ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 21, 1995 TAG: 9512210035
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
THE VIRGINIA RECEIVER gets a chance to finish his college career on a high note in the Peach Bowl after a hamstring injury cost him a shot at some school records.
All season, Patrick Jeffers had been looking forward to returning to his home state and playing against the University of Texas at Memorial Stadium. However, he never said anything about ending his season there.
Jeffers, who established his career high with seven receptions in Virginia's 17-16 loss to the Longhorns on Oct.21, suffered a hamstring injury in practice that prevented him from playing in UVa's final three regular-season games.
``It was a weird week, with us getting ready to play Florida State on a Thursday night, so I don't even know what day it was,'' said Jeffers, a fifth-year player from Fort Worth, Texas. ``Actually, I hurt it twice. I originally strained it. Then, I tried to practice on it and I pulled it.''
An injury to his right hamstring had caused Jeffers to miss most of preseason workouts, as well as Virginia's season-opening game at Michigan on Aug.26. The second injury was to his left hamstring.
``The second time was worse,'' Jeffers said. ``But the first time, I think I was more scared that it was something that would keep me from playing the whole season instead of something that would go away. When it finally went away, I played eight games in a row.
``The second time it was like having the carpet pulled out from underneath you. I knew how long it took me [to rehabilitate] the first time and I knew how many weeks we had left in the season, and I realized that might have been it. Just to deal with that was hard for me for a while. The first day I did it, I remember being mad, angry, frustrated. I didn't want to talk to anybody.''
Jeffers' story had a reasonably happy - if not ideal - ending. He put his condition at 90 to 95 percent with more than two weeks to go before the Peach Bowl, where Virginia will meet Georgia on Dec.30 at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta.
Jeffers' older brother and sister live in Atlanta, where both are married - Jeffers' sister to former Virginia wide receiver Derek Dooley. It was Dooley, son of Georgia athletic director and former football coach Vince Dooley, who began the process that got Jeffers to UVa.
``I think he's feeling more pressure than we are,'' Jeffers said. ``He really wants Virginia to win so he can have the last laugh with all of his friends who went to Georgia. He'd like to see us win almost as much as we would. But, as far as the rest of his family, I think its loyalties are pretty strong for Georgia.''
Derek Dooley, now a lawyer, started at wide receiver opposite Herman Moore on the 1990 UVa team that was ranked No.1 in the country for three weeks. Dooley had 27 receptions that season and kept alive a tradition of outstanding walk-on wide receivers that began with Keith Mattioli and Tim Finkelston in the mid- to late-1980s.
Jeffers needed only three years to break Finkelston's record for receptions by a walk-on. He finished with 108 receptions for his career, fourth on UVa's all-time list. That included a team-high 34 receptions this year.
``I'm surprised that even happened,'' Jeffers said. ``Thirty-four balls is the most I've had in a season. It's kind of weird, because it didn't seem like I had that many big games. Looking back now, I can't believe that Texas was my last game. It seems so long ago.''
If he had stayed healthy, Jeffers might have threatened John Ford's school record of 128 receptions in a career. Jeffers averaged 4.2 receptions per game this year, but had 25 in the five games immediately before he was injured the second time.
``I thought [about the record] a little bit,'' he said. ``Those catches piled up pretty quickly. I was over 100 before I knew it. When I came here as a walk-on, I never dreamed that I'd come close to catching as many passes as I have.
``To get injured and to miss your last few games as a college athlete, that was hard enough. But then to know that, had things gone the way I wanted, that record might have been mine ... I don't put much stock in records and personal accomplishments, but to be remembered as the guy who caught the most passes in Virginia history wouldn't be an all-bad thing.''
Jeffers, a 6-foot-4, 220-pounder with deceptive speed, once attracted the attention of NFL scouts. In that respect, the Peach Bowl will provide an opportunity to show his hamstrings have healed and that he still is a pro prospect.
``I don't foresee any problems between now and the game,'' he said Dec.15 at UVa's postseason media day. ``As far as on-the-field stuff, I don't think I'd change anything to avoid [re-injury]. What I've got to do is spend more time warming up and making sure I'm fully stretched before practice. I think it would be a mistake to try anything different in the game.''
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Patrick Jeffers (right) led Virginia with 34 receptionsby CNBduring the regular season in nine games.
DON PETERSEN/Staff