UVa falters in lackluster team effort
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress Sports Editor
October 23, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.

A week after knocking Florida State off the top of the ACC heap, Virginia’s up-and-down Cavaliers had a chance to recapture their swagger on Saturday afternoon when they ambled across the state border to renew the South’s oldest rivalry.

Unfortunately for the Wahoos, they forgot to pack for the trip. Missing from their luggage? Intensity, execution and a running game.

Coach Al Groh’s team had a golden opportunity to improve its record to 5-2 heading into a bye week, followed by three of its last four contests within the friendly confines of Scott Stadium. All they had to do was get a leg up early on struggling North Carolina, which had been blown out by the count of 69-14 at Louisville two weeks before.

Easier said than done.

UNC’s urgency prevails

It was the Tar Heels who played like there was no tomorrow. Meanwhile the Cavaliers couldn’t get anything going in a deflating 7-5 defeat that was there for the taking. While UNC may have saved its season (3-3, 2-1 ACC), Virginia (4-3, 2-3) must now go back to the drawing board.

Somewhere between today and the Cavs’ next game (Nov. 5 at home vs. Temple), coach Al Groh has to figure out how his team is going to challenge its last four opponents without a valid running attack.

Groh is a big believer in the old axiom that the team that controls the running game on both sides of the ball is usually the winning team. On this day in a less-than-intimidating atmosphere at Kenan Stadium, Virginia did neither.

It was Carolina, a defense that was shredded in its last outing, that held UVa’s already anemic running game to a mere 90 yards and only 199 yards of total offense. That’s the first time in FIVE years that the Tar Heels have held an opponent to less than 200 yards.

At least in past games when the Cavaliers couldn’t mount any kind of a running attack, quarterback Marques Hagans would generate enough excitement through an accurate arm and elusive feet to make it interesting. Not this time.

Where did the O go?

The same Wahoos that racked up 26 points and 300 yards passing against Bobby Bowden’s boys couldn’t find their way to paydirt. While they still might have salvaged a Reaper-Cheating win with a field goal at the end, they couldn’t even get close enough for a try.

On a day with unimaginative play-calling (what’s happened to all those passes to running backs that used to work?), the Cavs’ last two gasps went poof.

On first-and-10 at the UNC 38 and desperately needing a first down to give the school’s all-time leading scorer a chance to do his thing and what was the call? A deep route to Deyon Williams at the goal line.

Obviously there wasn’t a lot of confidence in the running game, which has all but vanished this season although the Cavs return three starting linemen, a quarterback, tailback and fullback from last year’s ACC rushing champions.

Groh, who also believes that there’s plenty of time to turn things around regardless of the opponents, which include Virginia Tech and Miami, realized what just slipped through the Cavaliers’ taped fingers.

“Twice, all we had to do is get the ball to the 30-yard line and we have a chance,” the coach said. “This one would have done us a lot of good.”

The Cavaliers had their chances. A random survey of them after the game revealed that everything boiled down to execution, or rather a lack of it.

Tampa Bay Bucs coach John McKay was once asked what he thought about his winless team’s execution.

“I’m all for it,” McKay deadpanned.

Groh isn’t to that point, but certainly he can’t be pleased with his team’s inability to deliver in key moments, particularly on the road where his team has suffered all three of its ACC losses this season.

“We had our chances,” Groh mumbled a couple of times. “We didn’t make enough plays to change the game. Our complaints are with ourselves.”

Virginia’s coaches knew they were in for a battle. UNC wasn’t just going to roll over after getting pummeled against Louisville’s spread attack. If anything, it would be the Heels’ last stand.

In fact, Groh figured it would all come down to the fourth quarter just as most of the Cavaliers’ games have this season. The fourth quarter hasn’t been too kind to UVa, which has been outscored 56-24 collectively in final periods this season.

Even in the upset of fourth-ranked Florida State last week, the Cavs didn’t scratch in the fourth.

“The mentality is that we needed to do a little more, whether it was a head coach, assistant coach or a player,” Groh said.

No one would argue the Cavs were out-played and out-coached in this one.

With a lack of a running game, Hagans’ couldn’t duplicate last week’s passing numbers, coming up with only 109, his lowest since last year’s loss to Miami. Virginia’s defense doesn’t get off the hook either. Carolina entered the game as the ACC’s worst rushers, but stacked up 172.

Even Hughes, who erased the oldest mark in Virginia’s record book to become the Cavaliers’ all-time scoring king, missed one 32-yard field goal try.

One more play could have done it. All Groh wanted, needed was one more play.

Just as last week’s upset over Florida State was truly a team effort, Saturday’s letdown in Chapel Hill was truly a team loss.

 

Roadblock: Virginia falls to 0-3 on ACC road
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 23, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - With Halloween just a little more than a week away, Virginia’s offense dressed up a little early Saturday, perfectly disguising its operation as an emotionless and mediocre unit. At least it looked that way to the 52,000 paying customers at Kenan Stadium.

A week after stunning national powerhouse Florida State at home, the 23rd-ranked Cavaliers struggled mightily, losing to North Carolina, 7-5. The loss, the third straight ACC road setback for UVa, drops the team to 4-3 overall and 2-3 in the league. The Cavs have posted a 2-8 mark in ACC road games since winning at UNC on Oct. 4, 2003.

Virginia’s offense managed just 14 first downs, 199 yards of total offense and more importantly, just three points. Carolina (3-3, 2-1) gave the Cavaliers their other two points on a safety.

“It was really a simple game,” Virginia coach Al Groh said. “In all phases we just didn’t play quite well enough to win. We had the opportunity to make a few plays at the end. In a game like this, which you expect all games in this conference to be close games decided in the fourth quarter, we had the opportunity to make plays and we didn’t make the plays.

“We wish we had, but we didn’t and we have the result that we have.”

After falling behind 7-2 at halftime, Virginia trimmed the margin with a 37-yard field goal by Connor Hughes with 14:12 left in the game.

Needing only a field goal to win, the Cavs had two chances, as they marched into UNC territory.

The first drive started with 7:05 left after UNC’s Connor Barth was short on a field goal try from 52 yards out.

Thanks to a pair of 13-yard completions by quarterback Marques Hagans, the Cavaliers moved the ball to the North Carolina 38, nearing Hughes’ field goal range.

Following back-to-back incompletions on first and second down, Kareen Taylor sacked Hagans on a safety blitz for an- eight-yard loss. That turned a field goal chance into a punt.

The Cavaliers’ got the ball back as its defense forced the Tar Heels to go three-and-out for just the third time all day. Emmanuel Byers returned UNC’s ensuing punt - a 43-yarder by David Woolridge - to his left and raced out of bounds at the Carolina 38.

Without gaining a yard, UVa would have been able to try Hughes on a 55-yard field goal, which would have been 2 yards longer than his career best.

The clock, which had 184 seconds left, was working against the Cavaliers.

After Hagans ran to his right for a two-yard gain on first down, the signal-caller threw a screen pass across his body and toward the UNC sidelines for Wali Lundy, who was quickly tackled for no gain. The clock ran throughout.

With a long try from Hughes hanging in the balance, Hagans took the snap from under center on 3rd-and-8 and was flushed out of the pocket to his right. Sensing an opening in the secondary, Hagans tried to fire a pass to wideout Deyon Williams.

The pass never made it there.

North Carolina strong safety Trimane Goddard tipped the ball in the air away from Williams and into the wrong hands - those of cornerback Cedrick Holt at the UNC 23.

“I came on a backside blitz and I saw [Hagans] on a bootleg rolling out, so I just went on downfield,” Holt said. “I was just running and pursuing. It was just a lucky break - a tipped ball - you just got to make that play.”

Despite having all three of its timeouts, Virginia never touched the ball again.

The biggest play in the Tar Heels’ final drive came on 2nd-and-6 from the UNC 25. Ronnie McGill, who was playing in just his second game of the season, took a handoff from UNC quarterback Matt Baker and rumbled to his right for close to three yards.

On the play, however, UNC was called for a holding penalty. Virginia had to decide whether to move the Heels back to their own 16 by accepting the penalty or to decline the flag and take third down. Accepting the penalty meant it would remain second down, giving UNC an additional play to run precious seconds off the clock. Groh wasted little time in accepting the penalty.

“At that particular time, we thought field position would be important,” Groh said. “There was a significant gain on the play. That was the issue.”

Groh knew his defense would be put in a tough situation - needing to stop the Tar Heels from gaining two or three yards for a game-saving first down.

“The next play was going to be 3rd-and-3 and if they make a first down on 3rd-and-3 then we have no chance to get the ball back,” Groh explained. “You can go either way with it. You can turn down the penalty and they make it on 3rd-and-3 and then you never get the ball back and you say ‘We should have taken the penalty and make it 2nd-and-15.’ ... We are working against the odds there anyway, whether it’s the clock or the ball possession. It happened the way that it did. It could have happened the other way.”

After taking the penalty, UVa stopped McGill for no gain and used its third and final timeout.

With 57 seconds left, McGill carried the ball to his left for three yards on third down. The officials spotted the ball and started the 25-second play clock with 30 seconds left. UNC allowed the play clock to run down to six seconds before calling a timeout.

Groh elected to use an all-out-rush on Woolridge’s punt, with no return man, but the junior got the kick away. A penalty was called at the end of the play when UNC’s Mike Mason kicked the ball out of bounds, but it proved nothing more than a formality as UNC took a knee on fourth down with no time left.

“It’s not an important penalty,” Groh said. “It had nothing to do with the bearing of the game.”

What did have a bearing was Virginia’s inability to move the football.

In the first quarter, UVa failed to get a first down as its 10 offensive plays netted just 23 yards. The second quarter was better, but not by much, as the Cavs earned four first downs on 19 plays that gained 68 yards.

UNC spotted Virginia’s its only points of the first half on a safety after Warren Green snapped the football over Wooldridge’s outstretched hands and out of the end zone on a punt attempt.

Hughes also missed a 32-yard field goal with 2:20 left in the first half.

“It was just a short kick. I shouldn’t miss things like that ever,” Hughes said of the miss. “It was straight. I just didn’t really swing at it. I just kinda chipped and let it go. I wasn’t focused enough.”

Like his teammates, Hughes was forced to watch the final seconds tick off the clock. And he could do nothing about it.

“Coach Groh always talks about how when we lose we lose as a team, but today I felt like I let a lot of the guys down with the one miss that I had in the first half,” Hughes said. “It was frustrating. I think we kept feeling like we were about to break through and we just couldn’t make it happen.”

A week after passing for a career-high 306 yards against Florida State, Hagans was limited to a season-low 109 yards passing. The senior was also sacked twice and ran for just 26 yards, partly a result of a hamstring injury that he suffered against the Seminoles.

While Hagans escaped through a side door without talking with reporters, Groh spoke for his signal-caller.

“Marques doesn’t take any extra credit when he wins,” Groh said. “I am sure that Marques isn’t going to make any excuses when he doesn’t. And I won’t make any excuses for him either because I think that’s the way he likes it to be.”

North Carolina, which entered the game off its worst defensive performance in school history (a 69-14 loss to Louisville), scored its only touchdown in the first quarter on a 2-yard pass from Baker to Rikki Cook.

“We had one blip where we did not have the emotion necessary to play this game at a high level,” UNC coach John Bunting said of the Louisville game. “What’s important is that the team regrouped, the leadership came through and the players came back.”

And now UVa will see if they can do the same thing. It gets a bye week before playing Temple on Nov. 5 at Scott Stadium.

“When you get a loss, you want to be able to get another win real quickly,” said UVa lineman Brad Butler, who was playing in his first game since serving a one-game suspension. “To have two weeks off and have to think about this one … we’ll forget about this and get ready for Temple a week from now.”

 

No rush: Cavs' ground game struggles
By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
October 23, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - So, what has happened to Virginia’s running game?

Yeah, the one that led the ACC last season with an average of 242 yards of real estate per outing. The one that accounted for a league-leading 34 touchdowns as it chewed up opposing defenses.

The one that boasted a 1,000-yard rusher and a 800-plus yard rusher. The same one that boasted the league’s leading touchdown maker with 17 rushing scores.

All the Cavaliers could muster on 37 rushing attempts against Carolina’s defense was a meager 90 yards, the second-lowest total by Virginia’s offense in its last 13 games. While UVa’s rushing attack hasn’t exactly bowled teams over this season, on this particular occasion it couldn’t produce a first down when it mattered most:

• Early in the second quarter, after senior tailback Wali Lundy made UVa’s longest run of the day (11 yards to the UNC 39), the Cavs managed to gain only three yards on the next three running plays before punting the ball away.

• On the very next possession, with a first down at UNC’s 17, Virginia advanced the ball only three more yards for its deepest penetration of the day, resulting in a missed field goal attempt from 32 yards out.

• Even early in the fourth quarter when Connor Hughes converted a 37-yard field goal that made him Virginia’s all-time scoring king (294 career points), UVa had a first down at the Carolina 18. From there, the Cavs lost three yards on a Cedric Peerman rush, gained one yard on another Peerman attempt, then threw an incomplete pass.

• Finally, trailing 7-5 with a first down at North Carolina’s 38 and less than seven minutes remaining, Virginia essentially gave up on trying to run it any closer. After two incomplete passes and a sack on third down, the Cavs weren’t even close to field goal range.

“We would expect better,” coach Al Groh said after the game about his rushing attack. “We have some guys who have been part of that running game when it was real good.”

Namely, Lundy in the backfield and D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Brad Butler and Brian Barthelmes along the offensive line. Granted, Lundy got off to a slow start this season due to a foot injury on the first series of the first game, while Ferguson and Barthelmes have been hampered by injuries and Butler was playing right guard for the first time.

Usually a patchwork offensive line means trouble and certainly that has been the case with Virginia attempting to mount any resemblance of a power running game.

Still, what hopes do the Cavaliers have of making a serious run over their last four games without a reliable running game?

“Obviously, there will be a lot of internal scrutiny of it in the next two weeks,” Groh said.

There will be plenty of external scrutiny as well.

North Carolina decided to blitz the Cavs all day long, which is usually a risk-reward kind of deal. But on this day, Virginia wasn’t good enough or intense enough to make the Tar Heels pay for taking chances.

“[Carolina] blitzed a lot and if you can pick up the blitz, you can make plays downfield,” said Butler, who filled in for starting right guard Marshal Ausberry, who suffered an ankle injury early in the game. “They blitzed and we didn’t execute. In the end, that hurt us a lot.”

Butler, who hasn’t played or practiced a down at right guard this season, was impressed with the Tar Heels’ defensive effort.

“I’ll give [UNC] credit,” Butler said. “Their two inside guys did a good job today. [Carolina] tried to confuse us and blitzed a lot and it worked.”

He refused to make excuses about playing the position for the first time, noting that Virginia’s offensive line system is set up to where players can move to various spots and still be effective.

“I should be able to do the same things as at right tackle,” Butler said. “But nothing seemed to work for us at the end. It’s purely that the offensive line and tight ends didn’t execute. We just mentally and physically didn’t execute the plays the way we should have.”

Lundy, who hasn’t regained the same form that made him the fifth-leading returning rusher in country, didn’t even smell Kenan Stadium’s sky-blue end zone. He picked up 60 yards on 18 rushes, 3.3 per attempt.

And that was the best UVa could do. Quarterback Marques Hagans, bothered with an apparent hamstring issue, picked up 26 yards on eight rushes (two of those sacks). Normally, Hagans would have been running all over the place but clearly wasn’t up to the task.

Virginia also missed backup tailback Michael Johnson’s speed. He turned an ankle on the opening kickoff and essentially clocked out for the day. Peerman, known for his hard running was bottled up all day, gaining a net four yards on 11 - count ‘em - 11 rushing attempts (he lost 10 yards).

Without the confidence of establishing the run, that adds even more pressure to the passing game.

 

Virginia falls at UNC, notes
By Jay Jenkins / Daily Progress staff writer
October 23, 2005

FOR STARTERS: Virginia offensive coordinator Ron Prince called a pass play on the Cavaliers’ first offensive play of the game on Saturday. Hagans threw an incompletion.
Why is that noteworthy? It means through seven games each contest has started with a pass play.
Hagans has been sacked once and completed 3 of 5 attempts for 72 yards, which includes a 57-yard completion to Ottowa Anderson in the season-opening win over Western Michigan.
On the other play? Wide receiver Emmanuel Byers threw an incompletion on the first play from scrimmage against Florida State.

INJURED IN ACTION: Both teams lost a number of players throughout the game due to injuries.
Virginia junior Michael Johnson sprained his ankle on the opening kickoff after he returned the ball 14 yards. Johnson had the ankle re-taped and, although he played sparingly, he did not touch the ball again.
Marshal Ausberry started the game at right guard for the Cavaliers but sprained his ankle in the opening quarter. Brad Butler was shifted from right tackle to right guard, and Eddie Pinigis was inserted at right tackle. Pinigis had started the last three games at that spot.
Also, UVa defensive end Vince Redd was unable to play late in the game after he suffered what one player called a “concussion.” Redd was not credited with a tackle.
Safety Nate Lyles suffered a “stinger” in the first quarter, but was able to return to the game and finished with three solo tackles and a forced fumble, which UNC recovered.
Virginia tight end Tom Santi twisted his ankle during the contest. He had one catch for eight yards.

ODD ENDING: On what appeared to be the final play of the game, UNC punter David Woolridge got off a career-best 67-yard punt.
The game appeared over but UNC junior Mike Mason raced to the ball at the UVa 20 and kicked it as time expired.
He was called for a penalty.
“I was shocked. When I kicked it, I was running and I looked at the clock,” Mason told reporters. “It had zeros. I seen people running on the field as I was running down the field. So I kicked the ball. I figured the game was over.”
Not so fast. The Tar Heels were penalized half the distance to the goal for illegal touching. UNC ran a flawless fourth-down kneel the second time around.
“Everybody came up to me in the locker room and said they would have done it, too,” Mason said. “[The official] said the ball was still rolling. The ball wasn’t rolling, it was just sitting there. I probably would have missed it if it was still rolling.
“I don’t think nobody knew about that rule.”
Perhaps Mason missed Virginia’s game tape from when they played Boston College. UVa punter Chris Gould was called for the same infraction after a blocked punt, which led to a BC touchdown.

HOUNDING HUGHES: Although he wasn’t in the mood to celebrate after the game, Virginia placekicker Connor Hughes made school history with a 37-yard field goal with 14:12 left in the fourth quarter.
Hughes, a senior, passed former UVa great Gene Mayer in scoring. Mayer, who played from 1912 to 1915, scored 293 points in his career. Hughes now has 294.
Hughes also ranks seventh in ACC history with 59 made field goals in his career.
For the season, Hughes is perfect on his 19 PATs and now 14 of 17 on field goals. He missed a 32-yard attempt (wide right) in the second quarter.

TALKING TURNOVERS: Virginia entered the contest with an 11-2-1 record against North Carolina since 1982 when they committed fewer turnovers. That formula mattered little on Saturday as both teams had just one turnover - interceptions thrown by the quarterbacks.

MAGNIFICENT MCGILL: North Carolina tailback Ronnie McGill made the most of his second game of the season, carrying the ball 23 times for 118 yards. McGill had been sidelined the first four games of the year with a torn chest muscle, but returned against Louisville to gain 29 yards on 12 carries.
McGill’s 100-yard game against UVa was the first for the junior since he ran for 133 yards in the 2004 season opener.
“Nice to see him rush for over 100 yards,” said UNC coach John Bunting. “That was a big emphasis for us to have a chance to win was to run the football. For the most part we did an effective job.”
Sophomore Barrington Edwards chipped in with 57 yards on 13 rushing attempts for the Tar Heels.
“Barrington is a young football player. Ronnie has been around this program and he knows our running game inside out,” Bunting added. “To have those two complement each other is terrific. Barrington had some big runs for us.”

PONDERING PEERMAN: Virginia tailback Cedric Peerman entered the UNC game as the top-ranked freshman in the ACC in all-purpose yards with an average of 108.5 yards per game.
Like many of the Cavaliers, Peerman struggled to get on track. He carried the ball 11 times for just four yards and had only one kickoff return - a 37-yarder. UNC kicked the ball away from Peerman on its two other kickoffs.

BUSY DAY FOR GOULD: Chris Gould may have needed a bag of ice for his punting leg. The sophomore was forced to punt eight times for 313 yards. That’s an average of 39.1 yards per kick, not far off his 39.7-yard average that he entered the game with.
Gould place three kicks inside the UNC 20, giving him nine punts inside the opposition’s red zone.

TACKLING SOME TIDBITS: It took 19:27 for Virginia to get a first down. … Connor Hughes was the special teams winner for the team from the Florida State game and was allowed to call the coin flip before the game. He picked incorrectly, allowing UNC to win the toss. … UNC had the worst rushing offense in the league entering Saturday’s game with an average of 91 yards per game, but gained 172 against UVa. …
The safety that Virginia was awarded in the second quarter was the first one for the Cavaliers since the 1998 season when Virginia’s Devon Simmons blocked North Carolina State punter Jesse Wade’s attempt out of the end zone. …
Virginia linebacker Mark Miller became the sixth Virginia player to intercept a pass this season when he picked off UNC quarterback Matt Baker in the first half. It was the first pick of Miller’s career. …
Virginia will need to win two of its final four games to be eligible for a bowl berth. The Cavaliers should be heavy favorites to win against Temple. Win that game and they will need to beat one of the following: Georgia Tech, Miami or Virginia Tech. …
The seven points that UVa allowed were the fewest the Cavaliers had given up in a loss since Rutgers won 3-0 at home on Sept. 18, 1981. … Virginia had not finished a game with five points since the 1910 season, when touchdowns were good for five.
 

Carolina's defense stifles Virginia
By Jim Furlong / Daily Progress correspondent
October 23, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina coach John Bunting, who was a standout NFL linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles during the 1970s, loves to see a rugged, stingy defensive performance.

He will certainly enjoy reviewing the Tar Heels’ defensive highlights following a 7-5 victory Saturday afternoon over Virginia - limiting the Cavaliers to one field goal on 12 possessions and senior quarterback Marques Hagans to 135 yards of total offense.

North Carolina stopped a three-game losing streak against UVa and now shares second place in the ACC’s Coastal Division with Miami at 2-1. The Heels redeemed themselves after a 69-14 blowout two weeks ago at Louisville and gave their bowl hopes a big boost.

“I am really proud of the effort [our] kids had, bouncing back after a difficult loss,” Bunting said. “They played with tremendous emotion. I am really proud of what the defense did. ... They did a terrific job containing Hagans and that is hard to do.”

Hagans, who was sacked twice, finished with a season-low 109 passing yards.

“I think it was the first time in a long, long time that we held a team under 200 yards,” Bunting said. “To hold them to just 90 yards rushing is really significant. This team we played can score points. They can move the ball.”

The Cavaliers struggled against UNC’s aggressive defenders and had only 91 total yards at halftime. The Heels did not allow a play longer than 13 yards.

“Our players did a very good job in preparation and we have more speed out there to get it done,” Bunting said. “The guys outside on the edge did a good job of stringing it out or getting pursuit to the ball. ... Our players really zeroed in on the [game]plan and had a good understanding of what their plan was.”

UNC strong safety Trimane Goddard, who deflected a fourth-quarter pass that resulted in a Hagans’ interception, said the Tar Heels worked harder after Louisville set a record for most points scored by an opponent in UNC’s football history.

“We had a lot of preparation [during the open date] and watched a lot of film,” Goddard said. “We listened to the coach and got a feel for what [Virginia] would do. The last game left us with an awful feeling. We had missed assignments and a lack of focus.

“This game everyone was zeroed in. It was not so much to keep pressure on Hagans, but to keep him in the pocket. And everybody remembered that embarrassing (56-24) loss last year at Virginia. That was a motivating factor.”

Jesse Holley, one of the Tar Heels’ most vocal players, sat sprawled in a plush lounge chair, speaking in an animated voice as he participated in postgame interviews.

“It wasn’t pretty, but it’s a win so we will take it,” said Holley, a junior wide receiver. “I have never been involved [in that low-scoring of a game]. ... We put on our work boots on; and we grinded it out.”

Holley said the 2004 Tar Heels suffered three blowout losses against UVa, Louisville and Utah and that his team is now 2-1 against those same three opponents this season.

“[Virginia] came off a real emotional win last week against Florida State; so they were riding a wave a little high,” Holley said. “We were off last week and people may have thought we may have been a little out of sync, but we came out and played our hearts out. We put that [loss to Louisville] behind us and we went to work.”

“Guys were flying around, energetic, excited abut practice, excited about playing again.”

“We felt we had to prove something in front of our home crowd this game,” Ronnie McGill said. “We didn’t want anyone to just be looking at [the Louisville score] and say that is the way the rest of the season was going to go. We know Virginia is pretty good and we had to show everybody else in the ACC what we can do.”
 

Cavs dogged by Carolina defenders
North Carolina's defense responds to its worst effort in history with one of its best performances in recent years.
By B y M ark B erman
981-3125
The Roanoke Times

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- In its last game, North Carolina suffered the worst defensive performance in its history.

The embarrassing 69-14 loss at Louisville on Oct. 22 left the UNC defense feeling mighty low.

"We lost our dog," free safety Kareen Taylor said. "That's how it felt."

The Tar Heels had to wait an extra week to redeem themselves because they were idle last weekend. But they responded with their stingiest outing in four years, holding Virginia without a touchdown in a 7-5 win Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

It was an incredible turnaround for a team that had allowed the most points in UNC history in its previous game. Two of Louisville's touchdowns came on fumble recoveries, but the UNC defense gave up the rest.

"After the Louisville game, I felt like this whole defense's heart was broken," linebacker Larry Edwards said. Saturday's win "said this defense has character."

The Tar Heels said they eliminated the mental errors that plagued them at Louisville.

"If anybody gets smacked in the face, you ain't going to get smacked in the face again," Taylor said. "We wanted to prove to everybody we were a good defense.

"We just had to get our minds more focused. ... We had to find the confidence and we did."

Leading 7-5 in the fourth quarter, UNC (3-3, 2-1 ACC) came up with two big plays to prevent No. 23 Virginia from getting close enough to try to win the game with a field goal.

On third-and-10 from the UNC 38, a blitzing Taylor sacked a scrambling Marques Hagans -- his old Fork Union Military Academy teammate -- for an 8-yard loss with 4:57 to go. Virginia was forced to punt.

"He likes to dip in and come outside, so I was waiting for him to make a move outside," said Taylor, a junior who made the first solo sack of his career. "When he did make the move outside, I was there and he was stuck."

The Tar Heels made an even bigger play on UVa's next series. On third-and-8 from the UNC 36, defensive tackle Chase Page took off after Hagans.

Hagans threw a bootleg pass that was tipped by strong safety Trimane Goddard. Cornerback Cedric Holt picked off the pass at the UNC 23 with 1:23 left.

"I noticed that the quarterback was scrambling, so I came in front of the receiver," Goddard said. "He ended up trying to throw across his body. I put my hands up and ... it came off my hands. I guess the tip of the ball hit my face mask."

The deflection enabled the blitzing Holt to come up with the ball.

"The ball hung in the air long enough for me to get an interception," Holt said.

The five points were the fewest UNC has allowed since a 38-3 win over Clemson in 2001.

The Tar Heels held UVa to 199 yards of total offense. It was the fewest yards UNC has yielded in five years.

Hagans, so splendid in last weekend's 26-21 upset of Florida State, mustered a season-low 109 yards passing. He completed only 14 of 28 passes.

North Carolina held Virginia to 90 yards on 37 carries by choking off the outside runs.

"You saw speed on the defense today, the way that we pursued," fifth-year UNC coach John Bunting said.

"That's one of the best games we've played on defense since I've been here, particularly against a guy like Hagans, who's so dangerous."

So this time, the Tar Heels left the field feeling good.

"We found the dog," Taylor said with a laugh.

 

Former recruit Cook resurfaces to burn Cavs
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- When he took over as Virginia football coach in the winter of 2000, Al Groh was able to hang onto a talented core of George Welsh recruits. They included current NFL players such as Alvin Pearman, who was on the Cavaliers' sideline Saturday.

But maybe the most notable player to back out of his commitment to the Welsh staff was Rikki Cook, a high school All-America fullback from Montclair, N.J.

If the Cavaliers had lost track of Cook over the years, they weren't too happy to learn of his whereabouts Saturday.

It was Cook who was responsible for the only touchdown in the Tar Heels' 7-5 victory over 23rd-ranked Virginia.

Cook, who began his college career at Rutgers, had not caught a pass all season and had not scored a touchdown as a collegian before hauling in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Matt Baker with 20 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

"I definitely didn't think that would be the difference," said Cook, who flared out of the backfield to the right side. "It was a very good play call and they were in a perfect defense for us to run that play. Sometimes, teams will leave a 'creeper' out there, but nobody followed me."

The call was made by offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill, an ex-UVa assistant who was one of the people responsible for Cook signing with North Carolina.

After committing to Virginia and then visiting Charlottesville in December 2000, Cook learned upon returning home that Welsh would be retiring.

That caused him to re-open his recruiting and he signed with Rutgers. However, things didn't work out at Rutgers and he didn't rule out Virginia on the rebound.

"That was definitely one of the spots I was considering," he said. "There were no hard feelings. I picked Carolina because I knew Coach Tranquill and Coach [Andre] Powell from when they had recruited me for Virginia."

n Two players who visited Virginia but did not receive scholarship offers, quarterback Matt Baker and wide receiver Jesse Holley, hooked up four times. Groh said earlier this week that he wishes he had recruited Holley more decisively.

Clock matters

When North Carolina took over possession following an interception with 1:23 remaining, Virginia had three timeouts at its disposal and presumably enough time to get the ball back, but the Cavaliers unwittingly were undone by a UNC holding penalty.

With 1:15 remaining, Carolina running back Ronnie McGill had a 3-yard run to the Carolina 28 on second down. When Cook was called for holding behind the play, UVa elected to take the penalty, which created a second-and-15 and cost the Cavaliers the 11 seconds that it took to run the play.

"There was a significant gain on that play," Groh said. "That was the issue. They're up there close enough that they may get [the first down] on third down. Then, you may never get the ball back."

Virginia called its last timeout following the second of UNC's second downs. At that point, it took 51 seconds for Carolina to pull off a running play, the officials to mark the ball and then restart the clock.

Groh thought the officials could have marked the ball a little more quickly, "but I thought they called a good game," he said. "For me to complain about that would be like howling at the moon."

Strange finish

For the second time in three games, Virginia was involved in a situation where a team was penalized for kicking the ball twice on the same play.

This time, the clock had run out and the teams were headed off the field when officials ruled that North Carolina's Mike Mason had illegally kicked the ball as David Wooldridge's punt was rolling dead.

The officials made Carolina run one more play, but quarterback Matt Baker took a knee and the game was over. At Boston College two weeks ago, Virginia punter Chris Gould kicked the ball a second time in an effort to take a safety, but BC was awarded possession at the 2-yard line.

Next up

After an open date, Virginia (4-3, 2-3 ACC) plays on Nov. 5 against a Temple team that remained winless Saturday with a 37-7 loss at Clemson. Groh said earlier this week that he expects game time to be 3 or 3:30 p.m.

 

CAVS ZONED OUT
North Carolina prevents No. 23 Virginia from scoring a TD, handing the Cavaliers a big loss.
By Doug Doughty
981-3129
The Roanoke Times

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The crowd wasn't particularly loud. The opponent wasn't particularly formidable. The conditions weren't the least bit severe.

On Saturday, Virginia had a chance to disprove the notion that it isn't the same football team at home and on the road.

The notion won't go away.

Against an unranked North Carolina team that gave up 69 points in its last outing, 23rd-ranked Virginia failed to score a touchdown Sunday in a 7-5 loss at Kenan Stadium.

It was the third straight road conference loss for the Cavaliers, who one week earlier had knocked off No. 4 Florida State 26-21 in Charlottesville, Va.

"This one would have done us a lot of good," said Al Groh, who has a 9-18 road record in his five seasons as Virginia coach, compared to 23-5 at home. "We had our chances."

Senior placekicker Connor Hughes, who had converted nine straight field goals, missed a 32-yard attempt in the second quarter and watched in dismay as the Cavaliers twice got to the brink of his field-goal range -- before falling back -- in the closing minutes.

"Coach Groh always stresses that we win as a team and lose as a team," said Hughes, whose 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter gave him the Cavaliers' career scoring record, "but today I feel like I let a lot of the guys down."

Virginia (4-3 overall, 2-3 ACC) reached the Carolina 38- and 36-yard lines on its last two possessions, but quarterback Marques Hagans was sacked on third-and-10 with 5:04 left and was intercepted with 1:23 left.

The Cavaliers had three timeouts remaining and pushed North Carolina (3-3, 2-1) back to its 9-yard line, but time expired before Virginia could regain possession.

"It hurts," UVa defensive end Chris Long said. "We felt like we had such a good thing going after last week but, when you leave here, you're still 1-1 after two games."

In its previous three games, UVa had given up more than 500 yards per game, a large portion of it in the fourth quarter. On Saturday, the Cavaliers gave up 270 yards, including 47 in the fourth quarter.

Carolina's seven points were the fewest given up by Virginia in a loss since a 3-0 setback against Rutgers in 1981.

"It's nice when you only have to score seven points to win a football game," North Carolina quarterback Matt Baker said. "I just shook my head. That's the last thing I expected, to win this game 7-5."

Carolina and Virginia have played every year since 1919 and Saturday marked the first time since 1926 that both teams have been in single digits. It was only the third time in Groh's 58-game UVa coaching tenure that UVa has failed to score a touchdown.

The Cavaliers had a season-low 199 yards in total offense and did not have a first down until their fifth series. It was the first time in coach John Bunting's six seasons that a Tar Heels opponent had failed to gain 200 yards.

"The [UVa] defense played a great game today," said Cavalier offensive lineman Brad Butler, who, in his return from a one-game suspension, was shifted from tackle to right guard because of an injury to Marshal Ausberry. "The offense should have been able to create a little bit more today than we did."

Hagans, whose performance against Florida State was hailed as one of the best by a UVa quarterback, was limping noticeably as the result of a pulled hamstring suffered against the Seminoles. He completed 14 of 28 passes for 109 yards and had 26 yards on the ground.

"Marques doesn't take any extra credit when he wins and I'm sure he isn't going to make any excuses when he doesn't," Groh said. "And, I won't make any excuses for him either because I don't think that's the way he'd like it."

Hagans declined to meet with the media after the game.

"He wasn't on his game the same way he has been the previous six games, but I don't believe anybody in the organization was on our game the way we have been," Groh said. "Top to bottom, we didn't do quite enough."

Hagans didn't have a lot of support, particularly when he got the ball to Fontel Mines in a crowd at the 2-yard line and Mines wasn't able to hang onto the ball before falling out of bounds.

It was one of two second-half drives that stalled on Mines drops.

On an earlier occasion, Hagans lofted the ball to running back Michael Johnson, who had a step on Carolina linebacker Jeff Longhany in the end zone, but the ball was slightly underthrown.

Without turning his head, Longhany stuck up and arm and made a deflection. That was followed by a Hughes miss that sent the Tar Heels into the locker room ahead 7-2.

"Most of these games we've played have been fourth-quarter games," Groh said, "and, if we'd played a little bit better in the last six minutes, we'd have come in and I'd have said, 'Boy, am I proud of you guys. We hung in there, we made the plays when we had to make them and came away with a good road victory.'

"We didn't do those two or three or four things at the end, so we didn't give ourselves a chance to think that."

 

Cavs' 'O' is no-show
Unranked North Carolina controls the line of scrimmage and stymies Virginia's attack
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Oct 23, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- The offense that burned Florida State for 23 first-half points at Scott Stadium last weekend was nowhere to be seen at Kenan Stadium yesterday. And so the Virginia Cavaliers, who were hoping to build on their upset of FSU, instead suffered a crushing setback, losing 7-5 to unranked North Carolina.

The Tar Heels allowed a school-record 69 points in a loss at Louisville two weeks ago. But UNC (2-1, 3-3) dominated 23rd-ranked U.Va. (2-3, 4-3) at the line of scrimmage and ended a three-game losing streak in this series.

Virginia, which came in ranked fourth among ACC teams in scoring offense (28.7 ppg), totaled only 199 yards. That marked the first time this season that U.Va. had gained fewer than 324 yards.

Two of the Cavaliers' points came on a second-quarter safety. The rest came on senior Connor Hughes' 37-yard field goal early in the final period. It later looked as if Hughes would get an opportunity to attempt a potentially game-winning field goal, but each of U.Va.'s final two possessions went awry.

On the first, on a third-and-10 play from UNC's 38-yard line, safety Kareen Taylor, a former Hopewell High star, sacked Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans for an 8-yard loss. That moved U.Va. (2-3, 4-3) out of Hughes' range, and Chris Gould came on to punt with about 5 minutes remaining.

The Cavaliers' defense held, and after Emmanuel Byers' 13-yard punt return, the visitors took over at the UNC 38 with 3:04 remaining. On third and 8 from the 36, however, safety Trimane Goddard tipped a Hagans pass intended for wideout Deyon Williams, and cornerback Cedrick Holt came down with the interception with 1:23 remaining.

"We came up with the defensive play of the year," said UNC coach John Bunting, whose team ran the final 83 seconds off the clock.

U.Va. coach Al Groh said: "We had our chances. Twice all we have to do is get the ball to the 30-yard line, and we're probably going to win the game. . . . We all have a lot of confidence in [Hughes], and we would have liked to have taken our shot with him, clearly."

Virginia hasn't produced a touchdown since tailback Wali Lundy scored on an 11-yard pass play with 19 seconds in the first half against FSU. The Cavaliers held on to upset the then-No. 4 Seminoles 26-21, but they never led yesterday.

The seven points are the fewest U.Va. has allowed in a loss since a 3-0 defeat at Rutgers on Sept. 18, 1981. UNC, which came in ranked last among ACC teams in rushing offense (91 yards per game), ran for 172 yesterday, but Virginia held quarterback Matt Baker to 98 yards passing and forced a turnover.

"It's just frustrating when you can't get anything going," said U.Va. offensive lineman Brad Butler, who started at right tackle but played the final 3½ quarters at right guard after Marshal Ausberry left with a sprained ankle.

"That's purely on [the offense]. That's not on the coaching staff, and that's not on the defense. The defense played a good game today."

Hagans, who dazzled against FSU, hurt a hamstring in the second quarter of that game, and his injury clearly bothered him yesterday. The 5-10 senior completed 14 of 28 passes for a season-low 109 yards. He rushed eight times for 26 yards but didn't hurt the Heels with his feet the way he has so many opponents.

Afterward, Hagans declined to speak to reporters. So did Lundy, who led U.Va. with 60 yards on 18 carries.

Hagans "wasn't on his game the same way that he has been the previous six," Groh said, "but I don't believe anybody in the organization was quite on their game the way they had been, and from top to bottom, we just didn't do quite enough."

When they look at the videotape, the Cavaliers will rue two blown opportunities in particular.

The first came late in the first half. Down 7-2 after recording a safety when UNC's Warren Green's snap sailed over the head of punter David Woolridge and out of the end zone, U.Va. got a 37-yard return from Cedric Peerman on the ensuing kickoff.

From the Heels' 48, Virginia drove for a first down at the 17. On third and 7 from the 14, tailback Michael Johnson, the fastest Cavalier, found himself matched against linebacker Jeff Lonhany in the secondary. An accurate toss almost certainly would have resulted in a U.Va. touchdown, but Hagans underthrew Johnson, and Lonhany, perhaps inadvertently, broke up the pass.

Before the snap, Groh said, the U.Va. coaches "were like, 'Whoah, we can't believe we got this,' because you don't know if you're going to get that matchup. We had what we wanted, and the ball was a little short and hit their guy in the back of the head. I don't think he knew the ball was coming."

After the incompletion, Hughes ran out to try a 32-yard field goal that would have made it a two-point game. Hughes had connected on his previous nine attempts, but this one missed to the right, and UNC had an unexpected reprieve.

The other play Groh won't soon forget came early in the final period. On third and 12 from the Carolina 20, Hagans rolled right, spotted Fontel Mines near the goal line and fired a pass to the junior wideout. Mines had the ball in his hands at the 2 but couldn't make the catch, and the Cavaliers had to settle for Hughes' field goal, which made it 7-5 with 14-12 left.

 

Hughes wanted shot at win more than 2 records
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 23, 2005

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Connor Hughes wanted one more shot. He stood on the sideline during the waning minutes at Kenan Stadium yesterday, hoping for the chance at a field goal that might give Virginia a dramatic victory.

Earlier in the game, Hughes had passed on a 53-yard try, telling coach Al Groh he wasn't sure he could fight the wind and distance of the moment. This time, no conditions would dissuade him.

"Toward the end, I would've taken anything," Hughes said. "I would've taken anything inside of 60. I just wanted to get on the field."

But he didn't. Given favorable field position at North Carolina's 38 with 3:08 to go, U.Va. gave up possession three plays later on a Marques Hagans interception and never got the ball back in losing to the Tar Heels 7-5. Hughes would set two school records on this day. But he wouldn't get the opportunity he craved most.

A senior from Williamsburg, Hughes concluded the game's scoring with a 37-yard field goal three plays into the fourth quarter. The three points gave him 294 for his career, breaking by one a record Eugene Mayer held for 90 years. It was Hughes' 59th field goal, one more than Rafael Garcia booted for the Cavs between 1993-96.

Hughes also was wide right with a 32-yard try late in the second quarter ("I didn't swing through the ball enough -- I got too pretty with it") but said it wasn't redemption he sought at the end -- just a win.

"I just wanted to have one more chance," he said, "and it didn't work out for us." -- Bob Lipper

 

U.VA. NOTES
Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 23, 2005

HINDSIGHT IS 20-20: Leading 7-5, North Carolina got the ball back at its 21-yard line yesterday with 1:23 remaining after Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans threw an interception. The Cavaliers had all three of their second-half timeouts left, and they used the first one, at the 1:15 mark, after a 4-yard run by tailback Ronnie McGill.

On second and 6, McGill ran for 4 more yards, but fullback Rikki Cook was called for holding. That left Virginia coach Al Groh with a tough decision. He could decline the penalty and call timeout No. 2, leaving UNC with third and short. Or he could accept the penalty and call timeout No.2, setting up second and 15 from the Carolina 16 with about 65 seconds left.

Groh chose the latter course

"There was a significant gain on [McGill's run]," he said. "That was the issue. So if they get up there close enough and they make it on third down, you don't ever get the ball back. So in that particular case your only option is to guard your opportunity to get the ball back, because if you don't get the ball back, you have no chance to win the game."

If Groh had it to do over again, he no doubt would have gambled. Had the Cavs stopped UNC on third and short, they probably would have gotten the ball back with about 15 seconds left. As it turned out, UNC was able to run the clock down to :06 before calling time out on fourth down.

The Cavaliers put 11 players on the line, but their attempt to block Dan Woolridge's punt was unsuccessful. Carolina was called for a penalty on the punt and had to run another play, but with no time on the clock, quarterback Matt Baker took the snap and kneeled to end the game.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Cavaliers continue to struggle away from Scott Stadium, where they've won 19 of their past 21 games. U.Va. is 1-3 on the road this season, the victory coming against Syracuse. In its three road losses combined, Virginia has been outscored 28-10 in the final quarter.

Kenan Stadium seats 60,000. A not-especially rabid crowd of 52,000 turned out yesterday.

"It was a nice day out there, it was a nice crowd," Groh said. "Contrary to some of the places where we've been - maybe we were too far away - nobody was abusive. It was just a nice day to play football. Maybe the environment had something to do with their team, but I don't think the environment had anything to do with our team."

U.Va. (2-3 ACC, 4-3 overall) is off next weekend. The Cavaliers will return to action Nov. 5 against nonconference rival Temple, the first of three consecutive home dates for Groh's team.

MEDICAL REPORT: The Cavaliers traveled to Chapel Hill without two injured outside linebackers - sophomore Jermaine Dias and true freshman Aaron Clark - and then lost more players at Kenan Stadium.

Starting nose tackle Ron Darden got hit in the head and spent the second half on the sideline. Marshal Ausberry, the starter at right offensive guard, hurt his ankle midway through the first quarter and didn't return. Return specialist Michael Johnson, also the Cavaliers' second-team tailback, injured his right ankle on the opening kickoff and played sparingly thereafter. Finally, sophomore defensive end Vince Redd, coming off a strong effort against Florida State, suffered a second-half concussion and had to leave the game.

Also, in the game's opening moments, U.Va. safety Nate Lyles was hit in the head and suffered a stinger. Lyles, flat on his back, initially didn't appear able to move his legs or arms but eventually left the field under his own power. He returned midway through the opening quarter.

"Fortunately, it turned out not to be serious," Groh said. "I think they put a collar on him, and he went the rest of the way."

MISCELLANY: U.Va. wideout Kevin Ogletree, a true freshman who made his debut against FSU, had his first college reception yesterday. It went for 5 yards late in the first half.

Virginia, which picked up only one first down in the final 18 minutes against FSU, didn't get a first down yesterday until the 10:33 mark of the second quarter.

Senior wideout Jawarski Pollock needed six catches yesterday to become UNC's leader in career receptions. Pollock caught one pass, for a 6-yard gain. The Tar Heels' leading receiver was Jesse Holley, whom U.Va. might have landed if it had pursued him harder. Holley had four catches for 46 yards yesterday.

Cook, who committed to U.Va. in 2000, then changed his mind after George Welsh retired as coach, scored UNC's touchdown yesterday on a 2-yard pass from Baker. Cook, a senior fullback, played one year at Rutgers before transferring to North Carolina.

ACCOLADES: Two U.Va. recruits for 2006 - wideout Chris Dalton and quarterback O.C. Wardlow - were recently selected to play for North Carolina in the Shrine Bowl, Dec. 17 at Spartanburg, S.C. Dalton attends West Iredell High in Statesville. Ward attends Mount Tabor High in Winston-Salem.

The Shrine Bowl annually matches all-star teams from North Carolina and South Carolina. - Jeff White