The Virginia football team is off to a 1-1 start to the 2006 season, and many UVa fans have been disappointed with the way the Cavaliers have played, especially on the offensive side of the ball. But you would be hard-pressed to find any Virginia fan who doesn't have a newfound appreciation and level of respect for sophomore linebacker Jon Copper, as the former walk-on has become an integral part of the defense.

At a position targeted by many as a weakness for UVa, Copper has excelled at inside linebacker early in the season. He leads the Cavaliers with 18 tackles and also has three tackles for losses and a sack.

Copper had 11 stops in last Saturday's 13-12 win against Wyoming, which exceeded his entire total (10) from the 2005 season.

The 6-foot, 232-pounder also has been in on a team-high 133 plays, and his coach said that Copper has met all expectations the staff has had of him to this point in the season.

"He really has," said Virginia coach Al Groh of his sophomore linebacker. "Obviously his production has said that, it has been very high through two games. He has been very opportunistic. There are certainly more challenges to come yet, but had he been off to a less productive start in terms of numbers, it still would have been a very positive start."

The fact that Copper is in the position he is at UVa is a great story in its own right.

As an undersized but productive linebacker at Northside High School in Roanoke, Copper didn't warrant the kind of college attention he hoped for ultimately chose to attend Fork Union Military Academy to garner more exposure.

He then agreed to come to Virginia as a recruited walk-on, and his performance day after day has helped him earn the respect of his teammates and he is now on scholarship.

Copper admitted that it has been a fairytale of sorts, but that it also hasn't been an easy road to navigate.

"I don't think about it that much. It's still very dreamlike in some ways," said Copper of his journey. "But I had my doubts at times also."

Where there is no doubt is among his teammates and coaches, who have garnered a great deal of admiration for him, not because of what he has achieved, but for the way he goes about his business.

"He really brings it everyday, every drill, every play in team period, every lift in the weight room," Groh said. "Commitment, work ethic and toughness are the things that gain the respect of most players. Those things are very prominent in terms of Jon's makeup."

The respect that Copper has earned from his teammates also is obvious, but they say to assume he's just an overachiever would be a mistake.

"The guy works so hard, and he just keeps coming," said junior defensive end Chris Long. "But he is a good athlete, he's explosive, he's economical. He knows he's going from point A to point B before he goes there."

Copper, meanwhile, isn't concerned about garnering praise. He just wants to help his team win football games, and he said his mindset never changes.

"My approach is to come out each day and work hard at whatever we're doing."