DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709140259

SECTION: SPORTS                  PAGE: C4   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER  

DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE                   LENGTH:   75 lines

VIRGINIA OVERCOMES LOUSY PLAY TO BEAT I-AA RICHMOND MULTITUDE OF MISCUES LEAVES CAVALIER TEAMMATES SHOUTING MAD.

Virginia coach George Welsh reminded Saturday that it's not how you play the game that counts, it's who won or lost.

And on this brilliant late-summer afternoon in Scott Stadium it was Welsh's Cavaliers that accomplished the expected bottom line by defeating I-AA opponent Richmond, 26-7.

``We won the game. Hell, a win is a win. I'm happy about that. Absolutely,'' Welsh said after the Cavaliers (1-1) cracked into the win column by ending the Spiders' two-game win streak.

There was precious little else that Welsh was pleased about and his brittle attitude in his postgame media conference revealed more than his restrained comments.

``Maybe we're just not any good offensively,'' he said. ``How can you be happy about an offensive performance like that?''

The Cavaliers turned over two fumbles, they were whistled for six penalties, and quarterback Aaron Brooks was sacked three times.

Welsh lost count of the number of missed assignments he witnessed.

It got so bad in the second half that fans booed and some Cavaliers scuffled among themselves.

``Everyone was yelling at everyone, me included,'' Welsh said.

The most demonstrative conflict came when offensive tackle Doug Karczewski and wide receiver Germane Crowell had to be separated on the sidelines.

``Everyone was just frustrated,'' the 288-pound Karczewski said.

``Germane and I are best friends. We love each other to death, and both of us apologized to the other after the game.

``We were yelling at each other and we knew that was wrong.''

The reason for such a tempermental outburst?

``It was obvious everything was just falling apart out there,'' Karczewski said. ``There was stuff said in the passion of the game that shouldn't have been said.

``We have just got to suck it up and realize everyone is doing their best.''

Everything started out well for the Cavaliers. Maybe too well, some suggested.

Richmond's Matt Snider fumbled on the first play from scrimmage. Virginia's Dwayne Stukes retrieved the ball and ran it 17 yards for a touchdown.

Before the first period ended, John Allen Roberts had kicked a 22-yard field goal and Thomas Jones had run for a 2-yard touchdown.

``Maybe we thought it was going to be too easy,'' Jones said. ``We have to learn to kill teams when we have them down.''

The Cavs didn't score again until Roberts' 48-yard field goal early in the fourth period.

The final touchdown, with 5:39 left, was set up by the rushing of freshman Antwoine Womack, who carried six straight times for 28 1/2 yards.

Brooks plunged the final half-yard for the touchdown.

Richmond's only touchdown followed a fumble by Jones on the Cavaliers' 15 early in the third period.

Other than giving up the short touchdown drive, the Cavaliers' defense played well.

``Our total (offensive) yardage of 171 yards tells the story,'' Richmond coach Jim Reid said.

``We needed to be up around 300 yards to be in the game. Virginia's defense just dominated us.''

Overall, Reid felt the Spiders played well against a superior opponent after getting over their jitters.

``Some of our kids' eyes were as big as silver dollars,'' he said. ``It took about a quarter for us to settle in.''

Reid even supplied an excuse for Virginia's lackluster performance.

``I think when they went up 17-0 they were looking forward to a week off to prepare for North Carolina and relaxed a little,'' Reid suggested.

The Cavaliers hope it is as simple as that.

``Hopefully this was a wake-up call for us,'' Karczewski said.

``If we don't get things right in the next two weeks, there is going to be a rude awakenig in Chapel Hill,'' safety Anthony Poindexter added.

The Cavaliers are off next weekend and won't return to practice until Tuesday.

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