THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 4, 1995 TAG: 9511040510
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Naturally distrustful of my own memory, and wary of the perspective of others, I'm not sure where Virginia's victory over Florida State rates among the great sports upsets of recent years.
Is it going too far to say that Thursday's game is in the neighborhood of Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson?
Is it straining credulity to suggest that you can find Virginia's 33-28 victory in the same zip code as the upset of Houston's Phi Slamma Jamma by Jimmy Valvano's North Carolina State team?
No doubt, by now, some deep thinkers on work release from a state asylum have announced that they thought all along that U.Va. had a fair shot at upending Florida State.
Sure they did.
In fact, there was not a single reason to believe U.Va. could stay within two or three touchdowns of the No. 2-ranked Seminoles.
How was a defense that gave up 30 points to Duke going to contain Danny Kanell and Warrick Dunn?
Couldn't happen. But then, Douglas couldn't knock out Tyson, either.
Nobody limits these 'Noles to a single touchdown in a half. Certainly not anybody in the ACC, where Florida State had won 29 consecutive games, most of them laughers.
Though U.Va. led the visitors at halftime, the atmosphere in a Scott Stadium press box packed with jaded state and national media was characterized by a calm understanding that the 'Noles would storm back.
Although Florida State didn't exactly light up the place in the second half, the visitors still almost won, as Michigan won, as Texas won.
George Welsh says he can't recall any other season in which his team has had three games decided on the final play. Wouldn't expect that he could.
Had Dunn scrambled across the goal line, this 1995 U.Va. team would be remembered for the quality of its losses more than for the number of its victories.
That's all changed.
Now, Welsh is guaranteed his ninth winning season in a row. No other ACC program can make that boast. Florida State doesn't qualify, having been in the league only four years.
With a victory over Maryland next Saturday, the Cavaliers can do no worse than tie Florida State for the ACC title. Who would have thought?
But a prime-time victory over the 'Noles on ESPN also changes the way the country looks at the Cavaliers.
With his 193 yards rushing in 31 attempts, Tiki Barber no longer is just a tailback admired within the ACC. He is a star embraced by national opinion makers.
Should U.Va. want to promote Barber for next year's Heisman Trophy, the Florida State game is the launching pad.
Speaking of public perception and national exposure, that was quite a scene the students put on when they ran onto the field prior to the game's final play.
After Kanell's incomplete pass stopped the clock, dozens of kids rushed from the opposite end zone. Meanwhile, the game clock clearly showed four seconds still to play.
What must ESPN viewers have been thinking? That U.Va.'s admissions office doesn't put enough emphasis on the math portion of the SAT?
With the public address announcer fairly screaming for the students to get back, some U.Va. players got into the act. I saw two burly Cavaliers come off the sideline to intercept a student near midfield.
The young man went down hard. Moments later, another sterling defensive play stopped Florida State short. All hell broke loose then. In the press box, the media scrambled to determine if this was the most shocking, rewarding victory in the history of athletics in the state of Virginia.
Some questions don't need to be asked. ILLUSTRATION: Associated Press color photo
Virginia fans scaled the goal posts...
by CNB