THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 28, 1994 TAG: 9411280129
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
If Virginia coach George Welsh spent Saturday watching college football on the tube, he may have been surprised to see Florida State and Southern California ignore chances to win their games and settle for ties.
Florida State, after trailing 31-3, came back in the final period against Florida and kicked the extra point for a tie instead of going for a two-point conversion and victory.
Southern Cal did the same thing, settling for a 17-17 tie against Notre Dame when it could have taken a chance on beating the Irish.
Did Welsh wrinkle his forehead and wonder to himself why the Seminoles and Trojans did what they did?
After all, this is a game, and the purpose is to win - not tie. So, when you have a chance to win, shouldn't you go for it?
That is what Welsh had instructed his Cavaliers to do on Friday against North Carolina State.
Behind by three points with fourth down on the N.C. State 19 and time running short, the Cavaliers went for the victory but failed to make the necessary yard to keep the drive going.
The Wolfpack breathed a sigh of relief, ran out the clock, and went home with a 30-27 victory.
Why did Welsh not play for a tie?
``We had a chance to win it,'' he explained.
That would have been fine if this was just another of those September or October games in which the only thing you are playing for is a ``W.''
But winning wasn't everything to the Cavaliers in their final regular-season game. At stake were a piece of second place in the ACC and a good bowl game.
The Cavaliers could have assured themselves of both with a tie.
Maybe a tie would not have been enough for a major bowl bid, but it would have kept Virginia out of the politicking going on Sunday to dispatch it to the Independence Bowl, the least attractive and lowest-paying of the bowls available to ACC teams.
N.C. State was destined for the Independence Bowl until it beat Virginia to win second place in the ACC for itself with a 6-2 league record.
North Carolina, Duke and Virginia finished in a three-way tie for third place with 5-3 records. Each has an 8-3 overall record, as does N.C. State.
Sorting out which team goes to which bowl will be a headache.
It doesn't help that during the season Virginia beat UNC but lost to N.C. State and Duke; The Wolfpack beat Duke and Virginia but lost to the Tar Heels; Duke beat Virginia but lost to North Carolina and N.C. State; and North Carolina beat N.C. State and Duke but lost to Virginia.
Virginia could have avoided the jam if it had kicked the field goal and held the Wolfpack for one final possession.
Welsh, who said going into the game he wasn't thinking about polls or bowls, probably should have been more aware of both for the sake of his program.
You think Bobby Bowden and John Robinson were not thinking bowls and polls when they went for ties instead of victories?
With one loss and one tie, the Seminoles retained a chance of going to the Orange Bowl to play No. 1-ranked Nebraska until Miami beat Boston College a few hours later.
Even so, Florida State still looked better to poll voters and to the Sugar and Fiesta bowls with one loss instead of two.
Likewise, Southern Cal used its tie to remain in the national rankings, a bargaining chip for its bowl aspirations.
It figures that a tie would have kept Virginia ahead of North Carolina and Virginia Tech - teams it had beaten - in the coalition poll that helps to decide bowl invitation.
Instead, Virginia dropped to 16th in the coaches' poll and to 19th in the Associated Press writers' poll.
Strangely, though, the Cavaliers are still ranked ahead of N.C. State and Duke, which beat them during the season.
Maybe Welsh pulled a few votes for the Cavaliers by doing the most honorable thing, if not the smartest, in going for the victory. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS photo
Virginia defensive back Carl Smith chases North Carolina State
flanker Adrian Hill in for a touchdown during Friday's game.
by CNB