Cavs Hand UNC 4th Straight Loss

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Some college students do just enough to get by. They don't read their textbooks, don't go to class. But with the benefit of some late cramming sessions, they still manage to pass the course.

Virginia brought that philosophy into its football game against North Carolina on Saturday.

UNC piled up 380 total yards to Virginia's 227. But that advantage didn't translate to the scoreboard for the Tar Heels. The Cavaliers made the most of their yardage and earned a 17-6 victory in front of 56,692 fans.

It marked North Carolina's 10th straight loss at Scott Stadium. The Tar Heels (3-5, 1-5 in the ACC) haven't left Charlottesville with a victory since 1981.

"The Scott Stadium curse still lives on for the Tar Heels," said frustrated tight end Alge Crumpler, who led UNC with five catches for 70 yards.

Virginia (5-3, 4-2) gained more yardage on its two touchdown drives (157) than on the rest of its plays combined (70). Tailback Antwoine Womack carried the heaviest load for the Cavaliers, rushing 13 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.

"Defensively, anytime you hold a Virginia offense to (227) yards, you'd think we would win the ballgame," UNC coach Carl Torbush said. "But we didn't. They were able to make key plays offensively when they needed to."

Virginia's biggest plays came near the end of the third quarter.

The Cavaliers needed a spark, so offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill dug into his bag of trick plays on first-and-10 from the UNC 44-yard line.

Quarterback Dan Ellis pitched the ball to tailback Tyree Foreman, who eluded a defender and chucked the ball 22 yards downfield to wideout Kevin Coffey.

Virginia ran a reverse with wide receiver Tavon Mason on the next play, who went 22 yards for a touchdown. UVa. led 14-6 with 1:23 left in the third.

"Two great calls," Torbush said. "You've got to give them credit for them. They were good calls at the right time, especially back-to-back, which is real unusual."

The plays were almost out of necessity for Virginia; it could get nothing else to work.

Before that drive, the Cavaliers had gained just 69 yards in the game, including a 77-yard touchdown drive in the first half.

"The offense didn't help a bit in the first half except for a touchdown, which I guess is worth something," Virginia coach George Welsh said.

The UNC defense battered Ellis for much of the first three quarters, sacking him five times. Defensive end Julius Peppers pulled the signal caller to the ground four times in UVa.'s first six drives.

The constant pounding reaggravated Ellis' hamstring, which he pulled on Oct. 7, and limited his mobility. But he still served as the lead blocker on the reverse.

"They were signaling it in, and I was going, `I don't know if I'm going to be able to get there,'" Ellis said. "My leg was kind of hurt, and he throws that one in, and I was like, `Oh my gosh.'"

North Carolina dominated the first half from a statistical standpoint. The Tar Heels held the ball for more than 21 minutes, accumulating 13 first downs.

But they still trailed 7-3 at the half, mostly because of missed opportunities.

Virginia blocked two field-goal attempts by Jeff Reed before intermission. UNC fullback Anthony Saunders fumbled on the Virginia 34-yard line.

And in the second half, there was the play of little-used Cavalier safety Devon Simmons.

He stopped UNC twice in the third quarter, preventing touchdowns. Simmons picked off Curry's pass for Sam Aiken in the right corner of the end zone on UNC's first drive of the second half.

"It was just a bad throw," said Curry, who was 22-for-39 for 223 yards. "If the ball would have been thrown right, it would have been a touchdown. I let it hang in the air too long."

On UNC's next possession, Simmons threw Curry for a loss on a third-down draw play, forcing Reed's second field goal of the day.

"Those were really key plays in the ballgame because at those particular times, that would have put us ahead," Torbush said. "We were not able to get that done."

The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.