Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 14, 1993 TAG: 9309140185
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
A Monday afternoon phone conversation between Virginia football coach George Welsh and his Navy counterpart, George Chaump, failed to shed any light on the arrival of the UVa-Navy game film in the Georgia Tech football office.
The Yellow Jackets play host to UVa at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in a game that will be televised nationally by ESPN.
"Nobody was authorized to send Georgia Tech a tape," Chaump said. "As far as I know, none was sent out. I told Coach Welsh I would not do that."
ACC rules provide for the exchange of one game film, with Virginia receiving tape of Georgia Tech's opening game last Saturday against Furman. Welsh said he thought it had been agreed that the Yellow Jackets would get tape of UVa's opener against Maryland.
Not only did Georgia Tech get tape of Virginia's game Saturday against Navy, but apparently it reached Atlanta with little delay. Coach Bill Lewis had seen films of UVa's first two games by the time he conducted a telephone news conference Sunday night.
"All you've got to do is pick up the phone and call for them," said Lewis, who did not identify the Yellow Jackets' contact.
When informed Monday morning of Lewis' revelation, Welsh was not happy. It appears the Cavaliers ran some pass patterns against Navy that were not intended for Georgia Tech's inspection.
"I didn't think Navy was going to send them the tape," said Welsh, whose team visits Georgia Tech on Thursday night. "We were told by one of the Navy assistants that they were not going to send it.
"It's certainly not illegal; it's done all the time. [But] it's unethical for Navy to give Georgia Tech tape unless we give them permission to do it. It's our [American] Football Coaches Association constitution."
The conversation with Chaump restored some of Welsh's faith in his alma mater, but did not clear up the matter of how the tape got to Georgia Tech so quickly.
"Our best guess is that they got it from Eastern Illinois," said Navy spokesman Tom Bates in reference to the Middies' opponent Saturday. "Or they could have gotten it from one of our other opponents. I can't say for sure how many [tapes] are in circulation."
If asked, Welsh said, he would not have given Eastern Illinois the UVa-Navy tape.
"I'd have been reluctant to do that, especially to Navy," said Welsh, who played and coached at Navy. "I still like them to win. We've had other teams call, like Army, and I haven't done that."
In other UVa news:
\ RANKINGS: Virginia, which did not receive a vote in the preseason Associated Press poll, needed just two weeks to move into the AP rankings at No. 25. The Cavaliers were 23rd in the coaches' poll published by USA Today.
"I thought we were down so far that we'd never emerge," said Welsh, perhaps aware that Sports Illustrated ranked UVa 54th out of 106 Division I-A teams in the preseason. "We're probably overrated. . . . I don't care anymore. I get tired of talking about it."
UVa is a 2 1/2-point underdog to unranked Georgia Tech.
\ ON TIKI BARBER: Freshman running back Tiki Barber of Roanoke said the biggest adjustment to Virginia's system was the emphasis on the inside running game. Barber, measured at 5 feet 9 and 179 pounds, was more accustomed to running outside at Cave Spring High School.
"A lot of teams - like us - don't let you run outside," Welsh said. "That's the big thing. It's harder to get outside, except if you [use an] option. Teams now are throwing the ball in the flat; that's the sweep, the Bill Walsh sweep."
Welsh said there was little question, despite Barber's slight stature, that he would play as a "true" freshman.
"Not after we saw him for a week or so," Welsh said. "Tiki Barber is going to be 190 pounds some day [and] some of the best running backs in professional football are short. Maybe they're not 190, but they're not much over 200."
\ EXTRA POINTS: Welsh said he expected senior linebacker P.J. Killian to start Saturday after missing the first two games with a knee injury. Redshirt freshman Jamie Sharper had 19 tackles as Killian's fill-in and is certain to receive continued playing time. . . . UVa's battered offensive line survived Navy without incident, although starters Peter Collins and Bryan Heath have been flip-flopped, with Heath moving from guard to center. . . . Of Virginia's first 11 offensive plays Saturday, 10 went to the left side blazed by guard Mark Dixon and tackle Jim Reid. . . . Redshirt freshman Will Brice already has eight punts for more than 40 yards; last year the Cavaliers had 10. . . . Welsh can lift his record to .500 on the road for the first time in his UVa career. The Cavaliers are 6-1-1 in their past eight road games, with the lone loss at Georgia Tech in 1991, and 12-5-1 in the past 18.
by CNB