Riding the arm of Matt Schaub and the legs of Wali Lundy, the Virginia Cavaliers (4-1, 3-0 ACC) walked over a struggling UNC team (0-5, 0-3), 38-13, Saturday at Chapel Hill.
Despite taking the early advantage off a field goal from senior kicker Dan Orner, UNC could not overcome the play of its defense -- rated the worst in the nation -- and eventually crumbled from the pressure of the Cavaliers' offensive attack.
Headlining the assault was, of course, Matt Schaub, who threw an almost perfect 19-22 for 284 yards in just his second game back after suffering an early season shoulder injury.
"I felt good out there today," Schaub said after the game. "I thought I was in the zone. The receivers were getting off the line of scrimmage and really getting open."
The Cavaliers were held scoreless throughout the first quarter, but Lundy punched in a touchdown from six yards out to cap a 75-yard drive early in the second quarter, changing the tide of the game and starting a run of 17 unanswered points for Virginia.
That was the first of three touchdowns for Lundy, who rushed for 129 yards on 28 carries. Lundy has now rushed for over 100 yards in seven of his 14 career starts but gave most of the credit to his teammates for his performance.
"The offensive line stepped up," Lundy said. "They came to play. UNC's defensive line played hard, but we just kept running the ball down their throats."
With three minutes to play in the first half, Virginia began to assert its dominance when Schaub rifled an 18-yard touchdown pass to freshman wide out Fontel Mines for his first collegiate reception. But UNC quarterback Darian Durant led the Tar Heels down the field in a last ditch drive to stay close to the Cavaliers at the half. They came away with a field goal to make it 17-6 going into the locker room.
In the second half Virginia dominated every phase of the game. The Cavaliers came out punching on their first drive, handing the ball off to Lundy for 34 yards on six of the drive's nine plays, before he dove into the endzone for the score from one-yard out.
"In a closely contested game at the half, you have to come out in the third quarter and establish yourself," coach Al Groh said.
The UNC faithful headed for the gates on the next Virginia drive after Schaub floated a beautiful 33-yard pass square into the arms of junior tailback Alvin Pearman, who trotted in for the score. The Cavaliers went on to rack up 21 unanswered points in the second half.
While the offense was in full swing, the defense was stellar, holding the Tar Heels to only 58 yards rushing and just 265 yards of total offense.
"We wanted to keep the rushing of our opponent under 100 yards," Groh said. "I think we were well under that. Our front line played real well."
Durant was pressured all day, as the defensive corps recorded five sacks, two of those coming from sophomore linebacker Darryl Blackstock. But putting Durant on the turf is no easy task.
"Durant is a terrific quarterback, who has great escape ability," Groh said. "He's hard to pen up, but our guys stayed in the hunt and did a good job."
Late in the game, in front of a crowd now seemingly more orange than baby blue, Durant scrambled down the field for a 14-yard score against the second string Virginia defense to make the final score 38-13.
"I'm happy for our players," Groh said. "I'm pleased with the way we played today. If you want to do anything in this conference you have to win on the road."
Amid all the UNC mistakes and broken plays, the Tar Heels did come away with a single bright point, as Durant surpassed Ronald Curry to become UNC's all-time leading passer with over 5,000 yards.
Virginia looks to remain unbeaten in the ACC when they travel to Clemson Saturday.
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