Over the course of its surprising 2002 season, the Virginia football team has made a habit, good or bad, of playing to the level of its opponents. Whether the competition is South Carolina or Akron, the Cavaliers have rarely been blown out and even more rarely have blown opponents out themselves. And in Saturday's rain-soaked 14-9 victory over No. 22 NC State, the Cavaliers once again missed an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and their opponent in the scoring column, but the victory was no less sweet.
The lack of blowouts for the Virginia team also has produced another reputation of exciting, down-to-the-wire affairs, and yesterday was no different. The Cavaliers (7-4, 5-2 ACC) appeared to be marching toward a game-clinching touchdown after a successful fake field goal run by junior quarterback Matt Schaub. But junior wide receiver Michael McGrew fumbled at the NC State 14-yard line with five minutes left, giving the Wolfpack (9-3, 4-3) one last chance at victory.
Junior quarterback Philip Rivers led NC State on a drive that ate up most of the game clock, converting on three third downs to keep the Wolfpack in the game. On fourth-and-7 from the Virginia 15-yard line, Rivers dropped back under pressure from Virginia freshman linebacker Darryl Blackstock and heaved a pass in the direction of wide receiver Bryan Peterson. The ball was deflected twice, first by freshman safety Willie Davis and then by junior cornerback Jamaine Winborne, before falling harmlessly to the ground in the back of the end zone to seal the Virginia victory and put the Cavaliers -- picked to finish eighth in the ACC in preseason polls -- in position to go to a bowl game.
"It's definitely a relief to get it now, with two games left," Schaub said of the Cavaliers' bowl eligibility. "I think it was in the back of everyone's mind to get that out of the way. It's a big step for our team after last season."
The Cavaliers would not have been in position to win the game if not for major contributions from several players starting for the first time only recently. Instead of the predicted showdown between the two top passers in the ACC in Rivers and Schaub, or a huge rushing effort from NC State freshman sensation T.A. McLendon, the most impressive offensive player on the field was Virginia sophomore running back Marquis Weeks, a player who did not even appear on the pregame depth chart and who had rushed for a grand total of 41 yards before yesterday's game. Weeks finished with 136 yards on 19 carries yesterday.
Weeks was far from the only new face on the field for the Cavaliers. Sophomore linebacker Rich Bedesem made several tackles, including one huge hit on McLendon, and Davis returned from injury to have a hand in the decisive play of the game.
Bedesem "did a real good job," Virginia Coach Al Groh said. He also praised senior linebacker Merrill Robertson, who "did a real good job for us and made a number of plays. I think our production at that position increased. And the play that Willie Davis made in the end zone -- we haven't been making those plays out of that position."
The Virginia defense, often criticized for its inability to stop the run, came up big on Saturday, holding the high-powered Wolfpack attack to just 342 total yards, nearly 100 less than NC State's season average.
The Cavaliers took an early lead on their first possession on a 21-yard pass from Schaub to sophomore wide receiver Ottowa Anderson. The touchdown pass was the 22nd on the season for Schaub, breaking the school record formerly held by Shawn Moore and Bobby Goodman. The winning touchdown came in the third quarter on a six-yard pass from Schaub to sophomore tight end Patrick Estes. The Wolfpack countered with a Rivers touchdown run and an Adam Kiker field goal, but were unable to convert on the game's final drive.
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