginia athletics department announced a new way to obtain tickets to UVA games on Wednesday. The partnership with ReplyBuy, a platform for text message-enabled commerce, provides fans the opportunity to purchase tickets to events quickly and easily via text message and the tickets will be instantly delivered to the buyer’s phone to be scanned for admission at the event.
Read more about the ReplyBuy system, which requires a fan to register an account to buy and receive tickets, on VirginiaSports.com.
