Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 12, 1992 TAG: 9201120072
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
UVA NEEDS TO FIND QUARTERBACK, LINEMEN
Virginia football coach George Welsh, who said it might not be 36 hours before he watched film of UVa's Gator Bowl debacle, was unable to follow through on his vow."I was in the office," he said, "but the tapes weren't ready."
Despite the horror show, Welsh insisted there were positives to be gained from Oklahoma's 48-14 rout.
"I'd like to think we wouldn't play like that again," Welsh said. "I don't think we were mentally ready, and that was the most disturbing part. I don't think we ever got back to where we were at the end of the [regular] season, but we played a very fine football team."
Welsh said he did not think Virginia was fooled by Oklahoma's passing game, which accounted for 357 of the Sooners' 618 yards in total offense. If the Cavaliers were not prepared, it was from a lack of practice time, not from emphasizing the wrong things.
"I've got to find some more time to get on the field and practice," he said. "From the end of the season [Nov. 23] till the day we went to Florida [Dec. 23], we only practiced about seven times. I don't think that's enough.
"Who knows? Maybe it would have been the same anyway."
Welsh's top priority is recruiting. Players are allowed to sign letters-of-intent starting Feb. 5, and Welsh said he would like to sign at least 22 players, including eight to 10 linemen.
In the next month, Welsh also must reach a decision on how many players to invite back for a fifth year. Of the 25 players in UVa's fourth-year class, only tailback Nikki Fisher used up his eligibility.
Back-up quarterback Bobby Goodman has expressed interest in returning, although Welsh said he would not make any decisions until meeting individually with the would-be fifth-year seniors. Four started in the Gator Bowl, not including place-kicker Michael Husted.
Although no one would minimize the contributions of All-America offensive tackle Ray Roberts, the player whose loss has drawn the most attention is quarterback Matt Blundin, the ACC player of the year. Blundin, in his first year as a full-time starter, set a Division I-A record by not yielding an interception during the regular season.
There are numerous candidates to succeed him, including Goodman, who started two games when Blundin was injured early in the season. Goodman tossed three touchdown passes in a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech.
His competition will include B.J. Hawkins, a former high school All-American who transferred to Virginia from Notre Dame last spring, and freshmen Symmion Willis and Mike Groh. Hawkins has been slow to recover from a broken wrist suffered in spring practice at Notre Dame.
"I watched him throw through the whole fall, and he got progressively better," Welsh said. "He was able to throw it longer and with more authority, but he wasn't ready in December to cut it loose. I don't think we'll know anything until spring practice."
UVa seldom has been deeper at quarterback, but all the candidates have drawbacks. With Goodman, it's his relative lack of height (5 feet 11); with Hawkins, it's his wrist; Willis and Groh never have played in a college game.
"As my old coaching friend, Tom Bresnahan, likes to say, `Everyone's got a few flies on them,' " offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien said. "But, in our offensive scheme, we're still going to feature the tailback [Terry Kirby]. Whoever the quarterback is, we'll do what he does best.
"The talent is there, but potential is a deadly thing. I've seen guys with all the potential in the world, but production is the most important thing. Bobby Goodman is a pretty good example. He's a lot better game or scrimmage player than he is practice player."
Welsh said he does not believe he will be able to select a quarterback during spring practice, which begins March 28.
The Cavs open for the second straight year against Maryland, a 17-6 winner over UVa in one of the big upsets of the past season. It is one of five ACC home games for Virginia, which also plays host to Georgia Tech, Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina State in a schedule that will keep season-ticket reorders flowing.
Outside of quarterback, the biggest questions are on the offensive and defensive lines. The Cavaliers had an outstanding offensive line when everybody was healthy, but Roberts has no more eligibility and guard Mark Dixon was unable to play in the Gator Bowl after his back problems recurred.
Virginia won all five games in which Dixon played, outscoring the opposition 170-17 in his four games as a starter.
"Dixon is a big question . . . whether he continues to play or not," O'Brien said. "He's had all sorts of tests; I don't know what the results were, but the back can be a fickle thing."
The defense returns intact, except at tackle, where the starters were fifth-year seniors Don Reynolds and Matt Quigley, a second-team All-ACC choice. Mark Krichbaum (6-6, 286) played a lot as a redshirt freshman, but the other top returnees - Ken Miles and Marcus Washington - are injury-prone.
After three straight bowl losses, Welsh made no secret of his intentions for 1992 when he reportedly told the players after the Gator Bowl that he planned "to return next year with a football team."
Of course, that might hinge on how the NCAA looks upon a report of loans made by UVa to student-athletes, but Blundin, for one, was disappointed Welsh did not acknowledge the team's accomplishments in getting to the bowl game.
"I don't know if I was quoted correctly [by the players]," Welsh said. "I can't remember what I said so I can't explain it. I didn't think we played well, which I'm sure had something to do with any evaluation I made."