University of Virginia Library

VIEWPOINT

By Ted McKean

INEVITABLY in the process of a summer, the question
arises, "Where are you in school, buddy?" After several niceties,
the second question pops up, "What's your football team going
to do this fall?" That is a question that has even baffled the
national magazines. PLAYBOY, perhaps symbolically, looked,
most kindly on the fortunes of the Cavaliers, picking a 6-4
season and a tie for the ACC Championship. Others have been
less bold.

With a team like Purdue on the schedule, a team picked by
most everyone as the nation's best, anything could happen. It is
my intention to point out just some of the things that will
happen to the Cavaliers on the gridiron this fall.

VIRGINIA SHOULD FIELD a team that will rise out of the
mire of mediocrity, a mire that has bogged down University
football teams for the past 15 years. The Cavaliers came very
close to posting an 8-2 or 7-3 record last fall: bad breaks yielded
a 5-5 result;only Army and North Carolina State were clearly
superior. The cry is again the same: with just a little bit of
luck...

But the Cavaliers will need more than luck to even walk away
from the Purdue game in one piece. I think that they will have
that little extra. Depth, as usual will prove a problem, but, as
Coach Blackburn puts it, "At least we'll be 1½ deep at each
position, and this is something new." Virginia victory is
forthcoming on

THIS IS NOT to say that a Virginia victory is forthcoming on
the 21st. Betting against Purdue is like betting against the
Packers. Not many people will do that, and with good reason.
The Boilermakers will field a team with 3-deep depth, a
backfield with three pre-season All-America picks, and the size
and speed of a pro team. Sounds like David versus Goliath, and
you can guess who's playing Goliath.

ON DAVID'S TEAM against the Purdue Goliath, the offense
should be sparked by a roll-out, scrambling quarterback,
Eugene Arnette. The running backs, Frank Quayle and Jeff
Anderson, are the most outstanding duo that Virginia has seen
in many years. Quayle, a good possibility for All-America, was
out gained by Anderson last fall. Both are quick, powerful
runners, who will keep Scott Stadium jumping at home, and
hopefully will throw some scares into the Boilermakers.

Defensively, watch for superior work at the ends from hard-nosed
Tom Patton, and Al Sinesky. The vaunted Leroy Keyes
will have troubles going around either, and he will not go
through either. Coach Don Lawrence has instilled a
blood-and-guts desire in his platoon that will be hard to match.
Linebackers Bob Paczkoski, Boyd Page, and Charlie Blandford
will ably plug any leaks inside or outside, and we'd like to see
the back who could run through the mountainous Co-Captain
and defensive tackle, Rick Brand.

BUT THERE WILL be weak spots. Maury Bibent's defensive
backfield will be inexperienced in spots. And an injury to the
likes of Brand, Arnette, Quayle, Anderson, or others, would
spell real trouble. Capable replacements will not be easy to
come by.

Balance, an unheard of item previously in Charlottesville,
should characterize the 1968 team. Last year, Virginia found
itself weak in the passing department, while the year before,
passing was the offense. Jim Carrington, Joe Hoppe, Joe Ferens,
Jeff Calamos, and Bob Bischoff are receivers who will take the
pressure off the running backs.

THEN,WHAT OF mighty Purdue? At most every position,
the Cavaliers will find themselves against a faster, bigger, and
often times blacker opponent. It will certainly be a David and
Goliath type episode. Only through super-human desire, and
second, third, and fourth extra efforts will the Virginians show
well in that contest.

Providing that a healthy team returns from Lafayette,
Indiana, the David and Goliath role will be drastically altered.
The lesser likes of VMI and Davidson roll into Charlottesville
the following two weekends, and the Cavaliers plunge into ACC
competition against a moderate Duke outfit, which should still
be a relief from the Boilermaker experience.

WIN OR LOSE at Purdue, Scott Stadium will still this fall see
the best brand of football that it has in a very long time. And
it's about time. Playing David's role gets to you after a while.