| UVa ends its shortage |
| Points stream in late for Cavs |
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By DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES |
CHARLOTTESVILLE - For years and years, when people mentioned a drought in connection with the Clemson-Virginia football series, they weren't talking about a water shortage. The Tigers liked it better the old way. The Cavaliers, who lost 29 consecutive games to Clemson between 1955-90, scored 16 fourth-quarter points Saturday and upset the Tigers for the second year in a row, 22-17. Under leaden skies that did not produce some much-needed rain, UVa (5-2, 3-1 ACC) ran its winning streak to five games despite being outgained for the fourth game in a row. "There's a big separation at this stage of the season between teams that are 5-2 and 4-3," UVa coach Al Groh said. "This really was a very significant [win]. The players really stepped up and certainly played our best half of football of the year." Clemson (3-3, 1-2) was dominant in the opening minutes, when the Tigers controlled the ball for almost 11 of the first 12 1/2 minutes and ran 30 offensive plays to the Cavaliers' three. "That's those 'other' numbers," said Groh, whose team has been overcoming huge differentials in time of possession. "The only thing was, I was looking up there, it was 10-6 [at the half] and I knew we were in the fight and playing the kind of game I felt we had to play." Actually, the Cavaliers had a 6-3 lead and the ball before Tigers defensive back Brian Mance made a lunging interception of a Matt Schaub pass that gave Clemson possession with 1:08 left in the half. On the next play, redshirt freshman tailback Tye Hill went 32 yards for a touchdown in a stunning turnaround that gave Clemson its first lead of the game. "I was angry and frustrated at myself," said Schaub, sporadically plagued by momentum-changing interceptions during his career, "but I knew there were 30 minutes left, we were only down four points and had the ball to start the second half." Neither team scored in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers had two sustained drives, the first ending in a missed 38-yard Kurt Smith field-goal attempt. On the second, penalties against Clemson for a personal foul and pass interference had the Cavaliers facing third-and-goal at the Tigers' 1 to end the quarter. After Alvin Pearman's run got the Cavaliers within inches of the goal line, Virginia faked the inside handoff and gave the ball to wide receiver Billy McMullen on an end-around. McMullen tripped over Schaub's foot and lost his footing but was able to stumble into the end zone. Virginia reached the Clemson 3 on its next possession but had to settle for Smith's third field goal for a tenuous 16-10 lead with 5:53 left. The Cavaliers and their Scott Stadium fans didn't have to hold their breath for long. On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, nose tackle Andrew Hoffman deflected Willie Simmons' pass, which was intercepted by reserve UVa linebacker Rich Bedesem. Bedesem, who had a team-high nine tackles after replacing injured Angelo Crowell, returned the ball to the Clemson 17. The Cavaliers made the most of their opportunity. On third-and-eight, Schaub threaded the ball between three Tigers defenders for a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller. Schaub, who entered the game as the Division I-A leader in completion percentage, completed 23 of 32 passes for 208 yards and also had some success with option runs. Simmons was 15-of-25 for 135 yards but had two late turnovers, including a fumble recovered by Muffin Curry with 3:35 remaining. "We wanted Willie to beat us with his arm, throwing passes that we were contesting," said UVa linebacker Merrill Robertson, who had lined up as a defensive end before he sacked Simmons and forced the final Clemson turnover. "He ran a couple of times but only because people were covered and he had to run. We tried to fake him out, act like we were playing man when we were really playing zone. We tried to rattle Willie a little bit and I think we did a good job." The Cavaliers had a momentary scare when backup Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst completed seven of seven passes and led the Tigers on a 92-yard, 87-second touchdown drive that culminated in a 9-yard touchdown pass to J.J. McKelvey with 1:31 remaining. Clemson expended all three of its timeouts on its final drive. Once Miller swallowed Wyn Kopp's onside kick, the Tigers were powerless to stop the clock. UVa improved its record to 7-5-1 against the Tigers since 1990. It was the sixth game that UVa has won as an underdog during the past two seasons, and it gave the Cavaliers their first five-game winning streak since 1997-98. "Our perspective now is, we've got five," Groh said. "That's good. We've got a chance to get more. We didn't set out just to win five games this year." |
| McMullen scores few style points |
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By DOUG DOUGHTY THE ROANOKE TIMES |
CHARLOTTESVILLE - Virginia wide receiver Billy McMullen doesn't know what would have happened if he had failed to score from the Clemson 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal early in the fourth quarter Saturday. He knows what's going to happen now. He's bound to take an unmerciful ribbing from teammates and coaches upon first viewing of the game film. "On style points, I'd give him about a '2,'" said McMullen's longtime roommate, linebacker Merrill Robertson, who was using a 1-10 scale. "But, he got in the end zone. That's all that matters." The first rushing touchdown of McMullen's career gave Virginia its first lead of the second half and the Cavaliers went on to defeat the Tigers 22-17 on an overcast afternoon at Scott Stadium. McMullen, lined up in the right slot, reversed field and took a handoff from UVa quarterback Matt Schaub, only to lose his footing in the vicinity of the 5-yard line. "I thought I was going down," said McMullen, who holds school records in almost every receiving category. "I was just trying to keep going forward. I might have been praying a little bit, too." All he had to do was keep his feet because the lone Clemson defender, cornerback Brian Mance, had been pulverized by 6-foot-6, 324-pound UVa offensive guard Elton Brown. It wouldn't be fair to credit Brown with a "pancake" block because Mance was flatter than a pancake. "I've got to give Elton Brown all the credit," McMullen said, "because, if he had let his man go, there's no way I could have gotten past anybody." It was the closest the Cavaliers came to the kind of gimmickry that has been their trademark in recent weeks and, to hear Clemson linebacker John Leake, the Tigers weren't exactly fooled. "We saw what's his name, No.11, on the wing," said Leake of McMullen. "He doesn't line up there. I don't think he lined up there another time all day. I was yelling about it. I took the dive, I guess he came around and I don't know what happened." According to McMullen, he tripped over Schaub's foot. "That's what he's been saying," Schaub said, "but I'm going to say it was his foot. His foot is bigger than mine. All I could do was laugh when the play was over." Groh said he became enamored of the end-around for goal-line situations when he was a defensive coach in the NFL and prepared for a similar play that San Francisco ran with then-49ers wideout Jerry Rice. "We're pretty good at copying stuff and it paid off well for us today," Groh said. MILESTONES: UVa freshman tailback Wali Lundy had 11 receptions, tying a school record set by Joe Kehoe in 1960 and matched twice last year by McMullen. Lundy surpassed the UVa record for receptions by a running back, nine, that he had shared for two weeks with Mark Sanford off the Cavaliers' 1981 team. ... Groh became the second-fastest UVa coach to get his 10th win. Art Guepe got 10 wins in his first 15 games in 1946-47; Groh needed 19. BY THE NUMBERS: The crowd of 54,114 was the smallest for one of UVa's four home games this season. The Cavaliers drew 56,216 for homecoming opponent Akron. ... Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who completed all seven of his attempts on the Tigers' last drive Saturday, is 11-for-11 for the season. UP NEXT WEEK: The Cavaliers (5-2, 3-1) will entertain North Carolina (2-4, 0-2) at noon in a game that will be televised on the ACC network. The Tar Heels, 34-17 losers to North Carolina State on Saturday in Chapel Hill, will be seeking their first victory at Scott Stadium since 1981. |
Published October 13 2002
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Virginia Wins 5th Straight Game Second-Half Rally Follows Recent Pattern: Virginia 22, Clemson 17
By Jim Reedy CHARLOTTESVILLE, Oct. 12 -- Virginia beat Clemson today the way it won each of its past four games, charging back in the second half behind a resurgent offense and a defense that surrendered yards but not points. The Cavaliers' 22-17 victory is their fifth straight, their longest winning streak since they won six straight spanning the 1997 and 1998 seasons. The Cavaliers (5-2, 3-1 ACC) erased a 10-6 deficit with 16 straight points in the fourth quarter and have outscored their opponents 140-70 after halftime this season. "This was our kind of game," said Virginia Coach Al Groh, whose team has not lost since the last day of August. "Fight back, get a lead, hang on." Just as in last week's win at Duke, Virginia held Clemson in check until its offense got in gear midway through the third quarter. "We really just sucked the will out of them," sophomore defensive end Chris Canty said. "We just kept coming at 'em, kept coming at 'em, kept coming at 'em. I don't think they knew what to do." Having just completed a drive that gained 70 yards but ended with a missed field goal attempt, the Cavaliers set out on the drive with 2 minutes 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter that put them ahead to stay. They advanced quickly, thanks in part to a pair of 15-yard penalties on the Tigers (3-3, 1-2), until they faced second-and-goal from the Clemson 2-yard line. Sophomore tailback Alvin Pearman made little headway in two rushing attempts, so on fourth down, with the ball almost touching the goal line, Virginia called an end-around for senior wide receiver Billy McMullen. Taking the handoff around the 5-yard line, McMullen tripped and nearly fell, but he managed to stumble into the end zone, giving the Cavaliers a 13-10 lead 44 seconds into the fourth quarter. "It took everything I had to get into the end zone," McMullen said. "I thought I wasn't going to score." On its next possession, Virginia drove 85 yards before stalling at the Clemson 3. Kurt Smith's third field goal of the game boosted the lead to six points. The Tigers still had six minutes to get the winning touchdown, but Virginia's defense, which surrendered more than 400 yards for the sixth time this season, forced turnovers by quarterback Willie Simmons on each of Clemson's next two plays. Sophomore nose tackle Andrew Hoffman created the first by batting Simmons's pass in the air on the first play of the ensuing drive. Sophomore Rich Bedesem, who played most of the game at inside linebacker after an early injury to senior co-captain Angelo Crowell, pulled the ball down for his first interception. Virginia started at the Clemson 17 and soon took a 22-10 lead on Matt Schaub's 16-yard touchdown pass to a tightly covered Heath Miller. Simmons turned over the ball again right away, fumbling as he was hit on first down by senior linebacker Merrill Robertson. Virginia cornerback Almondo Curry recovered. "Last week against Florida State, we made some big plays," Tigers Coach Tommy Bowden said. "We didn't make any of those today, but time after time, Virginia did." Freshman quarterback Charlie Whitehurst replaced Simmons and completed all seven of his passes on a 93-yard touchdown drive that took 1:17. With only 91 seconds left, Clemson tried an onside kick, but Miller scooped it up and Virginia ran out the clock. The Tigers had run for an average of 132 yards before today, but they managed 189 against Virginia. Seventy-eight of those yards came in the first quarter, when Clemson gained 11 first downs and held the ball for 10:49, but the Tigers had only a field goal to show for their effort. Smith kicked field goals from 42 and 28 yards, but the Tigers took the lead back in the waning minutes of the first half. With 68 seconds left, Matt Schaub threw a long sideline pass that Clemson cornerback Brian Mance dove to intercept at the Virginia 32. On the next play, freshman tailback Tye Hill scampered down the right sideline for his first touchdown. Notes: Freshman cornerback Marcus Hamilton was in uniform for the first time since tearing the medial collateral ligament in his left knee six weeks ago. Seven Cavaliers did not dress today, including sophomore tight end Patrick Estes, who has split time with Miller. . . . Freshman tailback Wali Lundy tied the Virginia single-game record with 11 receptions. |
Charlottesville, Va . -- There is no quarterback controversy at Clemson, according to Tommy Bowden.
The Tigers' head coach paused briefly when asked the inevitable question after Saturday's disappointing loss to Virginia. But his answer was unequivocal: Willie Simmons will be the starter against Wake Forest on Saturday.
Simmons' status could have been in doubt after the second-half displays by Simmons and backup Charlie Whitehurst. The latter drove the Tigers 92 yards on seven plays to score a last-minute touchdown.
Simmons led 11 drives that resulted in 330 yards, but just 10 points. The passing game was largely ineffective. If a 34-yard pass to Jackie Robinson is excluded, Simmons threw 24 times for 101 yards.
"We wanted Willie to beat us with his arm, throwing passes that we were contesting,"_ Virginia linebacker Merrill Robertson said. "And that's what we made him do."
Whitehurst noted that his lone drive came against a prevent defense, but fans will be quick to point out the seven-for-seven passing performance. For the season, the backup is now 11-for-11.
"It's an awful good comfort zone, knowing that he can go in there and perform under those circumstances,"_ Bowden said.
Contrast that with Simmons' back-to-back turnovers in the fourth quarter: an interception off of a tip that led to a touchdown, then a fumble that allowed Virginia to run off most of the remaining clock.
Bowden said Simmons remains the starter and declined to commit on having a quicker hook_ on Simmons if Clemson struggles to score next weekend. Instead, the key factor in the coach's mind is turnovers.
"On the fumble, he carried the ball loose," Bowden said. "That happened twice last week. That's going to be frowned upon pretty good."
While turnovers and an inability to score made the difference, Bowden credited Virginia's defense with causing both.
"Their style of defense is not going to give you many opportunities to go deep and make big plays,"_ he said. "They're going to methodically take you down the field and hope that you make a mistake or turn the ball over. That's kind of what we did in the second half ‘.‘.‘. we didn't convert."
A dejected Simmons took the responsibility for the fourth-quarter mistakes.
"You've got to protect the ball, and that's something they want from the quarterback on down," he said. "It's an issue that I have to really concentrate on in order to make me a better player."
If a switch is made, Whitehurst should be prepared. The quarterbacks have been receiving equal snaps in practice, he said.
"Every week in practice, I go out there and work as hard as I can,"_ he said. "The coaches are going to do what they're going to do. That's not for me to say at all."
Charlottesville, Va -- The feeling was even more painful because it was so familiar to a Clemson team that had been upset a year ago by Virginia at Death Valley.
The details were different Saturday, as the Cavaliers dominated the second half and won 22-17 after a late touchdown on a last-gasp drive by Clemson in front of 54,114 fans at Scott Stadium. But for the second consecutive time, the Tigers left a game against Virginia feeling like they lost to an inferior team.
"I think it must be a curse or something," Clemson cornerback Kevin Johnson said. "Every time we play this team it's a struggle, all the way through."
After trailing 10-6 at halftime, Virginia (5-2, 3-1 ACC) scored 16 consecutive points to take a commanding lead as Clemson collapsed on offense and defense. The Tigers (3-3, 1-2) rushed for 174 yards in the first half but gained just 15 yards on 10 carries after halftime with starting tailback Bernard Rambert on the sideline with bruised ribs.
Clemson's defense held Virginia to two field goals through three quarters but allowed the Cavaliers to hold the ball for 20:21 of the 30-minute second half. Quarterback Willie Simmons added to the Tigers' fourth-quarter difficulties with an interception on a tipped ball and a fumble.
"We didn't get enough at-bats in the third and fourth quarters," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. "We didn't score touchdowns in the first half, and Virginia moved the ball against us in the second half. They held the ball a long time."
Virginia, which defeated Clemson 26-24 on a last-second touchdown pass last season, frustrated the Tigers again with a soft defense designed to prevent big plays. Clemson's offense thrived on Oct. 3 against a Florida State defense that played aggressively up front with man-to-man coverage in the secondary, but faced a different challenge Saturday.
The Cavaliers played soft on the line of scrimmage and kept their safeties deep, forcing Clemson to gain yards patiently with running plays and short passes. The Tigers managed just two plays for more than 15 yards: a 32-yard touchdown run by Tye Hill and a 34-yard pass from Simmons to Jackie Robinson. Simmons was 15-for-25 passing but threw for just 135 yards.
"We didn't make many plays in terms of big plays," Simmons said.
Clemson drove 93 yards on 19 plays on its opening drive but settled for a 19-yard field goal by Aaron Hunt when Simmons threw incomplete for Robinson on third-and-goal from the 2. The Tigers drove to the Virginia 36 on their following drive, but that possession ended when Simmons threw incomplete on fourth-and-2.
Brian Mance and Hill made Clemson's only big plays in the closing moments of the first half: Mance dived to intercept a Matt Schaub pass, and Hill broke loose on his 32-yard touchdown run on a sweep with one minute remaining in the first half.
It was Clemson's last score for more than 29 minutes, as Virginia took a 22-10 lead with the help of Simmons' turnovers.
"We're 3-3," Clemson linebacker John Leake said. "We didn't expect this. We expected to be 6-0 at this point."
The closing minutes of the game might have added a quarterback controversy to Clemson's long list of problems. Redshirt freshman Charlie Whitehurst replaced Simmons on the Tigers' final drive and completed all seven of his pass attempts for 92 yards, completing the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to J.J. McKelvey.
Bowden said Simmons remains the starter but said Whitehurst might get a closer look if Simmons continues to turn the ball over.
"I think we have two good quarterbacks," Bowden said, "but to me, those are good problems, if you have a guy you feel good about (on the) second team."
The backup quarterback was about the only thing the Tigers felt good about as they prepared to leave Charlottesville. Their best offensive lineman, left tackle Gary Byrd, is nursing a sprained knee and ankle. They outgained Virginia 412 to 288 but couldn't keep the Cavaliers out of the end zone during the most important part of the game. Most of all, they felt they had lost to an opponent they had counted on defeating.
Losses to ranked teams Georgia and Florida State on the road were understandable. But this was a defeat the Tigers couldn't stomach for the second year in a row.
"It hurt," defensive tackle Nick Eason said. "I'm hurt, because we should have won. We're the better team."
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Special teams struggle again
Staff Writer Charlottesville, Va -- Special teams continue to be a special challenge for Clemson despite coach Tommy Bowden's attempts to correct mistakes that probably cost the Tigers a victory on Oct. 3 at Florida State. In Saturday's 22-17 loss to Virginia, Derrick Hamilton made a poor decision to run the opening kickoff out of the end zone and was tackled at the Clemson 5-yard line. Wynn Kopp had punts of 28 and 27 yards and then had to make a sure-handed play to catch a bouncing snap on his first punt of the second half. Kopp finished with just a 31-yard average on six punts. Clemson gave up a 27-yard punt return in the second quarter and never got a big play from Hamilton in the return game. Virginia coach Al Groh talked before the game about wanting to shut down Hamilton, and the Cavaliers held him to a long of 28 yards on six kickoff returns and 15 yards on two punt returns. "Last week against Florida State, we made some big plays," Bowden said. "We didn't make any of those today, but time after time, Virginia did." • Injuries take toll. Two key Clemson seniors -- tailback Bernard Rambert and left offensive tackle Gary Byrd -- spent much of the second half on the sideline. Rambert suffered bruised ribs in the second quarter and did not return. Byrd missed the fourth quarter with a sprained knee and ankle. Byrd was replaced by senior Nate Gillespie as depth became even more of a problem for an offensive line that already has lost Derrick Brantley and Nick Black for the season with injuries. • Trick not a treat. Clemson's attempt at a trick play failed miserably in the fourth quarter. Tailback Yusef Kelly handed to receiver Tony Elliott, who threw back across the field to quarterback Willie Simmons behind the line of scrimmage. Simmons was tackled after a 2-yard gain. "I thought we'd need touchdowns," Bowden said. "The one (trick play) we did last week worked, but you're not going to be 100 percent on those plays." • Hill hits home run. Bowden has been talking since the preseason about finding a chance for speedy redshirt freshman Tye Hill to make a big play at tailback. With one minute remaining in the first half, Hill raced 32 yards on a sweep for the game's first touchdown. It was the longest run by a Clemson running back this season. "I'm glad, because it's been a while," Hill said. "Everybody was getting on me to break one. ‘.‘.‘. I hope I showed them a little something." • Disputed call. Clemson cornerback Kevin Johnson said he didn't think he should have been flagged for a key personal foul on a hit out of bounds in the third quarter. The 15-yard penalty helped lead to Virginia's go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run by Billy McMullen. Johnson was trying to keep Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub from gaining a first down on an option play that finished right in front of Bowden. "Did y'all see that late hit?" Bowden said. "That was deadly." Johnson did not dispute the pass interference call against him as he defended against McMullen on the following play. • No more discord. An unexpected loss to Virginia last season was the start of a rift between Clemson's defense and offense, but senior defensive tackle Nick Eason said the Tigers won't repeat that mistake. "That ain't happening this year," Eason said. "I can guarantee you that. I'm not going to let that happen." Eason said he will get physical, if necessary, to prevent the team from splitting apart. |
A football season dribbles away
Bart Wright
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- College basketball season officially began Saturday
across the land, and at Clemson it coincided with the unofficial end of the
football season.
There are still games left to play, time enough for coach Tommy Bowden to decide
who he wants to be his quarterback. But that seems to be all that's left
following a 22-17 undressing by Virginia that looked like a textbook case of why
smart football teams can make other teams look like they should be sitting in
the corner wearing a dunce cap.
More than two weeks before Halloween, Clemson is now playing the rest of the
season with the hope of beating South Carolina to send everyone home with a
smile. That old Tigers refrain that any season is a good one that includes a win
over South Carolina seems a bit hollow at the moment.
The Humanitarian Bowl looks like a long shot from here.
Welcome to the club, Tigers. This is what the well-drilled, efficient system of
Virginia's second-year coach, Al Groh, does to teams. Five times now for a team
that is 5-2, Virginia has trailed or been tied at halftime and come back to win
the game. This one might have been the most impressive victory to date.
Clemson ran off 30 plays in the first quarter and had three points. The Tigers
were able to snap the ball just 26 times in the entire second half. In the first
half, Clemson rushed for all but 33 of its 207 yards on the ground in the game.
It goes on like this, but you get the point.
Virginia made big plays every time it needed them in the second half, while
Clemson made almost no big plays in the second half and needed a handful of
them.
"The game plan," said Virginia receiver Billy McMullen, "was too keep things
under control, keep the pressure on and sooner or later, they would crack. They
did."
McMullen beat them last year at Clemson with a last-second touchdown catch from
the 1, and he did it again Saturday with a stumbling end-around run into the end
zone from the 1, the first rushing touchdown of his career.
There is no disgrace in having McMullen beat you with a big play because he may
well be the best receiver in the country not yet on an NFL roster. Clemson's
shame was that it put itself in position to lose this game and Virginia complied
by snatching it away.
"There is a great resilience to this team," Groh said. "We have tried to give
them a good scheme, a good way to play the game and put them in position to make
plays, but we tell them, 'You have to make the play; that's the difference
against good teams.' To play the way this team does week after week with their
second-half efforts shows me a great deal of composure."
You could go look up their stats and not come away impressed by these Cavaliers,
but good teams don't concern themselves with statistics as much as they do with
winning. They maintain composure, they listen and learn and they find a way to
win.
They have won with 2 yards rushing, with being outscored at halftime, with
constantly allowing opponents more plays.
But they win.
"Remember Chuck Knox?" asked Groh of the former Rams, Bills and Seahawks coach.
"Remember 'Ground Chuck' (the close-to-the-vest approach of Knox teams)? I
talked to this team about that approach; I love that kind of football."
This time it was Clemson that found itself being run through the meat grinder.
Just as sure as 3-3 teams prompt howls from their faithful fans, you can book it
that there will be all sorts of chatter about a quarterback controversy after
backup Charlie Whitehurst came off the bench to pass Clemson to a late touchdown
drive. All of that is really beside the point.
This isn't about a quarterback winning or losing the game; this is about a team
that plays with a sense of chaos about it and seems to come undone when it
should tighten up. You could say Clemson is, in many ways, the reverse image of
Virginia and you wouldn't be far off.
A team with a sense of composure found a way to win again. That doesn't
necessarily mean Clemson lost its composure.
After all, you can't lose what you never had.
Tigers take another tumble at Virginia
By Duane Rankin
CLEMSON BUREAU
drankin@greenvillenews.com
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Clemson University is at the crossroads of a season that
appears headed in the wrong direction.
The Tigers lost their second straight game Saturday, falling to the University
of Virginia, 22-17, in an Atlantic Coast Conference game attended by 54,114 at
Scott Stadium.
Unlike two previous losses that were primarily a result of poor special teams
play, Clemson (3-3, 1-2) left this game searching for answers on all levels and
wondering how to keep the season from crumbling.
"It will be a test of character, a test of leadership ability and a test of team
pride, and we'll see how we respond," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said. "This
team has never been 3-3 before. I'm anxious to see how they'll respond."
While Virginia (5-2, 3-1) is soaring after winning its fifth straight game, the
Tigers continue to be reminded the hard way that they can't make mistakes and
win. Clemson turned the ball over twice, had two personal foul penalties and let
the emotions of the game get the best of it by pushing and shoving toward the
end.
"You'll lose a bunch of games like that," Bowden said. "If we were just a
dominant team, we could get away with those things, but we're obviously not a
dominant team."
Virginia took control in the second half, which has become a trademark for the
Cavaliers in 2002. Virginia has won its last three games when tied or trailing
at the half.
"We understand our competition better after we talk about it at halftime,"
Virginia senior receiver Billy McMullen said. "The defense is confident and the
offense is confident that we can move the ball and that we can stop people.
We're just confident that we're not going to lose."
Trailing 10-6 at halftime, thanks in part to Clemson redshirt freshman tailback
Tye Hill's 32-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, Virginia seized
momentum with its ball control offense. The Cavaliers didn't have a turnover in
the second half, and held the ball for 20 minutes, 21 seconds, more than twice
as long as Clemson.
Virginia took a 13-10 lead on senior receiver Billy McMullen's stumbling 1-yard
touchdown run with 14:16 remaining in the game. McMullen, who beat Clemson a
year ago when he caught a last-second touchdown pass, took a reverse handoff
from quarterback Matt Schaub, tripped over one of his feet and nearly fell two
times before tumbling into the end zone.
It was McMullen's first career rushing touchdown and the beginning of 16
consecutive fourth-quarter points for the Cavaliers. Kurt Smith kicked a 21-yard
field goal, then Schaub passed to freshman tight end Heath Miller for a 15-yard
touchdown to put the Cavaliers ahead, 22-10.
"We didn't set out this year just to win five," said second-year Virginia coach
Al Groh, whose Cavaliers won just five games last season. "The players
understand that."
As the Tigers' composure dwindled, Virginia sensed Clemson was ripe for picking.
"They were talking trash and trying to fight and stuff like that," McMullen
said. "You see them tired and talking to you about stupid stuff on the field,
you know you got them."
| Virginia isn't for Tigers Clemson hits familiar roadblock in 22-17 loss to Virginia, failing to avenge last year's loss to the Cavaliers
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — They slowly made their way
off the field at Virginia’s Scott Stadium, helmets in hand, heads hung low,
a combination of displeasure and disbelief lingering down the tunnel into
Clemson’s locker room. |
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