University of Virginia Library

SPOTLIGHT
ON
SPORTS

By Jack Glenn

HATS OFF TO THE COACHES for their tough but
definitely deserved victory over Wake Forest last week.
The team that beat the Deacons showed poise under fire
and a quality of teamwork that Virginia squads may have
lacked in the past. The Wahoos looked as if they had
the coaching edge on the Deacons—an edge worth about
two points perhaps.

At first it might be said that there is no way of proving
this statement, and that in itself may be true, but statistics
do tell tales. Surprisingly even on most accounts, the
figures for the Wake game show an important discrepancy
between the two teams in the matter of penalty yardage.
Wake racked up, or rather was racked up by, 83 yards
on walkoffs while Virginia cut that total in half.

PENALTIES INDEED may have been the story of the
game, and it seems significant that the Cavaliers yielded
no miscue yardage in the second half when they should
have been the desperate ones fighting from behind. Their
execution in this sense approached perfection, and their
fine showing can be attributed to the excellent coaching that
honed them to such a sharp point for competition.

More praise should be showered upon the mentors of
University Hall for the record that Virginia has posted
so far this season. After all when was the last time that
Virginia won two out of its first three games? One must
remember that there were days when two wins per year
would have been welcome.

ONE CANNOT HELP THINKING that this improved
record is partly the result of a new-found team spirit
supported by the staff, fired and stoked by captain Mal
MacGregor. There are fewer 'big-name' players and more
all-around performers than there were in seasons past.
The talent perhaps shines less but appears more often,
and has been drawn out in brilliant —though sometimes
complicated—fashion by both offensive and defensive
coaches.

Appearing to be a little short on resources, these coaches
under the direction of Head Man George Blackburn
shifted players hither and you in an effort to find the
best group of starters. As a result Virginia soon found
itself enjoying one of the best ground-churning offenses
ever to employ an end as fullback, a strong defense instead
of one to leak like some poorly constructed prefab,
and an offensive line that only an Army can stop. These
shifts have bordered on the brilliant; plaudits should go
to Coach Blackburn for originating most of them and to
his staff for incorporating them into the grid plans.

THUS IT IS THE COACHES to whom the success
really belongs. The new-look Cavaliers have a long way to
go before the season ends and a lot of things can happen
before the finale, but the season's start has been great.
For that thanks goes to the men behind the show—the
coaches.