Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408260036
SECTION: COLLEGE FOOTBALL PAGE: FB14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
UVa has opened the season with a loss four times since 1984 and, on all four occasions, the Cavaliers have won eight or more games.
Indeed, Virginia's best two seasons under Welsh came after it was routed 55-0 by Clemson in 1984 and Notre Dame 36-13 in 1989. Those losses gave rise to 8-2-2 and 10-3 seasons.
``I'm not averse to opening with Florida State,'' Welsh said. ``I think that's better for us. You don't want to be 0-3, but I hope the early games help us to be a better football team.''
Only Welsh is worried about the second week of the season, when Virginia visits his alma mater and old coaching home, Navy, but there could be worse things than meeting nemesis Clemson in the third game.
Clemson, with a suspect offense, is making the adjustment to a new coach in Tommy West. It will be the home opener for Virginia, whose lack of depth could pose problems later in the season.
UVa has defeated the Tigers once in the 33-year history of the series, including a 23-14 setback last year at Clemson, when the Cavaliers were favored. It was one of three straight losses for Virginia to end the season.
The Cavaliers went 5-0 to start the season for the second year in a row, then collapsed, just as they did in 1993. The only difference was a bowl bid, which Virginia received when the Southeastern Conference had no eligible team to offer the Carquest Bowl.
``The November slide has happened for two years,'' Welsh said. ``I don't know if that's a trend or not. Sometimes, it's who you're playing. It was the other way around for some of our other teams.''
UVa finished the regular season with four straight victories in three straight seasons, 1987-89, then performed the feat again in 1991. For this program, obviously there is no middle ground.
``I had more negative letters after last season than I've ever had before,'' said Welsh, who is entering his 13th season at UVa. ``I don't think they're to the point of running me out of town after seven wins, but there was some criticism.''
Virginia, which had two winning seasons in 29 years before Welsh's arrival, is one of nine Division I-A program with seven or more victories in the last seven seasons. The others are Florida State, Miami, Nebraska, Colorado, Michigan, Alabama, Texas A&M and Notre Dame.
Nobody is expecting the Cavaliers to be ranked No. 1, as they were for three weeks in 1990, ``but our first-team defense is better than it was that year,'' Welsh said.
To lend some perspective, the 1990 team gave up 35 points or more in three of its final four games, but the Cavaliers allowed 326.1 yards per game last year and held bowl-bound North Carolina and Virginia Tech under 300.
``How can you play better on defense than that,'' said Welsh, referring to Virginia's effort against Virginia Tech, when defensive end Mike Frederick had five tackles for loss, including two quarterback sacks.
Frederick, who led the ACC with 21 tackles for loss, is one of three graduate students expected to start on the defensive line. However, the Cavaliers suffered a major blow when tackle Mark Krichbaum, a three-year starter, suffered a broken leg Aug.20 in practice that could sideline him for six weeks of more.
The only losses in UVa's front seven are defensive end Matt Mikeska and linebacker Tom Burns, who will be replaced by more athletic underclassmen in sophomores Duane Ashman and James Farrior.
Farrior joins ACC tackle leader Randy Neal and sophomore Jamie Sharper to give UVa one of its most impressive linebacking units, but third-round NFL draft pick Keith Lyle and three-year starter Greg McClellan will be difficult to replace in the secondary.
On offense, junior Symmion Willis is expected to be the first quarterback to start in back-to-back seasons for UVa since Shawn Moore in 1989-90. Willis set a Cavaliers' record by passing for 2,347 yards last season.
Senior Tyrone Davis and junior Patrick Jeffers are tested receivers and Willis has been throwing to tight end Bobby Neely since they were teammates at Mays High School in Atlanta, but troubled Larry Holmes will not be back for a fifth year.
``Larry was great to watch,'' center Bryan Heath said, ``but, in the back of your mind, you didn't know if he'd be at practice from one day till the next.''
Heath, a fifth-year senior, and junior guard John Slocum are the only returning starters to an offensive line that is as thin as it is inexperienced. Tackle Chris Harrison was projected as a starter last season, but fractured his right ankle in August.
To those people who say Virginia always has a good offensive line, offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien said, ``I think they're right; we've got enough talent to have a quality offensive line this year ... if we stay healthy.''
Durability is just as important at tailback, where Kevin Brooks and Tiki Barber are the only scholarship returnees. Brooks rushed for 538 yards last season, but fullback Charles Way (468 yards) had a higher per-carry average and more rushing touchdowns.
``It will be totally opposite from the way things usually are around here,'' Heath said. ``The defense has to carry us till we jell. I'll be the first to admit the offensive line is the key this year.''
Turnovers or breakdowns in the kicking game were a factor in four of UVa's five losses last year - all but a 40-14 setback at Florida State. Kyle Kirkeide missed two field goals and an extra point against Boston College in the first half of the Carquest Bowl, but still had his job after the spring.
For all of its question marks, UVa was a preseason choice for third by the ACC media. That may be more of a reflection on the conference, in which six of nine teams have changed coaches in the '90s.
UVa will play five home games for only the second time since 1980, but opponents on the road will include Wake Forest and Duke, picked for eighth and ninth in the ACC, as well as Navy. The Cavaliers will have two open dates, as well as a rare 11 a.m. game against North Carolina State on Friday of Thanksgiving weekend.
``I really objected to an earlier version and voiced my concerns to the conference,'' said Welsh, who originally was slated to face most of the ACC powers on the road. ``In the final analysis, I was told, `This is it.' So, all I could say was, `Fine.'''
by CNB