ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610280141
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
George Welsh thinks he was at Navy, more than 20 years ago, when he last ran the ball from punt formation.
It may be another 20 years before Welsh - or Virginia - calls for another fake punt.
The Cavaliers tried to beat Florida State with one of the Seminoles' favorite pieces of strategy, the trick play, and it backfired Saturday in a 31-24 loss at Doak Campbell Stadium.
Florida State was clinging to a 24-17 lead when Virginia, facing a fourth-and-five from the Seminoles' 48, sent its punting team on the field but snapped the ball to ``up'' back Darrell Medley.
Florida State defensive end Peter Boulware tripped Medley after a gain of only 1 yard and sent Welsh into a screaming, arm-waving harangue at assistant coach Bob Petchel.
``I wasn't chewing him out,'' said Welsh, who saw moments before the snap that the play wouldn't work. ``I was upset with myself more than anything. I haven't done it in 20 years, so maybe it was a mistake using it in a game like this.''
Third-ranked Florida State (6-0 overall, 5-0 ACC) needed only four plays to go ahead 31-17 on a 42-yard touchdown run by backup tailback Rock Preston with 5:54 remaining, but, surprisingly, the game was not over.
Virginia (5-2, 3-2) was to have the ball three more times, cutting the deficit to 31-24 on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Tim Sherman to Germane Crowell with 2:43 remaining.
After holding the Seminoles without a first down, No.14 UVa got the ball back at its 20-yard line with 1:37 remaining, but three Sherman incompletions preceded a James Colzie interception that ended the threat.
``We didn't deserve to win,'' Welsh conceded. ``They deserved to win. It would be different if we outplayed them and outgained them and did everything and lost. It wasn't like that.''
The Seminoles, upset by Virginia 33-28 last year in Charlottesville, outgained the Cavaliers 533-326 in winning for the 36th time in 37 ACC games. Florida State is unbeaten in its past 27 games at Doak Campbell Stadium, where Saturday's homecoming crowd of 80,237 was the second-largest in school history.
The fans watched Florida State quarterback Thad Busby pass for a career-high 316 yards and two touchdowns, and they saw All-ACC tailback Warrick Dunn break loose for a 65-yard touchdown run en route to a 131-yard day.
They also watched Virginia tailback Tiki Barber rush for a season-high 150 yards on 21 carries against the nation's No. 2-ranked rushing defense. Barber became the first player to have three 100-yard rushing games against the Seminoles.
``Their offensive line did a great job blocking for him; I have to run against them every day, so I know what he's up against,'' Dunn said. ``I'm sure he'll be sore tomorrow because I know I will be.''
Dunn stunned the Cavaliers' defense, ranked sixth in Division I-A against the run, when he went around left end on a toss sweep, put on a move that caused UVa safety Anthony Poindexter to lose his feet, and then cut across the field for the touchdown that gave Florida State the lead, 7-0, with 2:34 left in the first quarter.
Only 15 seconds more had elapsed before Barber ran into the middle of the Florida State line, broke to the outside and raced 48 yards for his conference-leading 13th touchdown of the season.
Busby's 48-yard touchdown pass to Wayne Messam made it 14-7 with 14:49 to go in the second quarter, but the third of three first-half UVa sacks caused Busby to fumble and Todd White recovered for the Cavaliers at the 6-yard line.
Aaron Brooks, replacing an ineffective Sherman, scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 12:37 remaining in the second quarter and the Cavaliers took a 17-14 lead on a 38-yard Rafael Garcia field goal with 24 seconds left in the half.
That was despite a passing attack that resulted in 10 straight incompletions - eight by Sherman, two by Brooks - before Sherman connected with Crowell for UVa's first completion with 1:00 left in the half.
``I didn't even know we hadn't completed a pass,'' Welsh said. ``I knew it wasn't very good. What more could you ask to come down here and be up three at the half? I was just afraid we'd fall behind and not be able to catch up.''
Florida State had won its first 20 ACC home games by an average of 36.1 points and was a 17-point favorite Saturday. However, the Seminoles didn't take the lead until Busby found E.G. Green on a 21-yard touchdown pass with 10:37 left in the third quarter.
Scott Bentley's 25-yard field goal with 11:35 remaining extended Florida State's lead to 24-17 and set the stage for UVa's fake punt. Welsh said he had told Medley to call the fake if he thought FSU was susceptible.
``I was told it was there the previous couple times,'' Welsh said. ``But one [linebacker] moved from one side to the other and it looked like they moved up closer. It's not [Medley's] fault. We didn't coach 'em well enough.''
It was Virginia's third loss in as many trips here, but both of the previous games were decided by the third quarter. UVa lost 40-14 in 1993 and 41-17 in '94.
``If we haven't grown up, we have to grow up,'' said Welsh, whose Cavaliers visit Duke next week. ``Hell, we can still win a lot of games. We've got to go back to work. Now is not the time to go in the tank.''
LENGTH: Long : 107 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. DON PETERSEN STAFF Virginia's Germane Crowell lets aby CNBpass slip through his hands as Florida State's James Colzie defends
during the Seminoles' 31-24 win Saturday in Tallahassee, Fla.
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2. DON PETERSEN STAFF Florida State's Warrick Dunn (left) and
Virginia's Tiki Barber share a moment following the Seminoles' win
Saturday. Both running backs led their teams in rushing yards.
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