University of Virginia Library

35-14 Openings Loss

Wolfpack Runs Over Cavaliers

By DOUG DOUGHTY

CD/Bob Humphrey

Newest Wahoo Signal-Caller Scott Gardner Prepares To Unload

N.C. State outgained
Virginia 507 yards to 428, had
27 first downs to the Cavaliers'
22, more yards in penalties and
less return yardage.

Clearly, all the game's
statistics are not pointed out,
but the fact remains that the
Wolfpack's 35-14 win over the
Wahoos Saturday was
something other than the clear
dominance that the score
would indicate.

At the outset the Pack's
brutal running trio of Charley
Young, Willie Burden and Stan
Fritts had trouble getting
untracked, or at least
penetrating the Cavalier
defense.

But, that wasn't important,
as quarterback Bruce Shaw was
able to convert third-down
situations to 12,17, and two
yards on the Pack's first
possession to drive his club to
the score. Big play of the drive
was a bomb to tiny
flankerback Pat Kenney who
blazed past Gerard Mullins for
the 58-yard connection.

State had scored, about what
had been predicted, but the
Virginia defense held the next
three times its opponent had
the ball and only on the last
drive of the period could State
move again, driving 82 yards in
15 plays, with Shaw either
passing or keeping every play
except two. The drive, aided
by a controversial dirt-catch by
Kenney, ended when Shaw
snuck six yards for the touch.

Meanwhile, Virginia was
doing rather well against the
less-than super Wolfpack
defense. Surprisingly, first-year
man Joe Schaeffer became the
fourth individual to start at
the quarterback position for the
Wahoos this year.

Schaeffer was relatively
ineffective and was replaced
for much of the first half by
classmate Scott Gardner.
Gardner hit six of nine for 56
yards and threw a touchdown
pass to unsung Ken Shelton
midway through the second
quarter.

The decision to bench last
week's starter George Allen
was made by the coaching staff
after the review of the game
films. "George did as well as he
could last week" was Coach
Lawrence's comment after the
Maryland contest, "but we
decided to work our offensive
personnel to their specialties,
and besides, George was
banged-up last week."

After Virginia's score it was
tied 7-7 and Mr. Lawrence
dited Pack's touchdown at the
end of the half as a turning
point in the game.

State, which had come out
ready to pick apart the
Cavaliers' secondary to start
the game, relied more on
rushing in the second half. It
gained 226 yards, with Young,
a slow-starting fullback, bulling
for 74 yards in the second half.

With Young and Fritts eating
out the middle of the Cavalier
defensive line, the visitors had
to rely little on Shaw or his
understudy Dave Buckey.

The Pack scored once in the
third quarter and twice more in
the fourth to push the Cavs to
their now 3-6 record. Virginia
moved into allen turf four
times in the second half but
only once did it score, with
3:49 gone in the fourth
quarter, when Gardner had a
seemingly overthrown bullet
grabbed out of the air,
one-handed by Chuck Belic
who scored on the nine-yard
pass.

After the game, Mr.
Lawrence had little complaint,
"There's no question, they're
an excellent team...We just
wanted to keep them from
getting the ball, but we
couldn't."

Stars for the Cavaliers
included Belic, who was
awesome from his wingback
position, catching six passes for
98 yards and running five times
for 26 yards. "We had planned
to have Belic run some all
season, but hadn't done so
since the South Carolina game,
when their defense was stacked
against it," explained
Lawrence.