Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, January 1, 1994 TAG: 9401010109
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. LENGTH: Medium
"We're a better team than we've been given credit for," Lantz said Friday. "I have sensed a feeling that we backed into a bowl and I take offense to that.
"We're the third-place team in our league and the fifth-place team was picked ahead of us [by the Hall of Fame Bowl]. That really irritates me."
What finally ignited Lantz's fuse were the repeated predictions that Boston College would rout UVa in the Carquest Bowl today.
"I think [the Eagles] assume that and some other people do, too," Lantz said. "They won a game and beat six lousy football teams."
Lantz was referring to BC's 41-39 upset of then-No. 1 Notre Dame. The Eagles (8-3) defeated two other teams with winning records, Virginia Tech and Syracuse.
Presumably, the second good team beaten by Boston College was Virginia Tech, which finished 9-3 after an Independence Bowl victory over Indiana, but Lantz didn't even spare Tech.
The Hokies defeated Virginia 20-17, "and they deserved to win, too," Lantz said, "but, if we played for another month, unless they scored against the offense, they weren't going to score."
"I'm sure that will upset the ---- out of George," said Lantz, referring to UVa head coach George Welsh, who does not necessarily share Lantz's sentiments.
One of Tech's touchdowns against Virginia came on a fumble recovery, but the Hokies led the Big East in scoring offense with more than 37 points per game and beat Indiana 45-20.
"Look at the way Virginia Tech beat some of those teams in that league," Lantz said. "What did [the Hokies] have, 60 against Pittsburgh and 120 against Temple and 50 against Rutgers? That's a lot of points."
When asked if he would predict a Virginia victory today, Lantz pursed his lips and kept his mouth shut.
"It's us against them and them is a bunch [of people]," said Lantz, referring to the Cavaliers' critics. "I'll be surprised if we don't play well; we're a lot better team than when we played VPI."
\ THE OTHER COORDINATOR: UVa offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien wasn't nearly as outrageous as Lantz, but he did reveal that UVa's backs have been carrying footballs wherever they go.
"We don't usually do that," O'Brien said, "but it was important to emphasize [a reduction] in turnovers. It's something we've done in the past."
\ GLAD HE STAYED: Boston College quarterback Glenn Foley, offensive player of the year in the Big East, admitted there was a lot of soul-searching after Tom Coughlin arrived as coach in 1991.
"Some guys were ready for a change," Foley said. "A lot were hesitant. A lot quit. It was like night and day between [Coughlin] and Coach Bick."
Coughlin's emphasis on discipline was in stark contrast to former coach Jack Bicknell, but Foley made the adjustment and later fretted that Coughlin would leave BC for the New York Giants after last season.
"I was hoping he'd stay because I had one more year left," Foley said. "No matter what happened, I was staying, but I didn't know what he would do. The way things were going, I thought he was going to leave."
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB