Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, December 21, 1994 TAG: 9412210087
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium
``Whatever anybody else is saying, for our football team this bowl is important,'' Welsh said. ``I think it's important for our ninth win. Our team feels that way, too. We haven't won a bowl game in a long time. Nobody on this team has played in a bowl game and won.''
The last time UVa went bowling and didn't roll into the gutter was a 23-22 loss to Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl that finished the 1990 season with three consecutive defeats.
The Cavaliers, who never played in a bowl until 1984, haven't won one since '87. Welsh knows his club has been embarrassed in its past two postseason trips by Oklahoma (Gator, 1991) and Boston College (Carquest, '93). That's one reason the Independence Bowl against Texas Christian is bigger than it should be for a program that long ago established it could play big-time football.
The '94 Cavaliers, despite getting the ACC's fifth bowl slot, have an opportunity for an achievement reached by UVa teams only in 1985 and '90. That's nine victories. If the right teams lose during bowl week, No.18 UVa could finish in the top 15 in the polls. The Cavaliers already are the highest-ranked team to play in the Independence's 19-year history.
As for TCU, the Horned Frogs (7-4) have some nice offensive figures compiled in the Southwest Conference, a mediocre league at best. TCU lost to North Carolina, which was hammered by UVa. Welsh has no history with TCU, unless you count the former Navy quarterback finishing third in the 1955 Heisman Trophy balloting behind runner-up Jim Swink, the Frogs' star running back.
Certainly, the Cavaliers would prefer to spend the holidays in a more exotic location than the ArkLaTex, although the arrival of casino gambling in the region since last year's Independence Bowl should make the trip more intriguing for visitors interested in more than the line that makes UVa a 10-point favorite over the Horned Frogs.
``We've been to five bowls in six years,'' Welsh said. ``To me, all bowls are good bowls. Besides, I've heard the Independence Bowl does a really good job with the players [and their entertainment].''
Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, the UVa foes who won the past two Independence Bowls, would second Welsh's notion. Besides, there are 69 Division I-A schools sitting home for the holidays who would like to trade places with the Cavaliers.
Welsh said neither the dismal UVa ticket sales - even worse than last year's 4,000 Carquest box office in Charlottesville - nor the bowl destination has been brought up by prospects as a negative in recruiting.
Welsh said UVa is ``way ahead'' of past years in recruiting, and that's the good news in his program this month, no matter how anyone perceives the Independence Bowl. As for a lack of bowl support by Wahoos, Welsh said, ``I can't control that. I've tried to help sell more tickets in the past, but there are some things you just can't control.''
Welsh said he isn't worried the poor box office will have an impact on his program's bowl potential, although maybe he should. Nor does he have an answer why UVa, which tied for third in the ACC the past two seasons, has ended up with the fifth and last bowl spot both years.
Asked whether he or anyone else at UVa should question the ACC about bowl lobbying, the UVa coach said, ``I would like to find out how they [the bowls] are making their picks.''
With athletic director Jim Copeland a lame duck before he heads to Southern Methodist, the Cavaliers' bowl salesmanship in and out of the ACC office should be a subject that's tackled early by Copeland's successor. If it isn't, then don't be surprised if Welsh becomes more involved in bowl schmoozing - if necessary - next season.
Welsh said that even had the Cavaliers tied North Carolina State in the regular-season finale, he's not sure they would have played for bigger stakes than the $750,000 the Shreveport game pays. He also knows that if the ACC hadn't locked up a fifth berth late with the Independence, the Cavaliers easily could be playing no one until September, because most bowls below the coalition make regional matchups to sell tickets.
While other bowls have made deals for third and fourth teams from conferences, the Independence has kept both slots open and gotten more attractive teams than in the past. That's how it got a battle of 8-3s last year in the Hokies and Indiana. That's how it got Virginia.
And even if the Cavaliers aren't thrilled with their first taste of Independence, they'd better play like they are.
by CNB