Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 19, 1994 TAG: 9410190045
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
If Virginia still has that position at the end of the season - or at this time next week, for that matter - head coach George Welsh may have reason to be excited.
``I think circumstances have a lot to do with it,'' Welsh said. ``We've played a lot of passing teams. They've tried to run the ball, and when they haven't had early success, they've given up. But that's [stopping the run] what you strive for. It's what defense is all about.''
The Cavaliers have held their first six opponents to an average of 53.5 yards on the ground. They'll get their stiffest test at 3 p.m. Saturday when they entertain North Carolina, which has rushed for 342 and 335 yards in its last two games.
``Nobody has tried to make it a test of honor and tried to keep running the ball on us,'' Virginia defensive coordinator Rick Lantz said, ``but this [North Carolina] is a team that prides itself on running the ball.''
Virginia shut down the Tar Heels' running game last year, when the Cavaliers defeated then-No. 12 North Carolina 17-10. Carolina rushed for 101 yards and abandoned the option in the second half.
``And I don't know why,'' Lantz said. ``That surprised me.''
In 1992, Carolina rushed for 351 yards in a 27-7 victory over Virginia in Chapel Hill, N.C., where Natrone Means had 31 carries for 216 yards.
``The last time I looked, people were having a hard time tackling Natrone in the NFL, too,'' UVa defensive tackle Ryan Kuehl said.
Kuehl is one of six defensive starters who remain from that 1992 team, which gave up 402 rushing yards in a 29-28 loss to Clemson. Only twice in the last 20 games has a UVa opponent rushed for as many as 200 yards as a team.
``I'd much rather play against a team that runs the ball 50 times a game,'' UVa defensive end Mike Frederick said. ``That's how we, as defensive linemen, get in the flow of the game and get our pads all straightened out.
``That's what we look forward to. We're not the fastest front four in the world, so we like to play the run.''
Keep in mind that Frederick made a name for himself as a pass-rusher. He led the ACC last season with 21 tackles for loss, including101/2 sacks.
Although his sacks have dropped, Frederick is one of three Virginia players with 10 or more tackles for loss. UVa linebacker Jamie Sharper, Kuehl and Frederick rank 1-2-3 in the conference in that category.
``It's a mind-set you get into; instead of just making the tackle, you want to push them backward,'' Sharper said. ``We're [the linebackers] lining up closer to the ball and attacking the line of scrimmage.''
Lantz rejects any suggestion that the Cavaliers have become reckless or made any drastic changes in their scheme.
``I'd like to think we're more aggressive,'' he said, ``but I don't know that we're taking any more gambles. We are playing a little more man-to-man pass coverage, which allows us to try a few things.''
Sharper and fellow sophomore James Farrior give Virginia unusual speed at outside linebacker and senior Randy Neal has been a standout in the middle for several years.
``I wouldn't call myself a father figure,'' Neal said, ``but I am accountable for what they do. I'm kind of like their chaperone.''
Neal is best known for his UVa-record three pass-interception returns for touchdowns, including a 77-yarder Saturday at Georgia Tech, but he led the ACC last year with 140 tackles.
``There's a lot more chances against teams that run all the time,'' Neal said. ``It doesn't bother me at all. At least I'm involved in the defense.''
There is some merit to the argument that the Cavaliers' defensive statistics have been compiled against weaker teams. Three of their victims - Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Navy - rank 101st, 103rd and 107th out of 107 Division I-A teams in rushing offense.
Of course, UVa helped put them there.
``It's not that Georgia Tech didn't want to run the ball,'' Kuehl said. ``All those teams would have kept on running if we hadn't stopped them.''
After North Carolina, UVa has an open date before facing the conference's top rusher, Robert Baldwin of Duke. The Cavaliers' last two opponents, North Carolina State and Virginia Tech, have respectable rushing attacks.
``We'll find out how good we are,'' Frederick said. ``I think we're very good, but we've faced a lot of teams that throw 50 times a game. We haven't seen the power running games we're going to see the second half of the season.''
by CNB