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By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Billy McMullen ran for the go-ahead touchdownand Matt Schaub threw for another TD as Virginia once again owned the secondhalf and rallied to beat Clemson 22-17 Saturday.
The Cavaliers (5-2, 3-1 ACC) won their fifth straight game and did theirbest work in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 16-7. They have outscoredopponents 140-70 after halftime this season.
The Tigers (3-3, 1-2), who started the game with a 19-play, 93-yard drivethat ended with a field goal, managed only one more meaningful score and hurttheir chances with two turnovers late in the fourth quarter.
A seven-play, 92-yard drive, capped by Charlie Whitehurt’s 10-yard touchdownpass to J.J. McKelvey, gave Clemson hope with 1:31 left, but Virginia recoveredthe onside kick and ran out the clock.
McMullen, whose 1-yard touchdown catch with 1 second left gave the Cavaliersa disputed 26-24 victory in Death Valley last year, this time scored on a1-yard run on fourth-and-goal with 14:16 to play.
The Tigers got the drive going with consecutive 15-yard penalties, and astumbling McMullen took it the final yard for the lead.
His run gave Virginia a 13-10 lead, and Kurt Smith added a 21-yard fieldgoal – his third of the game – before Schaub converted Rich Bedesem’sinterception into a 15-yard TD pass to Heath Miller with 4:08 to play.
Schaub, one of the nation’s top-rated passers, was 23-for-32 for 208 yards.He connected with tailback Wali Lundy 11 times for 78 yards, allowing Lundy tobreak the school record for receptions by a running back (nine).
The go-ahead drive started with Schaub running for 10 yards and the Tigersgetting called for a personal foul. On the next play, Schaub threw deep forMcMullen, and he was pulled down by Kevin Johnson – another 15-yard flag.
Smith also kicked field goals of 42 and 28 yards for Virginia.
The Tigers led 10-6 at halftime, thanks to a late first-half mistake bySchaub. Rolling left, he tried to throw deep to McMullen, and Brian Mance madea diving interception. One play later, Tye Hill took a handoff, ran wide to theleft and raced untouched up the sideline for the touchdown.
It was the Tigers’ last scoring play until the final two minutes.
Clemson’s 93-yard, 19-play drive was its longest possession in terms ofplays since 1979, when the Tigers also had a 19-play drive in a game againstGeorgia.