THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 1, 1996 TAG: 9601010117
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ATLANTA LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
With Virginia's offense struggling and the defense tiring, coach George Welsh said the Cavaliers had to depend on big plays for their 34-27 victory over Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
``Their blitzes hurt us a lot on offense, and we struggled most of the game,'' Welsh said. ``We couldn't take the ball and ram it down their throats, but we made the big plays that allowed us to win.''
The biggest was Pete Allen's 83-yard kickoff return for the winning touchdown with 57 seconds remaining.
The Cavaliers set up two other touchdowns with an interception by Skeet Jones and a blocked punt by James Farrior.
Allen also had an 83-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Mike Groh, and Tiki Barber set up one of Rafael Garcia's two field goals with a 55-yard punt return.
Meanwhile, Georgia had twice as many first downs (20-10) and rolled up 525 net yards to only 256 for the Cavaliers.
STRANGE STAT: Virginia tailback Tiki Barber rushed for 103 yards while the Cavaliers overall had only 100 yards against the Bulldogs' defense.
The difference was the minus-26 yards charged to quarterback Mike Groh, who was sacked four times.
It was the ninth game this season in which Barber had more than 100 yards.
BLOWOUT: As tight as the finish was, Virginia's seven-point margin of victory was the biggest in a Peach Bowl game since Florida State defeated North Carolina 28-3 in 1983.
The previous 11 games all were decided by five points or fewer.
SAYING THANKS: Georgia Dome officials did not allow fans on the field to celebrate at the end of the game, so the Virginia team took the celebration to the fans.
After the game, many U.Va. players ran over to the end zone where most of the Virginia followers were seated and exchanged high fives.
BIG LEAST: The officiating crew handling the game was from the Big East Conference, and both coaches may have agreed that they are glad they didn't have to put up with them for the whole season.
One official watched as Virginia's Tiki Barber was tackled 5 yards out of bounds and did not throw a flag.
Mike Groh complained several times about facemask violations that were not called.
Georgia coach Ray Goff had to be restrained once when the officials penalized Virginia for illegal substitution and then rescinded the penalty. Had the penalty stuck, Georgia would have had a first down on the Virginia 34 instead of having to kick on fourth down.
TIES RECORD: The victory was the 98th for Welsh at Virginia and tied him with former North Carolina and Wake Forest coach Bill Dooley for most wins by an ACC coach. Welsh's 14-year record at the school is 98-63-3.
STREAK CONTINUES: Virginia's streak of games in which they have had at least one interception was extended to 29 with picks by Skeet Jones and Percy Ellsworth. The Cavaliers had 27 interceptions this season, marking the third straight season they have had 20 or more.
STREAK ENDS: Virginia's victory snapped Georgia's 18-game winning streak against non-Southeastern Conference teams. Its last non-conference loss was to Georgia Tech in 1990. by CNB