University of Virginia Library

Relief Pitching

Bad Vibes In
Music City

By John Markon

NASHVILLE, Tenn.–"We played really bad offensively
and not much better defensively. This kind of performance
just isn't going to produce wins down the stretch. We had a
bad mental attitude and just weren't ready to play."

That's the speech Vanderblit's coach Bill Pace made to the
press after his team's 10-7 win over Virginia here Saturday
night. Pace was upset. His quarterback threw 10 passes,
completed none and had one intercepted, and his runners
hadn't been able to move the ball with any consistency all
night. The Commodores had come into a game that was, in Mr.
Pace's own words, "A must for a successful season," and
played rather poorly. Why they were still able to win is a
subject worth looking into.

VIRGINIA LOST BECAUSE with one exception, the
Cavalier offense just couldn't make the big play. In the second
half they found even the little plays to be eluding them. In the
game's waning moments, with the Wahoos trailing by the
eventual final score, they failed to produce first downs on
three separate occasions, when success seemed assured. One of
these abortive drives ended fairly deep in Vandy territory
when, on third and one, the Cavalier attack stalled. Two
quarterback sneaks were called to gain the first down and both
were stacked up almost immediately by the Commodores, who
had been suckering for the play all night but weren't going to
get fooled again.

The quarterback doing the sneaking was, by the way,
George Allen instead of Harrison Davis, H. Davis having
dislocated his thumb on Virginia's first series of downs. Allen
came on and, to give him all credit, played a courageous game
and seemed to be in complete control of his ball club. His
passing, though, left something to be desired. George's tosses
were generally on target but almost all were of the hanging,
floating variety that encourages interception. Allen was
intercepted only once but he must have been watching when
at least two of his floaters were delivered into the hands of
blue shirted Commodore defenders, only to be summarily
dropped by their new recipients.

ALLEN AND THE CAVS, HOWEVER, each had their good
moments. Most of Allen's came late in the second quarter with
Virginia trailing 7-0. On a fourth-down play he connected for a
17-yard touchdown with end Dave Sullivan to help tie the
score. Allen's performance on this particular drive was
exemplary, and if he can slip into a groove like that and stay
there for the next couple of weeks he'll prove a top-quality
replacement for Davis.

Davis seems destined to miss at least two or three games
because of the thumb injury. As of now, with the dislocated
thumb on his right hand, "H" is incapable of taking a snap from
center, much less throwing a pass. Davis's absence seems likely
to dictate the Cavs' returning to a ground attack as Wahoo
Coach Don Lawrence indicated when he overhauled the team's
game plan after Harrison's injury. A plan for a "balanced
attack" was thrown out and heavy emphasis put on the
running game. Our rushers started slowly but, led by tailback
Kent Merritt, began to show signs of life in the second half.
Merritt had his best running day of the year, carrying 23 times
for 115 yards before a shoulder injury of unknown severity
shelved him in the fourth quarter.

DEFENSIVE BACKS Steve Sroba and Chris Brown, both
two-year starters, sustained injuries, but, more importantly,
both played very well prior to leaving the game. Sroba would
eventually return to make an interception and Mike
Cornachione did a fine job as Brown's substitute. The defense,
against the pass and the run, played very well on the whole.
It's easy to fault the line and linebackers because both
Vanderbilt's scores were the result of extended ground drives,
but a yield of only ten points is an accomplishment to be
proud of. Against Vanderbilt it was our offense that didn't
produce.

The "Big Play" offense that Mr. Lawrence installed back in
March and bragged about all summer, is, alas, dead. Virginia is
once again the nickels and dimes offensive threat it was last
year. The short passes, however, might have been overstressed
by Mr. Lawrence when he knew Allen was his QB. George
doesn't have the arm to throw long and Mr. Lawrence, who
was calling all his plays, must know it. I am glad to see "Big
Play" go; looking over the statistics it's obvious that the "Big
Plays" weren't coming our way. In their first five games the
Cavs' longest run from scrimmage has been a mere 26 yards
(an end-around by Sullivan) and their longest passing play has
only been for 45 yards (Merritt passing to Sullivan).