University of Virginia Library

Wahoos Foil Terp Comeback

Maxwell Boots Clincher As Cavs Nip Maryland

By JOHN MARKON

A 22-yard field goal by Billy
Maxwell with 18 seconds
remaining gave the Wahoos a
29-27 victory over Maryland in
one of the stranger football
games of this or any other
season. From the kickoff to
the final gun there was little
normal that went on.

The most surprising thing
about the whole affair might
have been the final score.
Ahead 23-7 at the half, the
Wahoos pulled themselves
together after a furious
Terrapin comeback and drove
51 yards entirely on the
ground to set up the winning
three-pointer. The win,
coupled with N.C. State's
success at Clemson, allowed
the Hoos to tie for third in the
ACC and relegated the hapless
Marylanders to the basement.

Kent Merritt and Gary
Helman led the winning surge,
several times breaking tackles
on second-effort and gaining
key first downs. The Cavs went
down to the Terps' five yard
line, playing for the field goal
all the way, the kick itself
being a wobbly effort,
distinguished only by its
accuracy.

No team, regardless of how
hard they tried, could have
looked worse than Maryland in
the first half. Monte Hinckle,
allegedly a running back,
fumbled the ball away three
times on only four carries and
set the Cavaliers up for ten of
their 23 first half points.

Cavs Complete Big Ones

Virginia moved almost at
will between the twenties.
Neither Harrison Davis nor
Larry Albert passed very well
but they completed the
important ones, the ones
Maryland QB Al Neville always
seemed to miss. For Terp
Coach Roy Lester, a man
almost certain to forfeit his
job, it must have seemed like
apocalypse.

Maxwell missed a field goal
try after Hinckle's first fumble
but Davis took the Cavs into
sure three-point range after the
instant replay. Harrison
converted Hinckle's third
bobble into a touchdown, Kent
Merritt taking it in on an end
run from 12 yards out.

With less than five minutes
left in the half Davis marched
the Hoos to the Terp seven,
where he took matters into his
own hands and scored on a
roll out. Maryland then offered
a preview of Virginia's second
half debacle by moving 59
yards in four plays to make it
17-7.

Albert Enters Fray

Larry Albert took over the
Virginia helm after that and led
his team 76 yards for still
another touchdown. The score
came on a six-yard pass to Jim
Lacey and, after Maxwell's
extra point was forgivably
blocked, the score reached the
23-7 level.

The third quarter was a
chamber of Wahoo horrors.
After the teams exchanged
field goals Maryland rose from
the dead. Neville suddenly
began throwing like Bart Starr
and scrambling like Roger
Staubach. After he was literally
rent asunder by a vicious tackle
by Billy Williams his
replacement, Jeff Shugars,
looked even better.

Maryland receivers of little
previous renown were
embarrassingly wide open and,
with 8:53 remaining, the Cavs
were on the tag end of the new
27-26 tally. This was, I guess,
the signal for the sleeping
Cavaliers to reawaken and
wake up they did, first on
defense by stopping two
Maryland drives, and later on
offense by moving for the
winning score.

Merritt Gains 101

The Cavaliers rushed for
219 yards, Merritt gaining 101
and Helman supplying most of
the remainder, and passed for
214. This was in spite of the
fact that Davis was only 12 of
38 through the airways. Albert
passed infrequently and was 2

of 2. Two Davis tosses were
intercepted.

Maryland finished twenty
yards behind the Cavs in both
departments, went 18 of 28
passing with one interception
(by Gerard Mullins in the last
seconds), and had the game's
leading rusher, Carl Shelton
who gained 118 yards.

The game resembled a
knife-fight by two desperate
men on the roof of a tall
building. Each took turns
cutting the other up but in the
end it was Maryland, probably
taking the unfortunate Mr.
Lester with them, that ended
up in a heap on the sidewalk.