Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 24, 1993 TAG: 9310240156
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
Even Rick Lantz, the Cavaliers' defensive coordinator, had to cringe at the thought of what might happen Saturday.
"I was talking to a [high school] coach before the game," Lantz said, "and I told him, `They might have to paint an extra digit on the scoreboard for all the points today.' "
Shows what prognosticators and defensive coordinators know.
The Cavaliers, who hadn't stopped an option running game in maybe forever, held 12th-ranked North Carolina to 101 yards on the ground and held on for a 17-10 victory at Scott Stadium.
George Welsh has never lost at home to the Tar Heels in his 12 years as UVa head coach, but the outcome wasn't decided until Paul London made an interception with 2 minutes, 12 seconds remaining.
"I like it when your quarterback kneels down at the end," said Welsh, whose 21st-ranked Cavaliers are 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the ACC. "This is the most emotional I've seen a football team in years here."
When London outleaped Carolina wide receiver Marcus Wall at the Cavaliers' 37-yard line, no one was happier than teammate Kyle Kirkeide, whose afternoon and early evening had turned into a kicker's nightmare.
Kirkeide missed field-goal attempts of 27 and 26 yards, the second of which could have given UVa a 10-point lead with 9:15 remaining, and he was replaced on kickoffs to start the second half.
"I didn't have my best night," said Kirkeide, who also kicked an extra point that bounced off the right upright before going through. "Hopefully, it's my worst night."
Although Kirkeide struggled, UVa's other left-footed freshman specialist was spectacular. Will Brice's 56-yard punt pinned Carolina at its 8-yard line with 2:57 left.
The Tar Heels (7-2, 5-2) had plenty of time remaining, but on first down from the Carolina 38, quarterback Jason Stanicek overshot Corey Holliday on a crossing pattern.
The UVa player with the best shot at the ball was Keith Lyle, but the ball bounced high off his shoulder pads. London, who is 6 feet 2, easily snagged the ball away from Wall, who is 5-10.
"I hang around enough basketball players; maybe some of that [jumping ability] rubbed off," said London, who hopes to play outfield for Virginia's baseball team in the spring.
Although UVa's pass defense was commendable, it was the Cavaliers' ability to stop the run that was most noteworthy. Carolina was ranked fifth in Division I-A in rushing with 287.3 yards per game.
Alternating tailbacks Curtis Johnson and Leon Johnson had combined for 19 rushing touchdowns and more than 1,500 yards in the Tar Heels' first eight games, but Saturday they had 23 and 44 yards, respectively.
"That's beyond my comprehension," Lantz said. "I don't believe it, even when it's right in front of me [on the statistics sheet]. I've been hearing about the option since I got here [in 1991]."
And, what had he been hearing?
"That we stink against it," he said.
When the Tar Heels beat Virginia 27-7 last year, they rushed for 351 yards. That wasn't even the season high against UVa, which yielded 402 yards on the ground in a 29-28 loss to Clemson.
"They were very disciplined," Leon Johnson said. "We started passing more to open up the run, and they just bounced right back and played the run and the pass."
If one play summed up Virginia's defensive effort, it was a third-and-goal situation from the 2-yard line with the Cavaliers leading 10-7 in the third quarter.
Stanicek was met by a UVa defender at the line of scrimmage and hurried a pitch to Leon Johnson, who never had possession and was fortunate to fall on the ball at the 6.
Tripp Pignetti's 23-yard field goal for the Tar Heels tied the score for the first time.
The Cavaliers responded with an 18-play, 70-yard drive that lasted 7:24 before Charles Way scored on a 1-yard dive with 1:18 left in the third quarter.
There had been some question whether Way would play in the second half after suffering a hip pointer, and the Cavaliers were without their most dangerous wide receiver, Tyrone Davis, who injured a thumb in the first half.
Sophomore quarterback Symmion Willis failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time all season - the Cavaliers dropped two potential touchdown passes - but he finished 22-of-31 for 239 yards.
"Willis is the fifth-rated passer in the country, and Charlie Ward [of Florida State] is 10th, so that should tell you something," said Mack Brown, Carolina's coach.
Virginia outgained the Tar Heels 373-273, but the Cavaliers also got a big break when Steven Jerry fumbled a punt, setting up the 20-yard drive that put UVa ahead 10-0 in the second quarter.
"This was a very, very difficult loss," said Brown, who is 1-5 against UVa. "I'm amazed the way we played that we were able to hang in the ballgame like we did. I think we've got a pretty good football team, but today they were better."
Only once in the program's history has UVa beaten a team ranked higher than 12th; that was No. 9 Clemson in 1990. The Cavaliers had beaten two other 12th-ranked teams, West Virginia in 1984 and Penn State in 1989, both on the road.
"I know I've never felt like this after a game before," said UVa defensive end Mike Frederick. "Deep down, in our minds, I think we were wondering what kind of character we had. We had to go out and prove it to ourselves, not anybody else." \
see microfilm for box score
by CNB