Cavalier Corner is the publication just for UVa sports fans!
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/53106
I BY SHANE METTLEN F IT KEEPS GOING LIKE THIS FOR Oday Aboushi, he's going to get plenty used to being honored. After helping open up holes and protect quarterback Michael Rocco during a Thursday night upset of Miami in late October, Aboushi was named the ACC's Offensive Lineman of the Week for the second time during his third-year season and the third in his Virginia career. But as well as it is going for the 6-6, 310-pound offensive tackle on the field, his biggest honor of the 2011 season came away from the trenches of ACC stadiums and where some of the nation's real dirty work gets done — Washington, D.C. tember heat and no snacks or energy bars regardless of how drained he felt after two-a-day practices. The Washington reception took place just a few days before the 10th anniver- sary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which made it a poignant time to highlight how athletics can be a universal language that spans across virtually every culture, creed and country. "Today we wanted to celebrate sports and athletic competition," Clinton said at the event. "Whether it be the Olympics or the World Cup, the human drive to run faster and climb higher is universal, and universally celebrated. And it's also a way by which talent rises to the top, ability INEXTN LINE Aboushi, who came to Virginia from Staten Island, N.Y., was one of 12 Mus- lim-American athletes selected to visit Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clin- ton in September. "It was an incredible experience," Aboushi said. "I was shocked to get the invitation, but it was such an honor to be one of just 12 athletes chosen. It was a humbling experience to be there among all these other athletes. Hearing everyone else's stories was really inspiring." The event included athletes from a va- riety of sports, but Aboushi was one of the youngest there. Among the other ath- letes in attendance were Kenneth Faried, a forward for the Denver Nuggets, former NFL offensive lineman Ephraim Salaam and boxer Amir Khan. Aboushi's parents are Palestinians who immigrated to the United States, and the family still sometimes speaks Arabic with each other. The lineman's faith has continued to be a big part of his life even as football and dreams of an NFL career began to take up more of his time. Aboushi observed Ramadan during early-season workouts, meaning he would eat a large meal when he got up at 5 a.m. and not eat or drink again for the rest of the day. That included no water breaks during practice in the punishing August and Sep- 14 ◆ CAVALIER CORNER on full display during Virginia's upset victory against then No. 12 Georgia Tech inside Scott Stadium. Cavs wide receiver Tim Smith made a diving attempt at a catch way downfield and was slow to get up, appearing to be injured. Aboushi, all 310 pounds of him, raced down the field, blowing by return- ing Yellow Jackets defenders to see if his teammate was all right. "It is a never-leave-a-man-behind men- tality," Aboushi said. "Like in the Navy or with the Seal team that you never leave your swim buddy. No matter who it is, an offensive linemen or a receiver, when one of your teammates is down, you go to be there with them." Oday Aboushi Continues The Tradition Of Standout Blockers At UVa is what matters, and people are treated equally. "And that's part of the reason the State Department sponsors sports exchange programs and sends sports ambassadors around the world. And for all the athletes joining us this evening, you may never have thought of yourself exactly as a role model, but you are. And you are not only to the students that some of you visited earlier today, but to so many beyond. And all Americans take pride in your achievements." Aboushi's achievements on the football field are piling up. He's played a big part in Virginia reclaiming its position as a program that routinely pumps out NFL- caliber offensive linemen. The Cavaliers offensive line has been dominant at times this season, with team- mates winning two more ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week awards in addi- tion to Aboushi's. The Cavaliers have es- tablished a strong running game behind Aboushi and the rest of the offensive line, which has also done a great job protecting the Cavs' young quarterbacks in what has been somewhat of a breakout season in head coach Mike London's second year in charge of the Wahoos. It's been Aboushi who has led the charge in emphasizing that the Cavaliers are all in it together this season. That was That attitude certainly struck a nerve with London, who couldn't help but no- tice the example Aboushi was setting for the rest of the young Cavaliers. "Part of it is that we have to play with the mentality that the sum of all of us together can help us win," London said. "We don't just have one guy or two guys that are really outstanding and rely on them to make all the plays. A great anal- ogy is where Tim catches the ball and the first guy that's down there is the offensive lineman who has to pass protect. "The ball is thrown. He has to turn downfield. It's that kind of effort. That's the kind of energy that we need on a sus- tained level. Every opportunity that hope- fully becomes contagious like some of these wins can, and it becomes the ex- pected culture around here. To be on the sideline and watch a big guy run down the field like that and be the first guy — that's energetic, picking a guy up. That's a lot of energy to feed off of not only on the field, but off the field." London and everyone else who fol- lows Virginia football are finding out they can count on that kind of energy from Aboushi. ◆ Aboushi was named the ACC's Offensive Lineman of the Week twice during the first 10 weeks of the 2011 campaign. PHOTO BY PETE EMERSON/COURTESY UVA