ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 26, 1995 TAG: 9512270007
SECTION: BOWL GUIDE PAGE: BG-15 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
No one with the slightest knowledge of football would try to say fourth-and-10 is a high-percentage situation.
It has been against Virginia, though.
Teams are 19-for-27 on fourth down against the Cavaliers this season, including 6-of-6 on fourth-and-10, with many of the conversions in crucial situations.
``I don't know what it is,'' said Virginia defensive tackle Todd White, ``but it's almost like we're better off having a team in fourth-and-one than fourth-and-20.
``Maybe we need to jump offsides or something to help them get a little closer. Look at the Florida State game: We got 'em in a fourth-and-two and [Seminoles coach] Bobby Bowden felt he had to run a trick play.''
The Cavaliers sacked tailback Warrick Dunn on an attempted pass to quarterback Danny Kanell, but in 10 of 12 instances in the past seven games, opponents were able to sustain drives with fourth-down conversions.
Never was that more apparent than in UVa's regular-season finale against Virginia Tech, when the Hokies had a fourth-and-10 from their 29-yard line with less than two minutes remaining.
Jim Druckenmiller spotted Cornelius White over the middle for a 15-yard completion and the Hokies, trailing 29-23, were on their way. Tech needed six plays to go the remaining 57 yards for the go-ahead touchdown in a 36-29 victory.
``The fourth-and-10 [against Tech] was an extremely important play,'' said Rick Lantz, UVa's defensive coordinator. ``Percy [Ellsworth] was breaking on that one. It was possibly a technique error.''
Lantz said some of his thoughts were best kept secret, but it was apparent middle linebacker Skeet Jones did not think the Hokies would go to White and missed an assignment.
It was slightly reminiscent of the opening game, when Michigan had a fourth-and-one at its 29 - there's that yard line again - and picked up 2 yards. Contrary to Todd White's statement, the Cavaliers stopped only two of 11 fourth-and-one plays all year.
Maybe the most amazing statistic is that opposing teams tried to convert 27 fourth downs. Virginia, the team in the lead for most of the season, was 1-of-2 on fourth-down conversions. In 1994, UVa's opponents were 4-of-16 on fourth-down tries.
``We haven't had time to re-examine the season,'' Welsh said, ``but my initial reaction is, teams have had to throw the ball at the end to win. When you think about it, all you need is one 10-yard pass out of four.
``What we needed to do defensively - and this is what I've told the defensive staff and they've probably said it, too - is that we needed to get a sack. We needed to get the quarterback on the ground, to lose 10 or 15 yards and keep the clock running.''
It only makes sense that, in putting teams in fourth-and-long situations, UVa needs only to continue what it has done for the first three downs. The defense should feel confident on fourth-and-10.
``Normally, you would,'' White said with a chuckle, ``but [not] the way we play at times. You want to feel confident, but you still have those butterflies.
``Still, I don't think it's the fourth downs so much as the final minutes of each game or the final 30 minutes. That's when I start to feel a little worried, especially after the way we've lost `em.''
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: MIKE HEFFNER/Staff. James Farrior (from left), Paulby CNBLondon, Anthony Poindexter and the rest of the UVa defense didn't
let the Maryland game slip away, but they did let a few big ones off
the hook. Graphic: Chart by staff.