Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 27, 1995 TAG: 9508280085
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK
DATELINE: ANN ARBOR, MICH. LENGTH: Medium
You could measure history in a lot of ways on a broiling Saturday at Michigan Stadium, as the Pigskin Classic lived up to its name.
On his 62nd birthday, George Welsh began his 36th season as a college football coach with a stunning sensation he'd never felt before.
``I don't ever remember losing a game on the last play, four seconds to go,'' said Virginia's coach. ``Never.''
Michigan won for the 300th time in the huge bowl that opened in 1927, riding rookie quarterback Scott Dreisbach's perfect touchdown pass to an 18-17 victory and saving first-day coach Lloyd Carr from the radio call-in wolves.
It wasn't just one of the greatest finishes on one of college football's hallowed grounds. The rally from a 17-point deficit with three touchdowns in the final 11:36 was the greatest comeback in Wolverines history.
Michigan never had eclipsed more than a 14-point deficit before - on four occasions. It took Dreisbach's record passing against a weary and weakening UVa defense to do it.
When flanker Mercury Hayes broke away from Virginia cornerback Ronde Barber toward the right sideline before catching Dreisbach's game-winning, fourth-down, 15-yard toss, it certainly wasn't the first time in the fourth quarter that Michigan had turned UVa's defense inside out.
Dreisbach set Michigan passing records for attempts (52) and yardage (372). Of the distance figure, 236 came in the fourth quarter, which is how the Wolverines blew out the candles on Welsh's cake despite only 51/2 minutes of possession time.
The nation's largest stadium may have been holding its 123rd consecutive crowd of more than 100,000, but the viewers sweating in more ways than one saw something usual.
Here was Michigan, a program where the football history is well-grounded, passing its way to success. And Virginia knew Carr's team was going to pass, had to pass for that matter. The Cavaliers still couldn't stop it.
Hayes got his left foot down inbounds, only by inches. Field judge Collin McDermott from the Pacific-10 Conference-based officiating crew was on top of the play. He signalled a touchdown.
Virginia knew how Michigan felt on the wrong end of Colorado's ``Hail Mary'' on the same sod 11 months earlier. The Cavaliers trudged up the tunnel. Forget the extra point.
``I thought I saw it. It looked out to me,'' Welsh said.
The TV replay showed Hayes' left foot was down inbounds just after he caught the ball. One person didn't need a replay to confirm his pain.
``He was inbounds,'' Barber said. ``No doubt.''
Virginia's zone coverage was picked apart by Dreisbach. The redshirt freshman, in his first college game, never panicked. The Cavaliers didn't have a pass rush.
Barber, whose interception with one minute left in the first half pushed UVa toward a 7-0 lead at the break, was beaten a couple of times in the fourth quarter, but he certainly wasn't alone.
If Virginia - a 71/2-point underdog - seemed stunned to own a 17-0 lead with 12 minutes remaining, the Cavaliers' unraveling already had begun. And it wasn't on the defensive side of the ball.
After Barber's twin, Tiki, glided 81 yards for a score on one of the longest runs in UVa history, the Cavaliers' offense became a short-yardage game.
With Barber and starting quarterback Mike Groh injured and on the sideline - joining starting split end Patrick Jeffers, who was not in uniform for the game - the Cavs seemed to be only playing keep-away.
Welsh wasn't calling 911, but he might have wished he could dial 804, which is the area code for Charlottesville. He could have used former starter Symmion Willis - who left the team rather than play receiver - about then.
More than anyone, however, UVa misses graduated fullback Charles Way, now with the NFL's New York Giants. Way was always dependable and tough with and without the ball. UVa got no rushes from the fullback spot Saturday.
That, and a lack of depth compared with last year's 9-3 club, will show against a talented team like 14th-ranked Michigan.
Of course, if Virginia would have just made any one of several plays in the fourth quarter, or if Rafael Garcia had made either of the field-goal attempts he sailed wide in the first half, you'd be reading today about one of the the greatest football victories for the Cavaliers and the ACC.
Welsh, one of the game's ultimate pessimists, said he ``always'' thinks ``there's a chance you're going to lose. I don't ever expect to win until it's over.''
The Cavaliers' coach said Friday and repeated after the finish Saturday that ``in the beginning, when we scheduled this game, I didn't necessarily expect us to win.''
``We lost the game. It's one game. We'll get over it. We played hard. They're good, so if we played them this well, we must be good. We played with poise for the most part in a stadium like this. I still think this game helps us.''
The Cavaliers certainly won't forget how they lost. They also should remember how they played.
by CNB