Schaub, Cavs go on the offensive
By Dave Johnson
Daily Press
Published October 5, 2003

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- It says something about a quarterback's day when each of his incomplete passes can be distinctly remembered. And it was that kind of day for Virginia's Matt Schaub, who this time a month ago couldn't lift his right arm to scratch his head.

In his second game back since separating his throwing shoulder in the season opener, Schaub hit on 19 of 22 passes - the most-accurate day of his career - for 284 yards as the Cavaliers spanked North Carolina 38-13 Saturday afternoon. Virginia's offense had 515 yards, the most in Al Groh's 31 games as head coach, and its defense shut down the nation's 12th-best passing team.

All in all, it was the kind of day Groh wanted.

"I was happy for the players and pleased with the way we played," he said. "If you want to do anything in the conference, you have to win on the road. We got one now and we're going to a real hard place to play next week (Clemson), so hopefully this will give us a little bit of momentum for that."

Facing a defense that ranked last nationally in yards and points allowed, Schaub was in a zone from the start. Two of his incompletions were dropped; the third came when wideout Ottowa Anderson ran the wrong route. Schaub completed his last 11 passes, including touchdown throws to Fontel Mines and Alvin Pearman.

"He's just seeing everything on the field," tailback Wali Lundy said. "He's really coming through for us."

It doesn't hurt having all the time you needed. Not only was Schaub not sacked, he wasn't pressured.

"We were in a good rhythm today," Schaub said. "The blocking was great, and it always starts with the offensive line, whether it's running or passing. The receivers did a great job of getting open and the running backs were breaking tackles. We're hitting our stride."

No wonder Groh took the ball after winning the coin toss for the second consecutive game. Lundy rushed for 129 yards, the sixth time in his last nine games he has cracked triple digits. Anderson had six catches for 80 yards, both career highs, and Mines had three for 45.

But given that UNC was giving up 522 yards 42.8 points a game, big offensive numbers from Virginia were expected. Defensively, the Cavs were facing a team averaging 36 points in its last three games and 308 passing yards for the season. That's where the big test was.

UNC quarterback Darian Durant ripped apart Virginia's secondary last year, completing 14-of-18 passes in the first half before tearing ligaments in his thumb.

Durant hit on 27-of-40 throws Saturday, but for only 207 yards. Carolina ended up with 265 yards, 75 of that coming on its last possession.

"We felt very challenged," Groh said. "With the particular way we wanted to play, I think the players got the message very well and executed very well."

One of the messages was to put pressure on Durant, and the Cavs sacked him five times. It would have been more had Durant not been so elusive. Outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock got Durant twice and was a split-second off a couple more times.

Groh said the defense changed its rush scheme in the second half. Asked what that meant for him, Blackstock answered, "He told me to just go. Just go!"

In a venue where it had won only three times in the previous 18 games, Virginia posted its biggest margin of victory since winning 50-17 in 1989. Not that Groh necessarily saw it coming.

"I don't ever have a sense," he said. "The team is reinforcing me every week, but I think we have a ways to go before we can just say, 'Hey, I have an idea how this one is going to go.' I f eel every game we play here, our backs are against the wall. We felt that way today, and I certainly feel that way going to Clemson next week.

"I'm pleased with what we did, but the road's getting harder. You guys don't need me to tell you that. Whether the team we were today is good enough, we'll see. I'd like to think we'll have a better team than we (had) today next Saturday."
 

The hard fall at UNC continues
Published October 5 2003
David Teel

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina "held" Virginia to 38 points and 515 yards Saturday. Hey, when you rank last among Division I-A's 117 teams in scoring defense and total defense (42.8 points and 522 yards per game prior to kickoff), you take solace where you can find it. And when you're 0-5 for the first time in 15 years, you reach for any life preserver in sight.

Alas, coach John Bunting was too smart to take such bait following a 38-13 defeat that ended with Virginia less than a yard from the Carolina goal line.

"There is not much good to come from that game," he said.

Not much, indeed. Rather this was another reminder of the inexcusable fall of a proud football tradition.

Proud because football, often lost in the university's basketball jones, boasts a long line of great players, especially on defense. Inexcusable because the program basks in every conceivable asset, from academics to facilities to ambiance.

"I came here to get this program back to where it's supposed to be," freshman linebacker Fred Sparkman said. "We're not making much progress."

Granted, the Tar Heels play a brutal schedule (their five opponents concluded Saturday with a combined 20-6 record) and have quality players on offense such as quarterback Darian Durant and receiver Jarwarski Pollock.

But the defense is dreadful, incapable of basics such as running and tackling.

Saturday they allowed 16 plays of 10 yards or more. They could not defend the run (Virginia's Wali Lundy and Alvin Pearman combined for 223 yards) or the pass (Matt Schaub completed 19 of 22 passes, and Carolina didn't so much as stain his uniform).

"He was OK," freshman linebacker Larry Edwards said of Schaub. "He's not all that."

Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. But against the Tar Heels the last two seasons, every quarterback looks ready for Sundays.

Last year Carolina finished 3-9 and yielded 35.1 points per game. This year may be worse. The Tar Heels should beat winless East Carolina next week and perhaps Duke to conclude the season. Other than that ...

And to think, from 1993-99 NFL teams drafted at least two North Carolina defensive players each year. Two seasons ago, five Tar Heels defenders heard their name called, including Julius Peppers and Ryan Sims in the first round.

So what in the name of Lawrence Taylor is going on? Well, truth is the program's been on shaky ground since Mack Brown bolted for Texas following a 10-1 regular season in 1997.

The Tar Heels promoted defensive coordinator Carl Torbush, and he lasted three unsatisfactory (16-18) seasons.

Which brings us to Nov. 26, 2000. During a whirlwind courtship in Chapel Hill, Carolina offered the coaching position to Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and believed a deal struck.

But Beamer returned home to Blacksburg, negotiated staff-wide pay raises and jilted the Tar Heels. Carolina then turned to Bunting, one of its own (class of '72) and a successful NFL assistant.

Bunting co-coordinated the St. Louis Rams' Super Bowl-winning defense in 1999, but he had no previous I-A coaching experience. Clearly, Beamer would have been a better catch.

Might Beamer have the Tar Heels contending for an ACC title? Probably not. Would he have recruited better and braked the decline? Probably.

Although the ACC's additions of Miami and Virginia Tech will make rebuilding more difficult, history and common sense say Carolina's decline is not permanent. After all, the Tar Heels went 1-10 in Brown's first two years before posting eight consecutive winning seasons.

That's of little comfort to seniors such as offensive guard Jeb Terry.

"Mentally, physically, emotionally," he said. "I'm tired of freakin' losing."

Ugly afternoon for UNC
By NEIL AMATO : The Herald-Sun
namato@heraldsun.com
Oct 4, 2003 : 11:29 pm ET

CHAPEL HILL -- It was pretty; it was ugly.

That's about the way North Carolina coach John Bunting saw Saturday unfold -- a perfect opportunity for the Tar Heels to win their first game of the season.

A perfect fall afternoon soon became far from perfect for UNC, which hurt itself from the outset and couldn't keep up with almost-perfect Virginia in a 38-13 loss at Kenan Stadium.

UNC trailed 17-6 at halftime and got blistering speeches from Bunting -- one public, one in the locker room. It didn't matter. The Tar Heels fell behind 38-6, gave up 515 yards total and gained 102 yards in the second half to lose their ninth straight home game.

"I really thought at halftime we would come out and play better than we had in the first half, and we played worse," said Bunting, 3-14 since his first season of 8-5. "I'll take my responsibility for that, and I'm sure the rest of the coaching staff will take their responsibility. And I certainly hope that our players will take theirs so we can move on."

Bunting went on to say that not much good came out of this game, except that the Tar Heels (0-5, 0-3 ACC) played Virginia (4-1, 3-0) even on special teams. He was right about that; he was also right about his offense and defense.

"There are three phases of the game, and you have to win two of them to have a chance to win," he said. "We did not win either the offensive or defensive phase."

Virginia won because its starting quarterback had time to pick apart a UNC defense that ranked last nationally in points and yards allowed. Matt Schaub was 19 of 22 for 284 yards and two TD passes. "Are you kidding me? That's almost perfect," Bunting said.

UNC's Darian Durant, who became the school's career passing leader, said the Tar Heels offense was out of sync all game. The Tar Heels, who had been averaging 36 points a game since the Aug. 30 shutout by Florida State, got inside Virginia's 33-yard line once in the game's first 50 minutes.

"The evaluation of this game is we did not move forward, at least on the offensive side," guard Jeb Terry said. "We did not move forward like we had been. We may have even taken a step back -- 13 points is not good."

UNC's first drive began inside Virginia territory after freshman linebacker Larry Edwards -- making his first start after limited time on defense in the first four games -- recovered a Virginia fumble.

The Tar Heels promptly punted after three plays.

"[The defense] gave us some opportunities early," Terry said. "Shoot, that fumble on the 50, opening drive, three and out, that's unacceptable in any league of football you play in. We couldn't even turn it into a freakin' field goal."

UNC's defense held Virginia on the second possession, and the Tar Heels took over at their 11. They ended up with a 50-yard field goal by Dan Orner, but what happened in between had a game's worth of ups and downs.

The drive -- 16 plays, 56 yards, more than eight minutes -- included four UNC penalties, one for illegal formation, another for lining up beyond the line of scrimmage. It was enough to make Bunting blow a gasket.

After the third penalty for an illegal block late on a pass completion, Bunting emphatically asked a ref for a timeout. He waved his team over -- the defense, the third-string kicker, everyone. He let them have it. He didn't like the body language. He didn't like the bonehead penalties, the missed tackles.

"It just didn't feel like we were snapping around," he said. "I thought we were slow moving around in between plays. This game is played fast."

Edwards played fast, making several nice plays early and finishing with a team-high nine tackles along with fellow freshman linebacker Fred Sparkman. Without elaboration, Bunting said Edwards should have been on the field sooner on defense this season.

But it still didn't matter. Virginia piled up 515 yards -- seven below the Tar Heels' average yield -- and had to punt only once, and that was in field-goal formation.

"What I'm disappointed in is we still didn't have very good tackling, when we were forced to, by our corners," Bunting said. "We didn't tackle well on the perimeter. That's happened before, and it happened again."

Another recurring theme for UNC has been Durant's climb in the record book during UNC's slide from Peach Bowl winner in 2001 to national bottom-feeder. Before Saturday's late games, UNC was one of 10 winless teams in Division I-A. Another of those is East Carolina, UNC's opponent next weekend in Greenville.

Durant didn't throw an interception and completed 27 of 40 passes for 207 yards. He moved past Ronald Curry into first place on UNC's career passing list, with 5,096 yards. He also holds school records for completions and touchdown passes.

"It seems like every time I break a record, we lose a game," Durant said. "It's good to have them, but a win would make everything so much better."

 

UNC's long, dark tunnel gets longer
By FRANK DASCENZO : The Herald-Sun
fdascenzo@heraldsun.com
Oct 4, 2003 : 6:41 pm ET

CHAPEL HILL -- It seemed quite obvious on an otherwise gorgeous October Saturday that it's going to get worse before it gets better for North Carolina's football team.

The Tar Heels were close to awful in a 38-13 loss to Virginia at Kenan Stadium. Coach John Bunting even tried a late first-quarter timeout to give his best I'm-damn-mad-at-the-whole-wide-world act in an attempt to prove to his team he did not like its "body language or the silly penalties."

You should have seen it. Big John, with 2:31 left in the first quarter, demanded a timeout, demanded everybody -- hey, I mean everybody in uniform -- get together, and there he was, screaming, and his head was jumping up and down. Neither team had a point at the time.

Bunting said basketball coaches do it all the time. Timing. You know, it's everything. Stop action, start screaming. Look mean. Yell your lungs out. Point that index finger.

"I often wondered if there might be a time to do that in a football game and I felt that that was the time," Bunting said.

Guess what? It didn't work. The Heels couldn't run the football, couldn't tackle very well either, and other than their special teams, nothing seemed to work. Bunting is 2½ years into his position as UNC's head coach and his record, 11-19, won't impress anybody. He may as well have concluded that everybody wearing that light blue should accept the blame for this five-game losing streak. The players, the assistant coaches. You know how responsibility can spread.

Pretty soon now the Rams Club is going to want to scrutinize this thing, and losing a lot means ugly times. This was UNC's ninth straight loss in Kenan Stadium, once a proud palace for the home team and a miserable visit for the other team. Truth is, if Tar Heels kicker Dan Orner hadn't nailed that 47-yard game-winning field goal at Duke last season, the Heels would be riding a 12-game losing streak. UNC hasn't beaten an ACC opponent other than the woeful Blue Devils since trashing Clemson 38-3 at Death Valley on Oct. 20, 2001.

The problem for programs that cannot gather confidence, which usually arrives with victories, is they can become a lookalike to a runaway train, and that's not what Bunting needs. Problem is that this is his third season, and that's normally when coaches like to see their teams begin to take on a winning personality. The long dark tunnel for the Heels got darker in this game.

UNC's problems mounted the moment Virginia's meticulous senior quarterback, Matt Schaub, stepped on the field. Now this kid is being called a Heisman Trophy candidate by his school, and his numbers -- 19-of-22 for 284 yards and a couple touchdowns -- were impressive. And Wali Lundy had little trouble running against Bunting's woeful defense, gaining 129 yards and scoring three times while averaging 4.6 yards a carry.

"You've got to give credit where it's due," UNC tailback Jacque Lewis said. "We didn't step up and they did, and we didn't take advantage of our opportunities."

Don't ask what's wrong with the winless Tar Heels. Ask what isn't. UNC had no excuses on either side of the ball. Quarterback Darian Durant may have summarized UNC's offensive woes better than anybody.

"We just didn't block them and didn't play to our potential," he said. "Everybody knows what kind of offensive we have, but we didn't execute. We're not doing the little things. It's not that I'm trying to carry the load for the offense. We just didn't execute."

What had to trouble Bunting was his team's zero points in the third period, something that's become a darn-near tradition of late.

Trailing 17-6 at halftime -- not exactly an avalanche to overcome -- the Heels came out and stumbled on drive after drive. Bunting's team has been outscored 68-10 in the third quarter this season after UNC was outscored 135-44 in the third period last season.

Virginia's Al Groh, 18-13 in his two-plus seasons, cited the importance of stuffing the Heels early in the second half.

"When it is a closely contested game at the half on the road, you need to come out in the third quarter and try and establish yourself," Groh said. "Otherwise it just becomes a seesaw game. That was a big challenge for us."

Whatever the problem, Bunting doesn't seem oblivious to it. True, he has youth and he hurts for his veterans, people like free safety Dexter Reid and offensive right guard Jeb Terry, who game after game take the losses as hard as their coach does. But UNC has no answers at the moment and it shows.

"We took a step backwards," Terry said. "I don't know what's wrong and it's not something that can be defined simply. There's not one answer to what's wrong with our team."

Virginia's team is good and it will get a chance to prove just how good when it plays somebody, namely Florida State on Oct. 18 at Charlottesville. While the Cavs swaggered through the soft UNC defense for 229 rushing yards and then relied on Schaub's arm for the rest, UNC has little, if anything, to show for its effort.

"Coach Bunting was frustrated. We're frustrated, too," Terry said. "It's not like we were laying down out there, and right now it's very hard to fight the frustrations."

That's what happens when losing becomes habit. And it gets even worse when it becomes a habit at home.

Just before his postgame media conference broke up, Bunting said, "It's killing me."

 

Cavaliers Remain On the Offensive
Passing, Running Games Blend Nicely in Rout: Virginia 38, North Carolina 13
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, October 5, 2003; Page E09

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Oct. 4 -- Given Virginia's offensive aptitude and North Carolina's defensive ineptitude over the first month of the season, the outcome was far from shocking. But the Cavaliers were impressive nonetheless, rolling up 515 yards of offense in a 38-13 win that suggested they are beginning to find a groove just before their schedule increases in difficulty.

Virginia (4-1, 3-0 ACC) put together its most balanced offensive effort of the season -- 286 yards passing, 229 rushing -- and had little difficulty pulling away in the third quarter to send the Tar Heels to their first 0-5 start in 15 years.

"We're really starting to play in our mold, what we think we can do offensively and defensively," said Cavaliers tailback Alvin Pearman, who buttressed Wali Lundy's 129 rushing yards with 94 of his own. "We're really starting to play the way we expect to play."

While its offense went to work against a UNC defense ranked last in Division I-A in both points and yards allowed, Virginia's defense kept quarterback Darian Durant from igniting a Carolina offense that averaged 36 points in its past three games. Today the Tar Heels managed only 265 offensive yards, including 58 on the ground -- the lowest rushing total allowed by Virginia in 108 games.

Yet at the start of the second half, North Carolina maintained a shred of hope. Durant, who today became UNC's career passing leader, had led a drive just before halftime that ended in a field goal, cutting Virginia's lead to 17-6.

The Tar Heels had the ball first in the second half, but they punted after six plays. The Cavaliers then engineered a drive that was capped by one of Lundy's three touchdowns. Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Virginia's string of consecutive possessions with a touchdown or field goal stood at six.

"I really thought at halftime we would come out and play better than we had the first half," North Carolina Coach John Bunting said. "We played worse."

While the Tar Heels struggle for their first win, the Cavaliers are the ACC's second-place team, 3-0 in the conference for the first time in five years. Their meeting with No. 5 Florida State in two weeks in Charlottesville could be a fight for the conference lead.

Next weekend Virginia plays at Clemson, which Cavaliers Coach Al Groh said is "clearly the most athletically talented team that we will have played so far." Games against North Carolina State, Maryland and Virginia Tech also are yet to come.

"Just look at the scores and look at the teams -- the road's getting harder," Groh said. "Whether the team that we were and are today is good enough, we'll see. I would like to think that it'll take a better team than what we were today and I would like to think that we'll go to work on becoming a better team by next Saturday."

Virginia's hopes for the future were buoyed immeasurably by the return last week of senior quarterback Matt Schaub, who missed three weeks after separating his throwing shoulder on the first drive of the season. Schaub completed 19 of 22 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. He moved into second place on Virginia's career passing list.

Yet even with the offense and defense playing well, outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock -- who had two of Virginia's five sacks today -- said there remains plenty of room for improvement.

"I think we're just climbing the ladder," he said. "We've got to get better."

Cavaliers Notes: Kai Parham made his first start at inside linebacker -- alongside fellow freshman Ahmad Brooks (Hylton) -- in the absence of Rich Bedesem (knee). . . . Right guard Elton Brown (concussion) missed his second straight game, so Virginia inserted versatile fifth-year Kevin Bailey at left guard and shifted Brian Barthelmes to Brown's spot. . . . Freshman safety Robbie Catterton saw the most extensive action of his young career before leaving with a sprained right ankle. . . . Tailback-kick returner Marquis Weeks and quarterback Anthony Martinez also did not make the trip.
 

Heels blunder to loss
Winless Tar Heels no match for Cavs
By LUCIANA CHAVEZ, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL -- With 2:31 left in the first quarter of Saturday's North Carolina-Virginia game, UNC coach John Bunting had already seen enough .
Following back-to-back penalties on the Tar Heels, Bunting called a timeout and gathered the entire team around him.

On the sideline, in front of 51,000 at Kenan Stadium, Bunting went off on a tirade. He demanded better execution and sent them back out. UNC was called for a third penalty two plays later.

And so it went. Eight penalties cost North Carolina 61 yards in a 38-13 loss to Virginia and gave weight to the idea that mistakes are the Carolina way this season.

"We did not move forward," right guard Jeb Terry said. "The defense had some great stops. The offense did not move forward and maybe even took a step backwards."

The frustration was palpable.

Darian Durant threw for 207 yards on 27-for-40 passing to set the UNC career record for passing yards with 5,096. He is the first 5,000-yard man in UNC history.

Afterward, he could barely lift his head for the cameras.

"When you're not executing and messing up on little things, it's frustrating for everyone," he said.

The Tar Heels (0-5, 0-3 ACC) did make their own first break when cornerback Lionell Green forced a fumble on Virginia receiver Art Thomas. Freshmen linebacker Larry Edwards, making his first start , recovered the ball at the Virginia 40-yard line.

But UNC could not capitalize and failed to score.

"That fumble on the opening drive, it's unacceptable for us [not to score]," Terry said.

UNC got another chance late in the first quarter and promptly put together its longest and weirdest drive of the season.

On fourth-and-2, the Heels faked a punt, and tailback Jacque Lewis gained the first down. A few plays later, they tried a double reverse that went nowhere.

Following an illegal formation penalty and one for blocking in the back, Bunting called that public team meeting.

The drive ended with a 50-yard field goal by Dan Orner. Again, UNC couldn't get seven points.

"We can't win games like that," Durant said. "We didn't execute when we had the opportunity."

UNC trailed 17-6 at the half. The two drives could have changed the game's complexion .

As it was, the third quarter has not been the Heels' best this season -- they have been outscored 61-10 in that quarter .

And Virginia quarterback Matt Schaub, in just his second game back from a shoulder injury, didn't give UNC room for error.

Schaub led the Cavs to touchdowns on their first two possessions in the second half, completing all six passes he tried. The last was a 33-yard TD pass to tailback Alvin Pearman that gave UVa a 31-6 lead with 18 minutes left in the game.

"At halftime, I thought we would play better than the first half, and we played worse," Bunting said. "I'll take the responsibility for that. The coaching staff will take responsibility for it. Hopefully the players will, too."

Schaub found nine different receivers . He finished 19-for-22 with 284 yards and two TDs.

The Cavaliers hurt UNC on the ground as well as tailback Wali Lundy ran for 129 yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns.

"In the last few weeks, we have had to play every game differently, and its nice to be able to play both ways if that is required," Virginia coach Al Groh said.

UNC would have preferred less balance. For the fourth time in five games, the defense gave up more than 500 yards. For the fifth time , it gave up at least 37 points.

"Virginia executed their offense better, executed their defense better, but I wouldn't describe them as being a better team than us," UNC linebacker Devllen Bullard said.

Terry pointed a finger at his own unit, the Carolina offense, for leaving the defense hanging.

"Thirteen points is not good at all," Terry said. "We didn't give our defense a chance. You can't do that even with the No. 1 defense in the nation."

UNC now has lost a record nine straight games at home, but next it must travel to Greenville to face an equally troubled East Carolina.

"I know they hate us," Terry said about ECU. "I know they're excited to play us."


 

October's reality sets in
By CAULTON TUDOR, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL -- In view of Saturday's dismal developments, it's not a stretch to think that the best Division I-A football team in North Carolina could be playing for a postseason trip to Charlotte.
While that fate -- the Continental Tire Bowl -- seems to be somehow entirely fitting, it's hardly uplifting.

After all, this was the season when N.C. State seemed poised to make a top-10 rankings run while North Carolina, Duke and East Carolina were excited about the prospects for dramatic improvement.

That was August.

Welcome to the reality of October.

After a 38-13 loss to Virginia in Kenan Stadium, Carolina is preparing for a trip to ECU and an appearance in the O-fer Bowl. Both teams go in winless and the loser may finish that way.

Duke, after a promising start, again is beginning to sleep with the fish.

Then, there's State, now 3-3 overall and 1-2 in the ACC after yet another loss to an underdog Georgia Tech team.

Thank goodness for Wake Forest, huh?

At 3-2, and with all three wins over I-A foes at that, the traditionally weak-recruiting Deacons have the look of a state-wide juggernaut.

At the opposite end of this sorry spectrum is an 0-5 Carolina team that now has to start getting seriously concerned about winning a game anywhere at any time this season.

If the Tar Heels can't win in Greenville on Saturday, there's a distinct possibility they'll park this thing at 0-12 come late November.

Since the school began playing football during the Grover Cleveland administration, UNC has had two winless seasons -- 0-2 in 1888 and 0-2 in 1891.

There have been some close calls and without question, many a dark moment. Mack Brown's first two teams each went 1-10 in 1988 and 1989. Jim Hickey's last team beat State and Michigan in 1966 but no one else en route to 2-8.

At day's end Saturday, John Bunting surveyed the performance of his third team and found only the special units worthy of extensive praise.

It's not that Bunting isn't searching far and wide for a positive to accent.

"Our successes are smaller. We get some small wins each week," Bunting said. "I'm going to emphasize the fact that we made special teams an emphasis this year, and we're doing better on it. Those young players are out there playing their fannies off. I'm excited about that. We're going in the right direction."

Bunting also pointed out that "lots of folks" would disagree on that assertion. Count me squarely among that number.

A year ago in Charlottesville, Carolina led 21-0 until quarterback Darian Durant got hurt and opening the door for a furious comeback by the Cavaliers, who eventually won 37-27.

Carolina led Saturday, too.

It was actually 3-0 early. That was before Virginia quietly settled into a rushing mode that eventually netted 229 yards at a 5-yard-per-carry clip.

By halftime, it was 17-6 and over. Wahoos quarterback Matt Schaub threw selectively, completing 19 of 22 for 284 yards and a pair of touchdowns. O nly the warm spot for Carolina in Al Groh's heart kept Virginia below the 50-point mark.

"We just didn't execute at all," said junior cornerback Chris Hawkins of Carolina.

Where this lack of execution, talent, direction -- whatever -- in Carolina's program is heading may not be known for sometime.

Bunting obviously is doing everything he can think of. With 2:31 left in the first quarter, he called an abrupt time-out and blew a gasket -- one Bob Knight would have been proud to claim -- during a team meeting on the sidelines.

The Heels responded by driving for a field goal, but the fire of the moment soon cooled and Virginia didn't seem scared.

But Carolina is a cornered team. Bunting is talking about the future and working in that direction by playing lots of youngsters.

The future is a relative term, however.

In a few days, Carolina will take on an ECU team that has played as poorly as any team in the country. No offense, no defense, no improvement, no confidence, no apparent signs of leadership and coaching -- that's the Pirates through five games.

The game in Greenville will be for none of the marbles, but it's one Bunting better win. The state of football in the state may be about as disappointing as it gets, but the loser in Greenville likely will be the biggest loser of all.


 

Defense mechanism kicks in
Heralded LB trio stops evasive QB
BY STEPHEN M. LEWIS
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 5, 2003

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - As expected, Virginia's offense destroyed North Carolina's defense, which came into yesterday's contest giving up an average of more than 42 points per game.

But it was the Cavaliers' defense that did the unexpected, holding dangerous quarterback Darian Durant and the Tar Heels in check in a 38-13 victory at Kenan Stadium.

The Cavs did not allow a touchdown until Durant juked his way into the end zone on a quarterback draw with 6:58 remaining in the game for the Tar Heels, who averaged 36 points per contest in the previous three games.

"I was happy for the kids for the way they played," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "Good confidence-builder, especially to do it on the road.

"I think defensively we felt very challenged. . . . With the particular way we wanted to play, I think the players got the message very well and executed very well."

Virginia (3-0 ACC, 4-1) sacked the elusive Durant five times, only three less than its previous season total. The last time Virginia posted that many sacks was in 2000 against Brigham Young.

Linebacker Darryl Blackstock pulled the Tar Heels' signal caller down in the backfield twice for the second time in as many games against UNC (0-3, 0-5).

"I think we're just climbing the ladder," the sophomore mumbled while eating potato chips the way the Cavaliers devoured Durant and company. "We feel good. We're not satisfied, but we got the job done."

One of the jobs, according to Groh, was to hold UNC under 100 yards rushing. U.Va. topped that by allowing 58 yards on 25 carries, its best showing since allowing 54 yards to the Tar Heels in 1994. Freshman linebackers Ahmad Brooks (eight tackles, sack) and Kai Parham (three tackles), who was making his first start, had much to do with UNC's lack of a running game.

"That's the first time that Kai and Ahmad have been out there together the whole time. And they made all the calls," Groh said. "I thought that was a big step up for them."

U.Va. defensive end Chris Canty stepped up as well with six tackles, two for losses.

"We tried to just keep getting pressure on [Durant]," Canty said. "We just stepped up to the challenge today."

Virginia's defense will have to continue to perform well for the Cavaliers to be successful. With Clemson, Florida State, N.C. State, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech left on the schedule, the defense, especially the secondary, has plenty of challenges remaining.

"It was a pretty thin group and they did well," Groh said of his secondary that has four scholarship safeties including two freshmen. "That's one of the reasons that we were able to keep their points down . . . by defending the deep ball."
 

NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 5, 2003

GAME TO REMEMBER: Virginia wideout Fontel Mines entered the season expecting to redshirt, but Marques Hagans' move back to quarterback and Ryan Sawyer's illness last month changed that.

In Virginia's third game, against Western Michigan on Sept. 13, Mines and another first-year wideout, Deyon Williams, made their college debuts. Williams scored a touchown on his first reception, a 35-yard pass from Hagans against WMU, then caught two passes last weekend against Wake Forest.

Mines, a June graduate of Hermitage High, ran routes and blocked against Western Michigan then did the same thing against Wake. U.Va. didn't pass to Mines in either game, but his long wait ended yesterday. Late in the first half, Mines ran a post pattern and caught an 18-yard pass from Matt Schaub for a touchdown.

"All the hard work is paying off," Mines said. "It's great to get that first catch."

Schaub went back to Mines early in the fourth quarter, and the 6-5 210-pounder gained 6 yards for a first down. Two plays later, Mines dived to catch a Schaub pass in front of the UNC sideline for a 21-yard gain.

"He's coming into his own," Schaub said of Mines, who finished with three catches for 45 yards.

U.Va. coach Al Groh said: "He certainly stepped up and made some plays. There'll be a lot more to come from him, but this is the start of a journey for him, and it ought to give him a good shot of confidence in terms of his awareness and feeling that he belongs."

JACK OF ALL TRADES: In U.Va.'s visit to UNC in 2001, Kevin Bailey started at offensive tackle and played well against All-America defensive end Julius Peppers. Bailey, a 6-6, 290-pound senior, started at left guard yesterday. It was his first start since Aug. 31, 2002, when, as the Cavaliers' center, Bailey suffered a serious knee injury against Florida State.

"When Kevin came back, I said that he counted as two, because he could play center and tackle," Groh said. "I guess he counts as three now."

HE'S NO. 1: With 207 yards passing yesterday, junior Darian Durant overtook Ronald Curry and became North Carolina's all-time leading passer. He has thrown for 5,096 yards. Curry, a Hampton High graduate, passed for 4,987 from 1998 to 2001.

ASCENDING: Schaub entered the game with 4,960 career yards passing, which ranked No. 4 at U.Va. After passing for 284 yards, he's up to 5,244, second only to Shawn Moore (6,629). Schaub passed Aaron Brooks (5,118) and Scott Gardner (5,218) yesterday.

TRAGIC LOSS: Stephen Gates, the sideline reporter on radio broadcasts of North Carolina football games, was killed early yesterday morning. A vehicle struck Gates, a 1998 graduate of UNC, while he was changing a tire on his car by the side of Interstate 40.

Gates, who was 27, was the Tar Heels' play-by-play announcer for baseball and women's basketball. A moment of silence was observed in Gates' memory yesterday at Kenan Stadium.

SHORT-HANDED: The Cavaliers played without several key performers. Neither offensive guard Elton Brown (concussion), who missed his second straight game, nor starting linebacker Rich Bedesem (knee) made the trip to Chapel Hill. Also missing was special-teams standout Marquis Weeks (knee), who ran back the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown against North Carolina last season in Charlottesville.

LOCAL CONNECTION: Former Hopewell High standout Kareen Taylor is among the dozen true freshmen who have played for North Carolina this season. Taylor, a 6-0, 189-pound safety, starred for Fork Union Military Academy's postgraduate team in 2001 and'02. He played on UNC's kickoff-coverage team yesterday.

PRACTICE STANDOUT: U.Va. has several North Carolinians on its roster, including wideout Emmanuel Byers, a 5-9, 175-pound freshman from High Point who is redshirting this season. "I think he's a player who can be a very, very good route runner and is probably the best natural catcher on the team," Groh said.

Moments later, after fielding a question about star tight end Heath Miller, Groh amended that statement. "Second-best natural catcher on the team," he said of Byers.

UP NEXT: The Cavaliers (3-0, 4-1) visit ACC rival Clemson (1-1, 3-2) at noon Saturday. Jefferson-Pilot Sports will televise the game. Clemson lost at Maryland yesterday. A season ago at Scott Stadium, the Cavaliers scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and beat the Tigers 22-17. - Jeff White
 

Schaub, Lundy spark Cavaliers' offense in rout of winless, frustrated Tar Heels
Virginia scores on six consecutive possessions
By Bill Cole
JOURNAL REPORTER

CHAPEL HILL

Not even a sideline tirade by Coach John Bunting, an early forced turnover and a fake punt could help North Carolina break its losing streak yesterday.

Virginia got an easy 38-13 win in front of 51,000 at Kenan Stadium, behind the unerring right arm of quarterback Matt Schaub and the churning legs of tailback Wali Lundy. Virginia, scoring on six consecutive possessions, wiped out a 3-0 North Carolina lead after one quarter and cruised to its 15th win in the series in the past 21 games.

The Cavaliers' seventh and final possession ended 1 foot shy of the Tar Heels' end zone when Coach Al Groh let the final seconds of the game expire rather than run another play. The Tar Heels are 0-5 and have nine straight losses at home, a run of futility that is eating away at senior guard Jeb Terry.

'It's frustrating as hell,' Terry said. 'It's a struggle to get through it. I definitely didn't expect to be in the situation we're in. That was the least of my expectations. But we are where we are. We can lay down and accept it and throw in the towel, but we've got to keep on fighting and clawing for every inch we can get, any win, anything.'

North Carolina has been beaten by an average score of 39.8 points to 16.7 in the home losing streak. The school is a 47-yard field goal on the last play of last season's finale at Duke from having a 12-game losing streak. North Carolina fell to 0-3 in the ACC while Virginia improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

'We're 0-5 -- we're in the bottom of the barrel right now,' Terry said. 'The only way up is up. That's the only way out. Good times can come. Hopefully they'll come sooner than later. It's hard to fight the frustrations.'

Schaub shredded North Carolina by completing 19 of 22 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. Lundy rushed 28 times for 129 yards and scored three touchdowns. Virginia amassed 515 yards of offense and thwarted quarterback Darian Durant of North Carolina with a sharp defense so thoroughly prepared that it seemed to know in advance what plays would be run.

Durant passed for 207 yards to become the Tar Heels' all-time passing yardage leader but was on the run from the pass rush the whole game. He was sacked five times. The Cavaliers led 17-6 at halftime and Groh adjusted the pass rush at the break to make sure that Durant didn't get going after catching his breath.

The Tar Heels forced a turnover on the Cavaliers' first possession when receiver Art Thomas fumbled after making a catch and being hit by cornerback Lionell Green. Linebacker Larry Edwards, making his first college start, recovered for the Tar Heels at the Cavaliers' 48, but the drive ended at the 46 when the Tar Heels had to punt.

North Carolina's second drive of the game was kept alive by the fake punt. The ball was snapped to blocking back Jacque Lewis, who gained 2 yards to the 37.

Five plays later, Durant ran for 7 yards to the Virginia 42. But the play was called back because North Carolina had lined up in an illegal formation. On the next play Durant completed an 8-yard pass to Brandon Russell, but that gain was negated by an illegal block.

Earlier in the drive, the Tar Heels were whistled for a delay-of-game penalty. Bunting, who had seen enough after the third penalty, called a timeout with 2:31 left in the first quarter. He gathered the Tar Heels around him on the sideline about the 35-yard line.

He took off his cap and moved up and down the line, gestured with his arms and speaking forcefully to his players.

Terry said that he has seen Bunting madder than yesterday. Bunting said he was trying to settle a rattled team.

'I've seen some great basketball coaches call timeouts at the right time,' Bunting said. 'The guy who coached here for so long (Dean Smith) was my favorite of all time and I thought he always called them at the right time. I've often wondered that it might be time to do that in a football game. I felt that was the time.

'I did not like our body language out there on the field. I did not like the fact that we were being called for silly penalties - procedure, lining up in the neutral zone, hitting a guy out of bounds.

'It was the way they were called. It didn't seem like we were snapping around. I thought we were slow moving around in between plays. We should play fast.'

Bunting said he wasn't happy at halftime, either. He told his players that the Cavaliers shouldn't be leading by 11 points. The Tar Heels were apparently not inspired by their coach's words.

Schaub directed Virginia 63 yards in nine plays on its first possession of the third quarter for another touchdown. Lundy ran 1 yard for the score and the point-after kick built the lead to 24-6.

Virginia forced a punt, took over at its 33 and Schaub took control again. A 67-yard touchdown drive ended when Schaub connected with Alvin Pearman on a 33-yard touchdown pass for a 31-6 lead with three minutes left in the quarter.

The game was over and Bunting knew it.

'I thought at halftime that we'd come out and play better than we had in the first half and we played worse,' Bunting said.

'I'll take my responsibility for that. I'm sure the rest of the coaching staff will take their responsibility. I certainly hope the players will take theirs so we can move on.'