If Virginia’s first three football games — all decided by at least 24 points — were short on drama, Saturday’s showdown against Wake Forest supplied a season’s worth of plot twists, thrills, suspense and surprises.
There were eight turnovers, four lead changes and two ties. And when it was over, the day’s major story line — the return of quarterback Matt Schaub — was a triumphant one for the Cavaliers, though ultimately that had as much do to with Connor Hughes’ right leg as Schaub’s right arm.
Hughes kicked a 53-yard field goal to tie the game, then a 38-yarder with 10 seconds left to win it, 27-24, before 60,884 thoroughly entertained fans at Scott Stadium.
“It’s way more fun playing in a game like this than when you’re up by a whole lot or down by a lot,” said tailback Wali Lundy. “People dream about playing in games like this.”
Dream about winning them, anyway, and nothing about the victory came easily for Virginia (3-1, 2-0 ACC).
Schaub, sidelined since the opener by a separated throwing shoulder, threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Lundy rushed for a career-high 137 as the Cavaliers totaled 477 yards of offense.
But Schaub also threw three second-half interceptions that allowed the Demon Deacons (3-2, 1-1 ACC) to take the lead on two occasions and nearly salt away the game in the final quarter. Instead, several key defensive stops and Hughes’ heroics provided a happy ending for the home team.
“Five turnovers, a dropped touchdown pass, penalties — those little things usually lead to losses,” said receiver Ottowa Anderson, who caught one TD pass but let another slip through his fingers. “But someone was looking over us today.”
Things looked especially grim for Virginia when Schaub’s lob pass to fullback Kase Luzar fell into the arms of defensive end Jerome Nichols, who rumbled down to the UVa 16-yard line with under eight minutes left. Already up 24-21, the Deacons seemed certain to add to their lead.
But facing a fourth and two, Wake coach Jim Grobe elected to go for the first down rather than kick a field goal. Cornelius Birgs ran into the line and was stuffed for no gain by linebackers Raymond Mann and Rich Bedesem.
“We’re a team that generally does a pretty good job in short yardage. We had today,” Grobe explained. “We thought it was a time for us to get a first down and punch it in.”
Said UVa coach Al Groh: “I thought it was a good decision on his part. I wouldn’t second-guess him on that. I probably would have done the same thing.”
As a result, Virginia regained possession at its own 8, needing only a field goal to tie the game. Hughes got it in dramatic fashion one play after Schaub nearly threw his fourth interception and UVa’s drive stalled at the Wake Forest 35.
The sophomore boomed his career-long kick over the crossbar with room to spare, tying the game at 24 with 1:51 remaining.
“When I hit it, I knew it was going through,” Hughes said. “It was an awesome feeling.”
Hughes, who earlier made field goals of 39 and 22 yards, felt even better after his next kick, which was set up by cornerback Jamaine Winborne’s interception in the final minute.
Talk about drama. The Demon Deacons seemed headed for the winning field goal of their own — or at least overtime — when UVa safety Jermaine Hardy grabbed speedy receiver Jason Anderson while a deep pass was in the air. It may have prevented another big play by Anderson, whose 47-yard touchdown catch gave Wake its biggest lead at 21-13 in the third quarter, but the pass-interference penalty put the Deacons on their own 46 with over a minute left.
Three plays later, under pressure from linebacker Ahmad Brooks, quarterback Cory Randolph tried to throw across his body to Anderson. Winborne stepped in front, picked off the pass and raced 20 yards down the left sideline to the Wake 33.
“I saw [Randolph] scramble and at a certain point I knew he was going to throw to [Anderson]. He was eyeing him real hard,” Winborne said. “He probably shouldn’t have thrown it, but he’s young and I think he’ll learn.”
With 32 seconds left, the Cavaliers were in range for another long Hughes kick. But Schaub, who was brilliant in the first half and erratic in the second, made one more strong throw, a 15-yard completion to tight end Heath Miller down to the Wake 19.
Groh called his final timeout with 14 seconds left and sent out the field-goal team rather than try to gain more yards with another play. The strategy worked. Hughes sent the kick inside the left upright, sparking a celebration that spilled onto the field after linebacker Darryl Blackstock sacked Randolph on the game’s final play.
“That was a pretty good scuffle out there today,” Groh said. “We talked to the team [Friday] and told them, ‘If you like a good fight, you’ll have one tomorrow.’ … It was fun to be a part of that one.”

Matt Schaub had been there before, but never to the degree of urgency he and his Virginia teammates faced Saturday night.
The cardiac Cavaliers of a year ago, which earned a reputation for storming back and pulling out second-half victories, never had it this bad. In those amazing, never-say-die efforts, the Wahoos usually scored with at least four minutes left on the clock and left things up to the defense to close the deal.
Last night, at jam-packed Scott Stadium, only two minutes remained on the clock when sophomore kicker Connor Hughes stood 53 yards from giving Virginia new life. He made the kick to deadlock the game at 24-all, then thanks to Jamaine Winborne’s clutch interception with 32 seconds left, Hughes iced the comeback with a 38-yarder with 10 seconds to play.
Guts and determination
It took a lot of intestinal fortitude for Schaub to lead the Wahoos to the Promised Land. Saturday was his first action since Aug. 30, when the Virginia quarterback’s shoulder was separated in the opening drive of the season.
So, all Schaub did on this evening was complete 30 of 45 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He put his shoulder at risk in diving into the end zone on a two-point conversion try that knotted things at 21-all.
Most importantly, when the chips were down and Virginia needed a hero, he didn’t shy from the task.
Sure, he threw three interceptions in his first game back. One was deflected off another player, one was simply a great play on the behalf of Wake defensive end Jerome Nichols. Another was just a boo boo, but what do you expect after sitting out for nearly a month?
It required a lot of guts for Schaub to be standing in the shadow of his own end zone with 5:17 to play, his team down three to the upset-minded Deacons. His mind could have been on his mistakes, the three interceptions.
Mr. Clutch
“You have to put that behind you and move on to the next play,” Schaub said later as he admittedly sat physically and mentally drained in front of his locker. “You learn from [mistakes], put it behind you or another bad thing will happen.”
The All-ACC quarterback hit tight end Heath Miller on a 13-yarder to give the Cavs some breathing room out to the 21, then found wide receiver Ottawa Anderson, who used second-effort for another first down at the 35 with 3:56 to go.
Two plays later, Schaub drilled a 20-yarder between two defenders and hit senior wide out Ryan Sawyer for another first down at the Wake 37. The Cavs would only advance the ball two more yards but that was enough for the third-longest field goal in UVa history.
“Down by three, I thought, ‘Let’s get on a roll and get down the field to field goal range,’” Schaub said of his mentality once that drive began.
After Winborne’s big pick, he knew the Cavs were already within Hughes’ range. He just wanted to give his kicker a better chance. His 15-yard dart to Miller over the middle for a first down at the 19 with 14 ticks left on the
stadium clock was good enough.
In those final two drives, Schaub was 7 for 11 for 72 yards, three vital first downs. One of those incompletions was batted down by a charging pass rusher as the UVa quarterback threw from his own end zone. Another was intentionally thrown into the dirt when Schaub spotted his receiver wasn’t open.
“If you want to have a tough team, then you have to have a tough quarterback,” said Virginia coach Al Groh after the comeback. “That was a Player of the Year performance.”
Schaub’s 326 yards marked the fifth 300-yard passing game of his career, but that’s not what impressed his coach.
Last Monday, Groh wasn’t sure Schaub could play until he saw him throw later that day. Once he observed, he believed there might be a chance to get last season’s ACC Player of the Year back on the field.
He told Schaub on Wednesday that he would play, leaving Wake Forest, fans and media wondering if he could come back this weekend.
“I thought I played well,” Schaub said afterward. “There’s a couple of throws I’d like to have back but I think I did things to help us win.”

Connor Hughes was hoarse by the time he talked to reporters after Saturday’s game at Scott Stadium. And for good reason.
“A lot of guys were hitting me,” he said with a smile. “They were screaming at me. I felt I had to scream back.”
Hughes had a day to shout about, making four field goals in Virginia’s 27-24 victory over Wake Forest. His 53-yarder with 1:51 left tied the game and his 38-yarder with 10 seconds left won it for the Cavaliers.
That arguably made Hughes the biggest hero on an afternoon when Matt Schaub returned from a separated shoulder to throw for 326 yards and two touchdowns. No one came through under more pressure than the sophomore from Williamsburg, who confirmed his coach’s confidence when Al Groh sent him on the field with the game on the line.
“This is a kicker…,” Groh said before pausing to think of the right phrase. “How should I say this? This one’s on the air, right? This is a kicker who’s got real guts.”
Hughes made 30 field goals at Lafayette High School and had gone 8 for 9 on field-goal attempts since becoming UVa’s starting kicker near the end of last season. But none of those kicks had been longer than 49 yards, and none came in the final minutes of a tight game played before more than 60,000 fans and a television audience.
So was he nervous as he lined up for the 53-yarder? Not really.

“I felt really confident about it,” said Hughes, who earlier made kicks of 39 and 22 yards. He also made a 60-yarder during practice last week and a 54-yarder in pregame warmups. “I’ve been striking it pretty well, so I just wanted to stick to what I do.”
Some players on Virginia’s sideline could barely watch after Wake Forest called timeout to ice the 19-year-old kicker.
“We knew if he missed it, we were probably going to lose,” said cornerback Jamaine Winborne.
“I was on my knees praying he would make it,” said tailback Wali Lundy. “But I thought he’d make it. He always makes almost every field goal in practice.”
Hughes returned to the sideline for some practice kicks during the timeout. Then he hit the real thing perfectly. The ball soared end-over-end through the air and easily sailed over the crossbar. Hughes said he knew it was good as soon as he struck it.
He wasn’t quite as sure about the game-winner. After Winborne’s 20-yard interception return and Heath Miller’s 15-yard catch gave the Cavaliers the ball at the Wake Forest 19, Groh sent the field-goal unit onto the field with 14 seconds left. With no timeouts remaining, he didn’t want to risk running out of time before trying the field goal.
This time, all of the Cavaliers were watching as Hughes boomed the kick with plenty of distance just inside the left upright. He celebrated with Schaub, his holder, and many of his teammates offered congratulatory shoves and yells in the locker room afterward.
“This is pretty awesome,” he said, still smiling. “Pretty awesome.”

Virginia cornerback Jamaine Winborne didn’t have to think too long.
Yes, his interception of Wake quarterback Cory Randolph with 32 seconds left that set up Connor Hughes’ winning field goal was the most pivotal pick of his career.
“Never. Definitely not. I’ve never had a bigger interception at a bigger time in my whole career,” said Winborne, a senior from Chesapeake.
Added UVa coach Al Groh: “Obviously Winborne’s play led to the final conclusion.”
While Randolph’s throw was a tad ill advised as he threw against his body while rolling away from the play, Winborne did make a great read on the play.
“It was man-to-man. He was scrambling and I could see his eyes when he threw it. I almost couldn’t believe that he actually threw it,” Winborne said.
Randolph did throw it, however, and Winborne got the pick and then returned it to the Wake 33. Only for an instant did Winborne allow himself to think about returning it for the touchdown.
“For a second I thought I could return it all the way. Just for a second I really thought I could. I just wanted to get off the field, get out-of-bounds and give the offense as much time as they needed,” Winborne said.
As Winborne got to the UVa sideline, he was mobbed by his teammates who then watched the replay on the stadium’s video system.
Of course, one Cavalier wasn’t celebrating with Winborne.
“Right when I saw him intercept it, I started warming up,” Hughes said.

As he entered the interview room at Scott Stadium on Saturday after his team’s 27-24 loss to Virginia, Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe gave the best and most appropriate summation of his Deacons’ performance.
“We had so many opportunities in every phase to win the football game. We just made too many mistakes to win it,” Grobe said.
The clear “mistake” that some observers might assume was not put in that category by Grobe.
Leading 24-21 with just over five minutes to play in the game, Wake drove inside the Virginia 10-yard line and then had its progression halted. Facing a fourth and two from the UVa 8-yard line, Grobe opted to go for the first down instead of kicking what would have been a short field goal for a six-point advantage.
The play — an inside handoff to running back Cornelius Birgs — was stuffed for no gain by Virginia linebackers Raymond Mann and Rich Bedesem.
Virginia took over possession and eventually tied the game on Connor Hughes’ 53-yard field goal.
“For us, we’re thinking four downs anytime we cross the 40. We’ve had a pretty good running team and we hadn’t been real solid on field goal protection early in the game,” Grobe said. “We’re a team that generally does a pretty good job in short yardage. We had today. We thought it was a time for us to get a first down and punch it in. Also with UVa’s offense on the day, I didn’t know if six points was going to do us much good.”
When asked his opinion, UVa coach Al Groh proved a faithful ally to his fellow UVa alum.
“It’s one of those tough calls. You don’t have too much time to sit and think about it. If they kick a field goal there, they’re up six but can still get beat by a touchdown,” Groh said.
The most damning mistake for the Deacons would actually occur a few moments later.
The Deacons were beneficiaries of five UVa turnovers, including a fumble on the goal line, but it was one of their two interceptions that proved to be game’s most critical.
With the game tied at 24 and Wake in possession of the ball with 40 seconds remaining, Deacon quarterback Cory Randolph fired a wayward pass that was intercepted by UVa’s Jamaine Winborne and returned to Wake’s 33-yard line. Three plays later, Hughes made the 38-yarder to win it.
It appeared to be a poor decision by Randolph from the start as he threw the post going the other way and threw it against his body.
“As soon as he started to throw it, we knew we were in trouble. That’s just a rookie mistake. He was trying to make something happen. In that situation, we’re hoping to get in field-goal range,” Grobe said.
Since Grobe took over at Wake in 2001, the three games with Virginia have been decided by scores of 34-30, 38-34 and now 27-24 with Grobe winning that first contest and losing the last two.
It might not have been the fanfare of other rivalries in the ACC but it’s certainly produced the most competitive games of late.
“We’re competitive again but for a while there they owned us pretty good. We’re competing and I’m proud of the efforts these teams have made,” Grobe said.

Lundy's day. Sophomore tailback Wali Lundy set a career high in rushing with 27 attempts for 137 yards, which marked the fourth time in his last six games Lundy has surpassed 120 yards rushing. It was also his sixth 100-yard rushing game of his career in 13 starts.
Lundy, the MVP of last season’s Continental Tire Bowl win, cracked Virginia’s top 30 career rushing list. His 1,207 yards puts him at 29th.
UVa sports information statistics guru Michael Colley’s research revealed that in Lundy’s last outing at Western Michigan, he became the 10th-fastest Cavalier in school history to rush for 1,000 yards. Lundy did it in 17 games. Jim Bakhtiar and Frank Quayle share the Virginia record for reaching 1,000 in only 13 games.

Quote of the game. “I feel like Santa Claus,” said Wake Forest senior offensive tackle Tyson Clabo. “I hope all the Wahoos enjoy Christmas because it came early. We gave them a gift.”

Hughes perfect. Sophomore place-kicker Connor Hughes was a perfect 4 for 4 on his field goal attempts in the game, including the 53-yarder to tie the game and a 38-yarder with 10 seconds remaining for the win.
Hughes has not missed a field goal attempt this season, 7 for 7, and is 12 of 13 for his career after taking over the duties late last season.
The 53-yarder was the longest of his career and the third-longest in UVa history, surpassed only by a pair of 56-yarders. Kenny Stadlin’s 56-yarder came in UVa’s win over Virginia Tech in 1984 and Rafael Garcia’s 56-yarder came in the Hoos’ loss at Texas in 1995.
Hughes’ kick was the fourth-longest field goal against Wake Forest in Deacon history and the longest since Sebastian Janikowski booted a 56-yarder for Florida State against Wake in 1997.

Eye openers.
l The 60,884 fans at the game represented the fourth-largest crowd in Scott Stadium history.
l Don't overlook Alvin Pearman’s 20-yard punt return and 27-yard kickoff return.
l Art Thomas’ seven receptions for 72 yards were career highs in both catagories for the former cornerback.
l UVa scored the last 17 points in last year’s win over Wake.
 l Muffin Curry’s third quarter interception, which set up a Cavalier field goal, marked the third straight game that the Hampton senior has picked off an opponents’ pass. Curry also made a second quarter fumble recovery.
l The Cavs have now won 19 of the last 20 games vs. Wake Forest.
l UVa is 4-1 after bye weeks under Groh.
l For what it’s worth, it was the first time the Wahoos have won an ABC televised home game since beating Georgia Tech 45-38 in 1999.
l Wake Forest’s opponent committed five turnovers for the second straight week (ECU had five last week). The Deacs have held the turnover advantage in every game this season.
l The game marked the 18th of 29 games in the Jim Grobe era at Wake decided by seven points or less and the third straight game in the UVa series decided by four points or less.
l Deacons QB Cory Randolph set career highs in passing with 218 yards and attempts (31).
l Wake’s Jason Anderson extended his streak to 13 games with at least two receptions.

Frank was watching. We couldn’t help but notice that UVa hero cornerback, who set up the winning field goal with his clutch interception, had a special name on his locker in the Cavalier dressing room.
Winborne’s locker was dedicated for the late Frank “The Bear” Kessler, who passed away last week after a long illness. Kessler, who played for Virginia, was a loyal Wahoo fan.
Somewhere, “The Bear” was smiling on Saturday evening.

Injury report. Virginia reported no serious injuries from the game, but starting right guard Elton Brown missed the contest after suffering an injury in practice on Friday.

On deck. Virginia, now 3-1 overall and alone in second place in the ACC at 2-0, travels to North Carolina on Saturday for a 1:30 kickoff. The Tar Heels are winless in four games and dropped a 47-34 decision to rival N.C. State yesterday. The game is not scheduled to be televised.
Wake Forest, now 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the ACC, is idle this week before hosting Georgia Tech on Oct. 11.

The ACC made it clear on Saturday that it will not accept a 12th school into the league without full membership, squelching speculation that the conference was poised to make concessions in order to add Notre Dame.

Reports claimed earlier in the week that the ACC was working on a plan that would allow the Irish to play only a partial football schedule against league opponents, then phase into the conference as a full member over time.
During a conference call involving the ACC’s Council of Presidents on Saturday morning, the nine CEOs unanimously agreed it would not accept another school as anything less than a full member.
Clemson president James Barker and N.C. State chancellor Marye Ann Fox both confirmed that policy after the call.
“What we talked about was the importance of affirming the principles on which this conference has been built, which are equity and full participation,” Fox told the Associated Press.
Barker, chairman of the ACC’s Council of Presidents, said that the league’s leaders were unanimous in that philosophy.
Fox, who is also a member of Notre Dame’s board of trustees, said the topic of inviting the Irish to join the ACC was not discussed during the conference call.
“Nothing ever came to a vote or even a proposal resolution,” she said.
The ACC, which will conduct its fall meetings in Charlottesville on Monday and Tuesday, is expected to add a 12th member in the future. After expanding to 11 members last June, the league will likely have to grow to 12 in order to conduct an annual conference championship football game.
The NCAA’s championship committee overwhelmingly rejected the ACC’s proposal that would allow conferences with 10 members to stage such a game. League officials believe a championship game could generate $7 to $10 million in revenue for the ACC.
A final vote on the issue will not occur until next April, but UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage said he believes it is far too late for the league to plan such a championship game for 2004, even if the approval is given.
Littlepage, who said that no specific school including Notre Dame and Boston College, have been discussed as a potential 12th member during recent meetings between the ACC’s athletic directors, was in agreement with shunning away from anything less than full membership.
“Expansion has been football driven, so it wouldn’t make sense to add a member that doesn’t want to participate fully in football,” Littlepage said Saturday during UVa’s comeback win over Wake Forest.
Notre Dame associate athletic director John Heisler said Saturday that the school is not interested in aligning its football team with any conference at this time. Observers have speculated that Notre Dame might change its mind in the future, particularly when its $8.5 million contract with NBC expires after the 2006 season.
Meanwhile, Duke athletic director Joe Alleva said that he thinks the ACC needs to play a championship game.
“To do that, we’re probably going to need a 12th team,” Alleva said.
Those issues will likely be discussed during the ACC’s meetings here this week, a time in which the league is expected to come up with a plan for how it will conduct its football and basketball play in 2004 with the addition of Virginia Tech and Miami to the league.

While Virginia was celebrating its 27-24 comeback victory over Wake Forest yesterday at Scott Stadium, tackle Tyson Clabo of the Deacons was looking for a ride home in sleigh pulled by a reindeer with a red nose.

'I feel like Santa Claus,' Clabo said. 'I hope all the Wahoos enjoy Christmas, because it came early.

'It was a gift. They played a great game. We didn't play well.

'We gave them a gift.'

The Deacons have reached a curious point in their restoration under Coach Jim Grobe, where they're now good enough to give away games to teams as good as the Cavaliers. They said they gave one away last year in Groves Stadium, when Virginia scored the final 17 points to beat Wake Forest 38-34, and had the same frustrating feeling again yesterday after squandering several golden opportunities to put the victory away.

Instead Connor Hughes kicked two field goals - one of 53 yards to tie the game at 24 with 1:51 left and another of 38 yards to win the game with 10 seconds remaining - and Virginia, led by Wali Lundy's 137 yards on 27 carries, improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC while the Deacons slipped to 3-2 and 1-1.

'I definitely agree (with Clabo),' said quarterback Cory Randolph of the Deacons. 'Once again we didn't finish out the game against these guys. It came back to get us.

'If you leave good teams in the game, you're eventually going to let them capitalize. And that's what they did.'

Quarterback Matt Schaub of Virginia returned from a separated shoulder to complete 30 of 45 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw three interceptions, the third of which was picked off by defensive end Jerome Nichols near midfield and returned to the Cavaliers' 16.

'I thought we had the game at that point,' Nichols said.

Leading 24-21 with 71/2 minutes remaining, the Deacons were certainly in a commanding position. The game turned, however, when four straight running plays failed to pick up a first down.

On third-and-6, Cornelius Birgs knifed inside for 4 yards. Faced with a fourth-and-2, Grobe went back to the well and came up dry. Birgs was stacked at the line of scrimmage by a surge led by linebackers Raymond Mann and Rich Bedesem and Virginia took over on downs at its 8-yard line.

'We're a team that takes pride in running the football and we feel like we need to be able to get a yard,' Grobe said. 'Actually down on the goal line a couple of times we needed that to score touchdowns and we got it. And we felt like a yard was something we were capable of doing.

'The other thing was I thought Virginia had a great day offensively. And I didn't know how much points would have helped us. If we could have gone up by seven it would have made it easier to kick the field goal. And our field-goal team had been a little bit spotty today. We had let a lot of penetration through. So we felt a play that we should have be able to convert a fourth-and-1 on was called and we didn't get it done.'

Informed that the play was officially marked a fourth-and-2, Grobe said that offensive coordinator Steed Lobotzke, from his vantage in the press box, had judged the distance to be shorter.

'We felt like it was just outside a yard,' Grobe said. 'At least that's what Lobo said. He's a young guy. He's got pretty good eyes.'

Coach Al Groh said that Wake Forest made the right decision.

'I wouldn't second guess him for that,' Groh said. 'I would have probably done the same thing. If they kicked the field goal, we're still down six and can win with a touchdown.'

The Deacons had a shot at a fourth interception. Schaub completed 6 of 9 passes as the Cavaliers marched to the Deacons' 35, but he overthrew tight end Heath Miller on third-and-8. The pass slipped through the hands of Warren Braxton, giving Hughes a crack at a 53-yard field goal.

The kick sailed between the uprights with 1:51 for a tie at 24.

Randolph, a sophomore in his fifth game as a starter, completed 17 of 31 passes for 218 yards. He also threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Jason Anderson with four minutes remaining in the third quarter that provided the Deacons a 21-13 lead.

But with the Deacons marching at midfield with less than a minute remaining, he threw another pass to Anderson for a much different result. Rolling left and throwing across his body, Randolph released a floater that cornerback Jamaine Winborne picked off at the Cavaliers' 37.

Winborne returned the ball 20 yards to the Wake Forest 33, Schaub connected with Miller for 15 yards on second down and Hughes kicked the field goal with 10 seconds remaining to seal the win.

'As soon as he started to throw it we knew we were in trouble,' Grobe said. 'That's something that you coach your kids (against) from Day One, and that's just a rookie mistake. He's trying to make something happen.

'He's been pretty good about taking care of the football, and of course you get into a little bit of a comfort zone sometimes when you've got Jason Anderson out there. You feel like whenever he's out there and you put it up, he's either going to catch it or not let somebody catch it.

'In that case we just didn't get enough air under it and give Jason a chance.'

Randolph said he didn't see Winborne until he had released the ball.

'At first I just saw Jason,' Randolph said. 'And right when I let it go I was like, 'No.' And it was too late.

'You try to make a play, and you try to get your team in the best position. And sometimes you can try to make too great a play, and it costs you.

'All you can do is go to the next game.'

CHARLOTTESVILLE - He'd already drilled a career-long 53-yard field goal to tie the game moments earlier. No way a mere 38-yarder was going to rattle University of Virginia sophomore Connor Hughes.

Hughes didn't blink, and he didn't miss. His fourth field goal, with 10 seconds left, lifted U.Va. to an improbable 27-24 victory over ACC rival Wake Forest yesterday at Scott Stadium.

A near-sellout crowd of 60,884 cheered the return of senior quarterback Matt Schaub, but it groaned as the game appeared to slip away from U.Va. (2-0, 3-1) in the final quarter. But with the Demon Deacons (1-1, 3-2) leading 24-21, they opted to not attempt a field goal on fourth and 2 from the U.Va. 8.

Wake fans will long second guess that decision. Linebackers Raymond Mann and Rich Bedesem stopped tailback Cornelius Birgs for no gain, and the Cavaliers took over with 5:17 left.

Schaub and Co. didn't squander this opportunity. Virginia's drive stalled at the Wake 35, but after a timeout by the Deacons, Hughes connected from 53 to make it 24-24 with 1:51 left. That was the third-longest field goal in school history.

"This is a kicker who's got real guts," U.Va. coach Al Groh said.

At that point, the Cavaliers, who'd turned the ball over five times, happily would have settled for overtime. Instead, they benefited from a poor decision by Wake quarterback Cory Randolph. On third and 10 from the Deacons' 46, Randolph avoided onrushing linebacker Ahmad Brooks and tossed an off-balance toss toward wideout Jason Anderson.

"As soon as he started [to throw], we knew we were in trouble," Wake coach Jim Grobe said. "That's just a rookie mistake."

A veteran pounced on Randolph's blunder. Senior cornerback Jamaine Winborne stepped in front of Anderson, picked off the pass and returned it 20 yards to the Wake 33 with 32 second left Hughes started warming up again.

"Right when I saw him intercept it, I knew I'd have a chance to finish it off," he said.

Schaub lost 2 yards on a first-down scramble, and U.Va. called time out with 20 seconds left. Hughes' challenge became considerably easier when Schaub completed a 15-yard pass to his favorite target, sophomore tight end Heath Miller. The Cavaliers used their final timeout, and on came Hughes for the game winner.

"It was a little off to the left," Hughes said, but it sailed through the uprights, and Virginia had its 19th win in its past 20 meetings with Wake.

Schaub, playing for the first time since separating his right shoulder in the Aug. 30 opener, started and went the whole way. He completed 30 of 45 passes for 326 yards and two touchdowns, a 25-yarder to wideout Ottowa Anderson and a 5-yarder to Miller. He also ran a for 2-point conversion to pull U.Va. to 21-21 with 14:54 left.

"I thought I played well," Schaub said. "There were some decisions I could have made differently. We did what we had to do to get the win."

Schaub, the 2002 ACC player of the year, threw three interceptions - two in the fourth quarter - but when his team needed him most, he delivered.

"If you want to have a tough team, you've got to have a tough quarterback," Groh said, "and that's what he was today."

Virginia elected to receive to open the game, and Schaub completed all four of his passes on that first drive. But on Schaub's fourth completion, from the Wake 3, cornerback Eric King hammered senior fullback Kase Luzar near the goal line. Luzar lost the ball, and the Deacons recovered in the end zone.

The Cavaliers experienced more red-zone trouble in the third quarter. On the first play of the second half, senior cornerback Almondo Curry intercepted a Randolph pass and returned it 26 yards to the Wake 6. But Schaub's second-down pass went through the hands of a wide-open Anderson in the end zone, and his third-down attempt fell incomplete. Virginia had to settle for Hughes' 22-yard field goal, which made it 13-7.

"We had a chance for 14 points; we got three," Groh said. "I think that overall was a big factor in describing the game."

Virginia sophomore Wali Lundy rushed 27 times for a career-best 137 yards. Eight Cavaliers caught at least one pass, led by Miller, who had seven receptions for 94 yards, both career highs. Senior Art Thomas, a converted cornerback, snared seven passes for 72 yards, by the far his best game at wideout.

"I'm really proud of our team, and I'm really happy for them," Groh said. "It was fun to stand there at the door and watch them all come in and feel really good about themselves."