THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 18, 1994 TAG: 9409180177
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
Van Gogh never would have painted it, Shakespeare never would have written it, and Sinatra never would have sung it.
A masterpiece, it wasn't.
But after asking themselves how ugly any victory over Clemson could be, Virginia fans quickly answered ``not very.''
So, as they did four years ago in the wake of a much prettier first-ever victory over Clemson, the Cavalier fans charged onto the field after Saturday's second-ever victory and ripped down the goal post.
After pushing the Tigers around most of the afternoon and killing themselves with offensive foolishness, Virginia salvaged a 9-6 victory on Rafael Garcia's 19-yard field goal with 26 seconds remaining.
The victory evened Virginia's ACC record at 1-1 and left it 2-1 overall. The Tigers fell to 1-2, 0-2.
Appropriately, Virginia's winning points were set up by the defense, which time and again on a sticky, muggy afternoon bailed the offense
out of jams.
Redshirt freshman Rhonde Barber set up the winning field goal with an interception at the Clemson 40 that he returned to the 5.
``I was hoping he (Barber) would get it in the end zone,'' Virginia coach George Welsh said. ``I didn't want to put the offense back onto the field. I had seen enough of them.''
Welsh's loss of confidence in the offense was understandable after watching it commit seven turnovers - four inside the Clemson 15.
Another turnover, on the Virginia 16, had allowed Clemson to tie the score at 6 on Nelson Welch's second field goal with 6:29 remaining.
``The defense kept saying if we were going to win the game that we might have to score ourselves,'' said linebacker Skeet Jones.
``This was the greatest defensive effort I have ever seen.''
Welsh said it was the best defense he had seen in his 13 years at Virginia.
Clemson was limited to seven first downs, 60 yards rushing, and seven pass completions, with three interceptions.
It also marked the first time in the 34-game series between the two schools that the Tigers were denied a touchdown.
``Despite all the turnovers that we had, the defense kept us in the game and came up with the key interception at the end,'' Welsh said.
Game balls were presented to defensive coordinator Rick Lantz and Barber, who had another interception and three breakups.
On the flip side, the offensive performance certainly ranked as one of the worst Welsh has witnessed at Virginia, especially in recent times.
In addition to the turnovers, the offense was guilty of seven illegal procedure penalties - once collecting three straight to take it out of a scoring opportunity.
``I don't know what happened,'' Welsh said, shaking his head.
Part of the problem, he admitted, may have been his inability to stick with one quarterback long enough to get something going.
Welsh bounced back and forth between starter Symmion Willis and Mike Groh, who led Virginia to last week's victory over Navy while Willis recovered from a pulled hamstring.
Groh, who had passed for five touchdowns and ran for another in the first two games, relieved Willis early in the second period.
He immediately steered the Cavaliers on an 81-yard drive that he ended with a 1-yard run. It was the Cavaliers' only touchdown of the day.
But even this successful drive was not without its miscue - a bad snap by Ryan Kuehl that resulted in the missed extra point.
Groh finished out the first half, but Willis started the second half. He was removed again after a fumble by Tiki Barber ended one Virginia drive at the Clemson 8 and a following drive fizzled on an interception by Willis.
Groh returned and took the Cavaliers from their 5 to the Clemson 15 before he had a pass intercepted in the end zone. Willis came back to finish the game.
``I should not have changed quarterbacks as much as I did,'' Welsh said. ``I didn't give either one a chance to get into a rhythm. I should have stuck with one of them longer.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
DENIS FINLEY/Staff
Jason Augustino, center, cheers Virginia's winning 19-yard field
goal with 26 seconds left. Fans later tore down a stadium goalpost.
Photo
DENIS FINLEY/STAFF
Virginia defensive back Rhonde Barber, right, just misses coming up
with an interception against Clemson's Marcus Hinton.
by CNB