Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9410050014
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
The word was, Virginia was no better than Delaware.
``Who cares if it was true or not,'' UVa defensive end Mike Frederick said Saturday. ``We believed it, it motivated us and we played better because of it.''
The Cavaliers, inspired by comments attributed to William and Mary coach Jimmye Laycock, blasted the previously unbeaten Tribe 37-3 before a homecoming crowd of 38,300 at Scott Stadium.
Although the source of the information was somewhat sketchy, the UVa players were told Tuesday that Laycock had said it was the worst Cavaliers' team in seven years.
``It certainly got our attention,'' UVa defensive end Todd White said. ``His comments were that we were no better than Delaware. What a silly remark! How could he say something like that?''
To believe Laycock, he didn't.
``Unequivocally, no,'' Laycock said. ``That is absolutely, totally false.''
As the game unfolded, the Tribe (4-1) was little match for the Cavaliers (3-1), but there was some question how excited Virginia would be about a Division I-AA opponent after not playing for two weeks.
Virginia coach George Welsh no doubt remembered that William and Mary was the last I-AA team to beat the Cavaliers, spoiling a previous homecoming in 1987, but a 6-0 Tribe team lost here 33-7 in 1992.
``I'm always concerned with a team like this,'' Welsh said. ``Offensively, they can hurt you. It doesn't matter what level they're on.''
If either team had a psychological edge, it should have been William and Mary. UVa recently announced that it was dropping the Tribe and all other Division I-AA opponents after a season-opening game in 1995.
Some questioned whether Central Michigan of the Division I-A Mid-America Conference was a worthy replacement, but the Tribe was clearly outmanned Saturday, particularly after losing quarterback Shawn Knight.
Knight, who last year set a Division I-AA record for passing efficiency, injured his right ankle when he was sacked by Frederick on the final play of the first quarter.
``We were changing ends of the field,'' Laycock said, ``and Shawn called out to me, `Coach, wait up.' He wanted me to walk next to him so nobody could see that he was limping.''
Knight stayed in the game for two more plays, but did not return after Brian Shallcross kicked a 36-yard field goal that made it 6-3 with 14 minutes, 8 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
Knight later tested the ankle, but Laycock said no consideration was given to saving his star quarterback for upcoming Yankee Conference games.
``It was not an issue,'' Laycock said. ``The doctors told me `no.'''
Fourth-year junior Matt Byrne performed respectably in Knight's absence, but it didn't really matter who played quarterback for the Tribe on a day when UVa scored on its first five possessions.
UVa's offense continued to sputter within sight of the goal line, or else the 23-3 halftime score would have been even more lopsided. Rafael Garcia kicked first-half field goals of 27, 22 and 35 yards.
Junior quarterback Symmion Willis, whose starting job was the source of much debate during the open date, was 5-for-5 for 182 yards on UVa's first three possessions and finished 11-of-15 for 236 yards.
``I think, compared to my previous two games, I played really well,'' said Willis, whose touchdown passes of 55 yards to Tyrone Davis and 13 yards to Patrick Jeffers were his first of the season.
Once more the day belonged to Virginia's defense, which did not allow a touchdown for the second straight game. The Tribe, averaging nearly 430 yards per game, managed just 267 yards Saturday and got most of that against the second team.
``It was fortunate for us that Knight was out of there,'' said Frederick, who had three tackles for Virginia, including his first two sacks of the season, ``but we're at the point where we want to play the best.''
The Cavaliers had 12 tackles for loss, for a total of 27 in the last two games, but Laycock felt the critical matchup was Virginia's offense against No.8-ranked William and Mary's defense.
``I expected a closer game,'' Laycock said. ``I thought our defense would play better. We had some things show up here that would not have shown up against a lesser team.''
Like Delaware, for example.
If Laycock didn't compare Virginia to the Blue Hens, clearly he did give the Tribe some reason this might be their year against the Cavaliers.
``At this point, we didn't feel it was one of the better [Virginia] teams, but by no stretch was that saying they were a bad team,'' said Tribe tailback Troy Keen, who was held to 58 yards on 19 carries.
``What he said was that they weren't world-beaters. He mentioned the fact that we were pretty much evenly matched as far as talent, [but] we knew it was going to be a tough game either way.''
by CNB