University of Virginia Library

Cavs Challenge Confident Heels

By JOHN MARKON

Chapel Hill, N.C. is one of
those "All-American Cities."
The streets are tree-shaded, the
people are rich, white, and
friendly and the mayor is rich,
black, and progressive. Those
that live there seem to like it.

Into this tranquil
atmosphere tomorrow will
come the Virginia Cavaliers,
hell-bent on denying the
Hill-dwellers and their beloved
North Carolina Tar Heels their
chance to clinch a share of the
ACC title.

Coming into the game the
Wahoos' "boast an 0-4
conference mark while the Tar
Heels claim a league-leading 4-0
record. On the basis of this
surface evidence alone our
chances seem none too good.

Oddsmakers have installed
the Cavs as 20-point underdogs
and the Wahoos are also almost
certain to be without the
services of little Kent Merritt,
the team's leading rusher.
Merritt aggravated a lingering
ankle injury against N.C. State
and is extremely doubtful.

John "Raindrop" Rainey
and Raymond Keys should run
at tailback instead of Merritt
and they'll be taking handoffs
from Scott Gardner, the
first-year quarterback who
passed for 176 yards against
the Wolfpack.

Hopefully, the Carolina
game will bear little
resemblance to Gardner's first
start, an unmitigated disaster
suffered against Clemson. In
that game Gardner fell victim
to what looked like a case of
acute nervousness. His rather
polished performance against
State may indicate that these
bad times are behind him.

Gardner will have Joe
Schaeffer, last week's starter,
and George Allen waiting on
the bench should he falter,
with Harrison Davis, a fullback
last week, also a possibility as
his thumb continues to heal.

Gardner and receivers
Chuck Belic and Dave Sullivan
will be working against a Tar
Heel secondary that's had its
bad moments. Maryland's Al
Neville and State's QB tandem
of Dennis Shaw and Dave
Buckey have exploited the
UNC defenders for large
quantities of points and
yardage this year and Virginia's
best hope seems to be for
Gardner to do the same.

Offensive Changes

Two anticipated switches in
the Wahoo offensive line
involve Kenny Shelton and
Tom Glassic continuing to start
at end and guard respectively.
Early-season regulars Mike
McGugan and Steve Shawley
may also see action.

On defense the Cavs will be
trying to contain a Carolina
running attack that's presently
averaging 260 yards per game.
The UNC offense features a
deep stable of hard-running
backs operating behind the
league's best offensive line.

Passing Attack Stoppable

Easier to stop will be the
Heels' passing game as Carolina
field general Nick Vidnovic, a
fine runner, will never be
confused with Roman Gabriel
as a thrower. The Tar Heels
pass infrequently by design,
contenting themselves with
running basic plays and
challenging defenses to stop
them.

No one has really stopped
them yet, including powerful
State, last week's conqueror of
Virginia. Last week Carolina
was easily able to handle
Clemson, another team that
had whipped the Wahoos by a
large margin.

Prospects seem to be fairly
good for a return to the
starting lineup of defensive
back Gerard Mullins,
much-missed against the
Wolfpack. Even Gerard's
return, however, may not be
enough. It doesn't look good.