THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 26, 1995 TAG: 9508260535
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ANN ARBOR, MICH. LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Virginia will be without Patrick Jeffers, its leading returning receiver, in today's season-opener against Michigan in the Pigskin Classic.
Coach George Welsh said Jeffers, who had 33 catches for 560 yards and 3 touchdowns in 1994, has been bothered by a strained hamstring.
``He probably could play, but if he pulls the hamstring he could be out the next month,'' Welsh said.
``This is a 12-game season, and it's just not worth taking that risk.''
Jeffers is the only Cavalier expected to miss the game.
SIDELINES SHUFFLE: Virginia offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien moves back to the sidelines and new quarterbacks coach Joe Krivak is taking his place.
Welsh said Krivak would give input, but O'Brien will continue to call plays from the sideline.
``I hope that means we can get a play called before the clock runs down to two seconds,'' Welsh said.
That was the case several times last year when O'Brien relayed plays from an upstairs booth.
BEST WISHES: The Florida State Seminoles sent words of encouragment to the Cavaliers.
``We will be watching and pulling for Virginia,'' FSU quarterback Danny Kanell said. ``We cheer for all the ACC teams when they go outside the conference.''
FSU coach Bobby Bowden said he thinks Virginia has a good chance to pull an upset.
``If they go in there believing they can win, I think they can do it. That (Virginia) is a very good team,'' Bowden said. ``It would be nice having someone besides us from the ACC beating those big teams.''
MICHIGAN FAN: For many years, most people thought if Welsh left Virginia for another job, he would go to Penn State.
But Welsh revealed at a luncheon Friday that he would have been pressured to take the Michigan job had it ever been offered.
He said his wife, Sandra, once told him, ``If you ever go to another job, you got to go to Michigan. If Michigan offers you a job, we are coming.''
Welsh said he always has admired the school. But he isn't into coaching there any more. He told first-year Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, ``I hope you are here for 15 years.''
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Welsh's 63rd birthday is today, but he expects to be too busy to think about it.
``It is nice that 100,000 people are coming out to help me celebrate, though,'' he quipped.
Welsh drew more laughs at his press conference when asked if the Cavaliers would be going after Michigan's red-shirt freshman quarterback Scott Dreisbach. After a moment of thought, Welsh replied, ``Only if he has the ball.''
WHO'S WORRIED? Michigan coach Carr, who replaced Gary Moeller, showed his sense of humor when asked if he was worried about relying on an inexperienced quarterback.
``This is my first game (as head coach), too, and he is probably worried more about me than I am about him,'' Carr said.
Carr, an assistant for 15 years, got the top job when Moeller was forced to resign following his arrest for creating a disturbance at a restaurant.
BIG PAYDAY: Virginia will collect a bigger check (over $800,000) from today's game than it did from the Independence Bowl last December.
Michigan will receive $1.3 million, not including parking, concessions, and souvenir sales, for hosting the event.
The sponsoring NACDA is expected to clear $100,000.
ON SECOND THOUGHT: ACC media, which last month picked Virginia to finish second in the league, have had a change of mind.
After visiting all nine training camps, members of the ACC tour picked North Carolina State and Clemson to tie for second place with 6-2 league records behind Florida State. Virginia and North Carolina were picked to tie for fourth place. by CNB