Cavs top Heels in wild one
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 16, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Virginia proved more than an ability to win on the road - it essentially won in the twilight zone.

Without a fully functioning scoreboard and thanks to an odd overturned missed field goal, the Cavaliers escaped with a wild 22-20 victory over North Carolina at Kenan Stadium.

Virginia (2-1, 2-0 ACC) snapped a four-game losing streak on the road with the victory and remains in first place in the league’s Coastal Division. UNC (1-2, 0-1 ACC) dropped its first conference game under first-year coach Butch Davis.

“It was a really weird game,” said Virginia defensive end Chris Long. “We have practiced to do almost every situation, but I don’t think anybody practices for [a game without a clock]. You can’t plan for things like that.

“It is very satisfying to get a win on the road and to play tough, play together and play a physical game and overcome some mistakes. It is a real character-building win and it also gives us another game in the ACC.”

North Carolina appeared poised to tie the contest after quarterback T.J. Yates capped an 85-yard drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Richard Quinn with 1 minute, 57 seconds remaining.

Trailing 22-20, UNC elected to go for a 2-point conversion, but Virginia nose tackle Nate Collins batted Yates’ pass down to the ground.

“I was trying my hardest to get into the backfield,” Collins said. “Once I realized the quarterback turned to look at the right side, I knew it was going to be somewhat of a low pass because it was on the 2-yard line.

“I just put my hands up and he threw the ball low.”

Yates, who finished 25-of-38 passing for 339 yards, praised Collins’ effort.

“I don’t think there was any problem with the pass,” Yates said. “I think whoever made that play just made a really good play. He just jumped up there and got it.”

After fielding the ensuing squib kick, the Cavaliers were still in need of a first down in order to drain the clock. As he had done the entire game, Cedric Peerman delivered, gaining 3 yards on third-and-3 at the UVa 44.

Peerman, a junior, finished with a career-best 186 yards on 30 carries.

“That was very representative of the way that the game went,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “That was really a key for us.”

Initially, it appeared that Virginia would not need the late heroics. The Cavaliers raced out to a 16-0 lead after scoring a touchdown and kicking three field goals on their first four drives.

The touchdown, a 1-yard plunge into the end zone from Peerman, opened the game’s scoring and marked the first TD on the road for Virginia since Oct. 7, 2006.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell, who earned the start, passed for 35 yards and converted three times on third down during the 12-play, 68-yard drive.

“We had the tempo during that series and we had the fight in us,” said Sewell, who was 11-for-17 passing for 96 yards. “It was amazing to come to the sidelines and have the crowd get that quiet. To silence this crowd is an amazing feeling.”

North Carolina’s offense, which finished with 399 total yards, finally got on track late in the first half. Yates completed a 72-yard, 11-play series with a touchdown pass to wideout Hakeem Nicks just 22 seconds before halftime.

“I thought it was an enormous shot of confidence for our football team to score at the end of the second quarter,” Davis said. “Going in 16-7 was dramatically a shot in the arm instead of going in 16-0.”

Virginia extended its lead again on the first possession of the second half in stunning fashion.

After the Cavaliers moved the ball inside the red zone, Sewell was sacked on back-to-back plays and a substitution infraction on fourth down set up a 48-yard field-goal attempt for Chris Gould.

The kick appeared to have enough distance, but the officials ruled that it was unsuccessful.

Groh elected to challenge the ruling after receiving word from the team managers retrieving the ball that the kick was, in fact, through the uprights.

“Fortunately, we do have replay,” Groh said. “I just went out and said that we’d like to use our challenge here. We challenged pretty quickly.”

Much to the chagrin of the majority of the 58,000 in attendance, the call was overturned, giving Virginia a 19-7 lead.

Virginia’s players, admittedly shocked by the quick turn of events, celebrated on the field.

“I saw the ball go through and I was like, ‘Chris, you are wrong,’” Long said. “The depth or something had to be wrong. We are sitting there waiting for a call and I look over at the sidelines and the coaches were [sticking their hands in the air]. That is not a signal.

“That was crazy. Was that the first time ever?”

Gould, who finished with five field goals to tie a program record, said he had never heard of a field goal being overturned.

“That was the first time that I had seen that happen but there is a first time for everything,” Gould said.

The additional points and another field goal from Gould in the fourth quarter proved pivotal after UNC scored its final two touchdowns, including one in the third quarter on a 53-yard pass from Yates to Nicks.

For the game, Virginia finished with 350 yards of total offense and dominated time of possession in all four quarters - the Cavaliers had the ball more than 39 minutes. Virginia’s defense also registered a pair of sacks and forced three turnovers.

“I thought we did a lot of good things in all phases,” Groh said. “Obviously, offensively, we were rugged, and we were very effective in running the ball - that was a big factor in the game.

“We were very opportunistic on defense. We had to make a play at the end and our guys were there to make a play.”

Virginia plays another conference game at noon on Saturday at Scott Stadium against Georgia Tech before opening a three-game stretch against nonconference foes. The 15th-ranked Yellow Jackets beat Virginia, 24-7, last year in Atlanta.

“We’ve got a big test coming up,” Groh said. “Clearly, [Georgia Tech is] the most talented team yet that we’ve played.”
 

Once again, Long sets tone for Virginia's defense
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 16, 2007

CHAPEL HILL N.C. - All-American defensive end Chris Long spends more time savoring a team win than he does an individual play, but without his only career interception on Saturday, there may not have been a win.

The momentum had swung to host North Carolina’s favor thanks to a quick scoring drive that cut Virginia’s lead to 19-14. Now, the Tar Heels were driving again early in the fourth quarter, having marched from their own 20 to inside UVa territory.

On second down, UNC quarterback T.J. Yates, who was carving up Virginia’s secondary with his out-of-pocket passes, was looking for a receiver when he launched another throw.

This time, Long was in the way. And how.

The 6-foot-4 defender quickly reacted to a pass headed his way, jumped up and snared the ball out of the air for an interception that the big lineman returned 25 yards to the Carolina 30. From there, UVa tailback Cedric Peerman chewed up UNC’s defense, setting up placekicker Chris Gould’s school record-tying fifth field goal for a 22-14 lead with 8:56 to play.

In the end, that was enough as the Cavs pulled out a 22-20 win.

It was another impressive performance for Long, whose name appears on just about every postseason award list from Lombardi to Nagurski.

“Every week there’s something with Chris,” said Virginia coach Al Groh, pointing out his senior’s defensive play-making style. “That’s obviously an All-American type of play.

“That would be a great play by a linebacker, but for a defensive lineman to make that and catch the ball, that was just a great play,” Groh said.

It was only the second time Long, who grew up in Charlottesville and played at St. Anne’s-Belfield High School for coach John Blake, had ever intercepted a pass.

“Yeah, I made one in high school, but you’d have to dig pretty far back into the STAB tape to find it,” Long chuckled. “It was against North Cross a long time ago.”

UNC’s Yates was also impressed with the pick.

“[Long] didn’t really rush that much on that play,” Yates said. “He just jumped out of nowhere. That was a heck of a play. That guy is really good.”

Fortunately, Long had plenty of reasons to joke around after helping the Cavaliers improve to 2-0 in ACC play and 2-1 overall. He and the Long family had a scare on Friday night when younger brother, Kyle, who currently is a senior for St. Anne’s, suffered a stinger while trying to make a tackle against Liberty Christian. Kyle Long left the field on a stretcher and was taken to UVa Medical Center.

“My phone was out of

battery [Friday night] and I went up to my [hotel] room about 10 o’clock and just called my mom to ask her how the game was going, and she didn’t sound right to me,” Chris Long said. “I asked what was going on and she said that they were at the hospital, that Kyle got banged up a little bit trying to make a tackle. Immediately, you just start panicking. I was, ‘Thank God everything was all right,’ later.”

Kyle Long was checked out thoroughly at UVa Medical Center and released Friday night.

“He’s doing good,” Chris Long said. “I talked to him last night and everything came back good. He’s back to his usual self. He was home watching [the Virginia] game on TV.”

Still, it made for a worrisome time for Chris Long on the road on Friday, waiting to play the Tar Heels the following afternoon.

“It was in my mind until about 11:30 last night,” Long said. “That’s when I heard that everything was good. I talked to [Kyle], and dad [Howie Long] was home. I had to hear that. It was very important to me to hear that.”

It was the second consecutive week that Long delivered what Groh termed an All-American performance. He came into the game leading the nation in quarterback sacks and quickly added to his total by recording his fifth of the season in the first quarter on back-to-back sacks by he and fellow defensive end Jeffrey Fitzgerald.

Long also had four tackles.

“You have to give Virginia a lot of credit,” said UNC coach Butch Davis. “They are a good football team, especially defensively.

“They have some really physical guys that make it difficult to run the football,” Davis added. “When they are fresh and rested, Chris Long is as good a pass rusher as probably is playing in college football today.”

Long nearly had another interception earlier in the game but couldn’t hold on, realizing it was a rare missed opportunity for him and the Wahoos.

“I wish I had [picked it],” Long said. “They don’t come often, but I don’t think of myself as a ‘sexy’ player. I’m just trying to make plays on the ball when I can. I was close, though ... man, I was kicking myself.”

Should he remain on his tear, there will probably be more opportunities down the road. That’s what All-Americans do.

 

Peerman becoming a playmaker
By Jerry Ratcliffe / jratcliffe@dailyprogress.com | 978-7251
September 16, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - You won’t find Cedric Peerman’s name on any early season Heisman Trophy lists. He may not make the flashy top-10 plays of the week on a routine basis.

But when it came down to Virginia coach Al Groh needing 3 yards on third down and the game on the line during Saturday afternoon’s contest at North Carolina, the Virginia coach knew exactly whose number to call.

No. 37 responded just the way Groh believed he would. Peerman bulled his way to a first down at the Carolina 47, and locked up a 22-20 win over the Tar Heels. Everyone at Kenan Stadium knew what was coming.

Career day

Carolina, which has been vulnerable to the run for the past several years, had gotten a steady dose of Peerman all day long as he rushed for a career-high 186 yards, the most by a UVa back since Alvin Pearman’s 223 against Duke in 2003.

“I was just thinking they’re probably going to bring pressure,” Peerman said afterward. “It was the last chance, so I was going to try to hit it up in there as hard as I could. The guys up front got the push and I was able to surge and fall forward for three.”

The junior tailback from William Campbell High School was confident in the play call because the Cavaliers had been running it most of the day.

“We just take what the defense is giving us,” Peerman said.

Yeah, and then some. Peerman, a punishing runner that is gaining a fast reputation for his ability to shake or run over would-be tacklers, just took what he wanted against the Tar Heels.

He toted the mail 30 times for a 6.2-yard average. He was a nightmare in spikes for Carolina’s defense.

“He’s big and he’s strong,” said UNC coach Butch Davis. “He moves the pile. They’ve got a big, physical offensive line. That’s been Virginia’s M.O. for several years.”

Back to the old school

Hall of Fame coach George Welsh started that style of physical football that he branded “Virginia Football,” something that has carried over to the Groh regime. The Cavaliers’ scheme spreads out the field with multiple wide receivers, creating natural running lanes, allowing backs to exploit those lanes behind massive, mobile offensive linemen.

In most years when Virginia has been good, the Cavs have been a dominant running team, something that could be brewing for this year’s edition, now 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the ACC with nationally ranked Georgia Tech coming to town.

Groh was impressed with that style of play against the Heels, a rugged rushing attack that Carolina never solved.

“Cedric, once again, not only carried the ball, but carried the flag and the heart for the team,” the UVa coach said. “That was really a key for us. We have been awaiting the development of this offensive line. They went through their trial of apprenticeship last year. Today was maybe one of the best times where they really stepped up and we won with them.”

It was the second straight 100-yard-plus rushing day for Peerman, who nearly fell off Groh’s radar screen last year when he had but 46 carries. In the offseason, coaches felt that the back had “tightened up,” and put him on a training regimen that would give him more flexibility. He also ran track.

Perhaps the biggest change came in film study when coaches advised him to change his running style. Peerman was originally a straight-ahead, no-nonsense runner whom the coaches believed had added a little too much shake ’n’ bake to his game.

Once they returned his attention to becoming a one-cut runner, he has been on a tear.

“The heart and the toughness that’s on demonstration with Cedric so often, he brought that with him,” Groh said. “That was the big attraction of Cedric toward us when he wanted him on our team.”

Groh believed the rest needed a little tweaking and seasoning - i.e. the flexibility issue, the one-cut style, and simply experience would help him deal with where the cuts should be made and how to better pass protect. Once the back got those things down, it was Cedric Peerman Time in the UVa offense.

“He gives that effort every play no matter if he is tired or what type of nick-knack injury he has,” said Cavaliers quarterback Jameel Sewell, who played his best game of the season. “That’s what we need from Cedric.”

Combined with his drive to stay on his feet, Peerman has a burst that has allowed him to make some long runs, a 58-yarder against Duke, a 38-yarder against Carolina, both surpassing last year’s longest run from scrimmage by a UVa running back, a 29-yarder by Jason Snelling.

In two weeks and two wins, Peerman has rushed for 323 yards. Against the Tar Heels, he also was a weapon with the screen pass, catching three for 37 yards, including one that went for 25.

He has given the Cavaliers something they definitely needed - a playmaker that can deliver.

“Every play is a chance for a big play,” he said. “I try not to let the first guy bring me down, because if you can break the first tackle, you can get out of the gates and get down the field.”

If he keeps this up, Peerman might just make those highlight shows.

 

Cavs prove to be as good as Gould
By Jay Jenkins / jjenkins@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 16, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - It was a day that Chris Gould had long awaited.

After missing eight field goals last season, Virginia’s placekicker enjoyed a record-setting afternoon against North Carolina by nailing five 3-pointers.

Gould connected on kicks from 51, 28, 37, 48 and 32 yards out.

Yet, sounding like a veteran, Gould shifted praise to the other facets of the special teams operation.

“Danny Aiken and Vic Hall, my long snapper and my holder, were great for me today and the field goals were a result of how they performed,” Gould said.

Gould admitted that he was unsure if Virginia’s coaching staff would permit him to attempt the 51-yard attempt, but he knew he was heading onto the field regardless.

“When we get to that region, it is either punt or field goal and I am the guy that does both,” he said. “I just have to be prepared for both, but I have been hitting the ball really well in practice throughout the course of the year.”

It was not the first time Gould tried five field goals in a game, but this outcome was prettier.

“I attempted five in high school, but I went 3 for 5,” Gould said. “Things went a lot better today.”

Flag day

Virginia, after entering the game with only nine penalties on the season, was flagged 10 times against North Carolina for a total of 85 yards.

The penalties ranged from substitution infractions to personal fouls.

“Some of the same offenders from last week were some of the same offenders this week,” Groh said. “That’s harmful to your attempts to win. The clock might be running on some guys in those situations, frankly.”

Solid signals

As expected, quarterback Jameel Sewell earned the start against the Tar Heels.

The sophomore enjoyed success early, completing five of his seven passes in the opening quarter. He finished with 96 yards passing and was sacked four times.

True freshman Peter Lalich completed seven passes for 57 yards, the longest of which went for 15 yards.

Lalich said he understood why Sewell saw a majority of the time in the second half.

“Jameel made a lot of big plays for us,” said Lalich, who also lost 7 yards on a play after calling the incorrect play in the huddle. “It is really hard for the defense when Jameel is out there on the edge and making plays.”

Extra points

Virginia wore all-white uniforms for the first time since the road game last year at Florida State. … True freshman Jared Detrick played on special teams against the Tar Heels, becoming the fifth true freshman to play for the Cavaliers. He made one tackle and delivered a hit on another special teams play.

… Rico Bell, John Bivens and B.J. Cabbell, all redshirt freshmen, made their respective career debuts. Virginia wideout Maurice Covington tied a career high with four receptions. … Outisde linebacker Jermaine Dias returned to the field after missing last week’s game against Duke with an ankle injury. Dias, a senior, was credited with five tackles. … Jon Copper led Virginia with seven tackles. Durell Mapp led UNC with 12 tackles, one of which was a sack. … Fullback Rashawn Jackson made the first reception of his career, a 4-yard catch on the opening drive. … Gould registered his first touchback of the season after Virginia’s first scoring drive. The senior had 21 touchbacks last year.

 

U.Va. good as Gould in win
Kicker's five FGs, Peerman's 186 yards give Cavs road win
Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 - 12:07 AM Updated: 01:03 AM

Grading the three keys for U.Va.

B- 1. Get production at quarterback. Neither starter Jameel Sewell nor backup Peter Lalich had a great game for U.Va., and the offense occasionally seemed out of sync at the line of scrimmage. But Sewell and Lalich combined to complete 18 of 27 passes for 153 yards, and they were not intercepted. The Cavaliers'
longest completion was a 25-yard gain by tailback Cedric Peerman on a screen pass from Sewell.
A 2. Improve on special teams. Not only did senior Chris Gould (right) tie a school record with five field goals -- the Cavaliers' coverage teams were superb, and long-snapper Danny Aiken was flawless. Ryan Weigand averaged 45 yards on two punts.
A 3. Contain Brandon Tate. The game-breaking junior, who came in with five career touchdowns on returns, did little damage for UNC. Tate returned two punts for 8 yards and two kickoffs for 36 yards. He caught two passes for 32 yards.
-- Jeff White

By JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
U.Va. Notes
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The clock periodically malfunctioned yesterday at Kenan Stadium, leaving players, coaches, fans and press-box occupants wondering exactly how much time remained in the ACC football game between Coastal Division rivals North Carolina and Virginia.

The Cavaliers didn't operate smoothly all the time, either. But on an afternoon filled with improbable plays, U.Va. earned a precious road victory, holding off UNC 22-20 before a sun-splashed crowd of 58,000.

It's not often that you see a game in which a call is overturned, after a video review, and a field goal is ruled good. Or a game in which a 279-pound defensive end picks off a pass and returns it 25 yards. Or a college game in which an official timeout is called to observe the "two-minute warning" in the fourth quarter.

All of that and more happened yesterday, and when it was over, Butch Davis was the eighth consecutive UNC coach to lose his first ACC game. The coach on the other sideline, Al Groh, was happier after Virginia (2-0, 2-1) won for only the third time in its past 11 conference road games.

The Cavaliers' lone touchdown came on their opening series. But they got career games from kicker Chris Gould (five field goals) and tailback Cedric Peerman (186 yards rushing), an interception and a sack from senior defensive end Chris Long, and much-needed momentum heading into next weekend's showdown with No.15 Georgia Tech at Scott Stadium.

"We left a lot of points on the field," Groh said. "You've got to finish those drives, particularly on the road. You really need to get touchdowns on the road. But it's a positive move forward for us. I think our team is getting better, and it's gaining more confidence."

UNC quarterback T.J. Yates dissected the Cavaliers' secondary in the second half, and overtime seemed a strong possibility after the redshirt freshman's 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Richard Quinn made it 22-20 with 1:57 left. But U.Va. sophomore Nate Collins, who splits time at nose tackle with senior Allen Billyk, knocked down Yates' pass on the 2-yard conversion attempt.

Peerman did the rest as Virginia ran out the clock on Carolina (0-1, 1-2). On second and 9 from Virginia's 38, he bulled for 6 yards. On third and 3, with everyone in the stadium knowing that he'd get the handoff from quarterback Jameel Sewell, Peerman battled for the 3 yards he needed.

"His effort is unbelievable," Sewell said. "He gives that effort on every play."

Sewell, a sophomore from Hermitage High, started for the 12th consecutive game. He played all but three series, turning the offense over to true freshman Peter Lalich on those. Sewell was 11 for 17 passing for 96 yards. Lalich was 7 for 10 for 57 yards, but he wasn't as sharp as last weekend against Duke. Sewell struggled at times to get the offense set, too.

"We were a little streaky [at quarterback] today, more so than we were last week," Groh said. "Our numbers are pretty good, but we had some issues again. We've got to get this huddle operation speeded up. . . . But they did what quarterbacks got to do again, they brought their team home a winner."

In a game decided by two points, one of Gould's 3-pointers proved especially important. With the score 16-7 in the third quarter, Gould lined up to attempt a 43-yarder, but an illegal-substitution penalty moved him back 5 yards. His 48-yarder barely reached the goal posts, and the official there ruled that Gould had missed.

U.Va. managers, however, saw things differently, and they raced over to Groh.

"We had people on the sidelines who were insisting that the kick was good," he said. "They brought it to my attention, and they were very adamant about it."

Coaches are allowed to challenge one call per game, and Groh used his challenge there. Play was stopped while an official in the replay booth reviewed the kick. To the displeasure of those in baby blue, he ruled that Gould's kick indeed was good.

"Fortunately, we have instant replay," Groh said.

 

QUICK KICKS
Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 - 12:07 AM

Final score: Virginia 22, UNC 20
For starters: For the second consecutive week, U.Va. jumped ahead early. After forcing the Tar Heels into a three-and-out on their first possession, U.Va. took over and produced its second most impressive drive of the season. The Cavaliers moved 68 yards in 12 plays, a drive capped by junior tailback Cedric Peerman's 1-yard touchdown run. The TD was Virginia's first in a road game since Oct. 7, 2006, when Fontel Mines caught a 9-yard pass from Jameel Sewell with 18 seconds remaining at East Carolina. It also gave the Wahoos their first lead in a road game since Sept. 30, 2006, when they shut out Duke. Virginia scored on its first four possessions yesterday to take a 16-0 lead with 6:19 left in the second quarter.
Turning point: UNC had pulled to 19-14 and was driving again early in the fourth quarter when senior defensive end Chris Long, near the line of scrimmage, leaped and intercepted a pass by quarterback T.J. Yates. Long's 25-yard return gave the Cavaliers a first down at the Carolina 30. Virginia, as it did many times yesterday, stalled in the red zone, but Chris Gould's 32-yard field goal made it 22-14 with 8:56 left and proved to the game-winner. The interception was the first of Long's college career.
Stars of the game: Gould and Peerman earned co-billing at Kenan Stadium. Gould, a senior who was only 11 for 17 on field goals in 2006, is 7 for 8 this season after going 5 for 5 yesterday. His field goals included a career-best 51-yarder and a 48-yarder. Peerman, a junior, ran for 137 yards -- then a career high -- against Duke last weekend. He bested it with 186 and a TD on 30 carries yesterday.
The big picture: Virginia, which came in with a 10-24 record in road games under coach Al Groh, collected a rare win away from Scott Stadium. UNC lost to U.Va. for the eighth time in 10 meetings.
Quotable : "He didn't really rush that much on that play. He just jumped up out of nowhere. That was a heck of a play. That guy is really good." -- Yates on Long's intereception.
Go figure: 350 -- Total yards yesterday for Virginia, which gained only 110 in its opening-day loss at Wyoming. Virginia totaled 324 yards against Duke last weekend.
Next : U.Va. hosts No.15 Georgia Tech at noon Saturday. ESPNU will televise this Coastal Division game.
 

Handiwork deserves big round of applause
Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 - 12:07 AM
By BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. It's tough to gauge how a show-of-hands referendum among Virginia rooters would go for Al Groh these days, but the only hands that mattered yesterday belonged to Chris Long and Nate Collins.

Ergo, chat-room traffic among the anti-Groh establishment maybe didn't reach gridlock last night, and the Beta Bridge might avoid a fresh paint job for another week.

Also, Chairman Al won't have to wear a Groucho disguise to his next radio gig.

Virginia had to have this baby, no ifs, ands or air-tight contracts about it. Lose to North Carolina -- lose to a bunch that won three games last year and has a new coach, eight returning starters and 51 guys on the roster who'd never appeared in a college game before Sept. 1 -- and this season and an unloved sideline boss's tenure begin to unravel.

Already the Cavs had flopped at Wyoming. They'd labored to beat back Duke (aka, the ACC's junior varsity). They couldn't afford a stumble in Kenan Stadium, especially with Georgia Tech waiting in the wings.

Enter -- fanfare, please -- Messrs. Long and Collins, a couple of D-linemen with large frames, big mitts and a single-minded mantra when they're unable to bury the quarterback.

Get your hands up.

Which they did in game-turning (Long) and game-saving (Collins) fashion. It was Long whose first career interception turned a potential deficit into a field goal for an eight-point cushion that proved very, very big. It was Collins who slapped aside the pass for a two-point conversion that could've propelled the game into overtime.

It was U.Va. leaving town with a 22-20 win and the feeling they'd gained a bit of traction.

"It was really big for us," Long said. "Any time you're able to get an ACC win on the road against a good team, you have to be happy with it."

The Cavs could be especially happy about Cedric Peerman's legs, Chris Gould's right foot and the sharp eyes of a couple of student-managers. Peerman crunched for 186 yards and a 6.2-per-carry average. Gould nailed five field goals in five tries, a 51-yarder among them.

The managers? They kept Gould from going 4 for 5.

You'd like to think the ACC could locate two officials to plant under the goal posts who can tell a made field goal from a miss. Uh-uh. What the ACC hired was a couple of Mister Magoos who judged Gould's 48-yarder in the third quarter no good. Whereupon a couple of U.Va. managers camped in the end zone to retrieve the ball relayed word to the bench that the kick had indeed crossed the bar.

Groh challenged the call, got a reversal and a 19-7 lead. Then he ordered pizza for the managers and counted his blessings.

Not everything went U.Va.'s way. It punctured UNC's 20 on five occasions and extracted only one touchdown. Its secondary showed evidence it hasn't heard the words "slant" and "pattern" in the same sentence. It let dominance and a 16-zip lead slip away because it couldn't convert opportunity into six points or get a handle on UNC wideouts Hakeem Nicks and Brandon Tate.

The field tilted enough to put the Cavs in jeopardy after 16-love. That's where Long and Collins came in. First, at 19-14 and with the Tar Heels at U.Va.'s 41 and moving, Long rushed T.J. Yates on second down, leaped and put his hands up -- and snared the ball.

"I was just trying to knock it down," Long said. "I intercepted the pass and I was like, 'Oh, I have the ball.' I understood the situation I was in -- don't do anything too crazy."

Instead, he did something terrific, rumbling 25 yards to set up Gould for a field goal and 22-14. UNC then closed within two and might've forced overtime but for Collins, who pushed up the middle and batted aside Yates' pass with his right hand. Long called ball-strikes-flesh "a great sound." Collins called it one to grow on.

"We're ready to roll," he said.

His coach can only hope he's right.

 

U.VA. NOTES
Sunday, Sep 16, 2007 - 12:07 AM

Long has big day after hearing brother OK
Virginia defensive end Chris Long has two brothers. Howie Jr. is a junior at St. Anne's-Belfield in Charlottesville, and Kyle is a senior there.

Howie Jr. was at Kenan Stadium yesterday on an official visit with North Carolina's lacrosse team. Kyle was back home after suffering a frightening injury Friday night in STAB's football game against Liberty Christian Academy.

Kyle, a 6-7, 280-pound lineman, was hurt making a tackle, and the game was stopped for about 30 minutes while he was treated. He was taken by ambulance to a Charlottesville hospital. Chris Long discovered that when he called his mother Friday night. Kyle later was released and walked out of the hospital.

"Everything's fine," Chris Long said yesterday.

"It was in my mind until I heard everything was good," Long said. "About 11:30 [Friday night], I heard everything was good and talked to him. It was very important for me to hear that."

In Virginia's 22-20 win over UNC yesterday, the 6-4, 279-pound senior had four tackles, including his fifth sack of the season. He also had his first career interception, two quarters after nearly picking off another T.J. Yates pass.

"Every week there's something with Chris," Cavaliers coach Al Groh said. "That obviously was an All-American-type play. That would be a great play if it was made by a linebacker."

Heels redshirt freshman draws rave reviews
Yates, a redshirt freshman, is the first quarterback in UNC history to throw more than six touchdown passes in the first three games of a season. After a slow start yesterday, he finished 25 of 38 for 339 yards and three TDs. He's thrown nine TD passes this year.

"I said to somebody in the locker room, he's the best quarterback we've played in a while," Long said.

UNC's receivers look special, too. Between them, Brooks Foster and Hakeem Nicks caught 14 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns yesterday, and Brandon Tate added 32 yards on two receptions.

"They're big and they're fast," Groh said.

U.Va. sacked Yates twice on Carolina's second series but didn't bring him down again.

"He gets the ball out of his hands in a hurry," Groh said.

Yates' stats wouldn't have been so impressive had Virginia safeties -- first Jamaal Jackson and later Brandon Woods -- twice not dropped apparent interceptions.

True freshman Detrick makes presence felt
Jared Detrick, a linebacker from Newport News, yesterday became the fifth true freshman to play for U.Va. this season, and he made his presence felt immediately, tackling Tate, one of the nation's top return men.

In the fourth quarter, Detrick drilled return man Greg Little, who went backward and was swarmed over by two other Cavs.

Three redshirt freshmen made their U.Va. debuts yesterday: safety Rico Bell, linebacker John Bivens (Prince George High) and offensive guard B.J. Cabbell. Each played solely on special teams.

Another record day for Va. back Peerman
Junior tailback Cedric Peerman became the first Cavalier since Alvin Pearman to top the 100-yard mark in rushing in consecutive games. In 2004, Pearman ran for 223 yards against Duke, 170 vs. Maryland and 106 against Miami .

Peerman, who rushed for 137 last weekend against Duke, set another career high yesterday with 186. That's the most by a Virginia player since Pearman's tour de force against Duke in'04.

"He's big and he's strong," UNC coach Butch Davis said of Peerman. "He moves the pile." -- Jeff White

 

Cavs toe way to 2-0 in ACC
Chris Gould kicks five field goals, and the UVa defense holds off UNC.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Virginia senior Chris Gould tied a school record with five field goals Saturday -- and the Cavaliers needed every one of them.

Especially the one that was originally waved no-good.

After being told by managers that an officials' call was in error, UVa coach Al Groh used his one allowable challenge and ensuing reversal proved critical in a 22-20 Cavaliers' victory at North Carolina.

"Is that the first time that's ever happened?" UVa co-captain Chris Long asked.

Could be.

"In the two years that we've had replay, I haven't heard of it happening," said Doug Rhoads, first-year supervisor of ACC football officials. "I haven't seen it on any of the summaries from other conferences."

The challenge came on Gould's fourth field goal, a 48-yarder with 6:49 remaining in the third quarter, but it put the Cavaliers on top 19-7 in a game they had dominated.

At the time, it seemed inconsequential.

Carolina (1-2, 0-1 ACC) came roaring back behind redshirt freshman quarterback T.J. Yates, who completed 25-of-38 passes for 339 yards and three touchdowns.

The Tar Heels had a chance to send the game into overtime following Yates' 2-yard touchdown pass to Richard Quinn with 1:57 remaining, but UVa nose tackle Nate Collins knocked down Yates' attempted two-point pass.

Carolina had needed only eight plays and 1:33 seconds to drive 85 yards for its final touchdowns. The longest of UNC's three touchdown drives, all 70 yards or longer, took only 2:12.

"It's like I told the guys when we went out there for the last time: 'They've [the Tar Heels] got to make a series of big plays and then they've got to make another big play,'" Long said. "They did the first part but not the second."

UVa (2-1, 2-0) ended up with a rare road victory. The Cavaliers had lost 10 of their previous 11 road games, and they had dropped 18 straight games as a road underdog.

Carolina was a three-point favorite Saturday.

For the second week in a row, Virginia got off to a fast start, producing a 12-play, 68-yard touchdown drive on its first offensive series. It was the Cavaliers' first touchdown in its last four road games and remains so.

Junior tailback Cedric Peerman set the tone for the afternoon when he accounted for 63 yards -- 32 running, 31 receiving -- on the first drive.

He finished with 223 all-purpose yards, including 186 yards on a career-high 30 rushing attempts.

Peerman's most important run of the day might have been his last one, a 3-yarder on third-and-3 that enabled the Cavaliers to run out the clock after Carolina's final TD.

It's anybody's guess how much time remained on the clock, because there was a lightning strike at Kenan Stadium on Friday night that rendered the main scoreboard non-functional.

Smaller scoreboards operated intermittently until all clocks stopped working with 3:35 left and officials were forced to keep the time on the field.

There was 1:37 left when Carolina took its final timeout, which preceded Peerman's third-down run. It was not readily apparent that Peerman had picked up the yardage; on top of that, UVa offensive tackle Eugene Monroe was called for a personal foul after the play.

Because the penalty came after the play, the officials first had to determine if Peerman had picked up the first down. If he hadn't, Virginia would have been dropping back to punt from its 32.

Until that point, Virginia's special teams had been close to perfect, and Groh wanted to keep it that way.

"Chris Gould was terrific for us and kudos to Danny Aiken," said Groh, singling out UVa's freshman snapper from Cave Spring High School, who had struggled one week earlier.

Virginia's defense was terrific early, but once the Tar Heels abandoned the run, UVa had few answers.

Carolina got some much needed momentum before the half when Yates threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Hakeem Nicks with 22 seconds left. Two plays before that, UVa safety Jamaal Jackson had dropped a room-service interception in the end zone.

Another UVa safety, sophomore Brandon Woods, could have ended the suspense if he had corralled a wayward Yates pass on Carolina's last possession, but the ball went through his hands.

Virginia also was penalized 10 times for 85 yards, one reason the Cavaliers had to kick field goals on drives that reached the Tar Heels' 11-, 9- and 8-yard lines.

"We left a lot of points on the field," said Groh, who had virtually the same observation after a 24-13 victory over Duke one week earlier.

Two years earlier, the Cavaliers had come to Kenan Stadium and dropped a two-point affair, 7-5, that included a rare miss by the most illustrious field-goal kicker in the program's history, Connor Hughes.

Gould hasn't found it easy to fill Hughes' shoes, but his performance Saturday was one that kickers live for.

"I've probably dreamed of this 1,000 times," said Gould, whose first-quarter 51-yarder was a career long, "and probably 100 of those were [Friday] night."
 

UVa's Long learns brother OK
By Doug Doughty
981-3129

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- It was Virginia's good fortune that senior defensive end Chris Long was able to approach Saturday's game at North Carolina with a clear head.

Long had a few anxious moments after hearing that his younger brother, Kyle, had been injured Friday night in Charlottesville, Va.

Kyle Long was immobilized and taken from the field in an ambulance after he suffered a neck injury in a football game between St. Anne's-Belfield and visiting Lynchburg Christian.

"I called my mom and I could tell right away that she didn't sound right," said Chris Long, who was at UVa's team hotel Friday night. "It was in my mind till I heard everything was good around 11:30 [p.m. Friday]."

Long said he spoke with his brother Friday night and again on several occasions Saturday morning.

By then, doctors had determined that Kyle Long had suffered a stinger, which is similar to a pinched nerve.

Chris Long recorded his fifth sack of the season on North Carolina's second series and also had his first career interception in the Cavaliers' 22-20 victory.

"I intercepted the pass and I was like, 'Wow, I've got the ball,' " said Long, whose 25-yard return took the Cavaliers to the UNC 30.

"I just wanted to make sure I didn't fumble it.

"Credit the quarterback [T.J. Yates] for bringing me down. I think I can run, but running with the ball is a little different."

Long said his only other interception came when he was at a freshman at St. Anne's-Belfield, which was playing at North Cross.

Since coming to UVa, Long has never had more than four sacks in a season until this year.

Good call

Nate Collins, whose goal-line deflection ended North Carolina's late two-point attempt, normally shares time with Allen Billyk and said he wasn't sure he was supposed to be in the game.

UVa was in its goal-line defense on Carolina's previous play, a 2-yard touchdown pass from Yates to tight end Richard Quinn, which meant that both nose tackles were in the game.

However, the Cavaliers went to their third-down defense on the ensuing two-point play, which meant that either Collins or Billyk had to come out of the game.

"I asked [Billyk], 'Who's in?' " Collins said. "He told me, 'You can stay in.' I think he could tell I wanted to be out there."

The quarterbacks

Sophomore Jameel Sewell made his 12th straight start for the Cavaliers, although true freshman Peter Lalich saw action for the third game in a row. In fact, Lalich said he had been told he would re-enter the game if North Carolina had forced an overtime period.

Lalich completed his first five passes and finished 7-for-10, but he twice bumped into tailback Cedric Peerman on apparent busted plays. Sewell was 11-of-17 for 96 yards but was sacked four times and took a critical delay call.

"We were a little streaky [at quarterback] today," Groh said. "The numbers were pretty good, but we need to get this huddle operation speeded up. It's never been an issue around here before. It's become one."

Odds 'n' ends

With five field goals, Chris Gould tied a school record previously shared by Rafael Garcia (against Virginia Tech, 1994) and Connor Hughes (Georgia Tech, 2003). ... Two of Gould's kickoffs were not returned, his first touchbacks this season after he had 21 in 2006, before the placement was moved from the 35-yard line to the 30. ... Outside linebacker Jared Detrick became the fifth true freshman to play for UVa this season. ... Yates' 339 passing yards was the most by a Carolina quarterback in the 112-year history of the UNC-UVa rivalry, longest in the South. ... Carolina, which outgained Virginia 399-350, once trailed 216-39 in that category.
 

Finally, the dog gets to take a bite
Aaron McFarling

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Paint it on Beta Bridge.

Shout it from the steps of the Rotunda. Hum it on your way to work on Monday.

The road dog finally bit.

Yes, the University of Virginia's road miseries are gone, swallowed up by Chris Long's dinosaur arms and Cedric Peerman's churning knees and the freckle-faced kid's big right foot.

Slain by the affable backup nose guard's timely reach toward the clouds, the head coach's once-in-a-millenium challenge of a field-goal ruling and a bunch of offensive linemen who won't get nearly the credit they deserve.

That last part is OK, because they are offensive linemen, and they are used to it.

But they are not used to this whole winning-from-a-suitcase thing. None of the Cavaliers are.

The road dog finally bit.

Sure, the victim was only North Carolina, a team that won three games last season. But the Tar Heels were favored by a field goal. And they were at home. And they were playing Virginia. And the past 18 times those three things have been true, the Cavaliers have limped home a loser.

Not this time. After surviving a late UNC push and posting a 22-20 victory, the players showered and dressed in their finest suits and ties, ready for one of the most satisfying 312-hour bus rides of their lives.

"Everything's easier after a win," said Long, sporting a dark pin-striped suit and a smile as wide as the lanes Peerman ran through. "Your whole week changes."

It was Long who snagged the huge interception early in the fourth quarter, the senior defensive tackle doing the kind of thing he always does. Like two bear paws fitted with Velcro, his hands unexpectedly did the work for him when he reached to bat down the pass from UNC quarterback T.J. Yates.

"Oh," Long remembers thinking, "I have the ball!"

But it was that kind of day. You're batting a ball -- and then you catch it. Your defense looks great -- and then it doesn't. You're battered and vulnerable -- and then you're saved. It was the kind of topsy-turvy game that had gone wrong for UVa so many times in the past, and it threatened to throw coach Al Groh right back on the recliner of fire. And then it didn't.

The road dog finally bit.

Groh said he's still not sure if there's some special formula for road victories, but if this game is any indication, a few dashes of wackiness belong in the recipe. Consider:

n Chris Gould tied a UVa record for field goals in a game (5), while Groh set a record for fewest uses of the word "circumstance" in his postgame press conference (2).

n A 48-yard field goal by Gould in the third quarter was initially ruled no good, but on the advice of support personnel near the end zone, Groh decided to challenge the ruling. Officials ruled that, yes, in fact, the ball had gone through the uprights. It's one of those calls you'd think you could get right the first time -- but whatever.

n The fourth quarter featured a very special 2-minute warning. None of the scoreboard clocks worked, and officials decided before the game to add this warning, as Groh put it, "so each side would have a representative idea of where the time was." Which, of course, is always preferable in a football game.

The steady force was provided by Peerman, who ran for a career-best 186 yards, and the offensive line that helped make it happen.

It was provided by the quarterback platoon of Jameel Sewell and Peter Lalich, neither of whom was spectacular, but neither of whom turned the ball over.

It was provided by Nate Collins, whose enormous deflection on the UNC's two-point conversion attempt probably spared UVa overtime.

That play was the one that did it. On the sidelines, Lalich -- the freshman who'd had been told he'd come back in if the game were tied -- breathed easier. Gould bowed his head contentedly, knowing that he probably could have hit another field goal but was glad he wouldn't have to try. Peerman put on his helmet and readied himself to get the last first down the Cavs would need.

And everyone else? They jumped and shouted and hugged and watched the waves of Carolina blue silently file out of Kenan Stadium.

Yes, the road dog finally bit.

And man, had it been hungry.
 

A wild and wacky Cavs win over Tar Heels
By ED MILLER, The Virginian-Pilot
© September 16, 2007
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

As formulas go, the one Virginia used to escape with a 22-20 win at North Carolina Saturday is not one the Cavaliers are going to be able to bottle and use again anytime soon.

It took a batted-down pass by the shortest member of Virginia's defensive front to finally turn back the Tar Heels, who had moved 85 yards in 90 seconds to come within a two-point conversion of tying the game.

It took what might have been the longest field goal in college football history. Not by distance - the kick was a mere 48 yards - but by time elapsed from when the ball looped over the crossbar until officials raised their arms to signal it good.

And, on a day when Virginia's safeties dropped a pair of room-service interceptions, it took 280-pound defensive end Chris Long to finally hold onto one, rumble 25 yards with it, and set up what proved to be the winning field goal.

If this is what it takes to win on the road, little wonder Virginia has often failed to do so over the last three seasons.

"It's not the formula," Long said. "But sometimes you make mistakes and it makes a win all the more gratifying and you realize you really have to stick it out as a team."

Stick it out the Cavaliers did, enabling them to leave Kenan Stadium atop the ACC's Coastal Division standings with a 2-0 record, heading into a Saturday meeting with Georgia Tech.

That game suddenly looks interesting, after a win that gave a whole new outlook to a team that began the season with an embarrassing 23-3 loss at Wyoming.

"Our team is getting better," coach Al Groh said. "It's gaining more confidence. We've got bigger challenges coming up in front of us, but this ought to give us a little bit of a boost for those."

A handful of timely plays gave Virginia just enough of a boost Saturday. One of the biggest came with 1:57 left, when 6-foot-2, 280-pound nose tackle Nate Collins leaped and deflected a T.J. Yates pass on a two-point conversion attempt.

Yates and his big, fast receivers had slant-routed Virginia up and down the field on the way to 339 passing yards. A redshirt freshman, Yates either threw before Virginia was able to get to him, or rolled out of the pocket and fired strikes on the run.

"We knew he didn't like to get hit," Collins said. "So we just tried to push back hard and get our hands up."

Long said he didn't see Collins deflect Yates' final pass. He heard it, though.

"Such a great sound," he said.

By then, Long might not have been sure which of his senses he could trust. Like everyone else on the Virginia sideline, he thought he saw a 48-yard field goal attempt by Chris Gould drop over the crossbar early in the second half. Officials signaled that the kick was no good, however.

Long figured his eyes must have deceived him. Gould said the kick didn't feel short, though, and after a pair of team managers who had been behind the goal post to retrieve the ball ran back to the sideline yelling "It was good! It was good!" he went and found Groh.

The coach challenged the play. Several minutes later, the kick was ruled good.

It was 1 of 5 Gould field goals, tying a school record. Most were set up by the hard running of tailback Cedric Peerman, who rushed for 186 yards behind a dominating offensive line.

It looked as if settling for so many field goals was going to ultimately be Virginia's undoing.

"We left a lot of points on the field," Groh said. "You've got to finish those drives, particularly on the road."

On most days, yes. On Saturday, though, the usual formulas didn't apply.

 

U. Va's Long snapper earns kudos for error-free day
By ED MILLER , The Virginian-Pilot
© September 16, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. | Virginia found the solution to its long-snapping problems Saturday.

Don't punt.

That was the early fix, anyway. The Cavaliers scored on their first four possessions. Punter Ryan Weigand didn't step on the field until late in the second quarter.

Freshman Danny Aiken's snap was right down the middle, a welcome sight for Virginia after last week, when he sailed two snaps over Weigand's head.

Aiken's other two punt snaps were on the mark as well, as were his six snaps to placekicker Chris Gould, five on field goals and one on an extra point.

"Kudos to Danny Aiken today," coach Al Groh said. "Sometimes to come back from something as public as he had last week, that can often be the catalyst in the making of a player."


Peerman saves best of his 186 yards for last

Speaking of the making of players, tailback Cedric Peerman followed a career-high 137-yard performance against Duke last week by going nearly 50 yards better, piling up 186 yards against the Tar Heels.

Peerman's most important run might have been his last, when he gained 3 yards on third-and-3 with 90 seconds left, enabling Virginia to run out the clock.

Most of Peerman's yards came between the tackles. He bounced off would-be tacklers all afternoon.

He also moved untouched through some gaping holes.

"We've been long awaiting the development of this offensive line," Groh said. "They went though their trial by apprenticeship last year.... Today, you can really say we won the game with them."

First pick of career highlights Long's day

Defensive end Chris Long batted down a pass on the game's first series, and picked up his fifth sack of the season on North Carolina's second possession.

The highlight of Long's afternoon, though, came when he hauled in a T.J. Yates pass at the line of scrimmage and ran 25 yards with it for his first career interception.

"I was like, 'Oh, I have the ball,' "Long said. "The last thing I wanted to do was fumble it back, so I tucked it away."

"Every week, there's something with Chris," Groh said. "That obviously is an All-American-type play."

Virginia deflected two other passes, including the game-clincher by Nate Collins on a two-point conversion attempt with 1:57 left. Safety Brandon Woods could have prevented the Tar Heels from scoring on the drive, but a pass bounced off his hands. Safety Jamaal Jackson also dropped what seemed like a sure pick in the end zone late in the first half.

"Had we made the interceptions we got our hands on, we had a chance to end the game," Groh said.

 

Eagle-eyed U.Va. managers rate game balls in rare road win

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

ANY ROAD victory by Al Groh's team should be met with the same sense of astonishment as a 48-yard field goal attempt that is ruled no good on the field, only to be reversed after officials review the TV replay.

That was the strangest twist to an entertaining, if uneven, Saturday afternoon of college football.

Nobody could remember a field goal call being changed, at least not quite like that. And considering that Virginia barely escaped North Carolina's Kenan Stadium, 22-20, Chris Gould's third-quarter kick - 1 of 5 field goals from him on the day - was tantamount to a game winner.

Credit a couple of unnamed U.Va. team managers for keeping the officials honest. Assigned to retrieving loose balls, they were down near the goal posts when Gould's kick barely sneaked over the crossbar, just inside the left upright.

"When I came to the sidelines," Gould explained, "I said to (special teams coordinator) Bob Diaco, 'I felt I hit that one hard enough.' Then two managers came running up. They said, 'It's good, it's good.' "

This would turn out to be a Gould-en moment in an afternoon of clutch opportunism for the Cavaliers.

"We told coach Groh to challenge it," Gould said, "and he did."

"Fortunately, we do have replay," Groh said. "And if I said that I've never seen something like that before, certainly there are a lot of members in that club."

With Virginia's penchant for coming up very small away from Charlottesville, the Cavaliers didn't need officials adding to their problems; U.Va.'s victory equals its total of road wins each of the last two seasons - one.

Maybe they aren't road warriors just yet, but the Cavaliers fought hard to overcome the Tar Heels and their own obvious shortcomings.

North Carolina's defense, especially against the run, is as soft as a James Taylor ballad. U.Va. tailback Cedric Peerman took advantage. He ran with power and persistence. But despite his 186 yards, Groh acknowledged that U.Va. "left a lot of points on the field."

Gould would not have tied the school record held by Rafael Garcia for most field goals in a game if U.Va. hadn't so often slipped into reverse after moving deep into Carolina territory. The trouble is at quarterback. In Jameel Sewell and Peter Lalich, who once again shared time, U.Va. has two young players still in need of training wheels.

U.Va.'s offense wasn't the only thing that malfunctioned. The night before the game, a lightning strike at Kenan Stadium scrambled the official game clocks, knocking them out for portions of play.

That just added to the funky, slightly off-kilter nature of a game in which U.Va. almost blew a 16-0 lead, holding on to victory when nose tackle Nate Collins knocked down a T.J. Yates pass as Carolina went for a late-game two-point conversion.

"We had to make a play at the end," Groh said. "We made a play."

Defensive end Chris Long also made a play that reversed Tar Heel momentum. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, with the Cavaliers' secondary at the mercy of Yates' passing, Long leaped up and snatched a pass out of the air near midfield, returning the interception 25 yards. It was a remarkable athletic play by Howie's son.

Once again, though, U.Va.'s attack bogged down. Again Gould came to the rescue.

If its offense doesn't improve, Virginia may not survive another game away from home. Under the circumstances, and judging from Groh's dubious road record, you'd have to characterize this victory as unexpected.

At Kenan Stadium, lightning struck twice.

 

Cavaliers survive, win
By Melinda Waldrop | Daily Press
6:36 PM EDT, September 15, 2007
 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - For a guy who wasn't sure he was supposed to be in the game, Nate Collins did a good job of saving it.

Collins, Virginia's sophomore nose tackle, knocked down a 2-point conversion attempt with 1:57 left to preserve the Cavaliers' 22-20 victory at North Carolina on Saturday. The deflection gave U.Va. its first road victory since Sept. 30, 2006 and its first 2-0 start in the ACC since 2004.

"That's such a great sound," Cavalier senior defensive end Chris Long said. "That was unbelievable."

The game came down to Collins' big right hand after the Tar Heels moved 85 yards in 1:33 to pull within two points on T.J. Yates' 2-yard touchdown toss to Richard Quinn. On that defensive series, Collins and fellow nose tackle Allen Billyk were following their usual substitution rotation.

"It got to the end of game and things got hectic, and we were kind of looking at each other, wondering whose play it was next to stay in," Collins said. "Al kind of motioned to me, like, 'You get the play, you get to stay in.' "

Collins, who tied for third among U.Va. players last season with five quarterback pressures, sniffed out the pass play from his rushing lane.

"I just got my hands up quick," said Collins, a jack-of-all-trades at King & Low-Heywood Thomas High School in Port Chester, N.Y., where he played defensive end and tackle, linebacker, fullback, tailback, tight end, wide receiver and a little quarterback. "I knew I got a good enough piece of the ball that it wasn't gonna travel any further behind me, so I just got excited after that."

Collins' play at last stopped Yates, who threw for 240 of his 339 yards in the second half.

"We can't let that guy get out of the pocket," said Long, who sacked Yates once and came up with a key fourth-quarter interception that interrupted a UNC drive. "We just wanted to get our hands up and make it tough for him."

Virginia (2-1, 2-0 ACC) did that in the first half, jumping out to a 16-0 lead and at one point holding a 216-39 yardage advantage. Tailback Cedric Peerman gained 98 of his career-best 186 yards in the first half as the Cavaliers scored on their first four possessions, including a career-long 51-yard field goal from Chris Gould.

Gould tied a school record with five field goals and had a kick ruled no good on the field overturned after review.

"I've played this moment thousands of times in my head, maybe even hundreds just last night," said Gould, who kicked a career-best 51-yarder in the first quarter. "As a kicker you come in prepared to make all the field goals a team needs, and it just feels really good to go out there and perform."

But UNC (1-2, 0-1 ACC) put together a 72-yard, 11-play touchdown drive to end the first half, then closed within 19-14 on Yates' 53-yard TD pass to Hakeem Nicks with 4:37 to play in the third quarter.

"We really should have won this one. We just beat ourselves," said Nicks, one of two Heels receivers with more than 100 yards. " ... Virginia played very hard, but we had some mental mistakes that we need to fix in practice this week."

One of the biggest came after Gould's fifth field goal, when Zack Pianalto fumbled the ball back to Virginia with seven minutes left in the game. But the Heels got another chance after a U.Va. punt with 3:30 to play.

The rest of the game unfolded without a visible clock after lightning from Friday night's thunderstorms damaged the electrical equipment at Kenan Stadium. The fourth quarter also included a two-minute warning so each team could estimate how much time remained.

Yates and the Heels didn't take long to make Virginia worry. Yates completed passes of 7, 21, 16, 16 and 23 yards on the Heels' final drive before hooking up with Quinn in the end zone as the Heels finished with 399 yards to U.Va.'s 350.

But before UNC's 2-point try, the Cavs' defensive leaders, including Long, Jeffrey Fitzgerald and Clint Sintim, had the final word.

"(They) were like, 'Guys, we need to dig. We need someone to make a play,' " Collins said. " 'It's not over. They're not gonna make this. We just need someone to step up and make a play,' and that's what ended up happening."

 

With brother OK, Long wreaks havoc on Heels
David Teel
6:17 PM EDT, September 15, 2007
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

The phone call was supposed to be routine. Big brother calling his mom to check on little brother's high school football game.

But as soon as Chris Long heard his mother's voice, he knew something was wrong. Sure enough, Diane Long was at the University of Virginia Medical Center waiting for emergency personnel to examine her middle son, Kyle.

Long story short: Kyle is fine and walked out of the hospital late Friday night after a few anxious hours.

Thanks in large part to Chris, U.Va.'s football team survived several harrowing hours itself Saturday afternoon, escaping North Carolina with a rare 22-20 road victory attained in positively bizarre fashion.

That Long turned this contest should surprise no one. This senior defensive end is the Cavaliers' best player in years and could well become the seventh consensus first-team All-American in program history.

That Long's dynamic moment was an interception surprised even him. His last pick was during his days at St. Anne's-Belfield, the Charlottesville private high school he attended.

But on the third play of the fourth quarter, with the Tar Heels driving and the Cavaliers nursing a 19-14 lead, Long raised his hands and got off his feet. T.J. Yates' pass, rifled from just a few feet away, struck Long in the right wrist and somehow settled into his arms instead of deflecting away.

Don't fumble it back and don't try anything too crazy, Long thought. No worries. Long rumbled 25 yards to North Carolina's 30 to set up what became Chris Gould's fifth and decisive field goal.

"Every week there's something with Chris," Virginia coach Al Groh marveled. "Obviously it's an All-American type play."

Kyle Long might have similar potential, and he, too, attends St. Anne's-Belfield. But he excels in baseball also and has accepted a scholarship offer from Florida State.

Early in the fourth quarter of the St. Anne's football game Friday against Liberty Christian, Kyle crumbled after an apparent blow to the neck. The contest was delayed 30 minutes as trainers secured Kyle and an ambulance ferried him to the hospital.

Not to overdramatize, but neck issues give us all pause, especially after the injury Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett sustained last Sunday.

When Chris checked his cell phone Friday night at Virginia's North Carolina hotel, he noticed his battery was dead. So he headed up his room, called his mom and learned of Kyle's situation.

"Mainly, you just start panicking," Chris said.

It was 10 p.m. Ninety minutes later, Chris got a call back -- Kyle was good to go and able to move all extremities normally.

Better yet, the brothers spoke over the phone. They are beyond close, and Kyle often is visible at Virginia football practices and functions.

His mind clear, Chris played fervently against the North Carolina. He batted down a Yates pass on the Tar Heels' first possession, sacked him for a 6-yard loss on their second and nearly picked off a pass in the second quarter after a deflection by linebacker Antonio Appleby.

"Chris Long is as good a pass-rusher as probably is playing in college football today," North Carolina coach Butch Davis said.

Long's defense, tailback's Cedric Peerman's 186 yards rushing, and alert student-managers allowed the Cavaliers (2-1, 2-0 ACC) to survive two dropped interceptions, 10 penalties, skittish quarterback play and poor pass coverage (Yates threw for 339 yards in rallying the Tar Heels from a 16-0 deficit) against an eminently flawed opponent (half of North Carolina's 84 scholarship players are freshmen or redshirt freshmen).

Yes, student-managers. When officials called Gould's 48-yard attempt no good midway through the third quarter, the managers raced from the end zone to tell the coaching staff the kick was good. Groh used his one allotted challenge, and the video replay showed the managers correct.

Overturning a field-goal ruling? Unheard of.

The victory breaks Virginia's 18-game losing streak as a road underdog, dating to a win at Clemson in 2001, and cools the heat on Groh, at least until Virginia encounters defending Coastal Division champion Georgia Tech on Saturday in Charlottesville. Yellow Jackets tailback Tashard Choice and a defense coordinated by Virginia graduate Jon Tenuta will be a marked upgrade from the Tar Heels.

Long knows this, but preferred to stay in the present.

"Sometimes," he said, "you make mistakes and it makes the win all the more gratifying."


 

Kick is good
By Melinda Waldrop | Daily Press
6:38 PM EDT, September 15, 2007 

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - It was already shaping up to be a memorable day for U.Va. senior kicker Chris Gould, who tied a school record with five field goals on Saturday, including a career-long 51-yarder.

Then came kick No. 4, a 48-yard attempt with 6:49 to play in the third quarter.

Officials originally ruled that the kick, which looked a little low and wide, was no good. That would have given the ball back to North Carolina, which had the momentum after scoring a touchdown just before halftime.

Not so fast.

"We had people on the sideline who were insisting that the kick was good," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "They brought it to my attention, and they were very adamant about it."

Groh used the one challenge teams are allowed per game to get the kick reviewed.

"At first, when I kicked it and I looked up, I thought I saw it go over the bar, but then they said no good," said Groh, whose 32-yard field goal with 8:56 to play ended up being the difference in the game. "I said to Coach Groh, 'I don't feel like I hit that one short.' Then right as I said that, two managers who go down to retrieve the balls after a kick came back and said 'It was good, it was good.' "

Upon further review, the officials agreed.

"If I said that I'd never seen that before, I'm sure there are a lot of members of that club," Groh said.

QB CAROUSEL

The Cavaliers continued their two-quarterback rotation, although sophomore Jameel Sewell saw the bulk of the action. Sewell was 11-of-17 for 96 yards, with a long completion of 25 yards on a screen pass to Cedric Peerman. True freshman Peter Lalich was 7-of-10 for 57 yards, with a long completion of 15 yards.

Though Sewell was on the field for the majority of the 11 third downs U.Va. converted in 20 tries, he was also sacked four times.

"We were a little streaky there today, more so than we were last week," Groh said. "Our numbers are pretty good, but we had some issues. ... But they did what quarterbacks have to do. They brought their team home a winner."

IMMEDIATE IMPACT

Freshman Jared Detrick, a product of Woodside High, was on the field for the opening kickoff and wrapped up dangerous returner Brandon Tate on the return. Fellow freshman Ras-I Dowling of Deep Creek also contributed solidly on special teams, making two tackles.

"Those are two young players who've got great ability," Groh said. "They can run. They know how to work on things. They've got toughness. They both give a lift to our special teams."

THE SECRET

The Cavs are now 11-24 on the road under Groh. So does the coach have winning away from home figured out? "Yeah," Groh said. "Get more points than the other guys."

 

UNC turnovers, UVa field goals too much for Heels
By NOLAN HAYES : The Herald-Sun
nhayes@heraldsun.com; 419-6670
Sep 16, 2007 : 12:52 am ET

CHAPEL HILL -- Butch Davis has expressed for weeks his belief that the North Carolina football team would play several close games this season.

Prophetic as UNC's head coach has been, even he couldn't have guessed how thin the margin would be Saturday.

Chris Gould tied a school record with five field goals -- including one that was ruled no good by officials on the field and then overturned during a replay challenge -- to lift Virginia past UNC 22-20 in front of 58,000 fans at Kenan Stadium.

"I told the team this before the season that there would be an awful lot of games that would come down to a very, very small margin of whether or not you had a chance to win or whether or not you were going to lose the football game," Davis said. "More times than not, it's not the number of great plays you make. It's the number of poor plays you make."

For the second week in a row, UNC (1-2, 0-1 ACC) made just enough poor plays to lose. Redshirt freshman quarterback T.J. Yates threw three touchdown passes for the third consecutive game, but the Tar Heels committed three turnovers and forced none as they dropped their ACC opener for the seventh year in a row.

Senior defensive end Chris Long picked up a sack and interception to lead Virginia's defense, and junior tailback Cedric Peerman rushed 30 times for 186 yards and a touchdown to spark the Cavaliers' offense. Virginia (2-1, 2-0) scored on all five of its trips inside the 20-yard line against the Tar Heels, who lost at East Carolina 34-31 on a last-second field goal in their previous game.

On Saturday, the crucial field goal came in the third quarter.

With his team looking to build on its 16-7 halftime lead, Gould lined up a 48-yard field goal on the first possession of the second half. Back judge Virgil Valdez ducked and turned away just as the ball neared the goalpost in the east end zone, and he and another official signaled that the kick was no good.

Was the kick short? Was it wide left?

"Both," one reporter in the press box said.

The correct answer was neither. Virginia coach Al Groh challenged the call -- he received encouragement to do so from assistant coaches upstairs and his players on the field -- and the call was reversed. TV replays conclusively showed the ball clearing the crossbar inside the left upright, so the Cavaliers had the 19-7 lead they deserved.

Some Tar Heels wouldn't discuss their reversal of fortune afterward -- "No comment on that," senior defensive tackle Kentwan Balmer said -- but it was clear that UNC's players were annoyed at having the rug pulled out from under their feet.

"It was definitely a momentum changer for them, but we just had to keep our confidence up and play to the best of our ability and go out there and perform," sophomore wide receiver Hakeem Nicks said.

Nicks did his part. He caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Yates with 22 seconds left before halftime to cut into the Cavaliers' 16-0 lead, and he answered Gould's reversed field goal with a 53-yard catch and run for a score that cut the Cavaliers' lead to 19-14 with 4:37 left in the third quarter.

The Tar Heels didn't have the ball often -- Virginia maintained possession for 39:14 of the game's 60 minutes as it converted 11 of 20 third downs -- but they made the most of their second-half chances.

Yates threw for 240 of his 339 yards after halftime, completing 15 of 21 passes in the last two quarters. Nicks and junior Brooks Foster were the primary beneficiaries, totaling 113 yards and 139 yards, respectively, on seven catches apiece as they became the first UNC duo to surpass 100 yards receiving in the same game since 1997.

"It's pretty frustrating," Yates said. "We can't come out and turn it on in the second half. We've got to start from the get-go and get going from the first quarter. It really hurt us when we were trying to play catchup there at the end."

UNC nearly pulled off the comeback. After a 32-yard field goal by Gould gave the Cavaliers a 22-14 lead with 8:56 left, Yates had the Tar Heels on the move with two big completions to Foster. But a fumble by freshman H-back Zack Pianalto, who made a career-high five receptions for 43 yards, stopped UNC's drive inside the Virginia 40.

UNC got the ball back with 3:30 remaining -- the game clock wasn't functioning because it was struck by lightning Friday -- and Yates went to work again. The Tar Heels marched 85 yards on eight plays, the last of which was a 2-yard touchdown pass from Yates to sophomore tight end Richard Quinn.

With 1:57 left to play, the Tar Heels tried a two-point conversion to tie the game. They employed a bunch formation similar to the one they used in their successful two-point attempt against ECU, but defensive tackle Nate Collins batted down Yates' pass to Brandon Tate.

The Tar Heels needed a stop on defense to give their offense one more chance, but they couldn't get it. On a third-down play that typified the entire day, Peerman churned his way for a first down despite being met in front of the marker by UNC defenders.

The Cavaliers melted the rest of the clock, if not UNC's resolve.

"We're looking at the positives," said senior defensive end Hilee Taylor, who had a career-high three sacks. "Our whole motto this off-season was 'persevere.' I think we did a great job as far as coming out in the second half and upping the intensity, but we've got to have the intensity at a high level the whole time."

NOTES -- Yates' nine touchdown passes are a school-record for a UNC quarterback through three games of a season. Chris Keldorf set the previous mark of six in 1996. ... Junior wide receiver Maurice Covington, a former Southern High standout, led Virginia with four catches for 40 yards. Three of Covington's catches resulted in first downs, and two of them came on third down. ... UNC true freshman defensive lineman Tydreke Powell saw the first action of his college career. The Tar Heels have used 10 true freshmen so far this season.

 

Let's talk about the one that got away
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Sep 16, 2007 : 1:15 am ET

CHAPEL HILL -- Turn the ball over three times against a beatable Virginia football team and here's what you've got:

* Butch Davis talking about "what ifs."

* His quarterback, T.J. Yates, talking about how it hurts.

* Rams Club members and North Carolina students walking out of Kenan Stadium on Saturday shaking their heads and wondering if Virginia stars Chris Long and Cedric Peerman will be back next year.

Long, a senior, won't, and Peerman, a junior, should be.

The Virginia offense, despite a career-high 186 yards on 30 carries by the bullish and elusive-at-times Peerman, sputtered so much that Groh might want to review every play to figure out just why they couldn't find the end zone.

UNC's 22-20 loss to the Cavaliers was caused by those three UNC giveaways, including a dart by Yates right into the arms of Long with 14:03 left in the fourth quarter.

"That," Davis said emphatically as if a sledgehammer had just landed on his foot, "was a huge play."

Oh, was it ever.

"Long didn't really rush that much on the interception," Yates said. "It was just a heck of a play. He is a beast, he just jumped up and made the catch. That amazed me. We had some drives and just shot ourselves in the foot."

Never mind that the Heels' defense toughened, as it did most of the day, and forced a fifth and -- ugh! -- final field goal by Chris Gould, who couldn't miss even when the officials figured he did once -- a 48-yarder with 6:49 left in the third quarter. A replay of that proved the ball crawled -- or did it sail? -- over the upright. The officials got it right after the review, and the Cavs stretched their edge to 19-7.

"Fortunately, we do have replay," said Virginia's Al Groh, who must be wondering what was it going to take to give Gould a break.

"We had people on the sidelines insisting the field goal was good," Groh said. "They brought it to my attention, and they were very adamant about it. [Upstairs] had the same kind of angle, and people were adamant to us. I trust the opinion of the people, and they were that adamant about it. You got to believe and trust what they have to offer, so obviously that worked out greatly for us as three points were pretty important."

No kidding, Al.

The Tar Heels will not forget this one, but the same Tar Heels have only themselves to blame for this loss, one that could have been a win if those turnovers had not been so costly. Davis knows he has a team that's not talented enough to overcome three turnovers and win against nearly anyone.

UNC threw away some marvelous catches, and YACs -- that's yards after catches -- by wide receivers Hakeem Nicks and Brooks Foster. Nicks took a 53-yard Yates toss to the end zone and looked like Jerry Rice doing it, breaking through a bewildered Virginia secondary, twisting, turning, not to be denied.

"One of the best I've seen in 33 years of coaching," Davis said.

Probably was, too. Problem was that Nicks, who had seven receptions for 113 yards and two scores, and Foster, who had seven catches for 139 yards, had little help. While Yates was throwing for 339 yards and three scores, he also had that pick by Long, and there were those two fumbles lost.

The UNC running game, did you ask? Well, it managed 60 yards, all by Johnny White.

So much for a balanced offense.

Virginia is 2-1 but is average. UNC is 1-2 and will remain below average unless Davis finds more consistency from his offense and a way to make the time of possession not so lopsided. The Cavs had the ball 39:14 to UNC's 20:46. As Davis said, that's his defense on the field for a long, long time. Even if the Cavs were just settling for field goals, they were still settling for something.

Yet in the end, the Tar Heels had a two-point conversion try that would have tied it and sent the game into overtime.

"They made a great play, and [Brandon] Tate was open," Yates said. "I just didn't seem to find somebody. That 3-4 defense, I wasn't used to seeing that. I had to scramble out a lot, try to find the open man."

That wasn't Yates' only problem. The scoreboard clock at Kenan Stadium didn't work, so Davis, Groh and everybody in uniform had to play a guessing game as to how much time remained in each quarter.

"Not even knowing what the time was, it was kind of frustrating," Yates said.

UNC had scored 31 points in the first quarter of its games with James Madison and East Carolina but came up with a zero against the Cavaliers.

"You're not going to win trying to play catchup," Yates said. "We tried to get momentum in the second half. They were getting field goals, and we were ready to get out there and score. It was frustrating."

Davis said not many people figured his team would win this game. He was wrong. Many felt the Heels would win and made them favorites for those with bad habits. Davis will be able to safely say nobody will expect his team to win in the next two weeks, at South Florida and at Virginia Tech.

Other than that, where do these Heels go from here?

"These last two games, we could have won," Yates said. "We have to minimize mistakes. We could be 3-0. We have to get better and forget about this and come back from adversity."

One thing for certain when the stadium emptied was that this was a game the Tar Heels could have won but didn't.

 

Tar Heels fall short against Virginia
An unusual reversal of a field-goal call gives Virginia enough points to hold off the Heels
By Robbi Pickeral, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL - Back judge Virgil Valdez was looking the other way as Virginia kicker Chris Gould's 48-yard field goal barely cleared the crossbar.
Unfortunately for North Carolina, two Cavaliers football managers did not.

On a Saturday when the Tar Heels repeatedly made frustrating errors in a 22-20 loss to the Cavaliers, perhaps it was fitting that UNC's ultimate margin of defeat was determined by instant replay reversing an official's call on a Virginia field goal.

"I told the team this before the season started, that there are going to be an awful lot of games that come down to a very small margin of whether or not you have a chance to win the football game," said Carolina coach Butch Davis, whose Tar Heels had three turnovers, forced none, allowed Cavs tailback Cedric Peerman to run for a career-high 186 yards and spotted Virginia a 16-0 lead.

"More times than not, ... it's not the number of great plays you make, but the number of poor plays you make."

And how opponents take advantage.

After UNC struggled throughout most of the first half, quarterback T.J. Yates (25-for-38, three touchdowns) connected with wide receiver Hakeem Nicks on a 4-yard scoring pass with 22 seconds remaining. Connor Barth's extra point made it 16-7.

But Virginia (2-1, 2-0 ACC) stifled UNC's momentum when it opened the third quarter with a march downfield that culminated in a Gould field-goal attempt.

The boot, low and to the left, was ruled no good. Valdez -- one of two officials standing underneath the crossbar and responsible for the watching and ruling on the kick -- appeared on replay to duck and turn away as the ball approached.

While UNC fans were celebrating the apparent miss, the two Virginia managers who retrieved the ball, as well as Gould, insisted to assistant coaches that the kick was good. They convinced Cavs coach Al Groh to use a coach's challenge to review the kick, and the call on the field was reversed.

Virginia 19, Carolina 7.

"I guess they looked at it and said it was good," Davis said. "It's pretty much out of your hands once another team challenges it."

But not necessarily out of your mind.

"We were getting ready to go on offense -- it was a good momentum swing for us, having them miss that kick," Yates said. "That [the overrule] really killed our momentum."

UNC (1-2, 0-1 ACC) continued to fight back, however.

Yates found Nicks for their second touchdown hook-up, this time a 53-yarder with 4:37 left in the third quarter. Nicks dragged a Virginia defender the final five yards into the end zone, cutting UNC's deficit to 19-14 after Barth's extra point.

But early in the the fourth quarter, with the Heels driving in Cavaliers territory, All-America defensive end candidate Chris Long leaped up to intercept a Yates pass at the line of scrimmage.

"He didn't really rush that much on that play; he just jumped out of nowhere," Yates said.

After Gould kicked his fifth and final field goal, with 8:56 left in the game, UNC was again driving in Cavs territory when H-back Zack Pianalto fumbled while running with a catch and Virginia's Mike Parker recovered.

"I just turned upfield, and next thing I know, it's out. ... I think he just reached around the backside and hit it out before I tucked it away," Pianalto said. "It was a bad play on my part."

Still, UNC gave the sellout crowd a reason to stay when Yates hit tight Richard Quinn on a 2-yard scoring pass with 1:57 remaining. But the Heels' 2-point conversion attempt failed when Nate Collins batted down Yates' pass at the line of scrimmage.

UNC's offense never got the ball back, as Peerman ran for a game-sealing first down.

"He's big and he's strong; he moves the pile," said Davis, adding that UNC didn't tackle well for the second straight week.

Despite 339 passing yards from Yates and three sacks by defensive end Hilee Taylor, Carolina was left lamenting its errors.

"They're young, and they are going to make some mistakes," said Davis, who had hoped to open conference play with more success. "If they make mistakes and they're giving the best effort they can, then we are going to have to live with it until they grow up from more experience."

And Virginia? Well, it didn't make the mistake of not challenging an official's botched field-goal ruling.

"Obviously that worked out greatly for us," said Groh, whose offense had the ball almost twice as long as the Tar Heels. "Those three points were pretty important."

 

Virginia Notebook - Getting the job done
By Andy Bitter
abitter@newsadvance.com
September 16, 2007

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Jameel Sewell got the start. Peter Lalich got the call. Both got the win, and that's all that matters to head coach Al Groh.
Virginia's much-hyped two-quarterback rotation was good enough to put the Cavaliers over the top in a 22-20 win at North Carolina on Saturday. Sewell and Lalich combined to go an efficient 18-for-27 for 153 yards but had several problems getting plays off in time.

"We were a little streaky there today, more so than we were last week," Groh said. "Our numbers were pretty good, but we had some issues. We've got to get this huddle operation down."

Sewell started and led UVa to a touchdown and two field goals on his first three drives. He appeared to take a step forward in his passing, completing 11 of 17 passes for 96 yards.

"My confidence went up a little bit," said Sewell, who also ran 10 times for 31 yards.

Lalich replaced Sewell on Virginia's fourth drive and led the team to a field goal. Though he went 7-for-10 for 57 yards, he twice had a mix-up on handoffs that resulted in lost yardage.

Overall, Sewell was under center for seven of UVa's 10 drives. Lalich was in for the other three.

Gould standard

Kicker Chris Gould tied a school record with five field goals. Rafael Garcia kicked five against Virginia Tech in 1994 and Connor Hughes did the same versus Georgia Tech in 2003.

Gould booted a 51-yarder on his first attempt, eclipsing his previous career-long of 48, which came in the season opener at Pittsburgh last year. His other field goals were from 28, 37, 48 and 32 yards.

"I feel a lot more confident this year," said Gould, whose only miss in eight attempts this season was on a block. "The ball's not leaking right on me. Going from a three-step to a two-step (approach), I've been able to be pretty accurate but still keep some pretty good pop on the ball."

1.21 Gigawatts!

A lightning strike from Friday night caused UNC's scoreboard game clock to go haywire, cutting in and out. It went out in the final minutes, forcing the officiating crew to keep time themselves. There was even a two-minute warning that was agreed upon by both teams prior to the game just in case such a situation arose.

Other than that, there weren't many issues.

"As long as we could get the down and distance off the scoreboard, it was all right," Groh said.

Baby bro

Defensive end Chris Long called home last night to see how his two younger brothers' high school game had gone when he got the news that the second oldest Long brother, Kyle, a senior at St. Anne's-Belfield, had been hit awkwardly in the neck against LCA and was taken off the field in an ambulance.

Kyle, a Florida State baseball recruit, is fine. He went home from the hospital last night. Chris talked to him at 11:30 p.m. and it put his mind at ease.

"I had to hear that," said Long, who had four tackles, a sack and his first career interception on Saturday. "It was very important for me to hear that."

Extra points

Virginia was penalized 10 times for 85 yards. Two of those appeared to be illegal procedure penalties against freshman wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, who got an earful from Groh on the sideline. ? Senior outside linebacker Jermaine Dias (ankle) played after missing last week's game. He had four solo tackles and an assist. ? True freshman linebacker Jared Detrick played for the first time and made a tackle on the opening kickoff. He and fellow freshman Ras-I Dowling combined for three special teams tackles and helped keep UNC return extraordinaire Brandon Tate to 36 yards on two kick returns. ? Freshman Danny Aiken handled all of Virginia's long snapping duties despite three errant snaps last week. He had no issues Saturday. ? Redshirt freshman right guard B.J. Cabbell (Nelson County) got his first career action on the field goal unit.
 

Singh hopes to follow in Devvarman's path
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 16, 2007

Sanan Singh says people tend to laugh at him when he tells them that his favorite tennis player is Andy Roddick.

“[They] think it’s totally weird that I like him because he’s so big and strong, and I’m a little guy,” said the 5-foot-7, 135-pound Singh, “but I just like the way he plays.”

Singh doesn’t have a 140-mph serve like Roddick, but the Virginia freshman tries to use the same aggressive style. It’s a style that UVa coach Brian Boland has gotten a glimpse of this weekend in the Virginia Fall Invitational.

Singh, a highly touted recruit from India, has looked good in his first college matches. On Friday, he defeated Kazuya Komada of Western Michigan, 6-4, 6-1, before losing in the quarterfinals to Harvard’s Chris Clayton.

On Saturday, Singh teamed with Lee Singer to beat a Longwood pair, 8-3, and advance to the doubles semifinals.

Singh, like Virginia’s No. 1 singles player Somdev Devvarman, hails from India. The two have known each other from their years on the International Tennis Federation circuit. Devvarman was one of the main reasons why Singh, 19, decided to come to Virginia.

“I spoke to him a lot,” Singh said. “He told me it was great here and I believed him, and now I’ve seen it. Everyone’s just so nice.”

Singh and fellow freshman Michael Shabaz have Devvarman believing Virginia can improve on its run to the NCAA Tournament semifinals last season. Prior to coming to UVa, Singh climbed as high as No. 4 in singles on the ITF tour.

Recently, Singh lost to Devvarman, 6-4, 6-3, in a preseason fall tournament.

“[It] was a very competitive match,” Devvarman said. “The way [he’s] playing now, I feel like by the time [he] gets to his fourth year, he’ll be at a better level than I’m at right now.”

Singh got a relatively late start in tennis. He didn’t pick up a racket until he was 8.

“I had no intentions of playing,” Singh recalled. “It was just random. One day I was getting bored in the evening and my mom was just like, ‘Why don’t you try this?’”

Singh started hitting against a wall near his home. Soon he was practicing there every day. Singh didn’t get on a court for eight months because he couldn’t find anybody to play against.

Once he did, he was hooked.

“It felt like I had just done something great,” Singh said. “I still remember that feeling. I wanted to go every day after that.”

Boland recruited Singh for several months. Singh, however, had reservations about going to college. Eventually, with a little nudging from Devvarman, he realized it was his best move.

“It’s more secure because once you’re done, you have a degree,” Singh said, “and I can get way better in tennis, too, because college tennis is such good exposure.”

Getting to play against the No. 1 player in the country in Devvarman is also a huge plus, although Singh and Devvarman are polar opposites on the court.

“I hit the ball much flater than he does,” Singh said. “He is much more solid than I am. He won’t make any errors. I take more risks, which is something I need to work on.”

Boland says Singh is fun to watch.

“I think fans will see a completely different style than Somdev - from when he first came from India,” Boland said. “Somdev was much more of a defensive player. [Singh] is an extremely offensive player. He takes the ball early, comes in, finishes points and loves being at the net.”

Just like Roddick.

Aces

Play concludes today at the Snyder Tennis Center, beginning at 9 a.m. Devvarman, Treat Huey and Dominic Inglot will all play in the finals of their respective brackets. Admission is free.

 

St. John's looking to get on track
By Whitelaw Reid / wreid@dailyprogress.com | 978-7250
September 16, 2007

Heading into this season, the St. John’s men’s soccer team was ranked within the top 10 in most polls.

Five games in, the Red Storm have posted a 2-2-1 record and find themselves unranked.

But that doesn’t mean a whole lot according to Virginia coach George Gelnovatch.

“Last year, they got off to the exact same start and they ended up doing pretty well,” Gelnovatch said. “It’s still very early.”

Tonight, St. John’s will be looking to get off the snide against schools from the commonwealth. Last weekend, the Red Storm lost to Virginia Tech and tied VCU.

Meanwhile, ninth-ranked Virginia (3-1-0) is coming off a split of its Texas road trip. The Cavaliers were wretched in a 5-1 loss to SMU, but bounced back to beat Tulsa, 2-0.

“We came away from the weekend with some things we need to get better at,” said Gelnovatch, who has made a few lineup tweaks. “It was a reminder that if we don’t do some of the things we’ve been preaching, we’re going to lose.”

Gelnovatch, who has known St. John’s coach David Masur for several years, says the Cavaliers need to be ready.

“This is one of [his] typical teams,” Gelnovatch said. “They’re organized. They’re fit. They have enough good players to take anyone down.”