THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 6, 1994 TAG: 9411060317
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
You will not catch Virginia arguing that Duke hasn't beaten anybody.
``Today, we beat a Top 10 team,'' Blue Devils quarterback Spence Fischer said Saturday.
The improbability of this happening was surpassed only by the incongruity of Virginia's No. 10 ranking in the coaches' poll.
And people say that football coaches don't have a sense of humor.
``This is the biggest win I've been a part of,'' Fischer said.
That's very easy to believe, coming from a quarterback who plays for the University of Krzyzewski.
With eight victories in nine games, Duke is imposing itself on the postseason picture, even as U.Va.'s bowl aspirations take a November nosedive.
The blazer brigade was out in force at Wallace Wade Stadium. The Fiesta Bowl was represented. So were the Liberty, Peach, Hall of Fame and Independence.
Presumably, the bowl glad-handers needed directions to the Duke campus.
This latest victory, said Fischer, ``really puts us on the map. We can silence a lot of critics.''
Fischer's passing accuracy was key to Duke's 28-25 victory, but here he misses the mark. The Blue Devils haven't suffered critics, but bemused disbelievers. Despite Duke's surprising record, the skepticism naturally followed Fred Goldsmith's team into this ACC game.
A year ago against Duke, the Cavaliers romped, 35-0. It was U.Va.'s fifth consecutive laugher over the Blue Devils.
When a Mike Groh-to-Tyrone Davis 65-yard pass-and-run play put them on the scoreboard first, it looked as if the Cavaliers would win again, if only out of habit.
There were moments in the first half when U.Va. was on the verge of burying Duke, only to discover that this Blue Devils team is different from the others Virginia has so cavalierly dispatched.
Speaking for all Dookies, Goldsmith said, ``Because it was Virginia, because of their dominance of us and because we fell behind early, this is probably, no not probably, this is the greatest win,''
The superlatives continued.
Fischer, said Goldsmith, played his ``finest game.''
Of offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, Goldsmith said, ``This is the greatest game Dinger ever called in a winning effort.''
Dinger had U.Va.'s number most of the day. Running when the Cavaliers expected a pass, passing when a run seemed obvious, Duke kept the U.Va. defense off balance in the second half.
``We mixed it up real well,'' said Fischer.
U.Va.'s defense, the foundation of the team's success all season, allowed Duke touchdown drives of 70, 60, 90, and 56 yards. Mixed up the Cavaliers were. They continued to concentrate on stopping Duke's running game long after the Blue Devils committed to the air.
With penalties and missed pass coverages, U.Va. did some damage to its own cause. But give Duke credit. Outside of Florida State, Goldsmith's offense is the most well-rounded and versatile U.Va. has run up against this season.
Asked how the Blue Devils could have moved the ball so well, U.Va. defensive end Mike Frederick offered no excuses.
``Maybe,'' he said, ``they made some really good plays.''
Frederick made the best play of the game, slapping away a Duke lateral in the fourth quarter, giving his team a first-and-goal at the 5. From there U.Va. moved backward before missing a field-goal attempt.
With this step to the rear, the Cavaliers disappointed a few of the boys in blazers. Duke, meanwhile, continues to disappoint only those who don't delight in surprises. by CNB