THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 7, 1995 TAG: 9510070396
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHAPEL HILL LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Virginia quarterback Mike Groh says 99 football games between the Cavaliers and North Carolina have left the nation's sixth-longest rivalry with ``two teams that don't like each other very much.''
That should be clear today when Carolina and Virginia meet for the 100th time in a game that involves more than a spirited rivalry.
The ninth-ranked Cavaliers (5-1, 4-0) need a victory to remain on top of the ACC. North Carolina (2-2, 0-1) needs one to stay on the road to respectability.
``One of us is always trying to mess up the other's goals, and that's why we don't like each other,'' Groh said.
While that is true today, it is not always the case for all the Cavaliers.
Except for the week that the two teams play each other, one of the Tar Heels' biggest fans is Virginia defensive back Percy Ellsworth.
``I've always been a big North Carolina fan,'' Ellsworth admitted with a smile earlier this week while his teammates had on their best Tar Heel scowls.
``I loved Carolina when I was little, when I was in high school, and I still root for them except when they play us. This is the week I got to hate them like everyone else.''
For most of his life, though, Ellsworth pulled for the Tar Heels, no matter who they played.
During his senior season at Southampton High School, Ellsworth went to Charlottesville, sat in the end zone bleachers, and pulled for North Carolina.
After the Cavaliers won, he was so upset that he refused the urgings of friends to visit the Virginia locker room.
``I hated Virginia,'' he said, ``and I loved the Tar Heels.''
So why didn't Ellsworth, a native of Drewryville, a few miles north of the North Carolina line, follow his boyhood dream to play for the Tar Heels?
It is a question the Virginia senior has never answered. He claims he doesn't know why he changed his mind and headed for Charlottesville instead of Chapel Hill.
The Tar Heels came after the multi-talented Ellsworth as hard as Virginia. He had attended football camps at North Carolina.
He worshiped North Carolina basketball, and coach Dean Smith promised him the opportunity to walk on, as did other schools recruiting him.
``It was strange,'' Ellsworth said. ``I went to North Carolina to see a basketball game against Virginia. Cory Alexander was playing for Virginia and they stayed in the game for a half. I hated Virginia. Really hated them. I talked to coach Smith and the Carolina players and told them that I would be back.
``Then I went home and woke up the next morning and said `I'm going to U.Va.' It surprised me as much as anyone else.''
While the sudden switch remains a mystery, Ellsworth says he has never regretted his decision to stay in state.
``This (Virginia) program was built on players from outside the state, but if all the good players stayed in state we would have a really good team,'' he said.
Ellsworth started three games as a true freshman and has been a key player in the secondary the last two years.
He also has played basketball the last two years, but received limited playing time because he joined the team after bowl games.
``I have never been able to concentrate on basketball to see how good I might be because football came first, even in high school,'' Ellsworth said.
One reason for putting football No. 1 was that it seemed to provide the best opportunity for him to play professionally.
``I just thought there is a lot of 6-foot-3 guards in the NBA, but 6-foot-3, 200-pound safeties are not as common in the NFL,'' Ellsworth said.
He plans on playing basketball again this winter, and would have another year of eligibility left in that sport if he wanted to return for a fifth year.
But chances are he will be in an NFL camp next year.
``If I get drafted by the NFL, I am going,'' he said. ``That is a check, and you can't turn your back on that.''
Ellsworth is having an impressive season with 30 tackles, eight pass break-ups, and three interceptions.
He also has become a vocal leader on the field and in the locker room and has spent this past week reminding younger players not to be fooled by Carolina's 2-2 record.
``I have been a lot more vocal lately, and I guess some of my teammates are wishing that I would shut up,'' Ellsworth said.
``But we can't be fooled by Carolina's record. This is a rivalry and it is going to be a tough game. They have as many athletes, if not more, than we do. A Carolina-coached team can beat you any time.''
If it were any other Saturday, any other team on the Carolina schedule, Ellsworth would be pulling for the Heels to win, too.
``This is the only game of the season that I won't be rooting for them,'' Ellsworth said. ILLUSTRATION: U.Va.'s Percy
Ellsworth
by CNB