The South's oldest rivalry renews tomorrow at noon at Scott Stadium when the North Carolina and Virginia football teams face off for the 105th time.
The Cavaliers (4-3, 3-2 ACC) have come out on top in nine straight home games against UNC since a 17-14 Carolina victory in 1981. When these two teams met last year, the Cavs stole the game on a field goal with 27.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter, claiming a 20-17 victory. This year the Cavaliers have one main obstacle to maintaining that winning tradition and handing the Heels their fourth straight loss: UNC junior quarterback Ronald Curry.
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Although Curry went down with a slight knee sprain in the second quarter of UNC's loss to Clemson last week, he returned soon after halftime, surprising even Carolina coach Carl Torbush.
"When I got back on the field in the second half, I had every intention that he would not be back," Torbush said. "Lo and behold, about three plays later, Ronald steps up behind me with a knee brace on. There's no better competitor and tougher young man than Ronald Curry."
Curry's knee appears fully healed, but his heart will not be 100 percent after the death of his grandmother earlier this week. Curry missed some practice to mourn with his family but returned to Chapel Hill in plenty of time to prepare for tomorrow's game.
The Cavalier defenders will devote much of their energy to stopping the slippery, multi-dimensional Curry. Virginia coach George Welsh knows Curry's potential for game-breaking plays.
"The difference with Curry is his strength is coming out of the pocket," Welsh said. "Whether he spins outside a rush guy and goes to the boundary, or whether he steps up and runs around, he stays behind the line of scrimmage first, looking for his receivers. He's made a lot of big plays that way, throwing the ball up the field for big gains."
The Cavaliers will have their starter ready to go at quarterback as well. Senior Dan Ellis is set to return to the field for the first time since straining his hamstring three weeks ago against Maryland. Redshirt freshman Bryson Spinner started in Virginia's 37-3 loss at Florida State last week.
"I think he's fine," Welsh said. "The only thing we have to make sure gets done is getting his timing back with the receivers. That's going to be the key. He's going to have to throw the ball well and with accuracy."
Torbush knows the Tar Heels (3-4, 1-4) will have to work hard to secure a victory in Charlottesville tomorrow, even if Curry is at full strength. He added, however, that he couldn't see any reason for the streak "other than the fact that they've got George Welsh as the head coach, and they've had very good football teams over that period of time."
"If you look at it, there have been a lot of close ballgames up there," Torbush continued. "We know it's a great home-field advantage for them, because I think the crowd is involved in the game, especially for Carolina."
Virginia expects to have the services of a pair of pass-catching seniors who missed time against Florida State with injuries. Split end Kevin Coffey hurt his hamstring in practice the week before facing the Seminoles. He gave it a go against the 'Noles but was forced out of the game relatively quickly. Welsh said Coffey's hamstring pull is not nearly as severe as the one that sidelined Ellis for three weeks.
Tight end Billy Baber was knocked out of the FSU game with an injury to his ribs, but he also should return tomorrow. In his absence last week, backup Chris Luzar caught a career-high six catches.
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