Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 16, 1993 TAG: 9309160042
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"I don't think you do it every year, maybe not every five years," Welsh said before the Cavaliers visited Georgia Tech in 1991.
Welsh said he probably would not have agreed to the 1991 game if he had known Georgia Tech was not in session.
So, here it is, two years later. Georgia Tech isn't in session. Again. The Yellow Jackets are at home. Again. And, Virginia is playing on Thursday night. Again.
The Cavaliers, whose 2-0 start has lifted them to No. 25 in the Associated Press poll, will meet unranked but favored Georgia Tech (1-0) in a game that will be televised by ESPN at 7:45 p.m.
"The Florida State [situation] last year was a definite factor," Welsh said earlier this week. "Pretty soon they don't ask you, I would guess. That wasn't the whole thing, though. It's still ESPN and national television and the money is important."
Virginia heard some criticism - as well as some praise - when it was unwilling to change the time of last year's game with Florida State to accommodate ABC-TV.
Welsh did not agree with that decision, made because the proposed time change conflicted with Parents Weekend activities, but that was a Saturday. Thursday night is another matter.
"I don't know what we get out of this," Welsh said. "I'd prefer not do it, though. Maybe four years from now [would be OK]. But, I can't control if they're going to ask you or not. We're not playing Georgia Tech early anymore . . . I don't think."
The next two Georgia Tech-Virginia games will be played on the last weekend of October, with the 1996 game scheduled for the first Saturday of November.
Virginia will not receive a check from ESPN for tonight's game; however, the ACC will get $760,000 - $380,000 per appearance for each of its member teams. That money will be added to the conference's television earnings and will be split nine ways at the end of the year.
"I love it; I absolutely love it," Georgia Tech coach Bill Lewis said of the Thursday night concept. "I seldom see any college football on Saturday and I don't see any pro football because we're working on Sunday. Thursday night is the one night that I love to go home and watch a football game.
"To me, it's one of the reasons you come to a school like Georgia Tech, because you have an opportunity to let the whole country focus on you. It's the only game in town for 3 1/2 hours. There's nothing like that exposure for our program and for our institution."
Perhaps Lewis is unaware that the Atlanta Braves, who have taken over first place in baseball's National League West Division, will be entertaining Cincinnati at 7:40 p.m. a few miles down Interstate 85. Yet, there is no question that tonight's game is very important for Georgia Tech and Virginia.
Welsh, who previously has made a practice of placing equal emphasis on all games, said he changed his approach last year after the Cavaliers' second late-season collapse in three years.
"I was really on 'em last year about how important the early games were," Welsh said. "I don't know if it made any difference, [but] I didn't say much about Navy. It really is true: You can only have so many emotional games. I don't want us to feel like every game is a must game forever."
The Cavaliers won their first five games last year, then blew a 28-0 lead and lost to Clemson 29-28. It was the first of four UVa defeats in a span of five games.
"I want to have something left in the second half of the season," Welsh said. "I don't know if that was a factor last year or what. You still want to win every one you can; but, up through the Clemson game, I was talking to them about being at a peak [and] about being emotional. Maybe you can't do that every week."
by CNB