ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 20, 1996 TAG: 9611200086
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: UVA NOTES
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
MEMO: NOTE: Shorter version ran in Metro edition.
Virginia football fans might want to hold off before making holiday plans for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and the Carquest Bowl. Coach George Welsh is.
``I don't know what's happening,'' said Welsh during a rare, off-week news conference Tuesday. ``I don't think there's any guarantees. Look at the trouble we've had here getting into bowl games. The bowl people hold all the cards now.
``I thought, if you finished second, third or fourth [in the conference], you got a bowl bid. But that's not necessarily true. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing last year. Weren't we the second-place team? Hell, we were tied for first.
``The Gator Bowl didn't want us. Maybe the Peach Bowl didn't want us for some reason.''
The Peach Bowl ended up taking the Cavaliers, but not until hometown Georgia Tech fell to Georgia on a last-minute field goal, 18-17. That dropped the Yellow Jackets to 6-5, without the required six Division I-A victories.
It appears that Virginia and Georgia Tech are bidding for the same bowl again this year, although the Cavaliers (7-3 overall, 5-3 ACC) helped their cause considerably Saturday with a 20-17 victory over sixth-ranked North Carolina.
That came two days after Georgia Tech (5-4, 4-4) was upset by lowly Maryland.
The Yellow Jackets entertain Navy (7-2) this week before going to Georgia (4-5) for the season finale. Virginia is idle this week before visiting Virginia Tech (8-1).
Unbeaten Florida State will represent the ACC in the Bowl Alliance, while the Gator Bowl is likely to select North Carolina, with Clemson a probable Peach Bowl invitee. The Carquest Bowl, scheduled for Dec.27, has the fourth choice of ACC teams.
``If Virginia maintains its one-game lead over Georgia Tech, it has a good shot,'' said an ACC source familiar with the bowl set-up.
Possible opponents include Miami and West Virginia, barring a Mountaineers upset win Saturday at Virginia Tech.
``I'm just being pessimistic,'' said Welsh, who would not have discussed the bowls if the Cavaliers were playing this week. ``I hate to get into it. It's almost a jinx for me to think about it.''
CALL DEFENDED: North Carolina coach Mack Brown has caught flak for calling the third-down pass that resulted in an interception and 95-yard touchdown return by Antwan Harris, but Welsh said he was expecting a pass by the Tar Heels from the UVa 9-yard line.
``The defensive staff was, too, because we had the blitz on for that play,'' Welsh said. ``I can't say what I would have done. There are arguments both ways. The big thing is, the quarterback [Chris Keldorf] probably should have thrown it away or taken a sack.''
There were many Carolina fans who felt Brown should have run three plays into the line and kicked a field goal that, if successful, would have put the Tar Heels ahead 20-3 with under 10 minutes remaining. Instead, Carolina threw on second and third down.
``I will say we discussed, `Do we want to run a draw and kick it?''' said Brown at his news conference Monday. ``Knowing the outcome, we wouldn't do it again, but the attitude we've taken with this program this year was to be aggressive and that's what we were going to do.''
A DIFFERENT FEELING: First-year Tar Heels assistant Ken Mack had never been on the losing side for a Virginia-Carolina game in Charlottesville as either a player or coach before Saturday. Mack played for the Tar Heels when they won at Scott Stadium in 1977, then served as a UVa assistant during seven straight home wins over Carolina, 1983-94.
nNorth Carolina offensive coordinator Greg Davis is working on a two-game losing streak against the Cavaliers. Davis was the quarterback coach at Georgia last season, when Virginia defeated the Bulldogs in the Peach 34-27.
ANOTHER SWEEP: Virginia went 4-0 against the four ACC teams from North Carolina for the fifth time in Welsh's tenure but the first time since 1991. Welsh has a 15-year record of 45-14-1 against the ``Big Four'' teams, with at least 10 victories each over UNC, Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest.
RONDE WATCH: Virginia defensive back Ronde Barber was the only redshirt junior pictured with the seniors in UVa's game program Saturday, but, minutes after the Cavaliers' victory over North Carolina, he would not say if he had played his final game at Scott Stadium.
Tiki Barber said earlier this month that his twin brother was once leaning toward turning pro but now may be wavering. Ronde Barber, a cornerback, had hoped to break UVa's career interception mark but has been stuck on 15 - two short of the record - for the last five games.
ODDS 'N' ENDS: Since 1984, Virginia is 3-0 against North Carolina and 0-10-1 against everybody else in games televised nationally or regionally by ABC. North Carolina's fortunes remain unchanged despite a change in mode of travel. The Tar Heels, who had been busing to Charlottesville, flew this time. Welsh said linebacker Wali Rainer and cornerback Joe Rowe have ankle injuries that would have prohibited them from playing next week, but they should be available for Virginia Tech.
LENGTH: Medium: 93 linesby CNB