Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 4, 1994 TAG: 9409070097
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY AND JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: TALLAHASSEE, FLA. LENGTH: Long
As it turned out, Crowell (pronounced Croll) hardly minded the interruption.
Crowell, who did not enter the game until the third quarter, caught five passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns in the Cavaliers' 41-17 loss to fourth-ranked Florida State.
``I've been looking at Florida State for a long time,'' said Crowell, a 6-foot-4, 193-pounder from Winston-Salem, N.C., ``but I didn't think I'd play against them.''
George Welsh, UVa's coach, had said during the week preceding the game that Crowell was the ``true'' freshman with the best chance of playing Saturday, but he didn't get into the game until Davis injured a knee while blocking on a kickoff return.
Crowell caught three passes on UVa's first touchdown drive, beating veteran Florida State cornerback Corey Fuller for the 20-yard touchdown pass that helped the Cavaliers close to 34-10.
Crowell and reserve quarterback Mike Groh connected on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 16 seconds left, when Crowell ducked in front of Fuller on a slant pattern. Like the first UVa touchdown, it came on fourth down.
``I heard Corey Fuller was a good defensive back,'' Crowell said. ``When I caught the first one, he said he slipped and that it was just luck. So, I said, OK.
``On the second [touchdown], he was like, `So, we finally meet again.' He was kind of mad after I caught it. I told him, `I gotcha again, didn't I.'''
SLOW START: Florida State, which trailed 3-0 after the first quarter, went scoreless in only four of 52 quarters last year en route to its first national championship.
The Seminoles had been ahead or tied at the end of the first quarter in 28 games dating to a 1991 meeting with Miami, which the Hurricanes led 7-0 and won 17-16.
STRONG DEBUT: Sophomore Rafael ``Kiko'' Garcia, awarded field-goal and extra-point duties Friday, kicked a 40-yard field goal on his first attempt. That surpassed a 39-yarder by Kyle Kirkeide that was UVa's longest field goal last year.
SAY WHAT: ``We had a lot of confidence in Danny [Kanell] because of the way he played last year against Baltimore, I mean in Baltimore,'' said Bobby Bowden, Florida State's coach.
Bowden was referring to the Seminoles' game last year against Maryland, when Kanell replaced injured Charlie Ward and threw five touchdown passes, but that game was played in College Park, Md., not Baltimore.
INJURIES: For UVa, linebacker Randy Neal and wide receiver Tyrone Davis suffered knee injuries, although Neal returned to action in the second half. ... Florida State defensive end Derrick Alexander, a first-team All-ACC player last season, left early with a shoulder injury but saw spot duty in the second half. Seminoles tailback Warrick Dunn suffered a knee sprain that kept him out for the second half.
PERFECT: Florida State has yet to lose a conference game in its football history, although this is only the sixth season the Seminoles have played in a league since the genesis of the program in 1947.
Besides going 8-0 in each of its first two ACC seasons (1992-93), the Seminoles won three consecutive Dixie Conference titles from 1948-50, going 4-0 each of those seasons in a six-team league that included Stetson, Howard (now Samford), Millsaps, Tampa and Mississippi College.
So, with Saturday's victory over UVa, the Seminoles are 29-0 in conference play.
BRITISH INVASION: The Olympic teams of Great Britain have chosen Tallahassee as their training ground for the 1996 Atlanta Games, and the 66-member British Olympic rowing team attended Saturday's game at Doak Campbell Stadium. It was the first time any of the British team members had seen American football in person.
ALARMING: Considering the well-chronicled transgressions in Bobby Bowden's program revealed in the past few months, it was interesting to see the Florida State coach's photo in an advertisement in Saturday's Tallahassee Democrat.
The ad was for First Alert, a home security system.
BIGGER: The Division I-A competition for home-state players in Florida's huge talent pool will become tougher next season, with Central Florida starting its move toward full-fledged I-A status in 1996.
Besides stepping up to a level with FSU, Miami and Florida, the Orlando school - which already plays its games at the Citrus Bowl - will meet the Seminoles on the field, too. Central replaces Notre Dame on FSU's schedule next season.
ODDS AND ENDS: Tiki and Ronde Barber from Cave Spring High School in Roanoke were the first twins to play for Virginia since linemen John and Mike Fetsko in 1987. ... Barber, a sophomore tailback, was one of several reserves who combined for 198 of UVa's 285 yards in total offense. ... UVa has been outscored 246-89 in losing the six games it has played in Florida, all against ranked opponents. ... Florida State has outscored the opposition 720-190 in its 17 games against ACC teams since its first season of conference football play in 1992. Maryland holds the record for consecutive ACC victories with 21 from 1973-77. ... Virginia has failed to beat the point spread in six consecutive games dating to last season.
VIRGINIA NEXT WEEK: The Cavaliers will be looking for their fifth consecutive victory over Navy when they visit the Midshipmen at 7 p.m. at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. UVa has outscored the Middies 164-24 since 1990; but coach George Welsh lost three of his first five games against his alma mater.
by CNB