Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 18, 1994 TAG: 9409210011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
That was in sixth grade.
Neal, sidelined by a sprained knee last week when the Cavaliers visited Navy, returned to the starting lineup Saturday and made his usual contributions in UVa's 9-6 victory over Clemson.
``I wouldn't have missed this for the world,'' said Neal, credited with six tackles as Virginia held Clemson to 167 yards, 60 on the ground. ``I knew I was going to play; I just didn't know how long I was going to last.''
Neal was injured before the half in UVa's opening game with Florida State, but returned briefly in the second half. He was sure he would be ready the next week for Navy.
``When I got up on Sunday, I couldn't walk,'' said Neal, who set a UVa record last year with 139 tackles. ``When I was still on crutches Monday, I knew I was in trouble.
``I still wanted to make the trip. I had my bags packed and everything, but coach [George] Welsh said it was better to stay and get treatment than be a cheerleader.''
Welsh sounded pessimistic Monday when he said Neal was questionable for Clemson. Usually, that's the first indication from Welsh that a player won't be available.
``He was concerned about how it would hold up,'' defensive coordinator Rick Lantz said, ``and I'm talking Randy now, not George. Even up till yesterday, he didn't know how he would stand up in a pile. We didn't know if he could play, but we needed his leadership.''
Neal knew, if he could survive Saturday's game, that UVa would have an open date before William and Mary visits Scott Stadium on Oct. 1.
``I was really worried about [the knee] myself,'' he admitted. ``It held up better than I thought.''
Neal got some relief from Skeet Jones, who started in his place against Navy, but it didn't matter who was in the game for Virginia on Saturday.
``It was complete, overall domination,'' Neal said. ``We could have played for the rest of the year and they weren't going to move the ball on us.''
Although the offense nearly cost Virginia the victory with its seven turnovers, Neal and several other defensive players pointed out that the Cavaliers were able to hold onto the ball for more than 36 minutes.
``Any time you can stay fresh, that's important,'' he said.
MEMORIES: Welsh said the game reminded him of a 1974 game in which Penn State lost six of seven fumbles in a 7-6 loss to his second Navy team. Saturday's game marked only the third time in Welsh's 21 seasons as a head coach that one of his teams had scored as few as nine points and won.
Before Saturday, Virginia had not scored as few as nine points and won since 1980, when Welsh was on the opposing sideline when the Dick Bestwick-led Cavaliers defeated Navy 6-3 in the season opener.
NOTES: All eight of Virginia's offensive touchdowns this season have come with Mike Groh at quarterback. ... Walt Derey, a sophomore tight end from Northside High in Roanoke, made his first start in place of an injured Bobby Neely and caught a pass for the third straight game. ... The crowd of 39,000 was 100 fewer than the attendance for UVa's home opener last year against Navy.
by CNB