Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 2, 1993 TAG: 9311020097
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
Top-ranked Florida State already has clinched one of the ACC's four automatic bowl bids, but four teams remain in contention for the other three spots, all with two conference losses.
The Cavaliers (6-2 overall, 4-2 ACC) play host to Wake Forest at 1 p.m. Saturday before going to Clemson, where they are 0-16-1. The Clemson game looms especially large because the Tigers (6-2, 4-2) are in the thick of the bowl mix.
"We've never talked about a tie-breaker," UVa athletic director Jim Copeland. "What you can't overlook is the overall record. It's not place in the conference, so much as the polls, that will determine the bowl bids."
But, it's not necessarily the polls either.
The Football Bowl Coalition calls for the ACC champion to go to the Orange, Sugar or Cotton Bowl, unless the Fiesta Bowl can arrange a No. 1-vs.-No. -2 matchup. The only other agreement is that a second ACC team will be absorbed by the Bowl Coalition, a third by the Peach Bowl and a fourth by the Hall of Fame Bowl.
"It's up to the bowls," assistant commissioner Tom Mickle said Monday.
Copeland said the issue will be discussed today and Wednesday at a meeting of ACC athletic directors in Tampa, Fla.
"I think there's an understanding that the order of the teams will be determined by the polls, but it's not down in writing," Copeland said. "It needs to be better defined, but I don't know if it can be."
In some respects, Virginia would have been better-served if it had lost to North Carolina and beaten N.C. State, instead of the reverse, because the Wolfpack would have dropped to 2-3 in the league.
"It's the two extremes," UVa co-captain Mark Dixon said. "You're up so high [after a 17-10 victory over North Carolina], you're ready to show the world you're for real and you stink up the place. It's the most disappointed I've been since I've been at Virginia.
"Even when we lost to Georgia Tech back in 1990, I knew I had played in a great college football game. I give [N.C. State] credit for taking the game when it counts, but I won't give 'em credit for stopping us. It wasn't like Florida State or nothing out there."
The Cavaliers amassed a season-high 508 yards but squandered a 27-17 fourth-quarter lead with back-to-back fumbles in Wolfpack territory.
"They couldn't stop our running game," Dixon said. "When you're gaining 7 or 8 yards [per attempt] and then you fumble or jump offside or hold someone, that's the players. I felt the game plan was good.
"It's a mistake for anybody to let this game die. You could go home and say, `Forget about it.' But when we beat Carolina, we sure as hell didn't forget about it. We've got to find out what happened, understand why it happened and do something about it."
\ SECOND-GUESSING: Coach George Welsh said offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien would continue to call plays from the press box, even though the Cavs repeatedly snapped the ball as the 25-second clock was about to run out and incurred a crucial delay penalty.
"I'm willing to take a couple of those [penalties] if I have to," Welsh said. "I think what we're doing is best for our football team, simple as that. We're averaging 450 yards and 30 points a game. It's not like we're stuck and can't make first downs.
"The only reason I'd [change] is if he wanted to come back, but I believe he likes it better up there. He can lay out his charts and do more when the defense is on the field. If we need to speed it up, we'll signal in the plays, but I don't think it's a problem right now."
\ SECOND-GUESSING PART II: Welsh said the Cavaliers have only one running play - a draw - in their two-minute offense. As a result, they were limited when they reached the Wolfpack 25-yard line with 2:23 remaining.
"I think some consideration should have been given to using two backs," Welsh said. "We had two timeouts and there was enough time to run the ball a couple of times. But if the quarterback draw is blocked right [on first down], that's a 10-yard gain."
\ EXTRA POINTS: Welsh said wide receiver Larry Holmes, who played the second half Saturday with a separated shoulder, is doubtful for the Deacons. . . . Jerrod Washington scored his first rushing touchdown in 156 carries, dating to last season, when he burst 23 yards in the second quarter Saturday. Washington and fellow tailback Kevin Brooks share the team rushing lead with 496 yards, Washington on 100 carries and Brooks on 98. . . . A fumble by Brooks in the fourth quarter was the first he has lost in two seasons.
by CNB