THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 1994 TAG: 9410190550
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C01 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long : 115 lines
On the grounds of the University of Virginia, Randy Neal is a nice, polite guy. Always smiling, always helpful.
But on Saturday afternoons in the fall, the moment Neal steps onto the football field, he takes on an entirely different personality. The U.Va. linebacker becomes something of a monster.
``It is like I change from myself into a Jeffrey Dahmer,'' he says, comparing himself to the notorious serial killer.
Only seconds into a game a few Saturdays ago, Neal rushed up to a dazed William and Mary quarterback Shawn Knight, who had been flattened, and shouted, ``We ain't Delaware, ------------.''
It earned Virginia a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, but Neal did not apologize.
``We had heard that someone from William and Mary had said we weren't no better than Delaware, Neal explained. ``I wanted them to know we play defense at Virginia.''
Knight and his William and Mary teammates aren't the only ones who have received that message. Going into Saturday's game against North Carolina, the Cavaliers lead the nation in rushing defense, yielding an average of 53.5 yards per game, and are 10th in scoring defense.
Since the season-opening loss to Florida State, U.Va.'s defense has given up only two touchdowns - one in the final 15 seconds against Navy and a disputed touchdown in last Saturday's victory over Georgia Tech.
The defense also has scored Virginia's first touchdown in the last two games, coming off a blocked punt against Wake Forest and on a 77-yard interception return by Neal last Saturday.
``We thought we were going to be good coming into the season,'' said Neal, a 240-pound senior from Hackensack, N.J. ``We talked a lot of trash during the summer when we were working out, telling each other we were going to be the best in the ACC, maybe the nation. A lot of it was in fun, but we knew we had something special.''
Defensive end Mike Frederick and tackles Ryan Kuehl and Mark Krichbaum, all seniors, returned to the line.
Neal, James Farrior, Jamie Sharper, and Skeet Jones, the quickest group of linebackers in Virginia history, also were back, and freshman cornerback Ronde Barber, who has half of the team's 10 interceptions, added quickness to a seasoned secondary.
The only doubt came in preseason, when Krichbaum went down with a broken leg. But sophomore Todd White filled in splendidly (42 tackles). Krichbaum played for the first time last Saturday.
``I had mixed emotions watching from the sidelines for those first five games,'' Krichbaum said. ``I was really proud of the way the defense was playing, but it hurt not being a part of it. The big thing, though, is we were winning.''
Barber said he noticed that Krichbaum's return provided an emotional lift for the seniors.
``They are a gang that has played well together for a long time, and now they are able to go out together,'' Barber said.
Krichbaum, however, credits the underclassmen for making the defense better than it was last year.
``We have more speed at every position, and Farrier and Sharper (both sophomores) have a year of experience behind them,'' he said.
``The older guys have tried to make sure that no lets down. We have had good defenses in the past few years, but sometimes we rested on our laurels a little bit and it hurt us. Coach (defensive coordinator Rick) Lantz tells us we have to prove ourselves each week, and we are trying to do that.''
Neal, a team captain, is the leader of the defense.
``I am usually pretty quiet up until game time,'' Neal said. ``Then I start yelling and saying all kind of stuff without even thinking about what I am doing. I am just high-strung on the field, with so much emotion rushing through me. I stay calm all week and on Saturdays it all comes out.''
Neal says the defense is a ``fun-loving group,'' which often shows in personal celebrations after a sack or smashing tackle.
Frederick punctuates his sacks as if he is swinging a bat or golf club. Kuehl tries out a new dance step after a sack, and Neal swaggers away from his prone victims.
``This defense is cocky,'' Neal said. ``We all like to talk trash and have fun. It seems everyone is talking all the time, if not to the other side, then to each other. If someone makes a great play, we congratulate him. If he makes a bad play, we tell him not to worry about it.
``The only time we are quiet is when we're in the huddle.''
Considering the rivalry with North Carolina, and the importance of the game, Neal is sure there will be plenty to talk about Saturday's game.
``If Florida State had not come into the league, this would be for the ACC championship,'' Neal said. ``It is the biggest game either one of us has left on the schedule.''
Virginia is ranked 25th and North Carolina 16th this week, and the game will be televised regionally by ABC.
``We never let down a play against them last year (a 17-10 U.Va. victory), and that's how it has to be this time, too,'' Krichbaum said. ``We need to shut them down early. Once their backs get in a rhythm, it is hard to stop them.''
Neal has been waiting for the North Carolina game since the start of the season, and he said it couldn't come at a better time.
``They are coming in here ranked ahead of us in the polls but with our defense leading the nation in rushing defense,'' Neal said. ``I don't know if we are really that good or not, but we are going into this game believing we are.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff color photo by CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
``We thought we were going to be good coming into the season,'' said
linebacker Randy Neal. ``We knew we had something special.''
Chart
SHORT YARDAGE
Includes:
SCORING DEFENSE
TOTAL DEFENSE
RUSHING DEFENSE
PASS EFFICIENCY DEFENSE
For copy of chart, see microfilm
by CNB