Amid patriotism and Tiger paws, the Virginia football team returned to the field after last week's cancellations and escaped with a last-second 26-24 upset at Clemson on Saturday night.
With no timeouts left and 1 minute, 43 seconds left to play, the Cavaliers (2-1, 1-0 ACC) marched down the field from their own 44-yard line and scored the winning touchdown when sophomore quarterback Bryson Spinner found wide receiver Billy McMullen in the corner of the end zone with one second left in the game.
"We practiced that play all week," Spinner said. "All I had to do was ... get the ball close to the end zone."
Virginia coach Al Groh made sure to give credit to the special teams unit, specifically Marquis Weeks and senior punter Mike Abrams. Abrams sent a 34-yard punt to the Clemson 4-yard line that Weeks caught with less than two minutes left to play to pin the Tigers deep in their own territory.
"A lot of different guys have to come out prepared to be the hero," Groh said. "Weeks is as big a hero as anybody."
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Weeks' play helped swing the momentum back to the Cavaliers, who struggled offensively early in the game. Virginia was unable to score a touchdown during the first half and relied on two David Greene field goals to keep the game close at halftime, 10-6.
Coming back from the break, however, the Cavaliers found their stride.
"We didn't get down on ourselves," Weeks said. "We just said it's going to be a new half, we have to come out and be physical."
Virginia sophomore Larry Simmons intercepted a pass from Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler and returned it for 26 yards. On the ensuing possession, Spinner scored the first rushing touchdown of Virginia's season to put the Cavaliers up 13-10. One drive later, Spinner connected with Billy McMullen for a 14-yard touchdown pass.
The Cavaliers' lead was short-lived, as Dantzler took his team down the field to the 1-yard line. Although Virginia's defense held the Tigers out of the end zone twice, Clemson broke through on Dantzler's quarterback sneak.
Dantzler, a Heisman Trophy candidate, rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown and completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 251 yards. He also threw two interceptions and had one fumble.
"I don't think those turnovers were enough to take away from his performance," Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said.
The Tigers' leading rusher was senior tailback Travis Zachary, who had 87 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Throughout the game, Clemson pulled a few creative plays from Bowden's book. The team's first touchdown came at the end of the first quarter when it appeared that Dantzler bobbled the snap, recovered, and shoved it between the legs of sophomore running back Terrance Huey, who ran left as the entire field followed Dantzler to the right. Huey sprinted 16 yards into the end zone on his first career carry.
In the very last second of the game, Clemson made a desperate attempt to capitalize on the last kickoff return. At least five backward passes later, Virginia made the tackle with no time remaining to clinch the victory.
"Pulling that one out was probably the greatest win I've been involved in," Virginia senior defensive end Ljubomir Stamenich said.
As college football teams all over the nation returned to the field, the memory of Sept. 11 hung heavily over the pre-game and halftime ceremonies. A moment of silence preceded the game, and the crowd released red, white and blue balloons into the sky during the closing verses of the national anthem. Once the teams got on the field and down to business, fans who dressed in red, white and blue were as easy to find as those in orange and purple.
At least the Cavaliers, it seems, will be able to get back to football.
"I think this is really good because we're in the hunt and the hunt doesn't end until December the first," Groh said.
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