CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The Virginia secondary may be a motley crew this season, with gaping holes that forced coach George Welsh to experiment with untested starting sets. But Saturday in Chapel Hill, every combination that Welsh threw onto the field fit like a glove.
The Cavalier corners and safeties, although their composition seemed to change on every down, played like a unit against North Carolina, holding athletic Tar Heel quarterback Ronald Curry to just 10-for-28 passing (36 percent completion percentage) for 147 yards. They also came up with two crucial interceptions to help their team to a 20-17 victory over the rival Heels.
"Our plan was that we were going to do something to create different looks, different problems," defensive coordinator Rick Lantz said. "The guys did it exactly the way we practiced it."
Although kicker Todd Braverman may get the most attention for his game-winning 50-yard field goal, the secondary had the biggest impact on the outcome of the contest. Time and time again, the defensive backfield batted down crucial third-down passes or made stops to show naysayers that they can be as good as the Anthony Poindexter-led group of last season.
"I take my hat off to the defense," said tailback Thomas Jones, who rushed for 149 yards and a touchdown. "They played a great game."
This outcome came as a pleasant surprise for Welsh, who toyed with the idea of starting two redshirt first years at the safety slots. He ultimately chose to start redshirt first-year Chris Williams and former cornerback Antwan Harris at the two safety spots, with battle-tested fourth-year Dwayne Stukes and third-year Tim Spruill at corners.
Eventually, minor injuries to Stukes and Harris brought redshirt first-year Shenard Newby in to play strong safety alongside Williams. And the two rookies made Welsh look like a genius.
Midway through the second quarter after a Virginia punt, Williams picked off a Curry pass near midfield and ran it back to the Carolina 21-yard line. Williams' first career interception erased any doubts about his ability to play at the college level.
"I was excited and I was ready to play," he said. "Really this whole week, I've been going through plays in my mind, things I wanted to do during the game. It just happens one of the things I thought about last night was a drop slant, [and that] I would come in and get an interception. And that's what happened."
Not to be outdone by his teammate, Newby got a pick of his own just before the end of the third quarter that led to a Cavalier touchdown just two plays later.
After the interception, "I thought about how many people doubted us as redshirt freshmen, and all the questions about the secondary," Newby said. "I hope today we answered some of those questions."
With so many fine performances from his secondary, Welsh may face a new set of questions this week when forced to choose whether to start Harris at safety again and leave Newby or Williams on the bench, or start him alongside Stukes at corner over the talented Spruill.
Yet, with each player competing for playing time having proven he can be effective in a game situation, Welsh should be relieved that it's the toughest decision he has to make.
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