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Rain supreme: UVa downs Pack
 By John Galinsky / Daily Progress staff writer
Nov 17, 2002
 
The footing was treacherous, the lead was tenuous and the opponent was dangerous. But on a rainy, sloppy Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium, the Virginia football team wouldn't let a seventh victory - and an almost certain bowl bid - slip from its grasp.

In what UVa coach Al Groh called "a real fighting game … our kind of game," the Cavaliers clawed and sloshed their way to a 14-9 triumph over No. 22 N.C. State.

The victory allowed Virginia (7-4, 5-2 ACC) to become bowl-eligible and assure itself of no worse than a third-place finish in the conference, both of which once seemed highly unlikely for a team picked eighth in the league in a preseason media poll.

"I love it," said senior linebacker Merrill Robertson. "People said Virginia doesn't have anything, they have no upperclassmen, they have no talent. I was, like, 'Yeah, right.' It feels great to prove everyone wrong."

Groh pulled out all the stops in trying to snap his team's two-game losing streak. He turned to a little-used tailback. He shuffled personnel on defense. He faked a field goal. All of those moves worked.

But the biggest stop of all came courtesy of cornerback Jamaine Winborne, who batted down Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers' fourth-down pass in the end zone with 17 seconds remaining. Only then could the Cavaliers and the damp but happy crowd of 53,371 exhale.

"It was nerve-wracking," Winborne said. "Everything went numb and quiet [on State's final pass]. As soon as I saw the ball hit the ground, it got loud again."

It was another major disappointment for the Wolfpack (9-3, 4-3), who dropped their third straight after a 9-0 start and failed once again to secure their first 10-win season. The three defeats have come by a total of 15 points.

"It's becoming a ditto," said N.C. State coach Chuck Amato.

After consecutive losses to Georgia Tech and Penn State, Groh didn't stick with the status quo. He started Marquis Weeks, who had not carried the ball as a tailback since the third game, and the sophomore responded with 129 yards on 19 carries.

The Cavaliers finished with 189 rushing yards, complementing an efficient performance by quarterback Matt Schaub, who threw a pair of touchdown passes, giving him a school-record 23 for the season.

Weeks dashed for 21 yards on his fourth carry, setting up Schaub's 21-yard scoring toss to Ottowa Anderson in the first quarter.

Weeks also ran four times for 39 yards on UVa's first possession of the second half. That drive covered 85 yards and concluded with a 6-yard touchdown catch by tight end Patrick Estes, boosting Virginia's lead to 14-3.

"We came out in the second half and just exploded," Weeks said. "The offensive line was just blowing people off the ball."

UVa's defense also performed admirably against the ACC's highest-scoring team. Groh made several changes, starting safety Willie Davis and linebacker Rich Bedesem in place of Shernard Newby and Raymond Mann, respectively. Merrill Robertson also moved from inside linebacker to Mann's outside spot, with Bedesem playing on the inside.

Bedesem was credited with a game-high 13 tackles as the Cavaliers, who had been allowing nearly 450 yards per game, gave up 332, including 96 on the ground.

N.C. State freshman T.A. McLendon, whose 15 touchdowns lead the ACC, gained 75 yards on 22 carries but did not reach the end zone. He also fumbled twice in the first half, including once at the UVa 3-yard line.

Philip Rivers, the ACC's top-rated quarterback, threw 47 times, completing 28 for 236 yards. He rushed for a 2-yard touchdown in the third quarter but failed to throw a TD pass against Virginia for the third straight year.

"Our coaches did a great job getting us ready," said UVa safety Jerton Evans. "[The Wolfpack] use a whole bunch of formations and personnel shifts. We worked on that all week, so nothing they did confused us. Actually, we did it faster during practice. In the game, it seemed like slow motion."

The Cavaliers appeared to have the game in hand when junior cornerback Almondo Curry made his first career interception with about 10 minutes remaining. They drove to the N.C. State 11, thanks to a 32-yard run by Weeks and an 8-yard run by Schaub as the holder on a fake field goal.

"I thought we were going to put it away right there," Weeks said.

But it wasn't quite over. Receiver Michael McGrew fumbled two plays later, though replays showed his left knee probably hit the ground before the ball came loose, and J.J. Washington recovered for the Wolfpack at the 14.

Taking possession with just under five minutes remaining, Rivers marched his team downfield, converting third-down throws four straight times in moving the ball to the UVa 15.

Facing a fourth-and-7, N.C. State called its last timeout with 25 seconds left.

"I couldn't look," Schaub said. "I had confidence in our defense, but I couldn't look."

If he had looked, he would have seen linebacker Darryl Blackstock put pressure on Rivers, who flung the ball into a crowd in the end zone. It was tipped, nearly into the hands of receiver Bryan Peterson, but Winborne knocked the ball to the ground.

"We played with a whole lot of heart today," Davis said. "That's why we won the game."

 

 

Surprising season continues
 By Jerry Ratcliffe / Daily Progress sports editor
Nov 17, 2002
 
From Angelo Crowell's viewpoint, the ball seemed to have hung in the air forever.

Clinging to a 14-9 lead with less than 25 seconds remaining and North Carolina State threatening to deny Virginia the upset, the Cavaliers' senior linebacker watched Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers' desperation, fourth-down heave toward the end zone.

Some of the Wahoos, including UVa quarterback Matt Schaub, standing on the sidelines, couldn't bear to watch. As the ball sailed toward State receiver Bryan Peterson, Virginia cornerback Jamaine Winborne went up with Peterson and slapped the pass away.

Not only did Winborne's dramatic play end a nerve-wracking drive that featured the Wolfpack marching 71 yards, converting four straight third-down situations along the way, it also gave Virginia something that virtual-

ly no one thought it could get - a winning season.

Coach Al Groh's team, one of the youngest in the country, captured their seventh win of the season, becoming bowl eligible with two games to play.

So, what's all the fuss?

Picked to finish eighth in the ACC, the Cavaliers could finish second if they knock off 19th-ranked Maryland this Saturday in Scott Stadium where Virginia is 5-1. Certainly there have been more important victories staged in this arena over the decades, but the drama value of this one was like something out of Hollywood.

Groh, certainly in the running for ACC Coach of the Year honors, showed why by making key personnel decisions that influenced how the game was played and won.

On offense, sophomore Marquis Weeks was the surprise of the day. After having started the first game of the season back in August, Weeks must have thought he was forgotten. He had only nine carries all season as a tailback and had been used primarily as a kick returner.

Saturday, Weeks ran like a big-time back, racking up 129 yards while forcing State's defense respect the Cavaliers' running game.

While that was gratifying for Wahoo fans, it paled in comparison to the best defensive performance by Virginia this season or perhaps in the last several seasons. All the pressure in this game fell upon the defense, which was ranked 104th in the nation.

Inspired by the challenge, the Cavaliers' defense shut down the ninth-highest scoring machine in the country. Coordinator Al Golden's gang held the Wolfpack to a touchdown and a field goal, an offense that had averaged 36.9 points per game.

What Virginia fans have to love about Groh is that he's not afraid to make changes. He puts the players on the field that gives him the best chance to win.

During preparation this week, unsatisfied with the production he was getting from some positions, Groh and Golden made some key changes.

Inside linebacker Merrill Robertson was moved outside as Raymond Mann was bumped to the bench. Sophomore Rich Bedesem moved from backup to starter at Robertson's old inside spot and delivered.

Bedesem led the Cavaliers in tackles with 13.

"Bedesem's a hell of a player," said Crowell. "Coach said he's one of our four best linebackers and we had to get him on the field."

Crowell, realizing how important beating N.C. State would be, walked up to Bedesem before the game, looked him in the eyes and asked, "Rich, you gonna ride with me out here today?"

Bedesem more than answered the question.

True freshman safety Willie Davis stepped in for senior Shernard Newby and was all over the place, all while under the watchful eye of senior Jerton Evans, who had to act as a coach on the field to make sure the talented but inexperienced Davis was lined up right.

"He made some game-saving tackles out there today," said Evans. "He's big and fast and hits extremely hard. By the time he leaves here, he will be a first-round draft choice."

For all of Weeks' big runs; for all of the statistics piled up by Matt Schaub, who is quietly putting together perhaps the best season ever by a UVa quarterback; for all the inspired play by new faces in the defensive lineup, it all came down to the last heart-thumping drive.

"As soon as we thought we were going to get off the field, State would convert [a first down] and we'd have to reset our emotions," said Evans. "But once you've been down by 21 points and are used to coming back and winning in the second half, you learn to deal with those emotions."

Everyone expected an offensive shootout, not a defensive dogfight, the kinds of games that Groh loves.

Maybe it's not the biggest win of Groh's career, but it may have been the most important as his Cavaliers defied the odds, upset a nationally ranked opponent for the second time this season and guaranteed a bowl appearance.

For a coach who puts so much energy into recruiting, don't you know that this one raised a few eyebrows among prospects around the country.

"This one was big, man," said Crowell. "This was one we had to have."

Groh wasn't about to put a label on the win. He isn't satisfied and doesn't want his team to be. Every time someone tried to put words into his mouth about just how big this win was, Groh reminded everyone that there's two more games to play, two more games to win.

 

 

Cavaliers bowl over Wolfpack
Virginia knocks off a ranked foe and becomes bowl eligible by knocking down a last-minute pass.

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

CHARLOTTESVILLE - To hear the varying accounts of the fateful play in the Virginia-North Carolina State football game, you'd have sworn nobody was watching.
A lot of people weren't.

"I didn't watch it," said UVa quarterback Matt Schaub, biding his time on the sideline as the Wolfpack drove for a would-be go-ahead touchdown. "I couldn't watch it. It was too agonizing."

The game came down to a fourth-and-seven play from the Virginia 15-yard line, with UVa cornerback Jamaine Winborne knocking down a pass in the end zone to preserve a 14-9 win before a rain-drenched crowd announced at 53,371.

"If we had lost this one, I'm not sure they could have dragged me off the field," said Winborne, who had watched State convert four straight third downs in a drive that began at the Wolfpack 14. "And, if I'd gotten to the locker room, I'm not sure I would have gotten home."

Instead, he was in the middle of the celebration after UVa's fourth victory over a ranked team in coach Al Groh's two seasons. Of the 12 victories Virginia has claimed during Groh's 23-game tenure, seven have come as an underdog.

The Cavaliers were seven-point underdogs Saturday against the Wolfpack, who, like Virginia, had lost their previous two games. Life doesn't get easier for the Wolfpack (9-3, 4-3 ACC), which finishes regular-season play next week when it entertains ACC front-runner Florida State.

Virginia (7-4, 5-2) will play host to Maryland in what shapes up as a battle for second place, no small feat for a team picked eighth in the ACC in the preseason. Moreover, the Cavaliers are eligible for a bowl after reaching seven victories for the first time since 1999.

Freshman linebacker Darryl Blackstock, who said earlier in the week that he would settle for "the daggone Cavalier Inn Bowl," made a major contribution Saturday with a delayed rush that caused State quarterback Philip Rivers to throw the ball before he was ready on the Wolfpack's final play.

"We were just trying to get a first down," State wide receiver Bryan Peterson said of a play that began with 25 seconds remaining. "We were just trying to get 7 yards. But, when [Rivers] got pressured, he decided to throw it up and hope that one of us made a play."

Replays seemed to indicate that the ball squirted out of Peterson's hands before Winborne knocked it to the grass, but Peterson said he did not touch it. He said he dived for the ball once it had been deflected, but a second defender knocked it away.

"Somebody tipped it up before I went to go get it," Winborne said. "I think, at one point, [Peterson] had the ball. I thought it touched his hands. Was he going for it again when I hit it? That might have happened. It happened so fast, all I can remember is the ball hitting the ground."

Rivers said he couldn't believe the Wolfpack found itself in a fourth-down situation, but nobody could have gone home with more regrets than the Cavaliers, who had a first down at the Wolfpack 15-yard line after Schaub ran 8 yards on a fake field goal with just more than five minutes remaining.

At the very worst, Virginia was looking at a short field-goal attempt that would have given it an eight-point lead, but Michael McGrew took a short pass from Schaub and fumbled after being hit by State linebacker Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay, who also recovered the ball.

If the game had turned out differently, the Cavaliers might have argued that McGrew's left knee had hit the ground before he fumbled, but it was chalked up as one more lost opportunity for Virginia, which had four possessions inside State's 30-yard line when it failed to score.

Virginia had an edge in total offense of 346 yards to 332, the first time in eight games that UVa had outgained the opposition. The Cavaliers had given up fewer than 400 yards once in their first 10 games.

Schaub set the UVa record for touchdown passes in a season with a 21-yarder to Ottowa Anderson in the first quarter, and a 6-yard pass to Patrick Estes in the third quarter gave him 23 TD passes. The previous high of 21 was shared by Shawn Moore (1990) and Bobby Goodman (1992).

UVa rushed for a season-high 233 yards, including 182 in the second half. Redshirt sophomore Marquis Weeks, whose first carry Saturday represented his first rushing attempt in seven weeks, had 19 carries for 129 yards.

"Marquise Weeks, besides what he did individually, was just symbolic of what a lot of players have done during the course of this season - and the course of this game - to step up when something had to be done," Groh said.

 

 

Changes pay off for Groh, Cavs

By DOUG DOUGHTY
THE ROANOKE TIMES

CHARLOTTESVILLE - Not all the personnel changes implemented by Virginia football coach Al Groh on Saturday could be traced to the Cavaliers' growing injury list.
Tailback Marquise Weeks, inside linebacker Richie Bedesem and safety Willie Davis were among the players whose roles increased because of a lack of production at other spots.

Weeks, who had rushed for 37 yards all season, made his first start since the opening game and carried 19 times for 122 yards in the Cavaliers' 14-9 upset of 22nd-ranked North Carolina State.

Bedesem had a team-high 13 tackles, eight of them unassisted, and Davis was involved in the coverage of a fourth-down N.C. State pass into the end zone that was knocked to the ground with 17 seconds remaining.

Davis started ahead of fifth-year senior and team interception leader Shernard Newby, second on the team in career starts before Saturday.

"I think he'll [Davis] be a first-round draft pick before he leaves here," UVa's other safety, senior Jerton Evans, said. "He's faster than me or [former All-America safety Anthony Poindexter] and he hits just as hard, if not harder."

Davis had missed the previous two games with a high-ankle sprain.

Bedesem started as the result of a move that sent inside linebacker Merrill Robertson to the outside, in place of Raymond Mann, who did not play.

"We needed more production at the position," Groh said. "We came away from the last game [a 35-14 loss at Penn State] not feeling good about a lot of things."

Groh attributed Weeks' increased playing time to a knee injury that felled Alvin Pearman, probably for the season, in the third quarter at Penn State. However, much of Weeks' playing time Saturday came at the expense of former starter Wali Lundy, a true freshman.

"I just guess the coaches felt we needed a change," said Weeks, who had 102 yards in nine second-half carries. "My main focus was special teams, but a lot of things can happen. People get hurt. They told me at the beginning of the week that I was going to get time and it worked out."

PERSONNEL UPDATE: Sophomore offensive guard Elton Brown, the Cavaliers' best blocker since the loss of center Kevin Bailey in Week 2, missed his second straight game with a stress fracture in his right foot. Junior Ben Carber started in Brown's place before yielding to Brad Butler, a true freshman.

Groh said that No.1 fullback Jason Snelling and defensive end Kwakou Robinson missed the game because of illness. Snelling, one of the Cavaliers' leading receivers in recent weeks, was replaced by former starter Kase Luzar.

SCHAUB ALERT: UVa quarterback Matt Schaub tied a school record set by Shawn Moore by throwing at least one touchdown pass for the 11th straight game. ... Schaub became the second UVa quarterback to pass for 2,500 yards in a season and needs 9 yards to surpass the school record set by current UVa receivers coach Mike Groh, who passed for 2,510 yards in a 12-game season in 1995.

VIRGINIA NEXT WEEK: The Cavaliers (7-4, 5-2 ACC) will play host to Maryland at 5:30 p.m. next Saturday in a game that will be televised by ESPN2. The Terrapins are in sole possession of second place in the ACC at 5-1 (9-2 overall) after defeating Clemson 30-12 Saturday night. It will be the last of seven UVa home games.

 

 

Players' comments hard on Golden

Penn State never informed UVa of concerns

By DOUG DOUGHTY
 Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Thursdays

As everybody knows, assistant Virginia football coaches only speak to the media during a 7-10 day period during preseason practice, so we can only guess what Al Golden thinks of the way he was used as an object of motivation last week at Penn State.

Penn State defensive end Michael Haynes, who had three first-half sacks in the Nittany Lions' 35-14 victory over Virginia, said he and defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy had heard that Golden had called them "soft."

Golden is a former Penn State tight end who served as an assistant coach for the Nittany Lions in 2000.

"He was a little bit disturbed by it," UVa head coach Al Groh said. "That's his school and he's proud of having gone to school there. He just happens to be coaching here and he's trying to win the game for his team.

"To have it proposed that he said that or put him in a negative light relative to a school he has a strong affection for ... really bothered him, as well it should."

It bothered Groh, too.

"For his sake, yes," Groh said. "He's proud to be the head coach here, but he's proud to be a Penn State guy."

YOU'VE GOT TO WONDER how Golden felt about his alma mater after Penn State apparently made the NCAA aware of Golden's presence at the Nittany Lions' game Sept. 14 with Nebraska.

The Cavaliers were off that week and Golden had gone to the game with his girlfriend and her parents, who live near State College, Pa. According to a story broken by media gadfly Jeff White in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Golden called former coaching colleagues about meeting for breakfast on the day of the game.

UVa athletic director Craig Littlepage said Thursday that he was made aware of the situation by the NCAA, which almost surely was notified by Penn State of a possible violation. However, nobody from Penn State ever called Virginia to indicate there was a problem or a question.

Indeed, Littlepage had dinner Friday night with Penn State athletic director Tim Curley, who never mentioned the situation to Littlepage, although Littlepage already knew about it.

The week had begun with Penn State coach Joe Paterno casting aspersions on the Cavaliers for seeking to reschedule the Penn State-UVa game, originally scheduled for Sept. 7. Paterno used the word "shenanigans" to describe the way UVa ended up with an open date before playing Penn State.

"There was a lot of bad blood in this game," Jimmy Kennedy said. "Joe had some issues with this team."

Seldom has there been so much bad blood over so little. Earlier in the week, Groh had described Penn State as a team he would like to schedule in the future.

"From our standpoint, there are no issues," Littlepage said. "I'm not pointing a finger of blame, but the issues that have come up have come from Penn State. There haven't been issues on our side of the coin.

"It seems we've done some things - or have been perceived to have done some things - that have irritated at least the football coach."

RECRUITING: Fork Union Military Academy football coach John Shuman confirmed that Virginia recruit Robert Armstrong, a 6-foot-3, 304-pound defensive tackle, has met NCAA qualifying standards. However, another 2002 UVa signee who is at Fork Union, 6-2 1/2, 367-pound defensive tackle Keenan Carter, did not make the required score on the Oct. 12 test date. ... Hargrave Military Academy linebacker Ahmad Brooks said Friday that UVa is planning to use him at inside linebacker, although he has seen time at outside linebacker for Hargrave. Brooks had one sack and caused a fumble in a 28-14 victory over Fork Union.
 

 

 

Hargrave game has Shuman talking

Former VMI deep snapper takes on Eminem look

By DOUG DOUGHTY
 Exclusive to roanoke.com by 5 p.m. Fridays
Following my whirlwind visit to Pittsylvania County last Friday for the Hargrave-Fork Union football game, one of my chief regrets was the inability to spend more time with legendary Fork Union coach John Shuman.

I had only talked to Shuman over the phone, so I did something that I would not dare to do during a college game. I walked onto the field before the game and introduced myself.

"You sound just like you look," Shuman said.

Never had I realized how badly I sounded.

In my haste to file a report, which included the wrong date for the fall's second SAT (I believe I said Nov. 7, when it should have been Nov. 2), I barely had time to talk to Hargrave coach Bob Prunty before getting on the road with Southeastern Conference "bird dogs" Steve Whitney and Gene McBurney.

It was McBurney, remember, who asked me, "So, have you seen any college games this season?"

In an e-mail entitled, "The three stooges do Hargrave," reader Deke Summers raked me over the coals for regular references to my sportswriting colleagues and then wrote, "Reading about Misters McBurney and Whitney make reading about Randy King seem like one of the great classics."

At this point, I should point out that Summers, a big shot in the automated-mail industry, coached the quarterbacks and receivers this year for an 0-10 Cave Spring High School team. However, he was right on with the Three Stooges' comparisons.

WHEN I WAS ABLE TO GET in touch with Shuman at midweek, we had some of the same observations about the game, won by Hargrave 28-14. Hargrave probably had the better team, but, if not for some critical turnovers, it could have been a game.

"We could have stole it from 'em," Shuman said.

Hargrave had a 100-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown and blocked three punts, one for a touchdown. Prunty, who has worked the Virginia Tech camp on several occasions, described himself as a Frank Beamer disciple and said his final Gretna High School team blocked 23 kicks in 2001.

Hargrave has so much talent that cornerback Michael Hinton, 6-foot-3, 186-pound speedster from Burlington, N.C., did not start. One of the players not mentioned in last week's report, 6-3, 240-pound defensive end Jyles Tucker, is a former high-school quarterback and 2002 Wake Forest signee who could be a big-time player for the Deacons.

Of course, the marquee player at Hargrave is a prospect once targeted for Fork Union, 6-4, 236-pound linebacker Ahmad Brooks. Brooks had a sack and also caused a fumble.

"Brooks is a great player," Shuman said. "He must have freakin' intimidated our tackle. We told our tackle all week to cut him (block him low) when he walked up, but he wouldn't cut him. He kept pushing and his talent just rocketed him in there.

"He's like a Lavar Arrington. When he does make a play, it's so dramatic and exciting that everybody goes 'wow.' We wanted to make him drop in pass coverage, but we couldn't get our tight end out in the flat."

FROM TALKING TO SHUMAN, I can see I wasn't wrong about Josh Hyman, the former Deep Creek wide receiver who plays offense and defense for Fork Union and had an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown that was nullified by penalty.

"Josh Hyman is an unbelievable player," Shuman said. "Oh, my, gosh. I got Brandon London. In class, he's Mike London's son (London is UVa's recruiting coordinator), and I said, 'All right, you've got recruiter genetics. Stand up. Out of that game, put the three names up.'

"He put in huge capital letters, JOSH HYMAN. I was like, 'Yep, you got that one.' He put one of our d-ends up there from Marion, Eric Hall. He should be a linebacker but I've got about nine linebackers. I said, 'Stay at end and we'll freakin' figure out something.' I'm begging the Keydets [from VMI] to take him and the military won't even bother him."

Hyman told reporters at the Virginia High School League All-Star Game that he had committed to Virginia Tech but the Hokies are reluctant to make that firm until Hyman's chances of qualifying improve. They're too close to the NCAA scholarship limits to be taking players who aren't going to get into school.

"They're begging me to say, 'Don't tell anybody he's playing well.' " Shuman said. "But, hey. We've done everything. We were like, 'Man, go from [No.] 17 to 31. Let's hide you. Let's do this.' It's like, 'Who is that guy?' "

WITH A COMMITMENT by Highland Springs defensive back Larry Williams to West Virginia, 21 players on The Roanoke Times' preseason list of the state's top 40 football prospects have made oral commitments to Division I-A programs (See list).

That includes George Washington High School quarterback Jon Fulton, who either has signed or will sign by Wednesday with Virginia Tech. Fulton plans to play baseball for the Hokies but hasn't ruled out the possibility that he will play football in college.

Williams was rated the No. 40 prospect in the preseason, but might have been rated higher if there was more information about the extent of his recruiting. Highland Springs coach Scott Burton was quick to praise Williams in the offseason but felt Williams would be recruited by a wider range of schools if offers did not become public.

Along those lines, I was interested to see this week that Charlottesville defensive tackle Chris Johnson, rated the No. 24 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke, said upon his commitment to UVa that he would have gotten more offers with more comprehensive media coverage.

Here's been my experience with Charlottesville High School players: Many of the good ones have failed to qualify academically. As a result, there was a temptation not to rate Johnson highly until it became common knowledge that he was a good student.

 

 

DRYING UP RIVERS Defensive thriving
U.Va. contains N.C. State, becomes eligible for bowl
BY JEFF WHITE
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER Nov 17, 2002

CHARLOTTESVILLE - They were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team ACC. With two regular-season games left, they're eligible for a bowl and a victory from a second-place finish. Who'd have believed it?

The Virginia Cavaliers, that's who.

"People predicted we'd win two games. That's unrealistic," senior linebacker Merrill Robertson said. "We knew within our program that we had a good team this year."

When Virginia has won this season, it's usually done so in dramatic fashion. Such was the case again yesterday at Scott Stadium. On a raw, rainy afternoon, U.Va. held off 22nd-ranked N.C. State 14-9 in the final minute before a soaked but appreciative crowd of 53,371.

Not until junior cornerback Jamaine Winborne batted down Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers' fourth- down pass in the end zone with 17 seconds left was the Cavaliers' victory secure. After recovering a fumble by U.Va. wideout Michael McGrew, State had marched from its 14 to the Virginia 15, converting its first four third-down attempts. On fourth and 7, however, Rivers dropped back and looked up to see outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock bearing down on him.

"I knew if I could get in his face," Blackstock said, "he wouldn't be as accurate."

Rivers had two choices: throw or take a game-ending sack. He lofted a pass into the end zone, where wideout Bryan Peterson was surrounded by several Cavaliers. Winborne thought Peterson got his hands on the ball. Peterson said he didn't. Winborne knocked the ball to the turf, and Virginia (5-2, 7-4), which never trailed, could finally celebrate.

"That was a real fighting game today, obviously," said Al Groh, the Cavaliers' second-year coach. "Fourteen to nine, that's our kind of game."

That's also the kind of game in which N.C. State (4-3, 9-3) has struggled recently. The Wolfpack, which entered the month unbeaten and ranked No. 10 nationally, suffered its third straight defeat.

"When we got that fumble recovery deep in our territory, it really pumped life into our team," State coach Chuck Amato said. "But Virginia never gave up."

A week earlier, in a one-sided loss at Penn State, U.Va. lost starting tailback Alvin Pearman to a serious knee injury. In Pearman's absence, sophomore Marquis Weeks started for the first time since the Aug. 22 opener. He responded with a career-best 129 yards on 19 carries.

Weeks played brilliantly, Groh said, and "this isn't to minimize what his contribution was. But Marquis Weeks, besides what he did individually, was just symbolic of what a lot of players have done during the course of this season and the course of this game: to step up when something had to be done."

Unhappy with what he'd seen in Happy Valley, Groh shook up his defense, benching senior safety Shernard Newby and junior linebacker Raymond Mann. Willie Davis, a true freshman who'd missed the previous two games with a sprained ankle, replaced Newby and recorded four tackles, along with a pass breakup. U.Va. inserted sophomore Rich Bedesem at inside linebacker, alongside Angelo Crowell, and Robertson moved from the inside to Mann's spot on the outside in its 3-4 scheme.

Robertson caused a fumble, recovered a fumble and deflected a pass. Bedesem had a game-high 13 tackles, including one for a loss.

"He's a hell of a player, man," Crowell said. "He made plays today that showed why he had to be on the field."

Matt Schaub's first touchdown pass yesterday, a 21-yarder to sophomore wideout Ottowa Anderson with 8:08 left in the opening quarter, was the junior quarterback's 22nd of the season, a Virginia record. Schaub added his 23rd on Virginia's first second-half possession, passing 6 yards to sophomore tight end Patrick Estes. True freshman Connor Hughes booted his second PAT to make it 14-3.

On a day when U.Va. rushed for 197 yards, its best effort in an ACC game this season, Schaub completed 14 of 26 passes for 149 yards. He wasn't intercepted. Rivers was 28 for 47 for 236 yards and no TDs. His 2-yard run pulled N.C. State to 14-9 late in the third quarter - Adam Kicker missed the extra point - but in the fourth, a Rivers pass was picked off by junior cornerback Almondo Curry on fourth and 3 from the U.Va. 32.

True freshman tailback T.A. McLendon, who'd injured his right shoulder last weekend against Maryland, ran for 75 yards and caught 10 passes for 70 yards. Junior wideout Jerricho Cotchery, who sprained his ankle against the Terrapins, gained 108 yards on eight catches.

In the all-important statistic, however, Virginia prevailed. The Wolfpack came in averaging an ACC-best 36.9 points. The nine points were the fewest the Cavs have allowed under Groh and his defensive coordinator, Al Golden.

"This is a very high-powered offense with some highly skilled players," Groh said. "This is a great quarterback . . . [U.Va. defenders] had to make a lot of plays against him, and they sure did."

 

 

Youthful defenders come of age for Cavs

BOB LIPPER
TIMES-DISPATCH COLUMNIST Nov 17, 2002

CHARLOTTESVILLE Virginia's defense won this one, plain and simple. You beat anybody 14-9, that's what it boils down to. You beat N.C. State by that margin, you've done a very fine day's work.

You've maybe noticed this isn't U.Va.'s normal MO. This was the Cavs' seventh win. In the previous six, they hadn't scored fewer than 22 points. They required 38 to survive at Wake Forest, 37 to overhaul North Carolina, 27 to hold off Duke and so on.

Conventional wisdom was they'd need a bunch yesterday - Matt Schaub outdueling Philip Rivers, my fly pattern vs. your crossing route - to get past the Wolfpack.

Then again, if you subscribed to conventional wisdom, you would've figured this crew to have been left in the dust long ago.

Nine points. A field goal, a touchdown, a wide-right extra-point try, that's it. State came to Scott Stadium with Rivers, no-huddle razzle and enough across-the-board dazzle to have rung up 37 points per game this year. It left with its first single-digit output of the season. It left on the short end of a short score nobody expected.

"If the defense holds them to 14, we feel like we should score that many," Rivers said.

But the Pack couldn't, didn't and - and, with everything riding on one final play - wouldn't when Darryl Blackstock harried Rivers into a desperate fling, and Jamaine Winbourne batted the bouncing ball away from State wideout Bryan Peterson in the end zone.

The ball hit the turf with 17 seconds to go.

Al Groh's feet probably still haven't hit the ground.

"That was a real fighting game today," he said with no small hint of pleasure. "That's our kind of game. We're trying to build an operation that can be in a lot of close games and come down to the end and make a play at the end."

That was the formula yesterday. It'd been a hypothesis in progress the rest of this season. A week ago, for instance, the Cavs were bulldozed at Penn State - a recurring theme for a youth-group defense that keeps trying to come of age and might even be carded after its latest showing. So ticked was Groh after the Penn State debacle, he rearranged the depth chart - forwarding inside linebacker Rick Bedesem and free safety Willie Davis to the starting lineup and shifting Merrill Robertson from inside to outside linebacker.

Presto. Bedesem was in on 13 tackles. Davis made four and held up well in coverage. Robertson forced one fumble and recovered another. Muffin Curry materialized for an interception when State was on the move. The Cavs stared down a first-and-goal threat from their 9 and held State to a field goal. They made their coach a happy fella.

"I've seen on a weekly basis - not just in the games, but in practices - significant development in a lot of our defensive players," Groh said. "This kind of game was good to my heart. That's the way we want to play defense on a consistent basis."

And it still came down to one last-ditch play. State got the ball for the final push at its 14 with 4:53 remaining. A lifetime, in other words.

"I didn't realize how much time was left till I went back out on the field," Winborne said. "I think we just realized we had to stop them. People been talking about our defense. We had to step up and play."

Rivers was terrific on this drive - escaping four third-down binds and safety blitzes with on-the-money passes. But the Pack stalled inside U.Va.'s 20. On fourth down from the 15, Rivers took the snap and looked for a target. What he saw was Blackstock's looming presence.

"I just knew if I got there and put pressure on him, he'd throw a bad pass," Blackstock said. "The sack would've been great, but I just wanted to make him move around - move his feet."

Done. Rivers lofted his pass toward a crowd in the right corner of the end zone. Robertson likened its descent to slow-motion. At least one of his teammates had no such reference point.

"I couldn't watch it," Schaub said. "I had confidence in our defense, but I couldn't watch."

Don't give the kid a hard time. These Cavs have opened a lot more eyes than just his.

 

 

U.VA. NOTES
Nov 17, 2002

MARQUEE PLAYER: He starred in Virginia's victory over North Carolina last month, starting an epic comeback by returning the second-half kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Marquis Weeks considers himself first and foremost a tailback, though, and that part of his career wasn't going as he'd hoped.

Until yesterday, Weeks hadn't run the ball from scrimmage since Sept. 7, when he'd fumbled, deep in U.Va. territory, on his final carry against South Carolina. But an injury to Alvin Pearman created an opportunity for Weeks, who'd started the Aug. 22 opener against Colorado State, and he didn't squander it.

A redshirt sophomore from Berwyn, Pa., Weeks started yesterday against 22nd-ranked N.C. State at Scott Stadium. He entered as the Cavaliers' sixth-leading rusher, with 37 yards on nine carries. All he did against the Wolfpack was run for 129 yards on 19 carries. He gained 102 yards after intermission to help the Cavaliers snap their two-game losing streak.

"I never lost hope," Weeks said in front of his locker, where the game ball he'd received sat on a shelf. "You can't lose hope as a football player, especially when you're a running back. Injuries can happen."

Virginia came in averaging 108.1 yards rushing, ahead of only North Carolina in the ACC. The Cavs ran for 197 against one of the conference's better rushing defenses. And they did it with a makeshift line that in the second half consisted of true freshmen D'Brickashaw Ferguson and Brad Butler, redshirt freshman Brian Barthelmes, sophomore Zac Yarbrough and senior Mike Mullins.

"They ran the ball on us more than we thought we would, and could," N.C. State coach Chuck Amato said.

DESTINATION UNKNOWN: Depending on how Virginia fares in its final two regular-season games - and how events unfold elsewhere in the ACC - it could end up in any of five bowls. The possibilities: the Gator (Jan. 1 in Jacksonville, Fla.), the Peach (Dec. 31 in Atlanta), the Seattle (Dec. 30), the Continental Tire (Dec. 28 in Charlotte, N.C.) and the Tangerine (Dec. 23 in Orlando, Fla.).

MEDICAL REPORT: Two true freshmen who've started for the Cavaliers - fullback Jason Snelling and defensive end Kwakou Robinson - missed the game because of illness. Sophomore guard Elton Brown, Virginia's most powerful offensive lineman, didn't suit up for the game. Brown is recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot.

Linebacker Kai Parham, a Parade All-American at Virginia Beach's Princess Anne High last year, didn't play but was in uniform for the first time. Parham, who's being redshirted, has been rehabilitating a back injury he suffered in high school.

LAST-MINUTE REPRIEVE: When cornerback Jamaine Winborne batted down Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers' fourth-down pass in the end zone with 17 seconds left, no one in Scott Stadium was happier than U.Va. wideout Michael McGrew.

"I was just hoping the defense would make a play, and they came through for me," McGrew said.

Leading 14-9, Virginia had taken over with 9:51 left and marched from its 23 to the State 11. But two plays after quarterback Matt Schaub ran 8 yards for a first down on a fake field goal, McGrew fumbled after catching a short pass from Schaub.

The Pack recovered at its 14 with 4:53 remaining and then methodically moved down the field before turning over the ball on downs.

To have lost because of McGrew's turnover "would have been a shame," Groh said, "considering that we made the play on fourth down to try to put ourselves in position to put it away, and we were getting there.

"It would have been uncharacteristic of this season. We might have gotten blocked sometimes, and sometimes we can't hold our blocks, but we haven't done the things that cause ourselves to lose."

SCHEDULE SET: The final vacancy on Virginia's 2003 schedule has been filled. U.Va. will play host to Division I-A Troy State on Oct. 25.

The Cavs' 12-game schedule also will include a date with Virginia Tech at Scott Stadium and trips to South Carolina and Western Michigan (Sept. 13). WMU will play at U.Va. in 2005 and '06.

UP NEXT: Virginia (5-2, 7-4) entertains defending ACC champion Maryland, which played at Clemson last night. ESPN2 will televise the 5:30 p.m. game Saturday. U.Va. had won nine straight in the series before losing 41-21 at Maryland last year. - Jeff White
 

 

 

Oh no! three in a row

Final drive falls short, sending N.C. State to a third straight close loss
By CHIP ALEXANDER, Staff Writer


CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- N.C. State's Philip Rivers didn't have any other option. Fourth down, Virginia linebacker Darryl Blackstock clawing at him, 25 seconds left, the rain-drenched crowd roaring and the game in the balance.
And so Rivers did all he could do: heave the ball toward the right corner of the end zone, toward State receivers Jerricho Cotchery and Bryan Peterson, and hope.

Hope to see someone in a white jersey come down with the football. Hope for a last-gasp touchdown. End what had the feel of a game-winning, perhaps season-making drive on a cold, gloomy day at Scott Stadium. End the Pack's run of fourth-quarter frustration.

But was it was not to be. Virginia cornerback Jamaine Winborne knocked Rivers' pass away. The Cavaliers survived 14-9, leaving the 22nd-ranked Wolfpack (9-3, 4-3 ACC) accept a bitter loss. Again.

"It's becoming a ditto," N.C. State coach Chuck Amato said. "Three weeks in a row."

First it was Georgia Tech, beating the Pack when it was 9-0 and in the top 10 in the polls. Then Maryland, which scored the last 17 points to win 24-21. Now Virginia.

"There's disbelief this has happened to us," Pack tight end Sean Berton said.

Virginia had taken a 14-3 lead early in the second half on Matt Schaub's 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Patrick Estes. The Pack narrowed it to 14-9 when Rivers scored from 2 yards on a quarterback draw late in the third quarter -- Adam Kiker missing the extra point -- but with only five minutes to play in the game, the Cavs (7-4, 5-2) were at the Pack 11-yard line and the crowd of 53,371 was sensing the Wahoos were about to seal it.

But Virginia receiver Michael McGrew fumbled after a short catch, and State linebacker Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay recovered at the 14 with 4:53 left.

"That fumble threw life into our team," Amato said.

"I thought we would take it in," Rivers added. "We had enough time."

The Wolfpack offense, stymied most of the game by the Hoos, then converted four straight third-down plays. The Virginia fans' sense of confidence seemed to be turning to a sense of dread.

Third-and-5 at the NCSU 19: Rivers hits Peterson over the middle for 12 yards.

Third-and-6 at the 35: Rivers to T.A. McLendon on a swing pass for 25.

Third-and-5 at the Virginia 35: Rivers to Cotchery for 5 yards and a first down.

Third-and-10 at the UVa 30: Rivers to Sterling Hicks for 12 yards with 1:11 left to play.

"I really thought we were going to score and win it at the end," said Cotchery, who played on a tender right ankle but had eight catches for 108 yards.

But the Cavs, eighth in the ACC in total defense, wouldn't let it happen. On first down from the 18, Rivers' quick sideline pass to Peterson lost a yard. A second-down throw to McLendon was incomplete, and a third-down pass to Cotchery was good for just 4 yards.

The Pack used a timeout with 25 seconds left to set up its fourth-down play. State wanted to shake Cotchery loose one more time, but the Cavs had their strategy set, too: Blitz Blackstock.

"In those moments, you have to look to your big-time players," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "Darryl had a real good pressure against a very accurate quarterback."

Blackstock charged off the left side, pushing in on Rivers, who winged the ball to the end zone.

"Once the guy got to me, I knew Jerricho and [Peterson] were in that area and I wanted to give them a chance," Rivers said.

Cotchery and Peterson were there, but so were the Cavs' Winborne and safety Willie Davis.

"As soon as the ball came down, my hands went through [Peterson's] hands and knocked it to the back of the end zone," Winborne said.

So ended a game in which the Cavs, who were allowing 459.5 yards and 27 points in ACC games, gave up just 332 total yards and 9 points to the Pack. Virginia outrushed State as sophomore tailback Marquis Weeks -- who came in with 37 rushing yards all season -- rumbled for 129 yards on 19 carries.

"We didn't tackle well," State linebacker Dantonio Burnette said. "We had too many one-on-one tackles and not enough gang-tackling."

McLendon, playing with a sore right shoulder, had 75 yards on 22 carries and twice lost fumbles. Rivers was 28-of-47 passing for 236 yards, completing 10 passes to McLendon for 70 yards, and had an interception.

"We're making plays but just not getting in the end zone," Rivers said. "In spurts, we're playing well. But we're not executing and finishing drives.

"All three losses are so similar. It's just tough. We have to pull together and keep fighting. We have a big one next week, and we shouldn't have any problem getting ready for it."

For Florida State. The Seminoles will be coming to Raleigh, coming to clinch an ACC championship, coming to avenge last year's loss to the Pack.

State once had dreams of playing in a big bowl, maybe the Orange. Now, its hopes of a Peach Bowl may be dwindling. It may be another Tangerine Bowl, or a trip to the Seattle Bowl, if the Pack loses its fourth straight.

"If we were playing a lower-tier team, it might be hard to get back up after something like this," Berton said. "We can still make this into a good season. It's still possible. It's not too late."


 

 

Cavs hold off slumping Wolfpack
Virginia wins 14-9 to hand N.C. State its third straight loss

By John Delong
JOURNAL REPORTER
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.

As complex as college football can be, it's usually very simple.

Winners make big plays in key situations. Losers don't.

That's the way it was for N.C. State when it opened the season with nine straight victories, and that's the way it was again yesterday afternoon when State went down to its third straight loss.

The Wolfpack couldn't punch in what would have been a game-winning touchdown in the final minute, and Virginia held on to escape with a 14-9 victory at rain-soaked Scott Stadium.

Virginia's Jamaine Winborne made the biggest play of all, batting down a fourth-down pass in the end zone with 17 seconds left after the Wolfpack had driven to the Virginia 15-yard line.

"It's all about making plays," quarterback Philip Rivers said. "That's why you play, to see who can make the most plays. The last three weeks, we haven't made enough plays, and the other teams have.

"It's tough. We've been in all three of them. Any one of them could have gone our way. But we haven't made enough plays."

Coming after losses to Georgia Tech and Maryland the previous two weeks, the loss could drop State (9-3 overall, 4-3 ACC) out of the national rankings and well down the bowl lineup.

A trip to the Peach Bowl is still possible, but a loss to Florida State next week in the regular-season finale could drop the Wolfpack to fourth in the ACC, where they would likely wind up in the Tangerine or the Continental Tire Bowl.

"It's kinda ditto for the last three weeks," Coach Chuck Amato said. "The game was so close. But the object is to win, it doesn't matter how ugly, sloppy or whatever. We have to find a way to do it now, and we're going to have to play the No. 1 team in our league, and that won't be an easy task. But we have to find a way."

This was a game that truly came down to one drive, and ultimately, one play.

Virginia had held the upper hand throughout and led 14-3 at one point early in the second half, but the Wolfpack fought its way back into position to win in the closing minutes.

After recovering a Virginia fumble at its 14 yard-line with 4:53 left, the Wolfpack punched out four first downs and got to the Virginia 18 on a 12-yard pass from Rivers to Sterling Hicks with 1:11 left.

After two short passes and an incompletion, State found itself facing fourth and 7 from the 15 with 25 seconds left.

And that's when Virginia made the play it had to make, and the Wolfpack didn't.

Rivers was flushed out of the pocket by blitzing linebacker Daryl Blackstock, and by the time Rivers could get set to throw, State's Bryan Peterson and Jerricho Cotchery had gravitated to the same spot in the end zone - along with three Virginia defenders.

Peterson tried to outjump the crowd and make a spectacular catch, but Winborne was able to get a hand on it first and it dropped to the ground incomplete.

Virginia then ran out the clock with one more play.

"We were just trying to get seven yards and a first down," Rivers said. "They took it away for the most part, so then I tried to get out of the pocket and make a play, and their guy cut me off.

"I was just trying to give the guys a chance from there. There wasn't really an open receiver when I let go of the ball. I was just trying to give Pete or Jerricho a chance."

It would have taken a miraculous catch by Peterson, as it turned out.

"They just made a good play and knocked the ball away," Peterson said. "I never touched the ball. Their guy hit it and I had a chance at it again, and then when the ball was falling it was still coming down to us.

"So I could have made a big play."

Amato was incredulous afterward.

He said he was confident that N.C. State would seize its opportunity late. And on the final play, he thought he had the right play called for the right situation.

"We had what we wanted," Amato said. "We had our protection called properly. When Philip started scrambling, it probably hurt us as much as anything because you tell your receivers not to get together, but that's what happens when you get into a scramble situation.

"I think 82 (Cotchery) was open initially and Philip stepped to his right and they had a stunt coming from that side and it pushed the protection out that way. Philip's got such great instincts, obviously he did it for a reason, and it's different when they're coming at your jugular vein. But it's going to be interesting to see on film because it looked like he was open."

Virginia took a 7-0 lead on its first offensive series, going 70 yards in six plays with Matt Schaub hitting Ottowa Anderson for the touchdown from 21 yards out.

State fumbled twice in the early going, including once in the red zone, but cut the lead to 7-3 on a 27-yard field goal by Adam Kiker on the first play of the second quarter.

Virginia went up 14-3 with a 10-play, 85-yard march to open the second half, with Schaub hitting Patrick Estes from six yards for the score.

State then got back into the game with a 12-yard, 68-yard march that ended in a two-yard run by Rivers.

Virginia was ready to put the game back away, driving to the State 11, when Michael McGrew fumbled and State's Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay recovered at the 14 with 4:53 left.

That set the stage for the ending.

"We had our chances," Rivers said. "I felt like after the fumble we were clicking pretty good.

"But we just didn't get it done."

 

 

Cavs pluck win from Wolfpack's grasp
N.C. State drops 3rd straight ACC game after 9-0 start
HANK KURZ Jr.
Associated Press
 

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Jamaine Winborne saw the ball going over his head, knew a North Carolina State receiver was there and reacted like any player suddenly responsible for his team's fate would likely react.

"I was just swinging because I knew I had to hit his hands," Winborne said after slapping the ball away from Bryan Peterson in the end zone today to preserve Virginia's 14-9 victory against the No. 22 Wolfpack.

"He had it for like a split second."

The play, a fourth-and-7 from the Virginia 15, started with 25 seconds on the clock and ended with the Cavaliers and their fans celebrating their seventh victory, one that earned them the right to go to a bowl this year.

"This was huge," tailback Marquis Weeks said.

Virginia (7-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won in surprising fashion, holding the high-powered Wolfpack almost 28 points below their 36.9-point scoring average and putting four solid quarters together.

Matt Schaub threw two touchdown passes, becoming the school's single-season record-holder with 22, but said the defense deserved the credit for shutting down the nation's ninth-best attack, and then closing them out.

"They came together and played great as a unit today," he said. "To have it come down to a fourth down from the 15 yard line with our defense out there and they stop them, that's just great for them."

The loss was the third straight for North Carolina State (9-3, 4-3), which only a few weeks ago was being mentioned among the national title contenders, but has now lost to Georgia Tech, Maryland and the Cavaliers.

"It's becoming a ditto - three weeks in a row," said coach Chuck Amato, whose team twice forced fourth-quarter turnovers to stop drives.

The last came when Virginia receiver Michael McGrew was hit by Greg Golden at the Wolfpack 15 and Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay recovered. North Carolina State never gave the ball back, with Philip Rivers converting four third-down passes before facing the final fourth down from the 15.

Rivers, who was 28-for-47 for 236 yards, threw toward Peterson with Winborne and Willie Davis nearby. The ball was tipped, disappeared in the crowd and then emerged on the turf, setting off a raucous celebration.

Coach Al Groh and his players, though, said they won't celebrate long. The No. 19 and defending ACC champ Terrapins visit next week, and Virginia finishes the regular season at No. 13 Virginia Tech after Thanksgiving.

"We want to win nine games this season," said linebacker Merrill Robertson, who caused one fumble and recovered another. "If we beat Maryland, we're second in the ACC, I believe. Shoot, we'll take second in the ACC after everybody else thought we were going to be eighth."

The Wolfpack came in having outscored its opponents 126-19 in the first quarter and 215-61 in the first half, but they fell behind 7-0 on Schaub's 21-yard touchdown pass to Ottowa Anderson with 8:08 remaining.

The Wolfpack twice drove inside the Virginia 10 in the half, but T.A. McLendon was stripped by Robertson the first time, with Winborne recovering at the Cavaliers' 3. The next time, the Wolfpack settled for a 27-yard field goal by Adam Kiker in the first play of the second quarter.

In the second half, Virginia drove 85 yards for a touchdown after taking the opening kickoff. Weeks ran for 39 of his 129 yards on the drive, and Schaub hit Patrick Estes from 6 yards out for the TD.

Schaub was 14-of-26 for 149 yards.

Rivers finally got the Wolfpack into the end zone later in the quarter, scoring on a 2-yard run with 1:49 left to cap a 12-play, 68-yard drive. Kiker, however, missed the extra point, leaving it 14-9.

Schaub fumbled at the Wolfpack 40 while being sacked by Shawn Price early in the fourth quarter, and McGrew fumbled to end Virginia's last drive. In between, Rivers drove his team to the Cavaliers' 31 before Almondo Curry intercepted a fourth-and-2 pass at the 15 yard line.

McLendon, playing with a shoulder sprain, ran for 75 yards and caught 10 passes for 70 yards. Jerricho Cotchery added eight receptions for 108 yards.

 

 

Three fall for Pack

By AL FEATHERSTON : The Herald-Sun
afeatherston@heraldsun.com
Nov 16, 2002 : 11:39 pm ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- N.C. State found a new formula for frustration Saturday in the cold, drizzle at Scott Stadium.

After blowing fourth-quarter leads in losses to Georgia Tech and Maryland, the Wolfpack tried to mount a rally against Virginia. Down 14-3 in the third quarter, Chuck Amato’s team came breathtakingly close to scoring the winning touchdown in the final minute against Virginia.

But Cavaliers defensive back Jamaine Winborne swatted away Philip Rivers’ fourth-down pass to preserve the Cavs’ 14-9 victory and send the Pack to its third straight loss after nine wins in a row.

"It’s becoming ditto — three weeks in a row," a soggy Amato said. "I really thought when we made that first down on the 19-yard-line, I really felt [good]. We all did."

No. 22 N.C. State (9-3, 4-3 ACC) appeared to be on the verge of snapping its two-game losing streak when Rivers passed 13 yards to sophomore Sterling Hicks to covert a third and 10 and give the Pack possession at the Virginia 18 with just under a minute to play.

It was the fourth straight third-down conversion for Rivers, who had driven the Wolfpack from its 14-yard-line to the shadow of the Virginia goal line.

"We drove the ball well," Rivers said. "We converted on a couple of third downs and got down there."

But N.C. State gained just three yards on its next three plays, forcing a fourth-and-seven from the 15 with 25 seconds left. The Pack called its final timeout to set up a pass to Jerricho Cotchery.

The gutty junior, who caught eight passes for 108 yards, despite an ankle injury that was so severe that he was questionable up until gametime, briefly popped open inside the 10 — which would have been good enough to give the Pack first-and-goal.

But Virginia freshman Darryl Blackstock was on top of Rivers, forcing the Wolfpack quarterback to dodge, rather than throw.

"I tried to get out of the pocket and make a play, but the guy cut me off," Rivers said. "I was trying to give those guys a chance. There really wasn’t an open receiver when I let go of the ball. It was just trying to give Pete and Jerricho a chance."

Pete is senior Bryan Peterson, who for just an instant appeared open in the end zone.

"I thought I had a chance at it," Peterson said. "But two defensive backs were there and they made great plays on the ball. One of them jumped up and tipped it. I still thought I had a chance ... I dove for it, but No. 29 [Winborne] knocked it away. I never touched it."

Winborne wasn’t so sure.

"I thought it touched Peterson’s hands," he said. "I think at one point, he had the ball."

Cotchery, who had drifted into the end zone when he saw Rivers scramble, was right behind Peterson.

"I just tried to go up and make a play," he said. "I thought he was going to tip it a little more my way."

When the ball hit the turf, Virginia (7-4, 5-2 ACC) could celebrate the victory that made the Cavs bowl eligible.

"In those moments, you have to look to your big-time players," Virginia coach Al Groh said. "We set up a little game to give Darryl a chance [to pressure Rivers]. He came around and had a real good pressure against a very accurate quarterback. It was certainly a factor in where the ball went."

Rivers was frustrated by the team’s failure to pull out the victory, but didn’t want to dwell on the crucial fourth-down play.

"It doesn’t come down to that play," he said. "We had first, second and third down to get the yardage too."

And the Pack had chances earlier in the game to score more points. A 40-yard pass from Rivers to Cotchery keyed a first-quarter drive that took N.C. State to the Virginia 3-yard line. But a penalty pushed the Pack back and a screen pass to T.A. McLendon turned into disaster when the freshman running back lost the ball and Virginia’s Winborne plucked it out of the air.

Another first-half drive stalled inside the 10, forcing Adam Kiker to boot a 27-yard field goal. And a fourth-quarter drive stalled at the Virginia 31 when the Pack couldn’t convert a third-and-2.

"It’s just a matter of making plays," Rivers said. "We’re not making enough plays and the other teams are. We’ve been in every game. These last three, any three could go our way."

Of course, Virginia squandered its chance too. Twice in the fourth quarter, the Cavs appeared to be driving for clinching scores, but the Wolfpack defense squelched one drive when Shawn Price sacked Matt Schaub, forcing a fumble that George Anderson recovered. And Greg Golden forced wide receiver Michael McGrew to fumble inside the Pack 15 — Freddie Aughtry-Lindsay recovered at the 14 to set up N.C. State’s final drive.

"It just shows how close we are," Rivers said. "You can play the ‘if’ game and think about where we would be. It hurts, losing three in a row. They’re all similar losses. You’ve just got to keep fighting."

NOTES — Virginia sophomore Marquis Weeks, who had 53 career rushing yards before the game, had 129 yards against N.C. State. ... Cotchery surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the season — the third player in Wolfpack history to do that after Torry Holt (twice) and Koren Robinson. ... Peterson extended his streak of games with at least one catch to 37 straight. ... N.C. State’s nine points matches the lowest point total for the Pack under Amato. The Pack also scored nine in a loss to UNC in 2001. ... Schaub’s two touchdown passes give him 23 for the season, giving him the Virginia school record. ... N.C. State failed to score on its first possession for the third time this season.

 

 

‘Tough’ players help Wolfpack in tough loss

By AL FEATHERSTON : The Herald-Sun
afeatherston@heraldsun.com
Nov 16, 2002 : 11:51 pm ET

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- Chuck Amato insists that he wasn’t kidding when he listed wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery and tailback T.A. McLendon as "very doubtful" for Saturday’s game at Virginia.

But the N.C. State coach knows that because both crippled players played key roles in the Pack’s 14-9 loss to the Cavaliers, he’ll be accused of misleading the media about their injuries.

"Believe, I meant what I said," Amato said. "Believe me, I told you on Thursday that it wouldn’t surprise me if they played and it wouldn’t surprise me if they didn’t play.

"What can I say? I bring that word ‘tough’ back — tough!"

Cotchery, who suffered a high ankle sprain in the final seconds of the Pack’s loss at Maryland a week ago, went all the way against the Cavaliers and caught eight passes for 108 yards — time and again beating the Virginia secondary for key first downs.

And McLendon, knocked out of the Maryland game with a bruised shoulder, rushed 22 times for 75 yards against Virginia and added 10 pass receptions for 70 more yards.

"I wasn’t 100 percent, but nobody’s 100 percent this time of year," McLendon said. "It’s the 12th game of the season — everybody’s banged up, so let’s go out and play."

McLendon did fumble twice against the Cavs, but he claimed that neither his sore shoulder nor the cast he’s still wearing on his broken right wrist had anything to do with either turnover.

He also said his sore shoulder came out of the game no worse than before the game.

"It’s doing all right," he said. "It’s padded pretty good. It kind of got banged up one time."

McLendon had to go almost the entire game after backup tailback Josh Brown suffered a concussion in the second quarter. Greg Golden got in a few plays at tailback, but when cornerback Marcus Hudson suffered a sprained ankle in the third quarter, Golden was required to go every snap in the secondary.

Cotchery also shrugged off his injury.

"I haven’t been 100 percent in a while," he said. "It was just something to deal with."

Amato was in awe of Cotchery.

"If there’s a better receiver in this league or in America ... I’m sure there are [receivers] with better stats, but I’ll tell you one thing — he is a good one," Amato said.

The Wolfpack coach also was impressed with McLendon’s grit.

"I know T.A. put the ball on the ground twice," he said. "But he gained close to 80 yards — hard, tough yards."

At least now Florida State won’t have to wonder about whether McLendon and Cotchery will play next Saturday.


 

 

Cavs Thwart Wolfpack
Virginia Defense Steps Up to Shut Down No. 22 N.C. State: Virginia 14, N.C. State 9
By Jim Reedy
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 17, 2002; Page D01


CHARLOTTESVILLE, Nov. 16 -- A fourth-down pass to the end zone aimed for North Carolina State wide receiver Bryan Peterson instead found the hands of Virginia cornerback Jamaine Winborne. As a result, the Cavaliers likely will find themselves in a bowl game this season.

Winborne scuttled the No. 22 Wolfpack's last-ditch comeback effort by punching the ball to the ground in the Scott Stadium end zone. The play preserved Virginia's 14-9 victory, its seventh, and made the Cavaliers eligible for a season-ending bowl game.

Winborne's deflection of a 15-yard pass from N.C. State quarterback Philip Rivers was the last of a series of big plays made by a Virginia defense that forced three turnovers and held the Wolfpack nearly 28 points below its scoring average. The Cavaliers (7-4, 5-2 ACC) held their opponent to 96 rushing yards, the best effort of the season by a group that entered the game ranked seventh-worst in NCAA Division I-A against the run.

"This kind of game was good to my heart because that's the way we want to play defense on a consistent basis," said Virginia Coach Al Groh, whose team won for the first time in its past three games and sent the Wolfpack to its third consecutive loss.

Even with a career-high 129 rushing yards from former fourth-string tailback Marquis Weeks, the once high-powered Virginia offense scored fewer than 20 points for the third straight game. When Virginia wide receiver Michael McGrew fumbled at the N.C. State 14-yard line with five minutes remaining, Rivers and the Wolfpack (9-3, 4-3) seemed poised to atone for their early struggles.

Rivers (28 of 47, 236 yards) converted three third downs as N.C. State marched 71 yards to the Cavaliers 15-yard line.

"That was a tough time for the defense," said Virginia cornerback Almondo Curry, who had his first interception today. "They kept converting third downs, time was running out and we had to figure out a way to stop them."

The Cavaliers figured it out on fourth and seven, thanks in part to an N.C. State timeout with 25 seconds remaining. The break gave the Virginia coaches time to set up a play to get freshman outside linebacker Darryl Blackstock free for his 10th sack of the season. Blackstock didn't get the sack, but he got close enough to force Rivers to hurriedly lob the ball toward Peterson in a crowded end zone.

"In those moments, you have to look to your big-time players," Groh said. Blackstock "came around and had real good pressure against a very accurate quarterback. It was certainly a factor in where the ball went."

The Cavaliers led 7-3 at halftime and pushed it to 14-3 on the opening drive of the second half when quarterback Matt Schaub threw a six-yard scoring strike to tight end Patrick Estes.

Schaub completed 14 of 26 passes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. He now owns the school season records for completions, attempts and touchdown passes.

N.C. State scored its only touchdown late in the third quarter on a two-yard run by Rivers. But kicker Adam Kiker, who had booted a 27-yard field goal in the second quarter, missed the extra point.

Virginia hung on thanks to the defense and a running game that produced 197 yards. Weeks, a redshirt sophomore who began the day with 57 career rushing yards, ripped off runs of 17, 21 and 32 yards while outdueling Wali Lundy for the carries available in the absence of injured sophomore Alvin Pearman.

"They ran the ball on us more than we thought they would -- and could," N.C. State Coach Chuck Amato said.

Cavaliers Notes: Freshman safety Willie Davis and sophomore linebacker Rich Bedesem (game-high 13 tackles) replaced Shernard Newby and Raymond Mann, respectively, in the Virginia lineup for most of the game. . . . Freshman fullback Jason Snelling and freshman defensive end Kwakou Robinson was not in uniform because of illness. . . . Freshman linebacker Kai Parham, sidelined for months by a back injury, was in uniform for the first time this season, though he did not play.