University of Virginia Library

From The Sidelines

Something
Missing?

With Tom Bell

IT HAS BEEN THAT WAY ALL SEASON as the Cavaliers have
given away many scores on turnovers, and, stalled numerous
times while threatening to score. Against South Carolina, four of
the Gamecocks' five scores were the direct result of Wahoo
miscues. Against Duke, Cavalier drives failed twice within the five
yard-line.

In short, something appears to be missing. Whether it is a
holdover from the Blackburn years, a result of the new staff, due
to players' attitudes, lack of conditioning, or even due to the
attitude of the University community, is hard to tell. Losing
seems to lead to more losing, and the jinx of a long tradition of
losing is hard to break. As offensive coordinator Sil Cornachione
said yesterday, "When you get knocked down six times, it's hard
to get back up." The staff says the team's attitude is still good, so
maybe they still have some fight left for the closing weeks of the
season.

Injuries and inexperience have been cited many times as
problems for this year's team, but the injuries are starting to clear
up, and the numerous players in their first year as starters should
be gaining experience each week.

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE CAVALIERS win at least two
of their last four games to salvage anything out of what will
certainly go down as a less than successful season. The longer the
losses go on, the harder it will be to reverse the trend. Also, some
sign of success is necessary if Wahoo fans are to maintain any
confidence in Mr. Lawrence and his staff. In addition, an ACC
win would be a real boost after two years without one.

The opposition in the closing games makes the goal of two
wins anything but impossible. N.C. State, this week's opponent,
matches the 1-6 record of the Cavaliers, and VPI and Maryland,
have won but three games between them. Only North Carolina
has had a successful season with a 5-2 record.

A GOOD FINISH BY THE CAVALIERS would certainly be a
good sign for coming seasons. It would instill some confidence in
the team, help recruiting, and get fans at the University and
across the state enthused about the program. To win a game
or two in the ACC and beat intra-state rival Virginia Tech would
make the season at least not a total failure.

AS THE FOOTBALL SEASON continues to slip rapidly by,
the Cavaliers continue to slip rapidly downward. The last three
weeks have produced three losses, leaving the Cavaliers with six
defeats in seven starts and an ACC losing streak of 12 games,
stretching all the way back to 1969.

It has become more obvious each week that the Cavaliers have
not achieved the instant success that was predicted. The
mysterious elements that turn an almost-good team into a winner
have not been found, and this edition of the team looks
frighteningly like the ones which have frequented Scott Stadium
for years.

THERE IS A SIGN IN THE CAVALIER LOCKER ROOM at
the Stadium which reads, "They are ours in the fourth quarter",
but, except for the win over Vanderbilt, "they" have been
anything but ours. In four of the games, the Wahoos have led at
the half, and in another, against Duke, they trailed only 7-0. In
only one game, against national power Michigan, have the
Cavaliers been overrun.

Last Saturday's game against Army was typical. The Cavaliers
bottled up the Cadets for most of the game, led 3-0 in the half,
and then lost on two turnovers in the second half. The offense,
which has distinguished itself in only one game all season, could
get no closer than the Army 17 yard-line all day, where it settled
for a field goal, its only score of the day. Bobby McGrail, a
defender, scored the Cavaliers' a game that could easily have gone
the other way.