Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 5, 1994 TAG: 9411080011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Virginia's preparation for today's football game began long before the Cavaliers realized they would be playing Duke.
Head coach George Welsh and his staff have been meeting since the spring, trying to reverse a pattern of November collapses.
``I don't think we can dwell on the past,'' Welsh said, ``but you can't ignore it either.''
The Cavaliers, known for their strong finishes during the mid- to late-1980s, have won only one game in November the last two years.
``I see our players saying the same thing they said last year,'' Welsh said. ``It's no different. Talk's cheap, sometimes. You've got to do it on the practice field [Monday] through Thursday; then, you've got to be ready to play Saturday mentally and emotionally.
``We can't get carried away with our success.''
The Cavaliers (6-1 overall, 4-1 ACC) bring a six-game winning streak into Wallace Wade Stadium, where a sellout crowd of close to 38,000 is expected. The Blue Devils (7-1, 4-1) opened the season with seven straight victories.
It is the first time since 1952, before the formation of the ACC, that both teams have been ranked. Virginia is 13th, while the Blue Devils are 23rd.
UVa jumped five places during an open date, a move that would suit 17th-ranked Virginia Tech, off this week before entertaining Rutgers on Nov.5. James Madison, 7-1 and ranked 10th in Division I-AA, visits VMI (0-8) at 1:30 p.m.
``I've seen 0-8 teams that were just punching the clock and were ready to sack the balls for next season,'' said JMU coach Rip Scherer, ``but VMI scares me.
``We see a team that was down 14-11 to Furman in the fourth quarter and was tied with Western Carolina at the half. [Running back Thomas] Haskins can play for any I-AA school in the country.''
Ferrum College (3-5) ends its season at 1:30 p.m. against Emory & Henry (7-1). Washington and Lee (3-4) can do the Wasps a favor by knocking off Old Dominion Athletic Conference contender Guilford (7-1) in Greensboro, N.C.
Virginia has won its last five games with Duke in a series that has been marked by ill will. The ugliness reached its peak last year, when the teams engaged in a brawl in Charlottesville.
``I don't know about Virginia,'' first-year Duke coach Fred Goldsmith said, ``but I could see this spring that we were getting in fights almost every day and I had to put a stop to it. I sense that we were as much a part [of the brawl] as we could have been a part of it.''
For the last two weeks, the Blue Devils have been in the position of defending a schedule that ranks 97th in difficulty out of 107 Division I-A teams.
``Give their schedule-maker a raise,'' said Florida State defensive back Clifton Abraham after the Seminoles' 59-20 victory over then-unbeaten Duke. ``I hope they do well because they're in our conference. But come down here and play with us ... Nah.''
Seminoles' cornerback Corey Fuller added, ``They should stick to basketball.''
Virginia's schedule ranks only slightly ahead of Duke's, but the opposing coaches have been saying all the right things this week.
Goldsmith: ``This football team is the best football team we've played, except Florida State, and they're a lot closer to Florida State than anybody else we've faced.''
Welsh: ``I don't think anybody believed [Duke] for a long time, but then I saw them against Georgia Tech. They pounded the ball in there and pounded it in there and quick-kicked and did this and that. That was a good-looking football team.''
The Blue Devils are led by fifth-year senior Robert Baldwin, who has rushed for 1,017 yards in a conference in which no other running back has gained as many as 600. Virginia has the ACC's top-ranked passer in Mike Groh, who has taken the starting job from Symmion Willis, who will be available today after missing two games with a pulled hamstring
Representatives from the Fiesta, Peach, Hall of Fame, Liberty and Independence bowls have requested credentials, but the post-season is the last thing on Virginia's mind.
``We've been here before,'' UVa defensive end Mike Frederick said. ``This is [the seniors'] last shot and we've got to take every step to get it right this time. Honestly, I thought last year would be different, but saying it and doing it are two different things.''
by CNB