THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, September 22, 1994 TAG: 9409220548
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
Listen to Mack Brown and you'd think 13th-ranked North Carolina has little chance to beat Florida State in their game Saturday (7:30 p.m., ESPN) at Tallahassee.
``We are a major underdog,'' Brown said. ``They have lost only five home games since 1987, and most of those were to Florida and Miami.''
Listen to Bobby Bowden, though, and you'd think the Heels do have a chance against his No. 3 Seminoles.
``The gap between Florida State and North Carolina isn't near as wide as between us and some of the other ACC teams,'' Bowden said. ``In fact, it is so tight they could come down here and beat us. They are more talented than anyone we have played so far.''
The Seminoles have crushed Virginia, Maryland and Wake Forest in the last three weeks to stretch their ACC record to 19-0 since joining the league in 1992.
``But,'' said Bowden, ``the more you win, the more you fight the law of averages. Someone is going to get us. I just don't know when.''
Jim Caldwell, whose Wake Forest team lost to the Seminoles, 56-14, agrees.
But he said it probably will be when a team sneaks up on the Seminoles and catches them flat.
That doesn't seem to be the case this week. Bowden described his team's practice on Tuesday as ``the best in several years.''
FAST HEELS: The big difference between the team Brown inherited when he arrived at North Carolina in 1988 and the one now is speed.
Brown had only four players on capable of running a 4.6 40-yard dash when he took over from coach Dick Crum. This year's roster has 25 players who run that fast.
THIEVES AT WORK: The Virginia defense, which led the nation last season with 22 interceptions, already has six in three games.
Freshman Ronde Barber's two interceptions against Clemson last week gave him a total of three, tops in the ACC.
Barber is becoming so valuable in the secondary that coach George Welsh is scratching him as a punt returner. Barber will continue to receive kickoffs, though.
RARE TREAT: Welsh, who enjoys winning low-scoring games, hadn't had a victory like last Saturday's 9-6 win over Clemson to appreciate in a long time. It was the first time since the season opener against Navy in 1980 that the Cavaliers had won while scoring fewer than 10 points.
INJURY UPDATE: Virginia defensive tackle Mark Krichbaum, who suffered a broken leg in preseason practice, is expected to resume practice next week. It is doubtful, though, that he will be ready to play against William and Mary on Oct. 1.
REFORM-MINDED: Duke coach Fred Goldsmith says he would not have touched coaching jobs at Rice and Duke ``with a 10-foot pole'' a decade ago.
``Those jobs were impossible back then,'' he said.
Goldsmith, who has Duke off to a 3-0 start after a two back-to-back winning seasons at Rice, credits the NCAA's reform movement, which reduced scholarships and tightened academic requirements, for making those jobs ``possible.''
The Blue Devils, off to their best start since 1988, play at Georgia Tech on Saturday.
MARYLAND UPDATE: Sophomore quarterback Kevin Foley gets an opportunity to start Saturday against Wake Forest after coming off the bench to lead last week's come-from-behind, 24-13 victory over West Virginia.
He replaces junior Scott Milanovich, who led the nation in completions and was second in touchdown passes last year.
``Foley deserves the privilege to start, but after this game we will decide what to do from there on,'' said Terps coach Mark Duffner.
SOMEONE GOOFED: Clemson officials must be second-guessing their decision to agree to an open date this Saturday.
The Tigers are 9-1-1 on Sept. 24. The .864 winning percentage is the third highest of any date in Clemson football history.
The only dates better for the Tigers are Sept. 19 (8-0) and Nov. 23 (8-1). Clemson is not scheduled for those dates this year, either. by CNB