Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 17, 1994 TAG: 9401170038
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Welsh, pointing out that his contract runs through 1997, said he gave no thought to retirement after a 31-13 loss to Boston College in the Carquest Bowl.
"No way!" exclaimed Welsh, who turned 60 this past August. "I'd like to get back to another bowl game. I'd like to think we can win more than seven games. If we have to work harder to win more than seven, then we've got to work harder, but I'm not sure that the players can work any harder."
Welsh said he hasn't watched the tape of the Boston College game and probably won't until the end of the recruiting period, some time after the signing date Feb. 2. Welsh has been portrayed as a reluctant recruiter, a description with which he disagreed in an interview late last week.
"I don't mind the recruiting," Welsh said. "I felt I had to get on the road [in early January]. I didn't get much done in December. The one week I had planned to go on the road, I had to go to Florida to do a press conference for the bowl."
Welsh already has taken steps to get more big people in the program, with five commitments from players who weigh 250 pounds or more. Only center Brian Heath and right tackle John Slocum return from the offensive line that started most of the season.
Welsh says the staff needs to research what the Cavaliers are doing offensively and defensively, although he has said before that he expects UVa to have a fine defense next year with the return of end Mike Frederick, tackle Mark Krichbaum and linebacker Randy Neal, among others.
"I like our defensive scheme," he said, "but that does not explain giving up 550 yards in the bowl game. We got caught in a bad situation with a linebacker [Tom Burns] on a wideout, but you should never get beat deep [as the Cavaliers were twice]."
Sophomore quarterback Symmion Willis felt a share of the heat for UVa's late-season demise, but he does not appear to be in jeopardy of losing his job after passing for a school-record 2,347 yards.
"Somebody's got to beat him out," Welsh said. "We're not going to even up the work [in the spring] like we did last year. I don't feel he got enough work."
Less secure is the status of place-kicker Kyle Kirkeide, who missed an extra-point attempt and field-goal attempts from 37 and 29 yards in the Carquest Bowl. Kirkeide was relieved of his kickoff duties at mid-season.
"I think Kirkeide has to win his job again," Welsh said. "He kicked well when we went to the stadium [for practice], but on his last field goal before the half he rushed way too much."
\ DISAGREES WITH LANTZ: Welsh reportedly met with defensive coordinator Rick Lantz to talk over some of his comments made before the Carquest Bowl, when Lantz said Boston College had played six "lousy" teams and took a shot at Virginia Tech and its lack of offense in a 20-17 victory over the Cavaliers.
"If that's true, it's unfortunate," Welsh said. "I don't know exactly what was said, but that's not what I would have said. That was an outstanding Boston College team, particularly when you see what they did to West Virginia aside from the turnovers [in a 17-14 loss]."
\ BARELY MADE MONEY: Although each team received $1 million from the Carquest Bowl, Virginia netted only $4,000 after expenses, which included a $150,000 contribution to the ACC's revenue-sharing plan.
The biggest expense came from UVa's inability to sell the 14,000 tickets athletic director Jim Copeland purchased from the Carquest Bowl. UVa sold only 4,000. Although bowl officials indicated Copeland could have gotten the bid with a much smaller commitment, he already had been blasted over his effort - or lack of - in pursuing the Hall of Fame Bowl.
Virginia, which did not expect to make much money from the Carquest Bowl, will receive more than $500,000 as part of ACC bowl revenues.
by CNB