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From - Doug Doughty

THE LAST TWO WEEKS have been pretty rotten for
University athletic teams: the football team was humiliated
twice, by 48-10 and 37-13 scores; Lou Onesty' cross country
team lost both ends of a du meet with UNC and N.C. State
last weekend after a setback at Maryland the previous week;
and the soccer team played brilliantly but could come out
with nothing better than a 0-0 tie with the Uruguayan
National team.

FIRST OF ALL, to Saturday's football game with Duke.
The Cavalier offense, erratic all season, played probably its
worst half of the season the first half against the Blue Devils. If
it wasn't Harrison Davis fumbling the ball, it was Kent Merritt
fumbling the ball, and if that wasn't bad enough Paul Byczek
re-captured one of the most memorable plays in Virginia
football history by centering the ball 32 yards out of the end
zone for a safety. (historians may remember George
Blackburn's son John pulling a similar stunt several years back).

Shades of Ann Arbor, fall of 1971, as the 'Hoos were down
30-0 at the half. But the first Duke TD came after a Davis
fumble, the Duke safety came after Ryczek's bad snap, the
second score was after a Merritt fumble and the fourth score
of the half was the result of a Ben Fordham interception of a
Davis pass.

WHAT AM I GETTING AT? The Cavalier defense, only
humiliated against West Virginia, was again conducting itself in
a fairly respectable manner. The deep backs weren't getting
burned, the linebackers were making tackles and the defensive
line was rughing the passer as well as it usually does.

Deserving particular mention for his performance Saturday
was middle linebacker Craig Critchley. "Critch", who's come a
long way since his sole claim to fame was as second-string
quarterback when Harrison Davis was a first-year man, has
turned out to be a first-rate first-string linebacker. The 6-0,
211 pound native of Lemoyne, Pa. made 11 tackles against the
Blue Devils, including two stops behind the line of scrimmage,
and recovered a fumble.

WHILE I'M HANDING OUT ACCOLADES, how about the
play of second-year man Eric Dahlgren Saturday? A
last-second starter in place of injured pre-season ACC pick
Gerard Mullins, Dahlgren played a very sound game, making
four tackles and not allowing Duke quarterbacks a chance to
pick on his inexperience. Another member of that 1971
first-year defensive backfield, Doug Jones also looked good,
especially on his interception and 27-yard return of a David
Kraft pass near game conclusion.

Perhaps the best individual showing of a Virginia athlete
lately has been that of cross-country runner Phil Meyer.
Elected captain by his teammates before the season, Meyer has
served as leader both on and off the course. Saturday a week
ago the Cavaliers defeated VMI but lost to Maryland.

BUT MEYER WON THE RACE. In doing so he broke the
five-mile mark for any Cavalier runner, any course, anywhere.
That isn't all. Saturday afternoon, in a dual meet with the Tar
Heels and Wolfpack here in Charlottesville, Meyer came in
second, the only Virginia runner in the top ten. Who did he
lose to? Only Reggie Mcee, fifth in the Olympic Trials at the
one-mile distance and probably the best cross-country runner
in the league. The course record had been 25:09, McAfee ran
25:03 and Meyer 25:14. In the process of the race, Meyer beat
UNC's Tony Waldrop and State's Neil Ackley and Jim Wilkins.
These three were considerably better than Meyer last year.

It is very cruel to put the soccer team in with this bunch of
losers. Thursday's tie with the Uruguayans was a stupendous
feat, considering Uruguay was World Club Champion in 1971.
This wasn't the team that won the World Championship but
was a group of University students, several of whom are slated
to move up to the "parent club" this year.

IN PREVIOUS ACTION the Uruguayans had edged ACC
defending titlist Maryland, 2-1, and Duke, 4-2. Thursday the
Uruguayans outshot Virginia 38-8 but the Cavaliers, especially
goalie Scott Peyton, refused to budge and the final score, 0-0,
was a definite accomplishment.

Mr. Peyton is deserving of much of the credit for the win,
although a Phil Russell save stands out as the game's big play.
Peyton registered 16 saves and displayed at its best the form
that has earned him recognition as All-ACC second-team goalie.

SADLY ENOUGH, A FEW INDIVIDUALS do not a good
athletic program make and schools not giving out minor-sport
scholarships customarily lag behind schools that do, but come
end of the season you might just see a new ACC champion
soccer team and a vastly-improved cross- country team in
Charlottesville. As for the football team, there are five ACC
games left and the Cavaliers have show that if they put it all
together, they can beat anyone. Don't give up yet fans.