Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 4, 1995 TAG: 9511060142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
If anybody knows how to snap 29-game winning streaks, it's Virginia football coach George Welsh.
Welsh, in his 23rd season as a Division I-A head coach, admittedly experienced the biggest victory of his career Thursday night when the Cavaliers handed Florida State its first conference loss, 33-28, at Scott Stadium.
``Clemson, in 1990, would have to be the next biggest here,'' said Welsh, who became the first UVa coach to beat Clemson after 29 consecutive losses.
Welsh also mentioned Virginia's 14-6 victory at Penn State in 1988, when the Cavaliers were 10-point underdogs. But, there is no record of UVa having won when its opponent was favored by 181/2 points, as the Seminoles were Thursday night.
``Everybody looked at Florida State as being invincible and unstoppable,'' UVa defensive tackle Todd White said. ``Basically, we showed they're human and that they bleed. They can lose, just like anybody else.''
The outcome wasn't decided until the final play, which was typical of a season in which teams have scored twice to beat Virginia as time expired.
This time, UVa safety Adrian Burnim collided with a diving Warrick Dunn and prevented Dunn from extending the ball over the goal line. Dunn's upper body was in the end zone, but he had lost control of the ball, which was even with his waist.
Burnim, a redshirt freshman, was in the game only because starter Paul London had injured his hip earlier in the Seminoles' final series.
``Our offense had run the same play in practice and [Burnim] read it the same way,'' defensive coordinator Rick Lantz said. ``We ran it [in practice] on purpose.
Many of the UVa players had expected quarterback Danny Kanell to look for 6-foot-3 Andre Cooper on a fade pattern, without realizing that Cooper had a shoulder injury. Instead, the snap went to Dunn, who was standing next to Kanell in the shotgun formation.
``I knew they were going to run the ball because I could see [Dunn's] eyes in the backfield,'' UVa linebacker Skeet Jones said. ``I was yelling, `Draw, draw.' And, that's what they ran.''
Lantz said that Dunn, who normally would have been surveying the defense, was instead looking at the center in anticipation of the snap.
Second-ranked Florida State (7-1 overall, 5-1 ACC) had 546 yards in total offense, the high against Virginia this season, but the Cavaliers were the first team this season to hold FSU under 40 points.
Virginia (7-3, 6-1) also became the first team this year to score more than 26 points against the Seminoles, but the offense and defense had to share the credit with the special teams.
James Farrior blocked a punt, Rafael Garcia made all four of his field-goal attempts and Will Brice averaged 47.1 yards on eight punts. Florida State started drives at its 7-, 7-, 4-, 9- and 15-yard lines.
``Big ... huge,'' Welsh said of Brice's punts. ``There's no question they were backed up for most of the third quarter.''
It helped compensate for a Virginia offense that scored on a 64-yard run by Tiki Barber and a 72-yard pass from Mike Groh to Pete Allen, but managed only one touchdown on its nine possessions inside the Florida State 35 (six inside the 20).
The Cavaliers achieved one of their goals, however, which was to keep the ball out of the Seminoles' hands. Virginia had possession more than 34 minutes, but Florida State still ran 92 plays - six more than UVa.
That included 35 incomplete passes by Kanell, who was completing 73 percent of his passes before Thursday, but finished only 32-of-67.
``We were jumping around a lot, especially Todd White, and [Kanell] wasn't getting the kind of perfect snaps he'd been getting,'' Lantz said. ``I think it caused a little bit of hesitation in him reading his progression.''
Dunn, whose 9.4 yards per carry average had him flirting with a Division I record, rushed 14 times for 54 yards (a 3.8-yard average).
Redshirt freshmen Anthony Poindexter, playing linebacker in UVa's new 3-4 alignment, twice stopped Dunn in the backfield and was credited with a team-high 11 tackles despite leaving the game on two occasions with injuries.
``If he was a Marine and a grenade came in the foxhole, he's the kind of guy who would dive on it to save the unit,'' Lantz said. ``He's an inspiration out there.''
There were numerous unsung heroes for Virginia, including walk-on Bryan Owen, who had a team-high five receptions for 72 yards. Owen, with one reception in UVa's six previous games, had to play after leading receiver Patrick Jeffers injured a hamstring in practice.
``When he got hurt, I thought, `Why? No! Why is this happening?''' Welsh said. ``He'll probably miss the next one, too.''
The Cavaliers can use the extra two days they will have to prepare for a visit to Maryland, where they can clinch a tie with Florida State for the ACC championship.
``The first thing I thought about this morning was Maryland,'' said Welsh, who went to sleep at 3 a.m. Friday and awakened at 6. ``We've got to make sure we don't play this one over.''
by CNB