THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 26, 1994 TAG: 9409260132
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Harry Minium
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: Short : 45 lines
Sports reporters from across the state thought they'd interview an angry bunch of William and Mary football players Saturday following the Tribe's 45-7 shellacking of Virginia Military Institute.
After all, on Friday night the University of Virginia had announced it would no longer play William and Mary beyond 1995. Two games scheduled for the late '90s have been canceled.
And next on the schedule for the Tribe is U.Va., a team the folks in Williamsburg love to hate.
But instead of anger, the players reacted with shock. Coach Jimmye Laycock hadn't told them, and most of the team doesn't open a morning paper on gameday.
``I haven't had time to think about it, I'm not sure what my reaction is,'' Tribe quarterback Shawn Knight.
Doubtless, once there's been time for the news to sink in, some will react with anger in Williamsburg.
Here's hoping the reaction is more reasonable.
U.Va. didn't drop the Tribe out of disrespect. U.Va. athletic director Jim Copeland is a former William and Mary athletic director. He has kept Division I-AA schools on his schedule, most especially the Tribe, far longer than most.
If there's a villain here, it's the NCAA. Because of an NCAA rule enacted a few years ago, victories against Division I-AA schools no longer count toward the six needed to secure a bowl bid.
Two years ago the Cavaliers might have been knocked out of bowl consideration by this rule. They had six victories entering their last game, but one had come against the Tribe.
By the time they qualified for a bowl bid, the bids had gone elsewhere.
Copeland would love to continue playing William and Mary and VMI.
But he must think first of what's best for U.Va., and for the Cavaliers and other Division I-A programs, there's nothing to be gained and plenty to lose by playing I-AA teams. by CNB