Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, October 11, 1995 TAG: 9510110056
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
``Everybody was talking about [Mike] Frederick and [Ryan] Kuehl and saying they would be a big loss,'' Ashman said. ``I wouldn't say it hurt, but that made it sound like I wasn't doing a good job last year. I guess my stats weren't good enough.''
The slight, unintended as might have been, served as motivation for Ashman as Virginia prepared to open the season against Michigan. When the Wolverines marched down the field in the closing minutes and UVa failed to pull off the upset, it sent Ashman into a funk for weeks.
``It's still hard for me to talk about,'' said Ashman, a 6-foot-4, 268-pound junior. ``I had set some goals for myself. I wanted to put pressure on the quarterback and make some big plays. I felt if I had a good game against Michigan, nobody was going to stop me all season.
``A lot of people were saying that our pass rush wasn't there and it definitely wasn't there for those last four seconds. We wanted to go up there and make a big boom and it just didn't happen. I wasn't myself after we lost that game [18-17]. I wasn't into football for a couple of weeks.''
Part of that stemmed from an ankle injury that didn't cause Ashman to miss any games, but slowed him for nearly three weeks. He came out of the doldrums Sept.23 at Clemson, where he was credited with two tackles for losses in UVa's first victory at ``Death Valley.''
Ashman thought he had a good game the next week against Wake Forest - until he heard the player who had opposed him, tackle Elton Ndoma-Ogar, had been named Wake's player of the game by the television announcing crew.
To add insult to injury, the producers frequently focused their cameras on Ndoma-Ogar. They didn't catch the play on which Ashman buried Deacons quarterback Rusty LaRue on a fake reverse.
``I knew [Ndoma-Ogar] was the offensive lineman of the week the week before that,'' Ashman said, ``so I knew I was going to have a little challenge. I wanted that. I wanted to show I was a good athlete, too.
``I think I did well, but he got player of the game. That made me feel I wasn't [expletive]. I thought I gave him a good fight. I don't think he clearly blew me off the line or pancaked me or anything. I never had a man seriously whip me before. That's what they made it feel like.''
It is only natural for Ashman to think he has been shortchanged. UVa still has not given him credit for a sack on the fake reverse, although the subject is under review.
He had a fumble recovery in the same game and appeared headed for a touchdown until the play was blown dead. Rules prohibit a defensive player from advancing a ``backward pass,'' in this case a toss from LaRue to tailback John Lewis.
Ashman thought he was going to get a touchdown against the Deacons. Until days later, he thought he had a sack. Against North Carolina this past Saturday, he had a tackle for a 7-yard loss that did not count because it was on a two-point play.
``I don't want to be like Deion Sanders,'' Ashman said. ``I'm not constantly looking for attention. I just want to be known as a good player. When the going gets tough, I'm there. If a play needs to be made, count on me.''
There was little hoopla surrounding Ashman's decision to sign with UVa, at least partly because he had spent a postgraduate year at Fork Union Military Academy.
``He was on a team with a lot of other players who had drawn [more] interest from recruiters,'' said Fork Union coach John Shuman. ``But, there was this one play against Hargrave [Military Academy] when he sprinted 25 yards across the field to catch a back and throw him down. Maryland, Virginia and Wake Forest all wanted him after that.''
Ashman, the son of Jamaican parents, was not highly recruited out of Paint Branch High School in Silver Spring, Md., and needed to improve his academic credentials before gaining a scholarship.
``I think that was cultural more than anything,'' said Danny Wilmer, the UVa assistant coach who recruited Ashman. ``He's gone to class, behaved himself, worked in the weight room, hustled. He's been a steady player who has done everything we've asked of him.''
The way he has played lately, Ashman could become an impact player. He had two sacks against the Tar Heels, giving him four for the season and a total of eight tackles for losses.
``I don' think he started off like a ball of fire,'' said head coach George Welsh said, ``but he's played a lot better the last three or four weeks. He's playing hard all the time now. Maybe it's a question of experience. He does have a lot of talent.''
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB