Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 5, 1993 TAG: 9309050185
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: COLLEGE PARK, MD. LENGTH: Medium
\ For the fifth time in the 1990s, Virginia's football team blew a two-touchdown lead Saturday.
Unlike the first four games, the Cavaliers won.
In the unlikely setting of Maryland's Byrd Stadium, junior fullback Charles Way scored two touchdowns in the final 6:08 as UVa rallied for a 43-29 victory before a crowd of 35,015.
The Cavaliers, with one previous victory at Maryland since 1971, led 29-14 before Terrapins quarterback Scott Milanovich threw touchdown passes of 44 and 37 yards, the second on the last play of the third quarter.
"We self-destructed - almost," UVa coach George Welsh said. "The game slipped away. We had 'em by two touchdowns and [they were] on their 5-yard line. We should do better than that."
Maryland's final touchdown resulted from a blocked punt - one of several UVa miscues that included three straight first-half fumbles, an interception and an interference penalty on an extra-point attempt.
The Cavaliers also were called for personal-foul penalties on Maryland's first two drives, the second of which resulted in the ejection of starting center Peter Collins - a fifth-year senior making his first college start.
"I'd still like to know why Collins was thrown out," Welsh said. "That really hurt. I've got to see that on tape. They say he punched [a Maryland player]. He swears he didn't."
Collins was starting only because regular center Bryan Heath moved to guard, where he started in place of injured Bill Edwards. When Collins went out, Heath returned to center and in came Troy Raines.
"I probably played more plays today than I had in my entire career," said Raines, a fourth-year junior who did not come out of the game when UVa had the ball after the first quarter. "I was fortunate to be surrounded by some outstanding people."
The Cavaliers pounded the left side behind guard Mark Dixon and tackle Jim Reid, who helped lead Way to a career-high 136 yards and three touchdowns. UVa rushed for 281 yards as a team.
Maryland, which led the ACC in total offense last year, finished with 370 yards - its low since gaining 304 yards against UVa in the 1992 opener, coach Mark Duffner's first game.
The key defensive stand came with less than five minutes remaining and the Cavaliers ahead 36-29. On fourth and 1 from the Terrapins' 35-yard line, UVa defensive end Mike Frederick stopped Mark Mason for a 2-yard loss.
"I thought I saw something move," said Frederick, accounting for his quick jump across the line of scrimmage. "I was probably offsides, but for once it didn't count. I knew it was really close."
There was enough time for Maryland to come back; however, on fourth and 2 from the Cavaliers' 25-yard line, Way broke outside and got as far as the 2 before he was pulled down.
"We talked about a lot of things - well, not a lot of things," Welsh said. "I wasn't going to put [freshman kicker Kyle] Kirkeide under that pressure.
"After that, it became a matter of whether we were going to run or pass and, if we ran, who was going to carry the ball."
That wasn't a hard choice, although sophomore quarterback Symmion Willis did nothing to embarrass himself in his first start. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns and scrambled for 10 yards on UVa's go-ahead drive.
Welsh said Willis probably had played better than expected, "but, I'm not surprised," the UVa coach said. "We knew he had talent."
There was no bigger play for the Cavaliers than a 38-yard pass from Willis to tight end Aaron Mundy on a third and 9 with the score 29-29 in the fourth quarter. It was a spectacular catch, but not a bad throw.
"I'm relieved; I'm happy," Welsh said. "I just wish I had seen a little more enthusiasm on the sidelines. This was a tough one for us [to win]. We weren't jumping up and down."
Maybe it was the fear of another fourth-quarter collapse. The Cavaliers squandered two-touchdown leads three times after they were ranked No. 1 in 1990, then they blew a 28-0 lead last year against Clemson.
"There were some flashbacks," UVa defensive tackle Ryan Kuehl said. "That's what makes it so satisfying, that and the fact it was an ACC road win. Against our schedule, we'll take all of those we can get."
Virginia has taken more than its share of late. In their past eight road games, dating to 1991, the Cavaliers are 6-1-1. \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB