Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, September 15, 1993 TAG: 9309150290
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
"And there was no chance of me playing," he said.
When he returns Thursday night as UVa's starting quarterback, Willis might have to charter a bus to transport his entourage to Grant Field.
"I'm not sure how many [tickets] I have, but I know it's not going to be enough," said Willis, who has been trying to make trades with teammates for their tickets. "I've got a lot of `maybes.' My mom has been waiting to see how many I'll get."
Willis and No. 2 tight end Bobby Neely, the lone Georgians on Virginia's roster, played at Mays High School in Atlanta.
"He's stealing some of my tickets, man," Willis said jokingly, "but we've got a lot of the same people coming to the game because we basically grew up together."
Admittedly nervous when he made his first college start against Maryland less than two weeks ago, Willis doesn't think he will be any more comfortable this week.
"I'm anxious to see how I'm going to deal with my emotions," Willis said. "It's going to be a very emotional game for me. I'm going there with the attitude that I want to let people know what I can do."
Georgia Tech was Willis' favorite team when he was growing up and he frequently watched the Yellow Jackets in person or on television. It remains unclear, however, what happened when Georgia Tech tried to recruit him.
"I don't want to get into that," he said. "I just felt something was missing."
Willis said he was not aware at the time that Georgia Tech had received a commitment from another quarterback, Donnie Davis, a Parade All-American. Willis was not rated among the top 100 prospects in Georgia by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, although that did not dissuade Virginia and East Carolina.
"He was the No. 1 quarterback on our list [for] the entire time that the recruiting process was going on," said Georgia Tech coach Bill Lewis, then at East Carolina. "We thought an awful lot of him."
Willis liked Lewis and East Carolina, but preferred the higher profile of the ACC.
"As little as I knew about Virginia, I knew nothing about East Carolina," Willis said. "Maybe the [lack of] publicity steered me away from there, but I really liked the program."
Willis was attracted by the opportunities that were available for a young quarterback in the UVa program.
"We ran the Veer [offense] maybe 65 percent of the time in high school," said Willis, who was a four-year starter, "and I sort of felt I wasn't getting the recognition that some other guys were getting. We have a lot of schools in our area and players from the city schools tend to get overlooked."
It was Willis' athletic ability that earned him the back-up job to Bobby Goodman last year as a redshirt freshman and he has flashed similar promise in his first two starts. At 6 feet 4 and 205 pounds, he is the biggest of UVa's quarterbacks and his arm strength did not diminish when he missed the last seven games of the 1992 season with a shoulder separation.
"What he is," offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien said, "is a very talented player who we are working hard to make into a very talented quarterback."
Virginia has a tradition of outstanding quarterbacks, four of whom now play in the National Football League, but not all saw immediate playing time for the Cavaliers. Head coach George Welsh has said on more than one occasion that Scott Secules, the All-ACC quarterback as a fifth-year senior, was too hyper to play earlier in his career.
"I would say [Willis] is really relaxed," O'Brien said. "He doesn't let things bother him. If you play for me, you have to accept criticism. But whether things are good, bad or indifferent, Symmion is always the same."
Willis would be well-served by that self-control Thursday, when the Cavaliers meet Georgia Tech at 7:56 p.m. in a game that will be televised nationally by ESPN.
"I'm going to tell him, `You've got 10 seconds to wave, yell, kiss a baby or do whatever you want,' " O'Brien said. "Then, I want his full attention."
It won't be hard to find the Willis fans, who are most likely to be positioned behind a large bedsheet banner.
"The last time it was something like, `Welcome home, Symmion, we love you,' " said Willis, whose teammates didn't hesitate to tease him about the display. "I'm almost scared to think what they'll come up with now."
by CNB