Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 23, 1994 TAG: 9410250036
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
This one wasn't close.
The Cavaliers jumped on North Carolina early and coasted to their seventh consecutive victory over the Tar Heels at home, 34-10.
``I have no explanation for it,'' said UVa coach George Welsh, who is 9-3-1 against Carolina. ``Maybe they don't like the rug. Maybe we'll have to leave it in, just for them.''
UVa will replace the artificial turf at Scott Stadium before next season, but Saturday's Atlantic Coast Conference game could have been played on any surface and it wouldn't have mattered.
``We beat them handily,'' Cavaliers linebacker Randy Neal said. ``I hope we proved to the TV world and the print media that we're a team to be reckoned with, that we can play with the big boys.''
It was the sixth consecutive victory for UVa, which made its first appearance in the polls since the start of the season when the Cavaliers were ranked 22nd by the coaches (USA Today/CNN) and 25th by The Associated Press.
The Tar Heels were 10th and 15th, respectively, but rankings have proved to be a curse for Carolina at Scott Stadium. Of UVa's 10 victories over ranked teams during Welsh's tenure, three have been over the Tar Heels.
That included a 17-10 triumph over then-No.12 Carolina last year, also at Scott Stadium. Other Virginia victories over the Tar Heels since 1981 had been by two, three, three, three and five points.
``There's not a 24-point difference between those teams,'' Welsh said Saturday night, ``and I'm not saying that to be nice. They made too many mistakes.''
The Tar Heels (5-2 overall, 2-2 in the ACC) threw three interceptions and also had several key penalties. Virginia (6-1, 4-1) did not have a turnover for the second consecutive game.
``That's a far cry from five weeks ago,'' Welsh said, referring to a 9-6 victory over Clemson in which the Cavaliers had seven turnovers. ``Turnovers were a big difference.''
Redshirt freshman Ronde Barber from Cave Spring High School had two interceptions - his third two-interception game of the season - and made a move to reclaim his spot atop the Division I-A statistics.
Barber's first interception, with 2 minutes, 16 seconds remaining before halftime, proved critical. The Tar Heels, trailing 17-7, had picked up a first down at UVa's 31-yard line when quarterback Jason Stanicek lofted the ball toward the end zone.
``I don't know what Stanicek was doing on the first one,'' said Barber, whose second interception was on a desperation pass by Mike Thomas, ``but if they keep laying them up there for me, I'm going to pick them off.''
Stanicek, who recently set Carolina's career records for total offense and passing yardage, finished 16-of-30 for 150 yards but was intercepted twice and overthrew Octavus Barnes after he had gotten behind the UVa secondary.
Unlike Stanicek, whose only completion of more than 15 yards was on a screen pass that Leon Johnson turned into a 38-yard gain, UVa quarterback Mike Groh killed the Tar Heels with the long ball.
Groh connected with Tyrone Davis on a 49-yard bomb that set up UVa's first touchdown and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Davis on a perfectly executed post pattern. Another long ball slipped through Davis' hands.
``I told you I could throw long,'' said Groh, who finished 15-of-21 for 256 yards and two touchdowns, both to Davis.
The offensive productivity overshadowed another strong performance by the UVa defense, which was ranked No.1 in Division I-A against the run, with an average yield of 53.5 yards before Saturday.
Carolina rushed for 169 yards, but that was well under the Tar Heels' ACC-leading average of 247.2 yards. Leon Johnson and Curtis Johnson, each of whom rushed for more than 1,000 yards last season, had 43 and 19 yards, respectively.
Indeed, Carolina had one run of more than 14 yards, a 54-yarder by fullback William ``Boogie'' Henderson that represented Carolina's initial first down - on its fourth possession of the game.
Henderson's subsequent 2-yard touchdown run cut UVa's lead to 17-7, and the Tar Heels threatened on several later occasions, driving as far as the UVa 1-yard line to end the third quarter.
A motion penalty pushed Carolina back to the 6, and all the Tar Heels had to show for a 61/2-minute drive was a field goal that made it 27-10.
``I felt the game was pretty much over at that point,'' said UVa defensive tackle Ryan Kuehl. ``When they didn't get six [points] there, it had to be pretty demoralizing to their offense.''
After an uneventful fourth quarter, many of the students in a crowd of 42,800 poured onto the field and knocked down the goal post at the south end. It was the best turnout of the season after sub-40,000 crowds for Clemson and William and Mary.
``Maybe the crowd has something to do with it,'' said Welsh, referring to the Cavaliers' success against the Tar Heels at home. ``The crowds for Carolina, the last few times they've been here, have been really good.''
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB