THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 22, 1995 TAG: 9510220196
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: AUSTIN LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
Virginia players seemed to be having a harder time Saturday accepting the 17-16 loss to Texas than they did the season-opening 18-17 defeat to Michigan.
Quarterback Mike Groh declined a postgame request to meet with the media, and it was left to senior defensive back Percy Ellsworth to describe the mood of the team.
``We just wonder why this keeps happening to us,'' Ellsworth said. ``What have we done so bad that we keep losing in the last second?''
Safety Anthony Poindexter, who made several big defensive plays, added, ``I am still in shock. We show that we can play at this level, but people keep making great plays to beat us.''
ANOTHER THEFT: The Virginia secondary pushed its streak of consecutive games in which it has intercepted a pass to 25.
The pick was made by sophomore Ronde Barber at the Virginia 1.
TD RUN ENDS: Tailback Tiki Barber had his nine-game streak of rushing for a touchdown come to an end.
Barber, though, did rush for 123 yards and became the eighth player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season. The last to do so was Terry Kirby in 1992.
Barber now has 1,030 yards with three games remaining. The single-season record is 1,224 yards, set by Barry Word in 1985.
ALLEN ON ROLL: Senior receiver Pete Allen of Norfolk had another big day with three catches for 102 yards.
His longest was for 68 yards, and he had another for 18 yards that helped to set up Virginia's first field goal.
Allen had five catches for 160 yards last week against Duke.
HOMECOMING: Senior receiver Pat Jeffers, who is from Ft. Worth, had an up and down day.
He caught seven balls for 87 yards, and felt he should have had another catch for a touchdown when officials ruled he was out of the end zone.
Jeffers also had a drop on Virginia's last offensive series that could have supplied a first down and kept the drive moving to eat up more of the clock.
Instead, Virginia kicked a 56-yard field goal and Texas had just enough time to make the game-winner.
``I definitely should have held on to the ball,'' Jeffers said. ``It bounced off my body. I should have caught it with my hands.''
CROCKER HURT: Defensive back Joe Crocker suffered a dislocated shoulder early in the second half.
Coach George Welsh said he did not know yet how serious the injury is.
The Cavaliers again played without tight end Bobby Neely, who is out with a shoulder separation.
ENOUGH MACKOVIC: Virginia figures it has seen enough of Texas coach John Mackovic.
He beat the Cavaliers as a quarterback during his playing days at Wake Forest and got his first coaching victory against them when he began his career at Wake Forest.
He also coached Illinois to a 31-21 win over Virginia in the 1990 Citrus Bowl.
Mackovic claimed he never had any doubt that Texas was going to win Saturday.
The Cavs have to face him again next year in Charlottesville, unless he is forced out, as some Texas fans are demanding. by CNB