Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 31, 1995 TAG: 9508310039
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
``A game like this is difficult to swallow,'' said Welsh, whose Cavaliers had taken a 10-0 lead into halftime, only to lose 28-10, ``but it's probably going to happen again if I stay around much longer.''
Welsh probably never realized he would be such a prophet.
In the past 10 years, the Cavaliers have led by 28 points and lost. Six other times, they have led by 14 points or more and lost. Five times they have lost in the final minute.
It hardly makes sense, considering Virginia otherwise has had one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division I-A in recent years, with eight consecutive seasons of seven or more victories.
The Cavaliers have talked often about reaching the ``next level,'' a plateauIF THIS SOUNDS AWKWARD, EVEN THOUGH IT IS CORRECT, CHANGE IT TO ``PLATEAU'' that was within their reach when they led Michigan 17-0 with less than 13 minutes remaining in the Pigskin Classic on Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Those aspirations turned to dust when the Wolverines scored three touchdowns and amassed 231 yards of total offense in less than 51/2 minutes, beating the Cavaliers 18-17 on a 15-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining.
Welsh almost seemed in a state of denial Monday when the subject of past fourth-quarter collapses was raised.
``I don't think there have been that many,'' he said. ``It happens to everybody. Look at Florida-Florida State last year.''
True, the Seminoles scored 28 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to force a 31-31 tie, but that hardly was a regular occurrence for Florida.
``The guys who've been around [Virginia] have seen it happen plenty of times before,'' said Ronde Barber, a sophomore cornerback for the Cavaliers. ``A lot of people feel it's a tendency. It's unexplainable because we feel we're the best secondary in the country.''
Saturday afternoon was particularly difficult for Barber, last year's ACC rookie of the year, who frequently had responsibility for covering Mercury Hayes. The Wolverines wide receiver, who had one touchdown reception all last year, had seven receptions Saturday for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
``In the fourth quarter especially, it looked like they felt they could throw deep on me,'' said Barber, a Cave Spring High School alumnus. ``When they came to my side, it seemed like they were only going to go deep. I didn't expect that, but I felt I did what I needed to do.''
On one pass, Barber was in position for an interception, but Hayes wrestled the ball from him for a 43-yard completion to the Cavaliers' 2-yard line.
``Maybe I should have knocked the ball away,'' Barber said, ``but, if you see a box of candy in front of your face, you don't push it away. We have a secondary full of athletes who can do some exciting plays, but it's not like we're constantly talking about making big plays.''
Although the Cavaliers have led Division I-A in interceptions in each of the past two years, only one ACC team gave up as many yards through the air as the Cavaliers did last year (2,712).
``Maybe we have become a little too big-play conscious,'' safety Percy Ellsworth conceded. ``I think we've got some great individual talent and sometimes we try to showcase that talent. I'm not saying it hurt us Saturday, but in the long run it might.''
The blown leads are a sore subject, not only with Welsh but with Rick Lantz, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator. After the 1990 season, Virginia changed coordinators, changed defenses and ditched the ``prevent'' package that opponents found so inviting.
Virginia has gotten better on defense, particularly against the run, but teams continue to pass their way down the field in the closing minutes.
``You want to talk to me about William and Mary?'' Lantz asked in reference to UVa's opponent Saturday night. ``I'll talk to you about William and Mary. I'm not going to buy that stuff about blown leads. I don't have any theories.''
It is not Lantz's nature to avoid any subject, so he did venture some thoughts on Michigan's comeback.
``We felt, coming in, that we needed to put our emphasis on the running game,'' Lantz said. ``We felt they would try to run the football, but, once we took away the run, they stopped trying to run the ball. We did not put enough pressure on the quarterback.
``There were two breakdowns [in the closing drive], but, there was no pass rush. It's 11 people out there. When you throw the ball deep, it's the fault of the people rushing the passer.''
And, when teams throw to the tight end in the middle of the field - which Michigan did to Jay Riemersma - frequently that's the fault of the linebackers. It's the defensive backs who take the blame, however, and they accept that fact.
History shows UVa will be in a position to protect another big lead at some point this season, which is an opportunity the Cavaliers almost relish.
``I'm not going to keep bringing the fourth quarter up,'' Ellsworth said. ``But I want the fellas to remember what it felt like when [the Wolverines] were driving down the field on us and we couldn't stop them.
``When you get tired in practice or feel like taking a day off, keep thinking about that last drive and use that as your energy.''
by CNB