Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 26, 1994 TAG: 9411280041
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Long
Especially when the opponent is Virginia.
The Wolfpack broke the Cavaliers' heart for the third year in a row Friday, rallying from a 12-point third-quarter deficit for a 30-27 victory at Scott Stadium.
Unranked State (8-3 overall, 6-2 ACC) captured second place in the ACC and improved its chances for an attractive bowl, while dooming 13th-ranked Virginia (8-3, 5-3) to a possible Independence Bowl spot.
``We're upset,'' UVa co-captain Charles Way said. ``We held our destiny in our hands once again and it played out the way it played out. Don't take anything away from N.C. State, though.''
Way finished with 28 carries for 132 yards, but was stopped for no gain after UVa coach George Welsh passed up a tying field goal on fourth-and-1 from the State 19-yard line with 3 minutes, 13 seconds remaining.
``I thought about a field goal early in the drive because a tie helps us more than it helps them,'' Welsh said. ``You always second-guess yourself. Maybe we shouldn't have called that play.''
In a mistake-filled performance that included four turnovers and three missed extra points, Way earlier had failed to pick up a fourth-and-1 from the Wolfpack 10-yard line in the second quarter.
``We knew it was coming,'' N.C. State defensive tackle Carl Reeves said. ``We watched a lot of film [and] they ran the same play they've been running all season when they needed an inch or two.''
The game bore an eerie resemblance to the 1993 game between the teams, when the Wolfpack trailed 27-17 in the third quarter before prevailing 34-29 in Raleigh. The Cavaliers outgained State 508-374 that day.
On Friday, Virginia had 506 total yards - only its second 500-yard game of the season - but was victimized by big plays. The Wolfpack got 237 of its 440 yards on four scoring plays.
Maybe the biggest came with 8:22 remaining, when a blitz left the middle of the Cavaliers' defense vacant and State freshman Tremayne Stephens ran 84 yards for the touchdown that made it 30-25.
UVa got a possible momentum lift when Joe Crocker intercepted Geoff Bender's attempted conversion pass and returned it 105 yards for a 2-point play, but that was the last score by either team.
The Cavaliers earlier had intercepted three passes, one of which Randy Neal returned 28 yards for a touchdown to put Virginia ahead 19-7 less than 90 seconds into the third quarter.
Virginia went for two points after the touchdown and failed - its second failed 2-point conversion of the game - after earlier missing a point-after kick because of a high snap.
``If we kick the first one, then we kick the next two and get three points instead of none,'' UVa offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien said. ``You could say that was the difference.''
Neal's interception came off starting N.C. State quarterback Terry Harvey, who did not return after getting leveled by a blitzing Jamie Sharper. In came Bender, wearing a collar around his neck to ease a pinched nerve.
Bender was one of three State players to throw touchdown passes, joining Harvey and fullback Carlos King, whose 22-yard pass to a wide-open Mike Guffie made it 19-14 with 9:31 left in the third quarter.
After a 36-yard Steve Videtich field goal, State pushed its lead to 25-14 on a 69-yard touchdown pass from Bender to Adrian Hill, who beat first-team All-ACC cornerback Ronde Barber.
That whipped a smattering of State fans in a crowd of 36,300 into a frenzy, but Virginia took the lead for the last time on a 52-yard pass from Mike Groh to Patrick Jeffers with 2:33 remaining in the 29-point third quarter.
Jeffers finished with six catches for 153 yards, but had a crucial fumble at the Wolfpack 11-yard line as Virginia was attempting to add to its lead with 13:10 left in the fourth quarter.
``Maybe we should call Virginia Tech and ask how they felt last week because the same thing happened to us today,'' said O'Brien, referring to Tech's eight turnovers in a 42-23 loss to the Cavaliers.
Groh, intercepted on his first pass of the game, finished 23-of-34 for a career-high 287 yards. Harvey, Bender and King combined for 300 yards - 190 in the second half.
``I was really happy when Tremayne broke that draw [for the go-ahead touchdown],'' said Bender, who may have had a broken hand. ``I'm not sure how well I could have thrown the ball at that point.
``I normally don't throw a very pretty ball and now I've got an excuse.''
It was the kind of comeback for which the Wolfpack has become famous. It won four games last year after trailing in the fourth quarter and have done it three of the last four weeks.
Virginia was a 141/2-point favorite Friday, which made it the seventh time in the last nine years that the underdog has won the UVa-State game, including the last three years.
``The funny thing is, we used to thump this team,'' said UVa center Bryan Heath, referring to six straight Cavalier victories between 1986 and 1991. ``But the kind of team they are, they're never out of a ballgame.''
see microfilm for box score
by CNB