The Cavalier daily :: Thursday, September 21, 1972 :: University of Virginia Library

For the first time in more
years than most Wahoos would
care to remember, two
undefeated football teams will
be squaring off if Scott
Stadium two games into the
season.

"These will be the best
athletes we will face all year,"
opines Coach Don Lawrence.
"Let's just say I'm worried."

Las Vegas odds-makers see
eye to eye with Lawrence on
this matter, having established
the Mountaineers as substantial
favorites.

Nevertheless, the Virginia
camp has some cause for
optimism. Not only will it have
the favor of most of those in
the stands, whom Lawrence
credits with playing a key role
in the Virginia Tech game, but
the Cavs will also feature a
healthy (more or less) Harrison
Davis at quarterback.

According to Lawrence, H.
Davis, the ACC's
second-ranked passer, still has
some soreness in his shoulder
but Wahoo Don says he will be
satisfied if his signal-caller
performs as he did in the
second half against the
Gobblers.

Davis's principle
co-conspirators in his quest to
topple the Hillbillies will be
halback Kent Merritt, the
league's third leading runner
with a 3.8 yard average and
split end Dave Sullivan who
tops the conference with 14
grabs.

Most highly praised by
Mountaineer mentor Bobby
Bowden, was the Cavalier
offensive line. "I was told back
in the spring that Virginia's
offensive line was weak but I
can see now that Paul Ryzcek
is a great player and the rest
ain't bad," says Bowden.

The offensive front should
face fiercer adversaries than
they did in the Gamecocks and
Hokies as the West Virginia
defenders allowed less than
two hundred yards per game.

Defensive ends Stanley
Land and Billy Williams also
came in for some high-flown
comments from Bowden, who
claims that this is the best
tandem his boys will run across
all year.

What Bowden did not see fit
to mention was that his
highly-touted flinger Berne
Galiffa will have the ACC's
most generous defensive
backfield to play with.

In fact, Bowden, typical of
most coaches before games,
had nothing but nice things to
say about his opponents and
even allowed that the Wahoos
were not only the best gridiron
group he'd ever seen come out
of Charlottesville, but that
they were "twice as good as
anybody we've beaten" this
year.

Since that group includes
only Villanova and Richmond,
some Cavalier faithful may
have reason to take offense.

Perhaps the most optimistic
member of the Cavalier staff is
JV coach and scout Paul Fraim
who feels frankly that the
Mountaineers can be had.

Fraim is joined in his
enthusiasm by an imaginative
UPI prognosticator who picks
the Cavs by six.

Lawrence was slightly more
reserved with his remarks,
saying only that his charges
would have to play error-less
ball to win.