University of Virginia Library

Harrison Davis Has To Mature

Commentary

By TOM BELL

Harrison Davis has shown
Cavalier fans a lot in the first
three games of the season. He
has shown that he is a very
talented quarterback, capable
of leading a good offense and
winning football games. He has
also shown, however, through
two incidents in the last two
weeks, that he has perhaps not
quite gained the maturity and
self-control he will need if he is
really to live up to the great
potential which he so
obviously possesses.

Though he has had several
lapses, Davis has generally
thrown well. He has led the
vastly-improved offense to 51
points and two wins thus far as
compared to six points and no
wins at this point last season.
More importantly, he has
shown improvement in
play-calling ability, and seems
to be a real leader when on the
field. He has certainly
improved tremendously since
the early stages of last season,
and looks as if he is on his way
to becoming a first-rate
quarterback.

It is difficult, however, to
overlook the two incidents
which have marred his
otherwise good performance.
Two weeks ago against VPI,
Davis played with a separated
shoulder, and for most of the
first half was less than
impressive. His passes were
inaccurate and several of them
were dropped by Gobbler
defenders on what should have
been easy interceptions. An
opportunistic Tech team could
easily have scored four times in
the first half instead of two. As
Davis trotted off the field after
another unsuccessful series of
downs late in the half, he was
greeted by boos from a vocal
minority in Scott Stadium and
responded with an obvious and
unpleasant gesture to the
crowd.

Last week against West
Virginia, Davis was hit hard
after passing the football,
whereupon he allegedly kicked
a West Virginia defender, and
was ejected from the game.

It is my feeling that Davis
was unfairly provoked in both
of these incidents. It was
obvious that he was doing his
best while injured against VPI,
and those who booed him that
day were both unfair and
unsportsmanlike, and should
be condemned. The West
Virginia incident seemed
especially unfair, as Davis was
apparently the victim of a late
hit, and his kick was probably
less blatant than has generally
been reported. In addition, the
actions of the referee seem a
bit unfair in dismissing a team's
quarterback without a warning,
and for removing all blame
from the West Virginia player.

To remove all blame from
Davis, however, is similarly
unfair, for both actions showed
a lack of self-control that a
first-rate college quarterback
cannot afford.
Poorly-mannered crowds and
cheap shots are,
unfortunately, part of
football. They are bad, but
they happen, and any player,
especially a quarterback in the
spotlight, must learn to accept
and ignore them. To lose one's
temper and retaliate by gesture
or physical action merely
lowers the attacked player to
the level of the
unsportsmanlike attacker, and
hurts both player and team.

Because of these two
incidents, Davis now has a
reputation as a quarterback
who will lose his head under
pressure, and future opponents
will certainly make an effort to
provoke him again. Perhaps his
gesture against Virginia Tech
led to the attempts by West
Virginia players' to enrage
Davis which caused last week's
incident. In any case, Davis'
ability to stay cool under
pressure will certainly be
challenged many times in the
weeks to come.

Harrison Davis plays
football under great pressure as
the quarterback of a team
trying desperately to become
successful and for other
reasons. There is,
unfortunately, added pressure
because he is the University's
first black quarterback. He has
a tough, pressure-packed job,
and it is easy to see how
momentary frustration could
lead to a lost temper. However,
if Davis is to become the kind
of quarterback he is capable of
being, he will have to avoid
actions like those of the last
weeks, and gain the maturity
and self-control which are so
essential to his job.